~Compromising Tactics~

Far away in a neighboring county, Bokkun spent all night running through backyards, alleyways and large fields to avoid being spotted by security cameras around the zone. He'd taken a large hoodie from a clothesline to conceal himself and rummaged through payphones for change he could use as bus fare. He waited anxiously inside a graffiti-ridden shelter but was beginning to lose hope of anything arriving, seeing as it was well past midnight.

Just as he gave up, the gleaming lights of a double decker bus lit up the entire suburban street. Bokkun entered, dropped his fare into the slot and made his way to the second level. The working class filled the bus, either napping or hastily sipping coffee while being glued to their phones. As he would find out, this bus traversed every grimy street throughout the industrial side of town every week night.

After sitting down, Bokkun quietly typed on the touchscreen keypad on his chest and hit CALL. A few dial tones later and the doctor answered. "So you are operational, Bokkun. I was beginning to worry-"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," the robot interrupted. "The mission has been a complete failure, sir, we need to abort! I'm not sure how much longer my internal battery will last so I need an evac! Where are you?"

The phone was taken from Eggman and Patch stared into the camera. "I was about to ask you the same question."

"Ah, I was wondering how my little prank went over." Bokkun said in reference to the cherry bomb he threw inside the lab. "I gave you a nice tan, fuzz face. By the looks of it, you're actually gonna need a patch, damn."

"My wounds will heal, but your doctor's condition worsens by the second."

Eggman looked defeated while he sat in front of the coyote. The messenger bot clinched his fists but spoke quietly. "Nothing lasts forever, Patch, so you count your days."

"Haha, yeah gotcha. As for your master, well, I'm sure you have enough time for some final words..if you hurry."

Bokkun exchanged glances with Eggman before responding. "This is what we planned for, doctor. I won't stop."

Patch found this humourous and knew he'd have to hunt down this robot, a prospect he looked forward to. "...oh, before we begin, I wanted to ask you something."

Bokkun watched as Patch revealed the locket he dropped inside the lab, then open it up. "I'm guessing this is someone you care about. Who is she?"

If the robot could blush, his face would be bright red, but Bokkun shook this off and remained stoic. "...a friend from long ago. Keep it, that's an old picture anyway."

Patch smashed the locket to pieces and growled, "I can't wait to crack the code and learn every secret this fat bastard stored inside your memory card! In case you didn't know, you're a machine! A tool that this sociopath programmed to feel artificial emotions! You will never be like us! And I will be the one to pull the plug on you."

"You could do that, but it won't mean a thing if I wipe this drive clean before your goons find me. All of that huffing and puffing just to get nowhere, now THAT is funny. But by all means, have at it."

The messenger bot ended the call and pulled the hoodie over his head, his final view being of the dingy neighborhood streets and warehouses he rode passed. He and Eggman went over the protocol in the event of failure or capture so Bokkun followed through. He exhaled before hitting his factory reset button and slumping over in his seat, remaining unnoticed by the passengers.

Patch dropped the cellphone on a large table and poured himself a glass of champagne. Eggman couldn't hide his amusement watching Patch fail Emperor Nega once again.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were in your spot."

"I was told the Emperor was waiting on me, so where is he? Let's get on with this charade."

The two metal doors were pushed open and all eyes inside the throne room turned to the entrance. Protected by his translucent forcefield, Eggman Nega glided across the floor. He stopped right at Dr. Eggman so he could glare into his eyes for a moment, then continued to his throne.

"I'm told you attempted a robbery here," the emperor said. "..but you didn't have the guts to do it yourself. Sending KNUCKLES? You must be quite desperate."

Eggman cleared his throat. "That's true, I was desperate, but the lad almost pulled it off, didn't he? And if it weren't for his inherent nature, I would be reveling about my greatest invention."

"A shame that bubble had to burst." Patch said.

"Indeed, now I get to wither away in front of your eyes-"

The doctor fell into a coughing fit but his inhaler had been confiscated by Patch so that he could watch him suffer. Nega rolled his eyes and signalled to the commanding officer to hand it over.

Once he was stable, Eggman sat up in his chair and waited to hear what his punishment would be.

"...as you're well aware, I need you alive, old timer." The emperor said. "But you can wipe that smug grin off your face because I'm ensuring you far from comfortable during your stint in my dimension."

"And what exactly does that mean?"

Nega stood up and glided towards a rear exit. "You will spend the rest of your withering life working under me, and I will keep your mortality at bay, in small doses. Allow me to give you the grand tour."

Patch yanked the doctor out of the chair and pushed him towards the emperor. As they walked the halls, a robotic medical team scanned him and a prescribed medication was delivered within minutes. Eggman swallowed the pills and his breathing became lighter, life returned to his face and he could stand up straight.

"Don't you worry, we'll put all of that newfound strength to good use."

"I'm sure you will."

Eggman was led into the first floor of Nega's R&D department and was impressed with all of the technology on display. This department made his headquarters look like an electronic store in comparison.

"Most impressive."

"It's a work in progress. You will be assigned to a project shortly."

Nega glared into his eyes once more. "You would do well to behave yourself with my second in command."

The emperor lowered his shades so he could stare directly into his counter part's eyes, and for a few moments Eggman seemed at a loss for words. Once he activated his shield and glided out of the department, Nega's right hand man shoulder blocked past his newest captive and left the old man stumbling to catch himself.

Eggman searched for any means of escaping this predicament but no sensible ideas crossed his mind, so he was resigned to his fate. "...such is life."

DREAM NIGHTS CONDOMINIUM

THE NEXT MORNING

With a throbbing headache and general soreness making rest impossible, Knuckles finally woke from his slumber atop the cot which he was placed hours earlier. Groaning while sitting up, he scanned his surroundings: massive filing cabinets created a small "room" within the underground bunker, blackout curtains cut off any sunlight from the dim area and only the emergency exit lights illuminated the beige halls.

Hearing voices nearby, the echidna called out to them. "Whose got a drink for your boy? I'm dry as hell, here."

Several chairs scraped across the floor and one-by-one the crew joined him. Ledian, Ray & Juliette greeted Knuckles, and he was handed a metal bottle filled with liquid courage.

"This is good stuff right here." He said. "I'm already feeling better. I miss anything important?"

"Nothing really. O'nux split not long after you split your own head open, that was smart." The Labrador quipped while pointing to her forehead.

Knuckles felt the bandage on the bridge of his nose and the protective wrap around his head. "...he's a slippery little shit, I'll give him that. Hey, where's Charmy?"

"He's got class to attend." Ray replied. "I don't want him getting sucked into this never ending battle."

"Fair enough."

As he took another shot, thunderous footsteps were heard coming down the nearby staircase. The group turned and saw a super heavyweight wearing an aqua blue leather jacket making his way toward them.

"Look at the size of this handsome devil, next." Knuckles said as he stood up.

The crocodile brushed past the tall cabinets and looked down at the echidna. "You must be the doppelganger. Heard you busted the elevator with one hell of a headbutt."

"Among other things. Name's Knuckles." He said while extending his hand. "You are...?"

"Vector P. Private eye."

Knuckles already knew who he was, though this Vector was MUCH larger than the one back home and had quite the grip on his handshake.

"P.I you say. What brings you here?"

Vector P. opened a briefcase and shuffled through papers inside. "As you've probably learned, Emperor Nega rules all of Sol and, y'know, the whole tyrant deal is going on now."

"Okay.."

"Well, Blaze has been trying to push for his abdication but Nega's covered his ass so she can't do diddly squat."

"I didn't realize there were right and wrong ways of enslaving entire dimensions."

Ray scoffed. "Apparently so, and we've been told to bow down for some time."

"Yep. The Council of Ancients don't see a problem with his rule. So, these guys, myself and O'nux - well, he was aiding us but... whatever his excuse is for switching up is firmly between you and him." Vector P. clarified. "I am here to talk about the resistance."

"Whoa, wait a second now," Knuckles took a step back. "Let me guess: I'm your chosen one in this scenario right? 'Only you can save the town, vault hunter', your plan go something like that?"

"Goodness, so humble, this guy." Juliette said sarcastically.

"Look, I just wanna get home in one piece, MY big fat old guy in the chair swindled me into coming here in the first place-"

"And this is your ticket home. Or at least, your best shot at it." The P.I said.

"...go on."

"So Blaze is barred from interfering with Sol business without cause, and Nega even banned her from interacting with street cats like us. But her partner can come through and investigate under the circumstances of, let's say, an intruding party from a parallel dimension."

"..which is me, gotcha."

"Now, this team has been compiling evidence of Nega's war crimes for awhile but we haven't had a chance to plead our case, until now."

The echidna was starting to understand this plan. "So, in order to gain Silver's attention, you want me to - stir shit up?

The girls looked at Vector P. for confirmation and Ray spoke first. "Pretty much."

"Though if you do hulk out anywhere, could ya take a chunk out of the Golden Circle district? Those rich kids deserve a curve ball to come their way for once." Juliette said, holding back her rage.

The P.I shook his head. "We just need Silver to fly down here so we can present the evidence. This is our biggest shot, and we need your help. You in?"

The echidna raised the metal tin for a toast. "You got yourself a sacrificial lamb, big man. I'm in."

Ledian grinned and the group kept the celebrations to a minimum. While they passed the liquor around, they were oblivious to the black suited men standing outside of the building keeping their microphones steady.

Patch listened to the audio feed through a series of bugs O'nux planted before he confronted Knuckles last night. The suited echidna kept his head lowered, ashamed to have been forced to spy on his friends.

"So that's what you guys had planned." The commanding officer said. "The emperor is gonna have a good laugh at this one. Might even applaud you dip shits. That plan might've actually worked."

O'nux wouldn't look up, so Patch continued. "... obviously you have to kill them, now. And this time, there are no deals. Do this or you face Nega himself in the collosium."

"Fuck you."

This defiance made Patch chuckle. He grasped the echidna's shoulder as he walked past him. "Either way, make it entertaining."

O'nux stood alone in the corridor for a few minutes, then a robotic squad approached him. He put his sunglasses on and took the pistol from the leading bot, then he was off.

[SYSTEM STARTING. . .]

BATTERY - 100%

STORAGE - 5TB FREE SPACE

SETTINGS . . .

[SET UP COMPLETE]

Propped against the cement wall inside a holding cell, Bokkun opened his yellow eyes for the first time since factory resetting himself, and he had no idea where the extra large hoodie came from or the charging cord that protruded from his back. He'd wiped his internal storage clean, with the only thing he understood being Dr. Eggman's emblem displayed in the corner of his HUD (Heads Up Display)

The crackling of an old ghetto blaster radio irritated Bokkun as he tried to scan the environment. Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" was heard through the static, causing his advanced A.I to automatically search and download it to his memory. His head then shifted to the left when a corrections officer gazed through the bars of the cell.

"Looks like the gadget is fully charged. Get the sheriff on the line."

Bokkun's HUD presented a few options for a response, but he chose to remain silent.

"Is it an Alexa?" A second officer asked.

"A what?"

"Does it respond to voice commands?"

"Let's find out-"

"Eat dung and kick rocks!" The messenger bot responded, sounding far more mechanical than he did hours earlier.

"Oh, it's a joke bot, great. Hey joke bot, where do losers always end up?"

"The wrong end of a bottle next to whichever hog birthed you?"

The inmates in adjacent cells burst into hysterical laughter and a few officers joined.

"You walked into that one, Marv. He got ya."

"Glad to know IT'S got a sense of humor, I hope it enjoys being shipped back to the manufacturers parts depot."

A short badger leaned on the door of her cell and said, "Hey, you can't dismantle buddy, he's a comedian! Let 'em speak his mind, will ya?!"

"Settle down, Sticks. Step away from the bars, I don't wanna tell you again." Marv responded.

She mumbled while backing off. "Yeah, why don'tcha step off a damn cliff-"

"Is that insubordination?"

"No boss, it was nothing of the sort! I just stumbled on my shoelaces, is all!..."

Marv banged his nightstick off of Bokkun's cell in an attempt to intimidate him but received no reaction. Instead, he pulled the charger from the outlet and grunted. "We're gonna figure out which limey group dumped you in my county, and you won't like where you end up after that. Don't screw with me."

Bokkun wisely said nothing and the officer left the room in a foul mood. From what he gathered, he was inside a small police station a few miles from the nearest metropolitan area. As he tried calibrating his system, Bokkun noticed a crumbled piece of paper land inside his cell.

When he turned to face Sticks, she put a finger over her lips and used sign language to communicate.

{Are you one of The Emperor's?}

After translating, Bokkun tucked his right arm into his hoodie, typed on the touchscreen keyboard and discreetly showed the badger a small television screen with his response.

-NO CLUE WHO THAT IS OR WHERE I AM-

She smirked and began to sign.

{I can help you find your way around but need you to break us out of here}

It was at this moment that Bokkun rediscovered how to arm his explosives, so he was on board with the badger's idea.

-WHEN?-

{Lunch}

He nodded and Sticks went back to complaining to staff, while the messenger bot played the part of defective robot. As he rocked back and forth, he was putting together how he'd pull this jailbreak off. That's when a new set of options popped up on his HUD, followed by a message that read: Jetpack fully operational.

He now knew what the play was, he just had to wait for the perfect time to strike.