Mimic initiated another private call with Clutch in hirs dorm.
"The Tournament and the other event was scheduled for Friday. That's four days until it starts." Mimic said.
"Not a whole lot of time to prepare anything grand but, it's better than if it was scheduled tomorrow."
"Agreed. However, it still puts pressure on us with the limited time we've been given." Mimic said.
"I know. The Tenrec and her little pal. Are they cooperating?" Clutch said.
"She's making it difficult but she's in." Mimic said
"Either she's in or not. What's making it difficult for her?" Clutch said.
"She intends on winning the tournament. She didn't want to team up with me for personal reasons. So instead, I opted to help organize the event. But, she's still willing to do what she's told." Mimic said.
"I see. If the plan I'm cooking up has any merit. No one will be winning anything. Except for us, of course. By Tuesday or Wednesday, I will brief you on what's going to happen. When you brief the Tenrec, make sure you only give her what she needs to do her role. Understand?" Clutch said.
"Of course. I've been doing so since she joined the Resistance." Mimic said.
"Good. Alright, I'll keep in touch." Clutch said before ending the call.
####
Surge left the training facility in a livid state. An easy ticket at assembling an above-average team for the tournament was possibly thrown away because Drax cared about what she did. Surge grumbled to herself in frustration until she reached her dorm. Surge slammed the door open with every fiber of hate in her body. Unbeknownst to her, Kit arrived at the dorm before her and was already sleeping. The loud boom of the door colliding with the wall made Kit jump off his bed in shock and fall to the floor.
"Huh, What?!" Kit said, desperately trying to get his bearings on what was going on.
"Can you believe this?" Surge said, disregarding Kit's confusion.
"What do you mean?" Kit said, rubbing his eyes while still recovering from his sleep.
"Clean shot at winning the tournament with no one but the best. Instead, he worries about stuff that has nothing to do with what's happening now!" Surge said, pacing back and forth.
"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Kit said, before giving a long yawn.
"You know what? Forget it. Go back to sleep." Surge said, realizing Kit wasn't going to catch on to the conversation any time soon. Surge closed the door before leaving the dorm to let Kit sleep. Surge thought of the next person to vent to about her frustration. Her mind automatically locked to someone she seemed comfortable enough to vent to. Even so, Surge contemplated whether she should do it or not. No matter the reason she could think of against the idea, the stress built up in her overruled any logical reasoning she had. Before she knew it, she was
She hesitated before knocking on the door. As seconds went on, she started to regret her decision and wondered if she should take advantage of the opportunity to leave. She made up her mind and began to make her leave. Before she could take her first step, the door began to open.
" *yawn* Hello?" Sonic said, sticking his head out from his dorm.
"Hey." Surge said, as she awkwardly stood in the hallway.
"Surge? What's up? Didn't expect you this late." Sonic said.
"You got time to talk?" Surge said urgently with a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Uh, Yea. Sure." Sonic said, standing inside the door. There was an awkward silence between the two as Surge appeared to be waiting for Sonic to do something.
"Well!? Are you going to let me in or what!?" Surge said, raising her arms in frustration.
"Oh! Well, you could've asked. I thought it would be something quick." Sonic said, stepping back into his dorm.
"I mean, it should be quick. I just don't want to air out what I have to say in the middle of the hallway for everyone to hear." Surge said.
"Yea, Good point. So what's up? I would say you sound like you have a lot on your chest. But then again, you always sound like that." Sonic said jokingly.
Compared to the first time being in Sonic's room, Surge had time to scan the room. Unsurprisingly, the room was bare of any decorations or personality but was furnished just enough to be comfortable for guests. It was similar to Surge's dorm minus the bunk bed. The only addition was some bean bags to sit on. The room was dimly lit by a lamp on a nightstand by the bed. Sonic sat on his bed while Surge practically plopped onto a bean bag.
"Ha, ha very funny." Surge said.
"But seriously what's going on?" Sonic said.
"It's Everyone! I try to limit who I talk to but, when I do, everyone's first order of business is to talk about what I've done before I joined." Surge said, crossing her arms.
"Oh boy, what trouble did you get into now?" Sonic said, rubbing a hand over his face.
"I didn't get in trouble. This is about the tournament coming up." Surge said.
"What about it? Someone stopping you from joining?" Sonic asked.
"No, just listen. I was looking for teammates to make up a team of four with me and Kit." Surge said. Once again, Sonic held back from correcting Surge on her grammar.
"So, I went to the C.A.T to look for some. To be honest, If I could just join with me and Kit, I would. Anyway, I visited the training area to see if anyone was good enough to fight with me. Luckily, there was a mock tournament or whatever happening and I stayed from start to finish. To be frank, I think these guys have a lot to work on. If it wasn't for you, Amy, and the rest of you guys, I don't think the Resistance would last a week. No offense." Surge said.
"None taken. Compliments from you are rare these days after all." Sonic responded. Surge stuck out her tongue in response.
"Towards the end, there were these two guys that were left facing in the finals." Surge said.
"Let me guess. Drax and Dexter?" Sonic asked.
"You know them?" Surge asked.
"I know of them. Never actually worked with them before but, their names get thrown around in the C.A.T from time to time." Sonic said.
"Well, those were the two fighting. Personally, I wouldn't trust them to watch my back in an actual fight. But, compared to everyone else in the tournament and the fact that it's for a tournament, It was better than nothing. Before I say what happens next, let me point some things out. One, I waited PATIENTLY from day to night to speak with these guys. Two, this is to fight in a tournament, nothing serious or sentimental. And Three, I'm asking them to fight with me. You had first-hand experience of what it's like to fight with me."
Sonic watched as Surge explained her experience. Whatever she was worked up about, she had to use her to help describe the scenario as added theatrics. Surge didn't notice but, Sonic smiled as she was explaining her story.
"Anyway, I asked them to join me for the tournament. Even mentioned how good they were at fighting. Dexter was all for it but, Drax...this guy. Immediately, he started talking about what I'd done before I joined the Resistance. I didn't blame him. Hell, I even tried to reason with him that I was changing. But this asshole didn't care." Surge said. Sonic attempted to speak to point something out before Surge continued.
"LITERALLY GAVE HIM POSSIBLY HIS BEST CHANCE TO WIN A TOURNAMENT AND HE BLEW IT. ALL BECAUSE 'Oh I DoNt LiKe WhAt YoU dID bEfOrE yOu GoT hErE'. HOW UNGRATEFUL CAN YOU FUCKING BE!" Surge yelled out.
"Hey! Don't yell too loud. Someone might think something up." Sonic said, fully woken up by the sudden rise in volume by Surge.
"I'm Sorry, it's just. Arrrgghhhhh! What does my past have to do with winning something in the future? What if, the base was under attack, huh? What if Drax and I working together was the Resistance's last chance at surviving? Is he going to pull the same fucking excuse? It's so stupid, Sonic!."
Sonic watched as Surge began to produce sparks of electricity all around her body. Sonic hesitated if he should let Surge calm down by herself or if he should help. To his surprise, before he could make a decision, Surge began to calm down. The sparks began to stop appearing however, Surge was still clearly livid. With the sound of sparks gone, the growing sound of silence filled the room as Surge focused on her thoughts. With her venting appearing to come to an end, Sonic decided to speak up.
"Do you want me to share my thoughts or you just wanted to dump this on me and leave?" Sonic asked. Surge focused back on Sonic, almost as if she completely forgot she was venting to him just moments ago.
"I don't know. If you have something to say, mind as well say it I guess." Surge said, covering her face with her hands as she started to focus on her breathing to calm down.
"Just know, I'm just being honest with you." Sonic said.
"Go ahead. Wouldn't have it any other way." Surge said, with her hands still on her face.
"I think we already went over this when I said, that just because you're changing your ways doesn't change what you've done in the past. What you did is what you did." Sonic said.
"I know that that's wh-"
"No, you don't, let me finish." Sonic said, with a serious tone. Surge removed her hands and gave Sonic her undivided attention.
"Not everyone is going to be willing to give you a second chance. Some will, some won't." Sonic said.
"Yes, I've been told that enough times already. The fact of the matter is, it's just for a tournament! It's hours of fighting, and we will never work with each other again. Like, what's the issue with that?" Surge argued.
"That's how you see it, yeah. But probably not how Drax sees it. Maybe the tournament has a lot more to do than just winning for him. Or he may have taken your past actions personally." Sonic said.
"How so? Clearly, he wasn't there if he's still alive." Surge said.
"Doesn't have to be. Could be one of his friends or someone else he cared about died from what you did." Sonic said. Surge was about to respond but caught her tongue. After she thought about it, there wasn't much of an argument to make against that.
"To put into perspective, What if Dr. Starline wanted to team up with you for...anything really?" Sonic asked.
"Would rather kill myself." Surge plainly said.
"Exactly. Don't take it personally but, just because you say "Sorry" doesn't mean you're owed forgiveness." Sonic said. Surge leaned back and faced the ceiling as she contemplated what Sonic said. She could've sworn she was told that before but, this time, it had more of a punch. As she thought about it, an important question was raised. Was she really sorry? Did Drax see through her lies and call her out for it? Before she could delve deeper, Sonic spoke again.
"Besides, there are others you can ask to join you. As the old saying goes, 'There's plenty of fish in the sea'." Sonic said.
"Except that, the majority of the fish ain't even worth the catch." Surge said.
"Well, try another approach. Otherwise, you're going to have to keep looking. Not sure if you sounded the same now compared to when you asked them to join you but, not everyone is going to worship the ground you walk on when you meet them. Regardless of what you do." Sonic said.
" *Sigh* yea, yea." Surge said. She leaned back as she placed her hands behind her head to rest on it. After a brief moment of silence, Surge moved on from her point of frustration.
"Anyway, you got your team set up?" Surge asked.
"Waiting on one. Waiting to see if that person would accept or not." Sonic said.
"Oh yeah? If that person joins, what's your team lineup?" Surge asked.
"Nice try. Not telling you." Sonic said.
"Worth a shot. You know, I never thought you were someone to have a serious conversation with or take anything seriously for that matter." Surge said.
"Why did you think that?" Sonic asked.
"Because you either act goofy or downplay whatever situation you're in. The first time we met, right? I'M ACTIVELY TRYING TO KILL YOU. And for some reason you think, you can convince me to stop fighting within that short period before I let go and fall into the abyss. Maybe it's just me but, It sure as hell looked like you didn't give a damn." Surge said.
"Well, contrary to your belief, I did give a damn. Which was why I wasn't fighting back." Sonic said.
"It sure as hell didn't seem that way at all. It wasn't until I worked with you that I realized you do take things seriously. I thought you were the type that would blindly walk around and let luck save you. Which by the way was one of the reasons why I didn't want to work with you, believe it or not." Surge said with a sly grin.
"Yea, sure. You didn't want to work with me because I WOULD BE THE ONE to blindly walk around. Not like I was the one that saved us from getting caught early on when we entered the base." Sonic said.
"Awwww c'mon. I know even you were itching to throw down with those tin cans." Surge said.
"I was. I was also itching to get out of there alive. It was only the two of us in the base after all. In the end, I almost died anyway." Sonic said.
"Don't be such a wimp. I made sure I had your back." Surge said.
"Now that was something nobody expected." Sonic said.
"That's what I don't get either. If that's everyone's mindset about me, why did you guys pair me with you in the first place?" Surge said.
"We thought the base would have lower security compared to the others. Also, the theory was to make a quick escape with both of us being fast and all. The point was that it wouldn't be too dangerous that we would have to heavily rely on each other to escape alive." Sonic said, with a hint of regret.
"Wow, glad you guys had so much faith in me." Surge said.
"You know, Some still think that you saving me never happened and that we made it up for you to look good." Sonic said.
"They can go take a hike. We know what happened." Surge said
"Thanks again for that. No offense but, I honestly thought I was toast." Sonic said.
Although Sonic didn't intend it. The comment caused Surge to feel an emotion she wasn't used to feeling. It didn't sit right with her that Sonic was basically saying 'Yeah, I wasn't expecting you to save me but, I appreciate it nonetheless'. Or, that's how she interprets it. It made her feel a bit...sad. As much as she wanted to ask what he meant by that, she decided not to.
"It was easy. Nothing is speedsters can't handle." Surge said.
"Ha ha, right." Sonic said.
Silence filled the room again as the topic of conversation ended,
"Do you have any music or something? Need some kind of background noise." Surge said.
"I do but, I didn't know you were staying. You seem done venting." Sonic said.
"For some reason, I don't feel tired right now and I don't want to wake up Kit. Unless you don't want me here." Surge said. Surge knew that was a half lie. She did feel tired but, was enjoying her time so far with Sonic and wanted to ride it out a bit longer.
"It's not that. It's just getting late. But, I could put something on." Sonic said, as he started browsing through his Scroll to put a playlist on.
"What? You're telling me you're trying to go to sleep early so you could go to a morning meeting on time?" Surge said with a bit of sass.
"Hey, I made it on time last time. You were there, remember? Anyway, Who in the world schedules a meeting at six or earlier in the morning?" Sonic said.
"People who have important responsibilities. Like, you." Surge said.
"Yea, well...In my opinion, people who have important responsibilities need time to sleep." Sonic said.
"I'll be sure to pass that along to Josh." Surge said.
"Oh, he already knows where I stand on that stuff. So, you can go right ahead." Sonic said, as he started playing music from his Scroll. The characteristics of music were mellow beats and soothing melodies, similar to Lo-Fi music. The music canceled out the awkward silence as its low beats filled the room.
"I just thought of something, hold on." Sonic said, as he got off the bed and activated a device on his nightstand. Surge cocked her head slightly as she was confused about what Sonic just turned on. The device appeared to be a slim black cylinder. The black cylinder was divided by a gray band in the center. The top half of the cylinder appeared to be rotating with light coming from the top. Sonic walked towards the door and stood by the light switch.
"Check this out." Sonic said, before flipping the switch off. The room turned dark, or it would've been if it wasn't for the device on the nightstand. Surge looked up as the ceiling was used to cast a projection of the universe. Hundreds of sparkling lights filled the ceiling as it was accompanied by a multicolored background of star nebulas. Surge gazed upon the ceiling for a few moments. Sonic stood by the light switch with a smug grin expecting Surge to comment on how cool the projector was. Instead, Surge began to laugh.
"Dude, you have a night light? No way! hahaha!" Surge said, before continuing to laugh.
"It's. A. Projector." Sonic said plainly and unamused.
"Dude. It's a night light." Surge said. Sonic walked back to his bed and laid on it as she looked up at the projected galaxy.
"I don't use it because I'm afraid of the dark or go to sleep for your information." Sonic said,
"Oh yeah? What do you use it for?" Surge asked.
"To think." Sonic said.
"To think?" Surge asked.
"Yea. Almost like you're outside stargazing. Only difference is, you're in the comfort of your home. Sometimes I just think about things." Sonic said.
"Think, huh?" Surge said.
"Yea. Come and try it out." Sonic said, shuffling over on his bed and patting the space he was in previously.
Surge hesitated before getting off her bean bag and hopped on the bed. She lay beside Sonic. Surge gazed upon the projected galaxy. In combination with the soothing mellow music, it was a unique experience that was bringing out her fatigue from the day. Surge was lost in thought as she continued to look at the evolving projection of the universe.
"Still think it's lame?" Sonic asked.
"Woah. I never said anything about it being lame. I laughed at you about it but I never said it was lame." Surge said.
"Uh-huh, sure." Sonic said. The two continued to look at the ceiling as time passed. Time seemed to slow down as she dwelled on her situation. Like a locked memory, the goal behind being in the Resistance resurfaced in her mind. To kill Sonic. To kill the one lying right beside her. She has to right? After all, he was the reason behind her suffering. His actions caused a chain of events for her to go through psychological torture from Dr. Starline.
But…why? Why is she casting the blame on him again? Was this really his fault? What if she doesn't want to? As she thought about it, the memory of Kit killing the patrol team resurfaced. The Resistance is still tirelessly working on what happened to the missing team. Without the patrol team's body as evidence to work with, it might not be a problem. But, if they do find out…..What would she do then? More importantly….what would Sonic think of her for holding such a grim secret?
"If it doesn't hurt to ask...what are you thinking about?" Sonic said, snapping Surge out of her trance.
"Just...stuff. Just thinking about Stuff." Surge said softly. Sonic immediately picked on Surge possibly thinking deeply about something and decided to not talk further.
The two continued to gaze and lose themselves in the music in the background. This continued until eventually, both of them slowly went to sleep. As the morning came, bits of sunlight pierced through the shades on the window. Surge shuffled in place as she snuggled to her pillow more tightly. Soon, Surge felt her scroll vibrating. Surge dismissed it without looking and continued snuggling with her pillow. After a while, Surge started to notice something weird about her pillow. Her pillow would slowly inflate and deflate. More than that, her pillow felt warm and slightly furry. Again, her Scroll began vibrating.
" *yawn* you should probably see who's contacting you." A voice said softly. Surge turned her head slowly to the source of the voice in confusion. Surge looked and saw Sonic browsing through his scroll. Surge began to fully open her eyes as she realized that she was sleeping on top of Sonic's chest.
"What!? What the hell are you doing in our room!?" Surge yelled, as she quickly sat up.
"Your room? You slept in MY room. You don't remember?" Sonic said. As the shock dissipated, Surge thought back for a second on what happened last night. The last thing she remembered was lying on the bed with Sonic and looking at the projection.
"Oh. So, you saw me sleeping on top of you and you didn't think about moving me off of you or anything like that?" Surge said, blushing.
"I did. But, you looked so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb you. And, it looked like you needed sleep." Sonic said
"If you share with anyone that this happened, you're dead. Understand." Surge said through her teeth.
"Don't think I was planning on it even if you hadn't threatened me." Sonic said, completely unfazed by Surge's threat. Surge's Scroll vibrated again. Surge checked her Scroll and saw it was Kit was calling her.
"Crap. Don't talk for a sec ok?" Surge said. Sonic gave a thumbs up. Surge answered Kit's call.
"Hey Kit." Surge said.
"Surge! Are you alright? I noticed you never came back to the room and I didn't see you this morning." Kit said.
"I'm fine. I was doing something important, I'll tell you about it later. I'll visit you in the workshop later, ok?" Surge said.
"Got it, see you later." Kit said, before ending the call. Surge then gave Sonic a stare in case he had a snarky comment to make.
"What? I wasn't going to say anything. Tails does the same thing to me. Trust me, I know what it's like." Sonic said.
"Right. Remember what I said about not telling anyone." Surge said.
"Not telling a soul." Sonic said.
Surge got off the bed and exited the room. She made a beeline straight to her dorm and called Sesamie.
"Hey, girl. What's up?" Sesamie said. Surge then gave her the rundown on what happened the night before.
"And you're freaking out...why?" Sesamie said.
"I don't know. I felt like I should've done something but instead, I freaked out." Surge said.
"Surge, you played that night to perfection. You did nothing wrong." Sesamie said.
"What do you mean?" Surge asked.
"You kept it light, and you didn't press the tension between you and him when you guys woke up." Sesamie said.
"I guess you're right." Surge said.
"Just continue being yourself, don't overthink it. The more conscious you are in how you act around him, the more awkward you become." Sesamie said.
"Sounds easier said than done." Surge said.
"Oh, I agree one hundred percent. But basically, keep acting like Surge, and you'll be fine" Sesamie said.
"Ok. right. Got it."
"Not to suddenly change the subject but, did you manage to find anything out about my friend? I still haven't found anything out yet." Sesamie said.
Surge's brain lagged a bit processing the question while thinking of an answer to satisfy it.
"Ohhhhh, ummmmmm. There's not much I could find out. It's the same answer no matter who I talked to. She's on a confidential mission and it's not clear when she'll return. Sorry."
"I don't get it...she would've at least texted someone before even being deployed. This is so unlike her." Sesamie said. Sesamie then trailed off and mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?" Surge asked.
"Nothing, nothing, just speaking to myself. But, yeah just continue being yourself. As cliche as it sounds, it actually works. It's just easier said than done." Sesamie said.
"mhmm. One quick question before you go. Even though you're the only one I've talked to for relationship advice, it's been working so far. But, how come you don't have a boyfriend?" Surge asked.
"Easy, coaches don't play." Sesamie said.
"Yeah, but coaches usually start teaching in their late thirties or something. I don't know how old you are but you don't look that old." Surge said.
"Awww thanks. Let's just say my friends and I had a promiscuous past. Learned the dating game of dating pretty quickly." Sesamie said.
"Sounds like a whole lot of drama to me." Surge said.
"Sounds like you're in drama right now with someone you're trying to be in a relationship with." Sesamie said.
"Well, duh. That's going to happen no matter what. But, I don't want to date multiple guys over my life. No offense." Surge said.
"None taken. But, dating is kinda similar to every other skill in life. The more you do it, the more you get better at it. Kinda like, you when you're fighting. I'm sure that took a lot of practice." Sesamie said.
"You're not wrong but, dating just feels different you know. It's someone you spend time with. It's not the same as practicing to fight. Dating is…you know….intimate." Surge said.
"I get it. But, just know that life isn't a fantasy novel. What happens if you date Sonic and realize you two aren't compatible? Are you just going to stay single for the rest of your life? Are you going to turn into Amy and wait your turn?" Sesamie said. Surge couldn't think of an answer. They were valid questions. Sonic seemed to be the first person she liked, that she could remember at least. And, if that doesn't work out...
"Surge? You there?" Sesamie asked.
"Uh, yeah. I'm here." Surge said.
"Did you hear what I-"
"I did. I did. I just, you know. Hope that's not the case." Surge said.
"I hope so too. Looks like you like the guy. I'm just trying to look at things realistically. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I was just trying to have you not be disappointed if it doesn't work out. You know, keep your options open and stuff."
"Yea, I know. Thanks. I'm guessing that's how your first relationship went? Or something along those lines?" Surge said.
"That's something almost everyone goes through. They like someone for the first time and think they're meant to be together. Then when things don't go their way, they become bitter towards the world and stuff. Again, just trying to look out for you." Sesamie asked.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Chat later." Surge said.
"Bye!" Sesamie said, before hanging up. Surge sat on her bed and thought about what Sesamie said about keeping a realistic view. Surge was so focused on trying to be in a relationship with Sonic and thought that would be the hardest part and after that, she's home free. 'How can you break up with someone if you decide to be in a relationship with them?' Surge thought. She shared her thoughts from her dorm to head towards the workshop.
Surge entered the workshop to see Kit preparing his station for the day.
"Yo." Surge said.
"Oh! Hey Surge! Sorry for calling your Scroll so many times." Kit said.
"Don't hurt yourself about it. Thankfully you started calling me after I already woke up." Surge said.
"What happened? I know you came in late in the evening and were angry about something but before I could understand you, you left." Kit said.
"Yeah, something happened while I was out and uh, let's just say I wasn't too happy about it." Surge said.
"What was it?" Kit asked.
"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal." Surge said.
"But, you were gone for the entire night? Where were you?" Kit said.
"That's my business. All you need to know is that I'm safe, as you can see." Surge said.