Rosemar: Welcome humans.

Alister: We're taking a vacation from the PPGs to write this.

Rosemar: We decided that it had been sitting on the back burner too long anyway.

Alister: So enjoy this riveting tale.

Rosemar: We own nothing in this story except the villains that will be making an appearance in this chapter. The other characters belong to Nintendo or are stock characters that no one owns.

Alister: This story is rated M so it is not for the faint of heart. Don't worry though; it contains no lemons, very brief lime, moderate swearing and alcohol references. Oh and this story for the most part is a flashback in movie style. This means that it begins in first-person and then switches to third-person once the flashback starts. In addition, the story refers to things that the flashbacked shouldn't know, like the thoughts of characters.

Both: And for all you fans out there: SONICU!

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Lost and Found

Chapter 1: Echoes at last call

It was midnight on a Saturday, well I guess technically it would be Sunday, but I digress. No matter what day it was, it was still late and I felt like closing shop and going to bed. It was easy throwing out the violent drunks and the ones that were too soused to move but I always found it hard to kick out the nice guys who just felt like a drink. This was just one of those nights I guess. Since happy hour had ended, the bar had been empty except for one guy. He had sat there for four hours and was just know finishing his third Scotch.

"Last call." I said to him. He slowly looked up at me from his empty glass and said:

"One more Scotch."

"O.K." I said. As I reached for the bottle, I began to have a conversation with him, I don't rightly know why I did but he sure didn't mind talking to me. "You know, I've seen just about everything there is to see. But in all the years that I have owned this bar, and in all the years I'll continue to own this bar I don't think that I will ever see anything quite like what happened last year. Wanna hear about it?"

"Can I keep drinking?" he asked.

"Sure." I didn't care if he drank me dry of Scotch, in this backwater town no one ever orders Scotch anyway.

"Well… It was about a year ago, maybe two by now and I was getting ready for the usually Friday crowd. I don't encourage drinking in the middle of the day but when a customer wants a drink then the customer is ganna get a drink. It was one o'clock and had two customers at my bar. One was a tourist just passing through and he was sitting in the corner all alone. He was a funny looking fellow to say the least. He was a dressed up in armor and had a gun on his holster. He was the kind of fellow that you don't get into a fight with. What's more was that he was a reptile, something we don't get a lot around here, all green and scaly. The other was regular. I had seen this one every day for the past year or so. He just sat there at the bar drowning his sorrows in Vodka. It was a real shame to see this broken man with his blue fur matted, especially since he used to be a world famous hero."

"Gimme another." He said. I could tell that he was completely wasted.

"I think you've had enough pal." I said and he slammed his fists on the bar, shouting:

"I'll tell you when I've had enough, now get me another Vodka you circus chimp!

"I will not stand for that kind of behavior in my establishment. Now get out of here before I call the cops or in your case animal control!" I yelled back at him and pointed at the door. He growled at me but reluctantly stood and staggered out the door. After he left I saw the reptile drop some money on the table and leave." (At this point, the story shifts to third-person perspective.)

Sonic staggered down the ally way muttering to himself.

"Damn barkeep, throwing me out like that. Fuck him." He had no idea that he was being followed.

Ten feet behind Sonic the reptile crept along. He moved lightly, careful not to make any sound that might alert his target to his presence. He had to bite his tongue to keep from chuckling at the hedgehog. There is just no end to the amusement an inhibited mammal can bring. He thought, remembering to bite his tongue. He had to remember that he was on a mission and discovery, and the resulting failure, was not an option.

Sonic wandered aimlessly for a mile or so before he came to an apartment complex. He climbed the stairs to his room and opened the door. He didn't bother locking it since he didn't have anything worth stealing anyway. The room was drab and under furnished. It had a bed, a table, a microwave, a lamp, a bathroom and not much else. Oddly enough, one piece of furniture seemed out of place. A safe sat in the corner by the one window. Sonic walked over to it, and reaching down, he pulled a key from his sock. He used the key to unlock the safe and reached into it.

The reptile waited patently by the window, cautiously stealing a glance every now and then. The blue hedgehog slowly pulled an object from the safe and clutched it in his hand. It was blue and was rather dazzling to the eye, most likely worth a fortune. However, the reptile knew that the gem was no mere bobble for it contained a power that was beyond most mortals' comprehensions. The Chaos Emerald. The reptile thought in amazement. So that's what it looks like.

Sonic stared at the emerald. He was lost in thought for a moment but then he suddenly growled angrily and reared back. He aimed for the window and prepared to throw the emerald out of it. The reptile could hardly belief his good fortune. He would have to thank the gods for this because if he returned to base with the emerald he would surely be promoted. Unfortunately, for him, Sonic came to his senses and put the emerald back into the safe and locked it. He returned the key to his sock and fell into bed. He buried his head in the pillow and sobbed softly.

The reptile turned and jumped to the ground. He bounced off the cement to the top of a wall and somersaulted to the top of a nearby building. Once there he pulled from his side: a two-way radio. He pushed a button on it and put it to the side of his head.

"This is Scout-Unit Garronth. Do you copy?" He said in a gruff, hissing voice. There was some static and then a similarly hissing voice replied.

"This is the Battle-Star Nemesis. What is your report Garronth?"

"Retrieving the Chaos Emerald will be more difficult then anticipated. The target keeps it in a safe and carries it on his person at all times."

"What is the condition of the target?"

"He is resting, but even in deep sleep I do not think it would be wise to try and steal the key."

"You are correct, but for future reference you're not paid to think, so don't."

"Yes sir, please forgive me."

"Continue to monitor the target. Alert us if there is a change in his condition."

"Yes sir! Scout-Unit Garronth over and out." He lowered the radio and returned it to his armor pocket. He leaped back over to the apartment and glanced in the window. Inside Sonic was sound asleep on his bed. This will be a long shift. He thought as he sat down. He would be there for a while, why not make himself comfortable.

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Rosemar: How mysterious!

Alister: Reptiles rule.

Rosemar: Read and review humans.

Alister: Sonicu!