A Hero Inbound, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

Hi everyone! I'm SilverPlays97, a long time Sonic fan and someone who writes for fun. Over a year ago, I made my first proper Sonic fan character, Rebound. I have a wiki-style article about him here (I will make one for the Sonic Fanon Wiki in the future. It's on Sonic News Network, enter "User:SilverPlays97/Rebound" in the search bar. This story, A Hero Inbound, is Rebound's backstory going into the events of Sonic Forces. I hope to make a sequel to this that will retell Sonic Forces from Rebound's perspective. This story was also a bit of redemption for a terrible story I made when I was in middle school. I did my best while writing this, and I had help reviewing it before sharing it here. I am not an experienced writer by any means, so I'm sorry if some development of characters was not enough or transitions of scenes didn't go as smoothly. I did have fun making this, and I hope you have fun reading it!

A Hero Inbound

A Sonic Fan Fiction by SilverPlays97

The air had the cool crisp feel of a young spring afternoon. The sun was low and the wind was calm. If it were not for the clings of hooks and the zips of wires, the world would be quiet. Days like these were perfect for Rebound to practice his grappling skills. He could disconnect himself from all of his worries and just focus on making the next shot. Rebound knew grappling was about falling and reversing that energy to fly back up. The lowest falls can lead to the greatest highs. All he had to do was keep going.

It doesn't make it any easier when you have to be aware of others. As he was looking for his next grapple spot, Rebound grazed just a few inches from another grappler. His huge rabbit ears didn't hear him coming.

"Hey, watch it!" Yelled the pink salamander passing by.

"Sorry!" Rebound yelled back, though he was too far for the lizard to hear him. That call back would cost him as it barely gave him enough time to find his next grapple spot. When he had enough tension from the cable, Rebound pulled up his body to not hit the ground. He made his legs straight out, like he was on a swing, and the bottom of his heels and his tiny tail skimmed over the grass.

The momentum of his swing flung him over the cross-wire roof of the practice facility. That was a big no-no, as Rebound was not at that skill level yet. He now had to do a downward grab, which he barely practiced. For a second, he felt weightless; suspended above the place he spent practicing everyday after school for years. This was the moment he had to make his shot. Rebound stuck out his arm and the hook grabbed on to the cable roof. He bent his body so not to hit any of the suspended wires. Once he got through, Rebound made his body as big as possible to slow down his momentum. He looked like a skydiver falling to the ground. Despite his mistakes, Rebound made it out fine. He smiled; he knew he just navigated through that hurdle with perfection.

"Woo Hoo!" Rebound yelled as he maneuvered to an exit platform.

As Rebound was gathering up his grapple gear, his instructor, Dashie, went up to him. He was a short-haired white dog in his late thirties. He wasn't a hard-nosed kind of teacher, but he let his students know exactly what he thought.

"You just grazed disaster out there."

"Yeah…" said Rebound

"One wrong move there and I would have had to untangle you from the cables and take you out on a stretcher,"

"But you didn't, I made it through! That has to count for something, right?"

"You got yourself out of a bad situation, I'll give you that," Dashie looked down and shook his head. "Other people in your class don't make those kind of mistakes,"

"I won't make them in the future, I promise!" Rebound replied.

"If you want to be on a competitive team, you better iron them out,"

"If I just keep working at-"

"you'll reach anything," Dashie interrupted. "You still remember that old slogan we told you guys when you started," he chuckled.

"It must of worked because I'm still here,"

"You might have your dad to thank for that-oop! I almost forgot not to compare you to him,"

"Yeah, I got a LONG way to go before I'm as good as him,"

The dog smiled, "I know you can be,"

To say Rebound had always wanted to be a master of grapple hooking would be an understatement. It was nearly guaranteed when he was born. His father, being the leader of an elite paramilitary squad that specializes in grapple hooking, introduced it to him. Rebound would mess around with grappling and treated it as a hobby early on. It wasn't until he went to a summer camp all about grappling did he see it as a passion.

All Rebound talked about his first year in middle school was grappling, how it worked, who did it, and why it was the coolest thing in the world. From that year on he would spend the majority of his afternoons learning how to grapple, which his dad happily paid for. Rebound would go to more camps and watch grappling competitions and TV shows. He wasn't good enough to be in the competitions; not yet. It took him time to master techniques, moves, and understand the details of the craft. Once Rebound learned them though, he wouldn't forget. It never bothered him too much that he wasn't the best at it. Rebound knew his pace and was willing to go the distance.

With practice over, Rebound took the bus home. He was 16 and could drive, but he didn't need a car since everything was close enough for him to get around another way (Rebound wanted the exercise anyway). The bus took him from the outskirts of town, past the forests that surrounded it, and across a river into downtown. Rebound lived his entire life in Hopewell and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Everything he needed was here: school, a burrito bar, a music store, and his family. As he looked out the window of the bus, Rebound couldn't imagine a place more peaceful than where he was now.

The bus reached his stop and he walked out onto his home street. Thanks to his dad's rank in the military, his family could afford to live in a nice, two-story house a few blocks away from downtown. The homes were painted brightly, and everyone seemed to have flowers that were in bloom. Maple trees lined the road, giving shade to the pedestrians walking along the sidewalk and the cyclists on the street. After a couple of minutes, Rebound saw his home. It was the red-brick house with the white porch and light brown roof. He looked at the driveway and saw his dad's car wasn't there, but his sister's tiny blue car was. Rebound passed it and chuckled at the bumper sticker: My other ride is an Extreme Gear.

Rebound went through the side screen door into the house. He rubbed his gray and yellow boots against the rug and went down the hall. Framed photos of his family were on the wall. The Williams always went on summer vacation every year and would put a new photo on the wall for each vacation. The last vacation was to the west coast and their photo was at a dinosaur park. Rebound walked into the kitchen/dining room and saw his mom making dinner.

"Hi mom!"

"Hello, Rebound! How was practice today?"

"It was alright. If today wasn't so beautiful, it would have been pretty boring," Rebound didn't want to tell her he almost hurt himself. It would have caused her to worry and get all emotional.

"Well, it certainly is nice out. I took Chase and Emily out to the park today and they played so much, they slept during the entire car ride home! I should take them out more, they almost babysit themselves,"

"If only work could be that easy," Rebound replied.

Rebound's Mom, Sarah-Grace (though she insists on being called Sarah-G), was a part-time babysitter. She watched kids during the day while taking care of her family in the afternoon. Sarah is a tan-rabbit with white tips on her ears. Today, she was wearing her jeans and long-sleeve shirt as usual. The shirt was brown, which matched the sunflower oven mints she had on. Sarah loved to cook and was pulling a three-cheese ziti out of the oven when Rebound walked in. When she wasn't cooking, cleaning, babysitting, or helping her two children, she was reading a mystery novel, sewing, or goalkeeping at the adult soccer league. Being married to a military man, though, Sarah accepted responsibility for watching after the kids above all and cherished every moment of it.

"Is Sapphire home?" Rebound asked.

"Yes, she is upstairs in her room. Probably working on her computer." Sarah replied. She could hear her keyboard pound upstairs.

Rebound turned to go upstairs, but then remembered something and stopped himself.

"Mom, I forgot to ask...can you help me with my English paper tonight? I got nothing for a topic."

"Yes, I can. Can you let me get ready for tomorrow before then?"

"Yeah. I don't want to make you do my work, but-" Sarah snorted before Rebound could finish talking. "What?"

"Rebound T. Williams, I still remember helping Sapphire study for her bio final all night last year. One little paper isn't going to kill me,"

"I guess not," Rebound replied. He went up and hugged her, "Thanks mom," Sarah smiled. "No problem."

Rebound went down the hall he came in and went up the stairway. He passed by Sapphire's room, which was now playing heavy metal inside. Rebound rolled his eyes and went into his room, which was next door to his sister's. It was a good thing the walls were thick or he would be hearing guitar solos every night. Some light shined through the windows in Rebound's room, almost making it unnecessary to turn on the lights. He probably would have more light if his plants weren't blocking a window. Rebound had a fern from the forest outside of Hopewell, a pot covered in moss that grew from the small piece he grabbed while hiking in the mountains, a bunch of perennial flowers (some in bloom), and a cactus that was almost as tall has him (thin as a pipe, though). He had some framed art of incredible nature scenes: mountains, icebergs, canyons, beaches, and a poster of Angel Island, his dream trip.

Rebound put his backpack down next to his desk and went to his CD player. He wanted to pass the time listening to some beats. Rebound was a huge fan of electronic music. He loved almost every type of it, especially lo-fi and DJ mixes. Most of his money went to buying albums and going to concerts. The lights and music made him feel alive and he could let his mind roam free while listening. Rebound had posters of his favorite albums around his bed and had a small synth on his desk. He wasn't much of a player, but liked to mess around with it. He turned on some jazz-pop and went to water his plants.

Rebound's room could be divided into three parts: the plants and nature pictures on one side, electric music CDs and posters on the other, and his desk on the back wall. He put his other stuff there: photos, advancement pins and awards for grappling, a Chao bank with rings, and other junk that has been gathering dust. Next to his bed he put his books about grappling and adventure novels. The Idiots Guide to Grappling was worn out and had pages missing (Rebound tore some out to put in notebooks). He hung his practice equipment on the wall as well. The practice gear had programs that you could use to practice at home, mainly with laser pointers and prompts. Rebound wasn't thinking about them then, he was grooving to the music while tending to his plants.

After Rebound was done with his plants, he hopped onto his bed and listened to the album he put on. The time between now and dinner was the only time for him to relax before he did his homework. After fifteen minutes or so, Sarah knocked on the door and told him dinner was ready. As he walked down the stairs, the side door opened. A man in a military uniform walked in. He was an all-blue rabbit with scruffy black moustache, with the same brown eyes as Rebound.

"Hi dad!"

"Hey, there's my boy!"

The two quickly hugged, senior and junior, father and son.

Thomas Williams always tried to keep himself occupied. He worked as hard as he did in the office as he did on the battlefield. When he wasn't working, he would take every chance he could to do something with his family. Going on dates with Sarah-G, roller-blading with Sapphire, training with Rebound, and going on weekend family trips were a few of the activities Thomas enjoyed doing with them. He was a people person, through and through. Thomas could make a friendly conversation with anyone and was always interested in what people did, even if they were a simple waiter. He wanted to be the best version of himself with everyone he met.

Thomas did not get that treatment growing up. He was born to a couple that couldn't stand each other. The only reason they had a child was they thought it would save their marriage. Once the luster of a newborn wore off and the reality of child-rearing set in, things got worse. Thomas had to cover his ears in his room as his parents shouted at each other. By age seven, Thomas' parents were not together anymore. His mother agreed to raise him, but deep down, Thomas felt neither of them wanted him.

To keep his mind off his problems at home, Thomas played baseball. He felt like he could put out his frustration on the ball and be a part of a group that cared about him. It was the only reason he kept his grades above average in school; he didn't want to miss a single game. Thomas made all-district twice, but no colleges were interested in him. With his mother wanting him out of the house and his senior year drawing to a close, Thomas felt like his world was about to fall apart. He didn't know what he would do or where he would go once school was over. He needed to be somewhere he felt he mattered.

The military was the best option to Thomas. He didn't bother telling his mother he enlisted until the day he left for training. She was as passively excited about it as she was with baseball. When he started training for the army, Thomas didn't like the mundane routines, but excelled at the physical training. He eventually got good at both and was voted as the leader of the unit by his peers. Thomas didn't invite either of his parents to graduation, his brothers in arms were his family now.

Thomas' unit would complete nearly any objective that was thrown at them. Though they did not go on many combat missions, his core became respected among the branch. When a new special squad was created, Thomas and the best of his unit were chosen to be a part of it. They would be the first group to use the new grapple-hook tech. His group was Slinger Team 01, or SL01, "The Vipers". Thomas would see some more violent threats and do riskier missions, some that did not end well. No matter what happened, though, he always stuck out for his team. They were all he had.

At the age of 28, Thomas wanted to settle down. He was assigned a base in the middle of the continent and knew his days of high-risk missions wouldn't last forever. That's when he met Sarah-G. She was a logistics worker on the base and they met while loading a truck. They were in the right place and the right time. A year later, Thomas asked Sarah to marry him. They got married the next year and Thomas quickly wanted to start a family of his own.

Thomas was disappointed when he heard his first child was going to be a girl, but all of that went away when he saw her for the first time. Thomas raised Sapphire with all the love and attention he could offer. He wanted to learn how to be a good parent so he wouldn't end up like his own. Thomas couldn't understand the "girl" problems Sapphire had (Sarah-G was there for that). It didn't matter that much anyway, because his next child was a boy.

Thomas says Rebound got his name "because we got 'em the second time around," but it was more because it sounded good. When he was old enough, Thomas took him rappelling and rock climbing every chance he could get. Soon, Sarah-G caught on to what her husband was doing. When she asked about him influencing Rebound, Thomas admitted he really wanted him to get into grappling, but he would support him no matter what he did. Thomas never had to deal with that, because Rebound became obsessed with it.

Being the master that he was, Thomas taught Rebound the fundamentals of grappling. He taught him how to aim with his dominant left eye, how to properly absorb the energy from grapple to grapple, and basic body movements. Rebound would get upset when he failed during practice and was prone to having tantrums. Thomas was there to let him air out his frustration and eventually was able to stop him from throwing fits. Rebound started to be a capable grappler after that.

The world was relatively peaceful for the first 12 years of Rebound's life, so Thomas had plenty of time to train him. When Dr. Eggman came to the planet, however, he was on tour more often, so Rebound learned more advanced methods from other instructors. With Sonic becoming the primary foe of Eggman, or as some in the military called him "blue kid and friends", the military needed Thomas' team less often, so he was at home and in the office more than ever.

The Williams family sat down around the table for dinner. It was around seven and the small chandelier was lit above the table. Thomas sat at one end of the table with Rebound at the other. Sarah sat next to Thomas on his left side, with Sapphire sitting next to Rebound and her mom. Along with the three-cheese ziti, Sarah made dinner rolls and seasoned rice. As Thomas cut his food, his wife told him about her day.

"...and they didn't make a sound the whole way home!"

"Good, I don't want to bring my guys as backup to calm them down," said Thomas. Rebound and Sapphire rolled their eyes as Sarah giggled. Thomas looked over to his daughter.

"So Sapph, how was school?"

"Boring," mumbled Sapphire.

"Didn't you have a computer tech test today?"

"Yeah, it was so easy. Anyone who can write a basic script could have passed that test," she said before she took a big bite into her bread roll. Sarah chimed in.

"That's good! Every test in a subject you love should be easy. I remember passing my English 11 exam without studying a day for it,"

"I wish English was as easy as that for me," said Rebound.

"It's a good thing you have your mother to help you. I barely remember anything from high school," Thomas said with his mouth half-full.

"You still remember how to throw a curveball," said Sarah.

"Of course I do! Comes in real handy when I have to throw paper into the wastebasket."

Everyone had a brief chuckle.

"So Rebound, how was practice today?" asked his dad. Rebound stopped eating and blushed a little. He couldn't tell him about what happened at the table. He thought of something to say; a white lie.

"We uhh...practiced our downward grabs today,"

"Huh, I thought you weren't at that level yet?"

"Well, I guess they must have changed things up. Maybe they are making the team tryouts more difficult this year,"

"Are you going to try out for the team again?" asked his mom.

"I am, but I doubt that I will make it. Dashie even told me I'm not on the team's level yet,"

"Ah, he's just saying that to get you motivated. I'm sure that this year you will at least make the reserve squad," said Thomas.

"If I do make the team, will you come to some competitions?"

"Of course I would! I got all of this free time on my hands, I can make every event your team is on."

"The government hasn't ordered you to crack some eggs?" said Sapphire.

Thomas took a deep sigh. "No, they don't need us for that right now. As much as I love beating up enemies of the state, I have to be in my office and do simulations."

Soon the family finished eating. Sapphire left her plate in the sink and went back into her room. Rebound washed off his sister's and his own plate before going upstairs as well. Thomas caught him just before he went up the staircase.

"Hey, I got a call from Dashie and he told me what happened today at practice."

Rebound was flushed. He didn't know what to tell him.

"I'm sorry dad, I was just-" Thomas cut him off.

"Hey it's OK! You did great out there. Someone at your experience level would of end up like a fly in a spiderweb 99 out of 100 times,"

"So...you aren't mad?"

"No, you just need to work on watching your surroundings. You never know who might be behind you and you won't always have someone there to help you."

Rebound instantly felt better. "Well, I did feel great after I got out of it," he said.

"Just don't ever put yourself in that situation on purpose, alright?"

"Alright dad."

"Good." Thomas turned to go to the living room, but looked back at Rebound, "Oh, and good job not telling your mother."

Rebound smiled and went up to his room.

The loud motor of the school bus was drowned out in the noise of the other busses and students as it pulled up to the school. The students filed out of the metal and plastic interior and onto the concrete plaza. Among them was Rebound, who was going over the notes he took in history class. He kept his ears up as he walked with the crowd into the high school. He remembered to flop them down so he didn't hit the frame of the front door. As he walked, Rebound repeated the names of historical figures in his head.

Julius Acorn...Edmond Jordan...why do I need to know these dead guys?

Rebound worked as hard in school as he did in training. He wanted to relate everything he learned to his career. This worked for nearly every class. In math, he chose to take the Geometry route. He was obsessed with calculating angles and finding the shortest arch between two points. He knew this would help him out in grappling practice. Rebound also took physics. The calculations required to know velocity and inertia were complex to him, but he was amazed on how exact they can be. The idea of knowing how fast you will go just based on your angle was an irresistible capability to him. Rebound would practice those formulas using the mass and height measurements of his own body.

Right now, though, he was preoccupied with history. It was his least favorite class. He could barely find anything in it he could use in his life. From Rebound's point of view, he couldn't see the benefit of knowing famous poets and past presidents to help him make the perfect hook shot. He had to pass the class to graduate, and he was repeating names for the pop quiz that was most likely coming. Rebound walked into the classroom and sat at his desk without looking away from his notes the entire time. He looked next to him and saw a black hedgehog with aqua highlights.

"Hey, Marine, do you think we will have a quiz today?" Rebound asked.

"I'm sure we will. Mr. Day said all those names from Chapter 12 will be on the test," he replied.

"Why do we need to know all these guys who died a century ago?"

Marine shrugged. "We are learning about them for a reason I guess."

Mr. Day, a brown rat with glasses, walked in. He put his books down and turned to face the room. "Morning class! I had a quiz ready for you today, but I left my copy at home. So no quiz today! We will take it Monday instead." Rebound didn't know what was worse: he did all this studying for nothing, or he now had to worry about the quiz over the weekend.

After history was "independent gym." Essentially, students would make their own routine and record their progress. Rebound chose that class over weightlifting and group sports. He was never a fan of organized athletics. The main problem being how mad it made him when he lost. He remembered punching the ground after losing some foot races in elementary school. Or when he threw a tantrum after missing a catch during a baseball game. They were not good memories. Rebound liked how he could make the class benefit him. He worked on his flexibility, jumping, reflexes, and did some shadowboxing. It was a good way to get out any anger he had.

Outside of classes, he was a member of two clubs: Music Appreciation and the Debate Team. Music Appreciation was basically a bunch of kids relaxing while sharing music they liked. He discovered a lot of bands in the club and did some homework during it. Their old instructor didn't make the club have a curriculum, but after a few students were caught with drugs after a meeting, a new instructor was assigned and made them take notes on the music they shared. Everyone knew it was just busy work.

The Debate Team, however, was hard work. Everyone had to write out their reasoning for any arguments they discussed and went through mock trials to make rankings for members. Rebound saw a major advantage in this club; negotiation skills. He thought ahead and saw himself as an ambassador after he got too old to grapple or if he ever got hurt. Learning how to debate professionally would go a long way if he ever had to negotiate with another diplomat. Rebound was placed in the middle of the pack on the team and had his moments in debates. He still remembers getting someone trapped in a logic debate.

After study hall, Rebound went to lunch. He walked with his tray of quesadillas and applesauce to a table where his friends were sitting. To his left was Alexander, a brown bear, his right Zach, a zebra, and across from him was Blitz, a cockatoo who he knew ever since the 4th grade.

"Hey, how was the quiz?" asked Blitz.

"There wasn't one," Rebound sighed. "He forgot to make copies,"

"Typical Mr. Day. Always remembering everything except the most important thing," said Alexander.

"How did you manage to get through that class?" Rebound asked Alex.

"History is my thing. A second grader could have taught that class and I would still pass."

"Well, I hate it. It's a waste of my time."

"You should of tested out of history like I did," said Zach

"Sorry Zach, but we can't all just test out of things like you," said Rebound

"That's for sure."

Blitz went on about some cartoon he was watching with everyone paying half-attention. Zach looked over his shoulder and then tapped his fingers on the table.

"Hey, Rebound, I've heard that Leigh is single," said Zach.

"And?"

"And you should make a move! She's one of the few rabbits here. I bet if you dye that white hair near your eye yellow you'll get her attention,"

Rebound rolled his eyes and ate that last of his quesadilla.

"Zach, the last time you went out with someone they left you at a gas station 10 miles out of town." Rebound reminded him.

"Hey, I'm the only guy here who has dated someone!"

"Blitz had a girlfriend for two years."

"I wouldn't call her a girlfriend," Blitz spoke up.

"Two years isn't long enough to count?" said Alexander.

"It's not that. We never got to second base," replied Blitz.

Rebound looked over at Leigh. She was an albino with a pink nose. He couldn't help but look at her ripped shirt and capris. He might have looked too long because Blitz noticed.

"Looks like your inner bunny is getting to you," he quipped.

Rebound snapped back to reality. "Quit it," he mumbled.

"Go ask her out now, before someone else does!" said Zach.

"Out here? In front of a third of the school? You might as well ask me to enter a race against Sonic the frickin' Hedgehog!" Rebound snapped back. The bell rang and they got up to go to class. Before he turned down the hall, Rebound looked back one more time at Leigh. I should at least try, he thought.

The final bell rang after Rebound's English class. While everyone went to the doors, he headed for the library. Rebound was a part of the student tutor program at school. He would help students with their math homework most of the time. Rebound didn't do it just to have something on a resume or to learn how to get along with people; he felt a natural urge to help others. It made him feel good about himself. Rebound would do volunteer work on some Saturdays, mostly cleanup and housing projects. He even got to work a phone during a call-a-thon. It made him feel needed, like a member of a squad.

Today, Rebound was solving some algebra problems with a freshman. The purple wolf shook like every question on his homework scared him.

"The quadratic formula is easy. If we know two of any variable, we can know the third one," said Rebound.

"Uh...what's a variable again?" said the wolf.

"The letters. A, B, and C. Those are variables. Now, the question says 'find b', and the equation is 48 + b² = 120. What's the quadratic formula?"

"Its… a² + b² = c?"

"No." Rebound looked at the desk. "Where are your notes?"

"I didn't write any."

"What did you do during class then?"

"I was...uh...on my laptop,"

Are you kidding me? Rebound thought. He took a deep breath. "What was your name again?"

"Digit."

"Digit, you have to pay attention in class. You won't learn anything if you don't."

"But math is so boring!"

"You have to take it to graduate. I bet everyone in this school has to take one class they don't like. Heck, I wish I didn't have to take History, but I'll work my ass off so I don't have to take it again."

Digit chuckled. "History is much cooler than math," he said.

Rebound moved his eyes to the clock. It was 4:15.

"Thankfully that was the last question. I got to go."

"Will you be here Monday?"

"Yeah, but not Tuesday and Thursday," Rebound said as he walked towards the door. That kid better get his act together Rebound thought as he went outside.

Rebound walked to the back doors of the school where his sister was waiting in her boxy two-door car. She was reading a heavy metal magazine and couldn't get her eyes off a three-necked guitar pin-up. It had the same sky blue color as her. Rebound opened the passenger door and threw his backpack into the back seat.

"Any good albums coming out?" Rebound asked as he sat down.

"Not really. All the bands I like are saving their albums for the fall." she replied. Sapphire stowed away the magazine, put the car into gear, and pulled out of the school lot.

"How was dance practice?"

"It was great. We are learning this routine that is based off an ancient echidna ritual,"

"What kind of ritual?"

"A sacrifice."

Rebound snorted. "I don't know if the echidnas in this school will like that."

"You forgot my dance instructor is an echidna. Anyway, the main focus of the dance is the person being sacrificed. I'm staying late Monday so I can try out for the role!"

"Nice! You won't be able to take me to practice that day, though." Rebound replied, concerned.

"You can take the bus there." answered Sapphire.

"Yeah, but I might miss some tutoring. I have to make it to practice either way."

The car drove through downtown and into the forest outside the village.

"Do you think I can make the part?" asked Sapphire.

"Yeah. You are a senior, so you will probably be one of the first picks."

"I still can't believe I'm a senior, it feels like everything is happening so fast."

"You figured out what you are doing once you are out?"

"I don't know. I'm used to having everything set up for me, you know? I just want to go along for the ride."

"You could become a dancer, you're good at that."

"That's just a hobby. I want to do something I don't have to put too much work into."

"How about that coding stuff?"

Sapphire thought for a moment. "Maybe. I don't know if I want to do that as a career."

Sapphire re-focused on the road. Before Rebound could talk, his sister put her hand up.

"I already know what you are going to do," Sapph smugly said.

"It's what I've always wanted and will always want to do."

Sapphire grimaced a bit and adjusted her black shirt. "Yeah, but have you thought about having a backup plan?"

Rebound paused for a moment. It looked like he was staring into nothing. "I don't want to do anything else…"

"I know that, but what if everything doesn't go according to plan? What if something happens that changes your mind?"

"You see, nothing is going to change my mind. I love doing grappling more than anything, and no matter what happens, I will always be grappling. It's what I want to do with my life and I am not going to let anything outside of getting hurt stop me!"

Sapphire saw she made Rebound really wound up. She knew going into this more would only make him more defensive. "I just want you to be prepared for anything. You never know what life may throw at you."

Rebound nodded and looked out the window. They were at the practice facility already. The shadow of the three-story tall building went over the parking lot. He could hear the clanks and zips of the grapplers already. As they pulled in, the two teens noticed a familiar black truck parked up front.

"Dad is here?" asked Rebound.

"It sure looks like it. Guess you are getting a personal lesson today!" Sapphire teased.

Rebound wiped his hand over his face. "I hate it when we practice in public. People won't shut up about him."

"Better get it over with. I have a couch with my name on it at home."

Rebound sighed and got out of the car with his bag. He walked through the glass doors of the building and into the locker room. When he got inside, Rebound saw a crowd of people huddled around someone.

I wonder who that is? Rebound sarcastically asked himself. In the middle of the group was his father, answering some questions younger grapplers were throwing at him.

"Have you ever been shot?" one of them asked.

"Not on purpose," answered Thomas.

"Is it true you can do the starter course in three hooks?"

"Try to do it yourself and find out."

"Have you ever met Sonic?"

Rebound worked his way up to him before he could answer that question. Thomas perked his ears up when he saw him.

"Alright folks, show's over! Get back to training," Thomas announced to the crowd. Some of them sighed and they dispersed.

"Do you always have to have a crowd when you come here?" Rebound asked.

"You know I don't do it on purpose," his father replied. He opened his locker and started to put on his grapple equipment. "You're probably wondering why I am here."

"You usually let me know when you are coming," Rebound replied.

"I decided to come here on my drive home. I remembered the near disaster you had yesterday and I had an idea on how I could help."

"Couldn't you tell Dashie to do it?"

"Trust me, what I have in mind only I can do."

Rebound stood at the edge of the platform with his dad, who was holding a hand broom.

"Could you explain this to me again?" asked Rebound.

Thomas looked directly at him. "I am going to go around the course with this broom and try to hit you. You got to maneuver out of my way and finish with me hitting you as few times as possible."

Rebound looked at the course and processed what he had to do. "You aren't going to hit me too hard, right?"

"No, just a poke. You should avoid it like someone is trying to punch you, though."

"We are doing Intermediate B right?"

"Yes."

Rebound kept staring down the hanging wires and catching nets. "How many times are we going to do this?"

"Until you only get touched one time or less. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Rebound took a deep breath and jumped into the course. He threw his first grapple and then his father followed. He was swinging down the course with ease to start. Rebound even thought for a moment it would be easy. Just as he thought that, he was poked. Rebound nearly detached his hook he was so startled. His father moved ahead and yelled "Keep your eyes open, son!"

He saw him coming the next time and shifted away from the broom while he was still gaining momentum. Thomas quickly got behind him and poked his back with the broom. Rebound was about to yell at him, but had to launch his next hook. He moved his body horizontally so he could shoot his next shot while pushing off a wall. In the split second Rebound was on the wall, his dad somehow swung under him and poked his side. Rebound yelped and threw out a grapple, nearly falling onto the net.

"You can't hit me while I do-"

"In a real situation, no one will care what you are doing. They're going to take every chance to hit you," Rebound's dad cut him off.

His father got close again and swung at his leg, but Rebound pulled it up. Rebound finally saw the end of the course and pushed towards it. Just as he was doing his last grapple, he saw his dad right behind him. He disconnected his cable and tucked his body down, rolling haphazardly onto the end platform.

"Woah! You just broke one of the laws of grappling: NEVER disconnect your cable!" yelled Thomas. Rebound got up and reached out for his now free cable.

"You already got hit three times. You didn't need to do something that extreme."

Rebound zipped his cable back into his launcher. "I was just trying to avoid the broom. Haven't you had to disconnect at some point to avoid disaster?"

"Yes, but this is practice. We got to follow the rules here," his dad replied.

They walked back to the starting point and went on the same course again. Rebound got hit again at the wall part, but this time he didn't get his cable out in time and landed in the catch net. He rolled off it and walked back to the start.

"I only got you once, but you didn't finish," said Thomas.

"I don't think I can do this challenge today." Rebound replied, dejected.

"Don't doubt yourself! We are only on attempt three. Remember how it took you 30 tries for you to finish your first intermediate course?"

"Yeah, but I didn't have my dad chasing me with some straw on a stick."

Thomas walked up to his son and put his hand on his shoulder. "You can do it, Rebound."

He looked down the course again. He thought of every turn and every type of grapple he usually makes. Rebound remembered his dad gave him pointers on what grapples to make and where, so he would know where he is and isn't going.

Time to change things up, Rebound thought.

The navy rabbit ran up to the edge of the platform and made his shot. His dad had to work to catch up with him. When he did, he swung at his rear but Rebound pulled his legs up to his head, making him miss. When Rebound got to the wall again, he pushed himself off the wall with his non-grapple hand, not giving enough room for his dad to poke him. Rebound was feeling good about his new moves, but when he was making the second to last turn, his dad just grazed his shoulder with the broom. Rebound snapped his head to where his dad was. "Only one more!" Thomas yelled out.

There wasn't much room left on the course. Rebound knew his dad only had one more shot at him. He saw him going low and knew there was only one way for him to get enough momentum and avoid his dad. Rebound made a motion to look like he was going above him, but went below his dad instead. Rebound had to free-fall for a short moment while going backwards to narrowly avoid his dad. Since he was going backwards, he had to make a no-look grapple to make it back to the platform. It connected, and he made it to the platform on the tips of his toes.

Thomas landed shortly after with his mouth agape.

"I told you you could do it! I didn't know you could make a no-look shot, that was amazing!" said Thomas.

"I had to pull out all the stops to get away from you," Rebound replied.

"Well, when you are firing on all cylinders, you can do anything," Thomas gave his son a high five. With his mind clear, he suddenly remembered what his sister said about a 'backup plan'. To make sure he didn't forget to ask, he turned to his dad.

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"When you graduated high school, did you have a backup plan if things didn't work out?"

"To be honest, I didn't have anything planned when I graduated. If you already have one, you're already doing better than me."

Rebound thought about what his dad and sister said. He knew he wanted to be an ambassador or something after his grappling days, but he thought that wouldn't be for a long time. Rebound then figured if his dad became a grappling expert with no plan, then he could become one with one.

"Is there something bothering you?" Thomas asked.

"No, that question just passed my mind. Let's go again!"

Rebound hopped into the course and kept on doing what he did best.

The drops of rain fell at a constant drizzle in Hopewell. The weather created a thin haze all around the town. Plants had a thin glaze of water on them and the roads had a slight tint to them from the oil running off the pavement. The weather created a calming atmosphere, but also one of sorrow. It made it easier for people to reflect on themselves; taking the good with the bad.

This was not ideal weather to be taking an exam in, but Rebound was stuck in a room taking one anyway. It had been over an hour since he started the test and he could finally see the finish. Rebound wasn't scared of the test, it was just a country-mandated test to pass high school (or in Rebound's eyes, a test to prove you are not an idiot). He had already finished the extended response and was wrapping up the multiple choice. In between answering questions, Rebound tried to find patterns that didn't exist in the answer sheet. He knew his boredom was starting to get to him.

Once he finished his final question, Rebound looked over his answer sheet and then raised his hand. Mr. Day slowly made his way up the row where Rebound was and took his testing papers.

"Good job. Stay in your seat until the test is over," he said.

"Yeah, I know," Rebound sighed.

It was a stupid rule. Everyone had to stay so others wouldn't feel pressured to finish their tests early. You were allowed to bring a book while people waited, but Rebound forgot his. He tried to make himself comfortable in his metal desk. He looked out the window on his right side. The weather was almost the same as the end of prom his junior year. Rebound went with Alexander, Blitz, and Zach. All of them had no dates and their plan was to just have a good time together. Zach kept hitting on girls who already had dates the entire time. Eventually, he got a skunk's boyfriend mad and got socked in the face. Before he could land a blow back at him, Zach was dragged out. Rebound had to call his mom in the middle of the night since Zach was their ride home. He hasn't talked to Zach since.

Rebound still hung out with Blitz and Alexander, but Alex was always busy. He turned out to be really ahead of everyone else and was working on being a salutatorian. He wasn't in the lunch room during lunch anymore, so Rebound just sat with Blitz and any strange freshmen who would sit with them.

Rebound put his face down on his desk. He tried to force his mind to think about the one thing he never got tired of doing. He was as dedicated to grappling as he ever was. When he made the traveling grapple team two years ago, his dad nearly threw a block party to celebrate. Rebound had to convince him not to so he could not cut into his training time. Though he was on the B-Team during both his years on it, Rebound enjoyed every moment of it. Seeing other people's grappling techniques gave him new ideas on routines. While on the road, Rebound saw his first open-route course. Just like in a real-world scenario, he had to make up his own movement on the fly. Though it took him a few tries to make it back to the start, it was the best moment during his entire competitive grappling career.

Rebound bonded with the team well during trips, but whenever he asked to hang out with them outside of grappling, they always turned him down. Maybe it was because he took it more seriously than others, or he would always defend his decisions anytime someone questioned his routine. Either way, it was hard for Rebound to make friends with people he worked with. So he kept working. Dashie told him he worked harder than anyone on the team. He stayed till closing at the practice facility, read grappling books during study hall, and spent hours every weekend training with his new VR grappling equipment.

It was not like Rebound was not good at anything else. His grades were great, but he didn't want to take advanced classes. He had a big library of music in his room, but he cut back on his spending to save up for gear. He still had plants he took care of, but it was the same amount of plants from two years ago. Rebound put grappling above everything else. Deep down, he felt it was the only thing he could master.

Mr. Day started to read the testing debrief. The last student finally put his test away. Rebound yawned as he put his head up. Once Mr. Day was done talking, he grabbed his bag and walked out. As he went down the halls, he heard someone run up to him.

"Hey, Rebound!"

Rebound turned around, "Oh, hi Blitz."

"I didn't know we both took this test the same day."

"I forgot to ask. Did you fall asleep during it?" asked Rebound.

"I wish I did. People must think kids are really stupid if they give us that kind of test."

"Yeah."

Blitz was getting concerned. "Did you do well? You look stressed out."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I had nothing to do after the test and I remembered what happened with Zach last year."

"Oh, that. He really ruined prom for us."

"Do you know what he's up to now?"

"I heard he switched schools and got kicked out of that one. He's homeschooled now."

Rebound widened his eyes in shock. "Wow. I never thought he would turn out that bad!"

"Yeah, me neither."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Blitz broke the silence. "So, are you going to practice now?"

"No, it's raining so I'm going home."

"Do you want me to take you?"

Rebound's ears perked up a little. "You don't have anywhere to be?"

"Nah, it's a Friday. I'm free the whole weekend in fact."

"Then...yeah, let's go."

Blitz's old coupe cruised around Rebound's neighborhood. The rabbit sat quietly in the passenger seat, watching the rain fall on the pretty little homes. Rebound had seen them a thousand times, but they looked different drenched in the twilight. It was as if the homes were showing their darker side. Rebound wouldn't care to see more of it, as he was sure about not being in town much longer after he graduated.

The faded yellow box Blitz called a car came to a stop in front of Rebound's house. The bird put it in park and turned to Rebound. "Here we are. I hope you feel better soon, man," he said.

Rebound turned to get his bag. "Thanks, Blitz." he said as he pulled his bag out of all the junk in his friend's back seat. As he got out of the car and walked to the sidewalk, Blitz stuck his head out the window. "Hey, if you want to hang out tomorrow, just give me a call. I'll be at home."

"Yeah, I'll call you if I'm free."

"Alright, I don't want you to get too wet," Blitz chuckled. "See ya!"

Rebound turned to the mailbox in front of the house as Blitz drove away. He opened the metal flap, grabbed what was inside, and ran onto the front porch. With the mail out of the rain, Rebound started to look through it. He saw a couple of things for his dad, then a letter he had been waiting for.

"Hilltop Academy…," he read out loud.

A grin went across his face in excitement. He ran inside and into the kitchen where his mom was putting away groceries.

"Mom, it came in!"

"The letter from the grapple academy?"

"Yes! I really want to open in now, but I want Dad to see it."

Sarah's face suddenly became stressed. "I don't know if he will be here tonight…"

Rebound looked disappointed. "He's having another long day at work?"

"He's probably still behind on work since he took that recruitment trip last weekend." There was a pause. Rebound kept his eyes on the envelope.

"That means you don't have to wait for him to open it," said Sarah.

Rebound exhaled. "Alright. I'm sure he knows I made it anyway."

"For sure! Before you do, can you please help me put away the groceries?"

Over the past year, Thomas had been at home less and less. At first, it was because the military did not need his services as much as they used to. The Eggman Empire was on the down-low and there was barely any conflict between nations. One night, Rebound heard his dad yelling for hours in his room with his mom. When he asked about it in the morning, his dad said it was about work and not Sarah. Thomas told him he was very frustrated about not getting enough time on the job. A couple of weeks later, though, things changed.

Being home before dark was the exception now for Thomas. He would usually show up late in the afternoon, sometimes in the middle of the night. This led to more dinners with just Rebound and his mom. With Sapphire out of the house, there were two less people to keep the house well-kept. Sarah had to do more chores and was tired most of the time. She was babysitting more despite Thomas working more. Rebound did his best to help his mom around the house, doing his own laundry and keeping the flower beds weed free. He hoped this would lead to him getting a car, but both of his parents said he didn't need one.

After the groceries were put away, Rebound and his mom sat down at the dinner table. Rebound anxiously sat with the envelope and a letter opener.

"Are you ready?"

Rebound smiled. "Yes."

He ripped the cover open and unfolded the paper inside. He began reading it out loud.

"Dear Rebound Thomas Williams, Thank you for applying to the Highland Academy for grappling and rappelling! After reviewing your application, we have-" Rebound stopped. His mother, confused, leaned in. "Have what?" she asked. Rebound felt like he had slammed into a wall. "W-we-we have denied-" he muttered out. He read the rest of the letter in shock.

HIGHLAND ACADEMY

ADMISSIONS BOARD

Dear Rebound Thomas Williams,

Thank you for applying to the Highland Academy for grappling and rappelling. After reviewing your application, we have denied your request for admission for the fall 4001 semester. Unfortunately, you do not meet the skill requirements all new cadets must reach. Our academy is sought after by many candidates and we have a rigorous review process. We have to turn down the majority of those who apply. You can apply again for the fall 4002 semester. A number is provided below for more information.

Sincerely,

Richard Silverback
Director of Admissions

Rebound slowly put down the letter and fiddled with his hands. "They...rejected me…"

Sarah's eyes popped open. "They what?"

Rebound slammed his fist on the table and looked down with his hands behind his head.

"They rejected me!" he yelled with his voice cracking. He was on the verge of tears.

Sarah was dazed by her son's reaction. She hadn't seen him get this emotional in a long time.

"How could they do that?" Sarah sympathetically asked.

"They said I wasn't good enough!" Rebound croaked out.

Sarah moved her chair closer and put her arm around Rebound. "That's not true. You are a great grappler!"

Rebound eyes started to water. "How could they do this to me? Don't they know all the hours I put in, all the training I went through, and the work I did to get better? How couldn't they see I put my heart into this!"

Sarah tried to think of something to say. "It's okay, Rebound, you can apply somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" Rebound mumbled. He turned around and grabbed his mom by the shoulders.

"There isn't anywhere else!" Rebound said through his balling eyes. "There are only three grappling academies in the country: Hilltop, MGA, which is full, and this place on the west coast. Hilltop was my only chance!"

Rebound was holding hard onto his mom. His hands were as hot as heat pads.

"Rebound, you're hurting me!" Sarah cried.

Rebound let go and got up. "I can't believe this is happening...It can't be true!" Rebound walked out of the dining room and down the hallway. He grabbed the stairway railing with both hands and shook it violently.

"It can't be!"

He stampeded his way up the steps, crying, went into his room, and slammed the door. One of his plants fell over along with some gear he hung up. Rebound laid down onto his bead and let his emotions pour out.

Rebound felt like his world was falling apart. He put all of his efforts into becoming the best grappler he can be. Now the world was telling him all of that work was for nothing. It didn't matter what he did, people would tell him he wasn't good enough. He thought he could prove them wrong; grow to be better than anyone could have imagined. To him, the letter told him his best wasn't good enough. He was no better at grappling then he was at sports. Both left him in the same place: teary eyed and feeling worthless.

Rebound needed someone to lift his spirits, but it wouldn't come from who he thought it would.

A black suburban pulled into the driveway at 8 PM. The rain had stopped, but the world was still dark and damp. Thomas got out of the car and walked inside in some old fatigues. He noticed there was no music playing from Rebound's room. When he walked down the hall, he saw Sarah looking through a bunch of papers.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking at academies for Rebound," she answered while looking at a brochure.

Thomas looked puzzled. "Why? He should get a letter from Hilltop soon."

Sarah put a hand over her eyes and took a deep sigh. "He didn't get in, Tom."

"Oh." Thomas looked down with his hand on his chin. "That's not good."

"He's been in his room for hours. You need to talk to him."

Thomas sighed and turned to go down the hall. "Didn't want to deal with this today," he mumbled to himself.

He walked up to Rebound's room and knocked. No response.

"Rebound? Are you up?"

Still nothing.

"Can I come in?"

Rebound looked up from his pillow. "Yeah," he said in a faint mumble. Thomas walked in and saw Rebound lying on his bed face down. He sat on the desk chair.

"Mom told me what happened today. I'm really sorry."

Rebound turned himself face up and laid on his back. His face was a mess.

"What did the academy say about you? Do you need better or grades or missed a paper-"

"They said I wasn't good enough." Rebound interrupted.

Thomas pushed his back against the chair and scratched his chin. He only had a faint look of shock on his face.

"Was there anything in particular they thought wasn't good?"

"No. They just said I didn't meet their skill level."

Thomas paused for a moment. "Well, Hilltop does have high standards."

Rebound raised an ear and moved his head up.

"What are you saying?"

Thomas adjusted himself in the seat. "They are the best academy out there and only take the best of the best," Thomas motioned to say something else, but nothing came out. Rebound moved upright at the waist.

"Are you saying you agree with them?"

"The best teachers go there. I would be hard pressed to disagree with th-"

"You didn't answer me. Do you think I'm not good enough for Hilltop?" Rebound snapped at his father.

Thomas anxiously looked around the room, then at his son.

"Look, Rebound, you have been slow to learn your entire grappling career. I knew it was a stretch for you to get in to begin with. Even if you did get in, they wouldn't wait for you to catch up like your trainer does now. You have a…"

Thomas' voice trailed off as he saw Rebound get up and put on a leather jacket. He walked right past him without saying anything.

"Where are you going?" He asked as his son opened the door.

"I'm going to Sapphire's, because I want to be with someone who believes in me!" Rebound yelled at his dad with a crack in his voice.

Thomas got up and walked to the door.

"Rebound, don't go."

Rebound stomped down the stairs.

"Rebound, get back here!"

He gripped the handle and opened the door.

"REBOUND!"

The door slammed behind him, leaving Thomas frozen in the stairway.

Rebound ran down the driveway and onto the street. He breathed heavily as he held back tears. His mind was going as fast as he was running. Nothing was making sense anymore. His father, who had helped him the entire way, was now doubting what he did best. Rebound couldn't believe it. In his state, he couldn't be around his dad. He would yell at him and get into a big argument. The memories of his tantrums when he was younger were still in Rebound's mind. He shuddered as he remembered his dad holding him back after getting hit with a baseball. The last thing he wanted was to make this day worse. Rebound needed someone to guide him through this. Someone who could make sense of everything.

He needed to talk to his sister.

Rebound went just under a mile away from his house into downtown. Dim street lights lined the sidewalks he went down. The air was heavy with moisture because of all the rain. His shoes were wet from puddles and reflected the lamp lights. Rebound kept looking around main street for Polaris Drive. He eventually found it and walked to the townhouse complex. He walked around the square brick buildings until he found his sister's. She still had her red Christmas lights up. Rebound walked up to the door and saw a light was on inside. Slightly relieved, he rang the doorbell and put his hands in his coat.

A few seconds later, the door cracked open.

"Rebound?" Sapphire said, confused. Her fur was a mess and she was wearing an oversized black T-shirt with a skull on it and some slippers.

"Hi sis," Rebound replied. "Can I come in?" he said in a tired, deep tone.

Sapphire stared at her brother in a daze. She liked visitors to her house, but not in the middle of the night when she is trying to unwind.

Rebound put his head down, "I had a really bad day…"

Sapphire eyes opened a little and became more concerned, as if she just realized something.

"Yeah...come in." She let Rebound inside and closed the door behind him. The living room was separated by a counter from the kitchen. A hallway on the left led into it and the bed and bathroom. The walls had posters of rock and metal bands, with some CD towers in the room. The room itself was messy, with used pizza boxes and cans on the floor. Rebound kicked one as he moved to sit on the couch, unaware his sister was laying on it earlier watching a show, which was now paused.

He looked on the ground, trying to find something to say. Sapphire saw her brother's face was a mess, and it wasn't from the rain.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Rebound looked up and tried to say something, but his face tensed up. He couldn't force himself to talk about what happened today. He said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Do you believe in me, Sapph?" Rebound chokingly asked.

"What?"

"Because...I feel like no one does." Rebound started to tear up

"Hey, I believe in you! Why wouldn't I?" Sapphire said as she sat next to Rebound. She put her arm on his back and tried to make him comfortable. "Can you tell me what's going on, even if it hurts you?"

Rebound collected himself and took some deep breaths. He wiped the tears that built up around his eyes.

"Okay, this is what happened."

Rebound explained how he had been looking forward to joining Hilltop Academy since he sent his application. Everything his parents and trainers said made it seem like he was sure to get in. When he was rejected, it felt like the impossible had happened. When his dad doubted his ability, it gave him the idea people were just encouraging him to be nice this entire time. Rebound didn't know if he was good as he thought he was anymore. He also didn't know what to do now; he had no backup plan if he got rejected from Hilltop.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Sapphire said. "I can only imagine how distraught you must be."

"Do you really believe in me, Sapph?"

"Of course I do. Just because one school doesn't take you in doesn't mean I should stop believing in you."

"You aren't saying that just to make me feel better?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, you're my brother."

Rebound grinned a little and relaxed his brow.

"Thanks, I really needed that. It hit me hard when Dad didn't say anything to make me feel better."

"Things must be difficult at home."

"Yeah. Dad is not around much anymore. He's always at work doing stuff for the military. On the other hand, he must be happy not being in an office anymore."

Sapphire raised an eyebrow and an ear. "Wait you don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Rebound asked, completely blindsided.

Sapphire put her hand on her mouth and looked away "I can't believe that son of a-"

Rebound heard her mumble and cut her off. "What's going on with Dad?"

"Do you want to know this now? You have dealt with a lot today."

"I don't want to be left in the dark. Is it a big deal?"

"Yeah, it is." Sapphire sat up on the couch and adjusted her hair. She closed her eyes and began to talk.

"One day, Dad got the news he was going to be reassigned. They were disbanding his cable unit, saying they didn't need them anymore or something. He didn't take it well." Sapphire adjusted herself on the couch. "Dad went into his superior's office and went off on him. He said some things that the generals couldn't forgive him for. He was dishonorably discharged the next day.

"When Dad told Mom about it, they got into a big argument. Mom told me he got pissed off when she asked why she didn't get a call before he cursed out his boss. They argued about what they were going to do, but, like always, he made up his mind. He refused to apologize so he could get back in the army."

Rebound could not believe what he was hearing. He would show more emotion to what his sister was telling him, but he couldn't muster any more tears. He just sat there, stunned at what he was learning.

"How could this be true? Dad still goes out everyday to work. He still wears his army stuff." Rebound said, trying to convince himself his sister was misinformed. Sapphire shook her head. "He somehow convinced some people in his squad to quit the army and create a security team. That's his job now. He runs around to do gigs for whoever needs their services. He works for anyone, so he gets a lot of jobs."

Rebound thought this all made sense, but there is a difference between things making sense and wanting things to make sense. The truth of what was going on was getting to him.

"But how do you know all this?" Rebound asked.

"My insurance was canceled and I called the company to ask why. They said Dad was no longer enlisted, canceling his benefits. I confronted him about it and he told me his story. Mom would explain more of the details, but I told him that you needed to know about this. He agreed."

Rebound looked at his sister with wide eyes. Sapphire frowned.

"He obviously lied about that too," Sapphire said.

Rebound's father, who gave him his name to carry, was no longer working to defend his country. He was now working to defend whoever gave him a paycheck. No one would look at him the same way again. Rebound could no longer use his dad's name to help get by. He had to advance on his own.

Rebound put his face into a couch pillow and yelled into it. His emotions could barely keep up with what was going on. He tossed the pillow aside, knocking over a pile of magazines, and looked back at the ground.

"I can't believe this is happening."

"I'm sorry I was the one to tell you this."

Rebound took off his glove and tried to get some junk off his face.

"It's alright," Rebound sniffed. "It's better than me finding out on my own by accident."

The two siblings sat in silence for a while. Rebound tried to figure out why his dad would want to keep something so important out of his knowledge. Sapphire was taking in everything that had happened in the last half hour. Rebound broke the silence.

"Can I stay here tonight?"

"Well," Sapphire looked at the TV, and then realized what was more important. "Sure. It's getting late anyway." Sapphire got up, dusted off her shirt, and turned off the TV. Rebound got up as well.

"Hey Sapph?"

"Yeah?"

Rebound gave his sister a hug.

"Thank you," Rebound said in a tired voice. Sapphire grinned and gave her brother a pat on the back.

"Don't mention it."

They backed away and Sapphire headed for the bedroom. Rebound looked for a blanket to sleep on the couch with.

"Don't wake me up when you get up." Sapphire yelled down the hallway.

"I won't," Rebound replied as he picked up a black and red afghan. He arranged some pillows and then rolled onto the couch. He stared at the cushion as he tried to take in the new world that opened up under him.

Everything was black and gloomy. Rebound was in a void that was aimless, without boundaries, or anyone else. Yet he kept hearing this voice. It mocked him, calling him pathetic and a waste of life. It laughed at him. Rebound had no were to hide from it. He fell on the ground and covered his ears as the laughs grew louder and louder. He was overwhelmed by it, unable to hear his own thoughts. He was alone and scared.

Rebound woke up in a messy living room with his hand stuck in an afghan. He was relieved to be out of the nightmare and in a place more comfortable. He had no doubt what happened last night caused those crazy visions. Though reality wasn't much better. "What do I do now?" Rebound thought. He couldn't wait to talk to Sapphire, she had to work today. Rebound wasn't ready to talk to his parents again. He still needed to figure out what to say to them, if anything. He thought about calling his instructor, but he didn't remember his phone number. It was in his room. Rebound then tried to remember a number he knew.

"Oh, right," he said to himself.

Rebound tossed the afghan off and got up. He felt a little pain on his side from a bad spring on the sofa. He ignored it and navigated to the kitchen, which was alight by some rays coming through a window. He picked up the phone on the wall next to the counter and called Blitz. It rang three times before the bird picked up. Lucky for Rebound, his friend was also a morning person.

"Hello?"

"Hi Blitz, it's Rebound."

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Remember how you said you were free today?"

"Yeah. Do you want me to come over to your house-"

"NO." Rebound cut him off.

"...Okay." Blitz replied, confused.

Rebound thought for a second, twisting the phone cord as he did.

"Have you been to Centennial Park before?"

"Is that the one along main street?"

"Yeah, there are some benches near the gazebo. Can you meet up with me there in an hour?"

"So at noon?"

Rebound checked the time. It was 11 AM.

"Yeah." Rebound began to worry he already made plans.

"Are we dueling or something?"

Rebound rolled his eyes. "No, I...I just want to hang out and talk." There was a pause. That didn't explain why they couldn't be at Rebound's house.

"I would feel better talking with you outside."

Blitz was still confused by Rebound's request, but he shrugged it off.

"Alright, whatever you want man."

"Okay. Thanks so much, Blitz."

"See you soon, Rebound."

Rebound hung up and rubbed his eye. He had a lot of crust around it since yesterday. "I need to shower," he said to himself.

The water washed off all the sweat and tears from yesterday, but Rebound still felt pain. He didn't know what was worse: the fact his father lied to him, or the idea he didn't think he was ready to achieve his dream. So many thoughts went through his mind. Could he trust his dad anymore? Did Mom knowingly lie to him as well? Would Dad still support him even if he didn't think grappling was the best choice for him? Nothing would have caused Rebound to think of this before, but it was all he could think about right now.

Rebound got out of his cold shower and dried himself off. Even though the bathroom had black linens and gray walls, Sapphire used a pink bottle of Blossom body wash. He now smelled like a field of tulips. Rebound brushed the white slash next to his right eye. It's what people noticed about him at first glance. The curvy white slashes on his body looked like flames. It was a rare pattern to have, especially on rabbits. He got the nickname "Fireball" on the grapple team and teammates would tell him to "burn it up" when it was his turn on their routine. Rebound was only a fizzle right now.

He put on his boots and gloves and went back to the kitchen. Rebound suddenly found the urge to eat after not eating since leaving school yesterday. He opened the fridge and saw some breakfast burritos. He grabbed for them, but quickly remembered not to wake up his sister. Rebound sighed and closed the fridge. On the fridge, he saw a picture of Sapph's boyfriend, Matt, laying down with her. Sapphire met him while interviewing for an IT job. He worked sales for a work uniforms company. They have been together for almost a year now, but Sapph didn't tell the family until 6 months ago. That was because Matt was a hare. For rabbits, it was pretty taboo for lady rabbits to be dating hares. Just the sight of their hind legs caused families to go into arguments. It wasn't an issue for the Williams, which relieved Sapph and made her even more happy.

Rebound picked an apple from the fruit bowl and looked around the kitchen as he ate it. He saw how great things were going for his sister and wished the same would happen to him. He wondered if he chose a more difficult path in life. Was it worth it to go through all this trouble to make what amounts to an average living?

Rebound threw the core of the apple in the trash and went to get his jacket. It had hair on it from being on the floor, but at least it was dry. After he put it on, he went to leave a note for his sister. He left it on the phone:

Went to talk to Blitz.

May come back. Will call.

Thanks for last night.

Rebound sat alone at the park. It was a nice, clear spring morning. The rain from yesterday made the grass a vibrant green and the plants upright. The park recently had some flowers planted, which were in full bloom now. People were walking through the park, some after going to the farmers market. Rebound could hear some kids playing at the playset not too far from him. It made him nostalgic for simpler times.

A few moments later, Blitz came into the park. He had his yellow handkerchief around his neck and some black high-heeled shoes with a big red star on it. The sun reflected on his big glasses with a black frame. His green feathers almost matched the color of the grass. Rebound waved him over and he sat down next to him.

"What's up, man?" Blitz asked with a little concern in his voice.

Rebound wiped his brow. "Nothing good, that's for sure."

"What happened?"

Rebound sighed. "Well, I didn't make it into the grappling academy. I got a letter yesterday that said I was rejected."

"Ouch. Was that the Mountain Top place?"

"Hilltop," Rebound corrected him. "The worst part was the reason I was rejected. They said I wasn't good enough."

"That's brutal," Blitz said. "Not only did they reject you, but they rubbed it in your face."

"They aren't the only ones who think that."

"Who thinks you aren't a great grappler?"

"My dad."

"Oh," Blitz was taken aback by the response. "Damn. Did he just straight up tell you you aren't good at it?"

"No, he just agreed with the letter." Rebound clarified.

"Alright." Blitz noticed Rebound's brow was tense.

"It sounds like you are really mad at him."

"Yeah, but it's not just that. I found out he's been lying to me about some other things. It's making me think he isn't the idol I thought he was," Rebound stretched his back against the bench. "He always made himself look like the best grappler ever. I still think he's great, but he's not the same person anymore. He isn't around as much, and when he is he talks about himself most of the time. He didn't even wish me good luck on my grad tests."

Blitz sat quietly as his friend talked about his troubles.

"What's been bothering me the most is the two most important things in grappling to me, the academy and my dad, both think I'm not good enough to be a grappler. It's making me think I have made a huge mistake in my life. I don't know what else to do! This is what I've been doing for I don't know how long. I haven't thought of doing anything else for a career until now."

Rebound hung his head low. He explained it all to Blitz but he didn't feel any better. Telling him about it only made the situation more real. Blitz thought for a minute and then turned to Rebound.

"Do you think you're a good grappler?"

Rebound turned his head. "Huh?"

"Do you think you are good at what you do?" Blitz repeated, a bit louder than last time.

"I mean...yeah…" Rebound fumbled his words quietly.

"Then that's all that matters. If you love grappling and think you are amazing at it, then you should keep doing it. I used to ask people what I should do. Then, I realized if I relied on what other people thought, then I couldn't make my own decisions. So I stopped caring what other people think of what I do."

"But my dad doesn't-"

"Your dad doesn't have to agree with what you do. This is your life, man! It doesn't matter if people don't think you made the best decisions. I decided to fix cars because I think it's cool. Why did you want to be a grappler?"

Rebound tried to remember the reason.

"Don't even think about it, just spit it out!" Blitz said.

"Because it's fun." Rebound quickly said.

"There it is! You don't do it for the money, or because it's easy. You do it because it's fun. That's true, right?"

Rebound finally got what Blitz was saying. Getting gratification from others is nice, but it shouldn't be your only motivation. Everyone has their own motivation to do things, and if you truly love the work that you do, then nothing should stop you from doing it. You just have to bet on yourself.

Rebound nodded his head. "Yeah, I love it! It's what I want to do with my life."

"Things may have been bad yesterday, but it's a new day now. You'll get through these troubles, man."

"Thanks, Blitz." Rebound gave the bird a hug.

"Hey, don't get too lovey-dubby now!"

Rebound let Blitz go. "Sorry."

"It's alright. So...you want to go eat or something?"

Rebound suddenly felt a hole in his stomach. "Yeah, I could really go for a burrito right now."

"Let's go to Blazin' Burrito then." Blitz suggested.

"Alright," Rebound said. They got up and started walking to the burrito bar. Walking through the park with a clear mind, Rebound now realized how beautiful of a day it was.

The harsh warehouse lights lit up a maze of wires, nets, and walls. The white ceiling tiles contrasted with the rainbow-colored barricades that littered the obstacle course. DJ and dance remixes of songs played over the hum of the lights. The warehouse's size could hold three courses that could be done simultaneously. This evening, however, they were combined into one big course. Only one person could do a course this long and challenging and he was the only person in the building.

Rebound had been waiting all day to get back to grappling, as he had for every day for nearly a year. After all that time, what the course offered was getting too easy for him. He started making his own challenges. For example, the double windmill spin. Rebound made a wall that could only be leveled if a grappler did a 360 degree rotation around a horizontal bar. Once they got over it, they had to do a 400 degree rotation to slow down and go through a small hole in the wall. Rebound broke his ankle the first time he attempted it, but eventually got it through it consistently. This evening he jumped off the first one at the right time and divided through the hole at the perfect speed.

Rebound needed this excitement and challenge in his life, because eight hours of it was spent in complete boredom. He needed money for college or whatever education he could get in grappling. So once he graduated high school, he started working at a car part factory. He had to stand in the same place for nearly seven hours looking for the smallest of defects. Every day felt like the day before. Rebound was tired of seeing the same stainless steel part, but they just kept coming. He only stayed for the money, and because it wasn't too far from town.

The same could not be said for some of the people he worked with. Many of them were like drones; just moving in and out of their stations like they were pre-programed to. Rebound would work with a big blue walrus on his line a lot. He looked tired everyday. His tusks had black stains from work and yellow stains from years of smoking. Just like many of the people who worked at the factory, it looked like he had nothing going for him.

Rebound didn't want to become like that. He wanted to make his own path, make decisions that would help him in the long run. Whenever he felt down at work, Rebound would think about getting back on the grappling course and nailing every move he made. Almost every day he took off his hard hat, it became true.

To connect the three courses together, Rebound made a three-step turn for each transition. He took the walls of some old rock climbing towers and put them into place, making a V-shaped corner. Each time he did the course Rebound moved the angle of the corner slightly to change when he had to do a two step. Sometimes it was 2-1, other times 1-2. Every time though, he had to be quick on his feet. Today's corners were both 1-2.

Not everything in Rebound's life had to be fast. Despite the realities of the world, he still wanted to help people. Every Saturday night, Rebound would go to the homeless shelter and volunteer. There were some people there he knew from high school. Some were helping out and, unfortunately, others were looking for help. Rebound enjoyed talking to the people that came by. He wanted to hear their stories and let them vent out. One thing Rebound learned from being there was everyone is different, but everyone likes to be heard.

Despite this, Rebound's circle of friends was very small. He didn't want to meet up with anyone after work, nor did he go to many places to meet new people. He still had Blitz to hang out with. They met less because of the jobs they had. Blitz was now a full-time mechanic working at a shop and doing fix-up jobs as well. He would always complain about Rebound not having a car. Rebound didn't want to pay the expenses of having a car and was fine just riding his bike around and taking the bus. Whenever they did meet up, they would play video games or watch a movie.

As with every course he made, Rebound always made a big finish. At the end of the course, he made a tall scaffolding tower that nearly touched the ceiling. There was no way he could build enough momentum with how low he could go inside, so he had to climb up to the top after swinging as high as he could. It was only a couple of grabs, but swinging up to climbing up were very different. Once on top, Rebound had to freefall for a second before launching his hook out to the final beam and landing on the X on the floor. Sometimes rolling on it was easier, but he always aimed to land on his two feet.

The routine group he was in, the High-Flying Slingers, were amazed by Rebound's creation. He didn't tell them, but it was based on an experience he had. Late in the afternoon, Rebound would occasionally freestyle grapple on phone and power lines. He wore electric proof gloves and used a rubber-covered hook during it. Nothing about it was legal. Rebound had a few scares when police drove by where he was. The experience that inspired him was when he grappled to the top of a big electric tower. He nearly fell to his doom a couple times during it, but when he made it to the top the view amazed him. Rebound could see his town on the horizon and endless forest in the other direction. Even though the view was sublime, getting down was even better.

Rebound stood on top of the scaffolding tower he made. He did a small hop and was one with gravity. It was these moments that Rebound kept training for. The sensation of having nothing but the world moving you was indescribable. Even if it was for a moment, Rebound captured it to its fullest extent. Thankfully, he always snapped back to reality and launched his hook to the bar. While reeling it in, Rebound moved up and unhooked the metal claw from the bar. He successfully decreased his momentum and landed with both feet on the X.

Rebound felt 3 times around the course was enough for today. He walked to disconnect the courses. He didn't want to be long, as his mom was making dinner tonight.

Rebound got off the bus and onto his street. The neighborhood was quiet besides a few crickets chirping. The sunset cast long shadows from the rows of homes and trees. The red sky barely illuminated the sidewalk Rebound was walking down. Soon he saw the house with the yellowing white porch. Rebound always asked his dad to paint it whenever he was around, but his words went unheard. His dad had not worked on the yard in who knows how long. Rebound only had time to weed and mow around the house. Their home was becoming a dim spot on an otherwise pretty street.

Rebound walked past the worn out minivan in the driveway and went inside through the side door. He kicked off his work boots and walked down the hall. He passed by the family photos hanging on the wall, but there weren't many new ones. There was Rebound's high school graduation photo with Rebound forcing himself to smile while his dad had the dumbest smile on his face. There was a Thanksgiving photo at the dinner table with Rebound smiling with Sapphire as Matt took the photo. Thomas was eating a dinner roll with the unhappiest look on his face. Lastly, there was Sapphire and Matt's wedding from three months ago. The two rabbits looked genuinely happy together, and everyone in the Williams family was happy for them. Even with a smile on his face, however, Thomas looked unhappy to be there. The Williams family hasn't been together at the same time since then.

Rebound walked into the dining room with his mom eating at the table. Sarah-G turned around in her chair to see him.

"Hi, Rebound!"

"Hi Mom," he replied as he took off his backpack. He put it on the floor and sat at the table.

"I hope you like chicken and rice," Sarah said. She was wearing a pink tee shirt and jeans. The shirt had a small stain on the chest. Rebound wasn't sure if it was from the rice or baby food from work.

"Chicken and rice is fine," Rebound said as he put some grilled chicken on his plate. "So how were the kids today?"

"Which ones?" Sarah asked with a humph.

"Oh yeah, you had two jobs today. Was it that toddler and the eight year old twins?"

"Yep. That little chameleon rascal didn't want to eat any of his food. I spent a half hour just trying to feed him lunch! And those twins were fighting again and I had to put them in time out."

"They didn't hurt each other, right?" Rebound asked as he ate a lump of soggy rice.

"They did get bruised up and Jim, the shorter one, did cry a bit."

The two sat at the table with tension in the air. They seemed to avoid a bigger issue. After finishing his chicken, Rebound couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Have you heard from Dad?"

Sarah stopped eating, took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly.

"No, I haven't."

"He should of been home by now,"

"You remember what he said, his mission was taking longer than expected and had to be gone for a few more days."

"That was a week ago. He's been gone for two weeks."

"Do you think he's in danger?"

Rebound rolled his eyes. "No," He put down his fork and placed his elbows on the table. "I think he would rather be somewhere else than here."

Sarah put a smile on her face and put her hand on her son's back. "Now Rebound, you know your father loves you very much-"

"Not enough to be here on a regular basis." Rebound interrupted.

"He works to provide for us," Sarah explained.

Rebound wasn't buying it. "Then why have you been working more?"

"I got to do something with my time dear. I love babysitting as much as you love grappling."

Rebound sat back in his chair. "I just want him to be over more. He's barely around anymore."

"I'm sure he does want to be around you. Like he explained, as the leader of his team he has a lot of responsibilities. If he takes time off things might get more difficult for his crew. He doesn't want to let you or them down."

Rebound scratched his chin. "Maybe he could go on a trip with me during a holiday."

"That's a good idea! Make sure to ask him about it when he comes back."

Rebound exhaled and got up to put his plate away, "Alright then." After the table was cleared Rebound hugged his mother.

"I love you, Mom,"

"Love you too, sweetie."

The stairs squeaked as Rebound walked up to his room. The house felt like it aged very fast the last few years. Gone were the weekends where Thomas would fix up something or have some military friends visit. Rebound would work on something when it was immediate, like a broken garbage disposal or the dryer door not staying closed. He didn't have time to dust or paint over scuffed walls.

Even though Sapphire's old room was bigger, Rebound kept the same bedroom as ever. Saph's old room became a guest room that was barely used. Rebound kept a virtual reality training area in a part of it. Wherever he couldn't do some secret freestyle training, he would use the VR equipment. It helped him with his technique, but it wasn't as good as the real thing. Rebound also kept some plants in the guest room, as he did across the house. Ferns, hanging plants, and perennials were placed next to windows on every floor. Tending to the plants helped Rebound relax. Sarah said he got that from his grandma who was a dedicated gardener.

The walls in Rebound's room still had a couple of posters, but he had gotten some more pictures to hang up over the years. He still had the one of Angel Island, now a bit sunburnt, but also had other locations such as the Marble Gardens and Guardian Rock. He went by himself on a trip to the Hill Top mountains last summer; his dad had to back out of going. He kept a rock that he found on one of the peaks there. His collection of CDs had grown to an entire bookshelf. It was the other way he was able to relax. Sometimes he would put on some synthesized music and lay on the bed.

He would stare at his motivation wall while he listened to CDs. Rebound knew what he wanted to do in his life, but he needed reminders of what he was working towards. Hard days made his goals seem more and more impossible, and the hard days kept coming. Over time, Rebound found memorable quotes and pasted them on the wall. Soon the wall against the foot of his bed was full of pictures and phrases he admired. One was the program of his first show with the High-Flying Slingers. Another was a recruitment poster for the army Rebound found in one of dad's boxes. It featured his cable crew and the words "Hook on with us, Join the Army!" There was also a quote from one of the members of the "Sonic Team." It was from a ninja warrior named Espio that said "With training and focus, all things are possible."

Rebound sat on his bed and pondered those quotes on the wall. He thought he had made all the right decisions so far. He even found time to study military tactics and negotiation from some books. His teammates told him an opportunity would come. When that opportunity would arrive nagged at Rebound every day. Tired from all the work and training he did, Rebound took off his belt and gloves and turned in for the night. With the lights off, Rebound laid in his bed and stared at the grapple equipment in the corner of the room.

I'll be the best grappler in the world." Rebound thought to himself.

Someday.

The sound of sirens woke Rebound from his peaceful sleep. He rolled to the other side of his bed and looked out the window. It was barely sunrise and there were not any storm clouds. As he got out of bed, puzzled, he then heard some faint rumbling coming from outside. He walked to the window and pulled the blinds all the way up. Across the horizon, Rebound saw plumes of smoke rising up; all in a line. Loud explosions were coming from the same direction. As he was coming to terms with what was happening, his door slowly opened. A loud yawn came out of Sarah's mouth as she walked into the room in her nightgown.

"Why are the sirens going off?" She asked.

"We need to go downstairs." Rebound replied. He grabbed his boots and began to put his belt on.

"Is there a tornado warning?" Sarah asked.

Rebound tucked his belt. "No," he said, trying to not look worried. "It's much worse."

He grabbed his mom's wrist and escorted her to the ground floor. "Can you at least tell me what's going on before we go into the basement?"

"There's no time. We're under-"

A loud whistle sound came from outside, followed by an explosion. It knocked both Rebound and Sarah to the ground. A couple windows in the house shattered at the same time. Rebound's ears were ringing as he got up from the hallway floor. Through the busted kitchen door, he saw the house behind their own was now in splinters. As the ringing began to fade away, he heard his mom screaming. Rebound turned to see his mom in shock from seeing a house blow up.

He kneeled down to her side. "Are you hurt?"

Sarah took deep breaths and tried to calm down a bit. "No, but what was that? What's going on?!"

"The city is under attack. Someone or something is shelling it."

"Why would anyone attack our town?"

Rebound shook his head. "I don't know, but you have to get underground."

Sarah began to walk to the basement. "Both of us have to," she said as she opened the door. She went down a few steps and then turned to see Rebound still at the door.

"I'm sorry Mom, but I want to help." Rebound said.

Sarah was shocked. "What do you mean? There's bombs going off outside and you don't know if-"

"There's people out there who are as scared and confused as us. Some might even be hurt."

A bomb exploded down the road and shook the house. Sarah grabbed the railings and looked up at her son. "You could be hurt! This isn't some kind of natural disaster, someone could shoot you or you could trip on a landmine or be captured by-"

"Mom, I have been training for this my whole life." Rebound said as he walked down to her. "This is my chance to prove I can handle something like this. I won't stand by as the town gets invaded." He went up the stairs and stopped at the door. "I can't!" he yelled down as he turned to go upstairs.

Rebound heard his name being yelled as he ran to his room. He sped into his room and grabbed the high-grade retractable grapple hook next to his desk. After he had strapped it to his forearm, he put on some knee and elbow pads. He quickly strapped onto his belt a first aid kit, a water bottle, and a spare wire and hook. Rebound pulled his gloves on as he moved downstairs. He heard his mother crying as he went to the basement. As soon as he got to the bottom of the steps, his mom gave him a suffocating hug.

"I thought you already left me!" she cried.

"I would never leave you without saying I love you." Rebound assured her.

Sarah sobbed as she put her head on Rebound's side. "You're a man now, Rebound. You can do whatever you want, but please be safe."

Rebound shed a tear and looked into his mom's eyes. "I promise I will be back when this is over."

"I love you, sweetie," Sarah said as she gave him another hug.

"I love you too, Mom." Rebound pulled away and looked at his mom as he went up the steps.

Rebound ran out the front door and onto the street. The world became a chaotic soundscape. Sirens were blaring from several directions, the rumbling of planes flying overhead, and explosions from far away. Rebound figured the bombing line had passed over, so it was more safe to be outside. He didn't feel safe enough to stand still, so Rebound ran down the street. As he was wondering where the land force of the invasion was, Rebound heard the sound of screaming. He raised his ears up and looked to see where it was coming from.

He ran towards an intersection and on the road to his left, he saw someone stumbling down the street. It was an adult deer holding his left arm and yelling for help. His face was covered in drywall dust. Rebound ran towards him, waving his arms to get his attention. The deer saw him and looked relieved.

"Oh, thank goodness!" the deer said, taking a seat on the curb.

"Is your arm broken?"

"I don't know...the house I was in collapsed and I fell from the second floor,"

"Try to stretch it out." Rebound asked. The deer slowly moved his arm and screamed once it was halfway out.

"It's probably broken. I'll make you a sling. Can I use your shirt?"

The deer hesitated for a moment, but realized his shirt was ruined from the drywall. He nodded and Rebound ripped it off.

"Does anything else hurt?" Rebound asked as he made a sling

"No"

"My name's Rebound. What's yours?"

"John...hey I remember you! I worked in a homeless shelter with you for community service."

"Yeah...you got busted for spray painting right?"

"Yeah. I only do that at night now."

Rebound rolled his eyes. "Are you alright now? Do you need help with anything else?"

"Yeah I should be good-" John caught himself. "Oh, man..." the deer said while rubbing his face.

"What's wrong?"

"There was this guy that was trapped under his house. I couldn't help him, but I promised him that I would find someone to get him out."

"Do you know the street and house number?"

John thought for a moment. "I don't remember the number, but it was on Asterisk Court."

Rebound got up and got ready to aim his grapple hook. "I'll make sure your promise is kept."

"Thank you, Rebound."

"Thanks, stay safe." Rebound launched his hook onto a phone line on the street and went off.

As he swung down the street, Rebound noticed the damage the bombings did. Some houses were blown to bits, some had gaping holes in them, while others were unscathed. He didn't see many people outside, but the ones he did looked shocked to their core. Thankfully, Rebound didn't see anyone else who was injured. Wouldn't that mean they're trapped inside like the person I'm going to? Rebound thought. He couldn't stop to check every home. He knew someone needed his help now.

Rebound cut across a couple of streets by running over roofs and finally got to Asterisk Court. He stood in the middle of the cul-de-sac and saw there were two homes that had collapsed. Right before he decided on which house to go to, he heard a faint yell from the green-painted one. He ran towards it, urgently trying to figure out where the sound came from in the house. He heard yelling and banging coming from a basement window. Rebound got down and looked in, seeing a purple wolf.

"Are you trapped?" Rebound yelled down.

"Yes, the stairway out of here is broken and the window is blocked by an oven," the wolf told Rebound. The kitten above the window collapsed into the basement. An oven blocked half the window.

"Is there anyone else down there?" Rebound asked.

"No, just me."

"Cover your eyes," Rebound told the wolf. Once he covered them, Rebound shattered the window and kicked it off its hinge.

"Is there a side not blocked around the oven?" Rebound asked.

"There's nothing around it," the wolf said. Rebound laid down so his shoulder was against the window sill.

"Alright, we are going to push it out of the way so you can get out of here."

"I've tried that, it won't budge!"

"We can move it together." Rebound reassured. He put his legs against the oven, while the wolf climbed up some rubble so he could push. Rebound counted to three and they pushed. He could feel his shoulder dig into the window sill, but he felt the oven move. Rebound took a deep breath, counted to three again, and the oven fell over with some tiles falling down after it.

Rebound reached his hands out the window. "Grab on."

The wolf grabbed Rebound's forearms and the rabbit easily pulled the wolf out. Once he was in better light, Rebound suddenly recognized him.

"It's Digit, right?"

"Yeah! Aren't you Reggie?"

"No, Rebound. Did you lose your glasses?"

"Yes, they broke when I hit the floor. I had laser eye surgery recently, though, so I should manage for now."

"That's good. Sorry about your house."

"It's alright. Thanks for getting me out."

As Digit was thanking him, Rebound saw a military truck pass by the street across the court. Another came right behind it, filled with people.

"The military is here," Rebound said to himself. He turned to Digit.

"I got to go, find a shelter and be careful!" Rebound said as he ran off towards the army.

Rebound swung his way to downtown where trucks full of civilians and soldiers were moving. He landed at the edge of the town square, with some soldiers giving him suspicious looks. Downtown looked more intact than the neighborhoods, with only a few buildings with damage. Rebound saw a dog with a clipboard ordering some vehicles around and went up to him.

"How can I help out?" Rebound asked.

"Son, I need you to get into one of the civilian convoys for immediate evac," the dog said in a stern tone.

"No, I can help out! I'm great at grappling and I'm fit enough to keep-"

"We are not allowed to take help from civilians unless we are in dire need of them."

The commander put a field phone against his ear. Rebound could hear the person yelling at the other end. The person was something along the lines of 'Attack incoming!' A loud buzz came from the sky. Rebound and the commander looked up and saw a swarm of Buzz Bombers descend from the sky. The commander yelled at his troops to take cover as the Buzz Bombers began to fire. Rebound ran into a store as he saw blasts rain down on the square. Soldiers shot at the robots, but it had little effect. All the trucks pulled out of the town, with some Buzz Bombers chasing after them. Rebound hoped his mom was evacuated before the robots attacked.

After what felt like forever, the buzzing sounds went away and the streets were empty. Rebound kept his ears up to make sure no one was around. He heard the sound of some people walking, then some gunshots. He kept inside the store as he heard some screams followed by a soft bang. Rebound then heard two people walking down the street. As they came closer to him, he could hear them talking. One of the voices sounded familiar.

"Did you look through the house?" Said one of the figures.

"Yes, no one was there," said the other

"You looked in every room, closet, hiding spot, car-"

"Yes! Your family wasn't there."

"They must have gone on one of the evacuation trucks. We'll have to search them."

"The boss won't be happy that we went off our goal."

"You let ME worry about Eggman. All I know is that his protection is better than any the military has. We'll clear the area as we go."

"Rodger, ruby."

Rebound knew the person behind that code name. He walked out the store and stopped in shock. Standing next to a hyena was a blue rabbit in a commander uniform for the Eggman Empire.

"Dad?"

The rabbit turned towards Rebound and his face nearly went white.

"Rebound?"

Rebound had dreams of his father being a hero growing up. He imagined him beating up the cartoon villains he saw on TV and in comic books. He would save him from burning buildings, hostage situations, scary storms, and many other dangerous situations. His dad was always there to save him. Never, even in his worst nightmares, did Rebound imagine his dad being the bad guy. Yet while standing in an empty, dirty street in his hometown, he saw his father wearing drapes of villainy.

Thomas ran up to Rebound and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're safe" he whispered into his son's ear. Something felt different to Rebound. It didn't feel like his dad was hugging him. It felt like a stranger was grabbing him. During the hug, the hyena called for other members of "TCT" to converge together. "Something has come up," he said.

Thomas pulled back a little and looked Rebound in the face. "What are you doing here?" he asked. With his ears down and holding back tears, Rebound choked something out.

"I-I-I wanted to h-help."

"You shouldn't be out here, it's too dangerous! I understand you want to help, but you could be killed."

Rebound stepped backwards, brushed away a tear and looked at his dad. "Why are you here?" He said directly to him.

Thomas looked befuddled for a moment. He looked down at his suit and finally realized what Rebound was talking about.

"I...I can explain."

"Then explain. Is this why you haven't been home in days? We've been worried sick about you!" Rebound yelled at his father. The other three members of the TCT then arrived. A red lynx in a combat helmet raised her visor. "What's the hold up?" she said. A white skunk squinted his eyes at Rebound. "Isn't that Tom's son?" he said. Thomas looked back at his crew. He knew there was no way around this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I owe you an explanation," the tall rabbit said.

The hawk member of the crew grunted and lit a cigarette. "Ah boy, here we go," he said to himself.

Thomas straightened his face and looked at his son. "I know you know I got discharged from the army, but you didn't get the full story. One day, my commander called me into his office. He sat me down and said my commando team was being disbanded. He said the army didn't need the unit for any tactical reason anymore and I would be compensated by being promoted to lieutenant general. I asked what would happen to the other members. He said that they would all be discharged, as their record of complaints and reprimands could not hold up to be reassigned,"

Thomas turned towards his team. "He thought my brothers in arms were useless! So I stood up for them." The grapple experts nodded in approval. Thomas looked back at Rebound. "And you know what he said? He said they would be out of control without me. So I demanded that they keep the unit together. But he kept saying the decision was already made. I cursed him out for making such a bone-headed decision." Thomas kicked some pebbles on the road. "They kicked me out, but I didn't care. I wouldn't have taken their offer anyway."

Rebound listened, but the uniform his father wore made him feel something was wrong.

"What happened next?" Rebound nervously asked.

Thomas lowered his head. His eyelids suddenly looked a lot heavier. "After a week of looking for a job, I got a letter. It didn't say who it was from, but it did say my team had some valuable skills their organization could use. It left an address and a date. When I went there, alone, a man told me if I assembled a grapple team within a few days and did a mission for them, I would be handsomely compensated. I couldn't refuse, and neither could my team. It wasn't until we found out we were raiding a remote army base that they were working for the Eggman Empire.

"I didn't tell anyone the truth. I kept saying to people I was a mercenary, and in a way I was. We just did small missions for them. A raid here, a capture there. None of us felt endangered." Thomas noticed his son was still in shock. He shook his head. "Three weeks ago they told us about Operation: Phantom. We thought their plan was crazy. I tried to find a way out, but then they showed us the power they had. I knew then there was no stopping them. It was either die by their hand, or live to fight another day. I made my decision, and the Tactical Cable Team became Eggman's own."

Rebound was shattered. The person he idolized his entire life was now a minion of the planet's greatest enemy. Even worse, his dad hid it from him for almost two years. It took, quite literally, an army to get the truth out. The truth was even worse than anything Rebound could have come up with. He tried to think of something, anything, to say to his father. What was happening around him seemed so surreal, all Rebound could do was stand stiff and stare.

Thomas held his head up and walked slowly to Rebound. "Son, it's going to be dangerous out there. I don't want to find you in a bag on a truck. The only way you are going to survive this is by being on the right side." He reached his hand out. "How about you join your old man's team?"

Rebound snapped out of his trance and looked at his dad's outstretched hand. He remembered what he had worked for his entire life. He wasn't going to change that now. Not even for his father.

"How could you?"

Thomas put his hand down and lowered his eyebrow. "What?"

"How could you turn your back on your own country, heck, your own people for money?"

"Rebound, it wasn't just that-"

"You lied to us, left us in the dark, and used our trust. And after all that, you ask me to join you? To join Eggman?!" Rebound walked up to his father. "The answer is no. As long as you work for Eggman, I'll never join you."

A look of anger went across Thomas' face. "You don't understand, I'm doing this to protect you."

Rebound's eyes began to water. "You don't think I can protect myself? If you saw what I can do, you would know I can fend for myself!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see you."

"Then be there for me now! Leave the Eggman Empire and be with Mom, me and Sapph. You wouldn't have to work for anyone anymore!"

Thomas closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry, son," he nodded his head back. "But I got two families, and like it or not, I'm going to protect both of them." He scratched his chin. "Besides, you can't protect the family on your own."

Something woke up in Rebound. Years of doubt, neglect, and lies all boiled over at this moment. A burning rage came over him. He screamed and threw a punch at his dad. It hit Thomas right on his left cheek. Rebound tackled him and started aimlessly hitting him. His tears and curses mixed together in his head. He still tried to hit him as the skunk and hyena from the TCT pulled him away. With his punches on his dad done, Rebound realized how hot his hands were. They felt like they were on fire.

Thomas got up with some assistance from the lynx. The first punch on him left a charred scar on his face. It looked like he was smacked with a hot pan. His uniform also was scuffed up. Rebound only had a few scratches on him and his gloves look like they were put in an oven. Rebound was stunned at what he just did to his dad.

Thomas touched the scar on his face and sneered in pain. He looked at Rebound with a cool blackness in his eyes. "So that's how it's going to be. Fine. You're old enough to make your own decisions. Now you have to face your own consequences." He made a motion towards the hyena. He punched Rebound in the gut and pushed him to the ground. "Get out of here." he said as Rebound choked in pain. Thomas looked on without emotion as his son squirmed on the ground. If Rebound wasn't going to respect him, neither was he. He prepared his grapple hook as his group got ready to leave.

"I would hide if I were you. The threat that's coming is more powerful than anything this world has seen." With that advice, Thomas and the TCT left. Rebound laid on the pavement and cried for what seemed like a lifetime. The weight of everything that happened today sunk deeper and deeper into him. What just happened? Rebound kept asking himself.

Epilogue

For months, Rebound had been drifting from town to town. No matter where he went, the Eggman Empire would show up. Sometimes the military was there to fight, other times civilians had to fend for themselves. In either case, he did his best to help out. He led civilians to shelter, helped them out of buildings, and did any first aid he could. Every next town, though, it seemed like things were getting worse. Less supplies, less aid, and less food.

Rebound thought about joining the army, but they were completely incapable of stopping Eggman. He thought they would throw him into a unit and he'd get shot by an Eggpawn. He was on his own now and wanted to do things his way. Rebound fought a lone robot here and there, but ran off whenever a horde of them showed up. He stayed away from crowds when he traveled, as that's where the Eggman Empire went. Rebound would grapple along power lines and sleep in empty buildings.

It was lonely for him. He missed his mom and sister. He tried to get info on them whenever he ran into a refugee center. He couldn't find anything about them. Rebound kept hope that they were alive and as lost as he was. Rebound barely knew where he was going most of the time. All he knew was he was away from the front lines. The line, however, kept coming to him.

Eventually, Rebound ended up in the capital city. The streets and buildings were packed with people. As he walked down the street, he could hear people talking about the same thing. Sonic was dead. Rebound didn't want to believe it, but with the way Eggman was winning, it made perfect sense.

As he sat around the town square, he heard screaming coming closer. Soon it became explosions and gunfire. He saw a red haze come through a street, and with a shadowy figure floating in it. A military truck pulled into the square and fired at the phantom, but it kept moving. Suddenly, red cubes flew out and smashed the truck. More troopers showed up as Rebound took cover behind a concrete barrier. The red haze surrounded him as a menacing voice spoke up.

"There is no reason to resist. Your savior is no more."

Gunfire was silenced by bursts of energy. Rebound could hear the screams of the soldiers dying behind him. He crouched in fear at what was going on. The voice spoke up again, this time sounding like it was right next to him.

"I can taste your terror. All that anxiety and doubt... It's delicious." A bust of energy flew out and blew up the barrier Rebound was hiding behind. He was tossed forward and slowly got to his knees. Rebound turned around and saw what was causing all of this. A black and white jackal floated in an arura of red cubes. A mask covered his face, but its look pierced right through whoever looked at it. A red ruby shined on his chest. Rebound knew this was the threat his father warned him about. The jackal looked directly at him.

"Give in to your fear. Flee screaming, and I'll let you live."

With nothing to fight with and shocked to his core, Rebound ran away. The jackal laughed maniacally as Rebound took off on his grapple hook. He had never been more scared in his life.