Enemies Merge (A Sonic / Mega Man Crossover)

XVII. Anthropomorphic Metal

Mega Man rose as he heard the familiar sounds of a teleporter in use. He stood as Sonic was lifted away, materializing through the rocks. Mega Man didn't relax, fearing what was coming more than he thought he would.

Well, this is it, the robot thought. He was determined to do what he had to do, no matter what the end result could be.

Tempo was as uneasy as he, shifting from foot to foot. Even though Tempo had told Mega Man Dr. Light's medicine was going to keep him from getting killed, he still had his doubts. How could something as simple as an injection prevent an unpreventable death of getting killed in a battle? It didn't make any sense. And who knew? Sonic would probably end up doing more damage to both of them than they would to him.

"Are you ready, Tempo?" Mega Man asked.

"Yes." Tempo replied after some hesitation. "I am ready."

As she spoke, as if on cue, Sonic appeared again. His body was made of a mechanical suit of such advanced technology, Mega Man doubted his father could even figure it out. The red pupils filled with fury made the whites of his eyes shine. They seemed to be begging for mercy, asking Mega Man to free him from whatever was going on. For only a second, Mega Man knew he couldn't attack.

But there was no choice.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." Mega Man said. Then he charged a shot and pointed his gun at Sonic. He knew nothing would change the hedgehog's mind, even if it wasn't really he himself controlling his mind.

Sonic slid to the side, making the shot blast against a wall. The entire cave shook, as if it were going to collapse on top of them all. But would Wily really sacrifice a loyal test subject?

It gave Mega Man an idea that would possibly end the battle quickly. The quicker, the better, and the less guilty he would feel for delaying the inevitable.

"Tempo!" Mega Man called. "Drill into the sides of the rocks so I can trap him and have the debris fall onto him."

Tempo froze, slowly turning towards Mega Man. Her pupils were tiny, and she was completely stricken with terror. "What if... What if I..."

Mega Man looked back at Tempo, keeping his gun towards Sonic. He tried to make his voice sound as soothing as he could. "You have to. Please. I won't let anything happen to you. Ever. I promise."

She looked down at the ground, as if studying the rocks. Then, she looked up at Mega Man with a big smile. "Let's finish this!"

Mega Man nodded, not noticing how close Sonic was. He lunged onto the robot, slamming his back into a spiked rock. Mega Man arched his back in pain as the rock went deeper and deeper into him. If it went too far in, he would shut off and his systems would short out. And he had promised to protect Tempo, and that was a promise he was going to keep, no matter what happened.

Mega Man kicked Sonic's stomach, slamming him into a wall. He wasn't hurt badly, but it did take him a few moments to get back up, and not before Mega Man shot him with a charge shot. Normally, that would have destroyed any robot, and probably put Sonic near death. But the combination of both seemed unharmed. If anything, he was angrier, his eyes glistening like blood.

"Tempo?" Mega Man called. "How much longer?"

"A lot." She replied. "I'm not even half way done. Hang in there!"

Great. Mega Man thought. He changed into Elec Man's powers. It was the only robot that could hope to slow Sonic down. Quick Man was useless to his speed.

He aimed just in front of Sonic's running path, hoping to stop him for a few seconds. Instead, he turned around, running the other way. How was Mega Man ever going to stop him if he could barely see him, let alone shoot him?

He switched tactics. He turned into Metal Man, throwing a plate in the direction Sonic was going, then quickly changed into Elec Man, stopping him with electricity. He sighed with relief that it had worked.

Mega Man walked over to him, noticing that the flakes of the virus were chipping off. Now, all he had to do was supply energy for as long as he could. Perhaps, if he could handle it for long enough, they wouldn't need the rock trap, which could potentially destroy the real Sonic. Being crushed under tons of sharp rocks... no matter what, Rock doubted anyone could survive that.

But he hated to see his friend in so much pain. It wasn't a quick end to it all, but a slow entrance to death. The hedgehog was obviously angry, snarling and staring at Mega Man as if he was going to kill him. And given the chance, Mega Man was sure he would without any hesitation.

But the energy wore out after a few minutes. Sonic tried to get up, but failed. The only problem was that there were still bits of the virus on him. Whether or not they would kill him, they would keep him under Wily's control. Then the thought occurred to Mega Man - if either he or Tempo touched any part of the virus, or, Sonic, for that matter, they could catch the virus too.

But Sonic was getting back up. And he needed to be ready any moment for Quake Woman's trap.

Mega Man pinned Sonic onto the ground, barely letting him move. With every bit of strength he lost, the weaker he would get and the more the virus would dissipate.

"Tempo!" Mega Man shouted. "I need the trap! NOW!"

She took her drill away from the wall, the whole thing beginning to shake. Filled with regret, Mega Man grabbed Sonic's arm, throwing him against the wall. Tempo began to run back, barely quick enough for the rocks.

Mega Man fell to his knees, his energy completely depleted. He knew he could shut down at any moment, but if Tempo could find a way out, they would all be fine.

Slowly, his strength came back, and he was able to stand. "And now..." He said, looking distastefully at the rocks. "We have to get him out."