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Post by Jamie Lee on Jul 14, 2009 19:26:16 GMT -5
Stopping as well, the metallix only looked up at his creator with a flat stare. There was a lot he wanted to say, actually. The amount of things going through his mind were almost overwhelming. And yet, in spite of the open invitation, and his ever burning need to just blurt out a flurry of questions all at once... his stubborn attitude prevailed. And so, he turned his head away from the comparatively larger human once more. "Negative." he finally answered in the sterile monotone voice his 'kind' were best known for.
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Jul 14, 2009 23:39:29 GMT -5
The doctor turned his body fully and looked down at Metal. "Do you really expect me to just ignore that? If you're trying to hide your displeasure, you're doing a lousy job of it. I'd rather not deal with a passive-aggressive second in command. Tell me what's bothering you or don't." Eggman shrugged. "It's not as though I don't already know. You can stew in your own juices if you'd like. But know that if you do, your anger will only build. Why do you think I yell all the time? Nothing relieves stress like telling the world just what you think!"
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Post by Jamie Lee on Jul 14, 2009 23:52:05 GMT -5
Metal's eyes shifted toward the floor as he was scolded. No, he didn't know, he found himself thinking. Not the full story at least. His talons tightened into fists at his sides as he continuing staring downward. "You lied."
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Jul 14, 2009 23:54:47 GMT -5
Eggman raised an eyebrow at the statement. "What do you mean, 'I lied'? There's a lot of things you could be accusing me of right now, but I wasn't aware lying was one of them."
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Post by Jamie Lee on Jul 15, 2009 0:11:30 GMT -5
Metal's eyes grew in brightness, remaining locked to their spot on the floor. For a moment it didn't seem as though he was going to answer, but finally... "Does it really matter?"
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Jul 15, 2009 0:27:44 GMT -5
"Answering that question is your responsibility. What do you think is important?" Eggman took a glance at the photograph he had been entrusted with, and his voice took a yet more serious tone. "Sulking will get you nowhere. Change doesn't happen in this world unless you make it. That's why..." Eggman shook his head. "Figure out what's really important. Then speak your mind."
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Post by Jamie Lee on Jul 15, 2009 0:48:40 GMT -5
His eyes dimmed again. Eggman did have a point. As long as he moped about it nothing was ever going to change, and he was never going to be any closer to his answer... But that didn't make it any less strange. He still wasn't entirely used to Eggman speaking to him in the manner he was... and to some degree the metallix also held the belief that you don't argue with the master. Still, it was an open invitation, and it was a burning question... "... Very well then," his gaze drifted upward, eyeing Eggman critically as he steeled himself. "You say that I am considered a person, but that attorney said that I am your property. But you cannot be both. Which am I then?"
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Jul 15, 2009 1:18:33 GMT -5
Eggman's facial expressions lightened for a moment, as though he was relieved that Metal had chosen to speak. "You are a person. We wouldn't be having this conversation if I thought otherwise." He had suspicions about what Metal would say next, but decided not to voice them, and waited for him to continue.
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Post by Jamie Lee on Jul 15, 2009 2:18:47 GMT -5
The metallix thought over that in conjunction with how he had been treated only earlier. "If I am a person as you say then why did you treat me as though I were mere property?! In the end am I not simply that? You do own me!"
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Jul 22, 2009 23:48:56 GMT -5
Eggman grimaced at the accusation. He tried to give a confident glare, but a nagging voice in the back of the head was telling him he should listen, and he ended up averting his eyes. "I am your commanding officer. Even if you were human, as a member of the Eggman Empire, serving my orders would be necessary if we are to complete our goal." Or did I cross a line I shouldn't have?Eggman shook his head. "Ahem. It has no bearing on your status as a person. It was merely an order, the same as any other." In spite of this assurance, Eggman felt some wretched emotion he had long since forgotten. He kept it to himself, waiting for Metal's next question.
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Post by Jamie Lee on Aug 3, 2009 1:40:54 GMT -5
Metal stared flatly up toward the human towering over him. No, that wasn't right, he thought. It was an order, but it was decidedly not 'the same as any other'. What purpose had it served for the Empire? Nothing. That had absolutely nothing to do with the Eggman Empire. It was true that Eggman had given him questionable and uncomfortable orders in the past, but this... no. This was too far. Such a flimsy explanation wasn't going to work. That entire spectacle had been about pride and nothing more! "I see." And that's when the voice in the back of his mind spoke up. He had been trying his best to shove it aside and ignore it up until this point, but now it rung so loudly in desperation to be heard the sound could have been deafening. Inwardly, so not to allow his master to see the flash of uneasiness this simple thought caused him, Metal found himself wanting to avert his own gaze. And in that brief moment he debated with himself. No, he told himself. He had to know. It had been gnawing at him. And when was he going to get another opportunity like this? The metallix's eyes dimmed. "I have an important question that I have been puzzling over for awhile now. And I believe you know the answer."
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Aug 12, 2009 22:11:18 GMT -5
Eggman straightened himself up, brushing his sleeve quickly. "Perhaps. But in order to say of sure, I would need to know what the question is."
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Post by Jamie Lee on Aug 13, 2009 2:09:33 GMT -5
Well, Metal thought, there was no backing down now. He had long ago run out of leads, and with nowhere else to turn for information this seemed to be the last resort. His eyes flickered briefly, but he kept his gaze. "Why did I betray you?"
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Aug 16, 2009 18:29:47 GMT -5
Eggman winced visibly. It was only a matter of time, after all. He turned to Metal and drew in a deep breath. "Very well. I'd ask you to take a seat, but it would seem this hall is relatively bare of furnishings. I'll tell you what I know." "It all started some time ago. I had hoped to use the World Grand Prix to capture the Chaos Emeralds, but even with the help of you, Metal Knuckles, Tails Doll, and Egg Robo, I failed yet again. To Sonic and his friends, it probably seemed like an inconsequential thing. But for me... It was just one defeat too many." He paused. "The details are long, but to cut to the chase, I decided to redefine myself. New clothes, a new plan, and one last thing... I began upgrading you and Silver Sonic, who I planned to use as a sort of support unit for you." "I had big plans for you. Even if Chaos failed, you would be my trump card... an invincible robot with powers to rival or surpass the gods! And so, I installed an experimental technology. You've discovered this technology as a sort of nanotech... You know it as a sort of shapeshifting ability, but the original form was so much greater. It could absorb 'lifeform data', your power growing with every encounter. My upgrades were nearly complete. I had stored you in the Mystic Ruins base, and was prepared to administer the finishing touches... but then, something went wrong. After a devastating attack, the base was lost, and in spite of my efforts, salvage robots could not retrieve you." "Then one day, you returned out of the blue. At first, I noticed nothing amiss. But late one night, as I was working on the flagship of my new Egg Fleet, you attacked me from behind and locked me away." Anger started to rise in Eggman's face at the memory. "But I am always prepared. With a communicator I had hidden away, I instructed a robot to deliver a radio to someone who could help me. I was too embarrassed by the fact that you had betrayed me, and so, I contacted the Chaotix instead of someone else. It's a decision I regret, but nonetheless, I was rescued. And as it happened, your incomplete upgrades were not enough to make you the invincible titan I had planned. You were defeated." "Some time later, I managed to retrieve you. I placed a cap on the capabilities of your nanotech, now afraid of what they could do. And, as you know, I removed your memories of the incident. At last I reactivated you... and you know the rest." Eggman paused for a moment, then continuing. "That's the extent of my knowledge. But I can't tell you what you were thinking. If you want to know everything, you are the only one who can retrieve it." The doctor turned his back to Metal, his voice taking on an ominous tone. "The offer is still on the table..."
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Post by Jamie Lee on Aug 27, 2009 20:03:02 GMT -5
In spite of all his effort to remain steadfast, Metal visibly winced, his mind sent spinning over this new information and the unsettling tone in his creator's voice. This added a new layer of depth to the information he already had - Omega's data only focused on that fateful battle and what took place beyond it, but lacked the critical details leading up to. Hearing from Eggman's own mouth that he had not only attacked him, but had done so from behind, sent a wave of shame hurtling over him that caused his eyes to grow dim. Were he organic he probably would have been nauseated. And now he was back to that all too vital question... why?It was just as he had feared. Despite this new information, he had hoped Eggman would know that answer - he always seemed to have the answer to these sorts of things - but even his last avenue had proven itself a dead end. Why? Why did he do it? The question gnawed at him, and his mind slowly returned to that ridiculous trial and the fresh anger and resentment toward his creator that had settled over him as a result. Had it been something like that? The thought had passed through his mind already, but it didn't add up to what he had just learned. His memories of the World Grand Prix were intact, everything leading up to his deactivation was neatly filed away on his hard drive. The only part of Eggman's story that sounded dodgy was... the attack. What had happened? What had happened to him? Could whoever was responsible possibly have reprogrammed him? No... that couldn't be it. If that were the case there would have been no need to erase his memory, and in fact, would have done nothing to reverse the reprogramming anyway. So with the technical possibility of not being at fault robbed from him, Metal realized with another wave of guilt that the decision had, indeed, been his own. But why?Even now, with as angry and humiliated as he felt, with as much as he just wanted to stomp his feet and scream and slam his fists into the wall, to tell Eggman exactly what he thought about the whole incident and how he felt... there was still that barrier. That respect that made him swallow it all. What could have made him break that? It couldn't have simply been a matter of being pushed too far... And so, it seemed the end of the road had come. There was only one way to solve that riddle, and it was dangling right there in front of him. To decline again meant giving it up, but... he had to know. Until he found out what happened, and why, there was no way he could possibly work to get beyond it. But there was also a sense of fear in making that decision... what if his reasons behind the betrayal were sound? What if Eggman had been hiding something important from him all this time? Heck, what if this was all just another trick and the doctor simply intended to wipe his memory again? What if... "... What would happen to me if I accepted?" Metal asked, a hint of apprehension in his tone.
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Sept 2, 2009 17:51:03 GMT -5
"I don't know." Eggman shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you'd come to hate me. Metal, you're the only one who's questioned me, yet still decided to remain in the Empire. That's more meaningful than any blind loyalty could be. But..." There was a slight pause. "Are you afraid the person you are now isn't who you really are?" Eggman walked to a nearby window, looking down on the Earth below. "Something terrible might happen if your memory is restored. But if that's what it takes to quiet the unrest in your mind, so be it. I would rather you betray me than pay lip service while despising me."
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Post by Jamie Lee on Sept 2, 2009 18:08:28 GMT -5
"That is... not what I meant," Metal answered slowly. It was certainly not the answer he had expected, but all the same, it had been poignant. "I meant what would you do with me?"
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Sept 3, 2009 4:57:58 GMT -5
"Do, Metal?" Eggman shook his head. "I act as necessary. If you attack, I will retaliate. Otherwise, you have nothing to fear. This offer doesn't come with conditions attached, and any consequences will be a result of the actions you take afterward. Your position and duties would be otherwise unaffected. However, on a more personal note... I may have some questions for you afterward."
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Post by Jamie Lee on Sept 5, 2009 5:41:48 GMT -5
Metal eyed Eggman thoughtfully. No, he wouldn't attack. Even if he wanted to he wouldn't be that stupid to try it again. So nothing would change. The doctor was potentially putting his own life in danger. And for what? For him?... Why are you doing this? It just didn't make any sense to the metallix. And the more he puzzled over it, the hotter his hard drive became. First the doctor orders him to let that fox rummage around in his head because he couldn't stand losing, and now he offers back deleted data of an event he just admitted was an embarrassment to him to 'quiet his unrest'? He was never, ever going to understand organics. Still, regardless of Eggman's logic, the offer was there, and he was tired of guessing. Turning to face the same direction his creator had, he also gazed down toward the earth below. "I want then back."
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Garland
Former Player
King of the Ring
Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock you all down!
Posts: 535
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Post by Garland on Sept 5, 2009 15:46:53 GMT -5
Eggman nodded, though his face had become grim. He was hoping he wouldn't have to do this, but nonetheless, losing Metal's trust would be just as bad as having him defect. After all, he had learned the hard way that unsatisfied members of the Empire almost always backfired somehow. "Very well. If you're sure..." Eggman turned and began walking down the hall. "This might take some time to prepare. I'll need your cooperation if those memories are to be integrated fully."
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