Henrietta struggled against the rope, as Eggman flew into his hidden base.
"I don't understand… why would Louise willingly betray me..." she muttered in disbelief.
Eggman looked at the princess as he helped her out of the Eggmobile, leading his captive down a long hall.
"Don't pin the blame on her. Louise had nothing to do with your kidnapping. She merely powers the suit. Using the armor as a ruse was quite clever, if I say so."
Henrietta stared in horror at how casually the doctor talked about his own deception.
"How can you treat your own master like that? Don't you have any concept of loyalty?" she breathed, as revulsion crossed the princess's face.
Eggman stopped cold. He turned Henrietta roughly to face him, his eyes mere inches from her own, glowing in restrained fury.
"Loyalty? Tell me, my grandfather was loyal to my world's military so he could continue his research. And do you know what happened? They killed everyone close to him and imprisoned him, tormenting the poor man to create more weapons until they finally killed him, too. What reason do I have to be loyal when a good man like him was cut down so callously?"
"Oh, I… I'm sorry..." the princess breathed, trying to empathize with the doctor, as they entered a small cell.
Or, rather, that's what the princess supposed it was. She didn't expect the room to be as ornately decorated, with a plush carpet, ornate metal furniture, and a burning fireplace. Upon closer observation, Henrietta noticed that the fireplace wasn't real.
"Don't worry about hurting my feelings. You didn't know. But now you understand why I don't trust her. I don't want to wind up like my grandfather."
Henrietta turned, noticing that the door locked with a hiss. Eggman untied her, before leading her to a nearby chair.
"Louise would never do that!" the princess objected. "She's a loyal noble!"
Eggman frowned.
"Mott was a noble, yet he conspired to kill you," he retorted.
Henrietta opened her mouth to object, before sighing in defeat.
"It must be lonely being unable to trust anyone. Don't you have any friends?"
Eggman shook his head.
"I've never needed friends. My robots handle everything quite well." He sighed. "I do apologize for crashing the exhibition, but I couldn't pass up such an opportunity for a political captive."
Henrietta crossed her arms.
"You ruined Louise's reputation with your kidnapping. Don't you feel any regret for it?"
Eggman turned away, as an Egg Pawn entered, bearing a tea tray.
"I do, princess. However, once she understands what I'm doing, I'm certain she'll forgive this transgression."
Henrietta warily accepted the tea, stirring in a small amount of sugar.
"What could you do to get her forgiveness? You've kidnapped her best friend, and the princess of the country!"
Eggman turned, drawing his full height.
"Like I said, we're here to negotiate the terms of Tristain's surrender to the Eggman Empire."
As Henrietta's face remained stern, the doctor continued, walking through the cell.
"Think of it, you will no longer need to rule Tristain. You will be free to live as you please," he glanced slyly at Henrietta.
"Isn't that the best treasure?"
Louise marched around her fellow students, as they all glared at her.
"Traitor..." one grumbled.
"How could you do that?" another muttered.
"You really are Louise the Zero!"
Louise gritted her teeth.
"It's not my fault, ok? That idiot of a familiar is controlling this armor! It's like a golem!" she shouted.
"Uh… Miss Louise..." her AI interjected.
"WHAT?" she roared at the system.
"Well… there might be a way to disable the override… but you won't like it."
"Anything is better than being forced like this," she replied. Metal glared at her for a moment, before returning to its analysis of Osmund's staff.
"Well, it's quite simple..." the AI began, nervously pausing for a moment. "The override only works when your suit's system is activated. By disabling the core functions, you might be able to regain control. But there is a problem..."
Louise paused, understanding what the problem with such a maneuver.
"If you disable the core functions, the enhancements such as the targeting system and the hover shoes will not work."
"Correct. Your helmet will also cease to function."
Louise nodded in the armor. Disabling those systems would render her unable to use any of the enhanced skills she had learned.
But the princess was worth that risk. If her familiar had kidnapped the princess, it's likely he ran to the base.
"Can you pinpoint the location of Princess Henrietta?" she whispered, as a map popped up on her visor.
Just as she thought. Henrietta was locked up in Eggman's base. Third level down.
"Just one final question. Why are you helping me?" she asked the suit.
Her armor remained silent for a minute, processing the question.
"I was created to assist you, Louise. Your behavior towards Dr. Eggman's abduction of Henrietta indicates that the incident has left you under duress. As undue stress is considered unfavorable, not offering a solution to reduce your stress levels would be against my programming."
Louise considered this. It was so… strange, one of the doctor's own creations betraying him.
"But why would you do something like this? Aren't you betraying Eggman?" she asked.
"It's simple: shutting down does not mean betraying Dr. Eggman." the AI explained.
"I see. Because you're simply deactivating, you're not betraying him?"
"Correct. Now, is there anything you would like before I power off? I have some control, but we're restricted to this area."
Louise glanced across the group, noticing Tabitha and Kirche. She locked onto them.
"Get me to them." Yes, Tabitha's familiar was a dragon, which could fly them out to the base. Kirche, as much as Louise was loath to admit it, would be helpful with her fire magic.
Her armor clanked near them, as Kirche glared at her.
"So, Valliere, you couldn't stand just being the Zero anymore? Even I didn't think you were crazy enough to make your familiar kidnap the princess!"
"Shut up!" she hissed, leaning in close to the Germanian's face. "I didn't expect him to do this, but I need your help in making things right..."
"I can't betray my own country just for my own personal freedom."
Eggman's jaw dropped. He had assumed that, given the opportunity to be free from her position, Henrietta would accept it freely.
"But think of it: by surrendering your country to me, you would be without the burden of ruling a country; you would be free to live as you see fit. Isn't that what you meant to be the greatest treasure?"
The princess stood, her jaw set, a steely look in her eyes as she stared at the doctor.
"It is indeed the greatest treasure, but I have responsibilities and obligations that I must attend to. Besides, what kind of empire are you establishing by attacking anywhere you wish to take over?"
Eggman crossed his arms.
"What does it matter how my empire is created? Some of the greatest countries in the world were created through bloodshed!"
"So you wish to establish your utopia… in the same way as any other country?" she challenged.
Eggman shrugged.
"Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."
"Those same countries that killed your grandfather."
The doctor stopped, his face growing dark.
"This empire is different. Science and innovation are paramount!"
Henrietta leaned into the doctor's face.
"Yet you're planning to conquer by force. Shouldn't you prove you're better than that? Anyone can attack and take over a country. If your 'science and innovation' are truly better, shouldn't there be another way?"
Eggman remained silent, before sighing.
"I wish I could be better, but the only way I can get people to accept my designs is by forcing them."
Henrietta smiled. She was beginning to understand the doctor's reasoning. His ideas had been shunned by his home, forcing him to perform military attacks to establish his concepts. There may be a chance to solve this problem.
"Perhaps you should try something different..."
Kirche looked Louise over warily, not sure if she could be trusted.
"So you're saying that the only reason you're even doing this is because you're trapped in that armor, under the control of your familiar. That's hilarious, Louise the Zero!"
Louise growled.
"Go ahead and laugh. I'm embarrassed enough because of my familiar!"
"We'll help." Tabitha replied. Kirche turned to object, but, seeing the steel look on her face, stopped. Any argument at this point would be useless with the girl.
"Then be ready to grab my wand when I throw it," Louise replied, moving away as a Pawn moved close. "Meet me by the central tower as soon as possible."
Both Kirche and Tabitha nodded as Louise moved to the next section of leering students.
"Ok, everything's in place. Are you ready to power off?"
"Affirmative, Miss Valliere," her suit replied.
She moved to the teachers, seeing how they all hated her.
Oh, Eggman will pay for this humiliation. Big time!
"I see..." Eggman replied, having heard the princess's unusual proposal.
"By being more diplomatic and focusing more on trade rather than conquest, you would be able to establish your empire with more peaceful terms," she explained, "By creating relationships with nearby countries, I have no doubt that your ideas would be eventually adopted, especially if they work as well as you claim!"
"It's odd, though. I'm used to the militaristic approach. I've never really tried this kind of maneuver. Results take too long!"
"But isn't your utopia worth the time and patience?" the princess asked in response.
Eggman stroked his mustache in thought.
"You do make a good point. Yes, it is, but..." he sighed. "I'm not getting any younger."
"You know, you don't have to do it all yourself. I know you have your robots, but if you took a more cordial approach, I'm sure a lot of people would be willing to help you."
Eggman considered this concept. As he pondered the idea, he thought about the servants at the academy, including Siesta. They all looked up to him, like some kind of hero. They didn't shun him, nor did they dislike him. Yet, if he really tried to conquer Tristain militarily… what would happen to them?
And Louise… Would things really be better for her in his empire?
"You know, it's strange..." he began, glancing at a nearby clock. "You would have thought by now someone would have broken free to rescue you."
Louise stomped near Kirche and Tabitha again.
"Ok… power down… now!" she commanded, as the AI responded to her order.
Her visor went dark, blinding the noble as the locks on the helmet disengaged. She threw the helm to the ground, and, in one quick move, drew her wand from a thigh pocket and tossed it to Kirche.
As soon as Zerbst had the wand in her hand, she turned and cast a powerful Fireball at the nearest robot, melting it into slag.
Several more robots converged on the site, but were repelled as Tabitha dashed over to the pile of wands and grabbed her staff. Her wind magic blew several Buzz Bombers away.
Several other nobles began to stir, but Louise shouted at them.
"Don't move! If we all leave, then Eggman will likely send all of his robots after us. I don't know how many he has, but they did overwhelm Mott's guards easily."
Several of the students looked at Louise, before complying as the three girls made a mad dash for the central tower. The robots seemed to ignore them as they returned order to the imprisoned students.
"Why aren't they chasing after us?" Kirche wondered, as she handed Louise her wand.
"They're programmed to keep the students there. A small group will likely break off to recapture us. If everyone had fled, we would have to deal with a far larger group. And some of his robots are huge!" Louise explained, as they broke into the next court.
"Where to?" Tabitha asked, as her dragon familiar landed nearby.
"We need to get to the back of the academy. His base should be hidden around there. We'll find the princess there!" Louise replied, as they neared the dragon.
Suddenly, a bolt of yellow energy smashed into the dragon, causing it to roar in pain as Tabitha, recognizing the threat to her familiar, cast a Levitation spell to get the beast into the air, and away from the threat.
The yellow bolt landed, fading away into Metal Sonic. The robot stood, its eyes blazing furiously.
"You will not interfere with Doctor Eggman's plans… even if you claim to be his master!"
Eggman checked the clock again.
"You nobles really are useless without your wands! How boring!" he complained, crashing down in an armchair across from the princess.
Henrietta stared in confusion as the doctor prepared himself a cup of tea.
"You seem surprised," she observed.
"Of course I'm surprised! I thought someone by now would have hatched some kind of half-baked rescue plan! The fact nobody has even tried yet is pathetic! I've known hedgehogs with more fight in them," Eggman replied, taking a drink of tea.
The princess furrowed her brow.
"Why hedgehogs, of all creatures?" she asked, wondering why the doctor picked that creature. Wouldn't a chicken have been a better choice?
Eggman smirked.
"I've never told you about my arch-nemesis, haven't I?" he replied, as an Egg Pawn ran into the cell. The doctor turned to the robot, as it whispered something the princess couldn't hear. His smile broadened into a full-fledged grin.
"It appears that Louise managed to bypass my overrides, and is headed this way with two others. Clever girl!"
A/N: Ok, another chapter down, not much of interest here, really, just setting up for what is about to happen. We have Henrietta trying to convince Eggman to be more diplomatic about his political relations (Good luck!), and Louise having to work with her opponent Kirche and Tabitha to bring down the fat, bald, mustachioed Eggman! And where is Fouquet?
First off, a few announcements:
I will be reducing the update frequency of Genius of Zero to once a month, starting December 1. After that, I will update with a new chapter on the first weekend of every month. This is to focus more on the quality of my writing, characterizations, and plot. My current habit, unfortunately, is just to churn out chapters as soon as I am finished, resulting in a decrease in quality over time. On the plus side, new chapters will be far longer and of better quality.
In the future, I might look for a beta reader or two, mainly to help improve the quality of my chapters, but I might also need someone to bounce ideas I have. I have a lot of ideas to implement, but I'm not sure how the audience as a whole will accept them. Some of them do get pretty out there, such as including a certain character we have yet to meet…
I would like to take this time to address PhantomRising's review. First of all, thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. I appreciate it.
I do think that this plot of Eggman's is rushed and lazily done, but only because of the limited time he had to actually set things up. He needed to keep Louise in the suit to get comfortable wearing it so that she'd be in it when he attacks (hey, she's free power!), he needed to build his robots to serve as target practice/enforcers, and he needed a place to sequester the princess while they negotiate surrender terms. That's a lot to do in a few short days.
It's interesting that you should bring up Unleashed. I interpreted the beginning differently, where he instead had Sonic gather the emeralds for him, and planned to take them once he had defeated the hedgehog. Super Sonic was merely a complication that he had anticipated.
As for the portal, re-read the chapters. His portal generator can only send products in small quantities. Transporting a battleship requires huge amounts of power, and it took almost all of his reserves to send Team Dark back to their world! I do plan to go into detail on why this is, but for now, just know that there simply isn't enough energy to create a portal of the size you're assuming. Plus, have you noticed that Eggman uses teleporters in limited settings?
As for the initial portal, again, it didn't have enough size or stability to send a battleship through. The Egg Mobile barely fit through.
As for leaving himself open, that's classical Eggman arrogance. What are they going to do? He had Louise, trapped in her armor, holding a sword to the princess's throat! He forced them to surrender their wands to his robots. A noble can't do squat without their wands, that's how dependent they are on magic. It's a weakness Eggman learned from his battles with Mott and Guiche.
As for the robots' warning, it's simple. That particular Motobug, as you may have noticed, said he was part of the Eggman Army since his first attempt to conquer the world (the original Sonic the Hedgehog). A robot existing that long may have very well gained some "quirks". Basically, like in Star Wars, when a droid goes too long without a memory wipe, they develop a "personality", which in some cases allows them to circumvent their programming.
But in all seriousness, I added that in as a bit of foreshadowing. So, don't try to read too deeply into it.
I realize this chapter has another "betrayal" in it, but I wanted to point out the genius of Eggman's designs: many of his more advanced robots had almost free-will, as is the case with machines like E-102 and Metal Sonic. The thing is that the complexity of programming AI can result in unexpected flaws, such as the case with Louise's armor, which is able to figure out how to help her while also remaining loyal to Eggman.
Also, it could be possible that Eggman himself is programming this unconsciously, due to the alterations the Gandalfr rune is enacting upon his mind. Which, again, is an element I wish to explore in depth later. I don't want to go into too much detail at this time, but I want to explore the changes the rune is causing in the future.
And now, back to our regularly-scheduled Q&A.
Eggman: Xavex, oh good Lord… That video's still floating around? And, no, I don't have any backup clones in case of unfortunate events. I tried it… You don't wanna know what happened.
Clone: I am Dr. Ivo Rrrrrrobotnik! Snooping as usual I see!
Eggman: Back! BACK TO THE PIT WITH THE, FOUL CREATURE! *banishes* As for your second question, someone will inevitably be the hero. I'm just surprised it took so long.
Henrietta: After hearing about his grandfather, I'm not sure if I could dole out a suitable punishment.
Louise: *brandishes a bullwhip, a la Indiana Jones* That answer your question?
Eggman: Ah, Xavex, you may have found an Achilles Heel with this new power production. In the end, magic is simply energy manipulation, and possessing the capacity to intimately understand how that energy's manipulated would make counters difficult to generate. Maybe Chaos Theory will shed some light on possible defenses…
Especially considering who's going to be Mjoovitnir.
Louise: *cracks whip*
NEXT QUESTION!
Shadow: Lucian Naruto, considering that Professor Gerald started his final speech in Shadow the Hedgehog with "Shadow, my son," I think it's apparent that the professor considered me part of his family. And why not? He created me. As for the relationship between Eggman and Louise, there are no doubt some similarities, but it's not as… tender as the one Maria and Gerald shared.
Personally, I'm surprised nobody's wondering if Omega will ever get revenge on that dragon for licking him.
Omega: IT TOOK FIVE CLEANING CYCLES TO REMOVE THE SALIVA! FIVE! CLEANING! CYCLES!
… I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Team Dark.
Eggman: Leonas, I had considered brain-washing, but without Hyper-go-on energy, I simply lack the resources to power such a machine. Besides, magic is a very temperamental energy, especially in a human body. What if I accidentally triggered her magic to explode?
Louise: You care that much? *smiling*
Eggman: Have you ever tried to clean blood out of clothing? It's a pain!
Once again, thank you all for the reviews. I hope to produce better quality, faster-paced chapters in the near future.