Fish Out of Water

Wheeled vehicles never went out of style, even with the advent of flying cars. To do so would leave billions spent on valuable infrastructure to waste. It was also where most self-driving cars could be found. Not having to deal with vertical altitude made things much easier on autopilot, not to mention real drivers got to learn in a safer environment. Most traffic was airborne, but in a big city like Station Square, there were plenty of cars on the roads. One such vehicle was a stretch hummer emblazoned with a G on the hood.

Silver was uncuffed by now, sitting across from the other hedgehog who wore that sleek uniform, the leather seating rather extravagant for a military vehicle. The mind-clouding headband was still clamped onto him, and made the ride a bit disorienting. Judgmental red eyes gazed at him, he had never had the chance to spend much personal time with Shadow, but it felt withering to be looked upon like he was a stranger.

"Tell me. What's the last thing you did before you traveled back to the future?" Shadow was never one to mince words. Memories floated around, trying to break through the forefront of those clouded thoughts.

"We were fighting the Egg Hydra. You, Sonic, Blaze, and I," Silver groaned in pain, "Then you and Omega left, everyone said their goodbyes, and I went back to this time."

"I see. I remember that incident. Did anything of note happen after you time traveled?"

The psionic hedgehog clutched the chrome headband that was choking his brain, "I got arrested for saving the future. Shadow, can you get this thing off me?!"

A scowl formed on his lips, the commander of G.U.N. folded his arms, "Silver, let me be clear. The state - the whole world - has decided that time travel is too powerful to be used except by those who can be trusted with that power. Unfortunately for you, you were never authorized in this timeline nor your original one."

"Oh, fantastic!" Sarcasm oozed from his lips, "How was I supposed to get authorized if there was nobody around to authorize me?"

Shadow gave him a stern look, continuing, "You are now in custody of GUN. I can get you out, but as a plea deal. You work for us, you get your powers back. This is your only option apart from becoming a wanted fugitive. Your objective will be stopping the Eggman Empire."

"Wait, what?!" Silver's eyes widened in shock, "But we defeated Eggman in the past!"

"And he came back. Again and again, until the day he died. His legacy and advances in technology inspired others who were ambitious and cruel to take up his mantle. All of them in some way claimed the name Eggman, even the women."

The imprisoned psionic sat back in the seat, his quills pushing against the leather, "...So you need me to go back in time to stop them?"

Shadow shook his head, "No, Silver, I need you here and now. Heroes are in short supply these days, and I know your capabilities. You won't be time traveling, you'll be protecting the future you fought for all those years ago."

Ambivalent feelings bubbled up to the surface, as far as the suppressor would allow. Silver was conflicted, if he wasn't going to go back in time, would he ever see his friends again? He had made a promise to Sonic, to protect this future. He hated not having much of a choice in the matter, but what could he do? If Shadow - a hedgehog well known for taking care of things mostly on his own - was asking for help, the situation must be dire. A flame in his heart was enkindled, shining through as the call to action came. Justice would be served, and he had to see to that.

"...I'm in," Silver stepped forwards, "Now get this thing off of me! Please?" A metal cylinder was held up to the psionic suppressor, and all it took was a verbal command before it unlatched from his forehead. Clarity flooded his senses and he nearly lost his balance.

It was like the whole world was a rug that was pulled out from underneath him. He finally took in the blurs of buildings passing by as they drove through the streets, the tinted windows allowing a private view of the outside. It was after Silver realized how much he could take in that he also realized how exhausted he was, and his upset balance finally sent him flopping back onto the leather seats, the upholstery sturdy enough to withstand the impact from his spiky quills. Silver blinked wearily at the commander - his new commander - as he tried to push through this sudden weariness, "So, where exactly are we going? It looks like we're leaving the city."

"We are. We're headed to a GUN facility where you will be debriefed and given a training course. This is purely to assess your capabilities. After that-" Shadow paused and gave the other hedgehog an odd look. The psionic was raising his hand to speak, as if he were a student in a classroom. They'd have to work on his conduct later, "...Yes, Silver?"

"If I'm going to be doing training, shouldn't I rest up? I haven't slept a wink in 200 years, you know!"

"Is that so?" the black and red quills on his head seemed to deflate. Shadow glanced down at the suppressor he had removed, then pressed a button on a wrist communicator, "Take it nice and slow. He needs his rest."

Silver promptly flopped flat on the leather seat, sprawled out on his stomach, "Thanks, Shadow. You're the best!" He closed his eyes and started to drift away, thankful that the headband's buzzing wasn't droning out every thought he could have. There was some remorse in interrupting Shadow and all that important stuff he had to say, but he really had been burning the midnight oil with time travel. It wasn't like he showed up at the exact same time of day in the past as it was in the future. Such precise control was beyond Silver's abilities, and perhaps the entire world if time travel was so restricted. Fixing his sleep schedule would be a chore in itself. It might take time to get used to this new future, and the circumstances were a little unfair, but he knew he could handle this. Besides, it was just basic training.

It'd be fine.


'This is not fine!' his thoughts screamed as he caught another sleek, silver robot. A telekinetic thrust hurled it into another group of G.U.N. enforcer robots. Silver jumped towards the wall of the enclosed training area, which was either a garage or warehouse that was filled with killer robots! The flying, oblong spheres swarmed around him, peppering his position with laser shots. These beetles - as he'd later learn their designation - hadn't changed too much since their inception two and a half centuries ago. They were easy to grab once he dodged their shots, flinging them at the humanoid robots to kill two bots with one stone.

Shrapnel filled the air as metal struck metal, several bots being taken down before they could aim the long laser cannons his way. Silver didn't have a moment to relax, through clouds of dust came another laser volley, his fur getting singed as he flung his body out of the way. Teal light enveloped him as he took to the air, concentrating his psychic powers to form a barrier of energy in front of him. Silver maneuvered through the upper part of the garage, his shield pointed down to deflect the incoming shots. Once the dust settled, the psionic hedgehog saw the shielded hunter models firing up at him from behind cover. Hand-mounted shields had been deployed, almost as soon as his powers had grabbed the beetles, an innovation in the latest model. He floated to the middle of their formation, then suddenly flung himself down towards the ground palm-first, "Psycho shock!"

His mind created a burst of electricity as he slammed into the ground, traveling through even concrete for a short distance, paralyzing the sleek chrome men. It lasted long enough for Silver to grab them all, sending them careening into the steel walls, "Hah! Got ya!" He wasn't entirely sure who was listening, nor what kind of impression taunting uncaring robots would leave upon them. Ears on a swivel, his body tensed as he waited for the next wave of foes.

More G.U.N. robots were released into the garage, this time coming in through large shafts in the ceiling. Sleek silver hawks immediately turned their laser guns onto the hedgehog, covering the bomb-laden hornets to get into position. This model used their aerial mobility to force Silver to flee, dodging laser beams using his own two feet instead of a psychic shield. He jumped over one beam, landed in a slide under another, before springing back up into a zig-zagging sprint. His speed might not keep up with Sonic, but the psionic was quite nimble when he needed to be.

The explosives were launched at him next, and that was his chance. Silver's mind enveloped the approaching bombs in a teal glow, flinging them one by one at the airborne drones. One after the other, metal scrap rained down from explosive clouds, hawks and hornets becoming black marks on the floor. Breath left his lips, body falling back into that battle-ready stance. He was caught off-guard when an announcement rang out, a woman's voice speaking in a prerecorded monotone, "Training course B-28 complete. Time is two minutes, seventeen seconds. Report to CO for further evaluation." A metal garage door was slowly lifted up, letting Silver out into a comparatively bright sunlit concrete walkway. As he emerged from the building, he caught sight of a familiar face. His de-facto CO, commanding officer, none other than the commander of G.U.N.

"Good, you made it through in one piece," Shadow seemed to always know the most biting times to use sarcasm.

"Never knew 'basic training' involved live fire. Was that payback for taking a nap in your car or what?"

A smirk curled his lips, something told Silver that whenever GUN's commander smiled, most would be afraid of what comes next. "It was nothing I knew you couldn't handle. Your abilities are exceptional, so you must have an exceptional test to impress the top brass."

Golden eyes gazed up at the intimidating building to his left, the layout almost like an air traffic control tower. The tinted glass windows were an ominous reminder; he was being watched, and those who watched him wanted to conceal themselves. Before him was an almost out of place site, a field of grass and asphalt painted to be a runner's track.

"So what's next?" Silver started jogging towards the starting line, nonplussed when the commander did the same.

"A race. You and me, ten laps around the track. Anything goes."

"Haha, really? I've been wanting to take another crack at you for so long, Shadow!" Silver grinned as his competitive spirit sparked. It was always fun to see if he could try and best someone, no matter what the game or challenge.

"Don't get cocky. You try anything, I can dish out some serious pain. Anything goes means anything goes. You shouldn't forget who you're dealing with."

Rocket shoes were engaged and he started to skate, Silver's footfalls increasing to a sprint to keep pace. A soft teal glow enveloped the psionic's body, preparing to take flight.

"The same goes for you, Shadow! Don't underestimate my powers. Good luck, you'll need it!"

"Then come, Silver the hedgehog! Prove that you can stand against the ultimate life form!"

The two hedgehogs took off, dashing on rocket skates or taking to telekinetic flight, eyes locked on each other. The starting line was left as a forgotten afterthought.

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Pub: 30 Aug 2022 01:22 UTC
Views: 130