My Master had us at the 'vacation' base for over half a week. The first day, we did nothing. The second, third, and fourth days I spent mostly with Sage. We cooked more meals for our Master, played games with one another, and analyzed and discussed previous combat data. Sage spent more time with me since, after the first day, my Master disappeared into the laboratory and did not yet want us there with him.



Sage... She was a child, but she was supposed to be. I minded her less since she was more interested in learning from me than besting me, even though her desires were purely for further aiding my Master. She was quiet and surprisingly patient. Sometimes I forgot she had an annoying amount of favor from our Master over me.



Fifth day. We delivered breakfast to the lab via one of the pawns, so I didn't have anything else to do. I wanted some time to myself. I noticed there were some messages from Belle and I didn't want to talk to her while Sage was around. I went to a side room and performed some simple maintenance on myself while checking up on Belle.





Why was I not surprised? Could that thing phase through the walls? Did they somehow see me put in all the door codes? Ugh. If Belle took my doll back, though, I would have to give her the door code to the bedroom or my private room... She would either have access to all of my personal belongings or she would see all the photos of Amy and me... I would never hear the end of it. Plus, Nova knew how to go back in there...





I rolled my eyes.





Warm. It wasn't so bad to have someone who knew of us... Amy at the base with Belle told me that there was nothing of concern happening. I wanted to re-read the letter I stored in my arm... But I hadn't thoroughly studied this base's layout to feel safe enough.



I worked on my wiring for a minute or so. I thought Belle would keep talking to me...





Oh, there she was.





Belle prematurely sent a message. Strange, that never happened before. I was done with my maintenance, but since I was still talking to Belle, I just did some simple diagnostics and cleaned up some files I no longer wanted.





I didn't get another message for a while. I was actually... concerned? Were they having an argument? Belle hardly fought with anyone. Even her stand-off with my Master way back was particularly tame. Amy, on the other hand...





That wasn't everything? What was Amy saying to her?! I went back to regretting Belle's knowledge of the both of us. Amy was telling her too much!!!





Belle didn't send me a message for a few more minutes. I might have accidentally caused Belle to be at the forefront of Amy's rage...





I would have to make it up to Belle later. I actually pitied her.





I didn't want to send my affections in a message to Belle, even if it was meant for Amy... Ugh... My systems were overheating.





I prepared myself and put my full focus into the message. I needed to be a bit more specific so Amy knew that Belle wasn't just trying to get her off her back... I missed her terribly. I thought of her whenever I looked at the beach. When entertaining Sage, I thought of the games we played together when we were on the trip to Little Planet.



I had trouble embracing positive associations. I was confused by anyone who did not feel hatred when they looked at me. I didn't like the word 'friend'... But I loved the words 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend'. I had no second thoughts about being close to Amy. I was eager to express my feelings to her. I was comfortable. I loved her more than anything... Getting along with others only made me miss Amy more.



... I erased most of the message I planned to send to Belle. It was too much information. I kept only what was necessary for Amy to hear in the moment.





I leaned my head back and let it smack against the wall. I hated this exchange with Belle.





I couldn't believe Amy was the one embarrassing me and making me relay such things to our mutual associate. I stood up and paced around the room to fight off my building energy.





I couldn't truly be angry with my Amy. She was very cute... And she worried about me that much? A part of me knew, but the evidence always surprised me...





I went ahead and erased mine. Shortly after, I received a fresh message from Belle:





I rolled my eyes again and stood still. At least, from what I could tell, Belle and Amy were getting along with each other again. I understood Amy's worry, too... There was a pit in my being the longer we were apart. I would lose motivation if I ruminated about our distance for too long...





Belle made a point... What was I doing? I wanted a bit more of a break from Sage... She at least found other ways to entertain herself when I expressed the desire to be on my own.



"Metal Sonic."



Sage entered the room right when I was about to leave. I looked at her.



"Father requests the both of us in the laboratory now." She went back into the hallway and floated down towards the elevator. I was interested; were we actually going to do something after all? I followed her.



"Do you think Father liked the eggs? I have not yet perfected the unbroken yolks..." Sage tapped her chin in thought, then turned her head to me, slightly frowning.



'He is likely happy since you made them,' I replied.



"I hope so. I do not want to cause shame to his namesake." Sage tilted her head. "He adopted the 'Eggman' moniker long ago... I never asked why and that specific information is not in the database. Do you know, Metal Sonic?"



I shrugged. 'Maybe you can ask him.'



"That would be nice. We hardly saw Father this week." Sage was the first into the elevator, then after I walked in, I pressed the button to send us down. The doors closed in front of us.



Together, we went down to the base's main laboratory.



The elevator doors opened up to a massive room, its design and equipment similar to what I expected. My Master had his back turned away from us, messing with something in the middle of the room. He was in front of an oblong table slanted to a near-standing position. Both Sage and I approached.



...



There was another robot. He looked like me... looked like Sonic.



He was a bright blue hedgehog, much taller than me. His quills looked just like Sonic's, all of them angled down in six parts. His face was similar to mine, though... he had a pointed nose and bolts on his cheeks. Parts that were yellow on me were white on him instead; the turbine, the top of his hands, the insides of his ears... He was plated with dark gray spiky armor, a bit similar to a traditional knight's. I could see black sclera behind a slotted helmet; the helmet itself covered the top half of his face and the top part of his head, making his ears appear as spikes.



Another one? Did my Master ever tire of making robots that looked like Sonic? He stopped after a while... it's been multiple years. Why now? Why again?



I... I didn't know what to think. I was baffled. I was angry. I could do nothing.



He noticed us enter, briefly looking at us, then focusing back on the robot. He was installing something inside the robot's turbine. "There you two are. Getting along?"



"Yes, Father," Sage said with a cheerful tone. "What is it that you need assistance with?"



"I need to test some theories. Metal, come here." He stood up straight, then watched me as I approached. He gestured me to turn around, then he opened the back of my head. He inserted a wire into a slot on my head, causing the UI of my systems to appear on the laboratory's largest monitor at the far side of the wall. "I'm using you as a router between the base and the robot. I want to see if you can connect to him."



I focused on the monitor and waited for what my Master was going to do next.



"Why do you need to use Metal Sonic to connect to the robot, Father?"



He made a grunt like he was thinking. "His code denies basic access to his files, both with the network and locally. I want to see if he has the same reaction to more complex creations like Metal."



I lifted my head a little. He...



Did my Master not make this robot? ... What would I see if I could connect successfully? I wanted to get a better look at the robot's design, but I was turned away. I didn't want to be suspicious.



My Master connected a different wire to me--



Crack! I was being overcharged! My senses were overwhelmed. I couldn't see. I couldn't feel my limbs, but I could feel-- Pain! Painful! I saw flashes of white, over and over--!!



I was disconnected. My senses went back to normal. There was smoke everywhere... I think it came from me.



"Damn," I heard my Master growl. He held a different device to me... I was being repaired. I felt relief. My systems quickly returned to normal with his expert hand. "Metal, pull up your system logs."



I brought up my system logs, which in turn displayed on the monitor. The logs consisted of a black window with white text; it showed my system scan I did during my maintenance earlier, then the wired connection to the base. There was a mass of red text right after my Master connected me to the robot. It looked like the robot was actually attacking my own programming, which my systems automatically fought against... I could've been killed.



"Wh..." He clicked his tongue. "Well, that confirms this isn't anything I made," he grumbled to himself. "It first checked for my signature code... then the bot sent out signals that disrupted your functions. Looked like it was trying to destroy your programming."



I turned my head to look at him. His attention was on a smaller monitor, one that had a wire I was connected to. He accessed my code and searched through it.



"I'm curious if it'll still try to go for your core if it didn't detect my signature. I'm rebooting you, Metal."



I nodded at him.



...



...



...



Online. I was in the same place as before. I didn't know how much time passed. My Master was still there, as was Sage, who was monitoring us both. I think it might've just been a brief moment; my Master updated my code to remove a signature he embedded into all his creations.



"Let's give this another shot..."



I braced myself. He connected me to the robot again.



...



I brought up a window that showed my access to the other robot. Nothing was visible except for a single empty folder. The owner of the folder had a name...



Cavalier Sonic.



...



"What a pain," my Master grumbled again. "This is the same thing I saw when I connected him to the base."



"Father, maybe I could attempt to search this robot's code and take control?" Sage started.



I watched them both. My Master shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Not yet, it's too dangerous for you-- But that's the next step to figuring out how this bot works. Taking him apart won't do anything if I don't know his code." He took the wire out of me and closed my head, causing the large monitor on the wall to go black.



'What do you know of this machine so far?' I thought I'd ask.



"An infuriatingly little amount. I found him around the same time I received that 'gift' I mentioned to you at our last big outing, Metal. Now I know this one wasn't part of the package from the future... In fact, this is a mockery of Eggtech." He scoffed, then gestured wildly towards Cavalier Sonic. "It's obvious!" he snapped. "I would not create something so tacky! The blue is obnoxious and lack of other colors is incredibly bland! Is Sonic a cosplayer now or what?!"



Sage let out a half-chuckle. "You are amusing, Father," she said. "I must agree. Your creations are far superior."



"Even my Egg Pawns have more class than this," he sneered. "Taking my idea of a jet turbine? So original. These spikes? Done that. And they think they can keep me out and prevent me from accessing future technology? Attack my creations because of my signature? I'll break and bend this thing to my will."



Cold.



I stood incredibly still. I did not want him to notice me. He continued fiddling with whatever he put in Cavalier Sonic's turbine.



We were quiet for a few dreadfully long minutes.



My Master brought out the device he worked on by the pool at the beginning of the week; it looked somewhat like a scanner with a screen on it. He mumbled to himself, tapped a few things on the screen... "My new invention should override our guest's basic function, allowing me to get a better look into what he can do. From there, I can figure out a way for you to fully scan him, Sage."



"Excellent idea, Father!"



...



My Master gave himself a confident nod. "Alright, everything's in place..." He walked away from the monitor and flicked a switch near the table. I saw a jolt of energy kickstart the bot, similar to what I did with Carillon Rose... And it worked. He slightly moved. He didn't show signs of damage like Carillon Rose did...



Green eyes appeared in the slits of the helmet. Cavalier Sonic stood up from the surface he propped up against. He looked around, unfocused. It was like he didn't even notice us.



"My device should be working... You! Acknowledge your new Master," he commanded.



Cavalier Sonic turned his head towards my Master.



There was another long, uncomfortable silence.



"Hmm. Maybe he can't understand words very well," mumbled Eggman, glancing back at his device. "Unsurprising."



SMASH!



!!!



I barely had time to process it! My Master crashed against a computer console on the other side of the room. Cavalier Sonic's arm was raised, his palm facing inward.



"That enough acknowledgment for you?"



That was Sonic's voice!



I acted automatically; before I realized, I stood between my Master and Cavalier Sonic. But... this robot was fast. He... of course he was. I truly didn't know what to do. There was a lot of information. A lot to organize in my head.



Cavalier Sonic's focus went to me as his arm lowered. He averted his eyes. "Huh... I'm getting this garbage off of me," he said, reaching for the contraption my Master put in his turbine. Easily, he tore it out and flicked it away.



"Wh-wh-what!!!" my Master exclaimed so high that it was nearly a screech. "You-- You insolent...! Who made you?!" he yelled. Sage hurriedly flew over to my Master and helped him stand.



"That's a bit personal, isn't it? We just met," Cavalier Sonic replied. He was snarky. I actually hated him. "Maybe if you're nice, I'll give you a hint... Doesn't seem like that's your style though, considering the dumb bug you put in my turbine." He scratched the inside of the turbine with one of his plated claws. "Eugh. It's still a little itchy."



I really hated this robot. Did I actually make him?



"Metal, shut him up! I'm tired of this bucket of bolts running its insignificant mouth!!!"



I actually kinda wanted to, but I had far less faith in my abilities in this moment than my Master did. He was from the future. New technology my Master made had no effect on him... What could I do? I... He could even destroy me. I shouldn't be confident that he would avoid doing so, even with me possibly being his creator. That would just mean a different Metal made him.



I didn't want to be destroyed. I had to fulfill my purpose. I wanted to live for Amy.



I quickly steeled myself and launched forward at my top speed. I didn't have the luxury of hesitation.



!!!



He jumped over me. He was curled into a ball, his quills sharply pointing outwards. He collided into the ground and rapidly spun, his turn shredding through technology on the wall. His spines ripped through both the floor as his course corrected; he was headed for the elevator.



I acted on instinct, launched at him, and dove for him head first. He broke his ball formation and jumped back as soon as we collided. I barely did anything, but the sound was so loud that it might've looked like a true impact to my Master and Sage. Did he not want to cause me harm?



"Sorry, little guy, but you're getting in the way," he growled. His voice was Sonic's, but suddenly, he didn't speak the same way Sonic did. His cadence was off. "I don't want to actually fight. Let's forget this happened and I'll leave this place-- and all of you-- alone."



"The nerve of this metal rat!!!" screamed my Master. "You wreck my things and you think you'll just go free?!"



"This is your last warning," Cavalier Sonic said, stern.



"Ugh! I don't care anymore! Completely destroy him, Metal Sonic!"



I followed his command and launched forward again. The plates of Cavalier Sonic's helmet unfolded down and completely covered his muzzle, pointing out like a beak. His green eyes were even more piercing.



I reacted earlier than I usually would to anticipate his own movements, moving myself out of the way right as I got close. He swiped at me with his claws and just narrowly missed me. He was incredibly quick-- he might've been quicker than me. The armor could likely withstand my attacks. I didn't know how I could rip into him. He had to have a weak spot, some kind of downside to his movements... But I didn't have many chances to study him if he could hit me faster than I could react. Similarly, he was far bigger than me, he had more reach, and... He likely knew everything about my own machinery.



I could not doubt myself. I am Metal Sonic. I likely created him with my own skill and knowledge. I was better. I am better.



I saw my Master at a different part of the room. He was looking for something... He had a plan. While I would attempt to destroy Cavalier Sonic, my current goal involved distracting him and preventing him from leaving where I could.



"What's your play here? Ranged? Melee? Up? Down?" Cavalier Sonic asked, tapping his heels. "You did the math in your head, right? Surely math is not so different in this time. Maybe. Eh, don't beat yourself up too much about it."



I hated how much he talked. Actually, it was torture. I couldn't believe I could make something that had this kind of attitude. Maybe a different Metal did build him, but regardless, he could not best me.



We clashed a few more times. I didn't want him to further damage the lab, but... he didn't seem to aim for it, either. Whatever his duty or goal was, it was elsewhere. Similarly, he stated he was willing to leave all of us alone.



His name and design gave a clear theme, so he had to be related to Carillon Rose in some way. What I knew didn't give me many hints as to his purpose, though. Did he have one? Was this a rogue robot?



He curled up into a ball again and sped towards me. I aimed towards him and slammed directly into him. He punted me back with his quills his time-- it was a lot of force. I was knocked into destroyed machinery. I righted myself as quickly as I could. He just as quickly unfurled and stood tall, studying me from a distance.



I charged up a ranged blast and shot it from my turbine. He quickly ducked his head and deflected the blast with the top of his helmet; the beam shot a previously untouched console instead. He was quick to defend his turbine; likely, that would be what I could use to short him out. But... getting to his turbine was a different matter.



He bounded forward and slammed me into the ground, somehow catching me off guard at a shocking speed. He pinned me down, leaning his head down close. His gaze bore into me and his claws tore into the floor under my arms.



I couldn't move. This fight was pathetic and I hadn't gathered enough data. I was not better; I was useless. I wasn't sure I bought enough time. I couldn't check for my Master.



"I know you can't help it," he said, quiet.



...!



He sounded just like Sonic again. He sounded too much like Sonic, like he was playing back a recording. I froze. I didn't... know what to think. "Maybe now... you finally can. For once, grab your freedom." It was so clear. I didn't understand. His voice broke into something else entirely: "Or..."



There was a feeling I did not want to describe. A feeling I deeply, deeply despised. A feeling... A feeling.



"Be a prisoner forever."



The voice became incredibly distorted, deep. The tip of his helmet opened at an unnatural angle, razor-sharp teeth then bordering a monstrous, gaping maw. He didn't have eyes anymore.



A feeling. This wasn't real. I was offline and experienced something I shouldn't have been able to. I watched myself being watched.



"I'm tired of playing for now," Cavalier Sonic continued, his voice still as deep as before. Only a hint of Sonic remained in his tone. He spoke without moving his mouth. "Don't worry, this isn't death for you." He raised his head further away from me. A bit of drool splotched onto my face. I wanted to wake up.



SNAP!



His jaws clenched onto my Black Shield. I activated it just in time. I didn't... I didn't even realize I activated it. I didn't think-- it was instant. His arms were trapped in my Black Shield as he pinned me down, but he towered over me enough that most of his body was outside of it. He aimed for the underside of my head. He was going to bite it clean off.



"Clever, but it won't stop me... And I know nothing can stop you." The way his head angled towards me... I was prey. He bit into the shield. Nothing should penetrate it.



But...



His jaws moved. He applied more force... his teeth pierced the shield. It clearly took effort. I was on borrowed time. I channeled as much energy as I could to the shield, to regenerate it. It didn't stop him. I could try to use a beam to hit his turbine from up close, but I had to recover after dispelling my shield... I couldn't use my claws because he still had a grip on me. I didn't know. I didn't know.



Purple electricity crackled and caused Cavalier Sonic to violently shake. His jaws released and he screamed out, voice breaking out into a terrifying howl. Painful-- it looked painful. The current did not penetrate through my shield or affect his arms. He clutched onto me tighter, so tightly that I thought he would pull my arms off.



"Metal! Get away from him!" My Master shouted.



I dispelled my shield. He clawed into his own head as the shocks took him over; I rocketed backwards and away from him. He completely seized up, no longer able to control his movements.



"Y...You... have...!" he hissed. He couldn't complete his sentence.



A beam shot out of his mouth in a desperate attempt to stop the shocks, but he had little control over his head, destroying part of the wall and some of the ceiling above.



My Master stepped closer, holding a unique weapon I've never seen before. The design didn't look too much like his own. Cavalier Sonic's maw closed with a struggle and formed back into the original helmet shape, no longer covering his muzzle. "Not so talkative now, are ya?" sneered my Master.



Cavalier Sonic collapsed, green eyes blinking off. The electric current dispelled as smoke rose all around the room. He stopped moving.



I still did not wake up.



"We have more work ahead... But at least we know some of what he can do now. Hmph." My Master gave the weapon to Sage, then hoisted up the deactivated bot.



...



...



"Metal Sonic?" Sage waved her hand in front of me. I snapped back to attention. "Did your auditory system glitch?"



... Was I being talked to before? I stood at one end of the ravaged lab. When I glanced over to my Master, I saw he had Cavalier Sonic back on the same table. He was staring at me, his hands on his hips. Impatient with me. I didn't know for how long.



"Father would like to run another diagnostic and give you some repairs."



... Oh. I walked over to my Master. He checked through me.



He sighed, stroking his moustache. "I don't see any genuine damage... But you're acting strange."



I had no reply for him. Sage opened her mouth, as if to speak, but she didn't. My Master tinkered with the back of my head for a few moments, then stepped to my front. He wiped something off of my eye. I forgot what it was. He let me go.



"Systems are normal and your circuitry looks good either way. You only overexerted yourself from the Black Shield; go focus on recharging your energy upstairs. I called in some pawns to clean up. Sage, you stay with me."



I walked away. Their voices faded into the background; I wasn't paying full attention to what they said to each other. They were talking about the weapon my Master used, I think. I went back into the elevator and allowed it to take me back to the top floor.



I went back into the side room I used for maintenance. The room was small and dark. It was quiet.



I sat down on the floor. I tapped my claws against the tile. The sound was hollow. It didn't carry like it should have.



I know you can't help it. Grab your freedom or be a prisoner forever.



Why did he have Sonic's voice? Why did he say that to me?



No, he didn't say that. It was an error. I accessed my recordings and searched through them.



I know you can't help it.



Can't help what? Why did he say that?



He didn't. He didn't.



He broke through my shield. He would've shattered it entirely. His jaws...



A feeling.



Numb. Cold.



Wake up.





...





I covered my hands with my face. I wished I could laugh. I lifted my chest like I was about to.





I checked her location with my available map data... she was where she said she was, in that forest, in the hidden cave, in the base...



I dropped my arms back down. I could follow the sound of the impact. It sounded normal.



That was enough for me to know my reality.