Author Notes: Er, sorry it took so long for this. ^^;; I put it off and then.. I kinda just forgot.
Espio: Why?! Why couldn't you have just forgotten it completely?! x___x;
Author: ^^;;
Special thanks to Katwarrior for inspiring me enough to get off my tush, and Morla La Slayne (stop changing your username! ^^;; I get confused too easily as it is!) for just being insane enough to keep giving me evil ideas.
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Deus Ex Machina: Chapter Three"God from the Machine"
It had not been what he was expecting at all.
When Espio heard the voice past the depressed numbness that the pain and misery, not recognizing it for what it was, hope had briefly flickered; why else would the roboticization stop, other then rescue?
The flicker of hope had been enough to cause the teen to turn, wanting to see who his possible savior might be.
He had not been expecting his 'savior' to be the reason he was there; he had not been expecting Dr. Eggman to stop the forced servitude that was roboticization.
For a few brief seconds, nothing happened; it seemed as if Valdez was in as much shock as his flesh counterpart. It took a single glare from the planets' dictator to shut down the systems.
Wary, frightened confusion overtook the captive youth's mind; he would, however, not admit to the fear. He glared with anger at the large man, despite the tears he was still unable to stop.
"Lord Eggman?" Valdez was first to ask, confusion and slight anger lacing the metal tone.
"Why was I not informed that we had a captive?" Eggman was clearly angry, voice booming, echoing slightly around the chamber.
"I.." It was very rare for Valdez to be at a loss for words.
Liza physically hid behind the control console in fear, but managed to speak despite the emotion. "M-My lord, he's a Freedom Fighter. We thought that you would be happier if he was in your power as soon as possible."
Eggman raised an eyebrow, glaring at his two metal servants with skepticism. He then turned to stare at the center of their conversation.
The tears had stopped by then, but their marks were still evident; a glare was all Espio gave the man of hate, stepping away from the glass.
Silence stood for a long moment, before Eggman turned back to his servants. "Take him to the cell next to lab 4-B." A brief glance was sent back to the prisoner. "He can be put to better use than this."
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"Uhm, Sally? I think we have a bit of a problem.."
Princess Sally Acorn blinked once, looking away from interior schematics of Robotropolis. "Rotor? What's wrong?"
"Knuckles' friend isn't showing up in any of the systems." Clear confusion. "Nothing in the recent prisoner files, nothing in the newly robiticized Mobians.. According to Eggman's files, there haven't been any new captives in the past month and a half."
At first, mild shock was all that replaced Sally's confusion. It was only after she took the few short steps to the computer console her large friend sat at and looked over the files herself did the information truly make an impact.
"This doesn't make any sense. There are no other active bases outside of Robotropolis. He has to be in that system somewhere."
Rotor could only shrug helplessly, unsure how to respond. "I'll keep looking, but if he isn't in the system.."
"Then he's either not in Robotropolis, or already dead." Sally finished, frowning. "Knuckles isn't going to like this."
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Trembles wracked a form enshrouded in darkness, despite the sheer will placed in the attempt to keep still; where he had been placed had not been what he expected, and now it frightened him.
When Espio had heard the word 'cell', he had assumed that it would be just that; steel walls, barred doors, and a small size that usually entails a short stay. He had not expected to be literally thrown into what barely passed as a closet, heavy door slamming closed. There was no light; no bulb in the ceiling and there were no slits for outside light to pass through.
Espio had tried to hide a hidden fear of such places from his friends. He had always assumed he would be teased for it, or, at the least, it could be used against him.
Espio Chameleon was claustrophobic.
He did not bother to bang against the door; it refused to budge the few times he attempted to move it, he doubted further attempt would do much good. There was little idea how long he had even been in the 'cell', save that it was likely at least half an hour.
Shivers of inconsolable fear wracked his form, even as he slid along the wall to the ground. There was no room to stretch out, let alone sit properly; the extent the enclosure allowed was to pull his knees against his body.
A sigh escaped, and he continued to try and calm himself. There was nothing left to do but wait.
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"What do you mean he's not there?!" Knuckles practically growled over the slight static.
"We tracked him in Eggman's systems to the transport, but then he vanishes off the systems. We're trying to hack into the encrypted files to see if he's anywhere in there, but.." Sally winced on her end of the videophone connection. "Nothing yet."
A frustrated grimace passed over Knuckles' face. The Guardian and the remaining Chaotix were aboard a shuttle en route to Knothole, and had been contacted half way through their trip. "So, what does this mean? What do we do?"
A sigh escaped Sally's lips. "Sonic is already more than willing to go through Robotropolis personally for this, but that's a last resort." She paused for a moment, but took stock of her friends' reaction; almond-shaped eyes appeared slightly watered, despite the video screen, but the Guardian of Angel Island refused to shed a tear. "Knuckles, he's not in the recently Roboticized list. He may very well not be a robot. Espio could still be in Robotropolis, alive and still himself."
Knuckles sighed, clearly upset by the situation. "I hope so, Sally. I hope so."
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When the door to the small cell finally opened, the young chameleon was huddled against the floor, shivering violently. Dr. Eggman simply raised a brow at this reaction, bemused. "Grab him."
Two Swatbots grabbed for the captives' arms, receiving no reaction for a brief moment; once the florescent lights of the adjacent room met purple flesh, Espio seemed to realize what was happening.
"H-hey!" Came a startled yelp; suddenly, struggles were made.
The closet-cell led directly into a large room full of medical and laboratory equipment, machines lining the walls and a large, metal table directly in the center of the room. Amber eyes caught sight of the table before anything else; immediately, Espio knew that he would be strapped down to it.
Despite the struggles, the Swatbots managed to get him atop the cold steel and underneath thick, plastic straps. His ankles, wrists, waist, neck and tail were held firmly; he could not move.
Denial loomed as Dr. Eggman tapped at controls and moved from machine to machine, chortling quietly to himself.
This can not be happening. What is he going to do to me? Suddenly, roboticization seemed far preferable to what a mad doctor could do with his still living body.
Eggman laughed aloud, a dark, wicked chortle, taking Espio away from horrified musings. "Let's begin, shall we?"
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Author Notes: Hey, another chapter without any disturbing violence or gore. Go me! O_o;
Espio: Not a promising cliffhanger, though. It just promises all sorts of violence. c_c
Author: Exactly! ^__^
Espio: *glare* v_v
Author: Kyaha. Viva la feedback! ^^