The Way of the Beaktons

In this Our World story, Jack has a deadly confrontation with Ritz.

This is a transcript from Discord.

## Story

```
The morning after the wedding we find Jack asleep in his recliner in a makeshift den area on the bridge of the ship.

Angela:
*Walks in and taps Jack on the shoulder to try and wake him up.*
"Jack honey... Breakfast is ready..."

Jack:
*Mumbles in his sleep something about blender pigeons.*

Angela:
*Gives him a kiss on the cheek to try and wake him up.*

Jack:
*Is still asleep.*

Angela:
*Rolls her eyes and then pulls out a wire out of the sleeve of her glove and shocks Jack lightly.*

Jack:
"GAH!" *Jolts awake, almost flipping his recliner over.*
"Ahem. Um. Hi Ange... What time is it?"

Angela:
"8 AM. You fell asleep watching the movie last night after we got home from the wedding."

Jack:
"Aw man. I can't believe I fell asleep during Mobians in Black Three... That's the best one."

Angela:
"Anyway, I'll go grab your tea while you catch up on the news reports."
*Leaves for the galley.*

Jack:
*Pulls the remote to the TV out from under the cushion of his chair and turns it on.*

Sasha Cat:
"--That attend the Gala we know of so far. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available. In other news, the trial of Ritz Rakghoul Ricotta has come to a conclusion. Mr. Ricotta was deemed not guilty on all charges following a failure to appear from his prosecutorial witness and arresting officer: Jack Beakton."

Ritz:
"In all honesty, I'm somewhat appalled. But nevertheless, I'm relieved that this misunderstanding is behind us all now. Thankfully, our judicial system has ways of taking care of accidents like this." *Smiles.*

Jack:
*Glares in shock at the screen.*
*And his eye starts to twitch.*
"ANGELA?!"

Angela:
*Pops her head around the corner.* "Yeah?"

Ritz:
"Our world is a dangerous one! But remember! If you need to get away from it all, there's always The Fortune's Rest: Hotel, Casino, and Resort!"

Jack:
*Tosses the remote control into the screen.*
"Ready the Eggmobile..."
*Stands up and grabs the cup of tea she's holding as he runs out.* "I've got a rat to kill..."

Meanwhile, said rat is taking a much-needed breather.

Ritz:
*Standing in his rich mahogany study/office, high above his resort, Ritz sips some calming tea, looking out over the bright lights of the casino below.*
"It's good to be home."

Sasha:
*The TV continues...* "Beakton, a former Eggman Empire leader was given a presidential pardon from President Tower earlier this year. Beakton joined GLACIA's Burning Rangers and assisted in keeping the recent fires at bay. However earlier this week, he seemingly declared himself a traitor.
"We reached out to his commanding general Violet Meadows for an interview, but our now former reporters were intimidated by General Flame, who was in the vicinity."

Ritz:
*Quietly sips his tea as he listens to the murmuring TV, watching his interview back, to check for anything that could harm his image.*

Unfortunately, a gentle knock at the door breaks into his calmness.

Ritz:
*Turns to stare at the door, waiting for a second knock.*

The door does not disappoint: there is a second knock. You're going to have to do something about this, Ritz. DESTINY IS--Ahem.

Ritz:
*Sighs, setting down his tea, and heading to the door.* "Coming. Coming."
*Opens the door.* "Yes, how can I he--"

Rouge:
"Hello Ritz..."

Ritz:
"Rouge!" *Smiles.* "What a genuine surprise!"
*Backs up.* "Come in, come in, What can I do for you?"

Rouge:
*Enters and sits down at the chair across from his desk.*
"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about the results of the recent... events."

Ritz:
"Which? There have been so many, recently." *Selects a bottle of wine, and offers/suggests it like a butler would.*

Rouge:
"No thank you. I try not to drink on the job. And what I am referring to is your recent trial."

Ritz:
"Very well." *Puts the unopened bottle back and retrieves one that's already open for himself, pouring himself a small glass.*

Rouge:
"What *really* happened that night at the hospital?"

Ritz:
*Glances sideways at Rouge.* (If this is a job...) "Who's really asking?"

Rouge:
*Sigh.* "Myself actually." *Slides a file she's been holding onto the desk which shows Jack's bounty file has returned and with a much higher reward.*

Ritz:
"Aha." *Sits down behind his desk, flipping through the file in one hand, and the wine glass in the other.* "You're thinking of bringing him in?"

Rouge:
"Correct. Despite my old friendship with him. He's clearly stated his allegiance. However I was curious about what happened that night."

Ritz:
*Sighs, setting the glass down.* "Well. It's very simple."
*Hands the file back.* "I made a series of grievous mistakes which led to a massive misunderstanding. Jack Beakton is not to be trusted. I went to see Jasper Mudbaum. He's an old war buddy. As usual, I took a knife or two with me. I always do. It's the least sort of a defense folks can have nowadays."

Rouge:
"Into a hospital?"

Ritz:
*Slaps a blade onto the desk.* "Absolutely. Everywhere I go."

Rouge:
*Smirks.* "Seems a bit peculiar but alright."

Ritz:
"And besides that, I had special reason this time around. See..."
*Looks around the office, clearly searching for words.*
"Jasper and I... didn't part on great terms after the war."

Rouge:
"So I've heard. You led to him being imprisoned."

Ritz:
"So goi--" *Freezes.*
*Casually.* "Where did you hear that?"

Rouge:
"A lady must do her research Ritz darling."

Ritz:
*Slow nod.* "So where did you research? Jack?"

Rouge:
"His wife actually."

Ritz:
*Involuntarily shivers.*
"Jack, married. Still doesn't make sense."
*Chuckles lightly.* "All well. Love certainly does conquer all. I've seen that enough here."

Rouge:
"Well, Angela was most helpful in telling me Beakton's side... And of course Brenda helped confirm it."

Ritz:
"In that case, I prefer you don't put me on blast with the... well, anyone. Even though I haven't done anything illegal, exactly, I don't want to have to deal with the hassle of explaining my wealth. So..." *Shrugs.* "If you don't *rat* me out, this wealth is something you can take part in, yes? But back to your original question."

Rouge:
"Oh of course darling."

Ritz:
*Stands up, takes a sip of his wine, and mentally finds his place, before beginning to pace behind his desk.*
"If you already know everything I told Jack, then I can speed things along. I made the mistake of getting chummy with Beakton. Talked about the war, and got all sentimental. Perhaps he didn't mean to slap me so hard for my 'past mistakes', but I took it as a sign of aggression. So I pulled out my knife, because I thought he was going to continue. But he didn't.
"When I realized he was simply going to continue to baffle and berate me for my life choices, when he himself was, and apparently still is, making even worse ones, I handed him my knife and left. Or tried to.
"Of course, if you still trust Jack and his wife, you won't believe me. That wouldn't make sense. But then ask yourself why I would be paying for Jasper's medical bills if I wanted to harm him, as I think Beakton probably told you?"

Rouge:
"Fear is a powerful motivator..."

Ritz:
"Oh, which reminds me." *Facepalms to hide a twitch, then digs into his desk drawer and writes himself a note "I must remember to renew those payments, just as soon as my assets get unfrozen again."*

Rouge:
"That won't be necessary."

Ritz:
*Without looking up.* "Hmm? How so?"

Rouge:
"Before his... relapse, Beakton sent about a quarter million onto Mudbaum's account. Blowing through that Evazorn money in a disguise to make him seem righteous."

Ritz:
"...On one hand: Showoff. On the other: Fine by me!" *Chuckles.*
"See, that's the sort of stuff I don't understand about him now. It's like he's going in all four cardinal moral directions."

Rouge:
"And you seem to just be going in one..."

Ritz:
*Shakes his head.* "Either Jack's losing his mind or..." *Frowns.* "What's that mean, Rouge?"

Rouge:
*Smiles.* "Seems to me that you lie just as much as Beakton... Only you apparently do it better. I was hoping that you'd tell me the truth..."

Ritz:
*Blinks twice... then shrugs.* "Like I said, I doubted you'd believe me over Jack. I'm not changing my story just because you don't believe it."

Rouge:
"Oh I don't believe Jack... but I trust him..." *Glances behind Ritz.*

Ritz:
*Ducks and spins, danger instinct kicking in.*

Jack:
*Leaps through the window into the room from the hovering Eggmobile, blade ignited.*
"Hello Rakghoul..."

Ritz:
*Sighs dramatically as he stands back up.* "Beakton." *Taps an alarm under his desk.* "How much damage do you think you can do in 10 minutes?"

Rouge:
*Slinks up and locks the door of the office, barring any entry or exit with a bookshelf.*

Jack:
"Oh quite a lot given that alarm is offline."

Rouge:
"That was not easy by the way. Who writes alarm code in Chunan binary?"

Ritz:
*Rolls his eyes.* "Fine then, Beakton. You'll have your war."

Jack:
"Please, this is hardly a war. Think of it as more... taking out the trash..."

Ritz:
*Pulls out two knives, popping his neck.* "Said the carrion bird."

Jack:
*Slices at Ritz with his wispon.*

Ritz:
*Backs up out of the way, focusing on dodging for the moment.*

Rouge:
*Has silently begun looting Ritz's office as the two boys fight.*
"Ohhh, that's an interesting little snow globe."
*Pockets the snow globe.*

Ritz:
*Silently calculating Jack's fighting style, as he deftly dances just out of reach, for now.* (Does he still fight like a pirate, or has that changed too?)

Jack:
*Seems to be more precise with his strikes, trying to simply tire Ritz out and then strike a killing blow when he's off his guard.*

Ritz:
*Glancing about, Ritz defines his only exit strategy is destroy the door, or jump out the window.* (Both are last-ditch efforts. Let's see if we can give Beakton some matching legs!)
*Throws a dagger at Jack's good leg from a "safe" distance.*

Jack:
*And it hits causing Jack to fall over.*

Rouge:
"JACK!"
*Quickly draws her gun and shoots Ritz in the leg herself.*

Ritz:
*Wasting no time, Ritz throws more knives, but doesn't go for the kill, instead pinning Jack's clothes *and hat* to the floor.*
"GAH!" *Crumples as well.*
"What in the great golden goose, Rouge?"

Rouge:
*Walks over and cuffs Ritz.*

Ritz:
*Glances down at the bullet wound, and the sight of blood... causes him to twitch.* "Grrr..."

Jack:
*Shakily pulls the knives out of his clothes.*
*And glances at Rouge and Ritz.*
"Eye for an eye..."

Ritz:
*Scrambles to his feet, leaning on the mantle, shaking and twitching.*
"You'll be leaving now."
*Glances at Rouge.* "Both of you."

Jack:
*Stands up through the pain.* "Funny. I was gonna say the same."

Ritz:
*His eyes have gone strange. His demeanor is... no longer composed.*

Jack:
*Grabs Ritz and leaps out the window into freefall, trying to position it so Ritz lands first.*

Ritz:
*As Jack leaps forward, Ritz pulls out a knife for Jack to fall on.*

Jack:
*Is stabbed by the knife but tries his best to grit through the pain.*

Ritz:
*Ritz's eyes are practically ablaze with... insanity, as he doesn't even seem to register that he's falling, so intent is he on repeatedly stabbing Beakton.*

Jack:
"I don't care if you kill me you stupid rat. All I care is that you die with me!"

Ritz:
*Ritz's only reply is mad cackling and snarling. He's completely feral.*

Rouge:
*Before the two lunatics collide with the concrete, Rouge snatches them cushioning the blow. Deliberately more safely for Jack though.*
"YOU HAVE GOT TO QUIT BEING SUICIDAL!"

Jack:
"Hey, it's yet to work..."
*Coughs as he is bleeding in several places.*

Ritz:
*Rolls into a planter, where he leaps up, snarling. No longer having his knives, he's simply got claws with bits of Jack's clothes on them.*

Rouge:
*A look of anger appears on her face and she quickly kicks Ritz in the head with her heeled boot. Hard.*

Ritz:
*Reels from the blow, staggered for the moment.* "Grrrwarh. Ssss."

Rouge:
*Draws her gun.* "I have GOT to start cuffing perps behind the back... Right. Either you surrender or I end this Ritz... Right here. Right now."

Ritz:
*Staggering upright, "Ritz" stares down the barrel of Rouge's gun.*
"Ggrrrh? Hsss." *He curiously reaches for the shiny metal object with both cuffed hands.*

Jack:
*Uses this opportunity to land a weak wispon blast at Ritz, stunning him.*
*Coughs as he begins to go unconscious.*
[I recall Jones saying that Jabber comes out about this time]

Ritz:
*Ritz--or whatever that was--collapses to the pavement.*

A crowd of onlookers sees the two unconscious men, much worse for wear, and a very ticked off Rouge.

Rouge:
*Sighs as she drags the unconscious monster into the Eggmobile which is descending on the command of the almost unconscious monster.*

Citizen:
"Hey, isn't that... Nope." *One onlooker boots it outta there.*

The vast majority of folks follow suit upon the identification of Jack Beakton, but others are clearly dialing the authorities.

Rouge:
*Carefully picks Jack up and sits him in the Eggmobile as well.*
*Climbs in himself.* "Okay. Just gotta get this mess back to Jack's ship..."
*Quickly flies the Eggmobile back to the Eye of Ishtar which is just off the coast of the island.*

We cut to some time later in the medical bay of the ship, where Jack is waking up for the second time today. [actually, it's the first. new day]

Jack:
"Ugh... What happened?"

Rouge:
"Well, for starters you and the missus have more in common now..."

Jack:
"...What?"
*Notices his voice has a slight metallic ring to it.*
"Wait, what happened to my wounds? There should be holes all over my--" *Realizes his skin under the feathers feels... cold.*
"No... I'm..."

Rouge:
"Dead. Well, mostly dead."

Jack:
"How?"

Rouge:
*Shrugs.* "I think the Doctor would be better at explaining it..."
*Exits the room and a human in a sleek-looking jacket walks in.*

Snively:
"Hello Jack..."

Jack:
"Snively... What are you doing here?"

Snively:
"Now, that is no way to talk to the man that resurrected you? Deciphering the specifications on your sister's work and on Fukurokov's... coupled with the DNA sequencing and reconstructive roboticizing..."

Jack:
"So that's it then? I died?"

Snively:
"Yes. I simply bound your mortal coil into this robotic replication. I kept the prosthetic leg however. Thought it would help keep up your unkillable illusion."

Jack:
"And my actual body?"

Snively:
"...This is, your body. I just made it... superior."

Jack:
"Right... Roboticizing..."

Snively:
"Yes, and after this venture I'm pleased to say I believe I perfected it. Dr. Charles's vision finally realized..."

Jack:
*Takes a minute to process... everything...*
"...Where's Angela?"

Snively:
"Oh, Lady Angela. She's in the parlor. You should be well enough to go see her... Just let me know if anything starts leaking or something..."
*Begins tinkering with some other things in the med bay as Jack walks out.*

Jack:
*Walks into the den to see Angela sitting on the couch next to Rouge.*
*And a battered yet much more sane-looking rat sitting in Jack's chair.*

Ritz:
*Freezes like a deer in headlights at Jack's arrival, a cup of steaming tea in his hands, halfway to his mouth.*

Jack:
*Expects there to be anger in response to seeing the rat but... there's... nothing.*
"Ritz..."

Angela:
*Cautiously sips her tea.*

Ritz:
"Beakton." *His voice matches his ragged and hoarse demeanor.*

Rouge:
*Cautiously drinks her booze.*

Ritz:
"...I'm glad you're alive."

Rouge:
"Well, technically he's..."

Ritz:
*Waves a dismissive hand.*

Angela:
*Elbows the slightly intoxicated bat.*

Jack:
"Yeah... Not for your lack of trying..."
*Sits down on the couch next to Angela.*

Ritz:
"You may not like me, Jack, but I think we can work together." *Motions towards Angela.* "Your unsurprisingly better half told me... quite a bit."

Angela:
"And I gave him a proposition..."

Jack:
"What kind of proposition?"

Rouge:
"Oh Jack darling, we're faking your death!"

Ritz:
[addressing Jack's "not for your lack of trying"]
"I do apologize about that. Bit of a parting gift from the war. When Rouge so deftly hit my leg, it triggered that part of me whom I left in the war. Or tried to, anyway."

Jack:
"And the mess with you triggered something in me... Something that is seemingly gone now..."

Ritz:
"Hopefully that makes two of us now."

Angela:
"Side effect of the process... Gonna feel a bit off for a while..."

Ritz:
*Stands up, limping only slightly on his bandaged leg.* "Beakton. I don't trust you, but I don't want to be your enemy." *Holds out a hand.* "Can we be allies?"

Jack:
*Searches for a reason to not trust Ritz but then it hits him. What's the worst? Not like he can kill him again...*
*Shakes the hand in a concerningly strong grip.* "Deal. Oh geez, sorry. Not used to the robot strength yet..."

Ritz:
*Winces.* "That's *fine*."

Rouge:
"Oooh does this mean you won't have to hold back on him anymore Angela?"

Angela:
"Sh-shut up Rouge."

Ritz:
*Glances back at Rouge. Walks over, snatches the booze, and takes a swig.*
*Hands it back to the bat, then walks back to Jack, and slaps a hand on his shoulder.* "I did intend to kill him. But you stopped me, and I'm very thankful for that."

Jack:
"...Well, if you'll excuse me. I need to be with the missus in private."

Ritz:
*Shakes his head, smiling away his confusion.* "Your funeral!"

Rouge:
*Stands up wobbly.*

Ritz:
*Holds out a hand for Rouge to grab onto.* "Miss Rouge, I believe you've had enough?"

Rouge:
"Probably..." *Passes Angela the gun.* "Here's your gun back..."

The two robo-birds are now sitting alone in the den.

Jack:
"So... Guess we're on equal playing fields now..."

Angela:
*Sighs.* "Yeah..."

Jack:
"So whose idea was that?"

Angela:
"Look, I was... desperate. ...I had already been... thinking about... being alone. So I had been... talking with the doctor."

Jack:
"Well, I suppose I should be grateful."
"..."
"Have you told Roxie?"

Angela:
"Yes. And her response concerned me."

Jack:
"Probably took it pretty hard..."

Angela:
"Um. Quite the opposite... Had to convince her that she did not want to be a robot."

Jack:
*Sigh.* "Yeah. Let's keep the number of Beakton robots to two."

Angela:
"Technically five."

Jack:
"...Okay fair, but Beaktons that MATTER."

Angela:
"Right."

The two birds just sit there on the couch for a while eventually going into sleep mode together...

Ritz:
*Pokes his head in. Contemplates for a second... then closes the door and limps off.*
*Goes back and checks on Rouge, who's also asleep now. Closes the door on that room as well, and wanders around the ship...*

Roxie:
"Hello."

Ritz:
"...You must be Roxie."

Roxie:
"And you must be... Colby?"

Ritz:
"No. The name is Ritz. Your father and I..."

Roxie:
"OH! You knew my dad?"

Ritz:
"...Yes. Now, not so much. I knew your father when he was a really dangerous pirate."

Roxie:
"...Dad wasn't a pirate."

Ritz:
"A real swindler and an Eggman fanatic."

Roxie:
"Yep. We're talking 'bout different people here. You're talking about Mr. Jack."

Ritz:
"Right. Jack is..." *Sudden realization.* "Not your father. Apologies, I didn't... Didn't consider that."

Roxie:
*Shrugs.* "S'alright. So. What's your deal then? Other than being the guy to off Mr. Jack. Honestly thought that would have been Mr. Beau..."

Ritz:
"Is thrown off balance by this strange little child, but can't help but see some similarities.*
"It seems like my deal is up in the air at the moment. 'Mister Jack' as you so quaintly put it, has single-handedly thrust me into a game I'd thought I'd left behind." *Roughly sits down in the hallway.* "I'm not sure. Couldn't sleep."

Roxie:
"Right. I couldn't either. Neither could Dr. Robotnik... Hence why I got us some chocolate milk."

Ritz:
"Ah. That sounds good. Any of that left?"

Roxie:
"Oh. Um. Yeah. I took a pitcher of it into the lab."

Ritz:
*Gingerly gets up.* "A midnight snack sounds most excellent."

Roxie:
"Well. Come on then. I'll grab you a glass. We're going over medical files."

Ritz:
*Watches Roxie walk off down the hall, then follows behind.*

Once again, a rat and a raven cross paths, and both of their lives, once again irrevocably changed! I'm sensing a theme! What does the future hold for them? No one knows. And perhaps that's for the best.

```

## Characters

*In order of appearance:*

* Angela Beakton
* Jack Beakton
* Sasha Cat
* Ritz Rakghoul Ricotta
* Rouge the Bat
* Snively Robotnik
* Roxanne "Roxie" Whitmore

## Participants

* GasglowJones
* Captainclay55
* Mortimer