Chapter 10: Friends at Play

It was 10AM, next morning. It was silent at the shopping mall. An absent minded man was busy reading his morning paper and drinking his coffee. But then, he turned to the sight of a noise. He then saw a blue Ford GT and a gray Bugatti Veyron 16.4 racing towards him, barely missing him by inches. It was Sonic and Ben, racing each other with all their joy in the world. They weaved in and out of traffic and around intersections, dodging commuters. Sonic and Ben's cars were now on equal footing, and were able to match each other move for move.

Meanwhile, Tails and Wave were enjoying a nice Sunday drive together, by having their own outrun race. Tails in his RS4, and Wave in her IS-F were weaving in and out of traffic, not really racing, more playing.

And Amy, Cream, Blaze, and Big were having their own fun, racing downtown, stopping to shop with all the money they made off the last boost. Amy was driving her Mitsubishi, Blaze was in her Nissan 370Z, Big had his Dodge Charger SRT8, and Cream had her Mazda RX-7. However, they were unaware that they were being watched by a trio of black 2008 Mercedes Benz S600s with red tribal vinyls. As soon as they exited, they were just getting into their cars when Amy noticed the three cars, but when she pointed them out, they started their engines and raced away.

Sonic and Ben were still racing, and Sonic was winning with Ben still hot on his tail. But neither of them noticed a familiar black 2008 Saleen S302 Extreme with sharp red tribal vinyls and a familiar insignia on the sides that was not too far behind, but was driving casually. Sonic was able to hold the lead and beat Ben, and then, he caught a glimpse of the all-too familiar car. But before he could get a clear visual, the Saleen Mustang raced away in the other direction and disappeared from sight. Sonic felt spooked now. And when he and Ben pulled off to the side, he said: "Hey Ben, Shadow is in prison, right?"

"Last time I checked, yes." said Ben.

"Well I think you'd better check again, because I know I saw his car not far behind us." said Sonic.

"That's ridiculous! We put him in a max security prison, there's no way he could have gotten out!" said Ben.

"Just, check." said Sonic, who got back into his car and headed back to go get some lunch, since it was almost lunch time. Ben got back into his car to go report back to his superiors.

Meanwhile, Tails and Wave, who were having the time of their lives, stopped at a nearby restaurant on the seaside, where they stopped to enjoy a brief break from all the adrenaline-filled excitement they had behind the wheel. They later chased each other onto the beach like the happy couple they were. Then they sat down on a nearby log to watch the ocean. "It sure is beautiful." said Tails.

"You said it! The Atlantic has something that makes it different from the Pacific. I know after all those years growing up in San Francisco with Jet and Storm." replied Wave.

"You guys grew up together?" asked Tails.

"Yeah, our fathers owned a chop shop in a residential area of the city. Naturally, Jet, Storm, and I couldn't stay out of it. By the time I was 10, I could reassemble an engine without the aid of an instruction manual. But our fathers got arrested by the time I was 13, Jet wanted to continue onward, and by the time we left High School, we already were dominating the streets of our neighborhood. But then, by the time I turned 21, the heat built up too much, so we moved to L.A., and that's how the Rogues got to meet Sonic and the Sonic Speeders." said Wave.

"That's incredible, by the time I started the 6th grade, I could fix an engine with my eyes closed." said Tails.

Wave and Tails continued talking about their pasts, while Sonic went to a McDonalds to get lunch. He had just got ready to walk through the door when he saw Jet's Porsche 911 GT2 drive up next to Sonic's GT. "Hey Jet!"

"Sonic, how's it going man? What a coincidence!" said Jet.

"Let's go inside and we'll talk." said Sonic holding the door open for Jet, and the two racers soon sat down with their food and then, Sonic asked: "So Jet, how do feel about, well…Tails and Wave…you know."

"Huh?" asked Jet, but then he realized and said: "Oh yeah! That my top mechanic is girlfriend to one of your driver/mechanics? I'm happy for Wave; she never really could find someone who had the same skill and interests as she did. We grew up in a tough neighborhood. I had to take care of Wave and Storm, even though they are older than me. I was the only one who could keep them going. Wave's skills made her the target of envy among the other guys, and…don't tell anyone, but a local crew beat her and tried to…." Then Jet whispered something into Sonic's ear.

"No!" exclaimed Sonic. "…….for real? That's rough."

"Yeah. Storm and I had to protect her, and we beat them up good before the cops arrived." said Jet. "Since then, she's had an inferiority complex between guys, until she met Tails. I'm glad she's found a guy who can match her in skill and is able to keep her in check."

"Yeah, and I'm glad for Tails, too." said Sonic.

"So, Sonic, I saw that cat friend of yours eyin' you. I knew that she was tough, but I know that she likes you, more than you realize." said Jet starting to grow serious.

"What, you mean Blaze? Well her attitude certainly has changed, but I still doubt that she looks at me in that way. " replied Sonic now getting nervous.

"I know you're interested in her. She's the only kind of girl you like. Strong, independent, fast, skilled,….beautiful?" said Jet jokingly.

"Hey, she is all but the…." said Sonic now blushing red in embarrassment.

"I know you like her, Sonic. Come on, admit it, you like her better than Amy." said Jet.

Sonic remained silent and as soon as he finished, he headed out to his car, when Jet followed him out. "Enough about romance Sonic! Let's race back to your place! I've been dying to race that sweet ride of yours!" said Jet.

"Now that's the Jet that I know who's competitive!" said Sonic.

Sonic then raced to start his car and get an early lead. Jet raced into his car just as Sonic started his and with tires screeching, raced out of his parking space and with Jet following not far behind. They slid onto the street, Sonic just barely missing a bus.

Meanwhile, Amy, Cream, Blaze, and Big had just pulled into a café , and were discussing many things, the black cars being the least of their concern. They were talking about the cars that they had been winning in recent weeks. "Hey Cream?" asked Blaze.

"Yes, Blaze?" said Cream.

"You remember that Lotus Elise that I won in Little Haiti?"

"Yeah?" said Cream.

"Well, I thought, maybe…you could have that car. I don't really fancy that car that much." said Blaze.

"Wow! Thank you, Blaze, I was thinking about upgrading from that Mazda for months." said Cream.

"That is rather generous, Blaze." said Big.

"You're…welcome, I guess." replied Blaze.

But then, Amy noticed that Blaze was obviously thinking about something. "Hey Blaze, are you thinking about what I think you are thinking about?" asked Amy.

"Think about what?" asked Blaze.

"It's Sonic, isn't it? I know because I saw you eying him the night of the drive-by." said Amy.

Blaze blushed a bit at the thought. "Wh-wha-what makes you say that?" she asked.

"Sonic is my boyfriend!" snarled Amy. "Well, at least he's gonna be!"

"Where are you going with this Amy?" asked Blaze.

"I know you love him. He's everything you craved in your life. Free, smart, skilled, brave,….handsome?"

Blaze grew redder still, and didn't know what to say. Then Amy snarled: "You just better know what's good for you if you want to avoid a very painful transaction between us."

But Blaze simply looked away; she didn't want to reveal her true feelings for Sonic. But then, she, Amy, Cream, and Big saw a Federal Command Pursuit Unit Porsche 911 Turbo racing with sirens flashing past the café, obviously in a hurry. "FCPU? What are they doing up and about?" asked Blaze.

Big replied: "Well, we don't need to worry. They are aren't looking for us. They must be after…."

The FCPU Cruiser raced through the busy traffic to join in the pursuit of Sonic and Jet, who had stumbled into an FCPU Cruiser during their race. "Attention all FCPU Units, got a report of two reckless drivers, believed to be two wanted racers from Los Angeles. Suspects are dangerous." said the FBI Dispatcher.

"10-4, dispatch, moving to intercept and take down." said an FBI Agent. The FCPU Cruisers could match Jet and Sonic easily, but the large group they were in was making it difficult to catch them. "Uhh, dispatch, do we have any air units available? These guys are really running hard from us." said an FBI Agent.

"All air units are on assignment. Dispatch not possible." said the FBI Dispatcher.

Then the FCPU cruisers decided that it was time to play rough with Sonic and Jet. One cruiser came up alongside Sonic and attempted to ram him. Sonic, foreseeing this move, just braked to avoid the blow, and rammed the cruiser's rear, causing it to spin out and make it crash into a ditch. "Bzzzzt….I'm out dispatch, I need assistance now!" said the FBI Agent in the car.

"10-4, EMS is en route." said the FBI Dispatcher.

The remaining FCPU Cruisers chased Sonic and Jet into the downtown area, and Sonic and Jet were going up the wrong way on a one-way street, and then, Sonic and Jet saw a bus entering an upcoming intersection, and punching the remaining NOS they had, they raced past the front of the bus, and barely managed to avoid it. The FCPU Cruisers were not so lucky, and they barely managed to avoid hitting the bus, which stopped right in the middle of the intersection.

"Dispatch! We've been cut off by a bus, and now we've lost visual on the suspects!" said an FBI Agent.

"10-4, set up containment, and begin search of the area for the suspects." said the FBI Dispatcher.

Sonic and Jet casually drove into a nearby underground parking garage, and parked in a set of empty spots. The FCPU, with the aid of the MDPD, tired to find the two street racers, but with no success, so they called off the search and ordered a return to regular patrol. Sonic and Jet then dispersed, knowing that it would be easier if they parted ways. Sonic drove back to his garage, where Tails, Big, and the girls were waiting with Knuckles, Silver, and Cosmo, and Sonic warned them about the FCPU.

But then, Tikal called Sonic on his cell phone with important news. "Hey Sonic. Jericho and I heard that Boss Eggman Nega is now looking for new drivers. He's holding a big race in Liberty Square, and I think he's counting on you and your crew showing up."

"So, I guess he isn't so paranoid after all. I knew he wouldn't resist talent such as myself." replied Sonic.

"It's at 5:00PM tomorrow. I suggest you be ready for some pretty good drivers…" said Tikal as she hung up.

Sonic closed his cell phone and said: "Well guys, we're hitting the big time again. Tomorrow, we hit Ocean View Heights."