I mean I suppose it's a bit of a dramatic statement to make when only the very middle of a task tries to violently murder you but no other part. But I am hardly a mobian of the same like of Sonic the fucking Hedgehog so you'll pardon the spit and fire if I feel upset about it. It's still so very upsetting that somehow I, a simple taxman, was worth an assassination attempt. Of course if one were to be reasonable it would be fairly understandable why I was attacked, trying to assassinate Doctor Robotnik is an exercise in both futility and suicide, simply attacking his machines and installations gets you watching as it all gets fixed up over the course of a few days if even that. Killing me would actually accomplish something, even if that something was meaningless you still took something away that Robotnik couldn't just rebuild. Of course that something was me so fuck them all and good riddance, this well of guilt for killing turns out to have had a bottom and I refuse to start digging.
Where was I? Ah yes, the completed task…
Despite my worst fears the rest of the tax collection went without a hitch, Robotnik never messaged me so I kept going and I hadn't been attacked again. What an impression I must have made to all those people. There I was representing Robotnik but I, along with my badniks, were in such absolute states. I had done my best, I really had but there was only so much blood you could clean using river water. The best I could do was wash off the fresh blood for myself but forget doing the same for the badniks. For one thing the prospect of washing Dessy was a task in itself with how large the moving meatgrinder of a bot was. Then there was potentially washing all the other badniks and what exactly was I going to do about the various dents and assorted battle damage? In the aftermath of the fight the pain in my injured hand had increased massively without the adrenalin of fighting for my life to dull it, needless to say I was in no mood to attempt to handwash what remained of my badnik horde.
So there I was making due with a battle scarred force, dirty with murder and destruction. Had to make Lady take the rear and ride with Dessy on the replacement cargokillers, it wouldn't look good going around on a mount with sides ripped open from explosions. Though it was something I had quickly grown to regret. Dessy in the heat of the passing days had rapidly begun to smell. It wasn't bad enough I had to put up with the gut churning smell of blood and ground up viscera, of course I also had to keep a straight face while bits of meat and blood started to rot within Dessy. And just to make an already horrendous situation worse Dessy had started to drool.
Of course it wasn't actually drooling, Dessy was a machine afterall, but it must have 'eaten' something that disagreed with it violently, like a grenade. So as a result of what was almost certainly internal damage it had started to leak this equally foul smelling and looking concoction from its shredding maw. Now I was no mechanic and more importantly had no desire to closely examine the disgusting gunk, however at a glance I guessed it was some combination of oil and rotting gristle.
It had certainly done my various first impressions on the other settlements we visited no favors.
Instead of the respectable sight of a clean uniform and shining armor I was filthy with blood stains that had settled in before I got the chance to wash them out. My fur wasn't as bad but there were definite bloody mats that would require a hot shower to wash out. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if my badniks were merely dirty and dented but Dessy had become… well I don't want to say overprotective as recent events have shown that clearly I am not protected enough! However the strongest of my murder machines refused to be any significant distance away from me and even tended to get in the faces of people it felt were too close, snarling and, quite unfortunately, spitting mad.
Honestly I was very appreciative of Dessy being so proactively protective but it still came at the expense of making me look like I could barely control my horde. I rolled with it however, if Dessy was going to be a hellion I might as well try to pretend it was intended all along. So long as it only looked like I could barely control my forces it was salvageable, not so if I went ahead and confirmed it like an idiot by apologizing for Dessy being aggressive.
'I would say it was a relief that it's finally over and I'm back…' I thought as the damaged form of Lady carried me into the perimeter of the Mother Egg. 'But it's hard to feel that when I still have the consequences of my failure hanging over my head.'
If Robotnik had just raged at me through one of the Badniks it would have certainly been terrifying but I'd know what to expect. But he hadn't done that, there had been nothing but literal radio silence on his end and I could not help but wonder endlessly what his intentions were. If anything it was all part of the plan I torture myself with my own thoughts, the sadistic piece of-
'DO NOT GET IN THE HABIT OF THAT!' I quickly interrupted myself. 'All it will take is one slip of my thoughts showing on my face and I'm fucked!'
Maybe it was a losing proposition to try to force myself to not think negatively about Robotnik in any way. However… I liked being alive, very clearly more than I liked being moral, more than I liked honoring the heritage of my ancestors, more than the prospect of my home disowning me in disgust and horror at my actions. I had to be honest with myself, I was a selfish and cowardly piece of shit. Strange thing to think considering how often I find myself fighting life and death battles but those were at least survivable compared to trying to desert the Empire. Reginald the Rabbit was no Sonic the Hedgehog or even Tails the Fox, no he was just some idiot who had a grossly inflated opinion of his ability to handle quite possibly the most ornery human in existence.
'Only the extraordinary can face someone the likes of Doctor Robotnik.' The central command tower of the Mother Egg loomed before me, the shadow it cast over my group seemed to bring with it a spirit smothering wave of resignation.. 'And I am far too ordinary…'
Finally I was back where I started this whole thing though with a far lesser host of badniks than before. I dismounted from the oversized motobug with a sigh, somehow feeling relieved that I was back despite my surroundings. Honestly it was a surprise I wasn't attacked again considering how few machines I had left to defend myself with, but maybe they just thought it was obvious bait?
'Course there is always the hope that the failed attack really sapped their resources.' I mused optimistically. 'So hopefully this won't happen again any time soon and by the time it does I'll be prepared. About as prepared as can be for an attempted murder bound to be done when I'm most vulnerable anyway.'
I was in the middle of starting to lose my mind trying to think up a way of becoming so paranoid as to never be vulnerable when a battalion of maintenance bots swarmed towards me.
"Underboss!" Shouted what might have been the overseer of the lot. It was difficult to say as they all had the same coverall like paint job but it was the only one with a hat like thing on its head. "We see that your custom machines have managed to survive their first forays into combat! Quite outstanding!"
"Is it such a surprise?" I asked as I saw the various maintenance bots rush past and begin to do a bit of on the spot work.
"It was your first time designing a badnik, sir!" The Overseer chirped cheerfully. "The expectation had been you would have made a singularity powerful wonder bot that did everything."
"My needs were… far too varied to concentrate my allowance of industrial capacity towards just one badnik." I replied somewhat self consciously. "Perhaps if the budget allowed for it I would have tried just such a machine but I settled for some basic upgrades."
Looking back at Dessy, who was currently being power washed and having its dents removed with powerful suction cups, I was reminded that for all its killing power it still wasn't the most deadly machine in the Empire. When I had laid out the intended upgrade package I had thought the end result was actually going to be a kind of wonder weapon. But going by the words of the Overseer it had just been my inexperienced talking. Dessy was just a suped up caterkiller when you came down to it, nothing more. And since Dessy had taken up so much of my budget, Saffron and Lady had only some basic upgrades.
No, none of my custom machines were really all that special even compared to the lesser Horde Commanders.
Suddenly a crashing noise grabbed my attention. Turning to look I saw that Alfa had tumbled out of the back of Lady. Currently my mount was being attended to, minor damage being fixed and the rough edges of major rents being cut out in preparation for major repair work. Included in this was the rather badly bent and twisted doors of Lady's trunk. The maintenance bots had quite abruptly unbolted or torn off the damaged doors and Alfa's heavily damaged body just slid out. I wouldn't have spared this a second thought if it wasn't for the fact that Alfa was now being curried off along with the clearly about to be scrapped damaged parts.
"... What are they doing with Alfa?" I asked, feeling oddly anxious and keeping Alfa's body in sight.
"Oh that old outmode is long overdue for recycling!"The Overseer bot chirped, grasping its front as if it were holding onto suspenders. Actually on a closer look it had a pair of straps built into its front for seemingly this exact purpose. "He always just hid or resisted whenever we tried, however. Rather foolish! He'd fulfill his purpose as a proud Eggman Badnik best by being the raw metal for newer and greater models."
"Didn't Robotnik also have him rebuilt a couple times after encounters with Sonic?" I found myself… protesting I suppose. My eyes stayed locked on the little monkey bot, increasingly aware of the line of scrap he was about to join leading to what must have been the recycling vehicles. "Plus doesn't the Doctor have a tendency for leaving destroyed or damaged equipment where they lie?"
"True, there are quite a few areas scattered with the remains of a downed Egg Fleet." The Overseer nodded in agreement. "And while I'd never think to question the actions of THE Dr. Eggman, he has never forbidden us from trying to dismantle the alpha prototype."
"...Very well." Still staring I watched as Alfa was unceremoniously dumped onto a pile of scrap atop a transport and made my decision. "Bring him back, I will have him slated for full remodeling."
"Ah! Are you sure, Underboss!?" The Overseer protested even as the distant bots heard my command and unloaded Alfa's body from the scrap pile. "It would do you no good to keep him as of right now, according to the database you have used up your assigned budget for the month! Alfa will require outdated parts and a major rehaul just to get running again! To get him to be as useful as a more modern badnik would require expensive modules and upgrades a new machine won't need! Please, sir it's a completely unneeded investment and-"
I could almost hear my patience snapping.
"Stand there." I interrupted, pointing at the ground just before me.
"Underboss?" Despite the question in its voice the bot did not hesitate to obey.
Once it was in position I gave its form a glance over before looking over towards Alfa and nodding to myself.
Crunch!
A squeal of electronic protest burst from the Overseer's voice box as it soared through the air, chest massively caved in. I fought off the wince of pain and paid no mind to the waves of pins and needles running up my leg. A moment later the Overseer fell back to the earth with a crash and rolled to a stop next to the scrap transport. By my feet was the hat like metal object belonging to the Overseer, knocked loose by my kick. Picking it up I dusted off the object and turned to the nearest maintenance bot before unceremoniously dropping it with a clang atop the bot's head. There was a short scraping noise as the hat slid slightly before settling at a jaunty angle.
"You are the new Overseer, congratulations on your promotion." I said tonelessly.
"Y-yes sir, Underboss, sir!" The bot said in a nervous reedy voice, snapping to a shaky salute.
"I do not care if I do not have the budget to have Alfa fixed just yet." I continued and struggled to keep the weariness I felt out of my voice and stance. "Have him transported to my room, I shall keep him in personal storage until I do, got that?"
"Of course sir! At once sir!" The new Overseer's answer was immediate and it burst into motion to follow its orders, one hand clamped down upon its new hat to hold it in place.
Pausing only to make sure my orders were being followed, I turned and started to make my way to the command center. Throughout the long walk I was tormented with itchy sensations from inside my right hand, a place I was doing my best to not freeze in horror at the fact I could now reach. The pain was unending and even now throbbed horribly though it was hardly surprising that such a horrible wound had even barely begun to heal. I had mended it as best as I could, crippling myself with sheer agony when I cleaned out the wound and then stuffed it with cotton balls before wrapping it with gauze. Suffice to say the basic first aid I knew along with the contents of a medkit was hardly enough to properly tend to such a large puncture wound. The worry haunted me endlessly and I wondered if my hand could even be saved. Clearly my tendons had been damaged or cut since it took immense effort to clench my fingers enough to barely form a fist. I was sure if I had been able to get medical attention immediately such worries would be moot but that was most certainly not the case.
'Far too late to worry about it now.' Coming to a stop before the central tower, I gazed up at its monolithic form looming over me. 'It's time to face the music…'
Another long walk and an elevator ride later and I found myself disembarking onto the hallway leading to the Command Center. Never before had a simple passageway felt so dread inducing, not even the literal death trap in the ruins back in the Frontier Canyon Zone had instilled such a feeling in me.
Warding away a desire to scratch at the inside of my hand, the itch so incessant it felt more like something chewing away at my insides, I moved forward.
The door to the command center slid open smoothly and I was met with the sight of the Doctor standing before the central holo projector. Hands clasped behind his back Robotnik was intently studying the transparent image of Angel Island. There were a number of little data windows that were also open with little arrows pointing out specific areas of the island. Steeling myself I marched forward and came to a stop a short distance away from the Doctor. With herculean effort I forced my right hand into the proper shape before saluting smartly.
"Underboss Reginald, reporting and ready for debrief, Doctor Robotnik!" I said, dredging up some energy to shove into my voice.
"Indeed." Doctor Robotnik waved absently and the hologram of Angel island shrunk down before a new image replaced it. "Your performance certainly leaves much to be desired."
My stomach churned as the new image that appeared was the route I had traveled along through the Empire alongside pictures taken of me while I worked. Somehow despite the fact I knew he was watching my every move being faced with the physical proof was a punch to the gut. I felt like in the end nothing I did truly mattered and it was all some amusing game to Robotnik, a show to be tolerated until I started performing poorly in which he'd retake control in an instant.
"You have at least continued to show loyalty to me." Robotnik stated and an image of my first stop came up. "But what you have failed to accomplish is to always strive to do more and better."
A video recording this time, likely taken from the viewpoint of a flying badnik. I was down below and talking with the human foreman when a flock of birds burst from their roosts. Suddenly that video paused and zoomed in on the birds. It was then I noticed a detail I hadn't before, the presence of what looked to be a piece of paper tied around the leg of the pigeon.
"At least… until this event." Robotnik said and another video popped up, this time with sound.
"DEPLOY THE BADNIKS! WE'RE HARVESTING THE CROPS OURSELVES!"
A dread chill ran down my spine as I heard my own voice emit from the projector.
"Thank you for this!"
Wylla…
"The will of Doctor Robotnik is my duty! And part of that duty is preemptively disrupting suspicious activity and I have much to be suspicious about! 'Anxious hands looking for work' indeed!"
Why did I ever believe I could get away with anything? Of course he'd see through my scheme immediately…
"You have…" Robotnik began, stroking his mustache, and my imagination ran wild with a thousand different sentences I could get. "A talent for finding trouble, crude and unrefined but a talent nonetheless."
Huh?
"Though you missed certain signs like the messenger birds you still felt suspicious about the crops, rightfully so." The Doctor waved and screens popped up. The smokeleaf, their price down in the UZA, images of what looked to be an open arms market of cargo trucks with a vast camo net canopy. "The shortsighted fools that call themselves Freedom Fighters grow the smokeleaf in their own private farms or get local communities to do it. They then smuggle the cash crops south of the border and smuggle in arms, at greatly discounted prices and outright subsidies I might add."
"Doctor… I had no idea that the Empire had an insurgency problem." My thoughts were running a mile a minute, so very heavily unbalanced by the fact Robotnik wasn't bringing up my failure. I wanted to keep the conversation moving forward, hoping beyond hope it just wouldn't be addressed. "When I see the realm you have created I see only extraordinary strength, something the merely ordinary could never hope to truly harm. It honestly boggles the mind that anyone not Sonic the Hedgehog would ever resist you."
I wasn't even being a sycophant, from all that I knew of the Eggman Empire's industrial capabilities you simply could not compete with or harm it on a conventional level. Unless the damage was widespread anything you destroyed could and would be undone in mere days, hours even. How in the world was a force that wasn't an organized army supposed to cause anywhere near that kind of damage? Maybe if they could slip people into the right positions of authority or usefulness they could enact devastating surgical strikes. However the main issue of that was the fact that anywhere of any importance whatsoever was run by badniks or fully automated with no need of roaming personnel.
'An insurgency's main strength is that fact they could be anyone,' It suddenly occurred to me. 'An occupation can march and fight forces out in the open, fighting them with little complication. But an insurgency is reliant on the insidious nature of their operations for protection. Moving about, being part of the crowd, only to strike at the opportune moment. Seems like an incredibly irritating problem to deal with once and for all but what happens if you have no crowds to hide in?'
That was the strength of the Empire that could not be replicated by any other on the planet. Robotnik's legions and enforcers were made entirely of machines. An insurgent could walk down the street in the UZA and toss his backpack of grenades into whatever target he was after before melting back into the crowd. Not so in the Empire, if you were made of meat and walking towards a badnik factory you were suspicious by that fact alone and liable to be stopped way before then. The only thing an insurgent could safely target that was of any significance in the Empire was their own people and what would be the point of that?
"A problem? You give these fools far too much credit." Robotnik waved dismissively but seemed pleased all the same by my words. "They destroy a few utterly expendable machines, deface monuments to my intelligence and then celebrate their grand victory in the wilderness. A problem, bah! The rodent is my only concern, these are just vermin to be swept aside once he is gone for good. Or…"
Finally Robotnik turned away from the holo screens and faced me. He stared down at me consideringly and stroked his mustache.
"That was once the case." He said after a moment and continued to stare.
"Doctor?" Suddenly I had the strongest urge to scratch my ears to date, not that I risked even such a simple action before the Doctor.
Was he changing his mind about the insurgency? Well… I suppose it was of no real concern. Only Sonic and his friends had any real success at stopping any plan of Robotnik's. A group of normal people, no matter how righteously angry, had little chance of doing the same. The Doctor didn't even really need to be all that clever about it, sweep the wilderness with tiny badniks, crush any and out insurgency hideouts and strongholds then increase surveillance over the population. Problem solved.
"... Something to consider after." Robotnik said with a nod before waving at the hologram. "Behold the first step of my master plan!"
Once more the hologram of Angel Island appeared. This time it only hung in midair for a moment before the image zoomed in on a specific section of Angel Island. I didn't recognise any of what I was seeing, stories had spread from the Blue Blur himself of what had happened on Angel Island but in my travels I hadn't really heard a consistent version. There wasn't really a full report of those events in the Eggnet either which, again, could either be my lack of clearance stopping me from finding them or Robotnik erasing such reports out of frustration of his failure.
Suddenly the image stopped zooming in, focussing on a stone shrine like structure sat near the edge of the floating island. In the center of the shrine was the one thing I did recognize from the stories.
"The first step of my plan, the Master Emerald!" A truly manic grin appeared on Robotnik's face as he clenched a fist dramatically, leaving me feeling deeply unsettled.
Also I couldn't help but notice he wasn't actually telling me anything important, just that he had a plan and our first stop. Which really wasn't all that different from before, as far as benefits being an Eggman Empire Underboss went I wish being trusted with more operational details was among them.
'Suppose I'll just have to try to do that myself.' I mused. 'The Eggnet is pretty far reaching, I should be able to get a signal everywhere and try to keep myself informed via the database. If Robotnik refuses to give me even the advantage of what to expect next I'll just have to try to familiarize myself with the local terrain. Finding a place to flee to with prepared excuses for how it was a tactical advance in a different direction will probably save my life. Course now the question is where on Angel Island could I run if it starts going pear shaped?'
"Begin preparations for yourself, we leave for Angel Island within twenty four hours!" Robotnik announced grandly before glancing at me, specifically my wounded hand. "Ensure you are one hundred percent or I will be most displeased that I'm taking suboptimal assets with me, away with you."
"As you command, Doctor!" Saluting again with the injured hand I turned about face and marched out the room.
Once the command center doors slid shut behind me I gingerly removed the bloody gauntlet of my right hand. The bandage wrapped around the palm of my hand was almost entirely stained red, the crimson dot where a bloody hole had been torn through was obvious. How in the hell was I going to get this fixed up enough to be considered "one hundred percent" within a day's time? As far as I was aware the steroids that supercharged my natural healing would only be able to get this hole closed within a week, not a day.
'Maybe it would be just a matter of dosage?' I thought optimistically. 'More steroids to get my palm closed up by tomorrow? Otherwise how in the world was I-'
Shaking my head I interrupted my own thoughts and decided to just consult with Robotnik's two medical badniks. Whatever they had in store for me would probably include putting me under which really would be just the thing about now.
A short walk later and I found myself lying back in the stretcher while the taller snake headed badnik was gently poking and prodding at the torn interior of my hand. The upturned cauldron shaped 'Caddy' was over in a nook filled with nozzles and pipes, loading itself up with what I hoped were medicines.
"What's the prognosis, err… Doc?" I said questioningly.
"You may refer to me as Asp if you wish, Underboss." 'Asp' replied softly as it straightened to look at me. "While it is possible to significantly speed up your natural healing via the steroid and boost it further with greater dosage… it cannot be amplified enough to heal within twenty four hours. Along with that such dosages would have deeply impairing side effects that would render you operating under unacceptable parameters."
"Doctor Robotnik did say I needed to be at one hundred percent." I nodded in agreement, suddenly rather relieved he had said that. Trying to fight for my life while high would have been… problematic to say the least. "What are the alternative treatments?"
"There are two treatments we can perform that would both fix the damage and keep you within the requisite parameters." Asp said and motioned to a holoprojector on the ceiling. "We can simply amputate the limb up to about the mid forearm and install a cybernetic replacement, steroids and pain medications will have you healed enough to be field ready."
It took all my effort not to panic or violently vomit. Especially when the holoprojector had started playing an insanely realistic video of how the operation would go step by step, a computerized copy of myself having his arm sliced off. Not only did the operation not stop at simply cutting off my hand but it would involve operation further on healthy flesh for the connections and various anchor points. Impulsively I wanted to hold my right arm protectively against my chest. The thought of my hand being replaced with unfeeling metal had my stomach roiling and it was all I could do to hold down the nausea.
"And… the second?" I somehow managed to get out in an even tone.
"A lesser viaration of the same treatment." Asp answered as the holoprojector changed. "Instead of amputating the section of limb entirely we will remove the damaged and some healthy flesh to install lesser cybernetics."
A cross section of my hand and forearm appeared on the holoprojector and the damaged tendons were highlighted. The tendons were removed along with a significant portion of my palm and a far smaller section on the back of my hand. There was far less work needed for anchoring everything in place, seemingly only really requiring the nearby flesh. It was still horrifying but compared to the prosthetic I'd at least keep my hand.
"You will perform the second procedure." I said firmly and leaned back.
Some part of me was still screaming in horror at what was going to be done to me, wanting me to take back the command and somehow find a third option that would allow me to keep my hand intact and satisfy Robotnik's demands. A far greater part of me, the cowardice I never knew I had crushed it down almost effortlessly.
I wanted to live, even if it meant mutilation…
Thankfully before I could get too introspective Caddy injected me with sedative and I soon blacked out.
-TBC-
Author Note: So I've finally given Cyberpunk 2077 a try, no it had nothing to do with how this chapter ended. That was just a natural consequence of significant injuries and I kindly ask you to keep your accusations to yourself!
It might have had something to do with why this chapter took so long to get out, ahem…
In any case unless I decide to do a little interlude then that's the end of this arc. Next up is:
Arc 3: The First Adventure