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The super speed metallic robot didn’t understand the importance of this outing. Why must it escort the Doctor’s AI creation to this tiny underground place? The Doctor was busy with preparations for his next plan against his organic counterpart & needed to concentrate, hence his absence from this remote neighborhood. Metal looked down at Sage, who was practically bouncing with energy whilst gripping pink glowsticks in each hand. It didn't understand the reason why Sage wanted to come here so badly. If it was music the AI wanted it had more than strong enough abilities to do so at any time, so why go through the trouble of coming somewhere specific?
Metal couldn't compute a satisfactory explanation for all of this as it stood in the front row with Sage as the small room went darker & an amplified voice cut over the venue. The audience, & Sage, erupted with louder noise as the three performers skipped onto stage all dressed in pink whites & cyan colors. They spoke to the audience with cheerful personalities but Metal didn't bother listening to any of it. It held no relevance. Instead Metal’s gaze was focused on one of the performers as for the first time since arriving here, its curiosity was piqued.
Why was one of the three disguised as human?
They parade around like they too were only flesh & bone but Metal’s sensors couldn't be tricked by a flimsy holoprojection like that. Music started playing & the noise around Metal grew louder as the performers danced & sang away. The music, upbeat & social & the audience raucous & disruptive was all mute to Metal as it stayed focused on the masquerading performer. They sang & danced with practised moves & Metal wondered why its movements were so organic looking. It understood entertainment enough to know that people preferred flawless work over sloppy shows but of course organic lifeforms were incapable of perfection. So why was this one pretending to have the same sloppiness of an human performer when it could very easily obtain perfection?
Metal didn't understand but then again it supposed it wasn't important. The reasons behind this performer’s actions were unimportant to it, so it simply stood by & waited for the show to end.
In the depths of a hollow Aria was running a commission solo. A simple extermination gig to get a few extra dennies for the Angel’s budget. They’d been getting more fans lately & she wanted to make their next show as successful as their last one. If not better she swore to herself. Her dual chakrams glew bright as she sliced through ethereals like they were butter, their bodies dissipating into particles as they fell one after another. It was just another day for this idol.
“Phew That should be the last of them. Let's get going, I still got practice with Nangong & Suuna later.”
About to follow her carrot out Aria is suddenly taken by surprise as a massive ethereal crashes into the ground behind her. Whipping around she’s faced with an Ionized Pugnus, a deep reverberating sound shakes the ground as it lifts its massive arms & slams them on the ground. Aria jumps back before it can pound her into ther pavement but grows wary as it blocks her path out.
“There wasn't any mention of one of these in the commission. This is bad…”
Meanwhile in that same hollow Metal Sonic is out surveying the area. Its thruster carries it at supersonic speeds as it maps out the hollow for the Doctor. The Doctor expressed great interest in the power of ethereals & the hollows & wished to make use of them in some way. The roar of Metal’s thrusters drew the attention of multiple ethereals but their attacks could do little to harm it, if they could even reach it at all. It ignored them all be they large or small as its only purpose was to map out the land, as transformative & shifting as it could be, the Doctor needed the most accurate data for his work.
While it was flying overhead it picked up on a distinct disturbance not far away. A large ethereal was cornering a lone raider. Normally Metal wouldn't spare a glance toward the struggling individual as it did not concern it but this one stuck out as it recognized the masquerading construct from the performance. Out of character it stopped its flight as it looked down on Aria as she struggled & clashed against the large ethereal. The way she fought even rang familiar to her performance as she slashed with her chakrams & evaded blow after heavy blow like a dance.
Aria fought hard against the Pugnus as it shot out a sweeping dual laser. Jumping up she dropped her holoprojection in order to zip around & fire multiple arrows at the ethereal, each one exploding with pink smoke as small glowstick waving projections littered the ground. She waited for the smoke to clear hoping that would be enough to defeat it but her hopes were dashed as a heavy arm came swinging out of the smoke & smacked her out of the air. She crashed hard into the floor as the ethereal came charging in for a follow up attack raising another arm up to smash down on her. She flinched back, raising her hands in guard as she prepared to take the blow only for it to not land. Opening her eyes she looks up to see a blue robot standing before her holding the massive arm back.
“Huh? Who?”
Metal’s piercing red eyes only glanced momentarily back at Aria before looking back at the ethereal & charging up an attack. Electricity crackled over its body as it charged forward & slammed the ethereal into a wall causing it to crumble down. Lifting up from the rubble Metal revs up & spin slams down preemptively as the ethereal attempts to break out & attack. Metal hits first & with it the ethereal finally crumbles to nothing.
Aria watches all this in awe as she reapplies her holoprojection again. Rising to her feet she steps forward to confront the unfamiliar construct, wanting to thank it for its help but she stops midstep as Metal lands & looks back at her with a cold look.
“Um! Th-thank you for the help. I would've been in trouble if not for you arriving like you did. Can I…know your name?”
Metal doesn't respond, it's unable to as the Doctor never gave back its ability to speak ever since its rebellion & without its neo form it will stay that way. Metal half expected the faker to leave it but Aria didn't turn away just yet as she somehow seemed to catch on.
“Can you…not speak?”
Metal was beginning to think something might be wrong with its processors as it normally wouldn't stick around like this. It didn't have a reason for its actions in destroying the ethereal aside from a passing thought that it knew Sage would be upset if something happened to the idol she enjoyed. It thought it would leave immediately afterwards yet here it was staying still as it gave a response in beeps & boops that Aria could understand.
“The Doctor? Is he your creator? Why would he not give you the ability to speak normally?”
Metal’s response was delivered through more beeps as it gave a brief explanation with the most minimal info given as to its rebellion. Aria seemed to understand it was a sensitive topic so she didn't press on it as she expressed her thanks again for its help. Metal only expressed the reason it came to earlier that it would sadden Sage if something happened.
“Oh, is Sage your sister? Well I'm happy to hear you're both Delulus! Thank you for supporting us!”
Metal expressed it wasn't interested & was simply accompanying Sage as per the Doctor’s orders, stunning Aria a bit with its bluntness.
“Huh. Oh! Well still! Anyone that comes to a concert is more than welcome. If your sister is a fan then I'm happy!”
Metal’s gaze fell downward as it processed hearing the word “sister” in reference to the Doctor’s AI creation. It was not the first time it had heard such familial words when in reference to Orbot or Cubot but it had never once considered itself as anything close to a “brother” to Sage. It wasn't sure how to process such a connection. It chose to think about something else instead, the question that had been pressing against its mainframe since it first laid eyes on the performer. A series of beeps flowed from its body as it turned its gaze back to Aria.
“Why I…project myself as human? It’s a…bit of a long story. I guess you did just save me so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you a little. But first! You haven't told me your name yet! It's only fair if I'm gonna be telling you about myself.”
Metal gave its name in a very succinctly manner.
“Metal Sonic huh, I guess you are really fast. It suits you!”
Metal felt an odd twist inside its logic core. It wasn't sure why but hearing such a line seemed to have a profound impact on its psyche. For as long as it has existed Metal has only ever been an imitation of the genuine blue blur, not even its name was a name it owned, just a designation & marker of who it could never truly be. This was probably the first time it’d been told its name suited it without a snide comment to back it up or without it ringing with sarcasm.
While Metal wrestled with this feeling Aria proceeded to share a bit of her past & why she projects herself as human. The insecurity she felt about her destructive past as a weapon & how it was music that had saved her when she was abandoned. She confesses that her identity as a construct is a secret to the Delulus & asks Metal to keep the secret for her as well. Metal has no real reason to keep her secret but it would also gain nothing from spreading this around so it just nods its head with an affirming beep. Aria’s face lights up in relief over Metal’s assurance & she steps closer to take Metal’s hand & shake it enthusiastically.
“Thank you so much Metal Sonic! It really means a lot!”
Metal doesn't grip the hand back but doesn't pull away from it just looking down at the action like it's a strange foreign concept. Has anyone ever shook its hand in a friendly gesture like this? That blue original may have on more than one occasion offered a hand out towards it but it never once took it. This was an action it was not used to & didn't know how to respond to. Luckily it wouldn't have to process it for long as the sounds of many incoming ethereals came roaring in as they clamored over walls & debris to surround them.
“Oh no, all that noise must've drawn them in. We’ll have to break our way through & woah!”
While Metal could've easily broken through these ethereals on its own it didn't see the point if there was a simpler method of escape. It grabbed Aria with one hand & pulled her in closer in order to carry her into the air as its thrusters took off in a burst of sudden speed. Aria’s voice echoed over the hollow space as Metal carried her down the route it charted earlier in order to beat a speedy exit.
“Y-y-you seriously are moving at sonic speeds! Ahh!”
Her voice rang loud to Metal’s sensors & for whatever reason hearing this only made Metal want to fly faster, to prove Aria right. There was no logic in it, no reason to it, but still Metal felt a desire to show off. Maybe it was the part of it that had been copied from that blue original but it chose not to dwell on it as it sped out of the hollow & landed them both in a safe place.
Aria’s legs trembled beneath her as she stood back on her own feet finally, her holoprojection had dropped in her panic as her eyes displayed swirls as she collected herself. Metal’s hand stayed hovering over Aria’s waist as her feet steadied themselves, it only retracted it after seeing for sure she wouldn't fall over.
“That…was…amazing! Your Doctor or creator is incredible to have made you so powerful! I'm blown away by your specs!”
Metal found itself mimicking a gesture of the blue original, laying a hand on its hip & rubbing a finger under its nose as it let out a series of beeps in a self boasting way. Aria sang numerous more praises towards Metal as they stood outside the hollow until the sounds of a rambunctious group of hollow raiders walked in interrupting them.
“Eh? What're two constructs doing around these parts? Didn't you say this entrance was secret?”
The smaller scrawny one looked over to their much bigger muscular one. Aria shrunk back as the bulky hollow raider attempted to lord over them. She still wasn't used to being seen out of her projection & being caught like this completely threw her off from her earlier excitement. Metal glanced back at Aria & back towards the muscular raider seeing the face behind the black dome helmet he wore.
“Ain't ever seen a construct like this before. We could probably scrap it for a pretty denn-”
His idiotic words were cut off as Metal slammed its electric charged palm against the raiders chest sending him hurdling back in a smoldering heap, his dome helmet shattered into pieces as he lay prone & unconscious. The other scrawny raiders all shrieked in terror as they collectively scrambled to drag their boss away & vacate the scene. Metal just watched them go as it clenched its fist threateningly. Once they were gone Aria finally came back from behind Metal, her holoprojection back on as she breathed a sigh of relief.
“That was unexpected. I guess that makes it twice you've saved me today.”
Metal beeped back telling Aria that she could fight back if she desired.
“Sure but, I’d still rather avoid causing any unnecessary harm. They’re just regular raiders after all.”
Metal’s beep came off in a very whatever manner & Aria chuckled at it. Standing there the two were left in a quiet moment before Metal received a sudden transmission from the Doctor. His voice was demanding an explanation as to why it left the hollow before finishing its mission ordering him to go back in & finish its job. Metal turned away from Aria & back towards the hollow. Aria seemed to catch on to Metal’s feelings as she decided to do one last thing.
“Hey Sonic.”
Metal perked up upon hearing itself be called that. It may have just been the second half of its normal designation, but to be called just that half had a shockingly deep impact on its processors. It had tried claiming the name in the past & battled against the original many many times to no avail. No one would ever call it by just that part of its designation, ever. So why did Aria? It turned halfway back to Aria as she took out a marker & dropped her holoprojection, her face smiling.
“Would you…like an autograph? I know you said you didn't hold any interest in idols but you know…for your sister Sage! Yeah!”
Metal debilitated on this, still processing being called Sonic just now. It looked around but it had no sort of item that could be autographed. Aria realized this too & just chuckled as she reached to lift Metal’s hand in hers, she held the hand up & used the pink marker to sign her autograph on the back of it’s hand.
“It may not be something you can hand to your sister but if you ever want another one, just drop by one of our shows! You’re more than welcome.”
Metal looked at the signature deep in thought as Aria took a step back. She got a message on her phone from Nangong asking where she was for practice. Realizing how late it’d gotten she quickly shoots a message back saying she was on her way. Looking back at Metal she tries to give a quick goodbye as she relifted her holoprojection.
“It was wonderful meeting you Sonic! I gotta go but-”
Metal’s beep cut her off as it asked her a direct question. Aria paused midstep as she looked back at Metal again, hidden in the alley, Metal’s red eyes still shone through while Aria’s figure was dyed in the sunlight just a few steps away, her colors dazzling as the two constructs locked eyes.
“Why I called you just “Sonic”? Well I don’t have a big reason really. I just thought that calling you “Metal” something was too cold & callus. You’re more than just the material you're made of. Plus you are really really fast! I've never traveled that fast anywhere! So the name Sonic really fits you. I hope that Doctor of yours can give your voice back someday. Your voice deserves to be heard! Anyway I gotta get going, I'm already late for practice, take care Sonic!”
Aria gave one last wave as she flashed her best smile & hurried down the road. Metal was left alone in the dark of the alley staring out at the light that steamed just past the building’s shade. Looking down at the autograph it received from the holoprojecting idol. Metal had done many irregular things that day. It interrupted its own mission in order to rescue an irrelevant person, it then took said person out of the hollow for no reason, putting a further delay on its mission. Metal could reason that it was because the Doctor’s AI creation held interest towards the idol but it knew that it was a superficial reason at best.
The truth was that it was Metal that had grown an interest in the idol & it alone that wanted to learn more about how the masquerading idol thought & why she decided on this course of life. To be made a weapon but choosing to become a singer & dancer. It confounded the azure metallic creation to no end as all it knew was fighting & destruction. Nothing but a constant battle with its organic counterpart that it lost again & again.
If this idol knew the full depth of its deeds it knew she wouldn't look at it or speak to it with the same kindness she showed today. If she knew, she’d surely treat it with the same resentment that it was so used to. Still however, somewhere deep in its circuits, it didn't dislike the treatment it received from the masquerading idol. Now back in the hollow Metal soared through the distorted space continuing its mission. Whether or not it would ever see Aria again it didn't consider as its gaze travelled down to the autograph again. Showing it to Sage would surely cause more noise from the AI but Metal would still show it anyway.
Aria wasn’t sure when she’d see that blue construct again but she’d try to keep an eye out during her next show. It was an interesting encounter, one she’d remember & tell Suuna & Nangong about when she met up with them. About the interesting blue construct Sonic. Her steps were a bit lighter as she hurried towards practice. She hoped to see them again.