I had regrouped with Charmy, Espio and Vector several minutes ago. They didn't find anything. I felt horrible for showing up empty handed. "I'm counting on you" Knuckles had said to me, and I didn't find Sonic. I felt like a failure, ashamed. Determined to prove my worth, I had left the group to search for Sonic again.
Only a hundred feet from our stolen shuttle, my Wispon had been knocked out of my hands by a blast from an Egg pawn. Several dozen had surrounded me. I have been able to fight off about twelve of them, giving my knuckles bruises in the process. Eventually two got behind me and grabbed my arms.
Now I am at their mercy. They're charging their cannons now, and it's not for intimidation. They weren't programmed to take prisoners. In a way, I was glad, I won't have to go through the hell the doctor made me experience again.
But I still struggled, not letting myself die at the mechanical hands of simple pawns, not when I have a promise to keep. My eyes went wide at the ever-brightening canon. I braced for death.
When I blink, a blur flashed in front of me. The arms restraining me were gone. The robots where all dead. Reduced to scrap.
I quickly duck down, reflexes kicking in, hoping to avoid any more dashes from the blur. I didn't know what alignment they had; they could easily kill me if I got in their way.
A pair of red shoes landed before me. White straps were across the top of each, a grimy golden buckle holding down the straps on the side of each shoe. They were worn and had a faded red colour staining some of the white fabric.
Only one Mobian wears those hyper friction shoes, I thought.
My eyes traveled up the blue figure. Eventually, my eyes landed on their face. It was him.
A pair of emerald green eyes stared back at me. They weren't scared, joyful if anything. But there were glassed over. Though bags were under his eyes, he still somehow found a reason to smile as he extended his hand out to me. Dried blood stained his white glove. Was it his?
"Easy! Everything's cool," Sonic assures. Are you talking to me or yourself?
After a few seconds of hesitation, I took his hand. My face burned with shyness and shame. Shame that Sonic is the one saving me. It was supposed to be the other way around. This is going to make me seem even more useless than I already am. Needing an injured, prisoner of war to save you from simple pawns? That's a new kind of low.
It was pathetic.
Sonic lifted me up, but I couldn't move my eyes from the bruises and indents on his wrists. It looked like something had been crushing them. Handcuffs? Chains? I looked him up and down, searching for any other injures.
He was thin. I mean, Sonic has always been that way, but this... was malnourishment, and it was bad. Dangerously thin. Almost as small as me, and Sonic was taller than me so his body weight should be more. I am aware that I am dangerously thin, and I'm trying to deal with it, but Sonic's condition is worse. Scabs, cuts and bruises covered his entire body, especially his legs.
"Are you here to rescue me?" he asked.
I moved back my eyes to his. Only for a moment though, I couldn't keep eye contact him. I nodded. I was supposed to rescue you but look where we are now.
"Can't tell you how much I appreciate it," he says, grateful. "It's been a while since I've seen a friendly face."
Sonic looks down at the dead robots, kicking one of them. How could he possibly find the ability to smile after what he went through? How is he even standing? I wonder what is going on in Sonic's head, what emotions he was feeling. I would think that if I were him, I'd be somewhat upset that the Resistance took so long to find me.
Sonic shifted on his feet uncomfortably, like he was waiting for something. "Is it, uh... okay if I hug you?" he requests, no real emotions in his voice as he extended his arms, eyes shifting to the ground. Thinking about what he went through, and what little he was asking for made my heart hurt.
I hesitate for moment. I didn't like to be near anyone, let alone touched by them. I still force myself to nod. It's the least I can do.
Before I could open my own arms, Sonic wrapped his around me, eyes closed. He stayed like this, body still like a rock. I was tense for a moment, not expecting Sonic to be so trusting towards somebody he just met. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around him in return, not sure what else I could do.
A voice spoke in my ear. "Rookie, you still in one piece?" Knuckles asked.
Sonic released me from the hug, smiling at my frustrated face from the name "rookie". I swear, since Vector said that once it has stuck. "Yeah, don't even bother to ask how I am," Sonic says sarcastically, putting a fist on his hip.
"Sonic?!" Amy shrieked over the radio, deafening my ear. I ripped out the earpiece, rubbing the side of my head. I swear there was a possibility Amy gave me hearing damage.
Even Sonic jumped, shocked at how loud she was. He heard Knuckles because he had his head on my right shoulder, close to my radio, but Amy managed to be loud enough that he heard from a few feet away.
I held the radio out between the both of us, pressing a small button to let the voices be projected outwards so that we could both hear.
"Calm down, Amy. We're all happy Sonic is alive, but he won't be for long if he doesn't get off that egg quickly." Knuckles says, addressing Amy, yet talking to Sonic.
"Your concern is touching, Knuckles," Sonic said, still keeping his sarcastic tone. Sonic looks at me. "Do you know how to get out of here?"
I pointed towards the stolen shuttle we took, parked about a hundred or so feet in the distance, in the docking bay.
Sonic began to run towards it. I try to stop him, but my arm couldn't reach for him in time. If Sonic uses too much energy in this state... he could seriously hurt himself.
I quickly switched my radio back to its alternate mode as I put it back in my ear. Then I grab my Wispon and rush after him, afraid to let him out of my sights.
Sonic didn't get far, his legs buckled out from under him and he fell onto his stomach. Sonic growled and punched the ground in frustration. I was there by his side in an instant, kneeling beside him.
Sonic got to his knees, but his head was still bowed, staring at the ground. His eyes were filled with mixed emotions, anger, disappointment, and pain. It was now that his quills were raised above his back. I saw what I never noticed. Dozens of white lines scattered all over his back. Lash marks. Whippings.
I couldn't help but feel worried. Some of them were deep, others were scabbed over. And some were still fresh. They could open. They may already be infected.
Sonic looked up at me. His eyes were deprived of emotion again. "Uh... can I have some help, please?" he asked, almost sad. Shame? Hurt pride?
I clip my Wispon to my belt then wrapped Sonic's arm around my neck, to let him rely on me to carry his weight. Sonic was underfed, I didn't need to put in much effort.
Sonic and I walked towards the space shuttle – well, I walked, he limped – keeping in mind that Knuckles needed us to hurry. I fire my grapple at the shuttle, Sonic's rough condition adding to the list in mind.
The cable pulled us towards the ship. Sonic's arm tightened around my neck as we were lifted from the ground. I grinded my teeth together, alarms flashing in my body, trying not to lash out at the thing wrapping around my neck. All I could do was try and ignore the phobia for as long as I possibly could.
The shuttle doors opened as we landed in front of it. Relief filled me as Sonic's arm loosened. I drag him into the shuttle. When we were inside everybody gaped at us.
"Hey," Sonic greets weakly, somehow mustering a smirk. "Did you miss me?"
It's been half an hour since we had gotten Sonic aboard the shuttle. We fled the Death Egg almost immediately, and now we were slowly entering Earth's atmosphere.
Sonic looks slightly better than he did before. Mostly because he had been fed, and any injuries were covered in bandages. Sonic looks more and more like a mummy each time I look at him.
When Sonic was first being wrapped up, he wasn't very excited about the idea. But Amy was... very persistent. Soon Sonic just gave up and slumped against the wall with his arms folded. He somehow looked like a grumpy child.
I wondered for a split second if keeping his back against the wall was a strategy to hide the lacerations on his back.
"Sonic... finding you alive was the best news we have had in months," Knuckles says, sitting down next to Sonic as Amy proceeded to wrap his wrist. "But there's bad news too. I got recent intel that suggests Eggman has a weapons factory in Green Hill."
"A factory?" Silver joins." We will never be able to take his base in Metropolis if he has a factory suppling him."
"No kidding..." Knuckles mutters to himself, looking to the ground. "Espio, can your team take it out?" Knuckles looks to the chameleon, who was standing in front of Vector and a worried Charmy.
Espio shakes his head. "No, we were going to be dispatched to eliminate the robots getting too close to the civilian bunkers."
Knuckles turns his head to Silver. "I was supposed to assist a squad with evacuating a hospital on the edge of the city," Silver crosses his arms, a shamed look on his face.
I now realize how much spread thin this team was.
Knuckles sighs and looks back to the metal floor. "Rouge is doing recon. Amy is manning the radios." Knuckles mutters under his breath. "Sonic... I know you just got back..." Knuckles looks back up at Sonic, guilt in his eyes.
"I'll do it!" Sonic jumps. His eyes lit up with both excitement and vengeance. That look didn't sit with me well, I had that same vengeful look once. And I still do.
"Thank you, Sonic," Knuckles sighs in relief, one less mission for him to worry about. "But there is no way in hell I'm letting you go alone. I'm sending the rookie with you."
A wave of relief washed over me. Sonic was not going to be sent into the field after months of trauma and torture. But then I process everything else Knuckles said. Am I really best for this?
"You sure about this, Commander?" Vector asks, skeptical. "The kid was shaking like a leaf the whole time at the Death Egg." He hooks a thumb in my direction.
My gaze went to the ground, eyes ashamed. Damn, they noticed, I think. I cross my arms over my stomach, knowing everyone was looking in my direction. I could feel their stare burning holes into me.
Back on the Death Egg, I would look around, always checking my back. There was constantly nervous look on my face. I didn't exactly like the environment, especially with the thought that a certain mad scientist might be onboard, with me.
"That's because it's cold in space!" Charmy jumps in. "The factory is nice and warm!"
I couldn't tell if Charmy had my back, or if he was that oblivious to fear and trauma was and what it could do to someone.
For a moment I felt irritated that they were all speaking for me, and I couldn't give my own opinion.
"It will be when it's burnt to the ground!" Knuckles said, smiling. There was a hint of aggression in his voice. "Sonic, you can take the lead. Rookie, take notes."
I'm starting to get used to "rookie" at this point, there was no point in trying to change it. If they use my real name – that they don't seem to know – it will only form a connection, and I don't want that. When Knuckles said he wanted me to "take notes", did he mean in terms of skills and lessons? Or Sonic's behaviour? Either way, I nodded. I would most likely pay more attention to the second.
"I've got legs to stretch, and payback to give! This sounds like a great start!" Sonic smiles, cracking his knuckles.