At The End Of The Tunnel
folder
+S through Z › Sonic
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
28
Views:
4,186
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+S through Z › Sonic
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
28
Views:
4,186
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
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.
Lost and Found
~~~
At The End Of The Tunnel
Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651
~~~
Harley: I cannot believe I got no reviews for that chapter. I liked that chapter.
Froggy: Maybe other people didn’t.
Harley: Maybe they’re just lazy. Oh well, no intelligent reviews, no prizes. Continue people, continue to bask in drama.
~~~
Chapter Twenty-One: Lost and Found
She could not have survived that fall.
James stood there, staring out the broken window of the train car silently. He looked down at the broken shards of glass that were stained with Breech’s blood. Blood that was now probably flowing down the river, carried away to the sea. The river was shallow; the impact must have killed her, torn her up, and turned her insides to jelly. In the unlikely event of her hitting a deep spot, she would sink because of her metal bones. Drowning or smashing.
The fox continued to stare vacantly out, his mind in turmoil, trying to convince himself that what he knew to be true wasn’t. It was a hopeless battle. His systems had recovered from Cur’s EMP, but had done so too late. He couldn’t deny it. Breech was dead. She was broken on the river below, dead and forgotten by the world. He squeezed his eyes shut. James felt his chest tighten up and his heart fall, a sickening feeling growing inside him and pulling him down. It was a familiar feeling, the feeling of loss.
For the first time, James wondered what happened to a person when they worked for Robotnik. If you were tough, like Nack, it presumably gave you a shell. Keith on the other paw was the quiet, nervous type. He had known no world outside the lab, and had no choice but to fold. But if you were like Breech, dealt a poor hand to start with, and then beaten and starved and locked up and mistreated three ways from Thursday, and driven deeper and deeper into yourself, into the darkest depths of your soul, what would you find there? And then one day, you’d look up from those depths into the only smile you’d ever seen…
James wondered what would have happened to him if he had gone through their lives. Would he have become hard and cold, like Nack? Would he have become a nameless face, like Keith? Or perhaps he would have survived by twisting his very perception of the world, like Breech.
She had snapped him out of his emotional shell and showed him how stupid he had been, hiding from his only son. She showed him that he had to value what he still had, because it could all slip away in an instant.
She had opened his eyes to the fact that his world was flawed; that not all his friends had good intentions, and that even those with good intentions could lead him onto the wrong path.
She had given him something to believe in again, a reason to fight other than anger or duty, becoming as much a machine as the enemies he fought. His friends, comrades, and leader had lied to him, and yet she was truthful to him.
In helping Breech, he helped himself. In questioning her, he questioned himself. She gave him something to care for, to help and heal rather than destroy. She wasn’t just some immoral, greedy bounty hunter, she was a Mobian with hopes and dreams and fears just like everyone else. Life had continually dealt her bad hands, but she refused to give in. It felt good to give her something to smile about. They had something together, something intangible but great, a connection. They had turned from bitter enemies to friends… and James was sure that if they had more time, it could have becoming something much more. He cared for her. Really cared for her. He couldn’t admit it before, and now he would never get the chance.
Sometimes, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. And then it’s too late.
A loud, mournful howl finally ripped free and escaped James’ throat, scaring Keith, the little child stepping back in surprise. The fox voiced his grief and loss for Breech and his anger for a cruel world without words. Then he fell to his knees and buried his face in his paws.
He stayed that way for over an hour, curled up and sobbing. He and Keith said nothing to each other, James crying, and Keith strangely quiet and calm. Who knew what he was feeling? He just learned that had a mother, only to lose her minutes later.
Finally, James got his feet, fur soaked and eyes bloodshot. He told Keith to follow him, and they both got aboard the stolen hoverbike. They left the train behind them and took off towards another destination of the fox’s choosing. He knew where he had to go next.
He had to face his mistakes. Nothing was holding him back any longer. He had to go to New Knothole.
James Prower felt dead to the world as he guided the hoverbike through the night towards Knothole. Time and events blurred in his exhausted mind. He only vaguely remembered arriving at the village and promptly being threatened by guards, led by Geoffrey. He was taken prisoner, stripped of his sword, and pushed into a makeshift jail cell. It couldn’t hold him, and they all knew it. But that was why Geoffrey was there the whole time, a high-powered rifle in the skunk’s hands.
They didn’t need to; he wouldn’t have tried to escape anyway.
The secret agent looked like he wanted to put a hole through the guardsman’s head. Had he not been held back by orders from Princess Sally, he would have.
The fallen guardsman sat in his cold cell and sighed, tears occasionally rolling down his furry cheeks. A part of him found the situation grimly humorous; he had taken Breech’s place. Now he was the traitor that was imprisoned, awaiting punishment. He waited and waited, his only companions being his own thoughts and a pissed-off agent. James wondered if he could have done things better. Had he been paying better attention, could he have seen Curtis coming and stopped him? Probably not, but he still felt guilty. He had failed not only Breech, but her son as well. Keith had lost his mother and his home… James felt that it was up to him now to raise the kid. Sure, he could pass the job over to someone else in the village, but he felt he owed it to Breech to do it himself. Assuming, of course, that he lived to have the chance.
The hut door opened up, and in walked someone that James dreaded speaking to again. Sally. Again the ugly feeling of guilt settled into his guts. Again he wondered if he could have done things better… what if, what if, what if? There wasn’t a crueler question. The redheaded princess walked towards his cell; she looked more… hardened and serious than he remembered her. Having her father murdered would do that. Geoffrey immediately snapped to attention, but Sally barely noticed him. Her blue eyes were focused on James the whole time.
“Commander St. John, leave us,” she ordered.
The skunk immediately began to object, “But my princess, this cell can’t contain him because of his augmentations; you need a guard…”
“I can take care of myself. You are dismissed,” she snapped before snatching the skunk’s rifle out of his hand. That chilled James. It chilled Geoffrey too. The skunk bowed and turned to leave the jail; he knew when not to argue.
Sally propped the rifle up against a desk and left one paw resting on it as she stared into the cell at James. The guardsman got to his feet and stared right back into her eyes. Neither of them was sure how long they stood there, silently, observing and waiting for the other to speak. Finally, the princess broke the silence.
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right now.”
James swallowed and told her the truth, “I didn’t kill your father.”
“Why am I supposed to believe that?” she asked.
“Because I don’t have claws like knives.”
Sally suddenly gripped the rifle tighter and yelled, “You set her free and let her walk right up to my dad!”
“I saved her from being murdered in her jail cell, and then we both went to Max for answers. He ordered me to kill her while she was helpless, in cold blood, and I needed to know why.”
“It was because she was a traitor, and you let her walk right up to my dad and slit his throat!” she shouted, her eyes watering up, “You were my friend, James. A mentor. I trusted you!”
Was a friend? Past tense. The fox’s stomach was tied up in knots, hurt by the sorrow his old friend was feeling and her anger towards him.
“I would never hurt your father, Sally. You know that. He was like my father as well. If I could go back and change things, I would. But I couldn’t do what he asked of me. It was wrong of him to ask it of me. I wouldn’t murder someone to cover for his mistake.”
“So you think that was justification for what that whore did to…”
“Her name was Bridget Loranski!” James bellowed, scaring Sally, who backed into the wall with wide eyes, “And she died saving my life! Maybe what she did to Max was wrong, but it was also wrong for him to order her torture years ago!”
Sally, regaining her wits, snatched up the rifle and pointed it in the fox’s face. Partly out of fear. Partly out of anger.
“Are you going to kill me, little princess?” James asked, using his old affectionate name for her, from a much more innocent time before Robotnik.
Sally slowly lowered the rifle, “No. I’m not going to kill you, James. I’m not going to imprison you, either.”
The princess picked the keys off the desk and unlocked his cell. She looked at him one final time, tears streaming down her face. Then she turned and walked towards the door, “…But I won’t forgive you.”
And thus their friendship ended. Another loss for the both of them.
~~~
James went back to the hut that had been set out for him and changed out of his armor and cloak. He ran a bath and washed his grungy fur, dirty with sand, smoke, sweat, and blood, accumulated over the last few days of adventuring. It felt good to be clean again, but it was a hollow pleasure. His heart was heavy with guilt and grief and loneliness. He wanted to curl up and die, but he couldn’t do that; he still had his responsibilities. He had to keep going for Keith and his kingdom. Darkness and his cult still threatened Mobius. But James now didn’t have any friends at all to back him up; he was completely alone in his quest.
Sighing, James put on a fresh cloak, left his hut, and went in search for Keith. He knew the little hybrid was around somewhere… they would not lock a child up. Where did he go, though? The guardsman searched the village, looking for Breech’s son, being careful to avoid the freedom fighters, who certainly would all hate his guts now… and then he saw him. Breech’s son… and his own. Tails and Keith were in the shade of a tree talking like old friends, the two geniuses drawn to each other naturally. James didn’t hear what they were saying; his mind wouldn’t focus on it. Instead, he just looked at his son. Tails looked like James was at that age, except for the extra tail. He had his mother’s clear blue eyes.
The guardsman felt like turning and walking away yet again… but then he remembered Breech, and knew he couldn’t. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“…Miles?”
The kit’s ears twitched and he turned to face James, “I don’t like that name,” the kit said, a hint of disgust in his voice.
“Oh, right. Sorry, Tails,” James apologized.
The kit raised his eyebrow in a rather familiar expression, “How do you know my real name anyway?” he asked.
“Your mother gave you that name, and I knew her long ago.”
The kit’s eyes brightened, “You knew my mom?”
“Yes, I did. You have her eyes, and her smile. I’m sure she would be proud of you.”
The kit wagged both of his tails. “What happened to her?”
“She died not long after you were born.”
The kit’s ears drooped. “Oh… How did you know her? You look familiar.”
James took a deep breath, “That’s because I look a lot like you, plus twenty years. I knew your mother very well… What do you know about your father?”
“Not much…” Tails admitted, “Sally thinks that he died in the war.”
“I guess, in a way, that is true,” James admitted quietly, reflecting on the changes in himself.
“In a way?” the two-tailed fox asked, “You mean he died another way?”
The kid was smart.
“No. He didn’t die at all. But while he was alive, he wasn’t there for you when you needed him the most.”
James lowered himself to his knees and looked his son in the eyes, silently pleading to them.
“Can you forgive me for being such a fool?”
The silence could have been cut with a knife. The young fox stared back, not comprehending what he was hearing. His ears flattened against his head and the kit’s eyes widened.
“…Dad?”
James eyes filled with tears, and he gave his son a smile.
“It’s me. I’m here.”
“No…no, Sally said dad was dead!” Tails exclaimed, “You can’t be…I mean…W-why? Why weren’t you here?” The child burst into tears. “Was it because of the tail?”
The extra tail, that which had been the reason for Miles’ being taunted by other children, the reason he had been rejected by so many. The reason he was a hero today.
“No, I would never hate you for your tail… Robotnik held me prisoner for years… but I could have been here sooner, I should have been here sooner… I’m so sorry, son… I’m so sorry…”
“DAD!” Tails shouted and rushed forward to embrace his father tightly. James wrapped his arms around his son and hugged back, both of them crying softly.
“I’m sorry, Miles… I love you, and I won’t leave you again…”
The two of them sat that there hugging each other and crying, forgiving mistakes and just being glad to be together again. A massive weight lifted from James’ shoulders, and he felt good about himself again. He had a son again, and his son had a father. Things might just turn out all right in the end.
Silently, James thanked Breech, wherever she was.
~~~
Froggy: All right! James and Miles are back together! It’s just too good to last and you know it!
Harley: Now continue. Continue yourself to Chapter Twenty One. Where things die horribly, I stick sharp things in people, and the most intelligent reviewer gets a prize. The prize of having their intelligent review mentioned.
Froggy: Because intelligent reviewers are good things. Rare too.
Harley: Damn right!
At The End Of The Tunnel
Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651
~~~
Harley: I cannot believe I got no reviews for that chapter. I liked that chapter.
Froggy: Maybe other people didn’t.
Harley: Maybe they’re just lazy. Oh well, no intelligent reviews, no prizes. Continue people, continue to bask in drama.
~~~
Chapter Twenty-One: Lost and Found
She could not have survived that fall.
James stood there, staring out the broken window of the train car silently. He looked down at the broken shards of glass that were stained with Breech’s blood. Blood that was now probably flowing down the river, carried away to the sea. The river was shallow; the impact must have killed her, torn her up, and turned her insides to jelly. In the unlikely event of her hitting a deep spot, she would sink because of her metal bones. Drowning or smashing.
The fox continued to stare vacantly out, his mind in turmoil, trying to convince himself that what he knew to be true wasn’t. It was a hopeless battle. His systems had recovered from Cur’s EMP, but had done so too late. He couldn’t deny it. Breech was dead. She was broken on the river below, dead and forgotten by the world. He squeezed his eyes shut. James felt his chest tighten up and his heart fall, a sickening feeling growing inside him and pulling him down. It was a familiar feeling, the feeling of loss.
For the first time, James wondered what happened to a person when they worked for Robotnik. If you were tough, like Nack, it presumably gave you a shell. Keith on the other paw was the quiet, nervous type. He had known no world outside the lab, and had no choice but to fold. But if you were like Breech, dealt a poor hand to start with, and then beaten and starved and locked up and mistreated three ways from Thursday, and driven deeper and deeper into yourself, into the darkest depths of your soul, what would you find there? And then one day, you’d look up from those depths into the only smile you’d ever seen…
James wondered what would have happened to him if he had gone through their lives. Would he have become hard and cold, like Nack? Would he have become a nameless face, like Keith? Or perhaps he would have survived by twisting his very perception of the world, like Breech.
She had snapped him out of his emotional shell and showed him how stupid he had been, hiding from his only son. She showed him that he had to value what he still had, because it could all slip away in an instant.
She had opened his eyes to the fact that his world was flawed; that not all his friends had good intentions, and that even those with good intentions could lead him onto the wrong path.
She had given him something to believe in again, a reason to fight other than anger or duty, becoming as much a machine as the enemies he fought. His friends, comrades, and leader had lied to him, and yet she was truthful to him.
In helping Breech, he helped himself. In questioning her, he questioned himself. She gave him something to care for, to help and heal rather than destroy. She wasn’t just some immoral, greedy bounty hunter, she was a Mobian with hopes and dreams and fears just like everyone else. Life had continually dealt her bad hands, but she refused to give in. It felt good to give her something to smile about. They had something together, something intangible but great, a connection. They had turned from bitter enemies to friends… and James was sure that if they had more time, it could have becoming something much more. He cared for her. Really cared for her. He couldn’t admit it before, and now he would never get the chance.
Sometimes, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. And then it’s too late.
A loud, mournful howl finally ripped free and escaped James’ throat, scaring Keith, the little child stepping back in surprise. The fox voiced his grief and loss for Breech and his anger for a cruel world without words. Then he fell to his knees and buried his face in his paws.
He stayed that way for over an hour, curled up and sobbing. He and Keith said nothing to each other, James crying, and Keith strangely quiet and calm. Who knew what he was feeling? He just learned that had a mother, only to lose her minutes later.
Finally, James got his feet, fur soaked and eyes bloodshot. He told Keith to follow him, and they both got aboard the stolen hoverbike. They left the train behind them and took off towards another destination of the fox’s choosing. He knew where he had to go next.
He had to face his mistakes. Nothing was holding him back any longer. He had to go to New Knothole.
James Prower felt dead to the world as he guided the hoverbike through the night towards Knothole. Time and events blurred in his exhausted mind. He only vaguely remembered arriving at the village and promptly being threatened by guards, led by Geoffrey. He was taken prisoner, stripped of his sword, and pushed into a makeshift jail cell. It couldn’t hold him, and they all knew it. But that was why Geoffrey was there the whole time, a high-powered rifle in the skunk’s hands.
They didn’t need to; he wouldn’t have tried to escape anyway.
The secret agent looked like he wanted to put a hole through the guardsman’s head. Had he not been held back by orders from Princess Sally, he would have.
The fallen guardsman sat in his cold cell and sighed, tears occasionally rolling down his furry cheeks. A part of him found the situation grimly humorous; he had taken Breech’s place. Now he was the traitor that was imprisoned, awaiting punishment. He waited and waited, his only companions being his own thoughts and a pissed-off agent. James wondered if he could have done things better. Had he been paying better attention, could he have seen Curtis coming and stopped him? Probably not, but he still felt guilty. He had failed not only Breech, but her son as well. Keith had lost his mother and his home… James felt that it was up to him now to raise the kid. Sure, he could pass the job over to someone else in the village, but he felt he owed it to Breech to do it himself. Assuming, of course, that he lived to have the chance.
The hut door opened up, and in walked someone that James dreaded speaking to again. Sally. Again the ugly feeling of guilt settled into his guts. Again he wondered if he could have done things better… what if, what if, what if? There wasn’t a crueler question. The redheaded princess walked towards his cell; she looked more… hardened and serious than he remembered her. Having her father murdered would do that. Geoffrey immediately snapped to attention, but Sally barely noticed him. Her blue eyes were focused on James the whole time.
“Commander St. John, leave us,” she ordered.
The skunk immediately began to object, “But my princess, this cell can’t contain him because of his augmentations; you need a guard…”
“I can take care of myself. You are dismissed,” she snapped before snatching the skunk’s rifle out of his hand. That chilled James. It chilled Geoffrey too. The skunk bowed and turned to leave the jail; he knew when not to argue.
Sally propped the rifle up against a desk and left one paw resting on it as she stared into the cell at James. The guardsman got to his feet and stared right back into her eyes. Neither of them was sure how long they stood there, silently, observing and waiting for the other to speak. Finally, the princess broke the silence.
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right now.”
James swallowed and told her the truth, “I didn’t kill your father.”
“Why am I supposed to believe that?” she asked.
“Because I don’t have claws like knives.”
Sally suddenly gripped the rifle tighter and yelled, “You set her free and let her walk right up to my dad!”
“I saved her from being murdered in her jail cell, and then we both went to Max for answers. He ordered me to kill her while she was helpless, in cold blood, and I needed to know why.”
“It was because she was a traitor, and you let her walk right up to my dad and slit his throat!” she shouted, her eyes watering up, “You were my friend, James. A mentor. I trusted you!”
Was a friend? Past tense. The fox’s stomach was tied up in knots, hurt by the sorrow his old friend was feeling and her anger towards him.
“I would never hurt your father, Sally. You know that. He was like my father as well. If I could go back and change things, I would. But I couldn’t do what he asked of me. It was wrong of him to ask it of me. I wouldn’t murder someone to cover for his mistake.”
“So you think that was justification for what that whore did to…”
“Her name was Bridget Loranski!” James bellowed, scaring Sally, who backed into the wall with wide eyes, “And she died saving my life! Maybe what she did to Max was wrong, but it was also wrong for him to order her torture years ago!”
Sally, regaining her wits, snatched up the rifle and pointed it in the fox’s face. Partly out of fear. Partly out of anger.
“Are you going to kill me, little princess?” James asked, using his old affectionate name for her, from a much more innocent time before Robotnik.
Sally slowly lowered the rifle, “No. I’m not going to kill you, James. I’m not going to imprison you, either.”
The princess picked the keys off the desk and unlocked his cell. She looked at him one final time, tears streaming down her face. Then she turned and walked towards the door, “…But I won’t forgive you.”
And thus their friendship ended. Another loss for the both of them.
~~~
James went back to the hut that had been set out for him and changed out of his armor and cloak. He ran a bath and washed his grungy fur, dirty with sand, smoke, sweat, and blood, accumulated over the last few days of adventuring. It felt good to be clean again, but it was a hollow pleasure. His heart was heavy with guilt and grief and loneliness. He wanted to curl up and die, but he couldn’t do that; he still had his responsibilities. He had to keep going for Keith and his kingdom. Darkness and his cult still threatened Mobius. But James now didn’t have any friends at all to back him up; he was completely alone in his quest.
Sighing, James put on a fresh cloak, left his hut, and went in search for Keith. He knew the little hybrid was around somewhere… they would not lock a child up. Where did he go, though? The guardsman searched the village, looking for Breech’s son, being careful to avoid the freedom fighters, who certainly would all hate his guts now… and then he saw him. Breech’s son… and his own. Tails and Keith were in the shade of a tree talking like old friends, the two geniuses drawn to each other naturally. James didn’t hear what they were saying; his mind wouldn’t focus on it. Instead, he just looked at his son. Tails looked like James was at that age, except for the extra tail. He had his mother’s clear blue eyes.
The guardsman felt like turning and walking away yet again… but then he remembered Breech, and knew he couldn’t. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“…Miles?”
The kit’s ears twitched and he turned to face James, “I don’t like that name,” the kit said, a hint of disgust in his voice.
“Oh, right. Sorry, Tails,” James apologized.
The kit raised his eyebrow in a rather familiar expression, “How do you know my real name anyway?” he asked.
“Your mother gave you that name, and I knew her long ago.”
The kit’s eyes brightened, “You knew my mom?”
“Yes, I did. You have her eyes, and her smile. I’m sure she would be proud of you.”
The kit wagged both of his tails. “What happened to her?”
“She died not long after you were born.”
The kit’s ears drooped. “Oh… How did you know her? You look familiar.”
James took a deep breath, “That’s because I look a lot like you, plus twenty years. I knew your mother very well… What do you know about your father?”
“Not much…” Tails admitted, “Sally thinks that he died in the war.”
“I guess, in a way, that is true,” James admitted quietly, reflecting on the changes in himself.
“In a way?” the two-tailed fox asked, “You mean he died another way?”
The kid was smart.
“No. He didn’t die at all. But while he was alive, he wasn’t there for you when you needed him the most.”
James lowered himself to his knees and looked his son in the eyes, silently pleading to them.
“Can you forgive me for being such a fool?”
The silence could have been cut with a knife. The young fox stared back, not comprehending what he was hearing. His ears flattened against his head and the kit’s eyes widened.
“…Dad?”
James eyes filled with tears, and he gave his son a smile.
“It’s me. I’m here.”
“No…no, Sally said dad was dead!” Tails exclaimed, “You can’t be…I mean…W-why? Why weren’t you here?” The child burst into tears. “Was it because of the tail?”
The extra tail, that which had been the reason for Miles’ being taunted by other children, the reason he had been rejected by so many. The reason he was a hero today.
“No, I would never hate you for your tail… Robotnik held me prisoner for years… but I could have been here sooner, I should have been here sooner… I’m so sorry, son… I’m so sorry…”
“DAD!” Tails shouted and rushed forward to embrace his father tightly. James wrapped his arms around his son and hugged back, both of them crying softly.
“I’m sorry, Miles… I love you, and I won’t leave you again…”
The two of them sat that there hugging each other and crying, forgiving mistakes and just being glad to be together again. A massive weight lifted from James’ shoulders, and he felt good about himself again. He had a son again, and his son had a father. Things might just turn out all right in the end.
Silently, James thanked Breech, wherever she was.
~~~
Froggy: All right! James and Miles are back together! It’s just too good to last and you know it!
Harley: Now continue. Continue yourself to Chapter Twenty One. Where things die horribly, I stick sharp things in people, and the most intelligent reviewer gets a prize. The prize of having their intelligent review mentioned.
Froggy: Because intelligent reviewers are good things. Rare too.
Harley: Damn right!