Metallic Madness - Prickly Situation

[Jamie Lee]

Racing with a tremendou amount speed over the mechanized landscape was the blurred image of two figures, one blue and one pink. Glowing red eyes darted about in calculation, and eventually the larger of the two figures began to cut its engine and slow down. Still continuing at a steadier pace, Metal began to descend toward the grounded airship he was instructed to return to, carrying his hostage, a small pink hedgehog, firmly against him.

A hatch opened as he approached with a groaning hiss, and the metallix hovered inside and gently set his feet down in a corner of the hangar. Still carrying Amy firmly against him, Metal exited and hangar and began to walk down one of the halls in a stiff mechanical fashion toward where the other captive was being held.

[Lans]

Tails had quickly found out that being a prisoner was less fun that cleaning his room. At least they hadn't roboticized him, so that meant Sonic would come get him, eventually. But until then, he was completely bored out of his skull. At the moment, he was trying, with little success, to relieve this status by counting the rivits the metal plates that made up the wall.

[Sipp]

Amy was sobbing. If Metal had a heart, it would have probably been wrenching at the site - she looked utterly pitiful.

The little hedgehog hiccuped, and curled up against him, not for comfort - because she was exhausted. She had been struggling and squirming the whole time. It had done her no good and now she was completely worn out. She was sore, alone, and frightened.

"K-knuckles..." But Knuckles wasn't here. There was no one here to protect her - she was alone with this strange metal thing that held her so tightly it made her hurt all over.

"Lemme go! Knuckles will... he'll..." she broke off midsentence and cried harder. Knuckles never seemed so far away as he did now.

[Jamie Lee]

The metallix's eyes kept focused squarely ahead, never straying as he continued to walk. If he noticed the little hedgehog curl against him at all he never acknowledged it, nor did he acknowledge her sobs and whining. Onward he continued to travel through the ship, from one featureless corridor to another, following his guidance system.

Eventually, Their destination was reached. The door to the prison unit whisked open and the metallic hedgehog stepped inside. His eyes flashed across the cell Tails was held in, and his sensors identified the kit.

He had been ordered to tie the hedgehog together with the fox.
He roughly shuffled Amy and held her tightly under one arm as he began to search for some rope.

[Lans]

Tails looked up hopefully when the cell door opened, and his ears perked up with hope for a moment...before he saw the glowing red eyes. His mouth dropped open in horror, it couldn't be... "S-sonic...?" Tails asked.

[Sipp]

"S-stop i-it..." whimpered the hedgehog, and she started squirming again, "Pl-please..." she hiccuped, "You're hurting me..."

She didn't even notice the fox.

[Jamie Lee]

... AND THE ROBOT ACQUIRED SOME ROPE.

Still paying no attention to what either Tails or Amy said, he marched up to the kit's cell and punched in the security code to open it. Once inside he began to reach toward Tails.

[Lans]

Tails immediatly backed up against the far wall. He hadn't noticed Amy either. "S-sonic, fighit it! Like U-uncle C-chuck did! Please!"

[Sipp]

"M.. mister robot!" her voice got a tinge of strength, but her entire body was still shaking as she continued to squirm, "S-stop! Knuckles will... Knuckles will kick your butt!"

She sniffled again, not sounding very convinced at all.

[Jamie Lee]

Metal's eye kinda flickered in some vague semblance of irritation at repeatedly being referred to as Sonic. Backing the small fox into a corner, his arm shot out in one fluid motion and pinned the small body against the back wall. Another fluid motion with his other arm, and Amy was forcefully slammed into the wall next to him.

Taking the rope, he began wrapping it around both of them.

[Lans]

Tails yelped as he found himself being tied to something prickly and sharp. "Sonic, please don't tied me to a pincushin, it hurts!"

[Sipp]

Amy squeaked as she was tied around... someone else?

"W-who're y-you?" she whimpered.

[Jamie Lee]

Metal gave a firm tug on the rope after looping it around the two youths several times. Satisfied that it was secure, he tied a tight knot and dropped the two, stepping outside the cell and closing the door.

He stood still just outside the cell, sending out a signal reporting his task finished. Afterward he ran a quick scan over his list of directives for his next assignment. Nothing. All of his current tasks appeared to have been completed.

With nothing else to do, the robot continued to stand there stock still in wait of his next set of commands.

[Lans]

That got Tails' attention that there was someone else in the room. He tried to twist his head aroudn to see who he was tied to. "Who're you?" he asked back.

[Sipp]

"I asked you first!" Her voice was strengthening slightly, and she wiggled a little, trying to get the ropes free.

[Lans]

"I'm...Tails," Tails said, wincing a little as her wiggling dug her spines into his back. "Could you stop that, it hurts!"

[Sipp]

She stopped.

"Sorry... I'm Amy. Why are you here?"

[Lans]

"Um...I don't know..." he said sadly, "I thought Robotnik was gunna use me as fish bait to get Sonic, but," he glanced at Metal, "he already got him..."

[Sipp]

"What do you mean...? The robot's name is Sonic..." she sniffled, "The robot is mean. He hurt me. ... Who's Robotnik?"

[Lans]

"You don't know who Robotnik is?" Tails asked, surprised. How could anyone NOT know who Robotnik is? "Robotnik's a mean, ugly, overlander who takes people and turns them into robots, and he makes the skies and water and stuff all yucky."

[Jamie Lee]

And again, the metallix's eye flickered as he stood there. Something seemed to begin turning inside the back of his mind, and his eyes shifted over to stare at the two youths.

"Unit designation: MX-01 Metal Sonic." he said in a dull monotone voice. It was the best he could do in place of 'Quit calling me that!'

[Sipp]

"That sounds bad! Knuckles will stop him, and beat him up. That's what he always does!" she said fiercely. And then, to Metal, "But he just said you were Sonic!"

[Lans]

"He is Sonic," Tails said, sadly again, "Or at least, he used to be." Silence for a moment, "Um...girls don't really have cooties do they?"

[Jamie Lee]

The kit was still calling him that. Sonic was Priority One Hedgehog. He was not the Priority One Hedgehog. That data was incorrect!

"Unit designation: MX-01 Metal Sonic." he repeated again.

[Sipp]

"Before Robot... Robosnik turned him into a robot? ... And what're cooties?"

[Lans]

Tails ignored "Sonic" and continued, much relieved that since she didn't know what cooties are, she pobably didn't have them. "Yeah, he's got this nasty machine called a roboticizer, and people that get put into it become his robot zombie slaves!"

[Sipp]

"That's horrible! But if Robbysnip is here, Knuckles will kick his butt! And there will be no more roboting! Maybe he can save your friend, Sonic too..." she glanced at Metal.

[Jamie Lee]

The metallix just stared at the two children. Something was slowly beginning to stir up inside him. His AI began trying to figure out why these two prisoners kept insisting on referring to him as Priority One Hedgehog. He had told them twice what his correct designation was!

Metal Sonic. Sonic. Perhaps it was the second part of his name that was creating the data error?

"Unit Designation..." the metallix paused. "... Metal."

[Lans]

"Maybe...though maybe Aunt Sally will rescue us first and she can make Sonic do what she wants, she's good at that...sometimes."

[Sipp]

"Okay ... Tails, Sonic is saying something about metal singing..."