Chapter 3: Lifeform Data Has Been Copied

The scientists who allowed themselves to be bribed into vouching for the safety and scientific value of letting their rebuilt discovery appear on popular television had not been entirely without caution. They'd insisted that GUE sentry droids be posted on standby in the unlikely event that the legendary robot ran out of control. As he watched his career go down the drain, the producer of Mystery Science Spectacle Weekly really wished he insisted that it would be a waste of time and money to call in government security just for the sake of an obsolete piece of junk.

Those who hadn't fled the studio by now were either dead or unconscious. Metal Sonic had assaulted anyone who caught his attention, repeating the same question over and over. Every time he recieved an answer that failed to satisfy him, he responded with violence.

"Where is Sonic the Hedgehog!?" Metal Sonic shouted in frustration.

Silver kicked the stage door open dramatically, though the coolness of his entrance was effectively ruined when the door rebounded on its hinges and smacked him in his face. Blaze slipped past Silver while he rubbed his bruised nose in embarrasment.

"You don't have to hunt Sonic anymore, Metal Sonic," she shouted. "He died of old age two centuries ago. Your mission is over. You can stop fighting now."

For just a second it seemed as if Metal Sonic was considering her words, then he rushed at her. Blaze was ready, and employed a flaming whirlwind pirouette to dodge and then kick Metal from behind as he charged past. With reflexes built to match the fastest living creature in history, Metal turned his tumble into a summersault, landing on his feet.

Blaze got a head-start, but Silver had no intention of being left out of this fight. Before Metal Sonic had time to attack the feline princess a second time, Silver grabbed the robot with his psycho-kinesis and threw him across the stage, smashing Metal's solid body into the wall.

"You should've learned your lesson the last time," Silver called to the robot, making a reference to their last encounter on Onyx Island.

What Silver didn't realise was that the Metal Sonic before him now was not the replica that Eggman Nega built during his last visit to the past. This was the true original. Nega had been wise not to employ the services of the robot who once nearly suceeded in conquering the entire world by using the data of its enemies and the power of the water-elemental god Chaos to evolve into a mechanical monstrosity that only the combined power of Super Sonic, Tails and Knuckles could hope to defeat. Nega's version had only employed limit data-replication abilities. It had been nothing compared to the potential of the original; the real Metal Sonic, the one scanning Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat's bodies right at that second.

"Lifeform data...has been copied," said Metal Sonic in a monotonous voice as his eyes flashed red.

Ignoring Metal Sonic's mutterings, Silver picked up the large heavy pile of twisted metal that was all that remained of the restraints intended to prevent the robot from being able to do any harm. Using his power, he flung the heavy object right at Metal Sonic. Silver's eyes widened when the projectile stopped dead a few feet from its target and floated harmlessly in the air. The green halo surrounding the twisted metal was the tell-tale sign of psycho-kinetic energy at work. Metal Sonic walked forward, balacing the weight on empty air. Then he tossed it aside and rushed at Silver in the same way he'd done with Blaze only moments earlier. This time, however, fire erupted around Metal's body, turning him into a deadly fireball. Silver didn't have a chance of evading the attack, so instead he put his arms forward and concentrated all of his energy towards stopping Metal's momentum. It worked, Metal Sonic slowed down, but the fire engulfing his body only continued to grow.

Over the years since he learned to control the powers he'd been born with, Silver had many times carried objects that were over a hundred times his own weight. Right now it felt like he was trying to push a mountain up a steep hill. Metal was pushing back hard, and even though Silver was able to hold the robot at bay for the moment, he wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, and unlike the white hedgehog, Metal Sonic would never get tired. Worse, as Metal pushed, he stored up inertia. The instant Silver let go, Metal would need less than a fraction of a second to cross the tiny space between them. Thus, even though Blaze was running at her top speed when she dived into Silver, using her weight and speed to push them both out of the way, there wasn't enough time for them both to avoid getting hit by the Metal Fireball.

The last few second had gone by like minutes, but now real time flowed back. Metal Sonic crashed through the wall behind where Silver had been standing. Judging by the amount of noise and vibrations, he was having trouble slowing down from that meteoric charge. Blaze screamed out in pain, while Silver felt his whole body turn ice cold at the sight of what was left of his best friend's right leg. It had been torn off above the knee cap, and way too much blood was pouring out way too fast. Silver started to panic.

"Buh-Blaze! Wha-what-whadoIdo!?" he shouted, breathing so fast he had to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

Even in a situation like this it was Blaze who took charge and kept her cool in the face of danger. At least, she kept as cool as anyone could be expected to be in such a situation. Between screams of sheer agony, she managed to do what she knew had to be done. Doing it quickly before the knowledge of how much it was going to hurt had a chance to slow her down, Blaze leaned forward and put both hands, both hands carrying white-hot flames, right on top of the wound on her stump of a leg. Silver nearly fainted as she screamed again, louder than ever. Then the cat passed out, smoke rising from both her hands and her leg. Trembling, Silver knelt down beside her, and looked. The bleeding had stopped completely. By burning herself willingly, Blaze had fused the wound shut.

Silver had never felt so useless. He didn't dare leave his friend, in case Metal Sonic came back, so he stayed put until GUE troops stormed the building five minutes later. After Blaze had been carried onboard an ambulance, and Silver got confirmation that she was going to be alright, the hedgehog went back into the studio along with GUE soldiers and droids. They went through the large hole left behind by Metal's explosive departure, only to find that it led all the way outside into empty air. Silver looked through the broken window at the end, saw the fifty-storey drop below, and jumped. Using his psycho-kinesis to fly through the air, Silver travelled from rooftop to rooftop across the night-lit city, not caring if the government troops had a chance to follow him.

Metal Sonic was loose somewhere in the city. Silver swore that no matter what it took, he was going to make sure the robot never got a chance to hurt anyone else ever again. When he was done with Metal there wouldn't be enough left to salvage...

In the next chapter:

- Metal Sonic meets the world of the future.

- Shadow the Hedgehog finally appears.

- Blaze gets her "Not-gonna-die" card validated by the author.