"Doctor, I am receiving a visual data stream from the unregistered internal module. There is a yellow-orange Fox with two tails. His facial expression...is similar to yours when I terminated Metal Sonic. Can you...identify this Fox?"
"His name is Miles Prower aka Tails. He is your enemy, XM."
"My...enemy?" the red Hedgebot repeated, unsure of whether or not to accept his master's answer. He called up the image again, which triggered another data stream. It was a voice, and the Fox's lips moved in time with the spoken words, indicating that he was the one speaking.
"Can you hear me, Rocky?"
XM-01 then heard his own voice reply. "My auditory sensors are functional. Yes, I can hear you. You refer to me as Rocky? Will that be my designation?"
"Yes," replied the young Fox's voice. "You're my most ambitious project yet. This is the first time I've done this much work in artificial intelligence programming. You're also my most ambitious robotics project, though your body is still a work in progress."
"What will my function be?"
"I've given you the ability to learn and adapt. You could potentially perform just about any function. Your mind is designed to as closely replicate the minds of organics like me as possible. I was never told my purpose the day I was born. It's something I discovered on my own. I want to give you the same opportunity."
"I determine the function I am to perform?"
"Yes," confirmed Tails' voice. "There are people who will no doubt try to use you for their own purposes by hacking your systems, but I built in a special security measure. It's a sort of 'Black Box' module, a reinforced and heavily secured backup memory component."
No sooner did Tails answer his question than XM found himself jolted out of the recall by Dr. Eggman.
"XM, follow me back to the laboratory. I need to examine your systems. It seems I overlooked something."
"A...Black Box module..." the Hedgebot said to himself just loud enough for his illegitimate master to hear.
"Ahh...So that is the Fox Boy's secret, and it's something I'll have to do something about. You're MY robot!"
XM began to shake. "N-No...I cannot be," he said shakily.
"That doesn't matter, XM-01. You WILL be my ultimate weapon," Eggman retorted with a sinister chuckle. "Sonic won't be nearly as aggressive in battling what is, at its core, his best friend's handiwork. He'll be so easy to destroy!"
"No!" XM screamed before rocketing away at full speed, making a large hole in the base's roof as he did so.
Eggman growled as he activated his communicator. "Theta! Report to my location at once!"
The gray E-Unit wasted no time in zooming from its dock to the hallway leading to the arena. "Awaiting further instructions," it monotonously announced.
"Do you see that hole in the roof? XM-01 has escaped! Find him, neutralize him, and bring him back!"
"Order received. Proceeding," the robot replied as it flew off through the hole XM had created.