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Chaos Rising	By : TerminusEst Category: +S through Z > Sonic Views: 1284 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic The Hedgehog game series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 12
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- 14
Chapter
Twelve: Racing Oblivion
"The
dragon breaks the temple wall

The
flood will drown our gods

Break
down the temple wall

And
let another kingdom rise
The
castle of Olympia

Is
shaken by the storm

The
king lost his crown

And
now the wall is tumbling down"
--Therion
- Typhon
Adrian
awoke with all his clothes on, lying across the foot of his bed. He
groaned and sat up, his back and legs stiff from his sleeping across
his bed instead of in it. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the
room, which was lit only by a few night-light strips that gave off a
faint bluish glow. The clock on his bedside read 9:36 AM, the red
numbers glowing brightly in the darkness. He climbed out of bed, a
spasm wracking his back as he stood up straight. He ran through the
events of the previous day, including his drinking session with Rex
and falling asleep in his friend's arms. He sighed as he realized he
had made an ass of himself yet again. Not again, he thought. At this
rate I might as well have "FAG" tattooed on my chest.
He
flicked the light on, blinking a few times as he adjusted to the
brightness. He longed for a window with sunlight streaming in and a
blue sky outside. He had many fond childhood memories of being woken
by the first rays of light streaming in through the window and
striking his face on a summer morning. Here there was only the cold
darkness of space outside, bleak and foreboding. He wished to be back
on Mobius and feel the grass in his backyard under his bare feet as
he soaked up the sun to get rid of the pasty complexion that came
from months spent in space.
He
stretched a bit and walked into the bathroom. The station's water
rations were now being rotated daily to save, with some rooms being
allowed more water on certain days. His room would have a large water
allotment today, so he decided to take advantage by having a bath
instead of a shower.
Adrian
stripped off his clothes and turned on the taps of the bathtub,
waiting until it was two thirds full. He put his hand into the water
to test the temperature. Just right. He got into the bathtub, closing
his eyes as the hot water relaxed his muscles. The pain in his back
faded as he sank almost up to his shoulders into the water. He soaked
in the hot water for several minutes, allowing himself to relax
completely. He began to shampoo the spines on his head as he heard
the doorbell ring. He pressed a button on the wall that activated the
room's intercom system.
"Hey,"
said Rex over the intercom link. "It's me, Rex. Can I come in?"
"I'm
taking a bath right now. You can come in if you must, just don't open
the bathroom door."
"I
think I'll just wait outside. I don't want to impose on you. Tell me
when you're finished."
"Sure."
After
he finished bathing, he put on a bathrobe, wrapped a washcloth around
his soggy spines, and let Rex into the room.
"So
how are you?" said Rex as he walked in.
"I'm
OK. I would feel better if I hadn't been laid across my bed like a
piece of laundry. You wouldn't have had anything to do with that,
would you, Rex?"
"Riptos
did that. I had fallen asleep on the couch with you and Riptos came
in, put you there, and woke me up."
"Tell
him he gave me a wicked backache."
"I'm
sure he would sympathize with you, since he's been having backaches
himself recently," said Rex as he sat down and took off the
sandals he wore with his civilian clothes. "He's currently
taking medication and receiving physiotherapy during the evening to
help keep the pain under control. I don't think he'll be able to fly
much longer though. He's had a long career, and his age is catching
up to him."
"How
old is he anyway?"
"Forty-three."
"That's
real old for a fighter pilot."
"Yeah.
He probably won't retire unless his superiors drag him kicking and
screaming on the shuttle home."
"Dedicated
to his work, huh?"
"Hell
yes. He's never known any other life, really, and I can tell he's
afraid of having to find a new direction in life. This job gives him
stability and lets him direct his energies outwards to other people.
He likes caring for people and hates being dependent himself.
'Hmmmm,"
said Adrian. He couldn't find words for a reply so he just turned
what Rex said over and over in his head.
"He's
like a father to me, and he's been mentoring me since I graduated
from OCS. He keeps some aspects of our friendship secret from the
other members of the squadron to give the appearance that he's not
giving me special treatment. I know him well enough to get a glimpse
of the side of him that he keeps hidden from other people, and I
sense that he's starting to burn out emotionally as well as
physically. He doesn't talk or act the same way he used to--it's like
a vague aura of gloom follows him everywhere. He thinks he can handle
everything himself, but I don't think he can anymore. I'm worried
about him, Adrian."
"Have
you tried talking it over with him?"
"Yes,
but he doesn't listen. He has serious problems that he refuses to
acknowledge, and I think the other members of my squadron realize
that just as much as I do, but they're afraid to tell him."
Don't
you think it would be a good idea to get your comrades together and
bring it up in a manner so that he can't just brush it off?"
"That
would likely just alienate him, and we would be disrespecting his
authority. We could relieve him of his command, but there are three
problems with that: first, I am next on the chain of command, and I
don't feel like I'm ready to step in to replace him yet. Second, we
would have to justify our actions before a military tribunal, and I
don't think we could do it. Third, Riptos would feel extremely upset
and betrayed. How would you feel if you were a leader and the
subordinates you had trusted for years suddenly took away your
command against your will?"
"But
surely there must be something you can do."
"I
can only help him if he wants help. If he refuses to open up, than we
will just have to stand by and let his life go wherever it will go."
"I
feel sorry for you. I wish there were a way for me to help you."
"You
have enough of your own problems. Try to get your own life
straightened out before you start trying to fix other people's
lives."
"How
long have you been in the navy?"
"Five
years. This is the first war I've fought in. Riptos became a pilot on
the tail end of the War of the Three Powers, and even was injured
during one battle. He still has the scar on his chest. He is the only
one of us who had seen real combat before this war. That would
probably be twenty years ago now. He's also the only one without a
college degree because you didn't need one to become an officer back
then."
"I've
been working on freighters for three seasons now. Each year they give
you three months on and nine off, because the work conditions are too
hostile for a person to do year-round. Even a three-month season can
work hell on your muscles and bones, and I'm currently missing seven
teeth due to my work. I couldn't brush them so they became decayed
and had to be extracted."
"With
all the dirt and grime on those ships, don't you get sick a lot?"
"Hell
yes. I spent much of the last season with some illness or another and
just worked through it, except for one week where I had a terrible
chest infection that made me too sick to work. I get sick frequently
even on leave nowadays."
"Does
anyone ever die on those ships?"
"Very
rarely, but it does happen. People make them out to be death traps,
but that's not really true. The usual cause of death is from a
bacterial disease epidemic on a ship that runs out of antibiotics."
"So
what do you do when you go back home?"
"I
mostly just relax and have fun. I spend a lot of the first few weeks
after returning at beaches or hot springs so I can get a decent
complexion back. The hot water also helps relieve the muscle aches
caused by the rehabilitation therapy. Oh jeez, now my back's killing
me again."
"Just
wait there, I'll get a heating pad from Riptos' room. I don't think
he'll mind me borrowing one for a few hours while he's out in
combat." Rex put his shoes back on and left the room.
Adrian
walked over to his dresser and pulled out some clothes. He quickly
removed his bathrobe and got dressed, leaving his shirt unbuttoned so
he could slip the heating pad in when Rex came back. He lay down on
his bed, trying to draw his mind away from the pain in his back.
--
Fiz
effortlessly slaughtered three soldiers who rounded the corner with a
telepathic attack as she ran. Her ship had been hounded more or less
constantly by pirates for the last day. Now one ship had managed to
teleport boarders in. They weren't just raiding to steal something of
value, they had come to kill her.
She
plunged a knife into the back of a pirate who was trading fire with
one of the crewmen and bounded past the startled crewman before
crushing another attacker's head with a roundhouse kick. She turned
the corner to see Abbadon dismembering a pirate with his mechanical
arm and shooting at another with a gun held in the hand of his
organic arm.
Fiz
came over to Abbadon. "This is fucking nuts!" she yelled
over the din of gunfire.
"My
sentiments exactly." Abbadon extended a blade from his
mechanical arm and decapitated another pirate.
"Where's
Dynamo?"
"He's
running all around the ship killing people."
Fiz's
ears perked up as she heard a voice like Dynamo's let out a
bloodcurdling scream. "Fuck!" she yelled. She broke into a
run yet again, Abbadon close behind her.
Fiz
came to the engine room and found Dynamo lying face-down on the
floor, whimpering and bleeding from his shoulder, which was impaled
with a metal pole. A cybernetically enhanced human stood over the
wounded hedgehog, watching Dynamo trying to get up. The man kicked
Dynamo over as soon as the hedgehog had gotten up on his knees. Fiz
pounced on the man and punched him in the chest with all of her
strength. The human staggered back for a few seconds but then grabbed
Fiz's wrist as she launched another post and flung her against the
wall.
Abbadon
raised his gun but was suddenly overcome by overpowering nausea. He
fell to his knees and vomited on the floor, his guts churning. He
immediately put up a telepathic block, straining to keep the human
from invading his mind. The human clutched his head and howled in
pain as Fiz unleashed her own psychic attack. Abbadon fired a burst
at the human's chest, but the bullets bounced off the man's subdermal
armor. The human retaliated with a sharp kick to the stomach, sending
Abbadon across the room. Fiz jammed a knife in between two of the
human's armor plates, temporarily incapacitatin him. She lashed out
telepathically, frying thousands of neurons and synapes in his head
before being blocked out. The man ripped a metal beam out of the
ceiling and swung it at her, knocking her out.
Unbeknownst
to any of them, Dynamo had risen to his feet and staggered over
towards the three combatants. With a cry of fury and rage, he sank
his hand-blades into his back and blasted electricity through them.
The human let out a strangled cry and toppled over, smoke rising from
his body. Abbadon kicked him to make sure she was dead. Dynamo
staggered over towards Fiz, sorrow evident on his face. Abbadon put
an arm around his torso to keep him from falling.
"She'll
be all right. She just got knocked out. I think you're the one in
worse shape."
Fiz
groaned, opened her eyes, and sat up. "Ow, my fucking head,"
she said. She stood up and walked over to Abbadon and Dynamo. "Is
the party over?" she said.
"Yeah,"
said Abbadon. Metal-head down there is dead, and I don't hear any
gunfire. Looks like we got out of another sticky situation."
"Yeah,
but probably not for long. What the fuck kind of pirate group can get
ahold of a telepath?"
"I
think whoever was running that station really wants us dead."
"Well
no shit. We snuck onto the station, killed a whole fuckload of
people, hijacked the computer systems, mindfucked and murdered the
station commander, and made off with a bunch of documents. The real
surprise is that they managed to get on our trail. But I think we
should make patching up Dynamo our first priority right now."
Abbadon
walked behind Fiz towards the infirmary, helping Dynamo steady
himself. They still had a long way to go, and Dynamo would not be fit
to fight for quite a while. Now they were down to two, and they had a
long and difficult fight ahead of them.
--
"Lieutenant
Wishmaster, can you hear me?"
"Uggggghhhhh."
Deathwish
opened his eyes and saw a clean white tiled ceiling above him, His
leg felt as if it were on fire. Each breath brought a burst of pain.
A medic was standing over him, writing something on a clipboard.
"Where the hell am I?" he wheezed.
"You're
on a medical frigate. Your ship was destroyed by a cluster missile
attack. You managed to eject, but not quick enough, it seems. Do you
remember what happened?"
"No.
Yes. Fuck." He remembered strafing an Earth bomber, the bomber
firing a cluster missile, and ejecting as the bomblets tore apart his
ship. And Skitz's ship. And Riptos's ship. He suddenly felt a
horrible sinking feeling deep in his guts. "Where are Riptos and
Skitz?"
"They're
also on this ship. They fared better than you. Skitz is just fine and
Riptos has a few bruises, but nothing serious enough to keep him out
of action. You are not so lucky. Your right leg is broken in four
places and three of your ribs are cracked."
"So
that's why it hurts to breathe. Fucking Christ piss. Four of us shot
down in two days. What wonderful fucking luck."
"Your
squadron's losses are nothing exceptional. We've had terrible
attrition rates recently. Ships like these are filled near capacity
with the dead, dying, and wounded."
"So
how is everyone else in the squadron?"
"They're
still fighting. Lieutenant Nilman is commanding them."
"Pinky?
The fucking poofterhog? Fuck you. I'd rather eat my own shit than see
fagboy leading the squadron."
"Well,
he is next on the chain of command. Right now, I think you should
worry about your own problems and leave the war up to your comrades."
"Whatever.
We're all going to hell in a handbasket anyway."
"Now
if you'll excuse me, I have some more patients to attend. I'll see
you later."
Deathwish
watched him leave, feeling pathetic lying in a bed with a shattered
leg. Was there any hope for Mobius? Probably not. The Mobian
Federation was on its last legs, with Wolf 359 having sold out to
Earth. But damned if they wouldn't keep trying.
--
Riptos
reclined in an armchair in the room he had been given on the medical
frigate, lying on his right side in the chair so his bruises didn't
come in contact with anything. His left shoulder and arm, left hip,
and tail were badly bruised, and anything that touched them caused
considerable pain. His ears twitched as he heard the door opening.
"Hey,
boss," said Skitz. "How are you feeling?"
"Like
I got run by a bus, and then the bus backed up and ran over me again.
Since I don't have any broken bones like Deathwish or head injuries
like Rex, they want me to return to combat tomorrow. I'll probably be
able to do it, but it's going to hurt like all hell. Riptos winced as
Skitz gently prodded one of the purple splotches on his arm. "Ow!
Don't do that!"
"Sorry.
That looks like a pretty bad bruise. Would you like me to get you an
ice pack to put there?"
"Sure,
thanks."
"No
problem." Skitz took a Ziploc bag from the kitchen cabinet and
filled it full of ice from the freezer, then placed it over the
bruise on Riptos' upper arm and shoulder. Riptos grimaced as the cold
ice touched his bare skin. He had taken his shirt off earlier to keep
the fabric from chafing on the tender skin. He relaxed a little as
the cold numbed his skin. "Is that better?" said Skitz.
"Yeah.
How goes the battle?"
"We're
losing yet again. The Earthers have already taken the system's kuiper
belt and are closing in on its outer planets. Junior Lieutenant
Kravitz bought it while escorting a Mobian cruiser during the retreat
from the kuiper belt."
Riptos's
expression changed into one of sorrow. Kravitz was one of the newest
members of the squadron, a quiet but energetic young man. He had been
only twenty-one years old. "Should I notify the family now?"
"Captain
Parks will do it. You need to rest right now. Skitz gently brushed
his fingers through the fur on Riptos's back.
"Please
stop doing that," said Riptos. "I don't need you to comfort
me."
"Sorry
about that. I didn't mean to make you mad."
"You
didn't make me angry. Just...uncomfortable. I know you meant well. So
what's Deathwish been doing?"
"The
usual shit he does when something he doesn't like happens to him.
Cursing, yelling at people, throwing a tantrum, pulling IVs out of
his veins until they strapped him to the bed. Will he ever grow up?"
"Maybe.
Maybe not. He and Pinky deserve each other."
"Indeed.
If you locked them in an elevator, what do you think would happen?"
"I
wouldn't want to be the guy who has to fix that elevator."
Riptos yawned. "Can you come by some other time? I want to take
a nap right now."
"That
will be fine," said Skitz as he stood up from his chair and
walked towards the door while Riptos lay down on the bed. "Bye,
Riptos."
"See
you later, Skitz." Riptos tucked his head against his chest. The
next day would be the same old routine, and it would repeat over and
over until either the Mobians were defeated or he could fight no
longer. He closed his eyes and thought of how lucky he, Deathwish,
Skitz, and Rex were to have survived being shot down, and of the huge
number of pilots who did not have such luck. C'est la guerre, he thought.
- 12
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Chaos Rising