A Dangerous Weapon (part 4)
Sonic ran back to Rouge’s bunker, holding the arctic fox they found in Sunset Heights in his arms. She was among the few survivors of the city after Infinite’s savage attack on it, but what he and Amy saw, the weather changing so drastically and seemingly in sync with her emotional state, was beyond anything else they’ve seen this far.
“Sorry, miss, but I can’t go slow. We need to be back at the base to talk about what just happened.” said Sonic, looking down at the young girl.
“M-M-M-Mgh… O-Okay…” she whined, keeping her eyes closed as the wind blowing on her face prevented her from opening them.
“Ames!” Sonic called out to Amy on the comm link he wore before leaving.
“Did they answer?” he asked her.
“Yes. They said they’ll meet us there.” Amy replied, using her flying car to keep up with Sonic.
“Good. I’ll meet you up ahead.” he said, cutting the communication and speeding up, zooming past the cars driving by on the highway. He then switched to another call.
“Knux, can you read me? How’s your situation up there?” he asked.
“I read you loud and clear. The Master Emerald is safe and sound, but I better stay up here just in case Eggman tries something. Keep me updated and call if you need me, kay?” Knuckles’ voice croaked through the comm link.
“Gotcha, Knux. Stay safe.”
“You too, blue. I can’t always save your sorry ass.” Knuckles sneered back, which made Sonic snicker as he closed the call. He, along with Amy and their guest, arrived safely at the bunker, before the others could come. Sonic set down the fox, whose puffy hair went all messy due to the speed Sonic was going to.
“Come, dear. Follow me.” said Amy, gently grabbing her hand and leading her to the room designated as an infirmary.
Sonic made a small huff as he watched the two girls leave for the time being. That’s when a portal opened up in the middle of the room and out of it came Blaze, who received a message from Amy using a device Tails made years ago, back when their worlds almost merged. It was then that Sonic and Blaze met and, ever since that event, sparks seemed to fly between them. The two were so alike, despite the differences in character, and they even went out together before Blaze had to return. That single night out showed how much chemistry they had with each other but, due to both of them having bigger priorities, they agreed to stay good friends, at least for the time being.
“Nice of you to join us, Your Highness.” Sonic sneered and bowed mockingly to her.
“Stop that, hedgehog.” she huffed, swaying her tail a bit as she hated being called that. But she did add a small: “It’s… nice to see you again, Sonic…”, complete with the smallest tail wag and purr.
Sonic giggled back, feeling truly happy about seeing her again. It had been long since they last saw each other and, as much as he loved to make fun of her status, he still very much had feelings for the royal cat. They didn’t even realize that they were just staring at each other until Silver flew in the room, he too had been contacted by Amy thanks to Tails’ machine.
“Hey guys! I got here as fast as I could!” said Silver, landing between them, which caused them to look away and cough or giggle embarrassedly.
“...Uuh… Did I… interrupt anything, here...?” asked the hedgehog from the future, clearly failing to read the room.
“Uh, n-no, buddy, just… Eh, good to see ya too.” said Sonic with a shrug and patting his shoulder. Blaze just gritted her teeth and scoffed, too prideful to admit that she was feeling embarrassed, and simply going into a corner.
“...Oh c’mon, what did I do wrong this time?!” Silver grumbled and threw his hands up.
“...Hey, you feelin’ thirsty, man? Hungry? Need to use the restroom or anything?” Sonic asked, trying to lighten up the situation.
“...Water would be nice.” Silver sighed, lowering his ears a bit as he just knew he did something wrong, and it pained him that he couldn’t see what it was.
“One water, comin’ up!” Sonic giggled and rushed to the fridge, getting him a bottle of plain water. Just then, the door knocked.
“Oh, must be them! Silv, you mind…?” asked Sonic.
Silver hummed in agreement and went to open the door, welcoming the Chaotix in.
“Hey, guys. how’s it going?” asked Silver, dapping up Espio, who was his closest friend.
“Ugh, not good. This new masked guy ally of the doctor is drivin’ us crazy. I was up all day either rescuing or helpin’ people evacuate… I can’t feel my feet anymore…” grumbled Vector, sauntering in and abandoning himself on one of the chairs.
“Oooh, me too… My wings are hurtin’...” Charmy imitated Vector, groaning and flopping on his head, panting.
“A true warrior endures through the pain…” Espio stated rigidly, but then he too huffed and went to sit down.
“...But this day has proven to be quite difficult, indeed. A rest is needed to keep the mind sharp and the body ready.”
Silver chuckled softly and offered him and the others some water. After a few minutes of them resting, Amy came back to the main room.
“Okay, I see everyone is here. So, time for a little strategic reunion. Chaotix? What did you find for us?” she asked.
“Yes, we…” Vector started speaking but Charmy buzzed in front of him.
“Wait, Vector! Can I tell her?! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?!!” he whimpered.
“Charmy, now’s not a good time for…”
“PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE???!!!” Charmy asked, making huge puppy eyes.
“...Huff, fine...” Vector huffed.
“YAY!!” Charmy giggled and flew to Amy
“So! Apparently, this new guy is just popping up everywhere and doing to other cities what he did to Sunset Heights!” Said Charmy, ecstatically.
“He has already attacked and destroyed other cities across the world. Spiral Hill, Floral Forest Village, Windmill Village… Even bigger cities like Station Square and Empire City are being attacked as we speak…” Espio butted in, adding more detail, while Charmy grumbled behind him that it was his turn to speak, being held down by Vector as the young bee tried to sting Espio.
Amy silently brought up a holo-projection of the world, seeing in real time the damage that Eggman and his new lackey were causing.
“...We won’t let this stand. We have to fight back!” she said determined, and everyone agreed.
“This bunker will become our last stand. We must begin to set up a perimeter. Bring in everyone we can, increase our ranks and find out who this new guy is and what he has done to our friends!” she spoke with crescent enthusiasm and drive.
Sonic smiled and nodded.
“Sounds like someone is ready to lead us. Okay, chief, the floor is yours. Tell us what to do.” he said, patting Amy’s back.
She made a small embarrassed giggle before regaining her composure.
“Blaze, you’ll be my second in command. Your expertise as a leader of an entire world will surely be useful.” she said to the royal cat.
“I’ll help as much as I can.” Blaze nodded vigorously.
“Chaotix, you’ll be our eyes and ears on the street. Spread the word: we need all the help we can get. If anyone has any potential to be a fighter they should join us and help us fight back.” Amy then said to the Chaotix.
“Got it! Leave it to us! C’mon, boys, pause is over!” Vector roared out, rushing outside.
“We’ll be back soon.” Espio said, making a courteous bow before running outside, followed by Charmy, who was still salty about him stealing his spotlight.
“Sonic, I need you to go grab all the Chaos Emeralds. If things go south, they will be our last hope.” Amy finally spoke to Sonic.
“A good old Emerald hunt with a side dish of bot busting? Just like the old days, eh?” he said, smirking and bolting out of the room.
“Awesome!! What about me?” asked Silver to Amy, once the role assignment for the day was over.
“Oh… Uhm… Oh! You can help assess our guest’s powers. We have to find out what she can do and how well she can control it.” said Amy, with a nervous giggle. She couldn’t believe she had forgotten Silver of all people, but with what was currently at stake, who could blame this oversight? Still, Silver’s disappointment was visible, despite him playing it cool and floating dejectedly to the room where their “guest” was left after she was brought here.
The young arctic fox, whom they discovered was named Cloudia, sat on the medical bed in the middle of the analysis room. She looked nervous, constantly fidgeting with her fingers and waving her feet in the air as she patiently waited. She was told that someone would come to visit her and check what happened to her back in Sunset Heights. She was as confused and scared as the others who interrogated her, having never shown any ounces of similar powers before that day, and wanted to know what was wrong with her just as much as the other heroes. The door opened, making her raise her head as she saw Silver float in, huffing as he landed.
“Y-You’re…” she stuttered, a bit shocked to see in person the hero whom her brother liked the most. She had seen posters, action figures and fanart of Silver decorating her brother’s room, but to see him in real life? That was quite impactful.
“Yeah. I can fly.” Silver responded, stretching a little and trying to put his disappointment aside as he focused on his task.
“N-No, I meant… You’re Silver the Hedgehog… I… I know all about you…” said Cloudia, getting off the bed.
“Oh? You a fan?” he asked, his ears perking up a little.
“Uh, n-not really… B-But my brother… He used to idolize you… His entire room was basically dedicated to you…” she confessed, chuckling nervously and rubbing her arm.
Silver’s ears went flat again, more so because he had heard of what happened to her family. Being an orphan himself, he knew how devastating it was to see one’s entire family die in front of their eyes
“I… I see…” he murmured, looking down.
“I’m… so very sorry about…”
“I-It’s fine.” she interrupted him, her ears flat against her head.
“I guess… you can’t save them all… Plus, all this for you must be old history or something, huh?” Cloudia giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her curly-haired head.
“...Just because it’s old history to me doesn’t mean it’s worthless for those who live here…” he replied as he came closer, using a gizmo in his cuffs to analyze her.
“Plus, I… do feel for everyone who I can’t save… I know I can do more… I know I SHOULD do more, yet… No matter what I do, sometimes it just feels hopeless… If I save one life, 100 more are endangered… I know I’m an optimist, but… Sometimes, seeing the glass half full just doesn’t cut it…” he continued to speak, not knowing why he was talking about his dilemmas with someone whom he was supposed to analyze.
“...Trust me, I get it…” Cloudia answered, her hands clasped together.
“That feeling of… wanting to do more and just… not being able to…” she sighed and looked away.
“I am able to, it’s just that… Sigh, forget it, it’s just a childish thing…” he scoffed and shook his head, ending the analysis.
“Well… My dad used to say that even the most childish thing has every right to be said.” Cloudia said, making a small yet warm smile.
Silver’s ears flickered a bit.
“I’m not sure I should…”
“We have some time before your… future… thingie is done with the analysis, right?” she asked.
“...Right.” Silver replied.
“Well then, nothing wrong with keeping each other busy. I’m a great listener, and I’m even better at keeping secrets.” she said, smiling a little more.
“...You really wanna listen to my rambling…?” he asked, surprised that someone who he barely even knew would show him this level of care.
She responded by sitting back on the medical bed and patting on the spot next to her. Silver couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he sat next to her, wrapping his arms around his legs.
“The thing is… I think the others sometimes barely even remember I’m here… I mean, it’s probably not that and with this crisis around I get it, but… I feel like I’m being underused…” he said with a huff.
Cloudia made a small hum of agreement, prompting him to continue.
“I mean, I got the powers, right? I know how to use them well, but… they keep sidelining me, for one reason or the other. It’s like they don’t trust me with bigger, more complicated tasks.” Silver groaned and held his head a little, shaking it.
“Eh, I know the feeling… My parents… I mean, they gave me up, right? My blood-related parents, of course. And even my adoptive parents, despite how much I loved them and they loved me… sometimes, it felt like they would value their blood son more than me… Again, I loved my brother and, well, he was super smart and very capable, but… I don’t know… It still felt like I was overshadowed by him…” she sighed.
Silver made a small huff and petted her hand. A small gesture of comfort and compassion, but one that sparked something between them. Both of them realized what happened and looked at each other, Silver’s hands gently resting on top of Cloudia’s. Silver’s cheeks colored slightly as he slowly moved his hand away, only for Cloudia to grab it back.
“...I’m scared… Please, don’t leave…” she whimpered, her piercing red eyes shimmering with tears as she leaned on his shoulder. For a second, Silver was taken aback by what was happening, but he quickly realized how much him being there meant for her.
“...I’m not going anywhere…” he whispered gently, pulling her closer. Her eyes went wider for a second as she got lost in his beautiful golden eyes, then she made a small sigh as she simply leaned on him, doing nothing more than breathe quietly, thankful for having someone’s shoulder to cry on as she slowly began sobbing, holding Silver tighter and shivering in his arms. Outside, and Silver could see it clearly, it began to rain again. A gentler, less powerful rain, which seemed to mimic her state of mind, just like the downpour who Sonic and Amy described back when she was desperate. Silver exhaled lightly from his nose and rested his cheek on her poofy hair, listening to her sobs. She may have thought to have lost everyone she loved, but unbeknownst to both of them, she had created a new, beautiful bond.
To Be Continued
