Chapter 28 - Connecting Old Ties
Traveling down the bare streets of Stratpolis, Robotnik got closer and closer to the lab building. The vehicle drove up to the closed gated entrance and stopped. Hearing mechanical noises coming from the wall of iron bars, a pulley system activated. Watching it open outward to see the long courtyard area, the scientist smirked a little. Crossing his arms over his chest, the craft moved forward.
'At least he has taste in showing the grounds,' Ivo thought.
Compared to what he has seen so far in the city, the landscape of the lab building had more life. There were simple gardens of bushes and plants that were evenly cut and perfectly shaped. The brick road was smooth and had a geometric design. The rest of the grounds inside the closed off walls was grass with little to no weeds seen. Snorting a little from coming up to the driveway, it was a roundabout.
'He must have been bored to bring back old traffic designs,' Robotnik said in his mind. Feeling the vehicle stop at the curb, his passenger door opened.
[Welcome to the Swvedstin's Labatory. Enjoy your visit sir] the automated machine stated as the doctor exited.
Walking forward and turning around, the hatched closed and the car drove back to the gate. Feeling a little smug from the grandiose presentation compared to the bleak and minimalist city appearance, it showed who was in charge and control. Rotating and moving toward the front doors, he climbed the small and shallow set of stairs. Upon reaching the double swing doors, there was a small module to the right of the entrance. A soft bing sound occurred.
[Greetings sir. Please enter] a mechanical voice announced. The doors slowly opened outward without any noises of the hinges needing to be oiled.
[The escort unit inside will guide you to your appointment with Dr. Swvedstin]
"Treated like a royal guest...how kind of my old friend," the scientist stated smirking.
Walking into the first room, it appeared to be a receptionist area. To the right of the counter was a doorway that lead into the next space. Standing in front of the desk, it was a humanoid looking robot. Seeing it move around and approach him, it stopped. Giving a small nod of its head, the unit's mechanical arms extended outward to the doctor.
[As a safety precaution sir, I will hold onto your firearm]
"That is fine and dandy unit...I will carry it with me for protection," he countered still smirking.
[Unfortunately sir...that is the protocol I have been programmed to follow...I will ask you again for your firearm] it stated back without changing its tone.
"And what are you going to do if I don't unit? Dr. Swvedstin will be very displeased if you caused one of his guests to become agitated."
[Dr. Swvedstin...has given me the authority to eliminate any being that does not adhere to the safety protocols of entering the laboratory] the mechanical being answered in a robotic tone. Its left arm began morphing and changing immediately. Within 5 seconds, its limb became a small cannon to which appeared to be a 1-2 inch diameter barrel. Catching a glance at the internal bullets that were in the arm, Ivo froze.
"..." the doctor said keeping the smirk. Pressing his lips together in slight irritation, he signed through his nose.
"That is quite...a convincing protocol to follow unit," he began. Reaching into his inner jacket and pulling out the long pistol, he handed it to the robot. Watching it take a step closer, it did not lower its blast gun.
"Please take good care of it."
[...of course sir...thank you for your cooperation with the safety protocol] the robot spoke. Grabbing the top of the pistol, the unit took a few steps back. Lowering both arms and continuing to stare at the scientist, another robot came out from the other side of the doorway. Looking the same as the other one, it had a towel draped over its left forearm.
[...Dr. Robotnik...I will take you to where Dr. Swvedstin is...please follow me] the escort announced and gestured to the space it came from.
Nodding to the mechanical being, it turned and walked back the way it came. Following the robot and passing through the doorway, Ivo began to look around the cavernous open space. Seemingly the structure of a warehouse, there were only the outside walls. Inside had mounds upon mounds of machinery, product and assembly lines, testing booths, and other functional demonstrations. Traversing through the large space with mechanical sounds going off and on, the scientist felt it was like being in a second home.
Losing the annoyance of dealing the safety protocol robot, he moved his arms behind him. Loosely holding his hands together, he began observing and judging Dr. Swvedstin's progress in robotic engineering and manufacturing. About halfway into the warehouse building, there was a two-story building inside. Heading for it and stopping at the front doors, the robot opened the doors.
[Here is Dr. Swvedstin's office sir...please enter. The doctor will be with you shortly]
"Very well," Ivo replied and walked in.
Hearing the door close behind him, he turned his attention to the interior. Seeing that he was in a waiting lobby area, he proceeded to the door on the opposite wall of the room. Grabbing the handle and turning it, it swung outward. Viewing the open layout of the space, there was someone tinkering and welding on a sturdy operations table. Proceeding to the gentleman, the hot and bright flashes from the nozzle contacting a patrol unit's shoulder stopped. Taking off the protective welding helmet and mask, he set it aside and powered down the welder.
"Dr. Swvedstin," Robotnik spoke out loud. Seeing the other scientist turn around with a deadpan face, he seemingly aged faster than Ivo. Standing just as tall but with a weaker frame, his short salt and pepper hair gave him a haggard aura. Despite that, his brown eyes were still sharp and piercing as it was during the Great War.
"Dr. Robotnik...so you finally showed up."
"You must give me a tour of your lab...quite the set up you got here."
"Cut the pleasantries," he stated then turned back to the robot he was working on. "Assist me with completing the repairs on this unit...then we will talk."
"Of course. The activity will conjure up old memories of two geniuses competing," the scientist responded with a smirk and walked over to the table.
Getting on the other side, Dr. Swvedstin began explaining the conditions of the servant bot and what repairs were done. Ivo checked the software analysis and found a couple of bugs. Seeing that it was connected to the nearby computer terminal on the table, he went to it and began initial proceedings for code troubleshooting. After a couple of minutes and fixing the issues, multiple blinking lights were seen inside the unit. Closing the chest plate and any other small access hatches, the unit came too.
[Activating. Error detected in initial setup process. Reboot of OS sequence engaged. Estimated time of completion...5 minutes] the servant bot announced.
"That will be enough. The unit will load applications itself and seek me if any more issues remain," Dr. Swvedstin mentioned. Putting down his tools and turning to the other scientist, he nodded his head a little.
"Thanks."
"Of course old friend," Ivo said with a small smug.
"..." the other scientist reacted with a deadpan expression. Gesturing to the doorway nearby, he began walking.
"Let us go to the lobby area in the next room. We will talk more there."
"Sounds good."
'Still the wary man from before...just an old bastard now,' Ivo thought keeping his smug.
'Still has that smug from before...funny how after all these years of not talking to him...I still dislike him,' Dr. Swvedstin stated in his head with a frown.
Traveling to the next room, it had a homier appearance of a lounge. Taking their seats across a round table, a mechanism from underneath activated. Robotnik watched a portion of the table open up on his and the other doctor's side. A keyboard station and a monitor came out and moved to be in front of him. Hearing a pulley system to his left, he saw two large screen projectors coming down from the ceiling.
"Now then Robotnik," the older looking scientist began. Typing on the terminal he had, images began to show on the screen. Like accessing through a computer, he went toward a database. It showed files upon files that were dated from over 2 decades ago.
"Explain again this...creature you saw and how it could have been one of my experiments."
"So..." Triselle began. Hearing her voice echo in the underground tunnel, their footsteps also seemed amplified. What filled the background and shined a fiery illumination was the inferno behind them.
"You must have been part of the Great War for knowing about the A.D.A.A.M. doctrine."
"...possibly...I don't know," Speed answered.
"How come? Amensia or something? A tragic event that blocks your memory?" she asked looking at him.
"...I woke up somewhere...roughly 9 years ago...don't remember anything past that."
"...9 years ago..." the female canine muttered to herself. Looking forward and thinking, her eyes were not concentrating on anything.
'To go from depravity of living...to following a loose trail of the past war with vigor,' the amputee pondered adjusting his hold of the bat woman. '...either she is an actress...or a suicidal coward looking for a reason live.'
"...if I remember correctly," Triselle spoke then turned to look at the hedgehog. Seeing his face covered in shows, the warm colors that shined from behind them would put small light on his stoic face.
"The Great War was started 20 years ago...the official end date of it was about 10 years ago. At least that is what I remembered from the camp I was a part of."
"...why did you...join the war?...Drafted?" he asked. Mildly engaging in the conversation was out of precaution if she would either relapse or do something else.
"I enlisted for the Rebellions when I was 16," she responded. Looking forward and continue to walk beside the amputee, she gave a slight smile.
"Where I grew up was in a village on another continent. There was nothing to progress to or achieve something there...it was just become a worker, a patroller, a gatherer, or a housekeeper for the orphans. I just wanted to get out and explore the world."
"So when I saw and heard representatives asking for people to join the war effort, it was my ticket to escape. Got put into medic school and learned a bit of the profession...well...enough to be useful I suppose," she stated doing mild arm and hand movements.
"..." Speed said staring at her with his normal eye.
His crimson ring eye stared forward and scanned every several feet. Hearing a soft exhale next to his head, his cybernetic eye darted to the left. Pausing for a second, it slowly looked back forward. The split vision like a fish made him disoriented for a second or two. Concentrating and shaking off the sensation, he saw the dog breed stare at him.
"...how long...in the war?"
"How long? I spent the entire duration of the war before it was declared over."
"...a decade..." he asked adjusting his left shoulder a little. "...was it...worth it?"
"I think it was," Triselle answered looking back forward and putting her arms behind her. Clasping her hands together, it made her pause noticing that her hands seemed bonier than she remembered. Hesitant to stop and look at herself to see if she was really emaciated, she continued.
"Served to fight against the human devils, saved lives, worked with others to give our people a chance at freedom, traveled to many places, and met many people along the way."
"...so it seems..."
"Would saying the different front areas the Rebellion had jar your memory?" she pondered and looked at him.
"...if you wish to...it may or may not work..." Speed answered with indifference.
"...you don't seem that eager to remember who you might were."
"...from what I have witness...it doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter!?" she repeated looking at him in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
"...tell me...since you joined...and the efforts you did...was it a mistake?"
"A mistake!? The war was the fight to push back the humans that did atrocities and the enslaving our kind!" the woman voiced loudly.
"...and yet after all...the fighting stopped," Speed spoke turning his head. Looking at her with both eyes, his still expression and gaze made her focus on him.
"...where did you end up?"
"..." Triselle said opening and closing her mouth. Shaking her head and looking firm, he continued.
"...what's wrong? Did a veil...lift from your eyes...after the war?" the amputee asked in the same tone and face.
"..." she reacted with opening and closing her mouth again.
Seeing that his face never changed, anxiety began to creep into her. Feeling like it was an interrogation, it was only her that thought so. Seeing his head turn forward, the illumination from the fire was not as strong as it was. The background noise that filled the tunnel was only a fading echo. Focusing back to the ground ahead of her, their footsteps began to sound different.
"...after the war...the Rebellions began to go in a downward spiral. Many soldiers couldn't adjust from the transition of war to tense peace...even I had a hard time," she spoke in a low tone. "Our members began leaving the group faster and faster...till it got disbanded by its leaders."
"From the different posts around the continents of Mobius, they formed micro groups to stay connected. However, comrades rarely kept in touch and went into hiding."
"...sounds normal...of a war aftermath..."
"...I suddenly had no one and no place to go to after the disbanding..." she continued quieter. Crossing her arms across her stomach loosely, her demeanor became grim.
"..." Speed replied with keeping one eye on her. Feeling a soft pulsate in the left eye, he moved his ears forward. Something was moving down the tunnel.
"I didn't know where I went to after leaving...my feet took me somewhere while my mind was in a constant haze...numb from the war and unable to adjust fully back into society..." the female spoke then slowed down to a stop. Still looking unfocused at the ground, she held herself tensely.
"..." the amputee commented. Stopping and lowering Malaria to the ground, the weight off his shoulder made him feel better. Turning to face her a little, the crimson eye was looking down the passageway. Seeing a figure crawl on the ground, it slowly and sneakily began to scale the walls.
"Before I knew it, I had given up," she said cringing with shame and guilt. "Life didn't matter anymore...all of it was given to the war...without keeping some for myself...others went into drugs, crime, cults, and prisoners...to find meaning or a place..."
"..." the one-armed hedgehog spoke. Eyeing the creature coming toward them, it was now crawling on the ceiling. Based on its trajectory, it would go behind the female canine. Closing his left hand into a fist, he continued to wait.
"...when I came to the harbor city...I stumbled on rumors of an S.O.S. group...I didn't know what caused me to pursue it...hope that it was something better...instead...I landed into a dungeon organ harvesting trade with sadistic torturers."
"..."
"...that was when...I realized that I was dead inside...and nothing else matter...I became-"
"EEERRRROOOOAAAHHHH!" a ferocious high pitched roar sounded.
Causing Triselle to jump from fright and turn around, a creepy shadow figure lurched after her. In mid-flight and seeing it reached out its claws and sharp teeth mouth, micro vision came to her. Just before the monster attacked her, a cloaked figure moved faster. Slugging the beast across the jaw hard, she saw its lower mouth shift to its left followed by its head. Watching its body begin to twist in the same direction, it barely grazed her left side.
"...!?" she reacted hearing it tumble behind her.
With widen eyes, Speed was standing in front of her. Not looking or turning to her, he walked calmly to the monster. Following where he was heading, the orange, red, and yellow light from the lobby fire was dim. Only seeing silhouettes, one was down and appeared to be on its hands and knees. With erratic breathing, the other dark figure stood beside it. Without hesitation, the hedgehog stomped heavily on its neck.
Hearing it gasp painfully from a cartilage pop, Triselle immediately held her throat feeling goosebumps. Seeing him repeatedly stomp in the same area followed by more crack noises, the creature croaked and spasmed. Seeing him stop, he turned around. Tensing up from seeing the crimson ring bore back at her, he walked around her. Watching him with apprehension, he stopped at the bat woman that was still knocked out. Picking her up onto his left shoulder in a fireman carry, he began walking forward.
"W-W-Wait!" she stuttered.
Quickly walking to him, she got next to him. Walking at his pace and glancing at his expression, it was the same stoic one. Trying to muster a vocal appreciation to being saved, a chorus of roars were heard further down. Freezing in fright, she saw him continue walking forward. By the time she was about to whisper out loud, a few more of the beasts came out and were traveling fast toward their position.
"Well then," Ivo spoke. Moving his arms to be on the table, he clasped his hands together.
"If I recall...the creature was about 3 feet tall or so...has one of your cybernetic eye implants...and is annoyingly fast."
"...I do not have annoyingly fast as a category Robotnik," Dr. Swvedstin remarked. Typing on his terminal, the projector screen showed that a filter was being conducted. After a minute or so of searching, only a few results came up.
"Based on your description, this is what data come back," the scientist commented. Selecting all and opening the files, four profiles were shown.
"Any of these?"
"..." Ivo answered with looking at the selectees. Staring at them, none of them seemed to fit the profile of what he saw. They were either too tall, too bulky, or had too many segments.
"No...I'm afraid these don't match to what I saw. How fast did these subjects move after the experiments?"
"All of them were capable with outrunning a scout vehicle during the war."
"That after mechanical surgery or chemical injection?"
"If I remember correctly...I had to break their legs then reconstruct their bones with mechanical joints. That way they can achieve greater speeds than what their body would be limited to," he explained looking at the other with a frown.
"You don't seem that proud old friend. That type of surgery method has now been adopted by multiple governments around Mobius as a medical procedure," the other doctor pointed out with a small smile.
"Getting back to your pest," Swvedstin said annoyed. Not breaking his frown, he crossed his arms over his chest in impatience.
"Do you have anything more informative to describe your mysterious creature? Security footage?"
"If I had my ship with me, I could get the content for you. How many hedgehog breeds did you test with?"
"...hedgehogs..." the scientist repeated. Unfolding his arms and typing again, the screen refreshed and produced another listing search. To Ivo's surprise, there were not many subjects under the breed category.
"You seem surprised."
"Yes old friend. I thought you have done more. Is this really all that you tampered with?"
"Based on what I remember of our facility in the UCN (United Commonwealth Nation) and to where the human war council was located, hedgehogs were not common...so these subjects were the only ones that I had tested on. I can't say if the other scientists did more or less testing on hedgehog subjects."
"..." Robotnik commented starting at the profiles. Seeing the status of each of them, it made him blink in surprise.
"All are deceased?"
"All died from complications with experimentation."
"...none of them have an eye implant."
"I see that you can read."
"Aren't you being feisty old friend?" Ivo commented with a smirk. The older fellow just frowned and looked more impatient.
"I also see that their abilities were not speed at all."
"Yes."
"The pest I encountered could run up walls without falling down or having gravity take hold."
"Maybe it has equipment that can defy gravity."
"Old friend...aren't you listening?" Robotnik remarked with a tight smirk. Leaning forward, stared at his old war counselor.
"It ran up the walls...with just boots on."
"If I could make Ameliorates that could do that with pure speed, the Great War would have been won a whole lot sooner you egghead," Dr. Swvedstin rebutted and narrowed his eyes at him.
"Surely you must have continued with your efforts after the war in perfecting your mechanical engineering and robotics," Ivo continued without missing a beat. "You've experimented on hundreds...why not continue the effort from the war council's cause of eradicating?"
"Let me be perfectly clear doctor," the older man spoke firmly. "After the war was over...and accumulating 20 years contributing to the cause of the war effort, I stopped doing any experiments. I became numb to the death and destruction...it ruined my heart for science and my humanity."
"Old friend...don't tell me you became soft and adopted your subjects here?" Robotnik asked with a disappointed face.
"You mistake me for wanting to righting the wrongs of my atrocities during the war...and to the creation of our world's evolutionary bio experiment. Let me tell you something...old friend," Dr. Swvedstin began. Getting up from his chair, he put his arms on the table and leaned forward.
"I don't regret the progress I made for science...I do feel the science community was insane and diabolical for embarking on the A.D.A.A.M. project. However, I am not a part of either human political faction regarding them. I came to the Collective Republic to escape the war council and the UCN. I took the war funds I amassed and bought Stratpolis outright."
"Then we are even closer to being similar old friend," Ivo commented standing up as well. Keeping a tight smirk, he mimicked the other scientist's position. "I have my own territory as well. And like yours, it runs by machines...just not an AI programmed to think like a human."
"If we are going to talk about similarities Dr. Robotnik, then I will assume our ORIGINAL discussion is finished."
"Don't be so hasty Dr. Swvedstin," he commented lifting his hands off the table. Reaching into his inner jacket pocket, he pulled out a flash drive.
"I can say without much investigating that your robot line up is weak in comparison to my own. I am willing to exchange the blueprints of my S.W.A.T. troopers for access to your Great War experiment subject data files."
"What makes you think I want your blueprints for your units? Are you trying to insult me?" he asked getting irritated.
"Not at all...you've only made exoskeletal versions which has many weak points. Mine are full bodied and have much more protection without being bulky. In comparison of information, I am giving you something that is worth more for your future line of robots than the old data files."
"..." the older gentlemen stared at his former colleague. Not removing his frown, he leaned back to stand up straight. Moving his arms and hands behind him, he placed them on his lower back while continuing to stare.
"Why the kin interest in decades old information to which almost all died during the war?"
"Are you opening this for a scientific debate old friend?" Ivo questioned back with a smug face. "This will be a throwback if we do."
"If it is regarding the past Robotnik, I won't remember every detail nor do I care to remember."
"Heh heh heh," Ivo reacted with mild mirth and lifted his hands off the table. Holding them up to show his palms, only the flash drive was between his right hand's fingers.
"Blueprints from one scientist to another...in exchange for decades old data. And...hopefully to bounce ideas off from one genius to another. Is there any harm in just a scholarly brainstorm? Who else is willing to engage in such minute details from robotic engineering to developing ships that have anti-gravity drives to reach the stars?"
"..." Dr. Swvedstin responded with blinking and continuing to stare at him. Sighing in what sounded like annoyance, he touched a button on his terminal.
"Servants...bring me some tea and an eggnog for my guest. Also bring appetizers."
[Yes Dr. Swvedstin...commencing tasks now]
"Don't get me wrong Dr. Robotnik," the older man stated looking back up. "I will admit that the lack of scholarly debate over the years has made me...irritable and dull."
"Just because we see things in a different view of light old friend...doesn't mean we have to bare teeth at each other all the time."
"...hmph..." he reacted. Gesturing to Ivo to sit down, he scooted his chair in and sat down. Seeing the orange mustache man set the flash drive in the center of the table, the other inserted his own in the terminal. Downloading a copy of all the experimental files, he removed it and placed it center.
"It pleases me that you are agreeing with me," Ivo mentioned stroking his facial hair with a smile. "Now then...let me throw you some...life goals I have been thinking about for some time after the Great War and the exodus of our kind."
"UUUURRRRREEEE-" a creature screeched.
It got cut off from its throat getting a full set of teeth clenching it. Viciously chomping down and grabbing its chin with the left hand to pull it back, Speed thrashed his head to the right. Ripping out a chunk of the beast's neck, it croaked as blood came out in a gush. Ducking to evade a fast arm swipe from another adversary, he turned around and threw a fast cross. Punching its nose hard, it yelped in pain as crimson began pooling out of the nostrils.
Seeing it distracted, the remaining beasts were going after Triselle and Malaria. About to reach both with their claws and teeth showing, Speed did a fast dash. Getting to the female canine with her face locked in fear, he grabbed its outstretched arm and kept running. About to run into the wall, he stopped and torqued his body to the right. With the large momentum and swinging his left arm hard, the creature slammed brutally into the wall.
Fast dashing again, the tunnel dweller was standing in front of Malaria. Opening its mouth and about to descend onto her throat, the amputee ran up the wall. Reaching a high pointed, he changed direction and sped in a downward diagonal direction. Making it to where the beast lowered its head enough, he took a planted step with his right foot. Throwing his left leg and foot forward and upward, he did a punt kick right under its chin.
"...!?" Triselle reacted shaking.
The sight of the barbaric being's head shot straight up from the kick seemed to take a little fear out of her. Seeing it fall backwards and not move helped her get a grip. Hearing one still conscious and shuffling around, it had the bloody nose. Blinking from hearing it screech, she tensed up seeing it glare at her. Grabbing her neck out of reflex, she saw its head harshly get rotated past 180 degrees with audible cracking noises. With all of them down, she tried to unfreeze herself seeing that she was not going to be eaten alive.
"...you still there?" Speed spoke from behind her.
"GAH!?" she reacted with jumping forward. Turning around with her fur standing on end, the hedgehog was standing still. With only a dark outline of wearing a cloak, his red eye glowed in the dim illumination in the cave. Breathing faster and swallowing, he began walking to her.
"...you said...you were numb...from the war..." he continued walking by her. She cringed a little from smelling the iron liquid on his breath. Hearing him spit to the side, he stopped where he placed the bat woman. Proceeding to pick her up and carry her again, he began walking forward. Pressing her lips together in a combination of irritation at him and herself, she fast walked to him.
"I did say that...but it was from the medical side. I saw all forms of the wounded and death...but not confronting the enemy head on," Triselle informed tensely. "The enemy was also robots and not...part of our kind. Seeing machines in pieces and losing their oil isn't the same...effect as body parts and blood."
"...that's...a fair statement..." Speed responded neutrally.
Continuing forward at a walking pace, both were silent. After several minutes passing by with only their footsteps echoing, the amputee glanced at her with his right eye. Seeing her look uncomfortable and looking back from time to time, it wasn't due to the darkness of the tunnel. It was more of the paranoia of what else could happen. Watching her look forward and sniff the air, the canine grimaced a little. It meant that there may be more creatures or death down the tunnel.