Not in My Data Act II: Chapter 3

Dat Lynx!

Pink. What a dreaded color. Its obnoxiously bright and optimistic view was plastered before Metal's eyes. Pink roof, pink curtains, heart shaped windows, pink flowers; everywhere pink, pink, pink! The only thing normal about the house was the door and handle, which were the standard brown wood and bronze metal style of most Mobian homes. How could one endure so much pink? Pink…The name of the color was even annoying to him.

"Why are we here?" the blue lynx griped.

Nicole smiled softly before answering, "Amy's been feeling down lately and I agreed to see if there was anything we could do to make her feel better—"

"No, you were sent to see what has been troubling her."

The female AI shifted her feet, "Well…yes, that too…"

Knowing he would have to accompany Nicole with soothing the pink hedgehog, Metal sighed in defeat, "Very well, best we get this over with."

"Hang on," the female lynx cooed while pulling onto her love's arm, "Just remember that this is all we have to do today before our time together."

The prince's ears stood straight up. He pulled his brown lynx closer to him so that their muzzles touched, "I will be looking forward to that!"

Giggling, Nicole led them to Amy's door, knocking a few times, "Amy? It's Nicole and Metal! Are you there?"

No immediate answer came forth at first, but after a few moments the door creaked open. The pair was met with sad emerald eyes and a melancholy voice, "Hello. You can come in…"

Amy guided her guests to her living room (which to Metal's dismay was filled with more pink). Her depressed face soon dampened the spirits of Nicole while her companion remained unmoved; he just wanted to get this over with. But the usually cheerful hedgehog was out of character, and that meant something drastic had happened. As they sat down Nicole moved from Metal to sit next to her friend, holding her gloved hand in her own as she had seen others do.

"Amy…we've all been worried about you lately," she spoke softly, "Don't think we haven't noticed. I know sometimes the others can be hard to talk to, but you know you can always share your feelings with me, just like we always do."

The hammer wielder's eyes were glazed over and she kept her gaze to the floor. Swallowing a bit, Amy took her hand away from the lynx's, "I don't think you'd understand this time Nicole. I don't think anyone could understand what's going on right now…"

"Well we definitely won't unless you explain your situation," Metal scoffed, deciding to engage in the conversation. Though apparently he was too harsh as the other AI glared daggers at him right after.

Nicole returned her attention to Amy, "Just ignore him, he-"

"No, he's right," Amy interrupted. She finally looked up to meet her friends stare, tears brimming in her eyes, "It's Shadow, he's gone. He's been gone for over a week and I haven't seen or heard from him at all."

The blue lynx's eyes narrowed, he was now intent on listening in. Nicole drew back in surprise; Amy might be right in that she wouldn't understand. She didn't know Shadow too well at all…

"A few days before the fight at the Eggdome, he called and said he'd be fixing his bike for the day. This wasn't the first time, so I didn't think much of it then," the pink hedgehog continued, "But I called the next day, and the day after that all the way to today, but still nothing! I've talked to Rouge, and she said he had left his position at G.U.N. sometime around when he last talked to me…I don't know what to think! Did he leave me? Is he lost somewhere? I don't know! I…just don't know!"

She collapsed into Nicole's arms crying, occasionally sobbing. The brown lynx closed her eyes and embraced her friend to comfort her. Metal on the other hand merely turned his head away from the sight, thinking about why the Chaos empowered hedgehog had simply got up and left. It certainly piqued his curiosity…

Nicole nudged the pink hedgehog to get her attention. When she looked up, the lynx offered a warming smile, "How about I get Sally and Bunny and we all have one of those…um, 'girls' night out' things we used to do? We could watch a movie and have the corn that pops. Does that sound like it would make you feel better?"

Her crying stopped; Amy managed a weak smile back and tried her best to speak between sniffles, "Yea…that sounds like fun…thank you."

The blue lynx across the room raised his eyebrow. Wasn't he supposed to have his lynx all to himself tonight? Now here she was changing plans because of an over emotional female. And why wasn't he ever able to attend these meetings among Nicole and her female compatriots? What did they have to hide during these "girl's night outs"? Metal moved forward from his position, questioning with authority in his voice, "So we will be spending our time in Amy Rose's home then?"

That shocked the pink hedgehog's tears away, as both she and Nicole stared bewildered at the blue lynx in front of them. After exchanging a quick glance, both started to crack smiles and giggle, which only tested Metal's temper.

"What seems to be so amusing?" he scowled.

Amy caught her breath, "Metal, you're not exactly allowed to, um, participate in a girl's night out."

His ears flicked in disbelief while his scowl deepened, "Why not? I see no reason as to why I should be excluded from such an occasion!"

That only caused Amy to outright laugh, holding her side, "Because you're a GUY!"

The AI in question was speechless. His mouth hung open while he tried to comprehend how he misunderstood the situation. Seeing this, the pink hedgehog burst into laughter once more, holding onto Nicole for support. The brown lynx felt a bubble in her chest, but it wasn't out of sadness. She felt…happy seeing her friend cheer up thanks to Metal. This is what she wanted for the two of them, not the fighting or the politics. She wanted her and Metal to spend their existence making each other and others happy. Maybe he didn't understand the good feeling that came from that, or maybe he just hadn't experienced it yet.

After agreeing to have Nicole, Bunnie, and Sally come over to Amy's later that night, the lynx pair took their leave to spend what time they had together. It was still noon, so the couple decided to walk around the city; sort of like a trip down memory lane, except this time they didn't have to sneak about shops and dodging a certain gloomy Ultimate Life Form. Everyone knew who Metal was, and no one had to be afraid. That didn't mean everyone was okay with his being there, of course. But for the most part, the citizens of New Mobotropolis welcomed Metal as a sort of celebrity, especially since he was in Mobian form.

That was something Nicole noticed; the people at first were all a little unsure about Metal staying in the city, but when they saw his Mobian form…most of them immediately changed their opinions. Why was that? Did his appearance really matter that much?

Shooing the thoughts away, she clasped Metal's hand into her own and quickened the pace. She led them down the streets until the brown lynx halted suddenly, throwing Metal off balance. She turned back to with a wide smile, "Stay here, I'll be right back!"

Before he could protest, Nicole had already vanished into what looked like a fabric store. As he waited outside, Metal noticed some female Mobians glancing at him as they passed by. His eye caught a light blue robin winking at him. He returned a confused look, causing the bird to laugh in her hand. A reddish rabbit with dark rimmed glasses bashfully smiled at him from across the street. A group of young hedgehog girls squealed when they noticed they were passing him and squealed even louder when they caught his attention.

Why were they being so friendly towards him? He could kill them with one quick motion, but that didn't seem to intimidate them at all! Something had to be up…they must be plotting amongst themselves; though the AI had never thought the female citizens could be a threat to him. Confusing scenario…staying on full alert…

Preparing to assume a defensive stance in case of a surprise attack, the lynx's patience for Nicole started to wane. He was unaware of the predator coming up from behind him, and by the time he decided to check behind him, it was too late.

SMACK!

His jaw dropped and his eyes grew with shock while an orange and brown, tomboyish hamster came up from behind him. The lynx's hand went straight to his bottom to protect it from any further spanking. She gave a thumbs up as she went on her merry way, "Nice ass."

The AI was frozen in his place. It appears I have been violated…

After a few moments, Nicole finally exited the store with a large red and white checkered blanket in her hands. Beaming, she ran up to the stiffened prince, "Alright, I got it, let's go to the park Metal...Metal?"

Shaking his head, the blue lynx was brought back to reality. Ignoring the past events, he stared at the blanket with curiosity and tilted his head to the side, "What are you doing with that?"

Nicole giggled at his obliviousness, one of her favorite traits of his, "It's a picnic blanket. The people here use it when they get together with food to bring to the park. Even though it's just the two of us and no food, I decided to get it anyway. I know a perfect spot by the pond, so we better get there before anyone else does!"

The blue lynx nodded in agreement, but after glancing sideways, his body froze once more. Nicole followed his gaze to see a tan raccoon eyeing Metal seductively, giving a little wave with her fingers before walking off. Immediately, the female AI tensed up and felt angry. Who did this Mobian think she was? Metal was hers—

She stopped herself. What was this feeling? Why did she feel the need to hurt that woman? Nervous about her thoughts, Nicole took her prince's hand and dashed off to the park.

A clear blue pond, bright green grass, tall shady trees, and no one around except for the occasional Flicky, made the lynxes' time together well spent. They sat on the blanket overlooking the pond, taking in the sight of what Nicole had created. Everything looked perfect, except for one tree that looked like a head of cabbage, but Nicole had explained it wasn't something Metal would understand. Besides that, everything was perfect.

Their fingers were interlocked while the brown lynx rested her head on Metal's shoulder. Treasuring the moment, she sighed happily, "We haven't had a chance to do something like this in a while."

"Yes," her lover replied, "The last time we were outside together you were off fighting Snowbotnik."

A grumble of embarrassment alerted the male AI that the comment had satisfactory results. He smirked, "Has anyone else been alerted of your grand victory yet?"

"Don't you even think about it!"

The blue lynx chuckled softly. He lay down on his back, bringing his company with him, holding her in his arms. She closed her eyes, and a warm smile came across Nicole's face as her forehead pressed into his chest. She felt a nibble on her ear. Metal had started a habit of doing that, but she couldn't complain. In fact, she enjoyed it. The lynxes could have stayed like that forever…

Forever, Nicole's green eyes suddenly opened. A thought that had been nagging at the back of her mind brought itself forward once more. She nudged the other AI to get his attention. Once his blood red eyes locked on her, she nervously spoke up, "Metal…what's going to happen after…after all this is over?"

He remained silent, but his eyes told her to elaborate the question further. She broke eye contact, "When…when you go back…do you want me to come with you?"

"Of course," he replied with assurance.

"But…" she paused, not wanting to make a mistake.

"…But?"

The female AI bit her lip in anxiety, "But…but do you like it here? Are you happy right now?"

The blue lynx stared off behind her, thinking of an answer. Nicole waited in anticipation for almost a minute before he spoke. His hand rose up to bring her head back into his gaze, "I…am happy being here with you. I am always happy when I am with you."

Hugging her prince, Nicole pushed away all the terrible scenarios evolving in her systems; trying to savor the moment. To her surprise, Metal started to move and rolled her over so that he was on all fours above while she was flat on her back. He dove in for a soft kiss, to which his lynx happily returned. Breaking it, he glided one hand down the curves of her body and smirked, "Now how about we enjoy our company where not even Flickies can be heard."

The green eyed AI giggle as she pulled her lover into another kiss as their bodies disappeared in a flash of green.

Destination reached…targets all accounted for…

A shadowy figure loomed in a tree next to a house, looking through the window.

Four organisms, all female…the television set is activated, targets seem to be distracted enough…calculating next plan of action…observation only…

Metal Sonic shuffled in the tree for a more comfortable position. After settling in, he proceeded to watch and understand the events of a "girls' night". What was going on that was more important to Nicole than spending time with him? Amy, Nicole, Bunny, and Sally seemed to be watching a comedy, as laughter was the usual sound coming from the room. They were all wearing ridiculous looking outfits; what Nicole called "pajamas". She was in purple pants and button shirt, the pink one had a similar outfit but in red, while Sally and Bunnie wore simple blue and pink night shirts. Refreshments consisted of popcorn and what the AI had identified as soda.

"Enjoying the view?"

The lynx jerked his head to see Sonic the Hedgehog relaxing on a lower branch. He didn't show any smugness at catching the AI off guard, but still had a friendly smile, "Y'know I followed you here 'cause I was suspicious at what you were up to. Stalking around the streets in the middle of the night isn't exactly your friendly neighborhood watchman. Of course, had I known this…"

Metal Sonic glanced away expecting a boring "moral lesson" that the Mobians here seemed to be fond of teaching him. Instead he was surprised to hear his rival chuckling. Looking back, he was met with a goofy hedgehog grin, "Had I known you had this in mind, I would have asked to come along! You know what you're doing, I'll give you that."

"What? No, I…" the lynx fumbled his thoughts, trying to find the right words. Sonic put up his hand to stop him.

"Dude, it's cool," he chuckled again, "I'm glad I found something we could relate too."

"And that is?"

"The beauty of women of course!" he exclaimed with cheerfulness and bliss, "Spying on a slumber party is pretty classic dude, I'm glad I finally have someone to hang around with for these moments. Tails is still too young, Knuckles is always busy, Antoine is Antoine, and Shadow…well…"

The hedgehog started cracking up at that last part. Metal Sonic gave a small grunt before returning to his reconnaissance mission, which ceased the Mobian's laughter.

"Dude, why are you so serious? I told you, it's totally normal for us to be doing this. We just can't get caught," he spoke with a hint of fear in that last part.

The lynx's ears flicked towards him in interest, "Intriguing…why must we not get caught? Is the reason that terrible?"

Sonic snorted, "Have you ever met the bad end of Amy's hammer? Or worse, Bunnie's blaster? No thank you!"

"I fear nothing."

Before the hedgehog could retort, a shrill shout was heard from the house. Both Sonics looked through the window, preparing to leap out at any danger. Fortunately for them, it was only Amy, who had been hit in the back of the head with a pillow by Sally. Grabbing one of her own, she turned 180 degrees and sent the princess flying into the couch, knocking Bunnie and Nicole off in the process. Soon, all four had armed themselves with pillows and the fight began. Amy charged at the cyborg rabbit, while Nicole and Sally dueled on the couch. Laughs, giggles, and "oomf!"s filled the room.

The observing males were, of course, hypnotized (in a sense) at the sight. Neither dared to even blink as their eyes remained as large as dinner plates. Sonic lifted his arm up in a straight fist towards the AI while looking on, "Dude…"

"…What?"

"Fist…pound…"

"…What?"

The hedgehog sighed, "Never mind, just enjoy the show."

They sat on their respective tree limbs for what seemed like half an hour, hopeful that the pillow war would never come to an end. Metal Sonic did not understand why he was so entranced, but his eyes were fixed on Nicole. He noticed she used some evasive techniques he had used before. Interesting…

Sonic was just as mesmerized as his counterpart. So much so, that he didn't notice the slight creaking noise coming from where his branch connected to the rest of the tree. Suddenly, the limb broke off completely, sending itself and the blue hedgehog to the ground with a loud crash. Right in front of Amy's window, and right in front of the four females who had been alerted to the noise outside. No words came from either party. The speedster eyes darted up to find Metal Sonic, but his mouth gaped is dismay when the lynx had disappeared entirely. Returning his attention to the girls in the house, he stiffened at the sight of all four of them glaring straight at him.

"Crap."