Chapter 4: Metallic Madness Reloaded
Lanolin had been restless since morning, along with Tangle, Whisper and Duo, had been patrolling Splash Canyon early in the morning, looking for any sign of the Phantom Rider.
"I wish Silver was still around, we could use his psychic powers in this situation" Lanolin commented to his companions.
"Hey, don't worry Lanolin, yesterday we were just taken by surprise by his speed, today we won't be" assured Tangle as he swung between the branches of the tops of the rocky pillars on the trail. "By the way, second section clear, I'll be over here if I see anything" said Tangle.
"Duo did you see anything strange?" asked Lanolin to Duo the Cat, the newest member among them.
"N-nothing boss, but I'll keep you posted" Duo said in a somewhat shaky voice, as he checked the caverns, his flashlight checking the cracks and ledges.
"Whisper?" asked Lanolin to the she-wolf.
"Nothing on the third stretch" Whisper whispered Whisper through the communicator as she stood hidden and watchful.
"The starting point is also clear," Lanolin said, hesitating a bit before continuing to speak. As he watched the runners line up at the starting line, with Jet, Storm and Wave in the center, though they were clearly not the center of attention.
"Are you sure you want to go on? The nurse said you should rest a little longer!" Kit cautioned Kit in a concerned manner to Surge, who had already climbed into her hoverbike.
"Don't worry Kit, besides, people need to know that their heroine will be here to protect them," said Surge with a wink as he and Kit stood to the side to act as referees for this phase of the race.
**Meanwhile, underneath the starting platform.**
The Phantom Rider had snuck under the starting platform, having snuck in here the day before during the night and slept near the engines, in the small space between the left side engines. Now, he was just getting ready for his second public outing.
"What nerves, I wish I'd had a little more time to prepare a more grandiloquent speech, something similar to Shadow's vengeful one or Infinite's super dark and edgy one, but..." The Phantom Rider crumpled the paper, completely scribbled with speeches and statements, throwing it into the water. "Boo, I'm not that cliche, yes I am, but I'd like to have something of my own. In the meantime" The Phantom Rider waited for the start horn to sound, climbing into his hoverboard.
His hands tightened on the controls as he prepared to make his grand entrance. He'd chosen this race for a reason—it was high profile, with dozens of cameras and spectators. The perfect stage to announce his return and send a clear message to his enemies.
**Up above, on the starting platform**
The race announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, "Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for! Welcome to the third phase of the Splash Canyon Grand Prix! Are you ready to see some high-speed action? Because our racers certainly are!"
The crowd cheered in response, the air thick with anticipation.
The Babylon Rogues were front and center, Jet's confident smirk spreading across his face like a badge of honor. Beside him, Wave adjusted her goggles, her eyes scanning the course with a keen focus, while Storm fidgeted nervously, his fingers tapping against the handlebars of his hoverboard.
Suddenly, the starting horn blared, and the racers were off. The roar of engines filled the air as they shot forward, a colorful blur of speed and adrenaline.
Jet led the pack, his hoverboard slicing through the water with ease. He grinned, relishing in the thrill of the race and the power beneath his feet.
But as he turned a sharp corner, something unexpected happened. A dark figure emerged from the water, rising like a specter from the depths. The Phantom Rider had made his entrance, and he was moving at a speed that even Jet had never seen before.
"Hello everyone! Did you miss me?" the Phantom Rider announced as he knocked two riders off their boards, sending them tumbling into the water. "Here, your Lord of Chaos, the Phantom Rider, present and ready to play!" he said as he stood aloft on his hovercraft, arms crossed in authority.
It was a theatrical entrance, one designed to instill fear and chaos, and it worked. Several racers swerved to avoid him, causing a chain reaction of collisions and near misses.
Up above, on the starting platform, the Diamond Cutters watched the chaos unfold. Lanolin's eyes narrowed as she spotted the Phantom Rider. "That's him," she growled. "I want him taken down, but do not harm any racers in the process. We need to keep this situation under control."
Tangle nodded, her tail lashing out like a whip as she grabbed onto the nearest rock pillar.
"Leave that to me, boss! I'll lasso him and drag him back to shore!" she called out, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Whisper, despite her usual shyness, stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll cover you, Tangle. Make sure no other racers get hurt."
Duo, trying to overcome his nervousness, chimed in, "I'll assist Whisper. We can't let him cause any more chaos."
Lanolin nodded in approval. "Surge, Kit, you two stay here and keep an eye on the situation." Lanolin tries to order, but Surge already pass alongside her without caring too much.
"sorry, Sheep, that bad guy is mine" Surge says, using her electric energy to booster her hoverbike, going toward the Phantom Rider.
"Oh, come on, you Diamond Cutters are not enough to lay a finger on me" Phantom Rider says, but instantly figure that even the racers decide to surround him, with Jet, Storm and Wave at the head, wanting all to knock him down.
"My, my, 1vs 100? I am in" the Phantom Rider roars, charging at his chasers, knocking down the closest to him with fast movements.
The racers, however, did not give up and continued to pursue him, determined to catch him.
"Kit, I need you to stay with me," Surge says as she maneuvers her hoverbike across the water, avoiding the chaos around her. She needed her little brother's hydrokinetic powers to help her keep up with the Phantom Rider. Kit, despite being fearful, nods and stretches his tail out, creating a water barrier around Surge's hoverbike, keeping her safe from the ensuing battle.
Surge, with her speed enhanced by Kit's hydrokinetic powers, slips past Jet and charges towards the Phantom Rider. She unleashes a powerful electrical blast, but the Phantom Rider anticipates her move and dodges the attack, leaving Surge's electric bolts striking the water, creating a brilliant display of lights.
"But look who it is! The Tenrec heroine and her loyal water fox!" The Phantom Rider says catching a racer from her throat and throwing her against another bunch of them. "How you are?, I thought you were still recovering after the last beating I give to you" Phantom Rider mocks as he avoids the Babylon Rogues attacks in middle air.
"Fool, I don't need recovery time, I am the speed" Surge said as she dodges Wave's drones who tried to capture her.
"Well, you two are a tough pair, I'll give you that" Phantom Rider said as he charges between Jet and Storm, causing them to crash mid air.
"I told you, we aren't as easy as you think" Surge said as she uses her electric powers to create a whip that she uses to throw at the Phantom Rider, who quickly dodges it.
"Oh, you two are certainly not as easy as I thought, but you're still not fast enough" Phantom Rider said as he unleashes a burst of super speed, creating a shockwave that sends both Surge and Kit flying into the water, causing them to be thrown into a nearby rock, leaving them dazed and injured.
"Kit! Surge!" Lanolin shouted in concern, rushing towards the duo along with Tangle, Whisper, and Duo.
"What was that?!" Surge roars more annoyed than hurted, as she gets carried out of the water by Kit.
"I recognize that, it called 'Boost', a technique shared by Sonic and Shadow." Tangle says as she catch them with her tail.
"I heard of it, they weaponize their speed creating multiple sonic booms on their path" Whispers says in a low tone as she approach to help up. "But how can he do it? He is not a Hedgehog" she whispers.
"What are you talking about?" Lanolin asks, helping Surge to her feet while Duo checks Kit's injuries.
"The Phantom Rider, he's not a Hedgehog. I've seen Sonic and Shadow use that move, and it's not something just anyone can do. But the way he did it... it was different. More powerful, somehow," Tangle explains, her eyes narrowing as she looks in the direction the Phantom Rider fled.
"We need to find him. Before he hurts anyone else," Surge growls, her electric powers sparking angrily.
Whisper nods in agreement.
"Don't worry, I'll beat the truth out of him," Surge said, mentally ready to go after the Phantom Rider despite her injuries.
Lanolin placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Easy there, Surge. We need a plan. We can't just rush in blindly. We need to be smart about this."
Tangle nodded in agreement. "We need to figure out why he's targeting us, and how he's doing what he's doing. That boost move... it's not natural. Something's off."
Whisper, still whispering, added, "We need to find out who he really is. If he's not a Hedgehog, then who is he?
"Do you want answers to that?" the Phantom Rider asked, slowly descending upon them, more theatrically than practically. "First I-!" but he was instantly interrupted by the onslaught of something dark grey, which rammed him into a nearby rock pillar, generating a small explosion that made the colossal structure collapse.
"Watch out! Everyone retreat!" Lanolin shouted as he waved his cowbell in alert, Whisper grabbed Tangle by her tail and carried her along with her out of danger, while the racers began to flee in all directions, as the fall of the first pillar caused a chain reaction that made the track too dangerous to continue. Surge, on the other hand, and thanks to her reaction speed and vision, was the only one who managed to distinguish two things before taking Kit and leaving from there, the first was that the gray figure was some kind of Metal Sonic that seemed to be burning inside, and the second, is that the Phantom Rider's visor broke, revealing some... familiar eyes.
For his part, the Phantom Rider was slowly recovering from the attack, his head spinning as he tried to put his thoughts together.
"What the hell was that?" he said while grabbing his head, feeling the spikes, his helmet, was no longer there.
"So it was true, you were right, My beloved Metallix" said Breezie from the control panel, while looking through the integrated camera at Furnace Sonic. "Our mysterious Phantom Rider, was Sonic the Hedgehog" Breezie said as Metallix stood to the side, she pressed a button to speak through Furnace Sonic's intercom. "Don't worry, as Hedgehog, I promise to protect your secret, as long as you lend me your cute hoverboard" Breezie said as Furnace held the hoverboard Sonic was using under his arm.
"oh no, give me that Metal!" Sonic says, running toward Furnace Sonic, who prepares for combat.
"Retreat, Furnace, his hoverboard is the main objective, bring it to me" Breezie orders to Furnace.
Furnace Sonic, without a second thought, turns around and starts flying away with the hoverboard, but Sonic wasn't going to let that happen. He quickly boosted towards Furnace, determined to get his hoverboard back.
"Not so fast, metalhead!" Sonic shouted as he closed the distance between them.
Furnace, sensing Sonic's approach, activated his rocket boosters and tried to outmaneuver him. Sonic, however, was quick to dodge Furnace's attacks, his speed and agility making it difficult for Furnace to land a hit.
"You can't outrun me, metalhead!" Sonic taunted as he caught up to Furnace, delivering a powerful punch that sent Furnace spinning through the air.
Furnace, however, was not so easily defeated. As he fell, he activated his self-repair systems, quickly fixing the damage caused by Sonic's attack. He landed with a thud, skidding across the ground before coming to a stop.
"You're going to have to do better than that, hedgehog!" Furnace growled as he prepared to launch another attack.
However, Sonic was already in motion, zooming towards Furnace with a speed that made him a blur. Furnace tried to dodge, but Sonic was too fast. A swift kick sent Furnace crashing into a nearby wall, leaving a deep dent.
Sonic stood tall, his eyes locked onto his quarry. "Give me my board back, Furnace, or I swear I'll tear you apart bolt by bolt."
Breezie watched the situation impatiently, giving a sidelong glance to Metallix. "It seems you'll have to present yourself early my beloved Metallix, go help Furnace, cover him while he brings me Sonic's Hoverboard" Breezie said to Metallix, who didn't waste half a second before activating the engines and shooting out at high speeds from the hangar where they were.
Furnace meanwhile, tried to prevent Sonic from recovering the board, but the fight had damaged his engines and his fuel reserves were low.
He could not keep up with Sonic's agile movements and sheer speed.
"You're slow, Metal," Sonic taunted as he landed a quick series of blows on Furnace, the metallic creature's systems beginning to malfunction. "You're no match for me."
Furnace tried to fight back, but his movements were slow and clunky compared to Sonic's graceful agility. He was hoping for backup, knowing Breezie had something up her sleeve. Just as he was about to be knocked out by a powerful spin attack, a dark figure zoomed past him, intercepting Sonic's attack.
Metallix had arrived, his metallic form glinting in the sunlight as he stood protectively in front of Furnace.
"You want a fight, hedgehog?" Metallix growled, his voice echoing with a sinister edge. "I'll give you one."
Sonic skidded to a halt, eyeing Metallix with a mix of surprise and wariness. "Metal Sonic? Wow, you are debuting a New look?" Sonic mocks seeing Metal Sonic's new aspect. "What is your name now? Ultra Neo Metal Sonic? Neo Neo Metal Sonic?" Sonic taunts as he dashes toward Metallix.
The metallic abomination wastes no time in engaging Sonic, its blue chassis streaking across the water at incredible speeds. The two clash in a flurry of metal and fur, the collision sending water spraying in every direction.
Metallix lands the first blow, a powerful punch that sends Sonic skidding across the water. Sonic quickly recovers, his quills sparking with electricity as he readies another attack. "You're not the only one who can go super," he growls, activating his own boost.
The air around them crackles with the force of their speed as they dart back and forth, trading blows that send shockwaves rippling through the water.
"So Eggman sent you with a new look to hunt me down? How predictable" Sonic said before being grabbed by the neck by Metallix and pinned against a stone pillar, making him go through it.
"Eggman no, I have a new one..." Metallix hesitated a second before continuing. "Friend" he said throwing Sonic against another stone pillar, but he landed nimbly despite the damage received.
"Hey, I never thought you'd have friends, Metal, you always made fun of me having them" Sonic said with that mocking smile, but Metallix just shook his head before continuing his attack.
"I understood, what I was missing, to defeat you, was the only advantage you had, that you were never alone, and I was" said Metallix, activating the reactor in his chest to release hyper-powerful energy waves, which engulfed the stone pillar where Sonic was standing, forcing him to jump to another one.
"You know, for a machine, you talk a lot," Sonic taunted, noticing that Metallix's attacks were different, more precise and powerful than before. "And you're right, I've always had friends by my side. It looks like you've finally realized that, but it's too late to make up for it now."
Metallix shook his head. "I'm not trying to make up for it. I'm here to end it. I am Metallix now, not more Metal Sonic, not more trying to be..." Metallix catch Sonic by his throat, speeding up to the sky to gain momentum, and then descending like a comet. "LIKE YOU!" Metallix says finally, ramming Sonic against the stone pillar with all his might, burying him down below tons of rocks and dubris.
Metallix approach to finish Sonic, but he heard a voice. "You never be like me" Sonic says as he lands a hard spindash on the side of Metallix, throwing him back, despite looking hurted, Sonic still stand his ground.
"Metallix, we have it, now you need to retreat" Breezie says to Metallix througt the communicator on his head.
"We have the hoverboard, and we have the Phantom Rider's identity, our goal is accomplished" Breezie said, deliberately not specifying the identity.
Metallix looks at Sonic, who is hurt, but still standing, then at the hoverboard Furnace brought and finally at Breezie. "Understood" he says, turning around and flying away with a burst of speed.
"Oh no you don't Metal, you're going to pay for all the trouble you've caused in the last weeks" Sonic says, trying to start a pursuit, but he collapses to his knees, his strength finally giving out.
Metallix stops briefly, and turns toward Sonic "You can't do anything, so don't even try" Metallix said, speeding up to grab the fallen helmet Sonic used to cover his identity as the Phantom Rider, with the broken visor. "Get some help, or hide, but next time, I won't stop" Metallix said throwing the helmet at Sonic before finally running away.
Sonic caught the helmet in his hands and listened to the sound of the Diamond Cutters' hoverbikes, knowing he had to leave or hide so they wouldn't discover him. They weren't supposed to know he was the Phantom Rider.
He had taken every precaution, changed his appearance, modified his voice, and even used a different hoverboard. But somehow, they figured it out. Sonic looked down at the broken visor in his hands, his mind racing. He had to get out of here, had to hide. He couldn't let the Diamond Cutters find him like this. He had to think, had to plan. But first, he had to get away.
Sonic hurriedly put on the helmet, hoping the damage to the visor wouldn't be noticeable from far away. He had to get to his safe house, to regroup and figure out his next move.
**Minutes later**
Lanolin and Surge were the first to arrive, the tenrec looked everywhere, while the sheep checked her radar for any signal.
"This is where the shock waves from the battle came from" said Lanolin, detecting the remains of chaos energy left by Sonic and Metallix.
Tangle, who was in the back seat and hugging Whisper, questioned Surge. "Are you sure you saw Sonic?" she asked still incredulous at Surge's previous words.
"I recognize those eyes anywhere, lemur, I fought him 3 times" said Surge somewhat annoyed as she scanned the area from above on her hoverbike.
"I don't know, I mean, why would Sonic do that? Disguising himself and acting like a villain is reckless but he would never put lives at risk," said Tangle thoughtfully whether or not to believe Surge's words.
"I don't like the idea either" Lanolin confessed, somewhat worried. "After all, if it's true, then our chances of catching him go from 60% to 0" she said as she continued to look around.
"What if it was mind control?" Kit suggested. "I mean, Starline did the same thing to me and Surge and we became villains because of him" said the little fennec.
"Either way, I'm going to beat him to reason" said Surge, upset, mostly because it was Sonic who had convinced her and Kit to leave the path of evil, only for Sonic himself to fall?
"I'll make him understand that he can't just do whatever he wants, even if he thinks he's right."
"I don't think it's that simple, Surge. We need to find out why he's doing this first. There's more going on here than meets the eye." Lanolin said as he scanned the area with his cowbell radar. Suddenly, he found something. "Wait, there's something here. A signal. It's... it's Sonic's."
Surge's eyes widened. "You mean he's nearby?"
Lanolin nodded. "Yes, but it's weak.
He's injured," Lanolin said, her cowbell flickering an alert signal. She looked at Surge, Tangle, and Whisper, who were all looking back at her. "We need to find him, but be careful. He might not be alone."
Suddenly, multiple explosions were heard near them, and when they looked west, they saw the Phantom Rider, who was riding a different hoverboard than the one he usually uses, but he was running away, from none other than...
"SONIC?!" they all said in unison when they saw the blue Hedgehog chasing the Phantom Rider, dodging the bombs, his presence destroying Surge's theory that Sonic was the Phantom Rider, although Sonic looked injured, as if he had just left a battlefield.
"Hey guys! Sorry, but I'm out of time, he has a Chaos Emerald." said Sonic as he dodged more bombs from the Phantom Rider, who carried the green Chaos Emerald in his right hand.
"You're such a pain, but it's good to finally meet you, Sonic" said the Phantom Rider as he made a sharp turn with his board to begin ascending one of the remaining rock pillars.
Sonic didn't even bother to respond and simply sped up to reach the Phantom Rider's level. "You can't escape, give me back the Emerald" Sonic demanded, his eyes locked on the green Chaos Emerald in the Phantom Rider's hand.
"You want the Emerald? You know what? Keep it, it's yours, but if you want it, you have to catch me first" the Phantom Rider taunted as he sped up and jumped over Sonic's head, leaving a trail of fire behind him.
Suddenly, the Phantom Rider leapt into the air, grabbing his hoverboard under his arm and raising the emerald high above his head. "Chaos Control!" the Phantom Rider roared before disappearing in an instant, teleported away thanks to the power of the Chaos Emerald.
"That thug is a coward," Sonic said, tapping the ground with his sneakers.
"But at least he's gone. I need to find out what he's up to."
"Sonic!" Lanolin called out from her hoverbike. "You look injured. Do you need help?"
Sonic glanced over and sighed, "No, I can't rest yet, it seems that guy is looking for the 7 Chaos Emeralds, for some reason," said Sonic as he sat down on the ground, ironically, to catch his breath.
"We must stop him then!" said Lanolin alarmed upon learning the Phantom Rider's plan. "If he manages to obtain the power of the 7 Emeralds, nothing will be able to stop him," she said to the others.
"You guys go, I'll... stay here for a while and I'll catch up with you soon," said Sonic, and although he kept smiling, his pain was evident.
"But, Sonic, you can barely walk," Tangle said, worry creasing her face. "How are you going to catch him like this?"
Sonic shrugged. "I'll figure something out. I always do." Then, he began to limp away, leaving Lanolin, Tangle, and Whisper watching his retreating figure with concerned expressions.
"We shouldn't let him go alone," said Whisper, her voice barely audible.
"Agreed," said Lanolin. "We'll keep an eye on him from a distance.
He's stubborn, but he needs help," Lanolin said, her eyes following Sonic's retreating figure. "Tangle, Whisper, let's scout the area and see if we can find any clues about the Phantom Rider's next move. Surge, Kit, I want you two to stay with Sonic and make sure he doesn't do anything reckless."
Surge nodded, eager to help Sonic, but also worried about pushing him too far. Kit, however, looked apprehensive. "But what if the Phantom Rider comes back?
Sonic won't be able to fight him like this," Kit said, his tail swishing nervously behind him.
"That's why we'll be here to help, Kit," Lanolin reassured. "Surge, keep an eye on Sonic and make sure he doesn't push himself too hard. We'll be nearby if he needs us."
Duo appeared shortly after, with a worried expression on his face, "Mrs. Lanolin, I've finally caught up with you," he said, stopping his hoverbike next to the sheep's.
"It's okay Duo, your handling of the civilians was impeccable, and you did well against the Phantom Rider," Lanolin consoled the cat, while Surge prepared to follow Sonic.
"Hey, Miss Lanolin, can I recommend something?" Duo asked his leader.
"What's wrong?" Lanolin asked.
"Well, if the Phantom Rider reappears, and without Mr. Silver to help us, Miss Surge is the only one who can face him," Duo said. "It would be convenient for her to go with Whisper and Tangle, after all, if they are attacked, Surge could give them an escape route," Duo recommended to Lanolin.
Lanolin considered the proposal for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. Surge, you'll be with Whisper and Tangle. Keep an eye on the area and be ready to assist them if necessary. We need to be prepared for anything. Duo, you're with me. Let's scout the area and see if we can find any clues about the Phantom Rider's next move."
Surge nodded and sped off towards Whisper and Tangle, while Duo followed Lanolin, bringing up the rear. As they flew, Lanolin activated her communicator.
"Lanolin to all units. Possible Phantom Rider sighting in Sector B24. Initiate search and rescue protocols. Expect hostile activity. Over."
**Later, on the middlenight**
Sonic was sitting on one of the few rocks on the edges of Splash Canyon, his body still aching from the fight against Metallix, and yet he had to put together the whole escape in a couple of minutes, but it still helps.
"You're late" Sonic said to Duo, who came with the stolen board and the Chaos Emerald.
"Sorry, Lanolin invited me to eat at her house after work, and if I refused it would look suspicious" Duo said handing the powerful gem to Sonic.
"Vegan food isn't my style, you know?" Duo said taking off his glove to clean some lettuce residue between his fangs.
"But she's a great cook, too bad she doesn't eat anything but vegetables, yuck! I mean, I'm all for the environment and all, but if you don't eat a little meat, how do you expect to build muscle for the gym?
Sonic chuckled softly, "Well, at least you got something out of it, right?
"Yeah, but it's not the same as a good old hamburger, you know? Anyway, This makes us partners, doesn't it?" Duo asked with a smile that was not fake.
"I guess a thank you won't be enough, huh? Well, take me to that Clutch guy, and I'll talk to him about my terms" Sonic said as he put the Phantom Rider suit back on.
"Do you really think you're in a position to negotiate?" Duo asked sarcastically.
"You keep up my masquerade, I'll keep up yours" Sonic said firmly, "after all, what would Lanolin and Whisper think if they saw what you have under your gloves?" Sonic said mockingly, making Duo back off, who regained his composure and nodded.
"Fine, fine, come see him tomorrow morning, he'll want to talk to you for sure" Duo said as he put both hands behind his back.
"By the way, I have to warn you, he's kind of... eccentric," Duo said with a slight grimace.
Sonic laughed. "Well, Duo, as you know, I'm not exactly what you'd call... normal. So I think I can handle it," Sonic said as he stood up from the rock, stretching his legs and arms to loosen them up.
Duo nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Alright, see you tomorrow then. Try to rest, and not get into any more trouble.
I'll see you tomorrow," Duo advised as he turned to leave. But Sonic waved him off with a chuckle.
As Duo left, Sonic looked at the Chaos Emerald, seeing his own reflection in the shimmering gem. "One step closer to home," Sonic said as his irises turned a deep crimson red. "And one step closer to you, Blaze," he said, finally laughing in the moonlight.
**Meanwhile, in the Sweep Clean Inc. labs.**
Breezie was perfecting Metallix, integrating the engines from Sonic's Hovercraft into it, further enhancing the Robot's speed without reducing its resistance.
"There, Metallix, with this, you definitely surpassed Sonic!" said Breezie, delighted to see her creation, in large part also because of Metallix's excellent performance against Sonic.
Metallix just stared at Breezie for a moment, then looked at her body and hands, before asking. "Am I... free?" Metallix asked in his synthetic tone.
Breezie paused to think about Metallix's question, looking at his visor with some curiosity. "You are to the extent that you decide to be" said Breezie, as she approached him, caressing the robotic hand.
Metallix took her by the neck. "Why risk it? Why not just make me a weapon? Like Eggman did?" Metallix said, squeezing harder, but Breezie didn't even make a move to resist. "Why should I trust you?" Metallix asked.
"You don't have to, if you don't want to," Breezie replied, closing her eyes. "I'm not your owner, that's why I hated when you called me mistress, I want you to be free," she said in a calm tone despite the lack of air. "Metallix, or Metal Sonic, whatever you decide to call yourself, to me you deserve that freedom more than anyone else" she said.
"You are not a mere weapon, you are a being capable of making decisions, of choosing your own path. And that path should be determined by you, not by me, not by anyone," Breezie said, her voice barely a whisper.
Metallix looked at her, the gears in his eyes processing her words. He loosened his grip, setting her down gently. "I... don't understand," he said, his voice a low hum. "I was created to fight, to destroy. That's all I know."
Breezie smiled, her eyes meeting his. "But you can learn. You can choose to be more than that.
You've shown me that already. You've proven that you're more than just a fighting machine." Breezie stepped back, allowing Metallix the space to process her words.
Metallix stood there for a moment, his mechanical body humming softly. Then, he turned to face Breezie, his eyes glowing brighter than usual. "I will think about what you said, Breezie. But for now, I have work to do."
Breezie smiled, understanding his desire to contribute. "Of course. Just remember, Metallix, you have a choice.
Always." Breezie said with a soft smile before leaving the room. Metallix watched her leave, his mind racing with her words. Choice? Freedom? It was a new concept to him, one that he had never truly considered. He shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside for the moment. Work was his priority.