Now that Tails has spoken with you about your mission, the state of the world, and the threat you're facing, you're free to settle in to life here. While the warehouse isn't exactly the most thrilling place to set up a base, it's clean and well-maintained (despite the only one here being a kid fox?) and Tails encourages you to make it your own as best you can. You're going to be here for awhile, after all. This world needs to be saved, and you're the ones to do it.
The warehouse is thankfully quite large, so there's plenty of space. Aside from the ground floor containing Tails' workshop, there's a room for Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic, as well as your rooms. There's a large bathroom and several nice showers - this time with actual hot water! Though it may not be fancy, it's certainly acceptable accommodations for your time here. Exploring further through the warehouse reveals that there's an upper floor, with several other rooms that have already been furnished for varying purposes; after all, it seems your friendly neighborhood talking animals have been living here for quite a bit themselves.
But outside the walls of the warehouse are where things get particularly dismal. Though life goes on in the city of Chicago, it's without any sort of passion or thought at all. The humans go about their day-to-day lives in monotony, acting as though nothing is wrong or out of the ordinary. They don't acknowledge you, even if you try to talk to them. They don't recognize you as weird, even if you aren't human (or a talking animal). They simply move about, drone-like, heedless of the robots that patrol the streets.
Eggman's robots are high-tech, white chrome and smooth; these are almost a work of art as they are technology. They all come equipped with laser beams regardless of the shape or size of them, and they all seem to be set on keeping an eye on the people. There are robots watching everywhere. You can't turn a street corner without seeing one or two, and they follow pre-determined surveillance paths as they watch over the humans.
Lingering in the distance, you can see a massive robot that takes up the horizon. That seems to be Eggman's base of operations, at least as far as Tails has been able to determine. Though it poses no threat to you right now, it's a looming reminder of what awaits you.
Welcome to Eggman's utopia.
THE BASE
Though he's apologized for the base not being particularly lively, Tails has promised you the freedom to make the place your own. He's even directed you to a "crafts room" if you'd like to decorate! This art studio is surprisingly robust for something put together in an abandoned, worn-down warehouse on the outskirts of the city. You'll find plenty of markers in every color you can think of, sketchbooks and paper and papercrafts, string and glue and everything you could need for your second grade arts and crafts project. Though it may all be a little kiddy, it's here for you to do with as you wish.
The crafts room isn't the only odd one on the upper floors, you'll also find a gymnasium. It's more of a home gym than anything else, with only a couple of beat-up old treadmills, a few exercise bikes, and some weight lifting stations, as well as plenty of weights. It's not exactly the best room in the base, but it's here if you'd like to make use of it.
Next door is an open room with several soft mats - an open room for sparring and training. This one doesn't really have much in it, but you're welcome to make use of it however you'd like.
And next to that is the requisite first aid room! This one is well-stocked and even has a few cots in case of more serious injuries. You'll find plenty of first aid kits, painkillers, and other various medical supplies, though nothing that will allow you to perform home surgery or anything of the sort. Hopefully you don't need to do that, though?
Finally, the last large room is one that a lot of love and care has been put into - an entertainment room! There's a large screen TV mounted on the wall, with many couches and plush chairs. You'll find that you've access to any and all modern day media you could find on a TV, from streaming services (who is paying for these, anyway?) and knock-off YouTube, to your favorite anime and even Twitch. It seems that our three allies have quite the varied interests, given their search history and "previously watched" shows and movies. There's enough seating in here for everyone, so why not have a movie night?
Oh, and you'll find the kitchen on the ground floor behind Tails' workshop is suitable for all your needs - it's not particularly well-furnished, as your pals here aren't exactly master chefs, but you're always welcome to talk to Tails about obtaining something more for the kitchen or any room in the warehouse.
All of the items you had on you at your canon point can be found in one of the storerooms as well. This includes weapons, though anything magical will unfortunately not work properly. Please ask me about anything gamebreaking!
THE CITY
Chicago itself is exactly what you'd expect of a typical American city. Well, apart from the robots patrolling and the lifeless people going about their days endlessly, that is. Anything you'd want to find in a city, you can find here! But be mindful - those robots can and will notice you, unlike the people. Most robots will engage in combat on sight, as you're someone unfamiliar and could possibly pose a threat, but some will try to flee - you probably don't want them getting away and reporting sightings of an unfamiliar person!
While the city may have undergone some major changes in its population, the infrastructure is about what you'd expect. The people clean and maintain everything just as they always have, leaving it to almost seem as though everything's fine... were it not for the construction. Unlike most construction sites, these are clearly being maintained and built by the robots - there are buildings that have been completely taken over by Eggman's white chrome finish, leaving to odd sights of mish-mashed buildings and structures that are half-advanced technology, half-old school building materials. Though it may look like a normal city at first glance, it would seem that Eggman is quite literally transforming everything into his very image. You'll even find a statue in a local park that has been replaced with an Eggman statue.
Sadly, it seems as though the people are not the only ones trapped under Eggman's thumb. Animals - be they pets or wild ones - also go about their usual business, with absolutely none of their usual livelihood. You won't see many people playing at the dog park, just passing through taking their dog on a needed walk and returning home. Squirrels and birds likewise carry on as if nothing is wrong, even if they're perched on something that is clearly Eggman's technology rather than a proper tree. Which yes, means that even some of the trees are being taken over by Eggman's chroma, transforming the very living world around you as well.
Though businesses are still running as usual, the people aren't exactly in any state of mind to notice if you steal something from them - as long as you're careful about it, anyway. While security cameras and the like may still exist, it doesn't seem like anyone's checking them. In fact, it seems like no one's committing crimes either, as the city is remarkably peaceful at all times of the day or night.
SHARDS
You may feel as though you have more control of your powers this week... or you may not. Regardless, things are still prone to going haywire, which could pose a problem if you get into a fight with a robot. Tails has asked you very nicely not to hurt any of the people, so maybe lead the robots somewhere that won't risk causing injury? Or don't, I'm not your mom.
Starting this week, you may attempt to use your shards together with someone you have a strong relationship with, good or bad. Once this has been used for the first time, a page will be opened to explain the mechanic. Regardless, that's going to take even more work than mastering your own power... so perhaps fighting those robots isn't a bad idea after all.
And you do want to fight those robots - Tails has warned you that the robots are searching for the rebels' base. You don't want to let a robot escape to bring information about you and possibly the base back to Eggman, do you? Should you let a robot escape, let me know.
TAILS' TASKS
For those of you willing to help - or if you're just particularly bored - Tails will offer some tasks for you all to help around the base. He can always use help with organizing and gathering supplies, keeping the base clean and in good condition, or even keeping track of the security cameras and communications networks. He'll gladly teach anyone who would like to learn technology as well!
For more specific tasks, this week he will grant you a small, rectangular box with an antennae on top. It's kind of cutesy, but it has a radar function built in and it is tracking some kind of signature. Tails says that it's tracking the Chaos Emeralds, and that some sort of Chaos Energy was detected not too far from the city about a week ago, when Knuckles vanished.
Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to see if you can find this Chaos Energy reading and determine the direction it's coming from. You are to go in pairs, but you are not to try to track the readings to the source, just determine where they're located and what direction they lead to. Of course, nothing's stopping you from going off on a wild adventure if you really want to...
ENEMIES
This week's enemies are Badniks, Eggman's robots. Specifically, you'll find yourself facing the Badnik Surveillance Unit, the Badnik Drones, and the Badnik Transformer Model B33.
Badnik Surveillance Units are primarily made for reconnaissance. They can be found flying overhead, observing the people go about their lives and following scheduled flight paths and patterns to ensure every inch of the city is being observed. Well, mostly. You can find some back alleys and hidden spots here and there, and these Badniks usually won't go into buildings or out into the woods. They will immediately try to flee upon spotting you. They're easy to take down, though a bit more durable than one would expect, given Eggman's designs. If cornered, they are capable of shooting a simple laser beam that will hurt and possibly leave a burn.
Badnik Drones are the most common combat robot you will find. Small chrome white orbs with red eyes, they are capable of scanning and detecting abnormalities. They are not quite as common as the Badnik Surveillance Units, but you'll still spot several of them floating through the city at any given point in time. Unlike the Badnik Surveillance Units, these come ready for combat. They can fire lasers as well as shoot small homing missiles. The homing missiles thankfully aren't very fast and can be outrun or otherwise blocked, but they pack a punch if they do hit! These robots will stand their ground and fight if they spot you, but they will call for backup - if you aren't fast enough, you'll find yourself facing many of them!
The Badnik Transformer Model B33, more affectionately called Buzz Bombers by Tails and friends, is... well, it looks like a bee. A hornet, rather, as that stinger is actually a precision laser that moves fast. These robots typically look like Badnik Drones, but are capable of shifting and uncoiling themselves to become the B33 units. They are fast, they hit hard, and they are relentless, pursuing you nonstop until they've been destroyed. They will not call for backup, which is possibly the only saving grace about fighting them. Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell if a Badnik is a Drone or a B33 until you're actually in combat - and by then it may be(e) too late.
[Feel free to seek Tails out at any point during the week. He'll almost always be in his workshop, either tinkering away or focusing on one of the monitors, hard at work on... well, something. No, the kid does not take a break and yes, he will forget meals. Still, he'll always be happy to see you!]
[ you're most likely to run into sunday this fine morning in the storeroom where all the things are being kept, and he seems pretty intent on looking for something - and he might be poking through your stuff to see if his own weapon might be hidden underneath it.
okay well he is looking for two things: a generic weapon he can use, and also his own weapon, which happens to be...
a book. he will seem pretty relieved when it's found, though.
later, if you are near or in the entertainment room, you might be accosted by one of these tiny golden critters, who will hover around you or even land on you and make sounds that are akin to tiny bells ringing. they sound curious.
sunday will be nearby though, half amused and half exasperated-slash-apologetic when he spots you. ]
[ Tiny bell sounds...that sure is something, isn't it?
They raise a brow as these little creatures decide to hang around - whatever these things are supposed to be. He hasn't quite seen them before, for obvious reasons. ]
Did you now?
What are these...your pets?
[ They're probably more than that, they suppose. But, Sunday could always take the chance to explain. ]
[A week in, and Viktor still wasn't sure he would ever get used to how quiet it was. To be the only voice in one's own head was something he had nearly forgotten over the past months, and it was going to take a good deal more adjustment. Most of which was spent trying not to think about the state of the city--or more specifically, its people. Instead, Viktor spent most of his time in and around the base itself. He'd taken a notebook from the craft room, often seen writing in it--mostly notes on kitchen and infirmary supplies, judging by the meticulous way he was going about checking and organizing things at the same time.]
[And speaking of the kitchen, he was in there surpisingly often for someone who claimed he didn't need to eat. Early in the week, he could even be seen rummaging through the back of a cabinet muttering to himself. Probably normal.]
[He'd pass by the entertainment room a time or two while going about keeping the base clean and organized--giving it a slightly confused look, then quickly continuing on before the urge to dismantle something out of curiosity took over.]
[After a couple days had passed, Viktor sought out Tails again--for a much less concerning reason. Which was to say, at some ungodly hour there was a plate with a sandwich set down beside a mug of something warm that smelled excessively sweet.]
I am starting to understand why people found my work routines concerning. You should eat something.
[ This. This is what he's talking about. Percy is quick to enter the art room and snatch a couple of markers, as well as large sketchbook – he takes a seat in a quiet corner of the room and gets to work immediately. It's like he knows what he wants to draw, and he'd been holding the idea in for days...or perhaps he just really, really wants to create something.
He's there for a bit, but he seems to be drawing a rough but rather polished outline of one of the robot spiders from outer space. Once that's done, he flips the page and seems to draw something else: A very colorful, explosion-like burst of energy. ]
entertainment room
[ Percy stumbles across a Twitch channel named "twitchplaysmonstermon". He turns it on. The channel is exactly that, but the channel is bizarre in that the people typing in the chat are not giving any other commands than hitting the left arrow. Therefore, the character on the screen is just. Walking into the wall for several minutes and not doing much of anything else. ]
...Uhhh.
[ Y'all, what the fuck. He changes it to another similar "Twitch plays" channel and it seems like the same deal. Well, he supposes this is what happens when people have no capacity for free thought... ]
[ Percy knows he won't go to the city alone, and that's why he has asked someone – you, lucky you – to accompany him. Of course he's going to the local W*lmart to pick up two things and two things only: A coffee machine and a skateboard. However, the problem lies with the robots...who have either spotted them both before, after, or during both phases of the W*lmart trip.
Of course, shopping is a much more peaceful experience, because Percy is the kind of guy who knows what he wants and doesn't spend too much time browsing. Of course, if his partner wants to, he'll be patient and walk around with them.
And, of course, if the robots are a problem after, well. Time to, as they say...escape from the city. :) ]
wildcard
[ HIT ME UP WITH ANYTHING! As a note, if close cr/cr that gets closer this week wants to try some Shard shenanigans, I'm down! ]
[ At some point, Gyles finds himself in the storeroom going through the things he's fairly certain are his. "Fairly certain", because it's not as though he had many possessions he felt an attachment toward. Everything he really needs is already on his person (creature?), but he takes a dagger, a backpack, two sets of tools (tinker's and thieves's), some rations, and a waterskin anyway.
Looked at but left behind are two shortswords, a shield, a blanket, some leather armor (though it's his size so uhhh have fun with that), a set of candles and a tinderbox, and incense.
He then spends most of his time in the first aid room. Sure, he doesn't have his healing magic here, but after yesterday's encounter, he figures he should step up and be more forthcoming with his help. Some things are familiar to him - bandages, braces, and the like - but the medicine bottles leave him squinting. Literally. ] Can barely read this damn thing... [ Mumble grumble. his canonpoint is before he got glasses so he's #suffering!!!!
But if you find yourself wanting to explore or do something in the city, then he'll tag along as a +1. He's got some things he wants to look at closer - namely the parks and the stores - but if you have something else in mind, consider him along for the ride! ]
[Misfire's here looking for his own stuff, but being a nosy bastard and a scavenger at heart he can't help but take an interest in what Gyles is going for -- and most importantly, what he leaves behind.
Once it's clear it's not beingn taken, he gets his grubby mitts on one of the swords.]
[ Gyles had a feeling from the start that his world was beyond the one he found himself in, at least technologically speaking, but BOY HOWDY. Stepping foot into W*lmart makes it glaringly obvious. Like, what do you mean there's instant noodles???? When he was Percy's age, he had to make that shit from hand or steal it!!!!!! And it sure as fuck wasn't instant!!!!!!!!!
Noodles aside. For the moment, they're safe from the robots, so he's free to turn to Percy with an arched fuzzy brow. ] Remind me what you're lookin' for?
[Well - getting here was horrible. The robots were a pain and an impossibility to avoid, and Misfire's still not quite used to this whole powers thing. Why can't he just have a gun?
...Not like that would end any better.
But they've made it to the illustrious W*lmart, and at its pearly gates, he places his hands on his hips.]
Alright, loser. We made it. [He peers into the aisles with some wonder. There's a sea of distractions.] You better show me something worth the journey - and the very real possibility of dying horrifically on the way back.
[ Two things on the brain. Two things only. However, he catches Gyles being very fascinated with the idea of instant noodles, so before he even thinks to go to pick those things up, he pauses next to a stack of them. ]
You wanna try one of these? They're pretty good and really easy to make.
[ Dying horrifically on the way back.... Percy, a ghost: :man_standing:
He grins at Misfire, and, you know, the image of this large robot skateboarding is probably well worth coming here for on its own, so he's going to make it a point to get one for the transformer. ]
Okay, buddy, you know what a skateboard is? You wanna do tricks and shit in front of your enemies while you kill them?
[ That's totally how this works!!! Look at Sonic Riders – ]
... Right. [ He hasn't heard of either of these things before, so this'll certainly be an Interesting Shopping Trip.
But first, noodle side-quest. Gyles picks up one of those packages and holds it at almost arm's length so he can actually read the back. ] They're really instant? [ and without magic?????? ]
[ Hey Tails. Shizuka had been hanging back and just listening to other people ask questions and receive explanations yesterday, but now he's a bit more adjusted and less beat up emotionally and physically from the fight. Time to hang out with our fuzzy new leader. ]
Normally I would not offer this so freely, but as I am without responsibilities to study or take care of my club... You may ask me for my support in dealing with the surveillance and communications.
[...when he hears the Little Guy grumbling he kind of... tries to get a look in to see...]
My, they are using the smallest possible writing they can, are they not... perhaps we should see if they have some sort of magnifier in the various supplies we have.
[ After the upheaval of yesterday's battle, sleeping in a proper bed worked wonders to restore Shizuka to overall good condition. This early week, he's ready to take on the world (and the eggs??) on this unexpected US vacation. This means checking out the base and seeing what useful things can be done around here.
You can find him at the gym, kind of frowning... ] Well, it'd have been too much to expect for a rundown hideout to have a pool, but I wonder if I can get into one somewhere in the city...
[ Regular training is important for an athlete, after all!! He's a fish-- well, no, he's an aquatic mammal. Let him swim.
But with swimming off the table for now, you can find him in the sparring room wearing simple work-out clothing. What you can catch him doing is varied. Sometimes he's just doing a basic work-out, throwing in something that looks kind of like solo karate practice. At other times, he's actually practicing his powers. You'll see him shift between himself, a muscular blond guy and a leopard-eared younger boy. They both wear ridiculous outfits, it's fine. Shizuka seems to be trying to see how fast he can switch between forms mid-movement.
You're free to interrupt him while that is going relatively smoothly, but you might also see something more emotional: at some point in the middle of a blonde-normal-blue sequence, Shizuka suddenly turns into someone else entirely and all his movement comes to a dead halt. For a moment, all he can do is stare down at his own body. When he transforms back into himself after a long moment, he looks hollow. Don't mind him if he just sits down on the mats and stares into empty space for a moment...
At other points this week, you'll find Shizuka hogging the entertainment room in order to... watch documentaries. The most basic documentaries about the state of this world. He has his hand raised to his chin and is constantly mumbling to himself, pretty much inaudible to others. Comparing this world and his own is serious business, okay?! ]
[ What is life without its entertainment and fun? Void Archives themselves will be making an appearance in the general area for that very reason. They're not really here to do much in the way of clean-up - they have taken to at least assistance with the security side of things.
But, right now, they are clearly not doing that - instead, they will be casting a glance when the other looks about ready to leave. ]
Where do you believe you're going? Only looking to busy yourself with work? What a shame...is that all you know how to do?
[ Ah well, how is one to gain a better view on the world and its general situation other than to become educated? Whether by seeking out information from the world's occupants, or perhaps the media itself...
They can't pretend to have idly watched some here themselves; so when they catch someone else doing the very same, they will stroll in if only to plop down and watch. Perhaps something new compared to the last is on the screen, though instead they decide to make commentary elsewhere. ]
What exactly are you whispering about? About wishing you were watching something far more entertaining instead?
[Ed never approaches Tails when he's busy with the monitors because it's easy to guess that this is something that needs concentration. The moments he approaches are only when he's away from those. Any interactions are mostly just checking on Tails, because, truthfully, Ed has an outrageously strong paternal instinct and Tails' existence is reminding him of that. Thankfully, Ed has enough restraint not to be overbearing nor too familiar, but still, he doesn't fail to at least check on Tails like twice a day.
Around the middle of the week, he decides to ask:]
Ed is meaning to ask, what are...those?
[The monitors, he means. His world is not technologically advanced at all]
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