i'm never forgiving sega for axing the arching comics when their reboot just finished up a STELLAR opening arc and introduced a bunch of great characters. anyway, during my re-read of the reboot era comics, i found similarities between speedy and spike. i connected their admiration for the respective hero. while spike still views sonic with stars in his eyes, speedy's appreciation and respect for jet was dashed when he betrayed the armada. while this event happened pre-super genesis wave, it has not been disproven in the reboot, so i still consider it canon.
Idolatry of the Highest Pedigree
Spike ran his hand through his quills. He dragged it along his muzzle and gripped his jaw. Brows furrowing, he glared at the metal tiles stretched on the floor. His distorted reflection glared back at him with wide eyes and bloated cheeks, a sight that made him shiver when his gaze fell on the deep bruises adorning his neck and jaw. While their ache had dulled over the long hours spent within the Battle Bird Armada's flying fortress, they nonetheless served as reminders of his grievous mistake.
Spike lied down on his cot only to wince. At his slightest movement, the coils in the mattress sprung loose through the flimsy fabric and scrapped his back. Assaulting his eyes were lights bright enough to blind him. Sitting upright, he focused on the thick bars of his cell made of ancient metal. The mad scientist who dragged him to his chamber had thoroughly explained the material, an informative, passionate elucidation that Spike ignored.
Sighing, he ruminated over his failed escape plans. He had attempted to spin his way through the bars like his hero only to injure his hands in the process. Then, he had tried picking the lock with his fallen quills, but the guards caught him and activated an extra handprint scanner on the side of his cell.
All he could do was wait. He tapped his foot and whistled a tune Sonar invented. It reverberated off the walls and spilled through the bars. His song filled the brig, his airy melody keeping him company as the sound of the engine hummed beneath his feet.
But a sudden whirring stifled his breath. Footsteps echoed in the corridor. Someone had come through the entrance, and Spike rose, his knees knocking for the briefest of seconds.
The next Battle Lord narrowed his eyes on Spike as he reached his cell. Spike had only seen him in that strange exoskeleton suit before he had been clobbered into unconsciousness. Upon closer inspection, the Battle Lord's ward was thinner and shorter than he anticipated. He bit back an insult about his height when the bird removed a clipboard from a pouch strapped to his hip. He tapped his thumb on the first sheet of paper in the stack, his eyes scanning the contents before raising his gaze to Spike.
"Leader of the Shamar Freedom Fighters. That's some title," Speedy stated, lifting the page.
"We prefer the title Desert Raiders," Spike replied, crossing his arms.
"Duly noted." He shoved the clipboard back into his bag. "You made quite an error today. I'm pretty surprised that as the leader of your rag-tam team, you'd let your guard down so easily."
Spike grimaced. He clenched his fists, earning a smirk from Speedy. He tried thinking of a way to counter Speedy's claim, but the truth was undeniable and cruel.
What should have been a coordinated battle organized weeks in advance between the Desert Raiders and Midesta Egg Army was thwarted by the sudden arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog. He had happened to be in their neighborhood after a globe-trotting run. While Spike would have loved to see him during a visit to the Desert Raiders' base, horror had rendered him unable to stop Sonic as he effortlessly incapacitated dozens of Egg Army members. Nephthys attempted to defeat him in her control room, but as the Desert Raiders saw the damage Sonic caused, fearing the repercussions from Eggman, a miracle flew out of the cloudy sky.
The Battle Bird Armada swarmed from the west. Through their earpieces, Nephthys had frantically whispered to her allies that she and the Battle Lord made arrangements for the evening. She had believed their theatrics would have ended before their meeting, but Sonic's interference gouged into their synchronized song and dance. Before Spike could glean further information from her, Speedy led a squadron of empowered avians in their exoskeleton suits to turn the tide of the battle in the Egg Army's favor. The last thing Spike saw and heard before falling unconscious was Sonar and Trevor fleeing from the Armada goons and Speedy's cackling above his head mingling with the buzzing of a spin dash.
Speedy crossed his arms, his goggles shifting as he tilted his head. "You're wondering what we're going to do with you, right?" he asked.
Spike snorted. "Doesn't anybody locked in a cell wonder that?"
He sneered, "Consider yourself fortunate. Egg Boss Nephthys wants to deal with you personally and has requested your release. It seems you've caused her a great deal of stress when you and your cronies destroyed part of her base."
Shrugging, Spike mimicked the smirk of his hero. "Yeah, well, that's what a Freedom Fighter does, bird boy."
Speedy continued as if Spike had not interrupted. "My father agreed with her. She will escort you off our fortress to be punished as she sees fit."
A scolding for getting captured, I bet, Spike thought, relief flooding him. He forced his expression into a worried scowl. He glared at a corner of the cell and clicked his tongue, grumbling, "That hag. She better not think about legionizing me."
He raised his gaze, hoping to have fooled Speedy. The bird merely looked down on him. Speedy drummed his fingers against his thigh, and Spike slumped down on his cot. Silence lapsed between them. An oppressive air hung around Spike, who felt sweat bead on his brow. He assumed Speedy would have either left or mocked him, but he continued waiting for a move that Spike didn't know how to make.
Speedy drew his head back, saying, "Sonic was with you."
His shoulders squared. His fingers curved inwards and ripped the fabric of the threadbare blanket next to him. "And what about him?" he shot back.
"During my observation of the battle aboard our vessel-" Speedy gestured at their metallic, dark blue and gray surroundings. "-I noticed your movements were like his. Fast. Rapid-fire. Quite impressive for one who can't fly." He spat out a chuckle that made Spike's expression fall flat on the ground. "Of course, the dirt suits a commoner like you all too well."
"Hey! I can fly without wings!" Spike shouted with as much indignation as he could muster. "Just give me enough time to spin, and I'll take off like a tornado!"
"By the time you'd gain enough momentum, I'd crush you." Speedy raised his hand and formed a fist, cracking his knuckles. "Just like I did mere hours ago, vermin. Not even Sonic the Hedgehog could save you."
Spike's molars gnashed together. "What, like you're a master of the wind or something?"
As if a switch had been flicked, Speedy's demeanor changed. All traces of haughtiness and arrogance swapped for rage. His beak curled, exposing his array of jagged teeth. Nostrils flaring, Speedy bashed his fist against the scanner. Electricity sparked around Speedy's fist, and glass spewed out around him, falling with a clamor around bits of circuitry.
Spike's jaw dropped. Dumbstruck, he jerked back and felt his knees quake again. His mouth dried as Speedy sucked down sharp breaths through his clenched teeth.
"Don't compare me to that traitor!" Speedy bellowed, bashing his knee between the bars.
His head flicked from side to side, shaking off his shock. "Wha-? Traitor?"
Speedy jabbed his finger through the bars, seething, "You wouldn't speak his name if you didn't know him!"
He waved his hands. "N-no! Really, uh, I don't know who, um, or what you mean!" he cried, stumbling over his words.
A vein in Speedy's brow formed, but it vanished, depleted along with his blind wrath. He withdrew his arm and smoothed his head feathers. He gripped his goggles, breathing so deeply that Spike saw his chest and stomach expand. Dragging his hand down his beak, Speedy examined the shattered scanner, mumbling to himself in an inaudible voice.
Spike rubbed his neck. He gnawed on his lip, the dull ache in his head returning. The lights wore him down, burning his body. Pins and needles dug into his palms. He rubbed them on his elbows, the pressure hardly soothing the chills pulsing through his bloodstream.
He wondered what Sonic would have done in his situation. Sonic probably would have found a way to escape mid-rant. Escaping from the clutches of the Armada should have been his priority, followed by rescuing any straggling prisoners aboard after a quick dash throughout the fortress.
Perhaps Sonic might have comforted Speedy, but as Spike mulled over the idea, he remembered Speedy was his enemy. He was born and bred to lead the Battle Bird Armada to global conquest. He even assisted in the finale of the Dark Gaia crisis. Sonic had informed Spike that Speedy was responsible for capturing Chip for Eggman, almost blotting out the light at the end of the tunnel.
It boiled Spike's blood. The war he and his friends coordinated with Nephthys almost amounted to nothing. And it was all because Speedy made that crucial move for Eggman to checkmate them.
But Sonic was a hero. Even his worst enemies deserved compassion. Some of Sonic's greatest foes had become trusted allies after accepting his olive branch, a quality Spike strove to replicate with his Freedom Fighters despite the tug-of-war played with Nephthys.
Trepidation followed in wake of his approach. He glanced at Speedy's quivering form, observing how his entire arms trembled with quelling rage. Spike couldn't fathom what quandary plagued Speedy. He tried searching for the right words to say to assuage whatever afflicted him, but the sentences formed in his mind seemed lamentable at best.
"You, um, okay there?" Spike offered, wanting to swallow his tongue for such a foolish query.
Speedy squinted at the porcupine. He brushed him off with a flick of his wrist. Kneeling by the scanner, he gathered the pieces and muttered under his breath.
Spike itched behind his ear. "Uh, so, I'm guessing you have a beef with someone?"
Shoving the scraps of metal and wiring in his pouch, Speedy huffed, "A beef wouldn't imply the fact that he betrayed the Armada for the life of a rogue." He buttoned his bag. "When someone you admire flies beyond your own hopes and dreams, then you can't help but feel-" He squeezed the sack, the seams threatening to tear. "-embittered. What's worse is when all you have left are the memories you shared with him, knowing he'll never remember them as fondly as you do."
Swallowing, he couldn't meet Speedy's gaze. Intense hatred swirled in his scarlet eyes. Whatever transpired between Speedy and the other person must have been a poignant, continuous throbbing that never healed.
"And you know that as well, don't you?" Speedy asked, jarring Spike.
"I-what?" Spike breathed out. "No, I don't."
Speedy rapped the bars with the back of his hand. Spike remembered how sharply his fist rained down upon his skull. Bony knuckles had crashed between his eyes and blurred everything to a mesh of colors in the forms of his retreating allies.
"While we were tracking you on the Armada, I noticed there was a look in your eyes," Speedy drawled, and Spike's throat tightened, "It's a look that I once had. You were staring at someone you deeply treasured, and that person betrayed you."
"Huh? Are you projecting your problems onto me?" Spike sneered, puffing out a laugh.
Speedy's finger stabbed into Spike's chest. Air slipped out of the porcupine's mouth faster than he could hold it. Spike snatched his wrist, tearing it to the side, but Speedy hardly flinched. Although he applied pressure, Speedy chuckled as if tickled.
"Why were you looking at Sonic with such despair?" he asked with a cruel smile playing on his beak.
Spike's heart sank into his stomach. His pupils turned to pinpricks. His entire body tingled and chilled. He stilled his chattering teeth, wondering how he could have fallen so easily for Speedy's trap twice in one day.
He couldn't allow Speedy to debase his hero. Sonic never betrayed him. Sonic was the hero who rescued everyone from Eggman's megalomania. Even if he continued stalling with his friends in Shamar, Sonic made genuine leeway against the empire by destroying his creations, bases, and refineries, which deepened his desire to be like him in every way.
"Sonic never-! He didn't betray me! He just-he just wasn't supposed to-! All those Egg Army members, they-!" His blubbering, fueled by his aggravation, burst free from his throat and heart. He couldn't still his tongue. "You don't get it because you sold out to Eggman! Sonic and I are nothing like you!"
"And the soldiers in Midesta aren't willingly working for the doctor?" Speedy inquired, cocking his head.
"That doesn't matter! The fight shouldn't have gone down like that because Sonic-! He almost-! He could've-!" He bit his tongue. Spike clapped his head over his mouth. His eyes widened through the spaces of his fingers. He lost control of his jaw and let his canines hit, the clicking filling his ears.
Speedy smiled. "I see. What a game you're playing."
Spike sank to his knees. His hand trailed on the bars. Speedy leered down at him before crouching as the doors opened again.
"I didn't mean to say that," he whispered, meeting Speedy's gaze with tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat.
"Of course you didn't. Prisoners say whatever they want in the heat of the moment."
Spike blinked. Confusion crossed his expression. He sputtered out his bewilderment, but Speedy looked down the hallway at the sound of new footsteps. He reached into the cell and grabbed Spike by his ear, tugging him to his feet. Hissing for him to wipe his eyes, Speedy placed his finger to his beak with the same wicked sneer he wore when he defeated Spike.
"This conversation didn't happen, understand?"
"Why are you-?"
"I had my hopes shattered by my idol, too. Take this small mercy and shut up."
An argument rose from the pit of his belly. Spike snatched his arm away, clenching his fists. But the guards hurried to their leader's side, hands on their blasters. Spike's expression twisted, repressing the urge to spin, knowing it would only end with him flat on his head bashed into the ground.
"These guards have come to put the chains on you. This means the Egg Boss of Midesta has arrived to take you to face your punishment," Speedy explained as the two birds saluted their leader. "Will you cooperate?"
The birds stood with two pairs of handcuffs. Spike glared at his deformed, elongated reflection in the shiny metal. He squeezed his eyes shut, replaying what he had said again and again in his head.
Sonic wouldn't have made such a beginner's blunder, but then again, he had nearly comprised the Shamar Freedom Fighters' entire operation twice.
Spike nodded. Speedy removed a key from his pouch and stuffed it into a lock on the farthest bar. Slowly, the bars slipped into the floor, and Spike took his first steps out. The birds quickly rounded behind him, cuffing his wrists and ankles. Spike twisted his hands, feeling the metal cut into his gloves but left his skin unharmed.
Speedy guided Spike throughout the maze known as the Battle Bird Armada's fortress. He bowed his head, focusing on his shuffling. He didn't want to trip when he had already humiliated himself enough.
"Raise your head. We're approaching the Battle Lord's control room," Speedy remarked, and Spike obeyed.
Double doors parted to the sides and revealed a peculiar sight. Battle Lord Kukku and Nephthys were seated at a table decorated in a white, linen cloth. Tall glasses were filled with a red, shimmering liquid. The leftovers, bones of formerly crispy meats and bits of sauteed vegetables, were plated between them.
"...and there I was landing the final blow against Commander Abraham before the world fixed itself. That lout, he hides inside his battleship and never takes charge," Kukku proclaimed, waving his hand.
"Quite an achievement to defeat the leader of G.U.N. I-oh!" Noticing Spike, Nephthys rose from her seat. She snatched her mask and set it over her roboticized face.
Kukku grinned at his son and gestured for them to come closer. "Perfect timing, my boy!" he cajoled, shooting to his feet. He continued grinning at Speedy, who snatched Spike's arm and dragged him towards his father. "Nephthys, I present to you the coo-coo cur plaguing your army."
She crossed her arms and looked down at Spike. "Thank you for going through the trouble, Kukku. He's given me more than a few headaches."
"Not a problem!" He chuckled, his cheeks turning a soft pink. He wrapped his arm around Speedy's shoulder. "My son is one of a kind, you know. He's following in his father's footsteps quite well, wouldn't you say?"
The vulture nodded at Speedy. "And I appreciate your assistance in capturing him. That was quite the vicious blow you landed," she said, offering her hand.
With a polite smile, Speedy shook it, replying, "My pleasure ma'am. I hope the accommodations provided by the Battle Bird Armada have treated you well."
"They have, they certainly have," she remarked, sliding her hand back.
Kukku gestured for the guards. As they handed her the keys, he exclaimed, "Well! As much as I would love to continue conversing with you, the doctor has me scheduled for a meeting in the coming half-hour." He shook her hand, placing his other hand on top with a firm grip. "I'm sure you're dying to put this troublemaker in his place, so please tell me all the details later."
"Of course. I don't plan on letting him off with a warning," Nephthys said, glowering at Spike out of the corner of her eye. With a slight tug, she retracted her hand from Kukku.
As Kukku lapsed into detailing the upcoming call with Eggman and deterring Nephthys from leaving, Spike bit down so hard on his lip that the skin split. Wincing, he hunched his shoulders and hung his head, his chin meeting his chest. He wanted nothing more than the blistering hot sun and humid winds of the desert than having to waste another minute in the air-conditioned room festering with a metallic tang.
Speedy clapped his shoulder. His beak brushed against Spike's muzzle, and he shuddered. Lowering his voice, Speedy whispered, "Here's some advice, hero-in-training. Your idols will set you up for failure."
He pushed Spike forward when Nephthys turned. Stepping aside with the guards, he bowed his head in respect when she passed. His father broke into a lopsided smile, wishing her well and the chance to dine with her again, something that made Speedy roll his eyes.
"We shall. I rather enjoyed our conversation. It was...enlightening to learn about your family history," she said, firmly gripping Spike's shoulder.
"I bid you adieu, m'lady!" He took two long strides over to the control panel nestled under the window. Raising his index finger, he twirled it before pressing down hard on a shiny deep green button.
In the blink of an eye, the floor beneath Spike and Nephthys parted, and down they fell. Before gravity claimed him, the last thing Spike saw was Speedy grinning at him.
The wind sliced at his body. Tears welled in his eyes and flew upwards. His limbs writhed against the cuffs, and he wriggled like a worm. Unable to escape, he plummeted to the desert below, a voiceless scream escaping him.
Nephthys snatched Spike's ear and dangled him below her. He rocked back and forth, still believing he was falling. Nephthys' voice did not reach him.
Her cape flew open, and she glided to the ground below. She surveyed the best landing spot far, far away from the eyes of the Battle Lord and his son. When her boots hit the sand dune, she raced downward, clutching Spike to her chest and rocking him.
"Spike, Spike, are you okay? Did they hurt you?" she murmured, rifling through her coat. She found the keys and unlocked the cuffs, throwing them all away into the sand. They bounced off the remains of rusted Motobugs and sunk into the grains.
Spike threw his arms around her, choking on a sob. She brushed through his quills, apologizing for what had happened. She cursed Sonic's name, and he felt her anger trembling throughout her broad body.
"Blaming Sonic won't fix anything, Neph," he muttered, but a part of him resented him as well.