Embedded Files
Five months ago.
Colonel Tig Stripe glanced out of the window. The darkness of night added to the cover provided by Knothole Forest. Treacherous and difficult to traverse, the forest had provided an adequate hiding place for many of those caught in the crossfire of Doctor Robotnik’s latest attempt at planetary conquest. Stripe looked at one of those individuals in particular. Prince Tufftee Acorn.
As part of emergency measures, the royal family had been split up in the wake of King Nigel’s capture by Doctor Robotnik’s forces. Queen Alicia and heir to the throne Prince Elias had been taken to an undisclosed location by Colonel Sommersby. Initially, the Royal Secret Service were to take the queen to her own hiding place. Caught in the crossfire of a Badnik attack, though, Alicia was wounded and Elias refused to leave her side. For his own protection, Tufftee was now being looked after here in Knothole Forest. Stripe couldn’t imagine how hard the last month had been for the boy. Sometimes he would repeat a heartbroken phrase:
“I wish Sally was here”
But Sally was dead.
And so were all of her friends. Tails, Porker, Johnny, Tux, Joe, Chirps, Flicky, Rotor, Bunnie, Antoine and Dulcy. All gone.
And so was Sonic the Hedgehog.
Colonel Stripe almost felt a twinge of guilt- the thought that the planet’s safety had been entrusted to children because the adults had failed. And now those children had been failed once more, and paid the ultimate price. One month ago, Robotnik’s coup began in the Green Hill Zone. Sir Charles Hedgehog and his assistant Ben Muttski had both been captured and roboticized, a cruel irony played out by fate given Sir Charles- Uncle Chuck to his friends- had been the one who invented the Roboticizer, hoping to use it for good, before Robotnik got his hands on it and perverted it.
Sonic’s mother Bernadette was reported missing not long after and surveillance suggested she too had been roboticized. No doubt Robotnik took extra pleasure in not merely encasing Sonic’s loved ones inside Badniks but actively turning them into robots.
But it seemed Robotnik had outright killed all of those he deemed a threat. And now things looked dire.
MP Bull Bones’ fist slammed onto the desk, jolting Stripe out of his daydream, “For goodness sake, we have to stop this madman- and now!”
Stripe and his unit had taken to having daily meetings with one another to report on matters relating to the security of those who had formed Knothole Village, as well as any news regarding Robotnik. Diminuitive bulldog Bones, diligent woodpecker Sir Peckers, reconnaissance expert giraffe Spot Long and the irritable king cobra Private Trey Scales all served white tiger Stripe out of honour, duty and respect, and their unit had helped bring the villagers together during unimaginably trying times.
Stripe remained cool in the face of Bones’ outburst, “And what, pray tell, would you have us do?”
Bones shrank into his chair, forced to admit defeat, “I don’t know, sir. But we have to do something.”
Long nodded, “With all due respect, sir, I agree with Bull. The longer we restrict our movement to this one area, the more of Mobius Robotnik is able to conquer with his Badniks and his Roboticizer.”
Sir Peckers tried to reason with his friends, “But a direct attack would be foolhardy. We lack the resources needed to win- including enough Mobians to amass an army.”
Stripe breathed deeply and sighed, rubbing his chin, “In truth, I have been giving this matter a great deal of thought as of late. And the fact is, you are both right. So, to that end- we follow both approaches.” Off the confused looks of his men, Stripe rose, “If there is one thing that rings true to my heart, it’s that doing nothing while evil exists is the worst crime of all. And I will fight evil as long as there is breath in me. Sir Peckers is correct- we have no army at our disposal. The king’s army were among the first to be captured and, in truth, our unit was lucky to survive. But survive we did, thanks to our collective skills. And it is those skills that will allow us to coordinate a strategic sabotage against Robotnik. We will sneak into Robotnik’s bases of operations and acquire his own resources to use against him. We will specialise in hit and run style operations. We attack and weaken Robotnik’s infrastructure. Though we may number only five, over time we can chip away at Robotnik’s stranglehold and eventually free West Side Island!” Stripe cleared his throat before continuing, “I cannot promise it will be easy. In fact, quite the opposite. I am proposing we face the most difficult challenge of our careers. If any of you do not wish to follow me in my plan, speak now- and I give you my word that you will never be spoken ill of.”
A silence followed.
Bones stuck his fist towards the centre of the roundtable the men found themselves sat at, “I’m with you, Colonel.”
Peckers met the fist with his wing, “And I.”
Long’s fist joined the other two, “Was there ever any doubt?”
Private Scales said nothing, but touched his tail to the others’ fists as if imitating a fist-bump.
Stripe nodded, “Thank you, gentlemen. It is my privilege to serve as your commanding officer.”
Over the following months, Stripe led his men in strategic strikes on Robotnik’s forces and factories. They saw to it that supply lines were disrupted, Badniks were busted, civilians were saved and countless Mobians were inspired. Some aided Stripe and his men where possible in their mission, giving them a sort of army after all. Some were unable to offer much, but all offered their gratitude.
And then came the fateful day.
Rumour spread that King Nigel had been held captive in Robotnik’s Robotropolis Castle- the mechanised wasteland that had formerly been the beautiful capital of Mobotropolis, where the castle once stood as that of the Acorn family. It was almost too cruel, that Stripe and his men had been so close to the king’s location for so long and yet so far.
Under cover of night, they slipped into the castle via a ventilation shaft. While the castle had been remodelled to Robotnik’s liking, the infrastructure remained the same- and Stripe and his men knew King Acorn’s castle like the backs of their hands. Long managed to lead the team into the castle’s roboticization chamber. The group clambered out of the vent into the quiet room.
And then a door slid open.
“General Stripe,” Doctor Robotnik announced his arrival, flanked by a pair of sleek, black SWATbots and a pair of red and silver Trooper Badniks, each of them armed to the teeth with oversized laser rifles “So good of you to visit.”
Bull’s eyes were drawn to the figure standing at Robotnik’s side, a smirk on his face next to the flashing ALERT button he had just pressed. Bull’s heart sank, “Why, Scales? Why?”
Private Scales had betrayed his fellows, “Because Robotnik offered me power and control. I don’t want to become a robot. I’m happy to serve if it saves my hide. You guys always knew the Acorns weren’t my royal family.” He glanced upward at his hat, bearing the mark of his old local militia, “I’m from the Southern Baronies, remember? Anyway, let’s be real here- you can’t trust a snake. It’s within my nature!”
Stripe ignored Scales entirely, “So, you have us where you want us, Robotnik. Now what?”
“First,” Robotnik raised a finger, “you’ll address me as Doctor Robotnik. Second, I must commend you on your recent activities. You’ve become a real thorn in my side.” He glanced down at Scales, “So I had to do some planting of my own. And third… this.”
Robotnik pointed up at the ceiling. The upper component of the Roboticizer loomed large. Stripe stood form, but he knew he was out of options.
“Let’s see if this new Roboticizer is up to snuff, shall we?” Robotnik grinned. Then, in a sudden movement, he snatched up the much smaller Scales with one hand and hurled him into the centre of the room with the others before pressing a button on a wall panel, sliding the door shut between him and the animals.
Scales screamed, “No! No! We had a deal, Robotnik!”
“True enough,” Robotnik admitted as he crossed to a control panel, “but then you just told everyone you can’t trust a snake. So why would I ever let you serve as my underling? I’m afraid I’m particular about the company I keep.” Then, with malice dripping from his words, Robotnik added, “It’s within my nature.”
With the push of a button, the room-sized Roboticizer activated. Within seconds, the Mobians were all transformed into living robots, servants of Robotnik. But, on this particular day, Robotnik’s cruelty knew no bounds.
“Now, you all came here in search of your king, yes?” Robotnik sneered at his unanswering metal slaves, “Well, you won’t find him here. No, he’s gone somewhere far away. But I can help you find him!”
Robotnik flicked a switch and a wall panel slid away. Impossibly, behind the wall was a void, a vacuum of nothingness sucking in everything in its wake. And in its wake were the roboticized forms of Colonel Tig Stripe, MP Bull Bones, Sir Peckers, Spot Long and Private Trey Scales.
And then they weren’t.
Robotnik flicked the switch back and the wall panel slide over, covering the gateway to the void once more. The devious doctor grinned an evil grin, chuckling to himself.
“Now, then,” he announced, “I have things to do. I’m going to see how Project Metallix is coming along.” He turned to a roboticized Mobian standing in the corner of the control room, “In the meantime, you are tasked with guarding this room. I should think you’d quite like that- being so close to your finest creation. Wouldn’t you agree, Sir Charles?”
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