D.R.A.T.

"He may be ugly, mean and bad. He may strike fear where hearts were glad. Although he brought us grim disaster, he'll always be our rightful master! Bring back the Doctor!"

- D.R.A.T.'s oath.

D.R.A.T. (short for "Doctor Robotnik's Appreciation Tribe" or the "Doctor Robotnik Appreciation Tribe") is a fanatical secret cult of "supporters" that believes that Doctor Robotnik should be restored as the "ruler" of Mobius. It is led by a pompous rooster named the Grand Chief Whip, whose badge of office is a golden medallion in the shape of Robotnik's nose and moustache. The cult members tend to wear purple robes over suit trousers and green waistcoats, with the exception of the Grand Chief Whip, whose robes are white.

History
Grand Chief Whip and Brother Norman at a D.R.A.T. induction ceremony. Art by Richard Elson. D.R.A.T. first appeared in the days following Robotnik's defeat, operating out of the ruins of the basement of Citadel Robotnik, where they took many of Robotnik's old weapons, including ex-Trooper laser blasters, from the armoury. When they were discovered by Amy, Johnny Lightfoot and Tekno the Canary, D.R.A.T. fled and sought out new headquarters.

A short while later, three members of D.R.A.T. (Brother Barry, Brother Percy and an unnamed other member) disguised themselves as childrens' TV characters the Channel Hoppers. They used their TV show to broadcast subliminal messages, making young minds believe that Robotnik was wonderful. Their plan was thwarted by Tails. By this time, the existence of D.R.A.T. was already known to the general public.

D.R.A.T. attempted to kidnap Norris Wimple following a TV broadcast in which Norris claimed to have a photograph of a UFO. The members of D.R.A.T. believed that the picture could be one of Robotnik's new secret weapons, and that it would give Sonic's gang an advantage over Robotnik. They grabbed Norris off the street in broad daylight and tried to take him away in a van, but Norris was saved by Amy and Tekno. It later transpired that the photograph was actually of Tails.

On the following New Year's Day, D.R.A.T. attempted to destroy the Control Centre in the Emerald Hill Zone. First, D.R.A.T. member Wally Dithers distracted Sonic by convincing the weak-willed, indecisive locals to attack the hedgehog, then tried to blow up the Control Centre with a tank. However, Sonic saw through the distraction and managed to destroy the tank when Dithers was unable to decide what weapon to use against Sonic.

D.R.A.T. was given a several first-generation blueprints from their idol Robotnik himself. With them, they built their own Badniks and sent them to Metropolis Zone. However, since Sonic beat those robots back in the past, they were easily defeated by him and Tails, and all the D.R.A.T. members were caught by police.