I, SilverSonic: Chapter One

by Orange Tree

What happens when SilverSonic becomes flesh and blood? Read and Review. (UPDATED! More Content!)

___________________________[ I, SILVER SONIC ]___________________________________

Begun: June 22, 2001
Finished:
Written by Cherna Gast
All characters are owned and copyrighted by their respected creators. Jael and
Rani the Tigon created by Cherna Gast. All Sonic the Hedgehog characters are
(c) 2002 SEGA of America, Inc. or Archie Comics, Inc.
Used without permission, but in good faith.

__[ CHAPTER ONE ]_______________________________________________________________

No one is quite sure how it happened. There was no explanation. Some guess it was the lightning that flashed through the menacing clouds that loomed over the night sky. Some say it must have been a combination of chemicals left over from leaking batteries, toxic waste and corroding metal. Others say that it was the hand of some unseen deity at work, gifting life into the lifeless mechanical corpse that had been thrown out like useless flotsam, to rust and decay among the broken bodies of his brothers. Useless! his maker had called him. A failure. Worthless. A reject, a flop, incomplete, sub-standard. His creator could not have known that those words struck pain deep in his core, for he could not show emotion on the fixed expression of his metal face. He could only stare out at the world through blank, empty eyes, looking for all the world like some robotic vegetable. Nothing more than a tool, kin to home appliances. Devoid of thought and self-will.

How untrue that was.

The last thing he remembered was being cruelly torn open for spare parts, then thrown, his carcass still sparking and shaking, onto a pile of the dead. The rains came, weeping tears he could not shed, the lightning screaming in pain for him. His vision had faded, leaving him in a cold, lonely world of darkness, to await the slow leak of his power core that would eventually kill him. Fear gripped him. Aware of his own mortality, he knew this was the end. Was this all that life had to offer him? The rare, unexpected chance of a robot developing its own sentience had gone unnoticed by his creator, who saw him only as a weapon that did not work.

He cried out in his mind to anything that could rescue him, be it machine, man, or god. He didn't want to die.

When something is meant to be, it will happen, no matter what may try to stop it.

The mental cry did not go unanswered.

A bolt of energy, perhaps lightning, struck down from the sky and into his body. His limbs, what remained of them, stiffened and jerked outward. He felt as if he were on fire, light pouring into his shattered optic lenses -- an impossibility, they were broken! -- and he could hear once more. An electric tingle traveled through the core of his being outward, and he could again feel limbs he had lost. But how? They were no longer there. His energy returned. He couldn't feel a power core within him, but he felt renewed, somehow. The pain ebbed and gave way to a sweet relief, a sensation better to him now than anything in the world. Then, suddenly, the light disappeared, and in shock, he opened his mouth and drew in his first breath.

It dawned upon him that he was now breathing. He shakily pushed himself up to a sitting position. He could suddenly feel everything under him. The cold of the rain falling over his warm skin, the wind blowing softly through his quills, making them rattle dryly against one another. He looked down at his body. Sleek silver fur, pale gray skin. His hands were no longer clumsy jointed blades of steel. He wiggled fingers, and looking down, he had toes to wiggle as well. No longer shoe shaped, orange, with wheels for heels and rocket boosters in the ankles. A glimmer of light over a rippling puddle caught his attention. He leaned over it, and beheld his face.

He was still a hedgehog, as he was originally designed to be; he was made as a silver image of his creator's most hated foe. But now, he had lips that could speak, a soft black nose, and wispy silver bangs that drifted down around the corners of his vision. But it was his eyes that let him know he was not suffering from some delusional errors from a dying power core. They were still that bright shade of neon orange, almost glowing. After a pause to reassure himself that this was actually happening, the corners of his mouth pulled into a smile and he began to laugh. Soaking wet from the rain, he stood and laughed, tilting his head back to let the soothing cool drops run over his face. Opening his mouth he tasted the rain. He could not explain it, and at this point did not want to question this gift -- he was alive. And he was no longer the clunky, prototyped Silver Sonic robot.

He was real.

This left him with only one question: What was he going to do with himself now? Before, he'd had the certainty of his programming to fall back onto. But now, there was only freedom. Complete, unrestrained, frightening freedom. He paused as the rains ceased, and contemplated his new position:

Formerly, he had been the utter thrall of Ivo Robotnik. He had no choice in anything he was commanded to do. He could barely express himself in any fashion; he had no voice. And Robotnik had summarily used him as spare parts.

There was little need to obey Robotnik now. After all, he knew his maker - Ivo would want to dissect him to figure out just what had happened to him to make him real. Or fail to recognize him, and roboticize him. Or make him a slave once more. This had all the appeal of jabbing a pointed stick into his newly-formed eye.

But on the other hand (he flexed his fingers, positively charmed that he had an actual other hand) he knew absolutely nothing about how to live as a biological entity. He knew there were things that biological creatures needed to do to survive - such as keeping warm, eating, protecting themselves from harm, and he'd heard terrifying stories about what happened after one ate, and the little private room in the house the biological creatures would disappear into because of that function. But what was safe to eat? And how would he know when to eat? And how would he know when he had to retire to that little private room, and once inside, what was he supposed to do? There was only one logical thing he could think of doing. And that would be to seek out a biological entity that could instruct him on what to do.

This wasn't going to be easy. As his previous mechanical self, he'd done a lot of harm, and he wagered that there would be few who would be willing to aid him if they recognized him. But in all this quiet contemplation, Silver Sonic was unaware of the Spy-Eye that was snapping off pictures of him, and broadcasting his location to central command. Were he still a robot he would have heard the low band radio frequency, but his new hedgehog ears could not. Minutes had passed already, and the SWATBots were on their way, assuming him to be some intruder come to raid the junk piles for parts. He had no inkling of how vulnerable his new body was as he stood unarmed and unclothed in the middle of the wreckage.

It was only moments before they were upon him. Quietly the SWATBots had ducked behind the edge of a building, watching Silver Sonic, his image reflected on their single strip of red optic sensor. They drew their laser rifles and brought the barrels down, taking aim.

Silver Sonic's ears caught the soft clicking of a shutter, and he quickly turned his head to see what it was. A flash of light zipped past him as he turned. He could feel the heat singe the tips of the quills on his back.

Laser fire!

The SWATBots poured onto the scene, having missed their target, the element of surprise now gone. "HALT INTRUDER. SURRENDER YOURSELF OR BE TERMINATED," they announced in their unanimous monotone as they marched steadily towards the hedgehog. Silver Sonic began to feel a sensation altogether new to him: Fear. His eyes were locked on the approaching garrison of machines, who offered a choice between quick death by laser or slow death at Robotnik's hands. He had only one option open to him if he were to survive -- Flee.

His legs began running before his mind caught up with him, his feet screaming pain at him as their unprotected flesh came down hard on the sharp, ragged, rusted metal beneath him. He left behind droplets of red amid his tracks. Is this what it felt like, to be a Mobian, hunted down his kind? Was this the fear and pain they knew, and would he, like them, succumb to the advancing robot guard? If there were some sort of karmic law, perhaps he was doomed to pay for all the lives he had helped waste. . .

Then, it came on him, faster than he could react to, momentarily.
The rush of speed.

Suddenly everything was a blur around him and the streets of the filthy, polluted city sped away from him, faster and faster. He had Sonic's speed! It was all he could do to avoid running into things, his feet hurting tremendously. It had all happened so fast, and he had to struggle to get a grip on himself, and deal with these biological reactions and new sensations -

Having made it into the fringes of the Great Forest, he stripped over a gnarled root that jutted up from the ground, hidden by leaves. He tumbled onto his stomach, landing hard enough to knock the wind from him, and skidded forward, scraping his abdomen against sticks and rocks. Gasping for breath he slammed into a tree, and his consciousness left him to a yawning gulf of black and agony.

-[+++]-

He awoke to the sound of running water and soft singing. Disoriented, he waiting for his head to stop spinning before he attempted to open his aching eyes. He felt soft bedding beneath him, and realized he had gone from lying on his stomach in the dirt to lying on his back on someone's bed. Quickly he sat up, looking around to see what had happened.

"Easy, easy, you're still in rough shape," a female voice chided gently.
Silver Sonic rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to make the world come back into focus. His head hurt abominably, and so did his feet. The scabs that had formed on his abdomen where he had scraped himself along the ground broke, and he began to bleed anew. He suddenly winced and fell backwards into bed, having stressed the cast on his right arm - a cast he had just realized he had.

He lay back against the soft bedding and opened his eyes. He was in a wooden cabin of some sort. Turning his head, he could see a simple table and two chairs, a woven rag rug of multiple colors on the floor, and a potbelly stove in the corner. There were flower boxes on the wall, just under simple windows with thick panes of square glass; some of them were herbs, however, as they gave a spicy scent. It added a nice smell to the room. And Silver Sonic was pleased to have a sense of smell to enjoy it. There was a hand-made quilt lying over him, made of white fabric with purple and blue wedding ring patterns along it, and the walls had a few pictures hanging from them - slices of wood, with scenes painted on them. Mostly forest landscapes, flowers, mushrooms, and a few butterflies and birds.

He looked down at his right forearm - wrapped in a simple cast. Apparently he'd broken it in that tumble. The headache he had, discomforting as it was, was preferable to the broken neck he could have had, having hit that tree -

There were sounds coming from another room in the cabin. Whomever had drug him, unconscious, to this place, might still be here.

"Are you all right?" came the same voice as before. "I hope you haven't hurt yourself."

Silver Sonic paused, wondering whether or not he should speak. Would his voice betray him? If she knew what he was, would she have helped him? Well, there was little he could do like this. He braved it. "I am . . . nominal." He was surprised by the sound of his own voice. He'd never been able to speak before.

"Nominal, huh?" she replied from the other room. "Sounds like something a robot might say."

Silver Sonic cringed. It was something a robot would say. He said it, didn't he?

The sounds of clinking metal and the smell of something delicious filled the air. Silver Sonic was overcome with another new experience: Hunger pangs. He began to salivate, as someone naturally would at the smell of good food, but he didn't realize at first to swallow the excess, and he began to drool. Mortified, he took the edge of the bed sheet and wiped his mouth. Well, he hoped no one would notice that . . . His stomach complained of being empty, and he looked down at himself in shock, afraid at first that something was malfunctioning. He was so intent on his bodily functions, that he didn't realize someone was standing next to him until he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"You opened those wounds again, didn't you? Don't worry, I'll get you some balm for it. It'll ease the pain and help things heal faster."

Silver Sonic looked up and into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. Like a deer in headlights, he was frozen as she took a seat on the bed, holding a bowl of soup and a portion of fresh bread.
He couldn't place her species precisely; she had characteristics of tiger or a wolf, and perhaps some other species that didn't let anything to her appearance other than form. Her body was a beautiful peachy orange, bright and vibrant in color, with black tiger's stripes along her form. A ruff of alabaster fur at the top of her neck transversed her front from neck to inner thighs.
Tufts of long silky white fur flagged her forearms and ankles, and her tail was comparable to a mare or vixen's. Her satiny, shoulder length hair, also white, fell in a opal cloud around her face, framing it and her vulpine black ears. White muzzle bore a small black nose, and a pair of coral pink, smiling lips.

He caught himself staring, and looked down at the food she had instead. Some time ago, he wouldn't have noticed anything about her other than she existed. Now, in this body, he was noticing everything about her, from the sparkle of her eyes, to her very scent. How in the world did biological entities manage to get anything done if members of the opposite sex held this sort of fascination to them? And furthermore, just why was she so appealing?

"I made you some vegetable soup. I've been told this recipe's good for just about any infirmity, but I suppose you'll have to be the judge of that. The bonus side is that it tastes good," she stated with a warm smile as she set the bowl on a small table near the edge of the bed, along with the bread. "If you need something to drink, just let me know."

Silver Sonic found himself at an impasse. He didn't know just how to eat! But if he didn't eat, she would find him out! He balked at the soup, then, gingerly reached over and put his hand in the hot liquid.

He quickly jerked his hand out and shook it. It was hot, and his hand felt strangely cold, then stinging, then burning.

The girl regarded him as if he were a three headed snake in a suit of armor, asking how to get to the nearest lake of pudding. "You hit your head a lot harder than I thought," she quipped, still in disbelief.

Silver exhaled, his hope deflating like a balloon with a slow leak. "I'm not what you think I am," he admitted as he turned his gaze away from her, expecting the worst.

She smirked. "You're not a silver hedgehog with bumps, bruises and contusions? Well hon, that's one heck of a disguise."
He smirked, and replied, "You don't understand," snappishly. "I ... don't know how to eat."
Her expression turned impishly inquisitive. "Don't know how? You look like you haven't gone hungry for very long, if ever." She stood up, walked out of the room briefly, and returned with a cool rag. Sitting on the bed once more near the sulking hedgehog, she lightly took his burned hand, and wrapped it with the rag. He allowed it, watching her, and felt some relief with the cold compress. He looked back up at her, his neon eyes pleading for understanding, though he himself could not see this.
"Don't you know what I am?" Silver Sonic asked her in disbelief. Why wasn't she running from him, or worse, trying to kill him? Didn't she know who he was? Guilt clouded his thinking.
"A hedgehog?" she answered.
He blinked.
"Well, I will say that there aren't many silver hedgehogs around. Especially ones with that particular eye color," she commented, stirring the soup in the bowl, cooling it. "But I'm not one to judge. I'm no Jane Average either." She laughed softly and shook her head. "Now where are my manners? My name is Rani. I'm a tigon. Loosely related to tigers, but not quite feline."
"I am S1L-V3R Silver Sonic," he blurted automatically, wishing he'd not said that no sooner than it left his lips.

Her fur fluffed slightly. A robot? He flinched, noticing this, and shut his eyes tight, waiting for the worst.

"... You have to be the most life-like robot I have ever seen. Or you're some kind of cyborg," she mused.

Silver Sonic peeked open an eye. She wasn't going after him with a kitchen knife? He remained tense, but explained, "I was a robot, until just recently ... I don't know how, but some kind of energy changed me into what you see before you. I am now a biological hedgehog rather than mechanical."

She tilted her head to the side. Was this possible? It would explain his odd behavior, his coloration, and his rather normal bruises and bumps. "Well, I have heard of some pretty wild things in my lifetime. I... have a hard time believing it, but, I suppose anything's possible..."

Silver Sonic regarded her with hopeful eyes. He proceeded to explain to her the details of his transformation, from his days as a robot, to his dismemberment at the hands of his creator, to his impending death on the junk piles; the flash of light, the rapture of being made alive, and his chase by SWATBots.
She took it all in, listening and mulling it over in her mind. She had little reason to doubt him, unreal as his story was; were he some machine out to kill her he could have already done so. Her mind could give her no definite answers, so she left her heart to guide her in this manner. And it could only see the rather pathetic, helpless creature she had carried home from his impromptu bed in the forest, wounded, naked and cold. Her instincts bridged the gap between faith and knowledge, and she accepted what he said as being the truth.

"I believe you, Silver Sonic," she said gently. His expression of relief was all the thanks she needed.

Rani saw now that she had a task ahead of her. What did a machine know of being real? He was running around wet and naked, without the slightest idea of the consequences of those actions. She consigned herself to begin teaching the robot-turned-real the ways and means of living as flesh and blood. She placed a spoonful of soup at his lips, and he went cross eyed looking down at it.
"Part your lips, just a little," she commanded gently. Silver did as he was bade, and she poured the broth into his mouth. He sat there, mouth full, looking at her for further instruction. Rani couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, now swallow." He raised his eyebrows. Do what now?
"Move the soup into the back of your mouth and let it down your throat. The muscles will contract and you'll swallow it," she explained. After a moment, Silver figured it out, and swallowed his first portion of food. A few more instructions, and soon he was eating for himself. He enjoyed the process of eating, finding it to be a simple but pleasurable experience, and a good deal
more fun than plugging oneself into a power conduit, recharging for hours on end. Rani brought in her portion of food, and the two dined together.

"You know, you're quite fortunate," she commented to Silver Sonic. "You get to experience being both machine and flesh, without robotization being involved." He thought on this a moment, and nodded. He certainly felt fortunate. Better to be alive and flesh than metal and dead! With that, he laid back down. He felt somewhat odd. Overheated. And stiff.

"Y'know, you had a fever when I brought you in. And your feet were pretty cut up," Rani stated, her tone concerned. "How do you feel now?"
"I feel warm. And my limbs feel stiff," he answered honestly.
Rani's brows furrowed uneasily. "That's what I'm afraid of. Tell me, did you notice if you got cuts from any rusted metal?"
He nodded the affirmative. "I had no choice but to run through a junk pile."
She bit her bottom lip. "That's not good, Silver," she stated, now worried. "I think you may have come down with tetanus. I'll have to find some anti-toxin for you, or your muscles will lock up from the poison, and you'll die."

Silver felt cold fire in the back of his skull. He had no idea being biological could be so perilous.

Rani leaned over and hugged Silver Sonic comfortingly. "Don't worry," she softly reassured, "I'll go to Knothole and see if they have anything that can help."

He stiffened, and it wasn't due to any toxin. Knothole. The base camp of his former enemies. The home of ... Sonic. His nervousness was cooled, however, by Rani's close contact. This set off a whole new array of sensations and reactions that did nothing but exacerbate his situation further. He'd have to find a way to sort through this sea of input and reaction. If he lived long enough, anyway.

"Thank you," Silver replied quietly.

Rani beamed back at him. "It's all right Silver. I'll leave you with some more food, and something to read. I will have to leave for Knothole now, and I shouldn't be more than a few hours. Do you think you'll be all right?"
He nodded yes. "Affirmative," he responded in mecha-speak.
She giggled softly. "'Yes' is just as effective an answer."
Silver Sonic blushed, and smiled back. "Very well then. Yes."
Rani stood, giving him a kiss on the cheek, then placed a few books near him as she headed to the door. "Be well, Silver. I'll be back shortly." Opening it, she stepped out into the woods beyond, and with the soft thump of the door shutting behind her, all was quiet.

Silver Sonic reached for a book, blushing furiously from the light kiss, and opened it, hoping to distract himself from the strange feelings fluttering around in his head.

-[+++]-

It was mid afternoon when Rani reached the outskirts of Knothole. Having been a non-resident member of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, and associated with a few other groups as a liaison, she was greeted warmly by a few residents who saw her enter. She headed towards a familiar cluster of huts, and approaching a wooden door gave a light knock.

Princess Sally Acorn looked up from her book, hearing someone knock on her door. She was actually somewhat glad about the distraction; she was actually quite bored, and the book was a poor substitute for company. Sonic and Tails were out fishing, Antoine, Bunnie and Rotor had gone to pick apples and berries; besides Rosie she was quite alone. She set aside the book, slid off the bed and walked to the door, opening it.
Rani smiled. "Hello Princess. How are you?"
Sally smiled in return. Ah, some company that didn't burp chili dog breath, or attempt to prove 'heez courage' to her. "Oh, I can't complain. Bored to tears, but otherwise well." She held open the door as the tigon walked in, and shut it when the she was inside. "So what brings you to Knothole? You usually keep to yourself."
"I'm afraid I have a small problem," Rani confessed to Sally as she had a seat in a chair. "I found someone last night, with several deep cuts on his feet; I took him to my cabin and looked after him, but this morning he has a fever, and he's starting to show tell-tale symptoms of a tetanus infection. I need to find some antitoxin and a vaccine."
Sally's expression drew grim. "That's not good. We don't have any tetanus vaccines or anti-toxins in stock in the supply hut." Immediately the fire of determination lit up in Sally's eyes. It was that never-say-die attitude, the true noble calling of leadership that befit the strong, intelligent girl who was born Princess of Mobius. "We'll just have to plan a raid."
Rani nodded in agreement. "I'll go with you on this one. But I left him at my cabin. Do you think it would be safe to move him to the infirmary for now? I don't feel comfortable leaving him by himself for too much longer."
Sally nodded the affirmative. "Of course. I'll let Rosie know, and we'll get a bed arranged for him."
"I'd like to find him something suitable to wear as well," Rani stated, "He escaped from Robotropolis in nothing but his birthday suit. Some shoes at least would be great."
"Sure. I think we have something that could work," Sally replied with a cheerful smile. "Poor guy, and it was raining last night, too. No wonder he's gotten sick." She looked at Rani and asked, with girlish curiosity, "So what is he?"
Rani wasn't quite sure how to answer this one. She placed her trust in the hedgehog, but would Sally? "He's a hedgehog, probably about my age. Silver colored fur."
"Silver," Sally said with interest. Not a common shade of color, but then, neither was blue or pink.
The tigon felt the need to tell Sally about his... special needs. Better to be honest about the whole thing; if they refused to help him, she would go get the medicines herself. "There's something you should know about him, Sally. I'm afraid you may not like him much after I explain it . . . " she began.

-[+++]-

Sonic looked behind him to make sure Tails was keeping up. The little guy had decided to carry the whole stringer of fish he caught, and Sonic was sure it had to weigh about as much as the little fox did. "Are you sure you don't want help with that, kiddo?" he asked, concerned, as he carried the poles, can of dew worms and his own stringer of fish.
Tails strained a bit but nodded. "I'm not a little kid any more, Sonic. I can do it!" he admonished.
Sonic shrugged and chuckled. all right, if Tails wanted to, he wouldn't stop him. As they entered the village, they noticed a small crowd that had gathered around the Infirmary. Sonic was at once puzzled and worried. Did someone he know get hurt? Was there someone being brought in from Robotropolis, or elsewhere? He stopped Rosie as she headed from the supply hut to the Infirmary.
"What's goin' on, Rosie? Did someone get hurt or something?" Sonic asked as she passed, noticing a basket of medicine in the older woman's hand. Tails hurried to Sonic's side, ears perked to hear what was going on.
"We have a visitor, Sonic," Rosie confided. "But I'm afraid he's quite sick. Sally would like to speak to you about arranging a raid in Robotropolis to get medical supplies we do not have."
That was all Sonic needed to hear. He turned to Tails. "C'mon Tails. Let's get this stuff put away and go see Sally." Tails nodded, and the two headed to their respective huts.

-[+++]-

Sally heard the door open, the orange-red light of sunset streaming in through the windows and along the floor, as Sonic and Tails entered. She waved for Sonic to come in, as Rosie, Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor, Sally, and face he hadn't seen in awhile - Rani the Tigon - sat near one of the beds towards the back. Sonic made his way back to the group. Rani had been one of the children secreted out of Robotropolis during the coup, brought in after he and his friends; but when she had gotten a bit older, she decided to live outside Knothole rather than in it, traveling from place to place, and providing Knothole with herbal medicines. She usually didn't show up in Knothole unless something was very wrong.

The others seemed to be transfixed on the bed; Antoine looked somewhat peeved, while the girls seemed fascinated. Sally seemed just a bit worried as well. Rotor had almost an expression of awe; the combined mood of the group put Sonic ill at ease. Tails tugged on his elbow. "Sonic, do you know who's there?" he asked, sensing the tension in the air as well. Sonic shook his head no. "We'll just have to find out, Tails."

The blue blur was not prepared for what he saw lying in the bed. Neon orange eyes looked up at him amid silver locks of headfur. Something nagged at Sonic inside, telling him that he knew this hedgehog from somewhere before.

Silver Sonic looked up to see Sonic looking down on him. His reaction was mixed and uncomfortable. Here was the same Sonic that years ago, he had nothing but a driving, unstoppable, programmed urge to kill. The same Sonic that tore him apart, forcing Robotnik to rebuild him. The same Sonic that he now feared, and had an overwhelming sensation of guilt towards. He visibly cringed.

"Humph. Look at zis," Antoine chided, arms folded, looking down on Silver. "He eez no'ting but zee cowaird."
"Well that's the pot calling the kettle black," Sonic retorted.
Before Antoine could reply, Sally spoke up. "Sonic, this is Silver Sonic."

Sonic looked at Sally and blinked.

Looking down at the silver hedgehog lying the infirmary bed, Sonic's brain flatly denied what his ears were telling him. Silver Sonic was a robot. With buzz-saw spines. With metal claws for fingers. With rocketboosters and wheels 'feet', if you could call them that. Trapped in an arena in Robotropolis, Sonic had faced the prototype M-Class robot and after grueling hours of combat, finally weakened vital joints and pinnings in the machine, causing it to break in half. He would never forget the look in those black and neon orange eyes as they glared up at him, half of Silver Sonic's body in one place, half in the other. Smoldering, sparking wreckage, twitching as Robotnik fled and Sonic gathered the last scrapings of strength from his battered body to make good on his escape. But those eyes...

Neon orange eyes...
Staring back at him even now...

"WHAT!?" Sonic suddenly snapped, his quills raising, his hands balling into fists. "What is he doing here? Don't you know that he's one of Robuttnik's robots?!" The hedgehog was furious. So much so that Tails ducked behind Sally, peeking out at Sonic nervously.

Silver Sonic knew when he was not welcome. "I'll leave," he replied weakly, trying to get up, "I have done too many wrongs... I cannot expect any of you to forgive me..." His body felt like it was half frozen, and his head was spinning. He felt a hand at his shoulder, pushing him back down onto the bed, and weak as he was, he could not protest it. He grimaced. Once he could have snapped the arm that held him back like rotten wood, but now he couldn't fight off a fly landing on his nose.

"Oh no you don't young man," Rosie scolded gently. "You're in no condition to leave." She looked up at Sonic sternly. "And you - I thought you had better manners than that! This is an infirmary. It's not a place to shout and holler!"
Sonic frowned, not liking to be publicly upbraided, but took it in stride. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Rosie; she'd been all but mother to him for the past ten years.
Sally smirked at Sonic. "Yes, I know exactly who this is, Sonic. I didn't become stupid and blind in the last few hours. But I think he deserves a second chance. Look at him Sonic --"
"I've seen enough of him already, thank you," Sonic interrupted her snappishly.
"Mercy is what separates us from our enemies," Rosie calmly replied as she replaced the bandages on Silver Sonic's chest and stomach.

Sonic opened his mouth for an irritable retort, when he saw the blood on Silver Sonic's bandages. Robots don't bleed, at least not any he knew of. It made him close his mouth, and stare a moment. How in the world did this happen - and why to that robot? Was it some new scheme by Robotnik? He couldn't tell, and it made him all the more uneasy. Mentally he decided to slot Silver into the 'All right, you can keep the puppy, but if he messes the carpet, he's going to the pound' category. At least for now.

Sally looked at Sonic, studying the blue hedgehog's face. Yes, she could see that her decision to let Rani bring Silver here was not popular, but she felt it was for the best. There were several explanations for the strange hedgehog's claims about the truth:

1.) He's delusional. Being as confirmably injured and sick as he is, its
quite possible that this hedgehog has no idea what he's saying. In that
case, it's her duty, as Princess, to see to it he gets well.

2.) He's telling the truth. As bizarre as it sounds, he could be right. If
legends like Lazar are real, perhaps what he has become is reality as
well. He could have no harmful intentions toward them at all - and being
this sick, would need help. He could be helpful as an ally once he was
well.

3.) He's telling the truth - but is still affected by his programming, which
makes him loyal to Robotnik. He has absolutely no equipment or weapons
or equipment. In either case, if he's flesh and blood, he can be
detained in Knothole Jail until they can determine his loyalties - after
he's recovered. Enemy or not, no one deserves to be left to die from
cold, hunger and disease.

Looking back to Silver Sonic, her eyes met his, and she gazed into them, searching for motives and intents. Julayla had taught her that the eyes are the windows of the soul, and that if you can learn to read them, others cannot hide their intents and true feelings from you. It was something all rulers needed to learn.

All she could see was the look of a lost child, frightened and confused, alone among strangers.

This hedgehog had no intent to harm or betray anyone.

She put her hand on Silver Sonic's, patting it gently and reassuring him with a warm, compassionate smile. "You stay here. We'll see to it you get better, and soon."

Seeing Sally smiling at Silver only exacerbated the way Sonic felt. His eyes narrowed, and he looked daggers at the ailing former robot.
"He's here because he's sick, Sonic," Sally explained. "And if we don't get some medicine for him soon, he'll die."
What if this guy was just nuts or something? Would he be willing to risk the life of someone else like this? He could see the concern on Rosie's face as she finished tending to the silver hedgehog. He hadn't seen her look this grim in years... His expression softened and he took a deep breath and sighed. "Look guys. How do we know this guy is even really sick? He could just be a really convincing robot. Remember how Robotnik made that robot Sally? She fooled all but one of us," he stated, explaining his case.
Silver Sonic reached over to the somewhat sharp wooden corner of the table near him. He placed his palm against the point, and began to squeeze, wincing, until he made a small startled cry that got everyone's attention. He held out his palm to Sonic, as droplets of red welled up from a fresh cut.

Neon orange eyes locked with green. "Is my blood not as red as yours?" he asked, voice weak.

Sonic's ears went back. He felt a little guilty that Silver had actually wounded himself to make a point. So he was real... but that was still no proof of where this silver hedgehog's loyalties lie.

Rosie made a little cry of dismay. "Silver, how could you do that to yourself? Rani, dear, hand me some bandages from my basket," she asked, taking Silver's wounded hand in hers, as the tigon got up to get the roll of gauze.

Sonic tapped his foot. "Okay. So the rip-off over there is flesh and blood. That still doesn't mean we should trust him, sick or not."

"I am afraid I agree wit' zee 'edgehog, amazeeng as zat eez to mah wondairful self," Antoine commented. "'Ee may be a spy."

"Sonic, Rani trusts him," Sally explained. "And I do too."
"Oh, like you trusted Griff?" Sonic retorted irritably.
Sally's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, like you trusted Ari," she hissed in reply.
"Please don't fight," Tails begged of the two, his brows creased with worry.

"Uh, guys," Rotor said, speaking up. "Even if he did come here with bad intentions, he's way too sick to do anything to any of us. When he gets better, we'll watch him. If anything bad happens, we can put him in the jail."
Sally and Sonic nodded in agreement. A wise suggestion. Sonic folded his arms and sighed once again, conceding defeat. "All right Sal. But what is it he needs?"
"He's picked up tetanus from cuts on his feet in the junk piles," Rani answered for Sally. "So we'll need tetanus anti-toxin and a vaccine."
Sonic threw up his arms. "Where are we going to get that? The magic vaccine bush? All the pharmacies have been closed for years, and that stuff doesn't last without refrigeration."
Silver Sonic spoke up, his speech labored. "Robotnik ... has those items. He is flesh and blood. ... He, too, must receive booster shots and ... medications; he works ... in close contact with metal all the time."

"And there you have it, Mr. Hedgehog," Sally stated with a victorious smile.
"Yeah. We get to walk straight into the most heavily guarded fortress on the planet and steal stuff from Robotnik's medicine cabinet. I feel so fortunate," Sonic quipped, voice dripping with sarcasm. His face bore a smile; if there was one thing the hedgehog loved, it was a challenge - and the chance to needle Robotnik when he could.
Sally ignored the retort, seeing that spark in Sonic's eyes. She knew he'd do it now. "Yes. But everyone in Knothole could use the stuff in that medicine cabinet, not just Silver Sonic. So take comfort in the fact that you're helping more than just him."
Sonic rubbed his nose and folded his arms. "all right. Looks like we have a raid to plan then, Sal."
The rest of the group smiled, pleased that the tension had abated. Tails came out from behind Sally. "Can I go?" he asked, his tails swishing in excitement. Sonic chuckled and rubbed the mop of orange headfur on the fox kit's head. "I don't see why not. You can ride in my backpack. But this time - go to the bathroom before we leave, okay?"
Tails blushed. "Okay," he meekly replied.
"Thank you," Silver Sonic said, his voice still weak. "I will ... find a way to repay you all."
Sonic smirked. "That's what I'm afraid of, buddy-boy." It was not meant as an unkind remark, as the ones before were, and Silver could tell by the look on Sonic's face. He was just genuinely concerned, and rightly so. Silver could not blame any of them for being distrustful or unwilling to help. His actions in the past had earned their reactions. Silver smiled, however, and closed his eyes, feeling weary.
Bunnie stood up. "Ah'm in, Sally-girl, sugahhog," she announced. "Y'all are gonna need a strong arm here and there." She grinned, just as eager for a challenge as Sonic.
Sally nodded. "I'll be going as well -" She was interrupted by Antoine.
"I weel be goeeng as well. Mah swordsmansheep ees unmatched," he commented, chest swelling with pride.
"Which is exactly why I need you here," Sally replied to the coyote. "After all, what if Silver really is tricking us all? We need you here to make sure he doesn't try anything funny."

Of course, everyone in the room but Antoine knew that Silver had about as much chance of doing damage as Robotnik had of fitting in a size five dress. But Antoine was more of a liability on a mission like this than a help. Better to redirect his eagerness to less suicidal efforts.
Antoine saluted. "Weeth pleasure, mah Princess. I shall guard zee 'edgehog until you arrive."

"If you guys don't mind, I'll sit this one out. If Silver doesn't mind, I'd like to ask him more about his transformation," Rotor said, his scientific curiosity eating him alive. Sonic nodded. "all right Rote." He looked at Rani. "You comin', fuzzy?" he asked, using the nicknamed he'd coined for her when he was six. She was one of the more fluffy freedom fighters.
She shook her head no. "No, I'm afraid I'd be more baggage than help on something like this. Junk pile raids, sure, but deep Robotropolis work is not something I can do. I don't have the experience. I'm going to stay and give Rosie a hand."

Rosie, who had been busy looking after Silver Sonic's bandages, smiled. "Good luck children. I know you'll be back quick as a wink."
Sonic nodded, a little disappointed. It wasn't as if Rani couldn't go on a raid. She had that talent of hers ...

Sally nudged Sonic, and motioned for him to follow her. "Come on guys, let's get to work." As Tails, Bunnie, Sonic and Sally headed for the door, Sonic looked at Sally. "You wanted to tell me something?"
Sally nodded. "Silver Sonic was transformed into a normal hedgehog from a robot. Now, think about this for a moment: He has no idea how to act normal. Rani said he didn't even know how to eat when she first found him. She's staying here to give him a hand figuring out how to live."
Sonic nodded, looking over his shoulder. "But still, couldn't Rosie help him instead? Rani can do -"
"Do you want to stay here and help potty train him? It's sure bet he's never had to use the bathroom before," Sally say flatly.
Sonic paled. "Uh, no."
Tails burst out into giggles.

The group left the infirmary, heading out the door. Bunnie looked back. "I'll say one thing, he does make ah nice lookin' hedgehog."
"o/' Bunnie and Silver, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, o/'" Sonic started in a sing-songy tone.
Bunnie reached over and smacked Sonic on the side of the head lightly, grinning but peevish over being teased. "Y'all cut that out!"
Sally chuckled. "Sonic, behave yourself. Now let's get to the meeting hall and get to work on a battle plan."

-[+++]-

Robotnik reviewed the video records from the dark recesses of his command chair, his fingers idling drumming on the metal of the armrest. Even he was finding it hard to swallow.

But his equipment wasn't lying to him. There'd been a massive spike of energy somewhere out near the junk piles, and his Spy-Eye drones had recorded some unsettling sights. First there was the brief reactivation signal of Silver Sonic - the prototype Sonic replicant robot - whom he'd junked some weeks earlier after tiring of the worthless scrap heap; then he'd been sent video confirmation of a silver hedgehog crawling up out of the wreckage at the exact point Robotnik had dropped the Silver Sonic robot. The visuals couldn't be any clearer - the hedgehog had the same markings and coloration as Silver Sonic. Somehow, his robot had become flesh and blood.
And then, to add insult to injury, when he'd sent SWATBots to retrieve Silver Sonic, the hedgehog had taken off in a burst of speed to rival Sonic. It was bad enough having that blue hairball mocking him with quicker-than-the-eye motion, but now to have two of them? His hands drew closed in a fist, squeezing tight until the glove he wore crackled and squeaked under the pressure.

Snively jumped, hearing that sound. He could almost feel his uncle's growing rage searing his back, and his heart began to pound against his ribs.

"What an ... interesting turn of events, eh Snively?" Robotnik asked coolly, his temper transmuted into scientific curiosity.
"Y-yes, quite," was all Snively felt was safe to say.

Robotnik uncurled his hand and brought both together, tapping his fingertips together lightly. "I want to know exactly what happened to Silver Sonic, Snively. I want him found, and brought here. I will take him apart molecule by molecule if I must."

Snively felt a little more safe now. And he too, was becoming curious. "Shall I send SWATBots into the Great Forest to look for him?"
"No," Robotnik replied quickly. "SWATBots can't catch Sonic, they won't be able to catch him either. No ... " He trailed off in thought, and his lips parted in a toothy grin. "No, let the silver bird fly back to the nest. He may be biological in nature, but I believe he will want to return to Robotropolis eventually. After all, it's the place he was born, and it's all he's ever known machine or Mobian. We'd have an easier time pulling the teeth from a dragon than finding him in that forest."
"The pivot point lies with those abominable freedom fighters; they will either reject him - as he has been programmed to kill them in the past - and he will have no where to turn but to us; or they will accept him, trusting little souls that they are, and he will more than likely be put to work raiding with them. Then it's merely a matter of laying out the right bait to draw them out
into the open and spring closed the trap."

"It's a risky gamble sir," Snively confided. "We don't know how much of his old programming has been retained in his current form, if any at all. And we don't know how he feels towards you."

"True enough," Robotnik replied. Snively was shocked that he wasn't castigated for speaking so boldly. "But I have in mind a way to find that out. Send my summons to Jael, and ... activate Mecha Sonic," Robotnik beamed.

Snively pondered it a moment, then began to smile darkly as well. "At once sir."

-[+++]-

256 tetrabytes .... RAM ONLINE
Booting up core BIOS .... ONLINE
Drive Banks .... ONLINE
Microkernel Loading .... ONLINE
Power Level: Maximum (100%)
Sensory Input .... ONLINE
Good morning, MS-001 Mecha Sonic.

The glass over the recharging pod slid up and open with a hydraulic hiss, and Mecha Sonic's vision began processing data. He stepped out of the pod, and onto the floor. It had been a refreshing six month recharge and 'sleep', but he was more than eager to be awake and mobile again. The Master had sent his summons, and Mecha was more than happy to respond.

"Took you long enough, sleeping beauty," a smooth male voice chided. Mecha looked towards the sound, not recognizing it as either Snively or the Master.

Standing in front of Mecha was a tall, jet-black kangaroo. The roo's long, charcoal-gray hair was drawn back in a ponytail, with long bangs hanging in strands on either side of his deep burgundy muzzle. His eyes, green as chaos emeralds, looked into Mecha's unflinchingly, almost arrogantly, as if flaunting some sort of hidden knowledge or some kind of superiority. The roo wore a long black oilcloth duster, tall, dark gray boots, and gray gloves. Mecha immediately noticed cybernetic implants along the side of the roo's head and along his arms. He identified the black kangaroo as a Wraith, a hacker that connected himself
physically to computer systems and networks and moved through them like a fish through the sea. He also identified the roo as Jael - a network engineer formerly employed in Acorn cyber-security, and one of the few Mobians that had helped the Master plan his brilliant coup against the Acorn King.

"Come on, M.S. Robotnik wants us in the command center, ASAP," Jael stated, turning on his heels and walking for the door.

Mecha Sonic followed, flexing his razored clawtips. He despised Mobians, with their soft, weak, rice-paper flesh, their biological compunctions, their distracting, debilitating emotions. One day he was sure the Master would rid the planet of all of them. Yes, he looked forward to that day.

-[+++]-

The two stood before Robotnik in the command center. Mecha remained quiet but eager; Jael regarded the human tyrant with folded arms and a jaunty smirk.
"Snively, show these two our little 'discovery'," Robotnik requested, bidding the two turn and look at the enormous monitor with a gesture of his arms.
"At once, sir," Snively replied.

Jael and Mecha Sonic turned and watched the information dossier about Silver Sonic and his transformation. After finishing the report, the two turned back to Robotnik.
"What do you want us to do about him?" Jael asked. "Assassinate? Capture? Roboticize?"

For a moment, Mecha Sonic shut out everything else. He looked at Silver Sonic, streaking through the junk piles, a blur of silver fur and quills.

And it ate at him.

That... inferior machine had gotten a second chance at life. He was alive. Flesh and blood. He could do things that Mecha only had the faintest inkling of. And he apparently had Sonic's speed.
How?! How did he do it?!
Mecha had so long wished to fulfill his programming - to eliminate Sonic. To replace him. But the programming had long gone past simple orders. It had become obsession. In his own machine way, Mecha Sonic lusted after his doppleganger. He wanted to consume him, absorb him, replace him - to BE Sonic - the ONLY Sonic! He must know how Silver did it. How he became flesh and blood? Yes, this might be the summation and fulfillment of his very existence!

"I want you, first of all, to monitor Robotropolis for Freedom Fighter activity. ... Let them get what they want. For all their efforts, they are merely annoyances, not a threat. I want to see if Silver Sonic is working with them. Mecha Sonic, you are to scout the Great Forest. He may still be in it, and you can cover ground far more effectively than SWATBots," Robotnik explained. "If you see him, either of you, watch him first. See where his loyalties lie. If you can, convince him quietly to come back home. If he refuses, take him by force."
Jael nodded. "all right. I'm on it."
Mecha Sonic's eyes flashed in acceptance of his orders.
With no more needing to be said, the two headed out of the control room, and began their respective missions . . .