Work Text:
Doctor Eggman had many bases littered across the planet to create his mechanical minions and this was one of them. Or, at least, it had been until a hulking red robot tore through it without mercy. Scrap metal was strewn about, exposed wires sparked, and capsules were laid to waste.
Androids made in the image of the Ultimate Lifeform were rent asunder, some half in and half out of the destroyed capsules that served as their wombs. They were all a dark metallic gray with stripes of varying colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and pink. Their eyes were black screens, the glowing red eyes out on most of them, still flickering on some.
In a corner of the room, a pile of metal wreckage shook then parted as a metallic hand burst forth. Groping for anything to offer stability, the hand dug itself out of the pile, followed by an arm and the rest of its body. An orange-striped Shadow Android stood up shakily and stared ahead.
There was a hairline crack on its right eye, causing minor distortion in the bottom right portion of its vision—a blind spot to account for. Its left lower leg was severely damaged, the metallic skin-like casing torn off below the knee. It's left foot was smashed, severed wires sparking, and broken hydraulic lines leaking. It stepped forward carefully, slowly limping as it's left foot was mostly dead weight.
It made its way out from behind the capsules and knelt down next to a fellow android. This one had it's CPU torn out from the back of its head. Another nearby was pulled limb from limb. Another still was bisected straight down the middle.
The orange-striped android stood up again, wobbly, and surveyed the rest of the damage. Some androids were torn apart like those, others were blown apart by heavy firepower, and some were half-melted. A quick scan showed that none of them were still online and further investigation proved that their CPUs were all beyond repair.
The android looked at its reflection in the broken glass of a capsule. It was dirty and grimy, covered in oil and rubble. It held up a hand and looked down at it.
"I am the only survivor."
The android looked back to the carnage, unsure how to proceed. The logical course of action was to seek out another of Eggman's bases or regroup with Eggman himself. Any nearby bases had a high chance of being similarly destroyed or in the process of being raided, which would not aid in its survival. There was also a chance of Eggman viewing the android as a failure despite surviving and having it terminated anyway.
The E-series robot that tore through the base would likely not be back, so staying would be safest. Accepting this new directive, the android began cleaning up the place, dragging rubble and android parts into different piles. One of the androids began to twitch but as its head and CPU were melted, the orange-striped one simply reached into its body cavity and pulled out its power core.
Cleaning up the base would be a task in and of itself, but the android had no way to actually repair the building. Even with tools, it was not equipped for such a task. It was made only for destruction.
Hours would pass before the base would have another visitor. An orange fox in a purple hoodie crept into the base, cautiously looking around. She jumped and let out a yelp as a pile of rubble settled, then looked over at the pile of dismembered androids.
"Wow, someone really did a number on this place!"
The fox tossed a piece of rubble onto the pile of androids to test if any moved, if any were still active. Certain they were not, she moved on to explore the rest of the facility. Just as she started to relax, she heard footsteps.
"Intruder alert!"
The orange-striped android stepped out of the Shadows as the fox spun around. The android stood unsteady as the fox automatically got into a defensive pose. Her tail flicked from side to side, showing she was eager to strike.
"One of Eggman's robots is still kicking, huh? Guess I'll finish you myself."
The fox wasted no time in charging at the android and swiping at it with an enflamed kick. The android effortlessly blocked the attack but became unbalanced, it's one leg barely functioning. It attacked with a flurry of punches which the fox barely dodged.
One landed and knocked the fox off her feet. She rolled and hopped back up quickly but not quick enough. The android grabbed her by her tail and tossed her aside. She landed right on a busted crate full of blue power cores. Absorbing several, she got on her feet and ran at the android.
After trading several blows, the fox aimed a kick right on the android's left ankle, blowing it out. The android collapsed, landing on its back. It rolled over and tried to crawl away, but the fox stamped her foot down on the damaged ankle.
The android pushed forward anyway, its left foot falling off the rest of the way. It got on one leg and attempted to hop away but it was unable to compensate. The fox easily kicked it over and it slid across the ground.
"You're unusually tenacious."
The fox grabbed a nearby crowbar and strode over to the android. She placed a foot on its chest and wedged the crowbar between its head and body.
"Please..." the android begged, its right eye glitching.
"Please?" the fox echoed in confusion, taken aback by such an organic reaction. "You're one of Eggman's robots. There's no telling how many people you've hurt or will hurt if I let you go."
The android kept still, aware that any movement would result in the fox disconnecting its head from its body, disconnecting its CPU from its power core. While it could be reconnected, it was unlikely that anyone would and the sudden power loss could jumble its programming.
"I don't... want to die."
The fox stood still, hesitating. Was the android truly afraid? "I suppose Eggman's robots don't get a choice in what they're made for..." She relaxed her grip on the crowbar. "If I let you up, will you attack me?"
"No."
After a moment of thought contemplating if a robot could or would lie, she removed the crowbar from its neck. She stepped back and held out her hand but kept a tight grip on the crowbar in her other.
"I'm Cinder."
The android sat up and accepted Cinder's hand, letting her pull it up on to its remaining foot. She moved to its other side to let it balance on her.
"I don't have a name. I'm simply one of many Shadow Androids."
"Shadow..." Cinder echoed. "I've heard of him. He's helped save the world twice now, hasn't he?"
Cinder scanned the room and noticed a workbench at the end of it. She helped the android walk—or, rather, hop—over to it. Once there, she helped the android onto the workbench. She looked down at the leg to inspect it, noting that the part of the ankle joint connected to the foot had been completely wrenched out.
"Does it hurt?" she wondered, now very curious about the marvel of engineering before her.
"I don't know," the android admitted. "It's... unpleasant."
"That's close enough. Pain is, well, a pain but it's also useful to warn us of injuries, so a similar system would make sense for advanced robots." Cinder looked over at the pile of androids. "I don't think I can reattach and repair your foot with how messed up it is. I wonder if the other androids have a spare..."
"No," the android answered. "Their feet are all beyond repair."
Cinder looked around the workbench and in a box of parts. She pulled out a dark gray foot with a white bottom and sat it on the workbench. "Well, it looks like you're in luck." She looked over the tools. "If I can figure this out."
After some trial and error, Cinder managed to get the foot connected to the leg. A light at the front of the foot glowed red, the first indication that the wiring was hooked up properly. "There. Now move your foot around, see how it feels."
The android did as instructed, moving the foot up and down then side to side. "It appears to be operational."
"Good!" Cinder clasped her hands together. "Now hop down and walk on it. That will be the true test."
The android did as instructed, grabbing onto Cinder as it wobbled on the new foot. After a few steps back and forth, it reported, "I will have to adapt to the new structure."
"I guess your little computer brain is sending out signals for your old foot that just doesn't quite work with the new one." Cinder smiled. It felt strangely like watching a baby chao try to fly for the first time. "Come back over here and sit down. There’s something else I need to do."
The android limped over and sat back down. Cinder grabbed a roll of electrical tape and wrapped it around the android's left leg just above the knee. "That way your "skin" doesn't keep peeling off."
Cinder snagged some shop towels and wiped the grime off of the android's body. She dug around and found some glue. Grabbing the side of the android's head and tilting it back, she squeezed some of the glue into the cracks in the glass. "I can't fix your eye, but I can try to keep it from breaking further or getting anything in it."
The android smiled for the first time in its short existence. Eggman was never this kind to his creations. Not even Metal Sonic, who had taken over for a short time, had been this kind to his fellow robots.
Cinder smiled back. "I've always liked robots, but Eggman makes it hard to anymore." She sighed. "Come with me and you won't have to worry about him. Okay, Mirage?"
"Mirage?" the android questioned, wondering if it had missed something.
"Yeah, you look like Shadow but you're not, like a mirage."
The android pondered for a moment. "Mirage... I'm Mirage."
"There you go!" Cinder held out her hand. "So, are you coming?"
The android— Mirage reached out and took Cinder's hand, hopping down from the workbench. "Yes. I'd rather not get dismantled..."
Cinder frowned at how cruel Eggman was to even his own creations and threw her arms around the android. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone dismantle you. Now let's get out of here before anyone else shows up."
"Alright... Thank you, Cinder."
"No problem," Cinder assured, releasing the android from the hug. "Just lean on me until you get used to walking again."
Mirage put its— his arm around Cinder for support and left with his new friend. The android had no idea what kind of life awaited him, but he knew it would be better than the one he was leaving behind.