The crackle of fire and the crumble of rock. The acrid stench of thick smoke. Darkness all around. But what was the darkness concealling? Why was there smoke and flame? Who was asking these question's? A man... But who was the man? The smoke was clearing a little, revealing a reflective peice of metal, freshly embedded into the wall. Wiping it clean of the diposeted soot, the man saw himself.
Totally bald, orange mustache, torn (formally white) lab coat. "Who are you?" he asked the reflection. Then he noticed a name tag on the coat. "Robotnik Ivo Rd?" he asked, then realised he was reading the mirrored version. He tore it from the coat and read it again. "Dr Ovi Kintobor... What a weak name... Though... Yes..." he mumbled, still groggy from whatever had caused him to lose his memory. He took off the thin plastic which held the letters in place and hurridly rearanged them.
The Doctor searched the room, which seemed to be some sort of lab, and noticed a large blue lump on the floor. He went over to it and turned it over. It was like some sort of a hedgehog, but with a few large blue spines instead of a lot of brown spikes. It was singed and burnt in a lot of places. Peices of metal punctured multiple parts. It opened its eyes a little and spoke.
"Doc...? Are... Who are you?" the apparently male hedgehog asked weakly and saw the name tag. "Ivo Robotnik?"
Ivo grinned, his eyes full of malice. "Eggsactly..."
Ivo found the way out, into a grassy field full of clean air. Out of the smoke, he suddenly knew he musn't be found. Creatures, like the now deceased hedgehog in the lab, were after him. Talking animals. "Can't... Shouldn't... Won't trust them..." he muttered, half stumbling across the field. "Have to get away... Have to think..."
As the months passed, Ivo was able to gain access to a junk yard. With the metal and parts, he managed to make a silent, flying craft for himself and a device which fed enough energy into Star Post's to open the way into the dimension he found to be called The Special Zone. He befriended a being that called itself Omni-Viewer, who was a blue time/space viewing screen and a dimensional teleportation portal wrapped into one large, thin television sized package.
With Omni's help, Ivo built a 'Research Station' which he called The Egg Fortress. Through an advert in New Tek City's local paper on the Planet Meridian, lab helpers were brought.
The materials provided by Omni were used to build 'Slave Robots'. Ivo dubbed them Badniks. He couldn't find a way to keep them powered up, though. The batteries had too short a charge and a power lead to the wall was unpractical. So one day, Ivo waited until Omni was out at Planet Meridian, and summoned a volenteer.
Ivo and the green crocodile were stood in front of a Catterkiller Badnik. Ivo was talking about how proud he was of it. "It will be able to make holes in the ground, whic can be used for anything! Planting trees, drainage systems... It will negate the need for extensive road works..." he said happily. "Now, onto the next set."
"These are great and all, Doc, but what do you need my help for?" the crocodile asked as they walked
"Power... They are proving too power consuming" Ivo replied. "I have been toying with the idea of them being powered by the brain." he said as they reached three Badniks. One was in the shape of a monster Badger with bars on the front, another was like a monster Canine with bars on the front and the third was like a monster crocodile with bars on.
"What... Uhh... What are these for?" Vector asked, not taking his eyes away from the massive spiked and clawed machines.
"Have you ever had a muse?" Ivo asked. "You see, my muse told me that I should build these in certain forms, to make it seem like I am working for the betterment of everyone..."
Vector turned to look at Ivo, who now had a strange look in his eyes, and was staring at him. "What... What do you mean, Doc?" the crocodile asked as he backed away from the scientist.
Ivo either ignored or didn't hear Vector, as he kept speaking. "But, whereas those Badnik's out there are all well and good, they wouldn't be very useful at enslavement..." he said and took a remote from his pocket. "These, however, are more powerful... They were made before those you've just seen, but they are more powerful... You should be proud, Vector. For you are my first Leuitenant!" he said with a strange look in his eyes as he pushed a button.
Behind Vector, the cage on the Crocodile Badnik opened and metal tentacles shot out, wrapping around him. Before he could say anything or shout for help, they had dragged him into the metal beast.
More and more people went missing and, before long, Omni became suspicious of Ivo's reasoning that they just grew tired and wanted to return to New Tek City. He went so far as to try and track down one of them. The crocodile called Vector had a keen mind and with a project such as the one being carried out at the Egg Fortress, it was hard to beleive that he just up and left.
"Ivo..." Omni said softly, as the doctor was working. He had waited until the Fortress was empty for the holiday rest period before deciding to confront the Doctor.
Turning around, Ivo was working on a device that looked like an egg with video camera attatched. "What is it, Omni-Viewer?" he asked, smiling a little.
"I just... Wanted to ask you about something." Omni said, feeling a little timid. "The missing people... They arn't in the Special Zone."
Ivo put the egg down and stood with his hands behind his back, his face seemed to grow darker. "Are you saying its Doctor Ivo Robotnik's fault? That I had something to do with it?"
"Oh, not at all Ivo... I just thought maybe you misheard them when they left..." Omni said, sensing that he shouldn't push the doctor.
"It took you longer then I thought it would..." Ivo said and started pacing a little. "They are being used as batteries. Organic Batteries, to give them a title."
Omni frowned, a few sparks of energy arking nervously. "Batteries? For what?" he asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.
"The Badnik's, of course... They are powering my army." Ivo replied and reached into his pocket.
"Ivo...?" Omni was afraid about what had happened to his friend to make him like this.
."No. Lord Robotnik!" the scientist shouted and took a small disk from his pocket and attatching it to Omni.
Half in suprise, half in shock, the large screen tried to teleport somewhere, anywhere, but was treated to a power surge instead. It caused him to scream in agony as it cascaded through his systems, making him fall to the floor barely functional.
"Everything and everyone in the Special Zone belongs to me, now..." Robotnik chuckled as Omni went offline.
Robotnik researched the nearby Planet Meridian and found that they had a team of Super Heros called the Z-Monkies. Though they seemed overly incompetant, the risk wasn't felt to be worth taking. So his attention went to outside the Special Zone. Omni had called that world Mobius.
"That world where I first awoke, yes..." the crazed scientist muttered to himself. "We shall attack the same area! That will be the perfect place..."
A giant ladybird shaped Motobug rolled up to Robotnik. "Lord, what is your command?" it asked.
Robotnik grinned as he spoke. "The eggsquisitely horrific destruction of Mobius..."
With the attack planned, Robotnik powered up an attack force consisting of a few powered Badnik's and many empties. The first thing they would do was seek out Organic Batteries. Acompanying them was an Egg Camera and the Vector-nik.
"Omni-Viewer! Open the portal!" Robotnik commanded.
Reluctantly, Omni went clear and an image of the Emerald Hill Zone appeared in him. "It's open, Doctor Robotnik..." he said.
"Go, my Badniks... Go enslave Mobius!" Robotnik shouted as the robotic creatures trooped forward, into Omni-Viewer. As soon as they were through, they started fireing at the Emerald Hill folk. A few of whom were grabbed by metal tentacles that bound and crammed them into a Badnik shell.
The Vector-nik called out "All shall bow before Lord Robotnik!"
Robotnik watched the animals scatter as the rain of deadly laser fire flew amongst them. He was nearly giddy as he controlled the flight of his Egg-Camera. Suddenly, he noticed an orange fox stood near a tree, not running in terror like the other creatures. He flew the Camera closer and zoomed in on the fox's two tails. Typing into the control system, it broadcast a metallic voice. "Why do you not flee?"
The fox straightened itself. "Because someone has to stop this."
"You cannot stop Lord Robotnik and his army of Badniks from ruling Mobius." Robotnik typed.
"I can." the fox said, narrowing his eyes. "Because I'm Tails." It leapt into the air and swung his leg around to bring his heel down on the Camera, sending it smashing on the ground.
"Argghh!" Robotnik screamed in rage. Why would one fox fight back? "Omni-Viewer!" he shouted to get the being's attention. "Show me what is happening!"
Omni hovered to Robotnik. "But the Dampner Disk you put on me won't allow that sort of energy expenditure for almost half an hour... Not after that group teleport of your Badniks." he explained. "Unless you want to take it off of me..."
Robotnik scowled and smashed his fist against the control console. "If it takes you a second longer then thirty minutes..." he said, pointing at Omni.
The twenty seven minutes that followed were agonising for Robotnik. His Badniks hadn't been hitting anyone with thier laser's, a calibration error, so he doubted they would have taken care of that fox without sevear casulties...
"Doctor Robotnik, I'm ready to establish viewing." Omni said, thinking he shouldn't wait the full thirty minutes, just incase.
"Then do it!" Robotnik shouted as he faced Omni.
Omni's face cleared and an image of a scrap yard appeared. No, it was the Zone, just scattered around were Badnik parts.
The orange fox was stood amongst debris, facing the remaining Badnik's. "We'll fight for our freedom!" it shouted and started walking towards the Badniks. Picking up speed, it started sprinting and shouted "Because we're the Freedom Fighters!"
As Omni watched, he admired this 'Tais' person more and more. He seemed more mature then he looked. And facing a small army of Badniks on his own... Pity the Vector-nik was unbeatable... Not without a weapon.
Robotnik didn't like this fox one bit. "Its going to release my Organic Batteries!" he said angrily. "How dare it!"
As he watched, the orange fox plowed into the assembled Badniks, giving them barely any time to register the fact. Suddenly it looked like a Badnik was going to get a lucky shot. It fired but the fox leapt into the air and its two tails spun around each other, acting like propeller blades making the fox fly.
The fox, with help from a rabbit, destroyed the entire force that was sent. Robotnik was furious. "A mutant and a rabbit!" he fumed. "Two creatues destroyed all of my precious Badniks!"
Omni feared for his existance. Robotnik had a very violent temper. "Vector-nik..." he mumbled.
Robotnik span around to look at Mobius that was on Omni. "Of course... Defeating him will be impossible..." he said as he grinned. Over at the console, he pushed some button's which routed the Vector-nik from destroying property, over to where the Badnik junk-pile was.
Through Omni, Robotnik watched the towering crocodile open fire on the fox andits friends. They scattered, but the Vector-nik was locked onto the fox. It tried flying away but the Vector-nik managed to land one of its laser's on the foxes shoulder, stunning it and sending it groundwards. Robotnik started to laugh at the rabbit's attempts to break the monster crocodile open, using its make-shift Bo-staff. The fox managed to dodge a claw slash taking its face off but a follow up swipe caught it on the back, sending a satisfyingly red spray flying into the air.
"It will learn to not resist the great Doctor Robotnik!" Robotnik said, nearly giddy with the fighting taking place.
Omni-Viewer sighed slightly. "How can he learn if he is dead?" he asked.
Robotnik slammed his fist down on the console, putting a decent sized dent in it. "Do not question me!" he shouted.
On Omni, the rabbit was ontop of the Vector-nik, pulling up with the crocodile jaws in his hands. There were cuts and rips on his clothes from all the jagged and sharp parts on the Vector-nik. But as all visual sensor's were in the robot's face, the rabbit had chosen a good place to distract it.
A squirrel was helping the fox get away, at a very slow speed because of its injury. The squirrel looked back at the rabbit and shouted "Johnny! Be careful!". The rabbit nodded and just managed to protect himself with his metal pole as claws lashed out at him. The squirrel and fox kept moving towards a tree that looked familiar to Robotnik.
"They cannot hide behind a mere tree..." Robotnik muttered, looking at the ceiling to try and remember why it looked familiar. The Zone was the first he saw a sign to, all those months ago, but that was all he remembered until the creation of the Egg Flier. Except for a blue hedgehog...
"Doctor?" Omni asked, knowing he woul be mad if he missed anything. "The rabbit, Johnny, has leapt from Vector-nik and it is now after Tails again."
"What? Good... Soon it will be torn limb from limb..." Robotnik said, shaking off the memories he was trying to get to.
"Tails is male. Not 'it'" Omni said softly.
"It sounds like a uni-sex name..." Robotnik said. "I've been thinking 'it' since it... He... Introduced himself..." The scientist shook his head. "This conversation is not happening.. Its too strange thinking of these pitiful creatures by gender." he said.
"You're watching a fight on a planet in another dimension, through a sentient television screen, stood in a space station that you built." Omni said.
Robotnik seemed to chew on this for a moment before resuming watching Mobius, through Omni.
Vector-nik was closing in on Tails and the squirrel, who was looking back over her shoulder. Tails stumbled and fell, nearly taking the squirrel with him.
"Sally!" Tails shouted at the squirrel. "Get away, leave me!"
"No!" the squirrel called Sally screamed and stood between Tails and the Vector-nik, holding her arms out. Just as she was about to be knocked down, a bolt of metal tore through the Badnik's head, sending it crashing into a tree before it crumbled apart atound the green occupant.
Robotnik roared in rage at the defeat of his Badnik lieutenant and looked around for something to break or throw. The image of Mobius faded as Omni-Viewer's face reappeared. Robotnik roared at him and stormed out of the lab and denting the door frame with his elbow. Omni thought it best to stay away from the doctor for a while.