Robotropolis- Things That Do Not Work

[DB]

Without incident the group arrived to, for most, was considered the most dreaded room in all Robotropolis- that which housed the infamous roboticizer. Everything had already been prepared in advance, the machine giving a quiet hum as it had already been warmed up; after all, Robotnik had been expecting to use it on Sonic. However, the prisoner was, regretfully, not that particular rodent (even though colour and species did match), but there was still no reason to let this all go to waste.

The SWATbots that had been carrying Merce now brought him over to the machine, tossing him roughly into the glass cylinder and shutting the door behind him. Robotnik himself took the place at the controls, his fingers grazing over the buttons. It’d only take a few button presses to have the machine spring to action, but he didn’t yet do so. There were things he wanted to get out of the way beforehand.

“Now then, questions… How are you connected to the attacks that happened today?”

[Jamie Lee]

Merce grunted as he slammed into the glass wall. As he pulled himself up and rubbed at his arm he frowned as he glanced around at the machine. Though, otherwise he seemed... oddly unfazed.

Though inside he felt uneasy, casually he leaned against the chamber and gave Robotnik a nonchalant look through the glass.

"I am an acquaintance to Rush and a..." he paused. "... Friend of his father, but that is all."

[DB]

Robotnik's fingers continued to hover over the start buttons.

"Rush? Who would that be?"

[Jamie Lee]

"The android whom I requested maintenance for," he shrugged. "My turn. What is your relation to Ivo Robotnik?"

[DB]

Robotnik raised a brow at this.

"Who?"

[Jamie Lee]

Though he had already pretty much accepted the fact he had somehow found himself in a new dimension, this was the final confirmation.

"Ivo Robotnik, though he is most famous for the name Eggman. I was merely curious to know if you were both somehow related, seeing as Robotnik is not a common surname, especially for those whom are associated with robotics."

He pushed himself off the glass, turning toward the door and furrowing his brow when he saw he reflection in its thick tempered glass. Calmly he pressed a hand to it and gave it a hard push, analyzing his strength against it. His eyelids lowered slightly, realizing he probably wasn't going to be able to smash it open with his current strength.

Glancing back at Robotnik, he shrugged again. "Idle curiosity."

[DB]

Robotnik rubbed his chin(s) pondering over what he was just told. The person who he'd been dealing with earlier had also mentioned an 'Eggman', but that person had also mentioned something of portals and alternative universes.

"Tell me more about this... 'Eggman'."

[Jamie Lee]

Tell him more? Merce mentally debated over whether or not he should. Seeing as he had now apparently perked this tyrant's interest, maybe if he could prove himself useful...? And probably be tossed aside as soon as he knew what he wanted. Sigh, the situations he got himself in.

Simulating a bored yawn, the hedgehog android resumed leaning against the side of the chamber.

"Dr. Eggman is considered to be the pinnacle of robotics engineering. He is viewed by the government as an international terrorist determined to overthrow the government and seat himself as emperor of the world. However, his intentions are entirely noble," his expression seemed to darken a bit as he studied his clawed fingertips. "The only thing that has kept him from achieving this goal is a teenager named Sonic the Hedgehog, among other kids whom often lend him support."

One of his ears twitched suddenly, and he idly reached up to scratch at an itch irritating it. "Might I ask what I have done to offend you? Mistaken identity aside, I recall causing no harm."

[DB]

Robotnik listened to the hedgehog with interest. This more or less confirmed what he had been thinking- like the other intruder from earlier, this hedgehog was possibly from another reality entirely. He smirked- this presented lots of possibilities. He'd have to investigate this further... but first, to get rid of the hedgehog.

It's unconcerned attitude was beginning to annoy him anyway (another thing supporting the 'another universe' hypothesis. Anyone from THIS universe would be shaking in their boots if they were in that hedgehog's place).

"You're a hedgehog. That's reason enough."

And the Roboticizer was activated.

[Jamie Lee]

Merce stared at the tyrant with indignation and disbelief. Because he was a hedgehog? THAT was his reason?! So shocked was he over that answer that for a brief moment he had actually forgotten where he was - until the machine's hum grew so loud he could no longer ignore it. Setting his jaw with uncertainty her turned and slammed his fist into the door, hoping his strength would be enough to break it open.

All he succeeded in doing was hurting his hand upon collision.

Merce cried out as the pain shot through his synthetic nerves, cradling his hand and glaring at the door. As he was psyching himself up to try again, the small tingly sensation of an electrical current began to crawl its way through his skin and wires. His quills reflexively bristled outward and his face contorted in surprise. The strange vibrations quickly spread themselves upward until it felt it everywhere from his fingers to the tips of his ears. The sensation intensified, disrupting his own electrical communications. The android's balance servos began to struggle, causing his legs to buckle until he finally stumbled backward and crashed into the glass behind him. Simulating heavy breaths with the amount of alarm being signaled to them, Merce tried to dig his shaking hands into the glass to keep himself upright.

The artificial muscles in his face had begun to twitch wildly. In the back of his mind Merce struggled frantically to reroute power and get control back over himself. If he could just unlock this form and reshape into something stronger--!

But the command to break his form wouldn't respond.

Fear began to clutch at him as he realized this machine had him completely at its mercy. Fear and... something else. The tickling sensation in his skin was overwhelming, closing in around him, coming at him from all sides! At first his mind, unable to understand it, registered it as pain. But slowly it began to change... began to cause a shift in his frantic thought...

If one was paying attention they would have noticed his ruby red irises suddenly shift in color to a brilliant emerald green.

Merce convulsed, looking very much like he were in the throes of a seizure. His eyes bulged and watered and suddenly... his mouth curled upward into a twisted grin and then, bizarrely enough... giggled. It was soft at first, but it quickly grew in force at the tickling sensation refused to relent. His hands let go of the chamber walls and he shakily clutched at his midsection, involuntarily sliding down the wall until he now sat on his bottom on the machine's floor. After a few seconds he was chucklingly openly, and quickly progressed into all out shrieks of elation as he toppled over onto his side and squirmed around on the floor.

As the no doubt disturbing scene took place within the roboticizer's chamber, outside the machine had begun to smoke and give off an alarmingly loud buzzing and grinding sound. Sparks began to spit at several angles and alarm sirens blared wildly.

Finally, there was a loud snap followed by the sound of electricity crackling through the air as the internal wiring and circuitry, finally unable to take anymore of the strain placed onto it, blew inside the machine's casing.

[DB]

When the hedgehog tried to break the glass with his bare fists, Robotnik chuckled.

When the hedgehog stumbled back and began to convulse, Robotnik smirked.

When the hedgehog giggled, Robotnik's smirk suddenly became a frown.

When the hedgehog began to all out laugh, one of Robotnik’s eyebrows began migrating upwards at an alarming speed.

And when the roboticizer started to freaking EXPLODE, Robotnik panicked.

“TURN IT OFF, YOU INSIPID MORONS!” Or course, he needed not to of yelled that. The moment the machine had began to protest the workerbots had gone their way, trying to shut down the Roboticizer before any further damage was done.

However, not quick enough, much to Robotnik’s rage, and smoke began to fill the room from the failing machine.

Robotnik waved his mechanical hand trying to ward the smoke away from him and scowled. “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?”

[Jamie Lee]

While Robotnik and the workerbots around him panicked and struggled to get things back under control, inside the chamber, Merce simulated heavy breaths as he laid halfway curled into a fetal position. Immediately he began running an automatic diagnostic scan and attempting to repair any damage. His body twitched and shuddered, the tingling sensation in his skin persisting as he struggled to restore the electrical connections in his limbs and synthetic muscles.

When the machine had begun to explode, smoke had begun to seep into the chamber, and soon the fake hedgehog found himself hacking and sputtering as it became too thick for his filters. Switching his breathing mechanism off, he slowly began to pull himself up into a sitting position, looking around in disorientation. His eyes, which had still been an emerald hue up until this point, quickly switched back to their usual shade of red when he realized his vision was obscured by smoke.

Merce groaned and rubbed at his head, the tingling now having faded into a dull ache. Slowly his system worked its way back up to 100%, and has that happened, he began to wonder. What in the hell happened to him a few moments ago?! One moment he had been terrified, and the next he... he felt...

He shook his head, banishing away those thoughts. He'd have time to think about it later, right now he had to focus on getting away from Julian.

He pulled himself up to his feet, his legs still a little wobbly. He couldn't see two inches in front of his nose through the smoke's thickness, so he reached his arms out and began to feel around at the chamber.

It was still standing intact.

He frowned, waving his hand and trying to clear some of the smoke away from his face and chewed on his lip for a moment in thought. They were gonna have to open the chamber's door sooner or later. Luckily for him, the smoke was providing a perfect cover.

Immediately he liquefied into a puddle in the bottom of the chamber and began to wait.

[DB]

Due to it's malfunction, and partly due to the frantic button mashing fest that was meant to be 'damage control', the door of the roboticizer clicked open.

Robotnik, in meanwhile, was trying to ward off massive clouds of smoke. Usually smoke and such didn't bother him (heck, at times he seemed to actually enjoy it), but everyone has their limits. This was his. Not to mention, it obscured his vision.

Seeing as he was still bellowing the demand for answers of what just happened, he did not notice the fact that the door of the roboticizer had popped open a tish in it's damaged state. And seeing as he was blinded by smoke, he certainly didn't notice the hedgehog inside had melted.

[Jamie Lee]

The metallic puddle of goo that had only moments earlier been a hedgehog modeled android heard the click, though in his current form it echoed to him as if he were underwater. Taking his opportunity he slithered toward it and slipped through the opening. The smoke was proving to be a perfect cover, however it also made navigating difficult, especially with the perspective much lower than when he had entered (not to mention everything appeared like it was under water).

Listening intently to his surroundings and focusing on his radar, he took special care to avoid being stepped in by the worker bots milling about frantically. Immediately he began to head toward where he remembered the entrance was.

And like a light at the end of a dark tunnel, the entrance appeared, opened up to vent out the smoke in the room. The silvery metallic puddle quickly began to slink its way toward it, breaking into freedom and continuing to creep along the side of the walls until he was several hallways away. He stopped and glanced around, spotting the opening for an air duct. With no soldiers in sight he decided now would be a good time to reform...

Merce glanced around to either side again as soon as he was solid, double checking to make sure he was alone. He leapt up, latching onto the vent cover. It was screwed shut, but that didn't phase him. Again his body liquefied and he slipped easily through the grate. Reforming again inside the unusually large vent he began to head off.