Chapter 4:

Homecoming

These are the memoirs of the zone cop Speed the Hedgehog

"Great job on your first assignment Speed!" said Zonic as I was getting out of the ship.

"Thanks when is my next assignment?"

"In about two weeks actually, so in other words you have a two week vacation."

"Well that's okay I guess, but where can I go?"

"We do vacations a little differently here; you have the opportunity to go to any zone you want for two weeks, isn't that great?"

After that I knew exactly where to go, back to my original zone, it would be nice to see my family again even if it would be from a distance, I could never show them what I have become. So after a night to rest I began my plans to go back home.

"Are you sure about going here? You know you could go anywhere don't you?" asked Zonic.

"Yeah I'm sure."

I then activated the ship and the zone generator and punched in the code for zone 001, and prepared myself for home. I knew just where to land too, the bicycle graveyard, which was fitting, it was full of old useless junk, it was where I got most of the parts for my first zone generator, it was amazing how no matter how much junk was put into the place it always looked the same. So I landed and making sure to turn on the holo-belt and now that I converted my ship to capsule form, I was able to carry my ship everywhere. First off was to see mom and dad, and to diagnose the android I had put in my place for long-term missions. Of course I couldn't be seen as my current self by my parents so I decided to permanently leave the belt on. I 'broke-in' to my house and waited in my room for the android.

"Who are you?" The android asked.

"I am your creator, and it's time to run the diagnostic program."

As I ran the diagnostic program, I looked through its memory banks to not only make sure it performed the tasks it was programmed to, but to catch up on things, and fortunately no one could tell the difference between me or the android and though it was not designed to work this long, it would have to do.

"Where have you been master?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I came here for more than just to make sure you were working to full capacity, open the lab."

Ah, how I missed this place, it was another secret I kept from my parents, and yet I was looking for something specific, the DNA analyzer. Even though being a hedgehog had its good points, I still couldn't wait to be human again, with some DNA I still had left when I was human, I looked closely at the two for hours trying to crack the code that would revert myself back to normal, and with even my lab at full capacity, I began to realize more and more that it was going to be next to impossible to change back. I had to give credit to Robotnik, he did scramble it very well and if there was anyone that would be able to change me back it would be him, but I couldn't just walk up and ask him, but I still kept working at it and working at eventually I fell asleep working.

I woke the next morning hoping I had somehow fixed myself in the night, but no, I was still a red anthropomorphic hedgehog, however it was when I awoke I noticed something wrong, it was around eleven o' clock, but it was pitch black outside, I looked around for a reason for this and realized what had happened, someone or something had activated my first zone generator, it was extremely experimental, it would fuse zones together and if I did not act quickly, it could be permanent. The question was which zone was it trying to fuse with, where was the generator, and who or what had activated it. When I went outside the sky was so desperately trying to go back to normal as if it was an attempt to block what was happening, no one of course knew what was going on, and then I saw it the rift looked more like a black hole trying to take away the world, but it was also adding things as well, I had to stop it somehow. Then I saw the android with the zone generator and was puzzled because I had just been through its memory banks and saw nothing that would even hint for him to do this. I began to approach him slowly, as people had begun to stare at me rather than the rift, I realized I had left the holo-belt in the lab, but I didn't care I had to save them.

"Program 25497 deactivate…"

The android began to laugh

"Program 25497 deactivate now…"

"Assessment confirmed you are my master no longer and I will destroy this realm and everything in it!"

What was going on had the android somehow hidden his true motives from me during the scan?

"Son what are you doing?" My father asked.

"Ah yes, the parental unit, you shall now be terminated."

"NO!"

I was too late the blast was a direct hit and now I knew that I had to destroy him.

"Nothing can stop this it is too late!"

"I'm afraid not, you crossed the line and now you will be destroyed!"

I had no shields but my own power, time to do something drastic, the ultimate beam weapon of course. It was just in its experimental stages, but if it worked, it would not only take care of the android but the rift as well, I ran back to the lab and searched for it. The problem with the weapon was that it required a ton of energy; hopefully a chaos emerald would do the trick. I ran as fast as I could back to the rift and prepared the weapon.

"Oh please that former master? It never worked in the first place."

"I'm hoping to prove you wrong, you messed up automaton!"

I activated the weapon, it was ingenious actually the weapon looked like an ordinary handgun, but once activated it would create a beam of devastating proportions, I readied the weapon.

"Wait I take it back I'll close the rift."

"Too late."

The explosion could be heard for miles, fortunately it worked and the rift was destroyed, but everyone there thought I had killed me…

"Dad! Are you okay?"

"I knew that was you all along son, I could tell by the eyes…before I go I want you…know that…I love you very much..."

I stayed just long enough to destroy my lab then I left after that, most of the people had thought I killed me anyway, but the point was if everyone thought I was dead and that I had killed my father there was no longer a reason for me to change back, I could never return again to my original zone the pain it would bring me was just too much to bear. I returned to the No Zone a few days early Zonic asked why I was back so soon, I just told him I need to be alone for awhile.

Authors Note: Sorry to leave on such a depressing tone, but this chapter was important don't worry Speed will be back going through and saving zones from trouble in no time for chapter five it's going to be exciting, also if you enjoy it or hate the story please review I will take all forms of CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.