Metal: We now interrupt our daily/monthly/annual disclaimer to bring you this breaking noose: Author PenFullofChaos819 was recently sentenced to the gallows, until the choked-up writer agreed to a full revival of his deleted stories. Juries involved with his appeal were reportedly hung. Neckties will be provided for any who choose to attend tonight's memorial service. T-This massage has bean approved by glee, Mental Sonic! Ugh…c-cursed…water…

Silver: …I think that beach-party rubbed more than lotion off on that baked head of yours. Anyway, where's Pen? You don't really plan on finishing this story alone…do you?

Metal: Sssszzzilence! You may pimply sit back in concrete solitude while my artistic talon fills PoC's eyes with ears!

Silver: Ah…! Such language! How DO you hope to keep Silvia with that potty mouth of yours? Hand your foul creativity over for a thorough soap-washing, right…NOW!

Metal: …bury well hen *hands chapter over*. S-Seed for yourself the bastard-plant which I have rot!

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Scapegoat

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His life was no picnic, being a genius evil scientist with devilish good looks and all.

Oh it had its perks to be sure, yet daily the obligation to selfish ambition could be more tiring than the common folk knew. Eggman in particular, being a professional sort of lowlife, had many a lonely niceties to live up to: Such as pretending to be more 'in the know' about current events than he actually was, or plotting out a plethora of schemes so that he always appeared to have a 'plan B' in store. Yes, the frivolous life of falsehoods and folly was ill-suited for the fainthearted. Hmm…he'd have to write that thought down, or keep it in mind until he publishes his book. Speaking of such, what about the title? Some of these sounded familiar: 'It's a Hard-Boiled Life for us', or maybe 'Peace made Over-Easy' or possibly 'Poaching Treachery: Confessions of Benedict', or even 'Mein Scramble'…

As the doctor remained locked in his latest narcissistic daydream, he failed to notice the whining shouts of his high-sprung, and now highly frustrated, circular companion.

"BOSS! Did you hear me? The general is waiting!" Orbot shouted his rather urgent message, apparently arousing the impatience whoever he had on the other line "Boss, I'd truly appreciate it if yo-oh hello again! Just one more moment and he'll be…I'm sorry, what was that? …oh no I assure you, he's here! It's just that he suffers from uh…f-fromcerumen-lipidosis! That's why he-beg pardon? What do you mean 'is that a real disorder'? Of course it is! Listen 'Mr. Diploma', I've been scraping fat-wax out of his ears since I was born, so don't try lecturing ME abou-urk!"

Be it due to situational urgency, or more likely the squeaking whine of Orbot's voice chip, Eggman snapped into action, and his helper's neck, whilst finally answering the important call "General Bryant I presume? Oh well now, my identity is of no importance, but I DO have some information you in particular might find intriguing-? What's that? You…DO know who I am…?" The Egg-master twitched irritably, applying the softest amounts of pressure around Orbot's throat all the while.

Aware now that his poor attempt at going incognito had failed, the scientist went for a more frank approach "Listen my good general, I need your help. Oh? Why should you help me? … Ah…yes sir, I'm well informed. I know all too well of the sort of destruction one known as Metal Sonic has caused." The doctor tried hard to contain his gag reflexes as the A.I.M. general kept on complaining about one measly soldier's death "Yes, yes…I feel your loss, but let's put this in perspective: If Metal Sonic is left to continue his tumult, the fate whole world might soon be placed in jeopardy! Understand that I would stop him if I could, but I fear I made him too powerful, too superior to my other machines."

This debate went on back and forth until the doctor passively brought the angry general to a compromise "Oh-ho fine then! On YOUR terms my good general! Hmm? Very well, I'll show proof of my 'cooperation' soon enough. Oh…? You still don't trust me? That's…likely a wise choice sir, a wise choice indeed. Rest assured G.U.N. and its affiliates are not by any means my allies either…" Whittling down the general's logical distrust whilst getting him to see the 'common enemy' was difficult, but the terms were eventually molded to the obese doctor's liking. Thus he was at last able to ditch the boring conversation with fairly large smile.

Orbot dared to examine his master's deranged delight and comment "Boss, why hand Metal Sonic over to them? Wasn't your original plan to dismantle whatever the prototype left of him?" It was a valid point, but the helper had little hope of his abusive master listening to reason. Once Eggman had a thought stuck in his head, little else besides his latest scheme seemed to matter.

Seeing the robotics expert raise his flabby finger up, Orbot reflexively 'balled-up' while Eggman simply replied "Try to remember that Metal's loyal crew was kind enough to confirm his active status, thus I'll admit that my initial plan, in that regard, failed. But the way I see it, having him walk into a trap is easier than wasting good robots on his destruction. Besides…this will give both G.U.N and A.I.M. something to worry about while I complete my other project using my grandfather's legacy."

Upon finishing this explanation with relative cool, the good master patted his 'partner' unnervingly and added "Next time though…I will consider eating you if you question my logic or if I fail to reach my daily five thousand calories, understood?" Glad to see Orbot's compliant, if submissive, nod, the oval scientist finished on a more serious note "Now we must make preparations for Sonic's arrival. I feel Tails' capture gives us less time to get everything ready."

Against his lord's dire warning, Orbot couldn't resist asking "But boss, you told the fox that Sonic wouldn't show up! Don't tell me you…" Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck the helper's now-fevered brain chip "Oh my… You gave the hedgehog directions to your old base, didn't you?"

Guffawing briefly, Eggman ignored his servant's defiance, or possibly ignorance, and answered "Well…aside from tacking on a few time consuming detours, yes of course! How do you think I knew where Sonic would be for Metal and the prototype's little 'scouting mission'? Worry not; if all goes according to plan, Sonic will descend just in time for a little surprise of mine! Oh-ho-ho, not even that insufferable hedgehog will see THIS one coming! Oh-ho yes, my genius simply knows no limits!"

Behind Eggman's premature victory fanfare, Orbot could be seen rolling his L.E.D. eyes, then mindlessly asking "Well, then if Sonic was already going to rescue the fox, I just have to ask: Why couldn't Sonic handle Metal Sonic at the same time? In Metal's damaged state, I'm sure the true Sonic would make short work of his lookalike, ergo you could've avoided appealing to A.I.M., ergo you complicated everything for nothing, ergo this is how your plans get forced through a blow-hole and fail, ergo this gives you more in common with a whale."

Eggman, now red as a volcanic tomato, chose to bite his tongue for a precious few seconds, until he could answer sanely "In all your 'ergoneous' wisdom, did you forget that Metal and the hybrid have a 'link' established between them? If one is threatened, I calculate an eighty-seven percent chance that the other will defend it in a symbiotic manner, thereby ruining the better mission I have in mind for the prototype. In other words, my brilliant plans will only fail if Metal and the hybrid are in the same picture. Now to answer your other 'question', who said I was going to let Sonic do the rescuing? If that doesn't make sense, you'll just have to shut up and see what I mean."

Adjusting his glasses slightly, the nefarious doctor then gave his underling a ruthless grin "And Orbot…what did I say about questioning me, hmm…?"

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*Hours later/In the Medical Wing*

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Being the busy station that it was, most units were required to leave shortly after dropping of those in need of repair. Against this unwritten rule, the silver part-mobianoid was permitted by 'higher authority', a.k.a. E-85, to remain in the wing until Metal's condition stabilized. Silvia had been told that the head physician would also be paying her visit, on the grounds of collecting data on the Sonic clone's current injuries. This left the hybrid sickening feeling that any information E-85 managed to ease or grill out of her would be then passed down the Eggman himself.

While the friendly scout reassured her that 85 could be trusted, Silvia sadly brushed his words off. What good was comfort provided by a loyal peon? As helpful as the grunt had been thus far, she sincerely doubted that any robot present would be willing to directly cross the doctor for Metal's sake. Thus, when the time came, she feared that these 'allies' might start turning on her cause to appease their master. And of course, should she blurt the truth out, she may very well end up dooming both Metal and herself in one go.

"What am I thinking?" She groaned, realizing how self-centered her last thought had been "This isn't about me at all. It's Metal that's going to suffer for our failure…" Her flesh and blood ears drooped at this truth. Right from the start, she had been nothing but trouble for everyone on this base, especially for Metal. Yet after all the powerful hedgehog had done for her, she was now likely to sign his one-way ticket to the scrap yards. Despite being mostly mechanical, Silvia felt crushed by the unfairness of his circumstances and started to cry "If I hadn't been created, none of this would've happened. Everything I do…only brings Metal more problems…"

"That's just not true, dear." A motherly voice answered…her thoughts? No, that was an inaccurate assumption on her part. Silvia computed this and slapped a palm over her own mouth, realizing she had spoken her private thoughts aloud…for the hundredth time since her activation. Unnerved by the slip up, the mix-bred robot looked shyly up at the newly arrived E-85. Thankfully, the kindly old machine didn't press Silvia for answers, but instead moved to take a seat next to her. At the same time, the scout dismissed himself, saying he had some unfinished duties to attend to, leaving the two to talk in private.

With the silver girl unwilling to make the first move, the aged E-medic stated "Metal Sonic took quite a beating, but it seems his own recovery systems already have his body on the mend. You have to admit, that boy is one fine piece of work. I say he'll be up and functional in an hour or less." The hybrid expressed visible relief and surprise at the med-bot's report. Having seen Metal's tattered body firsthand after the incident, it wasn't easy for the hybrid to believe this overly positive news.

Secretly delighted to see Silvia's face light up, 85 quietly turned her head skyward and mischievously added "But you know…he did say something about wanting visitors. The poor lad must be so lonely…all cooped up in that tiny room 138. Oh if only someone would take a left, head straight down the hall, and check the door on their right. Ah but who would bother to-" She then stopped only after hearing a chair slide, followed by the sound of hasty footsteps and a scream (the lattermost apparently from E-33).

This left the E-bot smiling as a crew of sentries approached from behind.

"Eggman robot, series zero point eight five." The middlemost guard announced in typical robotic monotone "You are required by order of Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik to disclose the location of Metal Sonic 2.0. Master Eggman has a mission for it."

Seeing that Silvia was far out of sight, E-85 nodded once and turned towards the sentries "I would be happy to comply. This way please." She dutifully replied, leading the five armed units past a series of double doors, towards the right quadrant of the medical wing.

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*Shape-shifter's POV*

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"Oh hey big boss! Wait a second; aren't you supposed to be on that mission for the doc?"

"Ugh…yes, yes of course." The shifter growled back, now greatly regretting having taken the buffoon's form too soon. For the last few hours, he hadn't been able to locate the bloated general at all. It also seemed that every grease monkey he was stopped by had something to say about E-99's 'new mission'. Wonderful, just as the next stage of his plan comes underway; the fat controller goes and issues new orders that disrupt everything! Angered and losing composure, the fake E-99 went on to loosely 'ask without asking' what the mission entailed.

Disgusting as so many on the Sky-port were, one scum-scrubber in particular was very helpful. Soon, enough information had been gathered for the shifter to ascertain E-99's assignment: The hefty general had been ordered to move the Gerald Project, as well as all other experimental programs, to an undisclosed location for some kind of testing. This meant that the deceiver's plans were deadlocked, now that the both E-99 and the doctor had abandoned the base until the blue mobian arrived. Unknowing of the doctor's true intentions, this half-understood realization sent the shifter into a berserk rage.

"Master…I wanted you to see the potential you threw away." The shifter rambled on insanely, right in front of the janitorial E-69 no less "I tried doing this the honorable way, by simple process of elimination. But I see now...you've abandoned us. You plan on feeding us to the hedgehog in case your 'perfect' scheme falls through. You took your most precious toys and fled like the coward you are… Such a disgrace is unfit to be called ruler of any empire!"

Totally lost on the faker's mad speech, the curious 69 asked cautiously "Uh…is everything okay, E-99 sir? Sir…is something wron-agh!"

The shifter gradually discarded the general's form, while squeezing the cleaning machine's vocals tightly between his fingers "I have no reason to take part in this charade any longer. I will simply take over this worthless base by force! I'll destroy that hedgehog and then….the master…is next!" With a sickening snap, the power inside the cleaner brother went out. Having tossed the poor machine's empty shell aside, the shifter's latest form was now set in: One nearly identical to the current Metal Sonic, albeit a dark hue of blue. In that same moment, the destroyed E-bot had sent out a distress signal upon deactivation; a detail that went unnoticed by the power hungry shape-shifter.

Letting out a cracked, several minutes-long barrage of laughter, the sinister Metal Sonic then shouted "The time for my vengeance is at hand! Soon very soon I will enslave everything on this base, including my inferior double! Then all will know who is greater, and I will be revered as the true Son-zzz-ic-zzz-aargh! Ugh…!"

With a sudden groan, the duplicate Metal fell face first into a pile of destroyed parts and grime. Behind his unconscious form stood a team of sentries, each armed with whirring EM rifles. One such sentry picked up the husk of the destroyed E-69, showing the body to it's superior.

The leader of the team gave a nod and pulled up it's radio and reported "Dr. Eggman, target Metal Sonic has been located. Subject was found exhibiting signs of rogue behavior, resulting in the destruction of your master's Eggman robot, series zero point six nine." On the other end, the doctor could be heard chuckling slightly before giving his reply. The commander then parroted back the master's orders "Understood. Rogue activity irrelevant. Subject Metal Sonic is to be restrained and placed aboard Transport 1331 as scheduled."

All units then surrounded and collected the disabled machine, at the same time leaving the disabled 69 out to rot in a puddle of his own oil.

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End of Chapter Twenty-seven

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And two months later, I finally show my face. Grr…well, that's that. I can't do much about it now, so I won't start with the inane apologies. If anyone still reads this, just know that I did what I could to get this out. Sorting out the plot took much longer than I expected (even then, this chapter may still strike some as confusing), but please bear with me, and I'll get this back up and running.

Until next time.