-Chapter 160-

Recovery


Angel Island

It had been nearly two weeks since Metal Overlord's final defeat. Chaos had returned to the Master Emerald, the Chao returning to Azure Lake. The Freedom Fighters were all getting some much needed rest after a hectic three days, all save for two. Knuckles and Keith remained ever vigilant, watching over Kat. She was laid out under the Master Emerald, still in a coma after everything she'd been through. Keith had even slipped some Power Rings on her wrists, each arm now sporting at least a dozen golden bracelets because of this. As afternoon on the fifteenth day rolled around, Sonic decided to swing by and check on things.

"How's she doing?" he asked Keith and Knuckles.

"Better," Keith replied. "But she's still conked out."

He stepped aside. Kat did indeed look much better than the battered, gaunt, and ratty shell Robotnik had pulled from the Chaos Syphon. Her figure had filled back out, and she looked like she was sleeping peacefully.

"She's better physically at least," Knuckles remarked. "I can't say the same for her mental state. She hated robots before, but after all that…"

He took her hand, gently rubbing it. "I'm worried about her."

Sonic looked over her sympathetically.

"This happens all the time with us," he muttered. "We get mental scars, start getting help and are finally getting better... then we go through a trauma conga line that sends us right back where we started. Being a hero is nowhere near as glamorous as it is in the comics."

"Guess not," Knuckles agreed.

Just then, Kat let out a very soft groan. All three turned to her as her eyes slowly began to flutter open.

"Knux…" she let out. "Keith…"

A weak smile formed on her face as tears filled her eyes. "Sonic… You found me…"

They took that in before Sonic managed a smile.

"Of course we did," he said softly. "That's what being a Freedom Fighter is all about, Kat. We're not just friends, we're family. That means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. Ever."

Kat tried to sit up, but her body was still weak. Knuckles quickly caught her, and she got a chance to look around.

"I'm… home…" she let out. "How long... was I...?"

"Two weeks," Keith replied.

"Metal?"

"We softened him up, then Eggman personally blew him away." Sonic answered.

"The Chao?"

"All safe," Knuckles assured. "They're back at the lake."

"Then… we won?"

"Yeah," Keith nodded. "We won."

She let out a long breath, then just leaned into Keith and sobbed. He held her, soothingly petting her head.

"I've got you," he assured. "And Metal is never going to hurt you, or anyone else ever again."


Robotropolis

At Citadel Robotnik, a loud yell rang through the building.

"WHAT?!"

Eggatha recoiled at that. She and Robotnik were standing in her lab, and she had just presented Metal Sonic's backup flash drive to him.

"Agatha, have you lost your mind?!" Robotnik demanded. "After everything we went through, all of the atrocities Metal Sonic committed, how can you even entertain the idea of rebuilding him?!"

"It's our fault he ended up that way, Uncle Ivo," Eggatha insisted calmly. "We made him too powerful too quickly. We basically gave him a super form without ensuring that his mind would be able to handle it. And I want to fix that."

She held up the flashdrive.

"I have a copy of his memories, as well as his personality files. I've already gone through and edited the latter files heavily. For starters, the memory of Kat cracking my rib is gone. What triggered his betrayal was seeing you grab me on top of that. Basically, I got rid of the two triggering events that lead to his spiral. I did leave the other memories, but only so he can remember and reflect on just what he did."

Robotnik took that in, but was still reluctant.

"And if that's not enough to convince you, I also installed a security feature. The Training Wheels Protocol. Most of his more advanced functions and subsystems, like the Copycat circuit, have been disabled until you yourself decide he's earned the right to use them. He'll be in his Mark I body, and I'm even putting a dampener on his speed engine. And, as added security, I'm installing a failsafe feature. Basically, if Metal does start spiraling again, his entire system gets EMPed, erasing him for good. I've taken every precaution to ensure that another Metal Overlord incident doesn't happen again."

Robotnik was still reluctant, but let out a very long sigh.

"I will not be sending him into the field," he said at last. "You will keep him in your lab and away from me until I decide to face him, and if I so much as think we'll be having a repeat of what happened, he's done."

"I know," Eggatha nodded. "If he spirals a second time, there won't be a third."

"I do hope you don't come to regret this, Agatha," Robotnik remarked.

"I have to try. Even at his worst, he never hurt me, Uncle. That has to be a point in his favor."

"Doesn't mean there weren't others he hurt. Our organization may have a well-earned reputation for depravity, but Metal crossed the line from 'villain' to 'monster'."

Eggatha gave a solemn nod, then Robotnik walked off.


Angel Island

Back on Angel Island, Kat had managed to regain control of herself, her sobs dying down as she wiped her eyes.

"Sorry…" she let out. "I was... holding that in…"

"Don't be sorry," Sonic assured. "I don't like crying myself, but sometimes it's better to just let it out."

Kat nodded, sniffing slightly.

"Can… we go to Knothole?" she asked. "I... need my friend. All my friends."

Sonic nodded. "Sure."

Keith readied a Warp Ring as Sonic and Knuckles helped Kat to her feet, supporting her on either side.


Knothole

In Freedom HQ, everyone gathered when they saw the ring open. Upon seeing Kat coming through, everyone cheered. Hugs were shared all around, Kat happily reciprocating. Omochao fluttered over, a card in his nubs.

"This is from Shard." he said.

Kat took it, seeing it was a "get well soon" card.

"Where is Shard?" she asked.

"He and Sir Charles elected to give you space," Omochao explained.

"Ah…"

Kat stumbled a bit, her two companions catching her again.

"Is she okay?" Chris asked.

"It's gonna take awhile for her strength to return," Knuckles replied. "But she's awake, so there's that."

"Let's get her onto the couch then," Hope decided. "She definitely needs rest."

"Wait…" Kat raised her head. "Tell Shard to... join us. Uncle Chuck... too."

"Are you sure?" Tails asked.

Kat nodded.

"I'm not... gonna treat them... any differently," she insisted. "I won't... let Metal win. Shard's... my friend, and Uncle Chuck... is too."

Sally nodded before leaving. A few minutes passed before she returned, Shard and Uncle Chuck with her. Kat was now laid out on the couch, all the kids gathered around her with Keith holding her head in his lap. She looked up to see them, smiling.

"I have two weeks of Sonic Man to catch up on…" she said. "Join us?"

After a minute, they sat down next to her. Keith took the remote, bringing up the recorded episodes of Sonic Man and hitting play.

"Huh…" Knuckles mused. "Guess she's stronger than I thought."

"Yeah…" Sonic agreed.

He walked over, sitting down on the ground in front of the couch. As the episode played, he looked up at Kat.

"How're you able to... heal so fast?" he asked.

Kat turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"You spent three days being tortured… but you're not letting it affect you."

"Through it all... I never gave up hope," Kat reached out with her burnt hand, squeezing his shoulder. "I knew you'd find me."

Sonic took her hand, giving a smile.


Station Square

Later, Sonic was in Station Square doing a food run for the Sonic Man marathon. Before he got to the store, he stopped before Honey Clothing. Looking down at his outfit, he nodded before entering.

"Anybody home?" he called.

Honey popped out from behind a shelf, grinning.

"Sonic!" she exclaimed. "Is it just me, or is there a spark in your eye that's been absent for awhile?"

"Things have gotten a lot better for me, Honey. I'm ready for an update."

"Thank Aurora," Honey sighed. "You know I love you, Sonic, but let's face it. The grim and gritty emo biker look just doesn't suit you."

"Agreed," Sonic nodded. "I'll leave that for Shadow. So, what have you got for me?"

Honey grinned, taking Sonic by the arm and pulling him to the back. When he reemerged, he was wearing a white hoodie with red accents on the sleeves. Gold rings hung from the tassels on the hoodie, and a Red Ring symbol dominated the pocket. He now wore reddish brown cargo pants, and just felt a million times lighter.

"This is part of my Red Ring collection," Honey explained. "And I think it's a nice contrast to the old, dark look."

"Yeah, it is," Sonic agreed. "Definitely me."

"Agreed," Honey hugged him, smiling. "Welcome back, Sonic."

Sonic smiled, returning the hug. "Good to be back."


Knothole

Sonic entered Freedom HQ with several grocery bags of snacks, whistling casually... only to stop short as Hope ran into the room frantically, holding a strange blue-and-yellow cocoon-like object. Keith and Kat were holding similar objects, the latter being carried by Knuckles on his back.

"Cream, something's wrong with Chails!" Hope cried. "I went into the lab to feed him, and all I found was this!"

"Same with Chronic!" Keith said in a panic.

"Chuckles…" Kat groaned worriedly.

Cream looked at the cocoons, then broke into a smile.

"They're evolving!" she announced happily.

They looked confused.

"Sorry. I didn't think to tell you," Cream went on. "Chao are kinda like butterflies. When they grow up, they wrap themselves in cocoons to fully mature."

"So... this is normal?" Kat asked.

"Yep," Cream nodded. "Let's get them to the lake. I bet Drake can help them right along."

"That sounds great!" Hope declared. Hey, can I bring Shadow? He's never been to the Garden."

Cream smiled. "Of course."


Angel Island

At Cream's direction, Team Chronic's cocoons were placed in the water. Shadow looked around, his arms folded across his chest. He suddenly caught movement out the corner of his eyes, and looked to see a newborn Chao crawling over to him. It held up its arms, clearly wanting up, but Shadow just gave his usual scoff and looked away. The Chao was undeterred, falling over and onto his sneaker. After a minute, Shadow looked left and right, making sure nobody was looking before kneeling down and gently petting the Chao on the head.

"Awww…" came Hope's voice. "No one can resist Chao."

Shadow jumped, turning to face Hope, who was smiling. Before he could object, the Chao fluttered into the air, perching on his head. Hope snorted, grinning under her hand.

"Alright," Shadow sighed in resignation. "You got me."

"No need to be ashamed, Shad," Hope assured. "Even Eggman likes Chao."

The Chao nestled himself comfortably into Shadow's spines.

"And they tend to be drawn by those who need them the most," Hope added.

"Meaning he wants to come home with me," Shadow realized.

"Pretty much, yeah."

Shadow sighed. "Well... Omega has Flickies, so why not a Chao?"

The others were relaxing by the water and just enjoying the serenity. Drake flew over to Kat, smiling at her.

"Hey Drake…" she greeted. "Glad you're safe."

He snuggled into her lap, glowing slightly. She felt some of her strength return to her, much to her relief.

"I take it this is how you say thank you," she mused, getting a nod. Kat smiled, patting his head. "You're welcome."

Drake then turned to the water, tapping the surface and sending out a small ripple of power. This caused the Team Chronic cocoons to rise to the surface, glowing brightly. They began rocking back and forth before slowly dissolving to reveal the newly evolved trio. Chronic now looked like a mini version of Sonic, minus the muzzle. Chuckles was the same, only he looked like a mini Knuckles. Chails was the spitting image of Tails, right down to the twin tails he had instead of wings.

"My, what a handsome young devil," Sonic remarked, looking at Chronic.

Chronic gave Sonic a grin, rubbing a nub against where his nose would be as if to mimic Sonic's trademark move. Chuckles bounded over to Kat, getting a pat on the head.

"Hey there, little guy," she greeted.

Chuckles hugged her arm as Chails flew around, displaying flight similar to his namesake. The group kicked back, enjoying the moment of peace.


Robotropolis

Meanwhile, in her lab, Eggatha had put the finishing touches on Metal's rebuilt body. She opened his access panel, placing the flash drive inside and powering him on. His optics slowly flickered to life as he looked around.

"Metal…?" Eggatha let out cautiously.

He was heavily strapped to the worktable for good measure, but she was still nervous. Metal looked around, processing his memories, especially the events of the Metal Overlord incident. His eyes closed before looking into Eggatha's own.

"Aggie…" he began, "why did you rebuild me?"

"Because…" Eggatha replied. "Because I know you lost yourself. You got drunk on power. But through it all, you never hurt me."

"I betrayed the doctor," Metal reminded her. "I threatened to harm Chao, tortured Kat Winters to near-death... You should have let me stay junked."

"Metal, it's our fault," Eggatha insisted. "We upgraded you too fast. You got too strong too quickly. Your mind couldn't handle it."

"That's no excuse. I deserve to be scrapped for what I did."

"Well, you're not just getting your old position back just like that," Eggatha pointed out. "You being rebuilt came with heavy conditions. For starters, most of your combat functions and subroutines have been disabled. Especially the Neo Metal Sonic form. They'll be granted back as Uncle Ivo and I see fit, when we feel you've earned the right to use them. I also inserted a kill switch. Should you spiral like you did during that incident again, an EMP will fry your systems."

"More than reasonable," Metal agreed.

"Also, you're confined to my lab," Eggatha added. "Uncle Ivo doesn't even want to see you right now."

Metal shrugged. "I don't blame him."

"For now, you're my lab assistant, filling the same role Coco did. It means a lot of menial labor and chores in your future, but you'll have a chance to make restitutions, and regain your place and power the right way."

After a minute, Metal nodded.

"Alright. Agatha, you have my word I won't squander this second chance."

Eggatha smiled, releasing him from the table and hugging him.

"I'm just glad to have my friend back."

Unbeknownst to the two, Robotnik was outside the lab, listening to their conversation. Satisfied that Metal wasn't a danger and he had accepted his downgraded purpose, he nodded in approval before walking away.


Author's Note:

So... yeah. Metal's been rebuilt, but it will be a long time before he's considered trustworthy enough to go back out into the field or combat situations.

Please R&R. Until next time!