Chaos Born

The Book of Revelations

"M-M-Metal Sonic?" Orbot chattered, his poor processor beginning to burn from old memories.

In the room beyond the doors stood the grandest capsule of them all - a tall, threatening pod where wires and tubes ran in and out, all connected to the many computers that made up two sides of the walls and the single, sinister occupant inside the capsule itself.

Metal Sonic, in all his deadly glory, was still and showed no signs of life to look at, suspended in the pod amidst the web of wiring that were plugged to his body.

"Oh come now, Orbot," Eggman soothed, uncomfortingly, "You know Metal Sonic, don't you?"

Boy did every robot know about Metal Sonic.

"I know that we weren't allowed to communicate directly with him," the red little android replied, "We weren't even allowed to be alone in the same room together. You... You never told us why."

"Well, after what happened to one of the Beebots..." Eggman shrugged and then winked at his brother, "Let's just say that Metal... He doesn't always get along well with others. Some days, he's fine. Other days? Not so fine."

Cubot shrank away from Eggman's gaze by moving behind Orbot, unable to look up at what he had just seen. "He would have minced the pair of you into spaghetti," he heard Eggman mumble.

"So," Ira then interrupted, not willing to step closer and yet unable to tear his eyes away, "you've kept him offline because...?"

"Metal is... faulty," Eggman explained, rubbing the back of his neck, "By which I mean that his programming is corrupted. I originally had him built to combat Sonic in every way, to appear superior to him... But something seemed to override this. Now, Metal is as obsessed with Sonic as we are - but for different purposes. Metal only wants to prove that he's the real Sonic, the better Sonic, if you will. Sometimes he's okay but sometimes..." Eggman let out a little grunt, "Sometimes, Metal gets a bit too worked up and has been known to attack Sonic without being ordered to. He's inherited the Robotnik Insanity, I'm afraid. For the sake of my other schemes, it was best that I keep him offline until the situation desperately calls for it. Chaos knows that the planet will be screaming on the day I let Metal out to play."

Ira gazed at the robot hedgehog longingly before, "...I want to see Sonic again."

Eggman turned his head to his brother and frowned.

 "And reveal yourself?" he asked.

Ira Robotnik slowly nodded. 

"Yes. I want him to know that I'm back and that I haven't forgotten him."

Eggman moved his hands behind his back and held them there, looking back to Metal Sonic, appearing as the man who knew great secrets - which, in retroflection, he most likely did.

"Do what you must, Ira..." he slowly drawled, "but don't forget: that hedgehog is my enemy and I'll be the one to deal with him. Understand?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw his younger, thinner, brother bow slightly, a cruel smile twisting its way onto his features. 

"...Of course, big brother. Of course."

- - - - -

Rouge looked up as Shadow strode in through the doors of the diner like the Grim Reaper, his face clouded and taught with concern, moving past the tables silently as he made his way towards their booth at the back.

"Well?" the bat asked in low voice, no trace of any merriment present.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," Shadow admitted, "Sonic is very closed up about Robotropolis. What I did learn is that it used to be a city called Mobotropolis. Apparently it was the planet capital."