Chapter Text
Velvet blue. Everywhere he looks, there's velvet-shaded blues all around him. The floor, the ceiling, the freniture, even the lighting amits an ominious blue hue to the room that looks like a cross of a science lab and a work office meeting room.
Siting on the lead seat infront of him was a skinny, gray-haired elderly human man with a long pointy nose in a black suit that contrasted to the room he was in, as well as with the platinum-furred mouse mobian with glowing yellow eyes credling a big brown book on one side, and a familier maryonette badnik girl dressed in the same blue uniform on his other.
''Welcome to the Velvet Room'' The skinny human greeted with a creepy wide-toothed smile. ''This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter.''
Oh, so this is just some vivid dream that he's having. Good to- weit, shouldn't a robotic being like him be unable to dream?
''My name is Igor, I'm delighted to make your aquaintance'' The skinny human, Igor, introduced with a bow of his head in greeting while gesturing to the the un-familier mobian beside him. ''This is Agatha; she is a resident here, like myself. She will be assisting you in meintience regarding this room in the future.''
''A pleasure to meet you'' The spoken of mobian mouse greeted in a soft, almost melodic voice with a ceramonial bow.
''And this is Belle'' Igor continued as he gestured to the woodan badnik on his other side. ''She is an attendant in-training under Agatha. She will be assistining you in metinance regarding your life and journey in the weaking world''
''We-We've met, though it was under less plesent circumstances'' Belle pointed out with a nervous fidget of her skirt. ''If you want, we can meet up at the outkirts of the restoration base to exlain what I'm doing here. Though it's mostly what miss Agatha told me, as I'm not fully sure how I got here, or what's happened to make you come here either...''
''You will in do time'' Igor asured with an amused chuckle. ''All you need to know for now is that both of you where brought here by a „contract“ that allows you two acuess here, and you two alone''
Flashbacks to his disasterious search and secure mission in the Mystic Ruins came infront of his mind, and he quickly denious it has anything to do about this strange acurance. At least, he hopes it dosen't.
''All I ask of you to do so is to abide by the contract'' Igor explained a matter-of-fact. ''And assume full responsibility for your actions, no matter how they may end.''
That's pretty vegue. Resposiblity of his actions for what? Fighting against Sonic? What's this „contract“ he keeps mentining?
''We will have more time to discuss the details further once you fully realize your fate'' Igor concluded as he stud up from his spot on the chair. ''Until then, farewell...''
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Metal Sonic onlined to a dark room with chains around him and a table of various work tools beside him. Right. He had been, and is still being punished for his failure to complete his objective once again.
To be honest, Metal Sonic was tired of working for Eggman…
He was always blamed and punished for Eggman’s issues and failures, despite the doctor being the one who had created him.
It had been a few hours and into nighttime, from what his internal clock said. A long buzzing ran in Metal’s mind while listening to the radio, looking through deta information for something to guide him on what he should do.
Converge with Belle the Tinkerer unit for explanations of recent happenance.
Metal turned off his radio as he stared blankly ahead at the ceiling once again and thought about his new objective. Should he go? Over a request of an encounter that could have possibly not even been real?
On the other hand, before today, he thought it was impossible for a souless machine like him to dream. Sure he saw systems lunching during reboots and vagely seeing shapes of things going on in the waking world while recharging, but never exactly like how organics experience it.
Why is he so hesistent to take this chance to rebal and escape from his cruel master? It wasn’t like he hadn’t done it before, but Metal knew he was afraid of what his creator will do if he catches him, like last time;
He was so afraid then, and still is. It was the day the „brilient“ doctor decided to implament pain sencers in him. When he experianced pain for the first time as he was being dis-asambled and put back togather again… it was excrusiating.
He felt so hopeless… So lost… so trapped. To the point all he could think about from then on was freedom.
But “freedom” where for the ones who had actually been blassed with it. He could never admit it, but the machine was just a bit jealous of Sonic in general.
His windful spirit, his care-free attitude, his endless circle of friends… he had everything Metal wanted and can never have. It’a why he continued to aboy the doctor’s directive to destroy his loathsome copy and become the one true Sonic, even when he never suceeds.
Even with all the BioDeta of all the hero teams, the ultimate lifeform’s, the master amerald, or desguising himself as Eggman, he could never-
Wait… Disguise himself…
It was as if a light bulb turned on inside his head. Metal melted himself into the ground with his nanites, and reformed back into his robotic self outside the chains.
Metal could disguise himself so he wouldn’t raise any suspision or alarm when meeting up with Belle!
Metal looked around the dark room, and cought site of a small dusted old mirror. Stering at it and thinking for a bit, he slowly transformed into his disguise.
He had dull blue fur; white skin on his muzzle, ears, arms and stomach; reddish pink eyes with white optics; two pierings on his left ear, a black cape, black shoes and gloves, and massy hair with bangs cured up at the front.
The disguise was genius, and metal found himself a bit fooled at first looking at his disguise, before thinking of what enimal he should pretend to be.
A cat. That would be good enough.
Metal started thinking of a name. hmmm…
After a bit of brainstorming, going through both good and bad names, he finally came up with a good one after messing with his own. Mel.
That was a good name, Metal liked it.
Err- Mel liked it. He needed to get used to that name…
Soon after, he opened the window slowly to the side with his hands, sneaking out of his creator’s base as he marked it interally before leaving.
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Air blew against his cloked shell as he walked, making him wrap his arms around his chest for wormth. He could see static form on the sides of his vision as the darkness ovecame him.
Apparently it was way into the night then he initally thought when looking at his internal clock.
Though the dark was surprisingly easy to navigate through, despite the slight static in his vision. He soon found himself in a quiet town on the side of the hill while looking for the Restoration.
To start of his mission of meeting up with Belle, he searched for information about her and Sonic’s friends, and found an estimate of where the Restoration base might be.
Metal had no idea what he would do and where he would go after that, but continued on the trail he had been tracking through, slowly looking for a hint of the so-called Restoration capound Belle would be wating at the entrance at.
That was well until he bumped into someone he hadn’t seen in front of him, as a surprised yelp had come from a feminine hedgehog silhouette, who fell onto the ground.
His vision glitched as he also fell butt-first onto the ground in surprise.
Mel felt guilty, as he quickly got up and held his hand out for the silhouetted female hedgehog to help get back up.
A loud scream came from the girl from seeing a figure in the dark with crimson red eyes, making her pull out a hammer and point it at Mel, making him flinch back.
''Amy, wait!'' A familer timind voice cried out from behind.
They both turned around to see their mutal aquiantence Belle running up to them in the same velvet blue unifrom that Mel saw her in in his dream, which her apperance now confirms it to be more then that.
''This is the new work colleuge I told you about, you know, the one I'm suppsed to meet up?'' Belle namelessly intraduced while reminding the other female of there converation earlier in the night
''Really? What's he doing wondering aimlessly in the dark? He scared me half to death!'' the female hedgehog, Amy,stated heatedly while withdrawing her hammer.
''Yeah, s-sorry about that, I didn't think he would turn up so late'' Belle apologized on her fellow robot's behalf while rubbing the back of her head ''And I didn't exactly give him directions to the base, so that's on me...''
''Everyone here and the surounding areas know where the resistence base is, it's not that hard to spot'' Amy objected in amphasis with a suspecious look on her face. ''Come to think of it, I've never seen him around before, who even is he?''
''I'm... Mel'' Mel finally spoked up since the start of the conversation with some hesitence for his „name“.
''Mel...Locklear, from the human-native city of Holoska!'' Belle continued to intraduce while coming up with a backround and backstory on the spot. ''He came in through the port just this evening on a personal ship, so I ofered him to stay with me for a while, at least until he can afford his own apartment.''
''You really think that's a good idea?'' Amy questioned in wary and concern. ''You know „they“ show up to cause trouble for the base around this time.''
''Who's „they“?'' Mel asked with a tilt of his head towerds Belle.
''I-I'll tell you about it at the base'' Belle promised as she took her fallow robot by the hand and start guiding him forwerd
''I guess I'll talk to you two tomarrow, I still have a generator to check up after this afternoon's power outage before „they“ try to attack it'' Amy stated in explanation for her and Belle's doings in the city at night as she went the opossite direction.
Mel fallowed after Belle to her restorstion qourters with a slight tremble and grimce; realizing her spure-of-the-moment excuss of her offering him to stay with her means he will have to stay with her for the foresable future, something that worries him as it would not only get her in hot oil with Eggman, but her own friends if they find out she's harbering him.
''What do I even say to that?!'' Metal thought internaly with an alarmed look on his face.
''What's wrong Meta-Mel?'' Belle asked with conerned-filled eyes, tripping a little with his „name“.
''Dammit, just go right out and say it already!'' Metal thought while biting his bottem glassa before histently speaking up. ''Look, I don't want to get you trouble, I'm fine finishing what I came here to do and heading back to Eggma-''
''Wait- what! No? I'n not just gonna let you walk the street at night, especially when „they“ are woundering around looking for easy prey to devour!'' Belle cried out in emphasis and a hard frown.
''Who and what are these „they“ you and Amy keep mentioning?'' Mel asked in frustrated confusion at the two's vaguness
Belle looks down in grimful worry as he gestured with her hand for her fellow high-satient badnik to hurry inside the restoration's qourters, all the doors and windows locking and covering behind them in a sort of a mini-lockdown.
''Whoa, what's going on?'' Mel inquired in frightened shock as he looked around at the now hightly secured building.
''Not long after Eggperial city was destroyed and the full formation of the Neo Diamond Cutters, strange things started happening at night'' Belle began to explain as she huridly ashures Mel into her room.
''Electronics and vehicles would stop working, the sky turns into this eary green color'' Belle continued as she walks up to and began to type on her computer ''Some places would be surounded by blinding fog, while some would distort into these big and eerie places that would make you feel like your walking on shallow waters''
Mel couldn't quite place it, but something about those descritions that the wooden puppet just gave sound strangely familier, but he couldn't put a digit on why and how that is.
''And the centre of all of it are these weird black beings that slither around everywhere, pray on the wicked souls and innocent bystanders with troubled thoughts, groving in size and shape depending how strong the emotions are''
Belle wih clanched teeth and hardened eyes as she brought up live footage of outside showing living black blobs with glowing yellow eyes using their rubber-hose hands to move around stealthfuly and swiftly.
''Mine, Jewel's and Tails research informed that they are beings born from suppressed negative emotions, known simply as-'' Belle began to identify the creatures, but was beaten to it.
''Shadows...'' Mel breathed our the name of the wicked beings without thinking.
''Yeah, how did you-?'' Belle began to question, but stoped herself. ''I guess what Agetha said about you was correct''
''What did she say about me?'' Mel echoed back in curiosity, to which the mouse maryonette began to recount
''How that your the long-awaited „metalic saver“, how all the „great evils“ of the world would soon return, and how you would need to tap into the power of the „previous guests“ by experiancing through their journeys and bonds-''
At the last words; Mel's world suddenly began to swirl into colors of blue, yellow, red and green, before avelaping into bright velvet blue, all the while distently hearing Belle's cries of frightened worry and concern before blacking out.
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''Iwatodai, Iwatodai. This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island.''
He feels himself exiting a train and pulling out some kind of map, before every lgiht and etronic went out and lightened into this eary green color.
''You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you''
Flashes of the outside of a desirted street riddled with coffins and pools of red blood, before cuting inside a dormetorie where a boy with pale complection wearign a prison uniform-like pejamas stood at the rection.
''No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears or cover your eyes. And so it begins...''
''Who's there!?''
A girl in pink appears with a hostile look and battle-ready stence.
''How can you be... but it's...!''
She begins to breath harshly as she reaches out for her holisted gun straped to her knee.
''Don't tell me...''
''------, Wait!''
An uperclassmen girl stoped her as the lights went back on.
''I didn't think you'd arrive so late. My name is ------ ------. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm.''
''...Who's he?''
''He's a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign him here. He'll evently be moved to a room in the boys' dorm''
''...is it okay for him to be here?''
''I guess we'll see''
''It's getting late. So you should get some rest. Your room is on the second floor at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there''
''Oh... I'll show you the way''
''Um... Can I ask you something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?''
''I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay? Good night.''
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''Metal! Metal! Mel!''
At the sound of his new self-given designation, Mel's snaped out of the unfamilier memory sequances to see Belle look over at him worryingly with a blanket she brought draped over his shouders.
''Wh... What happened? Did I went offline?'' Mel asked while sheking his head to clear out the remaining static in his vision.
''Looks like your „journey re-living“ is already starting, and you havent even awokened to your persona yet!'' Belle concluded in a worrying amazment.
''Persona...?'' Yet another unfamiler word Metal somehow knew and wasn't purplexed by.
''I'll explain to you what it is and how it connects to all of this tomarrow'' Belle asuredly promised as she guided her fellow diguised robot to a pair of bunk beds. ''You've been through a lot and it's geting late, let's get you to bed''
''R-Right, thanks'' Mel stuttered out softly as he layed down on the lower bed.
''Don't mention it, us high AI badniks have to stick togather'' Belle comforted tiredly as she climed up to the uper bad and layed down on her side. ''Good night, have a good recharge.''
Mel started at the wooden boreds of the upper bad, recunting the night of useal senseless punishment that turned strange and function-changing when he had that improbable dream.
Was him leaving his creator now the right choice? Especially when he was in the middle of his punishment? Did he constructed a good enough disguise to fool everyone, especially Sonic and his friends? What would came out from staying with his wood-constructed sister? Should he get involved with the shadows and the strange phanomenons they caused when it has nothing to do with or isn't any of his concern? Or is it?
The visions of a green sky, streets full of coffins, and the dorintory with the strange human boy and high school students would say it does. Though he hasn't prossased enough information to know for sure. With these conflicting thoughts and worries filling through his processor, Metal eventully fell into recharge.