Chapter 11 - Ghastly Heist
"...!?" Sonic reacted with jolt from the sudden scream.
It sounded both of a loud moaning and a deep shrill combined. Hearing it come from the other side of the cabinet counter, he began to breathe faster. Glancing at the cloaked figure that did not move, he felt stuck. Seeing a shallow glow of orange-red paint the walls, it was accompanied with haggard and quick intakes of air. Sounding like someone was suffering behind him, he assumed it was the lengthy machine arms that were doing the torturing.
'T-That...can't be him,' the boy thought quickly fidgeting. Flinching and cringing from the sound of suffering on the other side, he glanced over at the stranger.
'H-He's right there...but why is he not reacting?'
'I mean, he has ripped predators apart and pulled their heads off...so...so...this is-' he continued his mental talking until the overhead speakers turned on.
[Attention all S.W.A.T. patrollers nearby the coordinates, seek and capture the intruder in-] a deep sounded man boomed and echoed throughout the entire room.
"AAAaaaaAAAARRRRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" the sound of a man roaring with pain in his voice.
"...!?" Sonic reacted shaking a little.
Curling his knees in and holding his hands over his ears, he could still hear the individual's anguish. Trembling from feeling scared stiff, he glanced over at the stranger. Acting like a statue and not moving an inch, the crimson ring was never seen. All that he saw was a dark silhouette with a ragged long outer cover. Opening his mouth from wanting to leave, a door slammed open loudly from another part of the room.
"...!?" the child reacted with fear. Goosebumps coursed through his body from the aspect of being caught. Looking for a place to hide in a panic search with his eyes, nothing felt secured. Deciding to go towards the adult hedgehog, he got right in front of him. Not seeing him move, the kid grabbed cloak and did a small tug.
"H-H-Hey...let's get-aahhh!" he whispered. Seeing the cloak fall toward him, it engulfed him when he gave a small gasp of fright.
"...how interesting..." the scientist remarked.
Finishing the first document, he clicked on the back arrow of the window. Going to the previous page of listed documents, he decided to skip towards the last entry that the person made. Opening it up, the man leaned back and touched his fingertips together. Reading a couple of paragraphs, a notification popped up on the computer. Frowning and about to close it out, he saw the title of the new window.
"Manual activation of medical table 38...transplanting?" Ivo repeated with confusion on his face.
Now feeling that someone had broken into the base, he closed all windows of the current program. Keeping the notification screen active, he double-clicked on it. Seeing it open up the surveillance feed to the operation room, four views were seen. One of them showed mechanical arms descending towards the table. Squinting his eyes at the recliner chair, only a dark silhouette was seen there.
'Infiltrators,' he thought getting irritated quickly. Typing in the floor and room coordinates, he activated a microphone.
"Attentional S.W.A.T. patrollers nearby the coordinates, seek and capture the intruder in-"
[AAAaaaaAAAARRRRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!] a scream came through the speakers of the feed.
"...!?" Robotnik reacted with a surprised blink. Recognizing that the individual was transplanting an organ, he was puzzled how the individual was able to active the machine. Checking all the feeds and scanning, the person's anguish and open-mouthed grunting filled the backroom.
'Strange...is he alone?' he wondered. '...no one else seems to be in the room.'
'How can that be...the terminal can only active a procedure unless there is a weight on the operating chair.'
"..." he stated seeing an orange red glow from the operating recliner. Looking at it and seeing several needles and thin instruments going into the individual's mouth, the person's appearance made him veer back.
"What in damnation..." Ivo began then trailed off. Scooting forward, he examined the physical characteristics of the subject.
The amputee had a crude cybernetic replacement of his left eye. Other notable aspects were the missing right arm and a top fin of its head. Pulling up the diagnostic operation and what was used, his eyes became wide. Rereading what the computer pulled up, he became intrigued why the adult hedgehog would do such a procedure without anesthetics. Hearing the door to the room open, one of the large robots entered. Seeing it approach the medical chair while lifting its arm cannon, the human hit the microphone again.
"Stand by unit."
[Standing by doctor...waiting further instructions] the android responded. Lowering its weapon, it remained standing near the entrance of the room.
[GGGGGRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!] the anthropomorphic being growled loudly in pain.
"..." Ivo reacted with concentrating on the operation. Despite seeing its face express suffering, the crimson ring remained still. Almost as if it were detached from reflecting the pain sensors and neuro responses in the brain.
"How peculiar," the scientist commented to himself. Seeing the animal lurch upward its left arm, it was restrained from the armrest straps. The aspect of how a one-arm person could do that while activating the operation procedure on the terminal was a bit baffling to the human. It started making him think of the past and what he had read on all human aspect of the global war.
"Cybernetic implants were used during the war...however...it was only the infant stages of trying to robotize all the pests," Robotnik continued.
Swiveling around in his seat, his back was turned to the torture on the screen. Leaning to the right in his seat, he brought his right hand up. Closing into a loose fist, he placed it in front of his mouth. Resting his nose on it, he closed his eyes. His mind began to brood trying to remember something.
[...RRRAAAHHH...RRRAAAAHHH...RRRRAAAAHHHH...] the hedgehog haggardly breathed loudly.
[Final stage of M.F.S...commencing] a robotic voiced announced. Hearing the metal arms move, the laser sounded again. The sizzling of flesh emitted in the speakers.
[AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!]
"...strange..." the man pondered. Turning back around and staring at the individual, blood was oozing out of three places. His missing top quill, right shoulder stump, and the cybernetic eye leaked of crimson. Spilling onto the chair and onto the floor, Ivo looked down at his computer. In mild annoyance, he pinched his noise with the right hand.
"...this animal...is vaguely familiar..." he mentioned. Lifting his left arm up, he slammed it down hard on the left arm rest.
"Why!?" he shouted and stood up. Going behind his chair, he began pacing as the sounds of anguish raged through the video and sound feed.
"Tell me why..."
"Tell me why I would have any memory of you," the scientist sternly stated. Turning around, he looked at the surveillance and pointed at it.
"You are just one!"
"Just one over tens of thousands of miserable little creatures on this planet."
"I have robotized and experimented on your kind for years," the man declared then turned around to walk back.
[GGGGGGAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAA!] the creature shrilled harshly. His left arm and legs were strainning hard against the straps as the closed left fist shook uncontrollably.
"I have cured hundreds if not thousands of all species to that of obedient machines," he emphasized with a scornful gaze. Stopping his pacing, he turned to the monitor. Raising and curling his right arm in front of him, he closed his hand into a tight fist.
"The significance of you is minuscule! Nil! A cipher!" Ivo shouted.
[GGGGGAAAAAAA$#$AAAAAAAHHHHHH!] the hedgehog screamed with glitching through the speakers.
"For someone to endure live operation with no aesthetics is noted intruder...you might prove useful to me. Consider yourself blessed rodent," Robotnik declared then approached the computer. He hit the intercom again.
"Unit...once operation is completed and the mechanical arms retract to the ceiling, apprehend that creature. Toss him in a cellblock with the other deformity pests."
[...commencing action after operation completion doctor...] it answered in a mechanical voice.
"Now I have lost my drive to research," Robotnik mentioned in a disappointed tone. Letting go of the switch, he turned around and began heading out of the room. Approaching a robot that was lying on the floor, he stopped and stared. Narrowing his eyes, he stared off to the side and tried to remember why he shot its head off.
"...this droid was mentioning something..." he muttered. Closing his eyes and thinking, nothing was coming to mind. Throwing a dismissive hand at it, he exited the room.
'Whatever...it probably was nothing of importance.'
'However...there is something that will definitely raise my spirits...the results from the village pillage,' the scientist thought with a cruel smirk. Heading towards his operations center, he anticipated something favorable would come about from the attack squad.
"...!?" Sonic reacted from what was happening in the room. Cringing from all the screams and curling into a ball, he held his head. Even with cover his ears, the sounds of suffering and mechanical noises were still audible. After a couple of minutes, the older man's voice boomed over the loudspeakers again.
[Unit...once operation is completed and the mechanical arms retract to the ceiling, apprehend the creature. Toss him in a cellblock with the other deformity pests
[...commencing action after operation completion doctor...] the droid answered.
"..." the boy commented remaining in place and with the cloak over him. Shaking from not seeing what was going on, he couldn't think of a way to escape. Only hearing metal gears, hydraulics moving, and the person sounding his anguish, it lasted for a couple more minutes.
[...tranplate operation...completed...] the robotic voice from the terminal the statement.
The blue child slowly let go of covering his ears. Hearing more, it sounded like things retracting up into the ceiling. At the same time, the individual who was on the reclined chair was haggardly breathing through clenched teeth. It sounded like a monster being wounded while getting angry. The orphan flinched from hearing the sounds of soft grinding. It was not metallic like moving gears. The boy shivered from wondering if the man was grinding his teeth or clawing nails on something. About to move, a loud and heavy metal footstep was heard from the entrance area of the room.
[...operation completed...commencing apprehension of animal prisoner...] the S.W.A.T. patroller stated.
Approaching the side of the operating table, it moved its head down. Observing the anthropomorphic being, the creature's expressions were showing the aftereffects from the tormenting procedure. Noticing that a crimson ring eye stared back at it, it felt nothing from the death stare. Moving its arm cannon to be in front of the creature, its bleeding from three areas continued to slowly ooze out.
[...prisoner...you will be escorted to a cell and treated as a hostile in this facility...not complying will result in termination] the unit ordered with no emotion.
"...h...o...s...t...iiiiiiiiii...l...e..." a raspy and painful voice emitted in response. "Grrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnn-"
[...prisoner...cease your action or be terminated...] the metal head warned. Hearing the strap on the individual's left arm begin to buckle, a chain rattle clink was heard from being snapped.
"-nnnnnAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHH!" the being roared angrily.
The android did not react and fired its arm cannon. Sounding like an oversized shotgun going off, it hit the operating chair. A mild explosion erupted with metallic splitting and material blowing apart. Seeing only the debris from the furniture and the chipped up floor fly, a low decibel wave rattled throughout the room. Not registering the immediate quick breeze in front of it as anything, the smoke from the blast flowed quick towards it.
Starting to scan around for movement, its brought out its heat sensor. About to turn it on, it became disabled for some reason. Another quick breeze passed its head at the same time. Moving its head slowly to its left shoulder, the attachment for the component was ripped off. Seeing the small electrical sparks, it retracted the part.
Rotating the head back forward, the arm cannon was pointed in front of the patroller. Taking a step forward to the center of the room, something blindly fast was thrown at it. Not having enough time to dodge, a metal pole impacted hard to the android's noggin. Not dazed by it, it had enough force to make a dent and daze its visual cameras.
[...] the droid said. Turning to the direction of where object was thrown, it shot a blast to the sidewall. From the bright flash of the weapon, there was no one there or a body falling to the ground. Scanning around, it saw a glimpse of a dark silhouette in a shadow area. Pivoting its weapon at it, another volley was fired readily in that direction of the image.
'W-what is the metal head shooting at?' Sonic wondered from hearing the 3rd blast.
It was not towards the area that he was hiding at. Feeling of taking a risk, he pulled the cloak off. Seeing that only emergency power lights were turned on, it wasn't as dark as when he and the stranger entered the room. Crouching and going to the edge of the cabinet counter, he peered around the corner. Smelling gunpowder in the area, there was an aroma of iron nearby.
Feeling the urge to look to the left where the individual was operated, large patroller off center in the operating space prevented him. Facing the other way, it fired its arm cannon again. Cringing his face from the booming blast, the loudness of it hurt his ears a little. Seeing his chance to look, he turned his head and leaned closer out. The operation chair was destroyed to pieces.
'...?' the child commented from seeing something. Glancing quickly at the robot, there were only traces of what looked like red on the ground. Feeling his insides telling him to run, he tried thinking about escaping the room. His trian of thought was interrupted with multiple rapid soft footsteps going directly behind him.
"...!?" the boy reacted with turning around quickly.
Scanning with his eyes left and right, there was nothing seen out of the ordinary. Looking up, the low ceiling did not have anything different either. Blinking from hearing the robot make footsteps to turn around, the child did a dash roll to the right. Staying behind the cabinet counter, his breathing picked up. Looking down at the ground, his eyes widen.
'...what...where is the cloak?' the child asked in his mind.
Scanning all around the floor quickly, there was no trace of it anywhere around him. Opening and closing his mouth in trying to process what was happening, electronic sounds were heard. Sounding the same as pressing buttons on a keypad, the young hedgehog turned his head left. Seeing the door open, the mechanical gears of the S.W.A.T. patroller sounded. Turning to the entrance, it shot another cannon fire blast toward it.
'Gah! That's loud!' Sonic thought wincing and covering his ears. Closing one eye in reaction to the weapon flare and fierce explosion, he waited. Hearing the android walking toward the opening, he saw it slowly exited the room.
[...prisoner...has escaped...notifying security system...] it stated out loud. Standing outside the door, it stood there for 30 seconds.
[...notifying security system has encountered an error...diagnosing...]
'...its walkie-talkie is not working...' the boy wondered. Opening his closed eye and slowly going to the corner of the cabinet counter, he peered at the door.
Seeing the machine just stand there, it made escaping the chamber impossible. Thinking about finding a way out through the duct vents, the child turned around. Freezing with terror, a shadowy figure was in front of him. Unable to see its face or see the entirety of the silhouette, a single crimson ring glowed from where a person's eye would be. Hearing what sounded like droplets hitting the floor, Sonic dared himself to look at the person's feet.
Looking down in front of the individual, he felt his hands begin to shake. It was blood. Curling his lips in to stop his teeth from chattering, it made his lips quiver. His mind assumed of where the stranger went. It told hime that he was the one that was operated on and screamed in torture. Swallowing the large lump in his throat, the child felt fear slowly consume his body. Trying to move his body, none of his limbs responded.
'...w-w-why...' the young hedgehog thought in anxiety. He was unable to look away from the continuing droplets of red that fell at the man's feet.
Hearing a slow and deep haggard release of air coming from him, it sounded like a wild predator finding its prey. Seeing movement in front of him, the cloaked individual kneeled to the ground. Seeing the scary robotic eye come into view, the young hedgehog looked up carefully. Boring at him, it icy glow at him made the boy shake more staring back. Even with more illumination, the shadows casted on the adult were more pronounced.
"..." the stranger spoke.
Seeing how terrified the child was, he slowly extended out his left hand. Getting between the space of the two, the boy darted his eyes at what was in his hand. The orphan didn't reach for the black handheld monitor. Looking down at his hand, it had streaks of blood on them. Clenching his teeth hard from being in mind numbing pain, the stranger forced himself to speak.
"...s...oon...n...n...i...i...c..." he spoke through forced air through his teeth. Pain receptors were firing on all cylinders. Tensing his face and neck muscles, he rotated his head to the right.
[...s...o...n...i...c...] the black screen showed in red text.
"...!?" the kid reacted with trembling even more. Despite hearing and seeing his name, he did not move an inch as he shivered hard.
"...y...ooo...u...s...st...aaaayyyyyeeee...d...d..."
[...g...o...o...d...]
[...a...r...e...y...o...u...u...n...h...u...r...t...?]
"..." Sonic spoke only just breathing faster.
While staring in fear, his mind rapidly tried to find something to block the fear. Recollection from his village came to mind. He had seen the nurse and doctor in his establishment do surgery on someone. However, they had put the warrior to sleep first. There was no expression or sound of suffering. There was not the ferocity of how painful it could be. Of the ones that were helping villagers with hurt limbs, they had casts and winced from trying to move their broken limbs.
Of the injuries that he sustained, they were mild in comparison. To what this adult hedgehog did to himself, the event was skin crawling raw. The aspect that a man could scream that loud and remain awake was frightenly disturbing to him. It was a side of life that felt too foreign and dark to want to accept. Blinking from seeing movement, his face was grabbed by a hand. Feeling it grip him firmly, the child focused on where the hand was connected to.
"...!?" Sonic reacted with horror. With scared wide eyes, the stranger had moved forward and lowered his hoodie.
Now seen in more light, his face had streaks of blood down his face. Crimson leaked from the broken top middle quill and the lower eyelid area of the crimson ring eye. His normal right eye was glaring at him and twitching randomly. Seeing something off white below, the man was baring all his teeth at him. The expression of pain and rage together rattled him more than a predator growling at him.
'HE'SGOINGTOKILLME!HE'SGOINGTOKILLME!HE'SGOINGTOKILLME!' the child thought frantically. Still petrified with fear, tears were coming out from his eyes from the intense emotion. The stranger struggled to blink his eye and moved closer to be directly in front of his face. Staring in silence for a few seconds, the orphan lost control of his bladder and bowels.
"...?" the cloak wearing individual commented.
Looking down and seeing what happened, his eyes slowly looked back up at the child. Seeing him crying with fear while he still gripped his face, the agony still from the operation made it hard to think. Deciding to take care of the situation, he repositioned his feet and legs. Feeling ready, he saw something in his peripheral. The large patroller had drifted a little away from the door and was not seen directly. Focusing back on the child's face, he quietly breathed through his nose. Without breaking away from the boy, he opened his mouth wide as if he was going to bite.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" he screamed maliciously in front of the child's face.
"..." Sonic responded with feeling like his vision was going sideways. Hearing heavy booming footsteps getting further and further away, darkness quickly overtook him as he fainted.
After travelling through the multi-directional lift, Robotnik was able to reach the command center on the base. Entering the main space, his throne chair was in the middle. Going towards it, he glanced at the interior and the androids he stationed in each position. Efficiency and precision were the thought process of making his unbeatable metal army. Layed out the same as that of an aircraft carrier, each station combined could view 360 degrees around.
"Surveillance units," Ivo spoke in authority. Taking his seat in his chair, he leaned back and crossed his legs like an aristocrat.
"Give me a visual of the two villages that were designated for termination today."
[...commencing with command doctor...] one of the multi-limbed robots spoke. [...processing...]
'Seeing those privative insect establishments leveled and new additions to my slaves will put me in a better mood,' the scientist thought with a smirk.
Stroking his beard, he saw the main monitor load an image. It was from one of the remaining satellites that were still floating around Mobius. To the benefits of the humans during the war, the anthropomorphic beings hadn't been able to tap into many of them. Seeing the picture get clearer, it showed the first establishment. All buildings were destroyed, and the droids had combed the land.
'If I remember correctly, the villagers here escaped to the next village,' Robotnik thought doing a half frown. Putting his hands together, he smirked.
'Doesn't matter...the squad were ordered to level and terminate any of them,' he continued. Seeing the next village coming onto the screen, something looked amiss.
"...what...?" Ivo said from staring at the monitor. Blinking and rubbing his eyes, he looked again. Seeing only a fraction of the inhabitants were damaged, there were signs that they were rebuilding. Turning around in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest. Taking a deep breath in, he slowly let it out.
"Heh...I must be tired," he said out loud. Extending his arms out, he slapped both of his cheeks hard. Feeling the pain and cringing a little, he nodded to no one.
"Refresh image of the same village," the scientist stated loud enough for his minions to hear.
[...refreshing image doctor...] one stated and typed on the keyboard monitor it was at. [...image refreshed...]
"The image was probably from the time when the scouts combed the 1st village," Robotnik mentioned to himself. Swiveling around and looking at the screen, he continued.
"Their failure rate is...close to...0%," he spoke. Trailing off and staring at the visual, the 2nd establishment was still there. Immediately getting frustrated, he barked in the room.
"What the hell is this!? Where are those S.W.A.T. scouts!?"
[...processing request doctor...] another machine spoke. Making calculation sounds, it made a sound of being completed.
[...the S.W.A.T. group sent to destroy the two villages were terminated doctor...]
"Terminated? Terminated! TERMINATED!?" the man yelled with frustration. "An entry level extermination force was beaten by those animals!? By what!? By whom!? Get those black boxes from those units. Now!"
[...gathering data...] a chorus of androids stated at the same time. The room became filled with metallic typing and digital sounds from all the processing. Crossing his arms over his chest again, he impatiently tapped his left pointer finger on his right arm.
'This is absurd...three scouts defeated by an unknown assailant in the woods...and now an entire squad by pests in huts,' he mused in his brain. The aspect of it made him frown. So much so, he lifted his crossed right hand and began to rub hairs from his mustache.
'The only plausible explanations for this outcome...is if that dark silhouette aided the villagers...the villagers are hiding high-value equipment to destroy my infantry...or the units all were defective.'
'I can assume that those lowly creatures did not have any powerful weaponry...and that my S.W.A.T. bots were not defective,' Ivo told himself in his head. 'I have programmed them to execute QE checks to assure their functionality, circuits, and programming are not defective...if they find that any are, they report back to base for diagnosis.'
'That would leave...that unknown cyborg,' he mused in his mind.
[...gathering data from S.W.A.T. units' black box completed...]
"How many are still intact?"
[...of the number of units...the heavy mobile attack tank is still intact doctor...]
'If those rotten pests stripped the bipedal machines, then their backup chips would be corrupted,' the scientist thought frowning. Giving a disapproving grunt.
"Upload that H-MAT's surveillance...let us see how those miserable runts defeated my S.W.A.T. machines."
[...commencing upload doctor...processing...]