Friends, Romans.

PART I
The light glared up at him from a board of seemingly thousands of illuminated buttons and spilled over his head, where monitors flicked back slightly blurred images of rusting sentries making their same tired rounds in the filthy streets. Yet he was in the very heart of darkness itself, right where he had been for the better part of ten years.
As he absentmindedly flicked through the security channels, more from habit than actual fear of attack (for he, unlike his Uncle had actually bothered to learn a bit of Mobian lore and knew this was a very holy night, and one in which the vermin were unlikely to appear) a small bead of sweat inched its way down the long, sharp nose that was the most distinctive feature of Snively’s haggard face. Narrowing his eye and leaning forward as though trying to make out some obscure object on the screen; Snively tried to remember the last time he had been truly happy.
No, not since his mother and the escape from that damned ship he concluded. With a pang he remembered the awe he had felt when, with tear-blurred vision, he saw the changes in the world to which he and his Uncle had returned after what seemed such a short time. The towering figure and massive bulk of the man who now called himself Robotnik had been there as he took his first steps from the escape vessel, blocking the sun from view. “It was a comfort.” Snively thought, as an unbearable wave of bitterness washed over his own tiny frame.


PART II
It was to be one of the last great battles of the War and Julian, the mysterious savior from the distant past, had with his knowledge of robotics helped turn it into a decisive victory for the Kingdom. The enemy had long since retreated as the last rays of sun crept away from still forms and smoldering patches of fire as the minster of war and his young nephew set out to survey the battlefield: “These animals are pathetic.” Snively gave a small jump at the words from his companion, surveying the devastation he was not sure if he was bothered more by the rigidness of those that did not move, or the slow agonizing attempts to stand or crawl from those that did. Almost imperceptibly, he took a step closer to his uncle as they walked; somewhere through the smoke and gathering fog he heard a weak voice- “Water…”.

“We can end all of this Snively.” They had stopped now, standing near the far end of a scarred patch of ground that had been no-man’s-land but a few hours before. “We can make it right again.” “But we already have turned the tide of the war Uncle, you said yourself this morning that the Alliance has less than three months of fight left in them, and with your contributions victory is assured.” “No No No my boy” The Minister said, flashing a quick smile upon his ward. “I mean all this… this madness. Man was meant to rule the earth, you know that. We should have never left, but it’s not too late to correct that.” Craning his neck Snively responded “What are you saying? We are the only ones here, maybe the only humans still alive. And remember the damage to the control panel when we… when we fled; we’re not even sure if…” “It’s earth.” Julian interjected with visible annoyance.
“Okay so, well, even if it is- how would we contact the others? They didn’t even want to come back and check, and besides” a dark shadow passed over Snively’s face for a moment as they stood unspeaking, flames crackled nearby.
Presently Snively again looked up into his uncle’s artificial eyes “I suppose we shall just have to get used to our new lives here.” He said with a weak smile. “Come now my boy, your mother wouldn’t want you talking like that, she died for the human race and I know you don’t want her sacrifice to have been for nothing. Besides all the people who were on that ship are dead now, but their descendents could still be floating out there in that big metal hulk, don’t punish them for their forefather’s stupidity.” “Alright Uncle” Snively said, excited in spite of himself at the prospect of seeing people again “but good luck getting the critters to support your big reunion plans.” finishing the sentence with a broad wink.
“Oh don’t worry about that dear nephew” Julian said with a smile, his voice oozing honey “I’ve found a way to guarantee these creatures will serve man when he returns to his rightful place. But I will need your help, remember when you did some work for that rodent “Sir” Charles? Well….”



PART III
“Huh,” something like a laugh escaped Snively’s motionless face, it was almost funny now, all these years later. He never learned what happened to the ship or the rest of the human race, his uncle had probably never tried to contact them and, in the semi-darkness on this night, he almost didn’t care, he no longer cared about most things it seemed. He rubbed his red irritated eyes, they always began to swell at this time of night, when a quarter of the exhausts all along the dead city were released at once. “Hmp, only one in the city with this problem, only one here that isn’t a damn monster.” At this thought he suddenly froze, then began to laugh.

The bell, or rather the beeper (“Something so low-tech and natural as a bell, here?” he thought with sarcasm) would sound any moment, and then it would be time for another day of abuse to start. (All-night watches had become one of his uncle’s favorite forms of punishment, and two days had already come and gone since Snively had been allowed to so much as rest his head. Not that he could have been able to sleep these last days anyway.) “No, no this time it shall be a bell.” He half whispered to himself, switching his attention to a small beetle crawling on the control panels; oblivious of the creature on whose mercy it now depended.
With a sharp crackle that went off like a shot from the largest monitor Snively snapped his head up in time to get a flash of his uncle, face distorted. He thought he heard a scream but could not be sure as ear-busting static burst out through room and the screen went black.
A few moments later a Swatbot entered, something about a chemical leak on Robotnik’s control board, his arm being an excellent conductor. Snively wasn’t listening, he knew it all, getting only a mild surprised once, when the humanoid computer offered metallic monotone condolences to its new lord. “Oh, are you sure?” Snively said, turning from the monitors to face the huminoid machine for the first time, “I’ll be right there, just…” he swerved back to the control panel and set the beetle carefully on the floor. “Sorry Mother… sorry Uncle Julian”
He said as he rose, a tear running down his cheek and smile beginning to crease his lips.

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears:
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”
-The Bard