Sonic awoke in a daze. To his relief, it didn’t seem like he was unconscious for very long. That relief didn’t last long, though, once he realized where he was: none other than the abandoned laboratory of the late Professor Manuel Gazebo Boobowski. A broken chalkboard, numerous shattered beakers and test tubes, and unusable furniture littered the common area. All of that seemed to be the least of the debris, as scorch marks and blood stains decorated more and more of the walls leading to the basement. Whatever happened here long ago would have seemed like an extremely unpleasant sight, to say the least.
As Sonic found himself gazing at the mess, the bad memories began to resurface, and he immediately made a break for the exit. Or, rather, he tried to. The moment he attempted a running start, he tripped and fell. Sonic felt woozy and off-balance, and immediately curled up, rolling to an old wastebasket to vomit in.
Once that was done, Sonic determined that his body was not used to going that fast yet, and he would need a moment’s rest. This was the last thing he wanted. He HATED being here. Every second felt like torture, and all he wanted to do was bail, but he could barely stand up straight and walk about. He needed something to focus on, anything to distract him from the ever increasing dread, even for a little bi-
'Hey, I remember that deck.’
Carefully, Sonic walked over to a small skateboard in the northeastern corner of the room. It was rather simple; a wooden finish with blue wheels. The top of the board was red with white stripes and yellow stars. It was his favorite as a kid, and he always talked about wanting to be a world-famous pro skater when he grew up. Many doubted him, of course.
Seeing this throwback slowly put Sonic’s mind at ease. 'I bet I could dominate every heat of any competition now,' he thought smugly. He then noticed something else where the skateboard lay. It was a battered, brown backpack with “Nicky” printed on it, though “SONIC” was crudely marked in blue upon that. He insisted on going by that name since the first time he'd ran from the lab to the orphanage in 10 minutes (a somewhat impressive feat considering the short distance between the two locations). Cereza always refused, however, unless she was in a good mood.
Sonic sighed. He remembered the day he was given this pack. He had gotten scolded by Cereza (i.e. spanked by Madama Butterfly’s thumbnail) because he'd left his side of his room a mess for the umpteenth time. The day after, he'd taken to sulking in the lab, complaining about how much easier life would be if he could just “bring his crap around wherever he wanted”. Professor Gazebo (as he himself insisted on being called) happened to be listening at the time and handed him the backpack, in exchange for the promise to keep up with it and his room. To his credit, Sonic kept that promise.
His mood lifting a little more, he opened it up and dug through it, surprised to find many childhood items still intact and usable. A old pair of roller blades, a toy guitar, some gaudy and extremely worn out sneakers, a couple of fanny packs, and a set of clothing given to him by a friend that included a neon pink shirt, blue shorts, violet shoes, and a matching baseball cap. Sonic promptly gathered that set, slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked over to the incinerator, chucking the clothes in without a word. Flicking the on switch, he was momentarily surprised when nothing happened. He remembered why, though. It was the same reason the lab was such a wreck. Sonic’s face turned bitter as his gaze turned to the basement entrance.
He marched to the exit as quickly as he could, which still wasn’t very quick. Despite the good memories he had of this place, what had happened here trumped that. Never before had he felt so weak, so helpless to do anything. The last time he felt like that was on the Black Comet. Recalling that moment, Sonic was embarrassed. Immobilized by the comet’s paralyzing gases, he and his friends were slowly being munched on by Black Doom’s mega gross larvae. There was nothing that could be done at the time. Everyone was frozen. Everyone but Shadow, as it turned out, who rose up, stared down the alien tyrant and said, “I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I am putting my past behind me. No one can tell me what to do now. I will destroy you, Black Doom!”
Sonic let that sentence play in his head a second, third, and even fourth time. In spite of how exciting it was for the Blue Blur, that entire ordeal was a nightmare, and throughout it all, the Black Blur was attempting to get rid of his pain in the ass amnesia and figure out who he really was. In the end, it didn’t matter, but the only way he moved on from the crap he’d went through was to seek it out in the first place and face it. Shadow shot his past in the face and ran ahead to a new future for himself.
What was Sonic’s excuse? He attempted to give the same one he always did, that moving forward without a care was the only way to live a life without regret. But, that was hollow now. Sonic could bust all the badniks, spin through all the loops and do all the weight training he wanted, but it was all meaningless. As long as he had this incident hanging over him, this terrible day he simply could not outrun, he would not be able to truly say that he had no regrets.
He NEEDED his S game for whatever Eggman was up to. Tails needed him. Amy needed him. Earth needed him. Heck, for all he knew, Blaze might need him at some point. Nothing could hold him back. Sonic knew this so, as much as he didn’t want to, he walked over to the basement door…opened it…and walked down the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earlier...
It was a short little bout, but quite intense nonetheless. At first, Shadow played keep away, dodging and warping away from the Master Emerald Shrine in order to keep from destroying it. Once they arrived in Red Mountain Zone, however, the figurative gloves came off.
Rouge attacked fiercely throughout the fight, prompting Shadow to respond in kind. It had been quite some time since the face of Team Dark clashed with its leader, but that was petty. This was personal, and Shadow knew it. He knew better than to hold back against her, as she near rivaled Knuckles in strength and attack power, and for once, she was using every bit of it. Still, he wouldn’t back down. This was too important. That went through his mind over and over as they stared each other down during a lull in the battle. “Are you done with your tantrum?” he asked mockingly. Rouge just hissed in anger, something that was considered EXTREMELY rude to Mobian bats.
“Why the hell are you attacking me anyway? What is it about that echidna that's worth defending in the first place?” Rouge glared and said, “You wouldn’t understand if I told you.” Shadow rolled his crimson eyes. “Yeah, sure. I think you’ve been spending too much time with him. You’re supposed to be helping Knuckles as an ally. Now you’re acting like he’s your boyfriend.” Before she could stop herself, she responded, “What if I am? Is that a problem?”
Part of Shadow expected that, but he still wasn’t prepared for it. Regardless, he continued. “Of course it's a problem. No matter how well you two are getting along now, it's going to be temporary. Once the Doctor’s scheme has been foiled, you will have to go your separate ways, and you know it. Why make that difficult?”
Rouge's expression did not change. “I'm aware of that, believe it or not. That possibility has been on my mind for quite some time.” Shadow waited for her to continue. “Knuckles can be a dimwit. He’s brash, single-minded, arrogant, stubborn, and stupidly gullible. One would think he'd be the last person I would be attracted to, especially considering our bickering.” As she spoke, Rouge dropped her stance and crossed her arms, looking serious, but soft, as well. “But, his pros outweigh all of that. His dedication to his beliefs, his sense of purpose, his willingness to forgive and stand for what's right. That’s what I see. I suppose that’s what drew me to him.”
Shadow relaxed his own stance when he heard this, though he still wasn’t convinced she was serious. He had to be certain. So, he asked her, “If that’s truly the case…would you wed him if he asked you? Sharing your lives, starting a family, etc… Would you truly be willing to go that far for some dumbass hermit?” Ignoring the insult, Rouge thought about it. In the past, she went on record saying that she would never want to be a mom, and she meant it. The thought of being stuck with someone for the rest of her life sent waves of nauseating boredom through her.
Now, however…she wasn’t so certain. Would settling down really be so terrible? Would it truly be a mistake if she was just following her heart? It was a tough question, but Rouge looked Shadow in the eye and said, with confidence, “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. And I WILL get to it.”
Shadow grunted. It wasn’t really an answer, but it would suffice. Amy’s statement regarding the vision she had of Rouge and Knuckles continued to echo in his head. He didn’t show it as much as she did, but Shadow thought of Rouge as an ally, a sibling, and he balked at the idea of her being the lover of someone he deemed unworthy. In that respect, Knuckles fell short.
But, Shadow would trust her judgment. For now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Present...
Each step down to the basement sent an unpleasant tingle down Sonic’s spine. His body was screaming at him to bail, but, just like every time he had to chase Eggman through a zone filled with water, he pushed on. Eventually, after what felt like forever, he made it to the bottom, which contained the main laboratory.
The surface damage the lab sustained was even worse than upstairs. The walls were busted, the floor was cracked and there wasn’t a single area that wasn’t scorched. Most importantly, all of the machinery was wrecked beyond conventional repair. Nothing in the room looked salvageable. Sonic wasn’t there for experiments, though. He just wanted to use the incinerator, do a bit of soul searching, and scram. So, going by memory, he located the closet door in the northwest corner, and opened it to find a generator, which wasn’t damaged, thankfully. He remembered that the local police – retired sailors who banded together to police the island – shut it down after the accident to ensure no one would get any bright ideas. At present, though, the only one who still knew about this backup generator was the Blue Blur himself. “Here goes nothing,” Sonic said to himself, and flipped the switch.
The generator hummed to life, and Sonic headed back to the stairs to check on the incinerator, but an unreal sight stopped him. The wrecked machinery began repairing itself!! The computers, consoles, everything began squirming and writhing as if they had a life of their own. As weird as it was, it rang a bell for Sonic. As the tech finished repairs, he racked his brain for the word. He knew it started with “N”. New… Nuka… Nitro… Neo… Nano…
“Nanotech!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“…the heck is Nanotech, doc?” 5-year-old Nicky asked. “Professor, mijo, PRO-FESS-OR,” Gazebo exasperatedly corrected for what seemed to be the nth time, “and if I recall, I just told you yesterday. Try to remember.” Nicky pouted impertinently and scrunched his face as he attempted to recall the boring explanation he’d tuned out 5 seconds in. After a full minute the young hedgehog snapped his fingers in triumph.
“PAPA!” came a loud voice from the staircase, halting Nicky’s train of thought. It was the professor’s only daughter, Tiara. “Papa, you promised you’d play with me today,” she whined as she stomped down the stairs. “What’s taking so lo-!” Her tirade ended when she saw her father’s company. “NIKKI! You’re here!”
Immediately, she clung to Nicky as if the blue boy were her prized possession, since that’s what he was to her. “You didn’t tell me you were visiting today,” she pouted cutely, “You’re such a meanie weenie…” Nicky groaned in annoyance, as this happened literally every time he came over. “For the last time, Tiara, the name is Sonic. S-O-N-I-C! Get it right, will ya?” Tiara just rolled her eyes. “I still think that’s a stupid nickname. First off, it’s a pun, and puns are the worst. Second, you’re not even that fast on your feet, so you can’t even own it! And thirdly, Nikki is sooooooo much cuter!” Nicky glared. “You’re one to talk about names, Tiara Rojo Alysia Naranja Boobowski!”
“Enough, niños. Tiara, you can play with Sonic as soon as he remembers what I told him yesterday.” Tiara stomped her foot and glared at her father who glared back, before huffing in defeat. The spoiled little Manx HATED not getting her own way, which was happening more and more recently. “Fine. Go ahead, Nikki.”
With a sigh, Nicky tried again. After a struggle, he remembered. “Nanotech is ma-chi-nery com...comprised of tiny robots, each pr...proooograaaammed to work with the other to create, main...tain, and support larger machinery!” The Professor patted his head. "Yes, well done." Nicky grinned proudly. Still pouting, Tiara nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes, very good. Can we play now?” Before Nicky could give her a snide answer, a voice called out from outside, “Sonic! Ms. Cereza says it’s time for lunch!”
Nicky pumped his fist and shouted back, “Be there pronto, Sal!” Then striking a cool pose, he said goodbye and dashed away, leaving behind an amused scientist and his very upset daughter.
As Sonic found himself gazing at the mess, the bad memories began to resurface, and he immediately made a break for the exit. Or, rather, he tried to. The moment he attempted a running start, he tripped and fell. Sonic felt woozy and off-balance, and immediately curled up, rolling to an old wastebasket to vomit in.
Once that was done, Sonic determined that his body was not used to going that fast yet, and he would need a moment’s rest. This was the last thing he wanted. He HATED being here. Every second felt like torture, and all he wanted to do was bail, but he could barely stand up straight and walk about. He needed something to focus on, anything to distract him from the ever increasing dread, even for a little bi-
'Hey, I remember that deck.’
Carefully, Sonic walked over to a small skateboard in the northeastern corner of the room. It was rather simple; a wooden finish with blue wheels. The top of the board was red with white stripes and yellow stars. It was his favorite as a kid, and he always talked about wanting to be a world-famous pro skater when he grew up. Many doubted him, of course.
Seeing this throwback slowly put Sonic’s mind at ease. 'I bet I could dominate every heat of any competition now,' he thought smugly. He then noticed something else where the skateboard lay. It was a battered, brown backpack with “Nicky” printed on it, though “SONIC” was crudely marked in blue upon that. He insisted on going by that name since the first time he'd ran from the lab to the orphanage in 10 minutes (a somewhat impressive feat considering the short distance between the two locations). Cereza always refused, however, unless she was in a good mood.
Sonic sighed. He remembered the day he was given this pack. He had gotten scolded by Cereza (i.e. spanked by Madama Butterfly’s thumbnail) because he'd left his side of his room a mess for the umpteenth time. The day after, he'd taken to sulking in the lab, complaining about how much easier life would be if he could just “bring his crap around wherever he wanted”. Professor Gazebo (as he himself insisted on being called) happened to be listening at the time and handed him the backpack, in exchange for the promise to keep up with it and his room. To his credit, Sonic kept that promise.
His mood lifting a little more, he opened it up and dug through it, surprised to find many childhood items still intact and usable. A old pair of roller blades, a toy guitar, some gaudy and extremely worn out sneakers, a couple of fanny packs, and a set of clothing given to him by a friend that included a neon pink shirt, blue shorts, violet shoes, and a matching baseball cap. Sonic promptly gathered that set, slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked over to the incinerator, chucking the clothes in without a word. Flicking the on switch, he was momentarily surprised when nothing happened. He remembered why, though. It was the same reason the lab was such a wreck. Sonic’s face turned bitter as his gaze turned to the basement entrance.
He marched to the exit as quickly as he could, which still wasn’t very quick. Despite the good memories he had of this place, what had happened here trumped that. Never before had he felt so weak, so helpless to do anything. The last time he felt like that was on the Black Comet. Recalling that moment, Sonic was embarrassed. Immobilized by the comet’s paralyzing gases, he and his friends were slowly being munched on by Black Doom’s mega gross larvae. There was nothing that could be done at the time. Everyone was frozen. Everyone but Shadow, as it turned out, who rose up, stared down the alien tyrant and said, “I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I am putting my past behind me. No one can tell me what to do now. I will destroy you, Black Doom!”
Sonic let that sentence play in his head a second, third, and even fourth time. In spite of how exciting it was for the Blue Blur, that entire ordeal was a nightmare, and throughout it all, the Black Blur was attempting to get rid of his pain in the ass amnesia and figure out who he really was. In the end, it didn’t matter, but the only way he moved on from the crap he’d went through was to seek it out in the first place and face it. Shadow shot his past in the face and ran ahead to a new future for himself.
What was Sonic’s excuse? He attempted to give the same one he always did, that moving forward without a care was the only way to live a life without regret. But, that was hollow now. Sonic could bust all the badniks, spin through all the loops and do all the weight training he wanted, but it was all meaningless. As long as he had this incident hanging over him, this terrible day he simply could not outrun, he would not be able to truly say that he had no regrets.
He NEEDED his S game for whatever Eggman was up to. Tails needed him. Amy needed him. Earth needed him. Heck, for all he knew, Blaze might need him at some point. Nothing could hold him back. Sonic knew this so, as much as he didn’t want to, he walked over to the basement door…opened it…and walked down the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earlier...
It was a short little bout, but quite intense nonetheless. At first, Shadow played keep away, dodging and warping away from the Master Emerald Shrine in order to keep from destroying it. Once they arrived in Red Mountain Zone, however, the figurative gloves came off.
Rouge attacked fiercely throughout the fight, prompting Shadow to respond in kind. It had been quite some time since the face of Team Dark clashed with its leader, but that was petty. This was personal, and Shadow knew it. He knew better than to hold back against her, as she near rivaled Knuckles in strength and attack power, and for once, she was using every bit of it. Still, he wouldn’t back down. This was too important. That went through his mind over and over as they stared each other down during a lull in the battle. “Are you done with your tantrum?” he asked mockingly. Rouge just hissed in anger, something that was considered EXTREMELY rude to Mobian bats.
“Why the hell are you attacking me anyway? What is it about that echidna that's worth defending in the first place?” Rouge glared and said, “You wouldn’t understand if I told you.” Shadow rolled his crimson eyes. “Yeah, sure. I think you’ve been spending too much time with him. You’re supposed to be helping Knuckles as an ally. Now you’re acting like he’s your boyfriend.” Before she could stop herself, she responded, “What if I am? Is that a problem?”
Part of Shadow expected that, but he still wasn’t prepared for it. Regardless, he continued. “Of course it's a problem. No matter how well you two are getting along now, it's going to be temporary. Once the Doctor’s scheme has been foiled, you will have to go your separate ways, and you know it. Why make that difficult?”
Rouge's expression did not change. “I'm aware of that, believe it or not. That possibility has been on my mind for quite some time.” Shadow waited for her to continue. “Knuckles can be a dimwit. He’s brash, single-minded, arrogant, stubborn, and stupidly gullible. One would think he'd be the last person I would be attracted to, especially considering our bickering.” As she spoke, Rouge dropped her stance and crossed her arms, looking serious, but soft, as well. “But, his pros outweigh all of that. His dedication to his beliefs, his sense of purpose, his willingness to forgive and stand for what's right. That’s what I see. I suppose that’s what drew me to him.”
Shadow relaxed his own stance when he heard this, though he still wasn’t convinced she was serious. He had to be certain. So, he asked her, “If that’s truly the case…would you wed him if he asked you? Sharing your lives, starting a family, etc… Would you truly be willing to go that far for some dumbass hermit?” Ignoring the insult, Rouge thought about it. In the past, she went on record saying that she would never want to be a mom, and she meant it. The thought of being stuck with someone for the rest of her life sent waves of nauseating boredom through her.
Now, however…she wasn’t so certain. Would settling down really be so terrible? Would it truly be a mistake if she was just following her heart? It was a tough question, but Rouge looked Shadow in the eye and said, with confidence, “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. And I WILL get to it.”
Shadow grunted. It wasn’t really an answer, but it would suffice. Amy’s statement regarding the vision she had of Rouge and Knuckles continued to echo in his head. He didn’t show it as much as she did, but Shadow thought of Rouge as an ally, a sibling, and he balked at the idea of her being the lover of someone he deemed unworthy. In that respect, Knuckles fell short.
But, Shadow would trust her judgment. For now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Present...
Each step down to the basement sent an unpleasant tingle down Sonic’s spine. His body was screaming at him to bail, but, just like every time he had to chase Eggman through a zone filled with water, he pushed on. Eventually, after what felt like forever, he made it to the bottom, which contained the main laboratory.
The surface damage the lab sustained was even worse than upstairs. The walls were busted, the floor was cracked and there wasn’t a single area that wasn’t scorched. Most importantly, all of the machinery was wrecked beyond conventional repair. Nothing in the room looked salvageable. Sonic wasn’t there for experiments, though. He just wanted to use the incinerator, do a bit of soul searching, and scram. So, going by memory, he located the closet door in the northwest corner, and opened it to find a generator, which wasn’t damaged, thankfully. He remembered that the local police – retired sailors who banded together to police the island – shut it down after the accident to ensure no one would get any bright ideas. At present, though, the only one who still knew about this backup generator was the Blue Blur himself. “Here goes nothing,” Sonic said to himself, and flipped the switch.
The generator hummed to life, and Sonic headed back to the stairs to check on the incinerator, but an unreal sight stopped him. The wrecked machinery began repairing itself!! The computers, consoles, everything began squirming and writhing as if they had a life of their own. As weird as it was, it rang a bell for Sonic. As the tech finished repairs, he racked his brain for the word. He knew it started with “N”. New… Nuka… Nitro… Neo… Nano…
“Nanotech!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“…the heck is Nanotech, doc?” 5-year-old Nicky asked. “Professor, mijo, PRO-FESS-OR,” Gazebo exasperatedly corrected for what seemed to be the nth time, “and if I recall, I just told you yesterday. Try to remember.” Nicky pouted impertinently and scrunched his face as he attempted to recall the boring explanation he’d tuned out 5 seconds in. After a full minute the young hedgehog snapped his fingers in triumph.
“PAPA!” came a loud voice from the staircase, halting Nicky’s train of thought. It was the professor’s only daughter, Tiara. “Papa, you promised you’d play with me today,” she whined as she stomped down the stairs. “What’s taking so lo-!” Her tirade ended when she saw her father’s company. “NIKKI! You’re here!”
Immediately, she clung to Nicky as if the blue boy were her prized possession, since that’s what he was to her. “You didn’t tell me you were visiting today,” she pouted cutely, “You’re such a meanie weenie…” Nicky groaned in annoyance, as this happened literally every time he came over. “For the last time, Tiara, the name is Sonic. S-O-N-I-C! Get it right, will ya?” Tiara just rolled her eyes. “I still think that’s a stupid nickname. First off, it’s a pun, and puns are the worst. Second, you’re not even that fast on your feet, so you can’t even own it! And thirdly, Nikki is sooooooo much cuter!” Nicky glared. “You’re one to talk about names, Tiara Rojo Alysia Naranja Boobowski!”
“Enough, niños. Tiara, you can play with Sonic as soon as he remembers what I told him yesterday.” Tiara stomped her foot and glared at her father who glared back, before huffing in defeat. The spoiled little Manx HATED not getting her own way, which was happening more and more recently. “Fine. Go ahead, Nikki.”
With a sigh, Nicky tried again. After a struggle, he remembered. “Nanotech is ma-chi-nery com...comprised of tiny robots, each pr...proooograaaammed to work with the other to create, main...tain, and support larger machinery!” The Professor patted his head. "Yes, well done." Nicky grinned proudly. Still pouting, Tiara nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes, very good. Can we play now?” Before Nicky could give her a snide answer, a voice called out from outside, “Sonic! Ms. Cereza says it’s time for lunch!”
Nicky pumped his fist and shouted back, “Be there pronto, Sal!” Then striking a cool pose, he said goodbye and dashed away, leaving behind an amused scientist and his very upset daughter.
Sonic was glad he remembered the tech, and made a mental note to show it to Tails sometime, but frowned at the memory of Tiara. That girl was nothing but trouble from the day he met her. No matter what he did or said, she was always around him, acting like he belonged to her or something, particularly when Sally Acorn, a Mobian chipmunk/squirrel, arrived at the orphanage. Despite being a bit of a control freak, she and Sonic got along rather well, something Tiara definitely noticed, refusing to let Sonic out of her sight when Sally was around.
It annoyed the heck out of him, and the one time he told her - under no uncertain terms - that he was his own hedgehog, she slapped him in the face. HARD. This was followed by a loud and somewhat creepy tantrum in her native San Ronaldan language. He had no idea what she was saying, of course, but the expression on her face spoke volumes. After that, he kept her at arm’s length, out of fear more than anything.
Sonic started growling as the memories continued. As the years went on, Tiara became more and more possessive, getting into numerous arguments with Sally regarding who Sonic “belonged to”. Sally, for her part, always (unconvincingly) insisted that she did not have any special feelings for him, but that only seemed to anger the Manx more. And when the accident happened…
Sonic punched a wall in anger. “That bitch…” he muttered to himself, “If I never see her again, it’ll be too soon.”
Suddenly, a smooth, mechanical voice chirped, “Voice recognition matches data. User, please identify yourself.” Sonic whipped his spiky head towards the computer. It seemed the nanotech had finished repairing the machinery. He debated whether or not to answer, but, on a whim, walked up to the computer. It was tabletop, and had the appearance of an old arcade unit. Crossing his arms, he said, “Sonic.”
“User name unrecognized,” the computer replied. Sonic’s ear twitched in confusion. Unless the data was corrupted somehow (which was entirely possible; Sonic didn’t know how efficient the nanotech was at repairing) he should be in the system. “Ok, um, Sonic the Hedgehog.” Again, the computer answered, “User name unrecognized.”
Sonic started to get annoyed. “Blue?”
“User name unrecognized.”
“Blue Blur?”
“User name unrecognized.”
“Fastest Thing Alive?”
“User name unrecognized.”
“Super Sonic?”
“User name unrecognized.”
"SegaSonic??"
"User name unrecognized."
“Oh, COME ON, you annoying sack of crap!!!”
“User name unrecognized.”
Sonic growled again. He was this close to giving up and leaving, but he then remembered something. There was only one name that would be in the system, one that Professor Gazebo insisted he go by when logged in to play on the computer. He clenched his fists hard, wishing/hoping he was wrong, but knowing he wasn’t.
“…Nicholas Naoto Garnet.”
“User name recognized. Welcome back, Nicholas.” The hedgehog spit at the floor in response as the holographic interface sprang to life. “Saving updated voice files… Save complete. Scanning user for physical data… Saving updated data… Save complete. User Nicholas is now 19 years old.” Sonic cleared his throat to interrupt it, as he remembered how long it took to save all his personal data last time.
“Skip to home page, computer.”
“Yes, Nicholas,” it replied. The hedgehog growled again and was about to strike his real name from the data, but before he could, a blinking dot on the “screen” caught his eyes. Curiously, he touched it. When he did, Professor Gazebo appeared. “Hello, Nicholas. Heh, I guess it’s Sonic, now, huh?” Said hero blinked. ‘When did he record this?’ he wondered.
“If you are watching this, mijo, then I have passed on. I hope I have not caused you too much stress as a result of this. I can only guess how much you have grown, and hope that you are on the fast track to becoming the man I anticipate you will. I recorded this to inform you of a few things that have been left to you in the event of my demise. No one, not even my Tiara knows of this recording, so I ask that you destroy it after viewing it.”
Now Sonic was even more confused. What could be so important that the professor didn’t want his own flesh and blood to know? “First, you must take the nanotech to someone you trust. All the machinery in this building is comprised of it, and is extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Get Cereza to help you, if she is present within our world.” Sonic nodded; Tails definitely had to see this tech now. “Secondly, speaking of Cereza, I have done extensive research of the long history of the planet Earth, and the Umbra Witches play a big part of our forgotten past that she absolutely must be aware of. My computer is now preparing a data stick with this information. Get it to her as soon as you can.”
Sonic nodded to himself once more as the aforementioned data stick began slowly materializing itself. ‘That has been bugging Mom for a long time.’
“Thirdly, I have also compiled data and records of numerous things for you; the understanding of ki, how to best utilize your speed, places to settle down, and so on. Those will also be in the data stick. You can go over it when you are able.” Sonic shrugged. “And finally, I… *sigh* I know this will be a difficult request, but…please look after Tiara.” Sonic tensed up after hearing this. “Please hear me out, mijo. Tiara is…difficult, I know. She and her mother Mariana were extremely close, and when she died from illness, Tiara was devastated. I imagine that is when she developed her fear of losing things she loved. Upon retrospect, I imagine I worsened this by spoiling her to keep her happy, thereby fostering a need to cling to possessions. I am sorry for any trouble she caused you growing up."
Sonic scoffed angrily.
“I am not asking you to remain by her side for the rest of her life,” the hologram continued, “only that you do your best to be her friend, or at least look after her and get her the help she needs. I fear that she has not properly grieved for the loss of her mother, and that can only spell doom for her mental state. So, as her father and your friend, please take care of her to your utmost.” Sonic glared at the professor’s image. He did not want to do this, not after what had happened here, and besides, he hadn’t seen her in years.
Still…if he rejected the last wish of someone in need, he wouldn’t be Sonic. “Fine. I’ll do it, but I won’t like it.” The professor’s hologram smiled at his answer, as if he had actually heard it. “Thank you, mijo. I know I can count on you to do right by my little girl…and by this world. I see great, no, fantastic things in your future. All you need do is face them head-on, unflinching, like the stubborn hedgehog you are.
“Goodbye…Sonic the Hedgehog. End recording.” With a tearful smile, the hologram faded from view, and the data stick took its place. Sonic quickly took it, and deleted the video file before impatiently waiting on a paper to finish printing. Sonic wanted to get going before he started crying himself.
Indeed, as read the paper - which had instructions on how to transport the nanotech safely - he felt tears of his own welling up. He wiped them away as he quickly memorized the paper, but they kept coming back. As he walked up the staircase back to the common area, he felt like he had no choice but to let them fall. Sonic hated tears, making sure to let no one but Cereza see him cry about anything. Tears were always a sign of helplessness to him, a response to situations one could do nothing about, and that never gelled with one as determined as he. Shaking them away one last time, he marched up to the common area. Sonic took one last look at the room, still feeling unhappy, but glad he faced his fear.
“Okay, no more dwelling. Hedgehog on a mission now. So let’s do it to it.” Pounding his fists with vigor, he psyched himself up for a run back to the orphanage to tell Cereza what happened. One last thing caught his eye, however. A chili dog sat on the burned counter, steaming with heat. “-the heck did that come from?” he wondered aloud. It then occurred to him that Cereza must have left it there for him. With a smile he went and grabbed it, immediately taking a quick bite. If there was one thing guaranteed to cheer him up, it was a good snack.
There was something different about this chili dog, though, and Sonic couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was made exactly to his liking; peppers, a plump frank within a fresh bun, and just the right amount of chili. Yet, there was an odd taste to it Sonic couldn’t quite place. The harder he tried to figure it out, the stronger the sense of oddness became. After a few more seconds, the sensation began to spread, and Sonic started feeling sluggish and woozy. He then deduced that the chili dog was drugged.
That was his last thought before blacking out.
It annoyed the heck out of him, and the one time he told her - under no uncertain terms - that he was his own hedgehog, she slapped him in the face. HARD. This was followed by a loud and somewhat creepy tantrum in her native San Ronaldan language. He had no idea what she was saying, of course, but the expression on her face spoke volumes. After that, he kept her at arm’s length, out of fear more than anything.
Sonic started growling as the memories continued. As the years went on, Tiara became more and more possessive, getting into numerous arguments with Sally regarding who Sonic “belonged to”. Sally, for her part, always (unconvincingly) insisted that she did not have any special feelings for him, but that only seemed to anger the Manx more. And when the accident happened…
Sonic punched a wall in anger. “That bitch…” he muttered to himself, “If I never see her again, it’ll be too soon.”
Suddenly, a smooth, mechanical voice chirped, “Voice recognition matches data. User, please identify yourself.” Sonic whipped his spiky head towards the computer. It seemed the nanotech had finished repairing the machinery. He debated whether or not to answer, but, on a whim, walked up to the computer. It was tabletop, and had the appearance of an old arcade unit. Crossing his arms, he said, “Sonic.”
“User name unrecognized,” the computer replied. Sonic’s ear twitched in confusion. Unless the data was corrupted somehow (which was entirely possible; Sonic didn’t know how efficient the nanotech was at repairing) he should be in the system. “Ok, um, Sonic the Hedgehog.” Again, the computer answered, “User name unrecognized.”
Sonic started to get annoyed. “Blue?”
“User name unrecognized.”
“Blue Blur?”
“User name unrecognized.”
“Fastest Thing Alive?”
“User name unrecognized.”
“Super Sonic?”
“User name unrecognized.”
"SegaSonic??"
"User name unrecognized."
“Oh, COME ON, you annoying sack of crap!!!”
“User name unrecognized.”
Sonic growled again. He was this close to giving up and leaving, but he then remembered something. There was only one name that would be in the system, one that Professor Gazebo insisted he go by when logged in to play on the computer. He clenched his fists hard, wishing/hoping he was wrong, but knowing he wasn’t.
“…Nicholas Naoto Garnet.”
“User name recognized. Welcome back, Nicholas.” The hedgehog spit at the floor in response as the holographic interface sprang to life. “Saving updated voice files… Save complete. Scanning user for physical data… Saving updated data… Save complete. User Nicholas is now 19 years old.” Sonic cleared his throat to interrupt it, as he remembered how long it took to save all his personal data last time.
“Skip to home page, computer.”
“Yes, Nicholas,” it replied. The hedgehog growled again and was about to strike his real name from the data, but before he could, a blinking dot on the “screen” caught his eyes. Curiously, he touched it. When he did, Professor Gazebo appeared. “Hello, Nicholas. Heh, I guess it’s Sonic, now, huh?” Said hero blinked. ‘When did he record this?’ he wondered.
“If you are watching this, mijo, then I have passed on. I hope I have not caused you too much stress as a result of this. I can only guess how much you have grown, and hope that you are on the fast track to becoming the man I anticipate you will. I recorded this to inform you of a few things that have been left to you in the event of my demise. No one, not even my Tiara knows of this recording, so I ask that you destroy it after viewing it.”
Now Sonic was even more confused. What could be so important that the professor didn’t want his own flesh and blood to know? “First, you must take the nanotech to someone you trust. All the machinery in this building is comprised of it, and is extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Get Cereza to help you, if she is present within our world.” Sonic nodded; Tails definitely had to see this tech now. “Secondly, speaking of Cereza, I have done extensive research of the long history of the planet Earth, and the Umbra Witches play a big part of our forgotten past that she absolutely must be aware of. My computer is now preparing a data stick with this information. Get it to her as soon as you can.”
Sonic nodded to himself once more as the aforementioned data stick began slowly materializing itself. ‘That has been bugging Mom for a long time.’
“Thirdly, I have also compiled data and records of numerous things for you; the understanding of ki, how to best utilize your speed, places to settle down, and so on. Those will also be in the data stick. You can go over it when you are able.” Sonic shrugged. “And finally, I… *sigh* I know this will be a difficult request, but…please look after Tiara.” Sonic tensed up after hearing this. “Please hear me out, mijo. Tiara is…difficult, I know. She and her mother Mariana were extremely close, and when she died from illness, Tiara was devastated. I imagine that is when she developed her fear of losing things she loved. Upon retrospect, I imagine I worsened this by spoiling her to keep her happy, thereby fostering a need to cling to possessions. I am sorry for any trouble she caused you growing up."
Sonic scoffed angrily.
“I am not asking you to remain by her side for the rest of her life,” the hologram continued, “only that you do your best to be her friend, or at least look after her and get her the help she needs. I fear that she has not properly grieved for the loss of her mother, and that can only spell doom for her mental state. So, as her father and your friend, please take care of her to your utmost.” Sonic glared at the professor’s image. He did not want to do this, not after what had happened here, and besides, he hadn’t seen her in years.
Still…if he rejected the last wish of someone in need, he wouldn’t be Sonic. “Fine. I’ll do it, but I won’t like it.” The professor’s hologram smiled at his answer, as if he had actually heard it. “Thank you, mijo. I know I can count on you to do right by my little girl…and by this world. I see great, no, fantastic things in your future. All you need do is face them head-on, unflinching, like the stubborn hedgehog you are.
“Goodbye…Sonic the Hedgehog. End recording.” With a tearful smile, the hologram faded from view, and the data stick took its place. Sonic quickly took it, and deleted the video file before impatiently waiting on a paper to finish printing. Sonic wanted to get going before he started crying himself.
Indeed, as read the paper - which had instructions on how to transport the nanotech safely - he felt tears of his own welling up. He wiped them away as he quickly memorized the paper, but they kept coming back. As he walked up the staircase back to the common area, he felt like he had no choice but to let them fall. Sonic hated tears, making sure to let no one but Cereza see him cry about anything. Tears were always a sign of helplessness to him, a response to situations one could do nothing about, and that never gelled with one as determined as he. Shaking them away one last time, he marched up to the common area. Sonic took one last look at the room, still feeling unhappy, but glad he faced his fear.
“Okay, no more dwelling. Hedgehog on a mission now. So let’s do it to it.” Pounding his fists with vigor, he psyched himself up for a run back to the orphanage to tell Cereza what happened. One last thing caught his eye, however. A chili dog sat on the burned counter, steaming with heat. “-the heck did that come from?” he wondered aloud. It then occurred to him that Cereza must have left it there for him. With a smile he went and grabbed it, immediately taking a quick bite. If there was one thing guaranteed to cheer him up, it was a good snack.
There was something different about this chili dog, though, and Sonic couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was made exactly to his liking; peppers, a plump frank within a fresh bun, and just the right amount of chili. Yet, there was an odd taste to it Sonic couldn’t quite place. The harder he tried to figure it out, the stronger the sense of oddness became. After a few more seconds, the sensation began to spread, and Sonic started feeling sluggish and woozy. He then deduced that the chili dog was drugged.
That was his last thought before blacking out.
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