Chapter Text
The loud noise in the mobile lab was nothing but usual. Small rhythmic noises of technological devices, machines building parts too small for human hands, and the constant clicking of a keyboard echoed off the walls incessantly.
It was a mostly quiet day if you didn’t count one or two agents getting punished for even thinking about interrupting Robotnik's work. Stone was sure to be outside the door, waiting for anyone who approached with a falsely kind smile and an icy stare.
From outside, Stone could hear the laboratory's speakers playing softly. A smile spread across his face briefly. Stone wished he could dance with Robotnik one day, just for a few minutes. Precious minutes that he would keep in his heart forever.
Suddenly, the pleasant sound of machines and music was interrupted.
"Stone!" Robotnik shouted.
Promptly, the Agent turned on his heels and climbed the small steps of the mobile lab. As he opened the door, there was a mess of wires and metal pieces on the ground. Robotnik was at his desk, looking immensely pleased with something, and Stone couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, Doctor?"
Robotnik turned in his chair to stare at him fully. And Stone felt a chill run down his spine as he noticed what kind of look it was.
"Take off all the clothes from the waist up, Agent," he said calmly. "Now."
Stone sighed, defeated, and began to undo the knot of his tie. Soon, the shirt, suit, and tie were on a table neatly folded. A surprised exclamation escaped his lips as he felt the icy gel on his chest and wired patches. A low "beep" began, and Stone saw his vital signs on one of the holographic monitors behind Robotnik.
"Vitals are stable, high level of noradrenaline. Moderate serotonin level," Robotnik muttered as he turned his chair back to the holographic screen.
Sitting in a spare chair, Stone was progressively more intrigued about what the experiment was this time. Robotnik only asked him to undress when the experiments required his vital signs, and these were usually the most time-consuming and embarrassing ones. His back ached slightly from his stiff posture, and the bullet scar on his left shoulder throbbed from the cold.
With a manic smile, Robotnik turned to Stone with a small device in his gloved hands. It was sleek and shaped like a hearing implant. Stone noticed that Robotnik was already wearing one on his left ear.
"Doctor?"
"Yes, Stone?" Robotnik muttered as he firmly fitted the dispositive into Stone's right ear. The rustling of the gloves on his face caused the "beep" to increase almost imperceptibly.
"If this isn't a bad time to ask, what is this experiment about?"
Robotnik stared at him, his eyes flashed with youthful malice and Stone felt a jolt of electricity course through him.
"You'll see soon enough, Stone," he replied, voice brimming with excitement. "Now, relax and let my genius do all the rest, as always."
Stone closed his eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for something to happen. Without warning, a strong wave of pain went through his skull, and he heard Robotnik let out a sobbing groan at the same time that a grunt came out of his own throat.
"D-Doctor? Was that supposed to happen?" Stone gasped.
Robotnik only gave a pained grunt in response. A new shock wave happened, and they choked on the sudden lack of air. Robotnik could not move, paralyzed by the pain, and Stone, having better resistance than Robotnik, managed to get up and walk to the other with tumbling steps.
Stone knew that there would soon be another wave of pain and, as a last effort, reached out his hand to Robotnik's face to get the device out of his ear.
"Doctor...!"
His hand only touched Robotnik's cheek before the pain increased tenfold through them.
With a thud, they both fell unconscious to the lab floor. As they went down, the devices came loose, falling beneath them and breaking.
Stone felt like he had run a marathon. His muscles ached like hell. He could hear his heartbeat, making his head ache painfully with each thump. The ground was cold, uncomfortably hard. He opened his eyes to find another body close to his own. With a groan, Stone reached out to try to wake the other.
His vision was slightly blurred, and Stone stared stunned at the sight of control gloves on his hands.
"Doctor?" The voice was not his own. His eyes widened as a hand went to his throat.
Stone sat up, feeling his body more fragile, taller, and infinitely more tired. He looked around and to the ground, finding the devices making small electrical sounds as they short-circuited.
His brain soon understood what had happened. His heart sank and something like molten lava made its home in his guts, leaving the feeling of utter dread to fester and spread as wildly and rapidly as his thoughts. Was the Doctor alright? Why was he the only one to wake up?
The Agent leaned back in Robotnik's chair for support and stood up with some effort. His vision had not yet returned to normal, and with his new height, it was almost impossible not to feel dizzy. He shook his head, trying to readjust the focus on his eyes, but it only made the headache worse. Everything was spinning and turning and Stone was sure he would collapse again if he continued to stand up.
Stone heard the erratic beeps on the holo-screen behind him and sighed with relief. Robotnik was only unconscious. On the wrong body and probably with a massive migraine, but only unconscious.
His wobbly legs walked over to his collapsed body, knees buckling almost instantly when he was close enough. It hurt. A lot. But he had to wake up the Doctor, make sure he was at least close to okay, and then he could wallow in pain for the rest of the evening.
"Doctor?" Stone called out, hesitantly placing a hand on the other's shoulder to wake him up. The touch was light as a feather, as Stone knew Robotnik would sooner bow to Commander Walters than have someone touch him without his permission.
The Doctor didn't move, and Stone paused for a few seconds to assess the condition of his new body. He could see decently from up close, but fog lurked around the edges of his vision. The headache was constant and likely would stay that way. His limbs were weak and his hands couldn’t stop shaking.
"When was the last time you ate? Or slept?" Stone thought as he stared at the body on the floor. Even with the number of bizarre things Stone had already undergone for the Doctor, seeing his own body passed out was a little past their established boundaries.
"Doctor!"
Robotnik grunted, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and bringing a hand to his left shoulder. Stone watched him with pity, knowing how uncomfortable it would be until they solved the mess. Still kneeling beside the other, Stone extended a gloved hand to Robotnik.
"I believe we have a problem, Doctor," Stone remarked, and Robotnik opened his eyes, so full of confusion and panic, and they increased almost twice their size.
"What's the meaning of-" The Doctor brought both hands to his mouth, holding almost painfully tight. Stone wanted to help him, desperately, but physical contact would be bad. Robotnik forced a cough as if to adjust his voice. "What the hell is going on, Agent Stone?"
Stone hated how his voice sounded so unsure, so scared. And from the look he received, Robotnik despised to see his face contort in genuine, open concern.
"It seems that whatever your experiment was, it switched our consciousnesses between bodies, Doctor."