_Chapter 8: What I'm Made Of_

Location: Planet Terachnos, Axiom City

Target: Aiden Persero, #8

The drill was simple: get in, arrest the target, and get out. Too bad it wasn't going to be that simple. All of the members of Team Metal were sure of that. Confidently, with sureness that almost no one could project, the three of them entered the small workshop, which, they had been informed, was their target's whereabouts. They entered to see the entire room littered with random papers, wires, gadgets, a few small models, and a large amount of odds and ends, which none of the trio could even begin to fathom their purpose. A Lombax was busy at a desk, fiddling with one odd thing or another.

The Lombax was a copper color; only two black stripes were on his ears. His eyes were a navy blue. A white lab coat hung on his shoulders over the casual jeans and t-shirt he had on. Unknown chemicals stained everything he wore. His attention was completely focused on his work as he spoke quietly to himself. "Let's see…if I switch that with…this one…and then…that one, that should set off a chain reaction that wires me into the main frame…there we go." He smiled. "Soon I will be rid of this forsaken dimension."

A voice suddenly came from the front. "Target identified."

"What was that?" The Lombax turned to see three silhouettes standing in his doorway, one aiming a strange weapon at him.

"Activating Mach 5.0 Charge," it said.

"Um…what…do you think…you are doing?" Aiden asked. "Can't I work in peace for at least one day?"

"Put down those tools, life form," Metal Sonic commanded.

"Why should I?" The Lombax asked rebelliously "I am busy working. Now, if you please, leave. Now."

Metal Knuckles cast the Lombax a withering glance. "You have no right to command us, Aiden Persero."

"And you have no right to burst in here and stop me from doing my work," Aiden retorted. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave at this time and come back at a later date. I am quite busy working on a particularly important project."

"No," Tails Doll said. "You are coming with us…prisoner."

"Excuse me?" Aiden asked with slight disbelief. "I haven't the time to deal with this now! Whatever it is, I am sure it can wait until I have finished. Please leave now?"

The three of them did not even move. "Spark Overload Charged," Metal Sonic said. "Fire."

At that moment, a female Lombax came in through the back door saying, "Aiden, I came to talk to you about your plans for this weekend. That is, if you're not too busy…?" The girl was a dark gray color; her stripes were turquoise, most likely dyed that way. Her eyes were the same turquoise. It was Aiden's sister, Twilight Persero, and the last target on the list.

"Stay out of this, number 1," Metal Sonic said threateningly as he hit Aiden pointblank. Aiden fell hard on the floor.

"Aiden?" Twilight asked with confusion. Then she saw Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles, and Tails Doll at the front door and her brother on the floor. "What in the Netherworld is going on here?!"

"Twilight…" Aiden said to his sister as he struggled to get up. "Tanya… Please…Leave now!"

"Aiden!" Ignoring her elder brother's words, Twilight immediately rushed to him, keeping a wary eye on the three intruders.

"Twilight Persero, Target One," Metal Knuckles informed his companions.

Twilight looked up sharply when she heard the voice. "You!" She said fiercely. "You could have killed him, you bastards!"

Metal Knuckles grinned. "Have a nice flight, Twilight. Eruption…Pound!" The force of the impact sent Twilight literally flying out of town. The three of them watched until she disappeared.

"How far do you think she went?" Tails Doll asked to neither of the other two in particular.

"Eh, 'bout a hundred miles maybe," Metal Knuckles replied.

"You can do better than that, friend," Metal Sonic said.

"Well, I didn't want to kill her," Metal Knuckles said with slight arrogance.

Turning their attention back to Aiden, who was still trying to stand, Metal Sonic said, "Come with us." The Lombax finally got to his feet and did not protest or struggle when Tails Doll handcuffed him.

As Tails Doll did this, he said, "Don't worry about your sister. We'll get her later." Aiden said nothing as Tails Doll led him to the door.

"Wait," Metal Sonic commanded. "Give me the Chaos Emerald."

"Chaos Emerald?" Aiden asked flatly.

"Found it!" Metal Knuckles called as he held up a yellow crystal. Aiden glanced at it for a moment before looking upstairs suddenly. His ears fell back, and he growled softly.

"This does not seem right," Metal Sonic whispered to Metal Knuckles.

"That is because it is not," Aiden said quietly, still not looking at the three.

"What?" The three of them said in unison.

"They're here," Aiden continued puzzlingly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Metal Sonic demanded.

"The Shaiidian," Aiden said, growling again.

"Show us this Shaiidian," Tails Doll challenged.

Aiden glanced back at his captor. "You are asking the impossible."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I programmed them to be invisible to all except those who were about to die," Aiden replied.

All three robots stared at him, dumbfounded. "You programmed them?"

"Yes, I made the Shaiidian as Guardians for the Temple of Ninix," Aiden explained matter-of-factly. "They are digital entities, made of Nano-bots, designed to keep out unworthy intruders. But during their creation, something went wrong. Don't ask me what it was; I don't know for sure. All I do know is that they're vile and sadistic. And they're pretty much everywhere. You wouldn't want to meet one in a dark alley any day. I know I wouldn't." He shivered and his ears twitched, making it obvious that he was uncomfortable.

"Can they be destroyed?"

"No, only neutralized. That's what really annoys me. I outsmarted myself when I made them. Now, they're about ready to kill me at any chance they get." At this point, he was shifting uneasily, as if trying to escape some unseen menace (which, in truth, he was). He flinched suddenly, glancing down at his right shoulder.

"What the hell…?" Metal Knuckles said. Aiden was bleeding from a mark that looked suspiciously like a bite.

Smiling wryly, Aiden said, "See what I mean?" The trio looked around, but saw nothing. Metal Sonic then felt something brush against his leg. He looked down to see a shadow on the floor. Deciding not to take any chances, he shot at it. The shadow disappeared from sight, and reappeared before Aiden.

What the heck? Metal Sonic thought. What are these things?

Surprising the robots, Aiden suddenly said, "Try as you might, you shall never be rid of me."

A whisper suddenly filled the room, produced by many voices. "Release him, and face us as you truly are."

"You shan't tempt me," Aiden said in reply.

"You better tell us what the hell is going on her, Persero," Metal Knuckles demanded. "Otherwise, things will get very ugly."

"Violence is the last thing you need to resort to, robot," the voices said. "Be wary of what you say, lest you force his hand." The shadows, which had paused as the voices had spoken to Metal Knuckles, began to circle Aiden slowly, like a wolf closing in on its prey. Then the shadows stopped and, lifting from the floor, surrounded the Lombax while shaping themselves into sharp spikes.

A faint smile played upon Aiden's lips before he murmured, "Dezòd kontwòl…" Chaos Control… Suddenly, he disappeared in a flash of yellow light. A high-pitched shrieking filled the room as the shadows stirred, writhing restlessly around the area where the Lombax had just been. After about a minute of this, the shadows dispersed and vanished from the nearly abandoned workshop.

Metal Sonic growled, annoyed. "Where did he go?" Tails Doll asked. He walked over to where Aiden had been and picked up a small yellow object. "Look! The Chaos Emerald!"

"So that means…" Metal Knuckles held up the yellow crystal in his right hand, and, after inspecting it for a brief moment, crushed it as if it was made of no more than fragile glass. "Somehow…he created a replica. We should report this to Sonic."

"What about Quark?" Tails Doll asked.

Metal Sonic shook his head. "No, he will not find this significant. And he is too much of an idiot." Both of the robot's companions nodded in agreement. Then Metal Sonic sent a transmission. As soon as Sonic was on the holo-screen, he gave his report.

When he had finished, Sonic crossed his arms and looked down thoughtfully. "This is indeed troubling news."

"Shall we pursue Aiden?"

Sonic shook his head, looking back up at Metal Sonic. "No, we don't have the time right now. Mark him as M.I.A. for now and head back to Kerwan. As soon as I find Twilight, we'll solve this." Then the transmission was cut off.

Metal put away his communicator. "There is one thing I do not understand," Tails Doll said suddenly. He was glancing between the yellow Chaos Emerald and the spot where Aiden had last been. Both of his companions looked at him in silent askance. "How…?" He looked up at them. "How did Aiden…?"

Metal Sonic finished the question for him. "How did Aiden use Chaos Control?"

I honestly must say that I had a bit of trouble with Aiden's character. I was trying to make him seem more like Sesshomaru from the anime "Inuyasha," but I just couldn't figure it out. So I just went with this. Over time, his characteristics will change to where he's not as ... what's the word I'm looking for here?

Anywho, I hope for a couple reviews (please? I really want to know how I'm doing) and I will be working on the next chapter. That is IF I can get Wyvern to stop being so lazy. JK :D

Peace, Laters, whatever it is you like hearing. TTFN!

~Nipah~

My sister has forced me to watch too many Higurashi vids.

Oh, and look this up:

watch?v=3xGl8YXNrbU

It will make you laugh, I swear.

If it doesn't, she'll be sad.

Yes, I know the user who did it, but sadly, she is not me, cause I am not as genius as my sister.

*sigh*

Byee, now! :D