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Chapter 1-

Robo Knux looked around the central control room, one overly large hand on his waist, the other at his side. He thought to himself, both Metal Sonic and Master Eggman were gone and he was in charge... of the -whole- city. Did the doctor really trust him that far? After all, Eggman had always seemed to ignore him after his creation, just before the World Grand Prix. Metal Sonic was always Eggman's favorite, always his little pet. Now as third in rank, RK was in charge. It was either he, Metal Tails or Metal Amy, the only other sentient robots in the entire city. Neither of which he liked very much, nor either had either been around for even a year. At the moment, it was well within his power to take over the city for himself. Then again, he really didn't have a raving desire to. Or perhaps that was just his loyalty programming telling him so. Why -not- take the city? Dr. Eggman thought he could give an evil, sentient robot a loyalty chip and then trust it to his city?

Stupid, RK thought. Then why didn't he have the desire to take the city? Could it be that his base programming was actually -stopping- him from wanting it? Why was he even thinking about it in the first place? The crimson robot straightened up and halted his train of thought.

"You think too much," he told himself.

RK sat himself down on Eggman's massive chair and spread his arms out to set each orange and silver hand on an armrest. There, he recalled the mental list of things 'Master' had told him to do, entitled 'Eggstuff.doc'.

He had to prepare forces for Eggman's next big strike. RK didn't even know what it was. All he knew was that Metal and Eggman had gone ahead to the Mystic Ruins to look for something that was a 'big part' of Eggman's 'greatest plan ever', and RK's job was to see to it that all the preparations was made. The proper robots were to be made and the locations around Station Square and MR were to be swarming with badniks. He also had to see to the building of the Egg Carrier, which was already in the base outside the Mystic Ruins.

"Speaking of which," he muttered to himself. "When's this stupid freighter going to arrive?"

RK had a habit of talking to himself and using slang. He did both around anyone he was ever near. It drove Metal Sonic, particularly, up the wall.

But as the story goes, RK stood up and stepped over to a door in the side of the room. He poked a few numbers on the lock pad and the door slid open, permitting entrance to the large cockpit.

Metal Tails was at the controls, even though all he had to do was watch things, as the freighter was on a set course.

The robot fox turned around in the pilot seat, hearing the hiss of the electronic door opening and the clang of RK's heavy feet against the floor. Metal Tails gave a salute to his temporary master, "Greetings, Mecha-bot 4."

"Just RK is fine. When are we going to be in the Mystic Ruins?" he asked, leaning on the control panel with one hand and scanning over the gauges and things.

MT thought for a moment, and then answered, "Approximately 4 more hours."

RK made a face consisting of his eyes losing much of their lime green glow and the more flexible part of his muzzle that made up his 'mouth' twisting into dissatisfaction.

"Oh."

"Anything else, sir?"

RK paused for a moment, and then answered with, "Yeah. Speed this thing up."

---

A few minutes later found everyone's favorite echidna robot back in the central control room.

Some quiet minutes passed with nothing but the occasional click of the down arrow on the keyboard; when suddenly-- RK felt the entire ship lurch beneath him. It nearly sent him nose-first into the monitor, and would have if not for his mechanical reflexes.

Red lights flashed and alerts sounded that the ship had taken damage. There was a pop-up alert on the screen RK was working on.

"What the Hell is going on here?!" he said to himself as he got up and sat himself back onto the swivel chair.

"Computer," he ordered, "Where is the damage? And identify attacker!"

"Wall of sector B, Station 13," the computer droned in a synthetic feminine voice. "No offensive air or ground ship recognized."

"... What?..."

"Wall of--"

"SHUT UP!" he snapped, getting up and flying out of the room and down the hall to check things out for himself.

When he got there, he was shocked, to put it lightly, to find a huge, gaping hole in the wall, revealing the air and clouds beyond it. Tons of worker bots were milling about with materials. They seemed to be making some sort of expanse from the hole but weren't turning out very successful; most of the 'bots were being swept away and left to fall thousands of feet to the ground below. After about five seconds of gawking, RK shook his head, making his deadlocks sway, then grabbed a nearby Naaru by the antenna and harshly yanked the robotic bug to eye level.

"WHAT is going -on- here?!"

The Naaru looked terrified, but quickly spoke up when RK shook him. "We began work on the Egg Carrier II, battle mode, sir."

RK stared in total disbelief at the badnik in his fist, glaring menacingly with lime green eyes.

"You. Bloody. -IDIOT-!" the crimson robot shrieked, hurling the Catterkiller across the room, where it smashed apart. Out of the displaced head struggled an aqua-ish cyan bird with a locket the size of its small body hanging about its neck. No ordinary bird though...

"Flicky," muttered RK. "Doc wanted them for his new robots." Flickies were rare and intelligent birds, mostly inhabiting Flicky Island. Dr. Eggman still had some from his strike on the strange island.

Robo Knux lunged forward and snatched the bird as he tried to escape out the hole.

"You're not goin' anywhere," RK sneered. "Metal Amy!" he ordered through his intercom.

"Yeah?" returned a young-sounding female voice with a twinge of robotic back tone.

"Meet me in your patrolling sector, Station 13. I--"

Another voice interrupted, "Knuxie-Metal! Pinky-Metal ish huggling Xiaou to deaf again!"

A holo sweat drop appeared on RK's head, "I have something for you..." he finished his sentence. "And bring Xiaou with you."

"Yes sir."

Click. "It's weird having everyone call me sir. Oh well." He then turned his attention to the crowd of robots who were still working.

"Idiots! Cease construction!"

They all turned to face him at that, some more being swept away as they were too close to the hole. RK pressed his fingertips against his forehead, feeling another bout of anger coming on.

"You weren't supposed to begin till we -landed-," he said, growling slightly.

"Yes sir!" they all droned in unison. "Orders?"

"Fix this bloody hole for one. Then, uh... go... mill about, and make sure no blue hedgehogs and such get through."

"Yes sir!" they said, scattering.

"Freaks..." he muttered, leaning against a wall as he watched the other robots fix the hole.

"Hey RK!" called Metal Amy as she walked into the room, Xiaou the black and purple neutral NiGHTS chao on her head. "Greetings, Pink Menace," returned RK, back toward the pink robot behind him, watching the worker-bots. "Knuxie-Metal!" squealed the little chao accompanying MA. RK turned his head, looked over his shoulder and smirked in response. Xiaou fluttered over and hugged him as best she could as RK held her with one large hand that fit well over the little chao's middle. MA tilted her head to the side and smiled. "So, what did you have for me?" "Oh yeah," RK stuffed the little blue flicky in Metal Amy's hand. "Here. Take this and stuff it in a cage in the prison." "Alright." "What was that?" "Yes sir!" "Good girl. Now go." MA walked off, petting the bird as she went, RK watching her with one leery green eye. He added at a second thought, "And don't let it escape, either!" "Yes sir!" she returned, halfway through the hall already.

RK turned to Xiaou. "How would you like to come with RK to design a kidnapping robot?" he asked, surprisingly good-naturedly. "Xiaou would like that muches," Xiaou smiled, flying up and lighting on RK's head.

So RK left the room with the chao on his head, and went the opposite way Metal Amy did, using the confident, heavy step he always used. Halfway to their destination, Xiaou squeaked and fell off of RK's head. RK looked down at the chao, who was rubbing her head, a swirl hovering above it.

RK, suddenly mad, snapped his head in the opposite direction, just in time to see a metal coconut flying directly at his face, backed by a Kiki badnik.

RK lifted an arm and deflected the coconut, fixing the badnik with his radioactive green leer.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, not amused.

The badnik paused for a moment and seemed to have a realization. "Patrolling, sir! Self-unit mistook you for target= Knuckles The Echidna."

A pause.

RK spoke, his voice starting out smooth and calm, and slowly rising to a bellow. "You dysfunctional piece OF -SCRAP-!!!"

With that, he sent his claws through the Kiki and into a wall. Xiaou, who was hovering above the ground, recovered from the blow, stared wide-eyed as RK slew the badnik. RK's lime-green eyes shifted to meet Xiaou's own scared, purple ones. He jerked his claws out of the wall with a nerve shattering grating noise and straightened up.

"Let's go," he said simply, continuing on down the hall. Xi fluttered after him, deciding against riding on his head. Nearly to the door they were looking for, Xiaou gathered the courage to ask, "Why did Knuxie-Metal do that.?"

"These badniks are stupider than Tails Doll on drugs," RK muttered. "And something will be done about that." He added with a grin, entering the room. Xiaou blinked, staring after him for a moment before she disappeared into the room as well.