Chapter 14 - The Stranger's Epithet
"..."/"..." the two hedgehogs said staring at each other. Awkwardness and suspension filled the air between them as the child's nervousness continued to build. Blinking and squatting to the ground, the stranger grabbed a nearby stick. Etching the ground to form a word or two, Sonic saw what was being written.
'...U...ok...?' the boy stated in his mind.
Looking up, he saw him staring back with an unfriendly face. The blood stains and the dead bodies behind him made it harder to answer. Only getting out a small nod, the man's real eye was the only one that blinked. The robotic black and red eye stared coldly at him. Not wanting to have this tension anymore, the orphan tried to break the uncomfortable ice that was between them.
"...are...you okay?" the child asked in a quieter than normal tone.
"..." the stranger responded. Erasing the etched words, he wrote again.
[...no...pain in mouth...]
"Why...were you on the table?" Sonic asked tensing his muscles up. "Why did you ask me to active the machines?"
[...item retrieved...in base...was a tongue...]
[...facility...has technology...to attach one...]
[...room...had surgical machines...able to operate...] he explained. Hearing movement and looking up, the child looked shocked and moved closer to him a little.
"We went in there to get a tongue!?" the blue boy stated. Seeing the small nod of answering, an aghast and grossed out expression came onto the orphan's face. The reaction made the adult hedgehog give a slight smirk.
"I thought the docs...or nurses have to put someone...asleep if they were going to do surgery."
[...to be painless...yes...] he agreed with a slow blink.
"..." Sonic reacted with cringing and leaning back. "...w-why...?"
[...taking back...what was taken...] the hedgehog replied.
"...!?" the boy flinched and showed his clenched teeth in nervousiness. "Yours was...taken from you?"
[...] the man answered with a small pause.
As if he was thinking for a little bit, he motioned his head down and up a little. His response made the child's anxiety increase more. Slowly, the cybernetic eye slowly panned over to the right corner of the black screen. The sight of one eye moving while the other stayed staring at him was unnerving. Seeing the amputee turn his head and look behind him, it was less than a 180 degree rotation.
Turning to the same direction, the orphan tried to see what was there. Not seeing anything beyond the tall weeds and bushes, he slowly stood up. Viewing more of the vegetation and open space, there seemed to be blurred movements in the distance. However, he couldn't tell if it was just the wind blowing the branches and leaves or more predators. The one-armed man turned back to him which made him stiffen a little to be at attention. The expression on his face was neutral.
"What's out there?" Sonic whispered and leaned a little forward.
[...wildlife...wind...]
[...we go...back to cave...]
"..." the child spoke and did not move.
Assessing the situation and the adult hedgehog, his mind brewed. The aspects of what the lone man could do was something that he was seeking. However at the same time, he was more afraid of him than before. Watching him use the wooden stick to erase his writing, he stood up. Dropping it to the ground, he turned around. Heading for where his cloak was, it was near one of the predators.
Blinking to get out of thinking, he proceeded forward to follow. Only taking a couple steps forward, he stopped seeing the corpse. Feeling his eyes widen in fear, the primal's head was completely smashed in and was still bleeding. Seeing some of the facial organs popped out and pierced with teeth made it looked severely deformed and grotesque. Turning around and feeling queasy, the boy covered his mouth. Mentally seeing the image of death again, vomit came up his throat.
"..." the stranger said hearing the small one hurl.
Getting to his cloak and reaching to grab it, he saw the blood on his hand. Knowing that there was crimson on his mouth from biting off the underside of a panther's neck, his boots were stained as well. Not really caring about smelling of iron and death, he grabbed and threw the outerwear over him. Turning around and looking at the orphan, he was bent over and expelling his guts again. Opening his mouth to breath, agony shot through it when he tried moving his tongue. He immediately pressed his teeth together hard and formed a tight fist with his left hand.
"..." the amputee reacted with deep breathing. Trying to get use to the sensitivity, he just tried small movements. The stabbing feeling came again; however, it was not instant. It was like a large needle going through his tongue and mouth a slower pace. Not making him feel any better, it was not so piercing with the lethargic movements.
"...S...o...n...i...c...hhhhhaaaaaaa..." he spoke with a raspy voice and forced air.
"...!?" the boy reacted with a flinch.
Not feeling the upheaval from his stomach to his throat anymore, he slowly maneuvered himself to look behind. Seeing the killer with his cloak back on, he seemed to be in a mixture of agony and anger. Remembering that he said that they would be going back to the cave, fear was gripping him hard. His harsh sounding voice made him pull his ears back and down. Mentally, the orphan was mentally preparing for what may come. The aspects of getting yelled at, his wrist snatched at, or being forced to view the carnage around made him fidget.
"...a...r...e...y...o...u...i...m...m...o...b...i...l...e...?" he asked through clenched teeth. His left fist looked like it was shaking from being closed up tightly. Seeing him glaring at him, Sonic stood up at attention.
"N-N-No sir! I-I-I'm fine."
"...hhhhhhaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrnnnnnnnn..." the one-arm hedgehog growled in a low tone trying to surpass the suffering he was feeling.
"...does it...hurt a lot?"
"...yyyyyeeeeeeesssssss..." he answered with grinding his teeth a little. "...c...a...v...e...h...a...s...r...e...m...e...d...y..."
"O-okay-!?" the boy responded. Seeing him materialize in front of him within a blink of an eye, he could see the man's torturous and agitated expression. Flinching from seeing him grasp his right upper arm, he leaned forward to be in his face.
"...close...mouth...tense...neck..."
"Y-Y-Yes sir."
Without hesitation, the stranger turned around and bolted. Instantly going faster than Sonic could run, their speed accelerated exponentially. Squinting his eyes to see where they were going, he grabbed the man's forearm with his other hand. Seeing things going passed them faster and faster, the amputee gave a low growl. Going at the speed they went to go save Zorn's village, the adrenaline rush pushed the foreboding and fear of the stranger away.
Covering much ground through the forest, it continued for a few seconds. Feeling him start to slow down, they came to a relatively flat area. Sliding, sounds of scrapping dirt and gravel came loudly. Getting his feet to touch the ground, the child also slid to help decrease their speed. Sort of getting use to the air friction, he opened his eyes and viewed the familiar surroundings.
'Only a few seconds went by at that speed...and we are back already,' Sonic thought surprised and getting enthralled. 'Each time he does that with me hanging on...it's so cool!'
Slowing down enough, both began running. Doing shorter and shorter strides, the momentum decreased quickly. Once at a walking tempo, both were on the downgrade of the landscape. Up ahead was the cave entrance with no creatures around. Looking up to the sky, its setting was on the onset of dusk. The blue and white cloud colors began to change hues towards orange and splashes of purple.
"..." the child reacted with a blink.
Feeling his arm being let go, he released his grip on the man's arm. Hearing him breathing through clenched teeth, he headed towards the opening in the hill. Following him and walking behind to his side, the boy surveyed the cave. Light only reached so far before shadows overtook everything else. Thinking about asking him a question, he was initially hesitant to do so.
"...can you...see in the dark?" the orphan asked quietly. Hearing a shallow breath in take, both entered the entrance of the large sediment cavity.
"...yesss..." he responded still sounding in pain.
"Whoa...really?"
"..." he responded with a grunt.
"Is it possible to learn how to see in the dark?"
"...our...race...noc...turnal..." the amputee answered. His raspy voice echoed and bounced off the walls the deeper they went into the large sedimentary cavity.
"Nocturnal? What does that mean?" Sonic asked never hearing that word before.
"...ques...tions...after...remedy..." the adult hedgehog stated harshly.
His tone was more through suffering than sounding annoyed. Hearing quickened small steps, the child got next to him. Seeing him reach out and grab a piece of his cloak, he tried looking what was in front of him. Ignoring that aspect, he continued towards the left wall of the cave. Getting to the left tunnel, the unsure footwork of the younger male made him slow down his pace.
"...I...I can't see...sorry..." Sonic stated quietly.
His voice ricocheted off the closer walls as they continued forward. Not hearing the stranger respond, the child felt his other senses slowly become heightened. Listening to their footsteps, he could not hear much wildlife anymore. It almost seemed no sound generated in the under passage except for their steps. Blinking from catching a scent, he couldn't tell if it was in front of him or not. Other than a mild dampness in the air, something made him sniff their air multiple times.
"It smells like...eggs?" the child spoke a little confused.
"...hot...spring..."
"Hot spring? What's that?" he asked. Turning his head toward the stranger, the only thing that glowed in the tunnel was his red ring eye. It did not shine any light to where they were going.
"...it...nearby...show...later..."
"Ok."
Going forward through the darkness, the boy just followed where the amputee walked. Not even knowing what was around other than the narrow passageway, the temperature inside oddly increased. Not feeling cold, it was warmer than outside. Getting more curious, he could sense that the tunnel opened up. Despite only seeing darkness, it seemed they were now in an open space.
"..." the orphan spoke turning his head around. Still not seeing anything, he almost tripped from the ground going up a little in elevation. Gripping the cloak harder to not fall, both stopped.
"Sorry," the younger hedgehog said. Securing his footing and standing straight, he looked up.
Flinching a little, the crimson eye was looking down at him. Thinking he would get berated, the man never said anything. Perking his ears up from hearing faint sounds, there was no other sound occurring. As if in a void, the boy could only hear his breathing and pulse beating clearly. Hearing the soft noises again, they were next to him.
Looking up and staring at the male's robotic lens, electronic sounds were being emitted. Watching the eye move slowly as if scanning, the noises continued. When it stopped, the quiet computer processing tones stopped. Feeling a small pull from the stranger's cloak, he picked up his pace to follow. Despite having the stranger with him, the sight of not being able to see anything and only hearing things was unnerving.
Deciding to hold his tongue from asking curious questions, they walked relatively straight for a minute or two. Going through another underpass to a wide opening, the egg smell was a little stronger. Also, there seemed to be faint light. Unable to determine from where, it was enough to see shadows of things. From what he could see, they were in another large chamber. On the adjacent walls coming out of the underground passageway, there were two more tunnels seen.
Hearing him shuffle a little before walking forward, Sonic saw his figure move to the back wall. Following him carefully, he saw him approach a table of some sorts. Seeing him stop, the sound of a wooden drawer being open came. Its scrapping gave the indication that it was either old, in rough shape, or had begun to warp. Hearing small things being grabbed, they were dropped into an unseen object.
'...?' the boy thought with wonder. Sniffing the air and ignoring the sulfur odor, an aroma began to slowing seep into the surroundings. It was familiar. Closing his eyes and trying to recall from where he got that scent, the nurse's hut came to mind. Opening his eyes and opening his mouth, he stopped.
'...maybe I should wait until he is done...' he pondered.
Closing his mouth, he watched the silhouette move in front of him. Picking up another smell, it was mildly floral with some leaves. Proceeding to be closer, he stopped from hearing grinding noises. Staring at the man's face, he could not see anything except the blood colored iris. Perking his ears up more and shutting his eyes to concentrate, the sound wasn't from teeth. The impression was of mashing hard grain, nuts, and plants together.
After the tone of small cracking was heard, its pungency from before was now stronger. Over ridding the egg smell, it was not exactly a better scent. Smelling like an herbal medicine that the village healers make, it seemed to take an edge off of being in the dark. The grinding from before started to change. It began to sound as if a paste was being made.
With the mashing changing to mild pounding, it was short lived. A soft clank of something being placed on the table came. Sonic moved his ears a little bit from hearing the man's haggard breathing change. Sensing that the stranger's mouth was opening, his left arm moved toward it. A low growl of pain emitted from him as the amputee lifted his head up a little.
Watching, the silhouette showed he was putting something in his mouth. Watching the amputee apply a few applications of his concoction, the hedgehog put his hand down. Not letting go of his cloak and listening to him for a minute or two, the man began to sound less in pain. Approaching closer to be sort of in front of him, the crimson ring eye turned to him. Stopping and waiting, the child fidgeted before speaking.
"What did you make?"
"...a...numbing...mixture..." he spoke. Less edgy from before, his voice was still raspy. The change of tone made him a bit more approachable.
"It smells similar to what the village nurses make when folks were hurt."
"...it is...probably the same..." he stated in agreement. "...for now...let us go...to the spring..."
"To do what?" the boy asked curious. Watching him turn around, Sonic reached out to grab his hand. Feeling nothing but air, he realized that there was no right arm or hand. Cringing a little and gingerly reaching for the cloak, he got hold of it. Feeling the man walk to the passageway ahead of them, he followed close by.
"...spring...will clean us...soaking...will ease aches and pains..."
"It isn't...an herbal bath...is it?" the orphan asked sounding concerned. His voice began to bounce off the walls upon entering the underpass.
"Those smell grassy and feel gross to be in."
"...sounds like...being in...a swamp."
"Yeah...what does a hot spring feel like?"
"...very warm water...tingling sensation..." he explained feeling the full effect of the numbing paste he made. It made talking easier though could still feel the pseudo sensations of pain receptors firing.
"...it is relaxing..."
"Sounds interesting...hey?" Sonic spoke. Blinking from seeing something, there was mild illumination coming up ahead.
"There are candles in the cave?"
"...no...hot spring...is outside cave...other side of hill."
Walking further along, the child could see more details of the surroundings. Slowly, the walls opened up to reveal another cavern. On the ground, it showed separated pools of water. Only one or two looked like a pond while the other cavities were smaller. Each of them had steam faintly emitting from them.
Looking up, there were openings on the upper back wall and ceiling. Despite the sunlight fading from outside, there were no vegetation seen through the fissures. The scent of the egg smell was stronger here. However, it was not pungent enough to make the boy feel queasy. The child felt that it was a smell that he could stand in short periods of time. If it got to him, he knew that the herbs in the other cave room would help.
Blinking and seeing a different source of illumination in the large space, the young hedgehog looked to the ground. Staring at the pools, there was a mild glow emitting from them. Letting go of the man's cloak, the boy approached a small puddle and looking straight down at it. Focusing at the bottom center, it seemed that was where its light was coming from. Going to one of the larger ones and looking again, the brightness came from the same area.
Moving back to be standing and looking around, he assessed how the amount of illumination reminded him of something. Closing his eyes and pondering, the orphanage came to mind. Remembering how some of the kids did not like darkness, the caretakers would either leave a candle on. One time, they used a portable light at would stay one for longer. The thought and connection gave the child a sense of ease and relaxation from not being in almost complete darkness.
"This place is cool!" Sonic stated smiling and opening his eyes. Turning around and seeing many shadows on the stranger's form, he removed his cloak. Beginning to take off his gloves and boots, the boy decided to do the same. Once done, the sedimentary floor was not cold. Instead, it was mildly warm which relaxed him more.
"Which one do we go in?" he asked looking up at him. Seeing no right arm and just a stump at the shoulder made him tense up a little.
"...the two in the middle...are deeper than my height..." the amputee stated and pointed. Turning and noting with his finger at the two outside, he continued.
"...the next ones are shallower...center point is up to nose level...those are ones I use...more than others."
"Okay."
Following him to the shallower bodies of heated water, a faint bubbling sound was heard. Coming from the hot spring pools, it made a wall of background noise. Getting closer to the center point of the chamber, the soft fizzing seemed like it was occurring everywhere. Reaching one and seeing him step into the liquid first, nothing seemed to happen to him. Watching, a red tinted film began to come off his body. Hearing mild sizzles from the pool, it did not seem to burn or eat him like acid.
Blinking and looking down, the child gingerly put his toe in. Feeling the warmth from the heated water, there was also a tingling sensation. Slowly putting his foot down, the mild electricity was going all over his skin. Deciding to continue, he stepped fully into the hot spring. The water came up to his stomach standing near the inside edge.
"...this feels...weird," the orphan stated. Dipping his hands in, he could feel his fur standing on end a little. Hearing movement, he saw the stranger turn around and sat down. His position was between the bottom center and lip of the pool.
"...hot spring...is acidic..." the male mentioned and looked at him. Seeing the hedgehog's eyes widen with worry, he slowly shook his head.
"...not acidic enough to be...lethal...but...do not drink it..."
"Is it bad to drink it?" Sonic asked. Moving toward him, the water level began to rise. He could feel that the floor was concaving to the center. It gave a rough aspect of being in a half sphere.
"...it upsets stomach...and internals...if large amounts are swallowed..." he answered.
His raspy tone sounded less harsh; however, it was probably from finally seeing him relaxing. Getting to a distance he could sit and not have the water over his head, he rested nearby. Thinking about what to talk about in the calming setting, the boy looked at the ceiling and wall openings. Thinking that predators and critters would crawl or squeeze in, there did not seem to be any evidence of animals. About to ask a question from earlier, a realization came to him.
"Hey...would it be okay to know your name?"
"...name...?" the amputee repeated. Seeing him open his eyes a little, he stared unfocused at the wall.
"...I don't remember...my name..."
"How come?" the child asked surprised.
"...when I came to long ago...did not know who...I was or what I was."
"...had to relearn...many things...to survive..."
"...making a name...was not important..."
"..." Sonic responded with looking down a little. Twirling his fingers in the water, a small whirl was being made. Stopping, an idea came to him.
"Why not I give you name?"
"..." the male reacted with a blink. Turning his head left a tad, he saw the orphan staring at him with anticipation. Internally not wanting to be given a name was due from his acts that others have seen. As a survivalist or a peddler, there were plenty of titles mentioning him in more diabolical tones. Looking back forward, he sighed through his nose.
"...your choice..."
"Okay...let's see...how about Bolt?" he suggested then immediately waved his hand. "Nah...that's not good...Rush?...meh...Dash?...no...not edgy..."
"..." the one-armed hedgehog blinked lethargically. Giving a deadpan expression, he turned his head a little. Staring at the boy with just the crimson ring eye, the blue boy seemed to be lost in his verbal brainstorming.
"Ooo! How about The Flash?" Sonic suggested with a smile. He lifted his arms up and opened his hands as if to present the title as a nameplate.
"..." he responded with just staring at him in silence.
"...mmm...maybe not...let's see..." the kid muttered to himself. Scratching the back of his head, he continued with his vocal thinking.
"...The Hunter...no...oh! How about Ghost? That sounds like a cool name and battle title since you can do that vanishing trick."
"..." the stranger answered with narrowing his eyes at him.
"Guess not huh?" the child asked then crossed his arms over his chest. Closing his eyes, he began tapping his right pointer finger on his arm.
"What else...hmm..."
"...why not name...they way your village does..." he spoke in a raspy neutral voice. He saw the boy shook his head and opened his eyes.
"I'm not naming you Killer...or Terminator...or Monster...that's lame..."
"...I see..."
"Let me think...what can be a good nickname for your super speed...hey!" Sonic spoke enthusiastically. His expression lit up as if he discovered treasure.
"Speed is a good nickname! It works because you can go crazy fast!"
"..." the stranger responded with a stare. Taking a deep breath through his nose and exhaling, he wanted the child to stop talking so quickly and loudly. His voice was echoing and bouncing multiple times in the chamber.
"...fine..."
"Yay! Hey Speed?"
"..." the adult hedgehog spoke with closing his eyes in annoyance. "...what...?"
"Just practicing saying your name," the boy said with an entertained smile.
"...do not...do that...and calm down," Speed spoke in a mild irritated tone. Opening his eyes, he turned his head to stare back at the wall.
"...you can...ask a question..."
"O-Okay...how come no bugs or primals come in here?" the kid wondered lessening his excited volume.
"...the smell keeps...majority away...use potent herbs at openings...keeps rest away..."
"Did you learn that from trapping?"
"...observed animals...saw characteristics...used it against them..."
"Seeing in the dark...you said our kind was...na...noc...what was the word?"
"Nocturnal."
"Yeah, that one...you learned that from trapping too?" he asked freely. The combination of relaxing from the hot spring and that the amputee was talking to him made him feel better. A part of him felt that the man's acceptance meant he did something good to earn it.
"...it is an...inherited trait of our...species..."
"Even I can learn?"
"...it be wise to...train it..." Speed spoke. Turning his head left to look at the child, he stared.
"...if you still...wish to be this...freedom fighter you claimed...and seek to join."
"..." the young hedgehog reacted with opening and closing his mouth. Pressing his lips together, he felt caught.
"...I'm...sorry for lying..." he began and did not meet his gaze. "I know...there is no such thing as a freedom fighter...or a group called that."
"..." the adult responded with a blink. "...why do you want...to be this justice of light?"
"Huh?" Sonic spoke looking up at the man.
"...the life outside...is of survival...not of being...saviors..."
"..." the child replied with keeping quiet.
"...our kind...is hunted down...by the human doctor here..." the amputee stated continuing to bore at the child. "...no one...has the power...and resources...to battle his machine armada..."
"...what about the ones living in cities? They have more stuff there than out here. Right?" the boy countered.
"...on this land mass...no establishment of our kind...has the capability to push...that human back," Speed informed. He saw the orphan's eyes widen with interest.
"You been all over this land?" Sonic asked and saw the man nod his head slightly. "How big is it?"
"..." the amputee answered with looking at him in silence. After a couple of moments, he turned his head away from the younger hedgehog.
"..." the boy reacted feeling that he annoyed him. About to speak, he saw the man's left hand move. He had picked up a loose rock and turned back to him. Handing him the stone, the child took it.
"...this represents...where we are currently...place that near the edge...of pool..." he stated. Nodding his head and placing it where specified, the hedgehog got an affirming nod to put it down.
"...the edge...represents the coast...the rest of this body," Speed stated. Lifting his left arm and pointing at the ridge of the ground cavity they were in, he slowly traced it.
"...is the rough size...of landmass..."
"...so that means..." Sonic began nodding his head and seeing him look back at him. "...this land is hugely big."
"...yes...some call it a country...others call it a...continent..." he confirmed. "...this place...is just like a small amount...of sand on a beach."
"And you have seen it all? With your super speed, right?"
"...to get places...yes...to explore them...no..." he answered. Turning halfway to face the child, he decided to ask a question again.
"...do you believe...super speed...is the answer to your...calling of freedom fighting?"
"...I...well..." the orphan began. Bringing his hands together, he nervously played with his fingers.
"I...I like to go fast...and don't like it that I can't do anything to help...because I am just a kid."
"..."
"...If I could go as fast as you Speed...then...I could do anything I ever wanted to do."
"Race against fastest...out race an enemy," he stated firmly while looking at his hands.
"Save people and friendly primals when they get caught by those metal goons," the boy continued. He opened his hands to look at his palms.
"Battle against the bots so they don't attack anymore villages," he said and closed one hand.
"Be a part of a renegade group to stop that human guy's evil acts," Sonic spoke.
Closing the other into a fist, he looked up. Speed was staring at him with only his crimson ring eye. Given the glow in the room casted shadows, it highlighted the red more and darkened his fur color more. He just looked like a dark silhouette sitting the hot spring. It made him appear as an eerie shadow creature with a devil eye staring back at him.
"...would you still...help your people...even if they outcast you...?" he spoke in a calm tone.
"..." Sonic replied with blinking and staring back.
"...would you still...help others if...they were trying to...kill you...?"
"..." the boy responded with feeling anxiety from his unblinking stare.
"...would you still...continue your justice path...when others want your power?"
"...my power?"
"...power to survive...is enough to live...others take power...to embolden theirs," Speed spoke quietly. The never changing shape of the figure and the unblinking digital lens gave the impression that he was an android looking at its target.
"...power...seeks control...seeking control...is to conquer over others...and take their power away."
"Not...not everyone in power is like that," Sonic began to say feeling uncomfortable. "My village chief...he-"
"...your leader and the other...saw me as a predator..." the amputee interjected but did not raise his tone.
"That's...because they thought of you as a killer...when we first met," the child countered. "I was trying to tell them the truth."
"...and what...did they do...when you tried to...tell them the truth?"
"...they...they...they..." he stated then became increasingly quiet.
"...when those in power...cannot control over others...they seek to...eliminate the threat."
"That's...that's too cruel," the orphan stated getting up. Walking to be next to the one-arm man, he felt better from seeing both eyes instead of the eerie cybernetic one.
"...too cruel..." Speed repeated quietly. He emitted a few airy chuckles before he stopped. Looking at the child, he stared hard at him.
"...reality Sonic...is not the village life..."
"...the destruction of homes...kidnapping of villagers...ongoing war between species..."
"...that cycle has been...occurring before you were ...ever born..."
"...it is...continuous...unrelenting...savage..."
"But that...that doesn't mean all of life is like that. The adults show us...I mean me and the kids at my village, how to live and be ourselves. Taking care of each other makes us stronger...so...so we don't have to feel alone or fend for ourselves. Like we are part of a family," the child reasoned. He saw the man's red eye shift left slowly by itself. Looking at a point passed where they were for a second, it slowly turned back to focus on him.
"...with the knowledge they...provided...did it give villagers...your family...power?" he asked softly. Seeing the small hedgehog flinch a little, he did not respond.
"...did you...gain any power to...battle against the machines?"
"..." the orphan replied with pressing his lips together. With a downcast head, he tensed up.
"...no...all they told us...was to run and hide...when the metal heads came."
"...so then..." Speed muttered and lifted his arm. Gently poking the child's chest, it made the youngin' look up a little. Pouting a little, he gave him his attention.
"...what will be...the purpose of learning...this super speed...when you don't know...how to survive?"
"..."
"Taking you to the human's...fortress...was suicidal..." he murmured. Lifting his finger up, he gently poked the boy's chest again.
"Despite that aspect...it also was...a piece of freedom fighting...that is from your...ideal goal."
"To infiltrate...to rescue...to gather information...to destroy...to tamper," the man continued then leaned closer. His voice was barely above a whisper.
"All of this...for the sake of a cause...while threatening your existence...at the same time."
"Do you...understand...the gravity of your...ideal?"
"..." Sonic replied with his head downcast again. Though his voice was not threatening, his mannerisms were piercing. His questions seemed to shake any thought or belief he had or learned from his village.
"...answer...the question...silence...means no," Speed whispered and never changed his tone.
"...I...I don't know..." the child replied quietly.
"...why not?...did the adults...in your village...not teach you how...to survive?"
"...no...not to fight or stuff...due to being too young," he answered though did not sound confident. Looking up to meet his gaze, he flinched a little seeing him in the same stare down position in the pool.
"...then...what power do you...need to gain first?"
"...power...to survive?" the boy answered cautiously.
"...yes..." the amputee stated with a small nod. "...your first exercise...begins now."
"...?" the boy reacted with blinking surprise. Feeling a finger being placed perpendicularly to his mouth, it indicated to him to be quiet. Wondering why, an echoing soft sound came through the tunnel. It made both hedgehogs' ears stand up from what sounded like soft dragging.