FoxFire Studios presents

Sonic The Hedgehog--Blood and Metal Beta

Installment II--Revision 1

Sonic The Hedgehog by Sega of America
Blood and Metal by David Gonterman
Packbell by Brookshire
Ryan Nightweaver by Ryan Huber
Kix by Brandon Stewart
____________________________

Zone 2, Act 1:  Snivley:

     Firecrackers.

     How good are firecrackers against an atom bomb?

     It's like holding a candle against the sun.

     The Second Tyrant of Mobius runs through the Great Forest,
pursued by the Third, who is the Son of the First.

     How good are firecrackers against an engine of destruction
like him?

     A faint "snivley priority one" can be heard in the distance,
making the hairs of his head stick up.  He runs even faster than
his exhausted body would allow, afraid of the hell that is
nipping at his heels.

     He trips.  Falls.  Hits the ground nose first, breaking it. 
Blood oozes out the nostrils and into his mouth.

     He turns around to see what he has just tripped on, and he
recoils in horror.

     "d-d-doctor robotnik?  n-n-n-n-no. . . not you too?"

     The fully roboticized carcass of The First Tyrant lied cold
dead in a natural gutter.  He was hunted down like a dog and
pricked on until he died.  Slowly.  Painfully.  The Third Tyrant
was having too much fun with his father, playing with him with
the same sick fascination as the Second Tyrant would himself have
when pulling the wings off of flies.

     But now, the sickening question occurred to him:  if
robotnik is here . . . where is . . . he?

     By the time an icy cold metallic hand thrusts down to grab
him by the back of his neck, and was lifting him before a howling
mob of bloodthirsty Mobians, he knows!

     *DAVID KINTOBOR IS EVERYWHERE!!*
________________

     "AAAAAAAAAA!!!"

     Snivley woke up from his nightmare in a cold sweat and a
pool of his own urine.  He never had a peaceful--or dry--night's
sleep since the night Davey Crockett learned that he's Robotnik's
son.  A night did not pass without Snivley going to bed at night
and facing that same nightmare again.  Sometimes he doesn't wake
up until David drags him into Knothole--Too bad he couldn't stop
to check the directions, or he'd know where to find it in Real-
Time--where he was publicly roboticized before a cheering mob of
critters.  Sometimes he goes on, when as a worker Bot, he was
forced to do stuff he couldn't bring himself to remember, much
less repeat.  He dreads finding out what would happen if he
followed this nightmare to it's end--if there is an end--and if
he would ever wake up from that end.

     "no doubt, i'd be used, abused, and discarded when I can't
work anymore," Snivley muttered to himself.  "Just like his
phracking father.  If he thinks he can show me what's it like to
be . . ."  He looks at his refection in a steel wall.  He
imagined his face carved in metal.  " . . . he's doing a good
job.  I can only wonder why . . . <Sighs>  What am I going to do
with you, Mr. Crockett?"

Zone 2, Act 1:  Packbell:

     "I don't know, Bub.  You ask me.  What *are* we going to do
with Mr. Crockett?"

     Packbell didn't turn his head when he acknowledged Snivley
enter the room he was watching monitors in.  "He won't let you
sleep either, huh?"

     "I thought you don't get nightmares, Packbell"

     "I didn't.  At least, I thought I didn't.  I never had one. 
Until . . . "

     "Until David Kintobor."

     Hearing that name caused Packbell's memory banks to cycle
again.  "Yeah, Kintobor."  HE spits on the ground as he spoke
that name.  That name counts as the second human Packbell wants
to see dead in so few months; the first being that shape shifter,
Ryan.  Ryan spoiled some of Packbell's more nastier schemes in
his time here, which was just a few months longer than the weeks
of David's existence on Mobius.  But Ryan didn't rip Packbell's
heart out and destroyed the one thing that he truly cared for. 
David Kintobor did.

     Packbell looked to that Auto-Automation of Robotnik as if it
were his soul mate, and it just could be, for all he knows.  That
was something Packbell could never thought he'd experience
before, loving someone.  He didn't think he was capable of that
emotion.  It was probably why, when Davey was about to shoot its
head off, Packbell did what could be the most stupidest thing he
would ever do in his existence.  Commander Packbell the ice could
android known for the total lack of mercy, got on his hands and
knees, over the doomed Automation, and begged for mercy.  And by
the look of pure evil on the face of its killer, and the matching
laugh that would make Robotnik proud of his son, never mind that
he's on the other side, Packbell knew.  With fear and dread, he
knew.

     Even as a thought, the gunshot was deafening.  Silver was
sprayed everywhere.  Packbell himself was painted in the stuff. 
A tanker truck more flowed from the open neck like a hose. 
Packbell could feel the silver hit his underarm, flow down to his
hand, through his fingers, and splatter on his pant leg below.

     "You phracking idiot," Davey said--David's words, Robotnik's
voice--as he reloaded, "You know better than to say that.  Where
is your guts, Packie?  <He slowly aims at where Packbell's navel
should be>  Let me find them for ya."

     Snivley's voice cut the memory loop off before Davey fired. 
"Humph.  Maybe Davey's trying to show you what's it like to be--"

     "Hey, Snivley!  Maybe I *should* let Kintobor roboticize
you!  Maybe you'd--"

     The door outside rang.  It was long and drawn out.  Packbell
got up to answer.  "Whoever the hell could that be, I sure hope a
sweepstakes check is involved."

     There was no sweepstakes check, but it was the two humans-
turned-foxes that Packbell wants dead--with a raven in tow--with
their shirts over their heads--and screaming bloody murder. 
Packbell nearly had a heart attack, is he could ever have one. 
As he slammed the door and gasp for air, Snivley punched on the
com.

     "Scratch.  Grounder.  Coconuts.  Mecha.  Crockett's raiding
Robotroplis again.  Priority one.  Kick his ass."
________________

Zone Two, Act Two:

     "Dumbass.  I can't believe that you hacked off your bot
finger, Ryan."  Davey was frosted at what he just heard as an
excuse not to blast the door down.  He was mad at Ryan for two
reasons:  One.  Davey has the belief that, if anyone is supposed
to hurt himself for Robotnik's actions, *he* should be it.  He
and He *alone*.  Second, If Ryan wanted that finger off, Davey
would've gladly had that digit deroboticized, no problem.  He
wouldn't give a phrack if Ryan has a healing factor.

     "David, despite what you think in that sick little mind or
yours, perhaps you'd realize that there are some of us who don't
look on getting roboticized with delight.  No matter what Uncle
Chuck and that Indian what-his-name says--"

     "It's Kickaha, and it's 'Wild Pack' to you, pal."  Davey
reaches for his Power Rifle, ready to blow the door in, and any
bots who heard it to hell, when the door opened by itself.  Davey
and Ryan looked around to see who done it, and found a white fox
dressed up as a cowboy with  two fingers pressed to his forehead,
concentrating on that door.  "Kix?  What're you doing here?  I
thought you'd still be in the Doc-in-the-box for now."

     Ryan tapped Davey's shoulder.  "You mean *he* did that? 
What did he do, use The Force?"

     "Yep.  He is a Jedi, you know.  <Turns to Kix>  You came
here by yourself, Cowboy?"

     "Well, yeah," Kix said, a little nervous.  "I know I may be
a tad hasty on this, but I want to help out."

     "Man, Dave.  If Sally finds out about this, she'll have
kittens, or whatever baby squirrels are called."

     "Yeah, I reckon . . ."  Davey stood silent for a moment with
a finger to his nose, the raven perched in his hair flapped his
wings a little, trying to find a sturdier spot on Davey's head. 
He grinned mischievously--'his psycho grin,' Sonic calls it--for
a moment before . . . "I like your style already, Jedi.  Welcome
to the Freedom Fighters, bunk.  The guy you're replacing,  <by
now he's more animated as he gives Kix the talk, apparently
having fun making cracks at the albino stranger from outer space> 
he had the same let-me-at-em look on his face that you do.  Until
the Swatbot grabbed his tail.  He's out there right now, as one
of those metal zombies they call Worker Bots!  But Davey
Crockett, here, <shows his left arm.  It starts to morph from
Flesh to Metal> King of the Cyber Frontier, <the robot arm gleams
of polished steel and sings with lights and beeps> I always come
back for more!"

     Davey ducked into the doorway, then out again to get Kix. 
"LET'S *GO*, JEDI!!"  Davey forgot all about Ryan at this point.

     Kain "Kix" Trevor Knight was warned about David "Davey
Crockett" Kintobor.  He's Knothole's resident cyberjock who just
arrived here himself just a few months ago and basically took the
entire planet by storm.  He's notorious for trashing 'bots with a
sadistic streak that can give Darth Vadar the shivers.  He'd be
darn right deadly as a Jedi, but Kix didn't sense the Force in
him.  'Thank God,' he thought, 'although the thought of him
taking out the entire Empire himself would be cool.'

     They stopped at a corner with Swatbots at the other side. 
Kix thought he'd impress Davey with his power.  "Watch this."  He
pressed his index fingers at his forehead and concentrated. 
Once.  Twice. Thrice.  Nothing.  Kix was surprised.

     "The mind trick didn't work," Davey answered, "Because Swats
don't got minds to trick.  They're robots, bub.  They got
computer chips.  But I . . . <He motioned his arm> . . . can
trick their sensors."

     "WHAT WAS THAT?"

     Davey sneaked up from behind and grabbed one Swat by the
back of the neck.  

     CHOOM-CHOOM-CHOOM-CHOOM-CHOOM-CHOOM!!!

     Each shot from his 'baby,' the overglorified double barreled
sawed off shotgun named the Power Rifle, sounded like a long,
drawn out thunderclap condensed into a second.  He made it sound
like an automatic as he ripped the Swats to shreds, limb by limb,
insuring that a lot of oil was spilled by each pull of the
trigger.  Kix just stood there in shock at the sight.

     CHO-CHO-CHO-CHO-CHO-CHO-CHO-CHO-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CHOOOOM!!!

     He made it sound like the Death Star itself as he pumped as
many shot he could in one second at the last bot he was holding,
reducing the Swat's chest into one big cavity as the arms just
flailed it's last bit of life away before falling limp.  Oil was
sprayed onto the ceiling, which dripped down onto a pile of
several Swats--or what was left of several Swats--in their death
troughs.

     Davey threw the remains of the Swat he was holding on top of
the pile.  "Take a deep breath, my friend.  <Davey inhaled> 
Don't you love the smell of oil in the morning?  Smells like
Victory!!"

     He pointed to the glass tube connected to various machines. 
"This here's the Roboticizer.  Originally, it was used as a
medical tool to strengthen up old joints, <points to left arm>
replace lost limbs, and other cool stuff.  until some putz named
Doctor Robotnik turned it into a Robot Zombie maker.  <goes up to
Kix and lowers his voice>  Robotnik betrayed and killed my father
in the same manner that Darth Vadar did in Anakin Skywalker,
Luke's old man.  I'll give you a moment to let it sink in."  A
long pause.  For a moment, nothing, then, Kix's eyes widened in
horror.  The jaw dropped.  "Freaky, huh?"

     Davey tapped on his control panel, which now was the top of
his pocket computer, Julian.  He got a com link to Knothole. 
"I've got the Roboticizer, Control.  How them cycles going?"
___________________________________

     Antoine spoke into a mike amidst several computers in
Knothole's command center.  "Ryan haz found several in a garage
near you.  Heez already slapped your control panel on one, you
shall have control in abooooout five minutes."

     "That's great Ant. . . ."

     BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

     "Sacre Bleu!  I deeteect four badniks in your vinzinity,
Misu Crockett.  Zey're coming in fast."
____________________________________

     "Thanks, Ant.  <Turns to Kix.>  Congratulations, Jedi.  Your
first badnik attack is coming.  Better get ready."  He puts his
hand on Kix's shoulder after a short moment.

     "Relax, pretend it's a game.  Maybe it'll be fun."
_____________________________________

     Davey got Target Acquisition from his Virtual Reality
vision.  He recognized the S.S.S.S.S. Squad immediately, although
they are vastly upgraded.  They looked bulkier, more well-built. 
They appeared to be wearing shades; a new vision component,
perhaps.  'Ah, Snivley, you listened to me, did you?  Good boy.' 
Mecha Sonic was leading them at a high speed, which gave Davey
that Psycho Grin again.  'We meet again, Hedgehog.  Game for a
rematch?'

     Davey walked casually to the middle of the street, directly
in Mecha Sonic's path.  He cocked his rifle and slowly aimed.

     Mecha Sonic saw the silloette of Davey aiming his Power
Rifle and having a flapping raven on his hat clearly against the
rising moon, and zipped out of the road.  "Not this time,
Kintobutt!"

     "Grrrrr."  The one thing to piss of Davey Crockett is to get
his name wrong.  "You want to get on my bad side, you miserable
pin cushion?"

     The other three entered the scene.  "Awwww," Grounder cooed. 
Obviously Snivley couldn't do anything to improve their
synthesizers any, or their personalities; all three of them still
act like the goober Davey Crockett wasn't.  "Doesn't David look
just like Doctor Robotnik when he's angry?"

     "Grounder you dope!  He's supposed to act like Robotnik. 
He's his son!"

     "Yeah, hoo-hoo-haa-haa, too bad you're on the wrong side,
pal.  We wouldn't have to kill you."

     Davey merely pointed his gun at them.  "Tell me, Coconuts,
who exactly *is* on the wrong side?"

     At first, they freaked.  They still have the first time they
caught fire from that Power Rifle fresh in their memory banks. 
Then they saw Mecha Sonic streak in from Davey's back.

     "Not this time, you psycho."  Mecha Sonic went into his
version of a Sonic Spin, turning into a deadly buzzsaw.

     "Anytime you're ready, Jedi, ANYTIME."

     The scene turned to red as a lightsaber was ignited.  A
white fox stepped up in between Mecha Sonic and Davey.  The fox
swung the lightsaber as if it were a bat.

     "BOT BASEBALL!!!"

     Kix swung and batted Mecha Sonic clear to Downunder Mobius.

     "Look out, he's got a partner!!"

     "Wow," the white fox chuckled.  'That was cool . . . heh-heh-heh."

     "Yeah . . . huh-huh . . . hey, Kain, you wanna find out what
the inside of a bot looks like?"

     "er . . . that would be cool . . . heh . . . "

     "Not if we could help it, Yippers.  C'mon guys, it's three
against two!  Let's get 'im!"

     "Make that three against *three,* dumb-bots!"

     At first the Badniks thought Mecha Sonic had returned, being
as fast as the original Sonic, but then it appears to be *that*
original Sonic who just jumped in.

     "Hey, Davey-boy, think you could hog all the fun yourself?"

     Davey gave Sonic a stern look, but smiled.  "Feel free to
join in, my friend."

     They picked partners; Davey with Scratch, Sonic with
Grounder, and Kix with Coconuts.
___________________

     Coconuts got a lucky punch in.  Kix face caught a fist, but
then quickly returned, so Kix can give the bot the finger.  "Hey! 
I thought Jedis don't do that!"

     "Work with me here," Kix said as he slugged Coconuts back. 
"Luke's not done with me yet."

     The simian badnik used his stringy limbs to stay on to Kix. 
That limited his use with the lightsaber, but he managed to keep
punching, as Sonic and Grounder chased each other around.
___________________

     "Hey, yo, Grounder!  Snivley sure did work a lot on you,
you're almost at fast as I am!"

     "Yeah, Hedgehog.  Hover conversion rules!  And catch this!" 
Grounder's nose expands into a cannon and starts firing buckshot
at Sonic.  They make holes at the walls as they missed.  "I'm
packing enough firepower to shoot the $#!* out of you--"

     "Hey-hey-hey-hey!  Didn't your mama ever tell you not to
cuss?"  Sonic bounced off a mailbox and buzzsawed the cannon off.

     "Owwwwww.  [CENSORED] Sonic, you [MORE CENSORED]"

     "Yow!  Who did your vocabulary, Andrew 'Dice' Clay?  Do you
kiss Packbell's butt with that mouth?"

     "Why you little," and Grounder jumped onto the hedgehog.
________________

     "It appears that Packbell worked all night on you three,
Scratch," Davey commented as he borrowed a page from some Blood-
sport-type pay-per-view fighting show and wrapped his arms and
limbs around the robot chicken.  "You've got some great upgrades
here.  I'm impressed."  By now Davey sensed in his biochip that
his new hovercycle is ready.  He called it to go to him.

     "You're impressed, huh.  Packbell made us the bots that
would kick your butt in, Kintobor."  Scratch made the mistake to
put a limb out to get an advantage on Davey.  Obviously, Mobius
does not get the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

     Davey went to that arm and got a lock hold on it, trying to
yank it off.  "Don't you mean the bots to get your butt kicked
in, you mean?"

     "HA--ow!"  Scratch made some gears move and slide in the
shoulder that's getting dislocated.  "To think a guy who'd stoop
to pedophilia would have the balls to brag!"  The arm fell off 
as if it meant to be; the arm Davey was yanking off was modular,
all four limbs were.

     Davey wasn't interested in Scratch's arms, however.  "What
do you mean . . . pedophilia?"

     "I've got evidence."  Scratch called up a hovering
ViewWindow next to him and Davey.  They saw Snivley and Packbell. 
"Hey, boss.  Show Davey the evidence.  You'll get your favorite
piece chopped off for this! Bwa-ha-ha-haaaawwww!"

     "Touch my tail and *die,* you Mechanized--"

     Snivley called up the file, which caused some of the screens
to flash strangely.  "What th--"  But then his vision faded away
as---

     . . . those piercing red eyes . . .

     . . . that all-teeth grin . . . 

     . . . that evil laugh . . . 

     . . . that metal hand reaching out for him . . . 

     ---"YAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

     Snivley quickly stood up on the chair, like a housewife who
just saw a mouse.  Then he came to, and he realized.  "CROCKETT!! 
OUR NIGHTMARES!!  YOU KNEW!!!  ARRRGH!!"

     "Why Snivley, I'm shocked.  How dare you accuse me of such
an underhanded thing . . . heh-heh . . . as programming
nightmares into your brain."

     Davey's deep voice, which does give a great impression of
Robotnik when he wants to, gave Snivley another trigger.  He
struggled to keep his mind straight.  "I dare . . . no . . . I
*am* accusing . . . yaaaah . . ."  Snivley managed to make it to
the doorway before he started to scream full volume.

     Packbell banged on the counter and shouted to the giggling
Davey.  "These nightmares have your name written all over it,
doesn't it!  I'm managing to find that <rubs nose with finger>
virus you fed us and delete it from my memory, but I doubt that
Needle-Nose will fare as well!  I was wondering just how you
pulled it off when I saw that subliminal trigger!  You fed it
through a high-speed transmission we couldn't see, did you?!"

     Davey let out an maniacal laugh that filled the area, making
everybody's hair stand on end.  Sonic quipped to himself. 
"Humph.  As I'd say, if they can have a Sonic, then we should
have a Robotnik."

     "Yeah, hedgehog, as I say."  Packbell went to the camera
right at Davey.  "Your father would be very proud of you, David
Kintobor.  It's almost a same I have to hand him your rotting
corpse when he returns."

     "Not if I can make you wish I'd outright kill you first,
Packie."  Davey shoots out the VidWindow.  He then returned to
Scratch.  "I have no idea what the phrack you're talking about,
Scratch."  The hovercycle arrived to Davey's side.

     "Huh," The badnik was confused, but then he realized that
the subject returned to the accusation of pedophilia.  "Well, how
can you explain that hickey on your neck there?"

     Davey searched his neck for a red spot, which was still
tender.  'Damn,' he thought, as a crackling raven returned to his
perch on Davey's hair.  'When Suni's in Phenix mode, she's can
get awfully wild.'  He returned to Scratch.  "Listen, if I stop
to answer to these charges, I'd get nailed by a cannonball, you
know?"

     One of those cannonballs took the rest of Scratch apart. 
More cussing came from Grounder.  Davey got on the bike.

     "See?  I haven't even decided to turn myself in, and already
they're shooting at me.  So long."

     Davey grabbed Kix and sped off, stopping just long enough to
plop the white fox on a hoverbike of his own.  Sonic, Ryan, and
any others just showed themselves out of Robotroplis.
_______________________________________

Zone Two, Act Three:

     Davey laughed to himself as he thought about of the progress
he was having with that virus he fed Snivley and Packbell.  If
Princess Sally knew about it, she would think she had the *real*
Robotnik on her side:  Create a nightmarish simulation where
Snivley (and Packbell to a lesser degree) gets to know what's it
like to become a Worker Bot.  Fed it to them subliminally so they
won't know they were being 'programed.'  Allow the Nightmare to
de-archive and start giving them hard nights, then, use
subliminal 'triggers' to make the Nightmare cycle while they're
awake!  'It was sinister to the max,' he commented.

     As he was going into a tree to take a leak, he could hear
someone else laughing.  He looked around to find out where it's
coming from, then he found out that it came from . . . the raven?

     "Hahahaha!!  You have to excuse me, my friend.  I've always
wanted to give that Snivley a taste of his own medicine, but I've
been trying to think of a why how.  And here you come and beat
him to me.  Hahaha!  Using subliminal suggestions, eh?  I should
look into it."

     "Waitaminute, you're no bird."

     "About time you've figured out, Dave.  But then again, you
were buzy and I want to find out about you a bit, so I stayed
quiet all that time.  Oh, if you excuse me, I gotta juice, as
your hedgehog friend likes to say.  Places to go, people to see,
crap to spread."

     "Who, or what *are* you?"

     "Oh, heck!  Where were my manners today?  I'm Coyote. 
You'll be hearing from me."

     The bird took off, morphed into the animal he said he was,
and disappeared into the thicket, leaving Davey to ponder just
what the phrack was that all about . . .
_______________________________________

To be continued in Installment III, or well heck, I think I'll
start on Haunted Fantasies from there, since people have been
talking about it, after I give Edward something to splice his
Vision Quest story onto.  We've been in touch through that
Internet Chat Kismet organized, and a voice line call later on
that evening.  I'll tell you more on my newsletter that I keep up
on the web.  Just go to my web page
[http://users.aol.com/dgonterman] and select the FoxFire
Newsletter from the main menu.
______________________________________

Alex Weitzman's been hard at work on his redesigned Nicole
character.  If you want to know, she's Sally's personal computer
who came to life!  Her saga, entitled "Blood or Metal"--please
note the difference--will be on his web page: 
[http://home.aol.com/Sonic90127]

Stay Alive and On-Line.

FoxFire Studios