Yes, Master

-

Though I than he may longer live,
He longer must than I.
For I but have the power to kill,
Without the power to die!

Very much thanks to Darklord X for this!

-

Metal Sonic stood over the violet, unconscious Dark Legionnaire. Her left arm and half of her back were glistening steel. Small sparks flew as he worked. Wire after wire was inserted; sheet after sheet of metal was placed. Finally, she was complete.

The quizzical, hand-robotisized echidna sat up at her place on Metal's operating table.

"You are Mecha-bot five," Metal Sonic told her, "your name is Kaber," he changed her real name, "And I am Mecha-bot two; Metal Sonic, your creator." All of this information swirled through Kaber's 'mind'. The very image of Robo Knuckles (only, of course, her own color scheme,); it was the only pattern of robot echidna Metal had to go off of…although, her left arm and half of her back were still their semi-original silver metal sheen.

Kaber searched inside for her voice, "Where…is…Kaber…Metal Sonic?" she paused in-between words, getting accustomed to her functioning.

"You are inside a warehouse on the Icecap Mountain range." He answered truthfully.

"What…is…Kaber…doing there?"

"I have saved you from death."

Story I

Metal Sonic had since taught Kaber to speak in first person, and that he was her master as well…

It had been a few days since Kaber had awoken, and she was rapidly getting accustomed to the warehouse, Metal Sonic, and his ways. She liked to question him, and one of their 'questioning sessions' had just finished; complements of Metal.

Metal Sonic started to walk in the direction of the door, and Kaber had been calling him 'Metal Sonic', or his nickname, 'Metal'. He turned as his silver hand gripped the doorknob,

"From now on, you shall call me…" He started, and said as he was walking back out again, " Master."

"Yes…Master." Kaber said without question, watching him leave.

Story II

Up until now, Kaber had never been outside. Up until now, Kaber had never had contact with biological beings. Up until now, she had never been interested in them…

"Kaber," Metal Sonic called to her.

"Yes, Master?"

"I want you to go scout the village of Knothole," he gave her the coordinates, "and do not let yourself be seen. Do I make myself clear?" His voice was mechanical.

"Yes, Master," she said, her voice equally mechanical, but with a slightly different tone.

"Wear this," Metal instructed, handing her old Legion cloak that she couldn't recognize now to her, "should you be seen, they shouldn't recognize you as a mechanical being. If you are spotted, come back immediately."

"Yes, Master," she said, draping the cloak around her shoulders and pulling the hood over her head. "Anything else, Master?"

"No. Carry on."

"As you wish, Master."

She wasn't seen, and when she came back, immediately reported. "I wasn't seen, like you asked. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, except an exceedingly fast blue hedgehog and a fox with two tails. Do foxes have two tails, Master?"

"Only this fox, Kaber. His name is Miles Prower."

"What about the hedgehog?" she asked.

"His name…" he hesitated to tell Kaber, but did anyways, "…is Sonic."

Kaber made a small, surprised sound. "But, Master, I thought you were –"

"It doesn't matter." Metal interrupted and ended their conversation.

Story III

It had been a very long time since either Metal Sonic or Kaber had set foot outside.

Until that morning…

Kaber stormed back into the warehouse, white powder swirled in after her. "Master! Master! Master!" The robot called, searching frantically for her master.

"What is it?" Metal asked, almost copying the urgent tone in Kaber's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Master! An unidentified white substance has been falling from the clouds! Come see it!"

Kaber led Metal back outside, where snow had fallen the previous night.

"Master, what is this?" Kaber shuffled around, making little patterns where her huge metal feet had trod.

"This is called snow, Kaber." Metal Sonic said, "It's a form of frozen water, so don't stay out in it too long or you'll rust." He instructed.

Kaber was confused. Still shuffling, she said, "I thought that ice was frozen water."

"It is," Metal patiently explained, "but it's a different type. When ice falls from the sky, it's called 'hail'."

Kaber was still confused, but didn't press further. "What do you do in snow?" she asked him.

"You have," Metal said, pausing to grab some snow in his hand and create a perfect sphere, "snowball fights."

The next thing Kaber knew, snow sent by Metal Sonic had blown apart into tiny pieces on her metal head. She was shocked.

"Here," Metal said, "like this," he bent down to scoop up some of the snow.

When Kaber tried, the long claws on her right hand got in the way, so she pressed her hand flat on the ground and curled it into a fist to make a very lop-sided snowball.

"Now," Metal said, "throw it!" he chucked his at her. Again, she got a splash of snow in her face.

She threw the ball, Metal evaded.

Kaber struggled to scoop up another snowball. When she threw it, Metal dodged again. This happened many times until Kaber was at the point of vowing to pelt him with a bulldozer for snow (which she didn't know was a 'snowplow'), and then she did it. One of her lop-sided snowballs had made their targets. Of course, she had cheated by using a lock-on mechanism, but it still worked. Normally, she would be rushing over to Metal's side and asking if he was operational, but Kaber had been hit with so many of the winter weapons that she knew he was fine.

"You have a good aim, Kaber. Now get inside before we both rust."

"Yes, Master," she said without disdain because she was too pleased that she had accomplished something new.

Story IV

Up until then, Kaber had never been damaged, and, other then her scouting of Knothole, had never been in civilization, or even left the warehouse much…

"Master," she said, "I'll be outside, okay?" Metal made a sound of acknowledgement, still bending over a project he had been working on.

As Kaber neared the bustling town, she stopped to appreciate it all. The snow, the trees, the lights, everyone was happy. It was Christmastime. Kaber liked to watch the people scurry about, they always seemed worried about something or another, but were nonetheless cheerful. She savored her spot above the town; she could see everything but a few sections blocked off by buildings.

As she watched, something violently hit against her side and she was flung into the side of a tree; knocking snow off the branches and rattling it onto her.

Kaber's red eyes flashed on and off a few times, but she saw her attacker. The blue hedgehog, Sonic, was standing in the spot where she was previously sitting.

"Why," she said, and if she was biological, it would sound weak, "does the hedgehog…hurt…Kaber?" the red lights for eyes went out, and she said no more.

Metal Sonic paced the warehouse, wondering when Kaber would return. With a determined look, he started out to look for her.

Following Kaber's trail was easy; even though snow had covered up most of her tracks, Metal could follow by visual sensors alone; Kaber preferred to walk rather then to hover most of the time. When he saw her against the tree, his eyes were almost ignited in a bloody light. Although she would've woken up in a few hours on her own, he was still furious. He knew those markings of damage. Sonic the Hedgehog had done this.

Metal was still angry when Kaber woke up; he was still working on her as well.

"What…happened to…Kaber?" she asked.

"Hold still." Metal Sonic's voice was hard. Had it been biological, it would've been gruff.

"M-Master?"

"Stay away from those animals." Metal stepped away from the table, Kaber sat on its edge; all signs of damage gone.

"Master," she started, "why did Sonic do this?"

Metal took a moment to answer, "Because he hates us."

"Why does he hate us?"

The mech would've sighed, "He hates us because my creator is Dr. Robotnik."

Kaber was visibly confused.

"…That hedgehog is Dr. Robotnik's worst enemy. He created me after him to destroy him. But every time I got close to accomplishing my mission, the hedgehog would always slip away. Eventually," he said, diving into a story, "Dr. Robotnik was tired of my failures," Metal sounded bitter, "and I was to be destroyed, though I eluded his grasp and came here.

"…Master," Kaber said slipping down and grabbing his arm, "I will never fail you." She vowed.

Story V

As it were, Kaber couldn't get enough of the people. She went down there to her spot often and would sit to watch. Unfortunately, this would also be the spot where Kaber's natural robotic hate for non-robots would plant a seed to grow…

At her same spot, Kaber couldn't see around the buildings, and this started to bother her. She wanted a new lookout. One where she could see the other side. What better place then ON the other side?

As Kaber circled around, unbeknownst to her, she was spotted. Due to Knothole's average problems with robots, police were called in immediately. Gunshots rang through the crisp winter air; bullets sailed towards the robot, most hitting their target. Kaber fired up the jets in her metal dreadlocks and raced home as fast as she possibly could.

"Master!" She stormed into the warehouse, "Master, I'm sorry –"

Metal Sonic was furious. "I told you to stay away from there!"

"Master, I,"

He struck her across the face. Kaber was shocked; this was the first time he had done this to her. She had never thought that her master could do that.

"You are not to go outside of this warehouse without strict orders or direct permission!"

She tended to her own wounds.

Story VI

Kaber desperately wanted back out, but was never granted the chance. She couldn't figure out why Metal was so angry with her; so she was seen by someone other then him or the hedgehog. So what? She couldn't figure it out. Not until that day…

Kaber and Metal's conversations had been transformed from countless questions and answers to strict orders and 'Yes, Master's.

"Master, may I –"

"No." He already knew her question; she wanted back outside.

"Master, please,"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said 'no'!"

"Why!?"

"You dare deny your creator?"

"You did!"

There was a silence, but just as Metal was about to retaliate, Kaber realized what she had said. "I'm sorry, Master. I-I wasn't thinking."

Metal wanted to say, 'Robots don't think; they just obey their masters.' But that would be denying all that he had told her about himself. There was another silence.

"Let's go." Metal Sonic said, starting out the door. This puzzled Kaber, but she said nothing.

"This is where you watch, is it not?" Metal Sonic asked as they neared her 'people-watching' lookout.

"Affirmative, Master. But as I was caught, I was circling around to see the other side."

Metal said nothing, but was hit with an accurate, blue, spinning ball. Sonic, the one and only original.

"You're back, huh?" Sonic said as he made contact. "Didn't think you had the nerve to show your face around here again!"

"Stop it!" Kaber shouted and kneed Sonic in the face using her dreads to hover slightly and stunning Sonic momentarily. "Why do you hate us so much!?" she screamed at him and picked her master up in her arms, hovering as fast as she could back to their 'home'.

"I'm sorry, Master." Kaber said as he recovered. "It was all my fault. I'm not very good at repairs, either."

"Go to that village," Metal instructed, "and level it!" his voice almost shook with anger.

"Y-yes, Master." Kaber said, setting out to destroy Knothole village.

Story VII

Kaber had been instructed to do something that should've been done long ago, in Metal Sonic's eyes, and she would do it…without question.

Fires blazed as Kaber set about her work. She noticed that beams were highly effective in collapsing buildings. Although, it was more fun just to destroy it.

She had gotten to about half of the village, when a barricade of animals attacked her. There was the hedgehog, the twin-tailed fox; Miles, a sea lion, a squirrel, a rabbit with robotic legs and left arm, and a few others. The Freedom Fighters.

Kaber lay motionless in the snow, dents carved into her metal plating, wires protruded in small clouds, and little blue and yellow sparks of electricity flew from her body. So, she hadn't escaped death after all.

Metal Sonic's hatred had been rekindled that day. In his rage, he tore apart Knothole, finishing the job.

"So," Sonic said as the robot gingerly lifted up Kaber, "are you happy now?" Metal Sonic vowed to destroy the hedgehog, and, someday…he will.

7