PoC: Here we are…at last.

Metal: Apparently torturing me is high on your agenda.

PoC: Quit whining, I know you're getting interested.

Metal: W-What? I am not! I…simply don't want you to prolong my abounding suffering.

PoC: Melodrama doesn't suit you; PenFullofChaos819 owns his story, but none of the characters used therein.

Metal: Wordy jargon suits you even less, pen-boy.

PoC: Yap while you can buddy. I can't guarantee how clean a guy like me can keep this romance.

Metal: …You're enjoying this, aren't you?

PoC: But of course.

-l-

Superior

-l-

Light. I see…that light.

It's fading again.

I can hear sounds this time.

But…can anyone hear me?

Am I…all alone?

L

*Capsule Quarters 1-4*

L

With the soft hiss of his pod, Metal's joints came to life. Recharge, or 'sleep' as E-85 called it, came smoothly and effortlessly. At least something good had come out of yesterday's fiasco. The amount of energy he'd spent struggling in his head left the doppelganger with a nearly dead power supply. In addition, a new feature she'd installed allowed the copy hedgehog to keep track of his own vitals without the need for silly time-consuming tests.

He was certain that this day would be no less eventful than the last. Knowing the 'master', Orbot would be in any minute now with his new orders. His only hope was that it involved something more direct and less odious.

True to his expectations, the nagging housemaid-like helper made his entrance "Bright and alert this morning I see! That certainly lightens my load. You would not imagine the kind of shenanigans I've had to deal with. And it's only seven o'clock! Can you believe it?"

"Get to the point." Metal said stiffly. Listening to Orbot was a sure way to provoke physical abuse. The copy wondered if Eggman made him that way on purpose.

"Well aren't you Mr. Sunshine? Fine then, the boss needs you to meet him in the briefing room in about ten minutes." bowing much like a patron, the sphere began to leave.

Metal seemed to have other plans, as he snagged the assistant by his neck. Trying to assume ball-form was now useless thanks to the metallic hedgehog. Glaring up at him, Orbot asked "May I know why you're interrupting me from finishing my job?"

"You are going to show me where the master is." Metal said in an intimidating voice "I will not get lost again."

"But my orders say-"

"I'm changing your orders. Until we reach the master, you obey me." the doppelganger tightened his grip ever so slightly for emphasis "Do I make myself clear?"

Orbot shivered comically at the deadly machine "Fine, fine, whatever you say! But make it fast! I'm on a strict time-table I'll have you know!"

Metal would've grinned if he had a mouth. It was quite gratifying to make someone his subordinate "Excellent, glad you understand. Now lead the way."

From the vice-hold of Metal's hand, Orbot guided them up the ramp leading to the second floor and up to a room 2-6. Expecting to be put down, Orbot thrashed about wildly.

"Not so fast." Metal warned "I said I'd put you down when we reach the master, not the room." if the helper-bot didn't know better, he'd say Metal was having too much fun with this.

"Really! Who does he think he is? Even a mismatched Core shouldn't have affected him this much!" he strained to break free, but the hold was still far too strong.

A table and projector screen was all that adorned the drab room. The doctor had spread out a map of sorts, and was busily marking it as the two entered.

"You wanted to see me doctor?" Metal alerted the distracted genius. Eggman's bald head shot up instantly. His goggle-hidden eyes made it hard to tell, but anyone would think he was surprised to see Metal.

"You'd be sitting at my right hand if you were always this prompt." the egg-doctor said while stretching "Well no matter, on to business. Metal, I have a-" Eggman noticed the uninvited guest in Metal's palm "And what are you doing here?"

"Your delightful creation took the liberty of making me his navigator, WITHOUT your consent I might add." Orbot was lucky he hadn't been this snobby when the 'boss' wasn't around.

Amazingly, the doctor mumbled in approval "I hadn't thought of that…Very prudent of you Metal. I'll have Orbot be your guide until we get your Core fixed."

"I'm glad you agree doc-Hold on, you WHAT?" the helper cried out "B-But boss he usurped your authority, and he-"

Stamping his foot furiously, Eggman shouted back "ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME? Because if you are, I might get mad, ergo I might take it out on you, ergo you might not live to see another day, ergo" his rant ceased once he saw the odd looks he was getting "What?"

"I think your voice chip needs fixing boss!" Orbot cracked up. This lasted all of two minutes as he ended up being chased away by various thrown objects, courtesy of an enraged Eggman. Metal took no interest in the situation. Gazing over the map he could see three red-pinned areas he assumed to be targets. By them he found a list, which was, no doubt, the doctor's objectives sheet.

"So…am I to be sent to one of these locations?" he asked casually.

Though his temper was still bubbling over, Eggman did reply "Yes, a military outpost in particular." taking a stride over to the large screen "I suppose you know nothing about G.U.N., correct?" Metal shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, the ones you're really after are these." the doctor showed several robots, very much like the E-100 series "Those fools at G.U.N. have sold some of my stolen projects to their merc group know as A.I.M."

"A.I.M." Metal repeated. Even someone as 'wooden' as Metal, could see the silly correlation between the two names.

"As you can see, these idiots have designs that rightfully belong to me. I need you to infiltrate this base," he pointed to a red pin "and get back my schematics. A prepared vessel will drop you just outside the base limits. The entire force is yours to deal with, but even alone you should be just fine." Eggman laid out a general map of the facility and its coordinates, which Metal downloaded.

"Doctor…What should I do if I encounter one of your creations?" the copy asked. His question baffled the over-weight mastermind.

"Destroy them of course! What else?" he spoke impatiently "They've been recreated to defy me, and that makes them less than useless scrap."

The doctor's words made good sense. In practical terms, no one should spare a foe, no matter where they come from. No use worrying about lesser machines anyway. The briefing ended following their conversation, and Metal was led to his transport, after a short time given for preparation. Bidding the stuffy base farewell, the killing robot stepped into the vessel. He was glad to get away from the myriad of thoughts he'd been subjected to for the last two days.

L

*One hour later*

L

Time was slow to pass, especially with the flat toned drones he was stuck with. Each one spouted a separate status report every ten minutes, but that was it. More than once, Metal tried to get a more interesting response; his greatest 'success' being several 'return to your seat until we have arrived at our…' orders that he eventually got tired of hearing. The lack of communication made it very easy to think too much, therefore Metal was about ready to stir up trouble. It certainly beat the alternative. However, his boredom-curbing scheme never came to fruition, as the transport crew was at last announcing his freedom.

"Arriving at designated drop point. Proceed with infiltration mission as outlined." the pilot tapped a few keys on his control panel. Hull doors on either side of the ship unlocked, but this did Metal little good as he still couldn't open them himself. Thankfully, a bulky green and brown soldier, which Metal hadn't noticed before, slid the lock out with ease. Over the ear-popping winds, the soldier handed the doppelganger a small headpiece with a mike attached.

"This'll be for you and me. Just click the little button here anytime you need directions or back up." clapping the cold hedgehog's shoulder he finished by saying "Good luck rookie, and make us proud!"

"Rookie?" Metal hadn't heard the word before. Something about it rubbed him the wrong way though. With no more thinking, he launched himself into the open sky.

Diving was unlike anything Metal had imagined. The high-speed winds and the fierce descent, followed by the sheer vastness of blue, invited a new feeling inside him. It felt like a rush or surge of power that urged him to shout out for no apparent reason.

"Hm…Maybe some of these 'emotions' aren't so bad." he thought, as his sensors informed him of the approaching green fields below. Spreading out his strong, yet nimble, appendages, Metal flipped end over end, so as to get the full enjoyment out of his fall. Smoothly, he looped one final time, as his feet connected perfectly with the ground. Maintaining an upright position was easy thanks to his auto-terrain accommodation system.

"Impressive acrobatics, soldier." his ear-phone spoke "But try not to overdo it. You're on duty, remember?"

Metal switched the receiver off. He knew his abilities were far greater than that out-dated field support-bot. Accomplishing this mission would be easy, he assumed. No need for any killjoy's to accompany him.

The target was in plain sight; a simple military outpost with little more than standard security. Utilizing his unrivaled speed, Metal traveled right for the main entrance. As he did, the bothersome communicator sprang to life once more.

"Stop soldier! You're heading right where they can see you! The whole base will be alerted!" the voice warned.

"You don't say…" Metal said casually "Well, worst case scenario, I have my orders.

"What orders?"

"Destroy whatever gets in my way." he replied, and once more broke contact. Not worried in the least, Metal rammed the heavy gates down. Sirens blared from every corner of the base, summoning in a large line-up of grunts and tanks in to greet the intruder. Without warning, a hail of bullets and cannon-fire rained down on the destructive hedgehog. Smoke soon obscured Metal from all sight, cueing a high-ranking officer to order a cease-fire. Stepping up cautiously to the burning obstruction, several troopers searched for Metal's remains.

"Weaker than expected." a cold voice echoed. All heads turned to see the doppelganger alighted atop a small hanger. Having seen him in a clearer light, many man hesitated to act.

"No way." a grunt spoke up "Is that…Sonic?"

"Why would Sonic attack us?" another wondered.

At last, their superior interrupted "Idiots! That's not him. This thing is made of metal! Open fire!" the troops complied, albeit a tad too late, as Metal had broken his way into a large complex.

"Commander Bryant sir! The intruder has infiltrated Tech Command!" a soldier reported.

"Send our Secure-Arms squad in! The engineer quarters must not be damaged. Move!" Commander Bryant ordered. Rubbing his chin, the officer was left curious "Is this one of Eggman's numbers?" he thought, but shook his head "No, I've never seen an E-robot like this before. And by the way it spoke, it sounded sentient…

…but is that even possible?"

L

*T-Command: 2F Lab*

L

Metal displayed his map. In his carelessness, he'd ended up on the facilities opposite side. Cumbersome as it was, he almost hoped his enemies would catch up, for secretly, he wanted to see how long they could 'get in his way'.

Shifting and skidding down the corridors, Metal raced his way to the laboratory entrance. Several human engineers were in the way, leaving him with a choice: Bowl them over with excessive force, or expertly dodge every single one. Since being a living battering ram didn't take much skill, the war machine swerved to miss every terrified face he met. Once he'd made his way to the door, he stared at a nearby reader.

Hand print identification please.

Hand print identification please.

Hand print identification please.

"Hand-print huh?" pulling back he drove his palm into the steel-plated entrance. Caving the door in on impact, Metal walked past the reader "Happy now?"

Verification acknowledged. Have a nice day.

Inside the room he soon uncovered the location of the blueprints the master wanted "A new E-series robot? Why? Aren't I superior to them? Hmph whatever."

"Halt! Drop whatever you're holding and come quietly!" a soldier shouted.

Metal set his bright red eyes towards the human "And if I refuse?"

The poor man's hand struggled to hold his gun steady. Metal's voice seemed to immobilize and weaken the grunt's very spirit. Metal could see this and was overcome by another set of feelings: Power, authority, and control.

Now standing in very close proximity, the killer spoke in a deep tone "Stand aside…if you value your life."

The man was now a shivering wreck. Maintaining his aim just barely, the man said back "I don't want to die, but I can't let you have those schematics either!" hesitating no longer, he began firing. Metal had to admit, for being scared out of his wits the human was a fairly good shot. In his carelessness, one of the stray rounds hit the copy's blue shoulder-pad, causing temporary paralysis in his arm.

"Non-lethal non-destructive rounds." the doppelganger realized "They must be afraid of damaging this place." picking up a large sealed cabinet full of secret schemas; the hedgehog then tossed it into the pitiful soldier. Having removed his only obstacle, the callous robot hovered over the wreckage.

"That was…enjoyable." he said proudly; ready to burst out a conveniently-place window, when he heard a small groan. Casting a stare down to the ground, he saw the man lying weakly under the heavy load. His hand reached weakly into his vest pocket, and produced a square film of what looked to be paper.

"I'm…sorry…" were his only words as the tiny paper left his hand. Metal caught the fluttering item out of air and examined it. It was a strange kind of paper, having an elastic kind of nature. One side was completely blank, which confused the machine further.

"What is this supposed to do?" he said right before flipping the paper over. On the other side, he saw what looked to be a still-frame from reality; something that seemed fascinating to him at the time. Metal had never seen a 'photograph' before, and so had no name to give it. The 'picture' showed a man, who looked strikingly similar to the soldier, standing next to a long-haired human with two smaller ones in front.

"I don't get it." Metal shrugged "Hm…Maybe E-85 might know something." he thought as his communicator started buzzing.

"Soldier! What are you doing? Get out of there!" his 'superior' ordered. Without further pause, Metal clung to the photo and schematics, as he smashed his way out the window.

Mere seconds later, the entire squad showed up. A certain soldier went over to check on his fallen comrade "Lyle! Get up man, come on! At least talk to me!" he rattled the comatose man. The squad's medic did a quick check of Lyle's vitals.

"How is he doc? Will he make it?" the eager grunt asked.

The field medic turned back somberly "He's…"

-l-

End of Chapter Three

-l-

"Editing" took waaaay to long. This was the worst delay I've ever had, and I hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon.

Serenity: Today was the best I could manage. I hope this chapter acts as an apology for my stupid delay :(. Anyway, thanks for your support…

Dancedream: I might have said this, but it's great to have you following two stories instead of one! This chap got held back pretty badly as you can see, but as long as it came out satisfactory I can deal.

Until next time.