Sonic: Earthbound

Chapter 11

Alex closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath, trying to ignore the words of the commentators below. They were for the audience anyway. Alex wore her Scottstown swimsuit, a formfitting black and purple pattern that went well with her brown-purple hair and hugged her frame in a manner that was meant to be functional, but provided more than a functional appreciation for her admirer.

Patrick had found himself a good seat, smack dab in the middle of the bleachers for Alex's swim meet. So far, he'd seen such decent competition today from a lot of young women in swimsuits. But Patrick's attention was on one and only one. And that was the girl standing atop the three-meter diving board. His gaze was fixed on her as he silently prayed that she would pull the dive off well. And as much as Patrick Miller was excited to see her dive, he wasn't alone. There were others who had come to watch her.

A pair of big green eyes peered out from a red hoodie beneath the shadow of the bleachers, watching through an unoccupied space between spectators. Sonic, wearing Liam's clothes once more, nervously chewed his thumb as he watched Alex prepare for her dive. Sonic got nervous about very few things in life. But water... oh, how he hated water. He even hated watching other people go into the water. Although he knew Alex could swim, he hated the anticipation of waiting for her to dive.

At three meters above the pool, Alex stood at the edge of the diving board, prepping herself for her first dive of the meet. She was the last to perform and felt the heavy burden of responsibility to do well. People always remembered the first and last divers the best. If she screwed up, everyone would know. And somewhere in the audience was Patrick Miller. That knowledge further inspired her desire to perform well.

"Alexandra Parker, 205 B 3.0 on the back with a somersault pike," the commentators announced.

Patrick held his breath as Alex stepped to the edge of the board and put her back to the pool. Once more, she closed her eyes, finding her center. Then, she did a backwards somersault off the board. Sonic covered his eyes, only to peek between two fingers as she dove into the water.

"Phenomenal dive!"

"Smooth entry, straight as a pencil into the water."

The panel of five judges gave their scores: 8.5, 9.0, 8.5, 8.5, 8.5.

"Wow!" said the female commentator, "That's 76.50 - this is the girl to beat! That is amazing. We've got a nine in there!"

"First time we've seen a nine today, Barb."

Patrick jumped to his feet and cheered, clapping enthusiastically. Sonic let out a sigh of relief. She was alive! And Sonic was happy for her. And yet still Alex's audience didn't end there. Two others had their eyes on her from the topmost bleachers. One was a large hulk of a man wearing a Scottstown college jacket and baseball cap. The other, tall and slender, wore a hoodie and a pair of black and white track pants. The larger looked bored out of his mind.

"I don't get it," he muttered to the other. "Why don't we just go down there and grab her?"

The thinner one kept his eyes on the pool area. "The doctor requested this to be a stealth mission. We are to follow, observe, and strike when the moment is right."

The larger rolled his eyes and groaned as he leaned his face into his palm. "Ugh... This is so boring!"

The smaller's gaze moved to the group of young women, dressed in their form-fitting swimsuits. "Oh, I don't know," he said with the slightest of smiles. "I think this is one of the better missions we've undertaken." His gaze moved to Alex, specifically. "Besides, the doctor wants to maintain a low profile on this world until he's ready to make his... official debut."