To Make an Omelet Chapter 2 Draft v0.6

Omletta piloted the modified EggRobo from her command console, using a keyboard and mouse to control it and a small headset for audio. She saw through its eyes via the monitor, which displayed basic diagnostics about the robot’s current condition, jet fuel, battery life, and inventory. The main item in its inventory was a bomb Omletta placed on its back.

She approached Knuckles’ last known location, a small clearing surrounded by rocky walls. She made the robot grab onto the wall and use its jetpack to uphold the rest of its weight. Looking down, her intel proved itself correct. She saw the Echidna lying down in the grass and enjoying the company of several small animals.

Omletta grabbed her PDA and called her father. He picked up and asked for a sitrep. “I’m at the location, daddy. Knuckles is here, but...”

“Is there an issue?” He inquired.

“Daddy, if I drop the bomb now, it’ll-” Omletta said, but Robotnik cut her off.

“What’s that idiot’s current activity? Is he mobile, or is he stationary? Does he know that you’re there?” Robotnik raised his voice.

“He’s lying down and staying still, and he doesn’t know I’m here, but-”

“Laying down, dearest, not lying.” Robotnik nagged.

“...Wait, what? Isn’t it the other way ar-”

“Are you questioning my intelligence!?” He interrupted. Clearly, Omletta thought, his patience was rather low today.

The heir took a deep breath and did her best to not get flustered. “Look, if I drop the bomb now, it will cause a lot of collateral damage... There’s animals all around him.” She explained.

“So?” Robotnik dismissed. “You may not have another opportunity like this. If he’s stationary and doesn’t know you’re there, then do it. I don’t care about a few Skybound pets!”

“B-But daddy, they’re just innocent animals...” She meekly argued.

Robotnik had none of it. “Omletta, our main threat at the moment are a bunch of animals. What makes this any different? They’re hanging around the enemy, so they are responsible for the consequences of that.”

“B-But daddy-”

“Enough!” He snapped. “You have orders. Follow them. Now.”

Omletta felt her face increase in temperature as she clenched her teeth. She felt her eyes grow warm and tingly. “They’re just a bunch of dumb animals that don’t know any better! They don’t know anything! Can’t I just-”

“When will you have another opportunity like this, Omletta!?” Robotnik interrupted again. “If that soon-to-be blasted idiot sees you, he’ll know exactly what we’re up to! Do it, and quickly! We don’t have time to argue about this! Follow your orders!”

Omletta didn’t know what to say at this point. He wouldn’t budge, and he was right about one thing. At this moment in time, the element of surprise was on her side. “Okay... I’ll do it...”

“Excellent. Good luck, my dearest!” Robotnik cheered just as he disconnected from the call.

Slowly, Omletta typed in a command to prime the bomb, then took direct control of the aim. The robot raised the explosive in the air and prepared to throw. Omletta ran a few mental calculations, taking the lack of wind, the distance, the strength of the robot’s arm, and the weight of the bomb itself into account.

Once she finished the math in her head, she input specific commands and numbers that would ensure the explosive landed right at her enemy’s feet. She hoped the sudden large object getting thrown at the animals would scare them off before any of them got hurt.

With the click of a mouse button, the robot did as instructed and tossed its payload. Just as Omletta predicted, it landed right where it needed to be. To her horror, however, the animals only seemed confused rather than alarmed.

Once her quarry realized the gravity of the situation, it was too late. The bomb exploded into a fireball with a loud bang, followed by the sound of fire crackling. The sound startled flocks of birds in the area, sending swarms of them panicking into the sky.

Due to the technical limitations of the robot’s eyes, the screen on the command console flashed white when the bomb detonated. Omletta squinted and raised her arm to shield her eyes. Once the brightness died down, she scanned the robot’s view.

A silent mess greeted her on the screen. The fire quickly died down and left a hazy plume of smoke in its wake. Omletta noticed the silhouettes of several tiny bodies, some of which were in multiple pieces. Her heart sank. She was used to the idea of trapping them inside of her machines as a source of power, but this... Omletta only realized what she had done once she witnessed the aftermath.

She did it, she thought. The echidna was no more. She should be happy, she thought, but she looked at the screen again. She cringed when she noticed a small critter, who had splattered against the rocky wall and slid down to the ground, leaving a dark red trail. What looked to be a pink ribbon wrapped around one of the nearby trees, but she knew what it really was.

Omletta sniffled and wiped her wet eyes with a shaking hand. Her entire body trembled, and she began to hyperventilate. She felt a squeak rising out of her throat, but she stifled it before it could turn into a cry. Omletta reached down and pulled out a bag from her desk drawer, which she used to stabilize her breathing. This is for the greater good, she thought.

After a few moments, a few deep breaths inside the bag, and a moment of relative silence, Omletta rendered herself calm. Mostly. She reached for her PDA to announce her apparent victory, but something on the screen caught her eye. Movement.

Her eyes widened as the echidna stepped out of the smoke, seemingly unharmed save for some scorch marks on his fur. Omletta retook control and hovered the EggRobo just above him. Expecting her quarry to at least be dazed and ripe for a followup attack, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when Knuckles stood up straight and shouted obscenities at the robot. He vowed that he would find the “egg-shaped lunatic” and “put him in his place” whilst shaking his spiked fist.

Omletta input a change of course for the EggRobo and moved it out of sight on one of the cliffs above. Once she was certain Knuckles couldn’t see it anymore, she yanked her headset off and snatched the PDA. She mashed through her contacts and pressed Robotnik’s number. He picked it up after the first ring.

“Situation report! Is the echidna dead, my sweetest little egghead?” Robotnik cooed.

Omletta gulped. “Daddy, he... The explosion, it... I- I don’t know how-”

“Spit it out already, come on!” Her father ordered, snapping his fingers into his own PDA’s microphone. Omletta twitched and flinched with every snap. “You know I can’t stand stuttering and blubbering! I want a sitrep pronto!”

“He survived!” She shouted.

“...He what?”

“Daddy, I did everything right and he’s still alive! The bomb landed right at his feet, and he doesn’t even seem hurt! I don’t understand daddy, why is he alive after that!?” She cried in a shrill tone.

“I should be the one asking you that question!” He spat back with a snarl.

Silence, but for a moment. The heir took in a deep breath, then thought up a defense against any accusations of incompetence. “Daddy, the explosion was really powerful, it- it k-killed a lot of animals, and it left a big mark...” She cringed when she mentioned the creatures dead by her hand. “I can even show you some of the footage, please believe m-”

“I believe you!... I believe you...” Robotnik sighed. His chair squeaked as he leaned back. “It seems we underestimated him. It’s alright, though. We’ll still get him, don’t you worry. I’m putting in the order for a Flamecraft Raze, and we’re going to initiate Plan B-2.”

His daughter gasped. “...Daddy, no. No! You-”

“Oh please, don’t tell me you’re still sour about the first time. The fire put itself out, remember?” He reminded her.

“I remember...” Omletta mumbled. “But... I don’t want to! I don’t like hurting things that we don’t need to! Daddy, you promised we wouldn’t need to do it again!” She felt tears reforming in her eyes.

“Yes, yes, I know. If your explosive hadn't failed, we would have no need to resort to such drastic measures again in the first place!” Robotnik growled.

Omletta grimaced and clenched her hands into fists. Her anger returned. “B-But daddy, you just said we both underestimated him! Why... Why are you going back to blaming me!?” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“It was your explosive, remember?”

Omletta shut the PDA off then and there and slammed it on the desk. She wiped her face and eyes, grabbed a tissue from her desk, and blew her nose. She wiped her eyes again. And again. This time, she just couldn’t seem to turn the waterworks off. Hyperventilation returned and Omletta struggled to catch her breath with the bag again.

As her breathing returned to normal, the PDA rang. Omletta glared at it and let it ring a few times, hoping Robotnik would give up. He didn’t. She picked it up, pressed a button to connect the call, and made sure to not press it up to her ear in case her father started yelling.

“Don’t hang up on me like that.” He stated flatly. “I know this is very upsetting, but listen to me. In these circumstances, we must do everything we can, even if we don’t like it. I’m only going through with the Flamecraft Raze so we can flush that idiot out, nothing more. Trust me, my sweet egghead, we’re going to get through this and we’re going to win. Just think of how proud your mommy must be in Heaven, my dearest.”

Omletta's mother being mentioned didn’t sit right with her, but she couldn’t put it into words. She took in another deep breath and sighed, feeling relieved that she overestimated Robotnik’s rage. Good enough, she thought; best not to provoke. “Ok daddy...” She muttered.

“Good! Now then, get the EggRobo ready. I have no doubts that fool will reach the first checkpoint.... You DID remember to set that up, didn’t you? How about the rest of them?” Robotnik inquired.

“Y-Yes daddy, of course... They’re all ready...”

“Understood. At the first checkpoint, I’m going to place a Flamecraft Mk. I, also known as the ‘Fire Breath’. Set up at the second one, and make sure you use the Flamecraft Mk.. II. There will be a wooden bridge you can burn away right under that idiot’s feet, you see.”

“That’s...” Omletta pondered her father’s words. A small smile crept up her face. “That’s actually a really good idea...”

“See, my dearest? Daddy knows what he’s doing. This is for the best, I promise you.” Robotnik assured her.

Omletta still wanted to protest any more collateral damage, but Robotnik disconnected from the call before she could.

Her PDA dinged with a new message a few moments later. Omletta picked it up and accessed the notification; a message from Robotnik. It read “BTW the flying battery is good again, blah blah blah. If you keep failing he will show up here and I will need you here if that happens. If it does don’t worry about the hangmobile because I know how hard it is to control.”


Despite several failures across Angel Island, all was not lost. With the Master Emerald located in the Skybound temple, the newly repaired Mecha Sonic Mk. II could harvest its energy. She placed the metallic copycat behind a stone pillar, and it waited for her cue. Omletta herself was tasked with providing backup, ensuring that it didn’t have to fight alone again.

Omletta initiated her final surprise attack. The EggRobo piloted an Eggmobile with a grabber claw and chain attached to its bottom, and waited for Knuckles to appear. She ran some diagnostics on Mecha Sonic Mk. II for good measure, which came up nominal. No unrepaired damages, and plenty of energy in its battery thanks to the Master Emerald. She picked up the PDA and called Robotnik. He picked up after the second ring.

“Sitrep?” He asked.

“I’m at the temple, daddy. The EggRobo and Mecha Sonic Mk. II are ready.” She informed him.

“Good. This may be our last chance, so don’t screw it up!” Robotnik hissed.

Omletta’s father disconnected from the call, leaving her to it. As she waited for the enemy to appear, she made a quick retreat to the bathroom and grabbed a bottle of water from a drawer in her desk. She drafted a message in her PDA announcing Knuckles’ arrival and prepared to send it once he did.

An alert popped up on the command console’s screen that indicated a spike in Chaos Energy somewhere nearby. Omletta put her water down and put her headset on. A beam of light shot up from somewhere below, carrying the echidna, and stopping once he landed. Omletta sent the drafted message and took a deep breath.

Knuckles stood up, cracked his namesakes, and flashed an angry, yet anticipating grin once he saw the EggRobo. “Automaton!” He bellowed. “This time, you will not evade my wrath! I will take back what has been stolen, and your deceitful master will regret ever setting foot on my homeland!”

Even if it was for the war’s sake, as well as her own in the long run, it didn’t stop the guilt from pulling at her heart. She fought for her own homeland, too, and yet she recognized herself as an invader. “I must make sacrifices. I’m sorry.” She thought aloud, knowing the echidna couldn’t hear her.

Tired of waiting, Knuckles took off in a sprint towards the EggRobo with his hands balled into spiked fists. Omletta flinched in her seat, but she remained steadfast. She hovered her hand over her keyboard, ready to parry at any moment.

The echidna jumped up high and raised his right arm. Just as he was mere feet away, Omletta inputted a keyboard shortcut and pulled the Eggmobile up. A claw and chain shot out from underneath the vehicle and snatched her quarry right out of the air. She noted a brief look of surprise on Knuckes’ face just before he fell out of view.

What Omletta found odd though, was the fact that Knuckles didn’t struggle or attempt to flee. She checked, double-checked, and rechecked the claw’s sensors. No movement other than his breathing and rapid heartbeat. The heir gulped, unsure of what would happen next. The battleground would be silent if not for the howling wind.

Against her gut feelings that the plan would backfire, she ordered Mecha Sonic to come out of hiding. She moved the enemy towards the copycat and prayed that his end would be quick and painless, and that she wouldn’t be responsible for cleanup.

Omletta input what she hoped would be her last combat-oriented command for the day. The artificial hedgehog curled into a ball and rolled underneath the echidna, preparing to eviscerate him from below. Omletta clenched her eyes and hoped not to bear witness to such a gruesome death.

An alarm sounded from the command console. Her eyes shot open and she realized the validity of her misgivings about this plan. The claw’s sensors indicated heavy damage, but the sound of metal clanking and groaning from her headset indicated it all the same. Knuckles broke free.

Omletta scrambled to her keyboard and input commands to cancel the attack and go into automatic combat mode, but in her haste she made a typo that invalidated the code and returned an error. Before she could rectify her mistake, Mecha Sonic launched itself upwards.

The fake hedgehog ripped apart both the Eggmobile and its passenger, creating a horrible cacophony of metallic screeching and tearing. The diagnostics blared with warnings about severe damage, and the display turned to static with a bang. Her entire body froze. No, she thought. “No no no, please no...” Scrambling, Omletta finished typing out Mecha Sonic’s commands and input another to switch to its view.

Before it could even recover, Knuckles dashed forwards and punched the copycat in the chest. Clearly, he had no patience for gloating. The copycat staggered back and curled into a sharp ball before the enemy could follow up with another punch. Knuckles stopped himself from cutting his hand and stepped back.

Mecha Sonic Mk. II curled into a spindash and shot itself forward, leaving a trail of dust and cracked stone in its wake. Knuckles jumped over his enemy and landed right behind it. The copycat dashed backwards, aiming its sharp quills at the echidna. Knuckles sidestepped the attack and parried with a quick strike to the head.

As the fight unfolded from there, Omletta picked up her PDA, took the headset off, and called Robotnik as she had several times before. She dreaded the yelling, and she dreaded the blame. The call connected.

“Sitrep?” Robotnik inquired in a giddy tone.

“The EggRobo is down!” She shrilled. “Knu- the- the enemy is engaging Mecha-”

“God damn it, Omletta! One job! You have one job, and you consistently-”

“Wait! M-”

“No! No excuses!” Robotnik shouted. “This is unacce-”

“Daddy!” She shouted. “Mecha Sonic is engaging the enemy, and the Master Emerald is right there! It’s not over yet, so stop acting like it is!”

There was a brief pause.

“...Right, right... Mecha Sonic... You finished those repairs after all...” Robotnik sighed. “Okay, dearest, but that red menace better not break through its defenses. Transport is on its way! The least you could- urgh, no, you can’t do anything! You don’t have control over Mecha Sonic! What an idiotic oversi-”

Omletta ended the call before it could devolve any further and placed the PDA on the desk. It rang again soon after, but she refused to answer it. It buzzed and shook the desk, but after a few tries he eventually gave up and stopped calling. Omletta knew that if her creation defeated Knuckles, her father would be too elated to care about the sudden lack of communication. Unfortunately, this did not make her feel any better at this time.

She put the headset back on and looked at the screen. She noticed that Mecha Sonic Mk. II’s eye was cracked, distorting the display to a small degree. Diagnostics warned of damage to the chest, head, and its left leg. From what Omletta saw on the monitor, the battleground was heavily damaged during combat.

Knuckles ran forward as the copycat landed from a failed mid-air attack and punched it in the chest again. The impact rattled the screen. Knuckles must have knocked some screws loose, she thought. The robot dashed back to avoid another punch, and spindashed towards the enemy, which Knuckles evaded with a sidestep. It dashed back once more, which was also evaded with ease. Omletta clenched her fists. “C’mon, c’mooooon!” She whined.

Mecha Sonic picked itself back up, but not quickly enough. The echidna smashed its jaw with a powerful uppercut. He then followed up with a blow to the chest. Omletta bit down on her right thumb and clutched the edge of her desk with her other hand.

Mecha Sonic swung its arm in defense, and Knuckled ducked under it and countered with a jab to the side. A warning blared at the young scientist, and diagnostics reported that the robot’s integrity was at sixty-three percent. Daddy was right, she thought, it truly was an idiotic oversight to not implement remote control functionality.

Knuckles unleashed another follow-up as the copycat flinched from the first one, hitting it in the chest and knocking it down to the ground. Another warning on the screen came through, and diagnostics reported fifty-six percent integrity. Omletta slammed her fist on her desk and bit down even harder. “Nooo!” She screamed through her teeth. She released her thumb from her jaw and thought aloud. “Where’s that transport!?”

Mecha Sonic initiated phase two. It rose to its feet, surging with electricity. “What, you want some more?” Knuckles taunted, raising his fists in a defensive stance. The robot made no attempt to reply. Its eye locked onto the Master Emerald behind its quarry and dashed towards it.

Knuckles saw this as another attack. He sidestepped his enemy and whipped around, flashing another grin. Mecha Sonic approached the Master Emerald and hopped on top of it. It turned around, its sight revealing a look of bewilderment on Knuckles’ face.

It siphoned incredible amounts of energy from the emerald; its jaw dropped and its cranium rose, revealing its one eye to the echidna. Omletta snickered as Knuckles’ bewilderment turned to shock. “Not so confident now, are you!?” She bragged at the screen.

Once the energy transfer completed, Mecha Sonic Mk. II rose into the air with the help of Chaos-powered rocket thrusters and hovered around its foe. Its jaw dropped again, and Omletta’s screen turned white as it fired several bright balls of energy at the echidna. Knuckles dove out of the way, leading most of the projectiles to crash into the ground and blow several chunks away.

One energy ball crashed into a nearby pillar, knocking it down. It nearly fell on top of Knuckles, but he escaped just as it crashed down. Once the screen returned to a visible state, Omletta scanned the screen and felt disappointment and irritation at the echidna’s continued survival.

Omletta tensed up when she noticed the robotic copycat falling back down. She looked at the diagnostics and groaned when she saw that the attack depleted all of the energy taken from the Master Emerald.

Knuckles took his opportunity. He lunged forward and struck Mecha Sonic in the side of the head, shaking its view and further dislodging its eye. It ducked down and dashed away towards the emerald before Knuckles could strike again.

It rose to the top of the emerald once more. As it regained its strength, its eye showed its maker that the echidna had no fear of his enemy’s super form with a smirk. He seemed to know exactly what to do now. Omletta snatched the PDA off the desk and typed in a message asking for the transport to hurry up.

Mecha Sonic Mk. II rose to the air again. As it glided through the air, it released a different attack than before. Iit released several ring-shaped projectiles and scattered them across the battleground, seemingly attempting to give the enemy nowhere to run away to. The attack missed. Knuckles dodged the rings, though one nearly hit his head.

Again, the midair contraption launched another volley of rings, and again, none of them landed. Omletta stood up and kicked her seat away. “No, no! Come on, Mecha! Just hit him already! Why does it have to be so difficult!?” She exclaimed at the display.

The robot fell back down to the ground where Knuckles waited patiently. As it rose to its feet, the red menace charged at it and punched Mecha Sonic in the chest, denting its metal and damaging internal components. The diagnostics dropped from thirty-seven percent integrity down to twenty-two percent in a single hit.

The robot fell onto its back, then curled into a ball. It rolled towards the emerald, but as it unfurled itself to jump on the Master Emerald again, Knuckles leaped in front of it and thrusted a powerful uppercut to its head. Its jaw finally broke away, landing somewhere nearby.

Omletta slammed her fists on the desk again, screaming at the screen. Another hit, located at the chest. Then another, breaking its leg and rendering it immobile. It fell to the ground, twitching and sparking with electricity from loose wires and broken components. Knuckles raised his fist, then struck Mecha Sonic Mk. II one last time with all his might.

Knuckles punched a hole right through the robot and into the ground. Already heavily damaged by the battle, the ground beneath them finally gave way. The sanctuary rumbled, with large pieces falling towards the Land of Darkness.

Omletta sat back in her chair. She hoped the fall would kill the echidna, and that the Master Emerald would somehow survive the fall. She hoped that this would finally be over.

The familiar shape of Sonic’s plane came into view just as Mecha Sonic Mk. II began shutting down. It caught both Knuckles and the Master Emerald out of the air, then flew out of view just as the copycat turned off for good.

“What!?” She screamed at the screen. She stared at the display with wide eyes. Slowly, she shook her head and tried to deny what she just witnessed; the absolute absurdity of it all. The sudden turn of events left her dumbfounded.

The PDA buzzed on the table.


Omletta and Robotnik spent hours in the meeting room with the board, going over everything that went wrong on Angel Island and the Flying Battery. To defend herself, Omletta produced Mecha Sonic Mk. II’s last recordings that depicted Sonic swooping in and ruining everything at the last second on a portable computer hooked up to a projector.

Robotnik paused the video. “As you can see...” He sighed. “This is... not anyone’s fault other than the hedgehog’s. I realize that now.”

The members of the board had varied reactions to what they witnessed. Some pinched the bridges of their noses, a few groaned in irritation, some merely yawned, and some had wide-eyed, baffled expressions on their faces. Omletta merely dropped her shoulders and looked down at the table.

“One hedgehog!?” A commander outburst from his seat. “One hedgehog managed to foil your plans again, sir!?”

“This is getting ridiculous.” Another commented.

“Getting ridiculous? It’s been ridiculous since the beginning! We used to be something to be reckoned with! We were feared!” The commander added. “If word of even the first incident in rural South Island gets to the South Island president-”

“We have reason to believe it already has.” Robotnik interrupted him. He looked to Omletta. “Dearest, have you been performing reconnaissance on Sonic’s home with the badniks I instructed you to station there?”

The heir raised her head and sighed. “Yes da- er- sir... They have recording capabilities as well, and... um...”

“Come on, spit it out!” Robotnik barked.

Omletta flinched, yet she continued. “M-May I stand so I can pull up what I’ve found?”

“Please do.”

Omletta stood from her uncomfortable seat and approached the computer. She ran some commands, clicked a few icons, turned off the projector for a moment to input her password, turned it back on, and showed the board what she found.

The data on the screen displayed radio signals coming from Sonic’s home and South Island Cental’s coordinates. “As I was saying...” One of the members piped up again. “If word gets out about this, which is now clearly the case, then we’ll be laughing stocks.”

“I propose an assassination!” Dr. Grimer spoke up. “Right now, we’re too focused on the big picture when it’s the little things keeping your plans from coming to fruition!”

“...Little things?” Robotnik sneered. “You think this is little? Our plans crashing down and burning because of one mangy, insufferable-!” Robotnik’s voice grew with every word.

“U-Um...!” Omletta interjected. “Sir, I think he might actually... um... have a point...”

Robotnik turned to her again. His eyebrows furrowed, and he prepared to defend himself, but another board member spoke up. “I agree with Dr. Grimer and Ms. Omletta. This is hardly a little thing of course, and it needs to be addressed before we can move forward.”

Other members of the board nodded their heads in agreement, some even expressing vocal agreement. Robotnik sighed. “Very well. While I wish to pursue the Chaos Emeralds so we may initiate a takeover of The Land of the Sky as we’ve discussed, this pest is too big of an obstacle to ignore.”

“So then.” Grimer said. “How should we go about this?”

Silence engulfed the room. When the room wasn’t silent, the occasional idea involving attacking Sonic directly got shot down just as quickly as they came up. Sonic could easily outrun and outmaneuver any robotic hit squads sent to his island. They already tried hacking into Tails’ computer systems on several occasions. They couldn’t even invade or directly interfere with the structural integrity of his home without drawing too much attention from the Skybound military.

“What if we drew him out?” Omletta suggested.

“What, with a hostage?” A board member sarcastically countered. “No, that wouldn’t-”

“Wait!... Wait...” Robotnik interjected. “That... That can work! What we need to figure out is who Sonic cares about enough for him to stick his neck out...” He twisted his mustache as he thought aloud. “We can’t cause too big of a scene, though...”

“What if that’s exactly our problem?” Grimer suggested. “We’re too focused on silly backwaters like rural South Island and Westside Island when we should be taking the fight to them!”

“Yes, we take the fight to them and get our asses handed to us on a silver platter again!” Robotnik exclaimed. “We cannot beat the Skybounders in a direct fight, let alone with our previous capabilities! You are suggesting suicide, Grimer. You may as well tie the noose yourself.”

Grimer averted his gaze and scoffed with his arms crossed. “We could remedy that, you know...”

“...And just what do you mean by that, Grimer?” Robotnik growled. “What is your problem with our current designs? Can you find it within you to admit even one advantage!?”

Grimer paused and thought for a moment. “Logistics and construction come to mind. I will admit that your daughter’s robots have some merit in such things, but they are mere distractions in battle rather than anything worth spending ammunition on. Not to mention that they are brightly colored and flashy, making them easy to spot! Ambushes are a pipedream unless you’re fighting in some playhouse for... you know... children!” As he spoke that last word, he stared daggers at Omletta.

The young scientist lowered her head and raised her shoulders, cringing as she did so. Robotnik stood up from his seat and planted his hands firmly on the table. “Grimer, tell me...” He snarled. “What is your last name?”

Grimer cleared his throat. “W-Wormtongue, sir...?”

“You are not asking the question Grimer, I am. Your last name, and do not say it as if it’s a question again or so help me...”

“Wormtongue...” The green doctor said flatly.

“Indeed. You see, if you cannot watch your tongue, I will treat it as a worm and use it as fish bait. Are we clear?” Robotnik threatened in a low voice.

Grimer sighed. “I... I apologize, sir. I lost my composure.” He took in a deep breath with closed eyes, then continued while his window of opportunity was still open. “But please, sir. Understand that my position on this matter is genuine. We cannot continue with the current strategies in place any longer, let alone attempt a high profile assassination. Our military needs some... adjustments.”

“Adjustments...” Robotnik parroted. He adjusted his posture and stopped to think for a moment. “Speak quickly, and stay on point. You are still on thin ice...” He warned.

“Yes sir. I suggest we integrate our guardbots into our primary military force, and increase production. We need offensive units equipped to traverse urban environments and capable of using firearms if we are to move forward.” Grimer answered.

A board member perked up. “Guardbots are expensive to make, hence why they are not on the front lines. Instead of guardbots, I propose we use the cheaper EggRobos and cut down on badnik production to compensate?”

Robotnik scratched his head, humming in deep thought. He turned to Omletta. “Dearest?”

The heir flinched and came to a quick answer. “S-Sure! That can work!” She chirped. “We can still... um... use the badniks for l-logistics and um... construction and uh... other things...?”

“Hmm... Grimer.” Robotnik called for the scaly one’s attention. “You may let your emotions get the better of you more times than remotely appropriate, but it seems you are still good for something. You sparked productive dialogue for once. Keep it that way, and you will go far.”

Grimer himself sheepishly nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“Indeed. In times like these, discipline is one of the few things we have left. I will not sit idly by as pesky emotions get in the way of that. Now that we have that out of the way, where were we before?” The egg-shaped doctor asked.

“A plan to assassinate Sonic, sir.” A board member reminded him.

“Thank you. Now then, if our main obstacle is the hedgehog, who should we capture, and how do we assassinate him when he comes to the hostage’s rescue?” The Robotropolis leader inquired. He turned his attention to his daughter. “Dearest, any thoughts?”

She stood up straight and sharply inhaled through her nose. “U-Um...! I... uh... Well- T-The South Island president?” She flashed an uneasy smile and weakly chuckled. The members of the board murmured among themselves with raised eyebrows and confused expressions.

“The president... Hm... We do indeed have plans to assassinate him since he is such an important political figure. Besides, those ungrateful Skybounders sure do like that buffoon...” Robotnik mused.

“Wait, really?” Omletta asked. “His citizens like him?”

“Haven’t you paid any attention, Omletta? Of course they do, they’ve elected him twice in a row now! Come now, you’re smarter than this.” Her father sneered.

“S-Sorry... But if they like him, they won’t want any harm to come to him, right? They’ll be scared to do anything and they’ll listen to our demands... right? Can’t we... uh... s-storm the South Island President’s Office and set up a trap for Sonic? We can solve two problems at once like that.” Omletta suggested. The more she talked and thought it through, the more she liked her own idea.

Conversation paused as the board members considered her plan. She ended up with mixed reactions from the crowd. Some praised the plan, while others doubted it and called it “too risky.” Robotnik, however, initially showed no reaction.

“Sir?” A member requested Robotnik’s attention. “Your thoughts?”

“Heh... heheh... Ha! Ahah! Ahahahahaha!” Robotnik laughed with increasing intensity until it turned maniacal and loud. He came forward and swept Omletta off the ground, who reacted with a surprised squeak. “Yes! Yes, Omletta!” He held her up by her armpits and smiled upon her. “That is brilliant! Why didn’t I think of this first!?”

Omletta’s startled shock at the sudden embrace was soon replaced by giddiness and pride. She giggled and laughed alongside him, which rubbed off on everyone else. The mood of the room brightened, despite continued resistance from a few members, including Grimer.

Robotnik eventually calmed and placed Omletta back down. “This meeting is officially over with, everyone. Tomorrow, we will discuss the assassination plan, as well as recovery efforts for what remains of the Death Egg.” He pulled out his PDA and checked the time. “I would love to discuss this now, but it is best that we discuss this further after a good night’s sleep!”

Omletta yawned and rubbed her eyes. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Edit
Pub: 21 Jun 2022 07:51 UTC
Edit: 09 Jul 2022 17:17 UTC
Views: 223