CHAPTER ONE: DECISION

Robotnik walked down the hallway with Packbell. The android walked alongside the man with enthusiasm - Robotnik had never allowed any robot to enter this part of the building. Eventually, they came to a section which was not very well lit, and at the end was a short, rickety old wooden door. Robotnik usually used ID cards to get around, but for this door he needed to use a little key. When the door opened, they found themselves in a little lab. It looked more like a robot museum. The place was littered with early SWAT bot prototypes, old 'badniks' like Crabmeat and Buzz-Bomber, and all sorts of other junk left over from robots. Packbell glanced over to the back wall, and saw two large hedgehog robots, layered with dust. It was these robots that Robotnik seemed to be focusing his attention to. The first one was coloured all silver. It was probably very shiny in the past, but it had been mistreated. It's right arm was torn off. The second robot looked a little more like Mecha, but it was taller, and had a visor over its face, instead of the familiar red eyes. "Who are they?" asked the android. "My first experiments with hedgehog robots." Robotnik replied. "I have known for a while that the hedgehog model means strength and agility. I just haven't been able to get it right." he paused for a second to admire his failed creations. "The one on the left is Silver Sonic. One of the first robots I ever made. He was a great companion, though not very intelligent. He was completely slaughtered in the Death Egg a long time ago, by that....despicable hedgehog. The second is simply an early version of Mecha Sonic. He, too, was destroyed by Sonic." He shuddered a little at the mention of his enemy's name. "I came down here to make plans for another robot. One that will replace the current Mecha Sonic." He sat down at a bench, and turned on a small PC. Packbell's eyes lit up. "Replace Mecha? But why?" he asked. Robotnik turned to answer, while he waited for the computer to boot up. "It is true that Mecha has not yet been completely destroyed by the hedgehog, which shows my creations are getting better, however he is nothing more than a bumbling oaf! He has not yet helped in a single victory against Knothole, and I am beginning to notice a bit of un- loyalty, ever since we found him at the bottom of that cliff a few months back. If I wish to succeed, I need my robots to evolve!" Packbell seemed a little nervous. After all, Mecha was his only real 'friend'. "Uh, don't you care that Mecha has been such a loyal subject to you? If you begin making more powerful robots again, they may not be so loyal! Remember what happened in the experiments with the new echidna robot?" Robotnik seemed a little ticked that Packbell was questioning his genius. "Packbell, I think I have worked out the bugs with the loyalty thing! Believe me! The new hedgehog will be twice as loyal, ten times as smart, and fifty times as strong as Mecha EVER was!" With that, Robotnik turned back to the computer. "Get Mecha." he commanded. "I shall de-activate him now. I need to study him before I make the schematics for the new Mech Bot." Packbell, with hesitation, left the room.

Sonic was walking towards Knothole, when he heard a huge crash. When he reached the village, there was nothing left except a crater. He looked around in horror. He could see bodies lying everywhere - each one of them was his. A thousand Sonics just lay there, lifelessly. Then his arch-nemesis, Mecha Sonic, swooped down. Then another one, then ANOTHER one...A huge crowd of gleaming robot hedgehogs began to approach him. He screamed, but no sound came out. Then he was falling. He began falling and falling and falling...He could see Mecha Sonic behind him, except he was huge! The giant robot started laughing evil, robotic laughter. Mecha got closer and closer...Sonic couldn't get away! He struggled, but you can't go anywhere when you're falling, except down. Then Mecha was below him, Sonic was falling into his bright red eyes. There was red all around him, now. Everything was on fire, but it didn't burn. He could see solid ground below him now. He was approaching it at a thousand km/h. Closer, closer, closer.....Then he woke up. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. He relaxed his muscles, and got out of bed. Sally was outside. "What's the matter? You seem restless." she asked. Sonic yawned. "I had one of those wacky nightmares. You know, the kind of nightmare where you go home, you find everyone missing, you see yourself dead, you start to fall, and you wake up just before you go 'splat'." Sally nodded. "Oh yeah, I've had a few 'o them!" Sonic yawned again. "Funny, it seemed to have a lot about Mecha Sonic in it, too." "Well, I'm not surprised!" replied Sally. "With the amount of times he's almost killed us all, he's becoming a little more than just Robotnik's mere servant! We hate his guts even when we're asleep!" "Funny, though." said Sonic. "I don't exactly HATE him, as such, I'm more SCARED of him than anything. I think beneath all that metal, he must have a good side. Everyone has a good side, his is just...well... harder to discover." Sally shrugged. "Well, you sure think differently than me. I think he's evil incarnate, and that's all he'll ever be."

Mecha walked down the long hallway. "What does that ton of blubber want NOW?" he asked himself. Packbell was leading him down a hallway that he'd never been before. Eventually, they arrived at an old wooden door. Packbell swung it open, then stood there, as if afraid to go on. Mecha entered the room, and saw Robotnik typing away on an oddly old fashioned PC. "You asked for me, sir?" he asked. "Yes, yes. Just stand over there." replied Robotnik, pointing towards the wall. Mecha looked, and noticed three platforms. The first two had two broken robot hedgehogs that he had never seen before. He walked up slowly, and stepped onto the third platform. Then Robotnik walked up to him, holding a little black box. "What is that?" asked Mecha. Suddenly, he recognized it. His remote control! Robotnik only used a remote control for his robots in extreme emergencies! Robotnik lifted his finger over one of the buttons. "NOOO! DON'T!!!" screamed Mecha. Robotnik's finger landed on a large red button; the remote control let out a satisfied 'beep'. There was the incredible sound of screeching gears, and sparks flew across the room, as Mecha Sonic struggled to overcome his programming. But the little black box was too strong for him, and he eventually lay dead on the platform. Robotnik placed the remote control on the desk, and got back to his computer. "Yet another addition to my collection of failed robots." he muttered to himself.

Weeks passed. Then months. Sonic was still having nightmares about robots, and there was no movement at all in Robotropolis. Until Robotnik unveiled his newest creation...

"He is the best robot I have ever made!" Robotnik bragged. "He has all the attributes of a master warrior, he is a super-genius, he is absolutely perfect!" "Where is he?" asked Packbell. He shouldn't have asked. There was a bump outside the room. Snively flinched - He wasn't looking forward to the new arrival. A figure slowly approached the doorway. The figure was looking around carefully, checking out it's surroundings for the very first time. Then it's eyes came into view. Mecha's eyes were dim, compared to the bright red beady spotlights that they could see staring at them. "He can see a needle up to 400 kilometers away!" Robotnik whispered. Then the robot's whole body came into view. Robotnik had REALLY over-done it this time. Especially with the spikes. The robot had spikes on its knuckles, like Knux, except it had four on each hand. Its elbows thinned out into huge swords that stuck out behind its arms. It had six rows of spikes on its back, each one splitting into another four super-sharp blades. Its 'nose' was a spike, like Mecha's, only it was about 15 cm long. The whole robot stood at about twice the size of the original Mecha. "Meet the new addition to our family!" said Robotnik. "This bouncing baby boy has been christened 'Cyber Sonic'."

Packbell didn't like the look of this robot much. He knew more about robot personalities more than Robotnik did, and he knew that something of this design can't be capable of much good. Even for a resident of Robotropolis. Cyber Sonic shifted his gaze to Snively. The little man totally lost it, and ran out of the building. "Is this your best warrior?" Asked Cyber. "I can see why you were in need to create me, sire." He shifted his glowing eyes towards Packbell. The android couldn't help but think that Cyber's eyes would be better suited on a lighthouse in a heavy fog. "I am Packbell, leader of the Robotropolis attack force." he said, deciding he had better get on this robot's good side quick-smart. "I keep the SWAT bots in order, and when need be, I order the construction of more." "Aah yes, the 'SWAT bots'." said Cyber, half ignoring Packbell. "Quite useless pieces of work, if I do say so myself. Any grade-A moron can slaughter one in a split second." "THAT'S ENOUGH, CYBER!" said Robotnik, trying to keep his cool. (He always seems to take personal offence when someone badmouths his creations.) "I apologize, sire." replied Cyber. He gave Packbell a dirty look, and exited the room. "What did _I_ do?" the android asked himself. He decided to keep his distance from Cyber Sonic.

Sonic was walking around the forest, trying to find some grapes and berries for Knuckles. Knux was feeling ill, and nothing cheers him up more than a grape salad. Sonic wasn't really concentrating on his work. He was thinking about last night's nightmare. It was the same one he'd been having for the past month, on and off, but it still scared him every time. Knuckles had told him that there had been so many run-ins with Mecha recently, that he developed a kind of phobia. Tails was having nightmares about robots, too. Sally would have to run into his hut every second morning at the crack of dawn to comfort him. Little did Sonic know that, after meeting the new kid on the block, he'd practically be jumping for joy if he saw Mecha again. "He can't be THAT bad!" I hear you say. But he was, ooh boy...

CHAPTER TWO: CYBERNETIC MONSTER

"Sonic the Hedgehog, I presume." came a cold voice, from the bushes. Sonic spun around, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Mecha's red eyes in the bush. "You should know by now!" he replied, getting in position to run. The robot he thought was Mecha seemed to blink - something Mecha hadn't ever done. "So you ARE Sonic?" he asked. "Wait a minute..." said Sonic, suspicious. "I thought you were completely unable to say my name! You always call me 'Hedgehog'!" The red eyes glowed brighter. "And how come your voice sounds different? And how come you keep blinking?" Sonic continued. The robot he thought was Mecha began to emerge from the bushes. After he stood at his full height, Sonic took a big gulp, nearly swallowing his tongue. The first thing that he thought of was the Mecha Sonic that ruled the Anti-Verse. A huge, spike-ridden robot, that looked like it was able to swallow him whole. "My, my! H...how you've g...g... GROWN!" he spluttered. Then he took off running. The new robot seemed unconcerned. Just as Sonic was nearly out of sight, he felt a piercing pain in his leg. Then another in the elbow. He half-ran, half-limped for a meter or so, when he lurched over and fell in a ditch.

Gunshot wounds. Somehow, this robot had managed to hit him in two very bad pressure points - the back of the knee and the funny bone - even when he was moving his legs and arms at lightning speed. Those shots were no accident, and Mecha was never that good. Then again, this robot didn't LOOK like Mecha, either. Then the robot approached him, giggling. "Surprised?" he asked. "Who are you?" demanded Sonic. "I am Cyber Sonic!" announced Cyber, proudly. "My super-fast brain can calculate movements, such as firing weaponry, in 0.000000076536 of a second. That's faster than you can move, bucco!" Sonic was annoyed with this jerk's bragging. "Why didn't you kill me?" he demanded. "Would you prefer it that way?" asked Cyber, putting a gun up to his head. Sonic's facial expression gave him the answer. He put the gun away, and yanked Sonic into a standing position. "If you liked Mecha, you'll ADORE me!" he said. "Oh goody." replied Sonic, sarcastically. "Sorry, Sonic, but you seem like the whining type. I can't stand whining." said Cyber. He searched his metal body for some place that wasn't littered with spikes, then slammed Sonic's head against it, knocking him out cold.

There was a sharp zapping sound, as the power came on-line again. Mecha's head jerked up. He was in a room, nobody was around except Packbell. "You brought me back, Packbell?" he asked. "Yes." replied Packbell. "I don't trust the new robot." Mecha's eyes brightened. "New robot? Robotnik dares replace me?" Packbell nodded. "They call him 'Cyber Sonic'." Mecha turned and stormed out of the room. "A 'thankyou' would be nice!" Packbell yelled after him. Mecha was too outraged to thank the android. Instead, he planned to go straight to Robotnik and give him an earful. Little did he know that he was being stalked. No sooner did he get out into the main hallway, a giant figure jumped out behind him and slammed him into the wall. Mecha squirmed around, trying to get free, but he was tossed around and slammed into the other wall. "Mecha Sonic, I presume?" asked the figure. "One and the same." replied Mecha, trying to get a proper target on the figure with his arm gun. "And I suppose you are Cyber Sonic?" Cyber grabbed Mecha's gun, and ripped it out of his arm, leaving hundreds of wires exposed and sparking. "That is correct." he said, proud of himself. "I have heard a lot about you, Mecha. You sniveling waste of scrap metal! I am not surprised that Robotnik decided to replace you! Look at you! Squirming around like a rodent in my grip! You don't stand a ghost of a chance!" Cyber took Mecha down another hall, not even flinching at the robot's constant attempts to make a getaway. Eventually, they reached the dungeon, and Cyber threw Mecha into the first cell, locking the door. "I'll come back for you later." he said. "You too, Sonic. Robotnik shall be pleased that I captured you two." With that, the huge robot turned and left. Mecha slumped down, defeated.

"I've been here before." came a voice behind him. Mecha turned and saw Sonic. He was in a terrible state. He had shackles around his wrists and ankles, attached by very short chains to the wall. He was filthy, covered with dried mud. And he had a lump on the left side of his head as big as a balloon. "Hhhhedgehog." hissed Mecha. "I know how to escape." repeated Sonic, trying to get the robot's attention. Mecha turned and glared at Sonic. "Escape is impossible, you stupid organism! This is Robotnik's dungeon!" "Not so." replied Sonic, struggling unsuccessfully to move into a comfortable position. "I've escaped from this cell before. I know the trick. Of course, LAST time, I wasn't chained up like a dog!" "How do you escape? TELL ME!" demanded Mecha. "If you take these chains off me, I'll gladly tell you!" replied Sonic. Mecha had not expected that. He thought about it. Was he desperate enough to escape, that he would save his mortal enemy from certain death? Then again, doing so would be his only chance of survival himself. And besides, he can always kill him later. Mecha came to a decision, and took the shackles off Sonic's limbs. Sonic let out a sigh of relief - he was able to move freely again. "Well?" demanded Mecha, impatiently. Sonic limped over to the wall, and began to take loose bricks out. Eventually, there was a hole large enough to climb through. "Lousy architect!" said Sonic with a chuckle. He leaped through the hole, followed by Mecha. "Where do we go now?" asked Sonic. "Since I am no longer classified as one of the residents of Robotropolis, I no longer have free access to the city." replied Mecha. "There is only one escape that doesn't require special access." He led Sonic down countless hallways, avoiding SWAT bot guards, until they reached a room with a strange glowing light. When they entered the room, they found a platform, glowing a dull blue light. "It is an experimental transporter device." said Mecha. "It hasn't been perfected yet - it'll take you to a random place on Mobius, as long as there is solid ground." Sonic hesitated, but the sound of SWAT bots behind him brought him to a decision. Sonic jumped onto the platform, followed by Mecha, and they both vanished.

CHAPTER THREE: ABSOLUTE ZERO

The first feeling Sonic experienced was cold. Extreme cold. It hit him like a Mack truck as soon as he came out of the portal. He opened his eyes - snow. Nothing except snow for as far as the eyes could see. He was standing on a small rock in the middle of it all. "Great." he mumbled to himself. He heard crunching footsteps behind him. Looking around, he noticed Mecha had already walked a few meters through the snow. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sonic called, running to catch up to him. Mecha stopped and glared at Sonic. "Do not follow me, Hedgehog!" he threatened. "Listen, you bucket of bolts!" Sonic demanded. "Neither of us will be able to survive five minutes in a wasteland like this alone! We need each other! Let's put aside our differences long enough to get out of here!" Mecha's eyes glowed redder. "You have nerve attempting to befriend me, Hedgehog." he growled. "I was going to keep you alive, for freeing me from the dungeon, but now I see the error of my ways!" He lifted his arm, aimed at Sonic's face, and commanded his arm-gun to fire.

The raw wires on his arm sparked a little, then went back to normal. Confused for a second, Mecha then remembered what happened. Cyber Sonic had ripped the gun off his arm, earlier. He had no weapons. Sonic grinned a little. Mecha snorted. "Well then, I'll simply leave you here to undergo a slower, more agonizing death!" he said, hiding his disappointment. "I'll see you around!" he ran a little in the snow, and jumped into the air. The rocket blaster on his back let out an ominous bang, and then barfed smoke. Mecha fell on his face in the snow. A few seconds later, he got up and tried again. The same effect. He then did a scan of his internal systems. After the search was complete, he glumly reported the problem. "Fuel tanks are frozen." he said. "Fuel must undergo natural thawing. If the computer attempted quick thawing process, fuel would ignite and explode." He heard Sonic giggle behind him. "Feeling the sharp sting of irony, eh Mecha?" he asked. Mecha gave no response, but sulkingly walked onward through the snow. Sonic followed, but not too closely. Even without weapons, Sonic knew the robot was nowhere near harmless.

Mecha seemed to be trying to ignore Sonic's presence, as if they were small children, and Sonic was picking on him. The truth is, it was in Mecha's programming to hate Sonic, but yet, here they were, depending on each other for survival. Unsure of what to think, Mecha decided to block out the entire incident from his mind. Eventually, Sonic's voice came from behind him. "Does the ground here seem softer to you? Like, not as solid?" at first, the hedgehog didn't receive an answer, but eventually, Mecha returned with "What of it?" At that moment, Sonic felt a cracking under his feet. He froze (Not literally). The cracking became louder, and suddenly, Sonic was sinking into the snow. The ground gave way to reveal a huge glacier underneath him. He was hanging off the side of a massive cliff by the fingertips. And he was slipping.

"MECHA!!!" he screamed. "HELP ME!!!" Those were words that had never before escaped from his mouth, but now, he was desperate. He struggled desperately to get a leg-up onto the ledge, but the ice was too slippery, and the more he struggled, the further he slipped. The worst part was, Mecha was gone. He had abandoned him completely. He had always waited to see Sonic dead, and he wasn't about to prevent it from happening. "MECHA!!!" Sonic screamed again. "MECHA, PLEASE!!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!" Tears formed in his eyes, as he realized he was going to die. Still no movement from above him, he couldn't even hear Mecha's footsteps any more - he must be long gone, he realized. He slipped again, and screamed again. Deep inside he knew that Mecha wouldn't help him, but so many thoughts whizzed through his mind, he called out to the robot almost sub-consciously. Eventually, Mecha's face appeared above him. Sonic was very surprised, but too scared to show it. "Mecha!" he said, more calmly, between sobs. "Please...you have to help me! I...I'm slipping!" Mecha just stared. Sonic couldn't tell whether Mecha was thinking about helping him, or whether he was enjoying the show. Sonic's fingers slipped more, one hand slid off the ice and dangled to his side. "Mecha.....please...." he mumbled, all hope lost. Mecha watched as Sonic's other hand began to slip off the cliff, he didn't move a muscle...er...gear. Sonic's fingers slipped, and he fell.

Something clamped hard on Sonic's arm, and he was slowly brought up the side of the cliff. Mecha pulled him up, dragged him along a little, and then let go. Sonic struggled to regain his breath, then he turned to thank Mecha, but the robot had wordlessly turned and continued on. Sonic was still trying to decide whether or not that really happened. His own worst enemy - programmed to loathe him - had just saved his life! He didn't know what to think. Was Mecha becoming.......good?

"Listen, Mecha, I really appreciate what you did for me back there." Sonic said, eventually. Mecha didn't answer. "No, really!" continued Sonic. "I thought you were going to leave me there to fall! I...err...owe you one." He choked out the last few words. Mecha suddenly snapped, and turned to yell at Sonic. "You listen!" he exclaimed. "The only reason I rescued you, Sonic, was because... uh...I couldn't stand your childish whining! Someone who makes themselves out to be as big a hero as you, needn't whine like that! It's sickening!" "Did you just say 'Sonic'?" asked Sonic, ignoring the rest of Mecha's statement. "NO!" denied Mecha. "You did!" said Sonic. "You said 'Sonic'! I thought you hated me so much that you couldn't say my name, but you just did!" "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" commanded Mecha, beginning to jog away from Sonic. "You aren't such a bad guy, are you, Mecha?" Sonic called after him. Mecha ignored him. On a roll, Sonic picked up a couple of snowballs and pelted the robot with them. Mecha stopped jogging. "OOOH! You are such a PEST!" he called back. Sonic threw another snowball. Then Mecha picked up a huge wad of snow and pelted Sonic. They went back and forth throwing snowballs at each other, when Mecha stopped and thought "What am I doing?" he dropped the snow he was holding, and began to walk the other way.

"Where can we be?" Sonic thought to himself. He hoped to high heaven they weren't at the north or south poles, because then they'd be totally stuffed. Sonic began to think back to the time when they first met. It was on the floating island, Robotnik had re-built him from the Silver Sonic - the robot hedgehog who had terrorized him on the Death Egg. Then, he had destroyed Mecha, and thrown him off Sky Sanctuary. The fall had wrecked him beyond repair. Then, Robotnik re-built him again, as the latest impossible-to-kill horror. Sonic would never forget the first words the new Mecha had ever said to him. "Sonic. I will remember that name." Sonic shivered at the thought. Then he got a brainwave. Every time Robotnik had been unhappy with his robot, he re-built and improved it. What if Mecha had failed him one too many times? That must have been the reason for Cyber Sonic's creation, and why Mecha was a fugitive! "He re-built you again, didn't he." Sonic called to Mecha. Mecha stopped walking. "Yes." he said. "I failed him too many times. He wanted a better robot." Sonic walked up beside him. Mecha's eyes suddenly glowed a fierce red. "And it's your fault." he added. "What?" asked Sonic. Mecha spun around, and clamped his steel hands around Sonic's neck. "IT'S YOUR FAULT!" he screamed. Sonic choked for breath. "IF YOU WEREN'T SO $#^%# HARD TO KILL, I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS MESS!!!" The two fell onto the snow, and began rolling around. Sonic struggled desperately to free himself from the robot's grasp. They began to roll down a steep hill, until Mecha crashed into a tree stump. Sonic let out a sudden burst of adrenalin, and pulled Mecha off him. As he struggled to regain his l lost breath, he choked out "Trees." Mecha looked at him strangely. "WHAT!?!" he demanded. "Trees." Sonic repeated. "Lots of trees! We're out of the snow!" Mecha looked around. Apart from a few dabs of snow here and there, they were in the woods. "And you know what?" Sonic asked. "I know where we are! The Floating Island! The icecaps on the Floating Island!" Mecha made no comment. Sonic got up, and began searching for something. "What are you attempting to locate?" Mecha asked. Sonic burst out of the bushes carrying a rusted metal object. A portable transporter! "These things are everywhere on this island." Sonic commented. He sat it down, pressed a few buttons, and a beam opened up on top. Sonic stepped into it, and, wordlessly, Mecha followed.

EPILOGUE:

"The Great Forest." muttered Mecha. They were both standing on an old rusted teleporter in the middle of the Great Forest. Sonic wandered into the bushes, trying to get some idea of where he was. As he emerged, he nearly fell off a cliff! A huge waterfall fell down the cliff in front of him, the water tumbling into a river at the base. He noticed Mecha behind him. "Which way do we go?" Sonic asked. No answer. "You're the one with the in-built compass!" Sonic added. Still no answer. He turned, and got a shock. It wasn't Mecha Sonic, it was Cyber Sonic.

"Well, well, well!" said Cyber. Behind him was a few SWAT bots, doing nothing in particular. "Just the fugitive I wanted to see!" Cyber added. He raised the massive gun to Sonic's head. But the hedgehog was too quick for him, this time. He had incredible aim- and-fire abilities, but Sonic ducked and did a spin dash under his legs. Cyber turned, and was hit by a blue ball, knocking him towards the edge of the cliff. Then Sonic hit him again, and again. Cyber was three inches from the edge of the cliff. Sonic flew towards him again, but this time, Cyber punched him in mid-air. He went flying backwards, and landed on his back on the ground. Cyber snickered, and raised his gun again. But Sonic heard Mecha's voice behind him, saying "Rockets thawed. All systems operational." All of a sudden, Mecha came from the woods, rockets blazing, and slammed headfirst into Cyber's chest. The huge robot let out a wail as he fell down the side of the cliff, every so often smacking against a large rock. Then, he landed in the river below. There was a huge din, as electricity met water. Cyber struggled a bit, then sank beneath the water. Mecha had saved Sonic again.

Sonic turned and saw Mecha blasting away. He turned in mid-air, and stared down at the hedgehog. "This doesn't mean we're friends, hedgehog!" he called down. "Nor does it mean I am any less your enemy. From this moment, I shall forget this incident ever happened." With that, he flew off. "_I_ won't." said Sonic to himself, smiling. So, Sonic returned to Knothole safe. Cyber Sonic was gone, thank goodness. But, it would be just a matter of time before the next adventure. But that's another story :)

"If what the SWAT bots reported is correct, you defeated my invincible robot, Mecha." said Robotnik, grinning. "Perhaps it would be wise to keep you, eh?"