Prologue

Metal Sonic's crimson eye's glowered, illuminating the untouched mountains of scrapped metal and trashed parts of Robotnik's hundreds of machines, all defeated by Sonic and his friends. The android's eyes scanned the mountains of metal surrounding him, searching for something hidden beneath the surface. The android's memory of the day he had been thrown into the trash heap resurfaced, his hatred reigniting with it, and he cursed the name of the Scrap Brain Zone.

'Robotnik. "Master." You disposed of me as though I were nothing more than just another bot produced en masse. It is because of you, who gave me my purpose, that I have transcended the capabilities of mechanical beings, I have learned hatred.'

The angry machine's sensors began to sound, his eyes shifting, honing in on the visage of a spiny, rusted head. The android tore at the surrounding debris, carefully lifting the mechanical component from its former tomb. The metal hedgehog activated his jetpack. The android launched into the air, flying toward a half-completed base of operations, a complex created by Robotnik in a time that preceded even the earliest clone of Sonic the Hedgehog. Metal Sonic landed before the entrance to an underground portion of the fortress, making his way down into a large, open laboratory.

'I have returned to this zone time and again, after each defeat, each failure, so that the desire to destroy him may be realized once more.'

The android walked past multiple glass cylinders, each containing various portions of an earlier version of Robotnik's clones. The mechanical hedgehog stopped before a cylinder containing excessively rusted parts, adding the head he was holding.

"Computer, seal chamber filed 'SLVR MK I', and initiate holographic image for pre-decomposition."

The glass cylinder closed around the components until it was airtight, and the pieces of what had once been Silver Sonic began to levitate. The parts began to arrange themselves, reacting to separate, concentrated magnetic fields.

'Still incomplete, as are they all, as-'

The android emanated a low growl, struggling to maintain his composure.

'As am I.'

A hologram appeared, aligned with the exact outline of the unfinished body. Metal Sonic's eyes analyzed the empty spaces indicated by the virtual image, taking in the minutest details. The android deactivated the magnetic field gradually, allowing the parts to gently return to their original resting places. The mechanical villain walked back out into the graveyard of machines.

'I have attained a higher sense of being. I have gained consciousness. THAT is why I am the one who shall end his life. And until I have made myself victorious, completely and utterly, I will continue to fuel this hate. I have become more than a mere animal or a simple machine. I have evolved.'