Behind the Mind

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I'd bet good money that people wonder why I lead the life I've chosen for myself. After all, couldn't I have done something else? Something a little more... lucrative? Something that would have earned me a bit more respect? Something that society would have looked upon with a more... welcoming attitude?

Hah!

If you are one of those who have even dared to think such thoughts, you have obviously never even had a taste of the kind of power that I have held in my own two hands!

Those of you who have never truly worked with a computer, have never written a single program, who have never even built a robot, a masterpiece of your own design... I pity you! You will never be able to sit back after long days of hard work and gaze in wonder at the mechanical monster that you have created through your tireless effort... You can never feel the vibrations of the joints squeaking and screeching for the first time, you'll never smell the sweet scent of oil and exhaust from that engine for the first time...

... and you'll never hear the sounds of terrified innocents, screaming for their lives!

Do you still wonder why I love this life?

Hmph! So you say that I'm simply a madman? Someone completely insensitive to the feelings of others? Someone who can't hope to attain the sort of grand life that he leads?!

Well, let me tell you... I don't care!!

People say that I'll never be able to beat him... that he and his little friends will always get the better of me. And you know what? That may be so.

But if I don't keep trying, then why bother living life?

Life is only fun if you're doing what you love!

And as for me, well... "doing what I love" would have to be exercising my strength as far as I can take it. I'm sure your parents told you to always do your best and never give up, right? Or at the least, you heard it from one of those so-called "heroes"...

On this road we call life, there are innumerable roadblocks, always trying to trip you up... wouldn't you agree? So what you have to do is take a steamroller and smash right over them! It's only when you've obliterated that hedgehog... er, I mean, "roadblocks," that you'll attain your dreams!

I will never give up! One day, you are going to see how strong I can be! One of these days, I'm going to catch that blue rat when he least expects it, and then... bang! No more pesky little hedgehog to get in my way! Just a smoking pile of spikes and what used to be that foolish, cocky attitude!

Oh, how I dream of that day... the day when the whole world will bow down to the Eggman Empire! Then, they will see how I have always been the master of this world!

This world...

... you know, as a genius, I have been... misunderstood throughout my life. I suppose it's a bit understandable... after all, most of the animals who inhabit these lands aren't all that bright, excluding that two-tailed pest, I admit...

But I digress. Now that you know about my attitude, do you still doubt my greatness? I, with my remarkable intellect and mighty resolve, both of another world?

It is true! My family came from a world inhabited by humans rather than scruffy animals, and my grandfather, the greatest scientist of his time, was none other than the renowned Professor Robotnik! I came from the planet called "Earth"! Now, most beings in the world where I reside have never even heard of such a place, but unbeknownst to them, it exists in a different dimension and time, but in the same place as our planet! Imagine that!

And that is my homeland... the world from whence I came.

When I first learned about it... it seemed to me that everything in my life began to fall into place. I am... quite different from the beings in my world. Taller, smarter, with a better sense of style...

To be honest, I don't remember much of my childhood at all. Surely, I was but a lad once, but that was a long time ago. There are many questions out there, whose answers elude me still. Did I come to this place as a young child? How old was I? Did my parents accompany me here? When did I learn about my grandfather?

But no matter how I grew up, I somehow became who I am today; a man of great wisdom, great power, who will someday be looked up to as the ruler of this world!

Hm? You say that it is wrong to wish to destroy the entire world? Well, of course it is! But I wish not to destroy; merely to rule. Here I must say that you have misunderstood me once again.

My grandfather... the great Gerald Robotnik... now, he wished to destroy the world, for revenge. Revenge for my cousin, Maria, whom I am sad to say that I never had the chance to meet. But whether for revenge or for some other reason, how can you rule a world that you have destroyed? In that same pattern of thought, I realized that when my old world and my current one were coming together, destroying the flow of time, that if I did not help to save them, then my dream of building the Eggman Empire would never happen. As a result, I built a special component for that boy's grandfather and the fox boy to use in their "dimension gate" (something I was well capable of building too, I might add.)

Sometimes, I wonder why I did not stay back in that world. After all, without that pest around, it would have been much easier to brainwash the multitudes into becoming my loyal followers.

However... you know what? That would have been too easy. And challenges are what keep us going, right?

Sometimes, I do wonder about what I'm going to do when my empire is established. Of course I'll be reigning in all of my glory, exercising all of my power down on my subjects, especially that hedgehog and his troublesome friends...

... but where to go from there? Perhaps I should venture back to our parallel world and conquer that one, too? Or maybe there are planets out there, ones beyond our solar system, that could use a strong ruler such as myself?

But once the world is conquered... then what? Perhaps a life of leisurely retirement... I am getting on in years, you know...

Ah, well. I should probably be focusing more on conquering this world first before dreaming of other plans.

So today, like all of the other days, I turn back to my drawing board and sketch out ideas for my newest creation. One of my favorite pastimes; thinking up creative ideas on paper, then watching as they unfold and become moving, mechanical creatures!

Hm. How interesting that I should enjoy mechanics so much, when my grandfather was more into the bioengineering field of work... I wonder if perhaps, one day, I could create something like his Project Shadow?

No, probably not. It would remind me far too much of him...

Speaking of whom...

I glance out the window. It's a beautiful day, sunny, with a fair wind blowing. The sort of day when he would be outdoors, running about, throwing caution away and grinding it under his heels.

I smirk. One of these days, that attitude will cost him dearly...

... but maybe today...

Hmph. I set down my pencils and protractors for a moment.

I am getting a bit old...

... maybe today would be a good day to just sit back and relax...

Over in the corner, my loyal followers Deko and Boko are playing a game of chess, while my messenger robot Bokkun entertains himself with the television.

Deko suddenly calls out, "Checkmate!" and happens to glance my way, when he says, "Care for a game, master?"

And you know what?

Dreams and challenges are all good and fine, but one must get a bit of rest, too. After all, all work and no play... well, you know the rest.

Perhaps even he needs a break now and then... Being the good sport that I am, I'm glad to give him a chance to rest up. Over the years, it seems that our thoughts of each other have changed... true, we are still bitter enemies, but the friction between us has become more like that between two rivals... more, dare I say, respectful?

In fact, it was he who gave me this name... the name "Eggman." True, some people might find it slightly insulting, but think about it! What comes from an egg? Something new, something exciting, something that the world has never seen before...

Before turning and walking to the chess table, I make one last comment facing the window, to no one in particular...

"You're getting off easy today, hedgehog..."

The robots reset the chess board, and I sit down, ready to do battle, the Eggman Empire against whoever shall dare to defy it! A good round of practice for the real thing, I should say. A quick drill in cunning, resourcefulness, and perseverance...

And then tomorrow...

... watch out, Sonic!!

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On January 15, 2005, Deem Bristow, the voice actor who characterized Dr. Eggman since the times of Sonic Adventure 1, passed away. However, he has left behind a tremendous legacy in the world of Sonic, a monumental impact that will never be forgotten.

We'll miss you.