Robotropolis was silent. The cold city that bore no welcoming sense of home. A city destroyed long ago by the mad doctor. The doctor was supposedly an overlander, a strange creature whose origins were unknown.
Overlanders wore strange garments to cover their frail bodies. Tall and slim, or short and overweight, they were so vulnerable to physical stress…but one thing set them apart from the Mobian race. Their cold intelligence and logical thinking. They were expert crafters and the bad doctor was the best of them.
He had created so many monstrosities, countless horrors which Mobius had never known before the Overlanders came. Huge hulking pieces of metal and flashing lights the doctor called robots. He was trusted at first as the former city Mobotropolis's guardian. His superior knowledge and pure genius had kept the Mobians safe from harm. Safe from the many natural dangers of Mobius.
However this all changed, it happened so fast. His robots began turning on Mobians. Taking them all prisoner one day and doing something horrible to them. A machine he called it. This machine turned flesh to metal. Mind to circuit boards and microcomputers. It stole the free will of the Mobians. It programmed them to do the doctors bidding.
After seizing most of the inhabitants, the doctor began building factories. These factories polluted the atmosphere. The air in and around what was now called Robotropolis became heavy and dark. Breathing it in for to long led to sickness as the fumes emitted from the factories were incredibly poisonous. Only an Overlander could have made such a thing possible.
Once populous and prosperous shopping districts were now barren. Everything is now coated by the pollution in the atmosphere settling. A pitch black soot covered it all. It was like snow but black and ominous.
Once inviting public pools are now filled with toxic sludge. Pure sparkling water was targeted first by the doctor. He corrupted it and moulded it into his own image. An acidic dark green sludge that could melt through the flesh and bone with ease.
Among these squalid conditions, two figures kept low to the ground trying to avoid breathing in to much of the toxic atmosphere. Trying to stay hidden.
They were bipedal and were like the Overlanders in a way. Except they had fur instead of naked skin. Their eyes were larger, more adapted for survival in the wild.
One had spines down his back, they were flexible but tough. His fur was cobalt in color. His name was Sonic. Named after his famous speed, he was one of the few Mobians who made it out alive during the doctors assault on the citizens of Mobotropolis.
His companion and lover accompanied him. The former Princess of Mobotropolis turned fugitive Princess Sally. Her beautiful acorn brown fur was soft and smooth to the touch. Her delicate features outlined her piercingly beautiful blue eyes. Her body so young and developed but her personality strong and wilful. Sally was an unusually intelligent Mobian. She has a knack for machinery and understanding how it works inside. The problem solver.
"Sally, I can't see a thing in this smog" Sonic said in his characteristically whining manner. He had an attitude and liked to complain a lot. It was what attracted Sally to him strangely in the first place.
"Sonic shh!" Sally hissed as loud as she dared. "We are not alone here remember? We came here to find out what this supposed new robot is the doctor is making"
"Right right…probably another swatbot with cool stickers on it instead" Sonic made a nervous wisecrack in reference to the doctors first weaponised robot creation.
The swatbot was a menacing robot. Seven feet tall and heavily armoured with titanium. It was heavy but fast and powerful. Sonic had no problem getting around them but if one of their arm mounted lasers hit him…he'd be hideously burnt and disfigured beyond recognition.
Sally checked the lock of a non discrete looking door to a seemingly abandoned building. The doctor had gotten good at hiding his projects lately. Sometimes they were hidden in very obvious places. Intelligence reports suggested something big and new was hidden in this building.
The door was locked. Figures. Five minutes of tampering with the lock would fix that…along with Sonic tapping his foot impatiently as per usual and whistling an irritating tune.
Sally's patience was at its limit and she was about to scream at Sonic to knock it off when the lock clicked and the door swung inwards noiselessly. Someone had taken care to keep the hinges oiled.
The interior of the building was in stark contrast to the outside. Pods lined the walls. Huge metallic things with a clear reinforced glass viewing panel.
Sally peered into one such pod as Sonic walked around the relatively small building peering into the pods.
It was hard to see what was inside, frost lined the inside. Squinting Sally gasped as she made out the features. Spines flattened against the back of the pod, cobalt fur and closed shut eyes. It looked exactly like Sonic apart from one thing…the mouth. It was twisted in a smile. Not just any ordinary smile. This one reached from ear to ear. It was as if someone had taken a knife and surgically altered it.
She could not take her eyes off of the teeth either…fangs stained with an unknown red substance.
"Oh god…Sonic come and see…" Sally whispered, shivering in the presence of this monster.
"Sure Sal" Sonic replied and walked up behind Sally and peered into the pod. "What the…that's me?"
Sally started walking around the pods examining them whilst Sonic was staring at his distorted doppleganger in disgust and amazement.
All the pods were frost covered except one. It was empty. No frost or anything. Sally could make out a label in the lower right hand corner that couldn't be see through the frost on the other pods.
'Project Reaper. Yr 3237. ACTIVE'
Sonic was still transfixed on his doppleganger, completely oblivious to everything around him. A hand on his shoulder made him jump a figurative mile.
"Sally! Give me a heart attack why doncha?" Sonic yelped in surprise. His surprise grew to concern when he saw the worried look on Sally's face.
"Sonic, we need to get out of here. Now" Sally said firmly with a fear laced tone.
"Wh-" Sonic began but was cut off by Sally dragging him forcefully towards the door. The only things he could see were the pods still frosted over. What could have spooked Sally?
Sally made Sonic carry her and run far away from the city. She made him run all the way through the great forest to their hidden home. She refused to talk the whole way back.
When they tapped on the secret tree stump it opened readily for them and finally Sonic felt a little more relaxed and safe. He wouldn't ever admit it but he was getting disturbed by Sally's reaction and what he had seen that day.
For the next hour neither Sonic or Sally said anything to each other. Sonic ate his meal of forest fruits in stoic silence. Digesting what he had seen today in deep though.
Night approached quickly and he got ready for bed. After bathing to rid himself of any fumes or soot that might have gotten trapped in his quills. He looked in the mirror. He was pale, probably from fright he told himself.
Sonic walked into his and Sally's shared bedroom and blew out the naked flame of the lamp in there. He climbed into bed where Sally was waiting for him. They embraced each other passionately. Sonic ran his hands down Sally's fine slender sides. Running them down to her rump and squeezing softly she sighed in passion against his shoulder.
They kissed passionately, Sonic's tongue massaging Sally's causing her to whimper in protest. She nipped at his tongue playfully and he responded by pressing his hand firmly between her legs. Sally's moans filled Sonic's ears and he positioned himself above her…her breath hung in the air as he probed then trusted making her suck her breath back in sharply. She sighed in pleasure and shuddered as he took her. Their sweat laced bodies pressing into one another. Moans of passion and love filled the air. Sonic groaned Sally's name as he released his love into her and she crumpled beneath him in exhaustion.
They fell asleep with Sally embracing Sonic from behind.
Sonic could not say what the time was when he woke up. Al he knew was that it was dark and he could barely see. Heavy breathing had awoken him. He felt Sally's arms around his waist still and whispered "Sal…you alright?" getting no response he just assumed she was dreaming. He fell asleep once more.
Again he was awoken by heavy breathing. He ignored it and tried to get back to sleep.
For what must have been thirty minutes he listened to the breathing…getting tired of it he finally turned round to rouse Sally from her slumbers.
His breath caught in his throat and he shook violently. His mouth hung transfixed in a silent scream.
Sally's mouth was distorted in a smile. It reached her ears. It had been carved into her face, her teeth were now bloodstained fangs. She smiled. No-one ever saw Sonic again.