Persona A (The RP)

This is a WIP. I will take down this WIP area once everything is complete.

This time around, it's a shipping fic - in particular, it centers around my main man, Blitz, and one of his Cybermal allies, Edge. Set some time after The Destroyer's defeat, it will focus on Edge trying to integrate back into society and also realizing (and trying to deny) the feelings she has for a certain red-wearing hero...

All set? Alright! Let's roll!

## Overview

*"The people are scared of us... do we have any hope?"*

These words ring in the mind of Derek Gate's daughter - Sophia. The only one to have fled before her cybernetics were finished, she had rebelled against her deluded parent and successfully stopped him from permanently damaging the world. In her mind, she saw nothing but a monster - a dog that had to be put down. And now, Derek was gone...

But now, the Cybermals face a new obstacle - the public, instead of hailing the few heroic ones who left Derek, are now regarding them with distrust, anger, and fear. Instead of being welcomed as heroes, they're portrayed as demons and monsters. Much to her annoyance, Edge is experiencing the same thing, and it's not helping her case at all...

But underneath all the hate, anger, and violence lies the one man who may possibly offer her some form of closure - that of the Hero of New Haven. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, Edge knows she needs help - and the wolf can give it to her, as well as... something more.

Meanwhile, Whirlwind decides to pay his daughter and wife a much-needed visit. However, when he arrives at Neptune City, he finds himself about to go through another adventure... and his daughter, Zephyr, is tagging along for the ride! Sounds like a great way to spend some quality time, am I right?

The dark times are still here... but at least there'll be a light waiting at the end.

## Included Characters

### Main Characters

* Blitz the Noisemaker
* Edge
* Whirlwind Mason
* Zephyr Mason
* Unknown Cybermal

### Minor Characters

* Commander Tower
* Shadow the Hedgehog
* Glacier Von Fang

### Mentioned Characters

* Knockout Shadeclaw
* Derek Gate (deceased)
* Twintwist Acidfang (deceased)
* Cybermals
* Dark Creatures

## Clearing the Rust

### Prologue: Feeling Empty

"Citizens of New Haven! I request your attention!" came the voice of Commander Tower as civilians gathered in a crowd. "Today, we stand in the shadow of another threat to New Haven City - a threat that came from a man who was once one of our own. A man who succumbed to his own paranoia and cynicism, and waged war in order to get revenge on us all..."

It had been three days since Derek's defeat at the hands of GUN. With his World Remolder totalled, the Atlas destroyed, and his Cybermal research deleted for the most part, the menace that was the Destroyer had been finally dealt with. With his death, the remaining Cybermals - the ones who had broken free from his mind control programming and defected to GUN - now had a chance to reintegrate themselves back into society.

However, of the many hopeful people, one of them remained pessimistic - Derek's daughter, Sophia "Edge" Gate. She was the only Cybermal to have had her cybernetics left unfinished, due to her fleeing when she had the chance. Initially, she only joined GUN as a temporary ally, seeking to end the alliance once Derek was dealt with. But her suspicions of the organization gradually faded as she fought alongside heroes like Blitz the Noisemaker and Antonia "Knockout" Shadeclaw. Ironically, she grew to like the organization - whereas her father regarded them as liars, villains, and generally horrible people, she instead found likeable, friendly allies who always had her back.

She wasn't used to having people she could rely on. After she fled her father, the people she trusted could be counted on one hand - all of them had either died already or were still enslaved by programming. Seeing GUN's finest in action, and discovering their innate goodness despite the controversy some had... it made her slightly more hopeful for the future. If only a little...

"He is a good speaker, as usual," Shadow said beside her, yanking her out of her train of thought. The Cybermal fox realized she had zoned out halfway through Tower's speech. Nobody else had noticed her, though...

"...I guess," she said in a resigned manner.

The black hedgehog looked at her with confusion. "Is something troubling you?" he asked.

"No," she lied automatically, prompting him to frown. "I'm okay."

"You don't sound okay," he noted. It was true - she herself knew she was sounding like she hadn't slept in weeks, and at times she felt like it was like that. But she didn't tell this to anyone. She didn't want anyone to pity her... she didn't need it. No, she despised it. She didn't want to be seen as weak. Especially considering what she had been through...

"...I gotta go," she said abruptly, brushing past the ebony fighter and moving her way through the crowd. The hedgehog tried to follow, but he had lost her quickly.

Shadow watched her go, confusion evident on his face. "What's up with her..." he said to the air. Frowning, he then thought of Blitz. *He's the one she was closest to during her time with us... perhaps he can help.*

Reaching a decision, he began to look for the bounty hunter.

The fox slumped against the wall, feeling ever so tired. The threat was over, but she was permanently scarred. The other half of her body would remain metallic, mechanical, and robotic, forever contrasting her flesh-and-blood half. She would always see things in a heads-up display, and unable to trust her surroundings unless they were definitely riddled with bullets, fire, and shrapnel.

Edge drew her knees against her chest, resting her head on her knees and wrapping her arms and tail around her. Her bio-readings indicated she was at perfect health, but they said nothing about what she actually felt. She felt lost... empty... homeless. That last part was actually true, considering that her family's house had been destroyed months ago...

"Why..." Edge whispered, giving a soft whimper. "Why don’t I feel better..."

Derek was gone - dead, never coming back. And yet, without her father, she felt like she lacked a purpose now. As if, he was the only reason she was able to get this far...

*Bullshit. I'm my own woman. He only turned me into... this.*

*...wait, why the hell am I still thinking about* him*? He's dead. Long gone. It's over. I'm finally free now. Heh, maybe now I can-*

"Yo, Edge?" she heard a familiar wolf say. Immediately, she tensed up. She didn't want to talk to anybody - not now, probably not ever. She had to hide. Quickly, she stood up and dashed behind the dumpster beside her, thankful it was big enough to let her hide behind it.

She heard footsteps coming, and froze, hoping he would go away. *Leave me alone...*

"Edge, you here? Shadow said I needed to talk to ya," the wolf called out again. "He said you looked distraught and all that."

*...Shadow, you ass,* the fox thought with venom. Why would he send Blitz to talk to her? She didn't feel like talking right now. She wished she could just disappear...

"Edge, come on. This is yer buddy coming to talk to you. Please, don't be difficult," the wolf said to her once more.

*Fuck off!* was what she wanted to say. But she knew that’d be uncalled for and she knew Blitz to be a man of understanding and friendliness. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Blitz was one of her few friends who put up with her profanity, abnormalities, and anger. The least she could do was at least accept his offer.

"...well, I guess I'll come back later then," Blitz said in a dejected manner, and she heard him turn to leave.

"W-wait," she said aloud, slowly pulling herself out from behind the dumpster and standing to her full height. She hid her cybernetic arm behind her back, out of reflex.

Blitz turned back around to see his friend stand there awkwardly, arm held behind her back. "There you are! What were you hiding for?"

Edge swallowed the lump in her throat. "I... needed to think to myself for a bit," she answered softly, doing anything to avoid looking at the swordsman directly.

"What about?" he asked.

She briefly hesitated. How would he react to her having thoughts about going out on her own, after all they had accomplished together? Would he accept her... or would he be angry?

*...the fuck am I doing thinking about him in particular?* she pondered. He was a friend, but not a good friend... at least, she was sure. But he and the others had been so nice to her lately... ah shit, her head was hurting thinking about this.

"Things," she managed after an awkward silent moment.

"Like?" Blitz prompted, stepping closer to her.

"...what to do now that my dad’s gone, I guess," she answered. "What to do, how to live, where to go home to, that sort of thing..."

Blitz looked at her with a frown. He hadn't known her to be this thoughtful about things like this, but considering the circumstances... he supposed it was good for her to think about those. "Feeling lost, I imagine," he guessed.

Edge sighed and looked away, rubbing her cybernetic arm. "Yeah... I've no damn idea what to do with my life now. I have nowhere to go, and nothing to do."

Blitz then thought about the situation for a long and quiet moment, before finally coming to a decision.

"You need a place to stay?" This prompted Edge to nod. "I got some space in my apartment. It's yours if ya want."

She froze, stunned by this offer of generosity. "You’re serious? No catch, no fine print, no nothing I need to sign or look at?"

He shook his head and answered, “Nope. None of that crap. You can stay with me as long as you feel you have to. That cool with ya?"

She considered. Having a roof over her head would definitely take her mind off the little things, and he said she could stay as long as she wanted. *Hell yes.*

"...yeah, it's cool with me," she said finally, feeling a smile tug at her lips. She was starting to feel genuinely happy, if at least relieved that she’d have somewhere to come home to. "Where is it?"

"Follow me," the red fighter replied, beckoning her to follow. Edge complied, walking beside her friend towards his apartment.

## Part One: The Aftermath

* Chapter One: Home Sweet Home
* Chapter Two: Heavy Metal
* Chapter Three: Hot on the Trail
* Chapter Four: Dark Designs
* Chapter Five