Chapter 17 - Chapter 17... Avenger...

As I sat on the table thinking, I noticed Jasco’s knife. I picked it up and tried tossing it up and down with my left arm. I dropped it a few times, but I was getting back the feeling. I picked it up again and threw the knife against the wall with my left arm, which got stuck in the woodwork. I saw how deep it was and I was rather baffled that I could throw it with such a large amount of force… I’m not that strong but… I’m beginning to think that this aint so bad after all…



Flash: You ok?
Jasco: I don’t know…
Flash: Look, give him a while. It’s weird for him too you know. He doesn’t have a notion of time and everything. Maybe he just needs-

Jasco: Maybe it was a mistake to bring him back…
Flash: Why?
Jasco: You didn’t see the way he reacted when he saw himself. *sighs* He even tried punching me. Why the hell did he wanted to punch me?

Flash: Maybe he didn’t want to come back either. He was dying but you got him back… He needs some time to get used to things again. It’s not easy for him you know…

Jasco: Yeah… But… Neither is for me.
Flash: Talk to him…
Jasco: Well I tried…

Flash slaps Jasco.



Flash: Then try again!!

I kept staring at the knife being stuck in the woodwork… I suddenly heard a door opening and saw Jasco coming in the room…



Jasco: How you doing?
Blain: Look…
Jasco: What?
Blain: Your knife…

Jasco saw the knife sticking out of the woodwork. He walked up to it and tried pulling the knife out, but he couldn’t get it out. Jasco pushed one foot against the wall and pulled it with all his strength until the knife gives in.

Jasco: How the hell did you do it…?
Blain: I threw it…
Jasco: Show me…

Jasco gave me the knife again. I tossed it up and down with my left hand and threw it with all my strength. It hurts, but the knife got stuck in the wall again… It got even deeper…



Jasco: … Whoa…
Blain: I know…
Jasco: Listen, Blain… Eeh… I’m not very at this so… I wanna say I’m sorry…
Blain: Well… I should be sorry… I’m sorry Jasco, but… Everything is just so weird you know…

Jasco: Did it really hurt that much…?
Blain: … Like hell… But somehow, I can see a bright side in this though…
Jasco: Can you walk…?
Blain: Maybe…

I let myself down from the table gently and Jasco supported me. We were walking outside of the room and out of the building. And I felt the warm sun on my face. I smiled and Jasco saw that…



Jasco: I missed ya man…
Blain: Don’t get too emotional…

I looked at him and smiled, and he smiled back… I didn’t tell how much I’ve missed them though… But he knows… He knows… As we got to the centre of the village, the others are standing there and are looking at me…



Jasco: He’s back guys… Our trigger happy hedgehog is back…

I looked around and saw a new face… A black hedgehog with 2 holsters attached to each leg. He had a band around his arms stated he was from the D-VaS assassination squad… Right next to him was a girl… A hedgehog… Maybe a few years older then me… She was dark purple with cyan frills… But I wasn’t interested in her though, I wanted to know who the guy was…


Blain: Who’s the new guy…?
Jasco: We picked him up while you were away. His name is Zero.
Blain: What’s with the D-VaS logo?
Jasco: Ex D-VaS…
Blain: You mean-
Jasco: Yup…
Blain: Whoa…

I looked behind and saw that Flash was standing there the whole time…



Flash: What’s D-VaS?
Blain: You never heard of them…?
Flash: … No…
Jasco: D-VaS was a small group of covered ops trained in the highest military standards, specializing working behind enemy lines.

Flash: For who? Jasco: For anyone who paid the right prize. A band of mercenaries working for the highest bidder…

Blain: We need a word with him…
Jasco: Don’t you wanna eat something first?
Blain: Yeah sure…

I looked around and saw everyone still staring at me… I looked down and saw the bloodstained bandage wrapped around my torso. So we ate something, and after that, Jasco replaced the bandage. As he was replacing it, I stared at the wound…



Jasco: It’ll heal, it wont leave scars.
Blain: Thanks Jasco…
Jasco: Anytime man…

After he was done replacing the bandage, he suddenly remembered something because of his looks. He gets up, walked to a closet, and got a big metal case. He walked back and opened it… In there was a pair of new black gloves. Like the ones I wear… My dogtags and my weapon… The SCAR-11… My sidearm, combat knife and my bullet proof vest… A flashbang grenade was still in the pockets… My buckles and holsters… Haven’t worn that in a while…



Jasco: Last time you’ve worn the vest was at the riots…

I picked up the vest and put it on… I looked at the other stuff and put on the dogtags again, clipped the buckles and attached the holsters to it… I looked at the weapons… Then back at Jasco…



Jasco: What are you looking at me for? Come on, take it…

I grabbed my sidearm and pulled out the clip… Nine rounds was in it… I cocked it and put it in the holster… I looked at the combat knife, wiped it and placed it in the ankle holster. And I grabbed the SCAR-11… I looked at it and pulled out the clip. Twenty-three rounds were still in it… I pressed the fingerprint analyzer…



A.I female voice: RRTS Special Ops clearance verified. Handle ID: Reaper.

Jasco: After you got carried away, we came back to look for you. We couldn’t find you. The only thing we saw was a puddle of blood and your weapon…


I rammed the clip back inside and pulled the bolt on top…



Jasco: Hoo-ah?
Blain: Hoo-ah…

The following days I began to train again. Jasco and Flash became my personal coaches Hell, they worn me out. I had to run, jump, crawl and prone through an improvised obstacle course and it was timed. Each time I didn’t get back within the limited amount of time, I had to run 5 laps around the village. It still hurts, but, it doesn’t hurt that much as it used to be. But hey, slowly but steady I got back again…



One night, I was outside. I just had a cold shower and I was sitting outside near the small lake. Then Flash came sitting next to me. I looked straight ahead…



Blain: ‘Sup…?
Flash: How you been?
Blain: Well good… Tired, but good.
Flash: Yeah… You’re still wet…
Blain: Couldn’t find any towels…
Flash: Then shake yourself dry!
Blain: Yeah but- Wait… Whats that…? Flash: Where?
Blain: Up there…

I saw something falling in the distant black night sky, leaving a trail of fire and smoke. And it seemed to go very slow… Maybe its just because it was so far away… I didn’t know what the hell that was…



Flash: A shooting star!
Blain: What?
Flash: Make a wish!
Blain: …
Flash: Make a wish damn it!

Tails: That’s not a shooting star…

We turned around and saw everyone standing behind us…



Blain: Then what is it…?
Tails: It’s a nuke…
Flash: What…?
e
No one said anything… It was awfully silent… As we watched the trail getting lower and lower to the horizon, a big flash filled the entire air. For a few seconds, it looked like it was day… Few minutes after that, we heard an ear deafening noise…



Tails: Run…
Sonic: What is it Tails…?
Tails: I said run!! GO NOW!! GO, GO!!

No one hesitated after Tails freaked out. Jasco and I ran back to get our gear. Everyone ran towards his workshop and after we all got inside, Tails lowered the pulley to his underground workshop and we got out. We ran into the underground hangar and Tails opened another door, which leads to a bunker. Shortly after Tails sealed the door, we could hear a lot of noise… And, about half an hour later it suddenly stopped… And it was awfully silent again… Tails decided to stay inside for the night…



But… The next morning… No singing birds… Just that silence again… We all looked at each other then looked to Tails… Tails opened up the heavy doors we stepped outside… And… We were all baffled of how it looks… Everyone steps out slowly out of the bunker… The underground hangar was annihilated and I looked up… No sunny, light blue sky, but black and grey clouds filled with a dark red aurora… We walked out of it and saw the devastation… Knothole got wiped off… The forests were gone… Nothing more then open plains with tree roots… We looked at the others and didn’t say anything… Everything was just… Gone… Tails ran back to the bunker…



Zero: The last desperate attempt…
Jasco: What?
Zero: Robotnik… He got 4 more nukes in a desperate attempt to win the war…
Flash: Four more…? But… He’d kill us all…

Zero: Exactly…


Then Tails ran back… Looking a bit frightened…



Blain: What is it…?
Tails: Several areas got nuked too! I just received a message from some survivors!

Jasco: How many?
Tails: Two more areas…
Blain: And the survivors…?
Tails: A few hedgehogs and some rebels…

Flash: Then what the hell are we suppose to do now?!
Blain: Taking down his factories…
Flash: How?! We don’t have the weapons!

I looked at Tails… He didn’t get it…



Tails: What you looking at me for…?
Blain: Robotnik’s factories are CAM and CAD… There guarded by droids. You need to hack in the system and shut it down…

Tails: I see…
Flash: What’s CAM and CAD…?
Tails: Computer Aided Manufacturing and Computer Aided Design. Everything works through an automated procedure.

Zero: Yeah. If that shuts down, Robotnik cannot create droids anymore. Or… Anything else really…

Tails: But…
Jasco: Don’t be scared. We’re here to protect you…
Flash: I’m in…
Zero: Me too…
Jasco: Tails…?

Everyone looked at Tails… He was nervous and hesitated…



Tails: Eeh… Yeah… I’m in…

Jasco: So... Blain… One more battle like the old times…?
Blain: You think I’m ready for it…?
Jasco: frack yeah…
Blain: Then I’m in…
Jasco: Tails, contact the others that we need more manpower.
Tails: Right! I’m off!
Flash: I don’t know about you guys… But… This is gonna be the largest battle ever… Even larger then the assault of Angel Island…

Jasco: It’s also gonna be the last one…
Flash: What makes you think that?
Jasco: Because I say so…

After a while, Tails came back…



Tails: It’s over…
Jasco: What? Tails: The Red Faction got annihilated… It’s over… They lost…

Blain: Then it’s just between us and Robotnik…

To be continued…

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