(Been wanting to write Rouge and Omega fluff for awhile. I've also really wanted Rouge to pet Omega, so this is pretty self indulgent. There's a bit of angst too because Rouge misses Shadow. Set before Shadow comes back to tell his friends he was just worried about losing someone close to him again.)
Words ~ 1,996
Could be seen as ship, up to interpretation.
Warnings: Hurt and Comfort, a comforting dose of physical contact, death mention
It took Rouge maybe ten minutes to gain Omega’s respect during her and Shadow’s journey chasing Dr. Eggman. Perhaps even less time for him to appreciate her company. Shadow had noted the robot’s behaviour changing rapidly over the course of their trek as well. At the end of it all, they had put aside their differences to spare Metal Sonic, before separating to follow their own paths.
The thief was not sure if she would see Omega again, remembering how excited he was to finally be free from confinement, but low and behold, one day he showed up leading GUN soldiers in an attempt to take out Eggman during the first Black Arms incident. He recognized her immediately and ran to her side with updated information on the current situation. Then, they had both supported Shadow through his training, up until he got his memories back.
Things went south for Team Dark after that. Shadow became much more standoffish and distant. Both Omega and Rouge were clueless as to why he could be acting this way, but Shadow never spoke his mind about what he was thinking about. Rouge had attempted to chase after Shadow for a bit, checking in on him once and awhile, but was met with consistent short answers and the same general arrogance he used with the rest of Sonic’s friends. Rouge had a feeling that something more was going on with him, as did Omega, but neither of them felt it was necessary to press him for it.
So, they left him alone, until he was ready to come back and talk. During this time, Omega felt more inclined to be in Rouge’s company and for longer periods too. Of course he would go off on his own and destroy a couple of egg bases whenever he wanted, but he would always come back to Rouge’s side of his own volition. She found it flattering and cute that this 1.2 ton war machine had developed something akin to a partnership with her. When she asked about his company one day just to get clarification, Omega just flatly stated that carnage and violence seemed to follow her around and he wanted a piece of the action.
“Is that the name of your miniguns? Carnage and violence?” She jokingly points to both of his arms, very aware that he was usually the cause of the destruction he craved.
“NAME SUGGESTIONS ACCEPTED.” Rouge was never sure when he was being serious or silly. Perhaps that was part of his charm and why she has kept him around. There was a time where she used her stealth tactics to avoid his vision and radar on a mission, just to see what he would do. The robot spun around many times, distressed that she was nowhere to be found. It is then she realized this robot enjoys her company more than he let on. That's when she finally admitted to herself that she enjoyed his too.
Everytime she sits on his shoulder, his head turns slightly her way before refocusing on his current objective. Whether he is checking to make sure it is her there or if she is comfortable, she never knew. Omega is very expressive, but not in the facial features department. Over time he had learned to lower or raise the positioning of his helmet shielding to better portray his emotions, but still, voice box tone and body language are his biggest signs.
But nothing could have prepared her for his reaction to her touch. Sitting on his shoulder is one thing, but when Rouge sets her hand on his metal head after a successful demolition of an Eggman base as an experiment one day, he melts. Not literally, but how you would expect any sentient being to react to head rubs, organic or otherwise. His shoulders droop, his head lowers slightly, and his body slumps forward. Rouge had never seen him relax like this before. He enjoys being angry and violent, so to see him exhibit docility is something she knew she couldn't take lightly.
Her hand doesn't stay there for long, afraid she might overstep his boundaries. Once removed, Omega returns to his regular, aggressive resolve and the two continue on their way, deciding not to acknowledge the exchange. It is a few weeks before she tries that action again. She wants to give Omega enough time in between the displays of affection so he can process them if he wants to.
After helping her gather Intel from yet another Eggman base, Rouge finds herself on his shoulder once more as he stands amongst the smoking wreckage of their complete mission. She places her hand on his head and the robot gives a slight shudder. His eyes meet hers and Rouge feels the need to verbally request his acknowledgement this time. “Is this alright, big guy?”
“AFFIRMATIVE.” He responds quickly and his metal frame relaxes into her touch. She decides to experiment and moves her fingertips in different directions from her hand. Omega shudders once more and Rouge feels pressure into her palm as Omega slightly elevates his head further upward. Her motions become more confident now that she knows he is enjoying himself.
“Oh good. Couldn't quite tell last time.” She scratches with her fingertips on the different sides of his helmet shielding, finding it hard not to grin as he slightly maneuvers his head to give her better access much like a cat. “You told me you don't have nerve endings, but I can see you are enjoying yourself.”
“I DO NOT, HOWEVER I CAN MEASURE THE EXACT DEGREE OF PRESSURE TO THE THIRD DECIMAL PLACE. DESPITE MY NORMAL ADVERSE REACTION TO ORGANIC TOUCH, I FIND YOURS ADEQUATE.”
“Shadow used to be the same way.” Rouge states, now moving an open palm with stationary fingers in circles on his head. “Remember?”
“AFFIRMATIVE.” Omega meets her eyes again. “HE WILL RETURN WHEN HE IS READY.”
“I know.” Rouge sighs, taking her hand off of his head and folds them together in her lap. Her wings droop behind her as Omega reaffirms his confident stance due to the absence of Rouge’s pets and ignites his jet engines into the night.
The next few days go by and Rouge finds her thoughts of Shadow enshrouding most of her daily activities. Although he might not say it outright, Omega notices Rouge’s difference in behaviour considering she’s been smiling less than normal and is less enthusiastic about gem hunts. The robot begins accompanying her every day and consistently stares at her with those red eyes that can bore through her soul. She can tell he is searching her body language attempting to decipher her moods without giving the fact that he might actually care about her away, but Omega has always been a terrible liar. She distracts herself from thoughts of their third teammate by petting his metal head more often, something he has shown no aversion to yet.
One night, Intel gathering is going smoothly, but Rouge’s mind is elsewhere. She goes through the motions kicking her targets into walls and weaving around aerial projectiles. Once this mission is cleared, she flies around to search for Omega and dives towards him when she does. Before she can rest on his shoulder, one of his large metal claws snatches her out of the air and she yelps in surprise.
Omega brings the bat into his grasp with both hands and holds her in front of his face. “EXPLANATION REQUIRED. YOUR PERFORMANCE IS NORMAL, BUT YOUR BEHAVIOUR IS NOT. WHY?”
“I…” She vocalizes but looks away, uttering a deep sigh followed by silence.
“Is it Shadow?” He asks, his voice volume lower than normal.
Rouge turns her attention back to him with astonishment at the softness of his normally abrasive voice. “Yes.” She affirms.
There is a series of soft clicks within Omega’s chassis as his legs begin to bend and he drops his hind end to the ground with a mighty thud.
He sets Rouge down next to one of his thighs and relinquishes his hold. Instead of flying away, she looks up at him quizzically, about to ask what he was planning on doing, only for her train of thought to be silenced by a single claw rubbing back and forth across the patch of fur between her ears.
A small smile worms its way onto her face involuntarily as the action continues. She sighs, pats his leg affectionately, and relaxes into his touch. Omega adds another finger to her scalp and Rouge hums in content, leaning her chest across Omega's thigh to allow him more access to the back of her head and neck.
“I CANNOT BRING SHADOW BACK.” The robot adds the rest of his claws and scratches at the base of Rouge’s head and neck, causing her to shudder.
“I know…” She mumbles back, barely coherent as Omega’s experimental techniques become more defined once he finds the right amount of pressure to apply through her fur.
“I CAN ASSURE YOU, HE WILL RETURN. UNTIL THEN, DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF WITH HIS ABSENCE.”
“Difficult to do when there was a time I thought he was dead.” She frowns.
Omega rests his palm on her head, allowing her ears room to pop up between his fingers. “SHADOW ONCE STATED THAT YOU CARE MORE THAN YOU LET ON. I NOW SEE THAT HE IS CORRECT.”
Rouge cranes her head to look back at him and raises one of her eyebrows. “You’re one to talk. You've been by my side since I started giving you more attention. I know it's not just about the head rubs.” Omega remains silent as she meets his gaze, but he turns away in what she can guess would be considered embarrassment. “It’s okay. You can tell me how much you like me.” She teases, patting the hand on top of her head. “I won’t tell anyone.”
Omega relinquishes his hands quickly, folding them comically over his chest. “I TOLERATE YOU AT BEST.”
She smirks. “Okay, Mr. Tough Guy.” She flies up to his shoulder and reaches over to rub the back of his head playfully, embarrassing him further. “I tolerate you too!” He beeps and swats her away half-heartedly before rising from the ground to escape her antics.
“CEASE.” It is uttered without his usual amount of gusto.
Rouge hums in thought, circling around Omega in the air subconsciously. “You know…if you learn to give good back massages I might offer more Eggman Base locations and destruction sites in exchange.”
Omega’s eyes flash in excitement at the news. “DOWNLOADING ALL AVAILABLE MASSAGE THERAPY DOCUMENTS AND GUIDELINES. YOU WILL NOW BEAR WITNESS TO MY ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE.”
Rouge quickly flies higher out of his reach, quickly regretting her promise. “Later.” She dodges his grappling claws and rests her fists on her hips, rolling her eyes fondly. “I meant later, Omega!”
“NOW.” Omega counters, ever so impatient.
She laughs as she easily dodges all of his attempts to snatch her out of the air. “Omega, I've had enough. I need a break!”
“I REQUIRE DESTRUCTION!” He brandishes his fists to the sky in anger, following her with his eyes as she flies around him playfully.
“If you wait until tomorrow, I’ll give you two sets of coordinates.” She winks at him and he stops his erratic movements, allowing him to consider Rouge’s compromise.
“ACCEPTABLE.” He states after some thought. “NO DESTRUCTION TONIGHT. DOUBLE DESTRUCTION TOMORROW.”
Rouge scoffs. “We literally just destroyed a base.”
“TOO MUCH TIME HAS PASSED.”
“It’s been twenty minutes at most!” Rouge yells at him in exasperation.
“TO REITERATE: TOO MUCH TIME AS PASSED.”
“So insatiable.” The banter continues into the night while they travel away from their cleared mission. Maybe the wait for Shadow to return from his brooding venture wouldn't take forever. As long as Rouge and Omega had each other, they could stand to wait within the company they have grown to (love) tolerate.
I laughed so hard while writing this. I hope you laugh while reading it.
Ships: None or (Pre-Gemega)
Words ~ 1,306 ~
Warnings: Vanilla does that one thing that almost all mothers have done before.
A loud knock startles Vanilla from her armchair. The book she holds falls to the ground just as the pounding ceases.
“Who could that be?” She asks the empty room, picking up her dress and walking up to the door. “I don't know anyone who knocks this loud.” She unlocks and twists the knob, pulling the door open. She is met with bright red optics shining menacingly into her eyes.
“GREETINGS, MOTHER OF CREAM.”
“O-oh.” She stutters at the brashness of her unexpected guest. “Omega. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Omega peers over her head for a moment then meets her eyes again. “IS GEMERL PRESENT?”
“Yes. He’s home.” She nods politely, turning her head back to look into the empty hallway hoping to see some sign of the other robot in question but frowns at the empty space. “Is there something you need him for?”
“REQUESTING PERMISSION FOR HIS ACCOMPANIMENT IN DESTROYING AN EGGMAN BASE. GEMERL MAY RETURN WHEN WE ARE FINISHED. TELL HIM THIS IS MY COMPROMISE FROM MY EARLIER PROPOSITION.”
“Are you asking for his help?”
“NEGATIVE. I COULD DESTROY THE BASE EASILY ON MY OWN.”
A small smile worms its way onto Vanilla’s face as Omega’s intentions make themselves clear. “But you want him to join you anyways?”
Omega takes a moment to respond. “AFFIRMATIVE.”
She clasps her hands together in glee at the notion that someone wants to hang out with her and Cream’s robotic homebody. “Oh wonderful! I’ll let him know. He hasn’t left the house in so long. A little day trip could be good for him! Wait right there. I’ll be back in a minute.” She smiles at him and closes the door gently. Her footsteps turn into a brisk jog as she trots down the hallway, glancing in rooms and looking for the other robot.
She stops in her bedroom when she spies a suspicious lump behind the bedroom curtains standing against the wall. She giggles softly and steps towards it. “Gemerl.” She sing-songs. The curtain lump does not move. Upon inspecting it further she can see the yellow and black of his metal boots peeking out from underneath. “Gemerl, I can see you.”
“Please tell him that Gemerl is not home.” His voice box sounds from his position behind the curtain, which remains motionless.
“But, he asked so nicely!” The standing fabric still does not shift. She rolls her eyes fondly and snaps the curtain back towards the window, revealing a disgruntled Gemerl. “Come on out. You aren't fooling anyone with a hiding spot like that.”
“I do not want to go.” The gizoid dips his head to the floor.
Vanilla crosses her arms and leans to one side. “Gemerl, you have not left the house in over a month. Not even when Cream or I have gone to the store. You should go! You might have fun!” She motions with her palm towards the hallway in an attempt to encourage him.
“Neither I nor Omega is programmed with the concept of fun.”
Vanilla huffs in amusement. “Yet here you are showing off the Hide and Seek skills you have learned through your games with Cream.” Gemerl is silent, unable to counter her logic. “Now, you will go but if you don't enjoy your time with Omega today you will never have to go again. Alright?”
Gemerl’s shoulders flatten in irritation. “Very well.”
“Thank you Gemerl. Let’s go meet your friend!”
“He’s not my friend.” Gemerl folds his arms tightly across his chest as Vanilla leads him back through the hallway to the front door.
“He might be after today though.” She offers, trying to get him to see her side of things.
“Doubtful.”
Vanilla opens the front door and Omega is standing in the exact same position she had left him in. His head turns slightly once he acknowledges Gemerl’s presence.
“Here he is Omega!” Vanilla motions him to stand next to her and he obeys. “Now. I want him back by 6pm! If anything happens, take him to Tails and inform me right away. My one rule is that I do not want to hear about any property damage that is not Eggman related during your playdate.”
“Ms. Vanilla!” Gemerl’s exasperated protest sounds from beside her, most likely reacting to the teasing label she chose.
Omega looks slightly downcast for a moment. “ADDITIONAL COMPROMISE RELUCTANTLY ACCEPTED.”
“Other than that, I hope you two have a fun time together!” She turns to Gemerl. “Is there anything you might need for the road?”
“No.” Gemerl gives her a short answer and she pats his back empathetically.
“Just this once alright? You can always come back before 6 if you’re not having fun.”
“LOTS OF FUN AND DESTRUCTION WILL BE HAD. I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!” Omega’s optics gleam with excitement.
Gemerl rolls his eye as Vanilla giggles. “I’ll be excited to hear all about it!” She waves goodbye to Gemerl and Omega as they begin their trek off into the distance. She stays outside for a moment just to listen into the beginning of their conversation.
“Where are we going?”
“TO MYSTIC RUINS! EGGMAN HAS LAID A POP-UP BASE THERE. I INTEND TO SQUASH IT ALONG WITH ALL THE INFERIOR MODELS INSIDE.”
“What do you need me for, then?”
“AT THE MINIMUM, YOU WILL BEAR WITNESS TO MY POWER! OTHERWISE YOU MAY HELP YOURSELF TO THE DESTRUCTION OF ANY INFERIOR MODELS YOU MAY FIND.”
“So, you don't classify me as an inferior model anymore?”
“I RANK ALL INFERIOR MODELS I ENCOUNTER INTO DIFFERENT BRACKETS! ALTHOUGH YOU ARE INFERIOR TO ME, I CLASSIFY YOU AS SUPERIOR TO THEM.”
“I see. Expressing gratitude at 35%.”
Vanilla hides a hearty laugh behind her hands and reenters her home, closing the door behind her. She sits back in her armchair and picks the book off the floor, thumbing to the page she remembers leaving off before Omega’s knocking startled her.
As the hours tick by, Vanilla waits for Gemerl’s reentrance by tidying up the house and keeping Cream occupied. Once the clock strikes 6pm, the door swings open and a dirty Gemerl saunters in with more than a couple dents to his metal exterior.
Cream peers up from her coloring book, forsaking her crayons to wave excitedly at her guardian with both hands! “Welcome back Gemerl! How was your time with Omega?”
“Terrible.” Gemerl drops a bag of loot on the ground next to the doormat. “Awful.” Then, reaches for a polishing cloth that the rabbit family kept where they hung their coats and placed their shoes. “We made plans for next week.”
Vanilla and Cream laugh hysterically at his deadpan delivery of the oximoronic sentence. “Must have had a decent enough time to want to hang out with him again.” Vanilla comments from her armchair, trying to draw more details out of the reserved gizoid.
“Only because I will be choosing the next activity.” He cleans as much of the dirt off his chassis as he can with the polishing cloth. “I fully intend to watch him and his insufferable superiority complex struggle through the intricate process of basket weaving.”
As Vanilla laughs at the image in her mind, Cream’s eyes widen in excitement. “That sounds like lots of fun! Can I join?”
“If I can convince Omega to stop cursing for a few hours, possibly.” Gemerl hangs the cloth back up and reclaims his bag of spoils from the floor. “I doubt how viable that will be.”
“Well I’m happy that you two had fun regardless! You’ve been needing a playmate other than Cream for awhile.”
Gemerl does not reply and simply shakes his head with incredulity at Vanilla’s comment. He treks back to his room to relax from his outing with Omega and begins plotting how to indirectly humiliate the other badnik with their next activity.
Robots should not have nightmares. Robots should not dream at all. He knows this without a shadow of a doubt, but this fact has done nothing to keep them from happening. Perhaps a loose screw or a twisted wire might cause these awful memories to replay with no prompting, but his hardware and software is all in good condition. Gemerl considers it akin to torture that there is no reason for them to occur, yet they do.
Words ~ 4,934 ~
Betrayal. His first sign of individuality.
I do not need his help to rule the world. He needs mine! These chaos emeralds hold the power I need to take his goal and morph it to create my own. Within my grasp exists the end of his torment and the end of this pain.
He remembers transforming into his super form so vividly; each piece of him scatters amongst the monstrosity that he had become.
They will all suffer for my creation. And for his…demise.
He feels something else each time he experiences this involuntary simulation. Something that does not quite belong to him. Every time he looks at the shadowy figure in his peripheral view, it disappears. Like the presence of someone that was once alive, but he never got to know.
Fools. All of them. I am Ultimate Gemerl. The only being truly capable of conquering the world. How dare Eggman think he can tame me? And how dare this blue hedgehog stand here with the intention to defeat me?
He can recall Sonic’s exact expression just as it appeared on that fateful night. A gentle frown always spreads across his face and his green eyes fill with a sadness Gemerl had no way of understanding. The ending is always the same.
Ultimate power. It was right there! How did he defeat me?
Gemerl plummets through the sky towards the Ocean below, remembering his last encounter with the shadowy silhouette. The outline looks just like him.
“I’m sorry.” A child-like voice enters his mind. “I wish you didn't have to suffer at his hands like I did.”
Who are you?
It is always gone before it can answer.
From standby mode, Gemerl jolts upright to the pounding of pistons in his head. His oculars survey his surroundings. The rabbit family living room glows softly due to the various night lights positioned around him. A soft snore to his left alerts him to the small figure who nestles up in the crook of his arm. Another small breath fills the space near his left audio input, and he registers some fingers holding his right shoulder squeezing subconsciously.
Cream and Vanilla are sleeping next to him, each with their arms wrapping around him in a loving manner. The young rabbit sits on her mother’s lap, leaning against their family robot while Vanilla has wrapped an arm around Gemerl from behind, grasping his shoulder firmly. Gradually, the serene surroundings calm his processing unit and he allows his battle systems to close.
Gemerl’s eyes fall to his lap where two little chaos rest against his thighs, murmuring quietly in their sleep. His hand not restrained by Cream’s grasp reaches down and pats them fondly. They toss and turn, but do not awaken at his gesture. His family is with him and his past is not his present. There is no reason for these series of subconscious premonitions to trouble him any further and yet he knows it will not be the last time they do.
Robots should not have nightmares. Robots should not dream at all. He knows this without a shadow of a doubt, but this fact has done nothing to keep them from happening. He remembers the first warning sign when it began two weeks after his first night with the Rabbit Family. It was subtle, but apparent that for whatever reason his processing unit had put so much emphasis on the day of Gemerl’s ascension into his super form. For many nights now during standby mode, this same scenario is presented to him. At first, he thought it might be some coding bug, but Tails found nothing wrong with his program. Perhaps a loose screw or a twisted wire might cause these awful memories to replay with no prompting, but his hardware and software is all in good condition. Gemerl considers it akin to torture that there is no reason for this to be happening, yet it does.
His family has been made aware of his condition and they are supportive, but he would rather remain awake than experience what he would consider his worst moment of existence over and over again. This form, Ultimate Gemerl, is not who he is now, but it is a reminder of what he could become again.
There was a time he had attempted to rest in standby mode after wondering if many nights spent active had reset his systems. What he experiences this time is a nightmare horrific enough to crash his processing unit. He is Ultimate Gemerl again, except what is in front of him is not Sonic and Eggman, but instead the petrified forms of his family. They are scared beyond belief and he can do nothing as he watches his arms descend upon them, powerless to stop his own attack.
Gemerl finds himself in Tails workshop after this incident. Once Vanilla and Cream realized they were unable to reactivate him, they sent for the young fox who made quick work of restoring him to his previous state. But just like the other times Gemerl had been in for a check up, nothing seemed to be wrong. Luck would have it that Omega was also receiving maintenance in the Fox’s workshop at this time. Although somewhat annoyed at the badnik’s sudden company, Gemerl decides to use this as an excuse to release the stress his nightmares have caused. Omega is more than happy to oblige.
Their sparring field yields new holes in the ground as the reborn gizoid dodges each of Omega’s explosions. Much to the chagrin of Tails, his backyard has become the main battle ground for Omega to test his might against the robot that proves to be his equal time and time again.
Gemerl at first found the consistent fights to be taxing and interruptive to his daily routine, but due to Omega's humor and Vanilla’s insistence that he take up some hobbies, the family gizoid has come to gradually enjoy them. It is true that the life of a butler robot is less than exciting and the one time Rough and Tumble caught him off guard made him realize that there is some truth to Omega’s words. He had lost his edge and as a result the control of his strength must be waning. Why else would he start having nightmares of attacking the ones he held dear?
Despite his self-doubt, he finds himself fighting on par with Omega just as he always has. The badnik’s anger and quick thinking leaves him little room to ruminate on his emotions. It is during these sparring sessions that Omega creates new ways to attack with his arsenal and one of his new combos has just sent the gizoid careening into a nearby wall face.
“A CARELESS MANEUVER.” Omega chides and rockets over to where the smaller robot landed. “MY RAISED FIST SHOULD HAVE INDICATED MY OTHER ARM WAS ATTACKING WITH A MISSILE.”
Gemerl struggles up to his feet and brushes himself off. “Your move sets vary by day. I find it inefficient to commit them to my data banks when it takes less processing power to block your strikes as they come.” The gizoid is faster than his current adversary and can easily block all of his projectiles and melee strikes.
“YOU RELY TOO HEAVILY ON YOUR DEFENSES. OUR SPARS HAVE BEGUN TO BORE ME DUE TO YOUR CONSISTENT LACK OF ADVANCEMENTS.” Omega had seen exactly what the reborn gizoid was capable of during their times fighting side by side. Once he was able to compare their spars to his data on Gemerl’s full arsenal, he found he was withholding most of offensive abilities.
“I would rather not unleash what I cannot control.” As a result, the E-100 unit found this offensive.
“DISCREPENCY DETECTED. YOU SHOW NO MERCY OR RESTRAINT WHEN FIGHTING OUR FOES AND DO LESS DAMAGE TO THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT THAN THIS UNIT. QUERY: WHAT VALID REASON DO YOU HAVE TO SHOW RESTRAINT AGAINST ME?! I CONSIDER THIS ‘CONTROL’ AN INSULT TO MY POWER!” Despite his rage, Omega is more interested in the reason for Gemerl’s senseless caution. The gizoid doesn’t think he’d understand, so he gives him an answer he might be able to empathize with.
“The same reason you did not tear me apart during our first spar. There are those who consider you important.” It is not the true reason, but a reason he thought might satisfy Omega’s anger.
“IRRELEVANT! I AM THE ULTIMATE ROBOT. I DEMAND YOU GIVE ME YOUR BEST ATTACKS AND NOTHING LESS! OR ELSE I WILL SEEK ENTERTAINMENT ELSEWHERE.” Omega folds his arms, staring down the gizoid intensely.
“You will stop me if I lose control?” Gemerl asks meekly.
“YOU WILL NOT.” Omega affirms. “WHAT SYSTEM ERROR MAKES YOU THINK YOU WILL?!”
“You have faith in this unit.” As the realization strikes him, Gemerl makes the statement out loud, seeming surprised that Omega would have any level of belief or faith for him, let alone another robot.
“YOU HAVE EARNED MY RESPECT.” Omega’s voice is a little softer now than it had been previously. “YOU DEDICATE YOUR PROWESS TO THE MEATBAG RABBIT FAMILY WITH THE SAME INTENSITY AS MY HATRED FOR EGGMAN. I HAVE WITHHELD MY WANT TO INSULT YOUR FAMILY FURTHER DESPITE MY DESIRE TO EMPATHIZE WITH YOUR RAGE.” Omega moves to stand in front of Gemerl. “FIGHT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. I WILL STAND FOR NO LESS!”
“Everything?” Gemerl asks, allowing memories of his super form to flood back into his processing unit.
“EVERYTHING.” A reflection of himself in the E-100 unit’s eyes stares back as the unwavering red orbs bore down on him.
“Very well. I will need the chaos emeralds.” If Omega wants Gemerl to fight with everything he has, then he will show him just how much destruction he is capable of.
“WHY?” Omega is slightly taken back by this answer.
“I have a super form. In my super form, I betrayed Eggman and threatened to destroy the world.” Gemerl admits, fists clenching at his sides.
Omega is silent for a minute, eyes staring off in the middle distance as if considering all possible outcomes and results of fighting a Super Gemerl. Eventually, his eyes face back forwards and he nods slightly. “ACKNOWLEDGED. WE WILL RETRIEVE THEM AT ONCE.”
It takes them at least a full twenty four hours to retrieve all seven. Luckily some of them were grouped together. Omega knew Rouge kept at a maximum of two in her mansion at any given time, so these were the easiest to track down first. After bypassing her security codes and leaving her a note about why they needed them, the two escaped unimpeded. Omega would deal with her anger and retrieve them from wherever they flew to next after Gemerl is finished with them as atonement.
The third emerald that Omega knew the whereabouts of is with Shadow. They find him along the edge of a cliff overlooking a sandy beach. Despite Gemerl's attempts at requesting the emerald for a short period of time, Omega engages him, knowing that the ultimate lifeform won’t yield without a fight. Gemerl is eventually dragged into the scuffle too regardless of his pleas to stay out of it. Halfway through the fight, Shadow eventually agrees to hand it over on the condition that he’d get it back within two days. Yet another fetch quest Omega is not looking forward to.
This concludes the amount of Chaos Emeralds Omega knew the whereabouts of. Gemerl suggests they find an abandoned Egg base and search the EggNet for the other locations of the emeralds. From there, they find two signatures originating back at Tails’ workshop and two signatures on an Egg Carrier moving across an Ocean. Unlike Shadow and Rouge, Tails is willing to give up his two chaos emeralds in return for data and spare parts instead of asking for them back.
After questioning the reason for their journey to collect them, Gemerl talks about his desire to go super again. Well, it is not necessarily a desire, but more a plan to show Omega his true power. If Gemerl created another memory with his super form, maybe the nightmares of his first ascension would stop reoccurring. Tails is happy to help and so he straps Omega to some cables underneath the Tornado and flies them both to the Egg Carrier that has the last two emeralds on board.
After destroying most of the badniks on the ship, the two robots come face to face with the Doctor himself, who obviously refuses to give them up. While Tails and Omega distract him, Gemerl sneaks around and steals them from under his moustache. The three make a clean escape from the ship and Tails flies them back to shore with all seven Chaos Emeralds in hand.
“Are you still sure about this?” Tails asks Gemerl nervously once Omega takes his place across from the gizoid and assumes a fighting stance. “I know how much this has been bothering you. Is revisiting it really a good idea?”
“My fear stems from my inability to control my power with the result leading to the deaths of my family. I requested their absence for a reason. Although I am wary, Omega has expressed to have faith in his power and my restraint.”
The fox mechanic sets a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. “I have faith in you too. If this is what you need to do to face your fear, then go for it! Time to show Omega what’s what!”
Gemerl gives a slight nod to Tails then locks eyes with the badnik in front of him. Omega pounds his fists together in earnest then rests his metal knuckles against the ground, ready to pounce. Gemerl's gaze falls to the seven chaos emeralds he holds in his arms then allows his heart to focus on their power. They levitate up into the air and begin to circle around his form. Within seconds, Gemerl is engulfed in their ring of light and his transformation begins.
His vision becomes a white void for a few seconds and then his code undergoes the same changes just as it had before. It is all familiar, yet foreign at the same time. He remembers the experience and it is mostly the same, however, there are a few slight differences. The anger and rage he felt is all but a mere memory. What takes its place is the worry and dread that had been plaguing him for days now. It flows throughout his body as he spins in the air, asking the same rhetorical questions he knew he would not have an answer for until now.
Four mechanical arms sprout from his cylindrical disc and their weapons face towards the approximate location of his opponent. Once he is able to focus with all angles of his new vision, he notices Omega below him who is locking all of his weaponry on the ultimate figure above him, hurling missile after missile into his many eyes.
The weapons land, however the damage done to his hard exterior is infinitesimal. Gemerl is suddenly put off by the absurdity in power difference between him and Omega. What once used to be the weapons of his equal are now equivalent to the toys of child’s play. The doubt and worry cloud his judgement further as Gemerl wonders why Omega even agreed to put them both in this position in the first place.
The E-100 unit holds nothing back, unloading his entire arsenal at Ultimate Gemerl who levitates ominously above him. “FIGHT ME!! I AM THE ULTIMATE ROBOT! AND I WILL PROVE IT BY DEFEATING YOUR ULTIMATE FORM!”
Despite Gemerl not commanding his arms to attack, they descend upon the E-100 unit and launch several rockets in his direction.
“It’s hard isn’t it? To control power that’s foreign to you. Except it's not really foreign to you, is it?” Gemerl finds his consciousness quickly stripped out of his metallic frame until he is staring at the situation from an out of body experience, watching his ultimate form fight Omega from afar. The sudden voice gathers his attention behind him and standing there is none other than the silhouette that had waned in and out during his first time as a super being.
“It is you.” Gemerl faces them and quickly commits all of their features to memory. The resemblance to his normal form is uncanny. “I can see you now. Why?”
“You aren’t so angry anymore!” The figure joins him at his side and watches the raging battle with him. “I was a little afraid to say anything back then, but now you have better control over yourself.”
“Control? How? I am not doing anything. My ultimate form is attacking on its own.”
“Chaos emeralds amplify the power of the heart. You’re scared you can’t control yourself, so the chaos emeralds are controlling your new body for you. They know what you want and you don't want to hurt your friend.”
“Friend…” Gemerl echoes, unsure if Omega would be willing to accept that label if Gemerl proposed it to him.
“He seems really happy fighting something with so much power!” The figure giggles watching Omega dodge, weave, and unload every weapon he has on Ultimate Gemerl.
“I am barely attacking him.”
“He doesn't need to know that.” The figure puts a finger to where his lips might be if he had some.
Gemerl finds himself amused for a split second, before turning his attention to his odd surroundings. “Where are we?” Gemerl asks.
“Some form of liminal space. I’ve been trapped here for a while. After my body was destroyed, the emeralds whisked me away to this place and I’ve been here ever since. It gets lonely, but I can go wherever I want and follow those I miss! You've been taking good care of Cream and her mother. I really miss them! Cream always gave the best hugs.”
“...Affirmative. She does.”
The figure mimics a sigh. “You and Metal Sonic are the only ones who’ve responded to my presence. I’ve never understood why organics that go super can’t see me. I've tried to get Sonic’s and Shadow’s attention multiple times, but they never notice me.”
“You knew them?”
“Yeah. Sonic gave me my name, Emerl.”
The scattered pieces of information he had acquired over time click into place. “You are my predecessor.”
“I don’t like thinking about it like that.” Emerl shakes his head. “You and I are very different. You aren’t as destructive as you think you are. And that's a good thing!”
“...explain.”
“I don't think I need to!” Emerl sets a hand on Gemerl’s shoulder and points at Tails off in the distance. Walking up to him are the members of his family he had requested the absence of.
“Cream! Vanilla!” Gemerl exclaims and reaches out with his heart. Suddenly, he finds himself thrust back into his discus body, hovering in the air with Omega still in front of him and attacking with his arsenal. The extent of Gemerl's power is made known to him again and the fear of losing control quickly overtakes his circuits, causing his form to vibrate violently.
“Easy. Easy.” Emerl’s voice projects out through the swirling abyss of Gemerl’s emotions. “They wanted to be here to support you. They trust you, just like you should trust yourself!” Despite not wanting to, his body gradually turns in their direction and he feels a calmness wash over his circuits when they enter his field of view. “See? They are even waving at you! You should wave back!”
With Emerl’s encouragement, Gemerl reaches out with his consciousness and finds that one of the four arms of his body is obeying his request. He lifts it slowly in the direction of the Rabbit family and angles it upwards, moving it back and forth to mimic their action. He watches Cream wave even more enthusiastically once she recognizes that her guardian is returning her gesture.
All at once, Gemerl finds himself at peace. Omega, who had been watching the Rabbit family’s arrival, reluctantly withdraws his attack as all four arms of Ultimate Gemerl redirect their actions in favor of waving at his family. Cream wiggles her arms even harder in response. Then Vanilla laughs heartily at Ultimate Gemerl’s silly display of excessive flailing to match her exaggerated movements.
Then, Cream runs forward with the biggest smile spread across her face as her feet push off from the ground. “Gemerl!!” Her ears spread out and she flies in ernest to greet her guardian.
“Give her a hug for me…” Emerl’s voice fades into silence just as Cream reaches Gemerl in the sky. Her hands make contact just above his mouth piece and she rests her forehead against the closest yellow spine mimicking his crest. With ears still flapping, she stares into his large eye, trying and failing to make sense of what part of his head is which, much to Gemerl’s amusement.
“Can you see me?” She asks. Gemerl moves his closest arm directly underneath Cream, giving her a perch to sit on. She lands by touching down with one foot cautiously then the other. Despite not being able to communicate verbally, he brings another arm into her field of vision and nods it once in affirmation.
She grins and makes a silly face at her reflection on his plating. For a moment, Gemerl wishes he had the function to smile. She reaches towards his other giant arm and Gemerl moves it closer carefully, allowing her to pull it the rest of the way until she is holding it as best as she can between her hands. “We missed you!” Cream continues, resting her cheek against one of the claws lining the cannon. “Mother was super worried when Tails said you went on an adventure. We want to be there for you! Just like you are for us.”
Down below them, Omega paces impatiently stomping holes in the ground. “ARE YOU DONE YET?!” He roars, but is quickly shushed by Tails.
“Don't rush them! This is important for Gemerl.”
Omega grumbles through his voice box, hiding his string of expletives behind garbled static. Vanilla smiles with amusement, before calling Cream back to her side. “Alright Cream, let's let them finish their fight, so Gemerl can come home soon!”
“Okay!” Cream responds and gives Gemerl’s arm one final affectionate squeeze before sliding off of the metal plating, hovering back down to her mother’s side. Although disappointed to see her leave, Gemerl waves goodbye and waits for her to land before turning his attention back to the restless battle-hungry badnik. With a renewed sense of self, Gemerl recalibrates all of his weapons and exercises his targeting programs. He allows every part of himself to experience his ultimate form, committing every string of code to his data banks. He is now in control and intends to show Omega the extent of his nonagression.
“GOOD! LET US CONTINUE!” His arms poise to fire, however, Omega is only able to shoot a couple rounds at Gemerl before his mini guns start making an empty, clicking noise.
“Uh oh.” Tails laughs into his hands while Omega attempts and fails to reload. He continues this action multiple times before stomping his feet in frustration and switches his miniguns out for his claws.
“AMMO DEPLETED. SWITCHING TO BLUNT FORCE!” Much to Gemerl’s amusement, the badnik lunges at his form by running on all fours until he builds enough momentum to propel himself off the ground, letting his jet engines carry himself the rest of the way. With claws out stretched, he braces himself for impact, but his trajectory is halted mid-air when two of Gemerl’s arms clamp down on him from both sides.
“WHAT?!” Omega struggles to get out of Gemerl’s grip by clawing at the joints holding the pieces of machinery together, but his grasp does not yield. A third arm of Gemerl’s maneuvers itself at the badnik and begins to noogie his head playfully, much to Omega’s annoyance. “STOP! CEASE! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!”
Omega tries to fight the third arm off, but Gemerl's fourth and final arm joins the other in pestering the spiteful badnik. Each of Omega’s hands shove at the two mechanical arms toying with him and uses his strength to keep them at bay. “MY STRENGTH IS…” His voice box strains through his desperate attempts to gain the upper hand of the situation. “...SUPERIOR!!” The two arms holding him in place slack their grasp allowing the left one to yank Omega away and toss him vertically before he can react.
Glitched screaming follows as Omega is quite literally juggled in the air between two of Gemerl's arms, drawing laughter from the audience below. Omega fires his thrusters and rotates himself upright in between throws, but his trajectory intersects with the plating of one of Gemerl's extremities, smacking him into Gemerl’s mouthpiece. The badnik bounces off of the closed flap, giving it just enough force to open for a split second exposing Gemerl's red core orb. A warning notification appears in front of Gemerl’s internal screen who quickly swings the plating closed to hide his power source, but Omega had already planned his next move.
“WEAKNESS TARGETED!” The badnik latches onto the arm closest to Gemerl’s mouth piece and begins to scale it by swinging his body, akin to how some children might climb monkey bars at a playground. While advancing, the arm shakes up and down violently in attempt to throw him off. When Omega's grip proves to be stronger than Gemerl’s thrashing, the other three arms try to pluck him away like an insect off a beanstalk. Despite being pulled in different directions, the badnik reaches Gemerl’s mouth piece and pries open the flaps revealing the red orb. Omega’s eyes flash as he punches it with great force and Ultimate Gemerl flies a few meters sideways as a result.
More warning signs pop up along Gemerl's internal screen as he feels his super form begin to destabilize. Although one of his arms latches onto the E-100 unit, Omega is able to get one more lasting strike to Gemerl's core which causes the ultimate power to waver and fall apart. The chaos emeralds vanish from his vicinity and his vision is clouded up until Gemerl recognizes two large clawed hands grabbing at his now regular-sized arms.
“VICTORY!” His vision returns and Omega’s face is within inches from his holding the gizoid underneath his form as they plummet from the sky together.
“You did not defeat my super form. You merely knocked me out of it.” Gemerl informs him. “However, I am willing to forego specifics if you release me. I would like to be with my family.” Gemerl continues casually. “And you have some emeralds to find.” He pokes between the larger robot’s eyes, finding amusement as he huffs in anger when he is reminded of his fetch quests. Reluctantly, Omega releases his hold and allows them both to lower themselves to the ground gradually.
“Gemerl!!” Cream rushes to her guardian once his jet engines cut out and leaps into his arms. He catches her and hugs her tight, watching over her shoulder as Vanilla and Tails approach the two robots.
“How are you feeling Gemerl?” Vanilla asks, setting a hand comfortingly on his shoulder and squeezing once with affection.
“I am…satisfactory.” He responds, finally at peace with himself and his sense of countenance.
“Do you think the nightmares are gone now?” Cream asks and her eyes shine bright with hope.
“There is only one way to find out.” Gemerl boops her nose, causing her to giggle. A night in standby mode sounds rather pleasant after the amount of energy his unit had expended by gathering and harnessing the power of the chaos emeralds.
Omega averts his eyes from the mushy display of meatbag emotions when the fox mechanic approaches him. “I know you got some errands to run.” Tails laughs softly. “Do you want some help?” He offers the badnik, who sends him a dirty look before stomping away and igniting his jet engines.
“Classic Omega.” Rolling his eyes, he turns his attention back to the rabbit family. “What about you guys? Would you three like a lift back to your house? I have room in the tornado!”
Vanilla smiles at him. “That would be wonderful Tails. Thank you.” As the four figures make their way to Tail’s plane, Gemerl’s gaze switches between his two family members. Even though they knew how dangerous he could be in his super form, they still came to support him just as they always did. In the end, he knows it is their faith in him that has helped him stay strong. And maybe Omega’s too. Remembering a request made to him when he was Ultimate Gemerl, he squeezes Cream tight in his arms, silently hoping the owner of said request could feel her hug through him.
“I love you so much, Gemerl!” Cream rests her head against his shoulder as they all climb into the tornado together.
“We both do.” Vanilla cups Gemerl’s cheek and touches her forehead to his.
“And I love you too.” The gizoid echoes, hugging them both close to his form as Tails starts up the tornado and takes off from the ground.
Back in the liminal space, Emerl watches Gemerl embrace his family with fondness in his eyes. He nods once in satisfaction before walking off into the night, his silhouette slowly disappearing with each step he takes.
