Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Ray the Flying Squirrel, the Freedom Fighters, Mighty the Armadillo, Metal Sonic, Dr. Robotnik, and all related characters are (c) to the almighty Sega. If you sue me, I'll.. um... eat the cheesecake while you watch helplessly.
Eliza the Echidna, Shamus, and all related characters are (c) to me! TO ME! And Eliza is not the same as Ellie-za; she is an original character that I created 8 years ago, which happens to be before Ellie-za was created. That is all. </mini-rant>
As usual Eliza is pronounced é-lee-za, mispronounce.. and.. I'll.. sic Sean on you. Yeah. The lamer guy.

Behind steel doors, five children stay trapped.
Hunted by a dark blue menace, evading his wrath.
One by one the group disappears.
Lurking in the shadows, strengthened by fears.
Until there is only one..
Metal will block the sun.
Robotnik will rise back to power.
It's time for the children's final hour...
Behind steel doors.

******

"Knuckles?"

"Check."

"Mighty?"

"Check."

"Eliza?"

"Check"

"Espio?"

"Check."

"Vector?"

"Check."

"Ray?"

"Check."

Sally looked up from her clipboard.

"Great. We're all here."

All the Freedom Fighters and Resistance were crouched around her. Behind her, a blackboard.

"I'm sure you're wondering what you're doing here."

Nods from the crowd.

"To be very frank with you, there has been activity near the base in which Robotnik was sealed. We think he may be loose."

Murmurs aroused from the group, and Ray spoke up:

"I assure you, Princess, there was no way he could have escaped."

"All the same, I think we should send a small group to investigate."

Almost everybody turned to look at Sonic. He grinned.
"I suggest we send our three best fighters..."

Glances at Mighty, and Knuckles, who were sitting next to each other.
They nodded.

"Are you coming with us, Sal?" Sonic inquired.

"No, I need to stay here in case he makes it back to Robotropolis."

"Then.. who's going to be the planner?"

"They could take Eliza."

"I'm coming!" Tails piped up, rushing to his role model's side.

"No, no, definitely not! You're both staying!" Sally folded her arms.

"What?!" the two cried, almost simultaneously.

"You're both too young."

"But.."

"NO." Her voice was stern.

Eliza sent a pleading gaze in the direction of Knuckles, and Mighty.
Sally whirled on Knuckles, furiously.

"Isn't that right, Knux?!"

Knuckles gulped, and nodded nervously. Eliza glared.
Tails didn't get any luck, either.
The trio prepared for their journey, and Mighty approached Eliza.

"Listen, kiddo, you can't come."

"I know.."

"Promise me you won't follow."

"But-" Eliza's protest was cut short.

"No buts, missy. Promise!"

"I... promise."

"That's a good girl."

In less than an hour, the three were gone, leaving behind a pair of bad-tempered sidekicks..
That's when the trouble started.

Behind Steel Doors

"I can't believe they just left us behind like that!" Tails folded his arms, seething.

"You're too young..."  Eliza scoffed, imitating Sally's voice.

"I can't believe they still treat us like babies.. I've gone on tons of missions with Sonic."

"Well.. " Eliza stopped sulking for a second, to rub her chin.

"Yes?" Tails blinked at her, attentive.

"Why don't we prove that we're not?"

Tails immediately got her vibe. So did Amy, who was nearby.

"Eliza..." She gave the echidna a disapproving frown.

"Nothing dangerous," Eliza ceded, "We could just go and trash Robotropolis."

"It's completely abandoned," Ray piped up, "And I know the city like the back of my hand."

Tails smirked.

"Sounds like a plan."

All heads turned towards Amy.

"You coming?"

Amy paused, to reflect. She wanted to prove that she was as capable as everyone else.

"Oh yeah!"

The four high-fived, and set off to prepare for their adventure.

******

"This place brings back a lot of memories.."

Sonic nudged Mighty, scanning the base.

"Yeah.."

Knuckles was curious.

"What are you talking about?"

"Slave labour camp," Mighty replied idly.

"Oh?" the echidna seemed interested, "You never told me about it, Mighty."

"Well... it goes something like this..."
    
The Past

Pain. That was the first thing Mighty felt. He heard blurred voices, and his body was burning with pain. He groggily moved his limb. Suddenly, a crack was heard and lash of fire went down upon the young armadillo, waking him completely.

"Wake up lazy!" a rat sneered at him. Mighty got up slowly, gazing around. Other whips were heard and the drag of chains joined the sounds. He was in a slave labour camp. All around the ten-year old, others, of all ages trudged along, carrying rocks. The rat pointed to a chunk of rock and spat on the ground. Mighty lifted it and followed the others. A weasel tripped him and jeered.

"Tired are we?" the weasel kicked at him. It lasted for about an hour. Mighty was beaten, and taunted. After a long day, Mighty ventured over to the others.

"What is this place?" he asked, glancing around.

"You're a new kid," an old squirrel studied him, "We call it the camp. We slave all day, then at night we have rest. You should beware of Shay-lu, he's a nasty one with a bad attitude. He loves to pick on everyone." The squirrel pointed to the weasel that had tripped Mighty earlier.

"Our dearest ambition," added a teenage rabbit, "Is to give that piece of scum a good kick in the....."

"Matt!" another berated him before he could continue. Matt just snorted.

"Mighty!" a familiar voice cried, from another part of the camp. Mighty ran over.

"Ray! What are you doing here?" Mighty didn't know whether to be happy, or sad to see his friend again.

"I had to go, I was the only male in the house," Ray responded, solemn. 

Before their conversation could go any further, two guards dragged a kicking, biting hedgehog over to them.

"Let go and fight like a man!" he growled, "I could take you and twenty others out, with my hands tied behind my back and my eyes closed!" He continued to boast until he was dumped on the ground. The two snickered silently as the guards snorted, and left.

"Cowards!" he called after them, and grunted.

"What are you two laughing at?" the hedgehog glared, "I'll have you know that I could smash you both to pieces any time I want!" As if to prove this, he stretched out his arm and held his fist in front of Mighty's face. Mighty grinned, gingerly clamped two fingers around the hedgehog's wrist and tugged very slightly. The hedgehog was yanked forward and almost fell right on his face, but was supported by Mighty's two fingers. He gaped in amazement.

"You're strong... Show off!"

"They don't call him Mighty for nothing." Ray chuckled.

"Show off? Me?" Mighty had an amused statement on his face, "I wouldn't talk if I were you," the armadillo's smile widened as he released the hedgehog.

"You don't look it," the hedgehog looked him over, then grabbed his arm, "Nothing but skin and bone!" in response Mighty raised his arm, with the blue Mobian still on it.

"Point taken." The spiny mammal grumbled and jumped off.

"I'm Ray." The squirrel wisely controlled his laughter.

"...and I'm Mighty, you already know that."

"Sonic the Hedgehog pleased to meet you, is Mighty your real name?"

"Maybe." Mighty yawned.

"None of this maybe stuff, you! Yes, or no!"

Mighty, as mischievous as ever, smirked.

"Maybe."

There was a brief silence.

"Anyway, welcome. We're both new here."

    Two weeks later.....

    Sonic the Hedgehog had become very close to Mighty by now. They shared many laughs, thoughts, complaints etc.. Both were pretty accustomed to the camp by now. A strange thing happened, a new slave, the same age as them, was brought but this one was different.

"A girl?" Sonic gasped. It was a female, dark red fox. She walked over to them.

"You shouldn't be here," Ray shook his head

"I live with my grand-mother, I was the only one they could take," was the flat answer, "I'm Fiona."

"I'm Mighty, this is Ray and that idiot over there is Sonic." Sonic snorted at the comment.

"Fiona Fox." They all shook hands briefly. The young vixen's eyes flashed.

"Sexists! What do you think that only guys can lift rocks?" she retorted, defiantly.

"Girls don't belong here!" Sonic simply said. Ray nodded.

"Ain't that right, Mighty?" all eyes turned towards Mighty.

"No one should be here, period," he replied, calmly. Fiona gave a smile of relief.

"Easy for you to say," Sonic scoffed.

"Oooh," Fiona mimicked, "Help me, I'm a little weak girl that can't even lift a pebble. I need some big strong guy to do it for me," Sonic grinned and prodded Mighty, "The big part he doesn't quite fulfill but the rest...."

 *****

 Mighty and Fiona sat under the night sky.

"You're not like the others, Mighty," she murmured to him, "You're different."

"Different.. how?"

"You help the others, when they fall, when guards whip them, you're always there to protect them. It's as if you're some.. guardian angel sent to look after all the slaves..... Mighty, I know you'll make a difference in this world. One day..." Fiona smiled at him.

"Gee.. Fiona, that's a really kind thing to say..." Mighty fidgeted around with his hands.  Fiona leaned on him and whispered directly in his ear.
Not far away, Sonic and Ray watched the spectacle. Sonic pulled a face of disgust.

"What a softie.... Gee look at Romeo over there!" his face contorted in dislike.

"Why Sonic, I do believe you're jealous..." Ray grinned, prodding his friend.

"Of pillow-boy? As if."

Mighty blushed as Fiona kissed him on the cheek.

"I want to thank you for what you did today, Mighty", she murmured, remembering when she had fallen under the weight of the chunk of rock the guards that had started to beat her, until Mighty stopped them.  The memories came to her.. The armadillo helping her up, and him taking most of the weight. Mighty was glad it was night, otherwise she would have seen him redden.
"It was nothing... really," he muttered.

Weeks passed, and the slaves were forming a rebellion. The main slaves behind the operation were none other than Sonic, Mighty, Ray and Fiona. One of the cowardly slaves had turned in Fiona. That evening the robots came for her and took her away. The others could only watch helplessly as the figures of Fiona and the robots disappeared into the horizon. Shay-lu took the chance to pick on the crestfallen Mighty.

"Where's your girlfriend now, eh?" he sneered, poking Mighty with a spear. The armadillo stayed silent. Shay-lu went on, grinning nastily.

"Little witch went and got herself roboticized," Shay-lu had gone too far. Despite his shackled limbs, Mighty got hold of the weasel's throat and lifted him into the air with one arm, choking him as he did so. Shay-lu tried to call out for help, but his voice got stuck in his throat as he stared, shaking with fear into the eyes of the ten-year old.

"Put him down, Mighty," Ray ordered, calmly, "He's not worth it." 
Mighty flung him against the wall and walked away, turning his back on the gagging weasel. Shay-lu was enraged.

"Come back here, you filthy little piece of slime!! Ill rip you apart! D'YOU HEAR!?" Shay-lu bellowed as he flung himself at the armadillo. A fight broke out, and the two rolled around, Mighty's shackles broke and they ended up near a cliff. Shay took his sword and slashed Mighty with it. He grabbed it by the blade and snapped it in half. All courage failed Shay-lu as he stared into those burning eyes. He swallowed.

"P-p-lease d-don't k-kill me," he snivelled. Mighty said nothing, and started to turn away. Shay grasped a half of the sword and pierced Mighty's arm with it. The young slave took a chunk of boulder and knocked Shay-lu off his feet. The boulder gave Shay-lu deep gashes all over his body and he tried to crawl away. Mighty threw the boulder with a 'thud' and gripped Shay's tail, lifting him into the air.

"P-p-p-please h-have m-m-ercy!" the weasel sobbed. Mighty flung Shay-lu in to a nearby river and ran back to camp. The fight between them had started a full rebellion from the slaves and they had all left.

"Psst! Mighty!" came two familiar voices from a nearby bush. It was Sonic and Ray.

"We did Mighty! We did it!" Sonic's eyes were shining with true happiness.

"What happened?" Ray queried, looking at Mighty's condition.

"Just a fight, that's all."

"Ok, let's go find Fiona!" the three ran off.

    Some time later, the three and split up in Robotnik's main base and were searching. Mighty and Ray had been caught and spotted Fiona up ahead.

"Fiona!" Mighty cried, as he tackled the bot, despite the restraints on him. Fiona tilted her head and continued to struggle. The robot holding Ray lunged for Mighty, temporarily forgetting Ray. Thus, Ray got free and fought alongside Mighty. The fight didn't last long, more robot guards came in and flung the two into separate cages. He pointed towards Fiona.

>Lord Robotnik has other plans for that one<

Sonic happened to be passing the cages.

"Sonic!" Ray called out. Sonic peered around, looking for the source.

"What happened to you guys?"

"We were captured. They have Fiona." Sonic freed his friends.

"Okay guys, here's the plan....."

******

  The door broke open and Sonic and Mighty stood in the doorway. Ray slinked towards Fiona, and Robotnik looked at Sonic oddly.

"There's Fiona, just like I said, Mighty," Sonic pointed to Fiona, who was in a machine hooked up to a power stone.

"You look familiar. Have we met? Perhaps you're related to one of my most loyal minions, Sir Charles. Unfortunately, I need to show to all what happens to those who oppose my will. BLAST THEM!" Robotnik screeched. Ray snuck up to the machine unharmed, and grabbed the power stone. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and Ray disappeared. Mighty's eyes went wide then narrowed, for he knew his best friend's fate.

"Ray! No!" All the rage that had welled up in him over the years burst out. Memories of Lumina, his father, Mercury, Angella, his family, Ray ran through the armadillo's mind. Mighty started literally tearing up the lab, lifting machines as if they were paper, and throwing them, in an effort to calm himself down. In all the confusion, Robotnik signalled for the robots to take Fiona and flee. Mighty didn't see or hear anything, other than the pounding of his own heart. Sonic hastily backed away and ran after Fiona. Mighty continued to destroy everything in sight. Then he sank to the floor and gazed around.

"Fiona! Sonic too! They're all dead." Mighty huddled into a ball miserably as the place started to fall apart. The child's thoughts flickered to suicide.

"My family..." he thought. He wouldn't kill himself, for his family's sake. 

He left, on a search for his family. After a lonely fortnight, the armadillo stepped into his house, once again.

His mother and siblings were overjoyed to see him, and hugged him for hours. Mighty didn't smile, he shut himself in his room and refused to eat. They didn't know what was wrong with him, no doctors could define the cause either. Melanie and her other sons did everything to try to cheer him up, but nothing worked. Mighty became quiet, isolated and a loner. Other kids labelled him strange and a freak, because of his strength. He didn't care, he barely talked to anyone, and spent his days staring out at the younger children, who were playing happily. Two years like this passed and one day the family (minus Mighty) were having another argument. It got quite loud.

"All I want is some peace and quiet! Is that so much to ask for?" The armadillo paused for a moment, as if making a decision. 

Then, he walked out of his room. The others went silent and stared.
"What is it, dear?" Melanie asked, her voice soft.

"Mom." His voice was quiet, "I'm leaving." Melanie's eyes went wide.

"Where?" was all she managed to choke.

"Away, someplace where I can be alone, and have some peace and quiet." Mighty hugged each of them, packed a few belongings and walked out into the night.

"Where is he going, mama?" Marcus inquired.

"Why didn't you stop him!?" Milton was obviously angry.

"I couldn't...." Melanie murmured.

"Why didn't you try?" Marcus pleaded. Melvin started to march out after his brother, but Melanie stopped him.

"Let him go Melvin, he's got his father's spirit..."

"..and that's what happened," Mighty concluded, and Sonic nodded.

"Interesting story. So that's why you were wandering around when you found me."

"Yeah." Mighty had carefully omitted the part about his in-laws being murdered, which just happened to be a major reason for his departure. (A/N: I shall explain later)

"That was kinda.. sad."

Knux swept the abandoned camp with his eyes.

"Right, now off to find Robotnik."

They ventured to the door. Sealed shut.

"Stand back," Mighty advised his comrades, cracking his knuckles. He walked up to it, and removed his gloves. He wedged his fingers into the crack, and flung the door open.

"Nice," commented Knuckles. Mighty slipped his gloves back on.

"After you."

The three cautiously entered. Knuckles held his finger up to his mouth. On tiptoes, the three split up, and crept around the base. It was deserted. Without warning, a stun beam hit Mighty square in the face. He was thrown backwards, losing consciousness. Sonic and Knuckles were clubbed violently over their heads, and all three of them were restrained, heavily.

>Priority one hedgehog, priority two armadillo, and priority four echidna have been apprehended<

"Excellent."

Meanwhile..

The four children exited the Great Forest, peering, with pride, at the dark city in front of them.

"HOY!"

A brown blur came rushing at them, and skidded to a halt.

"Hi.. I'm Sha- Eliza?!"

Eliza blinked in surprise.

"Shay! What are you doing here?"

"I... got lost," he admitted, sheepish.

Tails jabbed Eliza in the side.

"Mind telling us a bit about your friend, here?"

He was a dog, brown all over, even his bangs. He wore gloves, and sneakers, and was tallest, just a dash taller than Amy and Ray.

"He's cute." Amy thought, looking the dog over.

"I'm.. Shamus."

After some cheerful greeting, the two talked.

"Eliza.. I thought you were dead."

"I survived the Dark Legion's attack (A/N: Enter, Eliza), and I now live on the Floating Island.."

"Floating Island? It.. exists?"

"YEAH! And there's an entire civilization of echidnas, including my brother, who just happens to be Guardian!"

"That great! I'm so happy for you!"

"What about you, Shay?"

"After the chameleon dude, Espio, let us out, I got separated from the others.. and I was just moseying around. I heard about the Knothole Freedom Fighters.. and was looking around."

"That's us!" Tails and Amy pointed to themselves, puffing their chests out.

"Whatcha guys doing here?" Shay scratched his head.

"We're going to Robotropolis."

Shamus became alarmed.

"What? Why?!" He had heard many stories about Robotropolis, and none of them were pleasant.

"To prove ourselves. Don't worry, it's abandoned."

Shay seemed skittish, "You sure?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I locked  Robotnik up somewhere else."

"Okay! Let's go!" the dog was cheerful once more, eager for an adventure.

So,  the five children sprinted to the grimy, desolate city, not aware of the danger that awaited them.

*****

Sonic groaned, and opened his eyes. He tried to move his arms, but couldn't. He had a splitting headache.

"Good morning, hedgehog." The voice woke the hedgehog up with a start.

"Impossible..." it was more of a moan than a growl.

Robotnik stood up, and paced towards him, with slow, deliberate steps. It was then that Sonic realized he was heavily restrained, chained, and in the iron grip of a SWATbot.

"Impossible," he repeated, louder.

"The squirrel's plan would have worked.. if not for a certain Mecha Bot."

Sonic's heart skipped a beat.

"What are you talking about?"

"Metal Sonic, of course."

"He's dead..."

"He was rebuilt, idiot."

"In such a short period of time?" It wasn't logical.

Robotnik was smug. "Perhaps when I develop patience for you stupidity, I'll explain it."

Sonic growled, and opened his mouth to make a retort, but closed it.

"Where is he?" he queried, instead, "Here?"

"Oh no." Robotnik smirked, quite maliciously. He flicked a screen on.

"He's entering Robotropolis as we speak... What's this?" he jolted, in mock-surprise.

Sonic's eyes went as wide as saucers, and he forgot to breath.
Tails. Amy. Eliza. Ray. There was also a dog he didn't recognize.
Robotnik tossed a glance in the hedgehog's direction, and his smile widened.

"No.." Sonic choked.

"Yes."

"He's back!"

****

"This place.. is sad."

Tails nodded. "It brings back some bad memories."

The air was polluted and murky, and the children were hushed.
Eliza took the lead, with soft steps.
Without warning, the door slammed shut behind them, causing everybody to jump.

"What was that?!"

The room was suddenly much dimmer. All eyes turned to the closed door, only to be greeted with another pair, blood red in colour.
The faces of Tails, Amy and Eliza went as white as sheets, for they knew, who was the owner.

"Metal Sonic!"

"Welcome to Robotropolis, children,"  Metal hissed.

"It's impossible..." Amy spluttered.

Mecha ignored her, but traced the group with his eyes. Eliza was at the back, hidden by the four other, larger bodies.

"I sense the echidna is among you. Stop cowering, Guardian, and come face me." the word 'Guardian', was spat, with sarcasm.

Eliza angrily pushed herself to the front.

"Cower from you?! Never!"

For a moment it looked as though it would be a contest of glares, but Eliza spoke up.

"You were destroyed."

"I was rebuilt."

"In such a short period of time? Impossible."

"Perhaps I'll explain it to you, later on. But for now..." He stepped out of the shadows, revealing a well-polished hull.

"Meet Mecha Sonic Mach 2, your worst nightmare. You can just call me Metal Sonic."

He looked pretty much the same as he always did, but his form was different. His spines were altered slightly in position, but he still bore a resemblance to the original.
Eliza was clearly not impressed.

"What do you want?" she snarled, pointlessly.

Mecha didn't answer. He continued to stare her down, his red eyes vibrating with venom. She only went up to his waist, yet somehow able to give him a good beating. He didn't hate her nearly as much as Sonic, but still, he wanted nothing more than to tear through her flesh with his claws. That thought seemed to please him. He smiled.
Eliza curled herself into a ball, and shot herself at him. Much to the surprise, and horror, of everyone, Metal's arm flashed out, rebounding Eliza right into the wall.
Amy gasped, and Eliza slid down, rubbing her head.

"Either I'm losing my touch.. or.."

Metal advanced, shadowing her.

"Idiot! You can't hurt me, I've been upgraded to withstand all of the attacks of your puny resistance, including Ss- the hedgehog, and that idiotic brother of yours."

"Not good."

While Metal had been gloating, Eliza took the liberty to get up.

"Upgraded you may be, but you're still nothing but a cheap imitation."

Metal let loose a mechanical howl of rage, and lunged at her.
Eliza was expecting this. She sidestepped out of harm's path, and Metal crashed into the wall.
The small group proceeded to run.

"Listen, you guys, try to find a way out, I'll take Metal."

"Defiantly not! I'm not leaving you alone with that insane.. thing." Ray told her, quite stubbornly. "Not after what happened with R.K.!" (A/N: He's referring to the previous fic in the series, the infamous Trapped)

"I can handle Metal!" Eliza protested, holding her hands up.

"No, you can't! Did you hear what he said?"

"I heard what he said quite clearly. And don't start comparing Metal with RK. They are both entirely different robots. Metal is insane, and Robo Knux... is just, Robo Knux. Enough said."

"So?"

"Metal has a weakness that I can easily exploit."

"Oh?"

"Did you see how he lunged at me when I called him a cheap imitation? That's it. I can kill him, without having to throw a punch."

"That's a dangerous game, Eliza."

A pause. For a few seconds there was nothing but the pattering of their own feet.

"I live dangerously, Ray."

"But still, I'm coming with you. I know Robotropolis like the back of my hand."

The rest of the group glanced at him.

"You do?!"

"Yup, I used to live here.."

"YOU DID?!"

"After being rescued from the Void.. A hedgehog named Shadow saved me.. took me in, and I lived with him in Robotropolis. I left.. but then came back, and joined Axel's spy network."

"Alright, you can come, Ray."

"I just don't get it," Tails said, rather loudly, gaining everyone's attention, "How could he have been rebuilt in such a short period of time?"

"Metal Mighty."

"You mean.. there's another one?!" Amy squeaked.

"Was. It was a prototype, a failure. It was nowhere near as strong or as durable as the real thing."

"And Robotnik..."

"Mixed together his hull, and what was left of your Metal, and bam, here we have our friend."

"Oh man.." Sudden realization hit Amy.

"What about Knux, Mighty and Sonic?"

"I'm sure they can take care of themselves," Ray assured her. The group slowed to a halt, listening, and looking around for any sign of Metal. A series of loud clanks greeted them.

"What was that?" Tails uttered, peering wildly around him.

"That," Ray announced grimly, "Is the sound of us being locked in."

Knuckles moaned, massaging his head.

"What hit me?"

"Either a stun beam, or a SWATbot," came the sharp retort.

Sonic was up, folding his arms, and glaring at the wall.

"Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the prison cell?"

"If you knew why I was like this, you'd be worse."

"Then why?" challenged the echidna.

"Metal's back."

Knuckles went silent.

"And that's not all. He's in Robotropolis."

"Man..."

"He's not alone."

Their eyes met.

"What do you mean?"

"Also in Robotropolis, are Tails, Ray, Eliza, Amy, and some dog I don't recognize."

Sonic was right. Knux cursed and slammed his fist into the ground.

"I swear," Sonic growled, "If I ever get my hands on Tails and Eliza, the two I KNOW for certain are behind this..... ooooh.... I'm gonna strangle 'em."

"Not if I get there first," Knux rapped his names-sakes against the ground, "And Ray. Ray's the oldest, he should know better."

At that moment, Mighty came to.

"What's going on?"

His companions filled him in.
Mighty slapped his forehead.

"I should have known! Leave it to the Terrible Two to think of something like this! I suggest, that next time we leave, we chain them to the wall."

The two nodded. There was silence. Mighty continued.

"And you're right, Ray should have known better. He was probably indignant about being left behind, as well."

"Ray's still a kid. He's thirteen."

"He'll be fourteen in a couple of weeks. He's a Capricorn."

"Ah," came an unwelcome voice, interrupting their conversation, "I see the prisoners are up."

They stopped short, and glowered up at the form of Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He smiled, unpleasantly.

"I'm afraid I must be getting back to Robotropolis, so I'll trust my SWATbots to have you roboticized."

"I so feel neglected," Sonic folded her arms, in defiance.

Julian chuckled.

"I'm sorry... but I have a city to return to, and a dictatorship to continue. Ta ta."

He left, plopped down in his old egg-o-matic, and took off.

SWATbots entered the cell, seizing the three helpless Mobians. They were lifted upright, and half-dragged, half-carried, to the portable roboticizer, now on-line.


******

The feet of Ray and Eliza hammered down on the metal floor, as they pounded down the corridors of Robotropolis, Metal-Sonic dogging their heels.

"Left!" Ray barked, and the two swerved. They entered a room, pace slowly. At the other end of the room, there was a set of doors, and a security panel.

Metal soon followed.

"What do we do?" Ray breathed.

"He's completely Resistance-proof!" Eliza added, not answering his question. He turned towards her.

"But is he Mighty-proof?"

"Ray, nothing is Mighty-proof!"

"Good point."

"Listen, you must know the Robotropolis codes. You crack it, and I'll keep Mecha busy."

"But-"

Eliza cut him short.

"Just do it!"

Ray nodded hastily, and sprang towards the panel. He opened it, brain scrambling for the code.
Metal entered, eyes flaming as his speed slowed.

"You have nowhere to run now, echidna." 

Eliza cracked her knuckles, eyes darting around the room.

"Who said anything about running?"

Her voice was strangely calm. 
Metal hated it.
It was the same way Knuckles had acted, when they had fought. It was same calm aura that Mighty had had, before a fateful set of events (A/N: Knuckles Chaotix, anyone?)
He hated her.

"What's the matter?" Eliza smirked, "Too afraid to attack me?"

No one had made the first move. It was more of a staring contest than a fight.

"I'm not falling for that," Metal almost scoffed, "Why don't you make the first move?"

"I don't think so, faker."

A screech of fury, followed by a whooshing sound could be heard, as Metal charged at her. Then, a crash.
From where he was working, Ray stole a glance of concern at the pair.
Eliza was standing in the middle of the room, haphazardly watching Mecha, who was in the process of removing himself from the wall.
Metal Sonic turned his cloaking device on, (A/N: No, I haven't forgotten it) and circled around her, like a vulture. Had the intent robot have been monitoring her movements more closely, he might have noticed her knees bending. 
Eliza uselessly peered around her, knowing there was no way of telling his location. However, she used her original approach.

"Pfft. As if being nothing but a cheap imitation wasn't enough, now you have to copy Espio's move, as well."

Metal let out another shriek, then ploughed into her. However, Eliza barely managed to dodge, by springing up like an accordion. 
Metal, once again, collided with the wall, and his cloaking device malfunctioned, leaving him revealed.

182740

>Access denied<

037857

>Access denied<

Ray punched in another code.

>Access denied<

He racked his brains, trying to remember the code for this part of the city.

"I'll just have to try all of them," he sighed.

304715

>Access denied<

"Hang in there, Eliza."

Mecha Bot Two shoved himself to his feet, tired of the echidna's games.

He unsheathed his blasters, and powered them up.

"DIE, ECHIDNA!"

"Nah."

The metallic hedgehog let loose a flurry of blasts, too riled up to aim properly. Eliza managed to evade them, however, but most impacted with the ceiling, or with the wall. The heat, was enough to melt the foundation of the room, and it began to cave in.

836814

>Access granted<

There was a screech, and the ferrous set of doors opened.

A rather large chunk of ceiling drooped, perilously over Metal Sonic's head.

"METAL!" Eliza cried out, "Look out!"

The azure robot looked, but not in time. It fell directly on him, smashing him to the ground. The rest of the room was soon following, and Ray darted, with Eliza in tow, out.
Luckily, it was a stand-alone, meaning, it wasn't connected to the rest of the city.
The two children's footsteps echoed down the halls once again.

"Eliza.. do you realize what you just did?"

Eliza looked alarmed.

"What?"

"You.. tried to save Metal..."

"I.. I.. um.." Eliza babbled. "-It's a reflex," she concluded, quite lamely.

Metal heaved the debris off. It would be hours before he would register Eliza's attempt at rescuing him. He followed the two, in hot pursuit.

****

"TAILS!" The fox tilted his head in time to see two blurs coming at him; one yellow, and one crimson.

"RAY! ELIZA! Man, am I glad to see you!"

"What happened?" Eliza queried, "Where are the other?"

"Er.. I dunno. We got split up."

"We should split up to look for them," Ray advised.

"Right. Ray, you go east, and look for Shamus. Tails, with me."

They departed.

Dr. Robotnik's Laboratory

"Hello?" Amy called out, cautiously glancing around her.

Nothing.

She held her hands out, moving forwards and groping around for a light switch.
Her finger encountered one.

Click.

Amy gasped, and almost fell backwards. For, right in front of her, was Robo Knuckles, lying on a table. She held her breath, and stayed still. He didn't move. He was offline. He was attached to the table by some wires, as if being worked on.
Amy. her heart thumping against her rib cage, stood there, for a few minutes, until her panicked mind calmed enough to move. She took a few steps forward, and quickly touched Robo Knux with her finger.

Nothing.

Confirmed, he was offline.
Amy slipped out her Pico-Pico Hammer from her glove, her fear dissolving into rage.
Assured that the evil Mecha Bot for immobile, she uttered some words under her breath. A kind of password, one might say. Her Pico Pico Hammer grew to enormous proportions, almost as big as herself.
She paused, scrutinizing RK, them, with a great deal of strength, brought it down upon the robot.

Ker-crash.

A sizeable dent appeared on his hull.
Encouraged, Amy repeated the action, her rage fueling her with adrenaline.

"This-"

Smash.

"-Is for Eliza."

The only sounds in the room were the sounds of Amy's hammer, colliding with hard metal, and of her ranting, as the lifeless robot vibrated from the blows.
Without warning, the hammer was ripped out of her hands, and flung violently across the room.
Another gasp escaped her, and she spun around, her eyes meeting the burning red ones of Metal Sonic.

"Hello, Amy," he hissed.

Shapeless sounds of horror got trapped in her throat. She backed away, Metal stalking towards her, head down, red eyes glowing, arms limp at his sides. She found herself against a wall. (A/N: She's scared because of Sonic CD)
Metal sprang, smacking her on the head. She dropped like a sack. Metal look her into his arms, and left.

"I'll deal with you later, Amy Rose."

****

"Did you hear that?"

"No, did you?"

"I.. think so."

"You know what I think, Tails?"

"What?"

"I think you're being paranoid. Also, I think out good friend Metal is trying to copy R.K."

"Eh?"

"Sandopolis Pyramids, my dear T2."

(A/N: Trapped, yo)

"Oh yeah.." Tails was uncomfortable about the subject. Even though there were no physical traces of Robo-Knux's onslaught, he knew that the evil robot had left deep mental scars on Eliza.

The two children trekked through Robotropolis, their voices hushed.

Miles tensed.

"What is it?" questioned his friend, who was in the process of examining their surroundings.

"I hear something. Someone's nearby."

There were sounds of a crash, and a brown mobian barged into the room, pale and out of breath.

"SHAY!"

"I'm so glad I found you two! Come look at this!"

He grabbed them both by the arms, and urged them somewhere, his strength nearly sweeping Eliza off her feet.

"Oh sweet chiba!"

Ray was lying, face down on the floor, unmoving. Eliza crouched beside him, looking frantically up at Shamus.

"He's not dead." Shamus supplied, gaining a sigh of relief from his companions.

With difficulty, Eliza turned him over, and studied his arm, which had a cut mark, and a piercing.

"Blah, I'd recognize that mark anywhere. Viper venom!"

Sure enough, a few drops of vile liquid rolled off of Ray’s arm.

"Shay..."

He nodded, bent down, and took the fallen squirrel into his arms. Despite the fact that he didn't look very strong, he did it with the greatest of ease. 
Eliza froze for a second, and closed her eyes, as it trying to remember something.

She snapped her fingers.

"That's IT!" she cried out. Her two friends gave her a loud, 

"What?"

"I remember! Knux told me that Snively had an emergency launch pod!"

They ventured to the main chamber. Sure enough, there was a tall structure, resembling a tube, that stretched from the floor to the high vaulted ceiling. At the base, there was an opening, with a pod.

"It'll only fit one, maybe two squished, at the most," Tails pointed out, disappointed.

Eliza went over to Shamus.

"Shay, I want you to take Ray to Knothole. Get him medical care, and get help for us."

"But what abo-"

Eliza cut him short.

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Ray'll die if he doesn't see a doctor, and you're the strongest one here."

She leaned in, and gave him the directions to Knothole.
Reluctantly, Shamus stepped into the pod, and pressed the 'Start' Button. The engines started, the door closed, and the pod shot upwards, the ceiling opening up just in time for the ceiling to form an opening, allowing it through. It closed, and he was gone.

****

"Look!"

They were in a factory of some sort. Eliza stepped forward, peeking around. She stopped. Below her, was a pit full of a scalding hot liquid. She squinted. No, it was melted metal. It was like a colossal bowl. Tails was marching, somewhere else in the room, but still in view. He sucked in his breath, in horror. A dark blue figure was behind her, and she didn't notice.

"ELIZA! LOOK OUT!"

But it was too late. Metal had already bunted Eliza into the air. He revved up his engines, and hovered directly under her, and directly over the melted mass of metal. (Say that 5 times, fast.)

Eliza felt herself soaring through the air, and then dropping. Metal's fist connected with her back, and she shot back up.

"You do not know how long I've wanted to do that, echidna!"

Now she was at his mercy.

Tails started twirling his namesakes, scurrying over to the battle scene in the process.
Without even casting a look in the boy's direction, Metal spoke.

"Do not move, Prower. I could end this at any moment."

Tails gritted his teeth, knowing that Metal was right. He stood still, his face contorted with dread. He could only hope.

Mecha continued to play his deadly game, enjoying every second of it. Eliza was silent the whole time. She knew better than to provoke Metal when she was helpless. She came back down, and this time Metal didn't smack her back up. As if in a nosedive, Eliza plunged towards the bubbling mass below her, unable to stop. She knew that the metal would burn her to a crisp in a matter of seconds; that she had no hope. As her fate came closer, the air became hotter.
She closed her eyes.

"This is the end."

Less than a meter from the destination, her body twanged, and went taught. She opened her eyes. She wasn't dead. She was directly above the metal, suspended in the air. Glancing upwards, she noticed Metal Sonic, holding her up by the foot, rising with her.

"Let me guess," she spat, courage flowing back to her, "This is the part where you say, 'Beg for mercy, echidna scum!'"

"No."

"No?"

They were at ground level now. 

"You must suffer, how I have suffered!" he rotated her upright, and secured her to him.

"And I know just the way!" those digital red eyes flashed in something similar to glee, and he increased his speed. When he had stopped, a roboticizer was before her. He flung her into it, and the glass came down.

"This," he gestured to the tube, "Is no ordinary roboticizer. It's a technology I've been experimenting with. And you're the perfect guinea pig. Instead of turning into a Robian, you will be transformed into a Mecha-Robian!"

Eliza's eyes widened, in silent shock.

She mouthed the word, "No.."

If Metal had heard her, he ignored it.

"If it works, then I shall turn the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix into Mecha-Robians. If not... then too bad for you."

He flicked the switch on, a maniacal look to his features.

"NO!" Tails tackled him, ripping him away from the controls.

Metal backhanded him into a chair.

"TAILS!" Eliza shrieked, pounding uselessly on the glass. "TAILS!"

Miles jumped to his feet, narrowly missing an uppercut from the robot. He weaved around him, and slammed his hand on the control panel. Two things happened at once; Metal delivered a hard punch to the fox's mid-side, sending him reeling, and the tube opened, allowing Eliza to escape.

She sprang on Metal.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Tails crumpled to the ground. Metal swiped at her, but she dodged.
She ran, a plan forming in her mind.

"Come get me, you big fake!"

Metal cast a glance in Miles's direction. He was as good as dead. Metal took off after Eliza.

"Four down, one to go."

Once again, Eliza's feet pounded down on the metallic ground, directing her towards back towards the 'Boiler Room', as she had dubbed it. She could hear the whine of Mecha's engines behind her.  She put on an extra burst of speed, and entered, sliding to a stop just before the abyss.

"Hey!" She called to Metal, "Faker! Come get me if you can!"

As expected, Metal let out an outraged yell, and lunged for her. Eliza dodged, but not quite fast enough. The Mecha Bot managed to get hold of her tail, and he dragged her over with him. Eliza grabbed onto the ledge, but was pulled down by Mecha's weight. Just as her hands slipped from it another pair latched onto hers. Miles's.
Instantly, he was dragged forward. He strained, trying to pull Eliza up.

"Metal's hanging onto me."

"If I'm going down," Metal's voice was low and sharp, "Then I'm taking you with me, echidna!"

"Tails.. he's too heavy for you. Let go."

"No!" Tails protested.

"Tails, please, let go."

"NO!" He repeated, louder.

"Miles," Eliza tried to reason with him, "He'll drag you down. Just let go."

"NO!" Tails grit his teeth, and tried, in vain, to pull them up.

"You're not strong enough."

"I don't care."

"Mil-"

"NO!" his voice was unusually loud, "You can't die. I won't let you! I'll die with you! I can't bear this anymore! For five years, I lived, thinking you were dead. And now.. you just got back.. And everything started happening again! And.. you keep brushing with death.. I.. I won't just stand around! You're my best friend, Eliza Echidna, and I'm. Not. Letting. GO!"

Metal Sonic tried to turn on his engines, but they would not work. Perhaps it was the heat. He directed his thoughts to the echidna above him.

"You're going down with me."

Tails lurched forwards, his upper-body now over the edge. His eyes were scrunched shut in pain, his teeth screwed together. He breathed through them.

"Outta my way, kid!" Tails was pushed aside, back onto land. He opened his eyelids.

"KNUX!"

Indeed, the echidna was now in his place. He took a breath, and with unbelievable strength, gave a heave. Both echidna and metal hedgehog were yanked upwards, onto land. Metal wasted no time. He violently shoved Knuckles aside, and leapt on Eliza, pinning her to the ground. Maybe it was the heat that made Metal go insane. For whichever reason, he was crouched over her, like Robo Knux had been, clawed hands over her chest.

"I'll rip you apart!" he screeched, letting them drop.

Knuckles was too far away to counter the attack. However, he reached into his glove, pulled out a virus, like Ray had had, and hurled it towards his sister. (A/N: Not the same one as last time. I like viruses)

"ELIZA! CATCH!"

It landed just short of her. She picked it up with her fingers, and just as Mecha's claws had penetrated her fur, stabbed him in the chest with it. He recoiled his hand.

"NO!" 

The robot gave one last shudder, and collapsed on Eliza, offline.
Her heartbeat slowed.

"Knux.." she rasped, her body being crushed by the robot, "A little help here, please."

Knuckles rushed to her side, and removed Metal from on top of her, taking her into his arms.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

He turned to Metal.

"Now, to fini-"

>Priority 4 echidna! Priority 2 fox!<

Sirens blared, and the clanking of metal on metal was heard, rising in sound.

Knux growled.

"We'll finish this some other time," he uttered to the still robot. He then gestured to Tails.

"C'mon!" 

He sped off, with the young Freedom Fighter in tow.

Knuckles knew Robotropolis better than Ray. Taking many shortcuts, they soon found themselves at the beginning of the Great Forest. Mighty, Sonic, and Amy Rose were waiting for them. At the sound of their approach, Amy tucked away her Pico Pico Hammer, which had been retrieved. Knux placed Eliza on the ground.
Sonic glowered at them.

"You two are so dead, it's not even funny."

"Don't look at us! It's your faults!"

"WHAT!?" all three stared.

"If you hadn't been such cowards.."

"Watch it," Knuckles warned, his voice dangerously close to a growl.

"It's true!" Eliza piped up, "You left us behind!"

"You two are too young-"

"Excuse me?!" Tails interjected, "You've taken us on tons of missions before! And we weren't 'too young'. Admit it, you three were just afraid of Sally!"

The three were speechless. Tails continued.

"If you had brought us, none of this would have happened! We wouldn't be mad, we'd be with you!"

"And you wouldn't have even gotten captured!" Eliza added.

"We could have stopped Robotnik from rising to power!"

"Tails..."

Sonic looked at him.

"And don't think I've forgiven you for not telling me about Eliza's condition, after she was attacked. I haven't."

"Listen big guy, you're right.. I'm sorry. I won't treat you like a baby, and I'll convince Sal to let you come."

He held out his hand.

"Deal?"

Tails accepted it, smiling.

"Deal!"

Mighty, inspired, turned to Eliza.

"Eliza..."

She looked back at him.

"I'm not too young. You went on missions when you were ten, and probably even at eight!"

"Yeah... but... you're..."

"Small and weak, I know." She sighed.

"No! .. Yes.. You know what I mean." She folded her arms, and dropped her eyes. Mighty dropped to his knees, and raised her chin with his finger. They were about the same height now.

"Eliza..."

He took her hands in his.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"You're like my sidekick, right?"

Eliza gave a little nod.

"Okay, we're gonna make a deal here. I promise to let you come on missions with me, no matter what. However.. if I feel that one is too dangerous for you, I'll leave you behind, and you can't follow me. Kay?"

"Yeah. I promise."

They shook hands, sealing the deal, and Mighty stood up.

"Let's go home."

******

Robotnik let out a contented sigh, and sat down on his chair.

Robotropolis was back online.

"It feels good to be back in power again."

He turned on the computer, studying some blueprints.

"Now.. it's back to business."

The End.

And the moral of this story is.. Metal doesn't like you :-)

Author's notes: Done! Second Nature is approaching. Terribly sorry for the Eliza-ness.. I'm trying to cut down on her.
I've added another fic in, the Prelude to Second Nature. Sorry this is late.. exams, ya know.

Timeline:

Here we go:

**Enter Eliza: Nursed illegally in a village controlled by ruthless and evil dogs, Mighty the Armadillo finds himself far away from home. And the only way to get back home, is to overthrow the Cellos, which is next to impossible.

**Duty Calls: Knuckles and Tails have mysteriously disappeared, and Sonic heads to the Floating Island, searching for clues. But what he does find, is far more than he bargained for. A rogue echidna, an old friend, a few friendly faces, and the infamous Metal-Sonic!

**Friends 'Till the End: Tails and Eliza have been forbidden to see each other. But when Metal-Sonic threatens to blow up the island, the two know that they have to stop him, together, even if it means disobeying Mighty or even the cost of their very lives......

The Dark Vengeance Re-Write: Enerjak's back, and craving vengeance! Using Knuckles and the Chaotix as pawns in his evil scheme, the twisted echidna plans to take over the Floating Island, no, the world!

Siblings: People have gone missing, and it's up to Espio, Mighty and Eliza, and a newcomer to find them. But something's not quite right.. and Espio wants to what. But his questions lead him to death's door... and someone he never thought he'd see again.

The Weak, the Strong and the Mighty: When the island is threatened by Volgo the. Stoat, an old enemy of Mighty, Mighty must go solo to stop him. However, he isn't as solo as he thinks he is.... But why is Kiibi helping Eliza, and who is that strange armadillo who saved her..?

Eliza's Birthday Bash: Eliza's tenth birthday has arrived. The Chaotix, and the Freedom Fighters are planning a surprise party. They're not the only ones who want to surprise Eliza, and this particular surprise isn't going to pleasant....

The Armour of an Echidna: Shay-lu is back, and he's geared for revenge against Mighty. The sneaky weasel's got the perfect sinister plot in mind, and he's planning to attack Mighty's 'weaker' side....

A Squirrel Walks Among us: An urgent e-mail from Axel draws Eliza into the heart of Robotropolis, and straight into Robotnik's waiting hands. (Prelude to Trapped)

Trapped: All has been quiet since Shay-lu's latest attack. Mecha still lies dead, Robotnik has calmed down, and there's no sign of Enerjak and his legion, anywhere. Now, a new enemy has come to the Floating Island, hoping to steal the Master Emerald and terrorize the islanders. However, the mayhem doesn't really start until Amy Rose finds Eliza bloodied, and literally ripped apart in Lava Reef.....

Behind Steel Doors: Metal-Sonic is back.. with a vengeance! The robot, long thought to be dead, has returned, with upgrades, an invulnerability to the resistance, and a steely rage. His first action: locking Tails, Ray, Eliza, Amy and Shamus in 
the abandoned city of Robotropolis

*Desert Rose: A sick echidna girl comes to work with Shadow and Metal Sonic in Robotropolis. Metal, reminded of Knux's treachery, decides to keep an eye on her.. but things change.. The two hedgehogs find themselves growing fond of the girl.. and then, the trouble begins.. (Prelude to Second Nature)

***Second Nature: A competitive treasure-hunting race, quickly turns into a nightmare for the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix when Robotnik unleashes his prize creations, instructing them with the sole purpose of collecting the Chaos Emeralds for his diabolical plan, and destroying every single mobian standing in their paths.

*Simplicity: A new girl comes to the island, claiming to be a Guardian of some sort. But things take a more nauseating twist when Robo-Knux kidnaps the girl, in an effort to manipulate her and her abilities...

*Corrosion: Robotropolis  is taken over by a mysterious being, and it becomes a base of operating for the new dictator. Mobius slowly becomes taken over by this powerful unknown. The Chaotix, and what's left of the Freedom Fighters soon learn, that they only for Mobius lies with a certain Mecha Bot...

*Hot Flashes: A wounded puppy appears on the Floating Island. A member of the Chaotix takes him in, and the puppy proves to have a thirst for destruction. Knuckles, suspicious, researches the dog's identity.. and is shocked at what he finds... (working desc)

*Sunrise: A young Guardian runs away from home, on a strange quest. Sonic decides that he wants to accompany her. And that's where the mayhem begins..

*Requiem: He's back! Dimitri strikes again, this time as a cybernetic echidna, once again backed up by the Dark Legion! But he's more than ready for Knuckles and the Chaotix this time..

*Parallel: Amy Rose's murder is just the beginning of a series of death-attempts, meant to frame Sonic. It works, and the hedgehog soon finds himself exiled from Knothole. Meanwhile, Metal is having similar problems...

*Double-Blade: A double fic. Limrik tries to sell Eliza to Robo-Knux, and his plan backfires. He soon finds himself having to rely on the echidna, if he ever wants to escape RK's wrath. While all this is happening, somebody is desperately trying to make Az lose Guardianship, and it's up to her and Knux to find out who, and stop them.

*Back to the Future: Sonic is transported five years into the future, where a new dictator rules. There is a small band of rebels, but they are losing bitterly. Can he once again bring hope amidst the despair and desolation that is Mobius?

*: Has yet to be written.
**: not finished yet, and I don't think they will be.
***: A goodie. An extra-long, action-packed fic, for your reading pleasure.