As soon as I saw an explosion towards the city, I left as fast I could and went towards the smoke. There was more and more commotion as I approached; cars leaving en masse, people panicked and hurrying down the sidewalks... A building had been completely wrecked and spilled across the street with a blanket of rubble blocking the other side.



"Amy!" I heard Vector's voice cut through the crowd. I immediately joined him; he held a panicked child and reunited them with their mother. He helped them along, then stared at me, concerned.



"What's going on?! Is anyone trapped?" I asked, quickly looking around.



"Me an' the others got just about everyone," he replied. I glanced to Charmy helping someone out of the rubble while Espio lifted up the rocks for them to get through. "As for what happened? Take a guess on who's behind it. Sonic's just ahead; I think he needs all the help he can get."



Eggman. "Right," I said with a firm nod, then kept going forward.



I left the crowd and climbed over the rubble to see a completely empty street. Thank God everyone cleared out in time--



!!!



"Sonic!" I screamed. I ran over to him collapsed in the middle of the street. He was still awake! I did my best to help him to his feet, but... God, he looked rough. I didn't see anything else, glancing around.



"H-hey, Ames..." He groaned and grabbed his side. "Just give me a minute..." His glare went up towards the sky. "Let him go RIGHT NOW!" he snapped.



"Oh ho ho!" Eggman cackled from above. I tried to find him; there! He was floating with one of his one-person half-orb ships, and... There was a tall robot holding Tails by the head.



The robot was blue, but there were streaks of dark gray and white... They had spines like Sonic, and-- was...? I never saw this design before... That wasn't Metal, was it? No, it didn't matter in the moment. His claws dug into Tails's head; I grimaced as I tried to think of how I could get him.



"I see there's more fodder for my newest project. I'd love your thoughts and feedback!" Eggman cackled again, slowly lowering alongside the robot. The robot tossed Tails in front of me and Sonic, glaring the both of us down with green eyes. I rushed over to Tails and carried him away from everyone else; he was totally out for the count, but... he was alive.



Sonic shook off his pain and looked a bit better in shape... He recovered enough to jump back into the fray. With a better view of the robot, I could see a huge black crystal covering his chest. He looked incredibly menacing, to say the least...



"Rot in hell, Eggman!" I growled, rejoining them and holding up my hammer.



"How cute, Pinky. I'll stay here, thank you," he said in a snobby tone. He patted the robot on the head. "I'm still workshopping a good name. Will probably workshop that design, too. Bleh. Let's call this a prototype," he said with an awful grin.



"B-be careful, Ames. This is a tough one..." Sonic said to me.



"Hmph. Enough dawdling. You! Get rid of them," Eggman commanded, pointing at the two of us.



The robot's eyes flashed green and--



He was immediately in front of me! Sonic pulled me away before my face got pulverized!



"Holy--" I gasped.



"He's been having me for lunch, Ames," Sonic winced. "B-but... I think I figured out something we can--" He grabbed me and sped away again. There was a crater where we stood before. Oh my God this robot was fast. As soon as Sonic put me back down, the two of them vanished. Sonic was thrown into the air and directly bashed in with one of the robot's legs.



I had to do what I could while Sonic distracted him. I jumped up and created a cyclone, separating the two and briefly breaking the robot's focus. As soon as the robot locked onto me, I socked him with--



He punched me right in the gut. The wind was knocked out of me; his reach went farther than my hammer did. I lost my momentum and crashed into the ground. Sonic quickly helped me up, his head close to mine.



"He's pretty well armored. The crystal's suspicious, but I can't get to it," Sonic whispered to me. He handed me a small, metallic ball with divots and lines. Looked like something Tails made. "Think you can throw this at the back of the turbine?"



"I can try. You'll have to take most of the hits..."



"Psh, I get plenty of practice." Sonic scowled over to Eggman, who was clearly enjoying the battle. I sighed, focusing on the robot. The robot slammed into the ground, then spiraled towards us at terrifying speed. I used my hammer to throw myself away from them, while Sonic braced himself. I couldn't be too obvious or else Eggman would do something...



I clenched my teeth and watched the battle as closely as I could. I couldn't believe it; Eggman managed to make something faster than both Metal and Sonic, or at least he was brutal enough that the speed didn't factor in as much as I thought it would.



Sonic was slammed into another building. I launched myself up and lobbed the sphere right when the robot was turned away-- direct hit! A massive electric current shot out from the turbine and took him over; the robot immediately let go of Sonic and backed away, landing on the ground at some distance.



I ran over to Sonic, who stared at the robot in horror. "Amy," he said, hushed. "Look."



I glanced at the robot too. He was moving strangely, but the current didn't seem to bother him. Instead of attack again, he clawed at the crystal at his chest and tried to pry it out. The 'helmet' part of his head covered his entire face and pointed out like a long snout. The crystal briefly flashed, overtaking the bright yellow current with larger, purple streaks. His joints seized and he screamed. Even more terrifying, the screams sounded like...



He suddenly went quiet. His head snapped towards us as the current dispelled. He brandished his claws and-- Boom! He sped towards us in an instant. Both Sonic and I dodged the direct impact, but the force of his movement blew the both of us back.



I glanced at Eggman; he was messing with a device slightly obscured by his vehicle, focused more on that instead of the fight... Huh.



Sonic kept the robot distracted for a bit, so I launched myself in the air and spun down towards Eggman.



CRACK! I destroyed the device he held in a single, solid hit.



"What--" Eggman then shouted angrily, taken aback. Two huge mechanical arms came out of his vehicle-- "You stupid little girl!!" he screeched.



I jumped away as Eggman swiped for me. "Was that part of your 'prototype', Eggman?" I sneered, dodging every time he aimed at me with the arms. A giant gun came out the front of the same vehicle-- I jumped away before he could shoot a beam at me. His shots went awfully close to Tails; I picked him up and tried to find a better place to put him.



Tails shifted awake. "A...Amy?"



"Tails! We're still dealing with--" Sonic smashed into the ground right in front of us, making me bound back in shock.



Eggman cackled. "Ha! Destroying my device won't prevent your suffering!" he shouted. "That being said, I'm getting a bit bored and your pitiful struggle gave me some ideas. Prototype! We're leaving."



"No you don't!" I scowled. "Tails, do you have more of those electric shock thingies?" I whispered, putting him down.



"Ungh..." Tails put a few more in my hand. Perfect! "Did they work?" he weakly asked.



"Maybe not in the way you were expecting, but..." I glanced at Eggman flying away like the coward he was, the robot following shortly behind. I ran some steps ahead of Sonic and Tails, then whacked one of the spheres towards the robot by using my hammer as a bat.



The robot whipped around and quickly caught the sphere. No!



Electricity crackled from his turbine again and he immediately stopped in place. My eyes widened. I saw Sonic elegantly falling some ways away. I checked my palm-- the second one Tails gave me was gone. Fair play.



The robot dug into the crystal with both hands and ripped it out of his chest, a huge mass of wires pulling and crackling from behind it. He fully severed the wires with his claws and snapped his head towards Eggman.



I approached the commotion, helping Tails along. Sonic grouped back up with us and defensively stood between us and the robot.



Eggman looked nervous.



The robot started to laugh. It was just like Sonic's laugh... until it turned into a cackle. His claws screeched against the crystal as he tightened his hold on it.



"I was nice to you, all things considered," the robot said, pointing to Eggman with his free hand. "I really would have left you alone... But you went and pissed me off!!!" he shouted. With an angry scream, the front of the helmet opened up and-- whoa-- suddenly his head was like a dragon with sharp teeth. Even his ears looked a little bit like horns. "You are not my Master! I don't serve anyone, especially not the likes of you!" the robot snarled, his voice way deeper.



I... Oh. Oh. The design... Sonic's voice... Even that terrifying snout. The details finally connected with me.



Metal built him. He had to be from the future. He didn't work for Eggman, clearly, but... He might not have been on our side, even though Metal thought robot-me was. We had to see what he would do next. Sonic, Tails, and I all watched in shock and awe.



"M-mind your manners, bot!" Eggman yelled back, though his voice had none of the weight it did before. He hurriedly began tacking away at something in his vehicle.



Flash! One of the arms of Eggman's ship ripped completely off its hinges, catching all of us by surprise. Eggman stammered and quickly righted himself, floating away and attempting to keep more distance.



The robot ripped the end of the mechanical hand with his teeth; his focus was still completely on Eggman. "You haven't earned the right to address me in any form," he sneered back, mouth unmoving. He spat out the part of the arm that was in his mouth and dropped the rest. "In fact, I think you just lost the right to address anybody." He dropped the crystal in his other hand, then brandished his claws. His turbine began whirring--



Flash! The robot went for Eggman again, but this time, there was a dark shield surrounding Eggman. The robot quickly righted himself, shouting angrily. He launched Eggman down with a spin-kick, colliding him into the ground. The robot chased after him and smashed him even deeper down the street.



I turned my head to Sonic when he sighed. "I've seen robots rebel against Eggman before, but... This is a new one for me, gotta admit," he muttered.



Tails, well enough to move on his own, flew over to the crystal the robot dropped and returned to us with it in hand. Behind the crystal was a complicated contraption full of wires to connect to the robot itself. "Eggman controlled him with this, huh...? Can't let him take that back," Tails said under his breath. "And... We can't let them destroy the city. How do we get them out of here?" He frowned at the both of us.



"I'm not sure he's really interested in fighting me," Sonic mumbled, crossing his arms. "I could maybe try to help Eggman find a way out, then let our new friend take chase--"



We all scrambled out of the way-- a giant shield with an unwanted Eggman inside came barreling right towards us! The robot sped by in a razor-sharp ball form, destroying the road as he pursued Eggman. Yeah... this was definitely a problem.



The robot unfurled and tried to dig his claws into the shield. "Do you think this will stop me?! I'll either break it open and tear you apart or throw you around until you become mush inside your pitiful shell!" he shouted, snapping his jaws against the shield. With how the robot hunched over and tried to tear into the shield, he looked more like a robot version of a beast than a hedgehog...



And the shield cracked. His claws pierced through, and with effort, he began prying it open. The rest of the shield struggled keeping its form and Eggman looked totally helpless. He typed hurriedly and muttered something under his breath in a panic.



... The robot suddenly stopped. He angled his head up; the snout disappeared, forming back into a normal helmet. His green eyes flickered with white. He looked around, distracted. "What?" he muttered, his voice back to what Sonic's sounded like.



His head angled towards me. I stared back in shock.



"... No, this doesn't--"



The shield dispelled and Eggman shot a beam from the gun at the vehicle's front; the robot got directly blasted and seized up from the same purple lightning as before. "If you're not going to be a good little bot, then there's no use keeping your programming!" Eggman snapped.



The robot screamed in pain and frustration, claws digging into his own head. He struggled-- Eggman shot him again and the robot fell backwards, smoke rising as he trembled. The eyes shut off.



I ran forward without thinking. I went for Eggman-- he narrowly evaded me right as my hammer crushed the ground.



"Too late, thanks for testing, see you!" Eggman hurriedly yelled, grabbing the lifeless robot with the still-functional machine arm on his ship. Eggman flew by us and snatched the crystal out of Tails's hands before any of us could react. Sonic darted towards him, but Eggman re-activated the shield, this time with the robot inside of it. He flew up too high for any of us to reach, and just like that...



...



It was over.



But...



"At least they're leaving the city," Sonic sighed. "We need to find them as soon as we can... Whatever Eggman has planned for that guy, it's definitely not good... And that robot was, uh... Quite a foe, to say the least."



"I can't help but feel like I've seen a crystal like that before..." Tails muttered. "Gah-- I'm sorry, you guys. I should've been more on guard."



Sonic gave him a friendly wave of dismissal. "I think we were all kinda scrambled, buddy. That was one of the weirdest fights I've had in a while."



"I'll do some research based on what I examined so far. Maybe that'll tell us what we're dealing with and why it messes with the robot. But that won't answer the biggest questions I have..." Tails tapped his chin in thought.



Eventually, both of them looked at me. I blinked.



"Ames? You good?" Sonic asked.



"H-huh? I... Yeah. I'm a little freaked out that the robot stared at me, is all," I muttered.



"That was weird," Tails hummed. "He looked distracted for a second. I'm pretty sure we might've needed to save Eggman from himself if he didn't just stop out of nowhere like that."



"Let's, uh, focus on the now," I replied with a frown. "Are you two okay? Not too badly hurt?"



They both gave me a groan. Yeah, that was fair.





Everyone who was able to assisted in cleaning the wrecked street. Thankfully, there weren't any casualties... But quite a few people lost their homes. I went back to my house and grabbed some clean clothes I didn't wear much anymore, along with some extra blankets and linens. I made my way to the shelter a lot of people held up in and helped them out for a while.



...



There were at least two robots that came from the future. One with my voice, one with Sonic's voice...



Uh, I'd give Metal credit about robots and identity: that guy did not act like Sonic. As he went berserk on Eggman, I definitely saw some inspiration from past events. I wondered if robot-me was going to be anything like that when she was fixed. Kinda freaky, to be honest...



Sonic and Tails wanted to stop Eggman from messing with the robot further... What would he tell us if we managed to get him? What would he have to say about me? He looked at me... He, when not controlled, knew my face. Something confused him. I was there a good portion of the battle, but he didn't truly acknowledge me until that moment.



My heart sank. I wasn't... sure. Should I...?



...



I was too exhausted to think more about it. I hobbled back home late at night. I didn't want to shower or anything. I collapsed in my bed without taking anything off. I just... Ugh... This was quite a day and I was happy for it to be over.



... I got back up.



I couldn't get a specific idea out of my head.



I hurried over to my phone, then quickly dialed a number. I held the speaker to my ear. Riiing... riiing...



Come on, pick up. I bit my bottom lip from nerves. Riiing... riiing...



Click! "Ooh, can't get enough of me, Ms. Rose? How are you, sweetheart?" cooed Rouge on the other end.



"Hi, Rouge... I need to talk to you. About... uh... It's more than girl talk. Please."



"It's not girl talk? Sorry, not interested. Buh-bye!"



"No!! It's important!!" I screamed.



Rouge laughed on the other end. "Relax, honey. I was kidding. Sorry, I didn't realize how wound up you were."



"L-let's talk... uh... about your skills."



"Oh, my. Interested in my services? Usually my clients are men... Can't say I mind the change of pace."



My brow twitched and my face reddened. "I'm coming to your apartment first thing tomorrow morning."



She laughed again. "Oh, you're far less fun when you're serious. Get some rest, then! Ta-ta." I heard a smooch sound on the other end, and then the line ended. I sighed, checked the phone, then put it down.



Whatever I was thinking, it was definitely stupid... But I didn't have a choice.