Chapter 37
TK enters the alter room to see Kolt sitting on top of the Master Emerald as the Chao were flying around him. "Kolt?" She called out as he lifts his head,
"Hey…" Kolt said,
"I'm sorry, I know you want to help." She said walking over next to him as Hope lands on TK's head,
"Chao, Chao!"
"Thanks… I understand why I'm benched. But it doesn't make it feel any less crappy." Kolt said letting out a sigh,
"Yeah, we're going to have to be careful since both you and Saya won't be there tonight." She said with a sigh,
"Chao!"
"Really wish I knew what they were saying," TK said,
"They're trying to cheer me up." Kolt said,
"Wait, you can understand Chao? I thought only Caroline could," She said as he lets out a huff,
"I've been around Chao my entire life too; They thrive when around the Master Emerald." He said,
"I completely forgot," She chuckles,
"So what brought you here, I doubt you just came here to make sure I wasn't boiling over." He said,
"I came to collect rings, and to warn you. Elias just told me that one of the pairs of Limit Rings went missing when they evacuated." TK said,
"What?" Kolt said looking worried,
"Elias asked me to make another spare set. But the ones we have are in my safe." She said,
"I don't like knowing that there are limit rings floating around." He said crossing his arms,
"Me too. I'll let the others know later." TK said
"Good luck telling Sophia since she's attached to Saya's hip," He jokes as they both chuckle.
"Yeah, I'm just glad they're happy." She said as a ring appears in the pond, "Hmmm, Don't think I can reach that…"
"Chao!" Hope flies down and grabs the power ring and flies over to TK,
"Wow! Thank you Hope!" She said,
"Chao!"
"They like helping." Kolt said with a smile,
"Now to wait for one more."
Caroline and Brandy begin helping make food in the kitchen. The other cooks were incredibly happy for the help since they have to make a lot of food. "It's sad to see so many people out of their homes." Caroline said,
"We'll help stop Eggman." Brandy said, "No matter how long it takes."
"Do you think this is how we were supposed to awaken?" She asked,
"Maybe, Tikal did tell us that Eggman was supposed to be the catalyst that awakens us." Brandy said, "But the Zarkon messed everything up."
"It seems like a lifetime ago when our only issue were the Zarkon." Caroline said,
"I know what you mean. Remember when Saya used to ask Sophia to join us for lunch every day at school and she wouldn't even give her the time of day?" She asked as they both chuckled,
"It's incredible to see how much they've changed," Caroline said,
"You have changed too." She said,
"Really? I don't feel like I've changed. I'm still pretty weak and there isn't a lot I can do besides hear things." She said,
"You learned how to fight and have made sure everyone stays safe." Brandy reassured her,
"Thanks, It's nice to know I've been helping even if it's just a little bit." She said with a smile.
"Anytime." Brandy kisses her on the cheek, and they get back to cooking.
Alan took Rosie to the training grounds to watch Sophia and Saya test out the obstacle course. They had begun to accumulate a crowd of people watching them run the course in record time and Saya was able to beat Sophia in just a fraction of a second, "Wo! Still fastest thing alive!" She cheered. "Looks like I win," She teased as Sophia steps closer to her.
"If memory serves me correctly, since I won the last race you still owe me a favor." Sophia grinned as she wraps her arms around Saya's waist. "I wonder what I should have you do?" Saya's face turns red.
"Y… You're just trying to distract me…" Saya pouted as Sophia leans in and kisses her.
"Is it working?" Sophia teased as they hear clapping, a man with copper eyes, black hair and Black and purple clothes walks up to them.
"Very impressive," He said, "You all see that? These two just showed all of you up in a matter of seconds." He teased his men, "Now stop gawking at them and get back to training!" The crowd begins to disperse,
"Way to motivate them," Saya chuckles, Sophia lets her go with a pout feeling annoyed that they were interrupted.
"They're just not used to you all yet," He said, "I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Espio." He holds out his hand,
"I'm Saya, this is Sophia and That's Alan." She said shaking his hand,
"Sophia? Oh, you must be Shadow. Rouge and Omega have talked about you a lot." He said,
"You know them?" Sophia asked,
"Know them? I trained them… though I have told them a few times to not let Omega around so many explosives…" Espio shakes his head,
"That's pretty cool!" Saya said,
"If you ever want some pointers I'd love to have a chance to spar with you." He said as Sophia nods, "So which ones are you two?"
"Blue bangs don't give it away?" Saya joked,
"Sorry, I only know who Shadow is because of Omega and Rogue." Espio shrugs,
"I'm Sonic," She smiles,
"I go by Amy." Alan said,
"Interesting, are you fast like them?" He asked,
"He makes a big hammer appear and can cast magic!" Rosie said with a smile,
"Maybe Espio can help you with your agility." Saya said,
"I'm here to help so whenever I'm free I'd be happy to train you." He said, "Now, I need to go whip these lazy men into shape, I'll talk to you all later."
"Thanks, I might take you up on that." Alan said,
"Can I play on the course?" Rosie asked,
"I don't think that's a good idea," Alan said,
"You wanna run it with me?" Saya asked as Rosie's eyes sparkle,
"Yes!" She cheered,
"Hop on!" She said as Rosie jumps onto Saya's back and she runs her through the course at a steady pace.
"Wow… I didn't know she was good with kids." He said,
"I did, she has the personality and energy of a kid." Sophia chuckles,
"How are you feeling with all of this? Half of our families are gone, and the other half now know who we are. On top of Eggman taking over the world." Alan said,
"Honestly, this is pretty similar to how it was for me when I was in G.U.N. So I don't really feel different about it. But I'm worried that this is only the beginning. I think the only upside to all of this is that Saya has something to distract her from the Dark Chaos." She said,
"I just hope that we can make a difference." Alan said,
"We may be keeping ourselves secret from Robotnik for now but once Sonic is back in full view there's going to be a lot of people who rally behind her. And when they do we'll start taking the world back." Sophia said with a smile as they continued to watch Saya run the obstacle course.
Later that evening a little before it was time for the mission to start, Sophia walked with Saya to the Alter room. "You didn't have to walk me there I think I know the way." Saya said,
"Nope, I'm making sure you get there, and you stay there until I get back," Sophia said,
"Kolt is with me, we'll be fine!" She said letting out a sigh,
"Saya," She stops walking and turns Saya towards her. "I almost lost you," She wraps her arms around her waist and presses her forehead against hers, "It's still too fresh in my mind to think that you were taken from me. So I'm going to make sure you don't disappear again."
"Soph…" Saya starts to say as Sophia kisses her, "I'm sorry I scared you." She kisses her back,
"I'll ease up… just give me a little time." Sophia said putting her hand on Saya's cheek as she leans into it.
"Okay, C'mon. You need to get going." Saya said as Sophia pulls her in closer for another kiss holding onto the feeling then let's go giving Saya a chance to catch her breath.
"We still need to finish that other conversation." Sophia grinned as Saya goes red trying not to melt.
"He heh… Oh look the alter room." Saya said walking over to it,
"I'll come right back here once were done. Please stay put," Sophia said,
"I will. Promise." Saya said giving her another kiss before entering the room as Sophia turns around and heads back to debrief with the others.
"Hey Kolt!" Saya walked over,
"Hey," Kolt said with a sigh,
"Wanna help me work on meditating?" She asked,
"Are you going to fall asleep again?" He asked with a raised eyebrow,
"Probably," Saya chuckles,
Sophia meets up with everyone in the briefing room as she takes a seat next to Brandy. "Good, now that you all are here, I'll go over the details," Elias said, "You're to sneak in and get what you need from the computer system to free the prisoners and escort them to the rendezvous sight." He pointed to the map showing the location, "Sophia will help TK get into the Base to find a computer to let the prisoners out. The rest of you will be assisting to escort the prisoners until Sophia and TK can regroup with you,"
"Sounds easy enough." Alan said,
"This is Eggman we're talking about… he probably has that place trapped." Caroline said,
"That's why only two of us are infiltrating further in while the rest of you make sure the prisoners don't meet any resistance." Sophia said,
"Exactly, we also have suits for you all to wear. Your outfits are too recognizable and will draw attention." Elias said,
"So I should use my staff instead of my hammer." Alan said,
"That's a good idea," Sophia said,
"Do of you have any other questions?" Elias asks as they all shake their heads, "Alright, go get ready and meet at the chopper, we leave in twenty." He said leaving the room. They all transform and change into the dark uniforms with helmets and masks,
"It's not going to be easy to fight with this stuff on." Amy said,
"Um… I can't really wear the helmet with my ears…" Cream said,
"Here," Blaze takes the helmet and melts two holes for her ears to fit through.
"Thank you," She smiles as she puts on the helmet,
"Could you do that for me as well?" Tails asked,
"Sure," Blaze said fixing her own helmet.
"Everyone good to go?" Shadow asked,
"Yep." Amy said,
"Then let's go." She said as they head to the helicopter and begin their mission.
After the helicopter lands Shadow and Tails go on ahead into the factory. They get just outside the main walls before waiting. "We're in position, are you all near the prisons?" Shadow asked,
"Yes, we're staying hidden until you can get the security system offline." Cream said,
"Understood, we'll let you know when they are off." Shadow said giving Tails a nod and she warps them to the top of the wall. The inside was crawling with Swatbots as they patrol the grounds. Shadow points to Tails a small building that looks guarded and they head that direction first to see if the computer was there. They make it past the Swatbots without being seen as Tails starts rigging the door to open,
"How long do you think it'll…" Shadow as about to ask when the door opens, "Never mind,"
"Good to know Eggman's stuff is still super easy to hack." Tails smiles as they head inside and look around,
"Coast is clear, let's hope we find a computer soon." Shadow said as they continue forward,
"In here," Tails said as they see a large computer in the next room. "Keep an eye on the door while I get the alarms and the prison cells disabled." Tails said going up to the computer and immediately getting to work,
"Got it." Shadow said keeping an eye on the hallway.
"While I have you here I should tell you… Elias told me that they only found one set of limit rings when they took all of my stuff during the evacuation of HQ." She said,
"So the spare set is missing? Strange, where is the set we do have?" Shadow asked looking down the other hallway.
"In my safe in the workshop. Elias asked me to make another spare set so that's what I'm working on right now." She said continuing to type,
"Good, just because Dark Chaos isn't on Saya's mind I'd rather make sure we're prepared," Shadow said,
"I think I got it. Just a little more and… Done! Security's offline. Now to unlock the cells." Tails said as Shadow sees dark silhouettes soon approaching the corner towards their hallway.
"Make it quick, we're going to have company soon." Shadow said as she goes over next to Tails,
"Just one more thing…" She said as she puts a USB drive into the computer.
"What are you doing?" Shadow said,
"I'm putting in a back door into Eggman's system so I can sneak info out later without him knowing." She said continuing to type.
"How long? They'll be here any moment." Shadow said starting to get concerned,
"Got it!" She said pulling out the USB. Shadow grabs her arm and warps them outside just at two people we about to walk into the room.
The others continued to wait as they start to notice the prison cell doors start to glitch out and disappear as the prisoners start looking around confused, "This is Shadow, you're clear to escort the prisoners we'll meet you at the exit," Shadow said over the headset as Amy summons his staff and they all rush down towards the prisoners.
"Everyone stay calm, we're here to escort you to safety." Amy said as some of the people continue to look scared while others look excited.
"B…but what about the robots?" One person asked,
"That's why we're here, now move!" Blaze said as they start leading them out of the prison. Two Swatbots get in their way as the people panic. Amy strikes one with his staff, but he's unable to put the same force behind his attacks that he does with his hammer. Cream flies and distracts them as Blaze melts the backs and rips out the wires shutting them down.
"Amazing!" One person said,
"We don't have a lot of time, everyone this way!" Cream said as they all follow as they take down any robots that get in their way as they make it to the outer wall hut the door was closed,
"Shadow, Tails, the doors are shut, we can't get out." Blaze said,
"Hang on, we're almost there!" Tails said as more robots start showing up,
"We're trapped!" One person panics,
"Prisoners, by order of Doctor Robotnik, return to your cells." One of the robots said,
"We need to hold them off until they get here." Amy said,
"Everyone stay behind us!" Blaze said,
"Blaze there are too many of them…" Cream said,
"Let's see if I still can attack with magic," Amy said holding out his hand as s light beam strike the robot but bounces off. "Looks like it only works against creatures made of darkness…"
"See if you can blind their sensors." Blaze said as he points and blasts the head as it stops moving.
"Visuals damaged. Rebooting." The robot said,
"Nice one!" Amy said giving Blaze a thumbs up.
Shadow and Tails were hurrying to get to the others as they turn a corner and come face to face with two guards, "Hey! Don't move!" One of them said,
"Shit!" Shadow said as she quickly warps behind them. They turn shocked,
"How did you?" the same one said as Shadow quickly grabs one of them and throws them to the ground. Tails runs up and trips the other one.
"We gotta go!" Tails said as they continue running,
"I'm going to pick you up so we can move faster." She said quickly sweeping up Tails before she could protest then picks up the pace.
"This is taking too long!" Amy said blasting another bot but this time it doesn't work, "Crap! I think they are adapting to it."
"We just need to hold out a little longer," Blaze said as she jumps and disables one of the robots.
"I'm going to smash the door if they don't hurry up!" Amy said getting ready to summon his hammer as Shadow and Tails warp next to him,
"Sorry, we ran into some trouble." Shadow said as Tails quickly moves over to the door and starts working on opening it,
"This is where Sonic would make a quip about you being slow." Amy said dodging an attack as Shadow jumps up and breaks the robotic fist striking down at them.
"If she was here, these bots would have been gone already." Shadow teases,
"You try fighting with half of your abilities," He said,
"Door's open, let's go!" Tails said as it begins to open,
"Cream, Tails, lead them to the evac site. We'll cover you." Shadow said,
"This way!" Cream said as they start leading and the three remain behind for a moment before following after them making sure they are not chased. They make it to the helicopter and evacuate all of the people away from the factory.
"Thank you so much!" Someone said with tears in their eyes,
"Who are you guys?" Another one asked,
"Just people trying to help." Shadow said,
"How can we ever repay you?" Another one asks,
"Never stop fighting. The more people who resist Robotnik's tyranny the less power he has." Shadow said,
"I wanna join the resistance!" One person cheered,
"That's good to hear, we could use all the help we can get." Amy said as they return to base. Sally and other agents assist on helping the rescued prisoners get situated while they all leave so that they aren't recognized.
"I'll meet you at the room, I'm going to grab Saya and Kolt." Sophia said changing back and taking off the gear before walking away.
"Yeesh! She was not joking around when she said she wasn't taking Saya out of her sight." Alan said watching her walk off.
"Give her time to adjust, she's still figuring all this out too." Caroline said,
"Just as long as I don't get hit again." Alan said,
"You deserved that punch from Kolt." TK said,
"I agree with TK, and if you keep teasing them one of them will hit you." Brandy said as they head back to their room.
Sophia quickly walks back to the Alter room but stops when she notices Starline wave her down when he sees her. "Ah! I was looking for you Sophia," He said walking up to her,
"I was on a mission, what's up?" Sophia asked,
"On a mission already? I knew Elias was glad to have you all back, but I would have thought he'd give you more time to acclimate to your new surroundings." He said,
"We've done this a few times, so we're used to it. Besides it's easier to jump back in then wait around." She said,
"That is a fair point." He said,
"What did you want to talk about?" She said starting to look impatient,
"When you have time I would like to discuss your blood work. I know you already know you have Dark Arms blood inside of you, but I wanted to talk in further detail when you can." Starline requested,
"Sure, that's fine." She said,
"Excellent! Just come to the infirmary whenever and we can talk." Dr. Starline said with a smile, "You seem to be in a rush, so I won't keep you any longer." He walks away as Sophia continues towards the Alter room.
Sophia enters the alter room to see Kolt reading a book as the Chao fly around him trying to look over his shoulder. She starts looking around as she sees Saya fast asleep on top of the Master Emerald, "Why is she sleeping on top of the Master Emerald?" Sophia asked,
"We were meditating, and she fell asleep again…" Kolt said rolling his eyes.
"You're surprised?" Sophia lightly chuckles,
"Not at all, I knew it would happen." He said closing his book, "How'd it go?"
"Not too bad, had a few issues but it's hard when we're trying to keep our identities hidden." She said walking over to the Emerald.
"Anyone get hurt?"
"No, We all made it out fine." Sophia said as she picks Saya up off the Master Emerald.
"Mmm… Five more minutes." Saya grumbles as she wraps her arms around Sophia's shoulders half asleep and leans her head on her.
"You're such a child." Sophia said as she walks towards the door. Kolt Opens the door for her and they head back towards their room.
"How can such a dork be the Legendary Hedgehog?" Kolt asked,
"She's legendary, because she's a dork." Sophia chuckles, "Honestly, who knows."
"Still hate that I'm stuck here. Saya would be going nuts if she was permanently benched." Kolt said with a sigh,
"You forget she's been benched a few times." Sophia said,
"But that never lasted for very long." Kolt said,
"We'll try to prioritize the scroll, so you don't have to worry about it." She said,
"That's the thing. The prophesy stated I needed to read it... If Eggman already took copies then he would still be after me." Kolt said,
"If that's the case then even benching you temporarily would be a waste of time." She said as they get to their room, "I'll try to talk to Elias about it tomorrow. He may not say yes right away but If you're right then you would be more useful out there helping us." Kolt opens the door to their room for her. The others were all getting ready for bed.
"I appreciate it Sophia," He said while she carries Saya to her cot and lays her down.
"Just try not to get your hopes up that it'll happen quickly, Elias is taking the scrolls seriously and after what happened to his parents I don't blame him.." Sophia said,
"I know, but if there's a chance that gives me something." Kolt said,
"Maybe you can train with me, I'm going to ask Espio to help me learn to fight with my staff." Alan said,
"Who's Espio?" Kolt asked,
"Agent who trained Omega and Rogue, It would give you something to do." Sophia said,
"I like that idea, can make sure I don't get rusty." He said with a smile,
"We should all get some sleep and see what Elias has for us in the morning." Caroline said,
"Agreed, let's get some rest." Brandy said as they all go to sleep for the night.
The following morning everyone starts to wake up to the sound of door knocks. They all groan as TK goes to answer the door. She opens the door to see Sophia's mother standing there, "Good morning everyone, I wanted to make sure you all were doing alright." She said walking in,
"We're good." Sophia said trying to shake Saya awake,
"How did your first mission go?" She asked,
"I think it went pretty well." Caroline said,
"I'm glad to hear it." She smiles, "Do you all have any plans for today?"
"Kolt and I are going to do some training," Alan said,
"I have some things I need to do on my computer in my workshop." TK said,
"We're planning to help around the compound." Caroline said looking a Brandy and she gives her a nod.
"Dr. Starline wants to have a word with me about my bloodwork." Sophia said,
"Is everything alright?" Her mom asked looking concerned,
"Probably just has a few more questions." She said as Saya pulls her covers over her head,
"Five more minuets…" She groaned,
"If you don't get up you won't get any food." TK said as Saya sits up with an exasperated sigh.
"Use my love of food against me? Fine!" She said getting ready,
"Is she always like this?" Sophia's mom asked,
"Yes," They all said,
"Am I like what?" Saya looked at them all confused,
"This dramatic." Her mom said,
"Oh! Then yes!" She said proudly with a smile.
"Maybe you can keep my mom company while I go talk to Dr. Starline." Sophia said,
"Everything okay?" Saya asked,
"Nothing to worry about." She said,
"C'mon dear, I'd love to get to know you better." Sophia's mom took Saya's hand and starts taking her out of the room.
"S… Sure." Saya said starting to look nervous.
"Sophia, meet with us afterwards." Her mom said as they leave. They all stand there for a moment,
"Is Saya going to be okay?" Brandy said,
"She'll be fine." Sophia said,
"I'm going to go talk about the back door I made with Elias. We can probably get a lot of good information that could help us." TK said waving before she leaves the room.
"She's probably super excited to be working on stuff." Alan said,
"She better remember to go eat." Caroline said crossing her arms as the door bursts open and they see TK's mother,
"Taylor you better go eat!" She yelled taking them all off guard for a moment as she realized she's not in the room, "I'm sorry! Do you know where she went?" Her tone softens,
"She just left to go talk to Elias," Kolt said,
"Thank you dear! All of you be sure to eat as well." She said closing the door.
"TK's mom is scary…" Alan said,
"We should do as she says before we also get yelled at." Kolt said as he and Alan leave the room,
"I'm surprised you let Saya out of your sight." Brandy said,
"She's with someone I trust, and I won't be long. Besides, I want to see if they get along." Sophia said,
"Aw! You want them to like each other." Caroline said with a smile as Sophia's face starts to go red,
"I mean… it'd be nice…" She said, "What are you two going to do?"
"We're going to go help with Rosie and other kids that don't have family right now." Brandy said. "There may be a lot of agents here but there is not a lot of staff to help with the other stuff so we're helping where we can."
"That's really awesome. Maybe Saya and I can come help afterwards." Sophia said,
"That would be lovely." Caroline said as they all leave the room.
Sophia heads to the Infirmary where Dr. Starline quickly spots her and waves her over to him. "Good morning Sophia! Thank you for stopping by." He said,
"No problem,"
"It's still quite early, did you grab some breakfast from the cafeteria yet?" He asked,
"No I'm not that hungry," Sophia said,
"I see, well we do have a coffee machine in here. Can I offer you some coffee?" He asked,
"I never say no to coffee." She said,
"How do you take it?" He asked pouring her a cup,
"Two sugars, no cream." She said as he hands her the cup and they walk into his office. "So, is there an issue with my blood?"
"I can tell by your expression that me commenting about your blood raises concern," he said,
"Yeah, I worry that I'll become more Dark Arms than human at some point." Sophia said,
"Well, the percent of your blood being Dark Arms did increase by .03. I don't believe that it is a concern at this time. But I did want to discuss it's regenerative properties." Starline said,
"Isn't that just because of the Chaos Emeralds?" She asked,
"On the contrary, it is the Dark Arms part of your DNA that is creating the regenerative properties. I believe, even if you didn't have the Chaos Emeralds you would continue to heal at a similar pace." Dr. Starline explained, "That's what I wanted to talk about. I was wondering if you would be willing to let me have another blood sample. I believe with more testing; we could find a way to cure diseases and save lives." Sophia couldn't help but let out a light chuckle,
"It's funny, to actually be asked to be used for my intended purpose." She said shaking her head as Dr. Starline looks at her confused,
"I don't follow." He said,
"I never explained this to Dr. Q. But the main reason Gerald Robotnik created Shadow the Hedgehog was to cure a little girl of a disease. Not to be the Ultimate weapon."
"Sophia, that's incredible." He said,
"I don't have a problem with you taking a sample of my blood to try to find cures to diseases. But I worry about what others could do with that blood." She said,
"Well, this was just a proposition, I would still have to run it by Elias anyway." He said, "But I would put security measures in place to make sure that what we worked on didn't fall into the wrong hands." He said,
"Alright, Then if you can get permission from Elias and can show me exactly how the research will be guarded than I don't have an issue with this project." Sophia said as Dr. Starline's face lights up,
"Stupendous! I will not let you down Sophia. I will start writing a strategy plan to give to Elias right away." He said pulling out his computer and beginning to type.
"Did you need anything else from me?" Sophia asked finishing off her coffee.
"That was all for the moment, though perhaps you could help me with something else." He asked,
"What can I help with?"
"I know you all are still weary of me. I'm new to you so I don't expect you all to open up instantly. But I'm worried about Saya, with her claustrophobia mixed with her anxiety along with being stationed in an underground base. She may start to feel trapped. And that may have more attacks." Starline said,
"What do you want me to do?" Sophia asked,
"Could you just see if she's willing to talk to me about it a little. I want to prescribe her something that helps her feel more calm in these enclosed spaces without it completely knocking her out." He explained,
"I can try but I don't know how well a prescription will help with someone who's body burns through things at an accelerated speed." She said,
"That's what I want to discuss with her. Any little bit helps so I thank you even if you try." Starline smiles, "I won't keep you from her any longer. From what I saw yesterday you two seemed quite close."
"Thanks, I'll talk to you later." Sophia said leaving.
TK knocks on the door to Elias' office as she hears an unlocking noise, and she pushes the door open. "Good morning!" She said walking you to the desk as Elias was going through papers.
"Morning TK," Elias said.
"I wanted to talk to you about the mission last night." She said,
"You mean about the back door you put into Robotnik's system for us to get information from?" He asked looking up at her with a raised eyebrow, "That was a really risky move,"
"I know… but we need all the info we can get on Eggman's interface and his future plans." She said,
"Don't get me wrong, it was brilliant thinking, and you are correct this will help us immensely. But in the future please run those type of ideas by me before you use them in the field. You could have put yourself and the others in a precarious situation." Elias said,
"Sorry, I didn't think about it until we were there. But I will tell you if I have any other ideas." She said,
"Thank you. Also, would you mind helping all those in the computer room know how to track and use this back door, so they don't accidently mess it up." Elias said closing a file and grabbing another one.
"Sure! I'll go help them out now." She said with a smile as she opens the door to leave to see her mother standing there with her arms crossed, "Mom?"
"Taylor you are coming to the cafeteria and eating right now." Her mom said assertively.
"Mom!" She argued as her mom drags her out of Elias' office, "I need to go help in the computer room,"
"You can do that after you eat!" Her mom said dragging her to the cafeteria,
Kolt and Alan were training with Espio as they both took him on in a sparring match. Neither of them have been able to land a hit yet as they pause to catch their breath. "You both rely too much on your raw strength in battle. There are more ways to defeat your enemies than smashing them." Espio said,
"It's always worked for me in the past." Kolt said,
"Yes but how long will that last? Robotnik adapts his strategies, finding new ways to fight us off." Espio explained as Alan swings his staff at him and he easily dodges, "Alan, your staff isn't just a weapon you can hit with. You can use it to pole vault over your enemies, to trip them taking them off guard." He said taking the staff from Alan and tripping him with it.
"This is a lot harder than I thought." Alan said with a sigh as Kolt helps him back up to his feet.
"You can't expect to become an expert in a day. And don't forget to use each other as your strengths." He said as Alan snaps his fingers, and his staff reappears in his hand. "handy trick. Can you change from staff to hammer quickly?"
"Um…" Alan thinks as he changes it back to its hammer form. He pauses for a second as hi figures it out, "Oh!" he said running at him with his hammer as he swings it down at Espio and as he dodges Alan changes the form to a staff and swings it the other way. Espio barely dodges and manages to kick Alan's feet from under him.
"Very good!" Espio said helping him up to his feet. "We should take a break; Next I think you two should work on your footing and balance."
"Thanks again for helping us." Kolt said,
"Any time," He said walking away as they catch their breath,
"We sure he doesn't have superpowers?" Alan asked,
"I think he's just that skilled," Kolt said,
"Glad he's on our side." He said as Kolt nods, "Let's keep trying." Alan said getting ready to spar,
Saya was sitting in the cafeteria with Sophia's mom as they were eating in silence. She didn't really know how to talk to Sophia's mom, "Sophia made it sound like you never stop talking, but I haven't heard a peep from you since we got here. Everything alright dear?" She asked,
"Ha, ha… Yeah… Would you believe me if I said I was a little nervous?" She said as Sophia's mom chuckles,
"I'm not going to bite; I just want to get to know you a little better." She smiles,
"What would you like to know?" Saya asked,
"How did you and Sophia meet?" Her mom asked,
"Oh, well, we were classmates at school." Saya said,
"Yes I knew that already but how did you two meet?"
"I saw her sitting alone in the cafeteria and I asked her to come sit with me and my friends for lunch." She explained,
"Oh that's so sweet."
"Too bad she ignored me the first few times I asked," Saya said,
"That sounds like my daughter," She said with a sigh shaking her head, "But why did you want her to sit with you all?"
"My dad always told me to make friends with those who sit alone since they may be the ones who need friends the most." Saya explained,
"Your dad speaks as if he knew from experience." She said,
"He did. It wasn't until he got to college that he made friends because of that and he feels like he missed out on a lot." Saya explained, "Though, looking back on it I can see now I was a bit overbearing."
"Did she ever sit with you all?" Sophia's mother asked,
"Nope, Sophia and I didn't really have a real conversation until after these fell from the sky." Saya said pointing out her bracelet.
"I see."
"Now that I think about it… we only became friends because of the situation. If the Zarkon never attacked I don't think we would have ever become friends." Saya said looking sad,
"I don't believe that. I think at some point you would have gotten through to her and she would have joined you to eat lunch. Sophia's always been one to be weary of people, even as a child. I always thought it had to with her father leaving but after I've learned about her past life and who she was I can see that's just who she is." Her mom said,
"She may be weary of people but once you gain her trust she's a friend for keeps." Saya said with a smile,
"Or more than a friend," Sophia's mother teased as Saya starts turning red. "I won't lie, I was shocked to hear that she was interested in girls. I didn't think she'd ever pursue a relationship"
"Because of her father?" Saya was hesitant to ask, Sophia had never brought up her father.
"Yes, but I don't think I should explain it. Sophia needs to open up about it on her own." Her mother said,
"I won't pry, what happened in the past doesn't change how I feel about her." She said with a smile.
"I'm really happy that you two found each other." She said with a smile.
"Me too." She smiles back as TK and her mom walk up with trays of food,
"You need to be better at taking care of yourself! You can't help save the world if your body is weak." TK's mom lectured as she looks at Saya and Sophia's mom and smiles, "Good morning girls! Mind if we sit with you?" She asked with a smile,
"Of course not." Sophia's mom said making room for them as they sit down.
"I was going to eat afterwards." TK said pouting as she started to eat,
"You and I both know that isn't the case. You would have gone to help and then hyper fixated and before you knew it, it would be evening time." Her mom said,
"She's right TK you need to take care of yourself." Saya said,
"There's just so much stuff to do." She said,
"Even I know the worlds not going to be saved in one day little dude, we gotta keep up a constant fight and you can't do that if you don't take care of yourself." Saya said,
"I know!" TK said rolling her eyes, "I'll try harder to remember to eat."
"Good! Cuz if not I'll start sending Caroline after you." Saya crossed her arms as TK lets out a sigh.
"You need to take care of yourself too Saya. Your parents told us how you put yourself in danger." TK's mom said,
"Hey I'm workin on it. It's not my fault that bad guys want what they can't have." She said gesturing to herself jokingly as Sophia wraps her arms around Saya's shoulders from behind her taking her off guard for a moment,
"They have to get through me first." She said as Saya's face goes completely red,
"Y…You snuck up on me!" Saya said with a chuckle.
"We need to work on your situational awareness, you leave yourself too open." Sophia said with a sigh letting go of her and siting down.
"Do I really need to be alert in our own base?" Saya said,
"Does Abyss ring any bells?" TK said,
"That's fair!" Saya shrugged, "Hey Soph, do you think Elias will let us go outside for a bit? Just to get some fresh air?"
"We can go ask him, I promised Kolt I'd talk to Elias anyway." She said,
"Sweet! Let's go!"