Runaway Robot

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Volts rounds would have the worst of luck, the first two would hit her shoulder plates and simply bounce off her power armor, as would the round going for her legs. Whatever type of armor she was wearing it seemed very high tech for what it looked like and astonishingly resilient. In response she too pointed up her bolt pistol and aimed at Volt. The gun looked far larger than a normal pistol and it's magazine and barrel were huge. However, she just stood there with her cybernetic eye ready to pull the trigger. In her eyes there were no signs of hesitation or worry, her red glowing cybernetic eye as well as her normal one gazed down at Volt studying his movements.

"All heresy must be purged, I am a member of the Adeptus Soroitas, a sister child of the  Immortal God Emperor of Mankind!" She said

"Pardon my intrusion sister Clark, but their responses have been analyzed and I do believe they do not meet the parameters of heretics. They seem to portray an invalidation about the Ommissiah. Please allow me to speak." David said.

"Ugh, make it quick David.." She replied

David then walked up to them calmly and began to augment his audio processors by turning on the volume somewhat. His exact emotions couldn't be seen behind whatever type of mask or cybernetic facial augmentation he had, but he didn't seem to raise up his claw like cybernetic augmented appendages or act in any rash motion.

"I'm sorry, but your deductions and assumptions about the Omnissiah are false. It is the will of the Adeptus Mechanicus to preserve technology for the benefit of humanity as a whole. To work with such devices that would lead to the utter destruction of mankind is...tech heresy.The Omnissiah bestows upon humanity technology and it is the goal of the Adeptus Mechanicus to preserve such knowledge and the machine spirits. We're here to simply study a rogue machine spirit and to prevent it's corruption." David replied.

"Here we are...on the run from Machina and, very likely, GUN," Amber laughed.  "I feel like a real life Ro Rowan, and you're Zeta."

XM tilted his head, not getting the reference his friend was making.

"Oh.  It's a reference to one of my favorite TV shows.  It's called The Zeta Project, and it's about a runaway robot designed to kill that didn't want to kill anymore.  He's accompanied by a teenage runaway named Ro Rowan."  She sighed.  "If my apartment wasn't on fire, I'd put my Zeta Project DVDs on for you.  I think you'd like that show."


"The firestarter's father is rich," XM repeated.

Seeing a monobeetle pass by the Reporter notices it as he drives her van through a stop sign as the two cars about to get in stopped with the drivers yelling as she passes almost causing an accident. Once she sees the beetle stopping into an area she would park and grab her camera turning it on and follows it wondering which this might lead to? Maybe the metal in question since GUN tend to handle that such.

(Skipping bruno and crew atm)

((Alright, time to get things back on track. Sorry again for taking so long to post; this one's gonna be kinda long since we're trying to regroup.))

By sticking to the back-alleyways and sidestreets, the trio would successfully make it out of the residential district undetected. They were now in a different district, one heavily populated by small businesses and other local attractions. Most of these were closed for the holidays, leaving their streets practically vacant. Although cutting through this area was not the most direct path out of the city, Volt led XM and Amber here knowing such quieter streets would be less troublesome to traverse. On top of this, Volt knew the area pretty well: he often visited the local restaurants and arcades here when off patrol duty in Westopolis.

Fortunately, GUN's VTOLs seemed to converge on the more metropolitan areas at this time, fearing the 'Metal Sonic' would target areas of higher population. However, Volt resisted letting the calm atmosphere make him complacent. He and Overclock both knew it wouldn't be long before GUN spread out to search the entire city, especially once they received news of the apartment fire. Taking this longer way out meant they had to move even quicker.

To be safe, Volt continued his method of peeking around corners, through windows, and down alleyways before signaling XM and Amber to advance. They soon came to a narrow, cobble-paved pedestrian alley lined with cafes and souvenir shops, sparsely illuminated by streetlights. Before moving back to the main road, Volt signaled XM and Amber to stay put in a dark spot. Once they did, he would run some ways ahead and peek around the alley's corner to check if the coast was clear. 

Inconveniently, however, a Monobeetle was on the other side, headed in their direction. 

Volt immediately snapped himself back into the alley, hugging the wall with a tight grip on his pistols, before it could spot him. While he wasn't looking, a yellow news van would pull up and park itself several meters behind the Monobeetle as if it was trailing it.

"Gah, just how many of these things are there?!" Volt whispered into his earpiece.

"I think there's just that one," Overclock replied. "I can't see any others on the cameras."

Volt briefly looked back to the alley seeing if he could find somewhere to hide. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be used for cover; he, XM, and Amber were stuck in the open. If the Monobeetle turned to scan the alley, as it likely would, all 3 of them would be spotted. 

"...Big O?" "Yea?" "I'm sorry, but that bug's gotta go."

"Volt, no. It's too risky. Even if you manage to destroy it, GUN will—"

"—figure out its last known location and send a search party, yeah I know," Volt interrupted, backing off the alley corner. "You got any better ideas, dude? It's still too hot on the rooftops. If this thing catches us, it's game over."

"I...," Overclock paused in thought. At this point, the Monobeetle was close enough for its hover to be picked up over the earpiece, getting louder as it inched toward them. Overclock put his hands over his mouth and let out an anxious sigh. "...Just...make it quick. The longer it stays alive the more likely it'll spot you."

"Heh heh," Volt chuckled. "I knew you had some fun left in ya!" 

After holstering his pistols, Volt again signaled to XM and Amber to stay right where they were. He'd then grab the stock of the rifle on his back with his right hand, quickly whip it out from its holster, and catch it by the handguard with his left. He'd twist the handguard twice counter-clockwise then drop into a prone, his black cloak spread over him to conceal him in the darkness, aiming the rifle's barrel towards the alley's entrance to the main road.

Keeping still in this position, he'd wait, listening for the Monobeetle's hover to get closer...and closer...and closer...until it could be heard from right around the alley corner.

As the Monobeetle appeared from behind the corner, before it began to turn in Volt's direction, Volt would promptly blast a single, wide-radius, lightning-bolt buckshot at it from his rifle, which would not only fry its circuitry but blow it into bits and scraps on impact. The shot would cause a brief, bright flash to completely light up that end of the alley and short trails of lightning to spill into the street. After recentering himself from the recoil and confirming the Monobeetle was taken out, Volt would quickly get up, re-holster the rifle on his back, unholster his pistols again, and run back to XM and Amber. "Sorry, just had to squash an annoying cockroach. A big, dumb flying one at that. Anyway, let's get out of here before another comes," he'd instruct them, signaling to move out.

Volt would rush back to the end of the alleyway where the Monobeetle was taken out, heading towards the main road with XM and Amber, proceeding their escape from the city.

Amber continued to follow Volt, occasionally nudging XM to follow her and not get distracted by the window displays in the stores they passed or the parked news van nearby whose driver was no doubt following them for the sake of a spectacular headline.

When Volt blasted the Monobeetle, Amber reacted by shielding her eyes from the bright flash of light that resulted while XM stepped back in horror.  He was shaken out of this state when a piece of shrapnel from the explosion struck Amber's arm, causing her to scream in pain.

"Amber...You are damaged," XM announced, his electronic voice quivering.  "My current configuration renders repair impossible."  The red robot hung his head.

Amber let a smile break through her pained grimace.  "You're a sweet kid, XM."  She then turned to Volt.  "Next time you feel like blasting a bug like that, you might wanna use something less explosive.  Who's to say GUN won't think it was the 'Metal' that did it?"


"Are Metals capable of...blasting bugs like that?"


"Well, look at it this way, XM.  A Metal would have just about as much firepower as you must be packing in that arm cannon, and I'm sure they've taken out GUN drones in the past."


"I wish that were not the case."


"Yeah, I know."

When the monobeetle went offline the operator in the command chair will turn to the bear.

'2059 has gone down sir. Sector 4.'

With the operator's respond the Major looks to the troops and a robot wearing a GUN combat vest looking like an echidna.

'We are heading to sector 4, As soon the troops are dropped in by zip line you are to secure the area can capture the metal.', When Bruno reaches to echidna looking robot waiting in the back.

'Remember. Do not destroy it. Our mission is to capture it. Hope you have your anti-repulsor system on. We will be using them on the target.'

With that the VTOL heads to the sector of the last communication of the Monobeetle, when it arrives it will deploy the troops down by zip-line while the VTOL stays in a stationary position over the area until every soldier is deployed.

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Sahla when ding the filming would see the metal pass by as she continues to record the entire scene unfolding, Once she sees the metal not sight of her camera she will attempt to follow them.

'Oh no you don't. I want as much footage as I can carry back.'

Steel saluted.  "Yes, sir.  Anti-Repulsor systems are primed and ready.  I will attempt to apprehend the Metal with minimal damage."

This was it, the young android thought.  This was his chance to prove himself on a real mission.  Dr. Kikuta would be proud!

(Skipping XM and Amber's turn until imbadwithnames posts.)

As Volt rushed back to Amber and XM after taking out the Monoeetle, he noticed Amber grimacing and holding her arm in pain. ”What now…,” he thought to himself, slowing his pace. When he got to her side, he kneeled and gently grasped her arm to assess the injury. While rolling up her cut jacket sleeve, he spotted a small yet fairly deep gash just above her elbow; the culprit, a sharp metal shard with a speck of blood on its tip— evidently shrapnel from the Beetle’s explosion—lied on the ground beside her. Prompted by XM's concern, Volt consoled her: "Oo yea, you got nicked pretty good...We’ll treat it once we get out of here. Just keep some pressure on it and you're fine for now." As Volt stood up to continue their getaway, Amber complained about his method of destroying the Beetle. "Look, it was either that or get caught. We didn’t come this far just to get owned by a stinkin’ bug,” he argued in reply. Giving the signal to advance, he turned around and mumbled to himself ”A little gratitude for saving your butts wouldn't kill you, either...",

He’d rush again to the alley corner and peek a second time to be sure it was safe to move out. About a block away, he spotted a yellow van parked to the side of the street that wasn’t there before: however, being in a hurry, he paid it no mind. Determining the coast was otherwise clear, he'd dart out of the alleyway, turn right at its corner, then bank left into another quiet side street with XM and Amber behind him.
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Just as Overclock predicted, the Monobeetle's destruction drew GUN’s attention to the district of its last known location—namely, the district Volt, XM, and Amber were still in. They thankfully had a headstart as GUN prepared to deploy their troops, and were able to make considerable headway in their escape. The VTOL flying overhead, though, was still problematic: even though the 3 so far managed to escape detection via the dark, narrow passageways, they frequently were forced to stop and hide from the VTOL’s lights before they could advance, halting progress.

Normally, Volt had no problem dealing with pressure from GUN. In fact, he's escaped multiple nerve-racking situations even more tense than this one. However, having to escort 2 other people—one of them now injured—who had little-to-no combat nor stealth experience made things more difficult. To make matters worse...it seemed as if they were being followed.

Volt directed XM and Amber to another dark alley behind an unlit hardware retail. He then peeked from behind the building’s corner, staring down the van. “Ok, Big O,” Volt hastily whispered into his earpiece. “What’s up with this van, dude? It’s like the only car on the streets that just so happens to be headed the same way we are. Seems sketchy.” Overclock cycled through his cameras to get a good glimpse at the van’s livery. "It’s a Channel 45 van. Looks like they’re already on the scene...again." "Ugh, not these bloodsuckers…" Volt thought to himself, facepalming. 

He knew of Westopolis’s Channel 45 news station as one of the many that regularly covered DVNz. They, in particular, were well-known for being one of the quickest responders to breaking news stories, resilient in their search for the latest scoop.

Volt turned away from the corner and sat behind the building, blowing a hard, annoyed breath. "Ugh, we don’t have time for this!" he exclaimed. He hated the media; not only have they persistently tried to uncover his secret identity, they always seemed to get in his way during tense situations.

Volt sat there with his back to the wall and his head to the sky, briefly analyzing his current situation. It was bad enough GUN was headed their way; the last thing he wanted was someone actively watching their every move. Also, if the van spotted XM, they wouldn’t know why a DVNz member would be harboring a ‘Metal Sonic’, giving them reason to marr the gang’s credibility.

Volt stood up, keeping his eyes and ears open to the skies. At this point, the VTOL didn’t appear to be nearby; he had a slight window of opportunity to engage the van while still undetected. "I gotta scare these guys off,” he said to Amber and XM with an unenthusiastic sigh. “You guys follow my lead, but stay behind me, no matter what.”

Volt peeked out of the corner—signaling XM and Amber to follow him like the coast was clear, acting as if he didn’t see the van—and rushed out of the alley. He turned right onto the street, headed for the intersection, then turned right again at its stop sign. While hidden from the van's view, he signaled XM and Amber to halt. In the same manner he did before, he’d quickly holster his pistols and whip his rifle from the holster on his back, waiting for the van to pull up next to him. Once it did, Volt would cock the handguard back on the rifle, his hands crackling with electricity, pointing the barrel directly at the driver, yelling loud enough for them to hear:

“Yo, you want an autograph or something? Bad timing. Get lost. Unless you wanna end up like that Beetle from earlier.”

Amber and XM quickly got behind Volt as instructed.  Amber kept her cool while grasping her injured arm, while XM began visibly shaking at the sight of Volt pulling a gun on Sahla and threatening to destroy her van, possibly with her still inside.

"Friend, please do not proceed," XM begged.  "You may terminate the female operator.  That would be an error."  If Sahla were close enough, she would be able to hear XM's shaky voice.

Amber was beginning to hope that Sahla did hear XM, and that the news headline would detail how the so-called Metal Sonic tried to protect the reporter from a trigger-happy Cockatiel with electrokinetic powers who was ready to destroy the news van like he did the orange Hedgehog's home.

While Volt, Amber, and XM confronted the news reporter below, Steel patiently waited for his signal to deploy.  While doing so, he switched his vision to infrared and scanned the alleys below.  Eventually, he locked onto the heat signatures of the rogue robot, his friends, and the reporter.  He then activated his built-in communicator.

"Steel to Dr. Kikuta.  Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, my son," came a male voice with a faint Taipanese accent.  "Have you found the Metal?"

"I am currently locked onto the Metal's heat signature.  It is accompanied by a Hedgehog and a Cockatiel.  Another female, driving a news van, is also present.  The Metal...is not attacking the female reporter."


"A non-violent Metal?" asked Kikuta, his disbelief mixed with curiosity.

"It is currently outside of auditory sensor range, and I have not been given clearance to deploy yet."

"I have an idea," began the GUN roboticist.  "Normally, I have my reservations about activating backdoors in civilian technology, but I may be able to remotely tap into the microphone built into the IntelliBreeze unit being displayed at that hardware store near the location of the heat signatures you're relaying."  As he spoke, Kikuta used GUN's access to the internal microphone of the high-tech ceiling fan showcased near the hardware store's front window.  Through it, he could faintly hear the conversation ensuing outside.

"Please...deactivate your electrical emitters...Withdraw your weapon.  Your actions...have already damaged Amber...and her home."

"Truly no Metal would show such aversion to violence...nor would one show concern for...Amber?"

"Amber?" repeated Steel.

"She was a classmate of mine," Kikuta replied.  "We were both in Hiroki Mitsuda's robotics program at WIT.  That man was an inspiration to me, even though we didn't fully agree on whether or not AI should have military applications.  You are who you are because of him, Steel."

"Do you think this 'Amber' is the same Amber you went to school with?"

"I have a feeling it is.  The IntelliBreeze has a camera, but it doesn't have a wide enough field of view for me to say for sure, but you did say one of the people with the Metal was a female Hedgehog."

"I did."

sahla would not be in the van , but following Amber and the robot until she was stopped by the folks with the guns. She just smirked a bit
'Oh please. This is not the first time a gun was pointed at me. I covered wars you know, but I have seen you all before. You are mercs and there is something you want of that lady and the robot. Listen if they need to get away along with you I can get you all stuffed in my van and we can talk about this back in my apartment away from the GUN troops about to land and search the place as long as that metal gives me an interview.'
She will then wait for the response from the guys with the guns , the metal , and the girl.
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While that is going on the VTOL arrives at the point of the destruction of the beetle. The side doors and back door of the craft opens as the troops propel down with the automated zip lines before checking the area. Bruno will follow suit not knowing of the conversation Steel is having with his creator.
'Capture team scout the area. I was two men with rifles and one with a wire Launcher with the other 3 man team one with a rifle and two with repulsors. I want someone to check the remains of the beetle. Grab the black box so we can check what happened after the signal lost. And where the dang hell is Steel. I want to know if he found anything at the moment.

Volt kept his aim directly at the woman reporter’s face. She seemed exceptionally fearless despite knowing what a single shot from Volt’s rifle did to the Beetle, let alone what it could do to her. After she remarked it was not her first time having a gun in her face, Volt intensified his threat: “Aw, you poor, poor thing. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Luckily if you keep screwing around”—a brief, yet intense crackle of electricity would surround the barrel of his rifle—”it’ll be your last.”

Although he didn't actually intend to shoot her—that is, unless she tried to attack, which seemed unlikely, or if she kept following him despite his demand not to—he was making sure the reporter knew he meant business. GUN’s presence in the district left him no time to humor her snooping. His threat, however, caused XM to express worry over the reporter’s safety. “Not...now...dude…” Volt muttered from the side of his mouth, within XM’s earshot. The reporter then accused Volt of being a mercenary taking Amber and XM for personal gain. “Pfft wow, you think you have it all figured out, don'tcha. Heh heh, you know that old phrase about assumptions, right? It reaaaaaally suits you.” he chuckled in reply. The electricity around his rifle would begin crackling violently, charging a shot as if he was ready to fire. “Now... I’m gonna say this one more time, just to get it through your thick skull.” His voice got deeper, more sinister with a deadly intent behind it: ”Keep following us, and you’ll lose more than just a news report. Get. Lost. NOW.”

After Volt’s threat, he would be interrupted by the reporter, saying that she could help them escape. She proposed that as long as she could interview XM back at her apartment, she could use her van as cover to get them to safety. Despite his natural reluctance, Volt realized he could really use some sort of vehicle for a more convenient escape; despite the headway they’ve made on their journey, the trio was still a considerable distance from any safe areas outside the city. He also had to get Amber’s arm treated very soon before she could suffer infection or blood loss. 

However, the proposal to head back into the city where GUN was present was too risky. If only she could be convinced to take them out of the city, to a place where they would be absolutely safe from GUN...Volt sat there thinking for a while, a steady charge on his rifle just in case the reporter made any sudden moves. Then, an idea hit him: considering how desperate this woman was looking for a big story, maybe he could give her one in exchange for getting XM and Amber to the safest place he could think of. And he had just the story to give her; one that would help expose this 'Machina'. 

Volt began to whisper into his earpiece: “...Big O. You’re watching right?” “Y-yes, yes I am. I don’t think shooting her is going to—” “Did you save the video of everything that’s happened over the past hour?” “Um...I-I can do that, sure, but...why?” Volt smirked his classic, cheeky grin, hidden underneath his bandana. “Gonna need you to make a little file transfer for our new friend here.”

“Wait, what are you—”

The charge on Volt’s rifle began to die down, and he began to address the reporter again, this time in a much friendlier tone than before. “So...you want a story, huh? The next big headline to spark the media waves, huh? Something that’ll make Channel 45 the peak news station of Westopolis, huh? Hm, let’s see...'Metal Sonic Spotted in the City: Turns Out to be Friendlier than Expected'...I dunno, that title doesn’t really sing to me. Seems sort of anti-climactic, don’tcha think?” Volt’s grip on his rifle would soften a little. “How’s about we negotiate. You know my people, DVNz, right? Famous gang of heroes responsible for taking down almost every single crime syndicate from here to Downunda?” At this point, if Sahla’s guard was also down, Volt would lower his rifle, resting it to his side. “I’ll tell you what, if you can drop these guys off somewhere safe so a friend of mine can take them back to 'my place'...”

“Wait V-Volt?! You’re not talking about—” Overclock shrieked through the earpiece.

“...I’ll give you a story that’s even better,” he interrupted, ignoring Overclock’s panic. “A sneak peek in our latest investigation, something you'd be the very first to ever receive. And trust me, it’s a whooole lot juicier than just another weird-looking robot in the city.” He gave a brief glance to XM, whispering to him: “No offense, dude. Your cannon-thing's actually kinda cool.”

Overclock yelled into the earpiece. “Volt, please! Whatever you’re thinking, you know how Alloy’s going to feel—” “Relaaaax. It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve had a client back 'home'. Well...maybe the first we didn’t drug or knock unconscious, but definitely not the first. Besides, I want you to check out Robot Ghandi here and see what its deal is. The girl might wanna borrow your welding kit, too,” he replied.

He turned his attention back to the news reporter, holstering his rifle. “Now, let’s just get something out of the way: don’t think about taking this lightly. Trust me, you don’t want to double-cross DVNz. Remember what happened to that politician who got caught in an embezzlement scam and tried to rat us out a few years back?” he mentioned, referring to a news story that ran on many different news stations across Mobius. “Yeesh, I don’t think that guy’s face will ever be the same….well, not like he has one anymore...nor legs, for that matter...Anyway, you keep everything about our meeting here, let alone with my friend, a complete secret. To your grave. That is, unless you wanna be as big a slimeball the rest of the media is. Capiche?”

As Volt waited for the reporter's reply, Overclock would continue watching the cameras. He spotted ground troops converging on the area around where the Beetle was destroyed. "Oh no...", Overclock groaned to himself. If Volt's plan was to work, they would have to make it quick.

Steel was interrupted from his conversation with Dr. Kikuta by the booming voice of his commanding officer wondering where he was.  "I have to go, Father.  I think it is time to deploy."

"Hopefully, we will talk later," Kikuta replied before closing the connection.  He was beginning to wonder how much time he had left within GUN.  His superiors didn't agree with his decision to give their latest combat android the ability to have emotions, but he felt it was best that he did.  An emotional capacity, he believed, would allow Steel to fight honorably.  If he could feel concern for the innocents for which GUN was created to fight, he would try his best to avoid collateral damage during fights with Metals.  If Steel botched his first mission because of his conscience, not only would Kikuta get fired, but his prized creation would be decommissioned and scrapped.

After ending his call with his creator, Steel rushed off in the direction of Bruno's voice, skidding to a halt just inches away from the Grizzly Bear.  "I apologize, sir.  I was speaking with Dr. Kikuta regarding my intel on the Metal.  It does not appear to be violent, and audio surveillance data acquired by Kikuta indicates he has an aversion to destruction.  This would be unusual for a Metal, correct?"


Below, XM watched with horror as Volt continued to threaten Sahla, hiding his face when the Cockatiel's voice took on a more sinister tone and ignoring his request to knock off the pacifism.  He was certain at this point that the DVNz member was going to kill the reporter.  He wanted to protect Sahla like he did Amber, but he knew that Volt's weapon would be far more dangerous to him than Dr. Koren's tranquilizer darts.  His self-preservation directives, along with the memory of what happened to Amber as a result of Volt's last attack, dictated that he stay put.

Amber sighed as she watched XM remain frozen in a state of helplessness.  She'd put a hand on his shoulder if she wasn't trying to keep pressure on her injured arm.

When Sahla mentioned interviewing him, though, XM turned to face her, looking a bit more intrigued.  "You wish to interview me?  You do not perceive me as a threat?"  XM was now getting excited about going with Sahla in her van.  "I accept your offer to travel with you.  It is too dangerous here."


"I have to agree with XM here.  This cuckoo bird has already burned my house down and caused me to get a pretty nasty gash in my arm by blowing up a Beetle.  Yeah, he DID save me from Dr. Koren, but I don't much care for the way he's handling things."


Not wanting to be rude and just jump into Sahla's van, Amber stood by and waited for the reporter's response, only to see that she was still being held up by Volt, who was now trying to negotiate with her.  As she listened to the Cockatiel's words, though, she still couldn't bring herself to trust him.  She'd be doing some online research on DVNz and the corrupt politician if not for the fact that her phone was left on the charger at her now-burned-down apartment.  In her state of distrust, she almost didn't hear him mention a welding kit, which would be useful for giving XM the hand upgrade she promised.

' If you wish. Though I do want to hear the metal's side of the story still, but I can take you anywhere as long as my safety is guarenteed. I have a few leftovers from the other staff and I can easily pass you off as the crew. Just need to hide your guns though. ' Sahla would add on as she stands there waiting to see if they accept the offer before taking them back to her van to pile in and leave.

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'That is... weird indeed, but we still need to tread lightly. The metal could be set off with a trigger word like a Manchurian candidate.' Bruno would respond to Steel before a GUN member returns with the monobeetle's black box

'We were lucky sir. The black box survived. We just need to get it back onto the VTOL to get the information off it before the crash. '

Bruno would nod and let them return to the vtol ' Hopefully the crash did not corrupt any files. ' He would then com in.

'Capture team I'm sending Steel to your position. He will track the other metal down along with the perps that took down the Monobeetle. Provide him your full attention.'

and with that Bruno will look to steel gesturing him to follow the capture team.

"Point taken," Amber replied with a sigh.  She knew as well as he did that GUN was a threat to XM, and possibly her as well.  At best, the red robot would have his memory wiped and be reprogrammed.  At worst, he'd be destroyed or even turned over to Machina.  She and XM both joined Volt in Sahla's van, where she strapped both herself and the robot in for safety.

Steel, meanwhile, kept his scanners on them as they entered the van.  "Alright...Target is in range of disruptor beam.  This...is my best weapon," the android thought out loud before somewhat nervously firing on the news van.  The disruptor beam was designed to temporarily disable electronics without harming any flesh-and-blood people.  This would not only shut down XM, but prevent Sahla's van from starting up.  After firing, Steel quickly approached the van and pulled open the door behind which XM was seated.

"Looks like we spent a bit too much time arguing," Amber stated as Steel grabbed the inactive robot by the drill arm and dragged him out of the van.  "XM!"

"I apologize, ma'am, but I have orders to bring this Metal back to GUN intact.  Please do not interfere, I would rather not have to fight you."


"He's not really a Metal, buddy," Amber countered with a stern look on her face.  "He's on the run from his own creators, who view him as defective because of his pacifism," she explained.

"I know he is non-violent, b-but I must complete my objective.  If I fail, I may be deactivated and decommissioned...and my creator...may be terminated."


"So you're a robot too?  You don't quite look like one."


Steel smiled, taking Amber's statement as a compliment.  "It is true.  I am a prototype Anit-Metal Combat Android created by Gari Kikuta."


"Gari Kikuta?" Amber repeated, remembering that name from her college days.  "He and I were in Hiroki Mitsuda's robotics course together.  We kinda...parted ways after graduation," she recalled.

"Your body temperature has increased by 3%.  Were you...in a relationship with Dr. Kikuta?"

Amber blushed.  "Y-Yeah...I was."

Steel's smile widened a bit before he shook his head, reverting to his more serious expression.  "Forgive me, friends.  I allowed myself to be distracted," he said nervously as he pulled the still-inactive XM out of the van, then picked him up and carried him to his fellow troops.

Amber unbuckled her seatbelt and ran after Steel.  "GUYS!  WAIT!  HE'S NOT DANGEROUS!" is all she could think to say.  "If you crack into his programming, don't change anything."

Sahla would see the robot being taken away as she pulls out a camera with a large flash from the back seat

'No dang way GUN is taking away this story from me.' sahla thinks to herself as she will roll down the window and aim the flash at the robot taking as many pictures as she can to attempt to blind the robot, Although it may not work it is better than having the robot being taken away from her.

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Bruno will get a response from capture team 3 that is with Steel.

'Major. The other metal has captured the one that was spotted in the city. He is bringing him out now'

'Understood Corporal' Bruno would respond back 'Make sure you have the wire launchers out in case it tries to escape. Keep the replusor team as backup in case we need to push the metal to a corner for capture. I want the VTOL to land as the nearest parking garage so we can get it into a pod and back to the base.'

'Understood Major' the coms will go silent after the response from the capture team.

THE VTOL will move towards the top of the parking lot which is currently empty. Troops will block the area off to civilian cars however as a team pulls out a storage pod for Metals for transportation back to the labs.

After Volt jumped in the back of the van and made sure everyone else was ready to go, he'd hurriedly tell the reporter, “Step on it!”. He then turned to the rear doors of the van and began pulling them shut. But before he fully closed them, he spotted a bright glint in the distance—a streetlight reflecting off of a peculiarly shaped metal object. Volt kept the van’s doors slightly cracked open, peering through a narrow slit in the middle of them to see what this object was. Before long, he started to make out its shape: it was a figure of what seemed to be another Mobian wearing armor.

Overclock, too, spotted the strange being from a security camera at a pawn shop across the street. But before either he or Volt could react to them, they would raise an arm-cannon towards the van. “VOLT! LOOK OUT—” Overclock would try to warn; however, his sentence would cut off as the feeds he received from Volt’s goggles and earpiece would suddenly scramble and become white noise. He cycled through his cameras to see if he could get a better view of the van, to see if Volt and company were alright; however, every camera that was near the van would be knocked offline. The only thing he could see, from the camera he spotted the robot, was it walking in the van’s direction out of view. “VOLT?! SAY SOMETHING! IS EVERYTHING OK?!” Overclock would yell into his earpiece, tapping buttons on his keyboard, desperately trying to reconnect. “VOLT!!” No matter how much he shouted, he never got a reply. Overclock started to panic, not knowing what happened to his foster brother and best friend. Fearing the worst, he hurried away from his seat leaving the monitors behind, and grabbed a set of keys from a desk beside him.

Meanwhile, Volt felt a huge wave of electromagnetic energy engulfing the van—something familiar to him on account of his powers. In an instant, the interior lights of the van would flicker and die out; the van’s engine would stall and cut off. Volt’s goggles had lost their video feed, and his earpiece had deactivated itself. 

Volt constantly began hitting a button on the side of his earpiece, trying to reconnect to Overclock. “Big O?! Come in, dude!” he’d whisper, but to no avail. He then turned to the others inside the van, beginning to ask if everyone was OK. Before he spoke, though, he noticed something off about XM: its body started to go limp, slowly starting hunch into its seat. Volt’s eyes widened underneath his goggles, realizing what was going on—the van was hit with an EMP, likely from the individual he spotted earlier.

He quickly turned back to the rear of the van, whose doors were still partially cracked open. He tried to see if he could see the person in the distance again through the opening; however, it was gone. He did, however, begin to hear faint, thunking steps approaching the side of the van. Whoever this was was now headed towards them.

Volt immediately ducked behind the rear seats, hidden in the van’s darkness underneath his black cloak. Then the door next to XM opened; he head a mechanical voice, identifying itself as a GUN mercenary. 

Hearing this made Volt's heart race—typical for stressful situations such as this, but moreso than usual. Being so close to a GUN agent made his hidden fear of capture begin to surface. Moreover, something about seeing XM like that made him especially nervous…

”C’mon, Jonas...stay calm…” he’d think to himself, blowing a silent breath to control his heart rate. Thankfully, the  conversation with Amber gave him enough time to assess his current situation and come up with a plan. His Siphons were still online; purposed for limiting Volt's electrokinesis, they were built to neutralize large influxes of EM waves, and thus resisted the EMP blast. He also didn't see any other GUN troops around them, leading him to conclude that they came—at least this far—on their own. 

Volt began to slowly draw his pistols, careful not to make a sound. By now the mercenary was starting to drag XM out of the van; Amber was jumping out of to follow. He had to react quickly. In his mind, there was no other choice but to fight back.

“Keep cranking that engine. That blast was nuts, but it’ll probably wear off in a little while. We still might need this thing to get out of here,” he’d tell the reporter in the driver’s seat, who would then lean out of the window and begin taking pictures of unfolding scene.

Volt turned back toward the rear doors of the van, still trying to keep himself calm. Then, he’d kick open the door, jump in front of Amber to shield her just in case of an attack, and aim both of his pistols at the armored GUN soldier. “Drop it,” Volt’d demand sternly. His voice would be akin to the threat he made at the reporter earlier. “Now.” He was more than prepared to unload and/or give chase if the soldier defied his order.

During his threat, Volt would take a slight glance at the defenseless XM, his attention still focused on the soldier carrying him. A familiar feeling would begin to set in over him, almost like deja vu...

Steel turned around and looked at Volt.  "I would rather not harm a creature of flesh and blood, but I must complete my mission.  If you attack, I will retaliate," the android warned, pointing a shaky arm cannon at Volt.  Amber just watched, remembering how Gari Kikuta used to talk to her about building an "Anti-Metal" if he ever got into GUN's robotics division.  He always mentioned giving his creation a "heart" based on one of Mitsuda's algorithms.  She could tell that Steel really didn't want to shoot Volt, but felt bound by his orders.

While Steel was being distracted by an internal debate on whether or not to fire on Volt, XM's blue eyes flickered back on, and the red robot began to try pulling himself back onto his feet.  "What happened?" he asked, his voice fading in and out.  "Have I been captured?"


"You're about to be hauled off to GUN's labs, and...I don't know what they'll do to you there."

"GUN knows this robot is not violent, but they are concerned that he could be a Manchurian Agent who will become violent only when a trigger is presented.  I assume that means his programming will simply be scanned."

"I can only hope that's ALL they do.  There could be operatives from the group that created him working within GUN.  They could make sure that his programming is properly 'debugged,' meaning that they'll make sure he DOES become a menace.  I don't want that, and he doesn't want that."


"If Eggman did not create this robot, who did?" asked Steel.

"Machina," Amber replied.  "Do you or Gari know of them?"

"I do not, but I will ask my father," the android replied, activating his communicator.

Gari immediately picked up.  "What is it, Steel?  Did you get the Metal?"

"I did, but it's apparently not a Metal at all.  Its female accomplice says it was created by Machina.   Are you familiar with that group?"

"Machina," repeated Kikuta.  "I have heard of them, but only in conspiracy theories.  Are you saying it really exists?"


"It does," replied Amber.

Seeing the multiple flashes are not blinding the robot she would put the camera away and storm over to Steel.

'HEY YOU GIANT TINKER TOY! He is my ticket to winning the journalist award and you're taking him away. I don't care if your GUN's property. I want him for my story.'

After that the conversation between XM, Steel and Amber happened. She would stand there hearing the phrase Machina numerous times. Sahla hates all of this, the mercs, GUN, the robot taking her ticket to the top again, and now some word that people keep repeating, but she doesn't know the answer to it. she will stare into Steel's robotic eyes and starts demanding the following.

'What the hell you are talking about? What is this Machina? Why they are around and why GUN is involved. I want some answers and I want them now!'

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The GUN troops that were following steel will make it as the ones with rifles out will point there weapons at the mercs while the wire launcher troops get into position along with two guys that from the mercs, amber, and sahla's perspective look like weird large purple metal donuts.

As the stalemate happens the bear would present himself behind overseeing the operation and looking at Steel.

'What's going on Steel? You should have been back a while ago. I see you managed to capture the metal, As soon as we pull out of this area we will take it back to headquarters. As for the rest of you I don't know why your here, but I will ask to move along. It is dangerous tonight and its best you go home to your families. I rather not have to deal with a fire fight between us and the two civilians here....' He would defiantly notice the pinkish hedgehog.

'Great... not you again...'

The reporter will look to the Major ' Major Carville... Your either going to call off your team holding that metal or I'm going with you so I can interview that and you all about what's going on. ' Sahla will point to Amber' And she must come along as well. I want this story and I will not be denied it by your red tape.'

Seeing XM get snatched away like a soulless object triggered something inside Volt. His aura grew cold, irrational, and furious, unlike his usual self. He didn’t care about the metal echidna’s hesitation when it shakily aimed its arm cannon back at him; all he saw was a GUN soldier drawing a weapon. To save XM, he was more than willing to take the first shot, despite how drastic the move would be.

Before he acted, however, a mechanical whine disrupted him. The EMP was starting to wear off: Volt’s goggles were coming back online, and his earpiece began beeping in his ear, reconnecting to Overclock. “V-Volt?! Hello?!” Overclock cried through the earpiece, scrambling his fingers across a keyboard to restore the feed. Once it was fully up, he let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, man, I’m so glad you’re OK! Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” his voice cracked, holding back tears.

Volt softly smiled under his bandana upon hearing his brother’s voice. It calmed him down a bit, allowing him to think more rationally. Instead of attacking the GUN robot, he kept a silent focus on it while trying to come up with another plan.

Volt stayed quiet as XM came back online as well, followed by Amber’s conversation with the GUN robot. However, when the reporter came from the driver’s side of the van yelling for details on the situation at hand, Volt gave an impatient groan and told her through his teeth from the the side of his mouth: “Maybeee if you stayed in the vaaannn like I aaasked you could get your ‘storyyy’ and get some aaanswers. Man, you’d think people’d know to listen to the guy with the gun…”

Amidst all the talking, Volt spotted something out of the corner of his eye: what appeared to be multiple entities headed towards them. He shifted his eyes in their direction to get a better look: it was the the GUN squad Overclock had seen earlier, which had now caught up. Volt kept his pistols aimed at the GUN robot, knowing the riflemen would likely shoot at the slightest movement of his pistols. “...Crap,” he’d say to himself under his breath, while another Mobian—apparently, some kind of commander—would reveal himself and address them.
_______________________________________________
Volt kept silent and listened while the commander, who the reporter identified as Major Carville, questioned robot soldier that nabbed XM, Steel. He warned Volt and company to leave and spare a likely shootout. Volt kept his eyes glued and his pistols square on Steel, not trying to call his bluff by any sudden movements. 

Volt knew he was at a disadvantage: outnumbered at least 7-to-1, no convenient escape routes, ushering 2 civilians with one already injured, the primary client already in GUN’s custody...things looked bleak. If he made any suspicious movements with his pistols or to his rifle, it’d be a death sentence. He had no other choice…

Volt whispered as quietly as possible into his earpiece to Overclock: “...Big O?” “Y-yeah?” “Just...head to where we already planned to meet, k?” “Um...ok?”

Breaking the silence with GUN, Volt’d speak softly and cautiously to Carville: “...You...you guys are gonna take care of him, right?” He’d give him time to reply. Then, after considering his answer, Volt'd slowly begin lowering his pistols from Steel. “...Fine...take it,” he’d then say, a bit of somber reluctance in his voice. “Just...just don’t hurt it.” He’d then give a brief, solemn glance at XM, then reholster his pistols on his hips.

He then turned Amber behind him, addressing both her and the reporter: “...Well, you heard the man,” he’d say, crossing his arms and turning to the van behind him. He’d start to walk towards its rear doors, which were still open. “Nothing we can do now. Heck, if they’re giving us a free pass, might as well just go home before someone gets hurt. Amber still needs to get that arm checked out. And then there’s that ‘story’ I promised. So...,” he said with a shrug, “...let’s just leave. It’s game over. They’ve won.”

Knowing that neither Amber nor the reporter would readily leave XM behind, he’d continue tell them both: “It’s too much firepower on their side. One wrong move and we’re done for. I know this isn’t easy but...” his voice would switch to the assertive tone he used earlier to emphasize his next statement, “...trust me, get back in the van...GUN’s ‘not taking any prisoners'.”

Volt chose these words to make GUN think he was commenting on their aggression, but switched his tone to hint to Amber and the reporter that he meant it literally. This was all a ruse; he was not planning on letting XM go—let alone on letting GUN win—just like that.

Approaching the van’s rear doors, he’d reach his left hand up to his ear and pull off his earpiece. He’d then hand it to the reporter and tell her: “Thanks for letting me borrow this thing. You can take it back now.” GUN most likely wouldn’t have any idea that the earpiece was his; he’d stare at the reporter convincingly until she took it. He’d then carefully unholster his pistols and rifle, also placing them in back of the van, making sure not to alert GUN’s troops. What was left was his mechanical bracelets, his Siphons, which were still hidden under his cloak sleeves…

...But, instead of taking them off, Volt curled his fingers over his wrists, pressing and holding a button to deactivate them. Overclock, who was still watching his perspective, began to raise his eyebrows slowly, starting to realize the meaning behind Volt’s cryptic words. He wanted to shout at Volt to stop before he got himself killed, but with the earpiece off, it was too late. Volt’d stand in front of the rear of the van with his back turned to to the GUN troops and would begin talking to Major Carville in a casual, conversational tone: “You know, before we round up...I just wanna ask you something, just for closure’s sake.” He’d pause, seemingly deep in thought.

Amber, hearing Volt's suggestion to let GUN do whatever they were planning to do to XM, sighed and began crying.  The Cockatiel was right.  Her arm did need medical attention, and she'd be of no use in a fight.  Still, she didn't want to abandon XM and let him possibly fall back into Machina's hands.  "I'm sorry, XM...I guess...there's not much I can do at this point."

"I....I understand, Amber," the red robot replied.  "You have been kind.  You were the first to call me 'friend,' and...I appreciate that."

Steel placed his hand on Amber's shoulder as she turned away.  "Amber...I....I will do what I can for him.  If possible, I will see to it that my father oversees anything GUN does to him.  This is my first time encountering another robot even remotely like me.  We're both curious about him."


"If a scan of his programming reveals any connection to Hiroki Mitsuda or Rocky...you gotta let me know.  You gotta contact me....ALucia@ExitMachina.com....OK?"


Steel saluted.  "I will."


With that, Amber waved goodbye to Steel and XM and headed back to the van.  XM responded by waving back with his cannon arm, earning a small chuckle from Steel.

The Major sighs ' I will take the civilian who is injured. My medic will tend to her wounds. Plus I need her as a witness to what happened as well, As for you. I'm not a taxi. You can have the interview later. Sharansky. Tend to the wounds of this civilian and take her with us. '

A light green bird in a GUN medic uniform will walk over with her medic bag walking up to Amber and checking her wounds. She would give a polite smile as she takes out an antiseptic wipe in order to clean the wound then apply pressure with gauge to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding stops she would bandage up the wound and make it tight enough to prevent the wound from bleeding again. She would then put a warm blanket on her as she escorts her ,but as a caring taking care of s civilian never showing a forceful manner.

'Don't worry, Once we get back I can treat your wounds further. Make sure your healed well' the bird talks in an Israeli like accent.

Before the GUN team heads out one of the mercs stops the Major asking him before the major lights up a cigar. Not looking back to the merc in question.

'The metal will be contained and check for anything that could be deemed a threat. If he is not a threat I have a scientist that will want to ask some questions and do his own examination. It will be up to the ministry of science and the top brass on how to go further with it. ' With that the major will walk away while the contingent of Human and Mobian soldiers walks off with him.

The female Hedgehog will clench her fists and storm off back to her van. Not happy that GUN is trying to keep her from reporting the news as she goes back to her van. Unhappy with the decision.