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nouearth · 2 years ago

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the black cat and the mysterious nightwing.

pairing ; dick grayson x m!reader. fandom: ; dc, nightwing. word count ; 2148. genre; angst. rating ; pg-13. warnings ; blood, depictions of violence, bone-breaking, head trauma, physical fighting, verbal arguing, flirty banter, blackcat!malereader. notes ; i tried my best doing a blackcat!reader. i gotta admit, i don't know much about the character, so i just did my own little spin on it! req ; anonymous.

“don’t you think,” you scrambled to your feet, but caught yourself with a lunge before picking your hands out of the dust to charge at your opponent with vigorous speed. the sensor in your gloves triggered your metal claws to come out and you attacked with the intent to mark the masked man—not to wound, but to warn him off. “we would make a great couple? i’d happily sell my persona if it meant that ‘the black cat and the mysterious nightwing’ gets turned into a film and made billions at the box office.”

“you know,” nightwing blocked every swipe of your claws except for one to the face—a nick. the fresh cut on his cheek stung when it caught the cold breeze, but he’s too quick on his feet for you to notice the blood. he then circled around you with his escrima sticks drawn out, huffing. like your opponent, you followed back in his steps in defense, facing him as your senses were on high-alert from the advent of his signature weapons. the last time you were tased with them, you were sent to the ground, feeling tremors days later—they weren’t exactly the highlight of your interactions with him. “i’m the one bringing the audience in, right? flip the order of our names and it’s a maybe!”

“and haven’t i told you that i’m taken?” he continued, stalking you in a circle like a predator with its prey—an eagle with its cat.

“huh...” you thought to yourself out loud, eyeing the rooftop environment around you for a brief moment. cardboard boxes, plastic bags, cigarette butts, candy wrappers—nothing you could use to your advantage. “never thought you’d be the loyal type.”

“what?! you’re kidding, right?” nightwing interrupted the banter by charging at you again and you leaped to the side to dodge the first, but your back eventually caught the stick when he swung his right arm. he hopped back in defense, watching you gather yourself in a hunch, groaning.

“I mean, fuck-“ you tasted the wind that was knocked out of you, chapped and dry, and it all made the taste of metal more profound in your mouth. “with that body? no way. i can only imagine what’s underneath.”

“I’m flattered!” as he rushed towards you, nightwing swung a powerful right, a heavy grunt paired alongside. you evaded with a flip and another with an arm-block, but the impact knocked you back onto the concrete floor. your padded uniform took the brunt of the contact, but not your exhaustion. you were almost at your limit, panting and grunting heavily as you continued to dodge his onslaught of thwicks and whams at your chest and sides, beat after beat to the best of your ability. he was fast, always been faster than you, and he showed no signs of slowing.

“you have no reason even stealing from bruce wayne. come on,” the man meandered towards you, arrogance in every step while he stretched the tight muscles in his arms and back. “give it up. i won’t tell him, and i’ll even get you off scot-free.”

“you’re too handsome for me to send you to jail.” he said, half-earnestly.

despite assuming full responsibility of blüdhaven, and occasionally, gotham, his personality never diverged from his regular civilian-self: confident, playful, optimistic, and much more, but that was what you loved most about dick grayson. he was always himself.

you watched him slowly approach, elbows scuffed and planted to the ground as it supported your bruised body. he lent a hand down to you—gentlemanly.

“hm… so you do find me handsome.” you grasped his hand and he began to pull you up, naive and trusting. “i got a chance then?”

but you pulled him downwards instead, met your foot with his gut, and one strong kick tumbled him to the floor. “i’m still up for you getting me off, though!”

the distance between the two of you was larger than expected. he was going to chase after you no matter what—he’s done it before. the mental clock inside of your head was ticking as you watched him writhe, catching his breath. worry ignited, but it ticked— continue ticking until he found his footing, and you made a run for the ledge. your thrown backpack that harbored the stolen item resided in the nearest corner and your arm extended, reaching whatever you could grasp onto in midst of your flee.

but your palm held nothing—only cold warmth when you gathered air into a tight fist—as nightwing rammed you onto the floor with all of his body weight, skidding you near the ledge. your head hung off the edge as you blindly bore his swings to your hips and waist with a groan louder than the next, a bruise stacked on top of another. “fuck!”

the familiarity of gotham became foreign as half of your body dangled off the ledge—apartment buildings emerged from skies and the moon rose from seas—and it didn’t help that your opponent was weakening you with every guttural punch, drawing out hard groans from your throat.

“one last chance, cat. this has been fun and all, but i’m kind of getting sick of your schtick.” nightwing grabbed you by the shoulders and yanked you back up.

but something in the wind caught your eye—something black, something familiar. you turned your head, groaning when the muscles in your neck have stiffened in the mere moments it vacationed on the ledge, and a gasped left your hot throat.

your mask.

“is that a yes?!” dick shouted, hands still clutched onto your shoulders while your cheek was still turned toward him, watching the mask ride the wind through gotham.

the air cooled your exposed skin, bruises and cuts melting with every breeze, and you were hesitant to turn, to respond. but dick was frustrated now and began pressing a knee to your bruised gut to warrant a glance of any kind—he can tell you were close to surrendering.

you do.

you bit back a pained scream and turned towards him; nightwing, dick, your boyfriend of two years. the frustration and annoyance in his face soon wrinkled into shock, confusion, then betrayal.

but he feigned normalcy; you could tell by the waver in his voice and the twisting of expressions between artificial calmness and deception.

“what- what is this?” he stepped back once he let you go, lying. “you’re just a regular dude-“

“i can explain,“ you coughed out, blinking the etched image of dick’s betrayal away—a desperate attempt. there was no lying your way out of this anymore. years of being untruthful regarding the wounds he unknowingly left on you, nights you disappeared into; it has all accumulated into this very moment—karma. “dick-“

“no-“ dick twitched at the sound of his name. it resounded from a familiar voice—a voice that he would yearn to hear every morning and night, a voice that he has loved since day one, a voice that wouldn’t have held secrets. “you knew? you fucking knew about me—about all of this the whole time?! what the fuck, y/n?”

“dick, I never meant for it to get this far.” you said, getting up with sluggish movements. “i was just- fuck, uh.” you stammered and your thoughts clouded.

what were you doing this for? it started off with wanting vengeance for your mother, then it amassed into wealth, then… then?

what else was there left in this second life of yours that you needed to fulfill?

“seriously? cat got your tongue, or what?” he walked towards you, pointing one of his sticks at you, intimidating. “you can’t even give me a reason?”

“calm down, okay? i can’t exactly think when you probably broke my fucking ribs-“ you spat bitterly. not the best time to be annoyed at him, but you’ve always been quick to anger.

“wow, okay… maybe, i don’t know—if you would’ve told me about all of this earlier then we wouldn’t be in this position right now!“ dick’s powerful voice shouted, and you flinched when he pressed his weapon to your chest.

“okay- why are you even angry about this? it’s not like i robbed you!” you shouted back, leaning your chest forward until the butt of it pressed into your bruise. it was painful, but your jaw tightened to hold your anger.

“you kinda did considering it’s from the manor i grew up in.“ he scoffed, irritating you further with multiple pokes to your chest. “you lied to me, stole from my family. you seriously think that’s okay? after everything i told you?”

you didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. though it was only a coincidence that you and dick happened to fall in love; you kept this charade up and toyed with his alter-ego despite knowing who he was. stealing from a billionaire sounded great on paper—if only you never knew dick grayson, but his alias instead.

“I trusted you.” his voice softened—hurt and disappointed—as he stared into your eyes, and you could feel guilt swimming in your gut. “i don’t even know if this is all real—us, y/n.”

but you’ve never been one to face the consequences of your own action.

“here,” you limped to fetch your backpack, and dick instinctively followed you in case you were to escape again. “take it.” you handed a jewelry box to dick. the valuable wasn’t worth it anymore, even if it meant it would make you a millionaire. right now, all you wanted to do was go home and sleep your injuries off.

maybe even rethink your purpose on earth.

“so, just like that?” dick’s voice began to hollow as you walked away from him, nearing the ledge. “no apologies? not even going to look at me?”

“that’s the plan.” you muttered to yourself defeated, strapping yourself to your backpack, and before dick could say another word, parachuted yourself into the night. “always the plan.”

that was all you could think about as you writhed on the ground, dazed from the multiple beatings to your head and body.

it was a burglary gone wrong. since you’ve last seen dick, you became sloppy. heists were done with aimless drive; not for your own gain, but out of pure spite because you’ve lost the best thing you had in your life, all because you were stubborn—a coward.

stubbornness has done nothing but led you into a downward spiral of life, and now, you were at its very last step. you thought you broke that spiral by giving back to the community—donating to charities that you were passionate about, that needed the wealth that you profited off the most.

but instead, you envisioned yourself banging on heaven’s door, gasping and screaming in pain as you begged.

a wheeze was knocked out of you once more when you took another crowbar to the gut. the taste of metal in your mouth became your comfort—you weren’t dead yet. close—soon.

you moved, but barely, crawling to a void you were sure you’d be left dead at, with nobody to witness the final breath you would draw. it was an amusing image for the henchmen. the trauma to your head muffled the demonic laughter of the predator, but it induced another cycle of ringing in your ears—you whimpered. you could feel yourself breaking into tears at any moment—if you even had the strength to.

when the henchmen pushed his heel onto your broken hand—hard—you knew it was over. excruciating pain sent your body into tremors and you halted to break out into a cowardly sob.

your begs for him to stop fell on empty ears and he only dug deeper, until you could both hear a snap—a wail.

heaviness slowly fell on your eyelids and you became numb, lolling your head to the side for comfort as a sudden relief on your hands and body washed over you. pain throbbed in silence, soft whimpers like yours, and it would become your lullaby as you mindlessly watched—half-lidded—a shadow in pursuit of vengeance. it was a recognizable thrill upon memorizing the swing of his arms, the dance of his feet as it dodged, flipping and twirling, until it was victorious.

you expected a warrior, running to you with triumph, present to reclaim its prize. but instead, you were met with panic, heavy anxiety as you were lifted off the ground and immediately cradled into a pair of familiar strong arms.

“you’re okay,” dick was disturbed, anxious in every motion of his hand, but he mustered the courage to gather you close, sprinting far from your death bed. you could only respond in hums, weakly curling into the warmth you longed for as the breeze cooled your injuries.

“you’re going to be okay.”

nouearth. please do not repost, plagiarize, or translate my works.

#dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x male reader #dick grayson angst #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson fix #nou.fics

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weirdlookingsnakewithlegs · 6 months ago

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I have decided to make my own presence known here thank you for leaving the door open no I will not be leaving anytime soon

I can only be mildly obsessed with Seeker culture here just because.

Anyways- I propose a personal headcanon:

All seekers have some certain special coding specifically regarding reaction times. The purpose of said coding is to make sure if they're ever flying in some rather cramped area (maybe think maybe a deep canyon with rocky pillars) that they can react in time to avoid hitting something at high speed. So seekers have much faster reaction times in comparison to bots of other frame types, which would also put them a bit ahead when it comes to combat. That leads to a second headcanon.

Seekers very much enjoy racing. Not car racing, but sky racing. Specifically not in flat or clear areas, they want vast canyons with arches to fly under/over, they want deep valleys full of trees to dodge or brush over, they want twisting ravines to navigate at high speeds, they want wide gorges to dip down in and touch the water, they want void-like chasms with bumpy walls to use as leverage when redirecting. They want terrain that would give a chance to overtake an opponent rather than a clear sky, barren of any real obstacle.

And I very personally believe these races should be considered as both form of entertainment and a form of bonding. New trines practice their coordination in the valleys. Young seekerlets, after being deemed both mentally and physically developed enough, get the chance to practice flying in a cramped/dangerous environment. Seekers in general exploring a chasm so deep there's almost no natural light. It gives a thrill unexplainable to any grounder. They have reaction times hardpressed in their circuitry to let them avoid obstacles, they're gonna use those given skills not just for survival, but for fun.

Now, who do we say conveniently somehow didn't get that coding just to imprint some angst on?- I'd volunteer skywarp

-☄️

YES YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES

Also leave the door open <3

Cybertron is a dangerous place but stars above its brutality beautiful. The depths of caverns, the height of mountains, the tightness of trenches, and the openness of something strangely akin to forest. I love love love the idea of seekers racing, using their surroundings as obstacles. I adore the idea of seeker plummeting into caverns, delving into the dark with only their biolights and sensors as guidance.

And oh how I love the reaction time headcanon, it makes sense! Quick turns and sharp peaks are necessary when flying through dangerous areas!

This has me thinking of those drone videos! The ones where they dive in and out of caves and abandon buildings.

youtube

This video specifically because it does just go dark at one point and it makes me jump! Oh the chills!

I can’t imagine anything better than a pair of seekers racing through terrain, diving in and out of cave systems, plummeting into ravines, twisting into open caverns, desperately attempting to one up each other in a form of friendly competition or admiration for one another. It’s freedom, it’s their gift from Primus himself to enjoy such a thrill.

Earth itself has a lot of references for what we can think of when it comes to areas they may use.

You could even take some oceanic caves as a reference.

Sky is to the seekers, above or below and until the wind dies they will stake their claim on what truly belongs to them.

#transformers #seeker culture #seeker trine #feral seekers #I LOVE THIS PERSON’S IDEAS #YES YES THEY RACE #THEY GO INTO DANGEROUS AREAS FOR THE FUNS #☄️ anon

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race-week · 1 year ago

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2024 Pre Season Testing Guide

Flow-Vis

A fluorescent powder that is mixed up with a light oil, usually paraffin, and is painted liberally on to the car

Then when the car goes out and as it’s moving up to speed and going through a cornering condition, the paint dries as the oil evaporates and you end up being able to visualise, very clearly, what sort of flow structures you've got.

Sometimes flow-vis will just be painted on a small portion of the car, to observe the airflow in a particular area, but sometimes you’ll see cars covered in flow-vis

Aero Rakes

A series of ‘pitot tubes’, which are sensors designed to measure the airflow off of the body structures.

By measuring the dynamic pressure, they can get an idea of the flow structures that are coming off things like the front wing, and the front wheels

There’s a whole host of different shapes of aero rakes, some quite tall, some very wide and some (like the Ferrari below) which look particularly interesting.

Watch out for

Lap count - I personally think this to be far more important than lap times. If a team can get undisturbed running for the 3 days it’ll be ideal.

High winds - this is common with the Bahrain circuit, and it’s a good chance to see how the cars handle under less than ideal conditions.

Team/driver behaviour - the teams behaviour and body language can always be an interesting thing to observe, especially in regards to car performance.

Personally I don’t read too much into lap times themselves because you don’t know how much fuel cars are carrying or what engine modes they are using. I find testing more interesting to have a look at how the cars handle and also to observe body language.

Schedule

Each day will be split into 2 sessions (so over the course of the test there’ll be 6 sessions all together)

The track will open for running from 7am GMT until 11am GMT for the morning session

The afternoon session will run from 12pm GMT to 4pm GMT

The teams will announce their driver split in due time

#f1 #f101 #f1 testing 2024

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papagabu · 3 months ago

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Okay, I was gonna wait till I got my invitation to AO3 to post this there, but I’m getting impatient so for now, here is the very first chapter of my Sonic AU, Metal Breakers.

Just read it here below.

"Metal! Sonic is arriving at the Speedway as we speak, get into position and intercept him as planned!"

Dr. Robotnik’s commanding voice echoed inside Metal Sonic’s head, his words charged with urgency and confidence. Without hesitation, Metal gave a curt nod and silently assumed his position. His glowing red eyes scanned the winding tracks of Stardust Speedway, every sense locked onto detecting his copy. The neon-lit cityscape shimmered in the distance, the metallic pathways humming with energy. The moment was close. He could feel it.

And then, there he was.

Sonic tore down the track at breakneck speed, just as the doctor had meticulously predicted. Every movement, every turn, it was all according to plan. Metal's circuits surged with anticipation. This was it. His moment of triumph. Without a second thought, he propelled himself downward, slamming into the track below and cutting Sonic off in an electrifying crash of sparks and steel.

The blue hedgehog skidded to a halt, dust and debris swirling around him. Metal straightened, his metallic frame gleaming under the Speedway’s vibrant lights. His clawed hand curled into a fist before he jabbed a finger in Sonic’s direction, his voice laced with triumph.

"Finally! The time has come for me to rid the world of you, faker!" Metal declared, his mechanical voice ringing with unshakable conviction.

But Sonic? He barely reacted. Arms crossed, he simply tapped his foot against the metal surface, unimpressed. His emerald eyes locked onto Metal's, unreadable yet unwavering.

Metal bristled at the silence. "What? Nothing to say, fake hedgehog? Ha! Just as I'd expect from-"

His taunt was cut short by the sound of deep, booming laughter.

"Ho ho ho ho! Ahahahaha!"

Metal’s sensors flared as he recognized the voice instantly, Robotnik. The doctor’s Egg Mobile descended smoothly, its thrusters humming ominously as he hovered into place just behind Sonic. A wicked grin stretched across his face, his eyes gleaming with sinister delight.

"So, the meddlesome rodent has finally fallen right into my trap!" he declared, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

The Speedway pulsed with an electric energy, the moment hanging thick with tension. Metal tightened his stance, his focus unbroken. This time, there would be no escape.

"Metal has been waiting for this moment for so long, the day he finally eliminates you, Sonic!"

Robotnik leaned over the cockpit of his Egg Mobile, his sinister grin stretching across his face like a dark crescent moon. His beady eyes gleamed with sadistic triumph as he loomed over the blue hedgehog.

"But why end it so quickly?" he mused, his voice dripping with mockery. "Where’s the fun in that? I’ll give you one final rush before you’re wiped off the face of Little Planet!" He chuckled darkly, letting the words sink in before continuing.

"How about a race?" Robotnik proposed, his tone laced with amusement. "If you can beat Metal to the end of this speedway, which, let’s be honest, you won’t! You’ll earn the privilege of facing my ultimate creation, the Egg Spinner. Oh, and you might just get the chance to rescue that little pink girl Metal scooped up earlier." His grin widened. "Fail, and you’ll be vaporized!"

To punctuate his threat, Robotnik activated the laser on his Egg Mobile, a brilliant yellow beam slicing through the air. The sheer power of it sent sparks flying as he cackled maniacally.

"Aho ho ho ho hooo!"

Sonic, however, remained unfazed. He uncrossed his arms, rolling his eyes as if he’d heard this all a hundred times before.

"Yeah, yeah, same old song and dance, Robuttnik," he said, emphasizing the nickname with a cocky smirk. "You really think your new toy here stands a chance against me? Pfft, you’re even dumber than I thought, and that’s really saying something."

Robotnik scowled but quickly regained his composure. "You fool! You underestimate Metal’s speed! I’ve studied you meticulously, analyzed every technique, every strength, and perfected them all before giving them to him!"

Metal Sonic tensed slightly at Robotnik’s words. Him? The doctor spoke as if Sonic were the original and Metal was merely an imitation. The thought sparked something deep within Metal’s circuits,a flicker of something unspoken. But he shoved it aside. This was his moment. His victory. And nothing,not even his creator’s careless words would shake his resolve.

He stepped forward, taking a ready stance at the start of the raceway. His thruster hummed to life, glowing with raw energy.

Sonic stretched his quills, flashing a confident grin at his mechanical rival. "Alright, I suppose I could humor you a bit." He bent down into a low, ready stance, his eyes locking onto the finish line with razor-sharp focus. Then, he glanced sideways at Metal, smirking.

"You ready to lose, tin can?"

Metal didn’t respond. He simply narrowed his eyes, the crimson glow intensifying. No words were needed. His determination was absolute.

Robotnik watched the two prepare, a satisfied smirk playing across his lips. He tapped the side of his Egg Mobile, anticipation gleaming in his wicked eyes.

"Aho ho ho, this is going to be quite the show." he muttered to himself.

Metal crouched lower, his sleek metallic form glinting under the artificial sunlight. The Speedway stretched ahead, a battleground of speed and power.

"Alright, you two…" Robotnik drawled, his finger hovering over a control switch. "On your marks… get set… hehehe…"

Then, with a sudden, gleeful sneer, he reactivated the laser and shouted, "GO! Ahahahahaaaa!"

With an explosive burst of energy, Metal Sonic blasted off, leaving behind a searing trail of blue electricity. At the same time, Sonic lunged forward, hitting full sprint in an instant.

The race had begun.

With a thunderous roar, Metal Sonic’s rocket thrusters ignited, unleashing an explosive surge of energy that sent him hurtling down the twisting raceway. His streamlined form cut through the air like a blade, effortlessly weaving past the track’s treacherous obstacles with razor-sharp precision. Every sharp turn was executed flawlessly, every hazard narrowly evaded as he surged forward, his metallic frame vibrating from the sheer force of his velocity.

The finish line was in sight. Victory was inevitable.

Metal’s confidence soared, his calculations were perfect. Sonic had to be far behind, lost in the dust of his own inferiority. But then, a quick glance over his shoulder sent a jolt through his circuits. Sonic was gaining. Fast.

The blue blur closed the gap with astonishing speed, his signature smirk plastered across his face as if the laws of physics themselves bowed to his will. Metal’s optics flared in disbelief. Impossible!

But Metal quickly regained his confidence, reassuring himself with the knowledge he was the original and that the blue hedgehog gaining on him was just a cheap knock off. "You might as well give up now, faker! I am the real-"

"Ha! So you're supposed to be me?" Sonic cut in with a cocky grin, his voice carrying effortlessly over the roar of the wind. "Well, let’s see how you handle the real deal, bolt brain!"

And with that, Sonic blazed past him, a streak of blue light tearing through the air.

Metal’s hands clenched into tight fists, his mechanical joints straining under the force of his growing frustration. How? How could this inferior copy be outrunning him? His processors reeled, but his fury drowned out the logic.

"That’s impossible!" he snarled, his voice laced with pure outrage. "I’m the real Sonic! I can’t lose to a mere imitation!"

His engine roared like a caged beast as he forced his thrusters into overdrive. A deafening growl erupted from his core, his body surging forward in a desperate bid to reclaim the lead. Sparks flew as he skimmed dangerously close to the track’s edges, his sheer speed bending the very air around him. He had to win. He would win.

The race had become a war, a relentless clash of speed and skill. Metal relied on raw power, unleashing bursts of acceleration to rocket ahead, while Sonic used finesse, maneuvering through the track’s twists and turns with an effortless grace that no machine could replicate.

But then, Metal saw it. The finish line, a large steel door loomed ahead, the entrance to Robotnik’s factory. And just beyond it, a control panel. The key to sealing the exit shut.

A surge of determination electrified Metal’s circuits. This was it! He would cross first. He would press that button. And he, not Sonic, would decide how this race ended. With a final, desperate burst of speed, Metal hurled himself toward the threshold, ready to leave his loathsome copy trapped behind him, once and for all.

But at the very last second, all Metal Sonic saw was a streak of blue, then slam!

The door in front of him slammed shut right in his face. There was no time to react, no time to slow down. A thunderous bang echoed through Stardust Speedway as Metal Sonic crashed head first into the unyielding steel. The sheer force of the impact sent a violent shock through his entire frame, rattling his circuits and leaving a deep dent in the door.

Sparks erupted as he ricocheted backward, hitting the metallic ground in a screech of grinding metal. His systems screamed in protest, pain surging through his mechanical limbs like an electric shock. The world spun around him, his vision flickering with static as he struggled to regain control.

He let out a disoriented groan as he attempted to push himself up, only to realize something was wrong, His leg was stuck under the door.. The massive steel door had come down directly on top of his leg, its crushing weight pinning him to the ground. Metal’s optics flared as he strained to pull himself free, his servos whirring frantically. But it was no use. The door wouldn’t budge, he was stuck there, and worst of all, Sonic had won.

Despite the crushing weight pinning him down, Metal Sonic refused to stop. He clawed at the ground, yanked at his trapped leg, and pushed with all his strength. His servos whined in protest, but he didn’t care, he had to get free. He had to keep fighting.

He continued this struggle until he suddenly heard a familiar voice let out a weary sigh from behind him..

"I really thought the robot double idea would work this time," Robotnik muttered, his tone more disappointed than angry. The Egg Mobile hovered just above Metal, the doctor stroking his mustache as he mused aloud. "Perhaps I should go back to the Mecha Sonic model… Yes, it’s brilliant! Another robot Sonic, but with Mecha Sonic MK.I’s offensive and defensive capabilities combined with Metal Sonic’s speed. A true masterpiece!"

Metal froze. Mecha Sonic? MK.I? The words meant nothing to him, but the way Robotnik spoke, so dismissive, so detached, it sent a foreign sensation coursing through his circuits. Then, he heard something that did make sense.

Speed.

At least Robotnik acknowledged that.

"Doctor! Please! Help me!" Metal called out, his voice edged with urgency.

Robotnik didn’t respond to Metal’s plea so he tried again, “Doctor! I’m stuck!”

Robotnik’s expression instantly soured, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Ugh, enough of that aggravating buzzing noise, you useless pile of scrap!" he snapped, his patience wearing thin. "I swear, I'm regretting not installing a voice chip in you, that static is unbearable."

Metal’s optics widened.

Not installing a?

What?

A voice chip?

What was he talking about?

He could always talk. He was speaking right now. Words came to him just as naturally as running did, didn’t they? But… if that were true, why wasn’t Robotnik hearing him?

A strange sense of unease crept through Metal’s processors, something deeper than frustration,something close to fear. His mind raced, his memory banks struggled to recall a moment, any moment, where he had truly heard his own voice. A reflection. An echo. Anything.

There was nothing.

For the first time, the thought entered his mind like a virus, corrupting everything he thought he knew. Had he ever spoken at all?

No, that can't be right… His optical sensors flickered as he tried to process the revelation, his core whirring unevenly. I’m Sonic. I’ve always been Sonic. Talking is my thing.

Metal shook his head, his claws digging into the metal beneath him.

"I'm not just some machine…" he muttered to himself, his synthetic voice crackling with uncharacteristic uncertainty. "I'm Sonic… right?"

Desperation overtook him, and he tugged at his leg again, as if breaking free would somehow validate his existence.

Robotnik’s scowl deepened. "I said silence, Metal!" He waved a hand dismissively, already growing bored of the spectacle. "Sigh... I have to reach the Egg Spinner before Sonic does. As for you…" He paused for a moment, then smirked cruelly.

"I no longer have use for something as useless as you."

Metal stiffened.

"But," Robotnik continued, his tone mockingly charitable, "I’ll at least give you the dignity of not having to waste away here until your battery runs dry."

Something inside Metal twisted. He had fought so hard, raced so fast, he was supposed to win. He was supposed to be perfect, he was SONIC.

And yet, here he was, discarded like a failed experiment. Like he had never mattered at all. His mechanical heart felt heavier than it ever had before. A cold, unfamiliar mix of anger, confusion, and… something he couldn’t quite name.

"You… you can’t do this," he rasped, struggling against the crushing weight one last time. "I can still be useful. Please, Doct-"

Robotnik let out a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes as he tapped a button on his Egg Mobile’s console. "I truly have no patience for failure," he muttered.

With a mechanical whir, the laser beneath his vehicle hummed to life, glowing an ominous yellow.

Metal Sonic's optics flickered as he processed what was about to happen. His servos strained against the weight of the door one last time, but it was futile. He was trapped. Defenseless.

"Doctor—"

A brilliant beam of searing energy lanced downward, Metal barely had time to react before BOOM! A deafening explosion consumed him, engulfing the entire section of the track in a blinding flash of light and fire. The force of the blast shattered the surrounding metal framework, sending debris raining down as thick plumes of smoke billowed into the air.

Metal Sonic’s world became nothing but static.

His charred, twisted form was launched from the wreckage, his broken thrusters sputtering weakly as he tumbled uncontrollably into the abyss below. The wind howled in his audio receptors, the blinding neon lights of Stardust Speedway warping into a blur as he plummeted, spiraling helplessly through the vast mechanical city.

Then, a sickening crash rang out as Metal slammed into a lower section of the Speedway. His body crumpled upon impact, sending another shower of sparks into the air as he skidded across the steel surface. His already damaged limbs scraped violently against the ground, leaving deep gouges in the metal beneath him until with a loud clang he finally came to a halt.

For a moment, he didn’t move. Couldn’t move. His vision flickered in and out, static distorting his display as errors flooded his systems. His once flawless armor was scorched and dented, deep cracks running through his sleek blue plating. One of his arms lay limp at his side, sparking intermittently. His left leg, presumably still trapped under the door in the wreckage far above, was simply gone.

And yet, he was still operational, just barely.

Metal’s red optics flickered weakly as he stared up at the endless expanse above him. The flashing lights of Stardust Speedway still pulsed rhythmically, indifferent to his suffering. Somewhere far, far above, Robotnik was already moving on, leaving him behind without a second thought.

Discarded. Forgotten.

His clawed fingers twitched, scraping weakly against the steel beneath him. The realization settled in..

He had lost.

And worse than that,he had never been what he thought he was.

For the first time since his creation, Metal Sonic felt something he had never been programmed for.

Emptiness.

#sonic the hedgehog #sth #sonic fandom #miles tails prower #sth au #sonic au #metal breakers au #dr eggman #eggman #robotnik #doctor robotnik #dr ivo robotnik #metal sonic #sonic #sonic series

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gumnut-logic · 6 months ago

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Happy new year

With the new year passing here in under an hour, I would like to wish all and Thunderfam a fantastic new year full of fun and creativity. May 2025 be a good one for everyone.

Also, what would this blog be without a nuttyfic reblog :D

Ten...the match caught and flickered in the breeze. She caught it, wrapping it with her hands, nursing it to the candle, and letting out a breath as flared into life.

Module Four hit the surface of the North Pacific Ocean and immediately started rolling in the swell. Thunderbird Two’s heavy-duty spotlights tracked it as it was tossed about.

“Gordon, you okay?”

“Riding it out. Though I have to say, I’m glad I didn’t over indulge at dinner.” Virgil watched as all the module indicators flicked to green. “We are go for module deployment.”

“Make it fast. That swell is unpredictable.” He would have preferred to have lowered TB4 using the grapples, but the wind gusts were more problematic than the swell. As if to reassure him of his decision, TB2 was suddenly swiped sideways. He compensated hurriedly, bringing her back to stability, her lights once again training on the module. It was the better of two poor choices.

The undersea habitat didn’t have a choice, so here they were, in the pitch dark of the last hour of the year, attempting to fish more scientists out of the deep.

The weather was not cooperating.

Gordon lowered the ramp, and with a speed he would not usually deploy, shot off into the cold and turbulent water.

Virgil grunted as the wind caught his girl again.

Module retrieval was going to be a bitch.

-o-o-o-

Nine...she took the first candle from its holder and gently tilted it towards its brother. The two wicks touched and flickered. The two became one.

Space is silent, but it isn’t. There is always some kind of machinery functioning to keep life alive. Whether it be Thunderbird Three herself, or his own helmet, Alan was always accompanied by sound.

At this very moment, it was his own swearing.

“Goddamnit, move!”

But the airlock refused to obey. Likely fused shut by the explosion that had set the ship adrift, it was between him and the three remaining life signs. He had to get it open, their life support was failing.

“John, what are the chances of me cutting through this?”

“Not great. It is reinforced. Have you tried the Claw?”

The Claw, complete with a capital C, was a piece of equipment designed by Virgil based on his exo-suit. Virgil rarely made it out into space, but there was occasionally the need for heavy lifting out in the void. It used a grip attached to a thruster pack and could be deployed to create force in any direction.

“It was next on my list.”

“You’ve got nine minutes left.”

“Working on it.” He pulled in his equipment pack, tethered to his sled, and grabbed the Claw. Fastening the grip onto the airlock wheel, he deployed the thruster pack to give the correct directional push.

And the wheel refused to budge.

-o-o-o-

Eight...the first candle flickered haphazardly, once again teased by the breeze as she moved it to the second of its brethren. She smiled just slightly as it, too, caught and flared.

“How do they expect me to catch something I can’t see?!”

It was muttered at his instruments and he didn’t expect an answer. All his scanning equipment was trained ahead attempting to locate the hidden exhaust of an experimental plane deployed by the GDF. It would have been an interesting experiment, if the pilot wasn’t currently trapped inside. It was codenamed Nighthawk because the plane was designed to work best at night - apparently testing it during the day would have made Scott’s rescue attempt a little too easy. So here he was after dark, on New Year’s Eve of all nights, flying over the back end of New South Wales attempting to find an invisible plane.

Yet again, International Rescue was the only organisation with the mechanical guts to fix the GDF’s problems.

It pissed him off big time.

His sensors flickered, his arms moved, and Thunderbird One darted to starboard. For just a moment he had the craft clear as day in his sights.

Then it was gone again.

It was only a matter of time before it crashed. He could communicate with the pilot, but the signals were scrambled and misdirected and no use for locating anything. When the GDF screwed up, they screwed up big time.

“C’mon, c’mon!” He brought TB1 to a hover, every sensor combing the darkness around him.

A flicker.

Another.

Nothing.

A godawful metallic screech as something impacted his ‘bird’s hull on the port side. She swung around, spun on her axis, and suddenly Scott was in free fall.

-o-o-o-

Seven...the third candle wouldn’t catch. She bit her lip, and prayed just a little. The breeze threatened.

John Tracy wished he had more hands. Two were not enough when he had four brothers - one in space, one underwater, and two in the air.

“Scott! You need altitude! Impact in twenty seconds.”

His brother grunted as his hologram grimaced, fighting the controls of his ‘bird.

John didn’t need a damage report, TB5 provided him with all too much detail. Damage to Thunderbird One’s port side VTOL and flight stabiliser had her in a spin.

“She’s not responding.”

“You’ve got additional weight on your port side.” John’s fingers flew across the hologram, attempting to ascertain exactly what the readings were trying to tell him. Damn. “You have a mass embedded in her superstructure, despite the fact we can’t see it.” Calculations. “You’re going to have to attempt to land vertically. Use your rear thrusters to support the imbalance.”

It wasn’t going to be easy. Thunderbird One wasn’t designed to be anywhere vertical but on her gantry, but there was no way Scott would be able to sustain a horizontal landing.

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.” It was said through gritted teeth.

He couldn’t help but think that if Thunderbird Two had been sharing the same airspace as her sister, she could have pulled her out of her dive.

But she wasn’t.

And John was left to watch.

-o-o-o-

Six...the third wick absolutely refused to light and her heart clenched. Let it rest a moment. She moved onto the fourth candle and touched the flame to the waxed cotton.

Night rescues weren’t really out of the ordinary, but they could be eerie. As he left the reach of Thunderbird Two’s powerful spots, he had to rely on the illumination his own Thunderbird could emit. And Thunderbird Four could shine a considerable wattage.

Underwater nightlife was a whole different ocean full of fish in comparison to that under daylight. Despite being in the middle of open ocean, this particular spot was above the very top of a great undersea mountain, just high enough to support the beginnings of a temperate reef system. No doubt one of the reasons the mobile observatory was in the area.

“Undersea Habitat Victor-Two-Zero-Romeo, this is Thunderbird Four, do you read me?”

The line crackled a moment, but a female voice gasped and answered. “Oh, thank god. We are down to our last module. Please hurry.”

“FAB, ma’am. I’m on approach. Can you give me any further detail on the cause of the problem?”

“It won’t go away and keeps attacking.”

Gordon frowned. “What won’t go away?”

“The whale.”

“A whale?!” And his spots lit up the damaged habitat. It looked as if it had been pummelled with a giant baseball bat. Of the five interconnected modules, only one had any sign of life. “Why would a whale attack you?”

But he didn’t get a chance to listen to her answer as his spots lit up a giant mass of flesh, an eyeball, and suddenly Thunderbird Four was rolling.

-o-o-o-

Five...when the fourth candle refused to light, she took firmer measures and turned to the iron fire pot and touched the first candle to paper. It burst into flame.

“Alan, you’ve got incoming debris!”

“What?!”

But John didn’t need to repeat himself as the first of the projectiles tore through the space in front of his helmet and ricocheted off the hull of the space freighter, narrowly missing his arm.

“Shit!”

“Take cover. Freighter’s starboard side. Now.”

Alan grabbed the Claw and flipped himself vertically to thrust in the right direction and tore around the engine compartment of the ship and hid in a crevice directly opposite the incoming stream. “Where the hell did that come from?”

“Apologies, Alan, I didn’t catch it early enough.”

Alan sighed. He knew his brother was stretched thin at the moment. Apparently dangerously thin. He should have been paying more attention himself.

“We’re down to five minutes.”

“I know.” Silent impacts thundered around him. “Is there any other way in that doesn’t require me to be swiss cheesed?”

“Only the maintenance hatch you dismissed earlier.”

“We may not have a choice.” Alan sighed. “I’ll see what I can do, but it is going to be tight. It wasn’t meant for ship access.” But he would make it work.

Grabbing the Claw and his laser cutter, Alan darted out from his crevice and along the length of the ship, hiding in its shadow. A snap of a carabiner and he was secured once again.

“Okay, you hunk of junk, I’m going to kick your ass.”

-o-o-o-

Four...The breeze was stronger and the first candle flickered out, leaving just the one burning, flickering sporadically. She added fuel to the fire pot.

The flash was blinding and Virgil swore.

Lightning wasn’t a problem, but the storm was. “Gordon, you need to make this quick, the weather is deteriorating faster than we anticipated. He swore again as a nasty downdraft attempted to shove the cargo plane into the turbulent ocean.

The module below was being thrown about like a cork. Virgil made the decision. “Thunderbird Four, I am submerging the module. You will need to dock underwater.” His fingers darted across controls as Thunderbird Two shuddered through another nasty downdraft. Below, the mechanics of Module Four started pumping water and it slipped beneath the waves to hover at a depth that would protect it from the turbulence.

“FAB, Virgil - Shit!”

“Gordon?”

“We have a pissed off whale down here!”

Virgil watched as his readouts tracked Thunderbird Four. She was darting, rolling and suddenly shoved sideways by massive lifesign. He grit his teeth, unable to do anything to help.

-o-o-o-

Three…she built up the fire pot until it was a massive towering flame.

Scott yanked the lever backwards and let off a prayer to the god of pilots.

Thunderbird One attempted to respond, and he grit his teeth. “C’mon.” Without her port thruster, getting her vertical was a challenge. “C’mon, damnit.” The extra weight dragged and she refused to stabilise.

The air was dark around him, but his instruments were screaming altitude loss and collision warnings, his cockpit lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Goddamnit, fly!”

Gordon swooped around the mass of angry whale. What the hell was his problem. And it was definitely a ‘he’, a full-on bull sperm whale, a very unhappy one.

He ran through whale behaviours in his head as he swooped and dove towards the habitat. A hand darted across his instruments, searching...

Alan hit the hatch with his fist in frustration. Grip, for crying out loud!

He was down to three minutes to get these guys out and he still hadn’t made it into the damn ship yet.

There was no sound in space, other than the scream in his own helmet as suddenly the entire side of the ship was torn away, a chunk of rock tearing through its hull.

The Claw spun off into space.

John bit through his lip, his concentration total on all four brothers. One hand played his holographic controls like Virgil played his piano, data shunted off to where it was desperately needed at the flick of a finger. The other spun between views, scans and acquired information at the full speed his highly advanced Thunderbird could manage.

“Virgil! Waterspout!” And the information was shunted directly to TB2.

“Waterspout?! What the hell!” Thunderbird Two groaned as he forced her sideways out of the path of the anomaly. The crosswinds were shit, and she dipped noseward. Damnit!

He kicked in her rear thrusters, killed the VTOL and tore across the ocean in an arc, circling around to return for pickup. She bucked like a rebellious mare.

-o-o-o-

Two...she grabbed all five doused candles in one fist.

Gordon swore again as the whale clipped him on one side. “Okay, I’ve had enough of this. Undersea Habitat Victor-Two-Zero-Romeo, I want you to kill all transmissions. All kinds. I want you silent as the grave.”

“What?”

He spun TB4 on her axis. “Now. If I think what is happening is happening this is your own fault, do what I say!”

He sighed as all transmission bands went silent. He scanned the full spectrum. No....no...ah, damn there it was. “I said all of them!” And it finally disappeared.

Another dodge of a whale fluke and Gordon peeled off in a curve.

Alan tasted blood. He had bitten clean through his cheek. He spun slowly in space, the ship in front of him sporting a jagged hole in its side.

Just big enough for an astronaut to crawl through.

Two minutes and counting...

Thunderbird One bucked like a mule, but he finally managed to get her vertical enough to fire her rear thrusters. Their plummet slowed.

The holographic ground was still coming up fast.

Virgil homed in on the module’s signal, finding once again his place in space. Lightning flashed in warning.

John held his breath. Seconds ticked by...

-o-o-o-

One...with determination she thrust all five wicks into the roaring flame of the fire pot. Burn damn you.

Scott yelled as his thrusters made contact with solid ground.

Gordon flicked a control and Thunderbird Four sung into the darkness.

Alan dove into the ship, calling out in desperation.

Virgil swore yet again as Thunderbird Two bucked.

John wished he could close his eyes.

-o-o-o-

All five candles burst into vibrant flame, the five merging into one, defying the breeze, taking on the energy of the fire pot and burning strongly.

Just as midnight passed over Tracy Island, Sally Tracy separated out the five candles and placed each of them in their holders. She smiled just slightly as each eagerly leapt up brightly, dancing.

“Grandma? Have you heard anything from John?” Kayo walked across the comms room towards the balcony where Sally had set up the fire pot. The breeze tousled her hair as it lay loose around her shoulders.

“Not in the last ten minutes.”

Kayo came up close and hugged her. “Happy New Year, Grandma.”

She kissed her granddaughter on her cheek. “Happy New Year, honey.”

-o-o-o-

Epilogue

As dawn lit up the sky on Tracy Island, the sun was witness to five very tired brothers flying home. Thunderbird Two had Thunderbird One grasped under her undercarriage, the severely damaged craft sporting a massive dent in her port side. Her pilot sat very unhappily beside Virgil in the cockpit of TB2. Gordon was asleep in the seat behind them.

The sky roared as the great red rocket of Thunderbird Three tore out of re-entry and spun in for landing.

She was followed by the ever-silent drop of the elevator from Thunderbird Five.

Virgil lowered his brother’s ‘bird to the side of TB2’s runway. He and Brains, and no doubt Scott, would be out later to assess the damage and plan repairs. As fast as possible. Scott was intolerable when his ‘bird was down.

He rolled his shoulders as he brought his own ‘bird into land. There would be no shortage of checks to be done on Thunderbird Two, either. Gordon was already complaining about the work to be done on both TB4 and Module Four, and he wasn’t even fully awake.

Thunderbird Two spun in her hanger and he powered her down.

All three brothers sighed.

“Debrief in ten?”

Scott muttered an affirmative and while Virgil ran through post flight, his brothers crawled out of their seats and headed up to the villa.

In the distance, Thunderbird Three roared as she docked in her hanger.

-o-o-o-

“The idiots were emitting random noise on a frequency that could have been designed to piss off a sperm whale. Once I had them kill it off, I dug up something that would interest, but keep that same whale calm, and I led him off. When he was gone, it was easy to grab the three idiots. We docked with the module, surfaced, and then had wonder pilot over here do his retrieval magic. I have to say, Virgil, that was some damn fine manoeuvring.”

Virgil blinked at the unexpected praise. Gordon must be seriously tired. “Thank you. I admit it wasn’t easy, but we made it in one piece. Brains, I will need to do some thorough checks on the grapple launchers and the module connectors, they were put under some serious strain.”

The engineer nodded.

Scott blinked as if he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. “Good job, Gordon, Virgil.” He turned to their youngest brother and frowned. Virgil followed his gaze and found Alan asleep in the corner of the couch.

“I can report for Alan.” John looked as tired as Virgil felt. “All the crew of the freighter were saved. In spite of the unexpected debris storm Alan encountered. Virgil, he will need a new Claw. He might have some modification requests on that front as well. “John yawned. “Sorry, full report will be available as soon as I’ve had enough sleep.”

“Scott, your turn.” And despite himself, Virgil yawned as well.

“I’ll keep it short. Stop doing that.” And Virgil grinned as Scott caught the yawn bug. “The GDF night camouflage is pretty damn good. I had a lot of trouble locating their craft. That problem was solved by said ship colliding with Thunderbird One’s port side. You’ve seen the damage. She’s down for repairs. We’ll know for how long as soon as Brains has a chance to assess it. Pilot was a lucky bastard and survived with only minor injuries. Apparently, the camouflage works both ways and navigation from inside the ship is extremely difficult. It’s back to the drawing board for the GDF.” And he spat the acronym. “Brains, you might want to check out One’s logs on what she could detect. All I can say is that Thunderbird Shadow walks all over them.” There was no shortage of smugness in that statement either.

Accompanied by another yawn.

“Well done everyone.”

They all muttered something congratulatory, punctuated by another round of yawns.

“Oh, and Happy New Year.”

A couple of grunts followed that.

“Get some sleep and we’ll look at throwing some belated fireworks.”

More grunting.

“Dismissed.”

Virgil stood up with creaking bones and stumbled towards the stairs.

And almost collided with his grandmother.

“Oh, so sorry, Grandma.” He steadied her with one hand, suddenly aware of four brothers lining up behind him. In the corner of his eye, Alan was wobbling with Gordon holding one of his arms to keep him steady.

Grandma grabbed him in a hug. “Happy New Year, Virgil.”

He startled and immediately returned the embrace, dropping his chin onto her head and holding her tight. “Happy New Year, Grandma.” He kissed her hair. His eyes darted to his brothers, all four frozen to the spot.

She let him go, but looked up at him and smiled, before darting to Scott and repeating the process.

Virgil frowned, staring just a little as she moved from one brother to another, wishing each of them a Happy New Year and hugging intensely.

His attention was suddenly drawn away, however, as, silent as always, Kayo appeared and wrapped her arms around him. “Happy New Year, Virgil.”

His eyes widened, but he hugged her and wished her the same. She smiled up at him and then, just like Grandma, moved onto Scott and, hugging him, wished him a Happy New Year.

Virgil simply stared.

Once all the brother hugging had been completed, both women stood back and Grandma started ushering them up the stairs. “Well, off to bed with you. We can celebrate later tonight.” She smiled at all of them.

Kayo’s smile was a little smaller, but just as genuine.

Virgil decided he was too tired to work out what the hell was going on. He turned and began to tackle the stairs. He would think after he had slept.

-o-o-o-

Sally watched her boys climb the stairs wearily.

They were home safe. Tired, but safe.

So far it had been a good year.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #virgil tracy #john tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #nuttyfic reblog

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logicspoweramrpvtltd · 1 year ago

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#wind speed sensor #solar monitoring #solar energy

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purplesaline · 8 months ago

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To anyone wanting to photograph northern lights, or even just stars, the trick is to use a higher ISO setting.

Even folks using their phones to take photos can do this if they have a camera app that allows them to customize settings! The Samsung phones come standard with the Pro options but if your camera doesn't you can always download an app that has the Pro options.

The ISO is basically how sensitive to light the sensor in the camera is. The higher the setting, the more sensitive the sensor. The issue you'll run into is that you'll start seeing digital noise after a certain point, but that's okay! There are post-processing functions that can help fix that. It's harder to use post-processing to make the Aurora brighter and more vivid.

So crank that ISO! The standard value is 100, try it at 1200 to start with and keep going higher until you find that sweet spot.

It's best to do this in an area that's as dark as possible because it will amplify all the ambient light in the area as well.

A slower shutter speed doesn't work as well for northern lights because they actually move quite a bit and you'll just wind up with a colour painted sky rather than the distinct Aurora shapes.

Happy snapping!

#photography tips #night photography #northern lights #aurora photography

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tbowaut · 10 months ago

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Shattering Mirror - Chapter 15 sneak peek

Tim has to learn how to roller skate for a mission, that's- yeah that's the context...

Over the next couple days, Tim's roller skating skills rapidly improved, their determination fueling their progress. Hours upon hours were spent in the mobility gym, with the sounds of wheels rolling across the polished floor echoing throughout. They started by perfecting the basics: maintaining balance, gaining speed, and turning with precision. Each repetition brought greater control and confidence and a rush of adrenaline they hadn’t realised they’d been missing. An excited grin grew tugged loose their lips as all the responsibility hushed quiet at the back of their mind.

As the sun rose and set, they soon incorporated agility exercises, deftly weaving through obstacle courses, ricocheting off inclines and performing daring acrobatic maneuvers on skates. Their body moved with grace and purpose, adapting to the newfound challenges.

With a firm grasp on movement, Tim advanced to wielding various weapons. Swords sliced through the air, and bo staffs spun with deadly accuracy as they honed their skills, seamlessly blending martial prowess with the fluidity of skating.

Finally, sparring sessions with Kon put Tim's abilities to the test. Blows were exchanged, and strategies were refined, all while balancing precariously on their skates. Through trial and error, Tim quickly adapted and before the hour was up they’d successfully kicked Kryptonian butt to Jupiter and back. As Kon glared at them from the floor, they snickered with a slight feeling of pride.

“Hey,” Kon pouted, taking their hand to help him to his feet, “ don’t get cocky, I got you like twice today,”

Humming non committedly in reply, Tim didn’t point out that it was 2/37, because really who was counting? Instead, they checked the time, finding only 4 minutes until they had to be across the mountain for the final mission briefing.

A playful smile slid on their face as they powered off the combat sensors for training. “Hey Kon,” They readied themself, angling toward the door. “Race ya,”

And then Tim was out the door, speeding down the halls and leaving Kon spluttering behind them. Cackling and knowing they had mere seconds until Kon was on their tail, Tim used every shortcut they could think of and closed every door in Kon’s way.

Rounding a corner they got to a long hallway with Arsonal and Green Arrow, arguing and blocking the way. With their speed, Tim made a quick calculation as inspiration struck; Kon would win otherwise, and they were –maybe, debatably– competitive so with Newton on their side Tim gave it a shot.

They built up speed, and jumped– bracing their legs on the walls in a spilt they pointed their toes at and incline. And like holding their hand out in the wind, they rose to the ceiling –soaring over the two screeching heroes below– before they tilted down to build back speed and rocketed down the hall; using their momentum to launch off another wall and change direction around the next corner.

They could hear Kon gaining on them as the entryway to the briefing room glowed a blue light down the dimly lit hallway. With a straight shot, they left an opening for Kon, reaching for their bow staff. They hooked it in the pocket of Kon’s leather jacket when he passed, slingshotting themself into the room and across the finish line.

At the crazy speed of flying Kryptonian and then some, Tim was forced to jump the meeting table even as they skidded to a stop.

The room fell into a stunned silence as the squeal of Tim’s rubber wheels echoed off the walls. Nightwing's domino eyes widened momentarily before a smirk appeared on his face. "Looks like you had fun," he commented, amusement clear in his voice. “And you were complaining…” Tim couldn't help but return the smile with a shrug, still breathless from the exhilarating race.

Batman looked at Tim like they were the reason he was getting gray hair, giving Tim a long, suffering sigh as he gestured for them to take a seat. “I’m going to have to ban roller skates as well as skateboards in the manor.” He clicked, glaring at Dick who shrugged in response.

"We have a debriefing to start. Take your seats." He ordered, sweeping his cape in a tired way that meant Bruce was questioning why he ever had children.

Tim felt a wave of adrenaline ebb away, replaced with the familiar focus that came with the task at hand. They carefully maneuvered around the table, taking a seat beside their fellow teammates. Kon, red-faced and trying to hide a grin, settled into a chair next to Tim and Bart was vibrating in his chair on Tim’s otherside.

As everyone settled, Batman stood at the head of the table, his commanding presence filling the room. "Now that we're all here," he stated, his gaze sweeping across the assembled heroes, "let's–

Green Arrow burst into the room, giving Tim a haunted expression. “Batman! I think that one’s possessed” He accused pointing a finger, cupping his hand in a way that seemed to make him think Tim couldn’t hear he added in a whispering tone “...It can fly”

Bruce gave Tim a flat look that said ‘why are you like this?’ and Tim answered with an innocent shrug.

#tim drake #timkon #ao3 fanfic #kon el #red robin #batfam #batsiblings #batfamily #batman #nonsense #ao3 writer #ao3 link #fanfic #fanfiction #wip

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theflashdriver · 2 months ago

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Birds of a Feather (Chapter 2)

As the wind tore through his quills, Silver leaned his board into an angled descent pattern, chasing after Jet. The green Extreme Gear expert was already pulling ahead- it was only naturally, he knew where he was going, they were being forced to follow! The psychic could see Blaze out of the corner of his eyes, she'd arced out to the left to get the whole picture of what was happening around the hawk. She ready to swoop in when the time was right, that was their primary set up- the feline wanted to minimise the chance of striking Jet while in flight, Silver's control over his power was better suited to protection than the feline's flames.

To the hedgehog's right, there was a swarm of six robots in pursuit of their so-called leader. They looked to be standard egg pawns dressed up in oversized racing attire, from pointless goggles to helmets and kneepads. The Doctor was brazen, but this felt like a diversion. Regardless, that thought didn't matter as the leading android reached forward with its right hand and a rocket flew from its palm.

Silver telekinetically snared the missile in mid-flight, but it detonated before he could throw it back toward the squad. Rather than a fiery explosion blocking the hedgehog's path, he instead faced an obscuring wall of dark purple fog. Travelling at such high speed, he didn't have time to call out to Blaze to keep after Jet- clearly these robots intended to separate them, pick them off one by one!

He shut his eyes tight as he entered the cloud, wrapping himself in a cyan aura and covering his muzzle with his left hand. He'd be able to detect the light through his eyelids, he'd know when he emerged, but the gale of passing wind meant the outside world was currently a complete unknown! The robots would have sensors to see through the murk- to defend himself he'd have to slow down, but if Jet was the target then he had to speed up!

It was as he made the split second decision to surge forward that Silver felt something strike his psychic shielding. The hedgehog didn't resist being knocked from his board, instead the telekinetic let himself fall- secure in the knowledge that they were still far from the ground. Detecting brightness, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath just in time to see three of the hoverboard riding machines were pursuing him toward the ground!

Another rocket raced was fired toward him- with a wave he redirected it this time rather than risk the detonation blinding or poisoning him. Without another blink the hedgehog halted his fall and reversed it. With a single strike of his palm the lead droid was sent hurtling from its board and back up into the purple cloud while its two allies spend past- struggling to slow themselves. Looking down on them, Silver opened his hands wide: they'd rounded to fly back up at him, but as they grew closer the psychic's grasp grew tighter.

They were brought to a halt beside him, elbows folded back against each other within the telekinetic's hold- they couldn't so much as open their palms to launch another rocket. Evidently he was being too forceful, more of that gas was beginning to leak through their armour plating. Its purpose was still an unknown, but now wasn't the time to experiment.

As the droid he'd struck tumbled past, heading toward the ground, Silver saw its palm open to fire another rocket. Unflinching, he bowled his captive robots one after they other to meet with their remaining ally. The first hit just as the missile was launching, resulting in a great second miasma that obscured the descent of the remaining droid. Regardless, by the sound of a series of crashes, the psychic knew his job was done.

Floating free of the haze above and beneath him, Silver raised a hand to his brow to scan the descending swarm of racers. Quickly he identified the remaining robots- rendered little more than a burning blackened pile of slag metal upon the sand. Following it, he was mostly confident that he could see Blaze in pursuit of Jet... and one other rider he couldn't quite make out. They weren't following the same path as the other racers- instead slaloming between a series of pillars over a winding track, heading toward some strange ruins. In hindsight, he probably should have paid more attention to the hawk's new route.

Well, at least the time traveller was consistent- the race had just started and he was already in last place. Not far away, though still a good bit higher than the other racers, Silver could see his Extreme Gear idling in the sky. He quickly caught up and landed on it, instructing the hoverboard to shoot forward with no more than a lean and a stomp.

Almost immediately, he found that Blaze had been correct- while his team swerved to avoid stoneworks, he was able to quickly make up the horizontal distance between them by flying above. By the time he'd caught up, they were mere moments from entering some great cavern with no obvious exit. He descended just in time to lose sight of Jet and the rider he was jabbing elbows with at the lead- they were racing less than a metre from the ground.

As Blaze entered the cave, he watched her hands ignite to light the way. Immediately the cat to swerved to dodge around a stalagmite. Seeing an opportunity, Silver took the shortest path and raced to her side. The feline's head spun, her fists clawed and ready to strike; only to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of him.

"I hate that hawk," She greeted him.

"Just four more races after this," Silver sighed, struggling to track the hawk through the dark, "Who is he-

Cyan symbols flashed on instinct as Silver grabbed Blaze's hands, snuffing her flames but tugging her toward him as another rocky outcropping almost knocked the princess from her board. As their fingers interlocked he forced his will outward, generating a spherical aura that lit their surroundings. His heart stopped as that effort revealed those two would be but the first of many rocky fangs attempting to pierce them.

He tugged her down to duck beneath a stalactite, "Can you see Jet?"

"No," She grumbled, leaning into him to swerve around another, "He probably came here to try and lose us."

"Let's focus on finding a way out. Going at that speed, there's no way he was going to circle back toward the entrance," For the briefest second he slighted a glimmer of light, soon obscured off by the toothy rock formations, "Hold on tight!"

They'd learned this strategy early on into the race- a way of manoeuvring more tightly by using each other for leverage as well as boosting their speed. By fully leaning on each other they could trick their boards into swerving at harsher angles, and then use the aid of the other to quickly right and return to flying straight. Hand in hand, they relied on each other to dive and dodge out the way of countless spiky rocks. Two engines working together were inherently more powerful than one, but they were racing at a more cautious pace now.

They moved in sync, almost as if they were dancing. Every so often their boards would swerve apart or their hold would break, but they'd always reunite before they could lose track of the other. Blaze's feline instincts allowed her to anticipate and react to the path he was lighting. Needless to say, she started to lead as they weaved between the cave's gnarled fangs- regaining speed as their confidence grew.

In mere minutes they'd reached the light at the end of the tunnel... only to come face to face with a mesh net! Silver felt the whiplash as his body was forced to slow- his grasp on Blaze slipped as the two of them as they tumbled over each other. A snap rang through the air and in a blink they'd fallen to the ground. Now the mesh was tightening around them, trying to constrict their bodies together.

His head was forced down into Blaze's clavicle, he felt his thighs clench around her knees, and his arms were pulled tight in parallel with the feline's shoulders. He could feel the feline's own grasp- one hand by his thigh and the other buried deep in the fur behind his neck. Their boards were somewhere in the tangle too, potentially beneath his partner, but the psychic was finding it difficult to concentrate. Even if he could ignore their compromising position, the pressure was aggravating his still-healing wounds.

"Silver," Blaze wheezed into his ear, "Make room!"

He could feel the heat on her hands, the cat's intentions were plain to him. He forced out a wave of psychic energy only to feel the net tighten as he fought. Unable to see but knowing where Blaze could reach, he opted to focus his mental bombardment behind himself. He felt relief as his injured shoulder was released, but no more than a moment later the constriction was pressing on it once again. It was no use- they'd have to time this!

Silver pushed and shouted out with his last breath, "Do it!"

A flash of heat scorched past his right side and suddenly the tightness was broken. Silver's head twisted to the cavern's mouth only to find guns trained on them. Psychokinetic power tore the net from their form and knocked sand into the air between them and their foes. Without missing a beat, a pyrokinetic haze scorched what the hedgehog had set up. The sounds of laser-fire screamed into the air but none of the deadly lights reached them. Instead the shots had been refracted to spin widely across their surroundings by a misshapen wall of grainy glass.

Through the barrier he could see six Eggpawns firing upon them- armed with their standard weaponry- and two more by the cave's entrance attempting to set up another net, but something else had stolen Silver's attention. There was a shadow looming over the robots; he glanced up just in time to glance a small shuttle ignite its thrusters and fly away from them. This trap must have only been set mere moments ago.

With a thrust of his arm their glass barrier surged forward to shatter against the firing robots and knock them to the ground. As he rose to his knees Blaze bolted out from beneath him- she tore across the sand with a trail of fire behind her. Silver flicked two of the larger broken chunks of glass toward the net wielding androids as Blaze proceeded to render their companions inert with well placed heel strikes. All the robots had fallen and the cavern was fully unblocked, just in time for Silver to hear hoverboards approaching.

Neck and neck, Jet emerged from the cave mouth alongside a familiar figure. He was riding atop a blue and yellow board with a sharp, angular, design- a set of green goggles unused, plastered to his forehead. It was Sonic, grinning and quipping at Jet as he zoomed past- seemingly without so much as noticing the mechanical carnage at the cave mouth. By the time Silver had recovered from his surprise, Blaze was already racing across the sands in pursuit.

"Of course it's him..." Silver groaned.

He rushed after his partner, psychically conjuring their boards out of the sand and into the air. The psychic jumped onto his and caught up with her, reaching down a hand. He tugged her up to gracefully land on her extreme gear, regaining stability with no more than the slightest of swerves.

"How did we end up ahead of them?" Blaze was completely baffled.

Silver finally put it together, "They're having a competition."

Blaze looked at him incredulously, "Of course they are, this is a race."

"No, they're having a competition within a competition," He could hear the venom in his voice, "Have you got the map?"

The cat hesitated, her temperature spiked a little. Blaze snatched her hand from him and tugged the zipper at her chest down a couple of inches. She reached inside, Silver felt like he should look away but much too quickly she'd produced the crumpled sheet of paper and pushed it into his chest. He looked down to grab it and heard the metallic purr of her zip, loud even over the wind rushing past.

Opening the sheet wide Silver's theory was confirmed. After this cavern, they were next set to cut west and enter a canyon, navigating its twists and turns before emerging to head toward an area where ludicrously large excavators were in search of gems beneath the sands. After making it through there the plan was to skim the edge of an oasis, swivel between archeological excavations, speed over quicksand whirlpools, skid around some sand dunes, and traverse a few more foolish sites before finally meandering across the finish line. This legitimately was the most dangerous and foolhardy path to reach the goal, there was no mistaking it.

"They've decided the race is too easy and set their own course. That's why he was so insistent on going his own way, that's why his route makes no sense!" Silver held the sheet so that Blaze could see, "They've intentionally picked the most dangerous and difficult path to the finishing line. Maybe they're even treating each section as it's own kind of mini-race? Keeping score as they go?"

Blaze's temperature exploded, all of a sudden fire was burning in her eyes and at the tips of her fingers. Silver immediately understood: Blaze had most probably been correct about her proposed route, Jet simply hadn't been willing to admit his plan. Not only that- he was very much intentionally making their job harder. His plan to just steal the amulet was looking better by the minute. The legendary wind master and the blue blur were plainly bringing out the worst in each other.

"If this really is the route they're taking- we can cut ahead," He tried to raise her spirits, "They're planning to enter the valley at its opening. We don't have to do that- we can drop down into the middle and work our way back to them. If Jet's been caught then we'll have to free him, but if he's free we'll see him coming and can clear a path."

"Leaving him at all feels risky," Blaze grumbled, "But I don't think we have a better option, and I suppose he does have Sonic with him..."

"I'm not sure how willing he'll be to help mid-competition," Silver professed, "But we can hope."

The two of them split from their pursuit, cutting across the sand. The psychic kept one eye on their fellow racers until they vanished from view, still cautious that they might be making a mistake. He only lost track of them as he and Blaze descended into the gorge. The space was wide and flat, with only the occasional rocky outcropping disturbing its symmetry. The walls of the open-topped tunnel were curved such that one's view ahead and behind would occasionally be blocked. Still, they knew Jet's direction- it was just a matter of not crashing into him.

Flying just above the valley basin, they picked up speed to curve close to the walls and quickly head toward their errant teammate. The whole time Silver had his eyes on the sand and walls, in search of snares or spots that foes could be hiding. As a shadow passed overhead however, Silver's eyes shot to the sky.

"Look, up there!" He called to Blaze, "I think they're going to set up another trap."

A red and yellow airship was crossing far above the gorge, heading roughly toward the finish line. Did this mean this leg of the race would be free of tricks? The hedgehog could only guess what Eggman was planning...

"Can you take it down?" Blaze asked.

"Not at this range, my grasp would be too weak. There's nothing substantial to throw at it either..." As Silver's eyes returned to the path ahead their quarry came into view, "Stop, that's Jet! He's okay!" Silver stepped on the back of his board to slow down, "We can turn around and clear a path."

Blaze slowed beside him, "What's that behind them?"

Silver raised a hand to his brow and narrowed his gaze. The blue and green duo were elbowing each other and arguing, seemingly entirely oblivious to the mechanical forms pursuing them. Filling the valley from left to right, kicking up a dust cloud as they rushed headlong, was a hoard of overlarge, souped-up, Moto Bugs. It was as though they were racing each other, some sections of the mechanical wall were far ahead of others. In place of their usual claws they wielded large pincers, plainly intended to restrain and kidnap the unwitting green racer.

With a quick u-turn he and Blaze were also speeding away from the stampede; but they kept their eyes locked on the individual they were guarding. It didn't take long for Jet and Sonic to catch up, being already at max acceleration, but even now the two seemed to be entirely oblivious to their surroundings. They continued to quip back and forth about all manner of nonsense. As Sonic slipped into the lead, owing to a him catching the inside track as the canyon curved, Silver couldn't contain his frustration.

"Jet!" He bellowed over the wind rushing by, "We need to talk!"

"What are you slowpokes doing here?!" Jet huffed, ignoring the fact they'd been ahead of him, "Weren't you going to take that sissy sky-high route? Go away, I'm busy!"

"If you can quip with Sonic, you can talk to us!" Blaze countered, pulling in closer to the hawk, "You know you're being pursued, don't you?"

"Well duh, it's a race!" He snarkily shot back, "Oh, you mean the scrap metal back there? Eggman is just testing some droids, it's like I said on the sky-ship, forget about it!"

"Was he just testing when he set up a net to catch you too? Silver and I were snared at the end of that tunnel, they were ready for you," Blaze countered, "You would-

"Yeah, you two were- how do you know he's not going after you guys instead? That makes way more sense to me, you've been destroying his robots after all. If I get caught, it'll be your fault!" Jet swerved to put some space between himself and the cat, "Just give me my space to race- you two are dragging me down. Another word from either of you and our deal is off!"

Blaze's tail was whipping back and forth, her ears had twisted and angled to match the harshness of her frown. The cat was on the verge of exploding, and Silver certainly couldn't blame her. Though the guardian was used to putting up with Marine's childishness, the arrogance on display from someone old enough to know better was plainly getting to her. Perhaps in royal meetings, when faced with this kind of adversity, she could call upon required decorum befitting of visitors to the royal palace. There was no chance of them teaching Jet etiquette- they couldn't get him to fly in a straight line!

"When Jet said you guys were on his team, I sort of saw this coming. I knew there was no way you two could put up with the master of hot air and lame retorts," Sonic had turned around, Silver tried to ignore him, "But I'll give you guys credit-

The sound of a crash spun the psychic's head- in the blink of an eye Sonic had vanished. While they'd been distracted arguing amongst themselves they hadn't noticed what was right in front of them. Mirroring the view to their backs, a swarm Moto Bugs was racing toward them with pincers primed to grasp. One of those machines had already grabbed Sonic to meet with its pursuing brethren. He must have been too distracted by the shouting match!

Laughter trumpeted from Jet's throat as he continued to race toward the hoard with reckless abandon. It was only by pure luck that any of them hadn't been struck out of the air in Sonic's place. Well, perhaps it was karma for speeding ahead of the pack...

"Leave him!" Silver shouted, "Sonic can handle himself- we've got to protect Jet!"

Blaze nodded, the psychic was certain she knew that to be true. As much as he didn't like to admit it, they could rely on Sonic to get out of a scrap. The hawk had been captured in a prior timeline, resulting in he world's destruction. For all his boasting, Jet plainly wasn't much of a fighter.

Despite that, he was a talented rider. Silver could barely keep track of the green smear as he weaved like the wind around the bugs. Though he and Blaze pulled up to gain elevation, soaring over the robots, Jet seemed set on maintaining a low height.

"Jet, pull up!" Blaze pleaded as they tried to keep up.

"What, and disqualify myself?! Not a chance!" His blustering sounded over the rumble of machinery.

Of course, that was the height he'd set in the plans- a maximum over which he and Sonic weren't allowed to go per the rules of their stupid race within a race. Regardless of his foolish rational, it seemed Jet had the right idea- the hoard were kicking up too much sand, keeping track of their quarry was near impossible. They had to try something else... Jet was close to the ground yes, but he wasn't running along it like the robots!

"Blaze, I'll clear an opening!" Silver called out to his partner, "Run your flames along the sand- we can stop them in their tracks!"

Cyan light lit a circle ahead- immediately he felt the reverb of collisions against a psychic shield. The sound of clanging filled the air as the droids started to batter into each other, struggling for space to weave around Silver's conjured clearing. Very quickly a traffic-jam was forming.

"On it," Blaze lowly growled, plainly wanting to let off some steam.

She shot through the dusty cloud to the location he had lit- their momentum had stalled but, if this worked, the loss in speed would be more than worth it. Through the smog he saw red light scorch wide, emanating from the feline to spread like mercury across stone. As he descended, he found that she'd buried her claws into the ground- her flames weren't licking much more than an inch above the sands.

The effect was almost immediate- a combination of the change in terrain and the melting of their tires sent the Moto Bugs spinning out of control. With a calamitous din they crashed into metal and rock alike, tumbling over each other and breaking themselves. They were still blindly grasping with their pincers, but Blaze was back in the air before they could breach the hedgehog's psychic shielding. When that barrier collapsed there was no stopping the cascade- the machines fell like dominos, a matter made all the more unavoidable as the back group combined with that in front.

A glance to Blaze found her deep in thought, plainly still annoyed by the hawk. Silver could see Jet- still racing ahead. He was seemingly untouched, quickly weaving between the robots' broken forms. Soon he was fully beyond them, entirely unscratched. Their so called leader hadn't so much as looked back, either to understand why the droids had fallen or to check on them. Looking back behind himself, Silver swore he could see a hint of blue-

"Eggman seems to know the scenic route he's been taking..." Blaze hissed, a realisation having stoked his frustration, "Of course he does, he's running the race, of course Sonic's room is bugged. The whole aircraft will be. He'll have heard them make their stupid bet!"

The guardian was right, the angle Eggman's shuttle had passed over suggested it was heading toward the gem excavation site. Eggpawns had stood ready at the end of the cave, but they couldn't have known Jet specifically would be heading through there. It was obvious that the Doctor was working off of gathered information- but the psychic and Blaze had stayed by Jet's side for days now. If Jet and Sonic had planned this in advance then the prior legs of the race would have been trapped in the same way. No, they had come up with this plan mere minutes before this stage began!

"Sonic and Jet made their plan just before the race started, so the doctor won't have been ready for it!" Silver called back, "He's still setting up his troops, hoping they'll be ready before Jet arrives. We need to speed him up!"

"But the faster he goes, the harder it'll be to keep him safe," The cat grumbled, throwing a glance over her shoulder, "Unless..."

Silver knew what she was thinking, "I think that might be the only way."

Keeping tabs on Jet was becoming impossible; he was intentionally racing the most difficult route possible, not to mention growing even less cooperative each time they encountered each other. The end of the canyon was coming up, soon they'd be traveling over open ground once more- there was a significant gap between this exit and the excavation's entrance. Jet's race route was convoluted, meaning that there were quicker direct paths to the end of each segment. If they could force the Doctor to only target the end of each mini-race, then he and Blaze would be able to consistently clear their makeshift boss a path.

"Jet!" Silver called out, "How badly do you want to beat Sonic?"

"What kind of a question is that?" He squawked back at them- finally turning his head.

"Then get ready," Blaze commanded, "We're going to give you a boost!"

This was a technique they'd used before to catch up with Jet, but now it would serve to force him away! Silver swerved to align himself behind Blaze, framing her form with glowing hands. The feline clawed her hands at shoulder height, palms inward, and conjured a mote of flame. That ember soon enlarged into a fireball, only to be swaddled in psychic light before it could grown beyond the feline's shoulders. Though the cat was still pushing power into her conjuration, Silver continued to force its scale smaller and smaller. Soon it had become a ball no more than three inches in diameter that was absolutely blinding to look at.

Reaching beyond Blaze, Silver sent the orb spiralling forward to latch onto the rear of Jet's board. Once it'd attached, with no more than a thought, the psychic created a tiny hole at the back of the beacon. A line of flame blasted free from that opening- bringing with it explosive forward force that served to rocket the hawk even further ahead of the reality jumping pair. He hadn't had time to thank them, not that he would have...

"Guess I was wrong. You guys really are a team huh?" A cocky tone shouted from behind, "Gotta say, I don't really appreciate the handicap. Ain't I been through enough?"

Glancing back they found that, somehow, the blue blur had caught back up with them. Sonic looked remarkably unscathed, though perhaps the wind speeding through his quills was disguising a more ruffled interior. Well, he was in his element. It probably took more than one crash to wipe the smirk off the blue blur's face...

"There's more going on than you understand Sonic," Blaze chastised, as the trio became neck and neck,"We're trying to make sure that he stays out of Eggman's traps. We need him to outpace their set up."

"Aww, but I thought you guys were becoming friends!" The blue blur teased, "Of course the world hangs in the balance- then again, when doesn't it with you two. Weird that the fate of everything relies on Jet beating me in a race though..."

"It doesn't! We'll give you a boost too if you'll do something for us," Silver barked, hoping that would shut him up.

"I'm listening," It almost had.

"We're going to cut ahead and try to clear the path for you two but..." Silver found himself struggling for the right words.

"In return for that, and a push from us, we need you to stay with him while we work. Please don't let him get captured- it really is important that he makes it to the finish line," Blaze concluded in her diplomatic tone.

"It's not gonna be much of a competition if I'm babysitting him," Sonic groaned, looking straight ahead, "But if it's important to you guys, I won't let him wipe out. He'll make it across the finish line," The speed-demon's smirk returned, "Behind me, of course."

That was far closer to a promise than the psychic had expected, perhaps he'd overestimated Sonic's foolhardiness. Silver pushed back on the board to slow, watching Blaze do the same out the corner of his eye. He slipped into position behind her, raising his arms to frame her sides as the feline lit a fresh flame between her palms. Once again the fire was contained, condensed, and quickly attached to the back of Sonic's board.

He threw them a surely sarcastic salute, "Hope you guys know what you're doing," It was unclear if he wast talking about their mission or their boost giving capabilities.

Regardless, the orb burst and the blue blur was sent rocketing over the sands. By the time the controlled explosion had petered out he was neck and neck with Jet once more- elbowing him and surely exchanging banter once again. As long as Sonic kept to his task, they could focus on theirs. Across the sands, Silver could see that red and yellow shuttle dropping Eggpawns beyond some of the digging machinery. Not only would Eggman have less time to plan now; he and Blaze would surely dash whatever traps he tried to set. There would be no more chasing- now they'd face this foe head on!

#silvaze #silver the hedgehog #blaze the cat #jet the hawk #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic riders #fanfiction

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