PoC: I, the author of this tale, make no claim of ownership for any of Sega's official characters. But if you would like to dispute this: Call 1-800-Silver&Silver for your free brain-hemorrhaging consultation.

Silver 1: *Pokes Silver 2* He's the one who did it! I'm as innocent as a newborn hoglet!

Silver 2: Alright I confess. I 'borrowed' your Metal's body to produce an identical copy.

PoC: … Why would you bother doing that?

Silver 2: You see, in the future, Metal is met with an unfortunate accident that results in his untimely death… So to replace the friend we lost, I have come to this time…

PoC: That's…impossible. Silver, when does it happen?

Silver 2: By my history, it happened right about…

Metal 1: Absolutely absurd. I don't see how anything could ever manage to destroy-*shot through the head*

Silver 2: Now.

Metal 2: HahahaaaaWAHAHAHAHA! You see? YOU SEE? I am the one TRUE Sonic! Mwahahaha!

Silver 1: Deep-fried pistachio nuts! Metal, old buddy! Speak to me! Hit me! Anything! *Sobs melodramatically*

PoC: Whoa whoa whoa! Hold the phone! You indirectly killed YOUR Metal off, and consequently ours, by traveling back in time to make THIS Metal? *Points to Metal 2*

Silver 2: Huh…yeah. That doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

Metal 2: What? No! NO! That means I'm… I'M A PARADOX! *Explodes*

PoC: *Exasperated sigh*

-l-

Together

-l-

People might accuse scientists of being lazy nerds who sit behind a computer screen whlist playing with E++ or likely some other higher-end programming software, especially those with Eggman's physique. In truth the doctor was, when given the proper motivation, a great mechanic and hard worker. Such could be proved by the way he toiled about designing his latest, and certainly sizable, invention, reaching up to at least three times his height. Oddly enough, much like the mobian girl-bot before it, the master insisted on working in private, despite only being surrounded by his…generally loyal subjects. Whatever his thinking might've been, Eggman broke many a sweat on his newest prize.

Peculiarly, if anyone had been in the general vicinity, they would've picked up the sound of Eggman's voice 'conversing' with…thin air it seemed. It was possible that Eggman, when lacking Orbot to abuse, liked to pour out his hidden regret onto inactive machines, assumingly because they never talked back, and/or never told anyone of what they'd 'heard. In any case, his tone was exceptionally down-to-earth and frank, suggesting another side to the otherwise perfectionist megalomaniac.

"Disappointing you know…" he grumbled "I wasted all my time trying to make the ultimate weapon, only to end up having one with mismatched processor-cores, and the second with mis-linked system compatibility." His griping seemingly referenced Metal and Silvia's (though he still knew her as 'prototype') subpar status.

"To tell you the truth, Metal Sonic is the more depressing of the two." He sighed and tightened another loose bolt. "I recently got him up and strong after several defeats, having built him better than ever before, come to find out he has a rogue core conflicting with his murderous nature. Of course, this is only one of his two main cores, but I can no longer remove it without damaging his hard drive greatly. No, it would be better to just destroy him and start from scratch." The villain whined further, receiving no reply from his incomplete work of art. Pulling back the covering revealed the ground-anchored base of the machine, making it appear remarkably similar to a capsule.

"What's that? What core did Metal get if not his old one?" he replied to his invention's 'question'. Having thrown the cover back over his masterpiece, the doctor about walked away without answering, but he quickly changed his mind long enough to pull up the tarp-like sheath.

"That fool who betrayed me before: E-102 Gamma." He whispered in his new designs 'ear' "And to make matters worse, his formerly acquired 'emotions' have started to blend with Metal's own selfish desires, leaving the blue one more loyal than that traitor was, but still capable of making his own decisions." Eggman paused long enough to kick a random box of tools savagely "And that's what I DON'T want! I hate free-will almost as much as I hate that spiny-rat I copied Metal after!"

Grinning widely, stretching beneath the cover of his reddish mustache, Eggman said "But that's why I have a test for him and for my other creation as well. I want to give both of them an equal opportunity to betray me." The master then crossed his arms as though he had just been asked 'why' by his stale audience "You see I don't mind a pair of contemptible misfits, so long as they remain obedient to my commands, and I have devised a means to test this." He then showcased an outline of a mission he had ordered Orbot to petition for both Metal and Silvia. The objectives seemingly accounted for mere reconnaissance, but underlined in red was a secret test record for the unsuspecting duo.

"According to my calculations, based on his primary programming, Metal will be forced to restrain himself when he meets 'familiar face' on the field. Should he not obey and begin acting outside his boundaries, the prototype is charged, like all others who deal with renegades, with intervening and stopping him 'by any method necessary'."

Eggman grabbed his electronic pen and circled both Metal and Silvia's frames before finishing "Let's say it arrives at worst case scenario, such that both disobey and both go rogue. Well, I have a special feature installed in the prototype that will ensure a decisive victor and servant regardless, albeit one I must fix afterwards." Here he drew a red line through Metal's diagram, then, with a sadistic smile, poked a hole in the sensitive LCD image "Either way I am not left empty-handed! Though I had initially wanted her infiltration to begin sooner, I believe she requires this one final test before I can move the little miss onto her more important task. Hee-hee! I'm such a genius aren't I?"

During his ramble, the master had been so busy rejoicing his overly-elaborate scheme that he hadn't taken a critical detail into account. When he assigned the hybrid to her mission, had Orbot remembered to force the prototype to bring Metal along? Or had he simply given her a forceful suggestion? It was so like his helper to misunderstand and tone down Eggman's orders behind his back.

This realization prompted a quick call on Orbot's line just to be sure. To his dismay, the nuisance wasn't picking up, or maybe wasn't even receiving his message. Eggman about had a rage-induced heart attack, until he remembered promising Orbot that he could shut down after dealing with the crooked E-38. Checking the clock in the darkened corners of the room showed 2:32PM in boldly lit-up numbers, signifying that a whole hour had passed since the helper had contacted the kidnapper.

"Now what? If there isn't enough incentive, Metal may very well decide against taking this mission!" Eggman panicked, having lost all hope of having a good end to his long day, and for understandable cause too. The doctor knew how stubborn the Sonic copy was, and how little he liked working with others. It was unlikely that he would choose to voluntarily take a mission when he didn't have to.

"Confound it all!" Eggman roared out "What besides a direct order or violence could make that Sonic clone do ANYTHING?"

L

*With Metal and Silvia*

L

What a question. What a silly, ridiculous, even unbelievable thing to ask. Didn't she know his answer already? Wasn't his reply going to be obvious to her? Well, given her hopeful/worried stare, he assumed that was a no.

And he had a good guess as to why.

Metal was proud yes, but not proud enough to ignore how he'd been acting around her recently. He'd been evasive, rude, and somewhat cowardly when it came to their one-on-one conversations. What came easy to him with others, such as keeping his cool and composure at all times, turned troublesome in her presence. Not even 72 in all his lunacy ever wobbled Metal enough to make him jumble his words. Silvia, on the other hand, simply had a gift for it.

These truths aside, Metal didn't like seeing her so insecure, thus he chose to dispel her worries with a straightforward answer "If you think it's for the best, then yes, I'll be there to support you as I always have. Though I… I think you would do well with or without my help."

Had she not been looking right at him, now would've been a good time for him to perform a self-inflicted face-to-hand smack. Prematurely admitting his confidence in her abilities could be putting excess pressure on her, and that was indeed the last thing he wanted to do right now. Like before, this thinking had Metal wondering why everything he said came out poorly, only when speaking to her and no one else.

"Metal…" she hummed, donning an indecipherable tone.

Here it came, the moment of her getting mad and exploding on him. She would blow her top and tell him to stop coddling her, and then stomp away in a fit of rage. But wasn't that more of a reaction he would give? No, she was more prone to either running off without a word, or suddenly hugging him and making him feel foolish. No matter which route she took, her intense gaze made the doppelganger feel three inches tall.

"Metal…" he heard her say his name again…this time very gently, and that was NEVER a good sign. Now he could only sit back brace for the incoming hug-attack. To make things more uncomfortable, the briefly forgotten doll had grabbed on to his hand, probably trying to get his attention.

Metal shifted his blood-red gaze down just as he felt the grip tighten, but was confused by what he saw.

The doll was indeed standing next to him…however; he wasn't the one holding his hand. Metal followed the palm back to find it was connected to an elegant, silver-furred arm. Indeed it was Silvia who held his cold-steeled hand up and was now clasping it softly beneath her gloved fingers.

"A mission together…at last." She spoke out with a strong, albeit quiet, sense of satisfaction, as though she had been waiting a long time for this day. The silent but heartfelt act was so strangely entrancing, that Metal found his mind to be sluggish in processing her next words "We should go talk to E-85 quickly and make sure this one is in good hands." She advised while ruffling the top of the puppet's head.

Being as slow as he was on the uptake, Metal foolishly stayed silent for a full twenty seconds until finally saying "Uh…yeah. Good thinking." and then followed the pair to the medical wing.

His stupor and dazed finish aside, that little ordeal had gone over extremely well, even by his pessimistic standards.

Perhaps teaming up with her would be bearable…even enjoyable.

-l-

End of Chapter Twenty

-l-

Disappointing? Well, I hope not…but just the same this was rather short (and, surprise surprise, LATE DX) per my usual entries. I didn't want to have more to digest than this, and adding a third point of view would've simply jumbled things up further. I would hope Eggman's revelation is not ALL that surprising, seeing as how, like all my 'shockers', I hinted to it in multiple chaps (I'm clearly referring to Metal's 'core' issue).

Serenity: He's just a cute and lovable kid, isn't he? :) I've always liked stories that draw on a more innocent side of TD (that said his bad side can be kinda fun too ;)). I love thinking of those three as a family.

DanceDream: Don't worry…life's crappy XD. Slowness is a hard to handle, but common theme for us busy folk. 38 is a nutter, however, I wouldn't say he/she is as agreeable (if that's the right word) as 72 was. First Metal, now Silvia, both a couple of lost teenagers (mentality-wise of course XD)! She's too strong for her own good; no…really :\. He's a tough guy, but even Metal must lighten up sooner or later, and yes TD is cute XD. A family they are, if a bit of a strange one. DragonTales huh? Heh, I have no clue, sorry ^_^'. Cupcake! Win! XD. Great! I'm still looking forward to seeing it! Oh the about creepy part? Let's just say some try to make TD a female and older and…ugh never mind *falls ill*. He really did, and that's why we're required to make the most out of the time we are given. God bless and see you next chap!

Super Shadix 520: Reviewing alone shows you approve, no need to provide earth-shaking advice. It actually keeps me happy knowing that more than three people like my stuff :). Like Eggman hinted accidentally, Metal chooses to be this way too, making him more multi-dimensional. Plus, Silvia is good influence on him.

Mewone: Whoa whoa simmer down now XD! Yes that's what I figured too, plus they don't get enough alone time as is. 38 is less there than 72 was, but is not as 'respectable' if you take my meaning. I admit cute is not normally my thing, but that was fun to write! I wanted them to be, as Serenity guessed, like a strange family :). Yes! Yes! No puns got it! 0_o

Until next time and hopefully-not late update!