Chaos Born

Take Your Positions

Thinking of Tails elicited another snarl and Sonic threw his stiffened spines against the bars again, more out of frustration than anything else. There were probably security cameras around but Sonic didn't care about that.

From the bars, Sonic turned his frustration towards the walls, arching his back and hissing as he rammed the stonework over and over again, gouging deep scratches where his quills had made contact. It wasn't until an old quill finally snapped and dropped to the floor that Sonic relented and stood on his wobbling legs, breathing deeply.

Several things had bombarded him over the course of a few days and it was starting to catch up with him.

Seeing Tails had been the final straw.

And somewhere, deep inside, his rage and frustration was dabbling the Chaos energy stored in his body, threatening to turn cobalt blue to navy.

- - - - -

One thing that Ira hadn't been expecting when entering his brother's study was the sudden appearance of Metal Sonic.

"Metal!" Ira gasped and smiled, "You made me jump. Hope you're all up and running again."

Sitting down at the computer, it took a mere second to realise that it was already switched on and, on screen, were the words:
"dOCtoR EGGMAN is nOt yOur PRisonEr, yOu sAiD?"

Ira swallowed as his throat went dry.

"I know it looks that way, but I assure you that it isn't so," Ira told the robot, trying not to tremble at the steely gaze of the red optics. He would have to match confidence with confidence. "I was not aware that your creator's well-being was a concern of yours."

The computer crackled a little.

"yOur oBjeCtIVes dO noT hArMOniSe. yOur goAL is unKnOWn."

Ira stroked his goatee. "...If I tell you MY goal, will you tell me my brother's?"

Metal's circuits gave a whirr.

"You do know what Eggman wants, don't you?"

"hE waNts whaT hAS aLwAYs beEn waNTed - thE cOmPLETioN oF hIS EmPire."

"I meant in regards to Sonic," Ira went on, "What is it that he wants with him?"

"...tO be fReE oF SONIC's iNteRFEraNce buT iDEalLy NOt oF SONIC hIMsElf."

It wasn't the answer Ira had been expecting.

"So he wants him alive - ideally. What for?"

The computer screen fizzed a bit as a momentary static gripped it.

"yOu aRe iN no poSitIon tO dEmanD anSweRS FRoM mE."

A cold droplet of sweat ran down the left hand side of Ira's face and he smiled falsely.

"...Of course," he chuckled nervously, "I...am not your master. I suppose there is only so much I am allowed to know."

Metal's head rotated to the side, eerily staring at Ira in a slight tilt.

"SONIC's liFe is tO kEep yOur liFe gOiNG. tHAt is whAt yOu SaID," he typed on screen.

Ira actually broke the skin on his lip as he gave it a particularly hard gnaw.

"And that is what you heard," he murmured, cursing that he had neglected to check for eavesdroppers, "Well, you're Sonic's virtual twin, programmed with his life data. Shouldn't you be able to deduce for yourself what 'Project Eclipse' is?"