A/N: Okay, I'm about to die from exhaustion. I'm pushing 5:15 AM for ya'll so be grateful. SOOOO TIRED..... Anyway, this chappie should provide a little insight on just who Jericho is... You're on your own. I'm effing sleeping on the keyboard...... bu75tgn... That was my headprint... lol. XD R&R!!! XP
Chapter 9: Echoes
Swift
"Have a good trip, guys!" Pyro grinned and firmly attached himself to Tails's forearm. Tails cast an adoring smile down at the crimson kitsune before nodding at the both of us as we slipped into the supplied shoulder harnesses. Already, Sonic seemed to be unnerved and he searched for my hand in need for reassurance. His hand found mine and they became entangled.
"Bon voyage." Tails smirked, then continued. "See you guys soon."
"Likewise." I passed a smile to both of the kitsune standing on the loading platform, visible through a currently open sliding steel door just to our left, since we sat on the left side of our car. Three other seats, empty, were parallel to us.
"Goodbye, Tails. Keep that Pyro there in check!" Sonic still managed to crack a joke, despite that I could feel his fear through his shaking hand.
"Hey!" Pyro objected, while Tails's smile grew wider still.
"Don't worry, I will." He replied with a thumbs-up.
The sliding door began rolling into position and words became waves as verbal contact turned impossible. It locked into place with a gentle hiss. Actual trams had not been in operation when the first World Gate was built, but trams capable of withstanding such an odd form of travel were developed as the need for crossing the distance grew more necessary. They were remotely comfortable; it was such a large object that it took around twenty to thirty minutes to transport, as compared to the average human or Mobian transport time of thirty to sixty seconds. However, inside the transport, the feeling of being sucked through a straw no longer took place. All of the energy was exerted on the metal cage around us, rather than our bodies.
The tram jerked forward, onto the track, and Sonic jumped, clenching my hand tighter.
"It's okay." I muttered soothingly, my gaze intent out the window. Tails cast one last sympathetic simper at me and I swallowed a laugh.
"Tell Tails to stop making fun of me." Sonic grimaced.
As the tram edged it's way towards the open portal, I looked away, knowing the bumps would subside as we entered, for no track physically existed inside, only the coordinates fixed in the controls.
Sonic says to stop making fun of him. I pushed to Tails, knowing he could not respond.
Finally, the tram was launched into the portal, and, after a moment of turbulence, all was calm, though what looked like hot pink and electric blue lightning and swirling yellow and green clouds visible through the window betrayed the actual conditions beyond the thick walls of steel separating us from the outside.
A minute passed in silence as occupants inside the tram marveled at the odd weather in the wormhole. I, since I was not new to such travel, although Chaos Control was much more simplistic than this, took the time to mull over thoughts presenting themselves.
I had never been to Mobius before, other than the brief amount of time I spent there to test this portal. I knew that Mobius was Sonic's home as it was to Tails, Knuckles, and everyone else. However, to Shadow and I, it meant nothing, other than the home planet of the beings our designs were based on. It may have meant a little more to me, since I was physically born there. As far as I knew, my body's mother and my body's five half-siblings still occupied a space in the very same refugee camp the Professor had rescued me from.
Even still, I had undergone the "Ultimate" change, so they no longer meant anything more than relations to my old infant self. My only family was Shadow.
As if to reinsure this point, I received a mental ping from him just as the thought took place. I shot one back, a small smile crossing my muzzle.
It appeared as if my moment of recollection had passed, as the 'Oh's and 'Ah's subsided into hushed conversations.
"D'ya mind if I ask you a few questions?" Sonic asked, following suit with the rest of the occupants.
"No, go ahead." I encouraged. I believed I knew what this would be about.
"I'm sorry for getting all, I guess, ruffled up about this, but I need to know." He looked away for a moment, at his one free hand, which he clenched into a fist. "Who is Jericho?"
I was not caught off guard as he expected me to be. I grimaced a little bit, but caught his eye despite, holding his gaze while I talked.
"I met Jericho five years and five months ago. Five years ago, to the day, I left his life, for what I thought would be the last time." My grimace faded into a frown. "Jericho is three years older than you; his birthday has yet to pass. He was fourteen when we met. You see, I'd been skipping around major Extreme Gear cities for four years before that. When I thought I was good enough, I decided to try my hand at Metal City."
"The capital of Extreme Gear racing? Weren't you good before?" Sonic interrupted briefly.
"Yeah, I suppose I was, but I had to gain some experience in the racing world, get a few contacts, before I went there. If you went without knowing what's going on, you'd be eaten."
"We learned that one the hard way." Sonic winced slightly. I merely nodded my agreement.
"The first night I was there, I went out for the amateur medley race, the event of the night. Medley, of course, meant 'pick whatever ride you want, but you'll probably end up smeared against the safety wall 'cause there aren't any rules'. Copper, Jericho's adopted father of sorts, was watching in the stands. He had just recently added on a new room to his home, which will come into play later. Anyway, I was booed heartily, as newcomers typically are no matter where they go. And yet, I completely destroyed the competition, and on skates no less. Skates were the least popular of all the rides, but I beat all these boarders and bikers on a pair of skates. Of course, these were my skates, but still… The first group to approach me was Jet's."
"You said yes."
"I had to. You didn't turn down an offer like that… Although a day doesn't go by that I wish I did turn it down." The frown turned back into a grimace once more. "Copper approached me before them. He didn't offer a deal until later, but he wanted to know if I had a place to stay, which, like I said, I didn't. He drove me away from all of the vying crews before any other group had a chance to recruit me other than Jet's. When we finally got back, Copper offered me his extra room, which I accepted. I didn't meet Jericho until the following morning, but it was immediately apparent that we would be friends for a while. Copper's race team needed another racer and I volunteered, racing alongside Jericho for most of the amateur races, and then racing professionally with the Rogues. I nearly ran myself into the ground doing so and ended up completely doing so later. As I stayed with Jer and Copper, I learned new things: how to properly ride a board, what kinds to buy, where to buy them, new strategies for racing, and the like, all taught to me by Jericho, for the most part. And I taught him how to use skates, though none of the Earth-developed skates worked just like mine. After all, mine were a bit… special…" I paused and took a breath, and the pained smirk became lost again. "I even started to go to high school with him after a couple months. I thought I'd finally found where I belonged… However, it quickly went downhill and into a ditch from there." Pause. I shook my head disdainfully. "Jet courted me a little while after I started high school and I readily accepted, all too eager to have my first experience in love, but Jericho was suspicious. He tried to warn me before it happened. He really tried, but I didn't listen until it was much too late…" I shook my head, trying not to relive what I had seen five years ago. "I had lived with Copper and Jericho for five months before I ran. I fled, pathetically, but I fled. And I left Jericho in my wake…"
After a long silence, Sonic managed to find his voice again. "There's something else."
I nodded, not really willing to share this next bit with him, but doing so anyway. There was no reason to hide anything from him. "He loved me. He's had a crush on me since the first moment he saw me. I, by being friends with him, made it worse. I was stupid for going with Jet and not accepting what I had right in front of me, but I suppose that if it had been any other way, I wouldn't be with you right now." I looked directly into Sonic's eyes to emphasis what I had just said. It was true. Had it gone any other way, I wasn't too sure that I would be sitting on that tram with him. Silence again. This time, it was smothering, choking me.
"I love you." He said it with conviction, releasing my hand and wrapping his arms around me.
"I love you, too. I just… I don't like my friends to be sad." He pulled away. "I downright hate it. Especially someone like that, someone whose life I destroyed…" I sighed, tearing my eyes from his.
"It's in your personality… I guess. I just got a little jealous…" He shuddered a bit.
"You, jealous? Of him? Please, Sonic! I can't believe that." Laughing, I grinned brightly at him, wondering how Sonic the Hedgehog could possibly be envious of Jericho.
"Well, I guess I saw how comfortable you were around him. I sort of panicked." Sonic shrugged, looking away.
"Comfortable?! I was anything but comfortable. It scared me that all those feelings he had five years ago… they stayed. And I detected them. I was just trying to be courteous is all." Abruptly, Sonic's eyes returned to mine, analyzing my last statement.
"Tails was right." Sonic said slowly after a long pause in conversation, stern look fading almost instantly and grin returning.
"What do you mean?" I tilted my head in curiosity, not understanding his last sentence.
"It's nothing." He laughed, emerald irises sparkling in happiness. "Just a little pep-talk Tails gave me."
"Is that good or bad?" I was hard pressed to resist his contagious smile, but persisted.
"Good, now that I know he's right." He grabbed my hand again and gave it a quick squeeze.
No longer able to keep up my struggle, I finally smiled.
Shadow
It scared me. I could feel Swift drifting further and further away as time passed, her location a red blip on the map in my mind. Why I saw it that way, I didn't know. I did know that her being this far away from me was cause for extreme worry.
Anxiety had destroyed my appetite rather deftly. I merely sat on the couch, mindlessly watching The Weather Channel's consistent and urgent Tropical Updates. As it appeared, Tropical Storm Jeremy brewed in the Atlantic and the meteorologists had no defined idea on where this system was headed or what it would become as it moved into more favorable waters for it, less for us. The ocean remained placid, almost glassy, revealing nothing. It was actually doing a more-than-decent job of bluffing.
At its highest point of elevation, St. George Island was probably only around seven feet above sea level. In the event of a tropical storm, much less, a hurricane, there would be nothing left of the island. This assumption was based off of what I had seen occur only a few days before Swift left.
A storm, a bit severe, parked over the island for a few hours, dumping rain with what seemed like no end. By the time the storm had fizzled out, the streets on the island were flooded, standing water just waiting to be hydroplaned over.
It wasn't the houses I was too worried about, rather, the land they occupied.
Even then, my mind was not on the island for the most part.
Currently, my dominant emotion was concern, and this emotion only presented itself for Swift. I fought hard and long to keep myself from calling her just to make sure she was okay.
Give her some freedom, some independence, Shadow. She told you that she'd call you when she arrived in Mobius and she's not there yet. Just relax. Some pathetic, optimistic voice squeaked from a rarely used place in my brain. I quickly bit back the 'pathetic' retort when I recognized the voice as Maria's.
Great, I'm talking to myself. I hissed, rubbing my eyes.
Not necessarily, Shadow. I'm not you, as far as I know. That'd be kinda creepy if I was. I felt my jaw drop.
M-maria? You're dead.
Technically not, I'm actually very much alive and well up here in Hea-.
After all this time, God's letting me talk to you. My mind's voice sounded a little more doubtful than I'd wanted it to. I closed my eyes.
Just to give you a brief little warning, I guess.
I'm all ears.
The time to come home is approaching? Her voice sounded unsure.
What are you talking about?
Look, whatever's about to happen was meant to. You'll find out for yourself eventually. Just know that He has a plan. Now she sounded rushed.
Maria! Give me some answers here! You're not being very specific.
Can't, Shadow. Abruptly, Maria's face appeared before me, contorted in anger and splattered in blood.
At that instant, I jerked awake, shaking in a cold sweat. I brushed my cheek on my way to holding my head, finding it wet with warm tears.
What on earth?
My cell phone shrieked shrilly, screaming that I had missed a call. Lurching from the couch, I staggered over to the kitchen counter and flipped the phone open, stopping the noise. "1 Missed Call: Swift" The screen read. I cautiously depressed the center button and held the phone up to my ear as her's rang on the other side.
Sonic
"Huh, that's odd." Swift muttered, shielding her phone from a gathered crowd of cameramen once more. However, this crowd was much more focused on me than her, where as, on Earth, they were equally divided. This time around, most were merely curious about what the hero of Mobius had brought back home.
"What?" I asked, concerned. I had one hand on her shoulder to steer her through the crowd.
"Shadow didn't pick up… Ah! There he is!" Her frown passed into a grin as she depressed the center button and brought the phone to her ear. "Hey, bro! We made it!"
I tuned out of the conversation she was having and focused on weaving the two of us between people. Once we were finally through the throng, Swift snapped the cell phone closed, her face now a neutral mask, aside from her eyes. Stormy and darker currently, her eyes typically betrayed her every emotion, though most people wouldn't dare look into hers. Personally, I thought they were beautiful.
"What's wrong?"
"Shad didn't sound too great on the phone. Sort of shaky." She murmured low enough to prevent the anxiety from seeping into her voice.
I didn't have to wait long for her to elaborate.
"Maria." She explained simply.
I understood completely, pressing no further.
"So… Are you ready to see my home planet?" I gave it a few moments before I spoke again. She remained silent for a bit, looking straight ahead as we walked off of the platform and into, as in true Mobian nature, a forest.
"The trees…" Swift cast a glance up at them, then looked down at the ground. "The grass… It has a bluish tint." She remarked. I laughed in surprise at this comment. "What?"
"It figures that you would notice something like that."
"Of course I would. I'm me, after all."
"True." I smiled, though she still did not look at me. We continued walking for a bit while I waited for her to reply to my question.
"Sonic." My ears flicked when she said my name.
"Swift." I answered, directing my attention from my surroundings and onto her.
"Show me your home planet." Swift turned her eyes onto me, an eager grin crossing her muzzle.
Immediately, I took her hand, feeling my own smile stretch from ear to ear at that request. I wanted to show her everything that had made me the hedgehog she had met three years ago, as she knew everything that had made me into what I was since then. Excitement ignited within my chest and my heart thundered rapidly. I was home. Finally. No matter the circumstances of my arrival, I was home, about to show my very best friend what it was about this place that made it home.
"Have you ever been to Mobius before?"
"No." She admitted, blushing slightly. "Not like this."
"Then…" I paused, taking a deep breath and allowing the clean air to flow through my lungs, tasting the undiscovered places just on the fringe of touch. "I'll have to introduce you to the Mobius they know, then the Mobius that I know."
"They?"
"Most Mobians don't leave the village they're born in. It's slightly primitive, I guess, compared to what you're probably used to, but there's stuff out there that discourages people from leaving. The Wild's dangerous to those who don't know how to survive, but I'm pretty sure you know how to do that." She nodded in agreement, though it really was unnecessary. "The Wild's the Mobius that most people don't get to see. That's the Mobius that is really my home…" I stopped in my tracks, taking another deep breath. Swift's expression was perplexed when I looked back at her. "What?"
"You don't typically do that." She said flatly.
"I know. Only here." I gave her a sly simper. Her puzzled look remained a bit longer. "C'mon." Swift's head jerked up again, interest fully on me. "I'll show you why."