City Streets

[E-102 Gamma]

[I guess it would be my post again? Since Novus hasn't posted in a few weeks. If this is a problem, I'll delete it and post something else later]

E-102 continued to walk the streets, noticing a lack of people and activity. Scanning the horizon, and noticing a hovercraft flying toward a large tower. Since it was the only clue to life in this city, he decided to follow it. He stopped in place, folding down into his compact mode, before a set of steel fan blades extended from his torso. Once he had achieved lift, he flew off after the hovercraft.

However, he realized that in a city such as this, any building not destroyed would likely be well defended. Since his own combat capabilities were limited, he decided to avoid the tower for now, and headed back down to the ground. Upon landing, he began wandering about once more.

[Dr. Robotnik]

[Sorry for not posting. I was thinking you'd moved on to a different topic or something. Also, Robotnik actually does have people living in his city. Granted, they're all slaves and have neurotransmitters planted in them for surveillance, but you'd still see them running around and doing their thing.]

Identified as being allied with Robotnik or not, the spybot tailing Gamma planned to raise an alarm if he tried to enter the tower. That was Robotnik's central HQ after all, and it didn't want just anyone wandering in there. But then Gamma seemed to think better of it and turn back around. The spybot still hadn't heard back from SWAT Surveillance on his inquiry into Gamma's model.

However, as Gamma wandered the streets, he'd notice there indeed appeared to be some life around. The area he reached looked like a rundown residential area. Were it not for the soot from the factories covering most of the buildings, in addition to the general lack of maintenance, this place would actually look rather nice to live in.

Running to and fro around the street he'd see an assortment of haggard-looking people dressed in filthy clothes. Stalls lined the roads with equally dirty merchants trying to sell random wares. Most of them looked like objects that'd been repaired or hammered together from scrap.

Were it not for the backdrop of the high-tech buildings and factories in the area, the street would almost look like a scene out of Industrial Revolution New York City. As Gamma continued to wander, most of the citizens gave him a curious glance for his colorful paint, but then seemed to forget about him equally as fast. Security bots after all roamed these streets constantly, so to see one more wouldn't be an unusual sight.

[E-102 Gamma]

Gamma stopped in the middle of the street, head spinning atop his torso, scanning the stalls. He dismissed the quick glances he got, not paying the people much mind. However, oddly hoping to find some replacement parts for himself, he stepped up to one of the stalls.

"Do you have any targeting equipment? Perhaps something for internal fabrication?"

Both of his arms were lowered, as he didn't regard the "citizens" as threats.

[Dr. Robotnik]

The stall operator, a rabbit, looked up in surprise at the electronic voice. He looked rather shaken to be personally addressed by one of the robots roaming the area.

"What? You want parts? From ME? But doesn't Robotnik take care of that for you?"

He looked extremely confused from this whole turn of events. A few other people who'd overheard Gamma's request also stopped to look. Typically the robots never interacted with anyone aside from handing out punishments.

[E-102 Gamma]

Gamma's head spun around again, this time to assess the locations and reactions of all the people around him, since this one rabbit looked so shocked. He had gotten a few odd reactions like this before, but nothing quite so bad.

"Dr. Robotnik is my enemy. As such, he is not a reliable source of parts. Do you have any of the requested items or not?"

Even though he hadn't moved, his digital voice did manage to give off a little annoyance at what he saw as a waste of time.

[Dr. Robotnik]

If the rabbit was confused before, Gamma mentioning he was an enemy of Robotnik put him in an all new stage of bewilderment. The gathering crowd also pressed in a little closer, murmuring to each other. Gamma would hear snippets here and there.

"--enemy of Robotnik?--"

"--this a trick?--"

"--something wrong with his programming?--"

The stall owner blinked a few times before he was able to articulate a coherent response. He looked this way and that, making sure there weren't any spybots or SWATbots close by, before he whispered to Gamma.

"Could you come with me? I'd like to speak privately."

[E-102 Gamma]

Gamma began calculating the possible threats the rabbit may present, especially in private. As he did so, his frame shook a little bit more than usual, which would probably just add to the level of confusion all the people around him already had. He raised his right hand and set it in his left, looking down at the rabbit.

"Very well. I will accompany you."

[Dr. Robotnik]

The rabbit clearly felt rather odd doing all this, as he opened a door next to his stall. The door opened into a small space that looked like a trashy living room. It was the rabbit's home.

Once they were inside, the rabbit would lock the door and close the curtains to keep away curious onlookers. With that done, he would turn to face the robot, still with that confused look on his face.

"Tell me...why do you consider yourself an enemy of Robotnik? Could you give me your story?"

[E-102 Gamma]

Having followed the rabbit into the small space, Gamma backed himself up against the wall, and shifted into his wheeled mode so he wouldn't take up too much space.

"Time since initial activation: Unknown. Time since second activation: Unknown. Initial activation was followed immediately by a training course run, followed by combat testing with preceding model E-101 Beta. This unit was successful in the combat test, and was accepted aboard the Egg Carrier.

From there, the E-100 series was assigned to locate and retrieve a frog with a tail, which had swallowed a piece of Chaos as well as a Chaos Emerald. Upon my success, E-103 through E-105 were remodeled and re-assigned to guarding missions.

My next assignment was to retrieve a bird from one of the jail cells aboard the Egg Carrier. The only other occupant was a girl named Amy Rose. She and the bird, a relative of my power source at the time, convinced me otherwise, and I released them. Without knowing, I was then tasked to eliminate Sonic the Hedgehog. The outcome of the fight was nearing, but Amy Rose stepped in again, and we both stopped.

Dr. Robotnik took a Chaos Emerald from the bird, and fled to the rear of the ship, which was losing altitude. Miles Prower fled the ship, taking Amy Rose with him. I soon followed, once my self-repair systems had made the sufficient repairs for me to do so. As I descended into the Mystic Ruins, I began thinking about what Amy Rose had said to me, and the impression the bird had made. I realized that Dr. Robotnik had imprisoned innocent animals, like the one formerly powering me, inside all of the E-100 series. I then made it my mission to free these animals, and anything else Dr. Robotnik did.

I hunted down the rest of the E-100 series, destroying the robot shells and freeing the animals inside them. E-103 Delta, E-104 Epsilon, E-105 Zeta. Then an upgraded version of E-101 Beta. Upon his defeat, he critically damaged my first shell. But I was... Happy about it. I had freed his animal, and he had freed mine.

And then, some unknown amount of time later, I was re-activated. I am currently powered by a Chaos Drive, and therefor I do not need to break my own shell to free an animal. While the doctor was away, I slipped away, and made my way to the Mystic Ruins once more to continue the mission I had left off. This was not to be, however, as a massive energy surge knocked me offline. When I awoke, I traveled to what I believed to be Station Square, and wound up here instead."

Gamma's posture had drooped slightly during this recollection, showing a bit more of his emotional side, but once he finished, he tightened his stance back up. He looked at the rabbit again. "Is this explanation sufficient?"

[Dr. Robotnik]

The rabbit sat on his couch, with his jaw hanging open slightly. He had not expected such a thorough answer. But then again Gamma was a computerized machine, and computers always processed instructions literally.

To Gamma's last question, he quietly said "...yes." Silence followed that reply for a few seconds, with the rabbit not sure what to say next. It took him a little bit to get another train of thought.

"This place is Station Square, but Robotnik has conquered it. I don't have the parts you want right now, but maybe I can talk to someone about them. If I can get you to them, do you think you could fight Robotnik for us? There are some freedom fighter groups around too. Maybe you could talk to one of them."