Chapter 46 - Multitude of Growth
Walking away from where Chiara was standing, both Sonic and Speed were heading towards an unknown direction. While the boy was looking around the new area with interest, the older male resisted his inner voices. Despite focusing forward, his mind's eye kept altering to different visions. Different personas telling him what he should be doing. Different figures speaking of what he is, who he is, and why he exists.
"..." Vermilion gave a slight frown while moving.
Partially aware of his surroundings, he closed his right eye. The cybernetic one was not affected by the mental turmoil that his mind was swimming in. Concentrating on the cold and detached representation it embodied, he felt a stalemate begin inside his mind. While the impact of the inner psychological warfare was still there, throwing all of his will into the only machine part stopped the corruption from spreading. Despite having done this a handful of times over the years, it made him wonder if this resetting was actually something else. A postponing of a fate that was supposed to occur before he woke up.
"Hey Speed," Sonic asked getting next to him and looking up. "Was leaving her...and me saying she made her decision...the right choice?"
"..." the amputee opened his right eye. Feeling somewhat more in control of his perception, he looked at the child. Oddly, the sight of the boy following him and not being afraid seemed different than before. Not sure why it would, it did satisfy the continue self-observation of the different sensations.
"...yes...her choice...your statement...is more of...acceptance of what...path one walks."
"...she doesn't want...our involvement...to what is her...personal business."
"...that...is her choice...not ours...to take from..." he mentioned. Seeing the landscape ahead began to do a slight decline, it led to a lower ground elevation several yards ahead of them.
"...the difficulty...is accepting one's...decision...and not...force one to...change their decision."
"...but...what if...it's the wrong decision?" Sonic followed up. "Doesn't a freedom fighter...help people make the right decision?"
"...again...the difficulty...is accepting one's...decision," Speed repeated in a calm tone. "...even when...it isn't...wise."
"...your version...of a freedom fighter...is not...what I know..."
"...they only...free those...that were taken...prisoner."
"But the adults at my village," the boy pressed further. Reaching the end of the descent, the earth became leveled again. Beyond them was the continuous forest of vegetation, rocks, and wildlife.
Getting ahead of the amputee and turning around, he stopped. About to continue, he felt his fur stand a little. Not only was the red ring eye glowing, but the right eye looked abnormal. The iris seemed to have a silver shinning that was swimming in and out of focus. It gave a haunting aura as if Speed was willing himself to keep a beast at bay. Seeing the older hedgehog stop in front of him, both icy eyes stared down at him.
"...t-they..." Sonic began then clenched his hands into fists. Imagining that he was whacking down on a physical object that was labeled fear, some stability came from it to surpass what he was feeling.
"They told me old war stories. One was called the Great Escape...and Fleeing Mechnez Island...and and the Collab Combine. They said that in each one, the freedom fighters not only freed people from the enemy, but helped other groups join their cause."
"..." Vermilion stared at the kid.
Lost in his mind, nothing was jarring a memory. No flashback came. No visions of twisted individuals and unseen speakers. As good as it seemed to not be psychologically attack, it felt foreign. The feeling of slight paranoia surfaced from wondering what those stories or events were. Blinking, he focused back at his follower.
"...you...make the decision...of what type...of freedom fighter...you wish...to be," he answered. "I...will not...tell you...what is wrong...or right...of how to...be one."
"..." the blue hedgehog blinked then gave a small smile. Nodding his head, the tension he felt was waning slightly.
"...now..." Speed spoke. Stopping, he began surveying the surroundings in slow head sweeps.
"...we shall start...here."
"You mean the training!?"
"...yes..." the amputee confirmed.
"Aren't we...kind of close to where Chiara's village is?"
"...why is it...a concern?" he asked looking down at the boy.
"...would we be...in the way...in case something happens?"
"...your focus...on others...is not necessary..." Speed answered stoically. "...if there are...people...or not...it does not...affect the process."
"...all of this..." he continued. Lifting his arm and doing a slow sweep to the surroundings, he saw the younger hedgehog stare at him.
"...is the...training grounds...the eatery...the campsite..."
"...to live...and breathe...in this environment," the amputee spoke and kneeled down. "...we must...navigate it...know what is...out there...ready for any...challenges that occur."
"..." Sonic blinked and listened. Understanding what he was saying, he listened intently feeling his worries go away. Hearing him then change the subject to the first task of training, his ears perked up and stepped closer. It was the beginning of his dream coming to life. Despite having faints of doubt in the back of his mind, his enthusiasm was high as he readily took all of what Speed said in.
At midway across the ocean, Robotnik had looked over the data files he had displayed on his personal aircraft monitor. While it flew on autopilot, he did not think about anything else. Solely focused on the blueprints and any cliff notes that were listed on the diagrams, some of the designs were useless to him. On the same coin though, there were features to other designs that made him pause.
'Ah...so that is how he overcome that mechanical flaw,' Ivo thought to himself. Stroking his moustache, his mind began to brainstorm. Bookmarking the file, he continued onward looking through the figures and designs. Upon reaching the end for all visual specs of his former war colleague's file, there was the history and record files. About to scroll through each individual file, he stopped himself.
'To look at each individual file of specimens...what a bore,' he muttered in his head. Exiting out of the screen of what he was looking at, he ejected the thumb drive. Pulling it and looking at it, he gave a small smirk at it.
"My supercomputer will do the filtering for me. Compare this data to what I have and find out who that pesky furball was," he voiced to no one. Hearing himself speak made the expression on his face widen.
"But no matter. With this data, I will conceive a new line of S.W.A.T. bots. An upgrade to make them more dexterous and agile while keeping its robustness."
"At the same time, the new sequence for the robotizer in this will create wonders. No longer the clunky mechanical pests. They will be closer to the dimensions of what those freaks are."
"And with the right organic materials available at my disposal to dress my new army units," Robotnik muttered with a grin. Stroking his moustache one more time, he flicked his left one as if to make a point.
"They will become the perfect infiltrators and betray their own kind...seeing them crumble from watching the traitorous reveal will be glorious."
"Heh heh heh...ha ha ha...GWAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed manically out loud as his ship continued on course back to his home base.
...2 months later...
At another part of the large land, two hedgehogs were facing each other. Surrounding them was a forest though not as dense as other areas. One could see for a good distance of what was afar and to what would be coming at them. However, most of the wildlife stayed away from the two. All along the ground were many footsteps of boots as well as long distance slides. At the moment, only the taller one raised his left arm with something in his hand.
"Are you ready?" Speed asked standing several yards away. His raspy voice had gone away and was replaced with a clearer speaking tone.
"Heh," the blue hedgehog huffed with a smirk. Curling both arms at his elbows to do double fist pumps, he lowered his head.
"I was born ready."
"...then..." the amputee began. Flicking something up with his thumb hard, a coin began flipping rapidly in the air. Despite doing that, both man and child were staring at each other. It was as if a battle would commence from their stances.
"Call it."
"..." the child focused on the coin.
Seeing its ascent slowing, it momentarily hovered in the air. Falling down, Sonic slid his right foot back. Moving is arms down and away from his sides, it looked to be a gunslinger sprinter stance. Watching the metal disc descend pass the amputee's head, Speed had not moved except his left hand. It was palm faced up and about to catch the coin.
"Heads!" the boy called.
Launching forward on full throttle, he cleared the distance between them within a second. Aiming to the left of Vermilion, Sonic had snatched the coin before it landed in the other's palm. Leaning back hard and digging his heels into the ground, the blue hedgehog decelerated drastically. Before coming to a complete stop, Sonic did small hops before standing still. Breathing a little more than normal, he looked at his right fist. Opening his hand, the currency was in his hand.
"Well done," Speed spoke ahead of the child. Still not completely used to his materializing like speed ability, Sonic looked up and gave a grin. Seeing a slight smile on the man's usual stoic face was enough to indicate that what he said was genuine.
"Yeah! I totally aced this one!" the boy spoke confidently.
"...are you sure you did?" Vermilion questioned. Walking forward, his remark made the child's expression lessen a little.
"Course I did! I got the coin in the split second before it landed in your hand," he began the looked back at his hand. "Aaannnddd...it landed on..."
"..." Speed stopped in front of the child. Looking down, he saw that the opposite side was facing up. Seeing Sonic move his head up, he gave a nervous smile and scratched the back of his head.
"Heh heh heh...ummmmm..."
"Confidence you have...your perception...is still lacking."
"Awww mmaaannn!" Sonic whined a little. Lifting his arms up, he lifted his left leg and stomped the ground a little.
"How the heck are you supposed to see when moving that fast!?"
"Perception is part learned...part assumption," Vermilion answered with a faint smile. Turning around, he began walking away. Hearing quick feet come up to his right side, the boy matched his pace.
"I thought I'd get it by now. We've been training for months non-stop," the boy claimed. Giving a pout, he put his hands behind head.
"It has only been two months."
"Well...yeah...but everyday we do drills, we do runs, we do training, and yet I still haven't got it down perfectly," the child stated being a little animated. Brining his hands back to behind his head, he turned over to the amputee.
"Honestly, how long did it take you to be able to see things moving that fast?"
"...you keep asking me the same questions..." Vermilion spoke and gave an airy chuckle. "The answers don't change. Are you insane now?"
"I'm not insane!"
"Then...tell me...how long did it take me to gain this...perfect perception?"
"..." Sonic frowned and narrowed his eyes at him. Clenching his teeth together, he looked forward and spoke.
"...you...said...3...years..."
"And you are complaining about your progress that took me over a year to achieve."
"I know! I know!" the kid exclaimed throwing his hands in the air. "You say the same thing every time. I just really want to get to that hyper speed that you do."
"..." the amputee looked to the right with his eyes.
Stopping, he watched as the blue hedgehog continued forward. Hearing the boy continue to rant in frustration was amusing. At the same time, he felt a strange sense of pride. Sonic's unyielding desire to obtain his dream translated to never quitting. Even at the beginning of when things were hard and rough, the youngin did not back down. Even now, the fire in the child's eyes never ceased its intensity.
'...how strange...' Speed thought. Noticing Sonic stopping and look around, he still looked annoyed before changing to surprise. Without a second thought, he rapidly dashed back to be in front of him.
"H-hey. What's wrong Speed?"
"..." the older man raised his arm. Putting his left hand on top of the boy's head, he mildly rubbed it back and forth.
'Despite my view and output towards the world...he still retains his vision of what he wants to view the world.'
"...?" Sonic blinked from his mentor's action.
Closing one eye and looking up at him, he saw an uncommon expression on his face. Though it was stoic, it didn't seem cold or devoid of emotion. There was a sense of being praised from his gesture. A veneration that made him try to think of why he was doing this. This only happened a couple of times in the couple of months of being trained by the gray-ash colored hedgehog. About to ponder further, his focus came back from feeling the hand coming off his head.
"What was that for?"
"..." Vermilion put his hand back at his side. Staring down at his trainee, his right eye blinked slowly.
"...you are doing...well," he stated then walked forward. Passing the child, quick feet sounded and came next to him.
"I...am?" Sonic questioned surprised while feeling happy.
"You don't think so?"
"Y-Yes...I-I mean no," he admitted with a smile. "Despite not being as fast as you yet, just being able to go faster is still the coolest thing ever."
"That's...good to hear," Speed stated looking at his surroundings. Seeing a slight incline to a tall mound, it would be a good place to look around.
"Hey Speed...I had a question."
"Hmm?"
"Did you ever go back to that silver pool thing in the cave and swim in it again?" Sonic wondered. "Did it help make you go faster quicker?"
"Other than putting you in it...no," he answered walking to the top of the mound. "I woke up in it though never pondered exactly how I stumbled upon it."
"Oh...you found it by accident?"
"Like other caves I find, I used it as a temporary shelter at the time," Speed explained. Stopping at the peak of the ground elevation, a small amount of wind passed through.
"I can only assume I was sleep deprived when I found it...but didn't stay long when the keeper of the well revealed itself."
"That thing...guards the silver pool?" the boy asked stopping beside the other.
"If you saw it...then probably so."
Seeing their environment better from where they were, there were a couple of well trekked pathways. These were the main travel paths that hikers and suppliers took. Sometimes traders would use them and would watch them go by. Though it occurred to the boy from time to time, Speed never barter or interacted with anyone passing by. Even when parting with the three distinct females, he never talked about them. At the same time, he himself never asked questions about them.
'I wonder how those women are doing...how the villagers are doing,' Sonic thought feeling a sudden pang of home sickness. Not as strong in the beginning, but would still make him depressed a little.
"...hey...Speed?"
"...?" the amputee turned his head and looked down at the child.
"Would it be okay...if I...I mean we...travel back to my village?"
"..."
"Just to visit...not to stay," he clarified while poking both index fingers together.
"...did they not...outcast you?" Vermilion asked continuing to stare.
"Y-Yeah...I know," the kid spoke softer and looked down a little. "Just...want to see if my friends and the little kids are doing alright."
'THEY...LEFT...YOU...TO...DIE#$'TYOUUNDERSTANDTHAT!?' a vicious voice blared in Speed's head.
"..." Speed blinked lethargically.
Turning his head back to look straightforward, a mental storm of voices shouted in his mind. Not unable to concentrate, he pondered about the kid's question. Knowing his past self would have been against the suggestion and would have become irritated, he did not feel that way at the moment. Given his mental state and reaction to the question, he assumed that there was something deeper behind it. Something that was hidden or buried in his skull. Pausing for a few moments, he took a slow breath in and out.
"If that will clear your guilt...or ease your mind...we can go."
"...!?" Sonic took a shocked step backwards. Looking at the amputee, he didn't appear to be sarcastic or angry.
"F-For reals? We can go!?"
"It is...what I said...yes."
"Awesome!" the blue hedgehog stated with a large fist pump then threw both hands in the air.
"Lead...and I will follow," Speed mentioned. His statement made Sonic pause like a statue. Glancing at the amputee, the stoic demeanor had returned. The eased aura from before, the one that seemed like he was softening, was gone.
"...okay..." the boy responded and put his arms down. Blinking and looking around, he started concentrating on their surroundings. Despite knowing the forest around them, he wasn't too sure where they were on the landmass as a whole. Seeing a high tree relatively nearby, its height was much larger than the others. Seeing that as the best vantage point, he looked back and pointed.
"Let's go up there. We can see better of where we need to go."
"...very well..."
Sonic nodded and turned towards the tree. Dashing off quickly, his speed was at least 3-4 times faster than when he was in his village. The thrill of going this fast seemed partially a dream as it was exhilarating. The electrical current that seemed to course inside of him was a validation that he was doing things correctly. He didn't have to think hard or feel like he needed to concentrate all his wits to make that electrifying sensation go through his body.
Making half the distance to the high tree, the child kept his eyes and ears open. Like it was a training exercise, he kept his observations of his surroundings. However at the speed he was traveling, focusing on everything was very challenging and draining. With a neutral expression and lasering in on the tree, the blue hedgehog zipped through the forest. Avoiding obstacles with relative ease, he jumped onto tree branches if there were thick brushes that obstruct his path.
Getting near the base of the tree, he timed his approach. Within a foot or two to the trunk, he hopped while leaning back hard. With one foot making contact with the tree, his view was now looking straight up. With much momentum behind him, he sprinted forward. Scaling the towering plant easily, Sonic reached one of the top branches within a couple of seconds.
Timing when to slow down quickly to hover above the branch, he gently pushed off the tree. With both feet now on the appendage, it swayed a little against his weight. Remaining still and concentrating on his hearing, he waited for the hedgehog. However, there was no sound other than the rustling leaves and the tree creaking. Feeling a presence to his left, he glanced over at the next branch. Vermilion was standing there motionless and staring forward.
'...how can he be that quiet...it is so irritating,' Sonic complained in his head with narrowed eyes.
Blinking and looking back forward, he covered the top of his eyes with a hand and began to search. Finding the coastline to his left, he traced it to find where Oastial Harbor was. In the far distance up north, he could barely make out what appeared to be the seaport town. Moving his eyes south-east from that establishment, all he could see was the forest top of trees. Like it was a pointy and round bushes-grass field.
"I think I found Oastial Harbor way over there...but can't see where my village is. The forest is too thick to see below," the blue hedgehog commented. Turning to the adult male, he stared at him and gave a small nod.
"You make the call."
"...um...ok...hmm," Sonic spoke with a blink of surprise. Immediately holding his chin with his hand, he looked down a little to think. About to answer him in a form of a question, he stopped himself.
'That won't work...if he is telling me to make a decision, he will just follow...I don't have that much confidence of knowing where I am going throughout the forest. Hopefully following the coast then backtracking is okay.'
"So...we will head to the beach area that way," the child said. Pointing to the east of them, he then traced it towards city in the distance.
"And then follow it to Oastial Harbor. From there, will follow the road to the villages."
"...very well..." Vermilion replied with a small nod. Turning only his head forward, his eyes remained staring at the blue hedgehog.
'I still can't tell if that means I made a good or bad decision,' Sonic thought to himself. 'I can sort of see why Chiara would get annoyed quickly at him.'
Blinking and looking down, he moved to be in the same direction as the coast. Not looking at the amputee, he ran down the tree. Getting halfway, he stopped running and expanded his limbs outward. Torquing himself forward and curling into a ball, he began rolling faster. His curled quills made contact with bark and gripped it like a tire on a racetrack.
Reaching the base of the tree, there was a little ramp formed on the ground. Spin rolling through without slamming into the earth, Sonic launched himself in the air. Not high enough to clear through the trees, but not low to bounce off the dirt. Stopping his spinning and uncoiling himself, he would make contact with the ground in a couple of seconds. Concentrating and timing himself, he positioned his legs as if to start sprinting.
Impacting the floor with his feet, the blue hedgehog dashed forward. Continuing the speed without stopping, he enjoyed that rollercoaster rush. Smiling to no one, he glanced back to his left while continuing to run. Without fail, Speed was running at the same velocity nearby. Seeing the same determined, cold, and stoic face made him look forward. Changing his expression as well and focusing back on the plan, he accelerated to his developed top speed.
In the machine base of Dr. Robotnik, he was currently in one of his many underground levels. The new data and blueprints he received 2 months ago was immediately worked on upon returning to his base. While the making of new blueprints for a new S.W.A.T. prototype model was in development, Ivo also spent time in his data archive chamber. Immediately uploading all files, he did a search for any speedster experiments. While there were more selections of specimens, none matched of the intruder hedgehog from his security footage.
"...how..." he stated in a surprised tone. The refined search results today showed no matches. It was a growing theme from his research.
"How are there no results? I have almost all the data that was ever done from the war council."
"Did others not submit experiment results?" he wondered looking off to the side. Narrowing his eyes and not focusing on anything in particular, he frowned a little.
"...no...anyone that was a part of bio-department, regardless if it was dealing with plant life or animal life, had to submit any findings from testing."
"Was there any other department that was involved?" Ivo muttered. Turning to his left to begin pacing, he began brainstorming in his head. After mulling it over for several minutes, he stopped from getting a hailing signal.
"Blasted bots. Don't they know I can't think when there are irritating noises?" Robotnik grumbled. Heading over to a panel, he pushed the intercom button hard.
"What is it?"
[Dr. Robotnik...S.W.A.T. bot prototype construction has been completed. Test model #85 is ready for inspection and testing in facility lab 303]
"..." the human male stared at the speaker with indifference. Though pleased another model was completed, the results of the ongoing building and perfecting of the new machine types was met with difficulties. Part of him almost wanted to scrap the entire project. At the same time, the scientist and engineer in him wanted to create one that worked with no issues.
'This one better work...or I am melting all the defects.'
"Very well. I will make my way down to lab 303," he stated then let go of the intercom button. Looking up at the monitor that had the various computer windows with profiles and data, he sneered at it. Before turning around and leaving, he pointed at the screen.
"I'll find that damn rascal...and then...when I know its profile and details...I will make it wish that it has never been born."