Metal was sad to see Shadow leave. Shadow didn't know it, but he was the key to Metal's redemption. Metal was grateful that Shadow had given him the spark he needed. He wished that Shadow could stay longer. He wanted to talk to Shadow, bond with him, express his gratitude. But breaking through Shadow's aloofness was a challenge Metal wasn't ready to tackle.
Even if Metal had begged him to stay, Shadow had a job and a team to return to. Metal silently watched the group say their goodbyes.
"See ya, Faker!" Sonic yelled, "Don't come back too soon!"
"I won't as long as you're around!"
Shadow started his bike and took off.
Metal waved until he was out of sight.
Back at the workshop, Metal was a little sullen.
Sonic and Tails were trying to move Metal's stuff into a side room in the workshop so Metal could have a room of his own. He appreciated the gesture, but he still wished he had spent more time with Shadow.
Sonic's playful teasing about Metal's worktable didn't get a reaction out of him.
"Your own little space! Not much decoration though."
"Like you can say anything about it," Tails shouted from the other room.
Sonic leaned back against the table and pointed at Metal's prize in its place of pride. "Yeah, yeah. But his trophy shelf is filled with stuffed frog! I can pick on him about that without sounding hypocritical!"
Metal suddenly dragged the worktable across the floor, sending Sonic flailing to catch himself. He let out his metallic laugh.
"Ha ha, very funny. I'm just teasing you!"
Tails entered the room with Metal's books, "And he's teasing you back. At least he cheered up a little."
"Take good care of my comics," Sonic said as he shelved them, "I don't lend them to just anyone."
Metal nodded solemnly. He was prepared for the responsibility.
It didn't take long to get everything set up. Metal didn't have very much.
The worktable was against the wall, facing a window. The adjacent wall was occupied by a bookshelf. Metal's plush frog was squished into one of topmost shelves. The jacket was folded up beside the frog and the sunglasses sat atop the frog's head. A charging station was set up next to the bookshelf. The radio and the Miles Electric were on the worktable.
"Like it?" Tails asked.
Metal nodded and chirped happily.
"I have one more thing for you! Sonic and I were talking about how great it's been to have you around. Since we're friends now, and friends trust their friends, we decided that I could finish the repairs. I know your engine means a lot to you and I'm gonna make sure can go fast and fly high again!"
Metal handed Tails the Miles Electric.
The screen read, "Thank you! I am pleased to have friends."
Tails bounced happily. "You're welcome!"
Sonic smiled, "Y'know what? We're happy to be your friends, Metal. I'm happy that I can trust you. And you've been great with Tails."
Tails rushed over and threw his arms around Metal. He squeezed him as tight as he could, which wasn't very much for the little fox. Metal was startled and confused. Tails had done this when Metal was upset, but Metal wasn't upset right now. Sonic assured him, "That's called a hug. It means he loves you."
Metal remembered Amy trying to hug Sonic. He laughed to himself. Tails dragged Sonic into the hug.
Metal felt warm again. He had friends. He was loved.
"Ready to for me to start working?" Tails asked. The group separated and Metal nodded eagerly.
"Then let's get set up. You can go into sleep mode when you're ready."
Sonic gave Metal a pat on the shoulder. "And I'll be here when you're done."
When Metal awoke, he felt whole again. He was in working order. He didn't even miss his connection to the Eggman Empire. He had new friends. Friends who were nice to him and sincerely liked him. In a way, he felt more complete than he had as a badnik.
Tails led him out into the sunshine. Sonic was impatiently waiting for him.
"There you are! Ready for a test run? I'll race you through the forest. First one to touch my porch wins!"
Metal didn't hesitate to agree.
They stood together at the workshop doorway.
Tails said, "One, two, three, go!"
And they were instantly gone. Tails waved the cloud of dust out of his face and smiled.
Metal was a little out of practice and Sonic took the lead. But as memory and habit fell into place, Metal shot ahead of him. Sonic pushed himself to go faster. Metal's engine roared as he increased his power. Sonic leaned into his run. He was almost ahead of Metal! Metal slowed to dodge a low branch and Sonic regained the lead. He turned to face Metal and ran backward. Taking advantage of his showboating, Metal darted past him suddenly, catching Sonic off guard. Sonic tripped over his own feet as he tried to turn around and avoid running into Metal. Metal slowed and looked back. Did he need to help? Sonic picked himself up and waved Metal away. He was fine. He gave a thumbs up. Metal returned the gesture. He let Sonic catch up before returning to full speed. Sonic's house came into sight. Both pushed themselves to go faster. They were side by side as they approached the porch. Sonic missed a step and stumbled. Metal easily gilded over and landed on the porch.
"Not fair! You can fly!" Despite the complaint, there was no anger in Sonic's tone. He was only kidding. Metal took on Sonic's famous confident pose and wagged a finger.
Sonic laughed. "First a cheater, then a thief!" Metal tapped his foot on the porch emphatically.
"Okay, okay. I'll admit it. You win."
He gave Metal a smile and held his hand up. Metal looked at him. Sonic grabbed Metal's hand and pressed their palms together. "That's called a high-five. We're celebrating." He gave Metal another try and Metal happily slapped his hand. They were friendly rivals now. No more racing as enemies.
"Wanna race back?"
Metal was already starting his engine.
Tails climbed out of the Tornado when he heard the sound of Metal's engine approaching. As the noise quieted, he could hear Sonic laughing. Metal's distinct laugh joined in.
The look on Tails' face made them both stop in their tracks.
"What is it?"
"Eggman's here."
Before Metal could even comprehend what Tails had said, Sonic was already perched on the Tornado's wing. Tails ran after him and clambered into the cockpit. As Tails prepared to take off, Sonic looked back at Metal.
He didn't say anything. He didn't seem to expect anything, either.
He was only waiting for Metal to decide what to do.
When the rumble of Metal's engine filled the hangar, Sonic was initially shocked. He beamed with pride. He wanted to believe that Metal was ready to help.
But a tiny doubt settled in his mind.
What if Metal was tempted to run back to Eggman? He didn't want to believe it. He trusted Metal. Surely, he would do the right thing.
As Tails took off and headed for the battlefield, Metal was right beside them.
As Eggman's mech came into view, Metal faltered.
The idea of facing his Master, rejecting him to his face, troubled him.
He was programmed to be loyal to the Eggman Empire. He had overcome it so far, but could he actually betray his Master?
He followed the Tornado as Tails circled the mech.
A recognizable voice projected from the machine, "There you are, you wretched rodents! What do you think you're doing? Taking my masterpiece from me! I built it! Programmed it! Bent it to my will!"
Sonic confidently shouted back, "Oh, don't even try! He's with us now! He and Tails have become such good buddies! You wouldn't want to break up your kiddo's friendship, would you!"
"Don't argue. The play date ends now! Your little runt has stolen my work! He cut the signal so I couldn't find it and now he's using it against me! It does not belong to you! Do you hear me?! It's not yours!"
Tails piped up, "You're right! He's not mine! He's not yours either! He's his own individual! He can do what he wants, and he chose to stick with us!"
"I want to hear that for myself, brat!"
Metal felt tense. It was now or never. The moment of truth. He had to seal his decision and there was no going back.
He flew up to his Master and hovered face to face with the mech.
"Ah! There you are Metal Sonic! Show some sense! Return to me!"
Metal stared the mech down intensely. He hoped his Master could feel the coldness of his glare.
He charged his motor and rushed the mech, head to head. At the last moment, he flipped and slammed his heel into the mech. The windshield of the cockpit cracked.
Sonic jumped, cheering enthusiastically, "Alright! Go Metal! Get 'em!"
"You awful waste of work! I'll turn you to scrap for this! Your friends will pay for your betrayal!"
Metal's initial pang of regret dissipated. He had no remorse. He was satisfied, proud of his choice.
Eggman was still frozen in shock. Sonic took the opportunity to dive off the Tornado and land a heavy blow.
Metal dove after him, caught him, and swung him toward the mech for another attack.
Tails circled overhead, looking for a plan.
It was likely that the mech had a blind spot near the ground.
Eggman's fury would hopefully keep him from acting logically.
He started a scan of the mech.
In the meantime, he could warn the team to strike from below while he distracted.
He saw the arriving reinforcements. Amy had her hammer ready. Knuckles was itching for a fight.
Eggman was too focused on Sonic and Metal to notice their presence.
Perfect.
Tails cut the Tornado's engine and swept down silently. With well-tuned skill, he picked Amy and Knuckles up, restarted the engine, and skimmed the ground to line up an attack.
"Guess he realized Metal had disappeared," Amy commented as she prepared to strike.
"And he is not happy!" Tails confirmed. "I'll get you close. You and Knuckles need to do as much damage as you can before he realizes you're here."
Amy made her move. Tails made a flyby and she jumped at the mech's arm joint, channeling her momentum into slamming her hammer down with maximum force. The joint buckled where she hit, limiting the mech's range of motion.
She used the force of the impact to flip backwards, away from the mech. But the damage warnings alerted Eggman to her presence. The mech swatted at her. She braced, but something intervened. She saw Metal slam into the arm with his claws outstretched. He drew a gash down the arm and kicked away. The arm was pushed back, and Metal flew toward her. He caught her and rushed her back to the Tornado.
Amy gasped when she recognized her rescuer. She wrapped her arms around him.
"I knew it! I knew you had good in you! I'm so happy!"
A smile appeared in Metal's eyes. He set her on the plane's wing. Sonic was already on the other wing. He looked for Knuckles and spotted him clawing his way up the mech's back.
There was no stopping Knuckles when he was in the zone. The best they could do was work around him and hope he got the signal.
Tails filled the group in, "Strike from below. I'll try to get him from the air. He'll probably be focused on Metal. That will be our biggest advantage. The mech is very well protected. We can't shut it down, the power system is in its torso and surrounded by armor. The best we can do is slow it down and try to weaken it."
Metal took to the sky, drawing Eggman's attention.
With Tails providing air support, Sonic and Amy went to work damaging the joints.
As Metal buzzed around like a gnat, a sudden flash filling his vision caught him off guard. A message filled his sight.
Warning: System Intrusion.
Eggnet Connection Established
Metal felt dread. What was about to happen?
Another message appeared.
Self-Destruct Enabled.
Metal filled with horror. He started rushing to stop the process. To boot Eggman out of his system.
Error. Request Denied. Cancellation is Not Available.
A sense of serene finality filled Metal. If he was going down, he wasn't going down alone.
Metal dove down, skimming the ground to grab Sonic and Amy. He carried them away from the Mech. He flew up along the mech's back to retrieve Knuckles.
When he landed to drop Knuckles off, Sonic ran up to him.
"What are you doing!?"
Metal gave Sonic a quiet look. Sonic looked into the former badnik's eyes. He looked determined yet heartbroken.
Sonic sensed that Metal had a plan. And he wanted them out of the way.
"I trust you. Do what you must."
Metal shot up into the sky.
He checked the countdown.
Minutes remained.
He pushed himself to go faster.
Altitude warnings filled his vision.
Metal forced himself forward.
Then he stopped, hanging in the sky.
He floated high above the mech.
It was peaceful. He took it in one final time.
And Metal let himself fall.
He dove toward the mech.
He felt the wind rushing past.
He activated his engines and pushed them into overdrive.
His systems blared with warnings that his body couldn't handle the intensity.
His engine grew hotter and hotter. Molten metal leaked from his jets.
The countdown continued.
10
9
8
A Sonic Boom split the air around Metal.
7
6
5
Metal zeroed in on his target.
4
3
2
No going back.
1.
Metal slammed into the mech, hitting the torso dead center.
He felt layers of metal crumbling around him. He couldn't tell how much of it was his own body.
He hit the power cell. A mess of brilliant color overtook his vision.
Then he felt nothing.
He never heard the cheers from onlookers.
He never heard his team's screams turn to sobs.
It was over.
Notes: And here it is. The dramatic finale. Metal's last stand. But it's not quite the end of our tale. We've still got a few things to address...
R.I.P. Metal. You've come so far and made the most of the time you had. O7