A World Of Rotten Eggs (Eggman SI/The Boys)

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The world of the Boys is full of villains masquerading as heroes. So it shouldn't be a problem to add an SI with the memories of a villain to it. What's one more bad egg?

Also posted on Royal Road.
Chapter 1: Getting A New Job
Before I made my first robot or beat my first superhero, I was jobless.

When COVID-19 hit, job prospects got a bit tough for everyone. I'd spent hours with different temp agencies, filling out applications, going to interviews, all sorts of things. I did a couple quick jobs, even one where I went into a Nike factory with a group of people and scrubbed the place down. But I had yet to find something permanent.

So when I was told a new job was available with high pay and benefits for entry-level employees, I was skeptical. Sounded like some guy was going to teach a group of morons how to sell knives for a pyramid scheme. Which was something I'd run into before.

So when I drove up to a nondescript building in the middle of town and stared up at it, I wasn't feeling sold. "Yeah… this isn't going to end well. Place looks like a serial killer is going to trap me inside."

I walked up to the doors anyway. Job prospects weren't good, remember? I'd scrub toilets as long as it put food on the table.

I saw my reflection in the door as I swung it open. I cleaned up a bit for the interview, wearing clean jeans, a red polo shirt, my beard neat and brushed, and my curly hair wet. Couldn't help my raccoon eyes, set into my dark tanned skin. Too many late nights writing and gaming.

Once I entered, the place was empty.

"...Hello?"

Wow. Not even an echo. The floors were cement. Same with the walls. No receptionist desk, nothing. Goddamn, was I really in a serial killer den?

I clenched my fist and took a deep breath, nervously walking in. My other hand went to my phone, ready to call 911. I was fairly large, and confident I could sort of handle myself in a fight, but that didn't stop the nervousness.

The room down the hall was listed as room 1991.

"...There is no way this building has more than 1000 rooms," I hesitated. "Ahhhh… damnit."

God, the guys watching the horror movie I was living in must have been screaming at my idiocy. Fuck it. I needed rent money. Then again, if I got stabbed by Freddy, I'd never have to worry about rent again.

With that fatalistic thought, I pulled the door open, my fist still clenched-

Darkness surrounded me. I stumbled, staring around, but it was useless. I couldn't even see myself. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, quickly turning on the flashlight-

Above, light exploded. I snapped my head upwards.

"..."

My phone slipped from my fingers. It landed with a wet splash. I didn't look at it. I stared upwards.

I had been in a building. Now I stood under the open sky.

A kaleidoscope of colors swirled above in the night. Stars spun in circles, shining brighter than I'd ever imagined they could. Nebulas and galaxies were clear to my vision.

The floor I stood on was gone. It was replaced with water. A dark swirl of rippling waves stretching out to the horizon, reflecting the impossible field of stars above me. I must have been there… I don't know. A minute? Maybe five at most.

Then I looked around more, trying to breathe. "God. I don't… what is this-

"There you are," I spun on my heel, water splashing upwards with my turn. Behind me, a man in janitor's overalls stood. He smirked a bit. "You're here for the job, yes?"

"Job? I'm just trying to understand what's going on!"

"Ahhhh," he chuckled, walking towards me. The man looked so familiar- "You look to be like you were hit on the head with wood, ya? Kaikki hyvin, then I'll begin your interview."

"Ahti?" I asked hesitantly.

His face was old, with plenty of wrinkles from smiling and smirking. His hair was a bit of a mess, with a flop on top. He was overweight and short, hunched over in age, wearing a janitor's uniform, a pair of earphones resting on his neck that went down to an old school walkman on his waist.

Basically, he looked like Ahti. A fictional character. I mean, sure, he might have looked like Martti Suosalo, but the outfit screamed Ahti from Control.

At that point, I felt like I was going crazy. In a world of stars, with water under me… and a character from the video game Control in front of me. Was this a dream? But I hadn't thought of that game in months, why would I dream of it so vividly? And the water that had splashed on my legs was so cold. "What, is Jesse Faden next?"

"No, no, that one is varattu. Focus on you," he walked over to me, mopping as he went. Impossibly, as he mopped the water we stood upon, I got the sense it became cleaner. Where he passed, the reflection of the stars shone brighter. "I'm here because there is melkoinen soppa somewhere right now."

"Melko- I'm sorry, what-"

"Quite a soup. A real mess."

He tapped me on my chest, pushing me back. "Ahhhh. You got real sisu. Okay. You got the job."

The water under me suddenly stopped supporting my weight. "Fu-ghghghghgh!"

I sank under the waves, staring upwards as I was somehow pulled down.

"Ahhhh. There will be sugar on the bottom for you. Look for that," he smiled, the waves of water drifting, the stars and nebulas highlighting him. I held my breath and tried to swim upwards, but the last thing I saw was his kind face smiling.

Then I rose out of the water. I took a deep breath filled with both air and water, screaming and coughing as waves smashed into me. Sand under my feet sucked at my shoes. For one ridiculous moment, the thought in my head was 'damnit, I got dressed in my good clothes this morning.'

Then it was all coughs.

My arms swung outwards as I fell to my knees. I dug through the sand, rushing towards the beach, spitting out water, trying to get air to replace it. Finally I got to the beach, pulling myself out.

"Ahhhh… w-wh-what-!?"

I twisted onto my back, staring at the blue sky. After that insane swim, air was all I could think of.

"...Ahhhhhh-"

I cut myself off, trying to breath again. God. I hadn't felt like that since that blue devil had-

Blue devil? Wha-

"Gah!"

I spun to my feet, clutching my head. "Oh god! Come on! Are you kidding m- AHHHH!"

I fell to my knees and screamed.

We've all forgotten and remembered things. That sensation of reaching into your mind for a memory and getting nothing. And then… boom. The memory hits. You suddenly remember, in a flash of realization.

Imagine that happening over and over again. Imagine feeling like your brain is getting eternally frozen.

And imagine an entire life pouring into your head.

I passed out.

------

When I woke, the sun had risen above me. My clothes were still wet. I stared upwards.

That… sucked. I wish I could have thought of something more eloquent for the experience. But that was the best I could do. That SUCKED. I just wanted to get a job. To help my family. Get some food. But then, that was always the way. I make my fancy plans, put all my work and time into the perfect idea, only to have someone or something stop it. Whether it was Ahti, a damn plague, or that damn Blue Menace, someone always-...

I ran that sentence back in my head. I let the memories in my head flow, for just a moment.

I forced myself to my feet, trying to, I don't know, to move, to get a concept of what I was in for.

The place I was on looked like an island. A peaceful tropical one. Beach, water, palm trees, the works.

There was also a dock… with a yacht.

A big one. Not the biggest I'd ever seen, since I'd owned some-

Knock it off, brain.

I pushed back my… I don't know 'false' memories? They didn't feel false.

I stumbled a bit, but kept walking, heading towards the yacht. Not much else to head towards, right? I just had to do something. To try and have some control. Both the normal part of me and the new part hated not feeling in control.

The yacht wasn't massive. Just a 60 footer. Feet? God, what an inaccurate form of measurement the Imperial system was.

Ignoring those thoughts as best I could, (and failing miserably) I hopped into the boat, looking around. It was nice. A bit worn, but overall in good shape. Some duct tape on the seats, a couple scratches. Somehow that made me feel more comfortable with it. Like the fact it was obviously lived in was part of its charm.

It was quiet as I walked around. The smell of the ocean surrounded me, that brine smell. I entered the open doors in the back of it.

The smell of brine faded. Instead, oil hit me. Machine oil, that caustic smell. Familiar, but for more reasons than… damn.

The front of the room had the steering wheel and such, but they didn't hold my attention.

Instead, I walked around the main section of the room. Shelves hung on all the walls. Tools rested on the shelves, hung there to be reached. Electronic parts, gears, wires, and more all rested ther. My hand reached out and trailed along them. I hummed to myself as my right hand bounced from chilled steel to vulcanized rubber.

"Hmmm, dadada," I mumbled idly.

I reached a desk in the center of it all. A laptop was on it. I popped it open. Old. But serviceable. I typed at the keyboard, stumbling for a second. I had a bunch of experience typing. But now I was fighting muscle memories I didn't have. I pushed myself to type into it. I needed to find out about this place. Find out where I was. Why had Ahti done this?

I went to a news site immediately. What was-

"EYEWITNESS FOOTAGE OF QUEEN MAEVE IN ACTION!"

A commercial for the Boys? There was a photo of the Queen Maeve actress punching two guys in the face at once, a confident smirk on her face.

I flipped through articles, fighting the two different muscle memories in me to focus on actually getting work done.

A new movie that was coming out. "Tek-Knight Begins."

The Deep was at the opening of a sea exhibit opening.

The 'Believe' Christian expo was being put together, with a guest list including Ezekiel the Stretching Man.

"Not a commercial. This is the Boys. I'm trapped in the Boysverse," I thought about that for a second. "Wow. I'm absolutely fucked."

At least I'd watched the excellent show and read those shitty comics. When in the timeline had I shown up? Well, I did know one big event that happened in this universe.

My normal self was still freaking out. But the fresh new memories I had didn't flinch. They grabbed hold of the reins and kept typing. Didn't need too many search terms either.

A-Train. Robin. Hughie. Death.

2 days. 2 days ago, the hero known as A-Train had run through a young woman named Robin, ripping her to pieces in front of her boyfriend as he held her hands.

2 days, huh. Then I had some idea of what to do next.

I picked up the laptop and moved over to the shelves, looking around. "All right. I can work with this."

But why could I work with this?

Stuck in the Boys. Sent by some guy from Control. He'd told me he was giving me a job. This yacht must have been part of it. Same with those memories that appeared in my head.

What memories were they?

I looked through my thoughts. I could remember… I stood on the bridge of a ship, a flying aircraft carrier. Looking out into space. I heard sounds of computers beeping behind me. But I didn't look at them. Instead, I focused on the approaching enemy. I felt… hate. But also an odd kind of fondness?

A blue blur sped across the top of my ship, bouncing insanely fast, spinning in a circle at one point, snapping in quick twitches from left to right. Annoying. But also incredible. Faster than the speed of sound at points. At others, so fast it couldn't be measured.

I raised a hand and placed it against the glass. My hand was so strange in shape. My palms and fingers were massive, but my arm was so thin. I wore a white glove and a red coat, the cuff turned back to reveal yellow on the inside of it. I leaned forward, my reflection shining in the window as I came close enough.

The memory crystalized. Bald head. A pair of goggles on my face that somehow didn't obstruct my vision. And a big honking orange mustache, twitching on my face as I smiled. It stretched from side to side, spiky in appearance and dominating my appearance.

I didn't need to remember anymore. Not my smile slowly stretching my face, not my echoing laugh.

And especially not the blue blur (MENACE) coming to a stop. He glanced up at me. Short. Blue. Spiky quills on his back. A pair of red sneakers. And an infuriating grin on his face.

The truth hit me and I banged my head on the desk. Oh dear god.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Eggman. Whatever you want to call him. I had the memories of Sonic's archnemesis in my head.

"This- What am I even supposed to say about this!?"

Sitting in the boat, surrounded by tools and tech, knowing that somewhere out there a Superman Expy was flying around killing people, I tried not to have an existential crisis, even as memories of existential crisis' I had already had filled my head.

Well. Somehow this still was the least awkward job interview I'd ever had.

------

Author's Note: Welcome to the new SI story. A guy who enters the world of the Boys with the memories of Dr. Robotnik :D

To be clear, it's sort of amalgamation of the Eggman memories. So he remembers all the things any Eggman can. I figured that was fine, since any version of them makes some RIDICULOUS stuff.

I'm going to try and make this story a regular thing, aiming for a schedule of a new chapter every Wednesday on my Patreon for as long as I can. The second chapter is up there now. Hopefully, you guys enjoy the ride and the potential.

It's going to be FUN to write this.

Let me know what you guys think. This story is currently getting some serious work done on it, so any thoughts, ideas, or philosophical questions, let me know. I like the Boys tv show, and I think it's going to be fun to run around there as a chaotic influence.
 
Ya know, I thought you inserted as Bowser into MHA was going to be a wild ride, but I was clearly wrong. Can't wait to see more! :D
 
So bioengineering your first arch nemesis clones with different colour schemes when? Or is it going to be a robot clones that's better than the original yet losses somehow all the same?
 
Awesome intro.
Looking forward to more.

First thing your SI should is to check if Sonic exists in the Boyverse like in ours.
 
This, this is a special kind of curiosity. It is not creativity that makes crossovers, it's curiosity. Not that creativity plays no part, let's not humble ourselves though. This, this right here is a silver idea, a method of discovery.
In this scenario I am imagining a more cyberpunk corporate face. They want a villain, let's give em one. Some one with a little more style. It's usually the villains who play by the rules, that are those you have more trouble with.
Don't make him overt, play it like the French, or the CIA, or the British. Play both sides. CREATE enemies, give them the means to fight them.
 
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Dr Robotnik can definitely make things that can take down the lunatics of this world, it's just a matter of getting the resources and time.

And also not making something smarter and stronger than him with pointed opinions on ruling the world.
 
so, can we get a count down to meeting the Boys? Because you cant be in The Boys without meeting the Boys
 
so, can we get a count down to meeting the Boys? Because you cant be in The Boys without meeting the Boys
Not really I suppose if he gets his first robots and schemes off early he can hire them as minions or mercenaries to fight the heroes but otherwise it would probably be best to use rhe boys in interlude every 4 or 5 chapters depending on how fast the story progresses to get opinions outside off egg man and the heroes from the boys universe. The only hole point of the boys is to have ordinary people trying to undermine and fight against corrupt super humans and powerful corporations there really wouldn't be much point in eggman approaching them after the first few chapters and with the over the top of whacky schemes and inventions eggman creates along with his apparently superhuman genius and the boys hatred of anything to do with super humans I doubt they'd get along well.
If eggman wants to hire those or something to steal voughts secrets or act as minions original characters would be best.
Funny idea I just thought off but having eggman openly having a recruiting site online for minions or at least tryouts might be a way to introduce the boys to him.
(Any thoughts on that)
 
Not really I suppose if he gets his first robots and schemes off early he can hire them as minions or mercenaries to fight the heroes but otherwise it would probably be best to use rhe boys in interlude every 4 or 5 chapters depending on how fast the story progresses to get opinions outside off egg man and the heroes from the boys universe. The only hole point of the boys is to have ordinary people trying to undermine and fight against corrupt super humans and powerful corporations there really wouldn't be much point in eggman approaching them after the first few chapters and with the over the top of whacky schemes and inventions eggman creates along with his apparently superhuman genius and the boys hatred of anything to do with super humans I doubt they'd get along well.
If eggman wants to hire those or something to steal voughts secrets or act as minions original characters would be best.
Funny idea I just thought off but having eggman openly having a recruiting site online for minions or at least tryouts might be a way to introduce the boys to him.
(Any thoughts on that)
like the henching app that's canonically in DC? Like uber for super villains, but instead of cars they hire muscle. That'd probably be fun ngl.
 
Yeah Kinda like the DC henching app from dc or marvel
marvel.fandom.com

Hench App

The Hench App utilized a proprietary algorithm to match the best possible Hench contractor - based upon location, power set, and past confrontation history - to combat any hero in the database.[1] Hench 2.0 included improved features, better response time, a new feedback system, and more options...
Someone with eggman's memories would probably use it to create one of those weird over the top evil organisations from Shōnen manga.
though depending on what direction the author goes in I could see eggman creating various alter egos with his robots serving as body doubles using the henching app to create chaos all while protecting his true Identity.
a funny thought would be if it was created so he could hire criminals, thieves or hackers to steal Voughts secret superhero compound v formula and gather his initial funds to set up a secret lair/robot factory and then forget about it only to find out later it's become the favourite app of organised crime and up and coming super villains inspired by him.
 
You are going to have to pull out all the stops when it comes to raw HAM. The man whose brainmeats you are channeling... subtlety catches fire in his presence. His life is an endlessly looping helicopter penis animation set to heavy metal. If you try to tone that down too far I expect something to snap.

In this setting... well, its probably a terrible day to run an insurance company. I, well, this might well go villain-vs-villain, empire-vs-empire, in truth and that is the best kind of fight there is.
 
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like the henching app that's canonically in DC? Like uber for super villains, but instead of cars they hire muscle. That'd probably be fun ngl.
Welcome to Eggman's International Baddies™. An evil goon for all your evil Schemes!

EGGMAN'S INTERNATIONAL BADDIES™ IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OF COMPETENCE AND/OR BETRAYAL BROUGHT ON BY MISTREATMENT OF OUR E-100 BRAND OF GOONS.
 
2: Making Progress
There are a few things that come up when you have memories of an evil supergenius from a fun video game series. The list includes a couple of things. Like the constant urge to monologue.

Standing in front of a whiteboard I found, I let my mouth run as I thought.

"So I need to think on a few things now. First," I spun the board in front of me around, looking it over. "Ahti sent me here for a job. Clearly, he wants me to clean up the world. The world of the Boys. So either he has no idea what an 'entry-level job' entails, or he just wanted to send me somewhere horrible and see what happens."

I threw aside the thought, quickly writing. "Here are some big problems. First. The Sev- No, fuck that. First, superhumans," I crossed out one word and wrote the other, stepping back to look at it. "A bunch of random people who are given extraordinary gifts. I make a single move to 'clean' the world, I need to prepare for them. So-called 'superheroes'- Gah, stop that!"

I had never talked like that. Not sincerely. Stupid Eggman memories.

"...You know what though, that's a fair way to call them. So-called. They'd rip me in half if they thought I was messing with their bottom line. So put most of them in that big round circle of assholes. Except for Homelander and Starlight I think," I wrote their names. "One is dangerous enough to count as his own character. The other is a Golden Age hero in an Ennis nightmare," I thought about how often she cussed. "Maybe Silver Age. Which is fine, more my speed."

"But, then I have something else to worry about! Vought!" I wrote the name dramatically, spinning around to point at the ocean. I quickly moved out of the pose, sighing. "Okay. Vought. Giant company that runs the world. Or is trying to at least. They're the big threat. They're also the big target, right?"

I circled the word Vought. "Okay. I need to take out Vought if I want to… 'clean' this world. Right? What do I have at my dispo-"

Memories spun to the front of my mind. I rolled through the list, thinking faster than I ever had in the past. The pieces came together in my head. Using that circuit board, those wires, that bit of a piston, if I could weld the steel together and build a strong enough frame-

Blueprints flowed in my head faster and faster. Weapons of war, robots, ships, energy converters, flying nations. Impossible, over the top, and insanely powerful creations. Things no one deserved to have pointed at-

The Robotnik memories ended. And my own took over. Of heroes killing, raping, and maiming. All while one organization enabled them in the name of money.

The memories of a supervillain. Against a corporation full of evil 'superheroes'.

"Heh. Heh. Hehehe. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

I leaned back, my arms stretched outwards, and let loose a bellowing laugh, my voice echoing outwards. "WAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!"

On the list of things that came with supervillainy memories, the evil laughter was kind of a fun one. Liberating really.

------

Exploring the boat brought up two things. First was a note from Ahti, resting against the steering wheel. I could almost hear his voice as I read it.

"Congratulations on the new job. I gave you a new identity. Someone varakas, wealthy dumb child lost. Embrace it. No more old world, so sorry. Family will be safe and rich. Menneen talven lumia, Julian."

I looked up the Finnish words. Varakas meant what he said, rich, wealthy, haves. He built me an identity as a rich asshole named Julian. No offense to people named Julian, but it was the kind of name rich assholes often had in comics.

Menneen talven lumia. The snow of the past winter. Forget about old snow, snow that was long gone… I was never going home.

I almost broke then.

Looking up the name he gave me brought me to Julian Ivo (Of course it was Ivo). A rich kid who had gone to MIT, specialized in robotics and was on the cusp of graduating… Then his billionaire parents died. He inherited their money but was left with no other family. So he bought a boat and disappeared for four years.

Thank god Ahti saw to giving the yacht an internet connection to let me do this kind of research… Actually…

I looked up Ahti. No mention of the game Control, which made sense in a world of comic superheroes dominating all media. Just a wiki page for the Finnish God of Water. Or a Finnish hero. History was complicated.

God of Water who worked in a mythical organization that fought monsters and could send people to other dimensions.

I found something else, saved on the computer. A news article about a Muslim family whose rich uncle died, leaving them millions. A photo of my family sat there.

I stared at it for a moment. Trying to hold onto it. Then I closed my eyes. Okay. Okay. Then I'd get to work.

I'd delete the photo later. I couldn't risk anyone finding it. But after I'd committed it to memory.

For now, I looked into the computer more, still fighting the weird sensation of two muscle memories battling. The writer and super-scientist in me were both annoyed at how slow my typing was, but I got enough done. My research was enough to tell that Starlight hadn't joined the Seven yet, which was when the show kicked off. I had time. Tons of. And I had space. Out here, no one was going to bother me as I got shit done. A quick look at my, no, Julian's finances showed I had something in the neighborhood of 100 million. More money than I'd ever had… Okay, that was a gross understatement. It was an insane amount to me, a poor kid all my life.

But... a pitiful amount if you were trying to build anything like the Eggman empire at even a medium level of power.

Well. Time to see how far these ignorant savages had gotten at testing the laws of physics.

I got up and went to the board again.

"Okay, 'Julian'. What is it you need? Capitol. Yes, enough money to begin building in earnest. I'll have to take the long route. Sell my technology, create a company. God, having to pander to people like that-" Wow. Both my writer and supervillain side hated the necessity of trying to become a super rich guy. My poor kid side always had some disdain towards big money types, and my supervillain side wanted to do science and tech for the joy of dominating the world, rather than pandering to things like marketing teams and shareholders.

But the money was for a good cause. Logic won out.

100 million to start. I'd need to purchase land to build on. Until I could make more automation in the lab, I'd also need employees. Supplies with which to build. While the stuff on the boat was enough to get my prototypes up and running, eventually I'd need to start building in earnest to make things like special alloys, personal energy converters, all of that mess. I didn't care as much about housing and such, since I planned on living wherever I worked anyways.

The big thing was security. I needed to make something to protect myself with. A bodyguard who could protect me from supes.

I ran through the mental list Eggman had.

"With the material I have, I can't make something really impressive yet," I stood and paced, my arms going to the small of my back as I monologued. "Funny enough, the Badniks tend to be pretty darn advanced. Same with things like Qubot and Orbot or the other 'dumb' aides that Eggman had following me-HIM. They may have been idiots, but oddly it takes really advanced computer systems to make a robot smart enough to do dumb things. Foolishness is a sign of sentience I suppose. Sapience, rather."

On thinking of robots, I ended up drifting from Eggman's memories to my own. Terminators, Amazo, other cool bots. One that made me smile was Atomic Robo, the adorable badass. Then I went back to Eggman. As cool as those bots were, I had to stick to tried and true.

"Innovation is done in safety," I stopped, tapping my chin. "Think basic, mass produced, dumb but would follow orders to the letter. Strong and durable… I can go big later, build something truly diabolical. For now, I need what works."

I reached out for a blowtorch and metal face mask. "I have just the thing in mind!"

With that, I got to work.

------

It took me a full day. I worked through the night, building as best as I could. My challenges were many. I felt like I had been in some terrible accident that made me relearn my muscle control. I lost a wrench when I tossed into the ocean in a rage midway through twisting a bolt.

Eggman would have been finished with such a rudimentary creation in a couple hours. I took solace that a full day was still fast for a guy who'd only built some PCs in his time.

I stuck with it. I built a basic skeleton, making sure that it was strong and solid. I didn't have enough power to do something really crazy, so I was forced to stick ports for batteries all over the thing. I had to make the thing short. Only about 140 centimeters. Not enough power for something sexier. Smaller design meant I could put that energy into more function.

I could feel Robotnik/Eggman/Whatever you want to call him inside my head. Not really. It was just memories. But if he had seen what I was reduced to, he would have been of two minds. On the one hand, he'd mastered robotics on an insane level. Not just robotics. Science was a playground he had studied every inch of, played across all parts of. After starting from nothing and getting to the point of creating machines that ran off fundamental forces of the universe, this current pitiful machine was basically a lego brick compared to the Taj Mahal I could be making.

On the other hand, it was nostalgic. Starting from scratch with just a workshop and a dream, just like the old days.

I finished up as best as I could. Couldn't make it look really clean, unfortunately. No paint, nothing I could do to clean those rough welds. Its appearance didn't matter though. As long as the shell was solid and the insides worked. I'd made sure the gears were well oiled. Now to turn it on.

I stepped back from my creation, looking it over. My hands had several burns on them, small cuts, oil all across my arms and body. I reached for a switch on a wall and hesitated.

This wouldn't work. That was my first thought. I wasn't an engineer. I was a punk. A half-assed writer-

Before I even noticed it, the switch flicked on. I turned to face the machine as the lights in it's eyes flickered.

"Right. No time for self-esteem issues."

I watched in avid silence as the robot before me creaked. It sputtered, shaking in front of me. For the first and millionth time, I watched my creation rise before me.

Was tempted to scream 'It's alive, it's ALIIIIVE'.

But instead, I simply let the satisfaction fill me as the robot stood tall. Well, stood short. It buzzed, beeped, and screeched before finally settling. Two large light bulb eyes stared at me.

"Hm… well, you aren't as powerful as the first. And not as advanced as the latest. More like a child of them. So I'll call you… Ah. The E-Boy. Why not? You-"

I held back the sudden cruelty. I was about to say I'll just toss it out when I was done with it. Fuck that.

Eggman had grown out of treating his creations like trash only to be surprised when they betrayed him. And I'd always been sentimental.

"The E-Series E-Boy, my defender."

The robot beeped aloud in acknowledgment. A miniature version of robots like the E-1000's or E-123 Omega. The tiny thing shook in place, up and down. It had a blue barrel-like torso protecting the main components, thick arms and legs with black pieces of steel surrounding the forearms and calves, claw-like feet, and massive clawed metal hands.

"Okay, my Boy. Come along," I walked to the front of the boat, grabbing the steering wheel. "Let's head to New York City."

------

Beginning our journey, a sudden thought struck me. Victoria Neuman could explode peoples heads… At least, I thought so. Goddamn.

I pushed the thought away. I didn't have a way to do anything about that. About Homelander. Hell, even Eagle the Archer might be able to turn me to a pincushion.

Some part of Eggman found humour in the thought. Excitement even. Anyone could kill me. The game I was playing was harder than it had ever been in some ways.

With that weird thought, I slept. Only briefly, in short intervals, constantly checking my position every time I woke. E-Boy clinked and clanked in the corner, always watching my back in his rudimentary way.

The journey was like that for a long time. Resting, checking my route. And most of all. Planning.

I needed money after all. So I needed to sell shit.

Start simple. A computer. It needed to be cutting edge, cheap enough to undercut the competition, and easy to repair. I doubted I'd ever be able to outsell the likes of Apple or Microsoft, not for a good while, but it would get me there.

Because my real plan was simple.

Become a merchant of death, baby. Start selling weapons to the US Military. Give them super tech. Nothing I wouldn't be able to take down of course. But Vought wanted into the military… it would be a good idea to shut that down.

So I planned and piloted. Until, eventually, after some time, I reached the East Coast. I reached New York City. Well, Manhattan mostly. Man, why did the city keep showing up in my life?

Paying for a dock online, I pulled into a harbor on Hudson Bay and parked my boat there. It would be my base of operations for a bit, considering it had all of my current items there until I could get someplace more defensible.

I left the boat behind and walked out onto the dock after tying down. E-Boy followed me, step by clanking step. An elderly man sitting in his boat watched us walk by, me in my sand-covered clothes, and E-Boy whirring as he followed.

"The fuck is that thing?"

"An X-Box."

The old man let out a disapproving grunt, immediately ignoring me. He'd likely seen stranger things. Even a normal New York City had strange shit, let alone a superhuman one.

The plan for the day was to walk around Manhattan for a bit. Just get a feel for the city, the environment in general, see about maybe buying some small necessities. Like caffeine.

I entered an alleyway, planning to cut through it to get to a pawn shop down the road-

An arm wrapped my neck. I began to struggle, only to feel a cold edge against my back. A knife.

I froze immediately.

"All right kid, just drop your wallet and it'll be okay," a slightly stale breathed voice said against my cheek. "Over there, against the wall."

You know? I found something in common with Eggman then. We both fucking hated getting mugged.

"E-Boy. Be a dear."

The guy behind me let out a sound of confusion. "E-Wha-"

There was an almost comical sound like defibrillators charging, then a 'snap-hiss' of a gas pistol firing.

"Oh- SHISHISHISHIZEZEZEZEGAGAGAGAGAGA," I stepped away, turning to look at the guy who had been threatening me.

He danced in place, arms and legs twitching, his tan face crinkled in pain and shock. E-Boy was behind him, a pair of wire stretching from one arm to a pair of metal prongs in the muggers back

"I have to wonder, when you pick a target in the future, if you'll be a little more discerning?" I asked casually, watching as he fell to the ground still sputtering. "Better yet, rethink the career choice, because robbing people in a world where anyone could have superpowers just isn't a business that will ever be sustainable. But then, I'm not here to give you business advice. E-Boy, hit him at, I don't know, heavy, no, middleweight boxer level."

Sckeeeek. A metal fist smashed into the man's chest and sent him bouncing into a wall.

"Heh," I patted E-Boy on his head. "Good bot."

"Scrush, scrush," E-Boy rose and fell briefly. The Eggman part of me knew he didn't have the intellectual capacity to be pleased. The rest of me found him adorable.

"Come on, let's go grab some shit."

We went on to the pawnshop, leaving the mugger behind.

------

After I grabbed a change of clothes and some energy drinks, I went to an electronics store and bought big bunches of all sorts of things. Circuit boards, soldering iron, TVs, you name it.

I also had to rent a van to get it all to the harbor. All in all, I must have spent thousands of dollars.
I headed back to the boat with E-Boy sitting comfortably in the passenger seat. That brief walk and drive told me enough about the neighborhood overall for me to form a solid map of the place. Now, to use the massive budget that Ahti had given me. As E-Boy watched me, I got to work on finding what I needed next.

I put in a call to purchase an old brick factory that had been empty for a couple years in Manhattan, a place that had long since been taken over by graffiti and alcohol bottles. Based on what I could tell from a couple hours of intense research, it had been an automobile factory. I wasn't sure if automobile factories in Manhattan had been a thing in my world, even before companies started outsourcing that kind of thing, but it had been in this one.

Which meant I found a building that was made just for creating big machines using big machines.

I made plans for meeting the realtor there in a few days, then started looking over the supplies I needed.

Metal, for one. LOTS of metal. Of all kinds. Industrial steel, copper, good old iron, small amounts of gold for certain wiring. But also various plastics, lab equipment, and much much more.

I kept on having the issue that every time my Eggman side started taking things for granted, I'd need to drag it back to reality. I didn't know that the physics of the Boys was entirely compatible with the physics that Eggman was used to twisting. I kept wanting to build these grand things, armies of robotic badasses, powerful death rays, but then I'd be reminded I didn't even have the most basic of things that lead to those.

"A robot isn't just putting pieces together. Even something as simple as E-Boy is a miracle of modern science in this primitive world, and he can be beaten by a Badnik from the first Sonic games."

I looked over at him, then continued pacing and monologing.

"I have to reinvent so many things. More advanced circuitry, software, various false musculature, power sources, energy converters, cooling systems…"

"Hm… Maybe I can take some cues from other media? It should be more than simple for me to replicate their success?"

Oh, so that's what villainous arrogance feels like.

"Of course, in the end, one thing that keeps popping up is quite simple. I need to hire... a lawyer," I said with a hint of disgust. "Until I can make a robot who can do the job better, I'll need a lawyer to be able to help me with paperwork."

I took a look at the dozens of lawyers in New York City. No Matt Murdock unfortunately.

"Too bad," I sighed, hunting through the files. Back in my old world, I had a friend who was a lawyer. He'd once told me that incorporating in Delaware was a damn good idea. Unless… maybe I could become a P.O.C. A privately owned company. Then I'd need to get into the nitty-gritty of government contracts at some point.

After the most basic perusal of law in New York City, I felt like crying. I laid out in a deadpan voice, feeling like I was losing my mind.

"The factory will need someone to check on zoning, property, and labor laws. Making my machines will require someone looking into patents, intellectual laws. And then I need someone who knows about government contacts, transactional lawyers, litigators-"

"GAAAAH! Confound the American Legal System and it's horrific laws!" I smashed a fist onto the desk. "MAKE SENSE DAMN YOU!"

Once I calmed the mustached side, I rubbed my face.

"How the hell does Lex Luthor make this shit seem so easy?" I mumbled, checking on my next on the list. "Okay. I don't need a single lawyer. I need a firm."

That thought narrowed things down. Okay. A firm. A massive company of lawyers. People who knew what they were doing, who had thousands of lawyers, and all the expertise I needed.

I needed evil ones too.

"Well, maybe not evil, so much as purely ruthless," I amended quickly. "They need to be ready to fight anyone that Vought sends my way. Actually, that also means I didn't want anyone who has business with Vought. Basically, ruthless, doesn't have relations to Vought, big enough to have a lawyer to help with any and everything. Should be easy enough."

After a long hour of work, I found the perfect candidates. Addams, Slant & Waldorf. I actually noticed them because of the fond memories the names gave me.

They were not lawyers most thought fondly of. They were very good at their jobs, followed the laws implicitly, and won huge amounts of cases. While also doing it on behalf of real dickwads. I'm talking about insurance companies refusing payouts, companies responsible for environmental disasters, all that stuff. They did the lawyer thing of at least making sure any victims got payouts, but it was clear these guys were more Wolfram and Hart than they were Atticus Finch.

They looked like the perfect types of lawyers to fight any Vought types.

I sent a message off to them using the 'contact us' page on their website, explaining my plans and ideas for building a company, then moved on. Hopefully the ability to wave money under their noses would be enough to get them on board.

I took a look at when Robin had died again. Damn. Morbid that I was using an innocent girl's death as an, I don't know, check point on the timeline. Her funeral wasn't for another few weeks. Died two, now three, days ago, funeral four weeks later, a full month after her death. A bit on the long side to get started, as most funerals went, but I imagined the controversy of her death had led to some delays.

By that time, I'd need to accelerate certain sciences in this world by a thousand-fold to get myself capable of fighting back and intruding on the events of this world. I doubted Ahti wanted me to wait until the end of season 2 to step into things.

So I'd need to take some shortcuts. I needed some small inventions now, things I could make with materials at hand that I could start selling.

I'd used most of my stuff on the boat for E-Boy, but I still had some basics and a van delivering my shopping. I put on a lab coat and grabbed a circuit board. Time to get to work.

------

I pulled a bunch of shit out of the van and got to work putting it together. My idea was simple.

"An energy converter. Something I can make that will turn large portions of waste heat into power. That will be useful for myself down the road. But I also need something sexier!" I spun in place, pointing at E-Boy. "Do you know what that is, E-Boy!?"

"...Scrunch, scrunch," he bounced in place, waiting for an order.

"RAMS and graphics cards. Cooling systems! Those are things companies are desperate to find better and better versions of. OH! Mental memo: Build prototypes for atomic waste scrubbers. I am sure the government will pay a pretty penny for that copyright to get me some extra capital and make a splash in the papers."

Then I went back to my original point, putting some more pieces together and soldering a bit more, my hands moving quickly. "Anyways. Stronger, studier, cheaper, and overall more universally compatible graphics cards and RAM. That's gonna be a good way to get consistent profits, once I can get started on patents."

I lifted my new experiment in front of my eyes, looking it over. "For now, we're on our way, E-Boy."

"Scrunch, scrunch."

------

A week later

After a week, I stood in an empty room of concrete, staring at dozens of crates.

"We all good, sir?" a large black man in workman's gear said, walking over to stare at the crates.

"Yes we are, Sam. Got all the materials needed. Now we just need to get to work. Your men ready?"

"Just tell us what to do."

"Excellent. MUHAHA-" I cut myself off, coughing. "...Sorry."

"It's cool. I got used to it."

I sighed. "All right, get the guys moving."

------

It had been a good week full of progress.

On the first day, I worked all through the night, chugging more energy drinks than was healthy. At some point I'd need to come up with a better alternative for staying awake, but for the time being it worked.

By the time I was done, I got an email approving my meeting with the lawyers. Tomorrow. That was quick.

At least, until I remembered that I was Julian Ivo, confirmed rich kid. They must have looked me up. Money really does open up doors for people, huh?

By then, I was done. Well sort of. My first prototypes were… rough. They had none of the power of my original designs, none of the sturdiness. Barely adequate in any way.

Compared to the best this world had to offer, they were an upgrade in every way. Good enough as examples as well.

With my upgrades in hand and E-Boy at my side, I put on a suit I'd gotten from the pawnshop. Later I'd get something nicer, but I'd take what I could get. Then, I went to meet the lawyers.

------

I sat across a desk from a Latino man who was looking over my prototype graphics card with a pair of white gloves on. My other stuff had been sent to be looked at by his scientists, but apparently, he was curious enough to look at the card on his own.

The dude was... Impressive, to say the least. Mr. Addams' office had been on the top floor of the very fancy building his firm worked out of. His office was bigger than any apartment I had ever lived in, including bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, and living room.

"If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Addams, is it common for the top man of a firm to meet with a potential client?"

The Latino man looked up at me, then smirked. When he spoke, it was with a hint of an accent, enough to give his voice a suave elegance. "Oh, no, not at all, Mr. Ivo. Usually, I would have my men looking into this alone. But I wanted to gain your measure. And my, what a measure it is! Your little friend there caused quite the ruckus when you arrived, didn't he."

We looked over at E-Boy, the tiny bot resting peacefully next to my chair.

"I must ask, why didn't you include him in your list of creations? He is by far one of the most impressive things I've ever seen, and I once saw Queen Maeve lift a car. I have yet to see any bipedal robot move with such fluidity and balance, let alone capable of following spoken commands so easily."

"You know a lot more about computers and robotics than I would have thought."

"Ohhh, I am a man of many, many interests. Now, that aside," he put down my graphics card, looking curious. "What are your plans, Mr. Ivo? To sell graphics cards and RAM?"

"No," I leaned back in my chair, sinking into it. As I sank into the soft armchair, I also let the real 'me' sink as well. I let a bit of Eggman come out. Not the mad lunatic that sometimes seeped out, but the calculating and calm genius.

I still didn't know if I had a specific version of Eggman in my head. There were the games, the cartoons, anime, the Archie comics version. But whatever one I had, he was experienced. More than that, he was dangerous.

I let a bit of that out, and Mr. Addams stilled just a bit when my eyes snapped open.

"My plan, Mr. Addams. Is domination," I pressed my fingertips together. "I am planning on creating an empire of technology. Computers are the start, of course. Easy to market and easy to sell. A good way of establishing a brand and cash flow. But I want to go beyond that. I'm planning on selling weapons to the military, of course, but I also want to accelerate the fields of science massively. I have the money to purchase everything I need. I simply need lawyers on retainer to make sure everything I do is legal and above board."

Mr. Addams quirked an eyebrow, his thin mustache twitching. He chuckled, eyes flickering to a photo on his desk. "Domination, hm? My wife would like you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"As well you should. Well Mr. Ivo, you have more than enough to hire us on. And I believe I might take special interest in your case, depending on how you open things up. My lawyers will begin writing up-"

He started going over the legal stuff and I listened closely. As I did, I began running through the list in my head one more time.

I was on my way.

------

Once I had Addams, Slant, and Waldorf filling out paperwork and helping me with the legal side of things, I was able to meet a realtor for the place I wanted.

------

"-used to be an automobile factory, as you know," a young brunette woman said, turning to give me a quick smile. "I know, the graffiti and dirt makes this place look horrible, but the foundation is solid, the location is large, and much of the infrastructure is intact."

"Not by much," said another young woman. Destiny Simmons, an older black woman and the property expert working for Addams, Slant, and Waldorf, had a pinched look on her face as she looked about the dirty rooms. "Especially for your asking price."

The brunette woman flinched, her composure fading before she bravely gathered it up. Poor girl. She must have been trying to get rid of the place.

Luckily, I made up my mind to take it already. The place was perfectly situated in Manhattan, with a good amount of distance from Vought Headquarters that I had a good view without being so close I wouldn't be able to see an attack coming, as well as a good distance from the harbor so that I could ship products across the world.

The actual buildings were solid as well. It was a complex of sorts, four buildings set in a square pattern, with a wide courtyard in the center. With room to expand out and up if need be.

All brick, stone, and pipes, with peeling paint, dirt on every surface, and lots of trash. Every single window was cracked, dirty, or gone. In the room we were in, the walls had been ripped apart, leaving stone pillars standing about at regular intervals. Empty boxes were strewn about, several shelves had been ripped apart. And oddly, baseball cards. Lots and lots of baseball cards, all tossed about the place, hundreds of them, a bunch of them unopened in their wrappers.

Still. Even with the clean-up and repairs I'd need to do, it was much cheaper to fix up this place and purchase it than it was to build an entirely new building.

"Look, it's clear you want to get this off your hands," Mrs. Simmons said, walking up to the realtor confidently. "And my client can buy it. But I need you to work with me. Let's talk about-"

I let her handle it, my gaze looking about. Later, I'd need more. A shipyard, for example, to build the larger weaponry in my head. But this place was perfect for now. Four large buildings, and a 'racetrack' of sorts to the north of the area. The place smelled like potential. And urine. Lots of urine.

Step two was done.

------

Author's Note: So yeah. E-Boy is the first creation. Compared to most Eggman/Robotnik creations, he's barely notable. Compared to our world, he kicks the shit out of things like Boston Dynamics robots. But it's nothing compared to even something as basic as a Motobug. Still, it's a start.

And of course, the beginning of the Ivotech plan. Julian's gonna build and build his way to victory. Hopefully, before his brain gets blown up by a congresswoman.

The next chapter will be on my Patreon Wednesday, followed by posted here Sunday. Hope ya'll enjoyed this one :D
 
Author's Note: So yeah. E-Boy is the first creation. Compared to most Eggman/Robotnik creations, he's barely notable. Compared to our world, he kicks the shit out of things like Boston Dynamics robots. But it's nothing compared to even something as basic as a Motobug. Still, it's a start.
Badniks as a robot front? Could make for a good robot cover while Eggman makes more advanced models in secret.
 
And thus you've become Egg-Dad.

Selling weapons to the USA?
thats probably going to bite you in the future...

wonder if you can make remote bodies for E-Boy?
just incase something happens?


Also i wonder if robotic pets would be a lucrative market?
lifelike tiny dinosaurs and dragons, sea monsters, e.t.c.
not as smart as E-boy, but smart enough to do pet things?

or things to help people around the house?

flying robot to get things from tall shelves, robots to help people with bad backs, or who are missing arms?
Hovering wheelchairs, prostetics, seeing eye drones?
quality of life stuff that could help people And raise your public image.
 
If he can channel even a fraction of the sheer menace and power some versions of Robotnik are capable of I'm quite certain that Mr. Addams was very impressed.

I'd be fascinated to see reactions to fully fledged E-Series models, with a decent controlling intelligence those things can absolutely wreck shop.
 
One nitpick: he'd be selling the patent for an atomic waste scrubber, not the copyright. Copyright is for creative works, not technical ones.
 
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