One-Shot # 5: S.C.A.L.E.R.
First, there was a fuzzy wall of nothing. The video was obviously old and ravaged, and for a moment, the dictator was sure that it was going to work at all. Luckily, the infernal device soon began to operate without as much trouble. It was a gradual change, but one that made him pleased none the less. Dr. Robotnik smiled as a fuzzy image appeared on the screen.
Sir Charles Hedgehog was standing at a large desk that was littered with various concoctions and chemicals. At the moment, he was mixing together a strange liquid that had an odd glow to it. For a moment he thought that was all he was going to do, but after a few seconds he looked up. "This is the chemical compound that I have been working on, known as project S.C.A.L.E.R." He explained, making the doctor raise his eyebrows.
The hedgehog on the screen walked over to a small cage on the table. "This is a young flickie I found. It was injured during a wind storm a few days ago." He took the injured green bird out of the cage and showed it to the camera. "Samples of reptilian DNA were used to create the compound. The S.C.A.L.E.R. compound attempts to replicate the ability of reptilians that can regenerate lost limbs." Sir Charles nodded to himself and grabbed a syringe.
He filled the syringe with the liquid, "If all goes according to plan, this flickie's wing will be healed within a few minutes with this." Sir Charles carefully injected the liquid into the bird and gently set it down. His fingers softly massaged the creature's wing, and at first, it made sounds that made it apparent that it was in pain. However, the flickie began to calm down within a few moments. The blue hedgehog smiled a soft grin, "As you can see now, the flickie is no longer in pain."
Dr. Robotnik raised an eyebrow. From what he had read, the compound was regarded to be unstable. Why was it—suddenly, the bird began to screech, making both the hedgehog and the dictator jump. Sir Charles however, nearly fell back onto his behind when it started to cry. As Dr. Robotnik watched, he began to feel a slight level of surprise fill him. What he was watching was very intriguing. To most it would have been very shocking and disturbing, but to him, it was nothing less than perfect.
The bird continued to screech and yell and soon after, it began to thrash about. Its feathers melted away from its body, its beak thickened into a snout-like face, and its claws morphed into two scaly legs. Arms sprouted on its front, and its body gradually changed shape. After a few seconds, it was no longer a bird, but a lizard. A lizard! It looked around confusedly for a second before it turned to Sir Charles and hissed. The blue hedgehog took a step back before the creature lunged at him. Before anything else could happen, another Mobian ran to his assistance and the screen went blank for a moment.
When the screen lit up once again, Sir Charles was standing in front of the camera once again. It was no surprise to Dr. Robotnik to see that he was covered in tiny scars and scratches, making the dictator smile to himself. His expression was serious, yet somewhat saddened. He spoke once again, "Project S.C.A.L.E.R.'s results were beyond what expected and resulted in genetic mutations, extreme personality changes, and injuries to participating researchers. Therefore, the project has been deemed a failure. Any further experimentation on Project S.C.A.L.E.R. has been discontinued, and any continuation on the project afterward is strictly forbidden by order of the king." Dr. Robotnik chuckled and smiled as the hedgehog nodded, resulting in the screen going black yet again. He pressed a button on his chair, turning him around in the process.
When he found himself face to face with the Freedom Fighter, he only laughed. "You risked your life trying to protect this information little Freedom Fighter. It's a shame that you failed…"
The Freedom Fighter before him was being held by Swatbots, and to his surprise, he did not try to fight back. Of course, that didn't mean that he didn't talk back. "You'll never get away with this Robotnik!" the antelope cried.
Dr. Robotnik smirked and laughed. "Oh really? And who's going to stop me? Certainly not you. You're merely an underling in the Freedom Fighters!" His captive growled again, making the dictator nod. He turned again and faced Snively. "Snively, retrieve a small sample of… the compound."
Snively nodded, "Yes sir, right away sir." He walked off, and Robotnik turned back to the antelope.
"So, you work with the Freedom Fighters. This means that you know where Knothole village is, correct?" He inquired, making the antelope's eyes widen.
The antelope gritted his teeth, "Like I'll ever tell you where it is!"
His smile widened. "Oh, I was hoping you would say that." He turned his head to see Snively bringing in a syringe, making the antelope's eyes widen. Dr. Robotnik chuckled as he looked down at the Freedom Fighter again. "You see, I've only been able to test this substance on a few subjects because most of the Freedom Fighters I have captured are already roboticized. If you don't tell me where Knothole village is, then you'll get to be the next test subject. If you do tell me… perhaps I will spare you."
For a moment, the look in the antelope's eyes made seem as if he was wavering. For a moment, it appeared as if he was really going to betray his comrades. He swallowed and shook his head, letting his gaze intensify. "Never."
Sighing, Dr. Robotnik nodded. "Very well." He looked at Snively. "Please continue Snively."
"Yes sir." He stated, walking forward. The antelope's eyes widened as he drew near, and he began to pull at the Swatbots' grip. Finally, he was beginning to realize how dire his situation was. Of course, it was far too late for him to do anything about it. Now the only thing he could do was wait for it to be over. The antelope continued to tug and pull, and at the last second, he began frantic. He pulled as hard as he could, even attempting to attack the Swatbots, but the Swatbots wouldn't budge. And of course, even if he could have escaped, it wouldn't have mattered.
Within seconds, Snively had injected the compound into the antelope's blood. The horror on his face was unmistakable, and it continued to grow as the compound flowed though his blood. Horror changed to shock, and the shock morphed into pain. He screamed, and Robotnik found himself laughing at the sound. Soon, his screaming mutated into a strange cry—a hissing—and his body soon followed the transformation of his voice.
When it was viewed first hand, it was much more terrifying. The fur fell off his body in large clumps, and when they were so close, it was easy to see his muscles moving beneath his skin. His body's shape seemed to melt, then reform and harden into a new shape. His antlers melted away, claws began to grow from his hands, and when he opened his eyes, they were in the form of slits. It took a few more seconds for his to finish, but when the transformation ended, a lizard was standing before him instead of an antelope. His scaly green skin glimmered slightly in the dull light, making Snively take a step back.
Dr. Robotnik smiled down at the newly transformed Mobian. "Perfect. Now will you behave?" The creature hissed at him, and Snively jumped back in surprise. "Fine. Send him to the detention center so he can learn some manners." The Swatbots nodded and dragged him off, leaving Dr. Robotnik to his thoughts.
"Sir," before he actually could think for a moment, Snivley spoke yet again. "There are more prisoners on the fourth level of the prison center. Would you—"
"Need you even ask Snively?" His nephew stared at him before he growled, "Retrieve them and bring them here immediately." Snively nodded and walked off without another word. The dictator watched him until the very last second and chuckled. Yes… the S.C.A.L.E.R. compound was going to serve him well. What did it mean again? Synthesis of Chemical Amalgamation of Lizards for Enabling Regeneration, or S.C.A.L.E.R. He smiled and nodded, letting a diabolical laugh take over. With it, he was going to rule the world.
Oh, it has been awhile, but I got one done! :D This is a request from brave kid. I'm going to be a collab story with brave kid soon, and this is a bit of fore-shadowing to it. It takes place in SatAM Sonic. :)
Anyways, hope you guys liked it! :) The next one is also a request, and I hope that you'll enjoy it! Until next time! :)