For My Future

Smaller details fell away as the world became blurred lines, everything but himself and his opponent fading from view. That's not to say Silver was blind to his environment, but his determined gaze fell only on the other hedgehog for what felt like an eternity. Truthfully, this race wouldn't last long, not at the speeds they could reach. The wind was already howling as they approached the speed of sound. Yet Shadow said 'anything goes' in this race, he had to be expecting an attack or something to trip him up. It wasn't until the first turn that the psionic would strike.

The G.U.N. commander leapt up into the air as a teal wave nearly plowed into him, Silver rushing through the opening to try and hug the inside for the turn. As Shadow leapt into the air, a wave of his hand conjured a crackling ball of distorted space, "Roaming Chaos!"

Senses kicked in just in the nick of time, Silver swerving out of the way as that mysterious ball of crackling chaos energy was thrown by him. The air rippled around it, small arcs of lightning scorching the ground it traveled over. Shadow fearlessly skated towards the ball of chaos energy, moving through it without so much as a smudge on his uniform. Out of the corner of his eye, Silver noticed the crackling sphere traveling behind his opponent. Psychic energy flared around him, expanding so it pushed against Shadow, "I won't let you pass me!"


From the top of the complex, four figures carefully observed the two speeding streaks moving around the track. The medals or identification chips they each had would identify them as generals. One had a bulky frame, the red, yellow and black adorning it relatively unchanged over the centuries. Another was holding a thick cigar, the wisps of smoke as gray as the strands of hair that still clung to his scalp.

"Well I'll be damned," the smoker chimed in between drags, "Kid really does have the speed to keep up with the commander."

A bald man with dark complexion turned to face him, adjusting his thin-rimmed glasses, "Yes, but he's compensating using his psychic powers. It's not the same as the commander."

"Silver the hedgehog has displayed impressive agility on foot previously. In particular, the Ifrit incident should prove his capabilities matching the commander. Do not forget Shadow's rocket skates, either. Conclusion: this test of speed is merely a formality."

"Formality nothin'!" A mauve feathered hawk pressed his gloved hand up against the glass, green eyes following the two speedsters around the track, "This kind of speed hasn't been seen as long as I've been alive! Not only that, that guy's psionic power range is nothing like what we've got on file." A side glance was all the shortest general of the bunch was willing to spare towards the robotic speaker, not wanting to miss a second of the action, "Where'd you find this kid, again?"

A yellow canopy swiveled towards the hawk, "We did not locate Silver. He located us."


His brain was pounding against his skull by now, but the psionic couldn't show a moment's weakness. Golden spears of chaos energy surrounded him, his mind steering his body - quite literally - to swerve between them as they came crashing down. Shadow didn't seem to be striking hard and fast, he was simply trying to slow him down, to deny him room to move forward. Break his momentum.

Silver's golden eyes lit up as an idea flashed through his head, holding back on his breakneck speed and letting the other hedgehog pass him. Suddenly, Shadow slammed into a solid psychic surface, completely paralyzed for a moment. Teal light enveloped his body, holding him mid-air. The psionic's speed allowed him to rocket past his opponent, having broken the ultimate lifeform's momentum. It wouldn't hurt Shadow - just his pride - and that little trick was enough to put him in the-

"AUGH!" Silver cried out in pain, crashing down onto the track and rolling along. As soon as Shadow had been released, he had let loose with a chaos spear. The energy had mostly been dissipated by the psionic bubble he had used to fly around, which also knocked him out of it, forcing him to tuck and roll to avoid a painful concussion. More painful than the one he'd be getting anyway. The light-furred hedgehog quickly got to his feet, trying to bring his psychic energy back. That familiar, safe teal glow engulfed his body once more, but he didn't speed off. Silver was perplexed by what he saw, the black and red hedgehog simply walking towards him.

"Your speed is impeccable, but you got careless at the end," the crossed arms look proved to suit the commander once more, "If I wasn't holding back, this would have been over."

The psionic's powerful mind raced, eyes shooting towards the ground. In his tumble, Silver had crossed the finish line again, "...Wait, it's over already? Did I win?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes. But it's not over yet. You proved you could stand against the best. Now we have to see what the rest of the top brass thinks."


To say the atmosphere in the dimly lit room was intimidating would be an understatement. The tinted windows didn't let too much sunlight in, but offered an excellent view of the race track where he had raced Shadow minutes ago. An ashtray held the remnants of a cigar, the acrid smoke wafting into Silver's nostrils. He fought to keep his face from scrunching up from the stench. The only other thing on the sleek, long table was a tablet, which displayed holographic text for the men and machine that stood opposite of him.

The only other person on his side was Shadow, and a blonde human woman who was typing into a wrist-mounted computer. She wore a similar uniform but had a navy blouse and vest, lacking all the decorated medals of the generals.

Across the table stood a mauve hawk, a grin on his beak reminding Silver of a predator eying its next meal. Despite being the smallest in stature, the sharp yellow beak and casual posture belied confidence that reminded him of the friends he had made back in the past. Beside him was the tallest, a bespectacled human with dark skin. His eyes looked permanently unamused, as if he could make anyone feel like a child being scolded by their father merely by looking at them. Another judgmental gaze came from a wrinkled veteran, gray hairs desperately clinging to his head. Even with age, or perhaps because of it, he practically oozed class. The psychic hedgehog imagined the cigar in the ashtray in his mouth, and it seemed to fit his look. If everyone else wasn't intimidating enough, one glance at this sharp-dressed general would make him feel naked - which he technically was, but he didn't usually think about that.

And then there was E-123 Omega. Even if Silver had known nothing of his arsenal of weapons nor the cold efficiency with which he could use them, the sleek coat of paint on his angular exterior dominated the presence of the room. Seeing these four salute Shadow upon his entrance was the main thing keeping the psionic calm, hands behind his back as he stood at attention. Footage of his performance on the training course was being played back on the holographic display for the generals to watch.

"You've seen what he can do," Shadow finally began, "Tell me your thoughts on Silver."

"This kid's young, but if he's really been at it as long as his file says he has, then he could turn the tide!" The hawk slapped the table as he turned to his fellows, "Why aren't the rest of you jumping at this chance?!"

"Due to previous association with Silver the hedgehog, protocol indicates I must recuse myself. Abstaining from these proceedings."

A swipe across the screen moved from video to text, the general adjusting his glasses to make sure he read it properly. "You've saved the world several times in the past, and we certainly owe you for our future," his gaze turned to meet Silver's, "Yet, despite all we know about you, there's still many unknowns. What is it that drives you? Do you want to be here?"

'Do I want to be here?' Silver repeated the question in his mind, mulling it over like a steeping cup of tea. He was here because time travel meant this was the only chance he had at freedom… no, this wasn't freedom either. He had no choice on joining G.U.N. He couldn't be doing this just for his own sake, that answer felt wrong as soon as he came up with it. Why did he fight Eggman those centuries ago? Thoughts drifted to the bad futures, timelines he had failed to save again and again. The fiery hellscape in which he grew up, and having to scavenge to survive. It was never for himself, or for freedom. He turned to address the generals, a passionate resolve filling his voice.

"Two hundred years ago, I made a promise. I would fight to protect this world, and everything in it. Not just the past, but the future - the present. So nobody would ever need to have to pick through the ruins of their home just to find enough food and water to survive. To serve and protect everyone."

"You've got a strong sense of justice, Silver," the smoker's rasp required him to clear his throat, "But we can't just set a self-trained vigilante loose on the battlefield. I say we get him through basic pronto. He could serve alongside some of our best as it is, but it'd be irresponsible to ship him to the front lines now."

The psychic couldn't help but blink in confusion, almost audibly so, "Uh… basic, sir?"

"Boot camp, Silver," the commander answered this time, "That 'basic training' earlier was meant to test your abilities. This is meant to teach you."

Silver stood at attention in a salute, form improper and a mere imitation of the right thing, "Yes, sir!" He turned to face the generals mid-salute, the hawk bursting out laughing and smacking the table.

"Hahahah! You've got a point, Jameson. Let's get you in basic, Silver. You won't get far without it!"

"Welcome to GUN, Silver the hedgehog," the dark-skinned man showed him a proper salute, meant for the commander. Shadow dismissed them, watching the four generals and the other hedgehog exit the room. It felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders once the door closed, there was so much that could have gone wrong today. The government paid for these criminally underused leather seats, and soon Shadow found his quills pressing into one of them.

"Two hundred years ago, I made a promise…" The commander's eyes opened, not realizing he had closed them, to see his assistant smirking at him. "He must get that from you, sir."

A relieved sigh turned into a frustrated one, before it even had the chance to escape the hedgehog's lips, "Not a word of that to him."

"Sir?" The human turned around, confusion writ plain on her features. The puzzle pieces clicked together in her head, "You didn't…"

"He's a psionic, Lucia. He needs his mind focused to use his powers. Overwhelming him at this point would just be a detriment, potentially life-threatening," Shadow found himself glaring at her, and was able to tell because the tall woman always returned his glares with equal intensity. "...I'll tell him, everything, but later. Let him live in the future he fought for, the way he is used to living."

"Sir, I hope you know what you're doing."

Shadow the hedgehog found that it would be impossible to answer her.

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Pub: 30 Aug 2022 01:31 UTC
Views: 125