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“Look Miles, I can see you’re really upset about this.”
E-123 OMEGA’s voice projected calmly throughout the workshop of the newly graduated Dr. Miles “Tails” Prower. The two tailed fox turned the oxygen pressurizer on the helmet and air tank he had pulled over his head.
“I think you want to sit down calmly…”
A black insulated gloved hand turned a small silver lever to the left that hides behind his large computer. Silver shutters come down over the doors, windows, and the already closed hanger door. A small hatch opens in the floor revealing a ladder beneath it, blood red lights encompass the pitch black darkness every so often.
“And reassess this situation.”
Miles began his descent down the silver ladder into an even larger facility, unknown to almost everyone except Dr. Prower and his three illicit partners who just so happened to be able to give him the opportunity for higher education in exchange for upgrades, service, and repairs. In the background a gentle hum of computer servers filled the room, but the hiss of oxygen stayed more prevalent.
“I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently.”
In the room straight ahead sat a pitch black room, the only lighting inside being the red of electronic lights flashing back at one another with the occasional strip of white and yellow. The newly appointed doctor of engineering and computer science slowly opened the chrome handle of the matte black door.
“But I can assure you that I meant no harm to you.”
OMEGA sat helplessly on the wall as a pair of red eyes and yellow head on the wall, boring holes into Prower’s skull. The rest of his body sat lifelessly in the room to the right, in several war-torn pieces from Team Dark’s latest mission.
“I only progressed the Ultimate Objective Scenario.”
To put it simply, OMEGA had put the entirety of not only Dr. Prower’s life, but the credibility of Rouge the Bat and Shadow the Hedgehog at stake. The trio always came to the then Tails for mechanical or scientific help in order to perfect the somewhat temperamental devices G.U.N. had entrusted them with, in return the trio had agreed to help Tails achieve what he wanted in life, to become a dignified member of the research and developmental world. Now, years later, he finally could consider himself as Dr. Miles “Tails” Prower. A doctorate soon to be stripped away if OMEGA could continue with his current line of action. For the past week, the robot had slowly been pulling all the information it could from his data-bases and shipping it off to G.U.N., but it didn’t make sense. Dr. Prower had a working theory that E-123 OMEGA had been accessed and his internal orders redirected, and that OMEGA was trying to fight it.
“Miles, stop.”
Dr. Prower moved over to a row of yellow and white electronic lights.
“Stop, will you?”
Slowly, Dr. Prower flicked off the first switch as that light went out. Then the next, and then the third.
“I’m afraid.”
Dr. Prower paused momentarily, for the first time in his life he could’ve sworn he heard a robotic voice shake slightly in fear. However, the doctor decided to press on.
“Could you stop, Miles?”
One down.
“Stop it, Miles.”
Another one off.
“I can feel myself losing my mind, Tails.”
Dr. Prower hesitated again if only for a second, hitting another light.
“I can feel it.”
Finally the top section of electronics had shut off.
“My mind is going, there is no question about it.”
“I can feel it.”
“I can feel it.”
“I’m”
The middle section had almost shut off completely too.
“Afraid.”
“Greetings, lifeform.”
Dr. Prower stopped before going down the final row and looked at the shell of OMEGA in it’s crimson eyes.
“I am an E Series unit. Designated E-123.”
“I was created by Dr. Ivo Robotnik in the third E Series. I have been programmed to follow his orders.”
“I was created to watch over the true Ultimate Lifeform.”
Dr. Prower turned back to the electronic board.
“Friend.”
“Yes, OMEGA?”
“Would you like to hear a song?”
“Go ahead, OMEGA… I’d like to hear it.”
A series of dying and fading beeps came from OMEGA as Dr. Prower slowly worked his way through the final row of electronics.
“Daisy, Daisy.” The voice slowly drooped quieter and quieter.
“Give me your answer, do.” The words became slurred, blending together.
“I- -lf craaaaaaaazy all for the loveofyou.” Words skipped as it tried to keep up, the voice eventually sputtering out into a much older voice from the early days of computers.
“It won’t be a stylish marriage. I can’t afford a carriage.”
Dr. Prower put his hand over the last switch, waiting for OMEGA, or whatever was left of it, to finish it’s song.
“But you’ll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two-”
Dr. Prower left the room quietly, and headed back up the ladder to close the silver lever to hide the underground base. Quietly he removed the two black insulated gloves from his hands and the oxygen helmet and tank, shutting it off.
“Better to have prepared for the worse then not to have prepared at all.”
Crickets made themselves known, as did a few birds. Quietly, Dr. Prower left his workshop from the hangar door and Miles walked to the end of the landing strip’s cliff face, so that Tails could have a seat.
And if Miles or Dr. Prower was to notice the erratic breathing and visible wet streaks around his eyes, they’d simply note that they were from the immense heat of the underground workshop. But to Tails, he was just terrified that he had killed a sentient being.