Chapter Nine
The Station Square Hotel manager and a pair of guests yelped in alarm as the burly red and black battle robot hovered into the lobby, red eyes flashing.
"SCANNING FOR FROG!" Omega blared, "FROG WILL BE LOCATED!"
"E-Excuse me, sir?" The hotel manager greeted, "If I just heard correctly, perhaps I could assist you. Uh, er, you're not going to vaporize the creature as to judge by the fact you are perhaps one of Doctor Robotnik's battle robots."
Omega turned towards the manager, "WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF THE DESIGNATED TARGET?!"
"Well, er, just a short time ago, a green-ish creature with a tail came bouncing through here. It was quite startling and unexpected, the frog left a wet puddle, b-but we cleaned it up..."
"HOTEL WILL BE SCANNED FOR TRACES OF THE FROG AND YOU WILL CONVEY THE FROG'S WHEREABOUTS TO THIS UNIT! ANY MEAT-BAGS WHO PROVE TO BE USELESS WILL BE ELIMINATED RUTHLESSLY IN A VIOLENT HAZE OF FIRE THAT WILL CONSUME THE PREMISES AND CONSIDERED TO BE IRREPARABLE!"
"Actually, I-I-I think the frog went to the pool." A boy in a blue shirt and red shorts said.
The robot looked at the speaker, Omega hovered towards the boy, who gulped nervously. A pair of guests huddled against the wall, trembling with uncertainty.
Omega scanned the boy closely, then he floated back and declared, "YOU HAVE DONE THIS UNIT A SERVICE! THE POOL AREA WILL BE INSPECTED AND THE FROG WILL BE DETECTED!"
Omega hovered away as the guests watched, feeling nervous from what had just happened. In the following seconds, the robot's communication channel buzzed, Doctor Robotnik was making contact again.
"I AM ZEROING IN ON THE FROG!" Omega intoned, "THE TARGET IS ALMOST IN REACH!"
"Do you think I don't know that?! I have been monitoring your mission and your efforts." Robotnik barked, "And what are you doing threatening to annihilate an entire hotel?
"Once Chaos is at full power, that is when the hotel will be annihilated along with the rest of Station Square. Continue your mission, I am about to engage that hedgehog! Robotnik out."
Omega signed off with the doctor and glided through the hotel's hallway, scanning the floors and tracking the whereabouts of the frog. The hulking robot floated through the lobby and out the glass door leading into the next area of the hotel, the swimming pool.
He hovered around, scanning the scenery for a trace of the target. He looked up into the leaves of a couple palm trees, knowing that frogs could easily blend in due to their skin color.
He looked into the bushes, nothing. Omega powered down his boosters and began walking around, his feet emitting a mechanical clank with every step he took in the pool area.
That frog had been here, he just knew it. The target's efforts to elude the pursuer were nothing short of futile, it wouldn't be long.
Omega studied the swimming pool, observing the area's occupants. He briefly stared at a lean man with black hair laying on a deck chair in blue trunks. Omega walked past a boy no older than ten, holding a beach ball and wearing a green swimsuit.
"Whoa!" The boy exclaimed, "Talk about heavy metal!"
And with that, the boy minded his own business. Omega studied the pool, his sensors picking up the sound of splashing and giggling as he saw a couple people in the water enjoying themselves.
He saw two identical blonde women in blue swimsuits near his position, kicking their feet in the water and chatting amongst themselves. Then they saw Omega, both surprised to see the likes of him.
"HAVE YOU SEEN A FROG?" Omega asked.
"Frog?" The first woman inquired.
"I don't recall." Her twin sister quipped.
"THIS UNIT IS IN SEARCH OF A FROG, GREEN, HAS A TAIL! ITS UNMISTAKABLE HEAT SIGNATURE IS DETECTED IN THIS REGION! ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE, YOU WILL DIVULGE AND PROVE YOURSELF TO BE OF VALUABLE ASSISTANCE!"
"Excuse me, big fella. Perhaps I can help?"
Omega turned around in the direction of the voice, his eyes falling upon a shapely woman in a light pink-red bikini with long brown hair as she climbed out of the pool. The woman walked towards Omega, looking up at him with a hint of curiosity.
There was no fear in her eyes, she didn't seem fazed by the appearance of a robot in service of Doctor Robotnik.
Her hips swayed in a slow and suggestive manner with every step and Omega studied her, a man wolf-whistled as he observed and another man whispered to one of his friends about her beauty. Omega studied her, scanning the beauty in front of the metal beast, measuring her... size.
"IDENTIFICATION?" Omega intoned.
"The name's Shirley, handsome. Shirley Budacous. Just call me Shirley. What about you, big tin? What name do they call you, unless that mark on your shoulder is your name?"
"HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO WALK WITH THOSE LARGE ORBS ATTATCHED TO YOUR BEING?"
A pair of women giggled, even Shirley was surprised.
"Pervert!" A man called.
"They're called bosoms, honey." Shirley told Omega, who was obviously staring below her neck, "And I believe my eyes are up here."
"I SEE YOUR EYES; THEY ARE AS BRIGHT AS THE GLORIOUS BURSTS OF FIRELIGHT AND MAJESTIC AS A MIGHTY EXPLOSION!"
"You're quite the fella, aren't you?" Shirley playfully stroked Omega's arm, she then looked back up into Omega's eyes. "So... Omega, is it then?"
"MY DESIGNATION IS E-123 OMEGA!
"And you seem to be looking for something, Omega. Something about a... frog?"
"YOU WILL DIVULGE ANY KNOWN INFORMATION ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE GREEN FROG WITH A TAIL AT ONCE, I HAVE BEEN TASKED BY MY CREATOR TO BRING IN THE FROG! THIS UNIT WILL CONDUCT A WIDE-RANGE SCAN AND WILL SCAN ALL AREAS UNTIL THE FROG HAS BEEN AQUIRED..."
"Don't you mean the little fella that came up to me earlier?" Shirley asked.
'Rrriiibit.'
Omega's scanner went wild as Froggy emerged from between the bikini-clad human's beach ball-sized orbs, the frog croaked and leaped onto the woman's head. Omega went nuts, eyes flashing bright red.
"FROG DETECTED!" He blared, "THE FROG SHALL BE EXTRACTED, AQUIRED AND TAKEN IN! YOU CAN NO LONGER AID ABEIT A TARGET OF MY CREATOR! FROG SHALL BE TAKEN BACK TO BASE AT ONCE, THE FROG SHALL BE CAPTURED! TARGET AQUIRED!"
The frog croaked and bounced off Shirley's head, landing on the ground before it hopped away from the pool area, heading past the gates towards a beach area as seagulls chirped and flew overhead.
"Looks like you scared him, handsome." Shirley said in a chiding tone.
"WARNING! THE TARGET IS FLEEING AGAIN! FROG WILL BE CAPTURED AND BROUGHT IN ALIVE! CAPTURE FROG! CAPTURE FROG! COMMENCING PURSUIT! SEEK, LOCATE, CAPTURE! FORCE WILL BE USED AGAIN IF NECESSARY, NO BEING WILL STAND IN THE WAY!"
Omega marched away from the pool, following after the green frog while Shirley and the other pool guests watched with absolute surprise. However, Shirley's surprise melted into an interested and dreamy smile before a man handed her a towel. The dripping wet brunette dried herself off, then she turned to one of the twins.
"Gotta admit, that robot is handsome." Shirley said.
"I dunno if he has time for love." The first twin in the blue swimsuit said.
Everyone was so busy talking amongst themselves about Omega, neither of them noticed the arrival of a blue cat in the area. Big had recovered and had come to Station Square to find Froggy, unaware that Omega was close...