Disclaimer : Sonic the Hedgehog is owned by Sega Corporation. I do not claim ownership of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure, or any characters, locations, or concepts contained therein. I do assert ownership of any characters, locations, or concepts originating within this work.

I would like to thank my Beta-readers, The Great Gonzales and Bruce Pendragon. Never could have done this without you.


Chapter 9: Price of Fame

"It is plain to be seen that you have had little experience in this matter of adventures."

Don Quixote


Officer Andrew Johnson watched with disgust as his fellow officer devoured his chicken legs with gusto, leaving a grimy coating on his fingers. Their patrol car was parked just off of Main Street in the Station Square district, only a few blocks from Old Town Hall. It had been an undeveloped part of town, as most of the big developers had eagerly snatched up the pristine ocean-front property to the east very early on, creating an unofficial city center away from the old one. When the Global Federation decided to establish itself here and rename it Central City, however, several parties tried to acquire property in the aging town. A few were successful, but the residents had been virtually united in their resolution to protect their native landmarks.

So it was that the impressive, nearly antique Town Hall, along with dozens of small parks and buildings, were still intact, nested in a veritable forest of high-rise hotels and skyscrapers. Despite the activity, however, the crime rate was significantly lower in the area, leading some police officers to take a somewhat lax attitude toward their duty. Despite that, and the general budget cuts the city had suffered, the department remained just as effective.

In theory, at least.

Which is why he found himself parked outside a fast-food restaurant, resolutely keeping watch while his partner, Officer Tom Bradmen, attacked his dinner.

As if the thought had been spoken aloud, the senior officer raised his head to glance over at him. Heaving a sigh of exasperation, he dipped his hand into his poultry-filled bag and drew out a dripping drumstick. "You sure you're not hungry?" he managed to say around the food in his mouth.

Absently shaking his head, Andrew turned to watch the pedestrians outside his window with a trained eye. A young couple walked by, pressing close together as they enjoyed their evening together. A shabbily dressed man stumbled along, loosely gripping the brown paper sack that was the cause of his unsteadiness. Another man sat inside the restaurant, reading a magazine as he sipped-

"Chill out Johnson," Bradmen admonished. The older man crushed the now empty bag and tossed it nonchalantly into the back seat. "You're taking this way too seriously."

Andrew turned once more towards the vehicle's other occupant and gave him a withering look. "I don't think we get paid to relax, Bradmen," he said disapprovingly. He paused, casting a meaningful glance at the other officer's midsection. "And if you keep eating that chicken-flavored-grease you won't get paid at all."

Bradmen's face reddened at the none-too-subtle mention of his current shape. His uniform's indigo fabric stretched dangerously as it tried to hold back his expanding waist-line, a sharp contrast to Andrew's lean, athletic frame. In fact, there was almost nothing in common between the two, with Bradmen being a twelve-year veteran and Andrew only a year out of the Academy. At first, Andrew had been grateful for the opportunity to work with an experienced patrolman, until he realized the extent of Bradman's 'experience' was in the field of doing as little as possible and still getting paid for it. Until now, Andrew had refrained from coming right out and saying it, but they both knew his weight would not allow him to pass the next required physical. And the way the City was being tight-fisted with funding, that meant his career would almost certainly end.

All the same, pride being what it is, Bradmen could never admit such a thing. He opened his mouth, prepared to refute the claim, but was interrupted by a burst of static from the radio, followed by a scratchy male voice.

"Charlie Nine, this is base."

Andrew reached for the receiver, but Bradmen waved him off before pulling it from his cradle. "This is Charlie Nine. Go ahead."

"Charlie Six is Code Eleven with a suspicious person at Third and Main. They've requested backup."

"Affirmative base," Bradmen replied automatically. "We are en route."

"Copy Charlie Nine."

Placing the receiver back in the cradle Bradmen sighed, then leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Andrew stared. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Taking a break," Bradmen said without opening his eyes.

"Tom," Andrew forced out through gritted teeth, "we have somewhere to be. Actual work. And, you've been on break for the last hour!"

Bradmen sat up suddenly, turning toward Andrew irritably. "Listen hotshot, maybe you're going deaf, but I heard loud and clear. Do you know how many suspicious persons we get every day?" He snorted in disgust before leaning back against the cushion. "If they needed us right now, they would have said so. So why don't you just sit back, relax, and shut the-"

"All units respond!" The speaker practically exploded with sound as the voice on the other end barked orders. "Code Eight at Third and Main. Shots fired. Repeat, shots fired! All units respond!"

Bradmen sat for a moment, his mouth hanging open. Several seconds passed before he swallowed audibly and glanced guiltily at his partner. Andrew merely looked at the officer, who blushed anew as he reached for the ignition.


"Now that's just a bit hard to believe."

Sonic cocked a brow. "You think so?"

Julian leaned back in his chair and shrugged. The glasses on the table were full, but the ice had long ago melted, diluting their sugary contents. Neither one of them had taken a drink in some time, and the empty tables of the café bore witness to the time. As Julian had hoped, it had taken little to entice the whole story out of his new friend. Some simple flattery and a few glasses of caffeinated courage were all that was necessary to coax an epic retelling of the hedgehog's adventures. And while he was no storyteller, he certainly had a tale to tell. Julian knew, if only from what he'd heard, that the story would be incredible, but even so he found himself more than a little skeptical.

"It's true, you know," Sonic insisted.

"You mean to tell me," Julian began slowly, "That you took down a forty-foot tall robot, using only your bare hands?"

"Well, not exactly," Sonic shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I did have the Chaos Emeralds."

"You mentioned them before," Julian said with a note of curiosity. "The news reports didn't say anything about them. Just what are they exactly?"

"I honestly don't know," Sonic admitted. "I mean, besides the fact they're really old. I'd never even heard of them until Robotnik started looking for them."

"But what do they do?" Julian persisted.

Sonic scratched his head. "I'm not sure. Tails had this theory that they had something to do with emotions. 'Resonate', is what he said, I think. Basically, they feed on our emotions and turn it into energy, and the more of them there are in one place, the stronger the effect. And when all seven are together…"

"What's it like?" Julian asked, setting aside his skepticism.

Sonic shuddered. "It's incredible. I felt like I was invincible, like I could do anything." He shook his head. "I smashed that thing up, and it was like I was tearing through paper. Robotnik managed to get a few hits in, but I didn't even feel anything. And I was fast; faster than I'd ever been before. It was-" He trailed off wistfully, his expression far off.

Julian leaned forward, interest renewed. "What happened to them?"

"I wish I knew," was the distant reply. "There was an flash, and then I blacked out. When I came to, they were gone," he sighed. "Perhaps it was for the best."

Julian blinked. "Why do you say that?" he asked, surprised at the admission.

Sonic said nothing. For the longest time, he simply stared into space, eyes unfocused.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

Julian watched the hedgehog silently, and then shrugged, leaning back once more into the worn wooden seat. The pristine suit thrown over the chair back slid softly as he pressed back against it, trying to fathom the Hedgehog's experience and failing. Mad Scientists, Giant Robots, Insane Doomsday devices; they were the kind of things he fantasized about when he was a kid. Even now, he couldn't help but feel a surge of envy for the hedgehog. He would have given anything to experience the kind of excitement that Sonic seemed to stumble into regularly.

"You know, I never did ask what brought you here to our nation's capital," he noted in passing. "Tracking down Robotnik?"

Sonic blinked. "Hm? Oh," he blushed. "Well, actually, I was going to go shopping before my shoe's got torn up."

Julian glanced down at the torn sneaker hanging limply from the hedgehog's foot. "You know, shoe stores are open late around here," he suggested. "You could probably buy yourself a new pair tonight."

Sonic shook his head. "Uh-uh. No can do. Gotta have these puppies custom made."

Julian turned once more to the scuffed, worn pieces of fabric on the hedgehog's feet. "What's so special about them?" he asked.

"Got a match?"

Ha patted his shirt pockets, then turned and drew a packet of wood matches from the lining of his uniform, proudly emblazoned with the hotel logo. Passing it over, he watched as the hedgehog brought the sole of the intact shoe into view and set one of the matches against the bottom. He held it there for a moment, and then gently tapped it against the ordinary looking material. Instantly, the head burst into flame, consuming the flammable head of the match before the hedgehog put it out.

"High friction material." He explained to a stunned Julian. "Without this stuff, there's no way I'd be able to maneuver at the speeds I move at. I'd just slide right over the ground. Not only that, but regular shoes either melt or fly apart when I run in them because they aren't built right. So I gotta order 'em custom, which means I have to wait till tomorrow until they're done."

Julian nodded in sudden understanding, once more awed by the curious creature before him. It never would have occurred to him to think of such a thing. "Pretty handy."

"Very. And they didn't used to have this stuff." He laughed. "I remember the first time I ran full out; I only made it about a hundred feet before they dissolved. I remember my Mom wasn't too happy about it. Made such a ruckus the neighbors came out to watch."

"Where was that?" Julian asked curiously, wondering what sort of place Mobians called home.

Sonic's face turned suddenly stony, and his mouth tightened. "I don't want to talk about it." He declared icily.

Julian's eyes widened at the sudden change in attitude, at the look of pain and anger in his companion's eyes, and he opened his mouth to apologize when the hedgehog suddenly shoved his chair away from the table and walked over to another table, fists clenched tightly. Julian bit his lip, wondering what he might have said to set him off. Some mobian taboo maybe? In any case, it didn't look like Sonic was in the mood to chat anymore. Grimacing he stood up. "Maybe I should-" he began.

"It's gone."

Julian paused in the act of grabbing his coat and turned as Sonic finally spoke. "Gone?"

"Robotnik burned it to the ground to built one of his cities. Along with everyone in it."

Julian's guts twisted in horror as the words hit home. "Gods." He breathed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, "Sonic insisted. "You couldn't have known." He took a deep breath. "It was a long time ago. I've had it out of my mind for a while."

Julian said nothing; he didn't even know where to begin. His first instinct was to deny it, but the urge faded immediately as he recalled the emotion he'd seen in the hedgehog's eyes.

"I was out running when it happened," Sonic went on with the slightest tremor in his voice. "They never even saw it coming. By the time I got back, there was nothing left. He hadn't even given them a chance to get away. He rolled them all over, and then he put up an oil refinery."

"How?" Julian demanded shakily. "How could he possibly do something like that?"

Sonic sighed. "It was a small town. Most of us had never even seen an outsider. No one noticed when it went off the map. And even if they'd known, they couldn't have stopped Robotnik in time."

"How come this is the first I've heard of this?" Julian quavered. "Why hasn't anyone said something? If they came to the Government, hell, if they went Straight to GUN-"

"And then what?" Sonic demanded, turning on Julian with a harsh laugh. "You think your GUN would commit to a fight against someone like Robotnik, who they weren't able to stop from attacking just last year, on the word of a kid, to help a people they have no responsibility to protect? Do you?"

Julian wanted to say yes. Wanted to say he'd never believe they'd be so callous, but suddenly he wasn't so sure. Though it had never come to all-out-war, mobians and humans had never been on the best of terms. He'd heard stories about how xenophobic some in the military were, how single-minded the bureaucracy was. But it never occurred to him to wonder what it would mean.

Until now.

"I don't know." Neither one said anything for a long time. Julian heard Sonic inhale sharply several times, but he said nothing else. Julian watched the Mobian—no, watched him in silence, letting thoughts flow freely through his mind.

In truth, he hadn't expected him to be like this. From the reports, he was supposed to be a cocky, courageous hero, and even with his inborn skepticism, Julian had automatically put him on a pedestal the moment they met. It was only now that he realized that there was a person beneath the bravado, someone that didn't just barge in at the last second, spouting funny one-liners and saving damsels in distress. Suddenly he didn't see a hero; he saw a kid that should have been in school, coming home each day to a family and friends. And it made him sick to think he'd been envious of him only moments before.

Sometime later, Sonic spoke up, his voice unnaturally calm. "I should probably be going." He said.

"Are you sure?" Julian didn't know why he said it, but for some reason, he didn't feel like leaving their conversation where it lay. "I could get you another drink if you want."

Sonic opened his mouth to reply, but closed it suddenly as a squad car roared past outside the café, sirens wailing and lights flashing, followed shortly by an ambulance. Sonic watched them go, then turned and scooped up his bag before turning towards the doorway.

"Where are you going?" Julian called after him.

"Wherever they're going." He replied without stopping.

"But-Hey, Wait!"

The musical tinkle of the greeting bell reached him just ahead of Sonic's fleeting goodbye, and he stared after him for a while before pushing back his seat and following after him.


I didn't post last week due to reasons of Christmas, as well as an opportunity to make corrections. There shouldn't be any more interruptions in the near future.

AM