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A dot was on the horizon. Then a small line. Then, the train’s details became more visible.
Surge waited on a nearby hill. She tapped her foot.
“This is getting boring,” she said.
Her earpiece buzzed. “Not much longer, ma’am. Then you can jump on.”
Surge exhaled. “And why do I need to jump on? Can’t I just run and hop right onto the back of the train?”
“To avoid being seen. If you ran, you could be seen out a window!” Kit said. “This was the best part of the route to hop on.”
“But it’s late. They’ve already been on this train for what, hours? Isn’t that what you said?”
“Well...yeah, but, on the short notice-“
“I’ve waited enough!” she yelled. “Boarding starts now!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Kit squeaked.
The wind in Surge’s ears drowned out his timid acceptance. She had jumped from her perch, immediately accelerating to high speeds. Electricity crackled around her as she barreled at the train. Quickly, she was already right there with it, just heading in the opposite direction.
As it zoomed by her, she accelerated again, for fun, the air rippling at the force.
She wrapped around the last car, going around the other side. She slowed to match its speed.
Then, she raised her elbow and aimed for the window.
“This is the beginning of the end, hedgehog...”
Crash!
Tails turned his head. “What was that?”
Barry looked around, but didn’t seem to have noticed anything. “What was what?”
Waiting another second, Tails blinked. Left over in his vision was a flash of bright light, a sharp line that wore away as he kept blinking. In another few seconds, it was gone.
“Just...could have sworn I saw something,” Tails said, but he was unsure what. Some odd flash of light. It could have merely been a glare.
Barry just shrugged. Tails took another glance around the lounge car. Amy and Shadow hung around, while he and Barry prepared to interrogate Shadow.
Tails’ attention moved somewhere else. “Hey, it’s the Big Chao Band!”
Surge had smashed right into some kind of storage car. It was as tight and narrow, like a closet. She brushed herself off.
“Hmmph...bunch of junk here.” She stepped over a shattered shelf, and peeked through the window of the door into the next car.
She saw no movement, just a few tables and chairs. It looked like a dining car. But some of the chairs were overturned, like there had been some ruckus already.
“Are you in?” the voice in her earpiece came through.
“Of course I am! And nobody saw me,” she replied. “Now, time to find that stinkin’ blue...”
She pried open the door, and stepped through. She stopped in her tracks.
On the floor, seemingly unconscious, was Sonic. Wearing a silly captain’s hat.
Surge stared down at him, trying to process the scene.
He was already incapacitated? Was this a trick? Was he...already...?
She kept staring for a while.
Carefully, she got down on a knee. Surge looked at her fingers. She intently placed two of them together. She hesitated. Then, she placed them on his neck. Sonic remained motionless.
She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. She couldn’t find anything. No pulse.
Could it really be possible?
Sonic took a shuddering inhale. Surge tensed up, but stayed still to avoid startling him further. Which meant keeping her fingers where they were.
She waited, still tense.
He took one more shaky inhale, very weak.
Then, his eyes opened, slowly.
Surge still did not move.
Groggily, Sonic blinked. “Hhuhhh?...”
Surge’s eyes were wide, her expression moderately panicked.
Sonic blinked again, staring at her.
Surge was almost paralyzed, but then remembered what she had come to do. She felt a spike of energy coming on. Her power was coursing through her.
If he made one move...
“Hhhunnghh...must be dreaming,” Sonic said, eyelids looking heavy. He gave one more blink, then succumbed to inertia.
Surge waited for ten seconds, then another ten. Sonic seemed to truly be out.
Finally, she took a deep breath, and stood up. She looked around, and scratched her neck. With her foot, she poked at his captain’s hat.
“Right...this was a murder mystery party...according to that invitation Kit swiped. Well, it’s just so wonderful that you and all your little friends like to have so much fun,” she said with a snort. “Makes it easier to sneak up on ya...”
“Ma’am?” the voice in her ear piped up. “I- I know you said not to speak unless spoken to, but...what’s going on?”
“Shut it, drippy!” Surge shot back.
Silence followed.
“That hedgehog is way more vulnerable than I thought...” Surge kept thinking. “...I say we go all in.”
“A-all in?”
“He’s been enjoying himself too much, and he’s...he’s as weak as I’ve ever seen!” She grinned, heart speeding up at the thought that this could really be it. “Oh, I want to make this fun!”
“Fun?”
“I know exactly what will just kill him to see!...Ya know, before actually killing him...”
“W-what?”
“Torture him a little. Like the stupid hero he is!”
“By doing what?”
“Will you shut it!” she shouted, but then paused for a moment to make sure she wasn't heard. “I’m just going to have a little extra fun. Sonic’s in the second-to-last car. We’re enacting all our plans. Now remind me...where are the secret passages here?”
“I have a strong feeling I know exactly who your source is,” Tails said to Amy. “But we need to investigate one last area: the conductor’s car.”
“I’ll come with you,” said the black hedgehog. “I’d love to know who’s been dragging my name through the mud.”
“And I’ll join as well!” Amy exclaimed.
“We’re more than happy to have you both!” said Tails. He turned to the quokka at his side. “Barry, I hate to say it, but I believe our investigation is finally coming to a close.”
The quokka agreed. “Let’s end this, Tails. We’ll pin down Sonic’s murderer for good!”
Surge, from her vantage point in the tight passageway normally reserved for the train’s robotic arms, couldn’t help but snort. Her grin widened. Oh, if only they knew...
She recognized she was getting a little greedy. But seeing Sonic already so weakened had taken some of the fun out of it. Luckily, she knew just how to get it back.
This passageway was only big enough for one person to fit through. For sneaking two individuals back out, she would have to use the secret passage in the wardrobe. She had four candidates to choose from. The prized one, the fox with two tails, was in her sight.
Oh, to do it to him, in front of Sonic - it would be so gratifying.
But he was in the middle of everyone. Someone might see her if she went for him. She did not want to blow her cover and alert everyone on the train. Not right now, anyway.
She could go for one of the two other hedgehogs, already making their way to the exit into the final car. However, they were far away. One of them, Amy, was going to be loud and feisty. The other hedgehog carried himself in a way that suggested he would not be an easy target either.
Besides, they were farthest away. The easiest candidate was the one who was going to be last through the door. The quokka. Who she had sized up as being completely helpless.
She exhaled. It would have to do.
“Ready to go?” Tails asked.
The quokka nodded.
“It’s now or never!” Tails declared.
With that, the two hedgehogs and Tails moved through the door.
Surge pushed through a panel near where the ceiling met the wall. She made a beeline for the last member of the group, lagging just a bit behind.
The quokka had no time to turn.
In an instant, Barry was in a dark, enclosed space, and their mouth was covered.
They took a deep inhale through their mouth that was partially blocked. Frantically, Barry squirmed, but then stopped as something tightened on them.
Where am I? What just happened?
Barry had an awful, uncanny feeling in the pit of their stomach. They tried to make a sound, but it was muffled.
“Quiet,” growled a voice from behind.
Barry tried to turn around. Surprisingly, they found themselves allowed to do so, though their mouth was still covered by a hand. Able to see a little more, it seemed like they were in the wardrobe with the secret passage behind it. They kept turning, gazing upward in their cramped position. The door was open just a crack, just enough for a sliver of light to bleed through.
Returning the quokka’s stare was a green tenrec with ear piercings, spiky bracelets, and a sadistic grin.
“Congratulations,” she said. “You just found Sonic’s murderer.”
Kit zoomed as fast as his hydrokinesis would let him towards the train.
The back-up plan meant he was needed, and he was a little shocked to hear it. He approached the train, still chugging along with speed.
The second-to-last car was in sight. That was where Surge had told him Sonic was. He carefully pulled even with it, then used tendrils of water to pull himself onto the top, landing face down.
Kit made sure his arms were steady, then got to his knees. He removed his backpack, and took out a few items. A screwdriver, several electromagnetic amplifiers, and one larger device.
He wasn’t sure how far Surge was planning to go. Maybe she wasn’t even sure.
The train rocked ever so slightly as it moved. He unscrewed a tile and found a large box with sensors inside. One of them gave the train’s robotic arms the ability to scan for weapons.
Not knowing precisely which, he punctured the whole box with the screwdriver. He doused it with a little water to make sure.
It still wasn’t entirely clear whether the sensor was inoperable, but he had done all he could. Now he grabbed the large device, being as careful as possible with it. He checked to make sure it was deactivated. He tapped on the gadget on his wrist. A screen on the device said “Active.” He tapped again. “Inactive.”
As he placed it inside the ceiling of the car, he felt some misgivings. Not about the goals of the mission. Just about the unknowns. It all seemed unnecessary. If Sonic was indeed weak, why did they need to add on the extra pieces? Making things riskier for everyone.
But they did everything together. He lived for Surge. Whatever she chose, he would be right there.
Cautiously, adjusted the position of the large device next to the ruined sensor. He disconnected a tube that ran to a robotic hand on the side panel inside the car. He waited.
After a second, he untensed.
Yep, the weapon-scanning sensor was broken, alright.
The tenrec was still covering Barry’s mouth, dragging them through the narrow passageway that was just tall enough to allow for walking. Her arms wrapped around their head and neck. Barry didn’t know whether to resist, or move along and cooperate. They wound up doing neither, just being limp.
“Let’s go,” the tenrec said forcefully, approaching the end of the passageway. Barry blinked, though it was probably too dark for her to register that.
There was moderate light, though. Some of it emitted from the tenrec. Her eyes were glowing more than most Mobian eyes did in the dark. And while Barry had heard every step of her shoes, making a squeaking sound as she walked, there seemed to be something more to the sound. As Barry focused more on her shoes, it appeared that there was a small sparking of static electricity adding just a hint of extra illumination to the dark space.
Barry gulped and closed their eyes.
The tenrec finally halted, just outside the entryway that led directly into the library car. She peered through a crack in the door.
She snarled. “Those idiots need to move...if they don’t want to end up like Sonic.”
Barry’s thoughts kicked back into overdrive. Oh no, this is where Espio and Vector are. No, no, no, please don’t involve them. I’m failing, I was not prepared for this, why is this happening?...
The quokka looked up at the tenrec. She looked back at him, and smirked.
“What d’ya think, pal? Should I just get rid of them right now?”
Barry had watery eyes. They couldn’t talk because her hand was still covering their mouth, but even if it wasn’t, it was impossible to know what the right thing to say was.
“What are you- stop doing that!” she suddenly whispered in a harsh tone.
Barry was confused, but froze.
“You’re still trying to breathe through your mouth. It’s annoying. You still have your nose. Now cut it out, or you won’t breathe again!”
The tenrec waited for the quokka to acknowledge this. Barry nodded, but was slightly miffed underneath.
Well, geez, sorry. Maybe if you weren’t making me panic I wouldn’t feel the need to try and take bigger breaths.
“I’m warnin’ you,” she continued, though she had seen his acknowledgement. “If you don’t do exactly what I say...”
She freed up one of her arms, bringing her hand in front. She spread her hand claw-like, and Barry watched bolts of energy dance around her fingers and palm. They sparked and crackled lightly, frenzied, but controlled.
Some of Barry’s fur began to stick up. Fearfully, they tried to recoil, but the tenrec just brought her hand closer.
“...You’re gonna have a painful final few moments.”
Tails spent a minute sweeping the conductor’s car, seeing if any clues stood out. Amy and Shadow looked around as well. There were still some more clues to search for.
The fox spied a trash can. He chuckled.
“Well, Barry, looks like there’s...” he trailed off. Barry was not behind him.
Tails stopped in place, and scanned the room. There was Amy. There was Shadow. But Barry was gone.
“Barry? Where’d you go?”
There was no response, but now Shadow and Amy looked at him.
“Hey, did either of you see Barry?” he asked. “Like, coming into this car?”
“Well...no,” Amy answered. “They were with you, right?”
“Yeah, but they were just with all of us. You didn't see them come in here with us?”
Amy shook her head. Tails turned to Shadow.
“Shadow?”
Arms crossed, the black hedgehog shook his head. “I last saw your sidekick in the previous car.”
Amy thought. “Maybe they’re taking a look at something in the other room?”
Tails put a balled hand on his hip. “I swear, if they’re still digging through the trash...” It was a somewhat amusing thought, Barry craving the high of finding another clue in the trash. He sighed. “I’d better go and check.”
He stepped through the exit, and into the entry of the previous car, the lounge car. He didn’t see anything immediately.
“Barry?” Tails called. “Where are you?”
With no reply, Tails slowly went through the room. Barry wasn’t by the stage of the Big Chao Band. Nor by the computer. Nor near the trash can.
Tails put a finger on his cheek. This was definitely weird.
He thought some more. Maybe they had needed a bathroom break, or something. It was okay to give it a few minutes.
But Tails just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
He looked at the wardrobe. Barry had pulled the string inside to reveal the secret passageway. But hadn’t they left the wardrobe open? Now, it was closed.
Would Barry seriously use the wardrobe to go all the way to the bathroom? Tails shrugged. Maybe. It was a neat find. But still...
Tails couldn’t spend more time hunting down his partner. But he could hopefully wrap up both mysteries, and quickly.
Turning around, there was still a funny feeling inside him. He walked back through the car, taking one last look around. Something caught his eye. He took a sharp inhale.
A panel in the ceiling had been moved to the side. It had not been like that before.
He walked quickly back into the conductor’s car. Amy and Shadow looked at him, expectantly.
“We need to call everybody here, now,” the fox said.
The intercom buzzed. “Hello everyone, this is the birthday girl speaking! Please report to the conductor car at ONCE!”
The quokka and the tenrec heard shuffling outside their hiding spot. Then, a door closed.
Another door opened, the door at the other end. Some more shuffling was heard. Footsteps walking through the library car. Then, the opposite door creaked and closed.
Silence.
“Didn’t see Sonic...” muttered the tenrec. She smiled. “He must still be feeling woozy...”
She looked at her captive. Barry was quivering, trying to keep themselves together.
“Time for you and me to pay him a visit!”
She jumped out of the closet, wresting Barry along with her. She dragged them, mouth still covered, arms held down.
They got to the door. The tenrec looked at the quokka, visibly desiring to free up an arm.
“Okay, I’m going to let go of your mouth now. But if you yell, or try to run, you die instantly.” At her words, a shock transferred into Barry, making them twitch. “Understand?”
Barry nodded in terror once again. The tenrec released their mouth. Barry took a few shuddering breaths.
The tenrec took a second to study them, now that Barry’s full face was visible. “Look at you, all innocent,” she cooed. “Yep, you’ll be perfect for this! Although...”
Her eyes settled on the quokka’s mouth, which, for all their fright, was still turned upwards. The tenrec extended her index and pinky fingers, moving them towards Barry’s trembling lower face.
“You could stand to look a little more terrified...” she said, pulling down the two corners of the quokka’s mouth with her hand to snuff out their smile.
Unfortunately, Barry’s facial structure meant that when she pulled her fingers away, the corners of their mouth ricocheted back into place.
“Hey! Don’t do that. What the hell’s so funny?”
Barry cowered, face tilting downwards to hide the tiny appearance of a smile that was almost physically impossible to remove.
“I want you to answer me,” she snarled, in Barry’s face, electricity crackling. “Why are you still smiling?”
Barry did not say anything at first. All their vision was blurring from stress and fright. But they could still see the tenrec brandishing her fist, fingers extended, lightning bolts rippling between the rings she wore.
“Well?” Her fist slowly approached their forehead.
Barry was torn as to whether this was a trick or not. But seeing her movement, a few inches away from frying them, Barry tried to speak.
“B-b-b-be-cause I-I-I’m a- qu-qu-quokka!”
The tenrec stopped. She looked at him.
“Oh,” she said, lowering her fist.
A few more seconds of silence followed.
“What’s your name?” she asked. “Brad?”
Another actual question? Not a trick? Is she ignoring my name tag, or can she not read my handwriting?
“...It’s B-Barry.”
“Do you know why I’m here, Barry?”
She seemed to be interested in a response, waiting several seconds.
It’s probably not good.
“Umm...to grade our food as part of a health inspection?”
“NO, ya dimwit!”
She and Barry both looked down to the other end of the car to see if anyone had heard her outburst.
She scoffed. “Whatever. All you really need to know is that...all of you, on this train? Are living out my dream...and I want in on it. For real.”
Barry did not dare say another word. But their eyes widened.
“Sonic is a scourge, a disease,” she went on, lowering herself to their height. “His existence allows others to destroy. And worse, people thank him for it.”
But...he helps people! He’s like, a superhero!
Wait, does that mean she’s a supervillain?
“I say no more. No more self-righteous heroes, no more egotistical jerks...I’m here to cut everybody down.”
Yeah, that’s something a supervillain would say. Or, maybe a super-antiheroine? Would that be the term?
“Would you say you’ve lived a full life, Barry?”
This phrase snapped Barry fully out of their thoughts. Again, there did not seem to be a good way to answer this question. Barry just trembled.
The tenrec grinned, enjoying the reaction. She kicked the door open, and began dragging the quokka into the next car, the saloon car.
“Unfortunately, Sonic’s insistence on keeping terrible people alive...means that I need to balance him out.”
Barry’s legs felt like jelly as the implications fully hit.
“Don’t even worry. I’ll make it quick if you’re good. No memories, just...nothingness. Blank.” She kept dragging him. “You don’t feel pain when you’re dead.”
Now Barry tried to slow them both down, pressing their feet into the floor. The tenrec felt this, and grabbed the quokka, lifting them off the floor and slinging them over her shoulder. She quickened her pace.
“It’s worse to live, and know what’s happened to you. Or know that you don’t know. And knowing you’ll never remember...”
Barry’s breathing was audible. Now facing backwards, they tried stealing a glance behind them.
In the reflection of the upcoming door, the final one that led to the dining car, Barry saw her grin. Still sadistic. But also, there was something else, something Barry couldn’t quite place.
“Ya know? I’d say today definitely counts for a full life. No regrets. Nope, not for any of us.”
She stopped as she got close to the door. She put a finger to her ear.
“Hey, kid. I’m about to step into the car.”
The conductor car had crowded up. Tails looked around, counting off everyone. They were still a few individuals short.
“Anybody seen Barry?” Tails asked the crowd. There was lots of shrugging and head shaking.
“Where’s Sonic?” Amy questioned. “He must still be pretending to be dead. Lazy bum!”
“Well,” Tails began. “We were going to name our prime suspect, but both my assistant and the victim aren’t present.”
“Vector!” Amy barked. “You and I are going to get Sonic!”
“Happy to help!” Vector said.
They both walked out of the car.
Tails held up a hand. “Wait.”
Amy and Vector stopped. Everyone looked at the fox.
“Something’s not right,” Tails cautioned. “Like, something beyond the game...”
“What do you mean?” Blaze asked.
“I mean...there may be more players than we realize here.”
“Oh-ho!” Rouge giggled. “Is there more to it than meets the eye, detective?”
“Maybe I’m just paranoid, but...I don’t think we should split up.”
“Worried about another victim?” Amy asked.
Espio snorted. “Now, the murder’s already taken place. There can’t be another victim, unless the ‘murderer’ didn’t know the rules.”
“Just listen!” Tails said, voice cracking a bit more than usual. “Just...did anyone do anything in the lounge car in the past five minutes, other than to walk into here?”
Everyone looked around. A few heads were shaken.
“Well, the room changed in the minute I stepped into here with Amy and Shadow,” said Tails. “Now I’m not accusing anyone here of breaking the rules. But I’m just...worried there might be some other party here that’s really behind what’s been going on.”
Everyone considered this.
“Please, everyone, just...let’s walk together. Hopefully we find Sonic and Barry, and then we can name the suspect.”
For a second, nobody made any indication of agreement or disagreement.
Knuckles then nodded his head towards the door. “You heard him. Let’s make sure everyone’s accounted for.”
He started walking. Vector and Amy, ahead of him, resumed their exit. Everyone else filed behind them.
“And here I thought I might have to hustle to do all this...” the tenrec said, climbing up to reach a panel where the wall met the ceiling. She removed a panel, and grabbed a robotic arm. She yanked it hard, then gave it a shock. The hand convulsed around.
She had been holding Barry in one arm, but now dropped them down to the floor, casually. Then she ripped the hand clean off. She yanked the rest of the long arm down to ground level, and placed some small device from her pocket inside of it.
Before Barry could even wonder what the device was, she scooped them back up over her shoulder. She went to another panel.
“Rrrnngghh...” came a sound from the middle of the floor.
Barry rotated to see Sonic. He was groaning, though not moving.
Oh please, please, please be okay, Sonic.
The tenrec ripped off a wall covering. Another robotic arm was inside it. She grabbed the hand, though this time could not immediately rip it off. It offered some resistance to her moves.
“Stupid hand thinks it can take me?” she said, fighting with it. She gave it a shock, then rammed it hard into the wall with her shoulder. It fractured and broke.
Grinning, she pulled out the extendable arm. Her eyes traced it up to the ceiling.
Then, she dropped it to the side. With her free hand, she extended two of her fingers.
“About to test, ready or not,” she said to her earpiece, aiming at the wall.
Suddenly, the whole car was electrified. The ceiling, the walls, the door. They all buzzed.
Barry felt the electricity in a quick burst, which was gone as soon as it arrived. The quokka knew that everything just felt a shock. It had passed through the air, temporarily touching everything. The walls and ceiling continued to buzz.
There was a sizzle behind them. Heart dropping, Barry saw Sonic twitching, but not from voluntary movement. Rather, from a sudden increase in voltage.
“Now, for part two!” She grabbed the robotic arm around its broken opening. “You have it on whatever mode tests it?” She waited a few seconds. “Okay, here goes!”
The buzz of energy was loud, as a current went from where she was holding to somewhere in the middle of the ceiling.
“Oh, it’s too perfect...” the tenrec had a gleam in her eyes. Then, her earpiece buzzed. “What?...It worked, alright? Set it back...Whatever...”
Another noise came from behind. “...Uuaaahhhggghhh...”
The tenrec turned, meaning Barry was no longer facing Sonic. The quokka tried to steal a glance behind.
Barry felt themselves getting carried a few steps closer.
“Well, well...” the tenrec began, crouching slightly “...it seems your ‘murderer’ didn’t quite finish the job...good thing I’m here...”
Barry could just see Sonic stirring out of the corner of their eye. He seemed to be awake now, though still dazed. He coughed. “...Surge?” the hedgehog asked. “...Wait...but...”
“I’m kinda pissed, honestly,” Surge continued, standing back up fully and beginning to pace around him. “This would have been perfect to invite me to. Ya know, if you were ever actually serious about trying to get me to become an insufferable goody-two-shoes like yourself.”
Sonic bowed his head and coughed again, then placed a hand on his head. He wobbled as he tried to lift himself up with the other one. “What- what’s going on...”
“What’s going on, is that you signed up to get murdered...and that’s exactly what’s gonna happen!”
Barry was shaking. There was no opening to get out of her grasp. But now, Surge took a moment to turn the quokka towards Sonic, so the hedgehog could see.
“But since you couldn’t even give me the satisfaction of a fight...I’ll just find a different way to torture ya real quick...show you what happens when you let bad people run around too long...”
The buzz of electricity filled Barry’s ears, and they knew that her free hand was electrified, pointing to the quokka’s head.
“Let’s see if you can save one more poor, innocent soul!”
Sonic struggled, getting to a knee, but not fully upright. “Surge...it’s me you want...you don’t need to-”
“Get UP!!!” Surge yelled. “I don’t have all day!”
Barry suddenly felt electricity shooting through their body. Their head convulsed. Barry made a noise of pain.
Seeing this, Sonic’s eyes widened. He staggered to his feet.
Barry’s eyes had crossed at the shock, but now they reoriented. The suddenness of the pain and the horror of the situation must have been keeping them alert, because they were still alive and conscious.
As for Sonic, the hedgehog did not look like he was in fighting shape. But it was evident he was going to try. He took a deep breath, eyes closed. Then, he put one foot behind the other, and opened his eyes, displaying all the confidence he could muster.
“Finally ready?” Surge taunted.
“Always,” he responded.
Surge grinned, and waited.
Sonic made a move.
Almost like they had teleported, Surge and Barry were fifteen feet away. Barry felt some kind of discomfort from the movement in their neck. It really seemed like they had popped from one spot to the next instantaneously.
“Way too slow!” Surge called.
Sonic turned to look at them. He was where they had just been before. He could still move fast. But his reaction time wasn’t where it needed to be.
Surge laughed.
Sonic grunted, and made another move.
Again, like they had teleported, Surge and Barry were firmly out of range.
“Oh, come on? Is that all you got?” Surge egged. “This is pathetic!”
Barry wasn’t even sure what the ideal scenario was. Was Sonic going to punch Surge? Was he going to grab Barry right out of her arms? Did they need to brace, or extend their arm to Sonic?
With the obvious disparity in speed and power, it seemed hopeless anyway.
“Surge...” Sonic begged. “This isn’t- It doesn’t have to go down like this...”
“It already is!” she yelled.
Barry yelped as another jolt of electricity shot through their body.
Sonic's eyes flashed, getting further incensed. “Hhhyaahhh!...”
His strain was too obvious; his moves were too telegraphed. Surge and Barry had moved again.
“You’re too slow! You’re too sloo-ow!” she quipped.
Now Barry was really feeling it everywhere. It was unavoidable. Their body was aching. Being whisked around at supernatural speeds was taking a toll on their neck. And that was on top of the electricity that was burning their insides.
“Rrrrnnggg...” Sonic was frustrated. “Are you proud of this? Is this really something you’re gonna be able to live with?”
“I love this!” she yelled, laughing maniacally. “Not everyone has your stupid morals and stupid code!”
“You know my code...but if you’re not careful, you’re gonna learn a few of my friends’ codes, too,” Sonic warned.
She considered this, but seemed invigorated. “Heh, fine...let’s see whose code survives!”
One more shock of electricity through Barry. One more dash from Sonic. One more easy move for Surge.
“Sheesh, it’s so embarrassing for the ‘fastest thing alive’ to be seen this way!”
Sonic’s exertion was getting too much for him to maintain. He had to put a foot out to avoid falling after missing his target, and was slow in turning around to see where they had gone.
Surge now aimed at Sonic, shooting his feet out from under him with a zap!
“Gah!” The hedgehog fell backwards.
Surge then pulled something out of her pocket. A small device, about the size of a phone.
“Too slow to even dodge this,” she said, tossing the device in front of her.
With a zap, she hit the device in the air with electricity. The bolts jumped out with even more force, and seemed to hone in on Sonic, attacking him.
Sonic seized, and flopped like a fish. He sizzled, scalded from the electric burns. He spasmed, face down, limbs splayed out. Once, twice, he jittered, unnatural.
Then, he stopped.
Barry’s vision was blurry, brain trying to avoid processing what was in front of them.
No, no, no, no, no, no, please, please, please, please...
The crackles of electricity zipped and sputtered about the fur on Sonic’s back. Then, they gradually died out.
The hedgehog lay there, motionless. A charred outline of his shape marked the floor.
Barry and Surge looked at him with wide eyes.
“Oh, shit...” she whispered. “I meant to kill you first...”
That didn’t make Barry feel any better. They watched as Surge carefully stuck out a finger, like a gun. She aimed right at Sonic’s back. Then, thinking better of it, she lowered her finger. She also placed Barry down. They nearly fell over, feeling weak, but steadied themselves.
Barry didn’t have much time to think. The quokka was too scared to run. There was no point.
Surge turned Sonic over. His face was blackened, and his eyes were closed. Barry gasped and turned away, but then glanced back.
She reached down to grab the device, which had landed on the floor next to him. She pocketed it, then stood up over Sonic. She tilted her head.
Surge put her foot onto his chest. It seemed like a dominant victory pose. Except for her expression. Her brow was furrowed, looking down at him.
Firmly, she pressed her shoe down on his chest in a rhythm. Once, twice, thrice...
Then, she held her foot away, and stuck out two of her fingers again, aiming right at his heart.
Zap!
In a flash, she had gone over to grab Barry, but they were both facing the same way now, allowing them to watch.
Sonic contorted on the floor for another moment. Then, he stopped.
Surge and Barry waited.
Sonic’s eyes shot open. He took an unearthly, dry heave of an inhale, like he had awoken in a coffin.
It provided an extremely momentary relief for Barry to see Sonic alive. A fleeting dash of hope.
“LOOK AT ME!!!” Surge immediately roared, giving Sonic no time to re-acclimate and nearly deafening Barry.
The hedgehog touched at his discolored face, but he looked around frantically.
“You die when I say you die!” Surge shouted. “But first you watch me kill the quokka!”
The room smelled like electricity. It was everywhere, overtaking every sense of Barry’s body. The quokka was now getting zapped repeatedly. It may not have been intentional, but it was happening.
They wanted it to end.
The frenziedness of Surge’s voice alerted Sonic to what was about to transpire. He tried to push himself back up. But his arms gave way, and he fell back against the floor.
“No...” he weakly placed an arm out.
There were no more thoughts going through Barry’s head, just feelings. The feeling of watching your hero fail right in front of you. The feeling of dread.
The feeling of acceptance. The pain was already numbing itself in anticipation.
The feeling of the void.
There was a rumble and a crash near the door outside. Surge looked towards the noise.
Knuckles had charged into the room, punching the door open. He sized up the scene.
Surge quickly recalculated. “Careful!” she called to him. “If ya startle me, this one gets fried.”
Shadow and Rouge entered, quickly but under control. Blaze was close behind. They waited to see if further movement was safe.
For a moment, Surge brought Barry closer. They felt their fur sticking up, a sure sign her hand was electrified right above their head.
Then Surge relented. “Eh, whatever,” she said. “Come on in, there’s plenty of room.”
Everyone else poured in. Amy with her hammer, Espio, Vector, and Tails. They fanned out. Surge remained in her spot, with Barry, in the middle of the room, against a side wall.
Amy kept her eyes on Surge, but stole a glance at Sonic. She saw the grimace on his discolored face, and ran to his side. “Sonic, what happened?”
“Rrgggh...” he said. “Surge just...showed up and started attacking me.”
“SHE was behind this?” Amy exploded. "Oh, you-“
“No, no, wait, Ames...” Sonic sputtered. “That was just when I woke up. I...was already ‘murdered.’ You know, like, for the party.”
“Oh,” she said. “Then, what happened before? When we stumbled across you right after the train sped up?”
“Blow dart...sapped my energy.”
“Hmm,” she said. “We did just find a blow dart in the conductor’s car. So it’s good to confirm that. But...who was it? Who was your murderer?”
“It was...well, did you figure it out?”
Tails spoke up. “I-I have a decent suspicion!”
“Well, who’s your guess?”
“I think the evidence points to...Espio?”
Sonic gave a half-smile. “Knew you’d solve it, little bro.”
Amy glared at Espio. “Is that true, Espio?”
Espio looked sweaty. He looked to the side with a nervous smile. “Obeying the note, a blow dart was used / Hit Sonic, it said, though I was confused / But to play along, I did do the crime / Dodging suspicion, all in a rhyme.”
Vector looked dejected. “Wait, what? R-Really? It was you?”
Espio nodded somberly.
“...To think I defended you...” Vector said, looking at the floor.
“Note? What note?” asked Tails.
“I received a note with my card. It told me to use the blowdart.”
After a few seconds of pondering, no more questions were asked. Everybody seemed to remember the situation, and looked back at Surge.
Amy scowled. “So, Surge here decides to crash our party?”
“That’s right, birthday brat,” Surge said. “Why fake a murder when you can do the real thing?” She tightened her grip on Barry.
“Wait, there’s still something I need to tell you. All of you,” Sonic croaked.
“What is it?” Amy took his hand as he made one more effort to sit up.
“That he’s weaker than ever!” Surge interrupted. “So weak, it took me two seconds to kick his ass! And as cool as it would be to do the same to all of you, that’s not what’s gonna happen. Time for me to let you in on a secret.”
She looked around at the gallery of heroes before her. Barry did as well. Shadow stood to the far left side, fists clenched. Rouge was next to him. Espio was next, towards the front, in a ninja pose. Knuckles was next to him, staring daggers at Surge. Vector stood by Knuckles’ side. Tails was behind Knuckles and Vector. And Blaze was next to Vector, looking primed for action. Amy and Sonic were to the right side of them.
Surge just grinned. “Come on in, Kit!”
The door to the back car flew open. In came in the conductor. Tied up in a web of water.
He floated a few feet in front of a blue fennec, holding him with tendrils of water that came from his backpack. He moved in and shut the door.
Barry trembled, hardly taking in what they were seeing. It was just getting worse.
Not the conductor. He’s been so nice to me.
With another hostage, nobody moved. It was like another storm cloud had rolled in.
“Not bad, kid. But it took you long enough.” Surge said to Kit.
“Sorry. He was already tied up by a few robotic arms. Had to free him before I could grab him.”
A few sneers and snarls came from the would-be rescue team. But there was no movement.
“The best part is?” Surge said to the room, ecstatic. “That’s not the secret!”
Surge leaned against the wall. As she contacted it, the room started to buzz with electricity. A shock moved through the air. All the walls, ceiling, and doors became infested with tiny bolts of lightning. Both doors, which were open, slammed shut.
At this latest act from Surge, a few of the others started to change in appearance. Barry saw Shadow’s eyes glow. Knuckles’ fists seemed to pulse with power. And Blaze’s fists were on fire.
Surge was unbothered. “You’re all trapped,” she smirked.
Kit pressed a button on his wrist, and several of the panels lining the wall near the ceiling lost power and became transparent. They revealed a few passageways ordinarily for robotic arms. The passageways were lined with a half-dozen of the same devices that Surge had used to amplify her shock to Sonic, that had attacked him with such ferocity. Barry had watched her plant these, but the surprise was a new device, larger, above the middle of the car.
Barry realized Surge was now holding the hollow tube of an arm. The arm-tube went straight to the large device.
“The secret is...this whole car is gonna be blown to bits!” she cackled. “It will go up like-” she used the hand she was holding Barry with to snap, doing it right in front of his face, “-that!”
The smell of electricity pervaded the room, a constant reminder of its presence.
“All I have to do is...” Surge held up the broken robotic arm. “...send an itty bitty charge through here.”
Already using her powers to send a current through the car, Barry hoped that she wouldn’t get sloppy, and accidentally set off whatever that big device was.
She continued, “I’d hate to see what happens if you attack me. Hell, if anyone here moves, I’d probably be so startled, I’d send a few billion volts through there!”
Amy was still holding Sonic’s hand. He had managed to sit up, but needed to lean on her to stay upright.
“No matter what, you’re not making it out alive,” Surge said to the blue hedgehog, with a chuckle.
Amy snarled.
“You all...need to listen to me...” Sonic said. “The conductor and-“
“You don’t talk!” Surge interjected. “Anyway...I’ll give the rest of you the offer of a lifetime: you can leave! I’ll disarm the door. Trade my dumb ol’ hostage here for Sonic, watch the rest of you save your skins. Then I’ll finish him off real quick!”
As much as Barry did not appreciate being called dumb, and did not want anyone to die, there was a part of their brain that yearned for this. They wanted to be far, far away from this tenrec.
None of the group even needed to exchange glances, let alone words. Everyone did some combination of narrowing their eyes and shaking their heads.
“Not. Happening,” Knuckles said.
“You will pry Sonic away from me over my dead body,” Amy seethed. Surge just snickered.
“That’s hardly worth considering, darling,” said Rouge, adding a hint of business to her reply. “But do keep moving your offers in that direction, and we might be able to reach a deal.”
She was clearly attempting to steer the conversation to a more controllable point. Barry wondered if it would work.
Surge kept grinning. “Okay then, here’s the new deal: I’ll just step out of this car. These robo-arm-things are extra long, so I can stand a car or two over and send a charge. Sonic, and anyone else who wants to, stays here and blows up. Case closed!”
“You’re not blowing anyone up!” Knuckles shouted. “And we sure ain’t just letting you leave while you’re holding that.”
Surge nodded, gripping the broken robotic arm tighter. “Kinda figured you’d say that...”
The atmosphere was grim. Everyone’s disbelief was still growing. Barry looked over their faces to see if anyone was coming up with a plan. But they didn’t see anything.
“You’re crazy,” Knuckles growled.
“We can...all emerge with something valuable,” Rouge tried. “You, your life. Us, our lives.” She gave an involuntary giggle. “I don’t see much sense in any other terms.”
Surge rotated the arm back and forth, back and forth, grinning. “Nobody can escape this car...” she said, though it was unclear to who.
“You are going to put that down!” Knuckles roared. “...And then you-” he quickly stole a glance at Rouge before looking back. “-you can leave! That’s the deal!”
It was obvious to all that the terms of Knuckles’ deal weren’t really the ones binding the room. Surge gave no response. She now idly moved her hand to rub the top of the broken robotic arm with a grin.
In a small whisper, Rouge spoke. “...Perhaps we could let her leave...on her terms?”
It was quiet, but the words rang clear through the whole room.
Everyone was visibly considering it. Barry could see it. Maybe it was true, that was their best bet. Just to buy the slightest amount of time.
There were some accepting glances. Tails seemed to be okay with it. So did Blaze. Even Shadow was deep in a permissive sort of consideration. Barry couldn’t fully tell what everyone else thought of it. But it seemed there might be enough support to pass through.
Barry wondered if Surge would take them along if she left the room. It probably did, but there was at least a chance that it wouldn’t. It was something to hold onto. The prospect of freedom.
Knuckles and Rouge looked to each other. The echidna seemed to begrudgingly agree. He turned back.
However, before he could speak, a realization hit Surge.
She shook her head. “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t leave,” she said, voice and expression calmer.
Her sudden change in tone was deeply disconcerting.
“I need to see it happen...to make sure.” She spoke at a normal volume. “Otherwise, you’ll all save him somehow...and this will just keep going...”
More worried glances were exchanged around the group.
“I’ll do it from right here,” she said. “Thought it might have to be like this...”
Now, she wore a small grin, but one that was unlike her previous grins. This time, she was dodging everyone else’s glances. Barry felt a new round of shakiness hitting them.
Sonic, sitting by Amy’s side, looked like he wanted to say something. Barry could have sworn he mouthed, “Don’t...”
The buzzing electricity all around the room felt like it was burning into Barry’s brain.
“If you blow this car...” said Blaze, carefully, “...you can’t expect to survive.”
Surge just kept grinning. She did not respond.
“You hearing us?” Knuckles said forcefully. “You won’t leave this car, we’ll make sure of it! So if you blow it, it won’t just be the end of Sonic, or us! It’ll be you, too! Is that really how you want it?”
Surge’s grin seemed to get even bigger. Her eyes widened, almost eagerly.
Knuckles studied her, mystified.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Knuckles tried again. “You- it would be dishonorable...so let’s just...just...”
Surge paid no mind to this. She wasn’t focusing as much on anyone, her gaze locked far away, too far for the walls of the train to contain.
The silence of the group made the electricity crackling feel louder.
Blaze extinguished the flames on her fists and made one more plea. “Those on this train will not be the only ones affected. Everyone here has someone who needs them. Do not deprive them. Leave now. Go. We can all depart in peace.”
Surge’s grin was dissolving. Her attention had moved elsewhere.
Her gaze had shifted to Kit. The fennec was even more horrifically dead-eyed and haunted than she was.
“Come on...” Sonic’s voice was shaky, but still tinged with hope. “I know you don’t want that...not really...”
“No more heroes, no more villains...” she muttered, quieter. “No more making things worse by letting certain people go on living...”
The room was frighteningly quiet. Now even the electricity seemed to get quieter. It seemed like nobody was breathing.
Sonic fought to stand up. Grabbing onto both of Amy’s hands, he hoisted himself upwards, shaking. He took several seconds to keep his balance. Amy made sure he wouldn’t fall. He took an inhale.
“Killing me might sound good in your head, but...is it really the choice you want to make?”
“I already killed you...” Surge said after a moment, voice low. “And I didn’t...feel bad.”
Sonic searched for an appropriate response. “And look at you...giving me another chance! Guess you really do have it in you.”
Nobody other than Barry, Surge, and Sonic fully understood this last twist of the conversation.
“Being alive...being free...doesn’t that sound better?” Sonic was putting on a brave face, but it was clear each word was an undertaking in his condition.
“I said...I would get rid of it all...” she was nearly at a whisper now, looking at nobody. “And I will...”
Sonic gave a soft exhale. “Even if killing me would make you happy...You can’t be happy if you’re not alive to see it...” the hedgehog said. “I know you’re not- you deserve better than that...”
“I was made to take you down...this is what we both deserve...”
“Why take it out on everyone else?” Sonic asked. “It’s just me you want...”
“...To show that you should’ve taken care of your problems...before they got worse,” she said. “You keep the Doctor alive. You let the worst people...people who deserve to die, ruin more lives...ruined mine...The world needs to see...”
She slowly lifted the robo-arm to head height. Barry could feel the level of electricity around her increase, prodding them over and over. But it was almost comforting, in an odd way. It was something to feel, something that told them they were still alive.
“Your choices dragged everyone into this...I’ll show them all...you made me this way.” Surge said.
She looked at Kit. They held their stare on each other.
The room had tried to negotiate their options. But there seemed to be no way to divert her. To make her see any different.
She was under a spell. They both were, she and the fennec.
No one said anything else. Not Knuckles. Not Rouge. Not even Sonic, who leaned against Amy, out of energy.
There was only one thing left to happen.
“And so you would let the Doctor achieve total victory?”
Surge paused. Her head moved back towards the end of the room.
Shadow was staring right back at her.
Neither of them spoke for another few seconds.
Volume still low, Surge spat out, “What?”
“You say the Doctor deserves to die, that he bears responsibility for making you what you are...” Shadow continued. “...yet you sit at the precipice of giving him everything he ever wanted.”
Surge took a long while to process this. Everyone waited.
Then, she emitted a joyless chuckle. “Oh, so this is exactly what the Doctor wants, eh?”
Shadow folded his arms, and nodded. “If he learns everyone on this train was neutralized? It would be the best news he ever gets. There would be nobody in his way.”
Another moment passed by. This new angle seemed to at least cause a little bit of a conflict in the tenrec’s mind. Barry looked between her and the wall, waiting.
Surge chuckled a little more. Her hold on Barry tightened. “Well...maybe you should’ve thought about that the last time you left him alive. That at any time, you could go down, all of you.” She looked around the room, focusing on Sonic. “And if you think no one else is strong enough to stand in his way outside of this little car? Then you really should have done it when you had the chance. So if that’s what you’re worried about...boo-hoo...”
“I’ve already...explained why that wouldn’t make things any better,” Sonic said.
“You see? You see??” she said, volume rising again. “How do any of you listen to this guy?! New baddies show up and threaten your silly lives because he refuses to kill him!”
“New threats would show up if I did kill him.”
“But he’s the constant threat, always present, the most obvious guy you need to take out...”
Sonic had a lightbulb go off. “That’s what I needed to tell you all!” he said, suddenly. “He’s behind this, too! The train...the whole train is a badnik.”
Everyone looked around with some shock and confusion.
“Really?” Amy asked.
“The conductor and I saw the flicky being used to power it,” Sonic said, looking towards him.
The conductor, whose mouth was covered by a tendril of water, nodded, and tried to turn himself around to look at his captor, the fennec. Kit removed the water from his mouth.
“I hate to say it...but yes. We saw it,” he said, despondently. “I swear I never knew...”
“And I believe you. The staff wasn’t in on it,” Sonic said, glancing in Barry’s direction. “Barry, did you give Espio that note?”
Barry, a little stunned to be included, blinked and shook their head.
“It was handed to me by a robotic arm,” Espio said. “And it was just signed, ‘Staff.’”
“The train’s a badnik...it has a mind of its own!” Tails said. “The train wanted Sonic to be the one murdered!”
Surge was considering these words. She blinked, then snorted. “You buyin’ any of this, Kit?”
The fennec looked to the side. “Well...I did think it was weird that the train had already taken the conductor captive. The robotic arms all seemed...yeah, like they had a mind of their own. They strongly resemble the Doctor’s creations...”
The room was silent as everyone watched for Surge’s reaction.
Kit went on, “And, uh, one of the arms started talking to me. It said that I was ruining its excellent plan. But it actually might have said egg-cellent, now that I think about it.”
Surge shut her eyes and heaved a sigh. “Were you planning on telling me any of this, drippy?”
Shadow scowled. “He had us all from the beginning. If the world learns this train blows up, he’ll take the credit. And the glory, and the power.”
“No, no,” Surge muttered. “I’d still- it wouldn’t-”
“He merely wanted to take out Sonic,” Shadow said to Surge. “And now you would help him eliminate each of his biggest threats, in one fell swoop.”
“Being used by a mad doctor,” Sonic said, disapprovingly. “That’s my worst nightmare.”
Surge’s anger was visibly rising. “That’s- not-“
“The world will remember it as the day Eggman killed Sonic and all his associates,” Shadow continued. “They won’t remember you...you’ll get lumped in, another victim...one of Sonic’s friends.”
“I’m not his friend!” she shot back.
“Aww,” Sonic smirked. He was still weak, but seemed to be getting a second wind as he ribbed her. “The world will think that we were so close, you got invited to our party! Isn’t that sweet?”
“Shut up!”
Surge was shuddering now, and Barry could feel it reverberating through them too. She grit her teeth and looked down.
Everyone waited for a moment to see if she would compose herself.
“You know...I really did it...not him...” she said, voice nearly breaking.
She had tightened up. Barry could feel the tension in all her muscles as they were still pressed against her.
“You can’t keep...doing this to me...” she said. “...How can you expect me...to take it?”
Barry did want to leave her alone, as it was a very personal moment, but she was still clinging onto them like a carnival prize.
“...I didn’t...you all...”
She lost her words. A low groaning noise materialized deep in her throat.
Surge kept looking at the floor. After a moment, she tilted her head back up, looking at the ceiling. Her pained groan got louder. Barry felt themselves getting squeezed harder.
She took a few jagged breaths. She was looking everywhere but at any other set of eyes in the room.
“Whichever path you choose...do it on your own terms,” Shadow said. “Don’t let someone else have your legacy.”
Surge continued to breathe in and out, practically panting, like the weight of thinking through all this caused some physical exertion.
Finally, she took one more breath, and paused.
She started to laugh again. Everyone looked on, watching the old Surge return.
“Heheheh...well, if that’s your advice...then you can expect another surprise murder party soon!” she said, facing the crowd once more. “Without giving that scummy doctor the credit! Oh...I’ll make absolutely sure he can’t have the credit...and everyone will realize how wrong it was for you to keep him around! Yeah!”
Barry felt themselves moving, being dragged towards the back of the car. Surge briefly stopped in front of Sonic.
“You won’t be anything anymore...so no one will even care what I do to you.”
Amy gave her a death stare. Sonic just wore a weary smile.
Barry heard small shocks of static electricity with each step the tenrec took as she continued to Kit, waiting by the door. She drew even with him. Both still brandished their hostages.
“It’s true, drippy...we need to do it on our own terms.” She looked only at him. “Make sure the world gets the right idea.”
He nodded to her. They both turned to face the group.
“Let’s ditch these losers,” Surge said with a grin.
Barry was kicked face first onto the floor. They heard the conductor fall to the ground as well.
Behind them, the door to the back car slammed. The buzzing in the walls, ceiling, and door disappeared.
The quokka stayed down for several seconds. Caution and exhaustion necessitated a brief period of motionlessness.
Is it over?
Slowly, Barry tried to move their arm. It was painful, but they managed to do it. It was nice being able to control their own movements again.
Barry could tell a few members of the group had made their way over to them and the conductor. They looked up. Blaze stood before them.
She stuck out a hand to help them up. Barry accepted, though had no balance. Blaze let go of them momentarily, and Barry wobbled and nearly tumbled over. She grabbed Barry before they could fall.
Barry ached, but felt...okay.
I’m...alive...I think.
Blaze looked them right in the eye. “How are you feeling?”
Barry took a long blink, then a gulp. They considered what to say.
“I’m...doing......amazing!”
Blaze looked surprised. “Amazing?” Her expression became more knowing. “Well then, I suppose you can walk fine.”
She let go of the quokka, who staggered for a moment, legs heavy. Barry carefully put one foot in front of the other. They took another step, then grabbed onto a nearby table for support.
They turned to look at Blaze. She was clearly amused.
Barry gave a thumbs up, though found simply curling their fingers an arduous task.
Vector, meanwhile, had helped the conductor back to his feet. He seemed alright, if disheveled.
Shadow was looking through the window of the next car. Seemingly satisfied, he walked away. Barry peered through the window. There was a large hole in the wall, and no sign of the two uninvited guests.
It was odd to no longer have a constant undercurrent of electricity audible in the room. But it was very welcome.
“...We need to stop this train,” Tails said.
They stop the train. Sonic is weaker and can't really contribute, but Surge and Kit have already damaged the train’s systems, meaning Sonic is less needed.
They get off the train, regrouping a safe distance away.
Sonic was running on pure adrenaline, and knew it would wear off once everybody went their separate ways. He was already visualizing crashing on Tails’ couch, and closing his eyes for a long while.
But it was good to soak everything in while people were still hanging around. The relief, the joy, the peace.
Amy had not left his side. She provided support, both physical and moral.
Sonic locked eyes with Barry, who was next to Tails, on the outskirts of a conversation with Vector, Rouge, and Blaze. The quokka turned to face Sonic, seeming nervous.
They took a few steps in Sonic’s direction. Sonic also started walking so they could meet in the middle. Amy came along.
Tails, too, noticed Barry had moved, and went over to their side.
“Sonic?” Barry asked.
“Hey there, buddy. Doing okay?”
Barry nodded once, shakily. Then they stopped themselves, like they’d aggravated something in their neck. Their lip quivered.
Sonic exhaled, trying to find a joke to make. “Guess you and me might need some physical therapy after all this, huh?”
It didn’t work. Barry sniffled. “I’m- so sorry...”
“Hey, pal...”
“...For getting c-caught...for not realizing...”
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for. Surge is crazy strong. Emphasis on crazy. Nobody could take her alone,” Sonic assured. “You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you did a lot of good! I heard you were great to have along for the mystery.”
Tails nodded. “That’s right! You were the best assistant a detective could ask for. It was so much fun having a partner! And if you hadn’t been helping me, I wouldn’t have noticed you were missing, so we all might never have stopped Surge!”
Barry looked down, blinking.
“Hey,” Sonic said, making sure Barry was looking. “That was scary, I know. But you oughta be proud. You looked death in the face...and you smiled!”
The quokka’s smile became a little more visible, though they sheepishly turned a little to the side to hide it.
Sonic stuck out his fist. Barry turned, and studied it for a second. Then, they carefully put their fist out too. Sonic tapped it.
Amy gave a reassuring look. “You were so brave! If Surge was holding me like that, there’s no way I would have stayed calm.”
“You kept it cool, alright,” Sonic added. He then looked to Amy. “Think some dessert would go a long way. What do you say, birthday girl?”
With the birthday cake out, Amy was handing slices to everyone. Sonic was sitting on a bench, off to the side. He had a thought, and looked around.
Shadow was ten feet away from anyone else, arms crossed, looking away. What else was new?
Sonic stared, trying to catch his eye.
Feeling his gaze, Shadow turned with a frown.
Sonic gestured him over. Shadow closed his eyes, exhaled, and then walked over to his side.
“I won’t question your methods this time, pal,” Sonic said, with a half-smile. “But there’ll be a time soon we run into her, and won’t have Eggman to blame. I was hoping instead of just kicking the can down the road, you could give her an impassioned speech about turning your life from self-destruction into one of helping people.”
“That wouldn’t have changed her mind,” Shadow said, matter-of-factly. “I said what would get her to back down, given what she was saying.”
Sonic gave a sideways nod, leaning his elbow back. “She’s been through a lot.”
Shadow harumphed. “She still needs to take accountability,” he said. “Her experiences may have been difficult, but she acted like her present actions were out of her control. That mindset is dangerous.”
“I’m telling you,” Sonic implored, half-smile still present. “You gotta have a talk with her.”
Shadow said nothing, his eyes flashing away.
Sonic just shook his head. “Well, you saved my life, and everybody’s,” he said. “No one was coming out of there alive...Wait...”
Shadow looked back, waiting.
“You...could have just teleported out of there, right?”
“I could have. But I couldn’t risk any sudden movement, or she would have blown the car.”
“But...you knew that you could save yourself?”
“...Yes. I may have been the only one who survived.”
Sonic thought about it, mouth opening. He snorted. “Well, I’m glad you stuck around.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Sonic knew it was a demand. He nodded, and they each turned and watched the group unwind and eat.
"You know, back there you kinda implied that we're friends! How hard was it for you to admit that?" Sonic smirked.
"Quiet, faker."