EPISODE III: Afflictions & Rampages


Metal Sonic did not return to the Thorndyke residence. What need was there? It was functional again, even if its new limbs were not as resilient or dexterous as the one old arm it had left was. The rabbit and her pet were safe.

Granted, she did seem to know what the unit was, and therefore had answers as to where it came from and the like. But the child's reaction…

Metal Sonic sat atop the cliff, legs dangling and shining in the moonlight, tree leaves rustling, as it replayed that moment again and again. She was terrified. Terrified of the unit, and presumably whoever this "Doctor Eggman" was.

This… caused Metal Sonic distress. Who was this individual?

And why did it feel an inkling of its own terror as the name rattled around in its code?

. . . .

"… we never heard from Sonic again after that. He… I lost hope a long time ago."

On their way back to the Thorndyke mansion, the child who eventually introduced herself as Cream had yelled at them to slow down when a blue biplane landed smack in the middle of the road ahead. Grandpa slammed his foot on the brakes, the vehicle skidding to a stop just before it could graze the wing.

That was when they met Miles "Tails" Prower.

After hiding the Tornado in Grandpa's other lab a good ways outside Station Square, Tails had joined them on the ride back to the residence. As they resumed the drive, he carried on explaining the story Cream had started to tell them, filling in the blanks that she couldn't.

"And where does Metal Sonic factor into this?" Grandpa asked as he slowly pulled the car into the garage.

"He showed up a couple months later," Tails answered. "After that, the war to take back our world got a lot harder."

Grandpa hummed, shutting off the car. The takeover of Mobotropolis and the execution of the king, the destruction of Knothole, this "Sonic's" death, and then Metal Sonic's appearance— it was a lot to take in. As he got out of the car, he turned his gaze onto Tails and Cream, the latter of whom had fallen asleep, her Chao Cheese tucked away in her arms.

They were just kids. They were literally just kids. Kids who shouldn't have had to fight a war. He guessed that Tails was eight, and Cream— she was what, six?

Grandpa turned his attention to Chris, who hadn't moved. He could see in the dim night light that he was hunched over, hands covering his face. A shudder of the shoulders and a quiet sniffle told him everything.

Grandpa sighed softly. How was it in the span of a single week their lives have been uprooted so?

. . . .

The next day, when Grandpa caught a whiff on the news about a giant robot rampaging in downtown Station Square, he could only groan in frustration.

When Tails spotted a bald, egg-shaped man with what Grandpa considered a terrible looking mustache appearing on the screen, piloting a silver hovercraft, and announced that it was Doctor Eggman— he could only groan again, this time louder and longer. Resting his elbows on the back of the couch, Grandpa dropped his face into his hands.

And then Doctor Eggman started making his grandiose speech.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Eggman and I have some exciting news for you— well. Exciting for me, that is, and catastrophic for you. I have decided to take over your world and make it part of the new Eggman Empire! Resistance is futile. You will submit to my rule or be swept away like dust bunnies!"

"We have to stop him!" Tails declared, jumping off the couch and preparing to break into a run.

"Oh no you don't!" Grandpa called, looking up and pointing at the two-tailed fox with a heavy frown. "Let the police handle it!"

"You don't understand," Tails pleaded, looking at Grandpa, then Chris, and then back again. "If we don't go stop him, people are gonna— they're gonna die!"

Grandpa started to open his mouth again, but was cut off.

"He has a point, Grandpa," Chris spoke, standing up from the couch as well. "Metal Sonic was able to break in and out of that military base no problem— if Metal can do that, then who knows what Eggman's other robots could do to the city!"

Grandpa let out a long sigh. Yep, I'm gonna need to go back onto my heart medication again.

"Nelson and Lindsey are going to kill me," he muttered. "Okay," he said louder. "Tails and I will take the Tornado and fly downtown— Chris, you're going to stay put here with Cream."

"But—"

"No, no 'buts!'" Grandpa's tone and body were tense with emotion. "Area 99 was a one-time thing, and this is gonna be a heckuva lot more dangerous anyway. We'd be flying into a potential warzone. Stay here with Cream. That's the best way you can help us out right now."

Chris sat back down, shoulders slumping. His head fell slightly. "Fine. Fine, I can do that."

"Thank you," Grandpa told him, this time more gently. "We'll be back soon, I promise."

Chris didn't look up. With another, softer sigh, Grandpa followed Tails out of the room.

. . . .

The sewers smelled. The sewers smelled bad. And yet, this was where Amy and Julie-Su found themselves. The former trudged on after the pink echidna, who wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"Juuuuules," Amy whined, prompting Julie to stop, nearly causing a collision in the process. "Can't we take a break? Pleeeeaaaase?"

A moment of silence rolled out between them. Finally Julie answered. "Yeah, we can stop for a bit."

"Whew!" With that, Amy practically dropped onto the ground in a sprawl. Julie turned, looking down at her with a raised brow. "What?"

A small smile tugged at the echidna's lips. "You know, you could've said something a while ago." She sat down next to the pink hedgehog, whose expression morphed into a soft pout.

More silence.

"What do you think our chances are of getting back home?" Try as she might, Amy couldn't hold back the slight sliver of fear that trembled in her voice. Julie didn't answer.

She was about to turn her head when she felt a hand on her arm.

"I dunno," Julie said. "I don't even know where we are, or where anyone else is." She went quiet, then met Amy's dark green eyes. "But I do know I'm not gonna stop until we're all back home, and I don't think you are either."

Amy just nodded, blinking slowly and feeling the urge to yawn. You know, she could probably fall asleep like this! For concrete, this wasn't half bad. And maybe Julie's company made it a bit more bearable, too.

A rhythmic rumbling started rippling through the sewers. Amy's heartrate went up and she sat up in a flash, the desire for sleep fleeing her. "What is that?!"

Julie ran up to the ladder and started climbing, Amy following suit. The echidna grunted as she pushed the metal lid up and away from the manhole and peered out. She moved aside so Amy could see. The pink hedgehog gasped at all the destruction— there were smashed cars everywhere, and a ways ahead she could see the head and torso of a giant green and silver robot.

She knew those ugly designs anywhere. "Eggman."

Amy looked at Julie, who looked back at her. As though reading her mind, Julie asked, "Ready to kick some robo-butt?"

Amy smirked. "You know it!"

. . . .

As the dust cleared, the Mayor and officers were revealed to be covered in dust and dirt. All of them were stunned, still trying to comprehend what just happened. The Mayor hacked, covering his mouth. Once the coughing had stopped and he could breathe again, he spoke into the megaphone, really not liking the answer he had no choice but to give. "Technically… sir, our charter doesn't allow me to surrender the city."

Disappointment flickered over Eggman's face and he lifted a hand, looking towards his beloved Missile Wrist Mech, ready to snap his fingers.

"Missile Wrist," he started, "destroy this place before—"

"EGGMAN!"

A quick turn of the head, and he could see Tails flying that blasted Tornado of his and some… old guy in the back seat.

"Uggh!" Eggman facepalmed. "Tails! I'll teach that flying fuzzball! Attention, Missile Wrist, blast that wretched plane out of the sky!"

"Acknowledged," the Missile Wrist Mech replied in its monotone voice. The mech took aim at the Tornado, tracking its swift movements and predicting its flight path, and then fired.

Missile after missile whizzed past the Tornado, grazing dangerously close, but Tails managed to swerve out of the way every time.

"Holy casserole," Grandpa muttered repeatedly, "holy casserole—" Tails felt a bit bad for him, but he couldn't really focus on that right now seeing as they were literally being shot at.

Tails slammed his thumbs down on the red buttons atop the plane's steering, unleashing bursts of fire onto the mech. He only stopped firing when he swooped over the mech. It didn't matter anyway— there wasn't even a scratch on the robot!

"It's no use!" Tails shouted over the wind. "The armor's way too tough!"

"Tails, LOOK OUT!" Grandpa pointed straight ahead.

Another freaking missile!

"Waahhh, hang on!" Tails grabbed onto the plane's lever and pulled, tilting the aircraft up towards the sky. It was too late— the missile tore through the propeller, leaving it in plummeting splinters. As the plane too started to descend rapidly, zooming towards the ground, Tails desperately pressed several buttons on the console in front of him. "Don't worry, I've got more cards up my sleeve!"

"'DON'T WORRY?'" Grandpa screamed. "WE'RE ABOUT TO CRASH!"

"Not today!" The front of the plane started to shift, gears whirring loudly, and Tails smiled.

. . . .

Metal Sonic's engines thrummed to a stop as the unit finally reached the downtown area of the city known as "Station Square." People were crowding around a building, talking in hushed voices.

"What's going on up there?"

"That's a robot on the roof!"

"This could be an interplanetary invasion!"

Metal Sonic trudged forward, looking up. Atop the building it could see the giant mech in question, fighting off a bright blue plane. Sitting in a silver hovercraft, watching everything play out, was a bald man with a thick mustache and a body shaped not unlike an egg.

Doctor Eggman.

Metal Sonic just knew. The inkling of fear curled tighter around its code.

A fogged memory fizzled into existence.

"Seems you've gotten a bit too out of control, Metal," Eggman drawled with a smirk.

Metal Sonic lay helplessly on a table, limbs gone and turbine removed. The unit beeped softly, crimson eyes pleading with the man. It didn't want this, it didn't want to forget—

"Passcode: 1993," Eggman spoke, his face hardening. "Initiate program number 3437. Clean Slate protocol."

Metal Sonic's head drifted back to face the ceiling, optics flickering and then disappearing completely.

Metal Sonic balled its fists, glaring up at the Doctor. Cold, calculating rage overwhelmed the unit. It stalked towards the building, violently pushing past the pedestrians in its way.

. . . .

Amy, smashed through the door and stumbled onto the roof, gripping her Piko Piko Hammer. She was quickly followed by Julie-Su, who had her pistols out and ready to go.

"Leave them alone, you big bully!"

Amy charged, screaming bloody murder and preparing to swing.

"Amy, wait—!"

Too late. The pink hedgehog slammed her hammer against the mech's leg. "Oww…" She looked up and started to tread backwards as the mech's head slowly turned 180 degrees, like an owl.

"I said wait," Julie told Amy when she was at her side.

"Yeah, yeah," Amy rushed, lifting her hammer again. "You can yell at me all you want later— it looks like he's angry!"

"Huh?" Amy's ear twitched at the sound of Eggman's voice. "Hold it, Missile Wrist. Seems we have company."

He was looking behind them.

Both Mobians slowly looked over their shoulders to see Metal Sonic standing in front of the giant hole in the wall Amy left behind with her hammer.

"Metal Sonic," Eggman continued to drawl. "How kind of you to finally make an appearance." He pointed at Amy and Julie and snarled, "Destroy them."

Metal Sonic started to walk, but not towards them. Its optics were focused solely on Eggman. It stopped upon reaching the mech, and sharp claws glinted in the sun.

Something akin to horror washed over Eggman's face. "What do you think you're doing, Metal?"

"Should we do something?" Amy whispered to Julie, gripping the echidna's arm tightly.

"Wait," she murmured. "Just wait."

Metal Sonic lunged, claws outstretched as it tore through the mech like a hot knife cutting into butter. The smaller unit threw its whole body into the other machine, ruthlessly ripping the mech's insides apart. Again, and again, and again.

Eggman screeched at Metal Sonic to stop, but the unit clearly wasn't listening. Bright blue sparks flew from the holes in the Missile Wrist's carapace as its innards were reduced to shreds.

"I need to get out of heeeeerrrree!" Eggman slammed a finger on a button, and his hovercraft zipped away, disappearing into the distance.

"Yoink!" Julie scooped Amy into her arms, despite the hedgehog's protests and leaped off the roof just as the Missile Wrist mech finally exploded.

"Waaahhhhhh!"

Both of them screamed as they plummeted, before hitting a familiar plane's wing on the way down. Still hanging onto Amy, Julie swung her arm out and grabbed onto the edge of the wing, gripping tightly, before they could slide off.

"You guys okay?" Tails called out, eyes wide with worry.

"We will be when you land this plane!" Julie yelled back.

"Seconded," Grandpa added, "very strongly seconded!"