Nothing for Granted, Part 1/7

From: Robin Hood <gt6005a_at_prism.gatech.edu>
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 13:53:41 -0500 (EST)

Nothing for Granted
A Sonic the Hedgehog story
by Kris Kelley

This story is protected by copyright laws. Feel free to distribute this
story, but the authors do not allow any unauthorized alteration of the story
or distribution for profit.

Part 1

     Night time had come, and with it a cold, harsh rain. He slowly
walked on, unable to see where he was going, not really even caring. His
group, the group he had promised that he would protect, was gone, fallen
victim to an ambush by one of Robotnik's patrols only days before. Now,
the only thing that he could still claim his own was his vest, a vest
which stated that he was an expert in Quandolo, one of Mobius's oldest
martial arts. He knew many martial arts, actually, and had earned many
praises for his skill. But that was all in the past. The vest was in
tatters, now. Having had almost no food or water since the attack, so was he.
     He never thought that he would just give up. He had vowed that as
long as he was alive, he would do everything he could to keep his group
together, to somehow help them survive in the desolate world that Mobius
had become. But what can you do when there is nobody to protect anymore?
His friends were now either dead or roboticized. Maybe it was time to
stop running.
     When he walked to the top of the hill, the last thing he expected to
see was lights in the distance. There was a city here! In all the years
on the run, he had steered clear of the cities. They were Robotnik's
territory now, each one having been turned into a technological fortress,
run by robots that had once been inhabitants of Mobius. Now, however, he
saw this city as his goal. He would simply walk up to the first Swat-Bot
he saw, and surrender. Surrender, and it would all finally be over.
     He never made it to his goal. Near the city limits, his legs gave
out from under him, and he collapsed, unconscious.

* * *

     Alison turned off the light, ready for bed. She looked out her
window, which had a wide view of the land south of Nilreb. Not that there
was really all that much to see. Every time she looked out, she saw the
same expanse of plains, stretching almost to the horizon, broken only by a
chain of low mountains far off in the distance. Now, however, it was
impossible to see even that much, obscured by the darkness and the rain.
She was just about to turn around and climb into bed when a lightning bolt
illuminated the area for a brief time, and something caught her eye. Oh
gods, she thought. There's somebody out there! Soon she was dressed and
out of the house.
     When she got there, she realized that the figure was a wolf and he
looked badly wounded. The fact that he was a wolf, however, was enough to
put him in grave danger. Mustering all her strength, she managed to pick
up the wolf in her arms and carry him to her house, and safety.

* * *

     He woke up fully expecting to be in a prison cell. What he was not
expecting was to wake up in a warm bed with his wounds bandaged. He sat
up in surprise, but his sore muscles made him regret it, and he lay back
down again, growling softly at the pain.
     "Hey..."
     He quickly turned to the direction of the voice, and again was struck
by the pain. "Oh! Who's there?"
     "It's okay," the female voice said. "You're safe for now. Just try
to get some rest. You almost died out there." As she spoke, she came
over, and he could now see her face. When he did, he gasped, eyes open wide.
     "I know," she said, understanding his reaction. "Don't hold it
against me, okay?"
     "But... you're human!"
     Alison nodded. "Yes, I am."
     "I thought there were no humans left."
     "No, we're still here, actually, thanks to our 'great leader' Dr.
Robotnik." These last words were heavy with sarcasm.
     "I don't understand. He didn't just roboticize all of the humans as
well? I had been told many times that he had."
     "Who can understand anything that maniac does? Here, I'll try to
explain it. All the humans were forced to come here to live right after
Robotnik overthrew King Acorn. He claimed it was part of his plan to make
Mobius a better place to live, but we all know better. We've heard about
what he's been doing to anybody who isn't a human."
     "And yet he claims to have roboticized you all? Why?"
     Alison shrugged. "Ego? Who knows? And he actually has roboticized
quite a few. That's his standard punishment for any crime. Or rather,
anything he says is a crime."
     "Such as harboring a wolf?"
     "Well, yes, but I don't care. I just can't stand around and watch
him hurt people like that, human or otherwise. I do what I can to help."
     "You must be careful. If he found out you were doing this..."
     Alison nodded, shivering a little. "I know, and he's caught people
in the past, but... I would rather have that fear than feel guilty for
the rest of my life."
     The wolf nodded. "You are a brave girl."
     Alison shrugged. "You get some rest, okay? You need it." She
turned and walked towards the door.
     "Hey, wait. I don't even know your name."
     Alison turned and smiled. "Alison. What's yours?"
     "Sebastian."
     She opened the door. "Get some sleep, Sebastian. I'll be back soon
with some food." She stepped out and closed the door.
     Sebastian turned on his side, slowly, his muscles still aching.
Soon, he was asleep again, breathing peacefully, something he hadn't been
able to do for a long time.

* * *

     Days went by, and Sebastian's morale improved.
     Sebastian learned that Alison owned and managed a restaurant by day
("The food isn't that great, but it's a pleasant place for people to meet,
when the Swat-Bots aren't patrolling through it, of course.") while
usually staying at home or helping people ("like you, Sebastian") at night.
     "Have there been many others?" Sebastian asked.
     "A few, though not as many as there used to be. They usually don't
stay long, since the risk of getting caught is pretty high if you don't
keep moving."
     "Yes, I know all about that."
     Alison learned that Sebastian had trained in martial arts in the hope
of becoming an instructor ("Standing up and fighting for yourself was
something I always believed in, and I wanted to show others how they could
do so.") when the coup hit. Then, he and a group of others fled and were
always on the move, trying to stay alive and safe from Robotnik and his
army of robots. "We were doing okay, until a few days ago. Somehow, we
just walked right into a Swat-Bot patrol. I managed to get away, but..."
He shook his head. "But I was the only one."
     "I'm sorry."
     Sebastian nodded. "Well, for days I just wandered around. Then I
saw this city off in the distance and I thought that maybe I should just
give myself up. I couldn't keep running anymore."
     "I hope you still don't feel that way!"
     "No. No, I don't think so."
     "Good! I wouldn't want all my efforts to go to waste."
     "I just wished I could have helped them." Sebastian sighed.
     "I know. Believe me, I know. But you're still alive and you're
still flesh and blood. You can still help others."
     Sebastian nodded again, silent.
     "Hey, you can start by helping me. I need to organize my food
inventory over at the restaurant."
     "The restaurant? It would be dangerous for me out there, wouldn't it?"
     Alison chuckled. "Well, yes, if we were to go above ground." She
motioned for him to follow, and she lead him down to the cellar. Opening
a door, she said, "This leads directly to the inventory room. In times
like this, you take a few precautions."
     "I see."
     "Well, let's go!"

* * *

     Several days later, Sebastian decided it was time he should go. "I
don't want to put you at any further risk."
     Alison nodded. "I understand. Do you know where you'll go?"
     "No, not yet. But don't worry, I'll do my best to survive."
     Alison smiled. "You will."
     They spent some time preparing some supplies for his journey.
Finally, when nightfall came, he stood at the back door, ready to leave.
     "Oh, wait a second, I have something for you," Alison said. She left
the room and soon came back holding a vest. It was Sebastian's Quandolo
vest, and he could see she had mended it.
     "Alison," he said with surprise. He put it on and looked it over.
The vest was in perfect condition. "Thank you."
     She smiled. "You're welcome."
     He picked up his bag and opened the door. He looked back at her, and
for a lingering moment, their eyes met. There were thoughts, ponderings,
on what could possibly have been, perhaps in another time, maybe under
different circumstances. Then, the moment was gone. "Goodbye, Alison,
and thank you again."
     She gave a small wave. "Be careful, Sebastian."
     Sebastian nodded, and left.

     He stood at the top of the hill, the same hill that he had first seen
the lights of Nilreb from. He had been wondering where he could go from
here, but without any ideas. Then, one finally came to him. He
remembered long ago, when he had heard tales of a group living somewhere
in the Great Forest, fighting Robotnik. Thinking of no other alternative,
he decided he should try and find them. He set out towards the Great
Forest, far to the west, the Mobian moon lighting his way.


Received on Sat Nov 18 1995 - 14:32:07 PST