Sonic: Metal Nightmare

Teal stood at the edge of the city, watching the cleanup. "It didn't do
too much damage. It won't take them long to repair the city and dad's
paying some money out to help."

"They rebuilt after Black Arms, Chaos, and those other disasters," Slate
said.

She replied, "that was before our time."

"Your mom bugging you, isn't she?" he asked.

"Yeah. She won't talk about that party two years ago. She wouldn't let me
help fight Metal Sonic and she's being overprotective. Slate, I'm sick of
dating behind their backs..."

"You wanna call this off, then?"

"NO!" she shouted. "That's not what I mean... no, I think I have an idea.
Just hear me out on this."


------------------------------------------------

Metal Sonic's inactive hull was taken to GUN headquarters. The Commander
took interest in the damage. He peered into the open cavity of the
robot's head. "She tore this thing open and killed it..."

Wiping his glasses, he made a command decision on the spot. "I can see
why my father let Agent Rouge do whatever she wanted... he was probably
frightened of her. I'm making this an official order. If Agent Rouge
asks for ANYTHING, she is to receive full cooperation."

"Sir? the troop asked.

"You heard me! Anything she wants. I'm not going to risk making her mad."


------------------------------------------------

Rouge had only managed to change clothes when Teal called, asking her
parents to meet her in the city. The rental car stopped in front of
their favorite restaurant, closed down for repairs. "She must be inside,"
Tom said, stepping out. The couple entered, looking around. Teal
was nowhere to be seem. Rather, they saw Knuckles and Karen sitting at
a table.

"Knuckles." Rouge wasn't happy. "We're leaving," she said, grabbing Tom's
hand.

"Figures," Knuckles replied, "first Slate doesn't show up and now you."

Rouge headed for the door. In a blur, Teal blocked her path,
keeping the door shut. "TEAL! What's going on?"

"Mom, please..."

"No, Teal, I am not staying here and talking with this idiotic, stubborn
echidna. WE are going!"

"Like I'd want to talk to you," Knuckles shouted out.

Slate entered the room, walking towards Teal. "Dad, you're gonna listen
to this..." Taking Teal's hand, the two teenagers made sure their parents
saw.

"Slate? You and... her?" Karen asked, stunned.

"Yes, mother, me and her. Is that a problem?" Slate stated defiantly.

"Yes, it IS a problem, son!" Knuckles was angry.

"Like your kid is good enough for MY daughter, Knuckle-dragger," Rouge
screamed, boiling. "You were never good enough for me, so why should
your son be good enough for her?"

"SHUT UP!"

Teal has screamed too loud, straining her throat. Rouge's sensitive ears
reeled. "MOM! DAD! You used to be friends with Knuckles and his family.
And Sonic, and Robotnik, and the Chaotix, and the others. Then you threw
it away two years ago! I WANT TO KNOW WHY!"

"Yes, dad," Slate agreed. "Teal and I are... in love. And if we have to
date without your blessing, we will. Not like you've done anything to
make things right!"

Kneeling, Tom looked Rouge in the eyes. "Rouge... this has to end. I've
supported you through this but enough is enough! You have to tell them."

"Tom, I..." She went silent. "I don't know if I can."

"It doesn't matter if they understand, babe... your daughter thinks
you're going crazy and your old friends think you're selfish. They have
to know what really happened."

Squeezing Tom's hand, she made her decision. "Knuckles... you remember
the talk we had on Ark, right after the Biolizard and we thought Shadow
was dead?"

"Yeah... said you were going to stop stealing. You were back at it three
days later."

She continued, "when we returned to Earth I visited my mother. She acted
like she didn't even know I had left home... it made me so mad that I
just broke down and went back to what I knew."

Taking a chair, Rouge sat. "It was about two years ago. Mom came to the
mansion. I- I wanted her to say that she loved me. But all she did was
hit on Tom and she..." Eyes closed, the memory stinging her. "I gave
her some money hoping it might reach out to her but- but she wouldn't
let up and I... I pushed her. I pushed my own mother out the front
door. I pushed her and told her to get out of my life."

"Grandma came to the house? Why didn't you tell me?" Teal was shocked.
"At least tell me where she lives so I can go meet her!"

"You can't, dear, your grandmother-"

Tom kneeled beside is wife and said, "Rouge's mother died less than an
hour later. The police visited us and gave us the news. They only knew
to come to us because she'd taken one of the jars of jelly we keep to
hand out to guests. That was only days before my fortieth birthday party.
We had a small, quick burial and thought it would be best to have the
party."

Teal begged, "why didn't you tell me?"

"Because your grandmother was a horrible, uncaring person!" Rouge
shouted, her voice strained with sadness. "I only wanted her to love me
but she only wanted money. And the last thing I did was to shove her to
the ground."

"Dad," Slate piped up, "you said something to her to make her kick
everyone out."

Knuckles tried to remember. "Yeah... I remember now. I told her she had
such a wonderful family... it must have sent her over the edge."

"Rouge..." Amy entered the main dining room. "I... I had no idea."

"None of you did, and I'm sorry," the bat apologized. The pink hedgehog
gave Rouge a hug. She faced Knuckles. "And I'm sorry I flirted with you
back then, too. I knew you weren't interested."

Knuckles defended himself by saying, "maybe if I hadn't been so stubborn
and proud of my heritage, maybe if I'd bothered to understand you better.
Maybe if I could have seen you as a person and not a threat to my
duties..."

"It's probably for the best," Rouge said, squeezing Tom's hand. "I think-
no, I know... I made the right decision." Looking over at her daughter,
Rouge spoke, "Teal, you hooked up with the echidna. You outdid your
mother on that one... go on, you two be happy. Just... don't do anything
you might regret, okay?"

"You mean... yes, mom, I know..."

Slate said, "don't worry, I'll be a perfect gentleman with Teal!"

"You'd better," Knuckles shouted, "if you do anything to hurt her,
you won't have to worry about Rouge, because I'll break your neck, boy!"

"HEY! Things are back to normal now!" Karen shouted. "What say we get
plans made for a celebration party! Make things right, you know?"

"Sounds fun," Amy said. What do you say, Rouge?"

Smiling, Rouge responded, "yes, we will... thank you, all of you."


------------------------------------------------

Shadow watched the cleanup. "Shadow?" Turning, he found Rouge. "Shouldn't
you be helping them?"

"They told me to take a break," he explained. "I heard about the
conversation you had with the others. So they know what happened." He
sighed. "If it matters, I do sometimes wish that I could have been more
open to you, that I-"

"Please stop, Shadow." Rouge had cut him off. "I had a genuine interest
in you, but that was twenty years ago. I found Tom. He was the first
one who appreciated who I was. The first who ever understood me. But
now..." She sighed, knowing she was about to say something very cruel.
"Look at you! You haven't aged ONE DAY since we met. And I'm getting
older. I'm in shape, I still look good, but I'm older. I'll be forty
soon. I'll grow old and die, probably with Tom, while you'll still be
the same then as you are now, as you were back then..."

Turning away, she seemed almost resentful, but it was the truth. That's
in the past. I love Tom. I... I've always been by his side, he's always
been by mine. I've never even THOUGHT of cheating on him, or leaving
him... we have a child. What we have together, what we do- forget that,
what Tom and I do together is none of your business anyway. But,
Shadow... you're still my friend. And please, take care of Teal, she
needs an ally in GUN. I know you will stand by her side, and by the side
of my family generations from now."

"Yes," he said. "I will."

------------------------------------------------

Robotnik sat on a bench in the park. "Doc," Sonic greeted. "Amy's off
with the others and the boys are helping the cleanup. Thought I'd check
to see how you're doing..."

"Sonic... to think I once almost destroyed this planet." The old man
enjoyed watching the birds. "To think one of my plans was almost
used by a machine. I have spent two decades making things right. I have
no family and the Robotnik name dies with me. But I believe my
grandfather would be proud of me." The old man pulled bread fragments
from a bag, throwing them to the pigeons.

Rising from the bench, Sonic left his old enemy alone. Tails was
standing nearby. "You know why I had to cut your adventure short,
right?"

"I know, Ta- Miles..." Sonic was sad that the days of big adventures
were behind him.

Miles spoke, "those days are gone. I have an actual lab now with
government funding and the best resources. I don't have to make things
out of leftover parts in small labs. I like saving the world the easy
way. And I know a hundred years from now, when none of us are still
here, I'll leave something behind that can help keep the world safe."

Sonic looked out into the city. "Until then, old friend... I'll be
here. I'll keep this world safe as long as I'm alive."