The Antiverse Works! Presents:

MECHA SONIC: THE DARK SIDE
PART TWO

All SEGA characters copyrighted by SEGA of America, Inc.
Davey Crockett copyrighted by David Gonterman 
Sonia da Hedgehog and Phenix Mechhog copyrighted by Emily Smith
Mecha Sonic II, Kitsume Twyn Destroyer, Reverend Mother Darius
Arcana Harkonnen and Erik Drocken created by C. Gast

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Note: Due to the topics discussed in this story, it is
recommended that readers be of the age of seventeen or older. 
Thanx, 

-C. Gast

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     Amy, Arcana and Charmy arrived at Knuckles' home. He stepped
outside of the entrance to greet them.
     "Hi, Arcana! Hi Charmy!" he smiled. He noticed Amy.
     "Who may I ask is the young lady?"
     Amy blushed.  She decided to reply for herself this time.
     "My name's Amy Rose," she replied politely.
     Knuckles bowed and kissed her hand.
     "Looks like he's beat you in the charm department," Arcana
whispered to Charmy teasingly. She turned her attention back to
Knuckles.
     "How's Espio doing?"
     Knuckles sighed. 
     "Not very well.  What ever he ate is really working him
over. He slept for eighteen hours yesterday, and he has a
dangerously high fever." He signalled for them to enter.
     
     Inside they found Espio on Knuckles' guest bed, pale and
sweating.  His eyes were puffy and dark, and he winced with every
ache of his stomach. Much to Arcana's surprise, Erik Drocken was
there beside him.
     "He's been poisoned," the golden drocken stated.
     Amy gasped.  Who would do such a thing? She looked at Espio.
He reminded her of Cleo, only much older, and he had a horn.
     "Do you have a sample of the poison, Erik?" Arcana asked.
     He handed her a piece of fruit.  Much to Amy's dismay,
Arcana ate the fruit!
     "What did you do that for?" Amy asked, the concern in her
voice ringing like a bell.
     "Don't worry Amy.  I know my body very well.  With some
concentration, I can create an antidote in my bloodstream," she
explained. Amy watched as she sat down in a nearby chair an
closed her eyes.  Arcana's breathing slowed down to the point
where it looked as if she wasn't breathing at all. Amy got
nervous.  What if she couldn't change the poison?  What if she
were already dead?
     Arcana opened her eyes.
     "It's done."
     Erik took a nearby syringe and drew some of Arcana's blood.
He injected it into Espio.
     "I hate shots!" he mumbled weakly.
     Within seconds, his color began to brighten and he fell
into a peaceful sleep.
     "Give him a couple more days of rest," Erik told Knuckles.
"He should be back in the pink, or should I say purple, soon."
     Amy beamed.  Wildfyre definitely wasn't as bad a Uncle Davey
had made her out to be! Espio would be OK!
     "Arcana, may I speak to you in private?" Erik asked.
     Arcana nodded.  Knuckles gave her a wink. He'd look after
Amy. Erik stood up, his head almost brushing the ceiling, and
walked out; Arcana followed.
     
     They stepped out into the ruins of Echidnopolis, in the
shade of eucalyptus trees.  Erik looked at Arcana with glowing
emerald eyes. His burnished golden hair fell on the left side of
his face, partially concealing it. Arcana noted the seriousness
of his demeanor, and wonder what this little meeting was about.
     "Someone has become worthy to receive the Armor," he said.
     Arcana raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked away. One
of the oldest artifacts on Mobius had finally chosen its wearer.
She had a feeling she knew who it was, too.
     Erik gave her a small silver sphere and closed her hand
around it. 
     "It wants you to deliver it."
     Arcana looked up at Erik. 
     "Where do I take it?"
     He smiled.
     "It will show you the way."
     She placed it in her thigh pouch, where it would be safe. As
she was concentrating on what she was doing, she felt cool soft
wings enfold around her, enveloping her totally from anyone's
sight. Erik held the back of her head and brought her mouth to
his, joining them briefly in a gentle kiss.
     "Come back home soon," he whispered in her ear.

     ***************************************************


     Davey Crockett entered the prison area, where Mecha Sonic,
Phenix and Boing sat. Having already met Boing earlier, he paid
no attention to the rubbery silver creature. His main focus was
directed at the guilty-until-proven-innocent bio-mechanoid in the
holding cell.
     "It's time."
     Mecha Sonic stoically got up and stood still in front of the
cell door. Davey opened the door lead Mecha Sonic out.  Phenix
and Boing followed as they headed for the hut where the trial
would take place.
     Sally presided as judge.  Davey presented himself as
Prosecutor, and Phenix presented herself as Defense.  The jurors,
those who had known Mecha Sonic both before and after his
transformation, sat down and prepared to hear the evidence.
     Sally pounded the gavel, and the room quieted.
     "The trial of Knothole vs. Mecha Sonic begins now. The
Prosecution may call the first witness."
     "I would like to call Rotor the Walrus," Davey asked.  Rotor
came forward and took the stand.  Twyn D handed him The Sacred
Book of Mobius, and Rotor placed his right hand on it.
     "Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth?"
     "I do."
     sally turned to Rotor. "You may be seated."
     Davey stepped up to the stand.
     "You were one of the first of us to find the crime scene,
were you not?" he asked.
     "Yes, I was," Rotor replied.
     "Can you describe the crime scene for those of us who were
not there?"
     Rotor sighed, then began. "Well, when we got there, we found
Mecha Sonic there, unconscious and bleeding pretty badly. We
found some of Amy Rose's quills and pieces of her clothes, but
not her.  And there was blood everywhere."
     "Did you find anything else besides just blood?" Davey asked
happy with the answer he knew was coming.
     "We found some, uh, stomach contents...and uh, um..." Rotor
stalled, uncomfortable with the term he knew he'd have to use.
     "Just spit it out Rotor," Davey said, annoyed.
     "We found, um, reproductive fluid," Rotor said, finding a
comfortable euphemism.
     The crowd gasped. Surely Mecha Sonic was guilty!
     "No further questions, your Honor," Davey said, returning to
his seat.
     "Defense may come forward," Sally said.
     Phenix came forward, a hard gleam in her eye.
     "Rotor, can you tell us just how much of who's blood there
was?" she asked.
     "Almost all of it was Mecha Sonic's.  We could tell because
it had kind of a metallic shine to it."
     "Rotor, how many sets of footprints did you find?" Phenix
smiled.
     "We found Mecha Sonic's, Amy's, and a third set we couldn't
identify."
     This raised a few eyebrows.
     "Rotor, in your opinion, could Amy Rose have injured Mecha
Sonic as much as he had been?" Phenix queried.
     "No," Rotor replied firmly.
     "Isn't it possible that it was the third person there who
raped and murdered Amy, especially since Mecha Sonic was
incapacitated when you found him?" Phenix asked forcefully,
driving her point home.
     "It's possible," Rotor said, rubbing his whiskered chin
thoughtfully.
     "No further questions, your Honor," Phenix said.

     "You may step down, Rotor," Sally replied. "Prosecution may
call the next witness."
     Davey looked straight at Mecha Sonic with a cold stare.
"Prosecution would like to call Mecha Sonic to the stand!"
     Mecha Sonic was sworn in (as best he could with his arm
braced) and took the stand.
     Davey paced in front of Mecha Sonic.
     "Mecha Sonic, is it true that you were seen chasing Amy Rose
during the night in question?"
     "It's true," Mech sighed.
     "Is it true that you attacked her on that same night?" Davey
said, stopping and gripping the stand.
     "It's true."
     "Is it true, Mecha Sonic, that on that night you raped Amy
Rose, murdered her, and hid her body?" Davey asked, his voice
almost a growl.
     "No."
     "Then where is she?" Davey sneered.
     "I don't know. Something made me go after her and when I had
her pinned down, I realized what I was doing and I stopped, but
as soon as I did I was thrown into the worst pain of my life. I
fell onto Amy, and then I got off of her when I heard her gasping
for air. I think I made her very dizzy, because she threw up.  I
told her to get away from me, because I was afraid that I would
attack her again, and then I passed out."
     A silence followed as everyone stopped to personally
scrutinize Mech's story.
     Davey turned to Sally.
     "Your Honor, I would like permission to display the
Accused's memory of the night in question, as evidence."
     "Permission granted," Sally replied.  Everyone hung on the
following moments; this would be the make-or-break point of the
trial.
     Davey cyberjacked himself and Mecha Sonic to a video
monitor. Their eyes glowed red as they began to process the
information. The video monitor began to display the memory loop
left by the nanites. Packbell's coup-de-grace was made.
     "Please stop!"
     "Shut up you little bitch!"
     <crying>
     "There, now that's not so bad, is it?"
     "It hurts!"
     "Get used to it!"
     The entire court was aghast at the vicious, brutal scenes
that followed.  Some with weak stomachs had to be excused from
the court.
     Mecha Sonic was the most surprised person there.
     "But I didn't....!"
     "No further questions!" Davey snarled.
     "Has the jury reached a decision?" Sally asked, her hands
covering her face in dismay.
     Sonic rose from the stands.
     "We the jury unanimously find the Accused guilty on the
count of sexual assault in the first degree.  We the jury
unanimously find the Accused guilty on the count of sex with a
minor.  We the jury unanimously find the Accused guilty on the
count of murder in the first degree."
     Sally pronounced the sentence. "I hereby sentence the
Accused to Execution, to be carried out at dusk!"

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     "So you've got to take that little metal thingie to someone
in Knothole?" Amy asked as they walked throught the Great Forest
that afternoon.
     "That's what direction it's pointing to," Arcana answered,
looking at the glowing arrow that worked like a compass on the
outside of the sphere.
     Amy thought how good it would be to get home.  She bet
everyone was worried sick about her.  She felt a little bad that
she had not asked to go home sooner, but she had had so much fun
today! And she loved her new clothes; Arcana said she could keep
them. 
     *I wonder how Mecha Sonic is doing,* Amy thought to herself.

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     Phenix pressed herself against the cell bars, trying to hold
her beloved as best she could.  Mech wiped the tears from her
eyes. 
     "I can't believe this is happening!" she sobbed.
     "I don't understand it!" Mech said sadly. "I don't remember
any of that!"
     "I know.  I believe you," she cried.
     Mecha Sonic took something out of one of his pockets, and
slipped it on Phenix's finger. She looked at it; it was one of
Mech's metallic spines, made into a ring.
     "I had hoped to give this to you on our wedding day," he
said, wiping away a tear-drop, "but it looks like that day will
never come now."
     Phenix held it close to her heart, treasuring it like it
held the very essence of Mecha Sonic's life within its band.
     Twyn D walked in, carrying a black hood and a rope.
     Phenix looked out the window, her heart breaking as realized
dusk had already come. *No! It's too soon!* her fevered brain
grieved.
     "I love you, Phenix, and I always will."
     
     Mecha Sonic was bound and his head covered in a black hood.
He was lead to the gallows in the center of Knothole.  All the
Freedom Fighters had gathered to watch his fitting punishment
carried out. Phenix stood in the front with Boing, wanting to
perish right along with Mech; to breathe her last as he breathed
his. Since no normal rope could properly hang him, steel cord had
to be used, and only Davey and Twyn D could fashion it into a
functional noose.  His neck was placed in the noose.
     "Any last words, murderer?" Davey asked coldly.
     "I hope Knothole will be forgiven for executing an
innocent."
     
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     Amy and Arcana wondered why there was such a crowd in
Knothole.
     That's when Amy noticed the gallows.
     "Oh my God, they're hanging somebody!" she exclaimed.
     "Yes, and the person they're hanging is the one the sphere
is pointing to!" Arcana replied. 
     "I hope this isn't because....." Amy stopped, coming to a
sad conclusion. "Oh please don't let them be hanging Mecha Sonic!
They probably think he killed me or something! We've got to stop
them!"
     The two hit top speed for the center of Knothole.
     
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     The death drums continued to roll....then stopped, their
sudden silence cutting throught Phenix like a knife. 
     
     The trap door under Mecha Sonic opened.

     He jerked and gasped a few times, and went limp. Phenix
buried herself in Boing's "chest" and tried to cry her life out
of existence. He was dead.

     "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" the silent crowd heard from behind
them.  

     "IT'S *AMY ROSE*!" Someone gasped.

     The crowd began to mumur frantically.  What had they done? 
She was alive! Amy and Arcana quickly made their way to front.
     "Oh my God, we've killed an innocent man," Davey gasped.
     Arcana raised her Chaos Sword to the sky. The Chaos Sapphire
began to glow; then out of nowhere a bolt of lightning struck the
gallows, dropping Mecha Sonic's body to the earth bellow.  As if
to join in the sudden sorrow of all around, a hard cold rain
began to pour out of the rapidly blackening sky. Phenix, Amy,
Boing, Arcana and Davey drug Mech's body out from under the
gallows and into the street as everyone else took shelter from
the downpour. 
     "I don't understand," Davey said, in a state of shock and
disbelief. "His own memory pointed to his guilt."
     "Nanites," Boing vibrated.
     "Nanites??" Davey asked.
     "Boing found nanites in Mecha Sonic's body," Phenix sobbed.
     "They could have left that memory in his body," Arcana
thought aloud.
     "But who would want to do that?" Amy asked.
     "I don't know," Arcana answered sadly.

     ***************************************************

     The rain continued to come down as they took Mecha Sonic's
body to the stone table outside of Knothole where funeral pyres
were started.  They wouldn't be able to do it tonight, but as
soon as the rain let up, they would.  Davey, Boing and Amy left
for Knothole; her return would be celebrated, but the festivities
would be tainted with the guilt and grief of all.
     Arcana stayed to comfort Phenix and to mourn Mecha Sonic as
well.  Although she had let him go, as he had requested to
prevent the death of Seven, she still quietly loved him.  She set
the silver sphere on Mecha Sonic as she turned to comfort Phenix.
Of its own accord, the sphere rolled into the hollow of Mech's
throat and began to disolve, unnoticed by his mourners. A silver
coloration began to extend from his throat and up over his
face....
     "I wish I could have died with him," Phenix lamented, as the
hand of her beloved changed silver under her touch.
     "It was obviously his time to go," Arcana sighed. "Remember,
Phenix: All things happen for a Purpose."
     "..out of...the..ashes....."
     The two women's eyes expanded to several time normal size as
they slowly turned to look at Mecha Sonic's face. 
     Two blade-like wings exploded from Mech's back as he lay on
the table, catching the moons-light and making rainbow shimmers
dance across them. 
     "I'm glad you didn't light my fire yet," Mecha Sonic grinned
at the two stunned females, "cause I'm not quite dead."
     Phenix leapt into Mech's open arms (right one now perfectly
healed!) and began to cry tears of joy.
     "Remember the Arena?" he said softly. "You gave me quite a
scare....now it's my turn.  We're even now, so let's not die
anymore, OK?" he teased.
     Phenix laughed, her head dizzy with joy and relief.
     "Do you still have that ring?" Mech asked.
     "Yes, I wouldn't *dare* loose it!" she said, taking it off
for him to see. He took it from her hand, and set her on the
table.  He then proceeded to get down on one knee.
     "Phenix Mechhog, will you marry me?"
     Phenix blinked back her tears, a little stunned.
     "Yes. YES. YESYESYESYESYES!!!" she exploded with emotion.
     They held each other close, drinking in the warm feeling
that enveloped them.
     Arcana got an idea.
     "Phenix, do you mind if I give you your wedding present a
little early?"
     Phenix shook her head no.  She was still too happy to speak.
     "Step back for a sec, Mech," Arcana said, drawing the Chaos
Sword. She stabbed it into the ground.  The Chaos Gems began to
glow one after another...Ruby, Citrine, Topaz, Emerald, Sapphire,
Amethyst, Diamond......Arcana picked up the sword and fired a
rainbow-hued ball of fiery energy at Phenix. It smashed into her
and she was enveloped in magical flames.

     "CHAOS ORB OF LIFE!"

     The fire vanished and Phenix stood before them in Bio-
Mechaniod flesh.
     "Surprise," Arcana smiled. "You should have no problems
having children now.  And I KNOW you will."

        Mecha Sonic picked up Phenix and cradled her
in his arms. "Shall we head back to Knothole?"
        Phenix laughed. "They'll probably hang you 
again for making them wallow in guilt this long!"
        Mech expanded his silver wing/blades and shot
off towards Knothole. Arcana was left to her thoughts.
She sheathed her Chaos Sword and sighed.
        "Well, Mecha Sonic has passed through his 
nexus successfully. I just hope I can pass through
mine."
        Dark clouds formed on the horizon and 
thunder boomed in the distance, and a lone hooded
figure set off into the pouring rain.

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