Legal stuff: 1. This story and all characters created by me are copyright 5/19/1995 by the author, so in other words, DON'T SCREW AROUND WITH THIS STORY! Also, don't use any of my characters in something else with out my permission. 2. Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters in the game/comic/show are copyrighted by SEGA, Archie, and/or DIC. And now with that out of the way we can get on with my story. If you like, dislike, or utterly hate the story, feel free to send comments to metalfox@indy.net. Forward: This story begins fifty-four years after Sonic and Sally's apparent defeat of Robotnik. Tragedy befell Knothole the same year that Robotnik was defeated. Snively had not been killed in the destruction of Robotropolis as the freedom fighters had thought. Somehow he managed to get a spy into Knothole and once Snively had the location he moved in and destroyed it. Only two freedom fighters escaped, Dulcy and Sonic's Uncle Chuck. However, shortly after their escape Chuck disappeared without a trace and Dulcy wandered around alone for a while before joining up with another freedom fighter group. All of the other Knothole freedom fighters were roboticized with the exception of Sonic. Snively felt that there was too much of a risk in Roboticizing Sonic. If Sonic were to ever recover his will, he could be more dangerous than ever. Rumor has it that Snively locked Sonic away in some sort of secret chamber within his new Robotropolis. Whether this is true, and whether Snively kept Sonic alive or let him die has not been determined yet. So far, no freedom fighter group has been able to find Sonic. Snively has almost completely covered Mobius with industrial factories and power plants. Very little natural life is left on the planet and freedom fighting now seems like a lost cause, but the freedom fighters have not completely given up hope. Lost Time An StH story by Ryan Fields Part 1: Memories Robotropolis seemed more quiet than usual. Even the always present hum of machinery seemed softer than normal. Metal Fox sat alone, concealed by a large sheet of steel and a smashed up old SWATBot pod. It was evening, but the smog filled sky, blotting out all of the stars. Metal was beginning to get bored of waiting for the signal to begin the mission. He had already gone over his orders about twenty times, but for lack of anything better to do he brought up the file on his mini-computer again and looked over it. Mission overview: The weekly data transmissions have just been received by Robotropolis Central Command. Sources have informed us that information that could lead to the discovery of several freedom fighter bases across Mobius was included in the transmission. One solo freedom fighter will attempt to infiltrate Robotropolis Central Command in order to download all data from the transmission onto a disk and then corrupt the files in the Robotropolis computers. A five person team will plant explosives in another location nearby to create a distraction. Your orders as the solo are as follows: 1. Enter Central Command through service tunnel 13-B. 2. Proceed to top floor and access main computer system. 3. Download files and then corrupt system. 4. GET OUT! If the distraction created by the team does not succeed, you will abort the mission. end of file... Metal Fox ejected the shell clip from his laser shotgun, made a quick inspection, and then popped it back into the gun. He looked up, but still no signal. Wondering what was taking so long, he decided to run his journal program and add an entry. He pulled out the mini-computer once more and loaded his personal journal. At the moment he couldn't think of anything important to say so instead of adding a log he began looking at some old ones. Personal Log #1: Wow, this is great. My friend Static just finished this little computer thingie that lets me do all kinds of neat stuff. He showed me this little journal program that I just talk to and it prints whatever I say on the screen and saves it when I'm done. Static says that I should start keeping a journal 'cause if I ever lose my memory again, I'll have important stuff right here on this computer. So from now on, when I get somethin' important to say, I'll save it on this. end of log... Metal Fox smiled at the memory the log brought back. It was recorded almost ten years ago, but he still had a fairly clear memory of it. He decided to look at another. Personal Log #985: Everyone here threw me a party today. It wasn't really a birthday party, 'cause no one knows when I was born or how old I am, although they guess that I'm about ten. The parties mark the day Dulcy and Robert found me in Robotropolis. That was five years ago today. Static wrote a cool little scanning program for my computer, and he is teaching me how to write my own programs. Also, Robert, our leader, told me that if I start training, I can be an official Robotropolis Underground Freedom Fighter, and I can start helping with missions. I'm excited about that. Hmm... guess that's all I have to say right now. end of log... Metal Fox grinned once more. The log also brought back the memory of the day he became an official member of the Robotropolis Underground Freedom Fighters. They were called this because they actually lived underneath Robotropolis. They were one of the few groups who had been there very long. Most groups had been discovered either due to poor concealment or spies. The R.U.F.F. had so far been lucky. Metal had been with them for ten years now and he could not remember a time in which the base had ever been close to being detected. "Hmm," Metal thought to himself as he brought up another log. Personal Log #1979: Had another party today. I've been with the R.U.F.F. for eight years now. Today hasn't been a very enjoyable day, though. In fact, this whole week has been terrible. Dulcy strangely disappeared about two weeks ago and I'm starting to fear the worst. She's left like this before, but she always tells me that she is going even if she doesn't tell anyone else. This time she didn't. I was doing some thinking today about Dulcy and me. It seems funny that although she is a lot older than me and has cared for me like a mother, our relationship is more of a best friends type thing than a mother and son relationship. She has been both a mother and a best friend to me, so I guess that's why the thought of losing her hurts so much. I hope she is safe, wherever she is. end of log... Metal wondered why, of all of the logs he could have looked at he ended up loading that one. He began to cry. He couldn't help it. It was now more than a year since Dulcy had disappeared and Metal had almost given up hope of ever seeing her again. Metal tried to clear the memories from his head but they kept pressing in. He knew it was dangerous to get emotional like this right before a mission. He needed a clear head. Just then he caught the faint flash of a red light in the corner of his eye. Flipping the computer shut, he turned toward the direction that the light had flashed. Another one flashed, this time blue. He waited for a second, and finally a green light flashed. This was it! Metal flashed a white light back in the direction of the other lights to signal that he had seen them. Wiping his eyes dry, he took a deep breath and opened a hatch below him. Quickly, he descended downward into the service tunnel and began crawling through it toward Central Command. Lost Time Part 2: The Mission Metal raced through the access tunnel quickly. He reached the end of the tunnel, opened a small sliding door on the ceiling, and then jumped up into a storage area. Crouching behind a box, Metal pulled out a pair of headphones with a small microphone attachment and put them on. He then connected them to a jack on his mini-computer and turned it on. "Contact Nicole," he said. On the screen was the reply: CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. Metal then quietly said, "Hello, Nicole." A voice replied, "GREETINGS, METAL FOX." "Ok. Activate your scramble program and connect to the Robotropolis main computer." "CONNECTION ESTABLISHED," said Nicole. "Good, now access the computer's Bot Tracking System and keep me informed if any get near," Metal ordered. "ACCESSING... DONE. AREA CURRENTLY SAFE." "Ok, now to get into the data center," he said, knowing that he was about to put himself in great risk. He walked to the door and pressed a button. The door slid open and Metal entered the hallway. On the wall was written "MAIN BUILDING LEVEL 1." He stealthily moved down the hall until he reached two doors. "Hmm..." he thought to himself, "do I take the elevator or the stairs? Nicole, are both the stairs and the elevator being monitored?" "NO, ONLY THE STAIRS," Nicole replied. "Heh, guess Snively doesn't think a freedom fighter would be brave enough to use the elevator," Metal said as he pressed the up button. The elevator doors slid open and Metal entered. "Hmm... now what floor was the data center on?" "FLOOR 79," replied Nicole. "Thanks, Nicole." He pressed the button and the elevator began moving upward with a jerk. For a moment the only sound was the hum of the elevator, but this was quickly interrupted by a loud explosion from somewhere nearby. The lights went out briefly, and then an alarm sounded and red alert lights began flashing. "There's my distraction," Metal mumbled to himself. Realizing the elevator had stopped, Metal exited and found himself in the data center. The area was completely empty, which was normal since the whole data transmission system was automated. Metal ran over to a terminal and quickly connected his mini-computer to it. "Begin download," he commanded and then waited. Over the sound of the alarms, Metal heard Nicole say, "WARNING! A SECURITY BREACH IS BEING SIGNALED FROM YOUR AREA. I AM DETECTING TWO SWAT-BOTS APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTH HALL." "Nicole, try and access the security locks for this room and activate them," he said as he watched the download percentage indicator in his computer. "ATTEMPTING... UNABLE TO GAIN ACCESS." "Keep trying," he said. The mini-computer beeped and flashed the message "Transfer Complete" on the screen. Right after Metal disconnected his computer the door to the hall slid open. The two SWAT-Bots entered the room and immediately aimed their blasters at him. One of the SWAT-Bots ordered, "HALT, FREEDOM FIGHTER!" as it approached Metal. "No way!" Metal shouted as he cocked his laser shotgun and prepared to fire. He was unable to get in the first shot however. Ducking a laser blast from one bot, he raised his gun and opened fire, taking both bots out quickly. "MORE SWAT-BOTS APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTH HALL," Nicole warned. Metal turned and looked toward the elevator. The floor indicator above the door was going up. "Nicole, where's the elevator going?" he asked, but before she could give an answer the indicator stopped, then started counting down. "WARNING! FOUR SWAT-BOTS APPROACHING FROM THE ELEVATOR," Nicole alerted. "Great, the hall and elevator are no longer options. Nicole, are there any other ways out of the area?" asked Metal with a tone of anxiety in his voice. "THERE IS AN ACCESS DOOR TO THE MAIN STAIRWAY ACROSS FROM THIS ROOM IN THE SOUTH HALL," replied Nicole. Without hesitating, Metal ran to the door an opened it. He stuck his head out and looked down the hall. Two SWAT-Bots were running toward him from the end of the hall. He aimed the shotgun at the door across the hall and blasted it open. Then he quickly ran and slid through the doorway to avoid the blasts from the SWAT-Bots. As he stood, he looked up and noticed a security camera focusing on him. He blasted it and began running down the stairs. The door on the level below him opened and a SWAT-Bot came through. Metal mumbled a word of dissatisfaction to himself and then turned and headed back up. He passed the level he had entered on just before the two SWAT-Bots from the hall walked in. The two bots were about to fire when the one from the level below ran into them. Metal smirked at the stupidity of the bots and then resumed climbing the stairs. Finally reaching the top, Metal paused to catch his breath. The door on the level below opened and laser fire began shooting upward at Metal. He quickly opened the door on his level and ran out. The first thing he noticed was the sky, gray and polluted, informing him that he was now on the roof. "This is not good," he growled in anxiety. Metal grabbed a piece of pipe and lodged it between the floor and the door handle. "That should hold them for a few minutes," he said to himself as he moved over to the edge of the building and looked down. A huge cloud of smog surrounded the building, so he could not see ground. However, he knew that he was at the top of a one-hundred story complex, meaning that jumping would be definite suicide. "Uh, Nicole, got any ideas on how I can get down to the ground... alive?" Metal asked. "NO POSSIBLE OPTIONS," Nicole answered. "Oh, man," sighed Metal. Something started banging on the other side of the door, causing him to become even more worried. "Nicole, is Static there at the base?" he asked. "NEGATIVE. HE WAS PART OF THE MISSION TEAM," Nicole replied. "You mean they aren't back at the base yet?" he said in a worried tone. "CORRECT. THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED," she said. "Where are they?" he said, forgetting about his current situation. "LOCATION OF TEAM IS UNKNOWN," answered Nicole. "What could have happened to them?" he said to himself. Just as he finished speaking the door behind him flew open. Metal quickly whirled around and watched as SWAT-Bots filed out of the doorway... led by Snively. "I believe I can answer that," Snively said as he grinned evilly. Lost Time Part 3: Captured "I wouldn't get too clo-" Robert began, but he was cut short when Static jerked back and winced in pain at the electrical shock he recieved from the force field. "Nevermind," Robert finished. "We really screwed up this one," growled a female vixen in the corner of the cramped cell. "Really, Beth? I hadn't noticed. Thank you for clearing that up for us," Static said sarcastically. "Anytime, frizzle hair," she growled back remarking at the hair standing up on his head. This was where the nickname, Static, had come from. His hair stood up like that every time he recieved any kind of electrical shock (and he seemed to be prone to them lately). "Yeah, that's hilarious. Now why don't you come over here I'll introduce you to this nice little force field," snapped Static. "Ok, you two, cut it out," commanded Robert. "The situation is bad enough without you two bringing up your grudge." Beth and Static glared at each other for a moment and then Static finally looked over to Robert and said, "Okay. What now?" "Well, Snively seems to be occupied elsewhere at the moment," Robert began. Static cut in saying, "Yeah, 'cause he's probably sending all his bots after MF." "Well, Metal so far has proven to be able to handle solo missions quite well. He's probably already back at the base," remarked Robert. "Anyway, now we have to find a way out of here. Since there don't appear to be any air ducts leading into this cell, the only way in or out must be the front." "Yeah, which is blocked by a high voltage force field," interrupted Static. "I was just about to mention that," Robert growled. "Do we know if the field is solid or just some powerful electrical currents?" "I'm not gonna try to stick my hand through to find out. That current is strong," griped Static. Robert took a small chain from around his neck and hesitated for a moment before flinging it at the field. The chain sparked as it entered the field. It landed just beyond the force field, smoke slowing rising from each link. "All right, it's passable," concluded Robert. "Not unless you want to get fried," Beth remarked. "Perhaps if we all jump at the same time it will weaken the energy for the fields enough for all of us to pass through," suggested Static. "That's exactly what I was getting at," said Robert. "So are we gonna give it a go?" he asked. Beth and Static nodded. Robert looked to the two others in the cell and they nodded. "Ok, on the count of three. One... two... three!" All five of them jumped into the field. Sparks filled the opening of the cell. They all fell to the ground on the other side, groaning but not badly hurt. "All right! It worked!" shouted Static. "Okay, let's get out of here," said Robert. They all crept cautiously out the door into the hall. When they realized the coast was clear they began running. Robert suddenly remembered his silver chain and turned back. "Keep going! I'll catch up!" he shouted. Just as the rest of the group turned the corner Robert yelled. "That was Robert! We've gotta go back!" Static yelled as he turned. "Static, wait!" Beth shouted, but it was too late. She told the others keep going and then turned to chase down Static. Just as she reached the corner, she heard laser fire and a scream. She turned to see a SWATBot picking up the almost lifeless body of Static and another entering a doorway carrying Robert. "No!" she screamed. The SWATBot with Static turned to see the enraged vixen charging insanely. The bot was unable to raise it's blaster before she slammed into it. The impact caused it to drop Static and sent the bot flying backward into a wall. Beth shook her head and got up. She briefly examined Static and then turned to the door just as it closed. "Robert!" she yelled as she beat against it. Behind her, Static groaned. Realizing that she could not get beyond the door, she picked up Static and headed back to the base. * * * At the same time, back on the roof of the central command building, Snively received a call about the escaped prisoners. He turned his attention from Metal for a moment and screamed, "What?! How could they? Huh? You managed to re-capture one?" Metal listened to Snively and became almost sure that he was talking about the team. Suddenly, a strange feeling came over him. Something seemed to almost be pulling him nearer to the edge of the roof. He reached the side and looked down. 'I have got to be crazy,' Metal thought to himself, but without further hesitation he jumped. "Well at least I still-" Snively began as he looked up and realized that Metal was gone. "Where did he go!?" he asked one of the SWATBots. "HE JUMPED," replied the bot. "What?!" Snively screamed as he ran to the side and looked down. Metal was not visible though. He turned to the SWATBots and just screamed. * * * Metal emerged from below the first smog cloud coughing, then gasping, and then choking as he tried to breath through the pollution. He managed to regain his breath and he said to himself, "Great, I'm falling through the air and heading straight for the ground at an incredibly fast rate. ARGH! What was I thinking?! I'm as good as dead now." He sighed and tried to turn his head. He was falling backward and could not turn his head enough to see how far from the ground he was. Suddenly he found himself choking in another smog cloud. When he emerged from it he had turned over and was now falling face first. The ground was now in view. "This is it," he said, his voice filled with fear as the ground came closer... closer... closer... He closed his eyes and prepared for impact. He stopped with a sudden jerk. Opening his eyes, Metal relized he was in the arms of someone and he was now flying forward. He turned his head up to see wo was carrying him, but he blacked out before he could get a good look. * * * Beth watched Freedman, the official doctor of the R.U.F.F., with a terribly concerned look on her face. At first her thoughts focused on Static alone, but then the sight of Robert being carried through the doorway entered her mind. This was the worst failed mission the R.U.F.F. had ever had. Their leader had been captured, and Static, whom Beth loved deeply although she would never admit it, had been badly wounded. She was about to ask Freedman about Static's condition when another thought suddenly smacked her in the face. "Where's MF!?" she suddenly gasped. Freedman answered, "He never returned," without looking up from his current task. "No! This is terrible," Beth growled as she left the office and headed for Static's lab. Metal had more or less been under Beth's care since Dulcy's strange disappearance, and she had begun to regard him as a son. Beth entered the lab and sat down in front of a computer terminal. "Nicole, are you online?" "YES, BETH." "Can you locate Metal Fox?" "ATTEMPTING... SEARCH UNSUCCESSFUL." "He had a link to you during the mission, right?" "AFFIRMATIVE." "What happened to the link?" "IT WAS LOST FROM THE REMOTE END." "What happened before the link was broken?" "READINGS INDICATE THAT THE REMOTE SYSTEM WAS FALLING." "Falling?! From where?!" "IT WAS FALLING FROM THE ROOF OF THE CENTRAL COMMAND COMPLEX." Beth buried her face in her hands and sighed, "Oh no. Did Metal drop it or was he falling with it?" "VOCAL PATTERNS MATCHING METAL FOX'S WERE DETECTED DURING THE TIME OF THE FALL." "Is there a recording of his... uh... well... last words?" "YES." Beth listened to the playback, and although most of the recording was just the sound of the wind passing over the microphone she was able to hear Metal's words and his sudden cough just before the link was broken. For a long time Beth just sat quietly. * * * Two days later: Static sat at a computer terminal and watched the screen as the log he had hacked from the main computer scrolled on his screen. He was in quite a bit of pain from the laser wound he had received in his chest. Doctor Freedman had managed to save Static's life, but the wound had been severe, so it would be a while before the jaguar would be able to do much of anything. Static reached the end of the log. As far as he could tell, Robert had not been processed. And after studying the last bit of information from Nicole's link to Metal's computer, Static was already presuming Metal to be splattered on the street somewhere. He really didn't know what to think about Robert though. His only theory was that perhaps Snively was still interrogating Robert. All he could do was continue hacking into the logs as each new one was entered into the main Robotropolis computer. Both uncertainties were making Static an emotional and physical wreck. Beth sat alone in her room. She had just finished explaining to the freedom fighters and inhabitants of the underground base about the failed mission and the loss of Robert and Metal. With Robert gone, she was now in command, and she had a feeling that this move to leader was a permanent one. While she had waited for this position for a very long time, she had never planed to move up to it under these conditions. She had very little time to think on the matter, however, before she began worrying about the possibility of Snively getting the location of the base from Robert. If Snively did get the information, there would be nothing the R.U.F.F. could do to stop him. The thought that pressed into her mind the most was of Metal's apparent death. She listened to the recording of the fall over and over, trying to find some assurance that Metal somehow survived, but she found nothing. Lost Time Part 4: Erasure, Remembrance Snively now had, at his disposal, the leader of the most troublesome and powerful group of freedom fighters he had ever faced. What he would do with Robert was another question. He had tried torture to extract the information he needed to destroy the R.U.F.F. This did little other than cause Robert great pain. He held out and refused to give any information. Snively decided to take another approach. "Well, well, how are you feeling today?" asked Snively with a slight laugh in his voice. "You can torture me until I die, but I won't betray the feedom fighters," Robert managed to say. "Oh, you don't have to worry about anymore torture. I have much bigger plans for you now," said Snively. "I've been working on a little project for quite some time now and it is finally complete. Only problem is, up until now there's been no one to test it. That is where you come in." "And what is this project?" Robert asked. "The Type-3 Roboticizer," Snively said as he grinned at Robert. "Another robticizer?" Robert asked, more or less as an attempt to stall. "Yes. This one should be quite an improvement over my previous design. If it works, that is." Snively turned to two SWATBots and commanded them to take Robert to the roboticizer room. As they began moving Robert he struggled with all of his remaining strength to get free but it was no use. The bots placed Robert in the roboticizer and the last thing he heard was Snively's voice saying, "Just relax. This shouldn't hurt too much." Snively flipped the switch and light filled the chamber. When the light faded, Robert appeared to still be in his natural form. Through the computer, Snively issued an activation command and Robert's eyes opened. A piercing red glow filled them. "Waiting for command," the robot which had once been Robert said. Snively began cheering for himself and yelling "It worked!" He suddenly stopped and with an evil grin on his face said, "Now it's time for some fun. Those stupid freedom fighters will never realize that this isn't their leader until it is too late." * * * Metal slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He remained motionless for a moment as he waited for his eyes to adjust. The faint echo of water dripping could be heard. The only light was from a small candle, which flickered, throwing odd shadows up on the walls. Metal could tell that he was in some sort of cave. His head was throbbing slightly but he payed little attention to the pain. "Ugh, what happened? And where am I?" Metal said as he stood up and looked around. "You jumped off a building and almost became a stain on the already over-polluted streets of Robotropolis," said a voice from behind. Metal whirled around to see a large, dark dragon half concealed by the shadows. At first only a pair of glowing red eyes and a massive tail were visible, then the dragon slowly stepped into the light. He was quite large and completely covered in black scales. A row of red, spiked plates ran down his back from the base of his neck to the tip of his huge tail. His stare at first put Metal a bit on edge, but then the dragon gave him a friendly smile and said, "So what were you doing freefalling from a one-hundred story building anyway?" "Huh? Oh, I was trying to escape from Snively and about fifty SWATBots," replied Metal. "So you just went suicidal?" "Something in my head told me that I would make it down all right," explained Metal. "I assume you were the one who saved me." "Yes I was." "Well, I guess I at least owe you my thanks, whoever you are." "Name's Monolith," he said as he offered his large hand to Metal. "I'm Metal Fox," Metal replied as he shook Monolith's hand, or rather was shaken by Monolith's hand. Monolith smirked, "Guess it's a good thing I was looking for you when you jumped." Metal's expression suddenly became a slightly puzzled one. "You were looking for me?" "Uh huh," Monolith said, smirking again. "Why?" asked Metal. "Two reasons. One, I know who you are and where you came from as well as some other information that you might like to know about your past. And two,-" "Wait," Metal interrupted. "You know about my past?" "Yes I do." "Like when and where I was born and who my parents are?" "Yes." "Please tell me about it!" exclaimed Metal. "Ok, ok. Hmm... I guess I'll start from the beginning. You were born in Mobotropolis on the seventeenth of September in the year 3219," began Monolith. "3219!? That's over sixty years ago!" "Yes, I know. Just listen. I have a lot to cover and not much time to do so. Your real name is Justin Page, son of Markus and Janet Page. Up until your fifth birthday you led an average life. "During that time, Robotnik, known then as Julian, was engaged in the final stages of his takeover. While he was busy planning, Snively took part in a few secret side projects including the development of the Type-2 Roboticizer. Somehow he knew about the problems of the original roboticizer and so he decided to refine the process. His new roboticizer opened an opportunity for another project, which I'll get to in a minute. Your father was a brilliant scientist who had developed quite a few defensive devices and weapons that were used during the war. Snively knew of Markus' acheivements and decided to ask him to head this special project. Your father had recently turned his talents toward non-militaristic developments, but after Snively offered him a huge sum of money he couldn't say no. The project code name was 'Metal Soldier'. Ever heard of it?" Metal shook his head. "The idea was to use the technology of the roboticizer to give someone the ability to roboticize and de-roboticize at their own will. Snively planned to use this technology to create a superior soldier that would appear normal, but could become a powerful robot whenever a situation required it. Snively possibly planned to use this technology on himself, perhaps to overthrow Robotnik after the takeover. Once your father discovered that Robotnik and Snively were planning to conquer Mobius he decided to abandon the project. Snively kidnapped you and your mother and threatened to kill you both if Markus didn't complete the project. "Once the chip was completed, Snively took over control of everything and decided to use your father as a test subject. He successfully implanted the chip, but for some reason your father did not survive the roboticization process. Snively then attempted it on your mother and ended up with the same results. He didn't want to risk the discovery of the project by recruiting outside test subjects, so as a last desparate attempt he used you. That was when I stepped in. One of my natural abilities is to shift my form, and I had taken the form of a fox when I took up residence in Mobotropolis. I mean, being a large dragon in a city built for folks much smaller than me wouldn't have been very convenient. Anyway, I had been on the development team and had worked closely with your father for most of the project, but once it was almost finished Snively paid me and let me go from the project. I was curious as to why he dropped me from it so suddenly, so I hacked into some of his personal files. In doing so I discovered that you and Janet had been kidnapped. I almost went to the authorities, but I came across a log involving the deaths of both Markus and Janet. I returned to the lab late at night and arrived just after Snively had implanted the chip in your head. I got you out and at the same time, trashed the lab. Is any of this coming back to you?" Metal replied, "I think so. But the memories are really foggy. So Snively was responsible for the deaths of my parents and for this chip in my head." "Yes." "Some of it seems familiar, but how could all of this have occured so many years ago? I can't be that old." "Actually, you are only fourteen. This is where the real mess begins. I don't know if you have read much about the Knothole Freedom Fighters, but I recently discovered something quite interesting about one of their missions. Sonic Hedgehog and Sally Acorn discovered the mythical Time Stones and decided to go back in time to try to prevent the takeover. Now, the day after I had gotten you out of the lab was also the day before the takeover, which was the day Sonic and Sally returned to. Snively had sent someone in search of you and me, but couldn't do anything himself because Robotnik 'needed' him. Well, the guy he sent after us found us and his orders were to kill us. We ran from him and as we were running, I told you to dive into an alley while I led the guy into a crowd where I could lose him. I just discovered recently why you weren't in the alley when I returned. Sonic and Sally came through a time hole in that same alley, and you were pulled into a time rift that threw you many years into the future where you awoke in Snively's Robotropolis. I believe you know everything from that point on." Metal nodded, and then sat there for a long while in silence as memories flooded back into his head. Memories of his parents, of his short life in Mobotropolis, and of the day when he stood in the alley and was suddenly surrounded by a blue light and then woke up alone and confused in an unfamiliar city. All the time he was remembering, his expressions went from happiness, to anger, to sadness, to fear, and then finally to anger again. "I've never hated Snively more in my life. And I'm not exactly sure how I should feel toward Sonic and Sally." "This brings me to the second reason I was searching for you. When Sonic and Sally did go back, they created a small anomaly in the time stream which is slowly growing to be a serious problem. There is the possibility of a rupture in the time stream that could destroy everything," Monolith explained. "What do I have to do with this?" asked Metal. "Well, that chip in your head gives you an incredibly wide range of abilities and functions when you are in robot form. I need you to help me get into Robotropolis Central Command so that I can access the roboticizer." "Why do you want to get to it?" "Well, in order to repair this time anomaly the Time Stones must be destroyed. Doing so will erase the changes Sonic and Sally made, as well as possibly prevent this whole future from happening the way it has. It will also send you back to the time you should be in, and you'll once again be only five years old. Anyway, only Sonic and Sally know the location of the stones. I think I've discovered the location of Sally, but she's no good to us if she is one of Sniv's worker bots," answered Monolith. "Ahh, I see. Okay, when do we leave to find Sally?" "Soon, but first I want to test something." "What?" Monolith left the light of the candle for a moment and then returned carrying a fairly large box. He placed it on the floor and proceeded to remove a cable from it. He flipped a switch and the box began to produce a humming sound. "Now, just take the end of this cable and hold on." Metal hesitated for a moment and then grabbed the end of the cable. Suddenly his body was filled with electrical currents and in a matter of seconds he was a robot. "Good. Now, don't let go of that cable." Monolith took a disk off the top of the box and said, "This disk contains a software upgrade that should allow you complete access to all of your systems. It is the final step of the project." He walked around behind Metal and opened a small hatch on Metal's back. After inserting the disk, he closed the hatch and explained how to access info on the disk. "Now, with that taken care of, you can let go of the cable." Metal did so, but nothing happened. He took a second to access the disk and then proceeded to de-roboticize. "You catch on quick," commented Monolith. "Now let's get going. Sally is working in a factory just thirty miles south of Central Command." Metal nodded. Monolith picked up Metal and blew out the candle. Metal felt a bit disorinted as they flew through the pitch black cave. Finally they reached an opening and were soon in the sky, headed for the factory to find Sally. Lost Time Part 5: Aftermath Dulcy ran quickly down the halls, putting out fires with her icy breath at each turn. She frantically searched for any signs of life, but there was no one to be found. Bursting into room after room, she called out, but no one answered. 'How could this have happened?' she thought to herself. 'The entire R.U.F.F. base destroyed. Everyone is gone.' She finally reached it, the door to Metal's room. It was blown open and everything inside was burning. Dulcy quickly doused the flames and searched, but once again found nothing. The initial shock was now passing. She left the room and continued looking for survivors. As she passed Beth's room, a faint groan could be heard. Dulcy called out, "Hello?" but there was no answer. Then she heard the groan again and entered the room. File cabinets were knocked over and papers were strewn everywhere. A large pipe had fallen through the ceiling and as Dulcy put out fires she discovered Beth, lying half unconscious, pinned underneath the pipe. "Beth!" she exclaimed as she lifted the pipe. "D...Dulcy?" Beth groaned. "Yes. What happened here?" Dulcy asked. "Robert... SWAT-Bots... he isn't..." Beth began, but she fainted before finishing. Beth awoke a few hours later in the lab. "Are you feeling better?" Dulcy asked. "My head is clearing, but my body is aching all over," Beth replied wearily. "We thought you'd been captured. Where have you been?" "Sorry, but I can't tell you that. What happened here?" Beth was curious as to why Dulcy would not answer, but she let it go for now. "It's a long story. Starting with a failed mission earlier this week. Robert was captured, Static received a near fatal laser wound, and Metal..." she hesitated and then sighed, "We believe Metal is dead." "No!" Ducly yelled and for a moment she was completely silent. "How did he die?" she asked, trying to hold back from crying. "He fell from the roof of the Central Command complex," Beth said, knowing what was coming next. Dulcy suddenly burst into tears. Beth tried to comfort her but for a while it was no use. When Dulcy finally became more calm, Beth continued. "Snively must have developed a new Roboticizer. Something that only turns someone into a robot on the inside, like a cyborg. Earlier this morining, Robert returned to the base. We couldn't imagine how he had escaped, but since he appeared normal we brought him in. Freedman was just about to examine him when suddenly Roberts eyes began to glow bright red. He grabbed Freedman and Static who were standing close by and then he began issuing commands in a strange robotic voice. SWAT-Bots stormed into the base and everything became total chaos. I ran back to my room to try to send out a distress signal to one of the other groups near us, but the 'bots found me before I had a chance. I grabbed a gun from my desk and began firing. I hit one 'bot and must have short circuited it because it began blasting everywhere. It hit the ceiling and the next thing I knew I was pinned to the ground. I don't remember what happened after that. Is everyone else gone?" Dulcy nodded and said, "I've searched the entire base and haven't been able to find anyone. Not even any corpses. It looks like the SWAT-Bots must have caught everyone." "Unbelieveable..." Beth said. Dulcy hesitantly returned to an earlier subject, "Did anyone actually see Metal fall?" "Not that I know of. But he had a link to Nicole and she reported that the remote system fell, and... she recorded Metal's last words." Beth answered. "If only I hadn't had to leave... I could have been there to catch him. Now he's dead." Dulcy said. Sorrow filled her voice. * * * "That's her," Metal said as he spotted Sally through a pair of scanning binoculars. "Now, you still haven't explained how we're gonna keep Sally from alerting the SWAT-Bots when we grab her." "Actually, we aren't. We just have to grab her and run." "No way. There'll be too many SWAT-Bots for us to handle unarmed," Metal protested. "If we return to the R.U.F.F. base, I can pick up a few weapons there. Oh man, that reminds me. Everyone back at the base probably thinks I'm dead." "We don't have much time," Monolith said. "The base is about twenty miles northwest of here. If we fly there fast we can grab some weapons and a get couple more people to help us." "Okay. But we have to hurry," Monolith agreed as he picked up Metal and flew into the air. * * * As Metal and Monolith approched the entrance to the base, Metal suddenly yelled in shock at the smouldering remains. All over ther area were places where the ground had fallen into the underground base. Monolith quickly landed and just as he put Metal down, the fox ran through the entrance and down into the halls of the base. He jumped over and ducked under debris as he called out trying to find any signs of life. Just as he stepped into the doorway of the lab, he found himself staring down the barrel of a fairly large gun. He lifted his eyes to see who was holding it. "Beth?" "Metal?!" Beth exclaimed in surprise as she lowered the weapon. "You're alive!" Before he could say anything, she hugged him and said, "We thought you were dead." He was about begin an explanation when Dulcy walked into the room from the back hall. Dulcy gasped, "Metal!" "Dulcy!" Metal called out as he ran to her. He jumped into her arms and they hugged silently for a long while. The moment was interrupted by a voice from the doorway. "Hey MF, you in here?" Monolith asked as he looked into the lab. Beth whirled around to see a fox with completely black fur. When Beth's eyes met with his glowing red eyes she gasped and grabbed the gun. "Not another one!" she growled. Metal turned and quickly realized that it was Monolith. "Beth! No! He's a friend!" "Geez! Put that down!" Monolith said as put his hands up and backed off a little. "Your eyes," Beth growled. "A natural trait of my species," Monolith replied. Metal groaned, "Explanation time." Everyone had questions most of which were answered at this time. Monolith started, first telling of how he had saved Metal, then about Metal's past, and finally about himself being a shapeshifting dragon. Next, Beth retold everything about Robert's return and the destruction of the base. Dulcy, however, still refused to say where she had been during the past year. Finally, Monolith explained what he was trying to do to correct the problem with the time stream. "So basically, once you destroy the stones, you and Metal will return to the day he was sent into the future so you can prevent that from happening?" Beth asked. "Yes," replied Monolith. "So the R.U.F.F. will never exist?" "Not if we can stop Robotnik and Snively." "And I might never meet Metal Fox, or Static, or anyone else I know now?" "Perhaps." "I don't want that to happen," Beth said with a slightly worried look on her face. "It has to happen. If we don't correct the time anomaly, everything could be destroyed. You have to understand that," Monolith explained. Beth hesitated, then nodded. "So will you help us?" Metal asked. Beth nodded again. Metal turned to Dulcy. "Are you with us?" Dulcy replied, "Definately." "Okay," Monolith said, "Here's the plan. We have to get Sally out of that factory and then break into Central Command and de-roboticize her. Once she tells us the locations of the stones, Metal and I will retrieve them and destroy them. Sally is in a factory not far from here. We can't deactivate her. When we grab her, security will be alerted so we'll have to fight our way out. We'll need some weapons" "Follow me," Beth said as she lead the way to the armoury. "Here we are," she said as she began gathering items. Metal quickly began grabbing and loading everything he could carry. Monolith grabbed a single laser rifle. Dulcy decided to rely on her own natural abilities. Once armed, they left the base. Metal climbed on Dulcy. Monolith shifted to dragon form and offered to carry Beth. She smiled and accepted. Just as they were about to take flight, the sky was briefly filled with a wave of light and bolts of energy. "What was that?!" Metal exclaimed in surprise. "The anomily is starting to become unstable," Monolith explained. "We have to hurry." Lost Time Part 6: The Plan Monolith (in fox form), Metal, and Beth were crouched beneath a loading ramp. Dulcy was hiding on the roof of the factory. She had volunteered to stay outside as a look-out. "Okay, there's a transport approaching now," Dulcy spoke into the communicator. "I see it," replied Monolith. "Are we ready?" Beth and Metal nodded and as the transport passed overhead they all entered the factory. Most of the factory was large open space and they realized that the only way to make it to Sally undetected was through the air duct system. All three crawled along the seemingly endless tunnels until finally they reached a small opening that looked into the main control room of the factory. "There she is," pointed Monolith. "How are we going to drag her back through the air ducts?" Metal asked. "If she puts up much resistance there's no way we'll get her through." "Why do you think we brought the weapons? We'll just have to fight our way out," Beth said. Metal smirked, "Oh yeah." He slipped an automatic rifle off his shoulder released the safetey. "Are we ready to have a little fun?" Suddenly Dulcy's voice came over their head-sets. "You guys read me?" "Yes," Beth replied, "go ahead, Dulcy." "Big problem. Snively's personal transport is approaching the factory," Dulcy warned. "Should I try to get him to chase me?" "No, hold your position," Beth ordered. She then turned to Monolith and Metal and said, "It's now or never guys. Most of the SWAT-Bots should be in the loading bay. Look. There's a trap door to the roof over there. We can grab Sally and run across the catwalk to it." "That's a long catwalk, and we'll be right out in the open. We're gonna have to move fast," Metal added. Monolith and Beth both nodded. "Let's go!" Metal exclaimed as he kicked the grating from the opening. All three of them jumped down into the control tower. Sally turned and in a loud robotic voice yelled, "ALERT! INTRUDERS!" "Grab her!" yelled Beth. Alarms were sounding all over. Monolith ran over and, with all his effort, restrained Sally. "Got her, let's go!" All of them began running. They exited the control tower and started across the catwalk with Monolith at the front and Metal and Beth shortly behind firing down at the SWAT-Bots who were firing up at them. Monolith quickly reached the trap door and jumped up onto the roof. Metal and Beth were halfway across when a well placed shot from below hit one of the few support cables. The entire catwalk creaked and began to tilt to one side. The two foxes stumbled and grabbed the railing. "You alright, Beth?!" Metal yelled. "Yeah!" she replied as she got back on her feet. "Keep moving!" Another cable was blasted through just as they approached the trap door which caused the catwalk to tilt even more. The strain on the other cables on that side became too much and the final two cables snapped, causing the entire walk to fall sideways. Metal grabbed on to the side of the platform, which was now the top, with one hand and grabbed Beth's hand with his other, dropping his rifle. "Hang on!" Metal screamed. Beth frantically tried to reach up and grab the platform but it was out of reach, so she grabbed onto Metal's arm with her other hand. "Metal, hang on!" Monolith said as he shifted back into dragon form and reached down through the door to try and grab the two. They were just out of reach. He couldn't stretch his arm any further and he was too big to fit through the opening. A voice from below suddenly commanded, "Cease fire!" Beth and Metal looked down to see Snively standing just below them. In unison, they both said, "Huh?" "Before I have you killed I would like to know why you are trying to take one of my robots," Snively said. "I bet you would," Beth growled back. Metal's arm was getting tired. He looked back up to the trap door. Monolith was gone. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be," Snively grinned. "Why should we tell you if you are just going to kill us anyway?" Beth asked. "Oh, I don't plan on killing you," Snively said, still grinning. Metal heard a sudden 'Psst!' and looked up. Monolith was quietly lowering a cable with a hook down through the opening. Beth and Snively were both too occupied with their conversation to notice. "Then I assume you are going to roboticize us," same difference. Monolith gently swung the cable and hooked Metal by his belt. "Listen, this is your last chance to answer. Why are you taking one of my robots?" Snively warned. Metal suddenly interrupted, "It's been fun, but we have more important business. See ya." Monolith then lifted the two through the opening with ease and set them down on the roof. "Hey, no fair. You've saved my life twice in a row. When do I get a chance to save yours?" Metal joked. Monolith smirked, "You already have... many times." Metal looked at Monolith oddly and said, "Huh?" Monolith smirked once more and then said, "We're running out of time. Dulcy has already left toward Central Command with Sally, so we need to get going." He held Beth in one arm and Metal in the other and took off into the sky. * * * "INTRUDER! INTRUDER! INTRUDER!" Sally constantly repeated. "Come on Sally. Don't you remember me?" Dulcy asked as she continued to restrain Sally. "INTRUDER! INTRUDER! INTRUDER!" Sally continued. "Ok, how about Knothole?" Dulcy asked. "INTRUDER! INTRUDER! INTRUDER!" "What about Sonic? Or Tails? Or Bunnie?" "INTRUDER! INTRUDER! INTRUDER!" "Argh, this is hopeless." "Dulcy!" Monolith called as he approached the roof of Central Command. He landed and set Metal and Beth down. Suddenly another wave of energy passed through the sky. This time the accompanying bolts of energy were more numerous and one struck a section of Robotropolis. The four watched in awe as the area was briefly changed into what looked like part of Mobotropolis. "The time stream is becoming more unstable! Let's get Sally to the roboticizer!" Metal lifted a laser shotgun from the strap which held it to his back and cocked it. Beth pulled a small hand laser from a holster on her belt. Monolith shifted form and unstrapped the rifle he had on a band across his back. "Everyone ready?" Metal asked. "Yes." "Uh huh." "Yup." "INTRUDER! INTRUDER! INTRUDER!" Metal shook his head at Sally and then said, "Let's go." They entered through the door on the roof and just as they did, an alarm went off. SWAT-Bots began entering on lower levels of the stairs and firing upward. The group made it down one flight of stairs before the laser fire became a serious threat. "Too many 'bots! Quick! Into the hall way!" Beth shouted as they ran through the doorway. Beth looked at the floor sign on the wall. "Crud, the roboticizer is two levels down. What now?" "The elevator!" Metal answered. "They'll be waiting for us on the lower floor," Beth argued. "Then we'll have to shoot them." Beth nodded. It was their only way down so they had no choice. They all squeezed into the elevator. "Down we go," she said. The elevator made the short trip down two floors and stopped. "Prepare to fire," Beth ordered. Just as they had predicted SWAT-Bots were waiting there as the doors opened. Monolith, Beth, and Metal all opened fire at once, giving the SWAT-Bots little chance to do anything. Once the hallway was cleared they left the elevator and ran toward the other end, blasting SWAT-Bots as they entered from the many doorways in the hall. They reached the final door of the hall and entered. "This is it! Metal, see if you can seal the door shut," Beth commanded. "Dulcy, get her into the roboticizer." "You got it," Dulcy said as she placed Sally on the platform. The glass tube instantly came down, trapping Sally inside. "Darn, I can't get the door to lock," Metal growled. "Stand back," Dulcy said as she took a deep breath and blew a thick ice wall over the door. Monolith looked at the ice wall and then smiled at Dulcy. "Very nice. Okay, Metal, you need to roboticize." Metal looked around for a moment and then grabbed the cable connected to the door lock and ripped it out. He touched the live wires and within seconds he was a robot. "Good, now interface with the roboticizer." Metal took a small cable from his pocket and connected it to the system and then took the other end and connected it to a port on his arm. "Okay, I'm in." The banging sounds on the door became louder. Monolith looked toward the door and then back to Metal, "All right. Now run your de-roboticizing software through the system." "Running it now," Metal said. Light filled the glass tube and they all watched as Sally was slowly de-roboticized. When the process was finished, the tube lifted and there stood Sally. "Sally? You okay?" Dulcy asked. "Where am I? Dulcy? Is that you?" Sally asked, completely confused. "No time to explain," Monolith said. "Sally, do you remember the Time Stones?" "Yes. Sonic and I once used them," Sally replied. "Do you remember where they are?" Monolith asked. "They're... I... Oh, yes! I hid them in a small hole in the ground below my hut in Knothole," Sally answered. "That's not good. Knothole was completely destroyed," Monolith said with disapproval. "As far as I know, Snively never found the Time Stones. If he had, there should have been a record of it," Beth said. Monolith nodded. "Okay, then we have to find out where Knothole was." "I can take you there," Sally said. "I doubt that. Mobius is a lot different now then it was before you were roboticized. I don't even know where Knothole was anymore," Dulcy said, and she was right. "Not to worry, guys. I've got the location and terrain map right here on the computer. According to this, the area is still undeveloped. No factories or anything. I'm downloading the map now," Metal informed. Sally hadn't noticed him there at first and when she turned to look at him she let out a small gasp. She turned to Dulcy and asked, "How long have I been a robot?" "More than fourty years," Dulcy answered. Sally gasped. "What's happened since then?" "We'll explain on the way to Knothole," Metal said. "I've got the directions, let's go." A shattering sound filled the room and as the group turned to the door they saw pieces of ice falling to the ground. As the wall fell, Snively became visible on the other side. "You won't be going anywhere," Snively grinned. "Why, Princess Sally. How nice to see you again." "Shoot him!" Beth growled as she raised her gun. "Not so fast," Snively said as he stepped to the side. Behind him was Robert holding Static by the neck with a gun to his head. "Static!" Beth yelled in surprise. "Beth?" Static groaned. "Surrender now or I'll tell my new assistant to kill him," Snively ordered as he continued to grin. "We don't have time for this," Monolith mumbled. "Don't give in, Beth!" Static yelled. "But he'll kill you!" Beth argued. Metal suddenly interrupted, "Sorry to do this to ya, man." He pressed a button in the computer and an electrical field formed in the doorway, shocking Snively, Static, and Robert. All three fell back unconscious. SWAT-Bots began firing at the field. "Metal! How could you!?" Beth screamed as tears began to fill her eyes. "Beth, if we fix time, none of this will even happen," Monolith informed. "Let's get out of here." "How are we gonna do that? The door is the only way," Dulcy pointed out. Sally pointed up, "There's also the ventilation system." "But Dulcy won't fit," Metal said. Dulcy looked at metal. "Go without me." "No. I won't," Metal protested. "Remember what Monolith said? None of this will happen if you go back," Dulcy reminded him. Metal hesitated and then nodded. He walked over and hugged Dulcy, "I won't forget you," he said. "Here," Dulcy said as she reached into her pouch and pulled out a small silver chain with a green stone in the middle, "take this." "What is it?" Metal asked. Dulcy smiled, "A little something to remember me by. Farewell." She hugged Metal one last time and then began helping everyone into the air duct. Metal turned just before leaving to say goodbye once more and then turned and disappeared from Dulcy's view. The group crawled through the tunnels until they found an access opening that led into the main stairs. They all jumped out and climbed the stairs to the roof. The wind was blowing strongly and thousands of energy bolts lit up the sky. Monolith shifted into dragon form, which briefly startled Sally. He then picked up everyone and took off, heading for what was once Knothole. Lost Time Part 7: The End of the World As We Know It Sally stared in great despair at the empty wasteland which had once been The Great Forest. "This is horrible," she managed to say as a tear fell down her cheek. "If Metal and I succeed, then perhaps this won't happen," Monolith said. "We need to find the time stones." Sally wiped her cheek and nodded. She looked around for a moment and then began walking. "Here is where the river was," she said and pointed out the dried up riverbed. "And the bridge," she continued while walking, "was right here." Monolith picked everyone and quickly hopped over the riverbed to the other bank. Sally smiled. "Thank you. Now, if the bridge was there, then my hut would have been right... over there," she pointed and walked over to a spot of dried and cracking ground. "If the stones are still here, then they have to be buried in this area." Monolith extended his claws and began digging. Metal, Beth, and Sally joined in, but without any tools they were not much help. Ten minutes later and a few feet deeper they decided to stop. "I know I didn't bury them this deep," Sally sighed. "Okay, then we'll have to try another spot. Are you sure this is where your hut was?" Monolith asked. "Yes." Metal started walking toward the side of the hole to climb out when he suddenly tripped and fell flat on his face. "Are you okay?" Beth asked and giggled a little. Metal got to his feet replied, "Yeah. I think I found something." They all walked over to Metal and watched as he dug a small box free from the dirt and opened it. Inside were two stones which glowed faintly. "That's them!" Sally exclaimed. Monolith took one of the stones and then said, "Okay, Metal, this is it. If we make it back, chances are good that the reverse in age may cause you to temporarily... or permanently lose all memory of your life here in this future. You have to remember to get out of that alley as soon as you get back though. If you don't, you'll be caught in the time rift again and all of this will start over again." Metal nodded. "So how do we destroy the stones?" "Simple, we bash them together really hard." Monolith replied. Metal nodded once more and then turned to Beth. "I guess this is goodbye." Beth hugged Metal and said, "I wish I could go with you." "I'm gonna miss you," Metal said, and although as a robot he could not actually shed a tear a cry could be heard in his voice. Beth hugged him once more and gave him a small kiss on the forehead. "I hate to rush this, but we really have to go," Monolith interrupted. He then looked at Sally and Beth and said, "Stand back, girls." Beth and Sally climbed up out of the shallow hole and stepped back. "Okay, Metal, smash on the count of three." Metal nodded. "One..." Monolith counted. Metal took a deep breath. "Two.." Metal focused all his thoughts on remembering to get out of the alley. "Three!" Monolith yelled. He and Metal swung the two stones together and as they were smashed a bright light filled the spot where the hole was and both of them dissapeared. Beth suddenly darted toward the light. "I don't want to just cease to exist!" She jumped into the hole and quickly vanished. Sally stood, frightened, as the sky filled with bolts of energy and everything around her changed... * * * "What the?" the young fox said as he looked around the alley, his head feeling a little dazed. "I must have fainted or something," he said. Suddenly the alley began to glow with a bluish color. "Metal!" Beth yelled as she came over the wall at the end of the alley. The little fox looked up as Beth grabbed him up in her arms and ran out of the alley. She continued running until they were far from it. When she stopped running she set the stunned fox down and said, "Metal, are you okay?" The fox looked up at her with a slightly confused look. "I'm okay, but my name's not Metal." "Yes it..." she began and then realized that Metal must have forgotten everything as Monolith had predicted. "Oh, nevermind." Beth looked around and saw a black fox running down the street toward them. "Beth!?" Monolith exclaimed in surprise. "I told you not to follow! How could you have survived anyway?" "I just jumped into the light after you vanished. And it's a good thing I did too because he doesn't remember anything. He almost got pulled into the time rift." Monolith looked down at the young fox standing there. "Metal?" The fox looked up and asked, "Why does everyone keep calling me that? My name's Justin, not Metal. And who is she?" Monolith looked once again at Beth. "She's a friend of mine. Now we have to go." "Go where?" Justin asked. "Something bad is going to happen here. You have to leave Mobotropolis," Monolith answered. "We should warn the king. Maybe we can stop Robotnik's takeover," Beth suggested. "No. Sonic and Sally will be attempting that soon. If Sally didn't have any luck preventing the takeover, then I seriously doubt that we will." Beth nodded, "But where can we go? And what do you mean 'You' have to leave? Aren't you coming with us?" "I'll try to find you later. I'm gonna stick around and try to help some of the citizens get out of Mobotropolis. I have a hovercar back at my house. I'll take you there and then I want you to drive as far into The Great Forest as you can." Monolith walked them to his home and gave Beth the keys to the hovercar. "I'll try to find you, but in case we never see each other again I just want to wish you two luck." "Thanks," Beth said as she got into the hovercar. "Buckle up, Met, er, Justin." She waved to Monolith and began driving. Monolith waved back as the hovercar pulled out of the garage and headed down the street. * * * Beth drove. She drove beyond the limits of Mobotropolis and into The Great Forest. As she continued to drive, memories of the life she had known rushed through her head. She thought about the Robotropolis Underground Freedom Fighters... Robert, Static, Dulcy, and all of the others she had known. She most likely wouldn't see any of them ever again, and even if she did they wouldn't know her or remember her. She then looked over at Justin, who sat quietly. At first she this seemed sort of odd, but then she remembered that for him, it had only been a short time since the deaths of his parents. 'He must be feeling terrible right now,' she thought to herself, 'And he doesn't remember any of his life in the future. He doesn't even remember me.' Night had fallen and it was becoming too dark to drive in the forest anymore, even with headlights on. She stopped the car and turned to Justin. "Looks like we're going to have to sleep here tonight." "Why did we have to leave Mobotropolis?" Justin asked. "I'll explain tomorrow. Right now I think both of us could use some sleep," Beth said. She found a couple blankets in the trunk. She let Justin lay in the back seat and leaned back the driver's seat for herself. She looked at Justin sleeping peacfully and smiled. The End... for now.