Skin Deep (Part 3) (Chaos Story Part 5)

Skin Deep (Part 3)

(Chaos Story Part 5)

Sonic’s ear twitched. Beneath Lamina’s voice being projected over the hidden speaker, the werewolf heard a strange whistling sound. It reminded him of the high-pitched whine a bullet made when it zipped through the air. After the many times he’d been shot at by Eggman’s robotic goons, Sonic had become well acquainted with that particular noise. This was different though. The whistle was deeper, not as fast as a bullet. It sounded more like an arrow. These thoughts spun through Sonic’s brain in a matter of milliseconds. His eyes widened. The werewolf turned to face what he figured was an arrow flying right at him. Instead he spied a dart directed right at his chest that was too close for him to dodge. Sonic winced, bracing for the inevitable sensation of the needle piercing his skin. One more thought ran through Sonic’s head before the dart hit. I hate needles! The werewolf felt something poke into his chest, between his large pectoral muscles. Following that, Sonic heard the sound of something clinking on the concrete floor at his feet.

“What?!!” Lamina’s voice screamed in surprise.

Opening his eyes, Sonic noticed that there wasn’t a dart stuck in him. Instead, it lay on the floor, still filled with whatever was in it. It hadn’t been able to pierce his skin. Sonic looked at his chest again and flexed. He could visibly see hard chords of muscles pulling across his massive torso, tightening as he clenched and showing through his thick dark coat. Wow! Sonic poked himself, hard, with a single sharp claw right where the dart had tried to stick him. It didn’t pierce him. Hard as a rock, he thought to himself, impressed. Sonic relaxed his muscles then looked up towards the ceiling.

“But that’s impossible!” the madman raged. “Let’s try that again!”

This time Sonic caught sight of the launcher as another loaded one appeared on the wall to his right.  It’s barrel slid out through a hole in the concrete. The dart fired and made a beeline for Sonic’s upper arm. The werewolf smirked. He flexed his bicep, watching it swell as the muscles contracted. Veins stood out through his skin. The needle struck but it failed to penetrate as the one before it had. It fell from his arm and clattered against the cement, cracking its plastic casing slightly. Curious, he leaned over and tried to pick up the tiny dart. He found it challenging to get a grip on it because of how large his hand was. He finally snared it between two fingers. The werewolf held it up for inspection.

It didn’t look like anything special. The dart’s cracked body was made of plastic and was shaped like a stretched football with the ends being slim while its middle portion was at least an inch wide. Its needle was metal. On the back it had three orange fins. Those details weren’t what had Sonic curious; he wanted to k now what was inside of it.
A few droplets of red fluid seeped from the minor crack in the dart’s casing. A sneaking suspicion crossed Sonic’s mind. That looks a little like Eggie’s Chaos stuff….except its red. Hmmm just like the gas that did this to me. The werewolf’s sharp eyes spotted something else mixed in with the red liquid. He could see small grey flecks. Focusing his eyes a bit more, Sonic noticed that the flecks weren’t just debris, they were all the same exact shape and appeared to be mechanical. Miniscule circuits ran across the tiny bodies of the flecks. It made him think about the numerous circuit boards he’d seen Tails work on.

“What is this stuff?” Sonic asked the room.

There was no reply at first, but eventually, Lamina responded. “That is my improved control serum.”

I figured he couldn’t resist a chance to brag, Sonic thought smugly. “Control serum? Like the stuff Eggman tried to use on me?”

“No! It’s far better. That simpleton attempted to simply add fluid to his Chaos formula that would act as a brainwashing agent and therefore he’d be able to make you his servant,” Lamina explained, “My serum contains small mechanical nano-mites that seize control of the brain. The red fluid you see is my Animorphing serum. It helps the tiny bots to travel faster directly to the brain.”

“Hmmm cool,” Sonic remarked indifferently. “I’m not sure what ya said but it sounded fancy.”

“Cool? Bah! You wouldn’t understand, hero.”

“Well thanks for telling me what this stuff is. Now my buddy Tails can come up with a way to cure anyone you use this control serum on,” the hedgehog said.

“You make it sound like you actually have a chance of getting out of this room.” Lamina said. “I assure you, Sonic, you aren’t leaving this room until you’re under my whip.”

Sonic yawned, stretching his muzzle wide and displaying an impressive set of fangs. He tossed the busted dart aside.

“Those darts can’t get through my skin. You’re gonna have to come in here and force that stuff down my throat,” the werewolf replied as he moved towards the sealed door he’d come through. He wondered if he could even fit through the small doorway. Sonic stood a few feet taller than it and his mass made him a good deal wider than it. It’d be a tight squeeze. Gotta break the door down first. “In fact, why don’t you come do that. It’ll give us a chance to meet face to fangs,” Sonic remarked, clicking his claws against the doorframe.

“An enticing as that offer is, I’ll pass,” Lamina replied. “You won’t be able to break the door down if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Yup that’s what I’m thinking,” Sonic said backing away from the door a few feet. He drew back his fist then slammed it into the steel with all the force his muscles could provide. The metal clanged, but didn’t dent. The werewolf pulled back his fist and shook it a few times, gritting his teeth from the pain. “Ouch!! That hurt a bit.”

Sonic searched the steel for any signs of damage, but he found none. His hope sank. I’m never getting out of this place.

“I told you it would be a wasted effort,” the speaker informed him, in a told-you-so tone. “It seems my darts are ineffective in administering the control serum into your blood. I will have to think up a better way to do it. In the meantime, relax and make yourself at home….you’ll be here for a very long time.” With that, Sonic heard a click as the speaker turned off.

“At least I won’t have to listen to that nut anymore,” Sonic remarked to himself. He leaned his back against the door and sighed, absently glancing over the room again for anything that could help him out. The concrete walls were far to thick to break his way through, the most he could do to them was leave big cracks.

“Hey Sonic? Are you there? Please answer!” A new voice interrupted the silence.

The werewolf’s ears swiveled, trying to find the source of the familiar voice. He heard static, as if the voice was coming over a radio. Sonic spied his wrist communicator lying over near the corner of the room where he’d undergone his transformation. The strap was broken. It must have snapped off when I changed. Guess it wasn’t meant to fix an extra large.

Sonic bent over and picked up the device. Holding it in the palm of his hand, the hedgehog immediately saw the face of his friend Tails looking back at him through the display screen. Tails’ eyes widened considerably.

“Whoa!! Who are you? Where’s Sonic?!”

“Relax, pal, its me,” the werewolf told him, smiling. “And ah…don’t ask….it’s a bit of a long story. What’s up?”

“Sonic you need to get back to Eggman’s base! Shadow is attacking again!” Somewhere in the background, Sonic could hear a roar on Tails’ end of the communicator. The fox turned to look off screen. “Doctor do you have any defenses still functioning.”

“A few, but it won’t be enough to take him down,” Sonic heard Eggman reply.

“Whoa Shadow is there? Why? I thought Lame-ina got what he wanted from Egghead,” Sonic said.

“I don’t know Sonic, but he’s trying to get into the tower and we can’t hold him out for long,” the little fox informed Sonic, panic edging into his young voice. “Please you have to get here fast.”

Sonic glanced at his makeshift prison then back at the screen. “I’m kinda stuck at the moment,” he admitted. He didn’t want to voice the fact that Lamina had trapped him.

“Well you’d better get unstuck, Sonic, and fast,” Tails replied. “We…KABOOM!!” Tails was thrown out of the screen’s view as an explosion rocked the base, Sonic saw smoke. Tails quickly scrambled back into view. “We can’t last much longer! Please Sonic you need to…..” The screen faded out, interrupting whatever Sonic’s friend was going to say.

Sonic tapped the communicator a few times, but it remained blank. He tossed the useless hardware aside. Shadow is attacking? I’ve got to get out of here! They won’t stand a chance against him. The werewolf tried forcing the door again, slamming his fists repeatedly into it. Sonic’s hit faster and faster as his temper grew with each failed punch. Come on!!! The hedgehog roared. Drawing back his fist, he hit the steel with all his might.

The werewolf, breathing heavily from his exertion, dared to hope for a dent of some kind. Sonic, sighed, seeing that he’d done no more damage than the first time.

“Why do you insist on these pointless efforts to escape?” Lamina’s voice ran across the speaker again. “There is NO way out.”

Sonic snarled at the hidden speaker.

“Ah! I see your beginning to feel your natural instincts take hold,” said the madman, sounding pleased. “Good. It will make it that much easier for me to take control.”

The hedgehog remained silent for a moment. Natural instincts? I don’t feel any different. Yet, even as he thought that, Sonic felt another presence inside him. Curious, Sonic delved into that presence, trying to figure out exactly what it was. Immediately he felt a torrent of emotions flood over him. He stared hatefully at the door. In his brain, something was urging him to escape this cage he was trapped in. It resented being held captive. He wanted to run free….and most of all…..to feed. Whoa what? Sonic mentally reeled as he caught himself thinking about devouring other animals, including his friends. The werewolf cleared his head. He’d dealt with instincts like these before during his time as a werehog. Remembering how to calm himself, Sonic searched for a memory that helped keep a firm grasp on who he was. He picked a memory of him dashing down a trail on the Green Hills with Tails following closely behind in the Tornado. Feelings of joy and excitement quickly washed away the instincts that were besieging his mind. The werewolf took a deep breath and relaxed.

“I’ve already dealt with this before Lamina, I know how to keep myself in check,” Sonic told him.

“Perhaps, but I WILL have control over you.”

“Sorry, this has been fun, but I gotta get going,” Sonic said.

“Why don’t you try the door again?” Lamina suggested, sarcastically, “maybe third time’s the charm.”

Sonic knew he wasn’t strong enough to breach the door, at least not at the moment. An idea crept into his brain. He didn’t like it, but the werewolf knew it was the only sure fire way he’d get out of here in time to stop Shadow. He eyed one of the closed vents near him. I wonder what happens if I break the vent. Sonic went to his knees beside the vent and listened closely. With his sharp hearing, it was easy to here gas still angrily hissing past the metal plates blocking its flow.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting out of here. Just a heads up, you’re going to need a new room,” Sonic replied. Roaring, he raised a fist high then smashed it into the metal vents easily destroying the metal grates that held back the chemical gas. With nothing to stop it, the red gas exploded out of the ruined vent.

“NOOOO!!!” Lamina raged as he realized Sonic’s plan.

The moment Sonic inhaled the mutagenic gas, he felt a surge of energy rush through his body. His pupils shrank. It felt similar to the last time he’d breathed in the gas, but this sensation was by far more powerful. Sonic felt as if he was going to explode as the energy continued to build up inside him. Oh boy, now what have you gotten yourself into Sonic, the werewolf thought to himself, concerned that he might have just bitten off more than he could chew. Sonic held his breath, wanting to avoid taking in more of the gas than was necessary.

Sonic’s muscular body trembled violently, in a spasm that took him off his feet. He hunched over, his face inches from the spewing vent. Clutching at his sides, Sonic groaned, feeling the energy beginning to overflow. Fear of what could happen kept him from releasing the flow, however, he began to feel an urge to let go. A small voice in his head insisted that he let the transformation take place. His muscles began to gurgle. It was a disturbing noise that started in his chest then moved outwards until his entire body was emitting the strange bubbling noise. It reminded him of the sound of boiling water. Sonic, ignored it at first, but as the swell of energy became too much for him to stop any longer. With a roar, Sonic let go.

The transformation began instantaneously. Sonic’s pectoral muscles audibly “fwoomped” as they bulged to nearly twice the size they had been, forcing his chest to thrust outwards. He grunted as the bubbling continued to swell his torso. It wasn’t a painful sensation in the slightest, unlike his earlier transformation. Instead, it felt like a tremendous pressure was being released from inside him, like a teapot letting off steam. It felt great.

“Whoa! That was a rush! UGH!!” Sonic hunched again on the floor the already considerable knots of muscles along his back bulked up even more, broadening his back.

Sonic quickly realized his muscles weren’t the only things growing. Positioned on all fours, the werewolf saw his hands growing larger. The distance between his face and the floor was also increasing. He was getting taller. A pleasurable burn had settled into his bones making them stretch out longer to make more room for his expanding muscles.

The werewolf got back up onto his knees as his right arm shivered uncontrollably. A moment later, it was thrust outwards as the muscles on it ballooned to nearly twice their original size. The sudden mass increase caused Sonic’s body to tip sideways. He then turned to look at his other arm, waiting for it to grow and even him out. He didn’t feel it doing anything though. Sonic could feel the same energy building in his right arm again. Uh oh…. The werewolf groaned as his right arm shot outwards, growing so long that it touched the other wall, ten foot away.

Sonic stared in awe at his enormous arm. The muscles were stretched tight over it, making it look very bony for the moment. That changed quickly though. Cringing, Sonic saw his muscles visibly bubbling beneath the skin with increasing intensity until at last his bicep bulged. BWOOMP! It grew to the size of a giant pumpkin and continued to swell. His right arm’s growing mass made it impossible for the werewolf to lift if from the floor. All he could do was groan and writhe as it expanded. His hand grew to nearly triple the size of his still normal left one. Sonic felt the same fear he’d experienced before letting the transformation loose. He looked at his huge arm, again. It’s…it’s enormous…if that’s how big my arm gets….how big is the rest of me going to get? Tendons strained beneath the flesh on his forearm as it thickened to match his massive upper arm.

The werewolf’s heart thundered in his chest, both from the efforts of driving blood into his enlarging body, and from the lack of oxygen. He was still holding his breath, unwilling to breathe in any more gas. I gotta break out of here soon or I’m going to have to breath. He glanced up at the door then at his monstrous arm. Grinding his teeth, Sonic tried to move it, but was unable. In fact, his huge chest and arm were weighing him down to the point of being immobile. All he could do is wait for the transformation to finish, and with the energy still coursing through him, Sonic didn’t know if it would.

His left arm seemed eager to catch up. Before he knew what happened, his left arm grew longer until it pressed against the other wall. Sonic’s claws clamped onto the concrete then began to sink into it as his hand grew stronger. Cracks split away from his fingers as they penetrated deeper into the cement. Sonic’s arm quivered then expanded rapidly. His bicep and tricep grew until his upper arm was ridiculously proportioned compared to the rest of his thin limb. An instant later, his forearm bulged with new muscle, evening it out.

Something tells me I’m going to regret this idea. Sonic was trapped between his own two massive arms, which were both still swelling with muscles. His chest thrust out again as it bulked up further. Sonic’s pec muscles pushed upwards into his chin, forcing him to strain hard to see over them.

The werewolf had no doubt that the extra gas he had inhaled would be more than enough to give him the strength to break out of this prison, but something else inside was telling him he needed more. Sonic figured it was just his brain screaming at him to breath. Yet, as the growth surge moved into his untouched lower body, Sonic swore he felt himself actually willing the transformation on. A part of him wasn’t afraid of his mutation into a monster. He almost felt like he wanted more.

His thoughts were interrupted as his leg muscles ballooned to a tremendous size in seconds. Since he was still on his knees, Sonic was lifted upwards when his thighs grew larger. Then, his calf muscles expanded, raising him higher as the muscles pressed against the concrete and his own inflating quads. Sonic’s head grew farther away from the floor.

BWOOMP. BWOOMP. FWOOMP. Sonic’s torso twitch with each strange sound. He quickly found the source. His abs, already large after his transformation into a werewolf, were bulging one at a time to the size of cinderblocks. With his chest now grown to a powerful enough state, he was able to move one hand to his swelling abs. He rubbed his fingers across his newly enlarged eight pack. Wow. I’ve never had those before.

“You fool! Stop! NOW! I command you!!” Lamina screamed over the speaker.

Sonic barely heard the madman. He was too distracted by his own transformation as well as the loud gurgling of his muscles, which was drowning out the speaker.

“Sorry pal, this is one guy you can’t boss around,” Sonic said back to him, surprised a bit by how deep his voice had gotten. Not like I could stop if I wanted too. Suddenly, the werewolf realized he’d made a mistake by talking back to the villain. He’d used up too much oxygen. Now, he had no choice but to breathe again. Although, that new part of him didn’t mind one bit. Sonic held out as long as he could, but he had to breathe. The growing werewolf gasped, exhaling the carbon that had built up in his lungs. Then, he drew in a full breath of air, along with the red gas that now filled every corner of the increasingly tight room. I’m in for it now.

Sonic felt the surge in his chest again, like earlier, and it was every bit as strong.

“Oh WOAH!!!” Sonic’s body bulged in every direction. His already massive arms inflated to even greater proportions until his upper muscles had grown to the same size as a medium sized car. The werewolf tipped over backwards, landing on his thick rump. He roared, as his tremendous legs grew larger. They stretched out and bulked up at the same rate until his feet were smashed against the door.

“Running out of room here,” he grunted between heaving breaths. “Ya know…this feels good. I’d like to see Eggman’s face now!” The monstrous werewolf laughed before groaning again as another surge caused him to enlarge even more.

Sonic’s shoulders widened further as more tightly chorded muscles packed onto his powerfully broad backs. His deltoids rose higher, beginning to take over his neck. “Can’t….ugh…see…” The werewolf grumbled, trying to look over his monstrous chest muscles that were now obscuring his vision. Sonic’s head hadn’t grown in the slightest.

His hands enlarged more. As his torso thickened, his arms could no longer remain locked straight out. Gradually his elbows were forced to bend to allow his body more room.

With his feet jammed up against the wall, Sonic was forced backwards until his back made contact with the opposite wall. His discomfort continued to grow. Since he couldn’t look ahead, the werewolf peered up at the ceiling. His eyes widened. One of the ceiling lights was dangling just a few feet above him. “Sheesh how big am I?”

“STOP IMMEDIATELY!! YOU’LL COLLAPSE THE BASE!!”

Sonic’s winced as Lamina’s voice shrieked into his sensitive ear. “Oh darn, that’d be a bummer,” the werewolf grumbled sarcastically. He spotted the device that Lamina was talking through. It was a small rectangular box positioned in a corner of the ceiling. “Now please, can it.” Before Lamina could say anything else, Sonic shoved his mountainous shoulder into the corner, easily smashing the insignificant device and permanently silencing the madman’s ranting. “Much better. Oh boy….here comes a big one,” Sonic remarked, bracing himself as a an another wave of energy flooded his body.

“Can’t take….much….more….” Veins throbbed across the werewolf’s colossal form as he continued to fill up more of the room. His shoulders were squashing against the walls. He was so compressed inside the tiny room that his knees were bumping the ceiling. Sonic continued to groan as his shoulder, pectoral, and back muscles grew upwards nearly engulfing his head completely.

Cracks formed along the concrete. It had been built to withstand bunker busting bombs or any other attack that could be thrown at it. However, it couldn’t hold out against the tremendous pressure of the growing beast. The rebar reinforcement pieces inside the cement bent then eventually snapped. Weakened, the concrete began to give out. Sonic felt his toes shoving on the now miniature doorway. Smirking, he flexed his toes. The door’s metal creaked in protest for a brief moment before giving up the fight. It snapped off its hinges and was hurled down the dark hallway. “Well….got it finally,” Sonic commented. “Although it’s a bit pointless now. I guess the only way out is up!”

With no room left for his body to expand, and desperate to be free of the constricting space, Sonic spurred on the growth with his own will. His shoulders pressed against the ceiling. Chunks of concrete broke off and the already wide cracks split further.

“Almost….there!” Dirt fell through the gaps. He’d breached his cement prison. With a final surge of effort, Sonic pushed up against the fragile ceiling, destroying it entirely. Several tons of dirt rained down on Sonic. To him though, its weight was irrelevant. He continued to drive himself upwards. Sonic rose enough that he was able to get his feet underneath him so he could stand up.

Sonic shoved his arms up into the dirt to keep more from piling on top of him. Then, he drove himself up with his powerful leg muscles.

Outside, above the hidden GUN bunker, lay a sprawling plain of grass that was interrupted by only a few small hills. Only a gently breeze disturbed the quiet. That is, until the top of one of the larger hills burst open as a giant werewolf exploded from it’s inside. A gout of red gas erupted around him, spreading down the hill and washing over the surrounding ground before dissipating.

Sonic stretched his arms high and breathed in lungful of free air. “Yes!! Finally!!” The werewolf felt his head growing slightly, which enabled him to at last see past his immense chest. He looked around. It was still daylight outside. He took another moment to enjoy being free of the claustrophobic prison, flexing his enormous muscles to stretch them. He examined his bicep, marveling at its magnitude, which was roughly equivalent to a truck. Sonic whistled to himself.

“Yeah wait till Eggman gets a load of this. I’d like to see any of his robo goons try me now.” He guessed he was probably well over fifty feet tall. Sonic felt a little disappointment as he realized his speed would most likely be nonexistent. “Hmmm… I.guess staying like this won’t exactly be a good thing if I have to give up running at mach speeds.”

The werewolf was suddenly drawn from his thoughts as he remembered that Tails and Eggman were in desperate need of some help. Sonic smirked, flexing slightly again. Now Shadow and I are going to be on a bit more even playing field. Sonic stepped out of the hole, which was all that remained of the gas chamber. He could still smell a little gas leaking out. Frowning, Sonic wondered if he should do something to stop the flow, but then decided rescuing Egghead and Tails was more important. Glancing around quickly, the werewolf found the direction he’d come from. With giant strides, the monstrous hero ran off towards Eggman’s base for another match with Shadow.

(Inside the bunker.)

Lamina continued watching Sonic the Hedgehog’s transformation even after he’d destroyed all the hidden cameras in the experimentation chamber. The wolf stared at the view screens, impressed by the potent reaction Sonic had after his second inhalation of the chaos gas.

“Amazing,” Lamina mouthed to himself. “His transformation surpasses Shadow’s by far and unlike him, Sonic has remained in control over his animal self. Amazing.” Lamina admitted a degree of disappointment that he’d been unable to bend Sonic to his will, but his enthusiasm at the experiment’s success far out-weighed that single failure.

Lamina gave himself a mental pat on the back for not using his perfect formula of the gas.  He’d used a weaker version on Sonic. The villain knew the gas Sonic had inhaled would eventually wear out, returning the hero to his original size. He’d taken this precaution in case his control method failed. Now, once Sonic transformed back, Lamina wouldn’t have to worry about the hero meddling any further. Even if he defeated Shadow, Lamina knew he could find another servant that would react as Sonic had to the gas and….be more willing to cooperate. For now though, he decided it would be best to lay low. At least until Dr. Eggman layed off his vendetta and moved back to his own world domination schemes. Then when the time was right, Lamina would rise from the shadows with an unstoppable army to finally cleanse the world of its weak inhabitants. Enthralled at his own dreams of conquest, the villain leaned back into his chair. A low chuckle rose in his throat. It gradually increased until the madman cackled insanely to himself in the dark observation room.