Suffice to say it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience and in my opinion humans loved cars too much and trying to get around with your own two feet too little. Too many sidewalks that would go around in circles, not enough crossings and far too many humans getting mad when you hopped across traffic jams. Managing to leave that night was a relief though short lived as the countryside was human owned industrial farms for dozens of miles. So I also ended up spending the whole next day dodging farmers and dogs. Finally reaching proper wilderness brought a much needed feeling of safety as I'd started suspecting I had gained something of a posse chasing after me.
Avoiding cities as much as possible was my main priority in my days of world wonderings. I had no choice when I wanted to cross oceans but otherwise I stuck to the countryside and wilderness. There were just too many humans packed in like worms for my liking and being a mobian in a human city invoked claustrophobic feelings in general. Walking down the streets, the crowds of people who were on average twice your height made it impossible to see far, bodies closing in with no respect for space and I was pretty sure most of the "accidental" bumping just plain weren't. Couldn't retaliate either if you didn't want to be marked as some rabid animal and gunned down with extreme prejudice. Always infuriating when the person "slapping" demands that you be the better person and turn the other cheek so they can slap you again.
Now though…
I had woken with the sun as I always did and sighed in satisfaction with the bedding in my penthouse suite.
When I arrived last night, what little traffic there was, was blocked or even forcibly shoved aside to make way for my convoy by the local badniks. The first thing I did was unload the smokeleaf at the train station. While I did this, the mayor of the city, a graying wrinkled man that I was surprised to learn was half as old as he looked, met with me. He came with only a single aide and in his personal car. The Mayor was a man who was VERY aware of the difference between our ranks as he bent over backwards to ensure I was treated like an honored Prince.
To ensure my stay was as comfortable as possible he had reopened a resort and had the place cleaned and running in record time. Or at the very least the pertinent areas of the building were put in order, as far as I was aware every room I saw was ready to service a full roster of guests. It spoke of either the man's ability to organize people or everyone's sheer desperation to keep me and ultimately, Robotnik, happy.
Only taking a moment more to enjoy the nest of blankets and pillows that was my bed I sighed again and crawled out to wash up. Soon after I was in the middle of amusing myself with the sight of a pair of glove shaped towels when I heard a chime.
Looking over I saw a small computer panel on the wall that was currently displaying a line of text saying "Doorbell: Answer/Refuse?".
'Probably the housekeeping back with my laundry.' I thought before walking over and tapping the answer button.
"Yes?"
"Underboss, Reginald Rabbit, we're here with your clean laundry sir." A feminine voice spoke. "May we enter?"
I hesitated to answer for a moment as the screen now had a little window showing a live feed from a camera just above my penthouse entrance. Displayed on it were two maids in modest dress uniforms. One was a human woman and the other, a cat mobian. The human was carrying clothes that I wore under my armor for cushioning while the mobian carried a bowl of water. Giving the two a once over I nodded and pressed the answer button.
"Yes, come in." I replied and saw the human pull a keycard out of her pocket.
Turning away from the screen I dressed up a little, putting on a bathrobe and the towel gloves before collecting a wireless blow dryer from a wall socket. I left the bathroom and re-entered my bedroom while working on my ears with the blow dryer. The pink skin had stopped being sensitive and fur stubble was poking up. Seemed like that healing steroid was still in my system. There were probably horrendous side effects, accelerated aging likely the least of them but the alternative was walking around with gaping holes in my ears for two months.
As I started heating the fur on my head there was a knock at the bedroom door.
"Come in!"
In entered the two maids. The human walked over to my bed and placed the clothes down while the cat mobian placed down the bowl on a table at the base of my bed, withdrawing a pair of neatly folded gloves from a pocket and placing them right next to it.
"Here you are sir~" The mobian said cheerily and then leaned closer. "Would you like me to get the other blow dryer and help you?"
Considering it for a moment I found myself a little discomforted by the offer. It seemed a little off although didn't rich people have servants do things like clothe them and cook for them? I guess in the position I was in I was just being treated the same. Still though I much preferred maintaining my personal independence of such obnoxious levels of luxury.
"No, I can do it myself." I waved off and undid my robe to see how much drying I had left to do.
Oddly as soon as I did that the human suddenly gasped and averted her head away from me with a flush. Blinking at the reaction I could only stare at her oddly flushed expression as the cat mobian rolled her eyes at the display. Scratching at suddenly itchy ears I wondered in some befuddlement what the reaction was for.
"Julia, he's a mobian remember!" The mobian maid chided.
"I-I-I know it's just that…" 'Julia' muttered and could only just make herself look me in the eyes with blazing red cheeks.
It hit me like a sledgehammer that the two staff assigned to me didn't just happen to be women. The cat mobian was rather attractive though her uniform did her no real favors and so I assumed the human woman must be considered attractive by human standards as well. Were these two assigned to me just in case I'd be the sort to be distracted by such things?
'Well if that was the intent they made one big mistake!'
Just the thought of touching a human woman in such a way had me nearly shudder in disgust. That wasn't even getting to the whole skeeviness of the situation in general. It brought to mind a certain situation that had happened yesterday and how incredibly uncomfortable it was. Even in this exact situation where it had no bearing on dues owed to Robotnik I wasn't about to partake in anything at all like this. Still that also didn't change the fact it was infuriating.
'Do I just have this look about me that invites assumptions of me being a scumbag?!'
TWICE already I've found myself in situations where "favors" were being put on the table. This better fucking NOT become a common occurrence otherwise I might have to actually exert some of that Robotnik given authority to… oh…
I was a mobian serving as an enforcer to Robotnik.
Frankly that alone gave a TON of bad first impressions. What kind of person- kind of mobian decided to work for Doctor Robotnik? The man who despoiled whole ecosystems with his stripmining and created oceans of oil to fuel his ambitions. Either a complete scumbag or a total fucking idiot. And seeing as I obviously had some principles it was obvious what I was.
'You are supposed to be charming!' I reminded myself. 'Be charming! Don't worry about what people believe you to be, you can't do anything about that. The best thing to do is maintain the persona of charm and use violence only when needed, an oasis of reasonability compared to the likes of Doctor Robotnik. Actions speak louder than words and so long as you maintain consistency with the chosen personality people will know what to expect from you.'
"Oh it's alright in fact I appreciate the sentiment!" Come on, channel a bit of Uncle Wallace's friendly air. That man could punch a stranger in greeting and he'd leave bruised but smiling.
"Huh?" Julia blinked at me in surprise but her flush was gone, that was good.
"You seem to think of me as the same as a human man?" I explained. "Putting me on the same level which is not something that happens all that often in my experience. So I thank you for the consideration, dear Julia."
"Oh, you are very welcome sir." Julia bowed her head. "I've… not really understood why humans and mobians should treat each other so differently to be honest. I've always resolved to treat man and woman mobians the same as the human ones."
"Which can result in awkward moments like this one!" The cat mobian added and then smirked at Julia. "Or times where she forgets that she really ought to keep in mind that there should be a difference. Like that time she started staring at what she thought was the obscene sight of a man's 'bare' crotch."
"Pepper!" Julia protested, her face blazing crimson.
"You're just lucky he thought you were coming on to him and let you down gently~" Pepper smirked with a bared fang.
I laughed good naturedly and noted I'd be dry enough in a few more minutes.
"Ladies, if you could leave the room?" I requested. "I'd like to put my gloves on."
"But… you're already naked." Julia remarked as she stared at my bare feet. "What's wrong with seeing your-"
'Patience! Be charming!' I reminded myself through the sharp burst of annoyance.
"Julia, amongst mobian no nos this is the NO'ist of NOs." Pepper said quickly and walked around the back of Julia to start pushing her out despite her protests. "We'll be in the living room sir!"
'Ugh, humans get upset when half of their body gets exposed but have the gall to think protecting and cherishing our hands is weird.' I thought with a roll of my eyes before getting started on the ritual of cleansing and wearing.
Besides your head your hands were the most important part of your body. You reached out to touch the world with them, you struck out at enemies with them and used them to guard yourself, you embraced loved ones with them and intertwined fingers with lovers in intimacy. With hands you could create or destroy, with hands you could even communicate without speaking a single word. It was important to take good care of them and protect them whenever possible. Was it really so strange that we mobians saw how important hands were and treated them with appropriate reverence?
'Honestly I wonder why humans don't feel the same?' Finishing the cleansing I began to slip on the gloves in practiced motions. 'It seems like they only really care about their hands when they do dangerous things with them.'
Once that was done I slipped on the freshly cleaned clothes. Aside from them being red with yellow outlines it was barely in the colors of the Eggman Empire. Looking off to the side I considered the armor where I left them piled neatly. I had been promised a full breakfast last night, would wearing my armor to the dining room be a sign of strength or fear? How much could I truly trust the mayor of Metropolis?
'How much of the Mayor's premature aging is caused by fear of Robotnik? How much of it is caused by concern for the people of the city?' I mused. 'It's likely a combination of both but it does seem like the man is going out of his way to ensure things go smoothly with me. What would killing me gain for the people here? Robotnik's wrath that's what, not that it would do me any good since I'd be dead.'
Robotnik had told me I now represented not only the Empire but him personally… That meant how I presented myself would reflect on him. So I had to present strength, which called for a wordless statement that I was confident I wouldn't be hurt.
Giving the high grade armor one last longing glance I turned away and left my bedroom into the penthouse proper.
It was not only a whole house atop the resort but a really nice one as well. There was a theater room for watching movies, a fully stocked kitchen filled with every cooking appliance imaginable, a dining room fit for hosting a high society party and a library stocked from floor to ceiling with books that had a functional fireplace though clearly gas powered. Of course I had been utterly unable to enjoy a single part of it, having come in feeling exhausted despite having barely physically exerted myself yesterday. I had only wanted to sleep last night and I hardly had the time to just spend sitting around enjoying luxury.
There was something in the city I had wanted to check out and I would only have time for that if I made sure the local taxes were secure and ready to be shipped. Also I wanted breakfast, I hadn't eaten a proper meal since yesterday morning. Anxiety had pretty much killed my appetite yesterday but right now I felt ravenous. It would be a bit tight but I should be ready to keep going by noon.
By the front door the two maids were waiting.
"Underboss, Mayor Need would like you to know he took the liberty of having Breakfast prepared if you feel like eating." Pepper announced as I approached. "If not he has his limo fully fueled and ready to transport you."
"Oh good!" I didn't need to fake a smile this time. "I am feeling rather famished right now. Furthermore I'd love to properly meet with the Mayor. Last night was all business you see."
"This way, sir." Julia motioned for me to follow as she opened the door.
The welcome and reassuring sight of the smaller models of Badnik stood guard in the hallway. Still though I couldn't help but notice how ungainly their animal shapes made for building interiors. Sure it wasn't normally a problem as these same badniks could and would tear right through most walls. But really would it kill Robotnik to design a more humanoid line of badnik?
Normally complaining about Robotnik not having better bots was madness but it was my problem now and my neck on the line.
'Though it's not like I could complain to the man himself now could I?' I mused to myself.
It was quite obvious to me what the end result of such action would be if I actually followed through on it. Robotnik's rage at being critiqued by a man who barely knew how to take off the armor plating of his badniks would be immense to say the least.
Best to just keep my thoughts to myself as usual.
Before long I was exiting an elevator onto the ground floor of the mostly abandoned resort. The two maids escorted me to the restaurant and I was met with the grandiose sight of what could only be an eating area for high class guests. Crystal chandeliers hanged from the ceiling, Lush drapes stretched from the center of the ceiling to each corner of the room, a carpet so thick I could actually feel myself sink into it slighter with each step, tables and chair of red sandalwood and gold engravings polished to a near mirror like shine.
In the center of the restaurant was a long dining table completely covered in dozens of dishes of every conceivable breakfast food. At the head of this table was probably the closest thing to a throne I've ever seen with how ostentatious its design was. Mayor Need stood by a seat next to the "throne" so it was blatantly clear who was sitting where.
'What an incredible amount of variety!' I scratched my ears as I took in the spread of options. 'They must have raided the pantries of everyone in the city to accomplish this.'
Afterall it wasn't like people traded with the Eggman Empire, trading implied someone had something Robotnik wanted but had to compromise to get. That simply didn't happen. Perhaps it was something of an exaggeration to say Robotnik would invade whole nations simply to retrieve a single item and then leave, but it was equally hard to say it wouldn't be in-character.
Suffice to say this spread must have been carefully preserved leftovers of better days.
"U-Underboss, Reginald!" The mayor greeted me with nervously wringed hands. "Please take a seat! The maids will get you servings of anything that catches your eye!"
The Mayor was a somewhat portly man in his thirties prematurely aged by stress. His dirty blond hair, mustache and short beard were streaked with gray and even in a relatively calm state he had wrinkles around his bespeckled eyes and face. He was dressed fairly formally in a dress shirt, polished dress shoes with dark red slacks and vest. A black tie sat a bit loosely around his neck from him constantly adjusting it.
One thing I rather liked about this human though was the fact he was rather short and about only half a foot taller than me. It was irritating to be dealing with humans from a position of some kind of power and authority only to find yourself looking up at them.
"I see you've taken the liberty to cook a little bit of everything!" I exclaim in a lighthearted tone, this human was extremely aware of his position here so no need to rub his face in it anymore.
"I sincerely hope that is fine!" Sadly my tone failed to calm him. "We didn't know what you liked, sir! And… well we didn't know if you'd eat meat so we decided to cook everything."
"... All mobians are omnivores." I answered, taking a moment to work through the spike of irritation. "I am more than capable of eating meat though… I'lll admit to having a fondness for salads, whether that is due to me being a rabbit mobian is up for debate."
Actually it was fruit salad I very much enjoyed. Semantics I suppose.
"Could I tempt you with some fried eggs, bacon, toast and a side of sliced oranges, sir?" Pepper leaned in closer with a smile.
"A classic, if you'd be so kind, Pepper." I told the maid who smiled brilliantly and quickly darted away to collect the food.
'That girl is starting to unsettle me.'
Tenting my fingers in front of my mouth to hide any cracks in my composure I contemplated the two maids. Julia was clearly aware of the implications of this situation and was not at all comfortable with it, though obviously not enough to not do it. Pepper though seemed to me to be the more worldly of the two and was also very aware of the situation. And yet not once has she given away any hint of discomfort. I suppose it wasn't too out there to think Pepper was more than willing to do unpleasant things for the sake of others, if attending to the needs of a guest made things easier for everyone so be it.
'Of course the other side of that is that she is doing this for her own needs.'
For some people the only thing that really matters when it comes to partners is whether or not they can not only support you but lavish you with luxury. When you thought about it I could be argued as being a desirable bachelor if you just judged it pragmatically. Though it was questionable just how much actual authority I had, it was leagues more than any other person in the Empire. In the common person's view I was the one doing the oppressing not being oppressed though the truth of the matter was that I was both. What was being a trophy spouse to the only man of power and significance in the Empire who actually had some interest in that.
'I'll admit that the temptation is there, to reciprocate the attention despite the lack of genuine feeling.' It had been a while, Robotnik bases and outposts didn't exactly have bars to find ladies to hook up with next door. 'To wake up curled up against someone, fool myself thinking there could be any love there and just have someone to hold and confide in. A shallow intoxicating dream.'
As heady as the thought was it was something I simply could not entertain as anything more than the half formed foolishness it was. Pepper would be an angle of weakness for me and not someone I could actually confide in. Could I honestly expect her to last any length of time being interrogated by Robotnik? So if I couldn't confide in her what would be the point? Just have someone around purely to remedy feelings of loneliness? Not only that but I had issues, major ones with the idea of such a relationship. Pretty as the cat mobian was, the sheer power imbalance between us was an emotional turn off. I would hold all the authority in such a relationship so what room was there for differing opinions? The idea of not being at least being equals with a significant other was nigh repulsive to me, it utterly didn't feel right.
'Sorry, Pepper but I'm just going to hope you are just being friendly and continue on.' I thought as the mobian maid collected my food. 'If you aren't… well who am I to judge? I know very well that living under Robotnik's influence is miserable as all hell and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to cope.'
"I-is there something wrong with your food, sir?" Need asked nervously.
Blinking I found myself simply staring down at a now full plate of food. Quickly shaking my head I answered the human.
"Nothing to worry about, Mayor." I waved off and began to dig in. "I have a busy day today and am preoccupied with my thoughts but tell me what do you intend to do with the leftovers?"
"Well u-uh I suppose I had nothing in mind to do with any leftovers." Need responded with ever wringing hands. "Did you want it all packed up for yourself sir?"
"No." Taking a moment to savor a strip of bacon I considered the two maids. "I'm not the type to indulge in gluttony, Mayor, this will be all I'll have to eat. Perhaps then you can give this bounty to the more needy members of your community. I'm sure these two lovely ladies wouldn't mind some free groceries."
I already have food supplies, stuff that will keep for months too. Pemmican wasn't the tastiest of things to eat unless you had things to spice or sweeten it up but so long as you put it together well it'll keep you nourished. Charity was easy when you had no real desire for what you were giving up, pragmatic too since no matter how small this truly was it would still leave a decent impression on people.
"Thank you so much, sir!" Julia immediately said with genuine gratitude.
"Mmmm… haven't had ham in a while…" Pepper muttered with a pleased purring to her voice.
"Would it be alright if I take some extra?" Julia asked, eyes glittering hopefully. "I have some family that could really appreciate a filling meal just for a day."
"I hope you are being truthful to me, Miss Julia." I pointed my fork at her with a serious tone. "Badniks are all over this city and I'd be greatly disappointed to find out you sold it for some pocket money."
Julia nodded agreebly, her happy smile was unwavering so it was clear to me she was telling the truth. Pepper however… As soon as I mentioned the badniks watching everything and I'd be watching for resale of the food there was a flicker in her expression. I only just managed to catch it but the corners of her mouth tilted down and her eyes narrowed. It happened only for a split second before her friendly smile was back but I saw it. It only led credence to the idea that Pepper was perhaps the sort to be fine with being a trophy wife. However…
'I'm not going to judge her on that.' I thought and pointedly pushed aside said judgemental thoughts. 'Why the hell would I when at the very least she knows what she is getting herself into? Compared to me who went into this blind and arrogant? Somehow I thought I could be a part of Robotnik's schemes, a villainous bystander at most with front row seats to every battle between the Doctor and Sonic! I was an idiot, an utterly cowardly fool…'
So you go ahead and try to seduce me Pepper, it's not going to work but I'm not going to look down on you for it either. It's a shitty miserable existence for all involved in the Great Eggman Empire save for one man alone, gotta do what you gotta do to make things better for yourself.
"Err… Sir if you don't mind me asking?" Need began, wringing his hands nervously.
"Go ahead, Mayor." Munching down more food I note the man isn't eating, ah ha another opportunity! "And grab yourself something to eat! Plenty here after all."
It might be generosity with a bounty that isn't even mine but every little bit helps to counter a bad first impression.
"Uh-errr, thank you, Underboss." Need said and soon one of the maids was setting down a plate of food to the human's liking. "I take it you intend to do something more than collect our taxes? We've got loading the trains down pat and it rarely takes longer than an hour."
"The theme park." I replied. "I want to examine its full functionality."
"Oh, uh… Sir it's a fairly popular section of the city." Need said and I heard him audibly gulp down a bit of food. "Even at this time of day it'll likely have people in there."
"Then get them out, I have business there that requires the park to be empty for my use."
"Of course sir." Need nodded obediently and fished a cell phone out of his vest pocket. "Uh, would you like me to bring you there with the limo?"
"... Very well, I shall finish eating and collect my gear from my room." I said and continued eating. It wasn't like I'd be driving Lady at breakneck speeds through the streets so getting a leisurely ride wasn't an issue. And besides…
I was kinda interested in seeing a city under the rule of the good Doctor.
Breakfast was finished in silence soon after. I briefly returned to my room and put on my armor though I kept my helmet carried under my arm. After that I sent a message to my awaiting badniks and returned to the ground floor. Upon leaving the grand entrance of the resort I was met with the sight of the Mayor's limo, a black model that was quite obviously just cleaned and polished. The door was being held open by Pepper and the Mayor was already inside waiting.
"Move over if you'd please?" I asked the Mayor as I entered. "I'd like to take in the city as we travel."
"Of course!" Need said and quickly scooted over to the opposite seating just behind the driver.
Settling into the seat I was briefly surprised to see Pepper enter as well. Closing the door behind her she took up a seat along the side facing what appeared to be a miniature bar. She opened a secure cabinet to reveal a line of a large variety of drinks along with a small fridge.
"Would you like something to drink sir?" Pepper asked.
"Well…"
Typically when I drank it was for the reason typical of most people, to get drunk. Now I can't exactly get drunk as I'd more than like to do but a man in my position cannot take the risk. I needed to be alert and have a clear head, if I was anywhere near drunk while driving Lady or in a fight… well either I'd just die or I'd live and suddenly have to deal with Robotnik wondering why I was drunk on the job. Having said that though this job was stressful as FUCK!
"Something light and fruity I suppose." I said to Pepper's visible surprise. "I do need a clear head after all."
"Of course sir!" Pepper said with a wide toothy smile.
Looking around I took note of my badniks settling up a moving perimeter. Dessy emerged from the underground parking and took up a position just in front of the limo, Lady rolled into place just behind and Saffron took up a spot just over the limo. The rest of the faster badnik horde took up positions all around me.
"Here you are sir!" Pepper held out a glass to me..
"Thank you pepper!" I said and examined the drink, it had an orange and a cherry attached to the lip. The liquid looked like orange juice near the top but turned red near the bottom. I plucked the cherry and ate it.
'Fresh fruit.'
Scratching my ears I couldn't help but feel a bit like an asshole, though that was a feeling that rarely ended nowadays. These people really were desperate to ensure everything went well for me. Somehow they had fresh tropical fruit here and were using such precious foods just to try to keep me happy. I wasn't sure how the hell they were able to preserve fruit in such a way they still tasted fresh, I wasn't so used to the chemicals humans used in their food that I didn't notice them anymore and the fruit didn't have any of that.
Leaning back I took a sip of the fruity drink and took in the city as it passed by.
Just as I thought yesterday, Metropolis' shining appearance of a city of the future was only because the badniks maintained it. The city streets were not lively at all, barely needing the escort detail to push aside traffic. There were not as many people on the sidewalks as experience told me there ought to be. Life under Robotnik clearly wasn't doing the city any favors but that was expected honestly. Likely the only reason the city was as orderly as it was was due to the badniks on guard everywhere.
"Mayor, how are the people of the city?" I asked casually.
"Uhh, well…" Need's reluctance was clear and the reason plainly obvious to me. "T-they are restless sir."
"Restless?" I was surprised he answered at all, the man knew that as Robotnik's minion I was duty bound to report everything I heard and saw.
"There is no trade sir." Need averted his eyes down to his wringing hands. "Modern society can't exist without trade with the wider world. Practically every office building in Metropolis was doing something that involved other parts of the Arcadias at the very least. Most again were owned by corporations from around the globe. When Doctor Robotnik… well, conquered us trade and ties to the wider world were cut off. There is no point in work if you aren't getting paid, no way to set up work and pay if you can't even contact your employers. The Doctor claimed the laboratories for his own uses along with our factories, Metropolis was going to make local manufacturing a profitable option again and shove out Chun-nan. But well… Doctor Robotnik has his reasons which I am sure are all very good ones."
Oh he's good! I can't even find any hidden feelings of hate or reproach in his tone. It was said all so matter of factly. 'It was a thing that happened, what can ya do?' though maybe that tone of resigned helplessness probably had something to do with it.
"The Doctor's reasons are his own." I nodded in private sympathy for the man. "I'm sure he'll share them in due time. So you have lost three major industries in the city? I can't imagine how anyone has any money left by now."
"Well to be perfectly honest the economy only exists in anything approaching stability because we all pretend it does." Mayor Need said quietly, so quiet in fact I probably wouldn't have heard if I wasn't a rabbit. "Like I said there is no trade so everything is completely local, we simply don't have access to the resources needed for modern society to function. It's to the point that Doctor Robotnik has needed to establish a few personal "corporations" to supply things we simply can't make ourselves. As one can imagine this has had an unpleasant impact on our dues to the Doctor."
Well that certainly explained the odd building with an egg themed name and his grinning icon. It made a certain amount of sense that if your citizens were missing a resource critical to the functioning of modern society you'd provide it. But for Robotnik to be doing this? I don't know, even if it's brought greater tax burdens to the locals it still felt much too altruistic for the man. Doubly so why would he bother with the pretense of opening businesses!
'Probably because it amused him, even if experience says he doesn't always do things for petty reasons it's probably still a good guess.'
It was a trait of the man I noticed, that he just did things his own way even if they were clearly inefficient. There were no video records of the times he had battled Sonic or perhaps those records simply weren't available to me? Either way I couldn't help but feel this trait played a part in why the man lost against the Blue Blur every time. I mean I could easily imagine him making each battle overly complicated or dramatic so he could defeat Sonic the right way.
Not that I was complaining mind you.
Eventually we arrived at our destination, the city district sized amusement park, Egg Land.
Roller coasters stretched to the skies as tall as skyscrapers, roller coaster rails snaked throughout the park, only distinguishable by the different colors. There were other rides a plenty, ones that shot straight up for a hundred stories, ships that swung around the entirety of the park. And while there were plenty of rides of grand scale there were also many smaller more conventional amusements from arcades to merry go rounds.
All the while a whimsical tune filled the air.
"Not a person to be seen, good job Mayor." I told Need, I can't imagine it would have been easy emptying the place even this early in the morning. Say what you will about Robotnik but the man loved his amusement parks and while they were in regular function mode they were perfectly safe.
But ONLY while this mode was on.
"Thank you sir." Need nodded before adding nervously. "Do you need us to accompany you further or should we wait here?"
"Wait here, only people with clearance are allowed where I am going." I told the human and immediately set off.
The rides of Egg Land didn't just sit there while not in use, they would run while empty to maintain constant motion in the park. The cheery jingle was never too loud and faded easily into the background once you got bored of it instead of getting annoying. I even saw several different kinds of the typical confection stands you'd find at a circus.
'Just what is with this man and his love of amusement parks?' Looking everywhere I took in the sights and sounds.
Seriously the man had aspirations to world conquest with the full capability to do so. He had plotted to attain mysterious gems of unspeakable power and managed it several times. He was apparently so competent and deadly that all the nations of the world working together couldn't stop him. Every time his defeats were at the hands of a legendary hero and only that hero seemingly could stop him.
And yet despite all this he delights in making grandiose theme parks?
Shaking my head I arrive at my destination, standing before a spinning merry-go-round. Glancing at the grinning icon in the brickwork I stood myself on it and faced the ride.
"Underboss, Reginald the Rabbit requesting access to Egg Land command center."
The ride immediately comes to a stop before slowly rotating just so. Once down, one of the horses turned around to face the horse behind it. The eyes on the two horses suddenly retracted to reveal a pair of lenses. A red light emerged and ran over my body twice before fading.
"Identity recognized! Underboss, Reginald the Rabbit! Access granted!"
The base platform of the ride lowered to the ground while a panel on the center column lifted to reveal an empty space. I stepped forth into the space and the panel closed behind me. Soon I found myself shooting downwards into the ground, the feeling of my stomach rushing up into my throat almost had me retching. Eventually the lift came to a stop that was a bit too sudden for my stomach's liking.
Before me was a sealed and highly secure chamber deep beneath the grounds of Egg Land. This was but one of many command centers that could grant manual control of the amusement park. All were hidden and for the most part were intended to run autonomously. The reason I was here was to check something that I could very easily argue was part of my responsibilities. Which was good because otherwise I'd have no reason to be here besides purposeful distraction.
I stepped into the command center, the only real source of light being the screens and blinking lights of the computers that completely filled the room. I walked forward and came to a stop before a wall of monitors that were constantly shifting between different views of Egg Land.
"Cease regular function mode." I commanded and immediately every ride on the screens came to a stop. "Assume needlemouse trap formation and run test simulation."
"Command recognised! Initiating Simulation!" A voice from the computer droned loudly. "Warning! Machspeed ground anomaly detected! Hedgehog priority one recognized! Priority one on northerly approach! Assuming needlemouse trap formation type N!"
Suddenly in a barely discernible blur of motion the amusement park transformed. Structures practically flowed as they shifted and changed. The roller coasters seemed to almost come alive like snakes before forming the lattice work to support the new formation. The ground opened up and mechanical structures rushed out to shape Egg Land into something new. Before long the shape of the overall structure finished and the details were filled in. Springs, bumpers and spikes dotted the new shape. Badniks swarmed out from hidden compartments to take guard positions and so many different forms of antigravity technology popped up all over Egg Land. gravity chutes that went up or down, floating wheels with a gravitational pull strong enough you could walk on them and gravity projectors to send one spinning into the air. And the barrels, floating red and white barrels all over the damn place! Just what was the point of them?
Overall the whole transformation happened in less than a minute.
I nodded with a slight smile, I had always wanted to see the transformation itself in action. Robotnik had plenty of videos and images of before and after but never during. Since the action itself was so fast I can see why.
"Cease simulation." I commanded. "Return to regular function mode."
And then the process reversed itself. Badnik and trap alike was packed away in a moment, the structure pulled itself apart before folding itself and falling way into the unknowable abyss beneath Egg Land. In just as fast a pace the amusement park transformed and returned to a more normal appearance.
With a final nod I turned around and walked back to the lift.
There was still actual work that needed to be done after all.
Mayor Need stood beside me as we watched the train get loaded with the taxes.
I had been wondering what exactly it was that this city produced that was of value to Robotnik. The Mayor had readily admitted that the Doctor took their labs and factories as their own and it was all they could do to maintain the illusion of a functional economy.
The answer both surprised me and really shouldn't have.
Hundreds of paintings of Doctor Robotnik were carefully stored into crates before those were loaded onto the train. Statutes of the Doctor were painstakingly given custom sized crates and packing material. No piece of art looked quite the same and no doubt caused artists no end of issues trying to make sure everything was unique in some way.
'What a surprise, the dues this city owes to Robotnik is rather low for being a city.' I huffed internally and crossed my arms. 'Of course that egotistical maniac considers artwork dedicated to him to be worth their weight in gold.'
Soon nearly all the taxes had been loaded up, I say nearly because there was the matter of a ginormous stone head of the Doctor though without his mustache.
"What's the deal with the head?" I ask Need.
"You don't know?" The Mayor blinks at me a moment before adjusting his glasses and answering. "Doctor Robotnik tasked us with the construction of an especially large statue. We've been building it in portions and have just managed to finish the last piece. Well… pieces, as you can see we had to keep the mustache separate otherwise it couldn't be transported safely."
Ah, so that's what those two long spiky looking things on the ground were.
"So where is this statue?" Judging from the fact the head was present at the station it was clearly somewhere far off.
"South west of here along the coast." Need answered before suddenly nervously pulling out a cloth to clean his glasses. "U-umm, you'll need to transport it yourself as well as take some people along with you to properly install the head."
"Transport it myself?" I looked at him sharply, I was kinda making good time but if I had to make a significant detour it may cause me to fall behind. "Why? Are there no rail lines along the area?"
"I couldn't say sir!" Need shook his head emphatically, near desperate to placate me. "The Doctor doesn't make his transportation network known to us. This project has always been transported by the tax collecting badnik units and we've always had to send people along to install the pieces."
I… could potentially see the twisted logic there. To further place the burden on the people, make them responsible for the safe transport of their own dues. It wouldn't do after all if something happened to an object as significant as this without someone to conveniently blame it all on. Why imagine if the Doctor had to take a hit to his own pride that he hadn't protected or secured something of value to him?
"Very well, make sure those you send with me have a fast vehicle. I'll be moving at a fast pace as much as possible and don't want to be slowed down."
"Of course, sir!" Need bowed his head. "I'll go make sure of this immediately!"
Taking a breath I only released it into a sigh once Need was out of earshot. I only spent half a day in this place and it already felt like far too long. I kinda wish I could have taken my time here as the sheer amount of badniks present in the city actually gave me some semblance of safety. Not a whole lot since they could and would turn on me in an instant if I gave them a reason, but enough to almost relax if I distracted myself.
Well at least delivering the statue parts should be fairly straightforward. I wouldn't even need to attempt installation myself! So that was one big concern lifted off of my shoulders. Normally I'd still have other concerns like the eventful transport of the head becoming very eventful but I had a small army in badniks with me.
Surely the beaten down populace of the Empire were no threat by now?
-TBC-
Author Note: Oof! When I initially planned this part out I had thought it was going to be short enough to include a little interlude. I am still bad at making accurate guesses at how much work an idea will need in order to put it to 'paper'.
In any case the next part will be an interlude starring a group of highly defiant and very much NOT beaten down people. I wanna say it'll be a bit on the shorter side but I'm not going to make any promises.