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[I: Nostos]
The first word that came to Kit’s mind when arriving at Restoration HQ was “cosy”.
After escaping from Eggman’s nightmarish city, Tails and Belle decided to get him settled into the Restoration.
“Don’t worry,” Tails had said. “We have a spare room for you. It’s just right past the pantry, by everyone else’s rooms. You’ll fit right in!”
Tails and Belle lead him down a hallway, with Tails chirping about the Restoration’s various facilities as they passed them by. Kit’s nose picked up on some sort of aroma that filled the air—melted butter, most likely. Plenty of apples sat snugly in large straw baskets, presumably to be used to bake something later. The volunteers there occupied themselves with various tasks—some were kneading dough, while others were whisking batter. Despite this, it was relatively quiet; Kit could hear snow being brushed by the wind from sky to roof. It reminded him of a memory that didn’t exist, a feeling that he didn’t quite understand. He stopped in his tracks, eyes downcast, blinking back a few tears.
“...don’t use the room all that much, but occasionally Belle uses it when she’s floating between stations—Kit? Are you alright?”
He looked up and saw Tails and Belle turned around, concern etched within their sky blue eyes. He felt like hiding away from their gazes.
“I—I’m fine,” Kit muttered, hating how his voice wobbled and his ears drooped.
They both looked at each other, seemingly having an entire silent conversation within a few seconds.
Belle sighed. “It’s been a long day for you. Let’s just get you to your room.”
Kit gave her a small nod and followed them to the end of the hallway. With every step he took, he felt like he was intruding on their safe little space. He shouldn’t be here. He wasn’t meant to be here.
Tails placed his hands on Kit’s shoulders as Belle creaked open the door, gesturing for him to go inside. They led him into a cosy room. It was mostly empty, with only a small bed with a tattered blanket perched on top of a pillow. Light from the sunset drifted lazily from the window overlooking the snowy plains below, settling comfortably on the cushions of the bed. Kit climbed up the bed and sat on it gingerly; it’s comfortable and bounces just right.
“Um, may we?” Tails asked, gesturing towards the bed. Kit nodded, and the both of them sat beside him, though not close enough that he would feel uncomfortable.
It was silent for a few moments, but Kit could hear pop music playing from a few rooms away if he strained his ears.
“How is it?” Belle asked, giving him a gentle smile.
“I-It’s great. Thank you.” Kit fiddled with the straps of his backpack. “I—um—I appreciate what you guys are doing for me.”
“Well, if there’s anything wrong, just let Tails and I know, alright?” Belle twirled one of her braids and gave Kit a sheepish smile. “I…know a thing or two about not fitting in.”
“Yeah,” Tails affirmed, his namesakes swooshing gently behind him. “I’ll be at my workshop, and Belle’s probably assisting me or at the woodworking section. Amy sometimes stops by here with Cream, so you can find them too!”
Tails’ smile was bright and confident. Belle’s was less so; more withdrawn in nature, but still filled with the same kindness as Tails’. Kit felt his heart simmer in guilt. He had tried to destroy them, and they reciprocated with kindness instead. It felt like a betrayal—leaving Surge’s side to be with their enemies. But they both stared at him hopefully, compassionately, in a way that Starline never did, like they actually saw him. Soon, Kit found himself tearing up again.
“And if you’re feeling hungry, you can always stop by the pantry. I heard we’re having pancakes today!”
Kit launched himself across the bed, squeezing both Tails and Belle into a tight hug. He scrunched his eyes, but they were no match for the hot tears that spilt down his muzzle. Both of them said nothing, only holding him close and rubbing circles into his back.
It could’ve been five minutes, it could’ve been five hours, but Kit finally felt his tears drying up, his eyelids drooping as he did.
“S-Surge will be back, right?”
Tails considered his answer, pursing his lips into a thin line. Then, he spoke up, bubbly as always. “Surge’s just like Sonic. And if there’s anything I know about Sonic, it’s that he never quits. I’m sure she’ll come looking for you whether we like it or not.”
Both Tails and Belle pulled back, slowly getting up from the bed. “Belle and I have to leave now, we’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“O-Okay.”
Soon, Kit drifted off into deep sleep while basked in his thoughts.
(And when Kit woke up finding himself under the comfort of the blanket and a plate of pancakes by his side, it was a miracle he didn’t tear up again.)
[II: Where Lifelines Intersect]
This was starting to get a little unnerving.
After being defeated by Sonic and his friends once more, Surge leaned against the walls of one of the buildings of Central City: a veritable jungle even for speedsters like her. On the opposite side of her was Whisper, who was just…staring at her.
(Whisper’s eyes were shut, but Surge had a feeling that she was appraising her.)
“Hey!”
Great start.
“Mm?” Whisper replied in her usual melodic undertone.
“I’ve heard about you from Starline’s constant briefings. You’ve lost people that you care about because of Eggman. Because Sonic didn’t end this neverending cycle.”
Whisper’s eyes opened slightly, silent for a few seconds, and Surge observed as she seemed to simmer in dull resignation towards the hand dealt toward her in life. She shook her head eventually. “Never thought of it that way. Simply didn’t want others to suffer the same fate.”
“You know how it feels. So, why do you continue to stand by his side?”
“It’s because I know how it feels that I stand by his side.”
“Hmph.” Surge jerked her head away from Whisper, frowning. “You do-gooders are always going on and on and on about being selfless.”
“...‘M plenty selfish.”
“Huh? Whaddaya mean?”
“The Metal Virus.” Whisper pursed her lips into a thin line. “Do you know—”
“Yeah.” Of course she knows about the Metal Virus. She knows all about it. It was the reason she hasn’t dropped dead yet. It was the reason she has to continue this stupid cycle between good and evil. “Why?” Surge asked.
“Eggman was trapped on Angel Island. We needed his help to eradicate the virus.” Whisper’s gaze fell and landed on her Wispon. “But at that moment, I didn’t care. It was just me. Him. His head.”
Surge lept towards Whisper, clearing the gap between the two walls with a flourish, then crossed her arms. “What, did a little birdie tell you not to?”
Whisper’s cadet blue eyes were deep in thought; she looked like she was witnessing a memory replay in front of her. “A rabbit. But, yes. I simply had someone I wanted to see again. That’s all.”
So, she let go of her only chance at revenge so that she could see that someone again? That seemed a little wasteful. Really wasteful. She must really like that person. Someone that is, to Surge, like Kit.
“But that was during the Metal Virus! Why not just end it now?”
Whisper shrugged. “I’ve thought about it. Not just with Eggman. Mimic, too. But, the only one who would be satisfied with revenge…would be me, right? Besides, everything’s fine the way it is. Everyone’s content.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!” Surge exclaimed, her voice shrill. “Don’t you ever get tired of it? Of constantly trying to defend the world from people like Eggman, Starline and me?”
“It does get tiring. And yet, it doesn’t.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It’s…like two identical leaves.”
“Leaves,” Surge deadpanned.
“Yes. Obviously, they’re the same species. Same shape. Same size. But the veins are never exactly the same. Similarly, in our adventures, there are always new sights to be seen. Things to be experienced with the people you cherish.”
Surge gaped at Whisper, then tore her gaze away from the wolf. “That’s…quaint. To find purpose in this stupid cycle.” At Whisper’s puzzled expression, Surge explained what she meant. “What purpose do I have other than killing Sonic? And—and I can’t even do that, too. I can’t even defeat Sonic, can’t even defeat his stupid friends.”
Both of them fell silent at Surge’s question. When the transient quietness was shattered once more, it was Whisper that did so.
“You know, you remind me of that someone a little.”
Surge raised an eyebrow, partially at Whisper’s poor attempt at changing the subject and partially wondering what she meant. “Are they as rash as I am?”
“Quite. Foolhardy, impulsive—”
Surge scowled, unamused. “You can stop now—”
“—and hardheaded. And yet, in that foolhardy courage, exists her eagerness to protect others. In that hardheadedness exists her desire to help others in need.”
Surge smirked, elbowing Whisper playfully. “Hah! Sounds like you’ve fallen for her.”
Whisper chuckled, and Surge saw something other than indifference in her for the first time. Whisper’s shoulders seemed to relax, and she appeared to accept the embrace of the brick wall she was leaning on a little more. There was a smile on her face: a messy sort of bubbling happiness. “Perhaps,” Whisper said. “Point is, you have that someone too, don’t you?”
There was that topic again.
Surge’s gaze floated toward the puddle of water on the granite road, her blue-green eyes downcast. Even if Kit was programmed to support her, to yearn for whatever she desired, something in his mannerisms told her that their bond was beyond Starline’s programming. Beyond something that Starline tried to replicate. “Yeah,” she muttered. “Yeah, I do.”
Whisper tilted her head. “The little fennec fox—Drippy?”
Surge shifted her legs slightly. “Kit. His name is Kit.”
“Kit.” Whisper drawled out the name slightly, letting it sit on her tongue for a few seconds as if pondering something. Then, she continues, “You care about Kit. He cares about you. Is that not purpose enough?” Surge’s silence was enough of an answer to Whisper, as she continued speaking not long after. “I can’t force you to change your stance. Think of this as…an alternate perspective.”
“So, I break into Restoration HQ and get Kit. Then what?”
“Your pasts. You both wish to find out, correct?”
“Yeah, but at this point, it’s pretty much impossible. The only person who knows is Star-lame, and who knows where that guy is at this point.”
“The trail is cold,” Whisper agreed. “But sometimes, the townspeople know many things. They whisper in incendiary gossip. The air of these streets is laden with mysteries that rekindle. Secrets that burn. You just have to reach out and ignite. The light will shine upon the truth.”
“Heh. It’d be cool if you had a matchstick and matchbox.”
Whisper gave a small smirk. “I do. I’d rather not waste them.”
Surge’s blue-green eyes avoided Whisper’s cadet blue ones that seem to be searching for something within her. “I’m not going to join your side, if that’s what you mean.”
Whisper hummed. “That’s fine.”
Surge stomped her foot on a torn page of The Daily Echo; the headline on it reading “Sonic Defeats Imposter Once More!”. “Argh! I don’t know!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “I don’t know where I stand anymore!”
“It’s not easy.” Whisper agreed. “But, isn’t he worth it?”
The crisp gales blew past them, tossing Surge’s hair and causing it to become slightly dishevelled.
“The more hardheaded you are, the more obstacles you’ll face. With your speed, you can continue to run away. Flee from them.”
Whisper lept up from the piece of cardboard she was sitting on. She grabbed the handle of her Wispon with one hand, and her Wisps floated into the capsules hidden within her cloak like clockwork.
“But that’s not the real purpose of an obstacle, is it?”
Surge considered Whisper’s question for a few seconds, then called out, “Leaving so soon?”
“You already know why.”
“Alone?”
“No. Have Tangle.”
Surge frowned. “She isn’t here.”
“Yet.”
“How do you know?”
“Left believing she would follow. Know she’s looking for me. She’ll catch up. Only a matter of when.”
And thus, Whisper donned her mask and left in search of her own trial, her footsteps as silent as her voice.
Surge, too, departed from the alleyway eventually, drawn by the beginnings of consciousness carved by the abyss of her memories. Undesired, unwanted, what made her continue?
It was probably none other than the basic will to protect Kit.
The sun took the moon’s place, stretching its sunlight across Central City. The skyscrapers cast long shadows upon the quiet streets. The radiance from the sun was a mixture of white and gold, and Surge couldn’t help but think of Starline’s Tricore. There was warmth on Surge’s face. Her eyes watered. Her skin and accessories surged with electricity. Not in that order.
She didn’t know what was right and wrong anymore. But someday, she’ll draw the line between black and white, between those who shall be spared from her wrath and those who are less fortunate together with Kit.
And she’ll draw that line in indomitable electricity.
[III: Eternal Transience]
Starline strides through the throne room—his throne room. Sunlight crawls into the room through the large windows. Stretches across the Eggpawns, the computers and the machinery, settling comfortably on his emblem. He takes note of his overly large emblem emblazoned onto the top walls. Thinks to refurbish the place later. That would do nicely.
Surge and Kit are right in front of him, standing at attention, ready to report things that he already knows.
Kit salutes upon laying eyes on his magnificent visage. “Sir! We’ve disposed of the two doppelgangers.”
“Yeah! Kit and I could take them no problem!” Surge elbows Kit with her shoulder playfully, and Kit gives her a messy grin. “They were total pushovers! Your plan worked like a charm, doc!”
Starline smirks.
Yes, this would do nicely.
“Excellent work!” Starline patted both Surge and Kit’s shoulders. “Both of you shall stand right by my side for my grand inauguration.”
Part of him wishes that time would skip straight to his grand inauguration. But after months of sleepless nights, a few more hours of waiting seems insignificant to him. Besides, good things come to those who wait.
And he has waited for a very, very long time.
The sounds of the robots’ marching permeate through the air; their rhythmic stomping on the spires like music to Starline’s ears. The flowers of the few technicolour plants in the far distance blossom into lanterns that float up towards the sky and explode as fireworks. He is elated. He feels like he could dance in this otherworldly splendour. There are more important things to tend towards, though.
“Attention, my loyal subordinates!” His voice echoes throughout the planet like the decree of heaven—no, of the gods themselves! With Doctor Eggman standing right by his side, finally listening to reason, and with Surge and Kit as his personal enforcers, the world is practically on his silver platter. “Spread throughout every inch of this planet! Stomp out every futile attempt of resistance! Silence their song of hope and replace it with our trinitarian rhapsody—for this planet now belongs to us! We—”
“Doctor.” The unmistakable voice of Eggman reaches his ears.
Starline appreciates the fact that his mentor finally sees the error of his ways, but can’t he go one second without interrupting him? “Yes?”
“You’re forgetting something.”
Starline turns around, frustrated. “What is it—”
He stops dead in his tracks at what he sees: Sonic and Tails, unmistakably alive.
What—how—but Surge and Kit—this isn’t possible—
“Surge! Kit! Get rid of them this instant—”
But Surge and Kit aren’t by his side. They’re by Sonic and Tails’ side. Along with everyone else. Knuckles. Amy. Tangle. The Deadly Six. Mimic. Rough and Tumble. They’re staring at him. They’re staring at him with those hateful, ignorant eyes of theirs.
The walls of his throne room crumble as his insignia bleeds off the throne room; Eggman’s emblem taking its stead. Above him, the night sky cracks, the deafening sound it produced uprooting trees and destroying buildings.
What—what is—
“Can’t you see? You played yourself, doctor.” Eggman says, his voice gravelly. Disembodied. “The only reason I’ve allowed you to come this far was because I’ve taken a certain delight in following your string of failures. But as you continue to drivel on and on about how static this world is, you’ve never changed one bit. You’re old news, and old news bores me.”
Starline gnashes his teeth. “I—I won’t allow this!” He pauses, bill opened in shock at how soft and nonexistent his voice is. That shock soon transitions into rage, and his hands clench into fists. “I won’t allow you to snatch away what I’ve worked so hard to achieve!”
Eggman flashes his signature toothy grin. “Little man, what makes you think you have any say in this matter?”
The sky shatters. Its glistening shards crash into him, sending him careening off the cliff.
He had been dancing in Eggman’s palm all along.
Then, the preparations, the planning…it was all for nought?
No. This—this can’t—
Starline, still in free fall, lunges for a fragment of the night sky. It is as dark as a starless sea. It hurts to hold it. He continues latching on to it anyways. He does not mind its sharp edges digging into his palm. Does not mind its reproaching reflections staring at him. It feels exhilarating, gratifying, even, to prove everyone wrong. It’s real—his dream is real. He is the one who beholds it. Ergo, it must be real. Sonic, Tails, Eggman, all of them have been plagued by preconceived notions. They’re all wrong, so wrong.
Heh…heh-heh—
His webbed hand brushes against the shard. Blood seeps into its disdainful edges, staining its dark surface scarlet. Scarlet, just like the venomous rubies that adorn his regalia. Just as he envisioned it… He loves it. He loves it more than a miser loves gold, more than a church loves sin.
Sunlight sears his skin. It burns away the veil on his vermilion eyes. As he wipes the soot away from his eyes, he catches a glimpse of the sun and the planets gravitating around it. They rotate like the wheels of an orrery, their multi-faceted shapes forever reconfiguring in the same way. Thoughts of his failures enter his mind.
“It’s over, Doctor. Even before today, you were always a failure.”
He’s hiding from the gravelly voice, trying his best to sandwich himself between the many intertwining pipes. His heart pounds against his chest at the close proximity of Zavok’s voice, afraid of bearing witness to what he might do. He can almost smell his acrid, pungent breath from here.
Shove them away. Shove them all away.
“You’re not fit to be Eggman’s successor.”
He wills his eyes to close; when they eventually comply, that same brightness is still there, lurking behind his eyelids.
The sun is wrong. The sun is wrong.
As he tumbles towards the vast ocean below, the thread that weaves the sea together unravels, causing it—and him—to be swallowed by an inky, black void.
“Orbot! How is our patient doing?”
“Just fine, boss,” Orbot said, staring at the statistics displayed on a yellow tablet. “It was a little on the nose for a few days, but his vitals are now stable.”
The glee in Eggman’s voice was almost palpable. “Oh-ho-ho! Splendid.”
Eggman twirled his moustache with a finger. “I’ve gone through great pains to bring you back, Starline. You really should thank me,” he said as he leisurely paced towards the large white capsule in front of him. “Sonic and Tails may have successfully evaded me once more, but you aren’t going to escape from me that easily.”
Eggman placed his hands on the glass of the capsule and observed the platypus inside with a giant grin plastered on his face. Starline’s head was more bandages than not, and there were dark, ugly bruises all over his vegetative body. He was battered and barely alive; struggling to climb up the single spider thread that Eggman had so benevolently provided so that the fires of hell didn’t consume him whole.
“Barely alive” was more than enough for him to show Starline his appreciation.
“I certainly hope you’re enjoying being the beta tester for my newest creation!” Eggman said as he smacked the bottom compartment of the machine. “I call it the Egg Nest. Genius, is it not? No need to answer—I already know it is. Don’t worry, Starline. Once I take over this world, you’ll rule by my side…as a comatose little platypus!” He cackled as he strode through the door he entered the room from, arms crossed at his back. “Orbot! Pull up the schematics for my next master plan. I can’t wait to see Sonic and his bothersome friends try and deal with this!”
Starline jolts awake. For some reason, the sounds of his dreams crumbling echo in his mind. That, and falling, falling, falling—
He shakes the thought out of his mind. He must’ve overworked himself. It’s all worth it, though, he thinks as he slowly rises from his throne. Now that his dreams have materialised into reality, he can take as long a sabbatical as he wants to.
Starline strides through the throne room—his throne room. Sunlight crawls into the room through the large windows. Stretches across the Eggpawns, the computers and the machinery, settling comfortably on his emblem. He takes note of his overly large emblem emblazoned onto the top walls. Thinks to refurbish the place later. That would do nicely.
Surge and Kit are right in front of him, standing at attention, ready to report things that he already knows.
Kit salutes upon laying eyes on his magnificent visage. “Sir! We’ve disposed of the two doppelgangers.”
“Yeah! Kit and I could take them no problem!” Surge elbows Kit with her shoulder playfully, and Kit gives her a messy grin. “They were total pushovers! Your plan worked like a charm, doc!”
Starline smirks.
Yes, this would do nicely.