Chapter 29
Overlander
When Sally opened her eyes, she found herself in a very large room. She slowly got to her feet and noticed gigantic cables coming out of the floors running along the walls like snakes. Gigantic machines surrounded her, large gears turning with flashes of hot steam released. She slowly turned around and saw a towering mountain of metal strapped to a network of hanging cables. This was no machine she realized, as the familiar face of her old nemesis had finally returned to her, Dr. Robotnik. She saw his face was heavily worn with age, his skin sagging with fat that it barely clung to his skull anymore. His mustache had grown long and unkept, hanging down like tentacles from a squid. Fresh liquid was pumped in and out keeping him alive. Sally was not at all surprised to see him reduced to such a fragile state. He of all people would do anything to live forever.
" Well, well, well...Princess Sally...we meet at last! " said Robotnik.
" Robotnik. "
" I have been watching you for quite some time. You have caused me quite a lot of trouble, my dear. Do you have anything to say for yourself? "
" Yes. Why me? Why have you been after me all this time?"
Robotnik giggled devilishly. She shuddered when she heard it under the metallic echo in his voice that seemed to fill the room reminding her what she was dealing with wasn't fully human anymore. A mechanical tentacle seized her wrapping around her waist tight raising her off the ground bringing her closer to his view. Sally stared at Robotnik's haggard visage with defiance.
" You fascinate me, dear girl. You are the first to defy me and get this far! It was fun testing you and your pathetic little friends but after you killed Snively, destroyed one of my most important bases, along with my top generals you began to really annoy me " he said showing his teeth.
Sally looked vengefully at Robotnik.
" Oh, what's the matter, Princess? Are we not feeling comfy?" he mocked. " Oh, that is right, you are a princess. And yet, your kingdom is nowhere to be found. I think that their is much more to you than you let on, isn't there? "
Sally was silent.
" I know you crossed over from another dimension. The moment you arrived in the swamps of the Great Forest I have been watching you " Robotnik said.
Sally gave a defiant smile. " You could watch, but you couldn't stop me. "
" On the contrary, I could have had you at anytime I wanted. If I had so desired, I would have atomized that accursed little vampire colony from orbit if I wanted you then. With one command I could have made Snively stop his games and hand you over. Oh, let us not forget about that incident with the wizard you let loose. You and the hedgehog did put on quite a show dealing with him for me. "
" Let's just cut to the chase. Why are you here, Robotnik. You're not a Mobian. Why do you exist here on Mobius" she asked directly. Sally had been wanting to ask that for a long time from Robotnik.
Robotnik's face scrunched as if he was in deep thought attempting to recall long lost buried memories within himself. A half smirk formed on his lips, as he raised an eyebrow.
" This sick dying world you see is merely the first steps in my plan to ignite the second age of Man " he said.
A holographic view screen appeared before Sally's face, enveloping her vision to what was about to be revealed.
" You will find we as a species are not so different. We both want the same thing; Survival!"
Sally gazed at the monitor and saw images of of explosions erupting through the streets of cities and rolling tanks bulldozing their way through the streets. There were hundreds of armed men holding large weapons, their faces hidden behind ghoulish breathing masks. Bodies of civilians riddled the ground with the rats feasting upon the remains. Large swaths of people crying out in anger and fear, with indifferent machinery rolling over them in waves. An AI voice began to narrate to her a macabre history.
" In 2121 in response to massive threats of world overpopulation and corruption a group known as Overlander sought to change what was a race that were destined for greater things. Through a marriage of nationalism, futurism, and humanism these groups of individuals began to push for change by force. Their first operations were at first terrorist bombings, attacking largely populated centers to erase as many people as possible. After this were various coups to overthrow large scale governments that were unsuccessful but helped grow into a formidable force on the global stage.
Next were various manmade viruses that were released onto the world, causing the death of millions. The reaction were swift lockdowns causing further escalations between the population and government leading to fracturing of societies into chaos.
Sally cringed upon seeing this grim history play out before her eyes.
" Great things have small beginnings "Robotnik said.
The imagery switched to two gigantic explosions from a satellite view of the planet. The tides heaved and swallowed the coasts, the crust cracked and ruptured spilling hot steam and magma into the atmosphere. A great black wall of dust blanketing the sky.
" In 2337 the worlds ecstatic amazement at the site of the marvelous celestial show provided by the Great Dragon comet turned to horror when two tiny fragments detached themselves from the mass and crashed into the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea area. The violent impact produced a tidal wave, completely flooding a vast part of the Arabian Peninsula. This is followed by a series of earthquakes that annihilate Mecca, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, and various North African provinces ending the last remaining supply of fuel lines to the world. "
" One step back. Two steps forward " Robotnik said to himself.
Now she saw massive swarms of civilians fighting in the streets. Their clothes were torn and dirty, brandishing flags of the Overlander symbol. More death followed showing armed militias mowing down the mobs with more charging overtop of their comrades' fallen bodies.
" In 2346, the escalating inter-ethnic violence on the east and west coasts of the North American continent collapsed into a second civil war in the face of a growing water shortage leading to starvation and deaths. Cannibalism and suicide were the fallout with the Overlander demanding the nations government to surrender itself, with many of the population joining them as they brought new technology with them that the world had become more reliant than ever on.
A technological civil war broke out over a last-ditch effort for the last first world nation to remain stable. The Overlander organization had infiltrated every independent state and helped topple the last hold out of the old government, thus the last remaining superpower was dismantled heralding the dawn of America's feudal age. "
The video changed yet again. The buildings seemed to grow more vast and taller and more technological. But like before this brief era of peace being shown devolved into chaos yet again. Instead of terrorism and militias butting heads it was civilians fighting over strange headgear they would fasten to their heads.
" In 2369, a top-secret report showed that the new drugs known as Euphoria, a drug designed to reduce stress and increase work rate among people had shown to have damaging long term effects leading to brain damage. The average I.Q in the far eastern countries dropped by 30 points in three generations, and many qualified workers were subjects to nuero-motor disorders.
The Eurasian economy plummeted and finally crashed in 2366 due to most of its population unable to save themselves from mental deterioration."
Sally looked over at Robotnik at the corner of her eye with further disgust.
" It would seem the rotten apple hasn't fallen far from the rotting tree. "
" Change is always a slow painful process "he shot back. "But it does yield new fruit in the end. "
" In 2418, chaos ruled the rest of the world. Soon after its inauguration, a major accident was reported in the first thermo nuclear reactor using controlled fusion. Built in response to China's ever increasing energy demands, the reactor goes out of control and a third of the new republic of Manchuria is covered in a destructive blanket. A radioactive cloud came to rest in the upper atmosphere, reducing available sunlight by 30%. This marked the beginning of Mai Tan, or Endless Winter.
In 2430, the African continent, worn out by 50 years of endemic ethnic wars and by an uninterrupted series of epidemics, undergoes yet another shock when a revered spiritual leader is assassinated. Massive immigration toward the south began as thousands flee the African continent by military cargo ships.
Australia, the only livable landmass, triples its military capacity and sinks every foreign ship that may enter its territorial waters. Australia succumbs, following a massive landing in 2433 with the country overrun. "
Sally watched the monitors and she saw bright flashes light up all over the darkened earth. She saw islands sink, continental shelves crack and break apart.
" In 2451, the Overlander group that had now controlled the worlds most major governments underwent their most ambitious plan towards world peace. Believing that the problem of overpopulation in a now decimated world still existed, the group acquired many of the nuclear arms left behind in various collapsed nations and stockpiled them for this very moment.
The survivors were rounded up and escaped in shuttle crafts where in 2455 a space colony was built to house the remainder of humanity. Here the remaining survivors were able to live out their years free of further war. Only the ones that were deemed most healthy free of genetic defects free from the radioactive fallout were allowed to continue the species lineage.
By 2475, the planet Mobius was discovered and became a new place to call home was found for the humans to populate. It took 3 years journey as 25% of the population went while the remainder 75% where left behind.
In 2479 the human colony set up camps and began to make plans to expand and to use the raw new materials to power their machines but then were met by the natives of the planet called Mobians which less than thrilled by their presence. "
" You ruined your world so now you came to take ours " replied Sally to Robotnik.
" Hah! If only those people had the same ambitions I had. "
" In 2482, peace talks quickly broke down between the two species. With advanced technology and warfare, the human colonists proved to be no match for the Mobians. The Mobians however proved to adapt far quicker than the humans anticipated and were able to become a formidable threat. The Mobians were quickly able to learn how to use their technology and weaponry just as well as the humans and began to drive them back. The invasion was lead by the current head of the surviving Overlander group, Julius Kintobor, father of Dr Robotnik. Thus begins the Great War.
In 2486, Julius was assassinated by the Freedom Fighter group commanded by the Mobian King. Power was quickly transferred to Colin who secured his right to the throne by targeting his brother, Julian Robotnik. Julian was a eccentric scientist which had been performing illegal experiments on live Humans and Mobians. He had been protected by his father but was now under the full wrath of his brother who immediately ordered his execution to be carried out.
Julian was crafty and along with his nephew were able to flee and take refuge among the Mobians. In exchange for information, he was given sanctuary and rose to become a key player in the war against the human colonists.
In 2489, he earned the title warlord and commanded over the Mobians equipping them with new weapons he had built. His tactical and scientific mind proved to win over the day as the Overlander army surrendered and were held prisoner. The king showed his hand at mercy and ordered them to leave Mobius and never return. They obeyed and left the planet. "
Robotnik gave a small chuckle. " Those idiots never knew I rigged their ships to detonate the moment they left the planet. If only I could have seen the look on Colin's face when he saw his people die that day. "
" You are the devil " Sally spat.
" One week after the Great War had come to a close the scientist, Julian Kintobor with the assistance of his nephew Snively had assembled his docile Swat Bots for a staged coup. On the day of a gathering of neighboring kingdoms for a celebration were met with their savior turned terrorist. That day marked the beginning of the Robotnk Empire. Many were rounded up and forced into slavery, experiments, and roboticized. The remaining Mobians that fled were scattered and broken, leaving only small villages and abandoned cities to hide in. With their military gone the remaining Mobians went into hiding. "
" Now this I remember all too well " she said dryly.
" In 2497 Robotnik had successfully captured all of the rebel survivors roboticizing them and expanded his city until- - " *FZZ* *SNAP*
The holographic images flickered and went dark, the lights inside the room flickering with some fuses blowing.
" Oh now what?" he growled annoyed. " We were just getting to the best part. Blast it! "
There was a powerful storm brewing over Robotropolis and had knocked out the video feed among other things. He sighed composing himself.
" Well as they say the rest is history. "
The train carrying Sally's rescue squad sped steadily down the tracks passing between mountains past Swat Bot control towers always monitoring the borders of Robotropolis. Sonic glanced over at the others who all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts recollecting themselves. The silence was cryptic.
Sonic glanced out the window noting the hard snowstorm they seemed to be now passing through. He couldn't even see the mountains anymore. Just whiteness. He slumped back into his chair sighing listening to the hum of the engines.
" I can't stand this waiting! "
Antoine perked up. " You should rest while you can, mon ami. Zee fight ahead will not be an easy one. "
Sonic thought back to that man who seemed to come out of nowhere and completely devastate them. Who was he? He was unlike any foe he had ever faced, and if he was to rescue Sally, he would have to face him again. His skill as a fighter was frightening. Sonic hazily recalled the elephant and that place, wherever it was. He would not waste this second chance to make things right.
Sonic turned to Lupe.
" Do you know anything of that guy we encountered? " he asked.
Lupe shook her head. Antoine gave a snort.
" I have " he said. " He eez zee the big number two of Robotnik. His best general. I have faced him before and barely escaped with my life. He eez not one to be taken lightly. "
Sonic recalled the Red Swat Bot he encountered from long ago. What other horrors was that madman keeping in his city he wondered. He knew they would find out soon enough, the black city slowly coming into view beyond the white veil of snow. The word espylacopa came back into memory from before.
" Lupe. Could you run me by that song again of Espyla-whats-it-called? "
" The sky shall rise and the earth will fall,
When winds blow wrong and light is gone,
Apocalypse will die and Espylacopa will be born,
The last miracle will shine."
Sonic thought this over for a moment.
" What do you think it means when it says 'and then the last miracle will shine' ? "
" I'm not too sure. It was something I remembered only as a child. "
" Well ah dont know about ya'll folks but I know the only miracle is that girl who brought us together " Bunnie said.
Another great tremor shook the ground giving the train a rattle. Sonic and the others grimaced. One way or another things would end today.
