Chapter 1: A New Fate
A/N: The title is probably terrible but ah well… If you have any ideas, let me know and I might change it to that.
So, this was an idea that popped into my head following a day browsing the web. I have a feeling someone else has probably written about this before… but ah well. Anyway… I have nothing else to really say about this. Let's get going. R&R, plz
For more than a year, Dr. Ivo Robotnik had observed South Island, documenting the wildlife an even some of the anthropomorphic animals that lived in the surrounding areas.
He was a tall enough man on his own, standing around six or so feet, however, he was easily the heaviest person you'd ever find in a room. He fat, quite simply. It curved around his midsection so perfectly; you'd swear he was a talking beach ball with arms and legs. His only other defining features were his bald head, which was made up for with his ginormous moustache.
Robotnik was both a roboticist (As many might guess from his name) and a naturalist. Most of his family before him had been scientists, but most of them put very little regard into the environment around them. Ivo, however, being a roboticist, often found it interesting to observe animals to see how they overcame problems that puzzled him and likeminded individuals.
Today was no different, except today he was feeling more lazy than usual, so had only travelled a short distance to his observation point today. Robotnik lived on the outskirts of the Green Hills, and today he had merely gone to the center of the hills for today's observations. That, of course, meant he could actually return home several times in the day. His house was only a fifteen minute or so walk away, and even less if he ran.
But that was hardly the point. Something was erking the doctor today.
Something isn't right. He thought to himself while he sat in some bushes with a pair of binoculars.
Sure, there were the usual rabbits and birds and so on, but there was something else. He resolved to go back home to check his notes for previous observations on the Green Hills. He pulled out his trusty notepad and began transcribing the numbers of animals he could see from the bush.
Twelve rabbits,
Normal, He thought.
Twenty four birds,
Give or take, that's usually the average, I think.
Seven anthromorphs,
Hold up, what? He jerked slightly in the bush.
He checked again. Yes, he was right. He knew that's the anthromorphs were intelligent and did exist in large numbers, but that was generally in their more populated areas such West Island and a few inland places. It was strange to see so many here. South island had a few residents, yes, but most of the Ivo knew personally. He didn't recognise any of these guys.
They were all dressed in dark, or at least had some form of dark fur or scales. Each of them were tall for their kind, and wielded weapons upon closer inspection. They all looked like thugs.
Why are they even here? If they want to be terrorising people, why aren't they on West Island or something?
And then something blue appeared behind them. Ivo frowned and focused his binoculars upon it. It looked familiar. He paused for a second to remember it.
No… It can't be… He could feel sweat start to drift down his face.
It was his motobug design. Except, fully realised, except in blue instead of his preferred red. How did anyone even get their hands on that plan? The only ones who knew it existed were him and a couple of GUN reps. There was no reason why a group of thugs should have it, considering he'd never built one, only planned them.
The thugs cornered a group of unsuspecting birds. Most of them realised their danger in time, but one of them was caught by the leg and hauled down by a large wolf. He walked over to the motobug and pressed a button on it's back. A hatch opened, revealing a some form of mechanism inside it.
With chills beginning to run down his spine, the doctor recognised it. It was the animal powered engine his parents had designed years ago. Gun had dismissed it for "having the potential to regrade relations between the anthromorphs and humans". And they were right to do so. The engines worked by using the energy of the animal inside to power the machine. In Ivo's opinion, it was barbaric. His mother and father had dropped it after GUN had refused to fund it, and most of the plans had been destroyed over time. All except the one residing in Ivo's house, on the edge of the Green Hills.
Obviously someone had gotten ahold of the plan and had the thought to implement it as an power source. Ivo growled in disgust. He felt he should get home and get to the bottom of this. So he gathered up his equipment and quickly headed home, taking care not to attract the attention of the anthropomorphic thugs. He was walking for five minutes before he realised something was really, really wrong.
Two long, thin, trails dashed across the hills , leading in the direction of his house.
Not good. He thought.
He quickened his pace and soon came into sight of his home. His worst fears were confirmed. The trails led right up to the door, smashed open. He stepped across the splintered wood cautiously, in the event there was still someone here.
"Hello?" He called.
Silence.
He advanced down the main hallway, which took a right towards a corridor to his lab. The shelves along the corridor were strewn and smashed aside. The door to the lab has forced open, and still hung open. Ivo picked up one of the shelves, with intentions of using it as a club if needs be.
He advanced slowly before finally bursting into the room, plank raised. There was no one there. Ivo, feeling slightly foolishly standing just beyond the door holding a stick overhead, lowered it and examined the lab, flicking on the lights. His papers were strewn about carelessly, and a collection of them, Ivo realised, were missing.
Gathering as many as he could, he mentally catalogued the list. What was missing were the ones involving armed and weaponised robots. And, most frightening of all, his builder-bots.
These robots were designed to build any plans you fed to them, so long as they had access to the required raw materials. Ivo surveyed his lab, hoping that…
No. His working builder-bots were also gone.
"No." He whispered aloud.
This had to be some kind of bad dream; This couldn't be happening; All his war bots plans were stolen, along with his builder bot plans, and now someone was even using animals to power them.
He paused, inspecting the pages again. Interesting. The page for the ring engine he'd designed was still there, but the animal engine was gone. Why would some one take the animal engines and not the ring one?
The answer hit him after a second; someone would notice large amounts of rings being stolen; whereas animals? Nah. The humans wouldn't care enough, and by the time the antromorphs noticed… It would be too late.
It had to be a nightmare of somekind, this couldn't actually be happening. Ivo pulled up his sleeve and pinched himself. Twice, just to be sure.
He didn't wake up.
This was serious, he realised. Someone with no regard for animal life was plotting to use an army of robots to take over South Island.
But what would someone even gain from that? He thought.
The only advantages of South Island was it was relatively uninhabited, and of course, the abundance of the power rings on the island. The only other thing Ivo could think of was the legend of the Chaos emeralds located across the island.
Mere rumors, but all the same, no one had gone out and searched for them for any length of time; They'd just checked the some likely places and called it a day. Ivo turned and searched the lab for his phone; He needed to contact GUN about this. The sooner they got boots on the ground, the likelier that this invasion could be averted.
But the transmitter that Ivo had had been destroyed. He could rebuild it, but it would take him a week. Not good.
What did he have. Nothing except a few broken housekeeper bots and a collection of parts and retired projects.
Whoever had started this had obviously expected the doctor to call for help.
But… Ivo suddenly had a new idea.
He searched the lab and came across what he was looking for. His camping gear, and more importantly, his old power gauntlets.
He'd used the gauntlets to bend and break stubborn metal back when he didn't have his builder bots. The bots could easily exert twice the pressure of the gauntlets, which was why he retired them. But all the same, he could still bend metal with them, meaning he could still use them to damage the robots now rampaging the island, and beat up those thugs too.
He doubted they expected him to fight back. Who would? Who would expect a fat scientist to fight back?
But he would. He would because he could. They wouldn't expect it. That was what his parents had always said to him; Be unpredictable. He checked the backpack for supplies.
Some MREs, a sleeping bag, change of underwear (XXXL) and even a comb (Very important to keep his moustache in prime condition).
He pulled it on over his round back and pulled on the gauntlets. He was pumped. Something about the idea of fighting for control of this island was so attractive to him. He smiled to himself and hummed as he walked out of his house.
As soon as he set foot outside the ruined door, he was bombarded by other, less appealing thoughts.
What about the ranged bots?
What if he hurt the animals inside the robots he destroyed?
Why do I think I can do this?
He swallowed, standing in the light wind, just at the border of the Green Hills.
"Oh, Ivo." An old female voice said. "Thank goodness you're all right!"
He turned. It was Mrs. Allen, an anthropomorphic resident of the island. She was an old raccoon that must have been in her nineties.
"What happened?" He asked.
"A band of robots and thugs came down and kidnapped Charlie and Bessie. I saw the whole thing." She sighed sadly. "I don't know where they're taking them. Where are you going?"
"Some… guy or something just stole a load of my plans and bots. I'm going to stop him." He replied.
She looked up at him, concern written upon her face.
"Are you sure about this, dear?"
"Very. They're my robots. Therefore, they are MY responsibility."
"Well, good luck then, dear." She whispered. "And be careful."
"I will." He replied, and before he could change his mind, set off across the Green Hills.
Mrs. Allen watched him with concern from the distance.
Well, that's the first chapter. What did ya'll think of that? R&R please.