The gamble
I was inspired to write this:
Poker Night
The Egg Bosses hold their monthly Poker Night. It ends about as well as youâd expect. Rated T for partial nudity and slightly risque content.
(Death Egg Rec Room. Abyss, Maw, Tundra, and Kukku are playing Poker. Maw reveals his hand, a smug grin on his face.)
 MAW
âWell gentlemen, lady, as they say in Casinopolis âreadâem and weepâ.â
 (Kukku, Tundra, and Abyss are not happy about this.)
 KUKKU
âA diamond royal flush!?â
 TUNDRA
âAre you serious!?â
 ABYSS
âHacks! I call hacks!â
 MAW
âSorry, everyone.â
 (Maw pulls in his winnings, a knowing smirk on his face.)
 MAW
âBut this round goes to me. Which means you all have to lose a piece.â
 KUKKU
âHrrrghâŚâ
 (Kukku removes his hat.)
 TUNDRA
âLousy, worthless toymakerâŚâ
 (Tundra removes his jacket.)
 MAW
âAlright Captain, your turn.â
 (Abyss grumpily looks away and blushes.)
 ABYSS
âHrrrrmâŚâ
 MAW
âCome on Abyss, you know the rules. Now lose the shirt.â
 ABYSS
âIâm wearing a wetsuit.â
 MAW
âSo?â
 (Abyss waves a hand around her uniform.)
 ABYSS
âSo, itâs all one garment!â
 MAW
âSo, youâll be in your underwear. You didnât seem that bothered when you showed up like that at last monthâs meeting.â
 KUKKU
âI remember that! Thunderbolt nearly had a stroke and Akhlut almost died laughing!â
 TUNDRA (shakes his head in disappointment)
â*sigh* Canât have nice things.â
 ABYSS (through gritted teeth)
âIâm not wearing anything underneath.â
 (The other Egg Bosses stare at Abyss dumbfounded.)
 MAW
âSeriously?â
 ABYSS
âHave you ever worn a wetsuit!? This thingâs practically glued to my skin!â
 MAW
âDoesnât that chafe?â
 ABYSS
âBetter than having your skivvies crawling up your butt! Seriously, Iâm getting a wedgie just thinking about it!â
 KUKKU
âSounds like you need to visit the tailor-bots on your way to losersâ lounge. Haaaa-haaaa!â
 ABYSS
âGrrrrrrrâŚâ
 (Cut to Abyss angrily stomping down the hall, wrapped in a sheet to conceal her modesty. As she storms off, she passes by Egg Army soldiers, who take a moment to stare at theâŚunusual sigh.)
 ABYSS
âRazzum-frazzum thylacine and his hurgle-burbin black hole mouth and hoity-toity fancy talkâŚGrrrgh!â
 (Abyss arrives at a door marked âLosersâ Loungeâ and opens it up.)
 SLAM!
 (Inside the Lounge are the losers: the other Egg Bosses - sans Cassia [because Clove wouldnât let her little sister anywhere near this, thank goodness] and Wendy [who hasnât joined yet, thank goodness] â all either nude [men, because Sonic dress code] or in their underwear [women]. The losers look up from what theyâre doing and stare at Abyss.)
 ABYSS (eye twitching)
âHrrrrmâŚâ
 (Akhlut grins evilly as Abyss walks in.)
 AKHLUT
âHey Abyss! You know the next meetingâs not for another week, right? Haahahahahaaa!â
 ABYSS
âGrrrrrrrâŚâ
 (Abyss takes a seat between Thunderbolt and Nephthys. Nephthys is calmly reading the paper, doing her best to maintain her dignity, while Thunderbolt grins maliciously.)
 THUNDERBOLT
âHeeheeheeheeheeeeee! SooooâŚthey finally knocked you out! Not so high and mighty now, are you Abyss?â
 ABYSS (glares)
âWatch it, ThunderboltâŚâ
 THUNDERBOLT
âYou used to be the queen of the cards, now youâre dressed down and disgraced with the rest of us!â
 ABYSS
âAt least I still look good, you little Gen-9 Pikaclone!â
 THUNDERBOLT (gets in Abyssâ face)
âSay that again, squid-witch!â
 NEPHTHYS
âEnough!â
 (The two Egg Bosses stop fighting.)
 NEPHTHYS
âBoth of you, settle down. This situation is mortifying without you two putting on a show.â
 ABYSS (raises an eyebrow)
âShow?â
 (Nephthys points toward the ceiling without even looking from her paper, Abyss looks up and finds security cameras everywhere.)
 ABYSS (shocked)
âWhat. The heck?. Is Dr. Eggman filming us!?â
 NEPHTHYS
âSo it would seem.â
 AXEL
âApparently, the âgoodâ doctor caught wind of our little game and decided itâd be good for a quick laugh.â
 CONQUERING STORM
âAlso, blackmail material. But mostly for his own amusement.â
 ABYSS (grimaces)
âWow, thatâs messed up.â
 THUNDERBOLT
âFor once, weâre in agreement.â
 (Thunderbolt shakes her head and taps her foot in annoyance, her tapping growing faster and her temper worsening the longer she speaks.)
 THUNDERBOLT
âI respect our lord and master with all my heart, and I understand and appreciate the reasoning behind this humiliation. But I fail to see why I â his most loyal follower â am being forced to sit around in my unmentionables with the rest of you ingrates while my innocent body is plastered over in the bedrooms of âinterested partiesâ like some Studiopolis centerfold!â
 ABYSS (shocked)
âIâm sorry, what!?â
 AKHLUT
âOh yeah, heads up, heâs making a calendar.â
 ABYSS
âA calendar!?â
 MORDRED HOOD
âApparently, weâve all been deemed to have âaesssthetically appealing physiquesssâ. And since weâre all in the Mobian age of majorityâŚhe thought itâd be a good way to âraissse troop moraleâ.â
 ABYSS
âYouâre kidding.â
 CLOVE
âTheyâre already assigning months. I heard Nephthys is being considered for one of the summer slots.â
 ABYSS
âSummer?â
 (Abyss grins at Nephthys.)
 ABYSS
âWouldnât you be better suited for December, Christmas cake*?â
 NEPHTHYS (deadpan)
âYou do realize you qualify for that as well, right?â
 ABYSS
âGrk!â
 *Unmarried woman older than 25. Considered past her prime and undesirable by men for marriage. Nepthys and Abyss are respectively 42 and 28, and donât appear to be married, so that makes them Christmas cakes.
 AKHLUT
âOoh! Right in the face!â
 MORDED HOOD
âI believe this is what the peasssants call a âssssick burnâ.â
 ABYSS
âYooooouuuâŚâ
 SLAM!
 (The Egg Bosses turn to see Tundra and Kukku standing in the doorway, eyes twitching with rage. Tundra has slammed the door so hard, itâs left cracks in the wall. Everyone gawks at the sight of the two Egg Bosses in all their gloryâŚespecially Akhlut.)
 TUNDRA
âNot. A word. From any of you.â
 KUKKU
âThis indignity will not go unforgotten! This, I swear!â
 (Tundra and Kukku take a seat. Kukku leans against the wall, arms crossed, while Tundra is forced to sit next to Akhlut, as all the other seats are taken.)
 AKHLUT (smirks)
âHeh! Lookinâ good, Tundra.â
 TUNDRA (doesnât even look at Akhlut)
âHrrrrmâŚâ
 AKHLUT
âI take it Maw informed you of the doctorâs littleâŚâprojectâ?â
 TUNDRA
âRrrrrghâŚâ
 AKHLUT
âYeah, Iâll admit. I wanted to club him to death with his own tin jaw when I found out too.â
 TUNDRA (smirks)
âHeh!â
 (Akhlut smiles his most malicious smile yet.)
 AKHLUT
âBut then I realizedâŚâ
 (Akhlut stands up and begins flexing, even using his psycho-stone to create Major Armstrong-style sparkles.)
 AKHLUT
âThis is a chance to show the people my impressive, warriorâs physique!â
 TUNDRA (shocked)
âWhat!?â
 (Akhlut begins posing.)
 AKHLUT
âLook at these gleaming, black biceps! These shimmering, white pecs! Abs like a glacier! Calves like icebergs! Glutes and tail like an algid behemoth! This is the body of a GOD!â
 TUNDRA (outraged)
âIn your dreams, you bloated whale!â
 (Tundra begins posing.)
 TUNDRA
âObserve! Thick, powerful core muscles forged from years of training in the most brutal conditions! Broad, sturdy shoulders capable of supporting even the heaviest loads! And these scars, trophies and keepsakes of countless battles, the chronicles of a conqueror! If there is anyone in this army with the body of a god, itâs me!â
 AKHLUT (shrugs and shakes his head)
âA pity you failed to pass it on.â
 (Tundra and Akhlut get into a flex-off.)
 TUNDRA (furious)
âI will make into blubber nuggets and serve you with hoisin sauce!â
 AKHLUT (grinning like a loon)
âBring it, you old geezer!â
 TUNDRA & AKHLUT
âRrrrrrgh!â
 (Everyone just watches awkwardly.)
 MAW
âAlright everyone, Iâmâ"
 (Maw just stares at the strange contest unfolding before him.)
 MAW
âŚ
 (Mawâs eye twitches.)
 MAW
âWhatâŚam I looking at?â
 ABYSS
âI think that sums this whole day.â
 MAW
âQuite.â
 (Maw claps his hands, grabbing everyoneâs attention.)
 MAW
âAlright ladies and gentlemen, I think thatâs enough for one night! We have enough footage for now and itâs getting late.â
 (Maw motions for the others to follow him.)
 MAW
âLetâs all head to the rec room so you all can get dressed.â
 (Abyss notices something off about Maw and narrows her eyes.)
 ABYSS
âHey Maw!â
 MAW (turns around)
âHmm?â
 (Abyss walks over to Maw, smiling and extending a hand from her sheet.)
 ABYSS
âBefore we split, I just wanted to say, good game tonight. No hard feelings.â
 MAW
âOh! Well, thatâs very kind of you, Abyss.â
 ABYSS
âPut âer there, friend!â
 MAW
âOf course!â
 (Abyss and Maw shake hands.)
 ABYSS (smiles evilly)
âFuhuhuhuhuuuâŚ!â
 MAW (eyes widen in terror)
âWhat theâŚ!?â
 SHHHRRIIIIP!
 (Abyss suddenly rips the sleeve off Mawâs shirt, causing several playing cards to fall out and onto the floor.)
 MAW
âAhhâŚ.ahhâŚahhhâŚ!â
 (All the other Egg Bosses gape in flabbergasted shock, even the more serious and unflappable ones like Conquering Storm and Nephthys.)
 MAW (smiles sheepishly)
âOh my! H-How d-did that get there?â
 ABYSS
âThat, Maw, is going to be the least of your worries tonight.â
 (Abyss smiles evilly as the rest of the Egg Bosses gather round and glare at the thylacine menacingly, their powers and cybernetics glowing and ready to unleash pure agony.)
 ABYSS
âBut look on the bright side, you might get to miss out on the calendar.â
 (Maw raises his hands placatingly.)
 MAW
âN-Now everyone, letâs be reasonable. I-Itâs just a game, for crying out loud!â
 (Cut to black.)
 MAW
âAhhhhhhhhh!â
 (Cut to the rec room, the Egg Bosses are gathering their clothes and heading back to their quarters.)
 THUNDERBOLT
âIncorrigible! Utterly incorrigible! And he has the gall to be Dr. Eggmanâs head researcher!â
 CLOVE
âI am so glad I didnât bring Cassia.â
 (As Abyss grabs her wetsuit, she sees Nephthys finishing getting dressed and walks over to her.)
 ABYSS
âSoooooâŚâ
 NEPHTHYS
âHm?â
 ABYSS (smirks)
âBlack lace, never took you for the type, Nephy.â
 NEPHTHYS
âWell, Mordred said it best.â
 (Nephthys smiles as she picks up her mask.)
 NEPTHYS
âDespite my age, there are those who think Iâm âaesthetically pleasingâ, and Iâm inclined to agree with them.â
 (Nephthys puts her mask on.)
 ABYSS (playfully elbows Nephthysâ arm)
âHeh! Vulture MILF.â
 NEPHTHYS (nudges back)
âOh hushâŚâ
 MAW
âUuuuughâŚâ
 (Nephthys and Abyss turn to see Maw lying on the floor - completely undressed â with his posterior sticking up in the air.)
 NEPHTHYS
âShould we do something?â
 ABYSS
âEhhhhâŚpretty sure he took a few blows to the head, so we shouldnât move him.â
 NEPHTHYS (nods)
âMm. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.â
 (The two prepares to leave. Abyss takes one last look at Maw before she leaves.)
 MAW
âUuuuuuuuuughâŚâ
 CLICK!
 (Abyss turns out the light.)
 END.
















