Chapter 40 - Resurfaced Echos
After taking flight from the building top, Malaria struggled to keep her mind straight. The avalanche that came into her mind after the realization of what happened to her was all consuming. Trying to fly proved cumbersome as she never had to go far in the years she spent in the Sanctum. Clenching her teeth with self-hate, her bruised up knuckles and fingers added another layer of pain. Being physically, emotionally, and psychologically turmoiled, she began to lose altitude.
Descending down to the ground, she only made it several meters outside of the city. Feeling the landing to be hard, she fell to the ground and slid a bit. Grunting from the suffering that generated, she didn't move. Only breathing in and out, she couldn't even focus on the present. Trying to rid the cyclone of thoughts, sensations, flashbacks, and her internal voice, the effort to do so was frivolous.
"...ahhhh...sstoopp...iitttt..." she growled to no one. Gingerly getting up on all fours, she shook her head hard.
"...IIIII...ssaaiiddd...sstttoopppp...iittt," the female repeated.
Feeling disoriented from the harsh movement, she lost balance and dropped to the ground on her right side. Curling herself into a half fetus position, she put her hands on top of her head. Gripping her head, she muscled through the suffering coursing through her fingers. It was as if hot needles were stabbing each digit and spreading fire through their lengths. Reaching a limit to control herself, she clenched every fiber of her being a felt her mind boil over.
"AAAARRRRRRGGGAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Malaria murderously screamed into the air. After running out of breath and stopping, her bellow echoed throughout the forest around her. The effect made her seem massive and haunting as much scurrying fled away from her location. Staring at vegetation thwas across from her, her vision began to warp.
'...another one of these...# $%#...why don't they just die already?' a distant voice ringed her mind of a flashback. The environment was hazy and she couldn't make out objects. Blobs appeared around her with some hovering over the bat woman. It seemed all of them were towering figures. Imposing as black silhouettes, there was no distinction of identifying who they were.
'Why exterminate...when we can...form self-inflicting martyrs?' a different person answered the others question. It seemed to echo in a place that seemed very spacious. Confused at what was happening, she blinked.
'We all are going to die here,' a person stated.
"..." Malaria breathed in harshly. Feeling her mind warp, she scrunched her face. Turing over on her back, the intense migraine came and went. Feeling able to move without the urge to vomit, she peered her eyes forward.
Feeling them open wider, she was in a prison cell of some kind. Dark and surrounded by metal, life seemed very detached here. Looking to her left a little, someone was looking at her which she assumed was who spoke. Staring at him, his figure was getting clearer. Oddly, he seemed familiar like he was from a previous flashback she had earlier or something.
'All of our kind that get captured by #$% never return back.'
'Don't listen to him,' another prisoner voiced. Blining in surprise and turning to her right, the neighboring cell had another individual. Looking to be a coyote breed, he wore a soldier uniform of some kind. Another wave of recognition went through her as if she remembered wearing that same type.
'That's what they want...for us to lose our minds and our will,' the man stated then bared his teeth. 'But when there is an opportunity, I will enjoy mauling those demons to death.'
'...what do you think of this one? Is it worthy of our resources to convert?' a female individual spoke clearly.
'...?' Malaria blinked to see the environment change again instantly.
Instead of the holding cell, she was standing in a pale room. Her feet and hands were in cuffs and chained along with other captives. In front of them was a large glass window. Knowing the sight being a witness and interrogation setting, her mind began to slow down from processing the scene. At the same time, her nerves immediately tensed. It was like they were reacting to slowly grasping what was going by her eye's mind.
'I've already picked my pests...that is your lot,' an unknown older male spoke.
"Damn them," one of the anthropomorphic individuals next to her whispered under his breath.
"..." she glanced at the person. Blinking and shaking her head a little, she remembered where she really was. Lifting her head up, she threw her head forward. Closing her eyes and bracing herself, she impacted with soft ground.
"GGEEETT...OOOUUTTT...OOOFF...MMMYYY...HEEEAADDD," the bat woman yelled again.
Feeling her face sting from the impact, she felt with her hands where she was. Feeling dirt and grass, she gingerly got herself back onto her hands and knees. Opening her eyes, her vision was blurry at first. Waiting and staring forward, the environment slowly became more detailed. Seeing where she was, her destination at the top of the valley platform was nowhere near her.
"...fllllyyy..." Malaria said through her teeth. Struggling to stand up, her body obeyed but ached everywhere. Not wanting to succumb to her suffering and mind breaking down, her old pride speared through.
"...III...am part...of the Sisters...of Sanctum," she declared in a shaking tone. Angry at herself, clenched her hands into fists. Agony surged itself back at her making her press her teeth together harder.
"...I aM...a CoNvErTeR...oF lOsT sOuLs!" she grew louder. Stumbling forward twice in attempts to stand, she was finally able to get up on two feet. Hunched forward with her arms hanging loosely, she glared at nothing in front of her. Flapping her wings, each consecutive one was getting stronger and stronger. Hate, anger, zealist pride, and denial was fueling herself to move.
"...I...AM...NOT...WEAK!" the woman shouted. Obtaining lift and gaining altitude, she set her sights for the sky. Getting as far as to the top of a high tree, she could feel her body was growing heavier than normal. Agitated from her current state, she tried to push through it.
'...you...are a fool...' the voice of Speed echoed in her mind. Instead of the stoic tone he used, her mind made it sound it was laced with mockery.
"SHUT UP!" she raged. Unable to fly more, she landed on a branch near the center of the tree. Putting her hands on the tree and breathing heavily, sweat began to develop on her face.
'...look at...the faith you...swore to,' it continued and repeated endlessly in her mind.
A swirl of thoughts and emotions festered quickly back into her mind like bacteria. Unable to stop it, a tidal wave of nausea slammed into her. Strong enough to make her lean hard against the tree, she suddenly vomited. Seeing a crude mixture of liquid and mild semi-solids rain down below, weakness gripped her. Putting her back against the trunk, her legs gave out.
"..." Malaria let out a stomach acid burp. Cringing from the burn in her throat, she could feel beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. Leaning her head back against the tree and breathing hard, her mind's eye blurred her vision again.
'...why blank slate their minds?' the distant but familiar female voice asked. 'Isn't this organization about#$^#$^them? Isn't that the point of this#$^?'
'You have a great scientific mind,' a male voice with an ascent spoke. 'Try stretching your... #^#$how to...improve our efforts.'
'I have with weapons and technology...not this...despicable wet and messy science.'
'And that my colleague...' he trailed off.
"..." the bat woman struggled to open her eyes. Unable to move, her arms and legs felt anchored.
Seeing him holding up and object, he flicked it softly a couple of times. The sensation of liquid droplets hitting her arm after seeing him push the back of the syringe. Doing a slow blink and trying to wake up, a needle was inserted in the same limb a couple of seconds later. Feeling pseudo sensations of shouting at them, the restraints held her at bay. Seeing the two towering figures stare down at Malaria, she began to feel numb.
'...is where...we share our scientific realms...our research...to produce...wonders,' the man stated with dark amusement.
'...what...did...yoooouuu...dooooo?' the anthropomorphic slurred as she talked. Within several seconds, everything blacked out. The soft chuckle of the man only made her body and mind tense up. Their reaction was like winding up for an impact of some unknown object or event.
'LOOK AT THE FAITH YOU SWORE TO!' Vermilion raged. Sounding like amplified speakers were next to her ears, the loudness somehow shook the darkness.
Blinking, her vision shifted to the chamber of Sars. The recollection of what was inside her former sister's room made her turn her head away. Her sight glitched to be looking directly at Speed. Instead of his normal appearance, both of his eyes were crimson and black. The aura he produced was twofold over what she remembered. She could feel her heart beating faster with fear.
'What's wrong#$more enlightenment...is needed#$%' he voiced with intimidation and coldness.
'NO-NO-NO-!?' she began to yell when the environment shattered. Like glass falling, the sound of it disintegrating to the ground was like metallic rain. At the same time, the sensation of a needle getting jammed in the back of her head came.
'How ya holdin' up Salvaria?' a person nearby her asked.
'...!?' Malaria answered with a blink. Lying on the ground on her side, she looked around. Back in a holding cell, the previous cell dwellers were nearby. Feeling her mouth move when it was closed, only humming noises were heard. It gave vibrations in her head as if she spoke despite not hearing what she voiced.
'Yeah...we ain't prisoners of war...they treat all of us unluckies as some sort of guinea pig for experiments,' the female individual spoke. Without a warning, someone nearby barked like a primal in the wild. It was followed by heavy thumping and the sounds of someone being strangled.
'They send back...rejects to this prison block...just to demoralize us and make us submit.'
'But trust me...a couple of fellas got a plan...you can#$%#$if ya want,' the woman stated before static and white noise rushed over her sight. The feeling of thousands of pricks on her eyes came making her cringe and close them tightly.
'Deception Sister Malaria,' the one arm hedgehog haunted in her mind. 'carries...many...faces.'
"Are you purposely haunting me!?" she asked loudly and harshly.
'...is that your confession?'
"...!?" she reacted with a frantic start.
Opening her eyes widely, the view of the forest was around. Looking down, she was still sitting on the branch and leaning against the tree. Past that was a tremendous drop to the ground if she fell off. Moving her eyes forward, she just stared at in front of her. Breathing in and out quickly, the agony she felt on her body was numbed.
Moving her fingers, the wounds on it were not as harsh as before. Bringing them up to her face, the bleeding from the cuts on her hands and fingers clotted. However, the cold wind still made them sensitive as if piercing through the wound. Swallowing the mild lump in her throat, she was going to shake her head then stopped. A small tide of dread invaded the back of her mind followed by a voice that spike the small hairs on her neck.
'Welcome my little devils,' an older man's voice came alive.
'...!?' Malaria blinked in reaction to the instant environment change.
Sounding like in a large warehouse, his words seemed to reverberate and add volume. Lights from above turned on with heavy clicks from breakers. Shined with fluorescent lights, she saw was with others standing on a platform. Looking up, there was a silhouette standing on a catwalk. Behind him, was a big screen that had a media playing on it like a film of sorts.
'You all have been handpicked to be our...agents in this war,' he informed then spread his arms out. From the looks of the lights and shadows, it was a human with a tall and wide frame.
'Tell me...what is your purpose?'
'TO SEEK THE SINNERS!' a chorus of voices spoke. The bat woman felt her eyes widen from feeling her mouth move, but no voice coming out. Hearing vibrations in her head, it was as if she was imprisoned consciously in someone's body.
'Who are the sinners?' the male being voiced back with vigor.
'THE AMELIORATES!'
'Where are they?'
'ALL OVER MOBIUS!'
'How are you going to seek them!?' the human loudly spoke with excitement. Each one of the small individuals below on the platform had the same look and voiced the same enthusiasm.
'INVADE!'
'What are you all going to do to the sinners!?'
'REDEEM THEM!'
'AND WHY ARE WE REDEEMING THEM!?' the human spoke louder. Getting wound up from their responses, he got animated more to see if that would raise their spirits.
'FOR PRAISE OF OUR GOD!'
'WHO IS YOUR GOD!?'
'YOU ARE!'
'HOW ARE YOU GOING TO REDEEM THOSE SINNERS!?' the man screamed at them and raised a fist in the air to emulate power.
'KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...' the mob chanted over and over again. Each raised their fist in the air and fist bump the air with each shout of the word. Even the person that Malaria was stuck in was doing the same thing. However as the verbal shouting continued, she could hear the voice. It was hers.
'Heh heh heh...ha ha ha...AHA HA HAHA...AAAAAAHHHHH HA HA HA HA HA#$ #$%$' the man and the surrounding individuals began cackling louder and louder till the environment shifted again.
"...no..." Malaria whispered in distraught realization.
Feeling her mind settle down, the hazy vision faded away. Seeing her surroundings clear, it was a sharp contrast that made her blink a few times. Her mind also stopped altering with a thousand thoughts spearing in and out of her brain. Able to think clearly, the only thing that remained constant was the pain her hands and general ache all over her body. However, her mind was only focusing on one aspect. The one singular revelation that solidified everything.
'...how...did he know...' she wondered. Still leaning against the tree with her legs on either side, she fortunately hadn't moved in her mental episode. Looking down a little, she brought her hands up. Looking at her palms, she could still see the nick wounds on the sides of her fingers.
'...how did he know...I wasn't...like the other sisters?' she continued. Despite feeling lost and exhausted from the turmoil experience, a feeling of being free came. It was not overpowering as in how the female prisoner reacted. Slowly blinking and staring at her hands, a feeling of just waking up swam in her mind.
"...damn..." the bat woman muttered. Frowning from hating the emotions that were surfacing, she put her palms onto her face. Covering her eyes, she pressed them into her eye sockets. Clenching her teeth together, she struggled to maintain her composure.
"...damn it..." she repeated in a louder voice. Hearing no one respond to her directly, only the distinct wildlife and insects announced themselves. Breathing in, her chest felt as if fridged air came in. Pressing her lips together and becoming rigid, they began to quiver a little. A sensation of moisture was coming to where her eyes were that made her agitated.
"...f-fucking...d-d-damn it..." Malaria stuttered.
Pulling her legs up and curling them in, she brought her knees to her chest. Unable to contain all that was generating inside of her, she stammered out an exhale. Rubbing her palms over her eyes, she felt them become wet. Opening her eyes a little, her vision was a little blurry. Tensing her face more, she tried to distract herself by looking on the other side of her hands. Seeing the bruises and cuts, she rubbed one hand over the other.
Her pain sensors in the lacerated areas flared. Not strong enough for her to succumb to it, it was enough to combat the emotional response she was experiencing. About to do the action again but harder, something appeared off. Blinking and doing a snivel, her left hand appeared to have smears. Focusing on it, it was as if she had a stain or paint of some kind on her skin.
A flashback came like getting hit by freight train. The drunken episode she had after drinking blood from the beyond intoxicated prisoner was relieved. Her actions afterwards all became clear. Still staring at her injured hands, all she could do was feel her eyes widen. The remembrance of Vermilion's reenactment and trying to get her to recall opened her memory to it.
"...what the hell am I!?" the woman shouted in distraught. Curling up into a ball again, she buried her face into the palms of her hands. Clawing her head, she shook all over. Breathing deeply and choking a little, she mustered all the willpower she had left to not breakdown. Feeling tears seep out, they were both from anger and agony.
"...how...HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO FIGHT BACK!?" she yelled to no one. A part of her expected a voice to respond to her outcry. To answer her question so that she could defend and reason. After a minute or two of nothing, the silence yielded extra weight down on her turmoiled mind.
"Why are you not answering!? You had no problem before!"
Her tone carried throughout the forest a distance before fading to nothing. Before becoming more unstable, she moved her wings. Feeling them trying to cover a majority of her, it felt as if she was trying to hide. Clenching her teeth harder, the action made her feel that she became weakened. Her gut response was to state prideful aspects about the trio-group she was a part of. However now that she is fully awake, a hallow sensation filled her being. As if when she remembered walking up years ago till now, she was only subconsciously awake.
'...w-wait...' she said in her head.
Even the internal voice sounded wounded from how strong it used to be. Removing her hands from her eyes, she opened them. Seeing the blurred vision in spots, she couldn't stop a droplet or two from coming out from the corners. About to rub them with the back of hands, she stopped. The smear color on her skin gave a phantom feeling of being in someone else's body. Ridding the thought, the woman began to move.
"...he stated...he couldn't count out...that he was from the war," Malaria spoke to herself. Gingerly getting up to stand, the wind at the top of the trees seemed to help with drying her eyes out. Blinking a couple of times, her sight began to clear a little.
"Stating...war dreams and having visions...of the past."
"That must mean...he suffered a similar fate...or accident."
"In any case," she continued.
Feeling able to look around without succumbing to the visions and her emotional state, she searched for the rendezvous site. Tracing one of the mountains and looking down it, there was a small valley. Following and barely seeing the bedrock clearing area, her eyes locked onto it. Moving her wings and flapping them, she was able to get lift from the amount of strength she had. Jumping off the branch and leaning forward, her flight path dipped a little before straightening out.
"The final judgment will occur...once all parties are together."
As Triselle and Sonic continued their mild chatter and conversing, time seemed to slip by them. She was able to maintain a friendly atmosphere with the young hedgehog to which kept her mind distracted. The aspect of babysitting didn't register in her mind as the child held no overtones of animosity or suspicion towards her. He was the first individual that she could talk to and not be guarded. So much so, she would readily continue conversations with him or play small games to keep the setting flowing and constant.
"I'll right...hmm," the female canine spoke. Putting her hand to her chin, she scouted the land in front of them. Spotting something in the distance, she continued.
"I spy with my little eye...something white."
"...white..." Sonic repeated looking in the same direction. Searching, there didn't seem to be much that was white. Thinking about snow, it wasn't cold enough for it to drop and dust the ground. Squinting his eyes and staring, nothing popped out at him that was that color. Blinking and looking up a little, he saw something.
"Is it smoke from the city?"
"Close. Guess again."
"...huh..." the child responded. Frowning a little, he continued looking. Seeing bodies of water around, the sunlight was shining on it and reflecting.
"The sunlight on water."
"Correct. Nice!" Triselle stated with a smile on her face. "Your turn."
"Alright...hmm," Sonic mused to himself. Scanning around with his eyes, he couldn't see the woman keeping her smile.
'...either I must be god awfully lonely...or maybe I should have took a stab at having children back then?' she thought. Smirking to herself and internally shaking her head, she waited for him to state his observation clue.
"-something black."
"...black you say," she repeated. Taking a quick look around, she already had a lineup of what had the color.
"Is it...the smoke from the city?"
"Na-uh," the boy answered with shaking his head a little.
"Is it...the shadows on the ground?"
"Mmm-mmm," he replied with wagging one finger side to side.
'Little rascal is being cute,' she said in her head. Smiling, she looked back at what laid in front of them. Searching for anything black, there was something flapping in the air.
"Is it that animal flying in the air?"
"Yeah. That's it."
"How did you even see it? Are your eyes that good as a hawk?" she asked while squinting to see better.
"I just saw something drop down from a tall tree...it...kind seems like a big bat," Sonic answered.
He put a hand over his eyes and stared harder at the object. Both waited in silence for a minute as the being got closer and closer. When the details of the figure came, the worry that it was a primal went away. However, the individual made both of them tense up. Seeing Malaria descend gradually to the ground, her landing was a bit rough. A weathered and exhausted appearance washed over her as she stood there breathing.
"..." Triselle watched and slowly got up.
'She looks...defeated,' she mentally noted then looked her up and down.
How the bat woman's hands looked seemed like she got into a nasty fight of some kind. The bruises and cuts on them seemed it was a tooth and nail battle of some kind. Looking back at the woman's face, the bat woman's eyes never looked at them. Seeing her recover after catching her breath, she stood up straight. Seeing her eyes move, they stopped staring at her.
'The intimidating glare...is not there?' the dog woman commented in her mind.
"I..." Malaria began with a low tone. The edge it used to have had changed into a milder, approachable tone.
"...take it...Vermilion hasn't returned yet."
"..." Triselle blinked and stared a little. "...no...not yet."
"..." the former torturer closed and open her eyes.
Looking around them, she turned to the right and went to a small boulder. Stopping and maneuvering to face the two, she sat down. Holding her hands together and interlacing her fingers, she winced and barred her teeth. The sight of seeing her in pain was very odd. Sonic was leaning away from the rock he was against to see the changed person. A part of him was pushing him to go help her; however, he remembered what she was doing prior to meeting her. That aspect kept him at bay.
"Did you...get into a fight with a primal?" the canine asked. Kneeling back down, she didn't take her sight off of her.
"...I...did not...I injured myself," Malaria corrected in a stoic tone.
"...I see...did you and he get separated?"
"...I..." she began then closed her eyes. "Left...after getting my answers...from him."
'Wonder what he said that made her like this now?' the other woman thought. Before any further questions were asked, a sudden feeling that something was watching them came over. Being nearby, its presence was enough to get them on alert. It was thrown off by other footsteps followed by a familiar voice by two out of the three people.
"...how the freakin' hell...can you see moving that fast?" Chiara asked after letting go of him. Adjusting the backpack she had on, she turned around. Seeing his actual appearance in daylight seemed worse than in that underground prison.
"...one...gets used...to it..." he replied while standing neutrally nearby. Hearing movement to his left, he only moved his eyes.
"Speed!" Sonic called out.
Getting up and peering around the small boulder, he saw the gray ash hedgehog. About to continue, he froze from seeing what the other hedgehog looked like. Triselle noticed the boy's reaction and looked in the same direction. Not knowing who the stoat woman was, the state of the amputee's figure made her take one careful step back. Soft footsteps were heard to her left and stopped nearby. Glancing at who it was, it was Malaria.
All four saw the one-arm hedgehog look like a psycho cannibal. His mouth, chin, neck, and cheeks were heavily stained with blood. Crimson had dripped out his mechanical eye and the quill stump on top of his head. With his left hand spotted with red, his crude scabbed wound for his missing right arm seemed to have reopened as well. Holding a stoic face, his aura stank of a cold-blooded killer.
"...hello...sorry for the delay," he stated then gestured to the female stoat. "There was...extra food gathered."
"..." everyone else stared at him and didn't move. Seeing his right eye close and open slowly, wind began to blow around them. A whiff of pungent iron scented the air.
'If he was a former prisoner...and never changed what was eaten...does that mean he is a cannibal?' Triselle thought feeling unnerved at how gory he appeared.
"I'm not eating this food with you looking like the hell hole we came out of," Chiara stated after putting the backpack down. Opening it up, she got the food containers out and on the ground. Covering her mouth with her hand, she pointed at him.
"Since you can zip across the land, go dunk yourself in the sea or something."
"..." Speed stared and did another slow blink. Looking at the others, each held different faces. Not caring what expression they had, he looked back at the child.
"...eat...gain back your strength..." he said. Turning around, he moved quickly up the mountain side. The four traced his path and saw him go into a cave opening. Out of sight, they turned back to each other. An uncomfortable silence passed by them until someone gave a loud sigh.
"Listen...there is food in here," Chiara informed. Opening the two storage bins, they held an assortment of foods and drinks. True to his word, there were chili dogs and soda pop inside along with other simple entrees.
"Ya want a dog and pop squirt or something else?" she asked looking at the boy.
"I-I'll have the chili dog and soda...please," Sonic answered. Getting up and feeling able to move again, he went around the canine. Stopping in front of the stoat, she handed him his meal. Thanking and walking away, Chiara looked up to a canine woman. Remembering a little bit of her being a prisoner, she lifted her chin up and down a little.
"How bout you?"
"I'll...have the same please."
"Sure," she replied. Gathering and handing her the items, she walked back to where the blue hedgehog stood. Watching him begin to eat, he seemed to enjoy it. Blinking and glancing to her right, both she and Malaria stared at each other. Despite having a negative output regarding the taller female, she gave a half frown.
"Ya eatin' something batty?" she asked in a cautious, but firm voice.
"...I'm fine...for now," she answered in the same guarded tone.
"Alright," the female stoat responded then gathered what she wanted. Closing the lids and stepping back, she sat on a large stepping stone. Another wave of silence passed by them as the ones with food consumed it. Not realizing how hungry they were, the food was eaten quickly.