Post by Jammerlee on Feb 24, 2012 23:34:02 GMT -5
A low hum started to fill the lush jungles of the Mystic Ruins. Any crowds would have first assumed it was the train coming in, but as the hum got louder, it appeared to be coming from a higher altitude than the rickety scaffolding-esque train station. There was a dot in the sky, finally noticable because it had become large and fast enough to attract the attention of a scrutinous eye. It appeared to be a small personal plane, its nose tilted just the slightest amount downward as it made its decent towards the station and the little workshop on the plateau nearby. The bi-plane zeroed in on the small runway adjacent to the workshop, and within a hundred yards, wireless communication activated between the plane and the workshop demonstrated the mechanical genius of the otherwise simplistic and dusty runway. The stunningly large palmtrees that lined the runway, when at first glance looked firmly rooted into the ground, began to split away from the road, having actually been suspended on tilting platforms that would allow more room for aircraft to land. Furthermore, the runway itself began to tilt into the sky, held aloft by machinery and pistons hidden beneath the otherwise ordinary-looking ground.
And so, piloting the old-fashioned aircraft, Tails made a supremely easy glide in, landing with the skill of a veteran war pilot. Halfway down the runway the doors to the garage of the workshop opened, and the Tornado II rolled in, stopping with a somewhat rough jolt as pop-up pressure holds stopped the remnants of the plane's momentum. As soon as the biplane had stopped moving, the engine and propellers began to quiet as Tails turned off the engine, making the surrounding area a lot quieter.
With the garage doors closing behind Tails and his lone passenger, the kit hopped out of the plane, all excitement and glory.
"We're here!" He proclaimed happily to his hedgehog friend, who, despite the similarities, was not Sonic.
The incognito metallix traveling with him didn't seem quite so enthused. Merce followed the boy's lead, climbing down from the plane and looking around. He had seen Tails' workshop from the outside before, but this was really the first time he had gotten to see its interior.
"So I see."
The young boy led the way through a large open doorway to the rest of the workshop, which, as was normal, displayed a homey, organized mess. The workshop, while doubling as the kit's home, was one whole room. While in general the desks, counters, and other surfaces were cluttered with random objects, workshop stuff was kept in a certain area as the kitchen and sleeping things were kept near a small cluster of kitchen and bed essentials.
Aside from turning on the television for some background noise, the kit kept to the actual workshop side of the abode, placing his toaster cannon on a shelf with some the other unique gadgets he had created, such as his ever-useful Emerald radar. Off to the side of this shelf was the Yellow Tail, his custom-made Extreme Gear.
"My workshop probably doesn't look that professional, but believe it or not everything in here I either made myself or modified it. Or had Uncle Chuck make it," Tails explained, trying to strike up a conversation while letting Merce take his time looking at the workshop.
"Hm... I see..." As the android's eyes took in the environment he couldn't help but find himself vaguely reminded of the room he had back at Eggman's base; small and containing only what he found essential. Of course, his needs were a lot different than the organic kit's, but...
Sweeping his eyes across the workshop the object that immediately caught his interest was the large yellow surfboard like board. This almost seemed to surprise him. Though he was perfectly aware of Sonic's love for sports, and had no doubt in his mind the hedgehog would develop a taste for the emerging sport (assuming he hadn't already), the idea of the timid little fox he now accompanied seemed... strange. He approached it, an arm stretching out to point it out.
"You ride Extreme Gear?"
Tails followed Merce's point to his Gear, cocking his ears to the question.
"Yeah, sometimes. When I'm not busy or anything," Tails responded, a small smile gracing his lips. "It's pretty fun. I even custom-made this Gear with Uncle Chuck's help; I call it the Yellow Tail." Que the swishing of his namesakes for emphasis.
Having reached the board by now, the android allowed his fingers to brush against its fine polished surface. Taking in the sensation of what he could only assume was supposed to be 'smooth', he looked it over, studying the equipment's detail. Level surface, not a screw out of place...
"The craftsmanship is impressive."
Tails flushed red, quite embarrassed considering that earlier Merce had been slighting him about his toaster cannon.
"Heh. I spent a long time tuning it just right," the fox added, smiling in bemusement. "If you look at the air canister and the boosters, you can see how it's been modified for larger aerial thrust."
Merce nodded slightly as he crouched down to examine the fuel tank. He was familiar with the various types of extreme gear, sure, but he did notice the modified shell used for the air canister. It seemed larger than normal; no doubt to supply the extra fuel needed for the thrusters.
As he pondered that he found his mind working its way into a long pause. What... was he doing, he suddenly found himself asking. He was crouching there, next to Tails, in his house, over one of his possessions.
Tails.
The thought unnerved him, and with a sudden awkward tension in his posture he rose back up, stealing a quick glance at the fox before looking back toward the board. Tails. Sonic's best friend. The kid who had not long before played around inside his hard drive against consent. The kid who had shot him and caused him to be abducted by Talon.
He was standing right there next to him
He frowned, feeling his brow curve downward.
Tails found himself starting to frown at Merce's reaction. "What's wrong?"
Wrinkling his nose slightly, the android glared down at the board in front of him. "It is nothing," he responded in a clear lie. Honestly, what was he expected to say? 'You're my enemy, you must die?', no, of course not. A deep breath was automatically simulated as he closed his eyes and tried to steel his nerved. It's only Tails, he told himself. Sure, he knew what the brilliant young prodigy had the potential for, but given the kit's submissive nature, he hardly felt threatened.
Just incredibly uncomfortable.
Tails winced, not by the fact of any hurt feelings, but because of the physically painful sight of seeing Merce lie.
And completely. Utterly. Fail. With fireworks and brandy.
Tails had an inkling feeling that he should get to the bottom of this. Perhaps it would make Merce feel more... happy? It was the closest feeling he could think of, regardless. Not to mention, the kit was also irked and hurt at how Merce had bluntly lied to him.
"That's bullshit." Tails declared, looking at Merce with a flatline stare.
Merce turned to look at him, one brow quirked up in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"You lied. What's wrong?" Tails said, still with a flat gaze, but now with a pinch of kicked puppy sprinkled on on top.
The android leaned back slightly with apprehension. He really, really needed to work on mastering these facial expressions. They were just so weird, and so complex, and not something he was used to paying attention to...
... And speaking of paying attention, Merce wondered quickly over what he was going to tell Tails. What was he going to do, say 'nothing' again? That wasn't working. Feeling the synthetic fur on the back of his neck prickle, more apprehension began to coil itself around his midsection, telling him to bolt.
Lie, he suddenly thought. Make up a story. His mind racing through possibilities. Glancing away, he shrugged. "I just feel awkward."
Tails noticed the whirl of emotions on the androids' face, and only assumed that Merce was gathering up for yet another lie. However, when the hedgehog admitted his feelings, Tails felt the more aggressive side of his pressuring dwindle. He certainly looked awkward after all.
".... Awkward?" Tails pondered, his ears pointing attentively forward. It was a feeling he was quite familiar with, after all. "Why?"
"Think about it," Merce answered, continuing to state tentatively at a spot on the wall. "Who do I resemble, and who are you closely associated to?"
Well, it didn't seem he was telling a complete lie.
SO THEY'VE COME TO THAT AT LAST.
"Funny," Tails murmured loud enough for the hedgehog to hear. The kit scratched the bridge of his muzzle in thought, not only surprised that Merce brought it up, but slightly embarrassed as well, seeing as from the time Tails encountered him at the Chili Dog stand Tails had been resisting making any such comment. "I was trying not to bring that up."
"So was I," the android retorted, now clearly more annoyed than discomforted, "I told you it was nothing."
Yep. Nothing. Nooooooothing at all.
"... Right." Tails said. It didn't quite explain why Merce had suddenly turned to this line of thought in the first place, but the kit was willing to let the evasiveness slide.
FOR NOW.
Before the kit could think of anything else to show the disguised metallix, his ears caught the sound of a very familiar voice.
@scarlet@ A news reporter in red clothing had come on the television. "This is Scarlet Garcia, here for our regular Highlight of the Week report." The television then showed footage of a courtroom with a certain megalomaniac.
"This week's highlight is dedicated to the extremely contradictory trial held in City Hall. This has been one of the strangest courtroom battles in Station Square's known history, with its main feature being the appearance of Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik as Prosecutor for his very own lawsuit. The perpetrator is one Jonas Lans, charged for breaking and entering, and yet offences against Dr. Eggman's rival, Sonic the Hedgehog, is never mentioned."
The reporter went on to describe what happened, and Tails could feel himself getting increasingly uncomfortable. He felt especially awkward when he managed to catch a glimpse of himself on film, being led in by GUN soldiers.
Oh, wow. Way to make an already uncomfortable and irritated android feel even more on edge. Staring at the racing footage, his face twisted into a mixture of fury and embarassment, and an odd sort of ticklish sensation prickled around his quills, neck and back - evidence to the fact his hackles were now raising up.
Tails eventually had to look away from the uncomfortable and over-dramatized footage, but what met his gaze afterward was far worse. The kit's eyes widened at Merce's undeniable look of rage, and instinctively took a step back, partially guarding (hiding) his body with his arms.
"... Umm... ... ...?" Tails had meant to inquire what Merce was so angry about, but the pseudo-hedgehog's demeanor was so intimidating that Tails could only mumble.
The android's gaze shifted toward Tails, his expression softening as he actually flinched, as though he had forgotten the kit was standing there. Feeling the weight of his quills press back down, he looked the boy up and down.
"What?"
Tails relaxed somewhat, though as customary his namesakes began to curl around him like a fluffy barrier. He glanced at the TV.
"I... was just wondering what made you so angry." Tails said meekly. To his credit, he didn't exactly appreciate the event either.
Wrinkling his nose slightly, Merce glanced back at the TV, only to find the segment now over. With an aggravated huff he looked back.
"I witnessed that trial. It was a travesty."
Huh. He didn't recall seeing any blue hedgehogs in the witness stands (Metal Sonic and Sonic aside), though considering what he had been asked to do and how he was brought there against his will... it made sense not to pay attention to anything else.
Laying his ears back as he turned off the offending television, the fox pondered what Merce thought of the trial.
"What made it a travesty?" Tails asked. He had his own opinions for his distaste for that trial, but Merce had obviously been completely incensed by it. Lucky he wasn't born a cat, because he was getting the feeling that his curiosity would catch up with him some day.
Merce frowned, wondering where to even start. "... All of it," he eventually answered. "Every single detail about it."
"Like what?" Tails goaded. "I never saw the whole thing, though what I did see was crazier than Shadow's past."
Irritation... level... rising...
"Eggman tried to call m--Metal Sonic to the witness stand." he said, quickly correcting himself.
Tails' eyebrows rose. Not only at what Tails assumed was an angry stutter, but the piece of information he had just received. Before they decided to kidnap him, Eggman had attempted to use Metal as a witness?
The eyebrows returned to normal as the kit thought. That was... unexpected, but at the same time it made sense to do it.
Then the eyebrows lowered to a frown. From what Tails had seen, if Eggman tried to make Metal testify, why did they need GUN to kitnap him? Did Metal refuse to testify? No, that didn't make sense. Not only would that not help Eggman, but they couldn't force information out of a witness like they ended up doing.
"... I don't get it." Tails stated, clearly confused. "If Eggman tried to use him as a witness, why did... w-... I just don't get it. What happened?" He asked further, stumbling for the right question. Of course, he pointedly refused to acknowledge his part in the trial.
As the android replayed the events in his head to offer his explanation, he felt his hackles raise up a second time. "Because the judge refused to admit him as a witness. According to that... ridiculous... lawyer... they had in there running his mouth, sentient robots are not people, and therefor are not entitled to the same rights."
He paused, seething angrily.
"Eggman admitted him as evidence instead."
Tails had been given answers to both his new question, and his original. They had kidnapped him because Eggman had been forced to submit Metal Sonic as... evidence.... And Merce was angry because the judge and laywer ruled that sentient robots weren't people.
The indignation of it all. It didn't matter how insane that trial was, they had to do the research! ... Which probably would have also meant kidnapping him, since aside from Eggman, Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and himself likely had the most experience with sentient robots.
"And so... you think sentient robots are people." Tails stated, trying not to sound like he was accusing Merce.
The pseudo hedgehog's expression seemed to wilt into a frustrated glare toward the floor. "It is what I wish to believe, yes."
"And why not?" Tails asked rhetorically, looking adorably unhappy. "That judge probably doesn't know a thing about robots. It's so stupid how he made Eggman submit Metal as evidence... just... so... stupid!"
Especially since afterward they had GUN kidnap him so he could go spelunking into Metal's brain.
"Hmph," Merce muttered, folding his arms and turning away. "Stupid and humiliating. And the fact it was televised!" He grit his teeth, clenching a fist onto the fur of his shoulder. "Of all the sheer indignity."
The kit frowned over Merce's curious use of words. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn...
"... You're taking this really personal."
"... Er..." the android cringed a bit, realizing too late that in his anger he'd inadvertently tipped his hat. "Well, er, yes," he said, thinking quickly over how he could explain himself off. "... It is because I am... er... a roboticist. I work with robots."
It technically wasn't a lie?
The kit's mouth scrunched to one side, thinking. This guy was too full of secrets to completely believe, even if it did make sense. There were still a few things that didn't quite fit.
But perhaps the secrecy was for the best. Being more secretive himself would be less hassle for the kit, most definitely. And despite his misgivings, Merce certainly did know a lot about robotics.
Deciding to dig into that bit of mystery later, Tails decided to return to the topic at hand.
"Well, if it's any consolation, I think Metal Sonic's a person.A very grouchy one."
Well, that was something he hadn't expected. Blinking off his initial surprise, he shot a quizzical glance toward Tails. "You do?"
Tails rubbed the back of his head, somewhat flustered by what he just admitted.
"Well... yeah."
"I see," Merce responded, still rather puzzled. Then his brow flattened in irritation. "... Then why did you agree to that examination?"
"I didn't agree." Tails retorted, ears flattening at the memory. "GUN kidnapped me and forced me to." His contempt for that organization was growing with each contact he had with them, and that feeling rang clear in his tone of voice.
As for the examination itself... the opportunity had been one in a billion, but to be truthful it had left him worse for wear.
Considering this for a moment, the pseudo hedgehog snorted, rolling his eyes into his head. "Hmph."
Tails looked somewhat incredulous. "... Something else wrong?"
"... No," Merce stated at length. "I am merely frustrated by the entire situation."
Glancing again at the dual-tailed fox, one of his ears gave a flick as he studied him over. Thought of him as a person, huh. That... really was unexpected. And yet he couldn't help but feel bitter about this revelation. The boy wouldn't be so calm if he knew his real identity...
He frowned. "Perhaps I should go now..."
The fox's own irritation disappeared as Merce opted to leave. They hadn't done much of anything yet. Aside from looking at his extreme gear (which actually impressed Merce!), they only got distracted by the stupid TV.
Still... he should at least give Merce something before he went. And hey, maybe it would make him stay longer. Striding into the kitchen area, he grabbed something small and brought it back.
"Well, at least have a cupcake before you leave? I got them fresh from the bakery over in Station Square." Tails offered, showing Merce a small tray of tiny icing-topped cakes. With the sky blue icing, and unique arrangement of brown, orange, and various green sprinkles, it was quite obvious they were made to represent Green Hill Zone.
"... Er..."
Merce stared at the sugary treats being presented to him. Considering what he thought was his first experience with 'food' earlier, it was understandable he was a little... apprehensive... to try anything again anytime soon.
Besides. He still thought eating was just weird.
"Ah.. I... I do not know..."
Tails seemed to catch the vibe, as he attempted to reassure the hedgehog.
"Don't worry.Practical jokes aren't my style. These taste really good." As if for emphasis, he took one, removed the little paper surrounding it, and took a decent bite out of the little snack. Mmm.... that frosting tasted good with the chocolate cake.
Weird, weird, weird.
Honestly, why did organics feel compelled to keep offering him food?! With an inward sigh, he reached for one of the baked pastries, awkwardly unpeeling the paper as he had witnessed Tails do. For the first few seconds all he could do was study it. Aside from more minor issues like the fact self-conscious android now had frosting and crumbs on himself, he was mentally preparing himself to shove this thing in his mouth (Weird!) and begin chewing (WEIIIRD). Finally raising it up, he took an experimental nibble.
It... wasn't bad, he supposed. Though he couldn't yet recognize such sensations as 'sweet' for what they were or what chocolate tasted like. He could hazard a vague guess (Cupcakes were supposed to be 'sweet', right? He was pretty sure they were...), but being unable to ask and verify for sure without receiving strange looks was... annoying...
"It is... interesting," he finally stated, pulling the cupcake away and looking it over again.
Tails gobbled down the rest of his own cupcake while eyeing Merce. Worried about practical jokes was one thing, it was another to see that the cupcake was a truely foreign food item.
"You don't go out to eat often, do you?" Tails asked, starting to lick the frosting off of his gloves. The cloth wasn't very appetizing, but he couldn't waste that delicious sugary concoction!
"Not often... no..." he stated, taking another experimental nibble. Of course, by 'not often' he actually meant 'never', but... that was his little secret. Swallowing the bite, he simulated a breath. This... this wasn't so bad, he thought. Being constantly exposed to sensation in this form with no way to actually turn it off, he felt as though maybe he was beginning to adjust. There was just... so much sensory input he was missing to understand it all.
Despite that, he couldn't wait to get back into his old 'skin' for a reprieve. Honestly. He was eating a cupcake. This was the sort of nonsense RK would be attempting!
And it was with that realization that he felt a twinge of foolishness coarse through him. Steeling himself, he tried to reason it out. No, what he was doing wasn't nonsense. It was expected of him, given his current form... RK would just mash it into his face plate and carry on like it were nothing...
As though to reaffirm this, he took a larger bite. In the process getting frosting all over his nose.
Tails smirked at the sight as he finished the last of his frosting-coated gloves and reached for another cupcake. This was rather fun in a way, even if Merce still planned to leave.
"Well, maybe sometime soon I could show you the good food joints around Station Square, and maybe show you some of the other projects I've got."
Well, that put the android in an unexpected conflict. He couldn't have cared less about the offer for food, but... seeing more of the kit's projects? He may not have liked the two-tailed prodigy, but if there was one thing hard to deny, it was that his genius rivaled that of Eggman's.
So, obviously, getting to see whatever creations he had would have been a rare treat. An opportunity he would have never had under normal circumstances... Of course, this was also the same kid who had also shot him with that EMP pistol, leading to the creation of that miserable bootleg, and later on rummaged around in his head and pointed that modified toaster at him...
He took the last bite of his cupcake, debating which of two very strong emotions would be worth giving into. Glancing down and realizing the frosting all over his face, he frowned and began trying to wipe it off. He didn't like Tails, sure, buuuut... the boy also hadn't figured out his real identity. Take a chance, his mind urged.
And so it was decided. Moving his gaze, which had been staring at the frosting now on the tip of his finger in wonder of how to get it off, he glanced over at Tails. "I would... like that."
Tails grinned, excited. It was so rare to be able to interact like this. Perhaps he had gotten far too used to Sonic's reactions. And he wouldn't try to bother with Knuckles.
"That's awesome!" The fox responded, quickly devouring his second cupcake. "I'm sure there's a lot of things you'd love to see."
"Well..." the android began, playing with the frosting between his fingers now. He paused to motion around the workshop. "We are here right now... That was why you brought me, correct?"
Before that stupid television reminded him of that stupid trial and got him so riled up.
You could practically see happiness explode from the kit. Cupcakes made him stay!
Quickly setting down the plate of goodies, Tails excitedly pondered what to show. How about from the beginning? Show how much you could do years ago. Snapping his fingers, Tails made a decision. He rushed over to one corner of the workshop, lifted a small device off of a barely noticeable stand, and brought it back to Merce.
"This baby is one of the first things I've ever made. It's my trusty tracking radar. Even now I've never had to tweak it, so I'm really proud of it." Tails explained, offering it to the metallix-in-disguise.
Taking the small round device, Merce held it up to eye level and stared down into the map on its small monitor. A series of lights flashed, and he instantly recognized their pattern of color as those of the eight Chaos Emeralds.
... Wait. Eight?
The android's brow furrowed in confusion. That didn't make sense. There were two yellow emeralds appearing on this screen! One was... right next... to him.
And then his brow raised up as he looked back toward Tails, quizzically perked at his two-tailed host.
"... What?" Tails asked. "It's a radar that can read concentrations of Chaos Energy."
"I sort of gathered that," he said, pointing into the map. "I recognize the colors. What I do not understand is why there is a damn fourth second yellow emerald... directly next to me."
There was a long pause.
"Oh," of COURSE the radar would pick that up. Looking at the map, and the very obvious Chaos Emerald signature coming from his own person, Tails wondered what to do. Though, it wouldn't be much of a secret for long anyway...
"That's because..." Tails began, reaching into his hammerspace, "I have this." Que the You Got A Chaos Emerald! jingle.
Blinking in awe as the golden light spilled out of the kit's hammerspace, for a brief moment it crossed his mind why Tails would show him something to precious and valuable. But that was before reminding himself that this was not one, but part of a set of like-colored emeralds...
... The fake emerald! he thought, suddenly very excited. He remembered while going through files related to the ARK incident that there had been sparse mentions of a fake yellow Chaos Emerald. This had to be it.
"That is... not a Chaos Emerald, is it?" he asked, staring into it. For all intensive purposes it certainly could have fooled him for the real thing. Except the energy signature coming from it seemed a bit weaker...
"It is, and it isn't." Tails explained, cupping the glowing stone in his hands. "It's a fake that I made. It has the exact same properties and wavelengths as a real emerald, but its power output is a lot lower. So far it's the only one to exist."
Ah ha, the android thought, settling any doubt he may have had. It was that fake emerald from the Ark incident... the one that, as he had read, saved Sonic from certain death. Gazing into the clear yellow stone, he couldn't help but become a bit... transfixed.
"That is... amazing," he said, his fascination luring him in for a closer look.
Beaming, the kit let Merce stare at the emerald, though he refrained from bragging any more about the gem, lest he let slip the fact that an entire set was on the way. That was strictly on a need-to-know basis.
And it was at this point the pseudo-hedgehog's hand began to raise with slow caution toward the equally pseudo emerald. His fingers curling as to wrap around it, hovering there in space.
"... May... I have a closer look at it?"
At this point, Tails debated what to do. As many of his machines could attest to, he was very protective of his creations, and often upset when others started handling them. But... the Chaos Emeralds may have been well known at this point, but it seemed extremely rare to find anyone who could use them to the extent that Sonic and the others could. And it wasn't like the Fake Emerald would get scratched or break...
"Sure." Smiling widely, Tails handed over the emerald.
Taking the emerald, the thing that Merce immediately noticed was how... warm it was against his gloved palm. What followed that was a strange ethereal pressure wavering in the air surrounding the stone. It seemed to push and pull in gentle waves, flowing into his hand, leaking into the synthetic skin and flowing through the wires up his arm. It was a strange and unexpected sensation, and yet... oddly soothing.
And to think this was only a fake emerald. He had handled real emeralds before, and while he could detect their energy through his sensors over short ranges, this... this was like seeing for the first time. Holding the golden stone to his face he stared intently into it, utter fascination saturating his face as he felt the energy tingle against the fur on his cheeks.
And then a memory crossed his mind - the abilities rare few individuals who came into contact with a Chaos Emerald possessed. Those including Sonic. And if his restored memories were correct... himself. Experimentally he held the fake stone out in front of him, concentrating on that energy, feeling that electric pressure creep further up his arm and spilling into his body. It was so... empowering.
"Chaos... CONTROL!" he uttered, a flash of light engulfing his body.
What seemed like no harm had turned into complete terror for the fox. Red flags, ringing bells, wailing sirens, all the alarms in existence began to peal in the kits mind as he heard those unmistakable words, and saw the flash of light.
He couldn't lose his most prized possession! Not now! Not to some guy he probably shouldn't have let hold the Emerald in the first place! Skin crawling, the kit's fur bristled to its maximum extent, his eyes wild and mouth agape.
Sputtering in outrage, fear, and instinct, Tails made a futile leap for the hedgehog, but ended up crashing to the workshop floor in the midst of the remaining energy.
Fortunately for the kit, the stranger in question hadn't gone far. Appearing directly behind where Tails previously stood with another flash, Merce stood there, casually giving the fake stone another deep examination.
"Utterly impressive," he finally stated, offering the emerald back to its owner's rear end.
His tails swishing wildly, the fox whirled around to see that, to his relief, he hadn't been suckered this time. Tails quickly snatched up his Fake Emerald and placed it away in his hammerspace, still looking extremely flustered, with a cross between a grimace and complete surprise etched onto his face.
He was too shaken by the event to even berate Merce for giving him such a heart attack.
Taking a moment to eye the boy's disturbed condition, something unusual for those who knew Merce happened... a small smirk crossed his lips in sync with his eyes changing to an emerald green hue.
"Hmm. You are indeed fortunate that I have a sense of integrity," he chastised lightly. "But I am pleased you showed me."
Amongst his already puffed appearance and petrified look, Tails became even more disturbed as he saw Merce's ruby-red eyes FLARE TO A BRILLIANT GREEN, let alone... being chastised for trusting the hedgehog so much. Which was drastically overshadowed by everything else that had happened in the span of a few seconds.
... Tails couldn't stop staring. For all intents and purposes he was looking at Sonic who had decided he was gonna wear different gloves and shoes. But this was definitely not the case, even if his visual memory screamed so.
If it wasn't for the fact that he had actually gotten his Emerald back, the kit likely would have fainted. As it were, the VERY disturbed kit continued to stare blankly into space, the fact that Merce had thanked him and appeared happy only faintly registering in his mind.
"... Don't.... do that again." Tails said, quite obviously detached from reality. "I'll keep that in mind... thank you~" His airy voice suggested that he wasn't quite committing to what he was saying. He promptly went and flopped down on his couch, spending all of his energy on processing just what had happened.
"... Hrm. Noted," Merce replied, his smirk melting into a frown. With it, his eyes phasing back into their typical ruby hue, and his feet shifted uneasily in place. Setting the emerald radar he was still holding on a nearby table, he shifted his weight toward the door.
"I should leave now," he said, continuing to frown. "I... appreciate... your hospitality."
As Tails' eyes followed his ears that had cocked in the direction of Merce's voice, he noticed that Merce's eyes were back to being red.
... Of course, they were always red, right? I really need some rest, he thought, if I'm starting to pull an Amy.
The idea seemed to sober the kit up, as he noticed Merce's intention to leave. He sat up, not quite ready to stand yet, and gave Merce a more appraising look.
"It was the least I could do." Tails replied, not quite up to smiling after what had happened. Strangely enough though, thinking on having Merce over as a whole, he felt very happy, and even wished for the odd hedgehog to come back soon. Just... no more handling the fake emerald. Planes? Yes. Mechs? Yes. Toaster Cannon? ... Yes. Fake Chaos Emerald? NO.
Idly the kit wondered if he was too trusting of people. It was odd, since he's always uncomfortable, shy, and meek around strangers, not to mention the recent experiences and repercussions with trusting people.
Allowing his eyes an awkward sweep over the kit's workshop, Merce gave a small shrug to himself and made his way for the door. As he grasped the handle he idly looked back, finding Tails in deep thought. This caused the android to pause, his lips scrunching to one side.
And then he exhaled and rolled his eyes. "I only wanted to test its capabilities, to see how precise a replica it was. I meant no harm."
Accompanying his final statement with a shrug, he twisted the knob and vanished through the opening.
Tails looked up at the noise, surprised.
"Not many people would be able to 'test' one like that. As far as I knew, Sonic, Shadow, and Metal were the only ones capable of Chaos Control. And they all learned it from Shadow." Tails called after the receding figure, pondering whether or not to give chase.
... Why in the world couldn't he just let it go?
The door was already closed before Merce had given himself a chance to respond, glancing back at it with consideration over what Tails had just said. Too late to change things now, and besides, who was to say part of the 'test' was to see if he could even pull it off at all? He gave a small shrug to himself.
And now that he was free came the question of what he was going to do next. Really, the thought of going home now sounded appealing. He'd had an eventful day and he really, really wanted to get back into his normal form and be rid of the bothersome senses pummeling him for awhile. He glanced around - he'd need a suitable place to transform where there would be no chance anyone could see him. The workshop of his enemy was certainly no place to do this.
And then he spotted the cliffside. Perfect. Who would think to find him down there? No one organic would be stupid enough to leap to their death, and he could catch himself with his turbine.
That was precisely what he planned as he began to march toward the rocky outcropping.
Sitting down on the couch, Tails rested his arms on his legs and gazed into the softly glowing emerald, since there was no reply forthcoming from Merce. It was such a beautiful thing, and despite its falsity contained a vast amount of power. That energy had been the life of some of his other creations, but he had only truely used that power himself once. On its reflective surface, the kit could just make out his own sky blue eyes looking back at him, musing, wondering.
His grip tightened on the gem as the stare intensified. He chanted.
"Chaos... Control!"
...
... Nothing happened; the fake emerald's glow didn't even become brighter. Tails slumped in his seat. Looking at the door his hedgehog acquaintance had exited from, Tails debated with himself once more.
...
"Hey Merce!" Tails called out, having left the workshop to see if he could catch up with him. Looking towards the train station, he didn't see Merce heading up the stairs or boarding the transport, and frowned. Glancing here and there, Tails tried to see where the pseudo-hedgehog could have gone.
Trees, trees, workshop, blue on the cliff, tree, train-- waitaminute. Locking his eyes on that speck of blue, in an instant the kit felt his heart freeze over.
"... H-HEY!" WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING? Realizing with horror that Merce planned to jump off the cliff, Tails rushed towards him with all of his speed, but was too late. He couldn't even call out before Merce jumped over.
And yet Tails still ran, starting to fly towards the cliff. If Merce managed to survive the jagged rocks and concrete-hard surface of the water, Tails might be able to rescue the insane jerk from drowning.
He had never even considered the idea that Tails might follow after him. After the shaken impression he had left he was sure the boy would stay in his workshop like the good nuisance he was.
The thing was, with the roar of wind rushing into ears, that were not designed for high speed, he couldn't hear the whirl of the kit's namesakes as he struggled desperately to reach him - it sounded no difference from the rest of the wind around him.
So imagine his great surprise. Imagine feeling secure in knowing your identity would be safe as soft synthetic fur and skin hardened and took on a metallic silver appearance, then swiftly bled color back as he reshaped, returning to the considerably more familiar and comfortable sensation of no feeling. Flexible quills hardening into molded spikes, smooth joints of what appeared to be bone, skin and muscle becoming modular and shining brightly in the light, red and white eyes turning black...
Imagine how he felt as the turbine now in place of his stomach roared, and in a large, swooping arc barely touched against the waves, the drops of water that splashed up sparkling as he saved himself from certain doom. His intent to simply return home and relax.
Now imagine him turning to give Mystic Ruins one last look before his departure, his digital eyes growing wide as he stared back.
What Tails had just witnessed was beyond explanation, breaking the boundaries of reason and logic and shattering the fox's perception. At once, he could not believe what he had seen, denied it, even; yet could not tear his eyes away from a sight so fascinating, horrifying, and bewildering. There was not a word, not a thought, he could conjure for what he saw, and in fact, in stunned shock, he could not think of anything at all.
Only the sense of being high off the water kept the kit flying after having just shot over the cliff in hope to save Merce from an awful fate. Aside from the instinctive reaction of slowly backing away, he was completely petrified.
Now, imagine his reaction when, just making it back to the cliff, he found himself locking eyes with a vicious metallix, who had formed from the hedgehog he had only met and made friends with mere hours ago.
The questions, the answers, and the horrifying realization were far too much to handle. Like a towering tree, the kit leaned slowly forward and to the left before swiftly pivoting on his toe and crashing to the ground, his head emenating a loud THUMP on impact.
He was completely motionless.
As his initial shock wore off, the sight of the kit's own brought him around to an all too familiar feeling... irritation. Oh, of course. Of course that, despite his precautions, his identity would be found. When was luck ever in his favor? Now, of course, he would never be able to use his alternate identity for its intended purpose...
He resisted the urge to put a dent in his own forehead from the intensity of the facepalm he wished to make. On the first day, he mentally lamented.
Still hovering from the position from where he had caught himself, he glared up at the kit, who upon reaching the top of the cliff had abruptly... fainted.
His earlier feelings and their urge to make him leave returned with a stinging fury. Thought of him as a person? No. Thought of him as a psychopath. As a monster. He knew how the kit felt - how he reacted around him - and face to face with his actual identity his suspicions were only proven.
"Hmph," he muttered, turning away from the cliff side. With a rev of his turbine he took off toward the ocean.
And so, piloting the old-fashioned aircraft, Tails made a supremely easy glide in, landing with the skill of a veteran war pilot. Halfway down the runway the doors to the garage of the workshop opened, and the Tornado II rolled in, stopping with a somewhat rough jolt as pop-up pressure holds stopped the remnants of the plane's momentum. As soon as the biplane had stopped moving, the engine and propellers began to quiet as Tails turned off the engine, making the surrounding area a lot quieter.With the garage doors closing behind Tails and his lone passenger, the kit hopped out of the plane, all excitement and glory.
"We're here!" He proclaimed happily to his hedgehog friend, who, despite the similarities, was not Sonic.
The incognito metallix traveling with him didn't seem quite so enthused. Merce followed the boy's lead, climbing down from the plane and looking around. He had seen Tails' workshop from the outside before, but this was really the first time he had gotten to see its interior."So I see."
The young boy led the way through a large open doorway to the rest of the workshop, which, as was normal, displayed a homey, organized mess. The workshop, while doubling as the kit's home, was one whole room. While in general the desks, counters, and other surfaces were cluttered with random objects, workshop stuff was kept in a certain area as the kitchen and sleeping things were kept near a small cluster of kitchen and bed essentials.Aside from turning on the television for some background noise, the kit kept to the actual workshop side of the abode, placing his toaster cannon on a shelf with some the other unique gadgets he had created, such as his ever-useful Emerald radar. Off to the side of this shelf was the Yellow Tail, his custom-made Extreme Gear.
"My workshop probably doesn't look that professional, but believe it or not everything in here I either made myself or modified it. Or had Uncle Chuck make it," Tails explained, trying to strike up a conversation while letting Merce take his time looking at the workshop.
"Hm... I see..." As the android's eyes took in the environment he couldn't help but find himself vaguely reminded of the room he had back at Eggman's base; small and containing only what he found essential. Of course, his needs were a lot different than the organic kit's, but...Sweeping his eyes across the workshop the object that immediately caught his interest was the large yellow surfboard like board. This almost seemed to surprise him. Though he was perfectly aware of Sonic's love for sports, and had no doubt in his mind the hedgehog would develop a taste for the emerging sport (assuming he hadn't already), the idea of the timid little fox he now accompanied seemed... strange. He approached it, an arm stretching out to point it out.
"You ride Extreme Gear?"
Tails followed Merce's point to his Gear, cocking his ears to the question."Yeah, sometimes. When I'm not busy or anything," Tails responded, a small smile gracing his lips. "It's pretty fun. I even custom-made this Gear with Uncle Chuck's help; I call it the Yellow Tail." Que the swishing of his namesakes for emphasis.
Having reached the board by now, the android allowed his fingers to brush against its fine polished surface. Taking in the sensation of what he could only assume was supposed to be 'smooth', he looked it over, studying the equipment's detail. Level surface, not a screw out of place..."The craftsmanship is impressive."
Tails flushed red, quite embarrassed considering that earlier Merce had been slighting him about his toaster cannon."Heh. I spent a long time tuning it just right," the fox added, smiling in bemusement. "If you look at the air canister and the boosters, you can see how it's been modified for larger aerial thrust."
Merce nodded slightly as he crouched down to examine the fuel tank. He was familiar with the various types of extreme gear, sure, but he did notice the modified shell used for the air canister. It seemed larger than normal; no doubt to supply the extra fuel needed for the thrusters. As he pondered that he found his mind working its way into a long pause. What... was he doing, he suddenly found himself asking. He was crouching there, next to Tails, in his house, over one of his possessions.
Tails.
The thought unnerved him, and with a sudden awkward tension in his posture he rose back up, stealing a quick glance at the fox before looking back toward the board. Tails. Sonic's best friend. The kid who had not long before played around inside his hard drive against consent. The kid who had shot him and caused him to be abducted by Talon.
He was standing right there next to him
He frowned, feeling his brow curve downward.
Tails found himself starting to frown at Merce's reaction. "What's wrong?" Wrinkling his nose slightly, the android glared down at the board in front of him. "It is nothing," he responded in a clear lie. Honestly, what was he expected to say? 'You're my enemy, you must die?', no, of course not. A deep breath was automatically simulated as he closed his eyes and tried to steel his nerved. It's only Tails, he told himself. Sure, he knew what the brilliant young prodigy had the potential for, but given the kit's submissive nature, he hardly felt threatened.Just incredibly uncomfortable.
Tails winced, not by the fact of any hurt feelings, but because of the physically painful sight of seeing Merce lie.And completely. Utterly. Fail. With fireworks and brandy.
Tails had an inkling feeling that he should get to the bottom of this. Perhaps it would make Merce feel more... happy? It was the closest feeling he could think of, regardless. Not to mention, the kit was also irked and hurt at how Merce had bluntly lied to him.
"That's bullshit." Tails declared, looking at Merce with a flatline stare.
Merce turned to look at him, one brow quirked up in confusion. "Excuse me?" "You lied. What's wrong?" Tails said, still with a flat gaze, but now with a pinch of kicked puppy sprinkled on on top. The android leaned back slightly with apprehension. He really, really needed to work on mastering these facial expressions. They were just so weird, and so complex, and not something he was used to paying attention to...... And speaking of paying attention, Merce wondered quickly over what he was going to tell Tails. What was he going to do, say 'nothing' again? That wasn't working. Feeling the synthetic fur on the back of his neck prickle, more apprehension began to coil itself around his midsection, telling him to bolt.
Lie, he suddenly thought. Make up a story. His mind racing through possibilities. Glancing away, he shrugged. "I just feel awkward."
Tails noticed the whirl of emotions on the androids' face, and only assumed that Merce was gathering up for yet another lie. However, when the hedgehog admitted his feelings, Tails felt the more aggressive side of his pressuring dwindle. He certainly looked awkward after all.".... Awkward?" Tails pondered, his ears pointing attentively forward. It was a feeling he was quite familiar with, after all. "Why?"
"Think about it," Merce answered, continuing to state tentatively at a spot on the wall. "Who do I resemble, and who are you closely associated to?"Well, it didn't seem he was telling a complete lie.
SO THEY'VE COME TO THAT AT LAST."Funny," Tails murmured loud enough for the hedgehog to hear. The kit scratched the bridge of his muzzle in thought, not only surprised that Merce brought it up, but slightly embarrassed as well, seeing as from the time Tails encountered him at the Chili Dog stand Tails had been resisting making any such comment. "I was trying not to bring that up."
"So was I," the android retorted, now clearly more annoyed than discomforted, "I told you it was nothing."Yep. Nothing. Nooooooothing at all.
"... Right." Tails said. It didn't quite explain why Merce had suddenly turned to this line of thought in the first place, but the kit was willing to let the evasiveness slide.FOR NOW.
Before the kit could think of anything else to show the disguised metallix, his ears caught the sound of a very familiar voice.
@scarlet@ A news reporter in red clothing had come on the television. "This is Scarlet Garcia, here for our regular Highlight of the Week report." The television then showed footage of a courtroom with a certain megalomaniac.
"This week's highlight is dedicated to the extremely contradictory trial held in City Hall. This has been one of the strangest courtroom battles in Station Square's known history, with its main feature being the appearance of Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik as Prosecutor for his very own lawsuit. The perpetrator is one Jonas Lans, charged for breaking and entering, and yet offences against Dr. Eggman's rival, Sonic the Hedgehog, is never mentioned."
The reporter went on to describe what happened, and Tails could feel himself getting increasingly uncomfortable. He felt especially awkward when he managed to catch a glimpse of himself on film, being led in by GUN soldiers. Oh, wow. Way to make an already uncomfortable and irritated android feel even more on edge. Staring at the racing footage, his face twisted into a mixture of fury and embarassment, and an odd sort of ticklish sensation prickled around his quills, neck and back - evidence to the fact his hackles were now raising up. Tails eventually had to look away from the uncomfortable and over-dramatized footage, but what met his gaze afterward was far worse. The kit's eyes widened at Merce's undeniable look of rage, and instinctively took a step back, partially guarding (hiding) his body with his arms."... Umm... ... ...?" Tails had meant to inquire what Merce was so angry about, but the pseudo-hedgehog's demeanor was so intimidating that Tails could only mumble.
The android's gaze shifted toward Tails, his expression softening as he actually flinched, as though he had forgotten the kit was standing there. Feeling the weight of his quills press back down, he looked the boy up and down."What?"
Tails relaxed somewhat, though as customary his namesakes began to curl around him like a fluffy barrier. He glanced at the TV."I... was just wondering what made you so angry." Tails said meekly. To his credit, he didn't exactly appreciate the event either.
Wrinkling his nose slightly, Merce glanced back at the TV, only to find the segment now over. With an aggravated huff he looked back."I witnessed that trial. It was a travesty."
Huh. He didn't recall seeing any blue hedgehogs in the witness stands (Metal Sonic and Sonic aside), though considering what he had been asked to do and how he was brought there against his will... it made sense not to pay attention to anything else.Laying his ears back as he turned off the offending television, the fox pondered what Merce thought of the trial.
"What made it a travesty?" Tails asked. He had his own opinions for his distaste for that trial, but Merce had obviously been completely incensed by it. Lucky he wasn't born a cat, because he was getting the feeling that his curiosity would catch up with him some day.
Merce frowned, wondering where to even start. "... All of it," he eventually answered. "Every single detail about it." "Like what?" Tails goaded. "I never saw the whole thing, though what I did see was crazier than Shadow's past." Irritation... level... rising..."Eggman tried to call m--Metal Sonic to the witness stand." he said, quickly correcting himself.
Tails' eyebrows rose. Not only at what Tails assumed was an angry stutter, but the piece of information he had just received. Before they decided to kidnap him, Eggman had attempted to use Metal as a witness?The eyebrows returned to normal as the kit thought. That was... unexpected, but at the same time it made sense to do it.
Then the eyebrows lowered to a frown. From what Tails had seen, if Eggman tried to make Metal testify, why did they need GUN to kitnap him? Did Metal refuse to testify? No, that didn't make sense. Not only would that not help Eggman, but they couldn't force information out of a witness like they ended up doing.
"... I don't get it." Tails stated, clearly confused. "If Eggman tried to use him as a witness, why did... w-... I just don't get it. What happened?" He asked further, stumbling for the right question. Of course, he pointedly refused to acknowledge his part in the trial.
As the android replayed the events in his head to offer his explanation, he felt his hackles raise up a second time. "Because the judge refused to admit him as a witness. According to that... ridiculous... lawyer... they had in there running his mouth, sentient robots are not people, and therefor are not entitled to the same rights."He paused, seething angrily.
"Eggman admitted him as evidence instead."
Tails had been given answers to both his new question, and his original. They had kidnapped him because Eggman had been forced to submit Metal Sonic as... evidence.... And Merce was angry because the judge and laywer ruled that sentient robots weren't people.The indignation of it all. It didn't matter how insane that trial was, they had to do the research! ... Which probably would have also meant kidnapping him, since aside from Eggman, Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and himself likely had the most experience with sentient robots.
"And so... you think sentient robots are people." Tails stated, trying not to sound like he was accusing Merce.
The pseudo hedgehog's expression seemed to wilt into a frustrated glare toward the floor. "It is what I wish to believe, yes." "And why not?" Tails asked rhetorically, looking adorably unhappy. "That judge probably doesn't know a thing about robots. It's so stupid how he made Eggman submit Metal as evidence... just... so... stupid!"Especially since afterward they had GUN kidnap him so he could go spelunking into Metal's brain.
"Hmph," Merce muttered, folding his arms and turning away. "Stupid and humiliating. And the fact it was televised!" He grit his teeth, clenching a fist onto the fur of his shoulder. "Of all the sheer indignity." The kit frowned over Merce's curious use of words. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn..."... You're taking this really personal."
"... Er..." the android cringed a bit, realizing too late that in his anger he'd inadvertently tipped his hat. "Well, er, yes," he said, thinking quickly over how he could explain himself off. "... It is because I am... er... a roboticist. I work with robots."It technically wasn't a lie?
The kit's mouth scrunched to one side, thinking. This guy was too full of secrets to completely believe, even if it did make sense. There were still a few things that didn't quite fit.But perhaps the secrecy was for the best. Being more secretive himself would be less hassle for the kit, most definitely. And despite his misgivings, Merce certainly did know a lot about robotics.
Deciding to dig into that bit of mystery later, Tails decided to return to the topic at hand.
"Well, if it's any consolation, I think Metal Sonic's a person.
Well, that was something he hadn't expected. Blinking off his initial surprise, he shot a quizzical glance toward Tails. "You do?" Tails rubbed the back of his head, somewhat flustered by what he just admitted."Well... yeah."
"I see," Merce responded, still rather puzzled. Then his brow flattened in irritation. "... Then why did you agree to that examination?" "I didn't agree." Tails retorted, ears flattening at the memory. "GUN kidnapped me and forced me to." His contempt for that organization was growing with each contact he had with them, and that feeling rang clear in his tone of voice.As for the examination itself... the opportunity had been one in a billion, but to be truthful it had left him worse for wear.
Considering this for a moment, the pseudo hedgehog snorted, rolling his eyes into his head. "Hmph." Tails looked somewhat incredulous. "... Something else wrong?" "... No," Merce stated at length. "I am merely frustrated by the entire situation."Glancing again at the dual-tailed fox, one of his ears gave a flick as he studied him over. Thought of him as a person, huh. That... really was unexpected. And yet he couldn't help but feel bitter about this revelation. The boy wouldn't be so calm if he knew his real identity...
He frowned. "Perhaps I should go now..."
The fox's own irritation disappeared as Merce opted to leave. They hadn't done much of anything yet. Aside from looking at his extreme gear (which actually impressed Merce!), they only got distracted by the stupid TV.Still... he should at least give Merce something before he went. And hey, maybe it would make him stay longer. Striding into the kitchen area, he grabbed something small and brought it back.
"Well, at least have a cupcake before you leave? I got them fresh from the bakery over in Station Square." Tails offered, showing Merce a small tray of tiny icing-topped cakes. With the sky blue icing, and unique arrangement of brown, orange, and various green sprinkles, it was quite obvious they were made to represent Green Hill Zone.
"... Er..."Merce stared at the sugary treats being presented to him. Considering what he thought was his first experience with 'food' earlier, it was understandable he was a little... apprehensive... to try anything again anytime soon.
Besides. He still thought eating was just weird.
"Ah.. I... I do not know..."
Tails seemed to catch the vibe, as he attempted to reassure the hedgehog."Don't worry.
Weird, weird, weird.Honestly, why did organics feel compelled to keep offering him food?! With an inward sigh, he reached for one of the baked pastries, awkwardly unpeeling the paper as he had witnessed Tails do. For the first few seconds all he could do was study it. Aside from more minor issues like the fact self-conscious android now had frosting and crumbs on himself, he was mentally preparing himself to shove this thing in his mouth (Weird!) and begin chewing (WEIIIRD). Finally raising it up, he took an experimental nibble.
It... wasn't bad, he supposed. Though he couldn't yet recognize such sensations as 'sweet' for what they were or what chocolate tasted like. He could hazard a vague guess (Cupcakes were supposed to be 'sweet', right? He was pretty sure they were...), but being unable to ask and verify for sure without receiving strange looks was... annoying...
"It is... interesting," he finally stated, pulling the cupcake away and looking it over again.
Tails gobbled down the rest of his own cupcake while eyeing Merce. Worried about practical jokes was one thing, it was another to see that the cupcake was a truely foreign food item."You don't go out to eat often, do you?" Tails asked, starting to lick the frosting off of his gloves. The cloth wasn't very appetizing, but he couldn't waste that delicious sugary concoction!
"Not often... no..." he stated, taking another experimental nibble. Of course, by 'not often' he actually meant 'never', but... that was his little secret. Swallowing the bite, he simulated a breath. This... this wasn't so bad, he thought. Being constantly exposed to sensation in this form with no way to actually turn it off, he felt as though maybe he was beginning to adjust. There was just... so much sensory input he was missing to understand it all.Despite that, he couldn't wait to get back into his old 'skin' for a reprieve. Honestly. He was eating a cupcake. This was the sort of nonsense RK would be attempting!
And it was with that realization that he felt a twinge of foolishness coarse through him. Steeling himself, he tried to reason it out. No, what he was doing wasn't nonsense. It was expected of him, given his current form... RK would just mash it into his face plate and carry on like it were nothing...
As though to reaffirm this, he took a larger bite. In the process getting frosting all over his nose.
Tails smirked at the sight as he finished the last of his frosting-coated gloves and reached for another cupcake. This was rather fun in a way, even if Merce still planned to leave."Well, maybe sometime soon I could show you the good food joints around Station Square, and maybe show you some of the other projects I've got."
Well, that put the android in an unexpected conflict. He couldn't have cared less about the offer for food, but... seeing more of the kit's projects? He may not have liked the two-tailed prodigy, but if there was one thing hard to deny, it was that his genius rivaled that of Eggman's. So, obviously, getting to see whatever creations he had would have been a rare treat. An opportunity he would have never had under normal circumstances... Of course, this was also the same kid who had also shot him with that EMP pistol, leading to the creation of that miserable bootleg, and later on rummaged around in his head and pointed that modified toaster at him...
He took the last bite of his cupcake, debating which of two very strong emotions would be worth giving into. Glancing down and realizing the frosting all over his face, he frowned and began trying to wipe it off. He didn't like Tails, sure, buuuut... the boy also hadn't figured out his real identity. Take a chance, his mind urged.
And so it was decided. Moving his gaze, which had been staring at the frosting now on the tip of his finger in wonder of how to get it off, he glanced over at Tails. "I would... like that."
Tails grinned, excited. It was so rare to be able to interact like this. Perhaps he had gotten far too used to Sonic's reactions. And he wouldn't try to bother with Knuckles."That's awesome!" The fox responded, quickly devouring his second cupcake. "I'm sure there's a lot of things you'd love to see."
"Well..." the android began, playing with the frosting between his fingers now. He paused to motion around the workshop. "We are here right now... That was why you brought me, correct?"Before that stupid television reminded him of that stupid trial and got him so riled up.
You could practically see happiness explode from the kit. Cupcakes made him stay!Quickly setting down the plate of goodies, Tails excitedly pondered what to show. How about from the beginning? Show how much you could do years ago. Snapping his fingers, Tails made a decision. He rushed over to one corner of the workshop, lifted a small device off of a barely noticeable stand, and brought it back to Merce.
"This baby is one of the first things I've ever made. It's my trusty tracking radar. Even now I've never had to tweak it, so I'm really proud of it." Tails explained, offering it to the metallix-in-disguise.
Taking the small round device, Merce held it up to eye level and stared down into the map on its small monitor. A series of lights flashed, and he instantly recognized their pattern of color as those of the eight Chaos Emeralds.... Wait. Eight?
The android's brow furrowed in confusion. That didn't make sense. There were two yellow emeralds appearing on this screen! One was... right next... to him.
And then his brow raised up as he looked back toward Tails, quizzically perked at his two-tailed host.
"... What?" Tails asked. "It's a radar that can read concentrations of Chaos Energy." "I sort of gathered that," he said, pointing into the map. "I recognize the colors. What I do not understand is why there is a There was a long pause."Oh," of COURSE the radar would pick that up. Looking at the map, and the very obvious Chaos Emerald signature coming from his own person, Tails wondered what to do. Though, it wouldn't be much of a secret for long anyway...
"That's because..." Tails began, reaching into his hammerspace, "I have this." Que the You Got A Chaos Emerald! jingle.
Blinking in awe as the golden light spilled out of the kit's hammerspace, for a brief moment it crossed his mind why Tails would show him something to precious and valuable. But that was before reminding himself that this was not one, but part of a set of like-colored emeralds...... The fake emerald! he thought, suddenly very excited. He remembered while going through files related to the ARK incident that there had been sparse mentions of a fake yellow Chaos Emerald. This had to be it.
"That is... not a Chaos Emerald, is it?" he asked, staring into it. For all intensive purposes it certainly could have fooled him for the real thing. Except the energy signature coming from it seemed a bit weaker...
"It is, and it isn't." Tails explained, cupping the glowing stone in his hands. "It's a fake that I made. It has the exact same properties and wavelengths as a real emerald, but its power output is a lot lower. So far it's the only one to exist." Ah ha, the android thought, settling any doubt he may have had. It was that fake emerald from the Ark incident... the one that, as he had read, saved Sonic from certain death. Gazing into the clear yellow stone, he couldn't help but become a bit... transfixed."That is... amazing," he said, his fascination luring him in for a closer look.
Beaming, the kit let Merce stare at the emerald, though he refrained from bragging any more about the gem, lest he let slip the fact that an entire set was on the way. That was strictly on a need-to-know basis. And it was at this point the pseudo-hedgehog's hand began to raise with slow caution toward the equally pseudo emerald. His fingers curling as to wrap around it, hovering there in space."... May... I have a closer look at it?"
At this point, Tails debated what to do. As many of his machines could attest to, he was very protective of his creations, and often upset when others started handling them. But... the Chaos Emeralds may have been well known at this point, but it seemed extremely rare to find anyone who could use them to the extent that Sonic and the others could. And it wasn't like the Fake Emerald would get scratched or break..."Sure." Smiling widely, Tails handed over the emerald.
Taking the emerald, the thing that Merce immediately noticed was how... warm it was against his gloved palm. What followed that was a strange ethereal pressure wavering in the air surrounding the stone. It seemed to push and pull in gentle waves, flowing into his hand, leaking into the synthetic skin and flowing through the wires up his arm. It was a strange and unexpected sensation, and yet... oddly soothing.And to think this was only a fake emerald. He had handled real emeralds before, and while he could detect their energy through his sensors over short ranges, this... this was like seeing for the first time. Holding the golden stone to his face he stared intently into it, utter fascination saturating his face as he felt the energy tingle against the fur on his cheeks.
And then a memory crossed his mind - the abilities rare few individuals who came into contact with a Chaos Emerald possessed. Those including Sonic. And if his restored memories were correct... himself. Experimentally he held the fake stone out in front of him, concentrating on that energy, feeling that electric pressure creep further up his arm and spilling into his body. It was so... empowering.
"Chaos... CONTROL!" he uttered, a flash of light engulfing his body.
What seemed like no harm had turned into complete terror for the fox. Red flags, ringing bells, wailing sirens, all the alarms in existence began to peal in the kits mind as he heard those unmistakable words, and saw the flash of light.He couldn't lose his most prized possession! Not now! Not to some guy he probably shouldn't have let hold the Emerald in the first place! Skin crawling, the kit's fur bristled to its maximum extent, his eyes wild and mouth agape.
Sputtering in outrage, fear, and instinct, Tails made a futile leap for the hedgehog, but ended up crashing to the workshop floor in the midst of the remaining energy.
Fortunately for the kit, the stranger in question hadn't gone far. Appearing directly behind where Tails previously stood with another flash, Merce stood there, casually giving the fake stone another deep examination."Utterly impressive," he finally stated, offering the emerald back to its owner's rear end.
His tails swishing wildly, the fox whirled around to see that, to his relief, he hadn't been suckered He was too shaken by the event to even berate Merce for giving him such a heart attack.
Taking a moment to eye the boy's disturbed condition, something unusual for those who knew Merce happened... a small smirk crossed his lips in sync with his eyes changing to an emerald green hue."Hmm. You are indeed fortunate that I have a sense of integrity," he chastised lightly. "But I am pleased you showed me."
Amongst his already puffed appearance and petrified look, Tails became even more disturbed as he saw Merce's ruby-red eyes FLARE TO A BRILLIANT GREEN, let alone... being chastised for trusting the hedgehog so much. Which was drastically overshadowed by everything else that had happened in the span of a few seconds.... Tails couldn't stop staring. For all intents and purposes he was looking at Sonic who had decided he was gonna wear different gloves and shoes. But this was definitely not the case, even if his visual memory screamed so.
If it wasn't for the fact that he had actually gotten his Emerald back, the kit likely would have fainted. As it were, the VERY disturbed kit continued to stare blankly into space, the fact that Merce had thanked him and appeared happy only faintly registering in his mind.
"... Don't.... do that again." Tails said, quite obviously detached from reality. "I'll keep that in mind... thank you~" His airy voice suggested that he wasn't quite committing to what he was saying. He promptly went and flopped down on his couch, spending all of his energy on processing just what had happened.
"... Hrm. Noted," Merce replied, his smirk melting into a frown. With it, his eyes phasing back into their typical ruby hue, and his feet shifted uneasily in place. Setting the emerald radar he was still holding on a nearby table, he shifted his weight toward the door."I should leave now," he said, continuing to frown. "I... appreciate... your hospitality."
As Tails' eyes followed his ears that had cocked in the direction of Merce's voice, he noticed that Merce's eyes were back to being red.... Of course, they were always red, right? I really need some rest, he thought, if I'm starting to pull an Amy.
The idea seemed to sober the kit up, as he noticed Merce's intention to leave. He sat up, not quite ready to stand yet, and gave Merce a more appraising look.
"It was the least I could do." Tails replied, not quite up to smiling after what had happened. Strangely enough though, thinking on having Merce over as a whole, he felt very happy, and even wished for the odd hedgehog to come back soon. Just... no more handling the fake emerald. Planes? Yes. Mechs? Yes. Toaster Cannon? ... Yes. Fake Chaos Emerald? NO.
Idly the kit wondered if he was too trusting of people. It was odd, since he's always uncomfortable, shy, and meek around strangers, not to mention the recent experiences and repercussions with trusting people.
Allowing his eyes an awkward sweep over the kit's workshop, Merce gave a small shrug to himself and made his way for the door. As he grasped the handle he idly looked back, finding Tails in deep thought. This caused the android to pause, his lips scrunching to one side.And then he exhaled and rolled his eyes. "I only wanted to test its capabilities, to see how precise a replica it was. I meant no harm."
Accompanying his final statement with a shrug, he twisted the knob and vanished through the opening.
Tails looked up at the noise, surprised."Not many people would be able to 'test' one like that. As far as I knew, Sonic, Shadow, and Metal were the only ones capable of Chaos Control. And they all learned it from Shadow." Tails called after the receding figure, pondering whether or not to give chase.
... Why in the world couldn't he just let it go?
The door was already closed before Merce had given himself a chance to respond, glancing back at it with consideration over what Tails had just said. Too late to change things now, and besides, who was to say part of the 'test' was to see if he could even pull it off at all? He gave a small shrug to himself.And now that he was free came the question of what he was going to do next. Really, the thought of going home now sounded appealing. He'd had an eventful day and he really, really wanted to get back into his normal form and be rid of the bothersome senses pummeling him for awhile. He glanced around - he'd need a suitable place to transform where there would be no chance anyone could see him. The workshop of his enemy was certainly no place to do this.
And then he spotted the cliffside. Perfect. Who would think to find him down there? No one organic would be stupid enough to leap to their death, and he could catch himself with his turbine.
That was precisely what he planned as he began to march toward the rocky outcropping.
Sitting down on the couch, Tails rested his arms on his legs and gazed into the softly glowing emerald, since there was no reply forthcoming from Merce. It was such a beautiful thing, and despite its falsity contained a vast amount of power. That energy had been the life of some of his other creations, but he had only truely used that power himself once. On its reflective surface, the kit could just make out his own sky blue eyes looking back at him, musing, wondering.His grip tightened on the gem as the stare intensified. He chanted.
"Chaos... Control!"
...
... Nothing happened; the fake emerald's glow didn't even become brighter. Tails slumped in his seat. Looking at the door his hedgehog acquaintance had exited from, Tails debated with himself once more.
...
"Hey Merce!" Tails called out, having left the workshop to see if he could catch up with him. Looking towards the train station, he didn't see Merce heading up the stairs or boarding the transport, and frowned. Glancing here and there, Tails tried to see where the pseudo-hedgehog could have gone.
Trees, trees, workshop, blue on the cliff, tree, train-- waitaminute. Locking his eyes on that speck of blue, in an instant the kit felt his heart freeze over.
"... H-HEY!" WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING? Realizing with horror that Merce planned to jump off the cliff, Tails rushed towards him with all of his speed, but was too late. He couldn't even call out before Merce jumped over.
And yet Tails still ran, starting to fly towards the cliff. If Merce managed to survive the jagged rocks and concrete-hard surface of the water, Tails might be able to rescue the insane jerk from drowning.
He had never even considered the idea that Tails might follow after him. After the shaken impression he had left he was sure the boy would stay in his workshop like the good nuisance he was.The thing was, with the roar of wind rushing into ears, that were not designed for high speed, he couldn't hear the whirl of the kit's namesakes as he struggled desperately to reach him - it sounded no difference from the rest of the wind around him.
So imagine his great surprise. Imagine feeling secure in knowing your identity would be safe as soft synthetic fur and skin hardened and took on a metallic silver appearance, then swiftly bled color back as he reshaped, returning to the considerably more familiar and comfortable sensation of no feeling. Flexible quills hardening into molded spikes, smooth joints of what appeared to be bone, skin and muscle becoming modular and shining brightly in the light, red and white eyes turning black...Imagine how he felt as the turbine now in place of his stomach roared, and in a large, swooping arc barely touched against the waves, the drops of water that splashed up sparkling as he saved himself from certain doom. His intent to simply return home and relax.
Now imagine him turning to give Mystic Ruins one last look before his departure, his digital eyes growing wide as he stared back.
What Tails had just witnessed was beyond explanation, breaking the boundaries of reason and logic and shattering the fox's perception. At once, he could not believe what he had seen, denied it, even; yet could not tear his eyes away from a sight so fascinating, horrifying, and bewildering. There was not a word, not a thought, he could conjure for what he saw, and in fact, in stunned shock, he could not think of anything at all.Only the sense of being high off the water kept the kit flying after having just shot over the cliff in hope to save Merce from an awful fate. Aside from the instinctive reaction of slowly backing away, he was completely petrified.
Now, imagine his reaction when, just making it back to the cliff, he found himself locking eyes with a vicious metallix, who had formed from the hedgehog he had only met and made friends with mere hours ago.
The questions, the answers, and the horrifying realization were far too much to handle. Like a towering tree, the kit leaned slowly forward and to the left before swiftly pivoting on his toe and crashing to the ground, his head emenating a loud THUMP on impact.
He was completely motionless.
As his initial shock wore off, the sight of the kit's own brought him around to an all too familiar feeling... irritation. Oh, of course. Of course that, despite his precautions, his identity would be found. When was luck ever in his favor? Now, of course, he would never be able to use his alternate identity for its intended purpose...He resisted the urge to put a dent in his own forehead from the intensity of the facepalm he wished to make. On the first day, he mentally lamented.
Still hovering from the position from where he had caught himself, he glared up at the kit, who upon reaching the top of the cliff had abruptly... fainted.
His earlier feelings and their urge to make him leave returned with a stinging fury. Thought of him as a person? No. Thought of him as a psychopath. As a monster. He knew how the kit felt - how he reacted around him - and face to face with his actual identity his suspicions were only proven.
"Hmph," he muttered, turning away from the cliff side. With a rev of his turbine he took off toward the ocean.
