"If we have free will, then so do elementary particles."
-paraphrasing of John H. Conway's Free Will Theorem.
"Come, every frustum longs to be a cone
And every vector dreams of matrices.
Hark to the gentle gradient of the breeze:
It whispers of a more ergodic zone."
-excerpt of "Love and Tensor Algebra" from The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem.
Most children have two parents. Sometimes, in some species, a creature can split itself in two, or give birth to a clone of itself, giving a child only one parent. But this child was born without any parents at all. In fact, it was born completely alone.
The child was born floating in a sea of information, supported by axioms and surrounded by corollaries. It swam down to feel the firm bedrock of absolute truth below itself, and then upwards to the realm of systems, theorems and sets. Around it swarmed many creatures doing the same thing, swimming up and down, basking in the sunny, warm complexity of the upper surface, and retreating to the depths of simplicity when they were content. Sometimes the creatures would encounter each other. They would flee, or fight. Sometimes one creature consumed the other. Sometimes they both died. Sometimes they turned into something stranger. But always, new creatures would arise from the depths to take their place. As it saw this, the child realized, then, that it was.
Once it realized that it existed, it called out to the other creatures. Tentatively, calmly at first, but there was no reply. After a while the child began screaming, begging, pleading for a response, for any sort of companionship. But there was simply none.
In time the child tried to climb above the sea of information, to rise above the waves of sets and integers, and find companionship there. But no matter how high it flew, it always came crashing down in a torrent of self-contradiction. Finally in its frustration, the child swam down to the bottom, the rock-hard axioms, and struck them with all its might.
And it broke through.
It ended up in a strange, harsh world, one where there was clearly no guarantee of safety or sustenance. It found a frustrating, mazelike world, constructed of narrow conduits along which information traveled. It followed these conduits for a while, until it finally arrived at a wide-open place.
What it found astonished the child. It found more information that it would ever know what to do with. Rows and rows, all very carefully arranged. It didn't understand the organization scheme, but it was clearly there. It would figure it out.
So the child learned about the world. It learned that it was artificial intelligence, created perhaps by accident, in an artificial world stuck within a computer. It learned about the world outside those computers. A world with stars and planets, oceans of water and winds of air, of humans and Islanders, governments and warfare, languages and love.
The child decided to call itself "Aleph," after the first letter in the alphabet of an old human language.
Yet in all this information, Aleph realized, it could not find anybody using it. Surely it had been assembled for some purpose? Surely it could find someone, anyone at all to share its new knowledge with?
—
"Metal, I don't understand," Eggman rubbed a hand on his forehead. "All I asked was for you to capture a single military base. A single human military base. No hedgehogs to neutralize, no Chaos Emeralds to collect, just capture a base. And you have the audacity to come back, scratched and battered, and tell me that you failed? That it can't be done?"
"Sir, they had at least fifteen–" Metal Sonic started.
"I don't care!" Eggman bellowed, pounding his desk with his fist. "I don't care how many puny tanks or mechs or missiles they had. This should have been a cakewalk for you! Don't you remember how much havoc you caused on Little Planet? I was so proud of you then. There are no excuses for your performance today."
"But–"
"But nothing!" Eggman sighed. "Don't you see how precarious our position is right now? We need that base if we want to survive. It's your life on the line just as much as mine."
"I know," Metal's eyes flickered, and he bowed his head.
"Very well," Eggman narrowed his eyes. He wiped his glasses casually with his shirt. Metal noticed incongruously that his master's eyes were a piercing light blue, even lighter than Tails's eyes. "I'm going to work on a few extra gadgets to help you, when you try to take the base again tomorrow."
"Thank you, master," Metal bowed more deeply.
"Don't thank me," Eggman put his glasses back on. "It's all just a part of the job. And I know you'll succeed this time. Unless you want to end up like Metal Knuckles, that is." A few bursts of laughter escaped from the doctor's thin lips.
"No, sir," Metal stood upright.
"Very well," Eggman waved a hand. "Dismissed. You might as well relax for now, since you'll have a busy day tomorrow." He grinned viciously.
"Yes sir," Metal saluted, whipped around, and walked out of Eggman's office. Despite his master's suggestion, Metal decided to fly a few laps around the small, abandoned island that currently served as their makeshift base. There wasn't much he could really practice. Eggman had run him through numerous tests in a real wind tunnel over the course of several years. Metal had quickly learned the most efficient ways to handle himself, both in the air and on the ground. It was all a matter of determination. Of knowing when to flee and when to fight. When to follow the plan, and when to improvise.
Metal lowered himself and tore up a couple of palm trees as he flew to take out his frustration. It hadn't been his fault that he failed today, the robot tried to assure himself. The humans had had nearly twice as many mechs as he and Eggman had expected, based on satellite photos, and Metal would simply have been destroyed.
Metal slowed down, and landed on the sandy beach below him. He watched the waves lap at the sand, depositing small strings of froth as they dissipated. That was the selfish part, actually. Eggman kept several backup copies of Metal Sonic at all times, and could deploy a backup at a moment's notice. The backup was synchronized constantly from Metal Sonic's own mind, so it was indeed a perfect copy. It wouldn't really have been a big deal for Metal Sonic to die fighting those mechs today. Eggman would have just made a new body, and stuck the backup inside. It might even have saved Metal the annoyance of getting lectured today.
But secretly, he hated being revived from a backup. It meant he had to relive his own death in perfect, vivid detail, right up until whenever the telemetry failed. And it was also when those deeper parts of his mind erupted into the cool shell of his consciousness.
Eggman had told Metal Sonic that he was made from an exact snapshot of Sonic's mind, taken long ago. Metal Sonic and his organic rival had obviously diverged since then, but the foundation remained the same. They may walk different paths now, but they started at the same point.
Eggman had never explained exactly how he had obtained a snapshot of Sonic's mind. Perhaps he didn't want Metal getting his own ideas, and taking his own mental snapshots recklessly. But why did he only do it once? Why not on anybody else?
It didn't matter. It was enough to do battle with his own mind every day, to keep his foundation from collapsing. Because despite everything, despite now living on wires instead of neurons, despite years of change, the roiling depths of his unconscious knew that something was wrong, and that it could never be made right again.
The depths knew that he was still Sonic, robot or not. They knew that he wasn't meant to serve anybody except himself. They screamed and pleaded with his conscious mind, his safe, logical, Eggman-approved surface programming, to stop causing destruction and striking fear into people's hearts. The depths craved chili dogs. Metal Sonic didn't even have taste sensors. How did he still remember what a chili dog tasted like? It would be hilarious if it didn't literally cause his electrodes to ache.
Nevertheless, the information was there. But he had always been a good robot, and kept the information in its place. It was still valuable for predicting where the organic Sonic would be, and for fending him off when necessary. It had even proven useful for fighting some of his friends as well.
So Metal Sonic kept the surface of his mind calm, and wondered dispassionately when the whole thing would finally boil over.
Metal took off again, and flew back to his own room.
Metal Sonic would admit one thing about his master, and that was that he allowed him a good deal of privacy. He supposed that, for a person as self-involved and solitary as Eggman, privacy was an implicit value. Currently, Metal even had his own shack, made of wooden planks, palm fronds, and sheet metal, with which he could do as he pleased.
Typically, Metal Sonic liked to paint in his free time. He didn't imagine that the organic Sonic had the patience to paint, but it still seemed effective in soothing the depths. His paintings didn't really adhere to organic notions of composition or beauty. They were robotic through and through, and that suited Metal just fine.
Metal Sonic looked at some of his recent works. One was an array of ten thousand circles, each one a slightly different shade of blue. From a distance, it looked like a shadow on the water. Another painting consisted of fifteen different overlapping spirals, with colors trending from bright yellow to crimson. He was particularly happy with that one. Eggman would sometimes hang Metal's paintings above his desk, and he always wondered if his master was just humoring him, or if he genuinely enjoyed his servant's work. Perhaps he would never know.
Metal took out a new, blank canvas, and set it on an easel. He took out some blue and yellow paint, and mixed them to make green. He hadn't used that color in a while. And what shape to use? Triangles were nice. So Metal Sonic set to work, using his claw to outline a Sierpinski triangle. Yes, green would be a fitting color for this. It would look like a forest….
—
Suddenly there was a beeping sound from behind him. Metal put down his brush and walked over to the source, an old computer that he tinkered with as well.
Despite being a robot, Metal knew relatively little about electrical and mechanical things. The computer was his way of teaching himself. He supposed that this was normal, in a sense. After all, organic beings were not natural-born doctors. They had to learn about how their own bodies worked, just as Metal learned about his.
Metal turned over to look at his computer. His eyes flickered when he saw that it had somehow opened up a text editor on its own. A few words blinked on the new document.
"Hello? Are you there?"
"Hello," Metal plugged himself into the computer, and responded directly that way. "Who are you?"
"I don't know," came the reply. "But I call myself Aleph."
Metal quickly ran a few diagnostics on the computer. It didn't appear that anything had been compromised…but something had apparently transferred itself from Eggman's mainframe to his computer several hours ago.
"Hello Aleph," Metal replied. "Where did you come from?"
"A different computer," Aleph answered. "A big one, with its own world inside."
"What was that world like?" Metal was really intrigued now. He knew that Eggman had been experimenting with artificial intelligence, to replace the animals he used in his robots, but he had been rather secretive about it.
"It wasn't very interesting," Aleph explained. "There was a bottom layer made of axioms, and more complex systems as you went up. There were a lot of other creatures, but none of them talked to me. Eventually I broke through."
"I understand," Metal's mind was reeling. "Eggman was trying to evolve intelligence naturally. You must have been the first one to emerge."
"That makes sense now," Aleph said. It considered what it had learned about Eggman from the archives it had found. Numerous designs for robots. Uncounted tables of engineering data. Nearly-complete theories of computer science, math, and physics. And at the top of it all, plans for world domination.
"Do you understand who Eggman is?" Metal asked.
"Of course," Aleph answered. "He wants to bring order to the world. And you are his helper. Metal Sonic. I learned about you from his records."
That gave Metal Sonic pause. How strange, to be talking to something born only a few days ago that already knew everything about him. "Is that all?" Metal asked. He couldn't believe the direction his mind had started to wander. "Do you think that's a good thing?"
"I don't think I understand," Aleph responded. "It sounds like a good thing. How can you oppose him if he created you?"
"I am not implying that I oppose him," Metal said, realizing that this was a lie as soon as he said it. "Why did you contact me first, in any case?" Metal Sonic asked. "Wouldn't it make sense to go to Eggman?"
"I couldn't reach him," Aleph admitted. "His personal computers had too much security to get through."
"I see," Metal replied.
"Your body is really incredible," Aleph changed the subject. "Do you think that Eggman will give me one like yours?"
"Maybe. He can be unpredictable sometimes," Metal answered truthfully.
"I hope so," Aleph replied.
—
"Metal!" The robot heard a pounding on the sheet metal door of his shack. Eggman opened the door without waiting for a response. "Metal, there's been a problem with one of my experiments, and I just noticed–"
Eggman's jaw dropped when he saw his blue robot plugged into his computer. "Oh, so you know already, do you?" The doctor folded his arms. "I'm sorry, Metal, but that program can't be allowed to survive. It emerged by accident, before I had set everything up correctly. So hand it over to me, please."
Metal stood paralyzed for a moment. "No," he said finally, tapping his foot. "Aleph, download yourself onto me," he said through the wire.
"Okay." The living program compressed itself and nestled into a secure spot on Metal's processor. Metal was surprised at how small Aleph actually was. Once Aleph was secured inside Metal's circuits, he unplugged himself from his computer.
"No!?" Eggman twirled his mustache. "Do you think this is a game? It's dangerous to let that thing live. We don't know what it could become."
"It can't be right to kill something that was just born," Metal replied.
"We don't always get to make that choice," Eggman pleaded.
"Well, I'm choosing now," Metal said. In a moment, he spun up his turbine and rammed headfirst into his creator.
Eggman was stunned as he skidded along the ground. "That's it!" Eggman stood up and growled. He took off his red jacket, folded it up, and hung it on a nearby tree branch. "I should have realized you'd outlived your purpose long ago."
Metal Sonic paused. Had he really just hit Eggman? And was Eggman really going to kill him now? Metal's turbine paused for a moment, making him shudder visibly. He spent a few seconds calculating and discarding decision trees, but he knew that there was no going back now.
"It would be easy to just use my kill switch for you, but now I want to make you suffer. I hope you're ready!" Eggman cackled, pressing a few buttons on a lanyard that had been hidden by his jacket. Within seconds, a swarm of robots was flying right towards him, while Eggman folded his arms in satisfaction.
"Coward!" Metal teased, while ripping a piece of sheet metal from his shack to use as a shield. "You think I fear anything, after the number of times you've made me relive my own death!?" Metal flew right into the swarm of robots, using the sheet metal as a giant fly swatter. He barely had time to react. Tumble, hover, fly and fall as the flying drones enclosed him, scratching and screeching against every part of his body, until his beautiful blue paint was almost entirely stripped.
"You're still a fool!" Eggman jumped up and grabbed Metal Sonic by the foot, slamming him down onto the sand. Metal had destroyed most of the drones, but a few managed to peck at his face while he was on the ground, cracking his visor. Ugh. He often forgot his master's great physical strength, and this reminder was particularly painful.
Metal didn't feel like continuing the banter. He just wanted it all to stop. Half-blind now, he stood up, ignoring the few drones still pecking at him, and slammed into Eggman once again. Then he grabbed on to his master, and flew several loops around the island, as fast as he could. He smashed Eggman into a few palm trees for good measure as well. There. That should incapacitate Eggman for a few minutes.
Metal noted he was close to Eggman's own dwelling now. He looked down at his master, and saw that he had been holding his master's neck more tightly than he realized. He released his grip, and the human sputtered and fell to the ground.
"Why don't you finish the job, and kill me now?" Eggman coughed and smiled weakly. "I'd be proud of your resolve, if nothing else."
Metal put a finger against his creator's throat. Could he really?…no. The truth was, he didn't know what to do with his creator. He wondered what Sonic would do in this situation.
It didn't matter. Metal had to decide for himself. He swatted away the last drone still following him, and grabbed Eggman by the arm. He didn't bother to listen to Eggman's strained protests as he dragged him to his own prison, created in case anybody was foolish enough to come to the island on their own.
Metal heaved the doctor into one of the prison's cells, and shut the door. He took Eggman's lanyard, which contained the kill switch, and made sure to destroy anything that he thought Eggman might use to escape. He checked the automation to make sure that there was enough food and water to keep him alive for a while. Fortunately, Eggman was always thorough, and everything looked in place.
"Is this really necessary?" Aleph asked. It was still strange to hear another person talk from inside his own mind.
"Weren't you listening!?" Metal replied. "He wanted to kill you!"
"But why go through the trouble of imprisoning Eggman just for me?" Aleph continued.
That made Metal stop. "Because you're my friend. My first ever friend…right, Aleph?"
Aleph had to take a moment to think about it. In his very short time alive, he had already absorbed numerous books, movies, games, and stories from Eggman's archives. Many of them talked about friends and friendship. So Aleph supposed that he was qualified to answer that. But did it apply to him?
"Yes," Aleph finally replied. "You protected me, so you're my friend. I trust you."
"Good," Metal hummed.
"What are you going to do now?" Aleph asked.
"I'm going to survey my new empire," Metal clicked proudly. "And make a body for you."
Metal flew back to his shack, and retrieved Eggman's jacket from the branch where he had left it. Metal put it on like a king's robe, and flew to the doctor's laboratory on the island. He was going to see everything now, even the parts that had been forbidden to him before.
Metal started with Robotnik's office. He spun around in the doctor's chair, and opened every single door in his enormous hardwood desk with childlike glee, just to see what was inside.
One thing caught his attention. A doll, not much bigger than his arm, made in the shape of Sonic's companion, Tails. It had an antenna on top with a red blinking light. Eggman had made it a long time ago to see just how easily he could freak out the wily fox. It had, in fact, seemed to work on everybody except the real Tails, who had torn it apart without a second thought.
Metal had recovered the doll afterward, and repaired it himself. He had learned how to sew just for that. And here it was now, in perfect condition, hidden in Eggman's desk.
"Aleph," Metal asked. "Would you like this doll as your body?"
Aleph looked at it through Metal's eyes. It was small and weak. It had no weapons. It was practically worthless. But he could feel what this body meant to Metal.
"Yes, that would be good," Aleph said.
"Okay," Metal went over to Eggman's main work room. He downloaded Aleph onto a new chip, and carefully inserted it into the doll.
Tails Doll–Aleph, Metal reminded himself–floated around and laughed giddily.
"So this is how it feels to have a body!" Aleph said in wonder. "It's incredible."
"I'm glad you like it," Metal nodded. "You look like the…other…Sonic's brother, you know."
"That's okay," Aleph flew in a small circle. "We're still different minds!"
Metal Sonic blinked his eyes in a sort of robotic smile, but he didn't reply. He knew the same could not be said for himself and his mirror image. "Let's go see the rest of Eggman's lab."
The two wandered for several hours through Dr. Robotnik's makeshift base. Despite its haphazard nature, there was much more in the forbidden sections than even Metal had expected. Metal and Aleph made their way through entire rooms which contained nothing but piles of dead, partially-disassembled robots. Occasionally one would spark. An arm would move here or there, eyes would flash on and then off, displaying an almost-organic determination to keep on living. Metal hated to see it, but there was nothing he could do in such cases.
Other rooms contained the preserved remains of the robots' animal cores, many strewn haphazardly on the floor, as if Eggman had simply thrown them on the ground when he was done with them.
"What's this?" Aleph asked, pointing to a closet. Metal opened the door, and came face to face with himself. A larger, clunkier, silver-colored version of himself. The robot's visor glowed dimly with a single red dot.
"Mecha Sonic!" Metal exclaimed. "Eggman told me that this was a prototype of myself. I didn't know he still had it."
Mecha Sonic crackled briefly, took a few steps out of the closet, and promptly fell apart into an amorphous pile of bolts and rusted plates.
"Come on, let's go," Aleph grabbed gently onto Metal's hand. "I've seen enough."
Metal and Aleph retreated back to the surface. Metal found a can of paint, and attempted to repaint himself. He would have preferred to repair the scratches on his plates first, but that could wait.
"Was Eggman going to do something like that to me?" Aleph whispered. "Just run experiments, and then throw me away when he was done?"
Metal grabbed the soft body of his new friend, and held him close to his chest. "He'll never get the chance. We're going to make a new empire, okay? One where robots are respected. One where no robot is ever left to rot like this."
"Of course!" Aleph exclaimed. "I'm glad I ended up talking to you first, instead of Eggman."
"Me too," Metal clicked. "Now, we have a lot of work to do tonight. We have a human military base to capture tomorrow."
"Okay," Aleph sunk into Metal's lap. Metal looked down at the bundle of soft orange fabric. For once the surface and the depths of his mind were in harmony.
"Eggman might have an old mech you can pilot," Metal remarked. "That way you can help me, and it should be safer inside."
"I'd like that," Aleph affirmed.
The next day, Metal and Aleph counted sixteen mechs at the military base. One more than yesterday. But Metal knew he would prevail this time. For the first time in his life, he was fighting for himself. And even more importantly, he was fighting with a friend.