MONSTEROPOLIS EPISODE 2:
Rock and A Hard Place

By Hadrian (Hardman) Howell

Chapter 4

-LOCATION ERROR. UNABLE TO TRACK.
-February 15th, 2096
-Account Subject: Sonny Hedgerton

There have been a lot of questions and speculation on what, exactly, the acronym S.O.N.I.C. stands for. Honestly, even as its pilot, I really couldn’t tell you. The closest thing I can think of is Speed Only Necessary In Combat. Then again, I’m still in high school and there are a lot of smart people out there who’ve probably put thought into this. Ask one of them.

Me? I just happened to be the best available person to control it. Weeks of aptitude testing, physical training and reflex exams took up my last summer vacation. That was three years ago, but I say last because ever since, when not at school pretending I don’t know anything, I’m here in the S.O.N.I.C. chamber, using Dr. Kintobor’s Body and Mind Immersion System to keep the super speedy superhero doing what it does best.

There’s no common frame of reference for being the one in the driver’s seat of the fastest mechanical combat unit on the planet. Wandering around, I tend to idle at Mach 2, 2.5. One of the reasons I’m the pilot is because I can keep up with that kind of velocity in a crowded city and even more crowded highways. In less capable hands… well, speed kills.

As a superhero, my first responsibility is to public safety, but that sounds more like a job than I like. To me, my job is running through the biggest, most amazing playground in the world, finding the bullies and beating the crap out of them.

Of course, some bullies are bigger than others. That was the thought that crossed my mind as I arrived at the West Geodesic Animal Reserve. In some ways, I fit in here. Dr. Kintobor’s design process for the S.O.N.I.C. unit had been fairly animal inspired. Aside from a chest cavity that sported a jet engine, the head of the unit had a distinctive set of spine with maneuvering jets in them. Thin arms and legs had been a design consideration to reduce drag while keeping a recognizably humanoid profile, and therefore encouraging trust (and merchandising! S.O.N.I.C. toys regularly outsold everyone else, which was something I was always kind of proud of.)

The collapsed portion of the dome yawned like a cave before me. Inside, somewhere, was a malfunctioning Dozer unit. Massive and powerful, they were the first kind of Intelligent Mechanicals. A step up from remote units like my own, they were…

Wait, I’m getting a signal that you guys were already treated to this explanation. Fine by me, I hate wasting time.

The Body and Mind Immersion System (BMIS. Faster.) literally made me see and feel everything the S.O.N.I.C. unit did. Due to weight concerns, it had been a decision by Dr. Kintobor to have the unit be remotely controlled to maximize speed and maneuverability, as well as that irreplaceable human intuition and judgment. Of course, then he goes and puts a 15 year old in charge of it, but whatever.

All of this translates to the fact that as I leapt off the precipice of the wreckage and into the forest proper, I could feel the branches brush my arms and hear the leaves rustle behind me with the wind of my passage. Jetting my way through the trees and around sections of the collapsed dome was an activity that was its own reward for me. I loved being fast.

It wasn’t long before I encountered the trail. It was hard to miss. Fifteen feet wide, two deep tread gouges dug into soft earth, oh yeah. I had a good lead. Interestingly enough, though, was that as fast as I was, I was behind someone else who was looking for our wayward machine. The slimness of the footprint, as well as the heel’s deeper indent, suggested a lady was out there somewhere as well. For whatever reason, I couldn’t guess.

I figured I could get her out of the way if I caught up to her before she caught up to the Dozer. I sped off along the track, keeping away from the splintered remains of trees and the few flattened animals I came across. It wasn’t long before I came up behind my mystery guest.

Of course, I’m not the quietest thing in the world when I get moving. She saw me coming and was holding up a police badge when I approached. “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” I asked. My voice carried through the S.O.N.I.C. unit, with a little digital alteration to disguise my identity.

“Saving lives,” she said, putting her badge away. “Where’s the rest of the cavalry?”

I shrugged. “Who needs ‘em? All I need to do is find a way to disable the Dozer. Shouldn’t be too difficult.”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Look, no offense, but I don’t trust you hero types to get the job done in the most efficient fashion, okay?”

“Suit yourself, lady,” I said, looking around. “Where’s big, ugly and angry?”

The woman rolled her eyes in a ‘See what I mean’ sort of way. “Well, being the expert giant robot tracker that I am, I was thinking, oh, THIS way?” she pointed along the tracks. There was a low ratcheting sound and a low boom. “That was also a clue,” she remarked wryly as we started to make our way in the direction of the noise.

We rounded a bend in the tracks to see something interesting, yet not entirely unsurprising. “Ah,” I remarked. “The new kid on the block.”

Megaman was standing on the shoulder of the Dozer, shoving a small black device into its face before leaping off. He stood up and brushed himself off as the bomb exploded and the Dozer went slack.

“Hold it right there,” the lady cop shouted as she approached him.

“No time for that,” Megaman said, looking our way. I couldn’t read his expression under his helmet, but his voice carried a tone of urgency. “Is the evacuation complete?”

“I’m not answering questions,” she barked, “I’m asking them.” She flashed her badge again. “I’m Officer Samantha Aran, and I want a full explanation of what the hell is going on here.”

Megaman shook his head. “Yeah, I wish we had time,” and to emphasize his point, the Dozer started moving again, “but I can’t STOP this thing, I can only slow it down. Did you bring any real firepower, or is it just you and this thing?” he asked, gesturing to me.

“Hey!” It was weak, but it was what I had.

“Oh, god, it can talk!” he came back with in mock surprise. “Do YOU have anything that can contribute?”

I shrugged. “I’m fast. Does that help?”

“How fast?”

“Mach two? Three or four if you motivate me.”

“How motivated? 52 pick-up motivated?

“Fifty-two…?”

“Land mines.”

“That works.”

“BOYS,” Officer Aran shouted, bringing our attention back toward the Dozer, which was already in mid hay-maker style swing. It sank into the ground as Megaman and I made our respective exits from the area, and I almost unthinkingly took Officer Aran with me. Hope I didn’t give her whiplash or something.

As the Dozer recovered its stature, I sped over to Megaman, who had somehow produced a stack of small circular disks. “You’ve got five seconds once they’re out of my hands. Go for the treads.”

I smiled, which I’m not sure translated to S.O.N.I.C. at all well, but I took the stack, gave it a shuffle and turned to my work. Nooks and crannies inside the tread assembly looked like prime targets, but I admit my mechanical expertise is limited. If it looked important, I stuck a mine on it. Past that, I was kind of hoping that quantity will outshine quality here.

I ended up back at my starting point, now absent Megaman, which wasn’t a surprise at all, given his reputation, and the first explosion went off. There was quickly a wreath of fire blossoming out from the base of the Dozer and I put some distance between the hulk and myself just to be safe.

The upper body’s support gave away and the bulk of the machine collapsed in on itself. There was a tremendous metal crash and some other noise lost in the roar of the flame. I think the ground itself started to give away. THAT’S when I remembered Officer Aran.

Hey, lay off me, okay? I can’t even drive my own car yet.

I rushed around to try and find her, but there was a secondary explosion that spat flame all over the still-standing trees. As the fire caught on and started to spread, I decided to make a swift exit from the scene.

Samantha seemed like a tough lady. She could probably take care of herself.

Right?