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He stayed in his hut for about a week afterward, alternating between tears and dreamless sleep. Sonia stayed by his bedside constantly, comforting him, stroking his warm orange fur. She told him how his father, Julian Kintobor, came to this world, and his change into Robotnik:

     "Your father, Dr. Julian David Kintobor, and his
     wife, Astillia Jalisca Kintobor, split up in your
     world. He was crushed, broken hearted, and felt sorry
     for his young son--you, David Jim Kintobor. He found
     the Void . . . and Mobius. He served as a bright,
     thin, red-headed Second Guard in the Great War, second
     to my father, High Commander Wallace Hedgehog. He lost
     *his* left arm in battle, which was replaced by Uncle
     Chuck as he was beta testing the original Roboticizer.
     Yet, unlike you, he vowed revenge on all animals for
     his left arm. He took his nephew, Sir Regenald Snout,
     and devised a plan to get even with the state and rule
     Mobius. While beta testing one of his machines, which
     collects the darker sides of Nature's delicate balance,
     it exploded, transforming your father and his nephew
     into the present-day Dr. Ivo Robotnik and Snivley."

The others trickled in and out, one by one, throughout this time. Sally came in first, while Davey was asleep. She hung a medallion over his head and placed the metal in his paw. "The first of many, I hope," she said as she kissed him.

Antoine came in next after a long while. "Misu Crockett? Bonjour. I just want to give you some theengz." He laid down some mementos on Davey's dresser: A picture here, a pocket watch there, some metals housed in a display. "Your fathair meant theez for you. He also left thiz behind. It waz hiz uniform before <sniff> he became ze evil Robitnik. For zis <sigh> we are all sorry, my friend."

Antoine draped the old Acorn uniform over Davey's body, like a blanket, and he saluted as he left.

Uncle Chuck showed up as soon as he was able, once he got from the bed to the wheelchair left over from when Mighty was crippled trying to rescue Vixie. The fox who meant so much in so little time was awake when he arrived. Sonic was with them too, who saw the picture. "Hey, who's this skinny guy with the red hair next to you, Chuck? Looks like he skipped his dinner."

"That, Nephew, is Julian Kintobor, . . . as he once was."

"Robotnik? No way?"

"Yeah, we were best buds, him, Wallace, and me. We did *everything* together. Here David, I stored every home movie I have on your father in this holocube." He hands Davey something that looks like a painted-over Rubic's Cube. Davey found the play button.

A young thin red-haired Julian sat with two hedgehogs--Wallace and Charles--for a beer during some idle time. "You know," the young thin red haired Julian said, "maybe I *should* bring my son here. He'd love this planet. . . "

Davey was awestruck when he heard that voice. Last time he did, he was in that man's arms, as an infant. "Daddy. . . "

". . . good land, good trees, and a good life. I love this planet, and I don't think I'll do anything to change it."

The young thin red-haired Julian and the two hedgehogs lifted up their steins--Julian's was one of the trinkets--for a toast: "Here Here! For a peaceful Mobius!!"

More tears well up in Davey's eyes. He missed his father so.

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Davey finally had a dream during the last night of his 'mourning.' He fell asleep in Sonia's arms while cradling the holocube. In his dream, he was human again, and he was with a tall dark-skinned, silver-haired woman, who reminded him of Haven, a character from the comic book, X-Factor.

"Your father went his own way, David Kintobor. Maybe he just wanted a place where he could be the master of the house. Fortunately, you will not share his destiny. I should know, that's my name."

"So you're this Destiny deity I keep hearing about here on Mobius."

"You didn't expect a goddess, child?"

"I did expect that. Picked that part up from prayers to you. I didn't expect you to look like a comic book character I know, tho'"

"I'm using images in your memory so I can be able to communicate to you easily. Rhadna Dastoor's [From the universe of your mentioned comic book] form suits me to a 'T'. Besides, the writer of this story wanted as least one good character who's a diffrent ethnicity than w--"

"Why, your majesty," a voice--Davey's voice--came from down a street, in a Mobotropolis in repair. "It's nice to see that your aim has improved."

"My aim, Crockett?" King Acorn said--*King Acorn!* "Tell me, where on Mobius did The Void spit you out in?"

"A few blocks down from here . . . up to my neck in Swats." This Davey was dressed up in his father's uniform.

". . . oops . . . "

"Buuuut, Sally was in there too, so I'd say that your aim was pretty well on."

Acorn laughs. "Very well, my friend. So, where's my daughter now?"

"Over in that chapel, as the first maid in my wedding."

David looked to Destiny. "My wedding?"

"To Sonia."

"Ma'am, I must know. . . will be, or could be?"

"Might be. Future telling's a hit-or-miss business, even to goddesses. What you see around you are several time lines combined in one composite. <She points around> Here's one where you married earlier, and have two wonderful children, a fox boy and a hedgehog girl. . . and here, where you had to assume the role as Mobius' king when The Royal House of Acorn fell during the climatic battle with Robotnik. There are even futures where you are not alive in here, but are immortalized in stone. However, all of these separate time lines have one thing in common: As on undoing what his father has done, not because of shame or guilt, as on Earth, but for the mutual affection and comradeship of his fellow Mobians. That is your destiny, David Kintobor."

"Fellow Mobians? But do I get back to Earth in any of--Destiny? Wait, where ya' going?"

"I'm not going anywhere, child--David--You are. Someone's waking- Daaavid--you up for something--Daviddd--Don't worry, We'll meet again. . .- *David?*"

Davey opened his eyes to find that the holocube was calling him. A yellow square was blinking. He pushes it, and hears his father's voice:

     "David, son, if you're hearing this, then a lot of
     stuff has definetly gone wrong. Mobius would be
     plunged into utter darkness, no doubt by me, and you
     are probably asked to clean up my mess. I would just
     love to say that I didn't mean it, but by now I've
     probably become that evil bastard you would want to see
     dead and I don't want to come to you as a liar. At the
     time I'm putting this down, I've got my replacement
     arm, and I'm increasingly becoming more resentful about
     it. I don't know . . . how much longer . . . I can
     hold out.

     I don't think, by the time you're hearing this,
     you can do anything to save me . . . only to avenge me.
     When this . . . evil . . . Robotnik . . . finally takes
     over my soul, I will cease to be the good man you know
     as . . . your father. But, there is a way I can still
     do something . . . for your sake. <The cube unfolded
     into a pocket computer, much like Nicole was before she
     got a body.> I've managed to backup what's left of my
     good side into this computer, along with everything I
     could glean from . . . my bad side . . . I sincerely
     hope that this will aid you in your quest.

     Oh, God . . . Please give me . . . the time . . .
     <by now, Julian's voice sounds very struggled> . . . I
     don't want you to remember me . . . as the man I will .
     . . become . . . in just a few short . . . seconds . .
     . I want . . . you . . . my son . . . to remember me .
     . . Iv--Julian . . . Rob--Kintobor . . . as the man
     that was . . . nev-*was before* . . . son, I don't know
     . . . what pit in Hell . . . I'm going into . . . but I
     want you to . . . forg-remember . . .
     . . . <a small faraway whisper, almost only a
     thought> . . . I love you, my son . . . al . . . ways .
     . . <The file ends>"

"Ohmygod. Sonia. He must've become Robotnik at that exact second. And his last cleart hought . . . was for me. . ."

IT WAS.

It was the computer again, this time in a clear, if computer generated, voice. HELLO, DAVID. I'M JULIAN. I'M YOUR POCKET COMPUTER WILLED TO YOU BY YOUR DAD, JUST BEFORE HE BECAME THE EVIL DOCTOR ROBOTNIK YOU KNOW TODAY.

"I know that, er, Julian, but why?"

"Maybe he wanted to be with you," Sonia answered, "as his last words said."

THAT IS CORRECT, BUT I SERVE A HIGHER PURPOSE. YOU SEE, SON, MOBIUS IS A BIG PLACE, MUCH LIKE EARTH, AND THERE IS AN AWFUL LOT OF IT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT, MUCH LESS AWARE OF IT'S EXISTENCE. YOU ARE GOING TO NEED A GUIDE TO SHOW YOU WHERE EVERYTHING'S AT. LIKE NICOLE WAS TO PRINCESS SALLY, I WILL BE YOUR GUIDE THROUGH THIS WORLD OF MOBIUS. I CAN BE ATTACHED TO YOUR ARM; JUST SNAP ME ON TOP OF YOUR CONTROL PANEL.

"Very well," Davey said as he snapped his new add-on in place, "looks like you've got the job. Welcome aboard . . . Dad."