Metal Madness - Novelization

This is a novelization of the first part of the final boss battle in Sonic Heroes. I do not own Sonic or any of the characters mentioned below, all rights belong to SEGA, etc etc...

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Music

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            The Chaotix detective agency loomed over the beaten form of Doctor Eggman, their frames illuminated by a crackling bolt of lightning from the gathering storm outside.

            “Then who was it?” growled Vector through his long, toothy jaws. “Who locked you up here for trying to conquer the world?”

            Doctor Eggman glanced up at him, and all three were slightly unnerved to see the true fear in his eyes.

    “It was…”

     

            “Hmmhmmhmmhmmm…”    

            As Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna sprinted up to the flying bridge of the Final Fortress, all three kept their eyes locked on the direction the voice was coming from: above, and directly ahead of him.

    “ALL LIVING THINGS…”

            Up, up, and higher still Sonic looked, until his eyes finally reached the pinnacle of the tallest antennae on the Final Fortress, and there, perched like a malevolent hawk atop the lightning-sought spire, was a form at once strange and familiar. Brilliantly shining in the rain-soaked electric light that illuminated the flying warship, the mechanical horror that had once been Metal Sonic gazed down at the pastel-colored troupe that stared back from the deck of the Final Fortress.

            “KNEEL BEFORE YOUR MASTER.”

            Neo Metal Sonic raised one glimmering hand skyward, and the sky exploded. A blast of lightning finally slammed into the spire, crashing down into the heart of the battleship with a shriek of rending steel-titanium alloys and dying computer systems. Huge chunks of the construction began to fall down into the clouds below, joining the windborne remains of the rest of the Egg Fleet.

            And then, they stopped in midair, and began to rise back up.

            The ruined mass of slag that now marked the grave of the Final Fortress’s bridge seemed to flow now, to ripple like water into a new form, and the remains of the warship from below began to rise to join with the changing, growing mass of metal atop the Final Fortress. Something huge was rising out of that swirling form of steel and circuitry, something steel-smooth and inflexible and polished, something alive that seemed to take a form unlike anything they’d ever seen before, yet somehow resembling both Sonic the Hedgehog and Perfect Chaos – something alive – something that now opened two dreadful eyes, one below the other, and let out a hideous, wailing roar that vibrated through the very rain that drenched them all…

            When Doctor Eggman spoke, several of them flinched; they hadn’t even seen him arrive behind the Chaotix. His voice was hoarse and terrified, the sound of a man who sees his doom on the horizon.

            “Metal Sonic has finally transformed!”

            What happened next was almost comical: dozens of Egg Pawns, the former crew of the Egg Carrier, ran clanking and whirring past them all, weapons and enemies forgotten in their mad dash as their self-preservation programs flatly overrode every one of their higher command functions and drove a single demand to their transportation and navigational programs:

    Run.

            And run they did, stampeding past the thirteen figures who still looked up at the mechanical monster in mingled disbelief and defiance.

            “So THAT’S Metal Sonic?!” groaned Sonic. His feet were tensed, itching to run – whether towards the monster or away, he himself wasn’t sure.

            “It’s useless!” wailed Eggman. “Metal Sonic has combined your data with the power of Chaos, and is super strong! We can’t defeat it!” He shook his head, his moustache quivering in the rising wind. “Aaaa… if only we had the seven Chaos Emeralds!”

            Twelve heroes glanced about at one another, and slowly brought out several glowing gems. Cream held out a yellow emerald, Big a purple gem, Rouge one of gray, Omega a brilliant green, Espio the crimson, and Charmy the jewel of Cyan.

    Eggman blinked in astonishment. For seven legendary gems that were only supposed to come together once every few millennia, that persistent hedgehog and his idiot friends tended to come across them far too often for random chance to be behind it. “What’s this?” he snapped. “But how?! Even with the Emeralds’ power, our chances for victory are slim… it would take a miracle!”

            “Just leave that to me, Doc!” chuckled Sonic, as he twirled the blue emerald in his hand.

            “Sonic, no!” moaned Amy. To have run so long and far, just to see Sonic leave…

    “I’m going with you, too!” shouted Tails. The fox kit locked his eyes on the hedgehog’s, reminding him of just how often they’d saved each other’s’ lives on this trek.

    “Tails…”

    “You can count me in, too.” Growled Knuckles. The echidna’s eyes flared with the strength that had carried them over countless obstacles.

    “Knuckles…”

    A moment later, Shadow stepped forward, and Sonic knew that the time for argument was over. The black hedgehog’s voice was curiously subdued.

    “OK, guys, we’ll buy you some time. That way, you can use your “super” powers.” he growled.

    Sonic nodded.

    “OK, then, let’s get ready to do this.” Chuckled Sonic. “We’ll show that creep the REAL SUPER POWER OF TEAMWORK!”

    Twelve sets of eyes rolled in tandem as three teams passed the Chaos Emeralds to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and then began to pound up the steps to the apex of the Final Fortress, up to the three metal platforms that surrounded the machine’s morphing, twisted body.

    Team Rose arrived first.

     

            Amy’s hammer tapped the ground lightly as she hefted its weight. “You’re the one pretending to be Sonic!” she snapped at the metal madness before her. You’re the one responsible for taking Froggy and Chocola!”

            “I can’t believe you would do such a thing!” wailed Cream. Cheese began to chirp out something, but the sounds were lost in a sudden crash of thunder.

    Big, with Froggy safely on his head, glared at the mechanical nightmare, and growled in the angriest voice any of them had ever heard from him: “You’re going to PAY for this!”

    The terrible machine loomed over them all, and screeched in an unnatural artificial sound that rose even above the roar of the storm.

    “I’LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!”

    A moment later, a long sapphire bullwhip of a tail swung around, and slid wildly across the slick floor. In a twinkling, Cream swooped low over her friends, and grabbed Amy’s hands. Big grabbed onto the hedgehog’s legs, and together, the three of them hefted one another just above the mechanical bludgeon.

    As the trio landed, Amy pointed directly at something on the monster’s right flank, far over the howling winds that separated the horror from the steel they stood upon.

    “I don’t know much about robotics, but I do know Eggman’s machines tend to explode when you hit the glowing part! Cream, get me over there!”

    “Miss Rose, it’s too far! I can’t carry you all the way there and back!”

    “I don’t need to get there and back, I just need to get there. Big, you know what to do!”

    Big the Cat hefted his trusty pole. “I just do what I know!”

    A moment later, Cream hefted her best friend in her arms, and sped across the void with her, directly towards the glowing point on the horror’s body…

    “Drop me, Cream, get back to the platform, I’ve got it from here!”

    Cream hestitated for the barest instant before her arms released Amy. The hedgehog hefted her hammer, aimed with a practiced eye, and swung ferociously at the light.

    The machine before her screamed as a massive explosion engulfed its right-hand flank. Flailing and howling wildly, the abomination’s arms swung desperately, swatting at Amy even as the recoil from her hammer sent her spinning away…

    …and as the great steel hand swung, it just barely clipped the hook on the line, sending it flying out of control and away from her…

    …and then, out of nowhere, a little blue chao with a bowtie suddenly sped through the air, grabbed the hook, and dove for Amy. A second later, Amy felt the fishing line wrap snugly around her wrists, and she nearly screamed as Big hefted her back up with every bit of his strength.

    Amy wobbled and collapsed on the metal floor. Instantly, Big and Cream were by her side, grasping her hands, helping her stand.

    “Are you all right, Miss Rose?”

    “I’m… I’m just fine, Cream. Thanks for the lift, Big, and Cheese!”

    “Chao-cha-chao!”

    Big simply chuckled as Amy called across the abyss at the platform to the left of the mechanical beast.

    “We’re done! You guys ready over there?”

    “IT’S TOO LATE…” bellowed the robot.

    Suddenly, the metal madness howled and glanced over at its left side. Something was going on over there…

     

    Team Chaotix had finally ascended to the top of what remained of the Final Fortress’s bridge.

    “This thing’s transformation isn’t quite complete yet!” Espio uttered.

    “Ahh, so he’s an INcomplete freak!” snickered Charmy.

    Vector nodded. “Now’s the time to strike!”

    “YOU’RE ALL USELESS, NOW THAT I’VE COPIED ALL YOUR DATA!”

    A moment later, the horrific machine raised one great clawed hand. Huge spiked missiles suddenly began to bloom from that terrible appendage, and as they slammed into the rain-drenched platform, Team Chaotix lunged and twisted desperately to get away…

    “Take this!” snapped Charmy, and the young bee dove for the bluish light that he’d glimpsed beneath the giant’s armored plating. Again and again he stung the giant machine, but he couldn’t fight this monster alone, and a sudden, lucky swat from the titan sent him spiraling away out of control.

    As he buzzed back to the safety of the platform, two huge shuriken suddenly flew at the monster’s flank out of nowhere, but both of them clanked off the giant and whirled off into the darkness.

    “It’s not enough!” growled Espio. “We need something more…”

    “How ‘bout this thing?” snickered Charmy.

    Espio spun about to see the young bee holding a handful of wires that he’d apparently torn out of a blasted hole in the platform. Behind him, a small cannon rose out of the floor, clicking and humming erratically as it aimed.

    “Perfect!” growled Vector. “I’ll get in, and Charmy – get ready to bail me out, Espio, that thing’s probably too badly damaged to aim from the inside, you’ll have to do it manually!”

    “How do I do that?”

    But Vector had already dived into the mouth of the huge weapon, and as his tail vanished into the hole, Espio groaned and raced to spin the cannon around.

    With every bit of his strength, Espio wrenched the huge weapon towards the mechanical beast before them, and not a moment too soon. The trembling, rattling weapon’s firing pin, corroded and damaged, suddenly snapped within the machine, and Espio was knocked flat on his back as the cannon exploded.

    Vector the Crocodile rocketed through the air, yelling wildly as the blue machine before him loomed up far too quickly. Thinking quickly, he readied one mighty fist…

    …and with a tremendous crash, slammed it right into the side of the gigantic monster as he collided with it.

    A second explosion rocked the Metal Madness, and as Charmy’s hands closed around Vector’s wrists and heaved, the mechanical giant screamed in agony.

    Charmy plunked Vector onto the platform, and the huge crocodile shook his head to clear it as Espio came running up to them.

    “Your attack was unwise. You could have – “

    “I’m fine!” snapped Vector, before bellowing off into the platform directly in front of the huge robot: “We’re almost done here! Now it’s up to you!”

    “THIS VICTORY SHALL SOON TURN INTO DESPAIR!” howled the Metal Madness, before turning to look directly in front of it.

    Team Dark had finally arrived.

     

    “So you’re the one behind all this, huh?” growled Shadow

    “Consuming the power of others at your own will… and that’s supposed to make YOU tough?” snapped Rouge.

    “New target acquisition: sights locked on Metal Sonic!” intoned E-123 Omega, and the android raised one missile-strewn arm towards his target.

    “EVEN THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM CAN’T STOP ME!”

    The next minute was a solid barrage of mechanized carnage. Missiles, flames, and bullets all poured into the Metal Madness at waist height. Whenever the barrage halted for a moment so that Omega could reload, a barrage of powerful kicks or a sudden chaos spear would crack into the monster. The monster countered as best it could, with missiles and fire roaring from its digits to keep Team Dark moving and dodging, but it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t nearly enough…

    Suddenly, a huge explosion roared out from below the monster’s base. The thing that had been Metal Sonic screamed in animalistic fury, but it was too late. They’d really hurt it this time, and its terrible red eyes seemed to glow ever more intensely as it flailed in madness.

    “Sonic, we’re counting on you!” yelled Shadow into the darkness – but suddenly, he heard a horrible wrenching sound, and as he turned back, he saw the mechanical horror slowly beginning to haul itself free from the tethers that bound it to the Final fortress, its deep electronic voice rolling across the raging storm.

    “HOW FITTING TO HAVE A ROBOT OVERLORD RULE A ROBOT KINGDOM!”