Chapter 7: Chris redeems himself for his evil sins.
Once again, thank you all for reading. Here is a chapter I'm sure many of you have been eagerly waiting for. It is interesting for me how in many stories I have read: Maria is willing to forgive Shadow, but not Ivo Robotnik (AKA:Eggman). Shadow even if he had good intentions, arguably has caused more deaths and destruction than Eggman has, and it seems like a bit of a double-standard to forgive one but not the other.
Once again, the main problem of Sonic X for me, isn't that Chris is badly written. It is that the other human characters are extremely well written, and well characterized. Like Frances, Helen and Maria.
Frances POV
As it so happened, Maria was a very kind, generous and friendly talker whose every word uplifted my spirit. I could see why Helen was very fond of the spirit, with whom she had been forced to share a crippled body with. "Love is one soul in two bodies" - wrote philosopher Aristotle. I couldn't see that clearer in action, than now as I witnessed Maria and Helen talking to each other, and to me at the same time. Both of them using the same mouth, the same tone of voice, and quite possibly the same mind.
But it was never difficult to judge whether it was Maria or Helen, who was currently talking. Helen's voice had a more playful, musical edge to it. Like she might burst into song at any moment. While Maria's voice was more refined, elegant and composed. Like a court musician, and the royal princess she performed for. Like a charming comedian, and a smart scientist. In both cases my lifelong friend Helen was the former, and my new friend Maria was the latter.
There was not a single moment in Maria's retelling of her tragic past, where I did not grieve for her and feel glad that she had been able to hold onto some semblance of life, even if it was a very limited kind of life. Helen certainly knew what it was like to be born with a disability, that already put you at a disadvantage in life from the moment of your birth into this unfair world. It really helped me put into perspective, just why Helen found it so easy to generously share her body with Maria without any grudge, or hesitation.
Maria was abandoned by her grandfather Gerald, and the rest of space colony ARK's staff as they searched day and night to find a cure for her incurable genetic disorder NIDS. Helen's parents took extra shifts at work to give Helen the best wheelchair, doctor's and medicine for her bad legs. Helen also put her complete trust in Chris, and Chris dumped her like a toy which he no longer had any use for.
More glaringly similar however, was that while Helen had Shadow the hedgehog as her immovable rock to cling to in even her most hopeless moments, Helen had me. Shadow ran fast. I could do acrobatics. Shadow had superb precision with a gun. So did I.
Officer Jenny had left us both in the children's waiting area of the police station, after reassuring us that we were both innocent, and would not be dealth with harshly. She also took special pains to thank us for stopping three highly dangerous and ruthless criminals from causing further havoc, and promised to tell the president about our heroic exploits so that we might be properly rewarded and thanked by the public.
Here we were now, in a colourful room with a blue carpet, and tan walls. With many cheerful drawings pasted all over the walls, of different children's cartoon characters. There was a table with a box of marbles, and a box with many stuffed animals.
But the blonde disabled girl who I'd known since early childhood, was paying these pleasant things no heed. She was looking me dead in my eyes, as she seemed to shrivel, like a dried up prune right before my gaze. She coughed a few times, uncontrollably. Hard enough, that I worried she might cough up blood. It was a truly terrifying sight to see.
"You have to take me to my dear cousin, Ivo. Frances." Maria begged, as she clasped her hands together while tears formed in her weakly blinking eyes. "I have. I have to see him once more, before my grave closes over me again."
"Ivo?" I asked, remembering the name of her beloved cousin from her story well, but still not quite understanding how he could still be around 50 years after the incident that killed Maria, and most likely destroyed the ARK. From how Maria described Ivo, he was the epitome and peak of a sympathetic character that deserved nothing but the pity of the world. Even Maria's grandfather Gerald for all his niceness, had chosen to abuse Ivo like an animal without any human rights.
"Ivo Robotnik. Sonic, Chris and of course, Helen all call him Eggman now. But that's not his real name. It was an insulting name that he's now always sadly called by." Maria clarified for me, as my own eyes went as wide as saucers. Surely Maria couldn't be implying that the mechanical genius that had unleashed so many deadly robots with the intent of world domination, was worthy of sympathy from an evangelist as pure and good as herself.
"There's not much time, Frances." Maria sobbed, as she coughed once again. This time, blood splattered from her white lips and onto Helen's pink dress with a green ribbon at it's collar. She put her hands over her mouth, and took a few shaky, pained breaths. It was obvious, that she was on her last legs, for whatever reason. "Helen's body is refusing to let me stay any longer. It's treating me as a foreign virus that needs to be eliminated at any cost. The white blood cells in Helen's immune system are starting to cause damage to both mine and Helen's souls, not able to tell the two apart because they are so similar, and because the reaction is so strong."
Then a quick blink, and a change in her intonation told me that it was Helen's turn to speak again.
"Frances. Please. Just do as Maria says." Helen sternly orders me. "If Maria dies, then so do I. So what have we got to lose? I've given you a lot of tasks in your life, Frances. So please hold nothing against me, when I give you one more task. Your new task now, is to save Maria. No matter what. By saving Maria, you will save me. Let Maria die, and I die too."
Before I could reply, Helen blinked quickly and her voice became smooth and serious once again. Maria had returned, and would be here to stay a while. At least until Helen decided it was time to take control once more.
"Ivo deserves to know that at least one person in this world, doesn't hate him completely. Ivo deserves to be forgiven for his sins. Ivo, was never harsh or cruel to me, but as loving and gentle as any brother ought to be." Maria said, as she held back coughs by tightly clutching at her heaving chest. It hurt me just to look at her in this sickly state. "Please Frances. Grant me my last wish. This really is my last wish. I ask nothing more. I can give you nothing but my eternal blessing and sincere gratitude, for this final act of goodness, if you can find it in your heart to just bring me to my cousin Ivo for this one final time."
I swallowed my pride, by slapping myself twice in my left temple with my right palm. I told myself that even if Eggman fried me to death with a deadly laser blast, it was worth it to keep my vow that I would always protect and appease Helen, no matter the circumstances. This extended to all those Helen held dear to her, also. In my own exact words: even if I one day became a remorseless serial killer, I could never hurt Helen or anyone that Helen liked. I would gladly kill myself first.
Which was most likely what Helen was asking me to do, and what I was about to willingly sign up to do.
"Where is Eggma... sorry, your cousin Ivo?" I asked, as politely as I could.
"I uh...I don't know." Maria sadly cried, as another cough brought up yet more crimson fluid, this time splatting onto the blue carpet. It was truly a gory sight to behold.
It was at that second, right then and there, that the buzzer for the police station entrance sounded. A few steps later, and standing nervously in the doorway to our room, was our arch-enemy. Death and terror to all of Station square. Public enemy number 1. The bane of mine, Helen's and Maria's existences. The nightmare of my nightmare. The extinguisher of the light of hope. The antithesis of love, and all things good and enjoyable. The bogeyman that lurked under the bed of the bogeyman.
His orange hair, red shirt, blue jeans and red trainers which I once regarded as a new definition of handsome. Now I only saw them as disgusting accessories, which further accented his pervading nastiness. In both appearance and behaviour.
"Helen. Frances. So glad you're both okay. G.U.N didn't get you two after all." He cried with a relieved smile, as he rushed forward. Only for me to quickly step into his way, and uphold a fisted hand right in front of his face, which quickly wiped that smirk off his sweaty face. He had clearly been in a rush to get here. From the bloody bruises on his forehead, and left wrist, he had also clearly been in a serious scuffle of some sort.
"Stop. Don't take one step further." I harshly barked with all the authority of a military leader. "Retreat immediately and do not dare to show your face again. Helen Priestly has no need of a scumbag as wretched as yourself, Chris Thorndyke. Honoured heir to the Thorndyke fortune. Go and hang out with your new friend Sonic. He seems to be all you care about. Get Sonic, and leave Helen and I alone. You abandoned us both, now respect your own decision and leave us."
"B, but. Sonic has been kidnapped by G.U.N" Chris protested anxiously, as he shrank back from my furious glare. I would have felt sympathy, but then I remembered just how sad Helen had been earlier today, when he once again didn't show up to play with her. "I barely got away myself. But I'm useless against G.U.N myself, without Sonic's help. So please. Frances and Helen. You gotta help me. Both of you. Danny went on a trip back to Ethiopia, with both his parents."
He burst into tears, and let off a frightened whimper. "I don't know where else to turn." He moaned painfully, as if someone had cut a deep wound into him with a knife. He seemed to shrink before us, as all colour drained from his face.
"Chris. Please tell me. Why did you betray us both?" Helen cut in, despite my feeble attempt to stop her by holding up my hand. "You say that Sonic is dear to you, and that losing him would mean the end of all things good for you. But are we not dear to you, Chris? Me and Frances. We've done so much for you. Don't you remember all the good times we shared together, along with Danny? Do six years of school together, mean nothing to you, Chris?"
"Um. I. Uh. Well." Chris stammered, at a complete loss for words. He seemed to be trying to force himself to speak, but his mouth clamped shut, and he only made more painful noises. Helen had really struck a nerve. One of her defining characteristics.
"Chris. On the day your parents missed your party, me and Frances were the ones to come. Not Sonic. When you had no one to help you with your difficult homework, we were the ones who helped you. We sat at your bedside when you were sick, on the day your servants took a break. Have you really forgotten all that? Chris. Please don't tell me you've forgotten all that." Helen asked the now very frightened Chris. She never once raised her voice. Her every word was calm, and mild.
Helen, had the forgiveness of a saint. Maria, had the perceptiveness of a high-tech electron microscope. Two traits that went perfectly together.
"I haven't forgotten. I promise. I'm still very grateful to the both of you." Chris managed to reply, blushing crimson red as he took in the sight of Helen's splendid pink dress, and my amazing red leather overalls. I could tell from the way he was beginning to cover his nose, that he was about to get a nosebleed. Did Chris really care? Was he really not the evil psychopath I thought he had grown into?
Helen could have asked him many things at that place, and time. The question she ended up giving him, even as she let out another painful cough, was not one, I could have predicted she would ever ask in a thousand years. It was the epitome of unexpected.
"Chris. Tell me now. Truly and honestly from your heart (if you even still have one). Do you think I'm pretty?" Helen anxiously inquired, putting her hand over her mouth to try and cover the blood that she was choking up.
A long, tense silence followed. I watched Chris through very suspicious eyes while Helen breathed a few painful breaths. Something told me that Helen's new illness, was not something any hospital or doctor could treat. Science had gone far, but not far enough. Helen and by extension Maria, was doomed without a divine miracle. Yet even in her final moments, Helen's love of life never wavered. She was so calm in the face of death. Moreso than any soldier I had ever seen in any war.
Chris gritted his teeth, and let out a pained groan. It was apparent that he was mustering up all the courage he still had left inside of him, after years of depending on Sonic had softened him up and robbed him of his own identity. His own free will. Sonic hadn't helped Chris. He'd turned a once kind and reasonable boy of great friendliness, into a hopeless addict through no fault of his own. Sonic could not be blamed in the slightest. But Chris could certainly be completely blamed for letting himself go so easily, and deserting Helen after he made sacred vows to her in front of me.
"No. Helen. I don't think you're pretty." Chris eventually spoke, his voice hardly louder than a whisper. His cheeks pure crimson, as he quickly tried to cover his nose with a trembling hand.
Helen began to bury her face in her hands. I stamped the ground and shook my head in disgust. All the good things we did for our once good pal Chris, thrown back in our faces in the most cruel and undignified way. Chris Thorndyke. The true threat to this world and it's safety.
"I think you're smoking hot. And you too Frances. Your amazing red overalls and Helen's stunning pink dress, are the new models on which I will ask my mother to make her next films." Chris continued, turning my utter despair into heavenly bliss, such that I had never felt in my lifetime. Not even when I first met Helen.
He finally uncovered his nose, to let us see the massive pool of blood that was flooding out.
"Do you think it was coincidence, that my dad's two newest computer models were named: Frances-5-Pro and Helen-XL?" He faintly asked, as he melted into literal jelly, unable to keep eye contact with either one of us.
"I love your hair. Your sweet voices. The way you gently caress me when you see me feeling down. I love the way you two were always there for me, when no one else was."
I said nothing. Neither did Helen and Maria. We both knew that Chris still had something more to say, and we had a good feeling that it was something of great value. Helen's mercy for Chris, had paid off. Mercy and pacifism. The two things that ended every bloody war. The two traits my father as a soldier, coveted above all else.
"I'm s, s, s." Chris took a few attempts to get his apology out clearly. Every muscle in his forehead strained with colossal effort, and sweat was gushing down his face, hands and body.
Chris POV
"I'm sorry I abandoned the both of you." I finally managed to squeak out, forcing myself to look both Frances and Helen in their eyes, as much as it hurt me to do so.
"Prove it." Frances grudgingly replied. "Actions speak louder than words. Even Sonic said this, and you disregarded it. Prove you are really sorry, Chris."
"O, okay." I agreed, a trembling hand reaching into my pocket. "I, I have a gift for the two of you."
"What is it?" asks Helen, very eager and excited. She beams at me with pride. Her excitement, only makes me scared. For I know that the one present I as a spoiled rich brat have to give out, is both plain and bland. While both Frances and Helen, are fun and interesting people.
"It's. It's.$250." I explained, reaching out into my pocket, and pulling out ten 50 dollar bills. My weekly allowance being $500 which I never had a chance to spend yet, since I had every material possession I could possibly want for already.
I divided the stack of 10 notes into two, and gave the two sullen girls 5 bills each.
"I know it's not jewellery, or flowers, or a toy, or a fancy new game. But please accept this humble offering as a sign that I well and truly regret my monstrous actions." I pleaded as much to my relief, both Helen and Frances reluctantly accepted my insignificant offering and pocketed the notes.
It was Frances who was first to speak again. She held out a hand after she had put away her share of the loot, and allowed me to shake it firmly. Our secret friendship handshake. A sign of our eternal trust in one another. Our unspoken oath, that would last until the end of time itself. In this life and the afterlife, if one existed.
"Well. What you did was still wrong, Chris. Very wrong." Frances scolded me, however with her voice much softer. "But. I will allow you to bribe me. This money will help my mum work less, and spend more time with me. It will pay the rent for our house, for at least this week. Unlike most cheapskates who offer only one or two dollars to the starving beggar on the street, you actually gave an amount that might let the homeless guy not be homeless anymore. That is praiseworthy, Chris. I respect that."
"Th, thank you. Chris. This means so much to me. This is half my father's weekly salary. This will buy me all the medicine I need for a long time. I knew you had it in you to do the right thing when it mattered." Helen much more kindly replied.
"So Can the two of you ever forgive me?" I nervously gulped, only for Frances to put her kind hand on my shoulder, as her own frown turned upside down.
"You helped Helen's parents spend more time with her. You may have saved Helen's precious life. My life's duty is to protect Helen at all costs, and if you are willing to do the same then we share a common interest in protecting those who often cannot protect themselves." Frances praised me, giggling lightly. "Yes. I can forgive you. But I will demand extraordinary tributes. Hahaha."
"Frances. Don't be that way." Helen chided Frances.
"No. Helen. Frances is right." I protested, regaining my composure almost completely, now that my horrific sins had been absolved. "The United States, our glorious land of freedom, has been tainted too long by the stench of moneyed corruption. That has to end. I want it to end. I want to show you both, that I really have turned over a new leaf. From now on, I promise to be superfriend. I want to never leave your sides again."
"So does that mean more bribes in the future?" Frances hopefully asked, with bated breath and on her tiptoes.
"Frances. Don't be greedy." Helen tried once more to assert. She clearly wasn't angry at Frances' greed, but scared that I would go away once more if I was asked to do too many favours.
But doing favours was what made me feel alive. Giving of myself, was what helped me realize that my wealth and priveleged lifestyle had a true purpose. Noblesse oblige, some people called it. I just called it being a good friend to my two true best friends, who came to me in my hour of need, and were owed debts that I could never fully pay back.
"Yes. Frances. Yes it means more bribes. It means that when you help me find Son... Er, when we save the world from G.U.N, I will take you both out to the most expensive diner in the area. You deserve it. Both of you do." I just as quickly answered.
"Two more things before we sign the friendship treaty once again" Frances requested, deadly serious as she got out from her pocket, a slightly scruffy and ripped sheet of paper with the words "Friendship Treaty" messily scrawled on it.
"Anything for my two best friends in the whole wide world." I insisted.
Frances nodded to Helen, who nodded back.
"Chris. I'm being serious. Deadly serious. First of all. I want you to go see a psychiatrist. You are not well, and it is not healthy for you to continue pretending you are well. You have mental disorders that are eating you alive, and I will not stand to see you hurt yourself badly any longer, Chris."
"It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless, Chris. It hurts me so badly. By hurting yourself, you have also hurt me." Helen added, just barely stopping another cough which seemed to be amplified by her sadness over mine.
Frances and Helen, really did care. So much.
"Alright. I will. I will enlist Mr Stewarts mental aid, as soon as the situation is sorted." I promised.
"Secondly. When all this is over, you can come live with me." Frances continued, looking me up and down sympathetically. "My mum, or Mrs reporter Garcia as you know her, is a woman of great niceness, meekness, attentiveness and coolness. She's a TV star, just like your mum. She won second place in the last three annual beauty contests (with your mum winning first place. Which is a little upsetting for me). She will take care of you properly, in a way your mum sadly never will. She likes you, Chris. Just like I know you like her."
"That sounds brilliant Frances, but er, I wouldn't want to impose." I nervously choked.
"You will not impose. Chris. This is about you. You complain that your mum never has time for you, and now I'm giving you an option for you to have a parent, who does pay lots of attention to you. My mum still needs to work, but not nearly as much as yours. Furthermore, at my house, you will be one room away from me and one house away from Helen (it's a semi-detatched house). Speak one word, and I will be with you. Ring one doorbell, and there will Helen be also."
I got butterflies in my tummy. I heard symphonies in my head. I was on cloud nine. I was happier than the day I saved Sonic from my swimming pool. Angels were bearing me up in their arms, and letting me tread upon the serpent of evil. A gift more valuable than all the moen, jewels, and Chaos emeralds in the whole world, was being bestowed upon me. This was heaven on Earth.
"You do not have to pay me any bribes if you don't want to, Chris. I am your friend, and I'm not a corrupt Government oligarch." Frances quickly stated, clearly determined to make her offer sound as attractive as possible with no drawbacks. Helen nodded approvingly. She wasn't a cheapskate either. To show how uncorrupted she was, Frances even tried to hand back the money I had given her, but I quickly jumped back and put my hands behind my back to make it impossible.
"In that case, Frances and Helen. It will be my new obligation to make both of you as corrupt and greedy as possible. I have so much money lying around that I don't know what to do with, and now it needs to be yours. It would be one thing if I was the homeless guy in the gutter, but I'm rich. A rich person's job like me, is to give to the poor. You've both helped me realize this. Thank you."
"You don't have to do this. Chris. Really" Helen argued, trying to wheel her chair towards me, for me to easily sidestep. They were going to keep the money I paid them, if it killed me. Until this moment, Eggman could be considered a holy saint next to me, and I wanted that to change. I felt the pain of being betrayed when mum and dad left me alone with my much nicer servants, and I had nearly let the vicious cycle continue when I mistreated my duo of amazing comrades and amigos.
"Now. Please Chris. Tell us where my cousin Ivo is. I need to see him one last time, before I die."
Helen requested, in a much changed albeit still very pleasant voice.
"Who's Ivo?" I asked regretfully, not understanding her wholly.
"Ivo... Eggman. Dr Eggman. Take us to Dr Eggman quickly. Ugh." Helen whimpered weakly as her head drooped like a wilting flower. Helen was not well. Not well at all.
"Yes. Chris. Helen, or rather the nice, sweet wonderful person inside of Helen AKA: Maria, wants to see her cousin one last time before it's all over for her. Please Chris. Just tell us where he is. Grant Helen her last wish." Frances urgently explained, as if having a second persona inside of you was a perfectly natural phenomenon that occured regularly in a sane and sensible world.
"But who's Maria? And why does Helen sound different all of a sudden?" I asked, very confused and yet very eager to help in any way I could.
"Maria is Dr Eggman's cousin. She died years ago on the ARK, but was then brought back to life using a highly advanced nanochip inside her brain, and now lives inside of Helen as part of her." Frances quickly filled me in, taking constant worried looks at the increasingly unwell Helen, who was once again starting to cough.
"But we need to get her to a hospital. She's sick. Come on, there's a phone in the lobby. I can dial 911." I suggested, feeling my heart breaking into increasingly small and jagged pieces, as Helen's coughs continued and worsened.
"W, won't. Won't do any good." Helen in her new voice, feebly stated, as another coughing fit overtook her. "The only thing that can give me a new body so that I can leave Helen's body unharmed, is a Chaos emerald. Two actually. One is too weak by itself. Weakness in isolation. Strength in unity."
Then it hit me. Eggman had boasted to us during his last failed attack on us, that he now had two Chaos emeralds in his possession, and to expect even worse when he found the rest. Our house had been raided by G.U.N, so it was a sadly sound conclusion that they now had our two Chaos emeralds. The location of the last 3, where still at large after all 7 came together, and split apart the last time we gathered them all in one place.
I didn't want to waste time looking for something that might not exist. All I knew now, was that the one place guaranteed to have what Helen, and by extension Maria needed right here and now, was Eggman's lair.
"I know where it is. I'll take you there right now. Come on." I quickly offered, as Frances grunted in agreement, and we worked together to push Helen's wheelchair forward as fast as we could go. It had been a long time since I had the privelege of pushing Helen's wheelchair, least of all with Frances helping me. It felt so warm and intimate. So strange, yet so pleasant.
We got to the reception area, where officer Jenny could tell from our hurried pace and our worried face: that something was very wrong.
"Officer Jenny. You have to drive us to Dr Eggman. It's urgent. Helen's life depends on it. Please." I begged, with hands clasped.
I expected her to dismiss my statement as pure rubbish, and to go back to eating doughnuts because that was all police officers in this country were good for. But instead, she met my gaze with her own concerned violet eyes, perfectly complimented by her navy skirt and police uniform.
"I would like to. But unfortunately, duty calls. G.U.N are inciting another domestic disturbance, and I've been called to check it out at once." she apologetically replied. "It's a shame that all of you are minors without a..."
Before she could finish her sentence, I immediately fished into my blue jean pocket and pulled out my brown wallet. There, my drivers license which I had earned just a few weeks ago was clearly displayed. Uncle Sam Speed the car racer, was my inspiration for speed, long before Sonic came on the scene. I had always wanted to be like him, and he had accepted me as his apprentice without any hesitation. Another kind man who I'd disrespected with my self-centred cruelty, and bitter heart cold to the touch.
Yes, I could drive. I knew pedal, brake, gearstick, steering wheel and every protocol in the driver's manual. As well as how to adjust the mirrors, and do emergency stops, and to always wear a seatbelt if I didn't want to be pulled over. I knew how to keep within the speed limit, and how to break the speed limit without crashing in the process. Thanks to Sam Speed.
I needed to go thank Uncle Sam soon, as well as Mr Tanaka and Ella the maid. I had done them great disservices, by not appreciating them more when they tried their best to replace my parents.
"That's brilliant" Officer Jenny sighed in relief. "There's a very nice car out front that you can use. Just bring it back when you're done, and try not to scratch it. It just got back from the repair shop with a new paint job."
What a responsible, lucid, caring adult and law enforcer. A shining example of industriousness and good enforcing.
I got ready to push the wheelchair outside and help Helen into the car with Frances, but officer Jenny held up a hand with a very worried expression.
"It's dangerous to go alone. Take these." She politely requested, as she rummaged under her desk briefly before resurfacing to produce two very valuable, and dangerous items.
A silver Glock pistol, and a belt of grenades. Flashbang, explosive and incendiary grenade models all inclusive.
Officer Jenny recognized the threat that Eggman the dastardly posed. She did not want three young children, one of them disabled, dying on a useless quest. Such wonderful serenity and understanding, that I never saw before.
She could have just given us a wooden baton, but just what good would that piece of junk have done us?
I had played many beat-em-up and fighting video games before. In each game, it was only on the final levels that enemies were wise enough to start using ranged weapons like guns, and grenades. Before that, all the enemies were stupid and just tried to hit you with their fists. Which in turn, made the main character that you controlled in the same games: equally stupid.
Since very rarely did the main character himself or herself, carry a gun or grenades. Only fists and kicks. That worked only in close range, and didn't even do much damage.
Officer Jenny had turned me and Frances, into endgame bosses from level 1 pushovers.
I strapped on the belt of grenades, while Frances brandished the handgun. Frances' dad was in the army, so she knew how to use it. I came second in every baseball game I played at school, so I could toss grenades with the best of them to score many home runs.
Armed with our new tools of protection, we lost no time in loading Helen and her wheelchair into the back of the police car, before getting in ourselves, with me driving and Frances riding shotgun. I checked the mirrors and that everyone had their seatbelt on, before starting the engine.
"Faster. Chris. Faster." Frances immediately called, as I reached the speed limit of 30 on the city roadway.
"But I'll break the law if I do that." I complained dismally.
"Does Sonic care that he breaks the law of speed every day? No. Now faster. Helen and Maria's lives are on the line." Frances demanded once again.
How could I turn down such a reasonable request. Did I not love Sonic, and gotta go fast?
I stepped harder on the gas pedal, and went up to 40 miles per hour. At least there were no cars too close in front of me. Yet.
"Not fast enough Chris. NOT FAST ENOUGH!" Frances angrily spat, as she crossed her arms and looked anxiously at Helen. "Your uncle clearly doesn't live up to his name as the champion racer after all. Chris." I knew she was only saying such mean things to bolster my spirit, and because she wanted to save Helen. But even still, it offended me.
"Please don't talk about my uncle Sam like that." I angrily growled, before jamming my right foot full throttle into the gas pedal. My speed shot up from 40 to 60 and then 80. I had to swerve into the other lane just to overtake the slowpoke cars in front of me.
100. 120. Then 140. The fastest the LCPD (Liberty city police department) car could go.
I was a bird. I was a plane. I was a speeder who would get multiple speeding tickets, and my license revoked. Which was exactly what Sonic did, when he got into this world and got chased by every police car under the sun. I had become like Sonic. Fast, strong and ready to protect my friends from any danger.
I no longer lived in Sonic's shadow. Nor Uncle Sam's. I had become a formidable prodigy in my own right, and all it took was a little encouragement from my good friendly friends. My real friendly friends, who actually built connections with me.
My dependency on Sonic had made me weak and pathetic. Frances and Helen, gave me back my true strength. Thank the Heavens I had them on my side.
...
Thank you for reading. Please review if you like this story and want me to continue. Special thanks to Momijifan Low-Ki. May they have eternal happiness and success.
