Chapter 10: Victories...and Defeats

January 14th, 2308 – 3:00 PM – Robotnik's secret base, somewhere in the Land of Darkness

"It's over, Robotnik," Kyle said, his rifle pointed at him. "Hands up."

"Do you need to keep me safe again this time?" Robotnik said, as he raised his hands.

"Yes...but don't push me," Kyle said, with an angry undertone. "Because of what you've done to me, and what you've forced me to do to my best friend, I'll have no problem with shooting you if you give me a reason to do it. Now let's go."

After Kyle patted down Robotnik for weapons and came up with nothing, he led Kyle over to the door of the Life Energy Ray's control room, and unlocked the door for him. They walked up the stairs to the catwalk where Kyle and Swift had fought earlier.

As they approached the still form of Swift, Kyle stopped next to a the wall and said, "Come over here, Robotnik."

Robotnik obeyed. Kyle pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and put one cuff around a narrow pipe on the wall. The other one he cuffed to one of Robotnik's hands, so that he was chained to the wall.

"Try anything and I kill you," Kyle said.

"No need to remind me," Robotnik muttered.

He pulled off his glasses with his free hand and tried to clean them by rubbing them against his red and yellow Overseer shirt. Kyle walked over to where Swift was lying on the floor.

"Swift, I got Robotnik," Kyle said to him. "We can get out of here now."

"That's good…" Swift said, slowly raising his head to look at Kyle. He weakly raised his hand to him. "Help me up...that green ray thing really weakened me, and I can barely move."

"Too bad it didn't kill you..." Robotnik muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Kyle said, pointing his rifle at Robotnik.

"Nothing..." Robotnik said.

Kyle turned around and helped Swift to his feet. He wobbled a bit, but Kyle thought he'd make a full recovery if he got medical attention quickly enough.

"Thanks..." Swift said.

"Think nothing of it," Kyle said.

"Come on, let's get Robotnik back to the feds again."

"I'll be able to go home and see my son Sonic again... We can go fly in the plane, just like I told him we'd do when I get back."

Suddenly, loud, ominous footsteps could be heard in the distance. With how heavy they were, something huge must have been coming towards the chamber. It sounded like about four different sets of metal feet as the footsteps drew closer.

"You Freedomians...you think you've already won. Remember what I said the last time you caught me? I'll say it again in case you forgot: This is only the beginning."

A massive door opened on the opposite end of the chamber from Robotnik, Kyle, and Swift. Standing in the doorway were four massive combat robots, and each of them was piloted by what looked like a roboticized human. All of the robots were equipped with heavy-duty laser cannons and rocket launchers. They aimed their weapons at Swift and Kyle. However, Robotnik waved a hand at them, apparently signaling them to hold fire.

"These are four helpers who have been in my employ since the summer of 2306. Remember the kidnappings of the Earth generals at that time? I was the one who kidnapped them. They were also the first ones to experience the miracle of roboticization. I must admit, they've been quite useful to me."

"I can't believe this," Swift said. "You even roboticize your own species!"

"So what? Ah well...we've talked long enough. FIRE!"

The robots opened fire with their laser cannons upon Swift and Kyle. Kyle started to run, but he had to move slower since he was dragging Swift alongside him.

"Run! Leave me!" Swift screamed.

"No! I'm not leaving you to die!" Kyle yelled back.

Suddenly, Swift cried out in pain as he was pushed into Kyle from some kind of impact, as if a giant hand was shoving him. Kyle looked at him to see what he'd yelled about. He saw a smoking black hole on the right side of Swift's upper chest. He'd been hit with one of the lasers. Kyle kept running, unable to stop due to the constant barrage of laser fire.

Swift murmured, "Take care of...Sonic..."

He then fell limp against Kyle's body as Kyle continued to run, his feet dragging on the floor instead of trying to run with him.

"NO! SWIFT!"

Another laser hit Swift's body, and the impact of the shot sent Swift toppling out of Kyle's grip. Kyle turned around to attempt to pick up Swift again, but there were just too many lasers being fired in his direction to get to him. He was forced to retreat. Kyle saw a doorway coming up on the left, and ducked inside it to seek cover. He realized he was now inside the roboticization chamber again. He was now safe from the laser fire, but he hardly cared. Swift had been killed, and it had hit him harder than any physical blow ever could.

"USE THE ROCKETS!" he heard Robotnik scream.

Kyle jumped away from the wall bordering the next room as he heard the whoosh of missiles being fired. The ensuing explosions blew the wall away, and debris collapsed from the ceiling of the roboticization chamber. Within seconds, Kyle was cut off from the room that Robotnik was in by a wall of rubble.

Damn! Robotnik is going to get away if I don't get through this wall in time! If only Swift were still alive, he could probably blast right through this crap in about five seconds...

He pulled out the last of his grenades, and threw them at the top of the pile of rubble, hoping he could blast a hole through. The explosions were massive, but after the smoke cleared he could only see a hole in the wall about as big in diameter as that of a basketball. He'd have to dig the rest of the way. Kyle leaped up to the hole, although he found it a little more challenging than normal due to his heavy metal body. He stood on a small ledge next to the hole, and started to dig. On the other side, he could hear the robot warriors plodding away, probably with Robotnik in tow. He had to hurry up. The digging seemed to take for hours, and the rocks he had to clear away appeared endless.

Finally, he managed to make a hole big enough for him to squeeze through. As he pulled himself back into the chamber that the robots had been in, he could see the last one of them going through a large door on the lower floor. Unfortunately, it was starting to close. Kyle jumped down to the lower part of the floor, and charged headlong towards the rapidly closing opening. He reached the door just as they slammed shut.

"Damn it!"

Kyle clawed at the doors with his metal hands, but it was useless. He reached for his grenades, and then remembered he'd used up the last of them on getting through that pile of debris earlier. He hammered on a keypad next to the door, but it required a password that he knew he'd never figure out in time. Finally, he resigned himself to the inevitable, and slumped down on the floor, his back against the locked door.

He got away...again! I should have shot him when I had the chance!

Kyle went over to where Swift's body was, and kneeled down next to it.

Damn you Robotnik, damn you! You killed my best friend! The next time I see you I'm gonna rip your heart out!

Kyle picked up his assault rifle, and started randomly shooting at the walls in the room, screaming his rage at Robotnik all the while. He went down inside the green ray's control booth and shot up the control console. He then started to tear out anything he could lay his hands on in the room. The monitors hanging from the ceiling, the control buttons, the levers, anything. If Kyle couldn't destroy the real Robotnik, then the next best thing he could think of doing would be to destroy one of his creations. When he was finally finished, he found himself standing inside a mess of twisted metal, destroyed circuitry, clipped wires, and broken glass from the monitors. His rage satisfied with the destruction, all he had left now was his sadness for Swift's death. He went back over to Swift's corpse again.

Swift...Swift...why couldn't I save you? It's not fair... You saved me when you destroyed that mind control program, but I couldn't save you back... I feel like such a weakling, not being able to do what you did for me... I'll make up for it though. If I can't save you, then I'll save your boy from having no family. I'll raise your son the best I can...I promise you that Swift...

Suddenly, he heard voices on the other side of the pile of rubble blocking the roboticization chamber from this room. It sounded like Freedomians... They'd finally managed to catch up to Swift and Kyle, but it was just too bad that they were too late to help...

"What the hell happened here...?" he heard Heath say on the other side of the wall.

"HEATH! It's me, Kyle!" Kyle said as he put down Swift's body.

"KYLE! You're alive! What's wrong with your voice? You sound a little like a robot or something. Is Swift with you?"

"He's...he's...dead..."

"Oh..."

Surprised voices could be heard on the other side of the wall.

"The great Swift is dead?"

"What killed him?"

"I don't believe it!"

"Can you blast open this wall for me?" Kyle yelled.

"Yeah...hold on..." Heath yelled back.

Somebody on the other side of the wall who had a grenade launcher unloaded a few shots in the wall, and finally managed to create an opening large enough to walk through. Freedomian soldiers swarmed into the room. Upon seeing Kyle's new robot look with Swift's body at his feet, they all aimed their rifles at him.

"Don't shoot! It's me, Kyle!"

"At ease, men," Heath said. "Let's not shoot first and ask questions later."

The soldiers lowered their rifles.

"Kyle, if that is you, what happened?"

Kyle explained everything that he had seen, from getting caught in the first hallway of the base and later being roboticized, right up to where he stopped the green ray cannon thing and Robotnik managing to escape.

"That's horrible..." Heath said.

"Did anybody manage to catch Robotnik after I lost him?" Kyle asked.

Heath shook his head.

"Afraid not. We saw this big ship taking off from the docking bay at the back of the base, and Robotnik was more than likely on that thing."

"I see..." Kyle said dejectedly.

"But hey, we did take over his headquarters, didn't we?"

"I know, but it just doesn't feel like a victory with Robotnik still on the loose, and with Swift dead..."

"I guess you're right..."

Two weeks later...at the Presidential Mansion…

Similar to the aftermath of the battle of Reppoc, Kyle went to New Earth City to once again be personally thanked by President Tree for his work. However, Kyle was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him during this time. His mind was wrapped too tightly around that final fight in that chamber with the green cannon. What made it worse was that he was a robot who never had to sleep, so there was no good night's rest to help him easily tear his thoughts away from it.

Me being roboticized and then put in that chamber...told to wait for Swift... He came...Robotnik told me to destroy him... I had no choice in the manner, his mind control program steering my body instead of me... He just managed to shock me back into my normal mind... I tried to stop Robotnik's green ray, but I was too slow... Swift...he died...when I was trying to save him... Then...Robotnik got away... I'm so stupid... There were so many ways I could have made it right... I could have tried harder to resist the mind control... I could have shot Robotnik after I caught him... I could have run faster while I was trying to get away with Swift... It's my fault...it's all my fault... Kyle...Kyle...

"Kyle," President Tree said.

"Wha...what?" Kyle said, becoming aware of his surroundings again. He realized was still in the office of President Tree in the Presidential Palace.

"I was telling you something important," the human president said.

"What was that?"

"Did you know that Freedomians were never given the highest level of technology of the humans?"

"Well...I've always had that feeling...I mean, look at everything Robotnik had, and your spaceships and other things as well."

"Yes, you're right. My predecessors wouldn't allow Freedomians to ever have access to our highest technology. They feared your race, they were afraid it would become superior to the human race if given the tools."

"Oh, I see."

"However, I am far more willing to trust your people. I think your kind deserves the technology after dealing with a menace like Robotnik."

"Really?"

"Yes. I have finished working to enact a law that will get rid of the embargo on high technology to Freedomians, and I am publicly announcing it today."

"That's great."

"It's great for you on a personal level as well, Kyle."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...after we heard about you being 'roboticized', as you called it, I had the roboticization equipment removed from Robotnik's base and taken to Elona University. Right now, your scientist wife Natalie is working on a way to reverse this roboticization process, so that you can be returned back to normal again. This new technology I'm allowing to be distributed should help the research greatly."

"Really?"

"Yes. We have also given you a home to live in there for as long as you need to. For your commitment to your duties, this is the least I could do for you."

"Thank you, sir!" Kyle said, as he saluted.

"Heh, at ease, soldier."

Kyle pulled his hand down.

"Anyway, thank you so much for what you've done for me...and for every other Freedomian on the planet."

"You're welcome, Kyle."

I've always been a little untrusting of humans. Robotnik helped increase that phobia greatly; probably because he's one of the few humans I've ever spoken with. They usually don't come to Planet Freedom, and even if they do most of them don't venture far away from New Earth City. I've never known much about them, which is also why I've never fully trusted them. Maybe humans can be good, judging from President Tree... Surely not all of them are like Robotnik?

"Anyway, you should head on home. Your wife has a surprise for you, and she's been working on it for quite some time now."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you, or it wouldn't be a surprise then, would it?"

"Oh, I guess you're right...heh..."

"Well, go on. I've got a private aircraft nearby waiting to take you back to Elona."

"Thanks again for everything, Mr. Tree."

"It's no problem. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

Kyle walked out of the palace, wondering what kind of a surprise Natalie could have waiting for him.