On the edge of some island somewhere, a trio was soaring through the sky. Upon the sight of land, they each came down to land.
First up was Mighty the armadillo, who touched down and dusted his calves off. Next up was Lancer Sonic, a relatively recent addition to the trio. He sported a skinnier torso, with two blades on his arms for defense. Last was Ray the flying squirrel, who stretched their arms as soon as they landed.
"Everyone good?" asked Mighty.
-Engine power at 21%- stated Lancer. -Estimated three hours for full recharge-
"M-My arms are soooooore," whined Ray, stretching said appendages.
"Lance, you'll have to walk until your recharge finishes. Ray, with me."
The armadillo easily lifted up his sibling, placing them over his shoulder. Ray groaned and weakly kicked in protest, but Mighty knew it was all for show. As he and Lancer walked along, they noticed a series of buildings in the distance, and so went to investigate who was there. Stepping closer, they noticed four figures talking outside a farmhouse.
-Three Mobian lifeforms- Lancer announced. -Fourth individual is a robot-
Mighty raised an eyebrow at that, the two of them stepping closer.
He found one of the figures was Sally Acorn, who turned and waved when she saw them. The other two seemed to be some farmers-canines, by the look of them. The last was the biggest surprise, a robot with a head resembling that of a hedgehog. It turned to them too, her sights instantly landing on Lancer.
"Hi, guys," Sally called. "I'll be with you in just a moment."
-Why is she here?-
"Wh-Why is who here?" asked Ray, renewing their struggles to get free. "Put me down."
Once the flying squirrel was down, the trio found themselves joined by the silver robot. "Hi there," she greeted Lancer, holding a hand out. "I'm Sylvie. And what might your name be, hon?"
-I am Lancer Sonic- the robot hedgehog responded, cautiously taking the hand.
"M-Mecha Sonic Model S-Si-Sixteen," put in Ray.
"Oh." Sylvie had said that very softly, gently placing her free hand on his head. "I'm not the only one. What is your mission, Lancer?"
-To protect my friends-
"Very noble. I'm proud of you, Lancer. I'm in a meeting right now, but you and your friends are welcome to explore our Refuge."
And with that, Sylvie walked back to Sally. Mighty and Lancer shared a glance, while Ray's hands were placed over their muzzle, covering a face-splitting grin. Deciding to talk about it later, they went to explore the town. The two siblings were surprised by the fact that the town was populated by robots, while Lancer's body language could only be described as excited and curious.
-All robots?- he asked.
"That's right," a voice called, the trio turning to see an Eggrobo sitting in the shade. "The name's Crick, strangers. I'm guessing you've met our mayor, Sylvie."
He then went on to describe how the town came into being. Mighty and Ray were definitely intrigued, but their companion was hanging off the Eggrobo's every word.
"I guess you'd like to stay a while, Lance?" the armadillo asked.
-Please-
Inside the dining room of the farmhouse, Sally and Sylvie sat at either ends of the table. The chipmunk spoke first. "Okay, so, what is it you want from us, exactly?" she asked. "Protection? Trade? Something else?"
"A mix of everything," the hodgepodge answered. "We just want to be part of a wider community, because that might help everyone out in the long run."
"I understand. It's not gonna be easy, because people aren't gonna trust a town full of Badniks." Sally finished speaking, then quickly looked a tad ashamed. "Um-sorry, I didn't mean to be rude-"
"You're right, though. Not everyone will trust us. But our intentions are genuine, and hopefully that earns us the trust of others."
"Hopefully. For the record, I trust your town." Sally gave her conversation partner a reassuring smile.
"Thank you, ma'am. Do you have experience with any other robots or artificial intelligence?"
"I'm dating an AI. Now, I know you want protection, so would you prefer…" Sylvie took a moment to process that information, and consequently missed some of what the chipmunk said after that.
Much further away, a lone jeep had stopped beside a river. Using the vehicle's mirror, Snare the maned wolf washed her muzzle; the metallic top half of her head was also smudged with dirt, but she didn't want to risk damaging anything inside of it. As she glanced into her reflection, she jumped back as the orb atop her mirrored forehead lit up.
*I have something to say* stated her alter ego, Agent Havoc. *I'm detecting power sources nearby*
"So?"
*Power means civilization, which means destruction*
"I'm… I'm not going to destroy anything," insisted Snare, placing her hands on her biceps. "You can't make me."
*I can make you do whatever I want. Destruction is what I live for. What do you live for, Snare?*
"I… my-my family."
*Your family. Your single father. Your uncle and his girlfriend. Your big sister and two little brothers* The reflection's face smiled tauntingly. *Deny me my purpose, and you can watch as I slit their throats*
Snare staggered back, gripping her ears anxiously, before standing back up and entering the driver's side of the jeep. The orb on her forehead came on, as Agent Havoc drove in the direction of the power sources.
Lancer had easily befriended most of the denizens of Refuge, and was currently in the company of Humpty and Dumpty as they renovated an old shed.
"Now, when you paint, you gotta do it vertically like this," advised Humpty, demonstrating with his brush.
"No, you need to do it horizontally," argued Dumpty, as he made a demonstration of his own.
"Vertical!"
"Horizontal!"
As the two began slathering paint on each other and not the building, Lancer turned away. Crick was standing nearby, watching the twins argue.
"Those two never rest," he sighed to Lancer. "So, how long have you been traveling with those two?"
-I have traveled since August fifteenth-
"So nearly two months, then. I'm sure Sylvie was glad to meet you. She's always hoped one of her brothers would see the light, especially given what Model Three is like."
-Understood- Lancer heard something in the distance, noticing something getting closer. -What is that?-
The Eggrobo turned as well, quickly finding a vehicle rapidly approaching the shed. With the twins still arguing, he ran and shoved them aside, right as the vehicle smashed through it.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked, right as the vehicle's driver stepped out.
*So, this is the civilization I have found* she stated, turning to the rest of Refuge in the distance. *Yes, there's plenty here to destroy*
Lancer watched anxiously, deploying his swords and charging at the attacker. She gripped the blades in each hand, planting her feet in the ground as the robot hedgehog tried using more power; right as it seemed he was about to triumph, sparks flew from her right hand, startling him into backing away.
*You aren't one of Eggman's lapdogs. You must be here of your own free will. Shame, then, I'll have to end your independence*
"Lancer, get back to town!" called Crick. "Warn Sylvie and the others!"
Without any further prompting, Lancer had turned back in the direction of the town, rocketing back as fast as he could go.
Mighty and Ray sat down beneath the shade, watching as Sally and Sylvie stepped out of the farmhouse. As the two walked over, the armadillo spoke up.
"So… how come you look like you're wearing a dress?" asked Mighty. "Was that something your… friends did?"
"My parents may have constructed my new frame, but I rebuilt my body with my own hands, 'dress' included," answered Sylvie. "I can't explain why I wanted to appear this way, I just… did."
"For w-what it's worth, I-I-I understand," commented Ray. "Choosing wh-what feels right, a l-lot of us went through that."
Any further discussion was cut off by the arrival of Lancer, pointing the direction he had come from. -Attacker!- he warned. -At edge of town!-
Instantly, the other four were on alert. "Show me where," ordered Sylvie.
"Hang on, you're the leader," said Sally. "Shouldn't you be in a safe area?"
"I would not ask anyone to risk their safety for mine. This is my town, and I shall protect it."
The chipmunk smiled at her. "I think we'll get along just fine."
Ray stayed behind, still a little fatigued, so Sylvie and the others went to confront the attacker alone. There, they found the maned wolf standing amidst the wreckage of the shed, staring down at Crick and the twins.
"Stay away from them!" Sylvie yelled, hand blasters ready.
The attacker turned to her, tilting her head curiously. *Mecha Sonic Model 1. Codenamed Silver Sonic*
"My name is Sylvie." If she had a mouth, that statement would be delivered through clenched teeth.
*Agent Havoc. You stand as an obstacle in my path, Sylvie, so I'll have you all turned to scrap*
Sylvie's head lowered, her eyes glaring straight at Agent Havoc. Beside her, she could notice Sally and Lancer stepping forward on either side. The maned wolf's right arm sparked, right as the two robot hedgehogs charged forward. Lancer extended his blades again and took the first swing, Agent Havoc moving to counter these swings.
*I've scared you off once* she taunted, grabbing one of the blades. *What can you accomplish now, little hedgebot?*
-Distraction- Lancer responded.
A sudden blast to the side had the maned wolf doubled over, but still upright, Sylvie priming up for another before Agent Havoc recovered. She charged to the hodgepodge, right as Sally and Mighty charged at her. The duo pushed her down, only for her hand to grab Sally's ankle, electrocuting her.
"Sally!" called Mighty, tossing the attacker aside. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she grunted. "You and the others deal with this interloper."
The armadillo gladly obliged, joining Sylvie as she held Agent Havoc down.
"You invaded my town, endangered my citizens, and harmed my guests," the hodgepodge snarled, lifting her head up. "This should end things very quickly!"
And she slammed her head down on Agent Havoc's face. The maned wolf slumped down unconscious, the light on her forehead going out. As Sally staggered to her feet, she looked down at their attacker.
"I'd heard of her," she stated. "One of Eggman's 'bio-weapons,' as he called her. Apparently her mind was overridden by a program he'd installed in those prosthetics."
-Clarify-
"I agree," replied Sylvie. "What does that have to do with what she's done?"
"I'm just saying that Agent Havoc is the one who wanted to attack everything, not the wolf. That wolf is as much a victim as we are. Let's put her in that jeep and send her back the way she came. Mighty, care to do the honors?"
Mighty picked up the unconscious Snare, setting her in the backseat of the vehicle. He then stared at it for a while, plotting in his mind the highest speed it could go, the direction it appeared to come from, and whatever obstacles might lie in its path. Then, he gave it a hard shove, launching the jeep back into the horizon, before being called to help the others.
The twins were unhurt, sporting only minor paint scratches, while Crick had a large dent in his midsection and one of his yellow triangles had been knocked off. Sylvie sported a minor dent in her head, and Ray looked over both Mighty and Sally.
"We're fine, seriously," the chipmunk fussed, trying to pull her ankle away from Ray's grasp.
"J-Just let me check it, please," they replied, eventually giving a nod of satisfaction. "Doesn't l-look like it's been t-t-too injured or f-fried or anything. A-Are you alright, Mighty?"
"I am, don't worry." He looked over at where Sylvie was being examined. "You did good out there."
"I agree," added Sally. "Most leaders I know wouldn't have been brave enough to personally lead a counterattack."
"Thank you both, I'm just doing what I think is right, regardless of the consequences."
"Don't be modest, Sylvie," remarked Crick. "You were a certified hero out there, just like who you were made to replicate. You rest here, hero, I'll take guard duty tonight."
"But Crick-"
"But nothing, mayor. You've earned a break for tonight."
The Eggrobo apparently wouldn't hear any refusal, walking out the door moments after. Sally stood up, patting Sylvie on the shoulder.
"It bears repeating, you were very brave out there," she congratulated. "I'll be waiting inside once you're patched up, so we can finalize an alliance between our two towns."
She gave another thumbs up to the visiting trio, Lancer joining Mighty and Ray in their corner. Sylvie would have smiled at the sight if they could; a member of Metallix that defied its programming and chose a purpose of its own, just like her.
Crick was armed with a weapon as he stomped along the edge of Refuge's territory. There weren't any lights this far away from the settlement, in order to prevent outsiders from finding the town. Unfortunately, this had the side effect of making everything pitch black, and while the Eggrobo downplayed the damage, his low-vision sensors had been affected by the attack.
He heard rustling from a bush and aimed his blaster towards it, only for a Ricky to pop out, stare at him, then bound off into the darkness. "Damn squirrels," he muttered.
He was too distracted by the animal to spot something poking down from the trees, and Crick was fired on from behind, shutting down as he fell forward. Two figures hopped down a few moments later, one cheering loudly before being smacked silent by their partner.
"We've hit the jackpot, Burke!" the first one declared, turning Crick over. "It's an Eggrobo. Haven't seen one of these in ages."
"It's busted, you idiot," the second one retorted. "Parts for these are harder to find than magical gemstones. If this thing loses a fight, that's it."
"Live a little, man. We'll be swimming in money from this bad boy."
"Okay. But when this thing fails, it's coming out of your pay, Hare."
"I can live with that. Now c'mon, let's load it up and go!"
And so the two picked up the Badnik and disappeared back into the night.
Writing this trio is fun, I should do it more often. Mighty is a good big bro. We also get a little cliffhanger for next chapter, so be on the lookout for that.