NaNo2013: Speedster's Secret: Part 26

“You’ve changed. You’re not as strong or fast as you were.” The guy commented, trying to look tough though it was hard to take him seriously with a frog on his head, “And the Doc’s building something that could...”

“If you mean that metal rip-off, I’ve already trashed it.” Speedster smirked at him, “When I rescued my little brother. Thanks for the details by the way. Shame you couldn’t be bothered to actually help.”

“I had better things to do then get myself caught again.” The guy retorted, “Or watch you get yourself killed. You’re not Sonic.”

“No, I’m not.” Speedster happily admitted, “I’m not him, I will never be him. I might have some mad, Sonic like moments, but I’m not him.” She looked at him for a moment, then offered her hand, “You want a hand up?”

He considered the hand for a moment, before grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the water.

Speedster let out a startled yelp just moments before she hit the surface, the part of her mind that wasn’t her own panicking when the water closed over her head, only for the rational, human mind to kick that part in the nuts and get her to surface calmly. At least as calmly as it could while plotting homicide.

The guy looked rather pleased with himself for the three seconds it took for Speedster to launch herself at him, the brawl he had been trying to instigate while they had been on the roads, now shifting to the water.

She was actually winning until he use Chaos Control to freeze her in place, circling her for a moment, before sending her crashing into the trees back on shore.

“C...cheat.” She spat out, glaring at him as he moved towards her.

“What? You think we’re all gunna play by some handbook?” The guy demanded, circling her again, “Yeah, the Doc knows about that.”

“You’re not a villain.” Speedster pointed out, her memories playing up again as she tried to keep her front to him, refusing to let him get a sneak attack in, “You’re not a hero either, but you’re not a villain, so what’s your part in all this?”

“My part?” The guy asked, looking thoughtful for a moment before smirking slightly, “I suppose it’s making sure this world we’ve been dragged to and Fused into doesn’t crumble around our ears.”

“What do you...?” Speedster let out a sharp gasp as the guy shoved a crystal into her hand, a sphere shaped one with images flickering around the inside ball, and it dragged her into its stored images.

Speedster struggled to stay afloat amongst the tide of memories that attempted to wash her away. Getting bits and pieces of the big picture but not the full details. When she finally managed to pull her metaphorical head free, the guy was gone, but he had left her a small brown bag and a note.

“The bag’s for the crystal, don’t lose it Faker. Shadow.”

“Great.” Speedster complained, still trying to piece together exactly what she had seen, regaining her footing and glowering around at her surroundings, trying to see if she could work out where the pest had gone.

When she couldn’t see him or any hints of his tracks, she let out a frustrated grumble and headed for home, still puzzling over the images she had seen in the crystal. Some things had been obvious, World Spheres and robots, herself fighting. Others less obvious, some giant monster coming through a portal, a giant mechanical clocklike spider with time seeming to go backwards around it, an entire world being coated in Shadows...

She couldn’t know if they were real or not, if the images were past of future. It wasn’t helpful and all Shadow’s actions had done was give her the mother of all headaches.

“Stupid bloody faker with his stupid bloody orb of headache inducing plus seven.” She grouched as she shoved the crystal in the bag and then in a pocket, scowling as something pulled up the gravel, headlights on full beam, blinding her. “Ow!” She yelped, covering her eyes momentarily as she tried to get her sight back.

By the time she had someone had exited the vehicle and so had at least three others. Blind to what was going on but not deaf, she was still blinking sunspots away when the first of the men tried to grab her, causing her to duck under his attempts and dart away, only to crash into a second man.

She floored him, using tricks her sensei had taught her in order to escape, and was just about to leave, leaving the third one standing, when the fourth fired something and she felt something hit her in the back of the leg.

Dizziness and drowsiness instantly washed over her as she pulled the dart out, but rather than lie down and accept what was happening, she fought back, managing to knock out the two men and escape the backup. Darting home as fast as possible in order to both get somewhere safe and ensure the safety of her friends before she passed out.

She reached the house only to find her door was hanging off the hinges.

“Luna!” She darted in, adrenaline keeping her awake, fear coursing through her, “Tails!”

“Speeds?” Luna’s voice was wavering from the back room, “Is that you?”

“I...I’m here.” Speedster shot into the back room, trying to ignore the way her house had been trashed in her concern from her friends. She stepped into the backroom to find Luna looking absolutely exhausted, shielding Tails despite the fact the goons who had gone after them were unconscious. “Are you alright?”

“I...no...” Luna admitted, exhausted beyond reason after challenging all twelve men. “My Other Self’s out...” She admitted, wavering on her feet. “We took them all...Tails is awesome by the way. Her booby traps? Totally cool.”

“Good. I’m glad you feel that way.” Speedster was pleased, even as her world spun and her legs started giving out. “Glad you’re okay...” She fell forward.

“Speeds!”

“Sonic!”

Both of her friends darted forward, moving to catch her and neither quite getting there. Speedster glanced up, trying to work out how she had ended up on the ground. “I...hi?” She asked.

“Speeds, what happened?” Luna worried at her as Tails started examining her for injury.

“Puncture wound.” Tails stated, noting the rip in Speedster’s trouser’s and checking the injury, “Speeds?” Tails asked, “Did you get tagged?”

“Yeah. Goons in cars.” Speedster nodded, “I don’t... we need to move...”

“I’m phoning Rowena.” Luna mumbled, pulling out her phone only to pause when she heard footsteps storming the building, “I haven’t called her yet.”

“Round two.” Speedster forced herself to her feet, “Go. Now. I’ll hold them.”

“No, I won’t...” Speedster’s glare cut Luna off. Once Luna was settled, Speedster looked to Tails.

“I’m trusting you to get her out, little sis.” Speedster saw Tails’ back straighten and her reply was a short, sharp nod, “I can hold them while you escape out the back. Now go.”

“Be careful.” Tails nodded, before helping Luna out the back way. Speedster had only just lost the sound of Luna’s disagreement with the plan when the first men came around the corner.

She managed to take down three before they tagged her again, twice, and had just managed to take down another two before they pinned her long enough for the sedatives to kick in. Despite her best efforts she spiralled away into darkness, chased by the words, ‘About bloody time, she’s got enough drugs in her to knock out an elephant. Now where’s that second group? They have to have grabbed the other two by now.’

When she came around again, it was to the sound of low whispering and frantic plans. It wasn’t just Luna and Tails talking either. There were other voices, other Club members present. She let out a groan as she tried to move, only to find out she was hampered by a combination of her own body, which was still recovering from the sedative they had pumped her full of, and the metal around her wrists and ankles.

“Speedster!” She let out another groan as the call echoed around her sore head but her head turned in the direction of the call, even if she couldn’t see them through the wall between cells. “Aw man, they got you too?”

“R...role call.” She managed, though her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and she felt like she hadn’t had a drink in far too long.

She sat up and experimentally tugged on the chain connecting her wrists, scowling as she found that she had no real give in the bindings. Something started bothering her the moment the list of her captured friends started. Every one of them in the cells were hero or neutral Fused, not a single Villain had been caught.

In fact as they all listed off their names, she noticed that it wasn’t the all of the hero or neutral Fused, in fact there was a disturbing pattern and she wasn’t the only one who saw it.

“Is there anyone here,” The Other Luna asked, her tone frustrated, “Who didn’t sign up to Rowena’s consultant thing?”

No one answered except for Tails.

“Knew it was too good to be true.” Gold sounded like he was grimacing from a couple of cells down. It was hard to tell when the only way to see out into the corridor was through a tiny, barred window in the rather thick looking door that was above her current head height and she didn’t trust her feet. “I mean seriously? Being paid to be a Superhero?”

“It might be a leak.” Chi spoke up, “Someone in her department leaked our details to the bad guys who grabbed Luna and Speeds, and they acted on it.”

“Whichever it is, I’n totally going to bust some heads when we get out of here.” Mako growled, “I don’t appreciate being used as a lab rat.”