68 Crime of Heart

Today, our story brings us to the land of the Robotnik Empire. A very peculiar place for sure. Seemingly paradoxical in a way. It's a great place to live, yet also a bad place to LIVE. Although most people have money, and technology is progressing at a much faster rate than many of the other nations around Erius, nobody is really happy as it stands. Strict laws, bad air, and a disgusting corporate presence looming overhead wherever you go… This is how many people would describe each waking day in their lives when living under the Robotnik Empire's golden sky. That is, they all probably would have said this. If they were even allowed to speak ill of the nation. Overall, it's a pretty drab place to find yourself, even if you supposedly have it good there.

A skyscraper-mounted TV abruptly changed back to its regularly-scheduled programming after a quick propaganda break. Some people walking down the street stopped and turned to watch, pointing their heads up. There was a slight pain in their necks, one that had become too familiar. "You are watching News 77 on Satellite TV. I am anchor Scarlet Garcia, and it is my sworn duty to report the news to the unaware." The news anchor said monotonously. She had spoken that same line every day since she was old enough to even get the job. Back when she didn't have those tired bags under her eyes, back when her skin wasn't cold and slightly blue. She sighed shakily, making it evident she was trying not to cry. She was live on television to the whole empire after all. "Lord Robotnik is back as the rightful ruler of this empire. Everything is going according to his plans for world conquest. Soon, his glorious empire will cover all of Erius in an iron shell, and one by one, he will walk us towards a better future ad astra."

Ad astra. "To the stars". It's Latin. Although English is by far the most spoken language on Erius, everyone in the Robotnik Empire has remembered the foreign phrase from the otherwise forgotten language by having it pounded into their heads over and over. They had been fed this promise of militaristic godhood once they had the entirety of their home planet under their control. After that, it was supposed to keep growing until they had conquered the entire universe. Unlimited resources, endless space, and nobody who could get in their way. But it would probably only happen after the current generation was long dead. And quite a few after that. Because right then, they were having trouble just standing their ground in the face of two other rival nations.

People shouted and grunted in annoyance as a ladybug girl shoved through the crowd. She was oddly dressed and appeared almost lifeless. She was wobbly, yet looked like she knew what she was doing. Bored yet intent on some kind of unknown goal. Tired at two in the afternoon. She looked about a year or three too young to be drinking, and it was a very formal kind of Tuesday. So everybody had to wonder what made her appear so careless as she made an unorthodox dance through the crowd. "Bitch!" Angry people shouted as they were pushed aside by the top-hatted ladybug girl. "Stupid animal! Go back to the petting zoo!" The humans in the crowd cried. This got them angry glances from the anthropomorphic individuals standing close enough to hear over the sounds of the city.

"Actually, they're a ladybug," a rather fastidious beaver stated. "If anything, they would go in an insectarium."

"Yeah, and how 'bout I just throw you in a raging river?" A large bearded human replied. "I'd like to see you build a dam with all that big talk! Also, it's not 'they'. 'IF ANYTHING', it's a she. I only see one unnatural freak." The ladybug kept her head down, but stopped to listen in. Her antenna wiggled and received the sounds of the argument. She giggled, thinking about how this human hated animal people but looked more like an arctotherium angustiden than anyone else there. The human noticed the antenna close to his arm, freaked out, and grabbed her antenna, reeling her in and holding her up in the air. The ladybug struggled to be let go. "You listening in on me?" The human asked. "We don't like your kind around here, you know. I'll squash you like a---" The ladybug girl stared deep into the man's soul through his eyes. Her stare grew more intense, and the man's voice trailed off as he turned completely gray. Soon, he dropped her to the ground. She landed on her feet, and the antenna that had been grabbed was free once more. The man's eyes were devoid of pupils.

The ladybug girl continued to spin and dance through the crowd, turning the multi-colored conglomerate into a trail of gray behind her. "This just in!" Scarlet shouted. "The PHANTOM THIEF OF HEARTS has reportedly struck near the highly-populated Casinopolis. This is NOT a drill! EVERYBODY SEEK SHELTER!" The ladybug lady left the crowd as another piece of gray in the colorless road, as helicopters surrounded the sickly sky above her. She slipped away into the heavily populated casino, without a single soul spotting her.

…

Meanwhile, very far away from the Robotnik Empire, Sonic the Hedgehog stretched, opened his eyes to a warm morning glow filtering in from his curtains, and jolted back. Resting on the opposite side of the bedframe was Amy of the Roses. Her eyes were wide open and it looked like she hadn't slept a wink all night. In fact, Sonic didn't even remember her blinking at all the day before. Or in his dream.

"Amy!" Sonic shouted, pulling his cloak from atop the bedside lamp and putting it on, embarrassedly. "Uh… how long have you been watching me like that?"

"I always watch you while you sleep, Sonikku," Amy replied. Sonic felt arms wrap themselves around him from behind. He looked behind him, and saw that Amy was there too. "I watch you everywhere." A third Amy poked her head in through Sonic's window. "EVERYWHERE." The real Amy dismissed them by burning the tarot card she had used to summon them with a lighter. The magical double and triple disappeared into sparkles as they screeched bloody murder. Sonic watched in concern as they burnt to little crisps. "Don't worry. They're not real and don't actually feel pain." Amy stated, hopping onto Sonic's bed and jumping up and down hyperactively. Even by Sonic's standards.

"Uh-huh, yeah. And how do I know you're the original Amy?" Sonic teased. Amy landed on her back on the soft mattress and looked up towards Sonic, giggling excitedly. Sonic was peeking out through the raggy curtains at the lake outside his house. Then the hills and mountains beyond that lake.

"Would a magical double Amy know your home/IP address and blood type?" Amy asked with a flirtatious tone.

"We all live in the same house," Sonic replied. He thought about what Amy had said. "I don't even know my own blood type!"

"AO," Amy replied.

"That's not a blood type," Tails called from the living room.

"I missed my 'Y'. Ahem... AYO! What we doing today?!" Amy asked, all giggly. She and Sonic hopped out of bed.

"I'm thinking of making a few laps 'round town," Sonic replied, smiling. "Care to join?" He offered, grinning excitedly.

"You know it," Amy replied, grabbing his hand. Just like that, they were off.

The two left the confines of their house and ran across the rickety wooden boardwalk over Lilypad Lake Zone's town of Dockopolis. Known for great fishing seasons and breathtaking forests, it is a small and happy town that anybody could spend their whole life in. If they did, they would probably be content by the end of their road. But Sonic wasn't just anybody. He had a world to explore, and no place could hold him down for long. This country, Oswuera, was just a breather on his quest to find all seven World Instruments. He had the Cacophonic Conch, but Ata the Olm and Professor Pickle were still trying to pinpoint the location of the other instruments. These instruments, when played together, were the only things that could end this Shattered World Crisis before Dark Gaia covered the entire world in a never-ending midnight.

"Wonder what has everyone on edge," Sonic said, as he and Amy ran through the park. Everybody looked concerned as they stared down at their devices. Sonic and Amy skidded to a stop behind a middle-aged man watching a topical yet dubious show on his phone. The loud braking sound from Sonic and Amy made the man look behind him. But there was nobody there. Sonic and Amy had hidden themselves behind a large tree, listening in and periodically zipping closer behind him again to get a better idea of what was happening. They were only really getting bits and pieces of info from this.

"Graying Pandemic---" the show host said. "---Phantom Thief of Hearts, named after the fictional group from hit video game--- in a similar manner to the protein named after runaway Robotnik Empire mascot S---. Yes, that's a real thing. Anyways, speaking of the Robotnik Empire--- has been hit with the pandemic just last night."

"Graying Pandemic?" Amy whispered, behind the tree.

"Sounds like fun," Sonic snickered. This pandemic was news to him, and it sounded like a new adventure on the horizon.

"No it doesn't???" Amy replied, with a serious expression. "Who's gonna be the one to tell Snocone about it? NOT ME!"

"Tails," Sonic joked. "But really, we should probably fill him in on the sitch!"

Sonic slammed the door to their house open, making Tails jump up in a ball. "Wow. That's a new record!" Tails exclaimed, as he and Zor looked up from the Tails Electric.

"It wasn't even a minute," Zor followed up, shocked. "Speaking of which, have you ever thought about entering the summer sports event here?"

"I tried entering on Tuesday, but those three Marxio Brother guys nabbed the last spot," Sonic groaned. He then remembered what he was doing back at the house. "Ooh! Tails, have you heard of the Graying Pandemic?"

"Graying Pandemic? Yeah, I have heard of it," Tails answered. "It's been all over the news for a few weeks. Across the world, people are having their personalities and desires taken by someone they're calling the 'Phantom Thief of Hearts'. Apparently, this phantom thief does this just by getting a good look into their victim's eyes." Sonic grinned excitedly. "Lemme guess. You wanna go stop them, right?"

"Yeah," Sonic replied. "Yeah, I really do." Tails smiled.

"Well, I guess you DO have some downtime while Ata and the professor research those World Instruments," Tails sighed. "I'm gonna stay here, so I can have consistent wi-fi for when Ata calls."

"But if you're planning to strike right now, you'd be traveling back into the Robotnik Empire. Are you sure you can handle it?" Zor asked.

"You don't gotta worry about me, Zor," Sonic replied.

"But I worry about everything," Zor replied.

"She's kinda right, Sonic," Tails agreed. "We need you back here safe, sound, and ready for when Ata finds the next instrument. And going to the Robotnik Empire could kinda throw a wrench in all of that."

"Aw, c'mon!" Sonic exclaimed, waving his arms around and making random gestures. "I'm as safe as I'm speedy and I'm speedier than sound. I'm ready for anything!"

"Even if you make it back in one piece, I know how much the empire messed with your head while we lived there," Tails debated. "Going back there, trying to GET OUT again, could bring up some bad memories." Sonic's smile fell as he considered everything. Tails placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "So… I want to be there to help you. Just like last time. I saw something like this coming, so I've been developing a new application for the Tails Electric." Sonic curiously powered on his Tails Electric, and saw a new app on the home screen. It looked vaguely familiar. "I call it the InterNav. It digitizes the person activating it, and sends their code into the internet. It makes for quick and easy travel from one spot to another in the physical world. Say you get digitized through your Tails Electric. You could run straight through the worldwide web into the Robonet and regain physical form out of one of the Robotnik Empire's devices. As well as vice versa. Running through the internet plane would save you a lot of time instead of flying the Tornado in this dimension."

"Really?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah. You can use it anytime to get just about anywhere with access to the internet," Tails stated. "Just use basic internet safety. Since you're pure code when using the InterNav, we wouldn't want you getting some kind of virus."

"Got it. Don't worry, I browse all kinds of weird websites with ads BEGGING you to click. The only virus I ever got was when I was 11," Sonic replied. Everybody stared at him. "Yep, gawk all you want. I've been through Hell 'n back in that regard."

"So you're really off, huh?" Tails asked. For a second, Sonic saw a tinge of sadness on Tails' face. But it quickly disappeared. "Good luck! I'll try my best to check in every once in a while. Don't be gone too long."

"Why can't I go with you?" Amy asked, pouty. "I want to go with you!"

"It's… safer if you stay here," Sonic replied. "The Robotnik Empire is nasty. Pretty sure they don't allow tarot cards, either."

Amy groaned. "Okay, then. Don't talk to any girls. ANY."

"You don't gotta worry about that," Sonic assured her, putting an arm around her shoulder and winking. "I'll try to keep a low profile in general."

"Okay… I trust you," Amy replied. She pulled Sonic in all the way and gave him a big, fervent surprise kiss on the lips that tasted like how a rose smelled and felt like it had been pent up for quite a while. Sonic fell backwards, with a blush that looked like it was confused on whether to be angry or avid. But she caught him. He very quickly returned the kiss, but only for a few seconds until he pulled away. "Especially now."

"AlllllRIGHT!" Sonic laughed in celebration. "Off I go. I'll be back soon, everyone!"

"Bye, Sonic!" Everybody cried. Except Amy, who tacked on a "coo" sound to the end as usual. Sonic waved goodbye, as he tapped the InterNav icon. He and the Tails Electric he held disappeared into a collection of pixels and polygons.

Sonic re-materialized in a white void. "Loading…" a synthesized version of Tails' voice stated. Sonic waited in some kind of stasis, before the white void faded to the outskirts of a large, digital, neon amusement park. "Load complete. Enjoy your stay in the worldwide web." Sonic rushed off, his shoes kicking up pixels of grass. He looked to his hand, and noticed the Tails Electric had turned into a small chip. He looked up. There were vibrant colors everywhere he looked, lining the otherwise dark amusement park. Sonic rail grinded on holographic wires, ran around spinning blue loading circles as if they were shuttle loops, and marveled at wall-mounted ads for all sorts of products he probably couldn't afford as they flashed by.

"Hmm… Now that I think about it, I'm probably gonna be recognized in the empire if I go in looking like this. Then I'll be a target," Sonic stated, screeching to a halt in the center of the park. He looked all around, and his eyes landed on some kind of shopping website given form as a huge, flashy emporium. They had departments for just about everything. His eyes immediately landed on the boutique and beautician. Two places that, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even need to go to. So they were perfect for designing his unassuming alter ego for this short double life he would have in the Robotnik Empire.

Next thing he knew, he had run in and out of every shop. When he left the emporium, he had swapped out his golden mask for a pair of glasses, his cloak for a baggy red sweater with an "N" on it. His iconic shoes for blue boots with yellow at the tips, his black arm-length gloves for some oddly nostalgic white wrist-length gloves. He had even dyed his hair to make himself a brunette. His skin now had a layer of pink blush. He had gone through a complete makeover. And to suit this… he needed a new name. "Sonic… Nic… Nikki?" He thought on it. Sonic then shrugged. "Eh, why not?" He stuck the chip that was once the Tails Electric onto the inside of his glasses.

Sonic, in his "Nikki" disguise, continued on through the Cyber Circus Zone until the rides, social media district, and lights began to sparse out in favor of a long, polygonal highway. The only things lighting Nikki's way were the pixelated stars above him. The place resembled your typical 80's synthwave album cover. Nikki saw little drones that looked like outlines of Robotnik's Badniks patrolling the area. He smiled, knowing he must have been in the Robonet by then. It looked like there was a mine in the distant mountains as Robo Pawn silhouettes drove their pickaxes into the side of the mountains. What they were mining for was beyond Nikki, but it was probably some kind of questionable cryptocurrency or people's data. Nikki kept running down the highway. It wasn't his problem.

Nikki saw a bright light at the end of the road. "Looks like I'm getting close. Is that the way back to the real world?" Nikki thought to himself. "Okay. We're really doing this." He stopped in place to think if it was really what he wanted to do. After all, he could get killed if he slipped up on his alter ego. He could easily walk in there and never come out again. He had a bad feeling about this decision, but he knew he had to put a stop to the Phantom Thief of Hearts. Before the more rational part of his brain could catch up with his instinct, before it could tell him it was a bad idea and that he should turn back, he rushed off towards the bright light. Until it enveloped his vision.