Chapter 4

In the Sonic Universe, Colin Kintober Jr., aka Snively Robotnik, was the nephew of Dr. Ivo Robotnik (formerly Julian Kintobor). A super-genius good enough to even challenge Eggman, though not really. Still, while he was not as smart as his uncle, he was a devious genius who could make some of the most incredible technology in existence when he applied himself.

The version I'd made was better though.

Colin Kintober was almost as smart as I was, by design. And I cheated by having Eggman's brain in my head.

So it didn't surprise me when his first thought when he saw my plans for selling computers was-

"Boring," he scowled, staring out at the computer factory. We stood on a catwalk above the assembly lines below, watching as various bits and bobs were created. "We'll just be designing and building computer parts? I assumed we would be making something interesting, Julian."

"You really think that you'll have anything to do with this?" I snarked. "I can handle the more generic technology just fine. Even my crappiest designs will be more than enough for this. I'm simply showing you where our initial profit will come from."

Colin looked a little annoyed. "As much sense as that makes, I'm eager to look into creating something concrete."

"We will. Come, this way."

I turned and walked off, forcing Colin to follow. "Our next creation is simple enough. But what we really need is building blocks."

"Creating the materials that will allow us to create more materials," Colin agreed. "I assume we will be working on mining as well? According to your notes, many of our necessary materials are going to be a chore to purchase."

"Creating some way to dig through the earth quickly and farm materials, yes, fortunately our janitorial benefactor already saw fit to provide us with the permits for such on my private island." I explained as I led him into the robotics laboratory.

Inside, workers were putting together a single robot. The first of a new line. One of the men nodded to me seriously as we passed, then did a double-take at the sight of Colin.

"Hey, boss. Who is this guy?" the worker asked.

"My new head of R&D," I said, drawing the attention of the others. "He's a fellow MIT grad and a good friend."

"Another egghead," one of the men said, drawing an identical huff of amusement from myself and Colin.

"You could say that. How goes the build?"

"Pretty well," one other man said, chuckling. "Gotta say, when you said we were building robots, I didn't expect you to start with a mini-Gundam."

"Please. Gundams are for next month, after the Armored Cores," I snarked.

"Armored-What?" another worker said, looking confused. "The hell is a Gundam?"

I almost fired him right then. Joking. Sort of.

"Carry on gentlemen, you've got lunch in twenty."

We walked off, the workers going back to assembling the new creation.

"I must admit, I expected something more eclectic," Colin said as he eyed the massive armored tank of a robot being created.

"Like a Moto Bug?" I asked jokingly.

"I'm partial to the Egg Pawn myself," Colin said back, before frowning. "Strange, having a repository of knowledge and no memory of how I gained it. Or is that normal, for someone like me?"

I looked back at him. "Do you… want me to build experiences for you? Give you memories of researching things, to give ties to the knowledge?"

"That would be appreciated," Colin said, his face unreadable.

We entered a back room, where a series of blueprints rested.

"So. We'll be making Mecha Robotnik?" Colin asked, the man's beard twitching in thought. "Will she be as combat capable as before?"

"She'll need to be," I said with a sigh. "Usually, I wouldn't go for that, since she only needs to be dangerous to business and lawyer-types. But in a world where any pissed-off supe will rip you in half or freeze your dick off, she needs to be strong. Even you have greater than human strength thanks to your myomer build."

"Which brings me to my next question," Colin narrowed his eyes. "Will you continue in this human body?"

I froze. "...What do you mean?"

"At some point, when the technology comes, you will be able to upload your full consciousness to a new body. Will you be working towards that? Because as of now, you are the most vulnerable part of your organization," Colin pointed out ruthlessly. "Anything goes wrong, an experiment explodes or turns on you, a supe attack, even a slip and fall. And all our work goes to waste."

"I know that."

"And yet, despite all of your work, I see no attempts to improve your own body," Colin looked over the blueprints. "No plans for cybernetic implants, no replacement organs, no attempt to replace your own musculature and skeletal structure."

"I don't need any of that," I scowled. "I'll stick with force fields and other tech for protection. Leave the brain uploading for later. Besides, the best way to protect myself is to never put my body in danger. Thus, our third project."

"Hm," Colin stroked his beard. "I see… Well. I still think you should prepare a worst-case scenario."

"Forgive me for being uneager to lose my body," I said sarcastically. "Fine, I'll begin working on something. For now… God, I hate the idea, but we can set something up using this project."

Colin nodded. "Well then, Julian. I suppose we should get to work, shall we?"

"Get to work might as well be my catchphrase by now," I said with a chuckle. "Yes. Let's get this finished."

------

Colin and I spent more time on our new creation than I had on Colin himself. But that made sense. This new body had more 'tools' inside of it. Plus, she was bigger.

Part of my work was very simple. I asked Mr. Addams for help.

------

"Brain scans?" Addams asked, looking intrigued. "I was wondering when you would come to us about that, but I wasn't expecting you to ask for ASW to be your second batch of subjects.

"Yes. I'd like to ask for volunteers among your team," I explained. "Part of my research is into developing AI," I said as though I hadn't already succeeded. "I don't want to scan anyone who isn't willing, but I did develop this," I placed something on his desk that looked like a VR headset. Oh yeah, I should make those at some point. Thought for later.

"So one simply places this on their head and it will scan their minds?" Addams asked, looking intrigued. Rather than uncomfortable, which is what I expected. "Hm."

He placed it on his head, surprising the hell out of me. "Mr. Addams!"

"What?" he said, looking at me with a smile. "You have tested this thoroughly, yes?"

"For days, over and over. Still though-"

"Oh, I'm sure it will be fine," the headset he was wearing beeped softly. "Now. How goes your robotics project?"

"Excellently," I hid my befuddlement at him as best as I could. "We have a viable product ready to show. I'm still working on my weaponry division as well, but that should be done soon."

"...How long ago did we meet, Mr. Ivo?" Addams asked as the headset beeped.

"...Two and a half weeks ago or so?"

"Two and a half weeks… And you've created a fully functioning robot for battle. Something mankind has been working on for decades. I've seen the first designs. You're ahead of the game in ways that border on godlike. I have to wonder just where you are getting such knowledge."

I leaned back, eyeing him. "I could say that it just comes with my genius, Mr. Addams. But do you think I spent all that time travelling the world twiddling my thumbs?"

"I'm sure you didn't… I'll reach out to those who work for me. We'll get you your volunteers."

I hid a sigh of relief. Good.

Soon enough, I'd have my perfect business partner to go along with my perfect research partner.

------

Colin was the one who made me realize my mistake with him. Knowledge without the memory and experience that came with it would make it hard for my new creation to do her job.

So I stole the experience.

My brain-scan device was created by Colin while I was building the new android body. With scans of dozens of lawyers, businessmen, and more, I had the experience I needed.

After that, it was all down to editing.

To tell the truth, almost every aspect of creating things made me feel like I was constantly running pong using an Iron Man suit. Using insane works of genius, only to be forced to use it for things that were FAR beneath them. I kept coming up with amazing creations, only to be forced to hold back and make something lesser because I hadn't created the base components just yet.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

With that said, Mecha Robotnik would be one of my best creations next to Colin.

We put her together and prepared the upload of her software over the course of several days. Her memories were compiled using as many good ones as I could pull, with a focus on a combination of ruthlessness and morals.

Yes, those two things can exist together.

I also made sure she was clothed when she would wake up.

I made her, so I did see her naked, but I wasn't going to make her wake up to see two guys staring at her naked. She was my business partner, not a sexbot.

With everything prepped, Colin and I got ready for her to wake.

------

We stood in front of a table, watching our new creation slowly wake up.

"Was it like this when I woke?" Colin asked me as we watched the woman before us shift and move.

"No, you were a bit more whiny," I joked.

"Couldn't help it, your face was the first I ever saw."

Ouch.

"I-" the woman winced, slowly forcing herself to stand. She looked around at us, eyes widening. "I'm… I don't know what I'm supposed to-"

I moved forward, cutting her off, and kneeled a bit to meet her eye level. "Just breathe. Relax."

"I don't need oxygen," she said, slightly robotically.

"Breathe anyways," I said, hiding my happiness a bit.

Two. I made two androids! Not bad for a guy who barely knew his way around a screwdriver a while back.

She did as I asked, and I looked her over. She looked just like Eggman remembered her.

A creation he'd made later on in his career, Mecha Robotnik, AKA 'M', was a female bodyguard of sorts. He treated her almost as a daughter, and she acted with insane loyalty towards him… but Eggman was fooled into thinking she betrayed him. At a time when he was becoming enveloped in a paranoid rage. So he told her to self-destruct. And the ever loyal M did so. Then Eggman deleted all her backups, completely erasing any chance of her coming back.

She was also a badass who beat the living hell out of Sonic. Archie Sonic, an absolute unit above the other Sonics.

Loyal, badass, intelligent. She was caucasian in appearance, with short brown hair, a lithe and muscular build, seeming to be around 25-30 years of age. Her eyes were green flecked with blue, and she was wearing a simple business suit.

"You made me," she said, eyeing me carefully. "Julian Ivo. Formerly-"

I held up a finger, cutting her off. "Menneen talven lumia, my girl. The snow of the past winter. Focus on what's next."

She frowned but nodded. "Very well. Julian Ivo," she looked over at Colin, but before he could speak, she looked back at me. "Who… what is my name?"

"That's up to you," I held a hand out. She took it slowly, and I helped her up off the table. She balanced easily on her sneakers because fuck you if you think I'm going to make her wear high heels as her first pair of shoes. "Colin picked his name. How about you? Cause you might get some looks if you call yourself 'Mecha Robotnik'."

"Oh, I don't know, just pretend it's foreign and Americans will accept anything," Colin said dismissively.

"Colin, you were literally made in America."

"Untrue. Many of my components are Korean after all."

I scoffed but looked back at the young woman we'd created.

"...I can choose anything?" she looked over at Colin. "How did you choose?"

He looked startled, then thoughtful. "Oh. You see, when I was choosing I… wanted a name that would remind me of my purpose. What I wanted for the future."

That threw me for a loop. Okay, so then, why did he choose the name of a guy who tried to betray the OG Eggman?

"What I want for the future…" she looked at me. I felt a bit of nervousness at the intense look in her eyes. Maybe because it made me uncomfortable. Or because I'd installed the laser eyes currently staring at me. "That makes some sense. Very well. I've chosen a name."

"Okay, what do you got?"

"Mechelle Ivo."

"Michelle?"

"No. Mechelle. With an 'e' instead of an 'i'."

"..."

Colin looked over at me, hiding a smile.

"Is that a bad name?"

"Not at all. It works. Just, you know. Julian. Colin. Mechelle with an 'e' at the beginning."

She cocked her head to the side. "I'm not sure what you mean."

I decided to just let the continued theming of our pretentious names be a thing. Maybe I really would name Metal Sonic, 'Xerxes'...

"Well, one question. Do you really want to have the same last name as me?"

"Yes."

The word came out so firmly I was surprised. "Why?"

"I don't wish to say."

"Oh. W-Well, all right?"

I'd done my best when designing her to make her as loyal as the original. Was that why she wanted the same last name as me? Some sense of family relation?

"Well. Mechelle. Colin. I'm glad to work with you both. You guys ready to start kicking ass?"

"Quite literally made for it," Mechelle said seriously.

"Ha! Good one," Colin chuckled.

"It wasn't a joke. Part of my self-defense programming does allow for-"

"I'm fairly certain we designed you with more personality than this," Colin said with a frown.

"We are not conducting business with others. I am being 'myself'."

"Yourself is deadpan and robotic?"

"I think it suits me… much like your height suits you."

"WHY YOU-!?"

------

I walked into my room later that night, feeling satisfied. Two badass androids I could trust. Trust fully. I'd had to build a friend to be able to share my secrets with, but at least mine were sophisticated androids and not a volleyball with a bloody handprint on it.

I sat down at my desk and sighed. Someone passed me an energy drink. I took a hold of the drink and took a large sip, placing the fizzy drink on a coaster that had been placed for me.

"Feel better, ja?"

"Much bet-GAH!"

I swung around, scrambling to my feet.

Ahti chuckled in amusement, walking around the desk and sweeping as he went.

"Hello, Ivo. Well done. I thought you would be loppua kuin kananlento."

I ran through my Finnish. I thought I might meet him again, if not this soon, so I learned Finnish as best as I could.

"End like the flight of a chicken?"

His eyes lit up a bit and he smiled just a smidge wider. "Yes, yes. Good job. I have made a task board for you, here."

He pointed at a wall to our left. On the wall hung an old cork board with a single piece of paper resting there. It hadn't been there before. "I have a task. For you."

"Does it involve going home?" I asked sarcastically.

"Ahhh, but you are home, Mr. Ivo," he said, chuckling as he walked towards the door. For a moment, I wanted to hit him. He chuckled. "Now, now, now. Bark won't make a wound. It's all for the cleaning job. You did good. I even left you a present," he nodded towards my desk, where an old walkman rested. I stared at it before looking up again.

He was gone. For a moment, a sense of… water. Of cool and soothing water across my mind. With words echoing with them like ripples on a lake.

"And you finish that second set of pants you are making for yourself lad. You never know when you might need an extra pair."

Then he was gone. I scrambled to my feet, moving over to the task board and pulling off the paper there.

"...I was already going to do this, you crazy old man," I mumbled to myself, folding up the paper. Damnit. That was gonna complicate things.

I walked back to the Walkman while folding up the paper. I picked it up and placed the headphones on, grumbling to myself.

"One day I need to make something that can catch him. Just so that I can ask some questions on… what the hell?"

The music playing on the Walkman was… familiar. Very familiar. A very techno kind of beat.

Aboard the ARK, a genius at heart

Wanting to unlock the mysteries of life

I am the Eggman-

"Good lord, really!?" I said, rolling my eyes as E.G.G.M.A.N. by Paul Shortino continued to play. I hesitated, staring at the Walkman.

"...Take Control better be on this thing as well," I grumbled.

Then I sat down and started typing, bobbing my head.