THE METALLA SERIES
All Sonic Anime related characters are © SEGA and TAKI
Carlu "Kick", Akkar and Seven, Metalla2, Metalla3, and Metalla4, are all © me, Masquerade
Used without permission, as usual.
Lights, camera, action!
Three speeders zoomed over Dark World towards Eggman Land, the site of the captured fox, Tails. One of these Speeders held Sonic the hedgehog, and his friends: Knuckles, and Knuckles girlfriend, Carlu. The second Speeder had Knuckles two best friends as crew: Akkar "Sykes" the echidna, and Seven "Seits" the lion cub. The third was piloted by Sonic's newest friend, Mika, a hedgehog. Behind them, staying out of scanner range was the original Metalla, the robotic clone of Sonic made by Robotnic's genius. Metalla followed the unwary travelers to their destination.
Inside Speeder number one, Sonic lounged in the passenger seat, and looked at Knuckles in the pilot's chair. "There's something I want made clear, Knux." Sonic said.
"Yeah?" Knuckles asked, watching the steady horizon.
"You said that Prince Mamoru of Royal Island is your father." Sonic began. "Doesn't that make you royalty too?"
"Sure does." Knuckles nodded, not taking his eyes off the windshield.
"So, how come you aren't sitting on a throne, wearing a crown, or that sort of thing?" Carlu asked.
"I didn't want it." Knuckles explained. "I'm not the kind of person that likes to sit around all day. Besides, I really do not like my dad at all."
"How come?" Sonic asked.
"Well," Knuckles began. "My dad wanted me to be just like him: make decisions, go on diplomatic missions, sign treaties, wear a crown with pride…that sort of thing. That was basically my entire life planned out for me. I couldn't make my own individual decisions; I didn't even get to decide who I could get married to. Bull shit. So I left, doing something I could stand: hunting for treasures."
"Specifically the Master Silver Emerald." Carlu added to Sonic. Then, to Knuckles: "Any luck on finding it lately?"
"No." Knuckles shook his head. "I am working on it, however."
"Do your friends know that you're really a prince?" Sonic smirked.
"Sure." Knuckles nodded. "They could just care less, that's all."
"Oh."
Knuckles looked at his instruments carefully. He nodded at them. "We're coming up on Eggman Land. Everybody ready?" Carlu took out her two bladed axe, and ran her hand over the black handle.
"You know I'm ready." She smiled. Sonic took off his seat belt, and cracked his knuckles.
"Ready for anything." Sonic said, giving the thumbs up. Knuckles turned on the ship radio, and asked if everyone was ready for Eggman Land.
"Metalla2 and 3 are waiting for us." Akkar said. "I'll bet you my Speeder that we're more ready than they are." He turned to Seven. "How about you, Seits?"
"There is no 'ready.' " Seven smiled, crossing his arms.
"Never readier in my life." Mika radioed. "Let's move out." She took the lead as Eggman Land came into sight. Suddenly, a shot rang out, and Mika's Speeder rocked from the impact. Her sensors showed that a couple of robots were coming their way. "Metalla2 and 3 are attacking. Get ready for impact, guys."
Metalla watched in absolute horror as two robots that were similar to him started attacking the lead Speeder, hoping that Sonic was in it. The robots were duplicates of him, and they had to go. He powered his boosters, and rocketed foreword. Those two, and Robotnic, were going to pay…big time!
Pt. 3 of 4: Metalla Times Four
Knuckles steered past Metalla2, and got a good look at Metalla3. Number three looked no different from number one; there was almost no difference in style of attack either. Number three mostly attacked directly rather than snuck up on his targets. He directly attacked Knuckle's Speeder, and it rocked on impact. Carlu and Sonic almost fell out of their seats. Knuckles steered carefully and tried to evade Metalla3. However, Metalla3 was certain that Knuckles Speeder was the one with Sonic in it.
BANG! Metalla3 rammed into the Speeder. This time, Sonic landed flat on his face. Knuckles looked over at the hedgehog. "Wear your seatbelt!" Knuckles snapped. "What if we crash?"
"We won't crash." Sonic assured. Then, Metalla3 crashed against the Speeder again.
BANG! Several of the instruments shut down, and the Speeder was still. "Uh oh." Knuckles muttered. "Speeders been sabotaged." He turned to Sonic. "Our only option now is to bail out before we crash." Sonic looked very surprised. "What are you waiting for?" Knuckles asked, taking off his seat belt. "Let's go!" The speeder door opened, and Knuckles shooed Carlu and Sonic out of the door to a thirty-foot drop. They landed, then ran for their lives as the two Metallas started chasing them. Knuckles took up the rear, and tried getting in the way of Metalla2's laser fire. Suddenly, he got shot in the shoulder, and fell over. Carlu stopped and went back, panic-stricken.
"KNUCKELZU!" she screamed. Knuckles held out his hand, trying to get her to stop.
"No." he ordered. "Keep going! Sonic needs to get to Eggman Land! I'll be fine." Carlu started to cry.
"I love you!" she exclaimed, running to catch up with Sonic. Metalla2 and 3 flew after Carlu and Sonic.
"Let him go." Metalla2 told her new counterpart. "He's not important. Go get Sonic!" Carlu took out her two-bladed axe, and caught up with Sonic.
"I feel real bad about leaving him behind." Carlu said as she ran. Sonic nodded.
"Me too, but there's more important things to worry about right now, and they're catching up!" Sonic pointed up to the sky. Metalla2 fired a grenade in front of Sonic. Sonic managed to jump away as it exploded on impact. Carlu grabbed Sonic's shoulders, and clung for dear life as Sonic ran as fast as he could. Metalla2 fired her lasers again, still missed, but were a little too close for comfort for Sonic. Suddenly, Metalla3 rammed into Carlu, and the impact knocked Sonic over on his back. Metalla3 hovered over Sonic for a moment, looking at him. Metalla2 crossed her arms, and her eyes glowed super red.
"C'mon!" she snapped. "Kill him already! I'm waiting!"
"Yeah, yeah." Metalla3 dismissed, "I'm getting to it!"
Suddenly, a blue blur rammed into Metalla3, then punched Metalla2 in the kisser.
"What the heck?" Sonic and Carlu said at the same time. Then, they saw him! He was hovering a few feet over the fallen robots, and he was giving Sonic a good long look.
"Hello." He said after a while. "Looks like you and your friend could use a hand."
"METALLA!" Sonic screamed as the robot landed by Sonic and helped him up.
"The one and only." He nodded. Then he noticed that Carlu was brandishing her axe, and Sonic took a battle stance. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you this time."
"HUH?" Sonic looked absolutely confused. Metalla crossed his arms.
"My original programming has been erased by that jerk that calls himself..." Suddenly, he was interrupted by Knuckles, who was being carried by Akkar and Mika. Seven was right behind them.
"Metalla? But…you're dead." Knuckles shouted.
"All will be explained later." Metalla insisted. "I believe Tails is in terrible danger. Why don't we all head into Eggman Land, and find him, shall we?"
"I was rebuilt by a human from the Dark World named Hydra. My memories were restored, even my private last request that I would never again have a master of any kind. He wanted me operational, and to be used against Robotnic."
"Hydra." Knuckles snarled. "That snake!"
"You know him?" Sonic asked as the party flew into Eggman Land. Sonic was holding onto Knuckles's hand while Knuckles, Carlu, and Akkar flew on their own, Seven was riding in Akkar's arms, and Mika was holding Metalla's hands as he flew. Knuckles growled at the thought of the one named Hydra.
"Yeah, I know Hydra. When I was a kid, he stole a family heirloom straight from the Royal Palace: the Master Silver Emerald. He lost it in a fight with my dad, and I've been trying to find it since. Hydra's a piece of trash."
"You go, boy!" Metalla nodded at Knuckles. "Hydra and Robotnic defenantly hate each other. Both are rivals that steal each other's robot designs. That was how I came back."
"But the data to make another Metalla was destroyed." Sonic explained.
"I know." Metalla nodded. "I still don't know how Robotnic could make two more copies of me, let alone how Hydra could get data to create me."
"So, you can't hurt Sonic anymore, right?" Akkar asked.
"Only if I want to." Metalla explained. "I still hate his guts, but I need his help."
"My help? What for?" Sonic asked, suspiciously.
"Help me get my true freedom."
All was silent for a moment.
"What am I saying? It's impossible!"
"I'll see what I can do." Sonic answered, still suspicious. "So, you aren't gonna destroy the world or anything like that, are you?"
"No. My original programming has been erased, remember? I can't take orders from Robotnic anymore, and why would I destroy the very planet I live on?"
"Point well made." Mika nodded. She looked ahead, and Eggman Land, the city of robots came into full view. "City ahoy."
"We see it, babe." Seven said, pulling out his gun. "Alright, time to kick some Robo-butt!" Metalla couldn't help but laugh.
"That would take all of our feet, wouldn't it?" he smirked. Everybody laughed.
"Nice joke." Mika complemented her transportation, who was still chuckling from his remark.
"I try." He admitted.
"Hey! They're headed into Eggman Land! We gotta stop them!"
"Hold your horses, number three. Robotnic's been waiting for them. He has a Black Robotnic transportation unit in there. All of them put together couldn't stop him."
"One of you wouldn't be my Metalla, would you?" the robots turned to see a cloaked figure walking towards them.
"Your Metalla? All Metalla's belong to Robotnic, you dummy."
"Do they?" the cloak asked, holding up a remote control. "Well then, I guess that this is necessary." He pushed a button, and the two Metalla's doubled over, and collapsed. The figure took off his hood, revealing his short black hair and one eye patch. He looked at the two Metalla's for a while. "No. None of them are Metalla1. Aw, damn." He looked out at Eggman Land. "Maybe Robotnic already brainwashed him. Wouldn't hurt to check."
Sonic and the gang found Robotnic in a huge armored transport that looked like Black Robotnic. Sonic's friends landed on the ground, and Sonic pointed up at Robotnic.
"Yo, slo-mo!" Sonic yelled. Robotnic turned to look at him. "Where's Tails?"
"Ho ho ho ho!" Robotnic laughed. "What a joke! You call that little army a threat?" In response to that, Sonic's friends spoke one at a time.
Knuckles: "Joke? The only joke I see is you."
Carlu: "We're here to finish what we started a year ago."
Akkar: "We're gonna chew you up…"
Seven: "…and spit you out!"
Mika: "It takes more that your past mistakes to hold back a hedgehog."
Metalla: "And I'm living proof."
Sonic: "Games up, Robotnic. Now give Tails back, or else."
"Or else what?" Robotnic laughed. "Some nice speeches, kids. However, it'll take more than a bunch of teenagers to stop me!"
"C'mon, Sonic." Metalla urged. "Time to shut down Robotnic's shop!"
"Yeah," Sonic agreed. "For good."
Metalla grabbed Sonic's arm, and flew up to the Black Robotnic model. Metalla flung Sonic at it, and Sonic did a Spin Jump through the machine's chestplate. Then, Sonic propelled himself back to saw the machine in half like he did before, when suddenly…
"Games up, Sonniku!" Metalla2 yelled, grabbing Sonic's legs, and throwing him to the ground. Knuckles caught him before Sonic made fast friends with the concrete. Metalla2 made a fist as Metalla3 zoomed in to finish the job. Knuckles maneuvered quickly to elude the robot, but Metalla3 was too fast. Metalla3 gave Knuckles a hard jump kick in the head, and the echidna toppled to the ground, taking the impact of the hit instead of Sonic.
"You piece of junk!" Seven yelled, jumping up at the robot, and giving it a bullet to the head. It staggered in the air from the impact, then lashed out at Seven, and sent him to the ground.
"Don't worry about it." Metalla2 told her counterpart, pointing at her own bullet holes. "Gives ya character." Metalla3 nodded, then went to find Sonic. While Metalla2 checked number three's progress, she noticed that some of Sonic's friends were missing. "Strange. There was a party of seven, how come I see only five?"
"Do you see him?" Mika asked Carlu. Both girls were wandering around Robotnic's fortress looking for Tails. Carlu looked around.
"No. Not yet." Carlu shook her head. "But he's here someplace. He's got to be." Carlu and Mika were lucky to get past the two Metalla's and Robotnic, and they just had to find Tails.
Finally, they entered the lab. Hundreds and hundreds of robots were stacked in piles in one corner, and so were some power beds. Mika found Metalla2 and 3's beds, read the inscriptions, and bit her lip.
"So, that's what they were made for." She whispered in almost absolute horror.
"Yeah, pretty much." Carlu nodded. "C'mon. I just know Tails is up here somewhere. I've got a feeling that he is." Mika rejoined Carlu on her search until they heard a little whimpering noise. "IT'S TAILS!" Carlu gasped. She ran to the far edge of the lab, and found the little fox all tied and gagged in a corner. "Tails, it's me! It's Carlu." Tails looked into the familiar eyes of Knuckle's friend, and calmed. "C'mon," the echidna urged. "Let's go. Sonic needs your help."
"How dare you look like me!" Metalla yelled as he attacked Metalla2. Metalla2 just dodged his every attack.
"Oh please." She shook her head. "The routine is old."
"Seven!" Akkar yelled to his friend. "Look out!" Seven looked to see that Robotnic was aiming his built in machine gun at the lion cub. Seven jumped out of the way, pulling down an eyelid and sticking his tongue out at Robotnic.
"I eat fat guys like you for breakfast." Seven snickered. Robotnic growled as he fired his machine gun over and over, trying to hit the lion cub. Seven just laughed.
"Your aim is worse than Metalla2's!"
"HEY!" the robot yelled, overhearing. Off her guard, Metalla took the chance to knock her in the jaw with his kneecap.
Sonic, Knuckles, and Akkar had their hands full with Metalla3. The robot kept going after Sonic, but gunshots or punches from Knuckles kept him from reaching his target. Sonic mostly stood there, or tried to get out of Metalla3's way. Until Knuckles had Metalla3 in a chokehold, Sonic heard Seven cry out for help. Sonic saw that Seven's leg was shot, and Seven was desperately trying to get out of the way of the guns. Sonic didn't hesitate to take action, since Knuckles had his hands full.
Akkar was about to join Sonic when one of Metalla2's grenades slipped from her arm, and it landed by Akkar. The impact caused an explosion that knocked him unconscious.
"AKKAR!" Knuckles yelled, and his attention wandered. Metalla3 broke free of Knuckles grip, and raced after Sonic. Sonic had his attention with Seven, so he didn't notice that Metalla3 was catching up with him…
"Almost…" Metalla3 urged himself. "Almost…" He reached out for Sonic's head. "Ha ha!" Suddenly, before he could maintain a grip…
BANG! A gunshot rang out, and Metalla3 fell to the ground as Sonic scooped Seven up in his arms, and ran to safety.
"WHAT?!?!!!!!!!" Metalla2 exclaimed. "How could this be? Metalla3 is...is..."
"…Scrap metal." A voice completed her sentence. It was Mika, with Carlu and Tails to back her up. Mika blew the smoke off her gun, then pointed it at Metalla2. "Games up, girlfriend."
"Leave Sonic and his friends alone!" Tails demanded, pointing up at Metalla2. Metalla2 could only laugh.
"Sorry, but that's my main programming." She pointed her laser turret at Tails, then was rammed by Metalla. She fell over to the ground, and stayed there. Metalla hovered over her again, then motioned with his hand to the group of three that they should leave while opportunity knocked. Carlu agreed to that with her thumb, and took point.
"Have any of you seen Sonic?" Metalla asked them. Tails looked at Metalla with a bewildered look.
"No, unfortunately." Mika answered. "Not since we snuck into the fortress."
Robotnic fired another grenade at Sonic, who was running for dear life. Sonic was holding Seven like the cub was going to fall out of his arms. Suddenly, the grenade landed in front of Sonic, sending the poor hedgehog flying towards Robotnic. Sonic skidded on the ground on his back, and accidentally let go of the unconscious cub. Sonic was just two meters away from Seven's body. Before he could stand up, Metalla2 grabbed Seven by the nape of the neck, and cradled him in her arms. Sonic stared up angrily at Metalla2.
"HEY! BRING HIM BACK!" Sonic shouted. Metalla shook her head, very amused. "HEY! COME BACK!" Sonic yelled as Metalla2 warped away. "SEVEN!" Robotnic laughed, and started walking away.
"Now I see what Metalla's plan is." He said, very proud of his robot. "We'll meet again Sonic, and next time, you and your friends won't survive!" With a final laugh, he used his large robot to walk away. Sonic picked himself off the ground, and watched Robotnic leave, too injured to do anything. Metalla and Mika came to help him up. Sonic just stared where Robotnic vanished.
"Seven's been captured." Sonic explained. "Robotnic mentioned having it to do with a plan or something."
"We'll get him back, and find out what that plan is in due time." Metalla explained. He put Sonic's arm over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go back home."
"Yeah." Sonic moaned, walking the best he could. They all went back to the Speeders, and took off for Sonic's island, not realizing that they were being watched by a fourth Metalla. Also, they little realized that the fourth and final Metalla was a roboticized Seven, with no memories of his friends whatsoever.
To be continued (for the last time)!
(Cue "Look Alike!")