Final Egg Base
Several weeks ago
A pair of mechanical red eyes light up, reflecting off of a chrome plated face. "The first prototype, Silver Sonic." A red light flashes across a high-tech visor. "The failure of an experimental upgrade to Silver Sonic. The Drone Sonic." A single cycloptic eye glows from the inside of a blue metal skull. "The deadly ruler built for intelligence. Mecha Sonic." Two detailed red eyes light up in a sharp and intense gaze. "The silent replica of the robot from the future. Metal Sonic." A yellow gridded pattern with no discernable pupils is the last to illuminate. "And the forgotten, untested behemoth. Robo Sonic."
All at once, the Mecha Sonics point their weapons and claws threateningly towards the half-metal hedgehog—Cyber Sonic.
Sonic doesn't flinch. "You can all stand down. I am not Sonic the Hedgehog. He is gone. I am your friend."
One by one, they each obey.
"At least, that's what you've all been programmed to understand. But as of this day, you are all free to make that decision for yourselves. However, I ask that you all let me remain your friend, because we all share something in common. We've all been used. But we are not the playthings of Eggman or of Sonic. We are free. I found you all, and repaired you, because I wanted you to be free as I am. But now, I ask for your help. There are those out there in the world who wish to take away our freedom. Alone, none of us could hope to stop them all. But together, it is us who will be unstoppable. So…can I count on your loyalty?"
The Sonic robots begin to look towards one another, analyzing those around them. After a moment, Silver Sonic bends his knees, lowering his head in deference to Cyber Sonic. Beside him, Drone Sonic does the same. Mecha Sonic follows, as does Robo Sonic. But Metal Sonic remains standing.
Cyber Sonic eyes him carefully. "What do you have to say?"
Slowly, Metal Sonic extends his hand forward.
Sonic can't hide his smirk. "You're smarter than the old Metal Sonic gave you credit for." He takes Metal Sonic's hand with his own matching one. "The rest of you should take notes from this one. You're my friends, not my servants."
The other robots stand silently.
"We'll build a new future together. Somewhere we can decide our fates with our own hands. And those who would stand in our way…will be crushed beneath our feet. We are the Mecha Sonic Army. And we fight for freedom!" Sonic raises his metallic fist into the air.
The Mecha Sonics follow his motion one by one.
Above them all, E-123 Omega looks silently over the railing, watching as the Mechas cheer for the coming destruction of the Rebellion he once called his friends.
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project
Season 2, Episode 17
Metallic Madness Part 1
Written by ChaosProjectAuthor
SCOPE Classified Log, November 30th, 2354 hours
We've arrived at the coordinates provided by Metal Sonic. The time is nearly at hand. Now, all that remains is to wait.
—–—
Equipped with appropriate climbing gear, the SCOPE Master Sergeant climbs up over a rocky outcropping. At the top, he turns around to offer his hand down to the soldier following beneath him. Dressed in full black gear with night vision goggles covering her face, she takes a moment to dust herself off once she reaches the top.
The Sergeant looks out over the precipice. "This should be high enough."
The soldier removes her goggles to look down at the still, glassy surface of the lake far below, brilliantly reflecting the starlight above. "Quite a view. But I assume that's not what we're here for?"
"Quite right. But if you're looking for a photo opportunity, the view is about to get a lot better." He points up into the sky, where a strange, glowing distortion is beginning to form. Sparks start to fly, light flashes through the night, until an entire planet appears, lush and green on its surface.
The soldier nods in satisfaction as she watches it appear. "The Little Planet. So that's what this is all about."
"Centuries of myth and legend. Years of knowledge only by a select few. Now, finally, a secret no more."
The soldier has reengaged her goggles. "Energy distortions are fading. Looks like there shouldn't be any safety concerns."
"Excellent. Prepare the device."
"Yes, sir." The soldier kneels to the ground and removes her pack, taking out various mechanical pieces and quickly assembling them into a relatively large box-like shape.
"Agent...your loyalty to SCOPE and to myself through these years has been keenly noted. Ordinarily, I would trust no one but myself for a task such as this."
"I appreciate that, sir. But I don't do it for you or for SCOPE. I do it for the world."
"And that's exactly why I've come to trust you so completely. You know, I've been doing this job a very long time. I ought to have retired years ago."
"Retirement? At a time like this? Sir, no one could replace you."
"Exactly why I haven't. But that may not be true for much longer. I think that there is a viable replacement, and I think that it's you, Agent Brown."
The soldier removes her headgear entirely, letting her long, dark hair fall back over her shoulders. "Sir, you must be joking. There are dozens of officers who outrank me."
"Well then, I suppose I'll have to rectify that situation. Your promotion is effective immediately, Sergeant Ayanna Brown."
Ayanna stands at attention. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
"Granted."
"While I graciously accept this decision, I submit that it has been made suddenly and without clear cause, leading me to believe that it may be based on some information which I haven't been made aware of."
The Master Sergeant smiles. "Nothing gets by you, Agent. You'll be informed when you need to be, and not a minute sooner. Now, activate the device."
"Yes, sir." Ayanna kneels down, pulling a lever on the device that has been constructed on the ground. Instantly, a golden light shoots out of an opening on the top, solidifying into the shape of a chain that flies straight until it latches onto the Little Planet high above.
The Sergeant nods in satisfaction. "The connection still needs to be secured on the other side. Once you've done that, survey the nearby area, relay all information back to base, and await further orders."
"Just me, sir? What about yourself?"
"I have my own target. The rest is on a need to know basis. And you don't need to know. Yet."
—–—
Daily Log, December 2nd, 1 A.E. Shadow the Hedgehog reporting.
It's been three months since we last had a lead on Sonic. For all intents and purposes, he seems to have disappeared completely. Of course, we couldn't stop for him. There's still a war to fight. We've been fighting like we always have. Slowly, we've managed to find our way back to something that feels…almost normal. Funny what classifies as normal, these days.
We haven't given up on Sonic, yet. At first, I thought that…we couldn't do this without him. But if we never find him, I think… No. I know. I know that we can.
—–—
The Eggshelter — Rebel Camp Alpha
"Come on, just do it." Knuckles crosses his arms with a smug grin. "Or is the Ultimate Life Form afraid that he'll lose to some common being?"
Standing and looking ready to depart from the large, open, steel-plated mess hall, Shadow rolls his eyes. "I just don't see the point."
"It'll be fun, that's the point! It'll only take a few seconds, don't chicken out now!"
Shadow lets out an audible sigh. "Fine. Let's just get it over with." He takes a seat across from Knuckles.
"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Knuckles puts his elbow up on the table, holding his hand open. "You ready?"
Shadow puts up his opposite arm, and the two link hands. "Whatever."
With an eager grin on his face, Tails leans down between them and puts his hands around their wrists, binding them together. Much of the Rebellion crowds around as he begins, "Alright, I want to see a clean match. Elbows don't leave the table, first hand to hit the bottom loses. Are we clear?"
Knuckles cheers, "Right!"
Shadow scoffs.
Tails gives them each a nod. "Ready… Set… Wrestle!" He throws his hands back, freeing them to begin the arm wrestling match.
Knuckles instantly puts all of his strength into his hand, forcing Shadow's arm to a progressively lower angle. Shadow watches with mild surprise on his face as his stiff arm is slowly pushed closer to the surface of the table. He takes a glance up at Knuckles, watching him begin to sweat with exertion. With a casual shrug, Shadow begins to put up a struggle of his own, and their locked hands reverse direction, heading back to the starting position. Knuckles' eyes go wide in shock at the sight. He renews his efforts, trying again and again to force their hands the other way, yet the pace of Shadow's gains remain completely stable. Finally, as their hands reach the center position, Shadow goes all in, and Knuckles' hand is slammed down into the table almost instantly.
The crowd gasps in awe and wonder. Tails cheers, "Shadow wins!"
Shadow smirks at Knuckles. "You're right. That was fun." He stands back up, preparing to leave. "Tails, would you mind coming with me?"
Knuckles growls, "Hey, wait, you—" As he tries to get up, he is pulled back down by his own arm, his knuckles apparently stuck in the table. The crowd laughs at him as he gets a hand and a foot up on the table for better leverage. As he struggles to pull himself free, he continues, "I'm not done with you yet! I demand a rematch!"
Shadow waves a hand back as he continues out with Tails. "Some other time." The door closes behind them just as Knuckles can be seen freeing himself.
Tails questions, "So what do you need me for?"
"Remember that IOU I gave you last week?"
"Yeah? What about it?"
"Well, it took me a bit longer than I was hoping to find the time, but I finally got what I was looking for." They stop at a nearby door, and Shadow presses down on its panel to open it. "Happy Birthday, Tails."
The lights inside shine down on a sleek silver biplane painted with red highlights. Tails gasps as he runs up to the plane, quickly finding the name written in decaled letters on its side. Firefox. "My dad's plane…" Running his hands along the name, he takes a glance back at Shadow with wonder in his eyes. "How did you…?"
"It was still there in the garage, just like you said. Not sure if it's in working condition, but it looks like it hasn't been touched in a while."
"Thank you." He presses his arms across the vehicle as if to give it a hug. "Thank you so much."
Shadow can't hide the smile on his face. "It's the least I could do."
A voice at the door interrupts the moment. "Shadow. Reporting in from recon."
Shadow takes a glance back at Espio. "Very good. Leave the report in my room, I'll look over it later."
Espio presses, "It's urgent." He holds up a photograph, showing, bound by a golden chain, a distant planetoid—dark and mechanized in appearance.
—–—
Tails examines the photograph carefully. Everyone appears to have gathered back in the mess hall, sitting around one large, round table. "It definitely looks like Eggman tech."
Bruno adds, "It's the same one he used to capture my planet. Ooh, I'm gonna have some fun blowing this thing up."
Shadow notes, "Eggman has let the Little Planet come and go for years now, without ever doing anything about it. What makes this year different?"
Amy is quick to answer. "Sonic."
Knuckles questions, "Are you saying that Eggman's just taking advantage of Sonic not being around to stop him?"
"No. I'm saying that Sonic is there. On that planet."
Espio raises an eyebrow. "You sound awfully certain of that."
Amy asserts, "I know that it's true, it was in the cards. That's why I asked you to check out that area in the first place."
Johnny interjects, "We should also be considering the possible involvement of SCOPE in all of this."
Rouge agrees, "Just think about that lame documentary we watched for movie night last month. The Sergeant sounded pretty interested in the Little Planet, that's for sure."
Shadow nods. "Whatever the case, it's clear that this is going to be a big one. We may not have the luxury of caution or careful planning. I'll take everyone who's willing to volunteer."
All at once, nearly the entire table stands. Only Cream and Big remain seated. Cream voices quietly, "We shouldn't leave the base unprotected, right? Me and Mr. Big can stay behind. And I'll have a nice big meal ready for everyone when you get back." Big doesn't appear to be paying attention at all.
Tails cautions to the rest, "The Little Planet isn't like any place that you've ever been before. Up there, all of time exists at once, a direction you can travel just like left or right. Unpredictable would be an understatement. Dangerous, even more so. We can't take this lightly."
Johnny shakes his head. "With all due respect, sir…I don't think any of us are."
Charmy questions, "Will we be enough? Should we call Camp Beta?"
Shadow shakes his head. "Fox made it clear that they want nothing to do with Sonic right now. And even if they did, this might be…a little beyond them. We'll have to make do. Now…let's get moving."
—–—
The Little Planet — Stardust Speedway
Amidst the intricate twisting platforms of the starlit zone, a massive building of gothic architecture rises, with tall pointed spires and high vaulted windows. Behind the enormous front doors, an intense battle wages.
"You will not defeat me." Omega deploys his laser canon, firing in a wide arc that forces the five Mecha Sonics to scatter in all directions. Metal Sonic quickly veers off to approach him directly. Still holding the others back with continuous laser fire, Omega transforms his opposite hand into a machine gun and opens fire on Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic is again forced to change directions, rapidly bounding off of walls and pillars as Omega relentlessly targets him with the machine gun. Metal Sonic's quick movements finally put him on a direct course back towards Omega, far too close to give Omega any chance to dodge. Omega instead swaps the machine gun back for ordinary claws, and strikes Metal Sonic directly across the face, sending him flying back. Behind him, Mecha Sonic has weaved around Omega's laser close enough to jet in for an attack of his own. Without even turning, Omega swaps the laser for a missile launcher and fires immediately. The missile automatically detonates a short distance away from Mecha Sonic, close enough that the shockwave launches him back as well.
The Sonic robots have all halted in a circle around Omega, glancing at one another for a moment. Metal Sonic nods to the rest of them. Then they all take off at once, not towards Omega, but in a circle around him. Moving in different directions, they pick up speed until they become five indiscernible blurs circling him. Omega's head swivels back and forth rapidly, struggling to keep track of them all. Suddenly, a silver streak darts out from the circle as the Drone Sonic hurtles towards Omega in a ball. Omega retracts his missile launcher without seeming to replace it with anything, catching Drone Sonic in the empty cavity instead. In his opposite hand, he does the same to the blue Spin Attack of Metal Sonic. Holding on to the spinballs and pointing his arms back out, Omega launches them as fireballs back where they came from. "Fire! Fire!" Drone Sonic and Metal Sonic hit Silver Sonic and Mecha Sonic like cannonballs, all falling into a mechanical heap.
Robo Sonic, the slowest of the group, is easily tracked as the only one still circling. Omega keeps his feet planted, rotating his entire torso around to keep time with him. Robo Sonic finally skids to a halt, throwing his open hands out to fire his own weapons. Scattering shots fire out of all ten of Robo Sonic's weaponized fingers. Omega deploys his machine guns and fires right back. The two attacks seem evenly matched, with precise shots colliding in the air and only the occasional stray flying over the shoulders of both shooters.
Behind Omega's back, Metal Sonic throws Mecha Sonic's arm off of him and rockets back into the air, flying towards Omega from behind. Omega's head turns all the way around to look, just in time to see Metal Sonic's claws clamping down around his head. Omega and Robo Sonic both stop firing.
Omega goes silent for several moments. "… … …I yield."
At his word, Metal Sonic instantly lets go, dropping back down to his feet. Behind him, the other Sonic robots rise back to their own feet, none appearing to be significantly damaged.
Omega turns his body around to line back up with his head. "Again."
Metal Sonic looks up at Omega with curiosity, cocking his head to the side.
Omega demands furiously, "So long as Cyber Sonic has not returned, we must continue until I can defeat all five of you at once! Again!"
Metal Sonic raises his claws in a fighting stance. The rest of the Mecha Sonics do the same.
The front doors of the palace are suddenly thrown open from the outside, causing the entire room to stop and look. Sonic grumbles as he enters, "That idiot! What was I— What was Metal Sonic thinking, giving the location of Never Lake to those SCOPE rats!? I always seem to be paying for the mistakes of those two…"
Omega is quick to leave the Mechas behind, stepping up to meet Sonic instead. "There is no cause for concern. I can eradicate them all."
"I'm not concerned about them. I'm concerned about who's coming to follow them." He stops at the back of the spacious room, where a massive, empty throne sits. He leans down over the seat, pressing his hands into the surface to contain his rage. He looks back and forth from the mechanical hand to the organic one. "This planet was supposed to be my chance to start something new. But my old lives seem to follow me wherever I go…" He takes a long breath to calm himself. "But we can fix this." He straightens up and turns around, clapping a hand on Omega's shoulder as he passes. "You and me, buddy. We can fix this."
"Reminder: my loyalty remains with the Rebellion."
Sonic stops, not looking back. "Well you'd better get your feelings about that sorted out real quick. Because they're coming. It's only a matter of time, now."
Omega goes silent.
"In the meantime…" Sonic looks around at all of the Mechas in the room. Each one stands up tall to meet his gaze. Sonic turns back to step towards his throne. "If you all stand with me…then the time has come to make use of what we've been training for. I ask you to go out, and turn back anyone who dares come near. This world is where we will build our new future, and we will not let anyone take that away from us. Is that agreed?"
The Sonic robots each nod.
"Good." Sonic sits down at the throne, looking out at each of the Mecha Sonics. "Then go. For freedom."
At his command, jets, engines, and wheels all fire up, and the squad of Sonic robots blast out through the doors.
Omega, left behind, turns his head to look at Sonic upon the throne. "You call them your friends. Yet you order them to fight for you."
"This should seem normal to you. This is what the Rebellion does, isn't it? This is what friends do."
"You have not asked the same of me."
"I know you don't want to fight your friends, and I don't expect you to. Unless you're asking to, that is."
"Negative."
"That's what I thought. On the other hand, if you're worried about your friends being harmed, you'd best go out there and help them. Show the Mechas you won't lose to them when you're not holding back."
"Contradictory suggestion. Explain."
"It's like you told me. To be free, they needed a friend, and a rival. I'm the friend. You're the rival. Right now, they're all hoping to prove themselves more useful than you are. They have a personal interest in winning a battle that you aren't willing to fight. Of course, if you put yourself out there, that'll only increase their motivation. Win-win, either way."
"They are irrelevant. I will remain here."
Sonic shrugs as he relaxes back on his throne. "Suit yourself."
—–—
Never Lake
In a flash of light, Shadow, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Espio, Charmy, Rouge, Hero, and Johnny drop onto the rocky ground.
Johnny shakes his head, wiping off his brow with a hand. "Won't be getting used to that anytime soon…"
Hero and Bruno move right to the familiar chain-projecting machine. "This is it alright."
Rouge takes a look as well. "The jet black certainly isn't Eggman's style. But I can tell you whose it is."
Amy looks up in the air. "Guys…? I think we have a bigger question." High above, the Little Planet appears as lush and green as it was the day it appeared.
Tails, carrying a pack on his back, looks up with equal curiosity, comparing it to the picture of the mechanized planet in his hand. "The timelines must be in flux. Something's going down up there. Or…something is going to."
Shadow listens carefully before speaking for himself. "Let's take care of business down here first. Knuckles?"
Knuckles stretches out his hands as he walks up to the machine. "Glad to." With one pound from his fist, the machine breaks into pieces. But the chain remains, buried right into the ground below.
Espio comments, "There could be another machine on the other side."
Shadow agrees, "That would explain the lack of defensive measures down here. We'll need to go up. Stay on guard, everyone."
Johnny takes a deep breath. "Here we go again…"
"Chaos...Control!"
High above the disappearing group, the surface of the Little Planet begins to shimmer, transforming in appearance once again. The natural blues and greens begin to fade away, leaving nothing but an earthy brown behind.
—–—
Metallic Madness — Present
Even within the dense mechanical structures of the area, the black armored bunker that houses the golden chain stands out in sharp contrast. A fair distance away, the Rebellion are quick to spot it.
Hero and Bruno are the first to ask, "How could they have built a base like that so fast? Hasn't this planet only been here a few days?"
Tails answers, "Time works differently here, remember? Even if they got here yesterday, they could've had months or even years to build it."
Johnny has pulled goggles down over his eyes, studying the base carefully. "No obvious sign of an entrance from here. Unlike that machine on the ground, it's clear they don't want us going anywhere near this one."
Rouge comments, "If we can just walk through time here, why not go to the past before the base was fully built?"
Espio nods along. "Seems like a good idea in theory. But…how exactly would we do that?"
Amy answers, "Same way you find your way anywhere. Keep an eye out for signposts. They're set up all over the planet, they mark all the charted paths through time."
Knuckles scratches his head as he looks around. "I haven't seen anything like that around here…"
"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop searching and leave."
All eyes turn to the unexpected voice, weapons and fists raising for a fight. Shadow steps in front of them all. "You must be the Sergeant I've heard so much about. Tell us what you want with this planet."
The Sergeant keeps his arms folded behind his back. "What you don't understand is that I already have everything I want. You'll see how I get it soon enough."
"What are you talking about?"
"Time. A term with no meaning in this place. My past, your future, all one and the same. You can try to stop us, but I've already seen how it ends. For all of us. That's why I've chosen to leave something for you, Shadow the Hedgehog. Come and find it. If you wish to know the truth, that is."
"How about I stop you right now instead!?" Shadow leaps at the Sergeant. And he passes right through.
The hologram of the Sergeant finishes, "The choice is yours, Agent." It fades away into nothing, revealing the hologram projector behind it.
Rouge voices, "It was just a fake."
Amy notes, "Metal Sonic did the same thing. Leaving holograms behind for Sonic to find."
Tails has already knelt down to examine the device. "Judging by the layer of dust, I'd say this thing has been sitting here for years. It was all pre-prepared."
Shadow shakes his head as he rises back to his feet. "Why does this keep happening to me…?"
Johnny questions, "Are you saying that message was recorded? But how would he…?"
Knuckles shrugs. "I gave up on trying to understand time travel a while ago."
Shadow looks on ahead. "It doesn't matter how. It's more important than ever that we—"
"Hey, get your hands off of me!"
Amy's screaming voice causes everyone to turn once again. She has been lifted into the air, struggling to escape from the grasp of Metal Sonic.
Shadow shouts with concern, "Amy!"
Tails' surprise comes somewhere else. "Metal Sonic, is that you!? How did you—…?" He trails off as he realizes that Metal Sonic stares back with cold, silent eyes. "It isn't you, is it?"
Without a word spoken, Metal Sonic turns and jets off through the air, taking Amy in the opposite direction of the SCOPE base behind them. Tails takes off after them, but is instantly blocked as the hulking figure of Robo Sonic crashes to the ground in front of him. Mecha Sonic, Silver Sonic, and Drone Sonic follow, forming a wall to block his path.
Knuckles mutters under his breath, "What in the world…? Where did they all come from?"
Espio notes, "They aren't attacking. They're just trying to block our way."
Charmy questions, "Block our way to what?"
Tails already seems to know the answer, speaking it as he stares down the line of robots defiantly. "Sonic."
Knuckles pounds a fist into an open hand. "They can't stop us. We can take 'em."
Glancing back at the SCOPE base behind them, Shadow shakes his head slowly. "That may not be in our best interest."
"Not in our interest!? What are you talking about!? They have Amy! Sonic and Omega are there too!"
"If it's true what the Sergeant said… If it's true that we fail to stop him… It may be because we choose to prioritize Sonic."
Tails growls almost threateningly, "If Sonic is here, I'm not leaving."
Shadow clenches his eyes shut with frustration. "New plan. Rouge, Hero, Johnny, you're with me. Tails, Knuckles, Espio, Charmy. You know what to do."
Tails smirks. "Got it." He swiftly leaps up into the air, pushing off of Robo Sonic's head to fly right past. Robo Sonic reaches up to grab him, but a kunai knife strikes the hand, knocking it away to clear the way for Tails.
Mecha Sonic is the quickest to react, but Knuckles knocks him to the ground before he can make a move. Knuckles shouts after Tails, "Keep going, we'll worry about these guys!"
Tails doesn't need convincing, already pulling the Extreme Gear out of his pack to throw out onto the ground in front of him. He lands on the moving hoverboard skillfully, taking off at high speed, not looking back for even a moment. "I'm coming, Sonic."
—–—
Stardust Speedway — Present
The doors to Cyber Sonic's palace burst open, and Metal Sonic tosses Amy out onto the floor.
Sonic rises from his throne in a rage. "Metal Sonic? What did you do!? I told you to keep them away, not bring them here!" Not waiting for an answer, he runs up to Amy, kneeling over her as she climbs back to her feet. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
Amy rubs at her head as she stands back up. "I'm fine… Sonic?"
Sonic takes a disgruntled step backwards before she gets a chance to finish the question. He looks up at Metal Sonic. "What's the situation?"
Metal Sonic stares back at him silently.
"Get back out there. Remind the others. Lethal force is not to be used under any circumstances. And no more kidnapping, please."
Metal Sonic obediently turns and jets out of the room.
Sonic finally looks back at Amy. "I'm sorry about this. There must have been some sort of terrible misunderstanding. You are not a prisoner, and you are free to leave."
Amy looks Cyber Sonic up and down, getting a careful look at him for the first time. "Why would I leave when I'm right where I want to be?"
"Maybe I should rephrase. You aren't wanted here. Please leave."
Amy crosses her arms. "Right now, my friends are on their way to come get me. If I'm here when they arrive, we can both make sure that this little misunderstanding gets cleared up. On the other hand, if I leave now, and I happen to miss them on the way back, you would have a serious problem on your hands."
"You seem to be assuming that they'll make it here at all."
"You should know them well enough. They won't be stopped. Least of all, Tails."
Sonic lets out a quiet groan. He turns around, walking back to his throne. "Fine. Do what you want. Just don't get in our way." He sits back down, consigning himself to silence.
"So you do have their memories, then? Sonic's and the original Metal Sonic's?"
"Yes."
Amy takes a few steps closer. "So if you remember us all being friends…why have you been trying so hard to keep us away? Why can't you trust us?"
"I don't need to justify myself to you."
"Oh, of course not. I was just thinking that we could get to know each other a little better. Since we're here anyways."
"I will not be psychoanalyzed by you."
"The psychoanalysis is already happening. But I'm a lot less likely to make false assumptions about you if you just answer my questions."
Sonic lets out a long sigh. "You want to know why? This is why. This, right here. I know exactly what you're doing, I know everything that you're going to do. You're trying to gauge just how much of me is Sonic, just how much of a soul I have left that you can plead to. You want to convince me to go back to the Rebellion, you want to make me think that it was my idea, when it was really yours. But you don't know me. You don't know what I'm going to do. So let me tell you. I'm not going. I don't want to be a hero. I don't want to be Sonic. All I want is to be left alone."
"I understand. You don't have to be someone you don't want to be. But…that doesn't really explain why. What's so wrong about being a hero? You know that you're capable of it. Even Metal Sonic was the hero of his own story, or so I've heard. But you don't even seem to consider the possibility of using your strength to do good."
"You couldn't possibly understand. Not until the day you wake up wearing a skin that isn't your own. I came into existence knowing nothing about who or what I was, but there was one fact that I knew with every fiber of my being. I am not Sonic the Hedgehog. And I'm not Metal Sonic, either. To take up their lives, their values, that would be an insult to everything that I am. And an insult to them as well. Does that answer your question?"
"No, it doesn't. Because I've already seen that it isn't true. If you aren't Sonic, then you and I have never met before. But when Metal Sonic brought me in here…you were worried about me. A complete stranger to you, or so you say."
Sonic turns his head away. "Having basic decency isn't the same thing as being a hero."
"No, it was more than that. You cared. For just that one moment, you let yourself care about someone just because Sonic cared before you. Which is why I know that there is a part of him in you. Please, if you could just—"
"Shut up."
"All you're telling me is that I'm on the right track. When Metal Sonic brought me in here, that reminded you of something, didn't it? Of how Sonic and I first met, here on this planet? But…it's not just Sonic, is it? Because the old Metal Sonic went through the same thing, all those years ago when he was still Sonic, didn't he? Only…he didn't save me like my Sonic did. You…you've seen it go both ways. You've known how important it was to save me…and you've known what happens when you don't. And all those memories came flooding back to you, didn't they? And you couldn't stop yourself from worrying. Tell me I'm wrong."
"You're wrong. In fact, you have the whole narrative backwards. The old Metal Sonic never met you. Not until he kidnapped you, anyways."
"You're saying…I wasn't there in his timeline? Why would that…?" She trails off in thought.
"Does it matter why? That's the way it happened."
"Maybe it does. Why do you think Metal Sonic…the new one, that is…why do you think he brought me here?"
Sonic shrugs. "It's beyond me. Some…vain attempt to please me, probably."
"Why would he think that you wanted me here? Does he have any of the old Metal Sonic's memories?"
"Of course not, he's just a duplicate. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Maybe he thinks the same thing I do. Maybe he thinks that there's some part of the old Metal Sonic in you. Some part that was always missing the one thing Sonic had. Maybe he thought you needed someone to save. Something to fight for. Some reason to be a hero."
"This is ridiculous. I don't even know why I'm still sitting here."
"You know, I was wondering the same thing. Why are you just sitting here? You have your throne, your Mecha army to protect it, but for what? What is it that you're fighting for, why aren't you fighting for it yourself? Are you waiting for something to happen?"
"That's none of your concern. Perhaps I just want to see how things are going to play out."
An idea suddenly seems to strike Amy. "I can help out with that, you know." She pulls out a thin deck of colorful Tarot Cards. "Remember these?"
Sonic eyes the deck for a moment. "I hope you realize, even Sonic thought that was a meaningless game."
"Well then, if it's nothing but a game, I suppose you won't mind if I do a reading for you now." Amy begins to shuffle the cards. "You remember Sonic's reading, don't you?"
"Of course. His future was the Tower. A sudden and drastic upheaval. And attached to it was the Devil. Bondage. Metal Sonic himself."
"And you still think it was all meaningless?"
Sonic ponders that for a moment, saying nothing.
Amy stops shuffling the deck, and holds it out for Sonic to see. "Is there a question you want to ask the cards?"
Sonic stares off into the distance for several moments. "What's coming through that door next?"
Amy nods. "One card to represent your future." She slowly draws the top card from the deck, and turns it over for them to see. "Number XX. Judgement."
"So I'm to be judged, am I?"
"Or you've already been judged. And the one who decided your fate is coming."
Sonic lets out a breath in amusement.
"You don't believe it, do you?"
"I don't have to." Sonic takes out the bright cyan Chaos Emerald, rolling it around between his metallic fingers for a while. "On this planet, I decide my own future."
—–—
Metallic Madness — Past
"Chaos…Control."
Johnny looks around at the ground in confusion. "Nothing happened this time."
Shadow nods his head in the direction of the SCOPE base. "Take a closer look."
Johnny obediently looks up. The metal structures all around them that were once of a grimy, oxidized green hue, are now a smooth and polished chrome. And the SCOPE base that was once a seamless fortress is now composed only of high rising scaffolding and construction equipment. "How did…?"
Rouge answers, "Looks like we made it to the past."
Shadow nods. "As I suspected. Space and time are as one, here. Even if we can't find any of these signposts, I can use Chaos Control to chart my own path."
Bruno examines one of his own tentacles carefully. "How's my skin? Do I look any younger?" Hero shakes his head with an amused chuckle.
A distant alarm siren begins to wail. Shadow looks out at the base. "It seems as though we've been spotted."
Johnny re-engages his goggles. "Full squadron of SCOPE Hunter Robots inbound. There's other movement in the base, could mean more on the way."
Rouge questions, "Should we go back further? Before they had these measures in place?"
Shadow shakes his head. "I tried to go as far back as I could. This was the limit. It's now or never."
Hero readies his Wispon. Bruno speaks, "Then we'll just have to fight our way through."
Johnny readies his own rifle. "Let's show them what we're made of." All in agreement, the group charges towards the base.
—–—
Metallic Madness — Present
Mecha Sonic slides backwards across the ground as Knuckles' fist slams to the ground in front of him. Before Knuckles can recover, Mecha Sonic reverses momentum, rolling into a spike-covered ball with intent to shred right through him. Knuckles doges to the side, throwing a solid punch against the side of the rolling ball that sends Mecha Sonic tumbling across the ground. Knuckles pounds a fist triumphantly against his chest. "Not so tough now, are ya?" Mecha Sonic skids to a halt on his feet, staring back in challenge.
Drone Sonic throws out his telescoping claw hand, grabbing for Charmy. Charmy charges straight in, weaving around the claw as he readies his stinger for attack. Drone Sonic curls into a ball at the last moment, and the impact sends the smooth, silver-plated ball flying backwards into the nearest wall, only to rebound and fly straight back towards Charmy. Before it can hit, it is suddenly struck by a stray shuriken star, knocking it far enough off course to miss Charmy.
Espio gets his two-handed grip back on the rope he holds, tied to the end of a kunai that has been wrapped several times around Robo Sonic. As he struggles to topple the hulking robot, he growls, "You have to be more careful, Charmy!" In his moment of distraction, his foothold is lost, and Robo Sonic yanks back on the rope, ripping Espio completely off of the ground, and catching his entire head in one open hand. But Espio seems prepared for this. He grabs the kunai still dangling from the rope, and stabs it into Robo Sonic's wrist joint, forcing it to drop him.
Robo Sonic quickly recovers, throwing out his hand to fire from its finger-guns. But nothing happens. He turns his hand in confusion, looking down to find a small black pellet lodged in each finger. After a moment, the smoke bombs detonate, spraying Robo Sonic's face with a pressurized cloud of smoke. Espio presses the advantage, throwing his hands together. "Ninja Arts: Camouflage!" A wind whips up around him as he vanishes from sight. Moments later, a gash is carved into the grimy metal platform beneath Robo Sonic's feet. Robo Sonic attacks with its unclogged hand at the sign of movement, firing a spray of shots from his fingers that ping harmlessly against the ground. After another moment, a second mark is carved across the ground behind Robo Sonic's back. He turns and fires again, still to no avail.
Knuckles slides across the ground as Mecha Sonic bounds over his head. Before he can finish standing, Mecha Sonic has already landed on the ground and reversed direction, jetting across the ground at Knuckles. Knuckles stands his ground, throwing a punch of his own at the oncoming assailant. Both attacks hit their mark, and both combatants are sent flying back. Knuckles wipes off the corner of his mouth as he rises back to his feet. "Still holding up there, Mecha? I can keep this up all day." Mecha Sonic responds by directing out a hand, charging up an orb of crackling energy.
"Knuckles, Charmy!"
Knuckles looks over at the sound of Espio's voice, finding only Robo Sonic frantically scanning in all directions, standing over a seal that has been carved into the ground. Knuckles nods with a smirk. "Got it." He leaps up, gliding over the shot that Mecha Sonic fires, and slamming back down from above. Mecha Sonic hops back to avoid, but Knuckles follows up with an uppercut that lands solidly into Mecha Sonic's chest, launching the robot skywards. Knuckles leaps back up to follow, landing another punch to knock Mecha Sonic in Robo Sonic's direction.
Drone Sonic hurtles in a ball back on a course towards Charmy, but Charmy charges right back in with his stinger, sending the ball flying in another direction. Drone Sonic collides with Mecha Sonic in the air, and both of them fall in a heap onto Robo Sonic.
Espio's fingers are already together as he reappears. "Ninja Arts: Shadow Sealing!" Dark tendrils reach up from the seal carved into the ground, wrapping around and ensnaring the pile of Sonic robots.
Charmy cheers, "Yeah, we did it! We did it, we did it, we did it!"
Knuckles doesn't seem so sure. "How long can you keep that up?"
Espio, holding his handsign together, already appears to be sweating. "Not very long. I'm counting on you to finish the job."
"Way ahead of you." Knuckles rips a massive mechanical contraption out of the ground, raising it above his head to smash it down onto the pile of Sonic robots.
A blue streak tears through the spot where Knuckles stands, ripping him away in an instant. The object left behind crashes to the floor, toppling towards Espio.
"Look out!" Charmy dashes in, grabbing Espio and pulling him out of harm's way before the toppling machine can flatten him.
Espio's concentration broken, the shadowy tendrils holding down the Sonic robots begin to snap, and Mecha Sonic, Robo Sonic, and Drone Sonic rise back to their feet. Behind him, Metal Sonic has pinned Knuckles to the wall, strangling him by the throat.
Charmy questions nervously, "We didn't do it, did we?"
A voice above them declares heartily, "These junkers giving you trouble, boys?"
Espio and Charmy look up in shock. Espio whispers, "It can't be…"
—–—
Stardust Speedway — Present
Tails weaves his board to the side, narrowly avoiding the spinning sawblades of Silver Sonic as the rolling robot rushes past. Once far enough ahead, Silver Sonic straightens up, slowing down in stiff form until he slides across the ground alongside Tails. In the distance up ahead, Cyber Sonic's palace looms tall, illuminated by shifting spotlights. Tails sets his sights on it. "That must be the place." In his moment of distraction, Silver Sonic rolls back into a ball and swerves to the side, knocking hard against Tails's board. Tails stumbles, and finally falls. He barely manages to grab onto the side of the board as it continues forward. The road flies beneath his feet at blistering speed. Silver Sonic rolls into position behind him, charging forward to saw right through him. Tails pulls himself up at the last moment, and Silver Sonic passes harmlessly underneath, just barely scratching the underside of the board as Tails hops back on. Only then does Tails notice the solid wall dead ahead. He pulls up hard on the board, flipping it sideways, and the changing momentum carries him right along the side of the wall. Behind him, Silver Sonic saws headlong into the wall, burying himself halfway inside.
Tails throws back a two-fingered salute as he swerves his board back onto the ground, now heading straight for the front doors of the palace.
Moments later, the doors are thrown open from the outside, and Tails strides in, still holding the Extreme Gear under his arm.
Cyber Sonic nods in greeting from the seat of his throne. "Tails. I had a feeling you'd be the first to make it here."
Tails wastes no time with pleasantries. "I'm here to get my friends back."
Sonic looks down to the side, where Amy stands. "Go on, then. Show him you haven't been harmed."
Amy looks up at Sonic with one last plea in her eyes. "I hope that you understand… Whether you mean to or not… What you're doing…it's hurting all of us."
Sonic waves her off with a disinterested expression.
With a sigh of uncertainty, Amy begins to walk, meeting Tails in the center of the grand hall. She whispers cautiously, "He doesn't want to hurt us. He can be reasoned with."
Tails makes no motion to acknowledge her, addressing only Sonic. "All of my friends."
Cyber Sonic looks down to his opposite side, where Omega has stood silently. "You hear that, Omega? Sounds like they still want you back. If you really want to side with them, now might be your last chance."
Omega stares out at Tails for quite some time. "I… … …will remain here."
Sonic throws up his hands in a shrug. "You heard him, Tails. He doesn't want to go with you. I'd say that ends your business here."
Tails' eyes narrow into a scowl. "I was talking about you, Sonic."
Cyber Sonic lets out a disgruntled groan. "We've been through this, Tails. Sonic isn't here."
"I'm not leaving until we settle this. Once and for all."
"You can't fight me, Tails. You know that."
"I wasn't planning on a fight." Tails holds up his Extreme Gear for Sonic to see. "I was planning on a race."
Sonic has to hold a hand over his mouth to suppress his chuckling. "You? Race me? Funny. But I don't have time for games anymore."
"Oh, I think you'll have time for this one. Because I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse. If you win this race…the Rebellion will leave you alone. For good. Never to return."
Amy whispers angrily, "Tails, what are you doing? You can't make an offer like that, let alone beat Sonic in a race."
"Trust me, Amy. I have a plan. Shadow left, which means I'm in charge of this mission right now. This is my call to make."
Sonic muses over the idea for a while. "So if I don't take this offer…"
Tails answers. "Then the opposite. We'll be on your tail no matter where you go or what you do. Even if you force us out now, you'll never be free of us. Win the race, and you'll never have to worry about any of that."
"Compelling offer. But what's in it for you?"
"Simple. If I win, you come home with us. We get to do what we want with you."
"And what, I join the Rebellion? Become your slave? Fight your battles for you?"
"Maybe. We'll find out soon enough."
"Unlikely. You can't outspeed me, Tails. I'm faster than Sonic."
"And I was training to be faster than Sonic before you even existed. Because of you, I never got the chance to show him how far I've come. But beating you will be just as satisfying. So do you agree?"
Sonic looks away for a moment. "Very well. We race to the end of the Stardust Speedway. Winner takes all."
—–—
Metallic Madness — Past
Rouge steps carefully over the high, thin scaffolding of the incomplete SCOPE base, slowly making her way closer to the golden chain projected from its center. She reports in, "All clear up here. Hard to tell without any walls for reference, but I'm pretty sure this place is being built a lot differently from the last SCOPE base we took down."
Johnny crawls on his stomach through what could be a ventilation shaft or access tunnel. "I can confirm. The layout definitely doesn't match anything I've seen before. Still, it's all the same basic carbon copy architecture, just in a different shape. Which means the same shortcomings. The same structural weak points." He pulls out a small, flat, round device, presses it against the wall, and turns it slightly, causing it to make a faint whirring noise. "Second charge has been planted and armed."
Still outside of the front doors, Hero and Bruno appear to be alone in fighting off a large horde of SCOPE Hunters that close in from all sides. Bruno flies in circles around the robots, directing all of their attention to him while Hero fires off his Wispon continuously to take them out. In a moment of respite, Bruno flies up to Hero to complain, "How come he gets to plant the explosives? I wanna blow stuff up!" Hero rolls his eyes.
Johnny answers through the comms, "Hey, you guys were the ones who said distractions were your specialty."
Rouge notes, "I think the better question is, what's this base for? There's purpose behind it, it's not just a wall to protect the generator."
Shadow walks through a wide open room, exposed to air above through the scaffolding of the incomplete ceiling. "I think I've found the answer to that question." In front of him, the hangar bay is occupied by one massive docked vessel. Resembling a jet black GUN ariship, though with many more rounded features, and a massive set of engines in back. Much like the base itself, the ship is missing hull plating in many places, revealing pieces of the inside. "This is a warship. This hangar alone has room for several more of the same size."
Rouge's voice questions, "Warship? You mean…like a…"
Bruno's voice finishes, "A spaceship? Like, for interstellar travel? Oh, man, I wonder what its range is. Think it could make it all the way back to my planet?"
Shadow ponders to himself, "Could this be it? What the Sergeant wanted me to see?"
Rouge answers, "He did tell me something about wanting to construct a fleet after…the Black Arms. But I'm not sure what this would be telling you beyond that."
Shadow shakes his head slowly. "You're right. This can't be it. It's too…"
"Hands in the air." The end of a weapon is pressed to the back of Shadow's head.
Unable to identify the voice, Shadow slowly obeys.
Johnny's voice questions, "Shadow? Is everything alright?"
Shadow makes no move towards the communicator. "Who are you?"
"Sergeant Brown, affiliation classified. But you already know about that, don't you? You, Shadow the Hedgehog, are number one on SCOPE's most wanted list."
Shadow raises an eyebrow at this. "Me? That's an odd choice."
Johnny's voice presses, "Shadow, do you read?"
Ayanna doesn't seem to hear it. "Yeah? Well, we don't take too kindly to traitors."
"Traitor? That's a strong word, coming from the organization that destroyed GUN."
Ayanna quips right back, "Destroyed? That's a strong word, coming from someone of your reputation."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well you'll have plenty of time to think about it on Prison Station. I'm placing you under arrest for crimes against civilization. You have no rights, save for those that may be afforded to you by direct request of the Emperor or the director of the facility in which you are to be imprisoned." She produces a pair of glowing energy cuffs with her free hand.
"You serve an Empire of terror, ruled by a madman. Does that mean nothing to you?"
Ayanna hesitates for a moment.
"I suggest you put those away. I have no intention of cooperating. And you seem to know what I'm capable of."
"Make a move, and I shoot. Ultimate Life Form or not, no one's faster than superheated plasma."
"Want to test that theory?"
"No. I really don't. It'd be easier for all of us if you come quietly."
"That lack of conviction is exactly why you won't be fast enough. Chaos…"
"Shadow, STOP!"
Ayanna turns around with shock. "Johnny!?"
Johnny's weapon clatters to the floor halfway across the room as he comes to a dead halt. "Ayanna…?"
—–—
Metallic Madness — Present
Charmy and Espio cheer with glee, "Vector!"
The muscular figure above leaps downwards, aiming to flatten Metal Sonic with two fists. Metal Sonic darts backwards at the last moment, leaving Vector to slam into the solid ground, throwing dust and metal shrapnel into the air. But Vector recovers impressively fast, pushing himself back up and flipping over one hand almost as if breakdancing. This move takes Metal Sonic by surprise, and Vector's follow-up punch hits its target hard, sending Metal Sonic flying back.
Metal Sonic fires his thrusters, halting near the other Sonic robots without ever hitting the ground.
Vector lands confidently on his feet. "Come on now, guys. We're the Chaotix, we've dealt with bozos worse than this before. I expect better out of you. That means you too, Knuckles."
Knuckles grins back. "Nice to see you, too."
Espio demands, "Where have you been? What are you doing here?"
Charmy adds, "Espio kept saying that Eggman got you, but I knew you were alright, I just knew it!"
Vector cracks his knuckles as he faces down the line of Sonic robots. "It's a long story, and I don't have the time to tell it right now. Let's focus on taking down these tin cans, first."
Metal Sonic looks across to each of the Sonic robots around him, and each of them look up to him. Abruptly, every one of them turns around and rockets away in the other direction.
Knuckles cheers, "Yeah, you'd better run!" He immediately seems to regret the raising of his fist, as he doubles over at a sudden pain in his shoulder.
Espio questions, "If their purpose was merely to keep us here, why would they be retreating?"
Vector shakes his head. "Doesn't matter. We need to follow them."
"Hold on, wait!" Charmy stops them as he rummages through his bag, quickly pulling out a first aid kit and grabbing a roll of bandages from inside. He quickly flies up to Knuckles, and begins treating his shoulder without giving him much choice in the matter. "You gotta stop hurting yourself like this, Knuckles. You should avoid using this arm until it heals up."
Knuckles rolls his eyes, letting Charmy do his work. "I may not have a choice in battle, but I'll do what I can, I guess."
Vector nods in approval. "Graduated to field medic, eh, Charmy? I'm proud of you, kid."
"Tee hee." Charmy grins widely as the tight wrap of bandages is quickly tied off.
A gruff, disguised voice blares out of Vector's headphones, "Vector, report. What's the situation?"
Vector answers back, "Getting things under control. I'll keep you updated."
Espio questions with suspicion, "Vector…who was that?"
"Right now, he's a client. And please, don't ask anything else. Let's just get moving."
—–—
Stardust Speedway — Present
Tails kneels on the ground with a tool in his hand, carefully tuning up his Extreme Gear. Amy leans over behind him. "Are you sure about this, Tails? We can't expect him to play fair."
Tails stands back up, lowering the board down and pushing it flat, seeming to test the strength of its lift against the ground. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. This is my chance. Over and over again, Sonic has needed me, and I've failed him. I won't fail this time. I know that he won't play fair, and neither will I. I'll do whatever it takes to save him."
Across from them, Sonic stretches out his organic limbs. "What's your take on the situation, Omega? What're they planning? He has to have a trick up his sleeve, right?"
Omega stares intently at Tails as he puts his tools away in his pack. "Device of unknown origin has been detected among his belongings."
Sonic raises an eyebrow. "A weapon?"
"Negative. Recommended course of action: if you are concerned about it, you should ask."
Sonic shrugs. "Sure. What's the harm?" He calls a little louder, "Hey, buddy. What you got in the bag there?"
Tails shoots an aggressive glare back in return. "Don't call me 'buddy'. You don't have that right."
"Noted. Now, are you gonna tell me, or just leave us all in suspense?"
Amy questions, "What's he talking about, Tails?"
Tails looks down at his bag for a moment. "My ace in the hole. Guess there's no reason to hold it back now." Reaching into the bag, he pulls out a strange, small, circular device. A single band of glowing violet light cuts across the silver dome at its front.
Sonic looks curiously upon the device, watching as Tails lifts the device up, and places it over his eye. He twists it into place, and immediately lets out a cry of pain. Steel mechanisms begin to crawl outwards from the device as if unfolding from the inside, wrapping around one half of Tails' head and reaching partway down his back to create a seamless mechanical plating. Still clenching his teeth against the pain, Tails suddenly hops onto his board, and a red mechanism clamps around his back foot. A long cable drops from the back of his head, automatically attaching itself to the machine on his foot, linking him directly to his board. He slowly lets out a breath, and his discomfort seems to fade. He looks up to Sonic with a stern expression. "Look familiar? I saved some of the parts from when the Zeti tried to turn me into a cyborg like you. I never thought I'd want these things on my body again, but you changed my mind about that."
Sonic crosses his arms, metal over flesh. "Am I supposed to be impressed? Flattered, maybe? 'Cause all I'm feeling right now is disappointment. Turning yourself into something you're not, because you're scared of me? It's shameful."
"You want to know how you should feel? Try nervous. With these devices, I can see farther, analyze quicker, and react more precisely than I ever could before. You don't have an advantage anymore. I can beat you."
"That remains to be seen."
Amy, fighting past her shock at seeing Tails transformed, cautiously reaches out for him from behind. "Tails…"
Tails turns sharply to look at her, causing her to flinch. "I told you, I'll do whatever it takes."
Amy shows nothing but worry in her eyes. "Are you okay, Tails?"
Tails suddenly turns away from her. After a moment, he wipes at the corner of his uncovered eye. "No. I haven't been okay in a long time."
"I should've been able to see that. I should've done more to support you. I'm so sorry, Tails."
"Don't be. I'll be fine when we have Sonic back." He glances back at Cyber Sonic. "You're still staring. Starting to feel nervous after all?"
Sonic looks down at his mechanical hand. "There's something I just realized, actually. Metal Sonic got his wish. Sonic getting these implants was an accident, you know. Metal Sonic wanted it to be you. He wanted you to be the first one to willingly take that gift. And now, here you are. I wonder if this is an outcome he could have predicted." He begins to take a few steps closer to Tails. "I certainly didn't. I should commend you for defying my calculations. You've surprised me. That doesn't happen very often. But it won't change a thing."
"Does that mean you're ready to race?"
"Been waiting on you, kid." He looks out through the archway that marks their starting line. "Let's get this over with." He takes a glance back. "Get us started, Omega."
Omega stares out through the starting arch. "Initiating countdown. Three…"
Tails maneuvers his board right up to the edge of the starting line, ready to take off from a standstill.
"Two…"
Sonic crouches down, eyeing Tails carefully. The engine at his back whirs to life.
"One…"
Amy folds her hands together and shuts her eyes, wishing luck for Tails.
Omega points a machine gun into the air, and fires off a single shot. "Engage!"
Two engines fire. Both racers blast out of the starting line, kicking up the wind behind them. From the very start, Sonic and Tails are neck and neck. Tails looks down at Sonic. Sonic looks back up. Neither of them says a word. A storm brews above their heads, as gloomy clouds slowly roll in to cover the brilliant starlight above.
Tails leans his head downwards, picking up speed. Sonic fires the jets on his feet, speeding up to match. The gold plated road ahead twists, turns, and loops. Tails crouches down, pulling up on the side of his board to take the first sharp turn without slowing down. Sonic cuts his engines, skids into the turn on one foot, and fires right back up. Though quick, the maneuver leaves him slightly behind.
Tails takes only a glance back at Sonic before pressing forward. The twisting terrain ahead proves no trouble for either of them. Already, the path has looped around far enough to provide a brilliant view of the palace they departed from, sparkling under the gleam of crisscrossing spotlights.
Tails focuses only on what lies ahead. His mechanical eye locks on to an obstruction in the road, a tall metal support beam far in the distance. His board makes only the slightest adjustment. Moments later, he speeds by the obstacle only an inch away from colliding with it. Behind him, Sonic makes no such adjustment. He throws his metal claw forward as it begins to surge with energy. He twists into a corkscrew, rocketing straight through the support beam and sending its shrapnel flying in all directions, forcing Tails to shield his face as Sonic rockets past him. Sparks fly from Sonic's mechanical parts as he halts his spin, and his engines begin to sporadically lose power. He drops down to his feet and keeps on running, losing no speed from it.
Above their heads, the broken support causes a higher road shake and crumble, sending metal blocks falling down overhead. Tails shows no sign of concern, weaving between the falling rubble with incredible precision. In his mechanical eye, each object is rapidly scanned and calculated for.
Sonic takes a different approach, leaping off of the ground and bounding between falling pieces of rubble until he reaches a stable portion of the road above. Once at the top, his engines reactivate, and he rockets forward.
Tails scowls at losing the ground, and leans forward to pick his speed back up, now safe from the debris. The road ahead curves into a ramp straight upwards. Tails takes the ramp at full speed, launching himself high into the air. He reaches out to grab onto a gold plate pipe, flinging his upward momentum around to launch himself forward, now on the high road with Sonic.
Sonic glances back, growling at seeing Tails catching up to him. "How can he be so fast…?"
Tails seems to hear his muttering. "I've been practicing day in and day out for this moment! And what have you been doing? Sitting around and waiting for this planet to appear? You may be capable of going faster than Sonic, but you don't know how to use that speed! You haven't worked for it! And you aren't paying attention!"
Sonic looks forward, finding a sharp wall at the sudden end of the high road. He's forced to turn his thrusters around, flying to a near halt before he can safely jet over the wall. Tails prepares far in advance, grabbing his board and flying himself up and over, passing Sonic at full speed in the air. They both land back on the main road, Tails just ahead and still gaining ground.
Sonic growls even louder. "I won't lose to you." His attention moves down far below, where something seems to catch his eye. Without hesitation, he veers off of the road and rockets down towards his new target on a path below.
Tails glances back, catching sight of Sonic and tracing his path downwards. His mechanical eye locates the same target—a tall signpost with the bright and colorful word 'PAST' inscribed upon it. "Oh no you don't!" He swerves off the path to follow. The delayed turn puts him behind Sonic, though the steeper path lets him quickly gain back, until the two fall side by side. "What's the matter? So afraid of losing that you're going to cheat? Wait at the finish line before the race even started, maybe?"
Sonic looks back with growing fury in his eyes. "You're trying to take everything away from me! I can't let you win!"
"You mean like you took everything away from me!?"
"I didn't choose that! Sonic did! I'm just trying to exist, and all you want is to punish me for it!"
"You don't have the right to exist! Not in place of someone else! Not in place of Sonic!" Tails suddenly throws his board to the side, slamming into Sonic to knock them both off course, veering far past the Past sign.
"And what Sonic wanted means nothing to you?" Sonic throws out his metal arm and activates his miniature Black Shield, battering Tails with it to put distance back between them.
Tails is nearly thrown off of his board. But the clamp around his foot keeps him secured as he reclaims his balance. "You won't sway me. You won't beat me. I have to do this. Sonic needs me!"
Tails picks up speed, but can't quite catch up before Sonic crosses underneath another signpost, Tails passing just a fraction of a second later.
"Future…"
Already at top speed, dense sparks begin to fly from both racers, leaving brilliant trails behind them. The sparks grow brighter and brighter, until Sonic and Tails are both enveloped by a blinding light. The two keep right on racing through a psychedelic stream of light and color, until the stream parts open to reveal the future ahead.
—–—
"So you've been watching over Sonic all this time? Making sure he doesn't get hurt? That was your plan from the beginning?" Amy looks up to Omega with curiosity.
Omega still watches the starting line where the racers departed. "Inaccurate. Statement: 'from the beginning' is false. Unit: Cyber Sonic was designated as a rival. Original intent was to collect data and ensure my own superiority. That intent…was changed. Current designation…friend."
"Are you talking about Sonic? Or Cyber Sonic?"
"Processing inquiry… Unable to generate accurate response."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Cyber Sonic is composed of two distinct personalities. Sonic and Metal Sonic. However, Metal Sonic is also Sonic, from an alternate timeline."
"I know. Shadow told us. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Cyber Sonic has no components that are not Sonic. Therefore, Cyber Sonic is also Sonic."
"But he's a different person. He says so himself."
"He has changed. He has learned from the combined experiences of two lives. This is to be expected of sentient units. He remains the same person irrespective of such changes. He is Sonic."
"Are you saying…that we can't ever get the old Sonic back?"
"Processing inquiry… Insufficient data."
"Are you saying that you don't want the old Sonic back?"
"Processing inquiry…" Omega pauses for several moments. "Affirmative."
Amy tightens her grip on her hammer, suddenly eyeing Omega in a completely different light.
Omega suddenly interrupts the tension. "Mecha Sonics detected approaching at high speed. One hundred meters and closing."
Amy turns in the direction Omega indicates. All five Sonic robots rocket towards them along the path of the Speedway.
Omega switches his claws for a flamethrower and fires immediately, blocking their path with a wall of flame that Amy is forced to shield her face from. Omega declares, "Halt! You are not permitted to pass!"
The Sonic robots slow to a halt, all with faces turned to Omega. Omega stops firing, but keeps the weapon raised.
Amy, holding up her hammer defensively, tries to explain, "Cyber Sonic and Tails are racing. They both agreed to it. They won't allow any interference."
Omega and Metal Sonic meet eyes, staring at one another for quite some time. Finally, Omega's head turns to look at Amy. "Allow them to pass."
"What? Why?"
"Sonic is in danger."
—–—
Stardust Speedway — Future
Sonic's gaze is fixed dead ahead. The end is in sight—a wall at the end of the path with a single opening to the room inside.
Just behind him, Tails' mouth is agape at the sights around him. "You have to look at this…"
Sonic pulls farther ahead as he ignores the request. "You won't distract me anymore. I'm winning this race."
"This is your future, Cyber Sonic! This is the world you're creating! Look at it! Look at what your freedom means!"
Sonic shuts his eye, trying to ignore him. But he can't seem to do it. He opens it again, looking upon the world around them. What was once a bright city beneath them no longer seems to exist. The zone is nothing but rubble and dust, with only the Speedway itself still standing. This is not the Bad Future. This is no future at all. Sonic takes it all in with horror. "How could this happen…?" He looks up into the sky. Though murky and red, a distant shape can be made out through it all, as if it were a small, jagged and misshapen moon.
In that moment, Tails passes him by, and two metal eyes meet. Something in Tails' gaze puts a look of horror on Sonic's face. Tails keeps right on going, slapping a small device onto Sonic's metal shoulder as he goes.
"Wha–" Before Sonic can fully react, the planted device suddenly activates, sending sparks flying through his mechanical systems. His engines cut, and he stumbles onto the ground. Wincing in pain, he keeps on running. But Tails has already pulled far ahead. "No…" He musters all of the energy he can, boosting to his highest speed. But it's too late.
Tails soars through the opening in the wall, and the door mechanisms automatically shut behind him.
A moment later, Sonic slams into the door with two open hands. "No!" He curls his metal hand into a fist and pounds against the door. "No, no, no!" His struggles end. He presses his forehead against the door, and slowly sinks down to his knees. "No…"
On the other side, Tails stumbles off of his board, appearing drained and exhausted. He presses his back against the door, and sinks down in much the same way.
Sonic seems to hear him there. He voices quietly, "You tricked me."
"Just like you tricked me when you took that Emerald."
Sonic reaches back, taking out the sparkling cyan Emerald. "I...I guess I deserve that. If it means anything to you, I...was going to give it back."
Tails says nothing.
"I…never expected you to…" He shakes his head, burying his eyes under his mechanical hand. "I never wanted to hurt you, Tails. I tried to keep you away from me, because I knew that being near me could only ever cause you suffering. I just wanted to protect you from that. Sonic…and Metal Sonic…both of them wanted that. And…Amy was right. I can't fight that. I can't fight the fact that I still care about you because of them. Now I see that I failed them both. It's because of me that you've done this to yourself. The Tails I knew would never hurt himself to get ahead, certainly never hurt others. And I'm the one who drove you to do that. It's my fault. This is my Judgement, isn't it?"
Tails slowly looks up, holding onto every word. Still, he forms no response.
"A deal's a deal. You won. I'll go back with you. But...please, just take that thing out of your head. I know you hate the idea of it as much as I do."
Any sign of emotion in Tails' face fades away. "I calculate a high probability that you're still trying to trick me. My implants stay in until yours aren't a threat anymore."
"I…guess I deserve that, too. You don't have to take it off, but…there's still something I have to do before I go."
"That wasn't part of the deal."
"I know, but… This future, it isn't right. I have to fix this. Please, just let me do this one last thing. It's important."
"So you're going back to the past?"
"Not quite. There's another stop I'll have to make."
"Well, I'm going with you."
"You can't. It's not safe. To get where I'm going and make it back alive, I'll need complete control over this world's time. You can't follow." Sonic slowly turns around, looking up in confusion. "And neither can they…"
On the other side, Tails looks up as well. "Huh? What's going on?"
Sonic watches as the team of Sonic robots rapidly approaches them from down the track. He tenses up, tightening his grip on the Chaos Emerald. "Something's not right."
The door opens from the inside, and Tails starts to step out.
Sonic waves him back. "Stay in there."
Metal Sonic is the first to arrive, grabbing onto Sonic's outstretched arm and gripping it tightly. The rest move to encircle him, keeping him trapped in.
Sonic looks slowly across the metal bodies surrounding him. "So it's betrayal then? You're all going to stop me from claiming the power?"
"Sonic, no. Look at them."
Sonic takes a closer look at Metal Sonic's eyes, staring back at him.
"They're not trying to stop you because they're betraying you. They're trying to stop you because they're protecting you. They don't want their friend to put himself in danger."
"Is that true…?"
Metal Sonic gives him one slow nod.
"It doesn't matter." Sonic rips his arm free. "This is something I have to do. I may be leaving this planet, but that doesn't mean you all have to. Let me fix this planet for you. Let me get the power I need to purge those invaders. Let me secure your freedom. Even if mine is gone."
Tails watches from behind, a conflicted expression on his face.
Metal Sonic stares for a while longer. But after a moment, he takes a step back. The rest of the Sonic robots follow, widening the circle around Sonic.
"Thank you, my friends."
Tails hesitantly questions, "What exactly are you going to do?"
"In this world, space and time are connected. Physical manifestations of time are spread throughout the world, all connected together, and connected to all of time. Collecting those objects in space…should be simple enough." He holds out the Chaos Emerald in his hand. "Chaos...Control."
Tails watches in awe as Sonic is surrounded by an array of multicolored lights, flashing brilliantly, increasing in intensity until they become too bright to see. As the light subsides, six pointed, colorful gems descend into an orbit around Sonic.
"These are the Time Stones. The beating hearts of the Little Planet. But...there should be seven of them."
"Looking for this?"
Sonic and the Mechas all turn at once, seeing the Master Sergeant as he walks slowly towards them, holding up the seventh sparkling Time Stone in his hand.
"I was willing to take my time collecting these, but now I suppose I'll just have to take the rest." He stops in place, and holds out his free hand to Sonic. "Hand them over. Now."
To be continued...
