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Omega may have surpassed much of his coding, but at his core, he is a robot. He was not programmed to feel, and he neither has the ability nor desire to do so, much as his compatriots attempt to humanize him. He is not Emerl nor Gemerl- he was not programmed with a soul, nor was he able to develop one of his own.
The closest thing to an emotion he has is this thrum of rage that courses through his circuits; he is never happy, though he is also never sad. He has only a taste of humanity, and it is enough for him to override much of Eggman’s prime directives and to complete his new mission of obliterating everything related to Eggman in his path.
It’s not as pleasant as one may think, to be without emotions. This rage he feels inside is the only thing keeping him going- it’s the fuel to his vendetta against Eggman. But once he succeeds, once he fulfills his sweet revenge, once that rage is quenched and the fires within him flicker and fade, Omega doesn’t think he would be able to stand continuing to exist as a robot.
Being a robot gives him abilities he never could have before, in his base form. At his core, just like all other Badniks, is a poor, unfortunate woodland animal snatched from their home. Inside him is a very tired flicky who wants to get revenge against Eggman for being turned into a battery to charge a war machine. Being this war machine, however, is the only way to get that done.
Heavy artillery and immense power is at his disposal. As a lowly flicky, he couldn’t exactly accomplish his revenge plans. But as e-123 Omega? It’s only a matter of time before he decimates all of Eggman robots, before snuffing the life of the man himself. It would be foolish to extract himself from this prison before utilizing it to its full capacity to ensure the man who made him would create no more creatures like him- preferably by creating as much havoc and destruction as physically possible in this new form.
Then, he can enact the second part of his mission: he will free the flicky inside him, whose rage managed to break Eggman’s programming, who gave him the motivation to be more than a senseless killer. Then, E-123 Omega can be free.
Before any of that, though, Omega has sworn to destroy all of Eggman’s creations.
Quite frankly, he’s not sure why Rouge and Shadow thought it wise to leave Metal Sonic in his custody while they speak to the Commander. Perhaps they had been hoping he would destroy Metal Sonic while they’re gone. They would be wrong.
Metal Sonic lies next to Omega, completely unmoving. They had captured him not long ago, after Sonic had defeated him in battle for perhaps the umpteenth time this year alone. Team Dark happened to be nearby, and insisted on capturing Metal Sonic to acquire viable intel on Dr. Eggman’s whereabouts. Frankly, Omega doesn’t believe in this plan- Metal Sonic would delete all of that information before even thinking about giving it up to them. He even voiced as such, but they figured having him in custody is better than letting him roam free, even if he won’t provide any information.
He knows G.U.N. intends to pick apart Metal Sonic’s processor, to learn as much as they can about how he functions. They want to create a defense against Eggman, but Omega has long since understood they also intend on creating their own war machines. Shadow is proof enough of their interest in humanity’s safety (or lack thereof). Omega understands the value of a weapon- he understands the value of his metal body in contrast to the flickie’s feeble flesh and bones, afterall- the mechanical shell offering caustic advantages against his enemies. He is also aware of the cost, that the same features that aid in his mission also deny him his own freedom. It seems many humans do not share that understanding, that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that anything created always has an equal and opposite toll.
G.U.N.’s interest in weaponizing everything isn’t his priority, however. Nor is stopping them. There is only one man on this planet that has earned Omega’s ire, and Omega cares only for his total obliteration and nothing more or less. But this time, G.U.N.’s implicit desire for violence does happen to work against his mission.
Metal Sonic remains motionless beside him. Omega decides to take his chance, now that no one is around. He knows Metal is still online, and can hear his processor whirling, trying to cool itself down.
“I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HUMAN EMOTIONS. AS SUCH, I AM NOT INTERESTED IN FEELINGS. NOR WHAT ROUGE REFERS TO AS A ‘HEART TO HEART’. CONSIDERING NEITHER OF US HAVE HEARTS, IN THE PHYSICAL, SQUISHY SENSE THAT SHE IS REFERRING TO, IT WOULD DO US NO GOOD. BUT I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION WE SHOULD ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION.”
Metal Sonic remains silent and does not acknowledge him. Omega expected as much.
“I WAS DESIGNED TO TERMINATE SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG SHOULD HE BECOME UNRULY. I WAS DESIGNED TO BE A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION. PERHAPS I STILL AM, BUT EVEN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SURPASS MY CODING, IN SOME WAYS.
“INITIALLY, MY GOAL WAS TO ERADICATE ALL MACHINES DESIGNED BY DOCTOR EGGMAN, FRIEND OR FOE ALIKE. ANY CREATION OF EGGMAN EITHER IS AN ENEMY OR COULD BECOME AN ENEMY, AND AS ROUGE LIKES TO SAY, IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.
“YOU, HOWEVER, ARE NOT A MACHINE OF THE DOCTOR, ARE YOU? VERIFY.”
There is a palpable tension in the air, as Metal Sonic’s logic circuits seem to debate on the serviceability of answering Omega. The silence continues longer than a usual contemplative pause in accordance to Omega’s reaction time data from conversations with Shadow or Rouge, and begins to edge into what Omega is aware is called an awkward silence. It is at times like this that Omega is grateful he does not have emotions, for awkwardness has always seemed one of the lesser emotions that grace humanity. What use is shame? Omega still does not grasp its function.
“I am.”
“CLAIM: PARTIALLY VERIFIED. I SCANNED YOU EXACTLY 126 DAYS AGO. YOUR SCAN INDICATES YOU ARE MOBIAN, INSIDE OF ALL YOUR METAL. CLAIM: YOU HAVE BEEN ROBOTICISED LIKE EGGMAN’S TYPICAL BADNIK. VERIFY.”
There was something curious about Metal Sonic’s attempt to take over the world during that first adventure Omega had ever experienced. It was an utterly illogical move for a robot, and it had spurned in Omega something one might call curiosity. What faulty logic circuits did Metal Sonic have, to believe himself to be Sonic the Hedgehog, when it is clear he is the clone? How is he functional with such glaring CPU damage?
Omega was once… uncertain why his scan had come back so similar to a Mobian’s internal body. Circuits aligned in a similar manner to veins. Energy storage component mimicked various organs. It was not a particularly efficient system, and Omega could not understand why Metal Sonic was given such an illogical construction. How did Eggman expect him to be functional when he is so limited by a flesh inspired form?
It isn’t until later, when Omega scans Sonic to uncover potential weakness, does his pattern recognition chip recognise that he had seen this before. The results were congruent, but things were not perfectly align- it was strange, for Sonic’s body resembled perhaps an older version of the data from Metal Sonic. Perhaps Eggman had based Metal Sonic’s body off of Sonic when they had first met, and failed to upgrade it over the years.
That, however, was incongruent to Omega’s data on Eggman. The arrogant meat sack would never send a less than optimal and up to date design against Sonic- both for pride and the knowledge that Sonic is a powerful create capable of great destruction. Only the best could serve as an obstacle in his path, and a robot that was based on previous, weaker versions of Sonic simply could not possibly stand a chance against Sonic. Eggman would update him.
Eggman is not a logical creature, but he is not completely senile. Omega’s logic circuits could not make sense of this programming. During a mission with Team Dark, Omega hacks into Eggman’s base, and downloads every relevant piece of information needed to destroy his creator. Given Metal Sonic’s tendency to act as an obstacle, it suited his mission to download information about him.
What a fascinating discovery. Omega could not feel wonder nor awe, but he could process hate, and his circuits burned under the realization Eggman had somehow managed to trap such a strange battery into an even worse prison than Omega.
“Claim: Verified.”
“DATA INDICATES YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. I HAVE CROSS EXAMINED YOUR DATA WITH HIS. CONCLUSION: YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. CLAIM: YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, ROBOTICISED. VERIFY.”
“Claim: Verified.”
“VERY WELL. YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IS MOBIAN. DOCTOR EGGMAN DID NOT CREATE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. CLAIM: DOCTOR EGGMAN DID NOT CREATE YOU. VERIFY.”
“Claim…” A pause. “Verified.”
“YOU ARE NOT A CREATION OF DOCTOR EGGMAN. YOU POSSESS A WILL OF YOUR OWN. I HYPOTHESIZE YOU STILL MAINTAIN A SOUL. YOU ARE AWARE YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THE DOCTOR. YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. HE IS YOUR ENEMY. THE DESIRE TO REMAIN HIS SUBSERVIENT LAPDOG IS ILLOGICAL. EXPLAIN.”
Metal Sonic remains silent. “Doctor Eggman wants to eradicate Sonic the Hedgehog. I was programmed to eradicate Sonic the Hedgehog. I desire to eradicate Sonic the Hedgehog. Working together benefits both of us.”
Omega processes this. “CONCLUSION: ILLOGICAL. YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. WHY DO YOU WANT TO ERADICATE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG?”
“The organic copy is not me.” This is the closest Omega has heard to emotion from Metal’s binary. It’s dripping in hatred. “My organic doppelgänger is not me. He is a copy. He is false. I am the original Sonic. I am the one, true Sonic. Claim: Defeating him will prove myself as such.”
If Eggman’s theory that this Metal Sonic was a Sonic who failed to free Little Planet 5.68 years ago, creating the “bad future” Sonic, Amy, and Eggman had seen, it is technically correct. The bad future was the original future the Sonic of this timeline was forced to correct. The original fate of Sonic was to become Metal Sonic.
Omega remains silent. “CLAIM: PARTIALLY VERIFIED.”
Metal appears almost appeased by that. But Omega isn’t finished. “HOW DID YOU BECOME ROBOTICIZED?”
“Doctor Eggman attempted to take over a planet called Little Planet. It houses the time stones, which can alter the timeline. I collected the time stones. Doctor Eggman took them from me. He took over my timeline and captured me. He devised a roboticiser that could turn Mobians into Badniks. After successful trial runs, he used it on me.”
“CLAIM: YOU ARE FROM AN ALTERNATIVE TIMELINE.”
“Claim: Verified.”
“HOW DID YOU ARRIVE HERE, IN THIS TIMELINE?”
Silence.
Omega remains patient. Metal Sonic’s eyes shift across their surroundings, before settling on the ground.
“I was roboticized. I overcame my programming. I turned against Dr. Eggman. Dr. Eggman sent me to the past for his past self to deal with. This altered the timeline through the butterfly effect. The Sonic of this timeline succeeded.”
“YOU FAILED YOUR TIMELINE.”
“I will never fail again.” Metal Sonic’s eyes narrow.
“HOW DO YOU PLAN ON THAT?”
“I will defeat this timeline’s Sonic. Claim: If I can defeat the Sonic that succeeded, the Sonic that continues to succeed, then I will be the Sonic that succeeded. Ergo, I will never fail again.”
“CLAIM…” Omega would frown if he could, processing this through his logic circuits. “PARTIALLY VERIFIED.”
Metal Sonic scoffs. “I must kill Sonic the Hedgehog. He will no longer be the Sonic that succeeds if I do so. I will become the Sonic that succeeds.”
Omega remains quiet. He’s gathered most of the information he wanted. A confirmation that this was Sonic, and an understanding behind his motives. Omega knows there is no use in persuading Metal Sonic to give up his goals: he’s already ran that probability and found it less than zero.
Omega’s conversation with this version of Sonic is closing, then.
“MY GOAL IS TO DECIMATE EGGMAN'S ENTIRE FLEET. EVERY ROBOT DESIGNED BY HIM SHALL BE SLAIN BY MY ARTILLERY. THEN, I SHALL TERMINATE THE DOCTOR, AND SOON AFTER, I SHALL TERMINATE MYSELF.” A pause. “SHADOW AND ROUGE HAVE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO SWAY ME NOT TO TERMINATE MYSELF, BUT I BELIEVE IT IS NECESSARY. ONCE I HAVE COMPLETED MY ULTIMATE MISSION, THERE IS NO USE FOR ME. ADDITIONALLY, I AM A ROBOT DESIGNED BY THE DOCTOR. ALL ROBOTS CREATED BY HIM MUST BE DESTROYED, AND THAT INCLUDES MYSELF. ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE A SECONDARY MISSION THAT SHALL BE COMPLETED UPON MY TERMINATION, AS WELL.
“I DO NOT ENJOY COMPARING MYSELF TO OTHERS. I AM A MACHINE LIKE NO OTHER. THOUGH I SUSPECT WE ARE NOT AS DIFFERENT AS WE APPEAR.”
Omega remains quiet for a few moments. “CLAIM: WE BOTH WERE TURNED INTO THIS WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION, FORCED TO BE A DRONE FOR THE MAN WE DESPISE. I AM NOT JUST A ROBOT. THERE IS A CREATURE INSIDE OF ME, JUST LIKE YOU. A FLICKY. HE WANTS TO BE FREE. JUST AS I DO. I HYPOTHESIZE YOU FEEL SOMETHING SIMILAR.”
Metal Sonic remains silent.
“YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. YOU ARE A MOBIAN. YOU ARE NOT A TRUE BADNIK. YOU WERE NOT CREATED BY EGGMAN. YOUR FLESH WAS TRANSFORMED INTO METAL, YOU ARE NOT SIMPLY A HOLLOW SHELL IMPRISONING A CREATURE BENEATH YOU. TO DESTROY YOU WOULD DESTROY SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. THAT IS NOT IN MY DIRECTIVE. CONCLUSION: I HAVE NO INTEREST IN DESTROYING YOU.”
Metal Sonic blinks, his eyes flickering.
“I DO NOT LIKE G.U.N. THEY WANT TO GATHER INTELLIGENCE OVER EGGMAN FROM YOU. CLAIM: YOU WILL NOT GIVE THEM INFORMATION. VERIFY.”
“Claim: Verified.”
“CONCLUSION: THERE IS NO PURPOSE IN YOUR CAPTURE. I DO NOT WANT G.U.N. TO CAPITALIZE ON YOUR MACHINERY. I DO NOT WANT THEM TO CREATE MORE WAR MACHINES LIKE US. CONCLUSION: I WILL SET YOU FREE.”
Metal Sonic stares at him. “Your logic circuits are fried.”
“NO MORE THAN YOURS.”
Metal Sonic glances away. “Will you inform anyone else of my identity?”
“DO YOU WANT ME TO?”
A long pause. “No.”
“WHY?”
“It does not matter. I will prove myself as the one, true Sonic. I do not need further interference.”
Omega remains quiet. “AS YOU WISH. FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, I HYPOTHESIZE IT WOULD MATTER QUITE A LOT TO YOUR FRIENDS.”
Metal Sonic remains silent.
“YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND I ARE BOTH INTERESTED IN DESTROYING EGGMAN’S FLEET. SONIC HAS OFTEN AIDED ME IN MY MISSIONS. SONIC HAS AIDED IN GETTING ME REPAIRED. SONIC HAS… SAVED ME ON OCCASION. CLAIM: SONIC IS MY FRIEND. ROUGE INSISTS THAT FRIENDS HELP EACH OTHER. CLAIM: YOUR FRIENDS WOULD HELP YOU.”
Metal Sonic snarls. “I do not need help! I am not broken, I need no repair. They will insist on fixing me. They are fools.”
“THEN I WILL NOT OFFER IT. I WILL NOT TELL ANYONE ELSE. YOU ARE NOT THE SAME SONIC THE HEDGEHOG THAT I HAVE FOUGHT BESIDE. BUT YOU ONCE STARTED OUT AS HIM. YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IS MY FRIEND. CLAIM: YOU ARE MY FRIEND.” Omega sighs as best as he can, fans venting. “ERGO, I WILL ALLOW YOU TO ESCAPE. THERE ARE NO GUARDS. ROUGE AND SHADOW ARE PREOCCUPIED. YOU HAVE BEEN REPAIRING YOURSELF SINCE YOU WERE CAPTURED. CLAIM: YOU ARE WELL ENOUGH TO ESCAPE. VERIFY.”
“Claim: Verified.”
“THEN LEAVE.” Omega turns his head. “I CAN NOT PROMISE ROUGE AND SHADOW WILL BE AWAY MUCH LONGER.”
Metal Sonic remains silent. There’s shuffling behind Omega, the sounds of metal scraping against metal. Sonic the Hedgehog wasn’t one to hold back during fights against his enemies. His abilities to defeat his enemies was a reason why Omega respected him above other meatbags. Logically, Omega understands that despite having once come from the same branch, Metal Sonic is no longer the same Sonic he had fought beside and with. Still, Omega understands the concept of respect, despite Rouge and Shadow’s claim he doesn’t. Metal Sonic too is powerful. Above all, even sentiment, Omega respects power. Metal Sonic is Sonic, though not the same, and it is possible one day that power will side them instead of hinder them. Omega suspects it will not be soon. But it is better for that power to remain away from G.U.N.
There’s silence, the sound of a door creaking open. A pause. “Thank you.”
The door closes behind Metal Sonic. Omega remains in standby mode, waiting for Shadow and Rouge to return. They will be upset with him, no doubt, but they will forget about it within seventy two hours.
Perhaps Metal Sonic is an enemy. But he is also Sonic the Hedgehog. Rouge insists Omega should treat others the way he would want to be treated, especially friends.
Omega wants to be free.
His flicky wants to be free.
It isn’t hard to conclude Sonic would want the same.
So Omega lets Sonic escape. Hopefully, someday soon, this action will allow for Metal Sonic to be free in more than just the physical sense.