-Chapter 158-

Metallic Madness, Part 1

All across Mobius, the Freedom Fighters and their allies prepared for war. At the Thorndyke Mansion, the Sky Patrol hangar opened up as the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix got everything ready, powering it up and preparing to launch, and at GUN HQ, Tower issued orders to his men.

"Deploy the troops! Launch the Blue Eagles! The line will be drawn here! This far, no further! The Robotnik Empire's armada must fall!"

Soldiers were rushing across the runways as pilots scrambled into their planes. Sarah approached her father, looking concerned.

"Do you think this will be enough?" she asked.

"It has to be," Tower replied. "Because I don't know what we'll do if it isn't."

The Sky Patrol launched, heading right for the Egg Fleet. The com went off, revealing the face of Neo Metal Sonic.

"You fools must all have a death wish!" he gloated. "Witness these invincible battleships, built by the hands of a genius. Their power... unmatched throughout the universe!"

"Yeah," Sonic agreed. "A genius... who's not you."

That took the wind out of Metal's sails slightly, before he recovered.

"The doctor did one thing correctly. He created a powerful warrior like myself. And now, I will succeed where he failed and become the ultimate overlord of Mobius!"

"That's what you call yourself?" Shard questioned with a scoff. "I don't think so. All these resources, these ships, the robots, this empire you speak of... you stole it all from Dr. Robotnik! Every last bit of it! You call yourself an ultimate overlord, Metal, but you're wrong. The truth is you're nothing but a king of thieves, sitting alone on your stolen throne!"

"Lies!" Metal shrieked. "It was my plan that created all this! I'm the one who succeeded where Robotnik failed! I did this all on my own!"

"No you didn't," Knuckles cut in. "Like Shard said, you're nothing but a thief and a monster. You have nothing to call your own."

"Yeah!" Tails agreed. "You can't really claim to be a mastermind when all you've done is mooch off Eggman's work and take credit for what he did!"

Hope shook her head, a mix of anger and pity on her face.

"Aggie wouldn't have wanted you to go down this path," she remarked. "You threw away the one true friend you ever had, Metal. Was it worth it? Was all this worth losing your only real friend?"

Metal's eyes flashed in rage before he reeled back and punched the monitor, reducing the image to static.

"I didn't think so," Hope remarked.

Alright, we need a plan of attack," Sally cut in.

"GUN forces will draw the fire of 87% of the fleet," Omega said. "Leaving the Flagship to the Sky Patrol."

"My team and I will get onboard, disabling the weapons systems," Rouge decided. "Do like we did on Prison Island."

"I'll take my team to the dungeons," Amy added. "We'll find the Chao and get them outta there."

"We'll try and hunt down the little Egg and our wayward wild child," Vector included.

"I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but free Eggman too," At their looks, Sonic shrugged. "He's a lunatic, yeah, but Metal's way worse. Better the devil you know, y'know?"

"We'll do it, promise," Big assured.

"That leaves us to deal with Metal," Tails decided.

"Sounds like a plan," said Sally. "All right, it's now or never. Today... this ends."

Teams Rose, Dark, and Chaotix hurried to the hangar, where next to the X-Tornado sat the rebuilt original Tornado and Tornado 2.

"Question," Charmy began. "Why would Tails rebuild the first two Tornadoes when the X-Tornado's way better?"

"Mostly for nostalgia's sake," Amy replied. "That, and they're smaller and sleeker, so it's easier to get into places."

"Works for us!" Vector declared. "Everyone on."

Team Rose climbed into the Tornado 2, Big having to squeeze himself in as Chaos jumped onto the wings. Team Chaotix boarded the original Tornado, while Team Dark took the X-Tornado. All three planes shot out, heading for the flagship just as GUN Blue Eagles flew in, firing on the armada around them.

"Here comes the cavalry!" Hope exclaimed.

Gunfire rained down on the Egg Fleet as the Eagles began their assault. The Tornadoes soon joined the fray.

"Be careful, guys!" Tails warned. "Getting onto the flagship won't be easy, and Metal's sure to fight back!"

Rotor flipped multiple switches, a cannon popping out of the top of the Sky Patrol.

"Charge complete! Firing Particle Beam Cannon!"

The cannon sent blue waves of energy toward the Flagship, blasting off a few armaments and paving way for the Tornadoes to land.

"Rotor cleared you all a path!" Shorty shouted. "Take it while you can!"

"Roger that!" Julie-Su replied. "We're making our descent!"

The landing gear of all three planes had barely touched the top of the ship when the groups jumped out, splitting off to carry out their respective plans.

"Okay, so... how do we find the Chao on this thing?" Ray questioned.

Chaos' eyes were closed. It seemed he was focusing on something. His eyes then opened and he pointed.

"That way," Cream reported.

They hurried into the hold, soon coming across several cells. The first cell they looked into was filled with the captured Chao. Metal had seemingly had the heart to make it a miniature Chao Garden, complete with a Chao Berry tree, sun lamp, and a kiddie pool big enough for all of them. Upon sensing their God, the Chao all perked, rushing over to the bars while chirping and waving their arms.

"Froggy!" Big called. "Where are you?"

He heard a croak, and Froggy hopped up on top of the Chao pile, looking happily at his friend.

"Froggy!" Big exclaimed happily.

"Stand back," Mighty insisted. "Vector and I can get this door-"

Chaos grabbed the bars, ripping the entire cell wall out.

"Or… he can do it," the armadillo amended.

The Chao swarmed Chaos as Froggy hopped over to Big. Drake was the last one out, bounding on top of his father's head. Chaos' body seemed to grow a little lighter upon gently holding his son. Everyone smiled, before they heard a harmonica playing in a cell nearby. They hurried over, seeing Grimer in that cell, playing a melancholy tune on the harmonica in question. He looked up, seeing them there before shrugging.

"I felt it fit the atmosphere."

"Well, it seems we found one of you," Espio mused. "Where's the doctor?"

"On the bridge," Grimer replied. Metal Sonic took Dr. Robotnik with him upon takeoff, so he could watch him succeed where he failed."

"And Kat?" Keith asked. "Do you know where she is?"

Grimer looked sick.

"In the Syphon," he replied. "I fear I do not know where it is located here."

"Why would you look disgusted?" Julie-Su demanded. "You and Eggman made that damned torture machine in the first place."

"Yes, but specifically for Chaos-powered items like Chaos Emeralds and Power Rings," Grimer defended. "Dr. Robotnik and I never intended for it to be used for torture. More than that, Metal's been increasing the level used. If he continues…"

He trailed off and looked away. They instantly realized what he was implying.

"No…" Keith let out.

"Let me out, and I will help however I can," Grimer pleaded. "Trust me when I say that everyone on this ship wants Metal destroyed."

A moment of silence passed before Mighty bent the bars open, allowing Grimer to get out. He stepped out, adjusting his coat.

"First, to Agatha's room," he said. "She's the only one with some semblance of free reign here."

With a plan in mind, the group rushed off.

Meanwhile, Team Dark was heading for the weapons systems. They arrived in one corridor, Rouge flicking on a light, and they all gasped when what they saw were several inactive robots that resembled Shadow, all of them within stasis tubes similar to that which Shadow was found in. Some were spitting images, some only differed by yellow-colored stripes, and some were silver, resembling Metal Sonic, but with different stripe colors ranging from blue, orange, pink, and green, with either modified grenade launchers or machine guns for arms.

"What the…" Hope let out, "he's been making Metal Shadows?"

"Shadow Androids," Omega explained. "The latest introduction to the Metal Series. Production began shortly after Shadow's body was recovered from the crash site."

Shadow looked back and forth, utterly shocked as a thought came to mind.

"Shadow Androids... Am... Am I an android too?"

"No, no you're not," Hope insisted. "You're you."

She looked around for a second, then got an idea.

"Do you trust me?" she asked, getting a confused look. "Shadow, do you trust me?"

He nodded, and she gently took hold of his right hand. She began removing his glove while keeping the ring still on his wrist. This revealed that his hands were black like the rest of him, the red stripes on his arms extended down the backs and running along the middle so his entire middle finger was red.

"Omega, do you have a small knife?" Hope requested.

Omega protruded one from the back of his hand. Hope guided Shadow over, pricking his index finger on it. He hissed and pulled back, seeing a drop of blood pearling on the tip of the pricked finger.

"You see?" Hope asked. "Badniks don't have blood. If you were an android, you wouldn't bleed. You're the real Shadow."

A small spark of red energy healed the prick in an instant as Hope helped Shadow put his glove back. Rouge watched the pair, then turned to Omega.

"Burn it all," she ordered. "Don't leave a single one of those fakes intact. Got it?"

"Affirmative."

As he morphed his arms into gatling guns, Rouge, Shadow, and Hope headed into the next room. They found their way into the control room, and stopped short to see Eggatha at the computer, typing away.

"Aggie?" Hope asked.

Eggatha gasped, turning around with a start. When she saw who it was, she just stared.

"H-Hope?" she let out.

The two girls approached one another, then Eggatha just broke down, clutching Hope and sobbing profusely.

"Oh Hope, it's horrible!" she wept. "I don't know what happened. Maybe it was his hatred of Sonic reaching its boiling point, maybe it was going mad with power. But Metal's completely lost his mind. I don't know him anymore!"

"We know, we know," Hope soothed. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No…" Eggatha shook her head. "In fact, he swore up and down that he's doing this for me. That he wants us to rule Mobius side-by side. But I've been as much a prisoner as Uncle Ivo."

She continued clutching her cousin.

"He needs to be stopped. Just... do what you have to do. The Metal Sonic I knew, the one that was my friend... he's gone."

"Is this the ship's weapons systems?" Hope asked.

Eggatha sniffled and nodded.

"I got this one," Rouge decided. "Shadow, get the girls out of here."

Shadow nodded, gently taking Hope and Eggatha out of the room.

On the bridge, Robotnik stood by Metal's chair as they overlooked Mobius and the ongoing fight. Kat was strapped into the Chaos Syphon, watching as well.

"Do you see now, Doctor?" Metal gloated. "Time and again, you've attempted to take over Mobius, and time and again, you have failed. From the ashes of your defeats, I will rise and establish a new empire. This is day one of year one of the new epoch — the epoch of Neo Metal Sonic the First."

"You're a fool," Robotnik spat. "GUN is at your doorstep, and the Freedom Fighters aren't far behind. Sonic will stop you, and if he doesn't destroy you, I will. Mark my words."

Metal waved a hand, dismissing it. "Nothing but trifles. Specks on the windshield. The Egg Fleet can lay waste to anything Sonic and GUN dish out. You should know, Doctor. You specifically designed every last ship in it that way."

Kat let out a weak snort.

"Is that what you think?" she asked. "No wonder you'll never be more than a cheap knock-off."

"Even your sarcasm can't ruin my triumph, Kathryn," Metal retorted. "This armada is like a centipede. They can cut off a limb or two, but the main body will survive."

That was when the sound of muted gunfire reached their ears.

"Gunfire in the Shadow Android Containment room!" Brutus exclaimed. "Full system failures reported!"

The door opened, and Bocoe and Decoe came running in.

"Metal!" Bocoe cried. "The GUN Blue Eagles are decimating the fleet!"

"Losses calculated to be close to 57% of our entire forces!" Decoe added.

Another alert popped on screen.

"Containment breach in dungeon level 4!" Brutus shouted. "The Chao and Dr. Grimer are free!"

"How is this happening?!" Metal slammed his fists on the arms of his chair.

"The Freedom Fighters' airship is closing in!" Bocoe added.

"Then get off your damned skidplates and START FIRING!"

"Uh..." Brutus let out. "Weapons systems inoperable, sir."

"What?!" Metal jumped up, grabbing Brutus by the neck. "What do I PAY YOU PEOPLE FOR?!"

"Uh… we don't get paid at all," Bocoe pointed out.

"Your payment is not being scrapped!"

All of a sudden, Kat just started laughing. She was shaking in her seat, letting out full belly laughs.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that your fleet is not as powerful as you believed," Robotnik mused, smirking.

"You lose, Metal!" Kat cackled, bent over. "You lose!"

Metal vented harshly, slamming his fists on his chair and smashing it completely.

"Maybe I do," he mused. "But I can still stain Sonic's victory. We'll see what cause he has to celebrate destroying the Egg Fleet when all he finds of you is a desiccated husk!"

Kat's laughs stopped almost immediately as Metal stomped over. He grabbed the power dial on the Chaos Syphon and cranked it all the way up to the highest setting before ripping the knob clean off, ensuring it couldn't be stopped.

"NOT TO SEVEN!" Robotnik screamed in horror.

The machine started and Kat started screaming. It was a horrible noise that seemed to reverberate throughout the entire Flagship. All those with Chaos sensitivity felt her pain, and the rest were shocked by the volume and agony of the cries.

"Enjoy your final, agonizing moments!" Metal shouted.

Even from the Sky Patrol, Kat's screams of torment could be heard. All those on board went pale.

"Kat..." Knuckles gasped. "Oh Aurora…"

Sonic scowled, jumping to his feet.

"That's it!" he shouted. "I'm done waiting! Get the Sonic Power Cannon prepped! We're storming the Flagship NOW!"

"Beginning powering sequence now!" Tails declared.

Sonic immediately ran into the weapon, Knuckles right behind him. They began spinning in place as Tails took aim at the Flagship.

"FIRE!"

Shorty slammed his hand on the fire button and the two went launching right at the Flagship. They blasted through several turrets before landing, heading right for the bridge.

From within, Brutus gasped, seeing them on the monitor.

"Sonic and Knuckles are on board! They're coming this way!"

"It's not too late, Metal!" Robotnik insisted. "They will make your demise slow for this! Stop the damn Syphon!"

"Even if I wanted to, I can't!" Metal shot back. "Nothing can stop the-!"

Red light drew his attention. He turned, seeing that Kat was surrounded by red light, making it look like her entire body was engulfed in flames.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Impossible! You shouldn't have enough Chaos energy to light up a room, much less do that!"

Robotnik began backing away.

"If there's one thing I learned about these Freedom Fighters, it's that Impossible loses all meaning. And she knows her friends are coming."

He then promptly took cover as the Syphon completely exploded. Metal took the brunt of the blast, and was blown out the window as Kat took two steps before collapsing, out cold before she hit the ground. Robotnik carefully peeked out from behind his hiding place, seeing her unconscious form. He approached, checking for a pulse before gathering her in his arms.

Meanwhile, Metal had landed on the runway of his flagship, leaving a sizable dent.

"Well, well, well…" came Sonic's voice.

Metal looked up, seeing Sonic and Knuckles standing a few feet away.

"We were just headed for the bridge to take the fight to you, Metal... and here you are. Santa must be getting an early start this year."

Knuckles raised a hand, mist condensing in his hand and forming into what looked like electrical bolts before he shot his hand forward, projecting green lightning bolts of Chaos energy. Metal narrowly managed to dodge before getting to his feet.

"Cute light show, but it's pointless," he retorted. "If I can't establish the empire, I will kill you both! Especially you, Sonic!"

"Go ahead and try!" Sonic shouted, sparking. "What you did to Kat is unforgivable, Metal! This time, I'm not walking away until you're a pile of scrap metal! You're DEAD!"

"If you expect this to go how it went at the Ocean Palace, I'll have to disappoint you."

Knuckles raised his hand, preparing another electrical attack.

"Thunder Arrow!" he shouted.

As he launched the blast, they were surprised when Metal mimicked his stance before unleashing the exact same electrical move, colliding with Knuckles' blast and cancelling it out.

"What the-?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"One benefit of my upgrade," Metal gloated. "The Copycat circuit. I can scan and copy the bio-data of any life-form on Mobius, adding their skills, powers, and attributes to my own. My potential in this form is unlimited! Which, in a word, means 'you can't win.'"

"We'll see about that!" Sonic declared.

The two rushed at Metal, gathering all the power they could as they did.

Deeper in the flagship, Team Rose and Chaotix quickly met up with Team Dark.

"Is it done?" Amy asked.

"Weapons are down for good," Rouge confirmed.

They heard footsteps approaching, and turned to see Robotnik heading their way.

"Dr. Robotnik!" Grimer cried, relieved. "You're all right!"

As he got closer, everyone gasped when they saw Kat in his arms, limp and unmoving.

"Kat!" Keith screamed.

"Metal set the Syphon to max…" Robotnik told them solemnly. "I don't know how, but she overloaded it… at a cost."

He gently laid her down on the ground before the group, stepping back. Keith hurried over, checking her pulse and heartbeat. In desperation, he ripped open her jacket and began frantically performing chest compressions.

"No, Kat!" he pleaded as he did so. "You can't do this! We saved you! We did everything we could to save you! You've gotta hold on! For me!"

He leaned in, hearing no breathing before beginning compressions anew.

"Kat, please! You gotta fight for us! YOU GOTTA FIGHT!"

Eggatha covered her mouth in horror.

"No…" she let out.

"Kat…" Hope managed, tearing up.

Shadow looked at Kat, for a moment, her form flickering to that of a different girl. The black hedgehog stepped forward, gently taking Keith and moving him aside. Realizing what was going on, Vector and Mighty quickly took Keith, keeping him away as Shadow held his hands out over Kat's body. Red energy gathered around his hands, then slowly began filtering into Kat. His eyes were closed as he focused.

"Chaos Regeneration…" he let out quietly.

Suddenly, Kat coughed and wheezed, breathing once more. She remained unconscious, but she was alive.

"Kat!" Keith laughed in sheer relief.

"So, Chaos energy does have the power to heal," Robotnik mused. "My grandfather was right all along…"

Shadow lowered his hands, blinking before looking at them. "How… How did I-?"

"You were designed to heal, Shadow. And that's just what you did," Hope smiled. "See? What Metal said back in Casino Park was wrong. A monster wouldn't heal. They would only destroy."

"Speaking of monsters…" Robotnik looked up at Chaos. "You'll find Metal on the main deck. I believe he's engaging with Sonic and Knuckles."

"You're... just telling us this?" Amy asked.

"Metal Sonic has gone far beyond the pale," Robotnik replied. "He's insane, and needs to be put down. Either you do it for me, or I junk him myself. It makes no difference."

Chaos let out a gurgle before turning into a puddle and flowing away, determined to get revenge on the one who dared hurt his son.

On the main deck, Sonic and Knuckles were put on the defensive, bobbing and weaving past a barrage of Chaos Spears thrown by Metal.

"Damn it!" Sonic shouted. "Why won't this hunk of junk stay down!"

"You act as if we've been able to hit him!" Knuckles shot back.

Metal suddenly appeared before them with incredible speed, landing a left hook that sent Sonic skidding across the deck and catching Knuckles with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. Both Mobians flew back before managing to pull themselves up.

"Pitiful, really," Metal sighed. "For all of your talk, your claims of stopping me and making me pay, you're not even going to make it to the end of my warm-up."

Suddenly, a loud, gurglish roar ripped through the flagship.

"Uh-oh…" Sonic let out.

"That was…" Knuckles began.

"Chaos!" they both screamed.

A massive, watery fist slammed into Metal's jaw, knocking him back. Chaos came running in, pummeling Metal viciously and slamming him around. He pinned him to the wall... and then Metal began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Knuckles questioned.

"This is precisely what I've been waiting for," Metal explained. "The Chao-napping, Kathryn's experiences in the Chaos Syphon... all of it was to bring Chaos to me!"

"Why?" Sonic asked. "So he could kill you?"

"The Copycat circuit, remember? You see, they also programmed in some specifics for me to truly attain ultimate power, and be the doctor's final weapon. All I needed was Sonic's bio-data, Shadow's bio-data as the Ultimate Life Form…" he forced Chaos back. "And Chaos' bio-data as the God of Destruction!"

"Oh, no…" Sonic let out.

"We're screwed…" Knuckles remarked.

"You should be honored," Metal boasted. "You're about to witness the birth of the ultimate overlord! First you will see, then you will DIE!"

He cackled before raising a glowing hand, waving it. "Chaos... Control!"

He warped away at that.

"He can use Chaos Control?!" Knuckles exclaimed.

Sonic turned to Chaos, a deadpan look on his face.

"Way to go, Chaos," he said sarcastically. "Thanks for all the help."

Chaos let out an indignant burble, as if saying "Hey!"

"We don't have time for this!" Knuckles snapped. "We need to regroup with the others if we want to stand some semblance of a chance!"

With that, they both rushed off, wondering if this fight would be their last...

Author's Note:

Yep! Unlike the game, Sonic and co. actually fought Neo Metal Sonic before he transformed. Sorry if it's a bit bleh, but fight scenes aren't my strong point.

Next chapter, the pulse-pounding conclusion of the Sonic Heroes arc!

Please R&R. Until next time!