Winds of Freedom

Chapter 66: An Intermission, Looking Between the Two Sides

Chapter 66: An Intermission, Looking Between the Two Sides

Dreadnought's Crashsite – Far Away, But Not Too Far, Evening Hours

The clearing was a canvas of white, filled in snow and still partially under construction, yet eerily quiet. The bodies of fallen Badniks lay scattered across the frozen terrain, cold, lifeless, and silent, but they were not destroyed, there was no sign of battle. Not a spark flickered, not a limb twitched. Only the howl of the wind sweeping down from the icy mountains, the only voice in the desolate landscape.

Suddenly, the silence broke.

"—OOOOOOOOOOG!"

The echoing scream pierced the stillness, just before a flaming object spiraled down from the grey skies above.

With a violent explosion, Robotnik's Egg-Mobile came spiraling down from the sky, slamming into the earth with a resounding thud, sending snow flying in all directions.

The pod bounced and skidded before finally coming to a halt. Robotnik himself was launched from the cockpit, tumbling through the snow in a spiral until he came to a full stop, face-first into the snow.

"Ugh... coff!" he groaned, lifting his head just enough to spit out a mouthful of snow. "Maybe I should've made a metal copy of that mutt..." he snarled to himself, dragging his aching body to its feet. He dusted off his shirt and adjusted his goggles with bitterness. "What even is she? The other animals are one thing, but her? What even is she...?"

"Greetings."

"Egad!"

Robotnik flailed his arms as he tumbled backward again, landing flat on his back with an audible oof. He scrambled up quickly and looked up with startled eyes.

Hovering just above him, her single, green optic glowing with cold precision, was Syntax.

"Doctor Robotnik," she intoned, her mechanical voice lacking emotion, though her eye gleamed with something almost resembling amusement and mockery.

"Great. You," The doctor said sourly. "Shouldn't you be in pieces somewhere after your spectacular failure against those meddling animals?"

"Correct," Syntax replied, unaffected. "However, my primary software functions have already been restored. My repair subroutines are efficient." She floated closer, her eye narrowing. "Though I must note—Lord Brevon is rather displeased with your own... spectacular failure against those meddling animals."

There was a faint twitch at the corner of Robotnik's eye. "Getting sassier, aren't you?" he snapped, kicking the side of his Egg-Mobile to dislodge from the snow. The engine sputtered weakly.

"Unlike you, I have no need to pretend to be useful," Syntax replied with a trace of sass, before drifting forward with calculated grace.

He gave Syntax a withering look. "Whatever. I don't care what he thinks or says... not for long, anyway," he muttered, barely loud enough for anyone to catch. "Just take me to the ship, you snarky tin can," he barked. "I've got better things to do than freeze my moustache off in this frosty hellhole."

Syntax's eye glowed brighter for a moment in acknowledgment. "Very well. Follow me. And do try to keep up in your sluggish metal bathtub. Joking."

Robotnik muttered a string of curses under his breath, fuming as he clambered into his dented Egg-Mobile. Soon he thought bitterly, Soon my Roborobotnik virus will hit you and I'll rip out that smug AI core and program you to clean floors... The thought made him smirk.