Chapter Seven – Saviour
It was strange going back out in the big city, walking from the alleyway, knowing the exact truth of what he looking at. The fact from the fiction. Dawn was breaking over the city, and only now did Saffie realise that he had been in that alleyway all night. It had been so dark and shadowy in there that he'd genuinely hadn't noticed. The Grid, despite it's somewhat sinister nature, was, as Saffie could see, an absolutely superb piece of computer programming. Exquisite in it's ability to manipulate those plugged into the system. But Saffie noticed that his perception of the Grid had changed since the Demon attack.
It had stopped bombarding him with false memories, and as he walked through the city, absolutely nobody paid any attention to him, unless he physically hit someone. He was now completely invisible to the Grid. Well, considering no one was meant to survive a Demon attack, that kind of made sense. So long as he kept his presence to a minimum, and didn't do anything stupid, like cause an explosion, then the Grid wouldn't find him again. Now that the Grid had stopped manipulating him, time, as a Cyborg, to reverse this, and he dived for the Grid's Source Code again. He stood to one side and closed his eyes. He hacked his way through the firewall again, and into the Source Code with incredible ease, but this time the Grid couldn't see him there. He wasn't planning on changing it, that would immediately get him discovered. But he was planning on manipulating it very subtly, to gain access to information, not normally available to the average Grid user. Like, for example, a map of the entire city. The Grid didn't resist him whatsoever.
He downloaded it, and overlaidit in front of his eyes. Finally, he had a sense of scale and direction of exactly what he was dealing with. The city was vast and extremely complex and he suspected the entire population of the Grid, lived in this one urban metropolis. Basically everyone on the planet. But as Saffie combed throw the map, he was looking for something. Something very specific, which he almost guaranteed would be here.
He smirked. If Saffie lived in a big city, like this, with no superpowers, he knew exactly where he'd go to get an adrenaline rush. Because Super-Speed or not, a Blue Blur still desperately craved that high, and Saffie knew that if he couldn't get one using his feet, then he'd use wheels. Finally, it found it. The big city did indeed have one.
A Skate Park.
Saffie finally activated his Super-Speed and ran straight there, but kept the speed relatively low, at around a hundred miles-an-hour. He knew this would keep him under the radar and sure enough, the Grid seemed completely un-phased by his presence and soon Saffie found his quarry, and finally, his counterpart.
Sonic was having the time of his life. Doing flips, spins, and somersaults off the ramps, rails and domes of the Skate Park, in the morning sun. He looked slightly odd. He was wearing a helmet, knee and elbow pads and a pair of rollerblades. Backwards, forwards and sideways, Sonic was skating all over the park and absolutely loving it. He seemed to be joined by some friends, no one Saffie knew, but he was very impressive. Sonic was very good indeed, but Saffie's heart fell at the prospect of having to intervene and ending it all. This digital bliss. If there was chance just to leave him here, in his ignorant innocence, then he would but he just couldn't. Saffie wondered how Sonic would take it, considering this version had never been a hero before. But he hoped that with a friendly version of 'himself', then he might be persuaded over.
But as Saffie soon felt, with their slightly odd organic digital signatures, he wasn't the only one to have finally tracked down the real Chosen One. The Freedom Fighters were here. Saffie quickly clocked them in the distance. He crept closer to them so he was within earshot, but still wasn't seen. They were all dumbfounded. They just couldn't understand that their precious Chosen One was nothing more then a punk kid in a Skate Park. Saffie giggled. They really didn't understand his need for speed, or in this case, as he looked at the Skate Park, adrenaline. It did look so much fun though, but Saffie had to mentally slap himself to get back onto the task in hand. Time was not on his side.
Saffie suspected that the Freedom Fighters had thought of trying a grab and run scenario on Sonic, but that wasn't going to work. He was so fast and so proficient on those rollerblades, that he'd simply just outrun them, especially on foot. In a vehicle, forget it, he'd just disappear down one of the numerous narrow alleyways in this city, and boom, he'd be gone. Loosing him, however, wasn't an option. Saffie just didn't have time to chase him across the city. He had to be convinced and now.
He looked over to the Freedom Fighters and saw Bunnie and Antoine readying themselves to go for him, but as Saffie watched them, he felt a digital signature behind him with a slight oddness to it. It was going for him again. Not this time. He was done with being knocked out and Super-Speed dodged his attacker and proceeded to fight her to the ground, with the extensive professionalism of a soldier. It was Lupe again. She was panting.
"How did you do that? I've never seen anyone move that fast?" She asked. Saffie smirked and turned back around, to see Bunnie and Antoine go for Sonic. He giggled.
"A word of advise. You'll never catch the Chosen One like that. He'll out speed you on those wheels, even if your in a vehicle." He smiled, and true enough, they were indeed struggling to get Sonic's attention, let alone catch him, he was moving around the Skate Park on his rollerblades that fast. It was very funny to watch. Lupe stared at Saffie, and realising that this Blue Hedgehog wasn't actually a threat to her, he been just defending himself, she got to her feet and stood next to him. She heaved.
"You know this, how? Who are you, Rogue Chosen One?" She demanded. Saffie sighed. Time to tell the Freedom Fighters the truth. Though Saffie was very reluctant. So he decided to ease them in gently. He smirked.
"Blue Hedgehog, yes, Chosen One, no. But I think you realised that when you tried to free me from the Grid. You see, I am him." He declared, pointing to Sonic. "Just not from this dimension, and that I was sent here to help you. But..." He added. "I'm not expecting you believe me in anyway, shape or form." He sniggered. Lupe just blinked at him, not entirely sure what to say, but then she frowned, seeing her comrades really struggle to catch the Chosen One. She growled.
"If you really are him." He hissed, indicating Sonic. "And if you really are here to help us, then catch him for us." She ordered, glaring at Saffie. His smirked broadened. He giggled.
"That's easy." He smiled. Lupe again, just blinked at him, as he snapped his fingers.
He instantly hacked the Source Code of the Grid again, and requested the schematics for a skateboard. His access was granted because he was only adding one small item to the Grid, not altering what was already there. An item too insignificant to be noticed. Adding a larger item, such as vehicle, for example, would be seen as a major change and then he'd be spotted. He downloaded the skateboard, which then materialised in his right hand, the other end resting on the floor. Saffie threw it to the floor and placed a foot on it. Lupe's jaw dropped in absolute astonishment. She pointed at the skateboard.
"How did you do that? We've never been able to hack the Grid like that. All we can do was gain access. We can only stay as long as we're not spotted by the Demons." She stammered. Saffie sighed. Time to tell her the real truth, regardless of whether she was believed or not. He heaved, as he rounded on her.
"I'm a Cyborg." He hissed. "But Robotnik has my body encased in chains atop his tallest tower in the real world, outside of the central mainframe. He wants it for himself, but I refused to hand it over, and now he threatening to pull the plug on the entire Grid if I don't. We don't have long. I can get the Chosen One to you, but you must get him free of the Grid and get his 'Freedom Code' into the Grid's server. It was the only way to stop him." He spat. Lupe again stared, still not believing, until her communicator sprang into life, and Saffie heard Tails, their guy on the outside, the monitor in the real world, practically relay word-for-word what Saffie had just said. Lupe went absolutely white, and immediately turned to Saffie and nodded.
"Go get him." She breathed and immediately disappeared, taking a now very tired Bunnie and Antoine with her. Saffie suspected he knew where they went, to set up an 'exit' point and transport there. They probably only had enough power left to get one last person out undetected. The Chosen One. Which was what they tried to do with him. But Saffie realised that he didn't have long to get the him. These Freedom Fighters were very efficient. He sighed. Sonic was still on the Skate Park, happily rollerblading around, completely unaware as to what was a stake.
Saffie got on the skateboard and skated towards Sonic and the Skate Park, and was immediately spotted by the Chosen One. The two Blue Hedgehogs nodded at each other. Saffie grinned.
"Hi. I'm Saffie. May I join you?" He asked. Sonic immediately giggled in response.
"Sure. I'm Sonic." He laughed. "The more the merrier." He grinned and soon both of them were going full speed around the Skate Park. It had been more then fifteen years since Saffie had been on a skateboard. Longer, he suspected, then his counterpart had been alive. It was back when he was a small child, just before Julian Robotnik took over, but he instinctively never forgot. He felt the rush of adrenaline, the freedom and almost got carried away, but he was there for a reason. He sighed and concentrated. Time to out-skate his counterpart. Saffie had Super-Speed, his counterpart didn't, and within fifteen minutes, Sonic was heaving, bend double, seriously out of breath, having stopped in the middle of the Skate Park. He was panting having severely struggled to keep up with Saffie. Sonic looked up at his fellow Blue Hedgehog. There was something about him. Something familiar. He grinned in admiration.
"Wow." He praised. "Your really good." He added, but Saffie smiled, holding out a friendly hand.
"That's because I'm you." He sighed. Saffie knew that being direct and to the point was the best way to get his counterpart to listen. But Sonic just frowned at him, not phased at all at what Saffie just said. He laughed.
"What?" He asked. "Like twins. I always wanted a brother." He giggled. But Saffie rolled his eyes. Typical stupid teenage 'him' response. But this wasn't a joke. He growled.
"No." He spat. "Literally. I am you. Just not from this world. But." He paused. "We need your help. This city was in danger." He heaved. But Sonic panicked, backing away from Saffie.
"What! How can I help? I'm no hero." He stammered. But Saffie used a burst of Super-Speed to grab Sonic before he could run. But he outright panicked, forcing Saffie to grab Sonic by both shoulders and look at him deep in the eyes. He heaved.
"Yes, you are. You just don't believe it yet. Look at me." He demanded. "Look at this world. You've known it all your life and yet there's something wrong with it. That there's something not quite right, and yet for years, you haven't been able to quite put your finger on it. It's been bugging you, driving you insane, almost. That's why you come to the Skate Park, to get away from it, but it just follows you around." He heaved. Saffie knew all this, because even though Sonic didn't have his Super-Speed, his E.S.P. (Extra-Sensory Perception) was working fine and the Grid would have been tingling it. Sonic immediately stopped panicking and stared at Saffie. He gave one enormous gulp.
"Yes. How did you know?" He stammered. Saffie heaved.
"Because your right." He hissed. Sonic gasped, putting a hand over his mouth, going absolutely white. His eyes widened at Saffie, almost desperate for more information. Saffie smirked. That hooked his counterpart in, time to get him on board. "It's why I'm here. I have some friends that can show you the truth, but your going to have to trust me." He added, and then as if on cue, Lupe, Bunnie, and the rest of the Freedom fighters, pulled up to the side of the Skate Park in a large truck, signaling them over. Now Sonic looked frightened, but nodded. His intense curiosity was now getting the better of him. As Lupe got out of the truck and ran towards them, Saffie guided a nervous and now terrified Sonic towards the truck. Lupe was impressed.
"Well done, you got him." She heaved. But suddenly, Sonic outright panicked again, and nearly ran for it, and if he wasn't for Saffie well tuned super high speed reflexes grabbing him again, he would have fled. He screamed.
"What was that?" He yelled, struggling against Saffie. No one could see anything until Saffie felt it on his own E.S.P. But now he instantly recognised it. A slightly sinister feeling that could only mean one thing. Sonic only felt it first simple because he'd been plugged into the Grid longer and was more sensitive. This was the first time they had ever showed themselves to him. Suddenly Saffie's ears filled with loud whispers. He groaned, swearing.
"I think word's out on your Chosen One." He growled and suddenly the shadows all around them began to move on their own accord. Lupe also swore.
"Demons." She spat, and immediately both Saffie and Lupe grabbed Sonic and threw him in the back of the truck along with themselves. Bunnie put her foot down on the accelerator in the driver's seat and they sped away. But Lupe was outright panicking.
"But how?" She stammered. "How did the Grid know about the Chosen One? There's no way it should have known. It shouldn't be able to see the Freedom Code in the digital signature of the Chosen One. It's just a computer program." She stammered. But Saffie shrugged.
"It's just defending itself. The Freedom Code would mean it's end." He hissed. The Freedom Fighters all just stared at Saffie, all of them knowing the terrifying implications if that was to be true. Poor Sonic just curled up in the corner of the truck, having ditched his rollerblades, helmet and elbow and knee pads. He had no clue or idea of what was happening or what anyone was talking about. Suddenly more whispers in Saffie's ears told him that the Demons immediately were following them, descending on them, extremely looked out of the back of the truck and saw above him the black creatures jumping from building to building in hot pursuit, and boy, were they fast. Too fast. He swore.
"We'll never outrun those things." He growled. He jumped onto the back of the truck, and turned to his counterpart.
"Sonic." He called. No answer. "Sonic." He spat, louder, and finally he looked up, absolutely terrified. "Take the wheel." He demanded, pointing to the driver's seat. "Your the only one in this truck with reflexes fast enough to keep up with what I'm about to do." He heaved. That was indeed true. Sonic didn't have Saffie's super high speed reflexes but they were much faster then the average. He'd proved that at the Skate Park. But Sonic panicked.
"I can't drive." He stammered. "Plus I don't know where I'm going." He added. The Freedom Fighters panicked but Saffie cuts across them. Time to take charge. He knew exactly what was needed to be done. The professional soldier in him very much kicking in. He growled.
"Sonic, drive. Lupe, show him the way, and everyone else, hang on." He ordered. He climbed over and out, overhanging the back of the truck. Lupe gasped.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, but Saffie smirked at her just before he disappeared out of sight.
"Push." He grinned, and he dropped down, and his feet hit the road, speeding out the back of the truck. Incredibly dangerous, but immediately, his Super-Speed kicked in and he instantly ran at the same speed as the truck in nanoseconds. He could see and hear the Demons all around him. He growled.
'Not today.' He hissed in his thoughts, and put his foot down on the accelerator. Screams sounded from the truck as suddenly, everyone was thrown backwards, and as Saffie pushed the truck incredibly fast, the Demons began to fall behind. Lupe got to her feet, looked out the back, swore, unable to quite believe what she was seeing and then immediately did as Saffie had asked. She grabbed Sonic by the scruff of his neck and threw in the driver's seat, Bunnie immediately moving out of the way, into the passenger seat, to give him directions. But Sonic screamed in absolute terror.
"I can't do this." He squealed. "It's too fast. I'm going to kill everyone." He sobbed. But Saffie sighed. He felt for his counterpart, he really did. Sonic had grown up never knowing he was a Hero. His Super-Speed may be gone, but the thrill and the need for the speed was there was well as the heart. All he had to was believe. Saffie gritted his teeth.
"No, you won't. You can do this. Don't think about it. Just do it." He spat. Sonic's eyes widened as he saw the speeding road ahead of him, through the windscreen of the truck. That view. He knew it. How or where, he didn't know, but instinctively he knew that this was where he was meant to be, not in that stupid dead end job he had been in. He put the truck into neutral, which stopped all resistance against Saffie's incredible speed. The speed. He stared at it through the windscreen again. He tasted it, he wanted it, and now he had Saffie's words ringing in his ears.
Just do it.
Yes, he could do this. Now traveling over a hundred miles-an-hour in the city, Sonic's mind 'clicked' and at last, he was in the zone, as he instantly saw all obstacles and began moving the truck around them perfectly. This was what he was meant to do. Saffie cheered in his mind, as the truck finally began to move in sync with him. How could he have doubted himself. But as Saffie realised, that was the least of his problems.
The police were now on their tail.
Sirens blaring and tires screeching. They were making a lot of noise. The Freedom Fighters absolutely panicked. They had never had the police after them before. Normally their activities were completely ignored by the Mobian society that lived within the Grid. Their fight was with the Grid itself, not those who lived within it. Saffie had to agree as Lupe told him this, when she returned to the back of the truck, and finally managed, after turning a corner, to get a good look at the police behind them. The entire police department of the city was after them, which Saffie thought was a bit excessive for a simple speeding ticket. Forced to look forwards again to turn the truck around yet another corner, it was only with a second look back did Saffie realise the real truth of what was going on. He called up to Lupe.
"They're illusions. They look and feel real until you stop believing in them, then they vanish. Holograms on the Grid. It's another self defense mechanism. It tried to fool me with a 'wife' ploy. But it didn't work because she immediately disappeared when I stopped believing in her. Non of the police officers have any organic digital signatures." He shouted. Lupe stared, extremely frightened. Could Saffie really tell the difference? Those police looked very real, but Saffie got frustrated.
"Lupe." He shouted. "Stop believing and they will go away. One key factor was that absolutely nobody plugged into the Grid was paying any attention to this chase." He growled. Saffie had noticed that almost immediately, but only now did Lupe. It was bizarre. To be chased by over twenty police cars, and have absolutely nobody walking in the streets noticing. Lupe turned and relayed the information to back to her fellow Freedom Fighters in the back of the truck, and together they closed their eyes, held hands, and trust Saffie words and that the Grid was indeed trying to fool them.
It worked.
Suddenly, there was instant silence. The sirens, police cars, and officers all vanished into thin air. Like they were never even there. Saffie cheered from the back.
"Hey. You did it." He praised. "Nicely done, by the way." He added. But it still wasn't over. The Demons were still on their tail, and with the police distraction not working, even more of them now were after them, closing in extremely fast. Saffie got the impression the Grid was getting desperate, but that was what was now making it dangerous. The Freedom Fighters needed to get themselves and the Chosen One out and now. If the Demons caught them, they would all instantly die, despite the Freedom Fighters being plugged in, outside of the central mainframe. It would be game over. Saffie only survived because he was Cyborg. The Freedom Fighters and the Chosen One was not.
But as the truck turned another corner, Saffie was struggling to maintain the speed or go any faster due to the narrow streets and tight turns of the city. The whispers were back, louder then ever and Saffie realised that even with this Speed, the truck couldn't just outrun them. They knew the city better then they did.
Saffie frowned. If the Grid perceived the Chosen One as a threat, then only a greater threat would draw the Demons away from the truck and the Freedom Fighters. He could only think of one. Him. Time to show himself. He slowed down and backed away from the truck, it now moving back under it's own stream. Lupe immediately noticed. She looked out to Saffie and panicked.
"What are you doing?" She squealed. But Saffie sighed.
"There's no way we can outrun the Demons. I need to draw them away so you can get Sonic to the 'exit' point." He panted. But Lupe desperately tried to object but Saffie cut across her, raising his hand. "Don't." He spat. "I'll be fine. I've encountered the Demons before. Youhave to get Sonic out of the Grid alive. Once out, plug him into the source of the Grid's programming, Robotnik himself, and release his virus, the Freedom Code, into the system. But you need the Human gone, otherwise he'll just kill Sonic. That's where I come in. I'll see you the other side." He added, meaning the real world, but still had no idea how he was actually going to get back there. But he couldn't let the Freedom fighters know that. They were relying on him. He heaved. "Just go." He ordered, and Lupe, looking somber, finally agreed. She knew that this was their only chance. The Demons were bearing down on them. Getting dangerously close indeed. She nodded.
"Good luck..." She paused, realising that she didn't even know this incredible Hedgehog's name, who was about to give everything for them. He noticed.
"The name's Saffie, by the way, and same to you." He giggled. Lupe stared. Weird name, and one she definitely wasn't expecting. She had so many questions, like how was he going to get out, but she shook them off. They had to get to the 'exit' point alive, and how all their lives now utterly depended on this one singular Hedgehog. She waved goodbye.
Saffie nodded and turned away from the truck, down a side street and left them behind. As suspected, the Demons were after the Chosen One, not him, as they continued to follow the truck. He had to get them on his tail and quickly, and he only had a matter of minutes, before they caught the truck.
He had to get the Demon's attention and fast. Super-Speed fast. Saffie knew exactly how. By doing something he'd never done in a completely submersive virtual world before. Not even on the R.I.N. He had traveled at speed on that network but he took full advantage of connection speeds, such as fiber optics, always finding the quickest way possible. He knew of the dangers of doing what he was about to do. It could potentially destroy everything but he didn't have a choice. He used the map of the city and quickly found the longest and straightest road in the city, and weaving between the traffic, he put his foot down on the accelerator.
It had been a long time since he'd run this fast. He regularly flew this fast, and that really showed just how much his life had changed. Time to do what he was famous, not just his own, but in all dimensions.
One hundred miles an hour, two hundred.
The buildings and side streets either side of him rushed past him, nothing but a blur.
Three hundred miles an hour, four hundred.
The speed was incredible, and Saffie was finally beginning to feel like himself again, but time was not on his side.
Five hundred miles an hour, Six hundred.
Saffie pushed forwards still further, and quickly realised that something very strange was happening all around him. Like the entire Grid itself was spasming, as if struggling to cope.
Seven hundred.
Then he felt it. The residence. It pushed back against him like an invisible wall. Saffie saw it coming. Years of experience had taught him to handle it, but the Grid spasming got significantly worse.
Seven hundred and fifty.
Saffie growled. His digital body was being twisted and flexed by the acceleration forces in ways he was not used to. But he didn't have time to linger. Time to get the job done.
Then finally, in the early afternoon sun, he did it.
Ka-boom!
He broke the Sound Barrier. A Sonic Boom. The noise was deafening, and the Grid screamed, or more specifically, the Demons did. He heard them in his ears and it was the worse sound he'd ever heard in his life. Suddenly, he was surrounded by them. The Grid definitely now knew he was still here now, the Demons were coming straight for him. All of them. He broke the Sound Barrier in minutes and was certain that the Freedom Fighters were now home free. He even caught a glimpse of their truck parked up in the far distance, the occupants gone. He was pleased but he had own life to worry about.
The screaming continued in his ears. The Grid was twisting and turning within it's programming, desperate trying to repair the damage that Saffie had just done. But the Sound Barrier was not meant to be broken inside a computer program, especially by someone plugged directly into it. It could potentially rip the entire program apart. Saffie genuinely feared for those plugged into the Grid, but to his utter relieve, thankfully, they were still going abut their lives, completely unaware.
But Saffie had to move. Demons were all over him. Desperate to catch him and subdue him somehow. They forced him around corner after corner at super high speed, until he found himself racing back the way he came, and the most astonishing sight ahead of him. At the exact point in the city where he broke the sound barrier, there was an almighty tear in the very Grid itself. Saffie had ripped a hole in the very programming of the simulation, and now the it was still twisting and turning, desperate trying to repair it. It was completely surrounded by black shadows as Demons tried to do what they could and pale blue sparks were flying everywhere. Beyond the tear, through the hole, Saffie saw a singular tiny glimpse of hundreds of towers with red speaks and a thunder filled black sky. The real world.
Saffie's heart leapt. A way out. But he only had a matter of seconds to make it. With Demons behind him, charging him down and Demons ahead of him, now using their own bodies to fill in the hole, the gap was miniscule. Saffie gritted his teeth, and super-sped charged for the tear. Demons immediately surrounded him, their whispers deafening. He could feel them grabbing for him, desperately trying to stop him. But he ignored them all. He roared as he elongated his body and dived for the rapidly closing hole. It slammed shut just as he passed through, clipping his feet in the process, and suddenly he was plunged into darkness.