MECHA SONIC: STEEL HEART BEATING Mecha Sonic, Sonic, Snively and Amy Rose copyrighted by SEGA of America, Inc. Packbell Copyrighted by (((????))) Chaos Gem of Life & Agamemnon created by C. Gast. Davey Crocket copyrighted by David Gonterman Lyrics from "Burn" from the Crow sdtrk. owned by Atlantic Records, Inc. Lyrics from "Time Machine" from the Wayne's World sdtrk. owned by Reprise Records, Inc. Mecha Sonic searched for the light activation switch in the darkened laboratory. Not much was left after Sonic and Sally demolished Robotropolis. He hot-wired a panel on the wall and red emergency lights flickered on. Frayed wires, smashed circuitry and broken machinery laid everywhere, a testament to the destructive power of the angry Mobians. He stumbled forward, looking for any spare parts or tools that might be able to save his failing core memory. He dug through the wreckage weakly with one good arm, bleeding oil and hydraulic fluid from his cracked torso and head casing. He didn't have much time left; the magnetic jar around his fusion pack power source was due to disintegrate in a few minutes. *I wonder what it will be like to die,* he thought. The circuits in his right eye overloaded and melted into liquid silicon, searing his memory banks with electronic pain. He groaned and continued to search in futile desperation. There, in front of him, was a replacement core power board. He snatched it up and held it to the light, hope surging within him. Suddenly his hope crashed hard.....the board was cracked right through. He felt his magnetic jar disintegrate, leaving him with a few second of power to live on. He fell to the floor. His optic sensors began to short and his vision slowly faded. The cold robotic hands of death were upon him. MECHA SONIC.....IT IS NOT YOUR TIME..... *What?... I'm a robot....this isn't supposed to happen to me....I don't have a soul....* THERE HAS BEEN A REQUEST MADE ON YOUR BEHALF. YOU WERE DESTINED TO BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN JUST ROBOTNIK'S KILLING TOOL. *I don't understand....why me? Why not scratch or grounder?....* THEY DON'T HAVE THE POTENTIAL YOU DO. REACH FORTH AND RECEIVE WHAT IS DESTINED FOR YOU. Mecha Sonic felt a sudden unexplainable surge of power through his body. A glowing orb appeared in front of him. He reached out and grabbed it. He felt a warm pulse of energy flow through him. His hand began to change...then his arm... *My body....what..what's happening to me?* He felt another pulse. He looked and saw his missing right arm reform, exactly like the other. Another pulse. His shorted eye's vision returned. Blue/grey spines formed on his head, a few stray strands fell in front of his eyes. Another pulse. His torso reformed. Another pulse. His legs and feet strengthened and reformed. With a final pulse, he began to glow and the orb in his hand vanished. Then he heard it. A heartbeat. He had a heartbeat. A glowing being appeared in front of him. "Take a look at yourself, Mecha Sonic," he said. Mecha Sonic stood up and looked at his reflection in a panel of glass. His face wasn't metal anymore. He had no joints or pinning. He still had black eyes with red irises, but they looked....like flesh. His chest didn't have a laser/jet intake port. He had the same bare chest Sonic did, but it was yellow with a large black circle...and it looked much stronger than Sonic's. He felt his arms. *Flesh, but metal, too. How is that possible?* he thought. "You are both flesh and metal combined. You have muscles, bones, internal organs, everything a being of flesh would have. But you also have everything a robot would have. And you have a soul." "Who are you?" Mecha Sonic asked. He was surprised to hear his voice lacked the electronic ring it once had. "I am your Guardian Angel, so to speak. My name is Agamemnon." "Why is this happening to me?" Mecha Sonic asked, suddenly feeling unworthy. "Like I said earlier, fate had other plans for you. The gift that has been given to you has been given freely." "I, I don't feel like I deserve this. I mean, I wasn't exactly the nicest robot around," Mecha Sonic said, hanging his head. "That, my friend, is your conscience speaking. It's just one of things you'll be learning how to deal with." Mecha Sonic stood quietly, still trying to take in all that had occurred. He looked down once again at his new body. *Heh, never had THOSE before!* "You will need to acquire some clothing," Agamemnon smiled. "Well, you did say I'd have everything a being of flesh would have," Mecha Sonic smiled back. *************************************** Mecha Sonic adjusted the straps on his gloves. *Much better.* He straightened his pants, laced his boots and rolled up the sleeves on his leather jacket. "There's one more thing I have to give you before I go," Agamemnon said. With that he produced two long metal objects. They were shaped like very thin, long boomerangs, and had a red glowing stripe down the outside. They were both seated on a harness which looked like it would fit Mecha Sonic perfectly. "What are those?" Mecha Sonic asked, accepting the objects. "These will provide you with transportation," Agamemnon said. "They are two rocket packs. And," he said, grasping the top of one (which, when he pulled on it, slid open to reveal a red energy sword), "can be used for defense as well." "Incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" Mecha Sonic said, strapping them onto his back. "It's time for me to go now, Mecha Sonic. My work here is complete." "Wait!" Mecha Sonic pleaded. "What if I need your help?" "Just tell me. I need not be visible to you to be of assistance." Agamemnon began to fade. "Good luck, Mech. And remember: You are in control of your own destiny from now on." With that, he disappeared. Mecha Sonic suddenly felt very alone....and then guilty. He began to remember those he had hurt before.....especially Amy Rose. "It's time to make a clean slate of my new life." **************************************** The night sky above Robotropolis was black and cold. Three pale yellow moons lit the building he stood on top of with an icy metal glow. He remembered a song he had once heard Davey Crocket play. The lyrics fit his mood perfectly: black and mournful. Just paint your face a shadow's smile Slipping me away from you It does not matter how you hide We might find you if we're wanting to So slide back down and close your eyes Sleep awhile, you must be tired Every night I burn, every night I call your name Every night I burn, every night I fall again Every night I burn, scream the animal scream Every night I burn, dream the crow black dream. Mecha Sonic opened his eyes. He felt just like that Earth movie character, the Crow. He took a running jump and sailed off the building. He let himself fall for a few seconds, then slowed his descent with his new rocket pack, leaving a trail of red energy streaking behind him. Time to give the boss my letter of resignation. *************************************** Snively leaned on the control panel, tapping the metal with his fingers. He turned his head quickly when he heard the door slide open. A tall, lean figure stood in the doorway, only his red eyes could be seen against the shadows. Packbell assumed a slightly aggressive stance. "Who goes there?!" Snively demanded. He began to shake, fearing Davey Crocket had finally come for him. "It's Mecha Sonic." Packbell checked his sensor readings. "THAT ISN'T MECHA SONIC!" he shouted. Mecha Sonic stepped into the light, his gleaming claws grasping a glowing, black-handled energy sword. An evil smile spread across his face. "Heh heh heh...Do you want to live forever?" With out a warning, Mecha Sonic dashed toward Packbell and elbowed him square in the gut. Packbell's abdomen bowed in and he fell to the ground, his repair systems trying to compensate for the blow. *That would have killed anyone else,* Mecha Sonic thought to himself. *Gotta watch my strength.* Snively frantically scrambled for the door. "Not so fast, you little bastich!" Snively screamed like a little girl as Mecha Sonic grabbed him by the leg and jerked him onto the ground. "I got one thing to say to you, freak. You can take this job and SHOVE IT!" Mecha Sonic glowered. With that, Mecha Sonic slammed Snively to the ground (Mecha Sonic would have called it 'lightly', but to Snively it felt like a pile-driver). Packbell began to struggle to his feet, clutching his stomach. "Oh, and Packy, this is for letting Snively treat me like cannon fodder!! Mecha-Sonic slashed Packbell's face with his sword, leaving a four-inch gash over his left eye. Packbell grabbed a near-by gun and aimed it at the offending intruder. "One move and you're dead!" Mecha Sonic resheathed his sword and held out his arms. "And I say I'm dead, and I move." Packbell froze. "That's right Pack-Man. I DIED. You let that pracking little bastich kill me. But now..." Mecha Sonic's form began to become transparent. "I'm Ba-ack." Snively promptly crapped his pants. Packbell dropped the gun, his processors unable to comprehend what had just occurred. Mecha Sonic shot out the lights and blasted out of the room, red jets trailing. His laughter continued to ring in the darkened room and through the souls of those inside it. **************************************** Mecha Sonic flew on through the night air on a course for Knothole. "You never told me I had camouflage capabilities, Agamemnon!" *I thought you might like to discover them for yourself.* "Y'Know, I do believe you're right." *Are you sure you want to do this, Mech?* Mecha Sonic sobered. "I have to." *Good luck then.* ****************************************** Amy Rose walked to the edge of Knothole, and stopped at a dark patch of trees. The wind blew slightly, rustling her skirt and her spines. In her hand was a pink rose in full bloom. She looked into the shadows with worried, wondering eyes. Mecha Sonic looked at her from the safety of the dark. He brushed back silver/blue hair and sighed. How could he have hurt her like he did? His palms began to sweat under leather weight-lifter's gloves. Now or never. Amy Rose gasped as two red eyes emerged from the shadows. *It must be Davey,* she thought. *I wonder why he wants to apologize?* She folded the letter and stuck it in her pocket. "Amy....I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry I scared you. I'm sorry for everything." "Davey, why are you sorry? You've never hurt me." "Amy, I'm not Davey." Mecha Sonic stepped into the light. Amy cowered and dropped the rose, preparing to run. "Wait, Amy, please don't go! I just came here....to appologise." She stopped, willing to take the risk. "Who are you and what do you want from me?" she asked cautiously. "I'm Mecha Sonic....or at least I used to be. I don't really know who I am right now....I got changed some how. I'm not the same as I was," he explained. "I've got a new life now, and I... I wanted to make restitution for all things I've done before." "I believe you," she answered smiling. Mecha Sonic picked up the rose, and handed it back to her. Amy accepted, and took a good look at him. *Wow, he's gorgeous!* she thought. "Will you accept my appologies?" he asked on bended knee. "I will," she said. Then, to his surprise, she hugged him. As she held him tightly, she suddenly gasped and looked up at him. "I can hear your heart beat!" "If only you knew the half of it," he said. She felt a hot tear splash on her arm. "You're--You're crying!" she said, shocked. She felt a sudden touch of sympathy. Whatever had happened to him, he was real now, with real feelings. And he was hurting because of what he did. She leaned in and lightly kissed him. Mecha Sonic wrapped his arms around her and returned the favor, parting her lips and kissing her more deeply. *No, I can't do this. As much as I want to, I can't do this.* He stopped and removed Amy's arms from around him. "What's wrong?" she asked, sounding confused and a little hurt. "I can't Amy. You're too young for this." "I am thirteen years old!" she shouted, crying. "I can do whatever I want!" "Please listen to me. You are just too young. If we continue, we'll both regret it. You still have years of childhood left to enjoy. I don't want to take that away from you." "I don't care!" she snapped. "I really care about you!" "But do you LOVE me?" he asked. She was silent. He lifted her chin. "Give it some time, Amy. In a couple of years, if you find that you love me, we can try this again. But don't do this just because you care. Make sure it's love." "I understand," she said. "I'll wait for you." "Amy, what are you doing over there? It's way past you bedtime!" "Oh no! It's Sonic!" Amy said in alarm. "You'd better get out of here, fast!" Mecha Sonic quickly gave her kiss goodbye, then to Amy's horror, jumped out of the shadows and right in front of Sonic. "What the heck???" the hedgehog sputtered. Then he grew angry. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!?!" Amy ran over to Mecha Sonic. "He didn't do anything to me. He just came to appologise!" "What? Are you nuts, Amy? Anyone can see this is...is...." Sonic stopped. "Who are you?" "Your metallic alter-ego reborn in the flesh." "MECHA SONIC?" "Quite correct blue boy. Oh, and you needn't worry about me any more. I've turned over a new leaf, so to speak. Tell everyone I've hurt that I am truly sorry, and I won't be back to bother them again. Oh, one more thing," he pulled a CD rom out of his pocket. "Here's Snively and Packbell's operation in a nutshell." Sonic accepted, confused. "Tell Davey he was one hell of an opponent." Mecha Sonic turned to leave. Amy grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?" she asked sadly. "Where ever the wind takes me. I can't stay here; too much bad blood. Don't worry, though. You'll see me again." With that he blasted into the sky like a red comet. **************************************** EPILOGUE: *You really fought hard against your instincts, Mech. I'm proud of you.* "It didn't hurt any less." *Love is the most difficult test of all.* Mecha Sonic layed back against the near-vertical wall, his feet supported by a gargoyle. Robotropolis could actually be nice to look at at night. *Where do you want to go next?* "I don't know. Maybe I'accepted, confused.