CHAPTER 4:

Born Again

Three creatures floated silently in their bio-tank wombs.
"I am still learning much about the structure of mobian genetics--thanks to the odd transformation in Mecha Sonic," Robotnik mused.
Snively nodded nonchaulantly at his uncle and continued working at the monitoring station.
"I was even able to alter these three's gene structures into better designs. The Kaxta no longer needs to be near her tree and has wings, and the echidna's genes were damaged already--I just repaired them. Hir left side was too torn-up to alter, so I simple metallicized it."
Robotnik laughed to himself. "I will have to make my SWATbots go a bit easier on those I want alive. And Mecha Sonic," Robotnik said, staring at the shadowed figure in the first tank, "has had his genes mixed with a wolf's. I am curious to see how this mutation will pan out."
Mecha Sonic watched Robotnik from his numb, useless body. He could do nothing, say nothing, but he could still think. This was worse than any prison.
"Mecha Sonic will be ready before the other two, Sir," Snively said as he read the data coming of the screens of the monitoring station.
"Good. We'll wake him first."
The fluid around Mecha Sonic spilled out onto the floor of the lab and he fell out with it. Straining his new muscles, he got to his knees with a groan.
"And how are we doing?" Robotnik smirked with mock concern.
"What the...what the hell did you do to me?" Mecha coughed , trying to get to a stand.
"I simply 'upgraded' you, dear boy, " Robotnik smiled, tapping his fingers against each other. He made a sweeping gesture with his right arm, pointing to a mirror. "Take a look at yourself."
Mecha did so, slowly. He nearly dropped right back to knees at his relfection. A tall, lanky grey hedgehog met his eyes. He was leaner and stronger than before, and had a shaggy wolf's tail behind him tipped in black. His ears, headfur, spines, arms and legs went from a smoky grey to a jet black at the ends. His muzzle was a shock of white, his eyes, a deep icy blue, partially hidden by his bangs. His fingers were still flexible silver claws, and a set of silver gentials--things he'd never had as a robot--nestled between his legs. But most surprising was the new marking across the left side of his torso. It was a bright fiery orange marking, outlined in black, and shaped like a leaping flame.
"What...what is this?" Mecha questioned Robotnik, indicating the new marking.
Robotnik shrugged unconcernedly. "It just appeared during your upgrading. It is nothing to be worried about."
The doors swished an in stepped a black cloaked figure, in full military garb. "Ah, Packbell, have you come to see our little pet projects?" Robotnik said, greeting his android creation with a smile.
Packbell looked Mecha Sonic over, with cold eyes. "It's a far cry from the original, I'll give you that."
Mecha merely gave Packbell a universal gesture of contempt with his middle clawfinger.
Packbell smirked. "The attitude hasn't changed."
*tink tink tink....*
A small canister dropped onto the lab floor. Its sides popped open and a green smoke began to hiss out....
"What the hell?" Robotnik swore, covering his mouth and nose with his cape. Packbell's diamundium claws shot out of his wrists as he looked up at the loose grate on the air duct above.
"*cough* Above us, Sir, there's--! *cough* *hack*" Snively sputtered.
Raven Potto dropped down out of the grating.
"You've just bought yourself an excrutiating end, primate," Packbell snarled at the black-furred Raven. Raven merely grinned and unholstered a hand-held mag-pulse rifle. He looked over at Mecha Sonic, and squinted for just a half second--then his eyes widened as he recognized his target.
Packbell slashed at Raven in a downstroke, and Raven lept back and primed the mag-pulse and fired a couple of rounds into Packbell's midsection. The spikes of steel, thrown with magnetic force of incredible velocity, nailed Packbell straight to the wall behind him. Packbell coughed up hydrolics and sparked, angrily trying to pull himself off the spikes.
"Are you Mecha Sonic, the one who pledged fealty to Sally?" Raven asked as he ran to the weak wolf-hedgehog's side. Mecha nodded and Raven grabbed him around the waist. "Come on pal, she payed a pretty penny to get you out of here..."
"Packbell, Snively, what the hell is going on?" Robotnik roared, still lost in the smoke.
"But there are others..in the tanks..." Mecha protested weakly.
"No time, buddy! We gotta go NOW!" Raven insisted as he slung his rifle over his right shoulder. He quickly fired a grapling hook back up to the air ducts. Wrapping the cord around Mecha's waist, he hit the retract button and both shot up and out to safety.
The smoke finally cleared and Packbell pulled himself off the wall. Snively checked over the two furs in statis.
"T-the other t-two are und-damaged, Sir...."
Robotnik merely growled angrily and Snively yelped and began to panic. He looked over at Packbell, who was in pretty bad shape. "Snively, get Packbell to a repair facility, then send all available units after that Bounty Hunter! I want his head on a pike in my War Room by dawn!!"


****

"Hey Hal! Get the medical supplies ready, Pronto!"
Hal jumped as he saw Raven drag in a weak Mecha Sonic. He grabbed the medi-kit out from under the bar and leapt over it and landed with a shaking *thud* in front of it. Picking up Mecha Sonic as if he were nothing more than a bag of loose feathers, Hal carried him to the clinic in back of the Dark Tavern.
Nack couldn't help but notice this. Out of curiousity, he join them in the Clinic.
Hal layed Mecha down on a large leather couch, the kind that pyscologists favored, and looked him over with a small scanning device. He gave a big smile of relief. "He's OK, Raven. He just needs some rest. It's like all his muscles are brand new, and he needs to work them slowly to build their strength."
Nack took a look at Mecha. "This was your Bounty?" he asked Raven.
"Yup. Princess Sally paid to have me get him out of Robotropolis. He's gotta be important if she wants him," Raven commented.
"One thing's for sure, you better get 'im sum clothes before ya take him to Knothole," came a voice from behind the group.
"Chronic! What are you doing up and about? Shouldn't you be in the Back Room, sucking on a reefer like you usually are?" Raven smirked at the glassy-eyed green hedgehog.
"Hey man, like, I don't always do that, you know," Chronic frowned. His rather vacant expression, however, indictated that he'd decided that today was one of the times he did. "You got anything to eat, Hal?"
Hal rolled his eyes and tossed Chronic one of his 'special' chillidogs--the kind that had a sobering effect on addicts like Chronic, thanks to a few key medicines in the chilli. He'd been trying to treat Chronic for a few months now, but every so often, the green hedgehog gave in to temptation.
"It makes me sick to think that Robotnik did that to him," Raven whispered to Hal, Nack and Mecha. "He was trying out a program that would get good fighters hooked on drugs--and they'd have to do what he said in order to get their next fix. It worked...but the fighters got so strung out on that crap they became totally useless."
"I gotta get back..." Mecha moaned, trying to get up. "I gotta save them..."
"Easy, Mecha, you need rest first," Hal said, pushing him back down.
"But Estri....Wildfyre..." Mecha protested.
Nack's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Did you say Wildfyre??"
Mecha nodded. "She and Estri echidna are in bio-tanks...like I was...Robotnik's making genetic alterations to them..."
Raven had to tackle Nack just to keep him from running out the door.
"Nack, get ahold of yourself!" Raven growled, trying to hold onto the struggling weasel.
Nack took a swing at Raven. Lemme go, horn-head! I gotta get to her while there's still a chance!"
"You're gonna hate me for this," Raven whispered, taking a out a chloroform-soaked rag and smashing it into Nack's muzzle. The weasel's eyes rolled back in his head and he quickly hit the floor. Raven tossed Nack onto a couch next to Mecha.
Hal covered Mecha up with a heavy blanket. "Get some rest. We will go to save your friends when you are back at full strength." Mecha nodded and soon fell into a heavy slumber.


*****

An echidna and kaxta gasped and twitched as they drew in breaths of air. S.A.L.T. fluid spilled over the metal floor in the lab like amniotic fluid from a birthing. Robotnik reached down and pulled the umblicus devices from them. They laid there on the cold wet steel floor, their minds too blank to comprehend that they were capable of standing. SWATbots picked up the now white herm echidna first, carrying hir to a nearby examination table. Sie was limp in their arms, hir unfocusing eyes darting around the room. Then they picked up the now crimson and gold, black-striped kaxta--now forever in marsupial wolf form--and took her over. She managed a slight groaning sound, just as infantile as the echidna.
"This time, I have take the liberty of repressing their memories very deeply," Robotnik said, watching the SWATbots haul them to the tables. "The should be much less likely to run away."
Snivley brought a data-stream cord to each of the creatures, their new bodies suddenly molding to the connections. He backed up and gasped. Robotnik smiled even wider.
"Do you see it Snively? They are made of flesh...but they are also machines!!"
"Y-y-yes Sir," Snively stammered.
"Their DNA is made of both metal and organic components grafted from Mecha Sonic. They are the ultimate robot warriors--because they are not truly robots!" Robotnik cackled. Soon the data-stream cords detatched and the two creatures got up to sitting postions on the tables.
"My Hunters," Robotnik smiled, wiping a tear from his eye.
The echidna slid off the table and looked at the female. "Why did you make her?" sie asked Robotnik. "I am by nature stronger; what purpose does she serve?"
"She is necessary to your species," Robotnik answered. "You are capable of reproducing yourselves like regular organic creatures. She is for breeding." The echidna turned and looked over the female with hir soft grey eyes. Sie walked over to the kaxta and pushed her back down onto the table, and proceeded to crawl up on the table and on top of her. Robotnik realized what was about to occur and pulled the echidna off of the kaxta by hir dreds.
"Not yet!" Robotnik laughed. "That comes later!"
The echidna blinked, obviously ready to have completed hir mission. Robotnik set hir down and smiled, then went over to Snivley. "Go get them their uniforms."
"What is our purpose?" The kaxta asked. "Your purpose is to follow me. I am your Father," Robotnik announced with grandeur. "I will teach the ways of the world, and provide you with everything you need. And in return, you will do as I ask."
"This is a logical arrangement." The red kaxta said, her firey fur shimmering like a copper flame.
The echidna looked up at Robotnik. "Father....what are we named?" Robotnik rubbed his chin and thought. He noted the fire of warrior spirit in the kaxta's eyes. She could be an asset--or a danger. He pointed to her.
"You are Kaxta-V."
He looked at the herm echidna, unusual in every way, from color to sex. Hir left half gleamed with silver metal, seemless and jointless, like skin.
"You are Echidna-Z."
By now Snively returned with the clothing for the two. He passed the folded bundles out to each, and they quickly dressed. V and Z both donned tight black jumpsuits, over which went sections of duralloy armor in a white-silver. Then came the cloaks, and standard issue weapons, which they slung over their shoulders.They came forward to Robotnik, waiting for orders.
"Don't they look magnificent, Snively?" Robotnik asked, admiring his killing machines.
Snively grinned a sickening grin. "Delicious, Sir."
"While you all have all the information I could give you," Robotnik stated, "you still need to be taught how to behave." He put his bulbous arms around them. "Come with me, and your training will begin."


*****

Mecha Sonic awoke and yawned.
"Doing better?" Hal's voice rumbled softly.
"Much. I don't feel so strung out now," Mecha replied getting to a siting position. Raven came in a closed the door. Nack was still passed out on the other couch.
"We got a little something for you, Mecha," Raven said, dropping a bundle of clothes in the hedgehog's lap. "We figured you wouldn't want to run around naked all the time."
Mecha laughed. "True, true...."
He unfolded the bundle. It was a long black leather duster, a pair of black jeans, and black leather boots.
"You have sort of a theme here, don't you?" Mecha smiled as he dressed quickly.
"Yeah, hedgehog in black," Raven chuckled.
"I was also wondering," Hal mused, "If you had a name other than Mecha."
Mecha Sonic stopped to think about it. "I think I would like to have a name other than Mecha Sonic. I don't look much like Sonic anymore, and I'm not quite a Mecha."
He looked at his fur. "What color am I?" he asked the others there.
"Kind of an ash-grey," Raven replied.
"Ash..." Mecha said with a smile.
"Ashe Hedgehog? I like it," Hal said.
Nack groaned.
"I think he's coming around," Ashe said looking at Nack. Raven nodded. "Hal and I contacted Sally while you two were out. She's grateful that you're OK. She also gave the go ahead to get your friends out of Robotropolis--if you wanna go."
Ashe nodded. "I have to go. I was awake during my transformation; I heard what Robotnik was planning to do with them. We have to get them out--for our good as much as theirs."
Nack spoke up. "I have to come with you, Ashe. Please." Ashe looked at Nack. The weasel was actually pleading with him, and he saw a concern in Nack's eyes he'd never seen before, even when Ashe had been robotic.
"Hey, I wanna come too! I haven't gone on a mission in years!" Chronic beamed as he walked in. He looked alot different--those chilidogs had taken effect, and cleared out his system.
"Then get your stuff. We're heading out," Ashe smiled.


****

"Robotnik--there's an air skiff requesting clearance to land on the Death Egg," Packbell said.He was fully repaired now, and eager to get his hands on Raven.
"Who is it?" Robotnik asked as his command chair swiveled around to face the view screen. "It's that rediculous weasel," Packbell grimmaced. Then his expression changed.... "Sir, he's says he's got Mecha Sonic and Raven Potto! He wants to know if you're interested in buying them from him."
Robotnik's eyes widened as he rasped gleefully, "Let the dear boy in, and tell him I'll discuss terms of payment."


****

Kaxta V nodded. "Understood Sir. We're on the way."
Echidna Z grabbed hir clothes and began getting dressed and armored.
"I hate being interrupted."
V laughed and swatted Z's behind. "We got it taken care of before the boss called."
Z smiled. "Yeah, but I wanted another one..."
V put on her cloak and smiled...but this was no happy smile, no playfull smile. She grabbed her gun. This was a killing smile. Z grinned back, just as ferally, as they headed out of their quarters.


****

Nack brought Raven and Ashe in to the War Room, in break-away collars and chains. Chronic donned his spy gear and went hunting for Estri and Wild.
"Well, well well," Robotnik beamed, looking over the prisoners. Packbell eyed Raven evilly, torture plans springing into his android skull.
"What do I get for them?" Nack said stoically. "You, dear weasel, get a chance at fame...." Robotnik said in a raspy whisper. With the tap of a button on his chair, the doors sealed and the window covers slid shut. "You get to be the first target for my two new Hunters. Z! V! Come forward!"
Kaxta V and Echidna Z stepped foward in full armor and weapons ready. Nack's eyes widened as he saw Wildfyre.
"W-Wildfyre?" Nack stammered, stunned. Robotnik had anticipated this, and his smile grew as wide and toothy as it possibily could.
"Stand still and I will make your death quick and painless," V said emotionlessly as she lowered the barrel of her weapon.
"Nack, set us loose, quick!" Raven whispered to the stunned weasel. Nack shook himself too and yanked the breakaway chains from Ashe and Raven. They quickly drew their hidden weapons and stood ready.
Packbell drew his blaster and Z aimed hir shotgun. With a booming laugh, Robotnik grabbed Snively as his chair sank into the floor, taking them both to a safer level.
"Shall we, gentleman?" Ashe asked his companions.
"Will do," Raven grinned.
"You are MINE!" Packbell snarled at Raven as he fired at the potto. Raven ducked and rolled and came up shooting back.
Z went after Ashe, running full speed at him and firing hir gun. Ashe lept up and over Z, kicking hir in the arm and knocking the gun from hir hands. As he landed, Z spun around in a flying roundhouse kick and caught Ashe straight in the jaw. Ashe reeled back and punched Z in the stomach, only to hit armor hidden underneath hir cloak.
V fired at Nack, who ducked and rolled.
"I know you're upset with me, I don't blame you after what I did, but can't we talk about this!?" Nack asked, dodging bullets.
"I do not know you, weasel. I only know that I must destroy you," V said, letting round after round of lead into the floor around Nack.
That made Nack suspicious. She'd probably had her mind wiped, or her memories repressed. And that gave him an edge--he might be able to revive them! But doing so had it's risks--she still might want to kill him!
"I know who you are, V! You are not V, you are Wildfyre, the Kaxta!" Nack shouted, jumping closer to her, dodging more weapon fire. That name struck V and made her hesistate.
"No, no that cannot be! I was created by Robotnik to serve his will!" Nack grabbed her gun and forced it down.
"You came from Downunda! You lived in a Fire Tree, with spreading branches and red leaves!" V hesitated more, and did not raise her weapon to shoot.
"I hope you'll forgive me," Nack said as he grew closer. "But I have to do this!"
With that, Nack tackled V and kissed her. V's eyes opened wide as the memories flooded back, and she kicked Nack off of her.
"How could you do that to me! I LOVED you!" she snapped.
"Wild, you remember!" Nack said joyously.
Wildfyre snarled and raised her gun.
"Wild, you...remember...." Nack swallowed nervously.
"You used me, you little bastard!" she snarled shooting at him once more.
"Hey, hey, now wait I can explain!" Nack yelped as he lept to avoid hot lead.
"I'll give you exactly 30 seconds!" Wildfyre growled.
"Yes, I did sell you out...but I didn't want to...I didn't realize at the time how much you affected me...I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, all I could do was hate myself for what I'd done.." Nack stammered.
Ashe and Raven saw what Nack was doing and it dawned on them as well.
"He's right, Wild!" Raven called as he dodged Packbell's claws. "He was miserable! I never saw him so bad off!"
Ashe blocked Z's punch. "We had to hold him back when I said there was a chance to save you! He was going to go off on his own and get killed trying to get you back!"
"You...you...." Wildfyre stammered herself, tears streaming from her eyes. Nack took her into his arms and kissed her, breaking every last ounce of control Robotnik had ever had.
Packbell snarled. "Back me up, Z! V has betrayed us!"
Z nodded and lept over to Packbell's side. With one well-time swoop, her left arm caught Raven across the back. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor.
"Time to die, Bounty Hunter," Packbell hissed, raising his claws to strike.
"NOT BLOODY LIKELY!" came a voice from above. Chronic landed full force on Packbell's back, knocking him to the ground.
Z snarled and aimed a punch at Chronic; he caught hir fist and twisted it quickly, breaking hir arm.
Ashe, Nack, Raven and Wildfyre stared in disbelief.
"Time to remember, Estri," Chronic said, aiming a small device he'd picked up looking for them at hir head. It shot a quick flash of light into hir eyes and sie gasped, hir memories flooding back.
"I'll kill you ALL!" Packbell got to his feet and picked up Chronic, throwing him into a wall, hard. He grabbed Estri and threw hir into Ashe, and quickly shot Nack in the shoulder, barely missing his lungs. He slammed a button on the control panel and jumped down a chute that opened up in the floor.
## One Minute Until Level Irradiation. ##
Chronic groaned. "Damn....we gotta get outta here..."
Raven picked himself up and went over to Ashe, Nack, Estri and Wildfyre.
"Estri, are you alright?" Chronic asked as he pulled himself to his feet. "I'm sorry about that, my old training took over."
"It's OK, Chronic," Estri replied as she helped Wildfyre patch Nack's shoulder. "It's healing already."
## Thirty Seconds Until Level Irradiation. ##
Ashe went over to a wall and began to punch it. He keep punching and punching as the metal began to bow and give way, until at last, the foot-thick steel gave way and ruptured. Quickly the five made their way out of the War Room and onto Nack's air skiff, and took off into the Robotropolis night.


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