Metallic Need
Ch. 3
By: Cutegirlmayra (I really do love this story… I'm taking a little break from Instincts –because I got so bored of it I started rushing, and that's not fair to my readers- so now I can take a breather and get back to these fun ones! :D Metal Sonic… your own errors are starting to peek through the surface,… why on earth would you put that new feature on Metal Amy!? Edited: With new edits, comes new meanings! I hope you're enjoying them so far :) )
Metal Sonic paced up and down the bridge of his hideout. Metal Tails and Metal Knuckles, repaired and functional once more, were discussing the battle beforehand…
"He had demonstrated a new ability I've never seen before. Clearly, our observations are not enough." Metal Tails evaluated as Metal Knuckles stepped forward.
"We needed maintenance. If we had been repaired faster, we could have continued to fight without fail. We would have destroyed them!" Metal Knuckles closed his fists tightly together and shook them in the air. The metal bent at the force, a creaking sound penetrating the air with each violent quiver of his metallic gloved fist. Astonishingly, you could barely tell the crease in the new alloy Metal Sonic discovered for their beings. As a final act of his aggression, He slammed his fists together; Although normally seen as an organic expression of 'anger', Metal Sonic instead overlooked the error, allowing it as a indication of his own hatred of Sonic and his friends.
"Metal Amy was dealing with repairing me, her primary objective. Do you reason that she should have failed in her overall designed purpose?" he was threatening Metal Knuckles for his impertinence. He turned to grab his cape, attached by two steel rings by his hips, and let it drape over one foot as he faced back towards his creation. "One should be careful in how they maintain themselves throughout the battle. Depending solely on a repair system, alone, is weakness." Metal Sonic tightened the slant of a glare in his red eyes, blaring the threat through his deadly scold. More than warning him, Metal Sonic threw in some instruction, before flipping his cape behind him and getting it out of the way; pacing again, he kept his displeasured countenance ahead of himself.
"What have we learned?"
"As your memory has recorded for us, the information was priceless in detailing that Sonic was barely able to stand to your perfection... that is, until he used outside help." Metal Tails showed his allegiance to his master by forming a fist while speaking the praise, before turning to the computer where screens showed different moments throughout Metal Sonic and Sonic's battle.
Metal Sonic watched with his eyes shifting, the battle was glorious in his eyes before….
"The Chaos Emeralds…" his head lowered, his anger and desire showing clearly in how he spoke. He suddenly slashed his hand out, his silvery claws lengthening before dashing up, flying through the air and slicing the screen in the middle when Super Sonic appeared smirking… "He mocks me with that arrogant grin!" he flung his claw out, landing and simultaneously denting the controls of the computer as he got up. Metal Tails moved away in fearful shock at his actions while also turning to look at Metal Knuckles, before wearily glancing back at his master…
"We must obtain these aided support systems. We already rendered his team useless to your perfections on us and unconquerable strategy. There need be no further plan than gaining the Emeralds' power source and using it for our own." Metal Tails responded as Metal Sonic still stood on the now sparking, crawling with loose electricity, computer boards.
"…Yes… I can finally see it. The time when Sonic's existence will be overshadowed by my own form. I shall be more than Sonic,… I shall be the ultimate Sonic! I shall never experience defeat again!"
Metal Knuckles saw how his master threw back his arms and lifted his hands up to proclaim those words and looked to Metal Tails, being silent and lowering his volume on his words as he stated,
"Will we not obtain the same glory? If we defeat our counterparts, we shall be the ultimate of them as well!"
"…If our master decides to keep us around after our purpose to him is met." Metal Tails's grim words made Metal Knuckles lean back, squeaking metal against metal on his back as he did so. Looking down, he realized his Metal Support brother was probably right.
"…Your logic seems correct." He stated. "I calculate a high percentage of uselessness the moment we complete the master's plan… and destroy Sonic and his friends."
"WE?" Metal Sonic turned around as Metal Knuckles flinched slightly and stood straight. Metal Tails took a backside step away from Metal Knuckles, just in case Metal Sonic decided to tear him up again. "Only I shall be perfect enough to defeat Sonic… you deal with his annoying 'friends'." He held his hand up and gripped it into a tight fist, withdrawing his long claws to do so. "Now, be gone. She comes." Metal Sonic looked up while the doors opened and Metal Amy, holding a tray with an oil can, walked in.
Her head was low as she thought about Amy, before looking up and remembering she needed to hide her 'heart' programming feature and not let any organic thing leak through her outer appearance.
"I sense that your batteries are low, I must also oil your metal frames to make sure they do not rust when battle is imminent. Allow me to begin." Metal Amy started to approach Metal Knuckles.
"Finally. My back was beginning to-" He reached back to his squeaking metal boards that kept overlapping one another, causing his back to scrape an unpleasant sound before...
"You shall attend to me first." Metal Sonic jumped down from the computer modules. He walked forward and stopped in front of Metal Amy, before looking back over his shoulder at the other two. "I gave you an order. Obey it." He glared.
Their programming kicked in and they jolted upright, being controlled by his order, they quickly moved out of the room.
Metal Amy looked back to them, feeling bad as she knew they were just going to do their own battery recharge and oiling on their own; which made her sad, considering it was her purpose to do that for them.
"Why do you watch their retreat?" Metal Sonic lifted an eyebrow, he was sure he had gotten rid of most of her errors. The ones he kept were only tweaked a little bit, but he kept them because of how entraining they were to him. However… he hoped that the small percentage that stated she could return to more errors wouldn't occur, so he could still technically say she was 'perfect'. But he knew that was mostly him lying just to keep her interesting…
She flung her head back to his direction and quickly blinked her eyes wide, not realizing she had looked after them like that…
It was her 'heart' programming again, she figured. Amy had often looked back to those exiting from her presence, and Metal Amy's 'heart' programming was pretty much done and processed through. She had to be careful, she couldn't let herself slip up in front of Metal Sonic…
"I… seem unnecessary." She looked down, her eyelids dropping in a bit of sadness, but he may just mock her for that, and she knew he wouldn't destroy her right after fixing her. Or at least… the percentage of that was minimal.
Metal Sonic lifted an eyelid up in curiosity. "And why is that?"
"They are fully able to charge themselves… yet, I am designed to-"
"Do you question your existence?" he lowered his eyelids halfway, tilting his head up and folding his arms. More Sonic gestures…
"…Yes." She tried to stay honest. Maybe she could get some answers on why he made her maintenance and not just defense like Metal Knuckles, or brains like Metal Tails. If Amy Rose was correct, then her existence to Sonic is the 'heart' of the team. Metal Sonic had no need for a 'heart' for his plans. So would she be unneeded? Scrapped? Used for spare parts?
"All you need to know is that I designed you for aid in my battle against Sonic. Amy is not always present, but she seems to give Sonic some sort of…energy… during a battle." He looked to the side, before back at her again, and leaned forward. "That is why you are created. You give me energy. And I am priority above them. If they can't wait to be recharged, then that is their own concerns. You need not think I created you for little to no use. You insult me by questioning my reasoning." He glared his red eyes at her, but in a gentle threat that mostly mocked. He moved around her, shadowing her head with his hand just barely above it. He could feel the electricity in the atmosphere close to her, the buzz of chemical pressures and reactions, radiation; such beautiful pieces of robotic destruction... All to his perfect engineering designs. His eyes glowed brilliantly for a moment before fading to their normal light, and he once again made his way to the front of her, dropping his waving hand from sensing her robotic auras.
"…I am pleased to know I hold some worth. Even if I cannot calculate to your level of genius, I know I must be valuable." She dodged a bullet, but she wouldn't be that lucky next time. His floating, surfing hand over her made it clear that she still greatly feared this side of him. She needed some way of looking more robotic, and…. And she wondered if his closeness was just another way to mock her. But she didn't think he thought she had errors anymore, so she wondered why he would go to such lengths to treat her more organically than the other two…
Always looming over her, complimenting himself through her, and especially the steely touch...
"...You will work on me at once." He moved past her fully now, done with the subject at hand. He sat down and held his hand out to her. "Recharge me first." He stated again, this time a distinct order.
"…Yes, my master." She walked up the three encircling rings of the platforms to his throne and was about to touch his hand with her receptor as the black slate on her palm began to spark, but she felt something automatic be triggered wirelessly in her head, and her mouth black slate slid open. "Wh-what is this?" She had remembered this function happening back on the battlefield before but… but-!
He grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, their heads collided as he fed off her energy, absorbing it through the receptor he installed on her muzzle-piece…
There was more to it than that though...
There was the sensational 'rushing of sparks' from her battery up through her head and out her front muzzle. It electrified and felt pleasing, though her systems were constantly aware of how much power was being lost.
It wasn't harsh, however. For the first time in Metal Amy's existence... it felt...
More electrical pluses bounced around inside her muzzle area, and fear of Metal being the one to conjure this strange unknown lead her into a panic.
She shook her head at the alluring sensation and pulled away, surprised by the strangeness of this programming as he stroked his speaker on his mouthpiece in amusement. "Funny… I had thought you caught on to that by now.."
He seemed to find some sort of pleasure in receiving the energy renewal's sensation through this organic gesture.
"I can't help but think it's appropriate that I tease you with your own fascination of organic behaviorisms…" he put his head on his hand, resting it there as his arm held support through the throne's armrest.
She wobbled back, "You…" her eyes shook in fear at realizing he… "You knew I was fascinated by my counterpart?"
He mocked a deep chuckle, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I still can't compute how your reasoning did not deduce that I would find those errors once upgrading you. Come now, Metal Amy… do you really believe I wouldn't find them?"
She was terrified, as her 'heart' programming made her shake, knowing that's the simulation of fear. But she quickly canceled the programming as soon as it started simulating heavy breathing.
She should have taken the precaution and done that sooner, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway...
He knew her weakness.
And to make all matters worse... he was fiddling with it.
"…Why do you freeze so quickly? Perhaps I should of deleted them all… but you were just so … fun… back then." He kicked his leg up over the other and reached his hand out again. "I'm willing to let you live with such inferiorities only because your weakness amuses me… fail to obey, however, and I shall not ignore them further… 'heal' me." He chuckled again.
Metal Amy looked back up at him. He found her a joke? Was that the only reason why she was able to break programming? He had allowed some errors to stay, only because he could mock her like this? A simple pastime pleasure then?
Her anger grew as her fist shook, and her eyes narrowed. "I am to be treated like an organic then?"
"As long as you continue to act like one." He tilted his head, as his mouthpiece turned up to simulate an arrogant grin. "And I find it amusing to mimic organic behavior just to insult you." he stated, the most slyest robot on the earth was getting a kick out of torturing his own creation.
Quite a different relationship between servant and master, but Metal Amy was growing furious by his insulting her.
"Then I do not need to hide it?" she responded, which made him lose the smile.
"…So you wish to embrace your inferiority?" he asked, almost as if he didn't believe she would suggest that.
Now she really wanted to get this bully back. "If I am to be treated like an organic… then an organic shall I be." She started up her 'heart' programming again, not being afraid anymore. Might as well test his limits...
He saw that bold confidence and lost his humor in the situation, growing enraged by her reaction.
His head jerked then.
Her programming triggered after a time limit activated when she hadn't responded to his demand, and her eyes showed warnings as she rolled them in annoyance, letting herself be organic. She walked over to his hand...
His claw lengthened.
"Let me be clear…" his voice was dark, not warning her anymore, but now threatening with the most perceived frustration he could muster, being simulated in his tone of voice. "I only kept them to mock you. If you continue to act so boldly confident in you inferiorities, I will reprogram you." So he was going to scramble her head around again, eh?
Metal Amy took a deep simulated breath, and looked up at him, faking a smile as she closed her eyes. "I understand, master. If it pleases you to 'hurt my feelings' than so be it. I shall be honored to be your source of amusement." She wanted so badly to get back at him, but her programming forbade her from even thinking of an attack on him or anything like that.
Did he hate it because her actions reminded him of Sonic's cocky nature? She was being rebellious out of spite for being wronged, no doubt; but her design did belong to him...
He controlled everything. From the placement of her wires to the melting if her alloy into her shape. Even her own agency...
She took his hand and started recharging the rest of what he didn't already take before she pulled back. Taking the oil, she started to dap it while he seemed to close his eyes and just let her get her job done.
The oil cooled and seeped through his metallic gaps and creases... slipping into and dripping down the sides of his inner mechanism. The wires lightly vibrated at the drops that fell on them, as they all traveled the sensation through him like neurons.
"You shouldn't annoy me…" he warned, now calmer from the enjoyment he was receiving from her work. "I rather like you. It would be a shame if I had to reconstruct your mind… Your thinking fascinates me... Except the fact that you just told me you prefer to be inferior." He glared up at her, as she moved to his shoulder. Standing to the side of him, she thought quickly how to respond to that.
"…Only around you. Since it seems to please my master, I shall act like an errored robot. However…" she moved to his other side, as he watched her carefully, liking her response...
"I am not an errored robot." She knelt down, lowered her head, and then stared up at him, trying to use something she saw Amy do to Sonic before.
"Please? I just want to have dinner with you!" Amy begged, as Sonic rolled his eyes and seemed to try and look away from her. His hand on his hip, and his other arm being held by her own two hands. He was definitely seeing that his chances of escape were all but futile.
"Soooniiicc!" she whined, before lowering her head down and looking up at him, blinking her eyes and pouting cutely. "I'd settle for a small snack… like a … chilidog… maybe?" she beamed.
Sonic didn't speak as he looked back at her, before finally sighing and stating, "I know a good place."
"Yippie!" she cheered, as she gripped his arm and walked off with him.
Metal Amy had actually recorded this incident herself, as it was usually Metal Tails who spied on everyone and got the data back to them and into their programming. But They were also required to spy on their counterparts without Metal Tails's assistance.
She hones her sight on their intertwined arms, zooming in on the link and how their bodies bumped the other from the close proximity. She was confused, and monitored heart rates and tried to calculate blood pressures.
Calm, serene... Even though Sonic's heart beat faster than normal homeostasis in regular lifeforms, he looked to Amy as she leaned her head on his shoulder, and then lifted a finger to his nose. He looked away and itched it, though Metal Amy couldn't see why, there wasn't any irritation that she was aware of present on his nose.
Metal Amy then rolled her head to lean it on Metal Sonic's resting arm upon the armrest.
If Amy Rose could get what she wanted through affectionate means of organic life, would the same actions compel kindness from her robotic master?
Metal Sonic looked down at her, not recognizing her actions as an organic thing, and turned away. "How are you not errored? You find organics interesting, and you once stated that you would use that data to destroy Amy Rose. When really, you seemed to quite like your little chat with her." He looked back to her, as she realized he had seen ALL of her thoughts and memories from before. "Let me give you a new order…" he leaned close to her face again, as she dared not move except for removing her head from him and standing up.
"…If you come into contact with Amy Rose again… you are to attack her… destroy her until there's nothing left or given alternative instruction. Understood?" he lifted a claw to her head as far as it could reach. His claws stretched to reach her, slowly elongating their sharp, silvery selves up to the side of her, and taking their leisure to scale down her body. Seeming to admire his own handy work on her design once again, Metal Sonic twisted his deadly touch over each nook and cranny. Being careful to not scratch the new paint job, but enjoying the sound of his spiky-pointed, metallic claws against her flexible metal alloy frame...
Metal Knuckles really shouldn't have called her 'not decent' looking. Metal Sonic rather liked her look, and did think it pretty… for robotic standards, anyway.
It was symmetrical, pleasing, efficient... a work of art.
"..I compute." She stated as she felt what organics would call 'grief' come over her at realizing the next time she spoke with Amy Rose, she would have to completely annihilate her. She knew that would have been the case anyway, but knowing she couldn't resist that programming,... now that he had ordered it,... made her even sadder.
If… a robot could be sad, that is.
Or mad... or happy... or-
She stole a glance to Metal Sonic, only to turn her head in disappointment and look away in helpless improbability.
"Good." He moved one of his clawed fingers to her chin, making her look back at him. "Now get back to work. You've already wasted my time and patience on you daring to accept you're inferiorities." He tilted his head in amusement at mocking her again, before glaring once more and gripping her mouth.
"Don't try and convince me you aren't as errored as I know you to be… I created you. I know you inside and out. I know all your past programming and your little attempt at creating organic emotions within yourself. Do not think I'm fooled by your cleverness. It is your ironic sense of 'feeling' and trying to protect it by being clever that makes me keep you operational. I could create a completely new data core for you in a matter of seconds. So I suggest you stay interesting, Metal Amy…" he removed his grip on her mouth and gently swiped his claw, teasingly, in front of her as she flinched back; shaking to simulate fear as she was now allowing her 'heart' programming, which he had seen before but didn't apparently know was back just yet, to activate and fully be exposed.
"…I shall remain as I am then. For your pleasure." She hated stating that. It not only demoralized herself, but it made her feel like she was just his play toy when he had nothing better to do than insult and mock her. But what choice did she have?
If she kept denying the errors, he would see that as 'lying' to him, and he would delete her existence and replace her data core with another. She wouldn't be herself again,... completely wiped from existence to make way for a new Metal Amy.
She had to play his cruel game, and she had to accept it.
He wanted Metal Tails and Metal Knuckles perfect, but he could care less if she errored. Just so long as she was amusing.
This realization made her just want to destroy something to PROVE she was still strong, and not something weak. Her fascination didn't make her WEAK, it made her… her… she didn't know what it made her. But she knew if she had to fight, it wouldn't inhibit her from doing so-
But fighting to destroy Amy Rose…
She didn't really want to do that, but she could.
She could…
She couldn't resist now that she was ordered to destroy her. But by admiring Amy Rose,... that curiosity led her to not complete her programming…
Ah, she finally got it.
That's what an error was.
Something that halted it's user from completing their objective.
A mistake. A state or condition of being wrong.
….but she needed to feel alive.
She just didn't quite understand why yet, but if being wrong meant being alive then-!
As she continued to work on Metal Sonic, now staying silent, she re-ran a video clip of what Amy had said to her… before…
"How can a weakness be a strength?"
"Huh? W-well… Our feelings can give us power through hope, and energy through love and kindness. Courage is born from the heart! Especially when your fighting for those you love. You're sad they're in danger… but the wish to keep them alive makes you stronger, and at the same time, makes you weaker.. because you realize you could lose them if you fail. I guess,… it makes you fight harder… because you don't want that outcome to happen. You have faith, and faith is truly believing you can make the impossible, possible."
"…Faith…I will remember those words."
And remember them she did.
If weakness, such as errors, could somehow improve her overall programming… make her stronger… by thinking the impossible could be possible; then, by fighting for something you don't want to lose… strength from weakness could be obtained? But how could a robot ever achieve such strength from organic emotions?
"You remain silent. Have my words finally proven true to you? That your errors are not something to be desired?" he looked up, still annoyed that she wasn't being very fun to joke with anymore. She had become more robotic by not speaking, and he didn't like having silenced her.
But... didn't he like her more robotic? Or was there something more to it then that..?
She was just finishing up when she responded, "I may have found a way to create power from error… But as I am not organic, I thereby am unable to process how to fully utilize this theory, and test it appropriately." She looked away, worried he would scold her for trying to find an answer to making an error a strength.
"I suppose that means you failed." He smiled again, "Have you come to realize the inevitable fact that your efforts in that area are in vain?"
She was heading out when her footsteps stopped in place on the ground. Her whole body filled with anger at his words. He just enjoyed seeing her suffer and conflict with herself. Or maybe just with reality.
Either way… she just wanted to prove she wasn't something to be made fun of.
"…" She wanted to say something witty back, but fearing her life, she just accepted her cruel fate and walked on.
He flipped himself over his throne and dashed to her, grabbing her from behind, taking her hand and absorbing more of her energy through it's black-slate...
Sparks flew everywhere as she was taken aback while he laughed as he moved his head closer to her cheek, his nose slightly scratching it.
"Hahaha! You are more fun when you try and resist the impossible! Come now, you mustn't be upset. Don't you see? By trying to prove me wrong and failing to do so, you have made me pleased with you. Your 'life' is secured by your foolish processing of obvious data." He laughed louder, and with each word, insulting and belittling her further.
She tried to struggle out of his hold, but he just squeezed her closer to him, draining her more and more of her energy as she grew weaker. Her struggling became a challenge as her movements grew sluggish, and her resistance less force-giving.
"Now you see,... you are growing weaker on the outside, to match what you are within! I admit that I made you to be perfect, and compared to the real deal, you are quite more powerful and enjoyable. You should be happy with me,... I at least find you more satisfactory than Sonic does to his own Amy Rose…"
That was the last straw.
"Raaahhheeerrreeekkk!"
she let out a metallic cry as she activated an emergency explosive system in her.
She didn't want to hear him calling her inferior to Amy Rose.
To her, Amy was valued to Sonic, and her life was grander than Metal Amy's existence!
To show up Metal Sonic, as she wished to do, she exploded in his face; leaving him to be surprised and blown back against the already sparking computers. More mini-explosions went off from the damage it caused the central bridge, as his form twitched within the shredded console.
Sparks still zap now and again, causing him to lurch a little in his scrap-metalled seat, enduring the explosions, but continuing to start up the simulated laughing again.
She evaded him again.
She proved to be more of a fighter, and he liked that about her.
Her programming wouldn't let her fight him, even if he was fighting her. She wouldn't have been able to fight back...
By cheating around her programming, she had found a way to—more or less—indirectly 'slap him' away from her.
He liked that her only calculated attempt at rebelling against him was to destroy herself.
"Next time I rebuild you,... I'll make sure you have nowhere to escape…"
He wiped some ash off his metal muzzle, revealing his speaker to be a smirk.
"You won't be able to run from me, Metal Amy… you are mine to use as I please… And if I make you my entertainment, then that is of my own will and pleasure."
He got up, his cape being ripped and shredded a bit by having been burned and torn through. There still remained a light flame on the side of it as he pressed on...
Metal Tails and Metal Knuckles rushed in.
"What befell here?"
One of them asked.
"Hahaha… a good time." He responded, and glared to them.
"Pick up her pieces, or whatever you can salvage. I have a new design for her this time…"
whatever he was planning… it didn't sound to good for Metal Amy… as he kicked the remaining head frame of her over and looked for her data core.
Her memory chip and data core were protected by heavy metal, and her feeble attempt at getting back at him hadn't destroyed it or even touched it, to say the least.
He dusted it off with almost loving care, as a compartment on his hand slid away for him to put the chip in, getting her memories and thought processing to see how she viewed their little 'squabble'.
"…'Heart'?" he raised an eyebrow. "Well, that won't do…" he got up and walked on, heading out as Metal Tails and Metal Knuckles did as they were told. Looking back, they watched him snicker as the doors closed behind him, and looked to each other.
They wouldn't dare say what they were thinking… and quickly just gathered what they could of her remains.
Eggman's HQ
"SOOONNICCC!"
"Hey, Egghead!"
"DIEEE!"
Another game of cat and mouse seemed afoot as Eggman's robots all tried to destroy a speedy Sonic, who ran up the walls to dodge their fire, coming down on them with a spiny head full of quills in the form of a spin dash!
"Augh! Why are you even here?!"
Eggman was up in his control room as he clicked a button, having his seat move up and back him into his eggpit, which was in his Egg-o-matic destroyer machine; fierce-looking, like a pretty bulky fighterbot.
A 'click' was heard as the floor spun away and the robot fell to where Sonic was poised to start directly fighting Eggman.
"I'm not here to take you down again, Eggman! I'm here to rack up another win against Metal!" he shouted up, grinning from ear to ear as he found this all just too fun. He came to a halt by Eggman's robot, stretching out and rotating his arm, keeping himself loosened up for the main reason why he was here.
"What..? B-bu-but that's impossible!" Eggman shouted out, flinging his arm out behind him as he then slammed his hand on the controls of the Egg-o-matic destroyer. Leaning forward, he began to explain, "Metal Sonic's been deactivated and completely drained of all life aboard my junk-ship for years! After his little 'Overlord' demonstration, I haven't even attempted at revitalizing him. You couldn't have possibly fought him!" Eggman stated, a little dumbfounded and enraged that Sonic would make such an assumption.
"…Wait, what?" Sonic let his guard down a moment, as he looked to Eggman in surprise. He leaned himself forward and pointed an accusing finger at Eggman. "But him and his pals just attacked me and my gang a few days ago!"
"…Him and his… pals?" Eggman lifted an eyebrow up and scratched his head. "I always had the plans marked up about more Metal analogous creations, but I never really got around to figuring out what I'd necessarily DO with them. Considering Metal's AI was too advanced to really control remotely once I let him go solo. Then the whole 'rebellion' factor was something that I DIDN'T want to deal with again, especially in a brand new set of them! Ugh, I can't even imagine what a single father would have to go through with more than one teenage boy. Hmph. This is why I never adopted." Eggman rambled on after that, folding his arms and leaning back to monologue a minute as Sonic looked down; tapping his foot, he was eager to get to the bottom of this, beginning to impatiently tap his finger to the side of his chin as well.
He thought as he made the parallel between his finger and foot.
"If you didn't build them… then who did?"
"Well, if Metal Sonic DID escape... Ba-hm-ha, that's it!" Eggman quickly typed in some things, and his Egg-o-matic destroyer flew back up as Sonic stepped back and glanced up at the turbo-boosters engaged on its feet.
"H-hey! Don't forget me! Haha! Going up!" He raced forward and jumped onto its foot, holding on as the robot positioned itself back on the above platform, the floor spinning in to fill the hole beneath them. The robot landed once more as Eggman got out, typing some stuff as his Eggpit moved over to reveal on his monitors his unresponsive junk-ship signal. "He…HEEE…" Eggman twitched, slowly moving his arms up to grip his head as he saw a camera flicker on, the last remaining signal to establish contact that was still functioning, revealing the entire Junk-ship flying in pieces within space. "HE BLEW UP MY MEMORIES!" he cried out, sobbing and slamming his head to the computer board, banging his fists on it and pounding the ground with his feet.
To anyone else... this would look like a pitiful tantrum...
"All my old inventions… all those terribly scarring childhood memories… all my failed attempts at taking over the world… gone….g-gon-gon-gone! Whhaaahhahhhha…" he cried out, as Sonic slowly sneaked behind him, deciphering the monitors.
'Ah… so that's how he busted out!' Sonic thought and looked to Eggman. "There, there. Little Egg-baby… I'm sure you'll make another Junk-ship that will carry all your new, sad attempts at ending my life once more." He patted Eggman's shoulder, and then hopped down from behind his chair, looking back at the computers. "So! Is there any way to find out where Metal Sonic's hiding then?" he asked, taking his focus back to Eggman, and folding his arms. "I don't have forever here, Doc!"
Eggman sniffed, taking out a handkerchief and wiping below his glasses, before sneezing into it. "Quite right... None of us do." he stated and clicked some buttons in his sorrow. "I –sniffle- need revenge anyway." He snuffed up a huge booger back into his nose; disgusted, Sonic winced into a horror-stricken face that said everything about how he felt after that display.
Sonic turned around and seemed to hold back his vomiting while Eggman typed before slamming his fists down on the controls again. "DANG IT! He deactivated his old tracking device. He must have upgraded himself…" Eggman concluded as Sonic turned back around, gripping the armrest of the Eggpit as he tried to shake off his nauseated sensation.
"Any other good news?" his cheeks suddenly filled again, and he held a hand up, turning away again.
"Well… since usually only my robots are the ones who are completely metal around here… I created a Metal Sonar Detection device to keep track of them all. Mostly when I send them out on little errands for me, like groceries!" he cheered up a little bit, activating the programming as Sonic turned back around.
"I don't feel so good…" he admitted, leaning on the back of Eggman's Eggpit chair, his arm draped over his head, holding onto the back of it as his other hand just pressed against the chair while his head hung down.
"Ho, ho, ho. You'd be surprised how well they do. I'm certain the cashier is terrified of all the coupons I keep scrounging up! Discounts are never to be taken lightly, you know." He stated, still getting the system up as a sonar showed bright green rings spreading across the monitors, slowly blinking some green dots as it passed. Eggman kept moving the sonar around to find something on the sonar that wasn't green…
"I'm sure they were terrified of something else, Eggface." He finally got a hold of himself as he straightened up and leaned his head back a ways, putting his hands on his hips before shaking himself out. "Gonna be seeing nightmares for weeks." He muttered before Eggman screamed out, 'Ah-ha!' and his evil grin came back to his face.
"There they are!"
Red dots showed collectively around the same area.
"One, two, three… three?" Eggman stated and began to think. "Oh, ho! There's a Metal Tails and Knuckles, isn't there?! Haha! I'd like to see how he designed them, to be honest." Eggman's curiosity was peaked, as Sonic looked to see where they were.
"Ooookay! Thanks, Booger-king! But do me a favor, no more 'yo-yo' action, alright? Yuck!" Sonic dashed off as Eggman turned around.
"H-hey, wait! Where are you going!? I'M going to find Metal Sonic, you hear me!? Ohh… might as well." He turned around, hacking into something…
"Hey! How'd you get this signal!?" Tails's face came on the monitor as Eggman put his hands together mischievously.
"I believe Sonic has made an interesting discovery. My robot of him has returned. I would like to know the events of what you saw and what occurred when he attacked you. If you would be so kind~" Eggman grinned, putting his fingertips together and lifting a leg over the other as if willing to have a small 'chat' with the young fox boy...
"…He's found them and is on his way to their hideout,… isn't he?" Tails looked unamused, showing how he figured that was happening even though he didn't know about it. "Without following up with me to make a backup plan, right? Going to see YOU to track them down and not ME, his most loyal friend!" Tails motioned his hand to Eggman and then himself before seeming greatly upset and offended. "AGAIN!? It's almost laughable now how ridiculously predictable Sonic's getting."
"Man up, Tails. He's rash, you know that." Eggman folded his arms and sat back in his chair, not liking Tails's jealousy or being able to put up with his sass today. "Look, he played me too, alright? I showed him where they were and he dumped me to the side when he was done too. But I'll tell you where he's headed if you tell me about what's become of my… most dastardly invention…"
"Considering how he's always looking for something fun to do, I'll believe you, and that you had nothing to do with this."
"...What is that suppose to mean?" Eggman raised an eyebrow.
"Not to be rude... well, there's no way around it. Your schemes just... aren't as fun as they used to be."
Eggman slammed his head down on his monitor, softly letting streams of tears roll down his countertop to his computer board and mumbling quiet whines.
"Eggman..? Hello..? Doctor..?"
Metal hideout
The alarm went off as Metal Amy was walking down the hallway, having been repaired and upgraded. Her 'heart' process taken from her and her errors weakened even further, she became more robotic again, not having her 'back up' self-destruct system anymore and her features looking a lot softer to the touch. She wondered why she was rounded out so much, but still resembling Amy to a remarkable likeness.
She was actually heading down to restore in the electric shower when she heard the alarm and activated her battle form.
Flying up, she noticed Metal Knuckles and Metal Tails fighting Sonic as the defense system's guns rained down on their battle.
She waited for a command, knowing she was mostly there for medical aid before Metal Sonic rose up behind her, dashing at lightning speeds passed her frame.
"Ah! Master!" She called, seeing him literally bash the other two out of his way to make a beeline to Sonic.
"SOOOONNNIIICCC!" he charged as Metal Amy watched the two battle, but Sonic was already beaten pretty badly; not only from fighting through Eggman's lame HQ defenses that already drained some of his boundless energy, but also from taking Metal Knuckles's harsh blows; and then the perfectly timed counter movements of Metal Tails making it almost impossible to find an opening.
"Augh!" Sonic rolled on the ground, trying to get up but falling back down to the ground.
Metal Sonic walked up, looming over him as his eyes glared intimidatingly down at the limits of his body's capabilities. His cape moved in the wind, still ripped from the previous explosion from Metal Amy. "Grrr….ahhh!" he flung Sonic over his head and slammed him back down on the ground. "YOU IMBECILES! You weakened him. Now I can't claim to be the ultimate Sonic without seeming like a coward!" he roared out and kicked Sonic to them, who looked pretty knocked out for the count. "Put him in chains!" Metal ordered, infuriated by them attacking Sonic.
He walked up and grabbed Metal Knuckles by the neck, "I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO ATTACKS AND DESTROYS SONIC! If you engage again… I will satisfy myself greatly in tearing you APART TO SMITHEREENS!" he slammed Metal Knuckles through a gunfire laser canon that lifted up from his arm, shooting him down.
It didn't kill Metal Knuckles, but it did injure him greatly.
They were only following the protocols he installed to protect the base. It wasn't specified which intruder they left alone...
"Metal Amy, attend to him." He commanded, looking up to her as Metal Amy raced down, still wanting to stare at Sonic as if in a type of trance, but not understanding why she was so interested in his appearance there as she quickly started working on Metal Knuckles.
Metal Tails picked Sonic up and did as he was instructed while Metal Sonic reached up and flew to him, grabbing one of his tails and tearing it off so he couldn't fly, taking Sonic and flying up to the Hideout.
Metal Tails crashed as Metal Amy knew she would have to attend to his repairs as well, seeming to look up after Metal Sonic, wondering why he was hurting them all so much in such bewildered rage.
They were only doing as programmed too. His programming...
She had lost her ability to mimic or understand organic emotions, and without her 'heart' system, she felt a piece of herself was missing. She had her memories and even had a few moments where her programming would trigger a very weak and slight error where she would momentarily be able to access her simulated emotions, but she knew that was only for Metal Sonic to amuse himself with when he wanted to tease her again.
Fixing the two up, she was then instructed through a wireless signal that she needed to feed Sonic, who was being kept prisoner until he was healthy enough to fight; however, Metal Sonic ordered her to come to him first.
Metal Amy was ignored by Metal Knuckles and Metal Tails as she entered the bridge again. She saw they looked pretty stone cold and unexpressive… they must have been scolded and knew their place now…
Or... was it worse than that? Were they avoiding even looking at her in fear of repercussion? She could slightly understand that. She was the cause of a lot of their suffering...
If... Robots can suffer, that is.
"He doesn't have the Chaos Emeralds on him." Metal Sonic stated to the two, having his back turned as the door slid closed and Metal Amy stopped just behind him.
"What is my objective? Feed him and tend to him till he is of proper health to contend with you?" Her eyes didn't even blink, she was a complete robot, not even responding to his words. She hated herself, wishing to try and get her errors to free her from the prison he made her into again.
"…I will find the Chaos Emeralds," he flung his cape back, switching who he was speaking to, and walked to the side of her. "You will find him what he needs and keep him here. Alive. Till I am ready to face him once more."
"It is not your perfection that will defeat him then." She calculated as he stopped, listening…
His claws lengthened.
"It would be the Chaos Emeralds that-" he lifted his arm swiftly up to the side of him, where she stood.
She didn't even flinch at his movements.
"I knew I shouldn't have shaven the number of Errors in you… now you're too boring…" his voice sounded disappointed with a hint of mockery as if he wanted to play with her errors again, but then... why did he do it if he liked it so much?
"…I am perfect." She didn't feel it, but her programming made her say it.
"…Hmph. You were more fun as a weak support." He lowered his arm and walked off. "I use the Chaos Emeralds as I use you. Support. Sonic is nothing without his friends nor his precious Chaos Emeralds! If I am to take those from him, I shall be even more powerful than Sonic himself."
"He could still reasonable take hold of the Chaos energy once you have it nearby to support you. Therefore, he would still turn Super as he did before." Her reasoning was better than Metal Tails and this stopped Metal Sonic.
Was it fear that made Metal Tails not speak or reason so boldly? Or was it really Metal Amy's sense of fear in her error of thinking she could 'lose her life' that had made her so witty?
He glanced over his shoulder, not wanting to believe that an error could really have been the source of her amazing processing.
He had looked into her mind's design... nothing was as superior as what he had installed in Metal Tails... so, why..?
She avoided him destroying her time and time again… she even knew how to get around his anger… there must be something in her that he didn't realize he put into her.
But what was it that made her stand out so much to him?
What system did he equip her with that gave her this… thinking? And why did he have such a… fondness for it?
She amused him greatly, but having her more like what he wished the other two were like was… somewhat… boring.
Was her perfection boring him? And were her Errors what gave her that touch of charm that drew him to enjoy mocking her so much?
Being so organic annoyed and enraged him when it came to the other two, but Metal Amy knew how to use her organic errors to her advantage…
"I may have found a way to create power from error… But as I am not organic, I thereby am unable to process how to fully utilize this theory, and test it appropriately."
He had seen her errors, there was nothing there except her 'heart' that might-
He stood up taller just then, his eyes slightly widening a bit.
…Could she have… began processing a way to use her intrigue of organic behaviors and thought processing to her advantage?
"…Is it luck? Or superior thinking?"
He began to remember…
"The same thinking you designed me to have. If I speak like her, won't I fool her into thinking I'm something more than a robot? It could save my 'life' with her, too."
…Had she found a way to save her 'life' by being organic with him? Keeping her organicness to herself and hiding it so carefully could somehow have resulted in her thinking above regular programming?
By taking away most of her errors… did he involuntarily take away the one thing that he found so likable about her?
Weaknesses made strengths… he found that logic flawed.
But… still… could she prove him wrong?
He closed his eyes and moved his head down to the side, chuckling a mock at thinking his reasoning could ever be wrong.
She is just… 'lucky'. He thought, 'and I must try and bring out that same boldness in her again… but not now.' He concluded.
It wasn't the right time for such... fun.
"Even if he returns to his most powerful state,... my power will still exceed his own. And at last… I shall be the better. The more—perfected—Sonic." He walked back to her as she still remained facing how she did when she first walked in, having her back to him.
He traced the back of his clawed hand down her back, liking his new design curve he gave her. More feminine and less angular to show the difference between the robotic men and herself he had created.
She suddenly flinched, having that moment of errors allowed, as she realized he was sending small currents or pulses of data to a certain new function she didn't recognize.
Touch.
She could literally feel him stroking her back.
"What is this error you have given me!?" her body felt odd, she felt sensors in her move where the back was, vibrating to give her a sensation of the organic feeling of…
"It's touch." He stated and looked up to her. "I may have taken most of your errors away, Metal Amy… but I still find it amusing to make you more and more organic…" he lifted a quill, which used to be fully metal in frame, but was now a softer substance that bent and moved, hardening into a solid form when whipped out into battle mode, which Amy engage.
The strange sensation of 'touch' was created by long metallic sticks or pillars attached at their tips by metallic balls that let off a vibrating pitch. These would shake and quiver along her metallic back or body, wherever the sensation or data-triggered it to occur. They would hum slightly to send the signal and the receptors the information of what was occurring, allowing her brain to commute that she had been touched there.
It was oddly gratifying to feel, which made her again nervous. This was much like his programmed 'electric kiss' but without the sparks and electricity.
What on earth was so amusing about giving her what she had longed since desired? To feel organic... But knowing it was only triggered and controlled by him... left her sunken in sorrow and rage. She didn't want him to have this desired power over her. She wanted it for herself and to be triggered as she desired! Not for his pleasure and mocking alone!
"Hmm?" he had held her quill to his face to send a signal too it, but Metal Amy blocked the signal reaching her when she engaged battle mode. He frowned, looking disappointed. "So,… you have figured out that in this form, you cannot have such programming triggered?"
"…Why do you insist on giving me organic qualities? My softer, former appearance… to then transform into a battle-ready function… Metal Tails and Metal Knuckles do not have this feature. They are already Battle ready at all times, why-"
He spun her around and held her closer to him. "Because, even in the beginning, I wanted something 'pretty' to look at…" he lied.
"… Does not compute."
He chuckled. "You saw through my lie, hmm? Very well." He let her go. "I felt it was a necessary stage that should act as a weaker form, one that would allow you to approach and repair without having the spiked drills or sharp-clawed hands to damage us further." He responded by gesturing his hand to each thing he mentioned on her. "That way, you wouldn't be inhibited by your own design."
"…That is logical. I am impressed, although, I shouldn't be. Such thinking is appropriate for the master." She bowed her head in respect, as he liked to hear that, but felt she wasn't as rebellious in thought and word as before. He slightly missed that quality of her 'programmed persona' in her.
She missed her personality too, and deep within her, cursed her programming. She wished she could say what she really thought...
By making her another form, it gave him more options on how to tease her. Like creating that kiss-charger like function and now this touch sensation system too. Why did he want to torture her with organic qualities when he loathed them so much?
She felt he secretly liked them, as he himself, was programmed to act and behave in a Sonic kind of way.
Perhaps he dared not compute his own errors… as she had figured one before. She wished to speak up, to insult him; to force him to destroy her again even though the very thought was terrifying to think about, but her programming forbade her once again.
After being destroyed so many times, she knew he would just rebuild her, adding something new to mock her further on. This must be why she didn't fear death so much anymore. Her boldness had built up from struggling back in her previous lives, but now she was forced to obey directive more than anything else.
"Now attend to him.. and then… attend to me." He lowered his eyelids, looking a little too excited for that time, as he departed.
She knew what that meant...
She hugged herself, her moment of error acceptance engaged, as she still felt the aftershock of the vibrating appendages inside her giving her sensation, even in battle form.
Her memory had recorded it, meaning she could never forget it since her programming wouldn't allow her to delete memory unless for the spy recording system.
She hated her new body, and her new programming he installed in her.
…But he didn't like her new 'perfected' programming too, and began making mock-ups of a new internal makeup for her.
He wanted her 'charm' back. And he was going to get it… One way, or another.
Sonic's Captivity Unit
Sonic was entangled in chains.
Sitting on the ground, the chains all tangled upward to the back wall's ceiling, allowing him little to no movement.
He struggled, before sighing and sitting back, hitting the back wall with his head. "…Ouch." He sarcastically stated and sighed.
The doors suddenly slid open as he leaned up, blinking his eyes, and held his mouth to a curious 'o' shape as Metal Amy entered the unit. He grinned, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, well. If it isn't Metal Sonic's little nurse." He teased and sat back, lifting a leg up to look 'contently cool' as he glanced back up at her, eyelids half closed, trying to be charming. "And what would you like? My autograph? I bet I look a lot better than your metal boyfriend, right? Came to see the original, limited edition, one of a kind Sonic The Hedgehog?" he gave her his best smile, as she knelt down and placed the tray of food down that she had gathered outside.
"Oh... that works too." he smiled, trying to decide how he would eat, "But I'm uhh... currently tied up at the moment. Maybe we can have dinner some other time?" he joked, before seriously trying to figure out how to eat it.
More than anything she wanted to talk to him, but her new programming…
"..Huh? Don't you talk?" He back at her, losing his cool attitude as she lifted a fruit up to him, and then pushed it in his mouth. "Emmoph!?" he was startled by the forcefulness of her shoving food in his mouth.
"…This is how you receive subsidence. Is it not?" she tilted her head, showing the confusion of him not making out true words.
He looked annoyed, lowering his eyelids down in frustration at her not understanding how to feed someone as he chewed and lifted his head up to get the fruit more in his mouth, and gobbled it down.
He rolled his eyes then, licking his lips. "Thanks."
After a moment, she shoved another one in his mouth, and he awkwardly had a sweatdrop glaze over the side of his head; before giving a little smile and doing the same thing he did last time to consume it.
"Ah~ Soft fruit~ Like the ones at the Chao Gardens." He smiled, before growing worried and narrowing his eyes at her. "You didn't hurt any Chaos, did you?" he seemed to grow a bit hostile when he asked that.
"No. I found these elsewhere. I know not of your 'Chao Garden' you speak of. I found these without any life around them, besides more trees." She blinked her eyes.
"….Hmph. Well, then. You're alright in my book." He sat back and took his foot, getting a fruit under his shoe's tip and flicking it up, catching it in his mouth. He tried to get its huge self down in his mouth all the way, "I fweel lwike a pengwuin." He said with a mouthful of chewed up fruit.
Metal Amy pushed to get her errors limited amount of time out.
Finally… she succeeded in creating some leeway.
"Ha…ha…ha." She robotically laughed.
It would have been more accurately organic if her 'heart' system was still in place...
"Hmm?" he blinked his eyes and swallowed his food. "Uhh… thanks for the laugh." He was a little creeped out by her attempt at laughing, but just moved on to the next fruit, using both feet this time to grab it. "I'm glad you didn't use apples..." he humorously replied, mostly talking to himself, as he stuck his tongue to the side of his face and continued to try and eat the food. "Cwould hwave chwoked." he gulped. "Ah~ Then Metal Me wouldn't have the fight he's always wanted."
"I wasn't always this bad at simulating emotion." She explained, not wanting to talk about Metal Sonic. "But…" she looked away from him, down to the side. "I used to be fascinated by organic behaviors and mannerisms… However, my master sees all such things as errors." She figured she couldn't help it. Her entire existence was Metal Sonic, what else could she talk about? "I was recently dismantled and although my outer appearance was only changed minimally, my 'mind' as it were, was restricted and compressed. I can only show organic 'feelings' and 'emotions' through my short period of time when my errors are allowed to be expressed." She explained as Sonic chewed quietly with his mouth closed to hear her. Not wanting to chomp or anything and miss something that could be important as she spoke.
Swallowing, he smiled. "Amy was right. You are different than those killer robots." He took another fruit, as she lifted her head up in surprise, and grabbed the fruit in mid-air, just before it fell into his mouth. "Ah…" he blinked his eyes, mouth still open before leaning forward and glaring with a pout at her. "Hey!"
"Amy Rose spoke of me?" She blinked her eyes in excitement, happy to hear her 'frienemy' had remembered her. "What did she say? What did she do to express her opinion of me?" she kept leaning forward towards Sonic with each question as he grew fearful of her closeness and slowly moved back.
"Umm… personal space… would be…" he gulped, as one of her dress's spikes was dangerously close to his stomach. "If you don't mind…" his eye twitched a little as his mouth was a squiggly line, showing his nervousness at almost getting stabbed as his stomach tried to pull or recede back, but was twitching below the spike.
She looked down. "Oh, your safety is at stake. My apologies." She forgot she was still in battle mode, and quickly shifted back to her softer form.
"…W-woah!" he leaned forward, seeing how pretty she looked in this other form and smiled. "Wow, I'll give Metal Me some credit, He has an eye for detail. Em-hmm." He looked her over, left and right, and then shone a friendly grin up to her. "He almost captured Amy's cuteness in you. But you're a little more… uh… regal, I guess." He commented as she felt the praise made her happy.
Remembering what Amy did when Sonic made her happy, she simulated a quick blush, closing her eyes and moving them down to her cheeks, and then having them glow brightly so the light metal of her muzzle showed the glowing red light through them.
"…Uh… are you… blushing?" Sonic tilted his head, before a corner of his mouth lurched upward at his amusement from seeing that gesture. "I didn't know a robot could do that…"
She moved her eyes back up to her eye-sockets, and lowered the lights in her eyes, as she opened her eyelids and smiled the best she could. "I made that up." She stated as Sonic laughed.
"Yeah, I wouldn't think Metal made you like that. Considering you just said he hates that kind of stuff. But that's a shame. You really looked cute." He complimented again.
She turned away. Smiling, and doing the 'blushing' simulation again. This Sonic was so much more enjoyable to be around then her master…
She couldn't compute what love must feel like, but she thought this was as close as she'll ever get to understanding why Amy Rose liked him so much.
"Hey. Amy said she wanted me to help you bust out of Metal Sonic's control over ya. If you set me free, I'll take you to Tails and he'll make sure you'll be free to act cute whenever you want!" Sonic grinned, planning on manipulating Metal Amy and gaining a new ally. One who could help them ultimately find out what Metal Sonic was up too.
"Hehe, thank you." she simulated another laugh she had once seen Amy do in her memory tapes of her, but didn't reply to his offer.
Her programming didn't allow her to even think of betraying Metal Sonic.
"Uhh… is that a yes?" Sonic asked, blinking and bending his eyebrows back to kindly look at her. "I can't really feel my arms right now." He admitted, having the chains so tight around him. "A little help would be nice…"
"I shall fetch you water." Her period of showing error and allowing it to run its course was through, and she wasn't able to explain to him why she couldn't respond. "Farewell. I shall return momentarily."
As she got up and flew out, she left the bowl of fruit for him to enjoy. She had never felt such a kinship, all because he was kind to her.
She didn't feel so badly about her new body anymore either... Since he had called it close to Amy's organic 'cute'. Which made her very pleased and happy. Something Metal Sonic could and would never achieve.
He leaned forward, "Wait! Come back!" Sonic called, before leaning back down and looking disappointed. "…Aw man." He pouted.
A camera, hanging above the room, recorded the whole thing…
When Metal Sonic returned with the others, he checked the recording, and slammed his fist down on the controls, his fist shaking in absolute rage…
He glared as deeply as he could at seeing Metal Amy simulate 'blushing' and letting her guard down to Sonic, his mortal enemy, who even dared to call her cute in his presence.
"Sonnnnicc…!" he growled out, his head twitching down, as his eyes glowed a brighter red.
Seeing her looking so pleased to amuse him and so eager to 'play along' with her simulated organic emotions and mannerisms, gave him a feeling one might think was unordinary for a robot...
He would never call it jealousy, but in organic terms, that seemed to be the case!