Chapter 45
That night as they all slept, Sophia dreamt of a place she didn't recognize, but for some reason it felt familiar. It was a dark corridor, but it had a natural earthy ground that was a strange reddish colored rock and the walls were the same however they seemed to be covered in a fleshy like material she dared not touch. She walked forward trying to see if she recognized her surroundings. But the further she walked forward the more the back of her mind cautioned her to turn back. After some time, she finally gives into her internal warning to turn around but the path she came down was gone, just a fleshy wall in its place.
"There you are." She heard a foreign voice she didn't recognize, but it sent chills down her spine. She slowly turns back around to see an alien like creature standing in front of her. It was much taller than her, perhaps 7 ft tall. Its form was slightly humanoid but it's skin was a dark ashy grey with sharp clawed hands and it's pupils were a deep red and the sclera were black. The form of its head reminded her of the shape of shadows spines. "So you are the one I have been sensing." He said stepping closer,
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sophia said trying to feign ignorance, but she knew what he was, Dark Arms.
"Apologies, I was just so curious that I had to reach out." He said, "I have felt you power growing, it's nothing I've felt before. I wanted to know who it was coming from." He continued to step closer,
"Back off! Chaos…" Sophia stops realizing that she can't feel the presence of Chaos around her.
"You can't use the power of Chaos in here. We're inside our heads after all." She attempts to step back but the path behind her was blocked, "Who are you?" he asked, she could hear the question scratching inside her head as it began to pound. "Ah, your name is Sophia… Or is it… Shadow?"
"Get out of my head!" She yelled as she grasps her head trying to block him out.
"But I want to know everything about you. Where are you? How do I find you?" He said. Sophia snaps hearing him say find, her eyes turn red as she breaks the telepathic attack.
"I may not be able to use Chaos, but this is still my mind!" She said getting ready to fight.
"You should not be able to resist." He tilts his head, "Fascinating, I need to know more." He said. She continued to fight against the psychic attack as the dream began to fade, "I will find you." Sophia wakes up in a cold sweat. She looks around her room not remembering her surroundings for a moment as she realizes what happened. She puts her face in her hands as she tries to calm down. He only got her name; he didn't get any information from her. She kept repeating that to herself till morning praying that was the truth.
Everyone woke up and headed towards the kitchen for breakfast, Caroline and Brandy were there along with Alan and Kolt. Saya walks in with a smile on her face. "Man that was the best sleep I've had in a while." She stretched as she pours herself a cup of coffee.
"Sometimes it's exhausting how much energy you have in the morning." Kolt said with a sigh.
"I'm exhausting all the time," She chuckles, "How's your hand feeling Alan?"
"Better, I'm going to go over to see Dr. Q to make sure everything all good if you want to join me to check on TK." He said,
"Sure!" She smiles and he quietly swoons.
"I wonder where Sophia is, she's usually up by now." Caroline said,
"Yesterday was pretty exhausting, maybe she slept in." Alan said as they all shake their heads,
"Sophia' got a crazy internal clock." Saya said,
"I hope she's okay." Caroline said,
"Maybe she got up early and is doing paperwork?" Kolt shrugged,
"That's plausible." Brandy said.
"Hey Caroline, are you going to carry the Chao egg with you everywhere?" Saya asked looking at the egg wrapped in blankets on the counter next to her.
"Of course! It needs constant love and affection of it going to hatch." She said,
"Gotcha, well you ready Alan?" She asked finishing up her coffee,
"Yeah," He quickly stood up and followed her out of the kitchen.
In the Infirmary, Sophia walks in looking exhausted and annoyed with a pounding headache. "Everything alright Sophia?" Dr. Q asked as she was finishing up checking on TK,
"Just didn't sleep well and it caused a headache. Mind if I get some pain killers?" She asked rubbing her temples,
"Sure, they're in the cabinet." She said pointing to it as Sophia walks over.
"Do you usually get headaches?" TK asked,
"Only if Saya does something stupid." She said as TK lightly chuckles.
"I heard that!" Saya said as she and Alan walk in, "You make it sound like I'm a hassle." She walks up to her.
"That's because you are." Sophia rolled her eyes as she took the aspirin. Saya could tell something was bothering her.
"Everything alright?" She reached out to put her hand on her shoulder,
"I'm fine," She knocks Saya's hand away and walks towards the door, "I have paperwork to do. I'll be in the computer room,"
"What's her problem?" Alan asked as he notices Saya looking towards the door, her expression looked as if she had been discarded. Saya couldn't help but internally think she had done something wrong to upset her.
"She's cranky when she's tired, I guess." TK said as Saya walks over to her,
"How you feeling little dude?"
"All better, I'm going to go make sure the container is calibrated correctly now that the shard piece is bigger." She said standing up, "What were you going to do today?"
"Oh… I didn't really have anything planned." She lightly smiles,
"I was going to go on a hike, if you want to join me." Alan said, as Dr. Q finished removing the bandages on his hand.
"Sure, I never say no to the outdoors." She said,
"Cool, there's this really nice rock-climbing area. We can bring lunch and make it a whole day excursion." He said,
"Sounds fun." Saya said side glancing at the door still thinking internally what was going on with Sophia and what she did to upset her, he quickly stands up with a sparkling smile,
"Great! It's a Date then! I'll go get Lunch all packed, and we can meet out in the back in an hour. I'll let Elias know." He said quickly leaving with a pep in his step.
"Uh… are you feeling okay Saya? Do you know what you just agreed to?" TK asked looking at her shocked,
"Uh I agreed to a hike?" She answered looking at TK confused,
"I don't think you heard that last part… he said it's a date. You just agreed to go on a date with Alan" TK said as she pauses for a moment.
"What in Chaos have I done?" Saya finally comes to the realization.
Alan walks into the computer room where Elias, Sally and Sophia were working on paperwork, he walks over to them with a smile on his face. "Yes Alan, how can I help you?" Elias asked,
"I was wondering if it was alright if Saya and I went on a hike? She agreed to go on a lunch date with me." He said cheerfully. Sophia snaps her mechanical pencil in half hearing him say that.
"That's so cute." Sally said,
"I don't see the problem, just make sure you bring your trackers and a distress beacon." Elias said as Alan walks over and grabs them. "And one other thing Alan." Elias sands up, getting in his face. "Keep your hands to yourself." Alan could feel a chill down the back of his spine, an overprotective aura coming off of Elias.
"Yes sir…" He said sounding terrified. Alan knew that Elias meant business.
"Good, have fun." He said as he walks back to his desk and sits back down. Alan starts to leave the computer room as he glances back at Sophia with a provoking grin.
"Sophia are you alright?" Sally asked, noticing her broken pencil.
"I'm fine…" She said watching Alan leave.
"Crap, crap. Crap! What do I do TK? I didn't want it to be a date?" Saya said pacing in TK's workshop.
"Well then you should have been paying attention." TK said shaking her head,
"Oh Chaos! This is going to be so weird!" Saya continued to panic.
"You can just explain to him that you don't want it to be a date, just two friends hanging out." She said,
"I could try that..." She said,
"Just be honest Saya, you don't have to make a big deal about it." TK said,
"You're right bud, I'm blowing this way out of proportion." Saya said with a sigh,
Alan walks into the kitchen with a backpack as he starts packing their lunch. Humming a happy tune while doing so. Kolt walks by and sees him packing. "Where are you going?" Kolt asked,
"On a picnic date with Saya." He said with a smile,
"What? How in Chaos did you manage that?" Kolt asked looking genuinely shocked.
"I just asked, turns out she's more into me than you thought." He teased,
"It's one date. That doesn't mean you're dating." Kolt said crossing his arms.
"Only a matter of time." He said finishing up packing their lunches. "Gotta go!" he leaves Kolt in the kitchen alone.
Alan gets to the outside track and waits for Saya. She slowly walks out hesitantly then sums up the courage and walks up to him. "There you are! I grabbed plenty of water, let's get going!" He said happily as he grabs her hand and leads her down the trail.
"O…okay, but you can let go of my hand." Saya said,
"Oh sorry, guess I got a little over excited." Alan said with a smile,
"About that Alan we should really talk about this being a…"
"Hey look a hawk!" He points in the sky pointing at a hawk flying overhead.
"Oh wow!" Saya said.
"TK, Cream and Kolt are so lucky. I bet it's really cool to fly." He said,
"You think so? I'd prefer to have my feet on the ground."
"That's cuz you're Sonic." He chuckles, as she realizes she got distracted.
"Yeah about that… Look I know you said this was a date but…"
"Oh that? I just said that to make you sweat." He jokingly said with a grin, "And seeing your reaction it looks like it worked." Saya's face turns red,
"What the heck Alan!" She pushes him, "Jerk!"
"Hey! You looked so sad this morning so I thought you might need a distraction." He said,
"I did?" Saya said looking confused,
"Yeah, looks like my distraction worked. C'mon the rock-climbing area is around here." He said,
"Do you come back this way often?" she asked as they continue forward.
"Yeah, it's quiet and I love hiking." He said, "There's a nice clearing by the river for us to have lunch." He said leading the way.
"Sounds good." She said following him. They make it to the clearing and sit down to have lunch.
Back at HQ, the others all congregate in the kitchen for lunch and start eating. "Where are Alan and Saya?" Caroline asked,
"They went on a picnic date…" Kolt said in a sour tone.
"What?" Brandy said sounding surprised.
"Don't sound too jealous Kolt." TK teased as Kolts face turns red,
"I am not jealous!" He yelled as the water glass in Sophia's hand shatters, they all jump hearing the sound of it breaking.
"Are you okay?" Caroline asked as Brandy quickly grabs a towel. "You're bleeding!"
"It's just a cut…" Sophia said grabbing her head, she could feel the scratching feeling again. It had been happening randomly, but she didn't want to think about what was causing it.
"That headache still bothering you?" TK asked,
"Y… Yeah…" Sophia didn't want them to know about the dream, she still hoped it wasn't real. That it was a byproduct of the trap from yesterday.
"Better go see Dr. Q that's really deep." Brandy said wrapping Sophia's hand with the towel.
"Okay…" she said leaving the kitchen,
"That was really weird…" Kolt said looking at the others. They all look at one another not sure what happened,
"I know our powers are growing but that seemed different." TK said, Caroline gives Brandy a look as they both shrug.
Sophia walked to the infirmary not knowing why she was starting to feel angry; she couldn't understand why Saya said yes to a date with Alan. "Sophia?" Dr. Q said seeing her enter the infirmary, "What happened?"
"Accidentally broke a glass in my hand and it got cut." Sophia said as Dr. Q looks it over. She winces as she grabs her hand.
"It looks like it's already healing rather quickly. Let's clean out the wound and bandage it up just in case." She said as Sophia sits down while she cleaned the wound. "How did the glass break?"
"Guess I'm stronger than I thought…" She said,
"I don't think that's all of it, what's on your mind?" Dr. Q asked,
"This doesn't leave this room, right?" Sophia asked seriously,
"Of course, Doctor Patient confidentiality." She said with a smile.
"Do you remember what I told you about Shadow. About how he was made?" Sophia asked,
"The alien species called the Dark Arms correct?" She asked as Sophia nods,
"Spira told me something before she left… that I reminded her of the Dark Arms." She said as Dr. Q started bandaging the wound,
"I thought you said you destroyed them all." She said,
"That was before … apparently in this rewrite, they exist…" Sophia looks down remembering her dream last night.
"So what has you so concerned?" Dr. Q asked,
"The Dark Arms are devourers of worlds… if they find earth a lot of people will get hurt." She said,
"You're worried the others will see you as one of them." She said as Sophia nods, "Sophia, you don't give your friends enough credit. I know it's hard opening up, but you have to let someone in."
"Yeah…" She thinks back to her talk with Sonic in the ruins and how confident she sounded about Shadow knowing who she is… but then Alan's taunting grin from earlier flashes into her mind distracting her thoughts.
"There, all patched up. Try to not move it around too much while it heals. If it starts hurting, come see me." Dr. Q said,
"Thanks Doc." She said leaving and going outside for some fresh air.
Saya and Alan finished their lunch and made it to the rock wall. Saya looks up at it and whistles. "Maybe we should have brough some climbing gear." She said,
"Na! We're both strong enough to get up there without a problem. Race you to the top?" He said as her eyes sparkle at the word race.
"You're on!" She said as they both begin to climb, they both moved quickly but were still being cautious of their hand holds and footholds. They get halfway up the cliffside as they were both slowing down attempting to be extra cautious.
"How you doing?" Alan asked,
"Fine, you seem to know what you're doing. Is rock climbing on your list of skills?" She joked,
"Yeah, sometimes to get to the areas I want to hike I gotta climb to get there."
"Have you climbed up here before?" Saya asked,
"I have, and you're going to love the view." He smiles as they continue to climb. Saya jumps a bit to reach the next handhold and grabs it without an issue. But the rock she grabbed onto breaks free from the wall face and she starts to fall, and Alan grabs her hand. "You okay?"
"Yeah, nice catch." She said as she tries to get her feet back on the wall,
"We're almost to the top, I'm going to throw you just in case there are any more loose rocks." He said starting to swing her.
"Ready!" She said as he uses his full strength to throw her up. She catches the cliff edge and gives him a thumbs up as she pulls herself over the top. "Made it!" She cheered as Alan climbs the rest of the way up. Saya holds her hand out and helps him up the edge.
"That was fun," Alan said catching his breath, "What do you think?" He asked as she looks around seeing the bed of wildflowers surrounding the ground.
"This is beautiful!" Saya said looking at the view. "We really should bring the others up here some time. Especially Caroline, she'd love it!" She smiles at him.
"Can I be honest with you for a sec?" Alan asked as she looks at him confused, "I know you don't consider this a date. But I wanted to at least tell you how I feel." He said taking her hand.
"Wh… what?" Saya said sounding flustered.
"When I first got here my feelings were all over the place. I couldn't differentiate my emotions from Amy's. I began to question if my feelings were real or not. But then I got to know you. This blinding pure light that brought a smile to others even when she herself needed that light more." He steps closer to her brushing her bangs away from Saya's eyes as her face slowly turned red.
"A… Alan…"
"Everyone keeps telling me that I'm in love with Sonic because I'm Amy. But the first time we met, and you came to my rescue you didn't even know me, but you were so concerned about me. Sure you were transformed into Sonic, but I've learned that the compassion you have comes from you. I'm not in love with Sonic, I'm in love with you, Saya." He finished as he kisses the back of her hand.
"W… Wait a minute…" Saya's face was entirely red with embarrassment completely stunned by this turn of events.
"You don't have to respond; I know you don't feel the same. But I feel better knowing that I was honest with you." He said with a smile as he lets go of her hand. He knew even if she didn't that there was someone else.
"I feel so awkward…" She said covering her face with her hands,
"Oh I'm definitely going to tease you all the time if you act like this." He chuckles,
"You better not!" She said through her hands as he laughs.
"C'mon, we should start heading back." He said as she hesitantly puts her hands down,
"About that…How are we getting down?" She asked looking down the cliffside, she was worried with the loos rocks that it might be dangerous to head back down.
"Oh, we're just going down the hill, it leads back to the trail we came on." He pointed as he began to walk.
"Wait you mean we didn't have to climb the cliff to get up here?" Saya asked looking annoyed,
"Nope!" He smiles as she runs after him.
Back at the bunker, Sophia was sitting on top of the side wall leaning against the bunkers outer wall looking towards the forest. She began to wonder when Saya and Alan were going to be coming back, but what was bugging her more was why did she even care? Saya's allowed to go out with whoever she wants.
Brandy walks outside and sees her sitting up on the wall. "Mind if I join you?" She asked as Sophia nods, Brandy jumps with one leap making it to the top. "I definitely enjoy having the extra agility." She sits down next to her.
"Yeah," Sophia said with a sigh,
"You alright? You've seemed off all day." Brandy said noticing Sophia looking conflicted,
"I'm fine." She said,
"I'll ask in another way... Though I said I wouldn't bring it up I feel you need to be honest with yourself." She said as Sophia looks at her confused,
"I didn't understand any of that…" Sophia said,
"Don't worry about it just answer the question." Brandy said,
"Where was there a question in there?" Sophia asked starting to get annoyed,
"Are you in love with Saya?"