A/N: Thank you for checking out Chaos on Earth: A Sonic X Rewrite! I understand that, while many people enjoyed watching Sonic X, some people have criticism of the show for many different reasons. While I personally enjoyed it the way it was, I too agree that there should have been changes. I know that there have been MANY attempts to rewrite Sonic X before, but I wanted to try and rewrite it myself, doing everything right this time around.
The original Japanese version of Sonic X is arguably superior to the English dub in many ways. For instance, the voice acting in the English version is below average, mostly because it was done by 4Kids, which butchered many other anime shows as well, the worst example being One Piece. This is due in part to the fact that they never even heard of Sonic when they were dubbing Sonic X. Many anime in the late 90s and early 2000s disregarded the source material, and Sonic X is no different. Then there is the needless censoring and omitted lines and even whole scenes, some of which are crucial to the episodes they are part of. I could go on, but any further ranting would warrant its own post on a blog or video somewhere, and I'm sure there are already plenty of those on the internet.
Before you start reading read the story, I want to let you know about some of the biggest changes I will make in comparison to the original anime:
#1: Chris Thorndyke's personality will be completely changed. I believe Chris alone is the reason many people don't like Sonic X, as he can sound whiny and even selfish at times. In fact, he is one of the most hated Sonic characters ever. Expect him to have a much-needed improvement.
#2: There are going to be more events and even whole scenes per episode. I feel free to tweak some scenes (for the better), and after all, I'm not confined to a time slot or budget like a professional studio is. All I need is time and imagination.
#3: The story will focus mainly on Chris and Sonic. Scenes focusing on these two characters will be told in their perspectives, and all other scenes will be told in the usual third-person.
#4: With the exception of the Murasia story (eps. 47 and 48), the Homebound Saga will be scrapped and replaced with an original story, which will also focus on Sonic and his friends returning home. The reason I want to do this is because I can't really work around Chris preventing Sonic from entering the portal.
#5: Only one main OC will appear. He will be a human, and will not appear as much as Chris, but his main purpose is to enhance a couple of the episodes. He will not be front and center like a lot of OCs are; that's what Chris is for. There will be occasional minor background OCs as well. The primary OC will be introduced in "Party Hardly".
#6: This story will take place after Sonic Forces, and it will be an AU. This means it is not canon to the IDW comics or any games released after Forces.
#7: Sonic and his friends will have updated personalities, comparable to their Modern, Archie, and IDW counterparts. Also, hospitality, sympathy, friendship, and comfort will be leading themes.
#8: Very few characters from other Sonic media will be added. I can confirm that Orbot and Cubot will appear eventually, but as for other characters… well, you'll have to wait and see.
#9: Episodes will be renamed to fit the new format. For example, the first episode, "Chaos Control Freaks", will be renamed "Gotta Go Fast".
#10: Humans will be more mature in the story.
#11: There will be injuries and brief violence. These are comparably mild, infrequent, and not enough to warrant an M rating, but when they are used, I will give a warning at the beginning of the chapter. I will only use them if I see a way they could benefit the plot.
#12: In addition to the E-series robots, Badniks from the games will appear in the story. Among them are Motobugs, Buzzbombers, and Crabmeats.
#13: Some of the E-Series robots' names will be changed to make more sense.
#14: Some episodes that are completely filler will be omitted. In Season 1, "That's What Friends Are For", "Fast Friends", "Little Chao Lost", and "How to Catch a Hedgehog" will be fully omitted. "The Dam Scam" will only be partially adapted because I can't really work with the rest of the episode.
Some notes about this chapter itself: I am renaming E-13 Guardbot to E-13 Guardian, as it seems to make more sense that way. Also, I have given names to all of the S-Team racers.
If you managed to get this far (without falling asleep from the really long intro), that's great! If you've watched Sonic X before, enjoy seeing the story being retold in a whole new light. However, if you've never seen Sonic X before, then just sit back, relax, and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime…
Disclaimer: I do not own any elements in this story except for my own characters. Sonic the Hedgehog is owned by SEGA, who does not endorse or affiliate itself with this work of fiction. Real world locations and organizations are used fictitiously.
Without further ado, let us begin…
Chapter 1
Episode 1
Enter the Supersonic Hedgehog! His Journey to Another Universe
Gotta Go Fast
Eggman's base - Outside — Sat August 20; 10:49 PM — Sonic's POV
They don't call me the "fastest thing alive" for nothing.
When you're "rolling around at the speed of sound", as that song puts it so well, you tend to have a pretty exciting life. Which is normal for me, because I was born for speed. And my speed has carried me all across Mobius and beyond on many daring adventures.
But I think the biggest adventures I had were when I got to battle the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik, better known as Dr. Eggman, the catchy nickname I branded him with years ago. At first, he hated that name with a burning passion, but now the mad scientist took it to heart, and he had built lots of robots with names like "Egg This", "Egg That", and so on and so forth. But none of them were able to last long when I was around. I was able to earn myself quite a reputation for trashing his 'bots and sending him packing. But like all those other cliché villains, he never gave up. He always came back for more. And I took him down. Every. Single. Time.
Well… not every time, though. He did win some of the time, to be fair. Not too long ago, he destroyed a Mobian city as part of his plan to build the Eggman Empire with the help of his new servant Infinite. Using a powerful artifact known as the Phantom Ruby, Infinite summoned an almost-literal army of ghosts from the past to defeat me and imprison me for six months aboard a space station. Six months without running. Six months without fighting. Six months of being submerged in water and other tortures I don't care to go into. Anyway, I later managed to escape, and, together with a rookie friend of mine, we kicked Eggman's butt and sent him packing once again.
But of course, he came right back. He vowed revenge, as he usually did, and swore to get rid of me once and for all. Same song, different verse. We had clashed a good couple dozen or so times in the year or so since then. Some battles he won, but most of them… well… you get the idea.
But there was one such adventure I would never forget.
That one started with me charging head-on toward his big, ugly fortress. All I needed to do there was crack that Eggman wide open, get back the Chaos Emeralds he took from us, and bust Cream out of there. The six-year-old rabbit had been kidnapped by the doctor and held as ransom in exchange for the last Chaos Emerald we had. The other six were slyly taken from us a few days ago, when Eggman distracted us with one of his robots. We had since found the last Emerald, and planned to keep it safe from Eggman's forces.
However, it proved to be too safe.
Tails and Amy agreed to provide aerial support in the Tornado 2 wherever I needed. It was just us three out there that night. Knuckles probably would have liked to join the party, but he had said something about picking up the trail of a Chaos Emerald, and we hadn't heard from him since. We hadn't even been able to contact him in the past week.
As for my other friends and allies, Shadow and Rouge were busy running covert GUN campaigns again, Blaze was back in her own dimension, Silver was back in his own time, and the Chaotix were doing their usual detective things. Even though it was just us three, I knew we could still get some serious business done.
Just then the base's alarm went off, breaking through the silence of the night. Eggman was obviously aware of our presence by now, and the blaring klaxon would surely bring his robot army running. It wasn't like he didn't know we were coming to bust Cream out of that tower to begin with. But now that he knew we were here, I began wondering what new toys the good doctor might send my way this time.
Up ahead, I saw that the headquarters' front gates were closing. These gates were at least a good thirty feet tall. No problem, except there was just a tiny little challenge to clear first: three E-30 Laser Tanks and a swarm of Buzz Bombers. It looked like Eggman was up to his old tricks again.
Even so, the Buzz Bomber swarm picked the wrong night to get some fresh evening air. I curled up tight, and bounced myself toward the first Badnik in that swarm. Concentrating, I ricocheted from bot to bot until all the Buzz Bombers were destroyed. Various animals popped out of them and scurried away. I glanced back at them, wondering what Eggman even got out of using animals to power robots. It was just inhumane.
I was so busy watching the animals that I almost didn't see the wall-mounted turrets launching missiles at me. Snapping myself back to reality, I decided to lead them on a merry chase. I let them pursue me while I kept an eye on the Laser Tanks that started shooting at me at the same time. Taking a quick look back, I counted six missiles chasing me. Now I just need to figure out what to do with them.
I increased my speed, and was mildly impressed that the missiles were able to keep up with me. But that didn't last long, as three of them crashed behind me as a result of my epic moves. But that still left three others.
I narrowly avoided some more Laser Tank fire, and thought to let the missiles hit them, but then I saw another potential target: an approaching group of Motobugs numbering about three dozen. I decided the missiles were for them instead. I ran right through the midst of them, zigzagging to avoid hitting any, and quickly stopped and turned around to watch the show. As I expected, the remaining three missiles collided with the Motobugs, destroying them on the spot. The only robots left standing now were the Laser Tanks. There were only three of them, all armed with heavy laser blasters.
I was able to figure out most of the E-Series robot's names because we kicked off a raid of Eggman's base a while back, and discovered a lengthy list of robots under the E-Series. This surprised us a bit, considering the original E-100 series was long retired.
Once we downloaded the data onto Tails' Miles Electric, some data on only a few of the robots was available, while others were classified. Their data was either encrypted, or showed up as silhouettes. I could have sworn one of the silhouettes looked like an octopus, which is pretty scary considering my intense hydrophobia.
Back in the present, the tanks were continuing to fire at me. Eyeing the gates, I knew a thirty-foot jump would easily land me in Eggman's front yard, but where would the fun be in that? I could easily destroy the Laser Tanks on my way in. But first, I wanted to take care of the missile launchers. A quick check revealed that they were automatically reloading. Not that I cared, though. I figured by the time they were finished loading, I'd be long gone.
The E-Series, from the little I knew of them so far, were typically larger than the standard-issue Badniks I was used to, which made them bulkier and slower as well. Good for me, though, because I found the perfect way to scale the wall and destroy the tanks at the same time.
Just like an Olympic gymnast, I vaulted myself from tank to tank, and propelled myself clear over the wall. The sound of explosions outside the gate signaled three more destroyed robots, courtesy of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Now that I was in, I contemplated where to head next. It wasn't like I hadn't been here before. In fact, Tails had mapped out the entire fortress with his Miles Electric a while back, so I basically knew my way around the whole place.
Suddenly I heard a metallic stomping noise coming from nearby. No normal Badnik was capable of that kind of ruckus, so I guessed it was another one of the E-Series robots that Eggman decided to unleash on me. And I was right. Three giant robots were just beginning to activate their jetpacks and surround me.
"Huh. Shoulda known Eggman was gonna have some E-12 Behemoths on duty tonight," I remarked. "Then again, you guys look like you're disposable, and I'm more than happy to take out Eggy's trash for him!"
One of the Behemoths aimed its arm at me, but I knew better than to stand in the way of an impending laser blast. I leaped out from among them as its arm fired an impressively large laser, creating a massive scorching hole on the ground where I had just been standing. Turning back, I saw that the Behemoth that tried to blast me had instead torched its other two friends.
Without its allies, it was forced to engage me on its own. It fired up its booster rockets and started to propel itself toward me. That's when I decided to juice it loose. As I expected, the giant robot had decided to play tag with me. It was fast, but definitely not as fast as me.
I quickly glanced up, and I could see the Tornado in the distance. It seemed that Eggman was really prepared for Tails' aircraft, because dozens of Buzz Bombers were swarming around it. I decided to rest assured that Tails had a device he could use to deactivate them. If not… well, I figured I could always step in, but I trusted my buddy enough to figure out something on his own.
I was so busy looking ahead that I almost didn't see the numerous Egg Pawns that seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of me! I chided myself to maybe look where I was going. Then I thought that maybe the Behemoth's strategy was to herd me into them. Either way, those Egg Pawns wouldn't stand a chance against me. But I had better ideas…
Breaking right immediately before I would have run into the Egg Pawns, I spotted a tunnel in the distance. I made a beeline for it, and once I was inside, I stopped briefly to see if the Behemoth would follow me. It had a difficult time changing its course, but it did. When it started charging right toward me again, I decided to keep the merry chase going.
My thoughts drifted to Cream who was still being held prisoner inside the fortress. I hoped she wouldn't have to wait long before I arrived. The poor girl had been stuck there for nearly two hours now.
Not long after Eggman took the other Chaos Emeralds from us, we had found the last Emerald. After we took the shiny red gem to Cream and Vanilla's house, Tails, Amy, Cream, and I were gathered there to discuss how best to infiltrate Eggman's base and get the other Chaos Emeralds back. The spooky thing was, Eggman had been rather quiet lately. He hadn't even so much as revealed what he intended to use the Emeralds for. But whatever it was, I knew it was nothing but bad.
We had just finished supper when several Egg Pawns burst through the door. They ordered everyone to stay in their seats while they searched the entire house for the Emerald, even nearly overturning the furniture in their reckless plight for it. I tried to fight them, but they fired a stun laser and me and my friends to prevent us from stopping them. Cream's guardian robot Gemerl tried to fight them, and even though he greatly overpowered the Egg Pawns, they used their stun laser to immobilize him, and even Chocola when he tried to get involved!
When they couldn't find the Emerald, they decided their best course of action was to physically lift Cream out of her seat and drag her out the door. Since I was stunned, my senses were dulled, and it felt like an incredible weight was holding me down. I could only see half of what was going on outside; the rest was a blur. But what I did see made me really wish I could do something. They had placed Cream inside one of Eggman's newer robots, an Egg Dropship, and flew her off to Eggman's fort.
The moment we regained our senses, I declared that we needed to get over there and free her immediately. Tails got the Chaos Emerald out of hiding and handed it to me before taking Amy to the Tornado. Thus began our mission.
Back in the present, I was still running down the tunnel with the Behemoth tailing me. Judging by my surroundings, I was in the giant circular hallway encompassing Eggman's massive underground factory. Sure, I could easily take the Behemoth inside and have fun wrecking the whole place, but no way was I going to do it with Cream at stake. The factory was situated partially beneath the fortress, which was a risk I was definitely not taking. So I instead opted for locating a suitable exit to this seemingly endless hallway.
And I had to find it fast. A second Behemoth seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of me. At last, I spotted an opening on my left. I zipped through it, and not a moment too soon, for the Behemoths collided with each other, going up in a fiery explosion.
A quick look back, and I smiled. That show was worth the adrenalin rush, and the best part was it wasn't enough to blow up the factory. The bad news, however, was I knew there were still a few Behemoths left that Eggman could use against me. But there was more good news to make up for that. Tails had activated a container of his custom-brewed EMP gas he had equipped the Tornado with, which was causing the Buzz Bombers to short out and drop like flies. Good old Tails. He had just given me the perfect projectiles to take out the platoon of Egg Pawns I had nearly run into earlier.
Leaping into the air, I kicked the lifeless Buzz Bombers one by one into the Egg Pawns below, feeling satisfaction at the tiny explosions they made. Once my job was done, I landed on the ground and dusted my gloves. Another job well done. Turning toward the fort, I decided that the fun and games ended here. It was time to take on Baldy McNosehair.
But the moment I sped toward the fortress head-on, I wish I hadn't leaped before I looked.
I took a step too far, finding out too late that I had accidentally triggered a hidden spring trap. I was too focused on bashing bots that I didn't count on the place being booby-trapped. I was used to bouncing around on springs and stuff, just not in the wrong places.
I was flung into the air, watching as the ground became sky and vice versa, over and over. I looked down (or was it up?) for a safe place to land. But knowing Eggman, there was nothing safe about his base. Another Behemoth came from my right (left?) and delivered a powerful blow to my abdomen, sending me flying once again. It was a wonder I didn't feel any cracked ribs. And to top it all off, I felt the Chaos Emerald slip out of my possession.
I heard Tails shouting out my name from somewhere, but I didn't think he needed to worry too much. He knew I was super resilient, and it took a lot more than that to break my bones.
I landed on my back outside the base. It would have been on my feet, but the suddenness of the events and the wind getting knocked out of me kinda threw me off course.
Turning my head, I saw that a fresh batch of Laser Tanks were driving outside the gate. They were blasting at Tails, but they were also turning toward me in an attempt to run me over. I had to get up now before they turned me into supersonic roadkill.
Eggman's base - Outside — Sat August 20; 10:53 PM — Third-person POV
Sonic's misfortune did not escape Tails' attention. The fox did not expect the Behemoths to suddenly overpower him. Had Sonic not activated the hidden spring trap, he might have had a chance at defeating them. But what's done was done. Eggman was a tricky foe, and Tails knew it took more than speed to defeat him.
Even though Tails knew Sonic could immediately get back up, he appeared to be winded by the sudden turn of events, Dire situations called for dire measures. He decided on activating the Power Ring rocket stored inside his plane, the Tornado 2. The Power Rings were artifacts of great power, obtained from a lake in the middle of the Great Forest.
However, just as the two-tailed genius was about to press the button to send Sonic some well-needed aid, a Laser Tank took aim at the plane and struck its undercarriage with deadly accuracy. The plane rocked with the impact, causing his sole passenger Amy Rose to cry out in alarm from the second seat. As the resulting fire began to rapidly spread to the Tornado's tail, she searched around for the fire extinguisher they usually brought with them for such emergencies, but she couldn't find it anywhere.
"Tails!" she exclaimed. "We forgot the fire extinguisher!"
A sinking feeling befell the young kitsune, along with panic. "Aaahh! I was in such a hurry to go that I forgot to bring it!" Tails rarely made this mistake. "I'm gonna land as soon as I get the ring to Sonic. Just… hang in there."
"Okay…" she whispered, hoping the damage wasn't critical enough to jeopardize the entire mission.
Tails jammed down the button to launch the ring. A compartment in the belly of the Tornado opened, and a small rocket containing a Power Ring was ejected. Its engine ignited, and it sped toward Sonic.
Tails and Amy had offered to cover for Sonic while he infiltrated Eggman's base to rescue Cream, but with the plane damaged, Tails could only hope that Sonic could make it through the base on his own. If not… then he hoped they would at least survive this ordeal so they could aid him.
The sound of a small explosion could be heard in the distance.
"Amy, can you tell if he got the ring?" Tails asked.
Amy looked behind her, straining to see through the blinding smoke and flames. There was an unmistakable golden glimmer in the hand of her beloved Sonic.
"I think so… Yes!" she answered.
"That's good," Tails responded. "I'm gonna see if I can land in one piece."
Looking at the monitor, he realized that the fire damage was far worse than he thought. The engines were overheating fast, the rear wheel was heavily damaged, and now the steering mechanism was damaged as well. This was going to be a close one for sure.
"We're gonna crash!" Tails warned Amy.
"Wait, is it really that bad?" she shouted over the engines.
"I'm afraid so! The steering and landing gear have been damaged."
Suddenly Amy pointed ahead. "Tails, look out!"
Tails gasped. A huge rock was looming right in the middle of the Tornado's crash path. With no steering and no basic control whatsoever, it seemed there was no possible way to avoid the boulder in time.
But there was one way to stay alive.
"Brace yourself; we're gonna eject!"
Amy nodded and prepared herself for her seat to launch itself into the air. But it never happened, as both the Tornado's occupants witnessed three things that all happened at once.
A red flash.
A spiked fist.
And a smashed boulder.
Tails and Amy inwardly breathed sighs of relief as the Tornado bumped violently along the ground, moving quickly past where the boulder once lay. Tails did not like the sound the plane made as its tail end slid along the grass. They finally slowed to a complete stop a good thirty feet later. Neither of them spoke on account of their increased heart rates and their adrenalin rush wearing off. Complete silence filled the air, with the only sounds being the flames licking the plane's tail, and the tearing apart of metal over at Eggman's fortress. Tails could now rest assured Sonic got the ring.
Knuckles the Echidna caught up with them from the right side of the plane. "You all right?" he asked.
Tails turned to Knuckles and smiled. "Y-Yeah…" he replied, his voice shaking. "Th-Thanks for saving us."
Knuckles nodded curtly. "Don't mention it."
Tails pulled himself free from the Tornado and carefully helped Amy out too, before they ran back a few feet to get to safety. The young fox was disheartened that he had to abandon his burning plane, but lives and Chaos Emeralds were at stake. He could always come back to fix the Tornado later.
"Where were you this whole time?" Amy asked, not out of anger, but curiosity.
"About that…" Knuckles sounded hesitant. "I kinda didn't tell you guys, but I thought I sensed a Chaos Emerald way out near Radical Highway."
"And you left without telling us?" an incredulous Amy asked. Knuckles didn't answer immediately, so she decided to take that as a yes. Knuckles was always the kind of guy to do things his way.
"Turns out… he got it first. And he used it to almost lure me into a trap." He clenched his teeth. "So yeah, he tricked me again."
Tails facepalmed, while Amy sighed in annoyance. Knuckles was consistently gullible and prone to constantly falling victim to Eggman's tricks. His friends thought he would have gotten over this during the war. Some things never seemed to change…
The echidna chose to ignore the air of annoyance radiating from his friends. "As far as I know, I think that's the only Emerald Eggman has with him," he continued.
"I hate to break it to you, Knuckles, but it's not," Tails corrected.
Knuckles was taken aback. "What?! Then how many does he have?!"
"I think he has six," answered Amy, "and tonight he kidnapped Cream and Cheese as ransom for the last one."
"I heard," Knuckles said. "About the kidnapping part, I mean. Sonic told me."
Tails turned to face the fortress in the distance. "I don't think it's gonna do us any good just standing around and doing nothing," Tails pointed out. "We need to help Sonic."
Amy pulled her personal weapon, her trusty Piko Piko Hammer, out from Hammerspace. "Ready when you are, Commander!"
"Heh. Then let's do this." Knuckles crashed his namesakes together. "Stay close, you guys. I'm not in the mood to deal with unnecessary casualties tonight."
Tails and Amy nodded before the three of them bolted toward the fortress. They could still hear Sonic continue his assault on the robot army.
Go get 'em, Sonic, thought Knuckles. We're right behind you.
Eggman's base - Command center — Sat August 20; 10:54 PM — Third-person POV
Within the walls of Eggman's lair, robots of many shapes and sizes were moving about, traveling to different posts or out into combat. Their service would certainly be needed tonight. The tower and its underlying factory were home to thousands of Eggman's mechanical servants. And their creation and duties were personally overseen by Dr. Ivo Robotnik himself from his command center at the very top of the tower.
He was there at this moment with his two hench-bots, E-01 Decoe and E-02 Bocoe. While the former was colored yellow and was tall with a tall head, the latter was grayish, rounded, and short. The three sat in silence as they watched Sonic effortlessly destroying Eggman's own creations on the giant viewscreen. The large digital clock behind them read 10:54 PM. Eggman was usually in bed for the night by now, but since he had a prisoner with him, he decided to stay up in case Sonic would immediately come after him.
In the corner of the room, Cream and Cheese were imprisoned inside a glass capsule. Needless to say, they were scared and wanted to go home badly; their slight whimpering emphasized it, but it fell on deaf ears. This was not their first time in captivity, but it was still quite frightening nonetheless, especially with the stakes being so high.
In the center of the room was a giant machine of some sort. There was a tube that led to the ceiling, as well as a master switch, various controls in the console, and slots for each of the seven Chaos Emeralds.
Eggman let out an exasperated groan as the screen lit up brightly. While he was no stranger to seeing the hedgehog increase his strength and stamina with a Power Ring, he still couldn't figure out how they were genetically encoded for his use only. He had finally given up on it years ago.
"Gah!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the console. "Why must that infernal hedgehog always interfere with my plans? Every single time!"
Cream replied to the doctor's rhetorical question from the corner. "Y-You know wh-why just as much a-as I do," she shakily replied. She was very brave to say that.
Eggman swiveled his chair around to face her. "Oh? And what makes you say that, Creamy-dreamy?" he asked tauntingly.
The young rabbit cringed. That nickname sounded so wrong coming from him.
Even through her fear, Cream looked him square in the eye. "Because you are a bad man, Dr. Eggman, and Mr. Sonic only wants to stop you from doing all the bad things you like to do."
"Chao chao!" Cream's Chao friend Cheese agreed.
"A bad man, you say?" marveled Eggman. "You haven't even begun to see all the wonderful things I've done!"
Turning back to the screen, he said, "Well, Sonic has no chance of stopping me tonight. Not when I'm holding all the good cards."
He rubbed his hands together in glee. "And I'll further secure my victory right now. Decoe, Bocoe, lock down the entire base. I don't want to deal with rodent infestations tonight."
"Yes, Dr. Eggman," both robots saluted.
Bocoe walked over to a spot at the console, and pressed the button to select all areas for lockdown. Once this was done, Decoe pressed the "LOCK DOWN" button. In moments, they could hear the sound of every interior door closing and sealing themselves throughout the fortress.
"The tower has been fully sealed, Doctor," Decoe announced.
"No one can enter or leave with the sole exception of your own robots," Bocoe added.
"Excellent," the rotund doctor stated while fiddling with his mustache. "Let's see that blue eyesore try to break in now."
Just then there was a knock at the door to the command center.
"It is impossible for Sonic to be here this soon," said a mildly surprised Decoe.
"He never knocks when he enters my strongholds. Now check who it is," ordered Eggman without moving from his spot at the screen.
After pressing a few buttons at the console, Bocoe activated the surveillance menu. "It's Bokkun," he reported.
"Let him in," came Eggman's voice.
Bocoe strode back over to the lockdown console and navigated the map until he found the command center. Tapping the door icon, he turned around and watched it open. Decoe and Eggman also turned as Eggman's E-03 Messenger Robo unit, nicknamed Bokkun, flew into the room. A shiny red gem was in his hands.
Eggman stood up. He needed to stretch, since he had been seated in his command chair for most of the night.
"Ah, the seventh Chaos Emerald, right on time," he said as Bokkun handed it to him.
"Sonic was carrying this with him until one of your Behemoths 'encouraged' him to donate it to us," Bokkun joked. "Looks like he won't be needing it anymore!"
"Exactly," Eggman mused as he turned to his giant machine. He did not see Bokkun secretly wink at Cream in the corner, which made her uncomfortable. While unspoken, there seemed to be a little something between them…
"Now that all seven Chaos Emeralds are finally in my possession," he stated, "nothing can stop me from putting my grand scheme into motion!"
"W-What are you going to do with the Emeralds…?" Cream nervously asked.
"I was wondering when the question of the hour would be asked," Eggman said, a little too much glee in his tone. He gestured to his machine. "You see this machine here? I've been working on it for the past two months. All I need to do is insert this last Chaos Emerald, throw the switch, and voila! Every single living thing within one hundred miles of my lair, excluding myself, will be turned into my cold metal slaves. Even you, Cream, will serve me in a new body!"
Now Cream was truly frightened. She had never been directly threatened with roboticization before, and knew that she could not possibly avoid the process unless Sonic and his friends came to stop Eggman.
It took her a moment to find her voice, and tears started spilling from her eyes. "Y-you'll n-n-never get away with th-this, Doctor Eggman! M-Mr. Sonic will-"
"Sonic can't stop me, remember?" he reminded Cream, even though she knew this was not true. "I can't get away with this? Oh, please. I've gotten away with much worse. Need I remind you that I unleashed powerful gods that split the world in pieces?"
This did nothing to make Cream and Cheese feel better. "B-B-But I don't want to become a robot!" she sobbed.
"Chao chao-chao!" echoed Cheese as he tried to hug Cream.
"Oh, don't worry," Eggman "reassured". "The process is entirely painless — that is, unless you choose to defy me after your roboticization. Oh that's right, you can't." He let out an evil laugh before approaching the cage. "Your precious Sonic the Hedgehog just gave me the last Chaos Emerald. Isn't he generous?"
He threw another glance at the screen, where Sonic appeared to be surrounded by more robots. "Are you sure he can save you now? You know he can't. Soon you will all be roboticized. And what fun that will be, since I have never roboticized a Chao before."
"Y-Y-You leave Cheese out of this!" Cream demanded.
Attempting to hide his mirth, Eggman started wandering back to his seat. "Sonic the Hedgehog will be terminated," he stated matter-of-factly. "Count on it."
Eggman's base - Outside — Sat August 20; 10:54 PM — Sonic's POV
A couple E-Series robots thought they could take me down just by surrounding me. Somehow they didn't get the memo that I had a Power Ring, and I wasn't afraid to use it. If Eggy was watching me now, and I knew he was, he would be in for a big surprise.
I performed a strong flying kick at one of the Behemoths, then rolled backwards in midair and bounced from robot to robot dozens of times in just few seconds, like a pinball machine. Two of them went down rather quickly, but the last one tried to grab me with both its hands. Since I knew hedgehog sandwiches weren't particularly appetizing, I used both hands and feet to push the robot's hands off of me, then proceed to spin right through its core, destroying it instantly.
With all the robots in the completely demolished and no one left to play with, I decided it was time to take on the Eggman himself.
I looked up at the tower. Obviously Eggman had been prepared for me, so I ruled out the front door — or unfortunate lack thereof. Even the lower walls looked like they were heavily guarded. So I figured my best bet was to go through one of the tower's underhanging skylights. That would mean scaling a vertical wall and breaking glass, which would definitely alert everyone inside to my presence. It was still my only option.
So I started sprinting up the tower's wall, grateful that my friction-resistant sneakers could allow me to perform such stunts. A mere two seconds later, I reached the top. Even though the floodlights were blinding, I squinted and vaulted myself through the skylight.
Looking around, I found that I had broke into the fortress' launch bay for flying Badniks. A lot of the robots that were once inside had been launched into combat to try and stop me and my friends. But that didn't mean the place was anywhere near empty.
I ran through the entire launch bay, narrowly avoiding many obstacles and lasers the robots were firing at me. I was nearly hit by an Orbinaut's spiked ball, but I made it out of there and spotted a sealed door just ahead. I took it this was the door to the upper hallway. It was sealed, which meant Eggman must have locked down the entire fortress by now. It wasn't anything a spin-dash couldn't penetrate!
After a few more moments of running and blasting through doors, I knew I was on the home stretch, as the door to Eggman's command center was now right in front of me. Of course, it was sealed off just like the rest of the fortress. I was about to break through the door when I started hearing muffled voices on the other side. It sounded Eggman and Cream!
"N-no, Doctor Eggman," Cream was saying. She was clearly panicked. "I d-didn't do it, please believe me!"
"I would if Bokkun's eyes don't deceive him," Eggman replied. "That was clearly a secret wink you just did. This means you have an accomplice in our midst. Bokkun, search the entire room for our little friend, whoever he or she may be!"
I blinked. A secret wink? An accomplice? I didn't get too much time to think about that, because I heard a metallic voice on the other side say something I couldn't pick up, followed by Eggman's response.
"What?!" Eggman replied. "He's here?!"
And with that, Eggman had just found out I was there. I took that as my cue to make my encore appearance.
I spun through the door, burrowing through it with some effort. There was the good doctor himself, with a shocked expression on his face. Bokkun and two lackey robots I had never seen before had whatever the robot version of shock was. On the other hand, Cream and Cheese had overjoyed expressions on their tear-stained faces.
"M-Mr. Sonic!" Cream exclaimed.
"How did you managed to breach my lockdown system?!" Eggman incredulously exclaimed.
"Same as always," I smirked. "You know me… always able to dodge whatever you throw at me. So, uh… you gonna hand over the Emeralds and Cream and Cheese or what?"
"One or the other, Sonic," Eggman chided, wagging a finger. "You can't have your cake and eat it too. Either way, you will be roboticized, along with every single living organism within one hundred miles of this place."
That word caught me off guard for a moment. I thought roboticization was behind him. Guess I was wrong.
"Roboticized," I repeated.
"Yes, Sonic. Roboticized. You may be interested to know that is only the prototype model. The final version will roboticize nothing less than the entire world."
No way, no how, would I ever let Eggman do that. A world crawling with evil robots was the last thing I would stand for. I had almost lost the whole world to them once.
In one swift move, I leaped up and snatched the Emerald from Eggman's grasp right as he was about to place it into its slot with the other six.
"I like my organic body, thanks!" I taunted.
Eggman looked at his hand where the Chaos Emerald had just been. His gaze shifted to me, his glasses masking the hatred in his eyes behind them.
"Give that back," he said with malice.
I blew a raspberry at him. "How about no?"
Eggman grit his teeth, and turning to the two robots who were sitting at the console, the doctor gave an order. "Decoe, Bocoe, beam an E-13 in here. I want this hedgehog good and gone!"
"Yes, Dr. Eggman!" both robots responded.
"So… Decoe and Bocoe, huh?" I surmised. "You seriously ditched Orbot and Cubot for these guys? Kinda a step down in my book."
"Think what you want, Sonic, but I'll have you know they are my personal guardians who are capable of fighting for themselves," explained Eggman.
"Really?" I replied in mock sarcasm. "Don't really look like it to me."
Before Eggman could answer, a robot began to materialize in the room. It was slightly smaller than a Laser Tank, but still looked pretty agile and powerful.
"Meet my E-13 Guardian," Eggman introduced the robot. "You'll find that fighting in close quarters is risky, especially when hostages are involved!" He beckoned to Cream. "E-13, get that hedgehog and give me the Chaos Emerald he has!"
"Heh. If you can catch me!" I taunted.
I started running laps around the room as the Guardian began firing at me. Eggman was right… closed spaces were risky, and Cream could easily get hurt.
"Not as easy as you thought, eh, Sonic?" Eggman said.
I ducked under a laser shower before starting to run again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bokkun trying to hide behind Decoe's seat.
"Decoe! Save me!" he cried.
"Do you realize there are better places to hide…?" Decoe asked.
"Oh, Sonic~?" called Eggman. "You may be interested to know that one of my Laser Tanks shot down the Tornado when you were using your Power Ring. Backup isn't coming anytime soon."
I realized that the Guardian was firing at me almost ceaselessly, which gave me an idea. Maybe I could use it to destroy Eggman's machine and save everyone one hundred miles from us!
However, I didn't realize that I had stopped running right in front of Eggman, which caused the Guardian to turn its guns on both of us.
"Whoa whoa! Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" cried Eggman, holding his hands out to the Guardian.
"Whoops, sorry," I said as I quickly leaped out of the way.
The Guardian seemed to be a bit slow on the draw. Just as it was about to fire, a crunching sound came from the doorway. I watched as the hole grew bigger, and then Knuckles, Amy, and Tails barged into the room through the whole the echidna had made.
It was good to know Tails and Amy survived the crash. And Knuckles was back! I hadn't seen him in at least a week!
"Welcome to the party!" I greeted. Turning to Knuckles, I added, "And hey, I see you brought the punch."
"Very funny, Sonic," was all he said before he locked eyes with Eggman. I was sure he wanted to pay Eggman back for his trickery.
"I should have known you rodents would rise from the wreckage of your plane like the phoenixes you're not," muttered Eggman.
I smirked. "Don't you even know what a rodent is?"
Knuckles was ignoring both of us. He locked eyes with Eggman, and I swear I could see flames in his purple pupils.
"Amy, get Cream and Cheese out of here. Tails, get the Emeralds. And Eggman… you're gonna get what's coming to you."
"Ohohoho!" laughed Eggman. "Confident, are we, in a few short moments, you'll find that your words will be as empty as your emotions once you're locked inside a robotic body!"
Knuckles grit his teeth. "I see you're back to your old tricks again," he muttered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tails reaching out for the Chaos Emeralds plugged into the machine.
"Careful buddy," I warned. "That could be-"
Pop!
An electric jolt jumped from the machine to Tails' hand, causing him to yelp and leap back. He held his left hand with his right.
"Did I forget to mention the Chaos Roboticizer has its own defense mechanism to discourage thieves?" Eggman brought up.
"Um… N-No…" Tails said quietly.
Meanwhile, Amy approached the capsule that Cream and Cheese were trapped in, and pulled her hammer out from Hammerspace.
"All right, close your eyes, Cream," she said. "I'm getting you out."
Cream and Cheese did as they were told, and Amy raised her hammer above her head, and smashed the top of the capsule off. The sound of glass shattering echoed through the room, thousands of tiny shards fell all around Cream and Cheese, but thankfully none of them made their mark.
"Don't just stand there! Stop them!" yelled Eggman to the Guardian, pointing at my friends.
"C'mon, let's go," Amy said as gently as she could muster as she took Cream's hand. Cheese flew beside them as they ran back for the hole which Amy had come from.
"Thank you, Miss Amy," thanked Cream as they left the room.
The E-13 Guardian tried to follow the escapers, but it was brutally rocketed into the wall by Knuckles. The impact was strong enough that the Guardian exploded on impact, raining shrapnel everywhere. It would have been impressive if it wasn't dangerous. We all flinched, but the shrapnel miraculously didn't hit anyone. However, it did hit something.
"Gahh!" cried Eggman as a few sparks flew out of the machine. He quickly calmed down, though. "It's a good thing it can take a lot of damage," he mused aloud.
"You sure about that, Eggy-"
"Yoink!" Bokkun exclaimed, cutting me off mid-sentence, as he swiped the Chaos Emerald right out of my grasp. I couldn't believe I got sidetracked like that. Bokkun dropped the Chaos Emerald into Eggman's open hand.
"Seven Emeralds, millions of new robots, and one all-powerful Dr. Eggman!" crowed the insane doctor as he strode toward his machine.
"This is bad," I muttered. If we were going to stop Eggman in time, then this was going to be close. "Guys, we need a plan."
Tails rushed over to me. "I think I can try to disable the Chaos Roboticizer's defense mechanism, but it would take too much time!"
I smirked. "Then I guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way!"
"You can't stop me now, Sonic!" laughed Eggman as he placed the last Chaos Emerald into its slot. "Five more seconds and the next thing you'll say is 'All hail Dr. Eggman!'"
"You know, for a doctor, you sure could use one," I stated. "Oh wait, were you expecting me to say something else? Sorry to disappoint."
I smirked at Eggman's annoyance, then turned to Tails and Knuckles. The three of us gave a secret nod, which meant that we were all basically thinking the same thing.
We all bolted toward Eggman at once. Time seemed to slow down, as if we entered bullet time. Would he pull the lever and roboticize the entire region? Or would we take down the doctor and save the day? Two possible outcomes, one result. Which would it be?
"Too late, hedgehog."
Unfortunately for us, Eggman acted first. He pulled the lever a split second before we tackled him to the ground. It looked like we lost. The machine started glowing intensely, and so did the seven Chaos Emeralds in their slots. But then something happened that I didn't expect at all.
As the Chaos Roboticizer glowed, it also began to shake, rattle, and roll. The Guardian's lasers and shrapnel must have done more damage to Eggman's machine than I thought. Then I was blinded by an extremely bright white glow. Could this be? Did Eggman really cause–
I didn't get much time to think at all. I was completely surrounded by a white field, followed by a sudden sickening sensation in my stomach as the fabric of time and space was bending and warping all around me. I felt the ground leaving from beneath me as I flew through the air. I had no clue as to how fast I was moving.
And then, before I knew it, I landed on a very hard surface, and the whiteness immediately became blackness as I lost all sense of consciousness.
A mansion — Sat August 20; 10:55 PM — ? POV
"That was a beautiful ending," Ella sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue as the movie's credits began to roll.
Grandpa nodded as he set down his tub of popcorn, which was now mostly kernels. "I have to agree with you on that, Ella," he said.
Mr. Tanaka rose from his seat and helped Ella to tidy up our popcorn bowls. "A better proposal I've never seen, except for Mr. and Mrs. Thorndyke's wedding."
"I know you're not into romance, Chris, but I'm interested to know what you think," Grandpa said to me.
"I think this was her best movie ever," I commented.
"You know, it's nice to switch things up every once in a while," Ella said. "That way, everybody gets a fair share of their favorite movies."
One of the best things about movie night was that we always got to see Mom's movies two weeks before the rest of the world saw them in theaters. We had just finished watching The Winds of Change, Mom's latest blockbuster. In the movie, the lead actor's character had run into tough economic times, and Mom's character loved him so much that she offered to work to get him back on his feet.
OH, I almost forgot! My name is Christopher Thorndyke, and I'm twelve years old. I live in a big mansion, which I think is way more fancy than a lot of the multi-million dollar mansions in Beverly Hills. It has gardens with well-trimmed hedges, a fountain, and a giant four-car garage. Inside, we have over a dozen bedrooms and bathrooms, a spacious kitchen, a grand foyer with marble floors, a double staircase, an intercom, and a high-tech security system.
I live here with our maid Ella, our butler Mr. Tanaka, and my grandpa Chuck. Ella makes the best recipes I ever had, even giving some of the fancy diners a run for their money. Tanaka is well-trained in martial arts, and is very patient with us, even in trying times. Grandpa is a famous scientist and professor who has his own laboratory set up in the room above the detached garage.
We get visitors all the time here. We have had so many famous celebrities visiting us, such as the Kardashians, Bill Gates, Stephen King, even the President himself and kings and rulers of foreign nations.
"Did I tell you that Mrs. Thorndyke is going to be in another romance movie?" Ella asked as she tossed the trash into the garbage can in the kitchen.
"I don't recall that you have," Tanaka answered. "What is it called?"
"Valencia."
"Now that's an interesting one coming up," Grandpa said as he took his finished popcorn container to the kitchen. "We don't get a lot of Victorian-era steampunk movies, let alone romance."
"That is… unique," Tanaka said.
"Isn't it though," Ella agreed.
"Oh, that reminds me," Grandpa started, "Guess who's going to audition to be in the next Elites movie."
"Wait, really?!" I cheered. This was awesome! The Elites was my favorite movie series (Star Wars was a close second), and with Mom auditioning for the third movie in the series, Dawn of Spectrum, how could it get any better?
"Surprise," Grandpa beamed. "I knew you would want to hear that!"
I was smiling broadly at that. I couldn't wait to see my mom in the best movie series ever!
After Ella and Tanaka finished cleaning up, they both left the kitchen. Ella looked at me gently, a smile on her face.
"Are you excited to see you father tomorrow?" she asked me.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" I responded in joy. The last time I had seen my dad was way back at Christmas last year. It had been eight long months since I last saw him in person. He was a busy man who was rarely home.
Just then Mr. Tanaka's smartphone rang from within his suit pocket. Removing it, he turned on the screen and glanced at the caller's name.
"It's the master," he reported before placing the phone to his ear. "Mr. Thorndyke," he greeted cordially.
That had to have been a big coincidence. We were just talking about Dad before he called. I wondered why he was calling tonight when he wasn't due to come until tomorrow. I just hoped his visit wasn't going to be canceled again.
"I see," Tanaka spoke again, sounding a bit disheartened. "…Two weeks? … Very well. The Thorndyke family awaits your presence. Sayonara, Mr. Thorndyke."
He hung up and placed his phone back into his pocket before turning to me.
"My deepest apologies, Master Chris," he said, "but your father will not be able to make it tomorrow. He sends you his apologies, and he has agreed to reschedule his visit for two weeks from now."
Grandpa gently laid a hand on my shoulder. Turning to my crestfallen face with a gentle gaze, he said, "Don't you worry about a thing, Chris. It's… it's only going to be for two weeks, and besides… you can still look forward to your mom tomorrow."
"Yeah…" Of course, this too was always subject to change.
Dessert was a blur, due to both dejection and exhaustion. I wanted to see Dad so bad, and now it looked like I had to wait even longer to see him. Bedtime soon arrived, and after I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I crawled into bed. Thus ended another day in the life of Chris Thorndyke.
I had a sinking feeling in the back of my mid that Dad wouldn't be able to come right away. There were lots of times where one or both of my parents said they would come at a certain time, but because of job complications and other things, they were always forced to push their visits back for weeks on end. I had gone through this routine for as long as I could remember, which was practically my whole life.
My dad was the CEO of Starship Soft, which was a massive corporation dealing in computer parts and various other technologies. It was kind of like Microsoft and Tesla, but even bigger. Ever since Dad took over from Grandpa as its CEO, he had taken everything which Grandpa had done, and took it to the next level. He had been able to successfully buy smaller companies, and thus branch out into other industries as well. Needless to say, Starship was a booming business. To work there was every computer lover's dream.
My mom was a famous Hollywood actress who starred in three or four high-budget movies a year. Most of her movies were romance, but she also played in action movies, and even provided voiceovers for various cartoons on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, such as DupliKate and Fish in a Barrel. In fact, she was asked if she wanted to play a role in one of the Marvel movies, but she sadly had to turn it down because of her busy schedule. It would have been amazing to see.
When I was younger, I used to cry my eyes when my parents left the house, and when they were unable to come home, but now that I was a preteen, I had grown past that stage for the most part. I had learned to respect their busy schedules. They were only ever home twice a year at the very least, sometimes even less than that. Even though they had different jobs and almost never saw each other, they were still made for each other. It was almost like Romeo and Juliet, but without any tragedies or fighting.
That left me alone at home with Grandpa, Ella, and Mr. Tanaka. They were the closest thing to family that I had. I may have been perhaps the richest kid in the world, but I was still lonely, and not just because my parents weren't around. And being an only child didn't help at all. While it meant that I didn't have to share, I still felt empty inside.
Every time I went to school, I somewhat expected people to like me, but that was probably only because my family was famous. I haven't made any friends ever since kindergarten, and anyone who had the potential of becoming my friend eventually moved, many of them out of state.
The years went by, and I found myself becoming increasingly introverted, almost to the point of being socially awkward. The only reason some kids hung around me at school was simply because I was a celebrity's kid. Being popular wasn't everything. They had no idea who I was on the inside. Outside, I may have been a casually-dressed kid and the son of two entrepreneurs. But on the inside, I was a poor soul yearning for someone who understood me — someone I could hang out with. Someone I could call…
…a friend.
I was just starting to drift off to sleep when I saw what I thought was a shooting star in the distance. It was brief, but undeniable.
I sat up in bed as a sudden idea came to me. What if I actually made a wish for friends? I know, it sounded really crazy at the time, but it was probably crazy enough to work. There was only one way to see if it did.
Pushing the blankets aside, I slipped out of bed and tiptoed over to my window. As I looked up into the night sky, I searched my mind for the shooting star rhyme Ella had taught me a long time ago. To anyone else, it probably seemed too juvenile for someone my age, but I didn't care. Who were they to judge? And besides, I had to know if it was going to work.
I cast my gaze to the night sky and began:
"Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.
I wish I can have really close true friends I can have forever."
The moment I finished speaking, another shooting star sprinted across the moonlit sky. While brief, its appearance gave me chills and sent butterflies to my stomach. Did it actually work…?
There was only one way to find out for sure. I had to wait until morning, but until then, I knew I wouldn't be able to get to sleep easily.
I climbed back into bed, telling myself to calm down, relax, and breathe slowly. Hey, the shooting star rhyme might not even work, I told myself, but it was definitely worth a try.
Sleep finally washed over me as I thought of being able to finally have a friend.
I had no idea what my wish would eventually entail for me in a few short hours…
? — Sun August 21; 2:32 AM — Sonic's POV
I must have really been thrown for a loop, because it felt like I had been out cold for quite a while. The last thing I remembered was fighting Eggman, trying to stop him from roboticizing the entire region. Now… I didn't even know where I was. The question of the hour was, how could something as artificial as a machine cause Chaos Control like that? And why did it happen then? Now that I thought about it, could it even have been Chaos Control? It had to have been, even though I had never seen it executed at that scale before.
I became aware of a splitting headache I didn't know I had until I tried to move my head. It actually hurt, and I couldn't remember the last time I had a headache this bad. I did not remember Chaos Control ever being this bad when I used it. In fact, I even felt a little queasy now that I thought about it.
It was a bit painful for me to open my eyes, but it felt like I was lying on something hard. If I had to guess, I would say it felt like the floor of a warehouse. But it sounded far too noisy to be a warehouse. I had no idea how I wound up here.
Suddenly I became aware of a pair of lights approaching me! I forced myself up onto my feet and dodged it, only to find myself directly in the path of another. I didn't know what kind of crazy place I was in, but this migraine was giving me one weird fever dream.
Only when I rubbed by eyes did I realize that my fever dream was actually a reality. I was right in the middle of a busy intersection in a city! So these weren't Eggman's robots after all…
I didn't know if I was in another part of Mobius or not, but wherever I was, I was definitely in the middle of a city somewhere, judging by all the honking horns, bright headlights, and stoplights and buildings.
Taking a look around, I saw that all the people around me were all humans. There was not a single Mobian to be found. That was very strange, considering humans and Mobians lived in harmony, and I could always see plenty of both species in every city I passed through. But there were no Mobians anywhere. Even weirder, they were all staring at me, like they had never seen a Mobian before.
At this point, the incessant honking, shouting, and even the occasional swearing was really starting to get to me. This wasn't unlike a lot of humans I had ever met before. But then a sign on a nearby store front caught my attention. It looked like a business called "Verizon Wireless" and it said something about bringing the fastest internet to southern California.
California was not a place I recognized from my travels. In fact, I didn't know if it even existed anywhere on Mobius. Before I could ponder it further, I heard an authoritative voice call:
"All right folks, clear the scene. This is an investigation zone. Move it."
I turned my head to see where the voice was coming from. It was a police officer, one of many. Of course, all of them were humans. They were addressing the growing crowd, who, from the looks of things, had been honking and shouting at me for quite a while. Some of the policemen were apologizing to the drivers and pedestrians for the inconvenience, while others were setting up police lines around the entire intersection.
The way everybody was staring at me, I took it I was quite a sight for sore eyes. Not only did it look like they had never seen a Mobian before, but I hadn't seen a single sign that any other Mobians lived here since I woke up. It was also due in part that I still hadn't left this cozy little intersection I was in.
I looked up to see a few of the officers approaching me.
"We have a situation; an unidentified lifeform is blocking traffic at 7th and Spruce, over," one of the officers spoke into the radio on his shoulder.
It must have been on loudspeaker, for I could hear the voice on the other end was nice and loud. "Copy that. To be clear, is it someone in costume?"
The officer gave me a once-over. "Negative."
There was a moment of hesitation. "Trankit and bring it to the station," the voice replied. "The science lab will want to hear about this."
A science lab?! My mind was freaking out. This practically confirmed my theory that there were no Mobians anywhere around here, or even other non-human for that matter. In fact… I realized I must have been on a completely different planet entirely!
I also knew that the police officers would not treat me too kindly, even though I had a head an arms and legs like they did, but… humans were always a bit belligerent, especially when they were handling things they couldn't understand. And I figured if they somehow managed to catch me, they would probably experiment and run tests on me like I was some kind of lab rat.
Man, I tell you, science was always my least favorite subject, I thought.
"Can you speak?" one of the officers asked me. "English? Do you know English?"
I had never heard of this "English" language before, but whatever it was, it sounded exactly like the language I spoke. I could have just answered him right there and says yes, but the mischievous part of me wanted to humor the cops a little. So I just sat there with a blank look on my face.
"Hm… I don't think it can speak…" the officer said. "Permission to try the second strategy?"
"Granted," came the voice over his shoulder radio.
I went from startled to belittled at the next thing he did. He began to treat me like I was some kind of animal. Well… non-sentient animal, anyway.
"Here, big guy… Good boy, wanna come ride to the police station with us?" the officer coaxed.
He was pretty much this close to asking me to sit up and beg. I was glad he didn't bring out the clicker and treats while he was at it.
That did it for me. I was not an animal, and no one on my world would treat me as such. Even if I didn't think it would work, I wanted to see if I could jog somebody's memory.
"Guys! Don't you know who I am?!" I shouted.
Nope. Didn't work. It was worth a try, I guess.
The result? They all looked shocked that I could speak at all, let alone English. I decided not to say anything more, including my name, as I didn't want to frighten them any more than they probably were already.
I would have made a run for it right then and there, but I didn't because the officers were regrouping, and I wanted to hear what they were discussing so I could act accordingly.
Unfortunately, I couldn't hear much, as their conversation was whispered, but I picked up words such as English, hedgehog, and alien.
"Focus, men," interrupted the police sergeant. "It may seem harmless, but it's still an alien. I suggest a way to capture it." He sounded like he had a thick accent of some sort. I couldn't place where, because I didn't know this place's geography all too well.
"He seems more intelligent than he looks…" said the one officer who tried coaxing me earlier. "Not to mention strong…"
"I know, and that's what worries me…" another officer said.
"Relax," the first officer reassured his partner. "It hasn't done anything yet."
"Still looks confident, though," the second officer said as he glanced at me.
"We don't know the nature of this alien," the sergeant spoke, "so don't do anything to provoke it unnecessarily."
"Yes, sir," replied the first officer. "Do we have tranquilizers?"
"I'm afraid not," the sergeant answered with a hint of regret. "The net will have to do."
I was about to retort, but I wisely held it back. I knew that words alone could not convince the officers that I meant no harm. I mean, what more could I do at this point? They wouldn't really believe me no matter what I said. And since negotiation was never one of my strong points, I decided to juice it loose. But before I could, one of the officers draped nothing more than a butterfly net over my head.
Really? I thought in dismay. A net is the best thing you thought to catch me with? You guys seriously think I'm some kind of animal, don't you?
I couldn't say I wasn't warned, so I decided to play along in their little game.
"I got him, Sarge!" called the officer holding the net.
"Keep him down!" ordered the police sergeant as he and the other officers surrounded me. Okay, playtime was officially over. Now I decided to make my escape.
I immediately leaped to my feet and started to take off. I kind of didn't expect the police officer to still be holding onto the net as I did so.
"Aaahhh!" cried the officer as he sailed through the air. The net was the only thing that prevented him from getting third-degree burns on the asphalt. That was totally not the way to go. I didn't want to do this, but it was my only chance of getting out of here alive and free.
"Get him! Get him!" shouted the sergeant.
"He's too fast!" exclaimed one of the officers as he tried and failed to stop me in my tracks.
I wanted to see the rest of this new place I was in, but I didn't want to have any hitchhikers on my sightseeing trip. I had to find a place to drop off both the net and the police officer.
I had regrets for doing what I did, but I vaulted myself over the car, while pushing the net off my head at the same time. Both it and the cop sailed through the open driver's door of the car. I shuddered at the startles yells and screams I heard behind me. I would never do that if I weren't trying to escape with my freedom and life in one piece.
I knew the authorities would be called and there would be an all-out manhunt for me. But until then, it was time to take in the sights of this town.
Station Square — Sun August 21; 2:38 AM — Third-person POV
To say the least, the front seats of a police squad car were not made for more than two people.
This was made clear when the alien lifeform cleared the roof of the car, shaking off the net draped over its head and effectively throwing the trailing officer clean through the open door of the newly-arrived squad car. It was a good thing the unfortunate officer's hands were already out in front of him, or a serious head injury would have occurred. Instead, he only suffered a cut on his hand. The other two officers had unbuckled their seat belts, and were just about to get out of the car when the incident happened. They had only suffered bruises. It could have been much worse.
The driver quickly recovered and opened his door. The passenger officer did the same, allowing the third officer to finish climbing across his lap and safely out of the car, being careful of his cut hand. The other two officers got out as well.
"Everyone okay?" the driver asked.
"Just a bit shaken is all," replied the passenger.
"I got a cut, but I can walk it off," added the third officer.
"Even so, we'll get you patched up when we get back to HQ," the driver said as he picked up his radio. This had to be reported. Injuring police officers was a no-go in the police department's book.
"Car 15 calling Station 1," he spoke. "Come in…"
Station Square Police Station — Sun August 21; 2:39 AM — Third-person POV
"That can't be real at all," remarked the police chief upon hearing the latest report. "It sounds like a joke."
"Yeah," agreed one of the officers. "Nothing can run anywhere near 400 miles an hour without breaking the laws of physics."
"I agree, and I think this can be a serious problem," mused the chief. "It's already injured some of our officers. And based on the report we just got, it seems to be very intelligent, and even knows English."
"So we're talking three counts of assault on police officers as well as resisting arrest," another officer said. "This is gonna be a pretty big felony…"
"If we can communicate with it, surely we can negotiate with it," a third officer added.
The chief rose to his feet. "Perhaps. Its nature may be unclear, but one thing is certain: we need to get it off our streets."
He turned to his laptop and switched to the Google Maps tab he had open. "7th Avenue stretches out to Highway 101, which is where the alien is headed." He thought for a bit. "We need to block off all arteries out of the city and set up a roadblock on 101 near Lunar Ridge. We also need to set a curfew over the city."
"I'm on it, chief!" agreed one of the officers in the room as he and the others set out to perform their tasks.
Station Square — Sun August 21; 3:06 AM — Third-person POV
This was by far the strangest case police rookie Barney Evans had ever responded to.
He and his best friend, thirteen-year officer Sean Rodham, were assigned to travel to the site of the roadblock, which was a good eighteen miles from the station. They were roughly seven minutes into their assignment. The atmosphere was quiet, with the only sounds being their own car, the other cars on the freeway, and the occasional broadcast on the police scanner, most of them having to do with the alien.
Finally Barney broke the thoughtful silence. "You seen anything like this in your time with the force?" he asked.
"Nope. This is totally unique," Sean drawled in his southern accent. "I never thought alien life actually existed like this. Looks like it's a lot more than flying saucers and invasions."
"Like, seriously? 400 miles an hour?" Barney scoffed, tried to maintain his composure. "With that kind of speed, you'd think it was some kind of new Japanese bullet train made for the streets."
Sean chuckled. "I can tell you, this ain't no Flash we're dealin' with."
Just then their banter was cut short by a sudden metallic BANG of something landing on top of their car. It startled Barney, and he gripped the wheel tighter.
"That better not be what I think it is," Bobby said, not daring to stop the car, as he was stuck in the left lane.
"Better pull over," Sean instructed as calmly as he could, but before Barney could hit the brakes, the alien leaped down onto the hood of the car, offering the officers a clear look at it.
It was definitely anthropomorphic; if it resembled any Earth animal, it would be a hedgehog. It wore white gloves, white socks, and flashy red shoes with gold buckles. Its expression appeared to be a mixture of cocky and confident.
It took Barney only a second to process all this. This was just enough time to swing the wheel to the right to avoid ramming his car into the safety barrier in the middle of US Highway 1. As he was doing this, the alien hedgehog waved at him, leaped off the hood, and sped down the highway at a mind-boggling speed that defied all logic.
During all this, Barney kept his cool, never once stopping the car, and continued driving toward the rendezvous point.
"We were only doing 65," Barney said, nervously glancing at the dash. "If that's 400, he can even outrun the air force."
"They told us he'd be fast, but that's…" Sean's voice trailed off. "Kinda frightening, actually."
"Yeah…" Barney agreed.
Just then they heard the sound of the whirring blades of a police helicopter above them. Aerial support had arrived.
"Hope they have better luck than us," Barney wished.
"Knowing them, they probably will," confirmed Sean.
A few minutes later, the scanner gave the cops good news. "This is Chopper 3. We have a visual. Northbound on 101 at Center Street. Over."
Station Square — Sun August 21; 3:09 AM — Third-person POV
The police captain in charge of the roadblock setup watched as the last bulldozer drove into place. This was no ordinary roadblock. It was made up of about a dozen officers, eight police cars, three bulldozers, and even a tractor trailer set up right in the middle of the road. The overnight construction crews were kind enough to lend the police some of their vehicles to use. Since the construction zone they originated from wasn't far away, they were able to set up the makeshift barrier in record time.
"Think it's gonna be enough?" one officer wondered.
The captain didn't turn around as he surveyed his work. "It better be."
"Uh, you know it can just… go off-road, right…?" a second officer brought up.
"Please don't give me that…" the first officer mumbled.
When the bulldozer finished parking, the police captain turned around. "I thought they said the alien was coming this way," he said. "What's keeping it?"
A third officer was checking his phone for tweets concerning this phenomenal event.
"#Aliens is the trending hashtag on Twitter right now," he said. "Looks like there's footage of it running up the Eckstein Building and looking around before going back down. It's kinda grainy, but it's there."
The first officer gave the blockage a once-over, no longer looking impressed at its sheer magnitude. "I think we underestimated it…" he admitted.
The captain sighed. Deep down, he had to admit he was true. If this alien could scale a skyscraper just like that, how would a simple roadblock be able to bring it to a standstill?
"There were a couple arrests tonight," the second officer reported, looking up from his Twitter feed. "Some people didn't take the warning seriously."
The first officer strained to see a distant object approaching. It was definitely the alien; nothing else on Earth could create a blue glow and trail as it ran.
"Here it comes!"
The captain barely had enough time to turn his head when the inevitable happened. Bullet time seemed to kick in as the blue hedgehog-like alien ran at an incredible speed toward the roadblock. Then it took a leap so high, far and graceful over the roadblock that it could turn gymnasts into green-eyed monsters. When it landed on the other side, it continued running without ever losing speed, and ran down an offramp and out of sight.
As the police captain stodd hid ground against the incredible gust of wind the alien kicked up as it passed them, he stood there with his jaw hanging. He had never seen anything like that in his entire life. Not even a NASCAR race could rival that speed.
"Did- did you guys see that?" the first officer said once he found his voice. The second officer shook his head. It happened too quickly for him to see in time.
The captain nodded as he activated his shoulder radio. "The alien has cleared the block. We're out of options."
"Not quite," the dispatcher said, a glint of hope in his voice. "I'm relaying your message to the S-Team."
The S-Team was Station Square's unique high-speed police unit. The city had organized their founding years ago because of the city's speeding problems. Since then, the issue was mostly eradicated.
The captain sighed contentedly. This is a last resort worth turning to, he thought.If the S-Team can't catch him, noone can.
Station Square — Sun August 21; 3:13 AM — Third-person POV
He slowly groaned and opened his eyes, grateful that the ringtone he chose was loud and pumping enough to wake him from deep sleep. He had fallen in love with "Life is a Highway" many years back, and he had used it as his ringtone ever since.
Squinting at the clock by his bed, he saw that the green digital numbers read 3:13 AM. He sighed. Even for a habitual early bird like him, three in the morning was too early for him to be up.
He fumbled for his smartphone on the nightstand and picked it up. The only person who could call him at this hour was his job. Turns out, he was right first guess.
Pressing the green button, he sat up and put the phone to his ear.
"Sam here," he spoke groggily.
"I hate to wake you at this hour," the officer at the other end said, "but we got a unique case on our hands that requires your expertise. Can you be down here within fifteen minutes?"
"Sooner," Sam answered with confidence.
"Good. The rest of your team's already here waiting for you. We'll brief you when you get here."
"I'll be there before you know it," he answered before hanging up. He yawned before rising from his bed and dressing into his pullover shirt. His suit was at the station, and he knew he could change into it in a little as thirty seconds. It took him years of practice to do so, but back in the day, he had a lot of opportunities.
Nowadays, there weren't as many opportunities for him to stretch his legs and legally put the pedal to the metal on the freeway. But when they did come, he savored every moment of them as if they were his last.
Living on the second floor of the 24-story Lilac Apartment Suites, which was conveniently located only a mile away from the police station, really had its advantages. This way Sam could run out to his car quickly.
He ran down the stairs (he insisted the elevator was too slow) and out the door. He quickly located his car, hopped in, moved some of the trash aside (he really had to clean out his car), pressed the button to start the car, and drove off toward the police station.
He planned to get there in record time as he usually did. His name was Speed. Sam Speed. Or rather, the Highway Star… at least for tonight. He was the leader of a seven-person special police unit in Station Square, formally known as the Station Square High-Speed Crimes Division. Sam preferred to call it the S-Team for short. Long names weren't his thing.
Only four minutes later, Sam pulled into the police station's parking lot. He leaped out of his car and entered through the front door. An officer saw him and smiled.
"Early as usual, Sam. Follow me," he said. He ushered Sam to the back room, where he took a seat, ready to be briefed. Three other officers were already there.
"So what's the beef, Chief?" Sam asked.
"Right… where do I begin…" he sighed as he leaned against the wall. "Okay… you're not gonna believe me, but you have to."
"Hit me with all you got," challenged Sam as he looked up at the officer with determination in his eyes.
"Okay. So long story short, there's an alien running through our town at about 400 miles an hour."
Sam blinked. "Wait, what?"
He looked in the officer's eyes.
"You're serious," he added.
"I wish I wasn't," the officer said. "We're talking about a literal space alien from another planet. Our reports tell us it's blue and about three feet tall. And knowing you, you can't miss it."
Sam stood up. "And you said it runs at 400 miles per hour? But… th-that's impossible!"
"Search your feelings; you know it to be true," quipped the officer, whom Sam knew very well. "But in all seriousness, it literally… jumped over a roadblock we set up. We're talking a roadblock made of squad cars and dump trucks."
"That bad…?" mused Sam.
"Yup," the officer nodded. "That's why we called you in here, because we're out of options. Anyway, the rest of the team's downstairs waiting for you." He smiled as he ushered Sam toward the stairwell door. "Go get 'em, Blazemaker!"
"That's so yesterday," Sam playfully called behind him as he opened the stairwell door. "Tonight I'm the Highway Star!"
The officer shook his head in amusement as Sam quickly descended the stairs to the basement, where the Speed Division's garage was located. He pushed opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and found that his six teammates were already there waiting for him.
Hector Dragg was Sam's right-hand man. Just like Sam, he had a real last name, but he changed it because he wanted to be just like him. He was the first member of the team, and for a while before anyone else joined, it was just he and Sam working together to take down speeding criminals.
Then there was Juan Chaffetz. Like Sam, he too came from the dirt derbies, though he and Sam had yet to race head-to-head. He had excellent maneuvering skills, and couldn't be beat when it came to hand-eye coordination.
Paul Doyle was the S-Team's mechanic, having years of practice in his department. He didn't head out all that often, though, as he had to stay and help out with George Karlof's mechanics training.
George was the S-Team's newest member. He was young, and a little bit skittish, but he had potential, as he had really proven his worth both in the garage and on the streets.
Then there was rising star Fred Lester, who went by "Ace". If the Speed Division had a chain of command, he would be number three. Besides Sam, he had one of the lightest and fastest cars of the team. He too has had years of experience with keeping crooks at bay, effortlessly allowing Sam to finish the job for him.
Last but certainly not least was Dawn Winchell, the team's leading lady. She was the team's navigator who was responsible for checking air and road conditions, as well as the satellites and radar. She too didn't usually head out with the others, but when she did, she was a force to be reckoned with. Sam, Hector, Juan, Paul, George, Ace, and Dawn - these seven made up the Station Square Police Department's Speed Division.
"All right, team, listen up," Sam began. "I hear you all have been on standby for a while, but now… it's finally time to hit the streets! I take it you guys were briefed already?"
"Yeah," Ace replied. "I've been following the whole thing on Twitter. Can you believe all the buzz it's causing?"
"You know I'll believe it when I see it," Sam said. "I'm just one of those guys. Anyway, it's blue, and it's around like this tall…" He held his hand up to around his waist. "And get this… the cops told me this thing legit runs at 400 miles an hour."
Gasps and arose from the entire S-Team.
"Whoa, for real?" Hector's jaw was gaping.
"Yeah…" he admitted. "I gotta say, I honestly didn't believe in aliens either until tonight. But let's face it, they're real. This alien is real, and we gotta take it down."
The Speed Division was founded because there were too many people breaking the speed limit, and even the cop cars weren't fast enough to catch these speeders. In fact, Station Square had the highest speeding crime rate in America. People would speed in this city because the roads were perfect for it, and they could get away with it, even using cars designed for speed. But after the SSPD founded the Speed Division, due to the team's efficiency and reputation, speeding incidents and the resulting accidents were reduced significantly. Now people were afraid to speed because they knew all about the S-Team. There wasn't another team like it in the entire rest of the United States.
Because the speeding crimes were so low these days, it wasn't often that their status indicator light in the front room of the police station changed to green for "Called Out". But when it did, it always sent butterflies to the stomachs of the team members, particularly Sam Speed. For him, it meant it was time for another thrilling chase, another opportunity to live out his dream.
While Paul and George checked all the cars to make sure they were in racing condition, Ace, Juan, and Hector got the fuel and oil ready for the vehicles. Sam stood by Dawn as she checked the computers so that the S-Team could be briefed on the environmental situation outside.
"All good over there?" Sam called.
"All good!" Paul responded. The vehicles were almost ready. All that remained was for Sam to choose the tires of the day.
Sam turned back to Dawn, who was standing near a station which displayed a map of the city, as well as a large touchscreen.
"Road temperature?" Sam asked.
"Seventy."
"Humidity?"
"Ten."
"Wind?"
"Calm."
"Road texture?"
"Smooth."
"Okay. Five groove medium soft."
"Coming right up."
"Man, it's been forever since we did that," remarked Sam.
"Tell me about it," Dawn replied.
As Dawn went off to order the requested tires, Sam ran to get his racing jacket hanging on the wall and slipped it on in the thirty seconds he bragged about doing it in. He and Dawn went through that routine every time. In fact, they were so good at it that they practically had it down to a science. Sam had to consider all the factors, for both air and road, before every mission - whether it was hot, cold, windy, calm, humid, dry - the Station Square Speed Division had tires for all these conditions.
Paul, Ace, Juan, and Hector were also set to go on this unique mission, as they too were dressing into their racing jackets. Of course, none of them had the thirty-second bragging rights Sam did. That was his thing, and they respected it.
George and Dawn, on the other hand, planned to stay back at HQ and monitor the road conditions and any potential hazards the rest of the S-Team might face, such as road closures and heavy traffic. Tonight, the police had issued a mandatory curfew, so traffic would certainly not be a problem. George and Dawn usually didn't go unless the mission was a dire emergency. Tonight was not such a case, as Sam believed that this alien was not that kind of threat… yet. If it proved to be more dangerous than he thought, then he would call them out.
Having changed into his racing suit, Sam ran over and grabbed his helmet and cloth covering that went on underneath it. After he put them on, he ran over to his car. To Sam, it was his pride and joy. It never failed to help him take down Station Square's worst speeders.
Sam climbed into his car as the mechanics finished installing his requested five groove medium soft tires into the cars in record time as usual. In fact, it was said that the S-Team tire crew could do about as well as the NASCAR pit crews. Simply put, fast was normal for the S-Team.
Hector approached Sam as the latter was buckling up. "Gears five and six are set for freeway speed," he reported.
Sam nodded. "Great."
"And, uh…" Hector leaned in closer to whisper in Sam's ear, even though he was wearing a helmet. "…about your secret fuel tank? I just topped it off for you. Bet the higher-ups aren't even gonna know."
Sam smirked. "Thanks."
The secret fuel tank in Sam's car was strictly forbidden by the police because the fuel that was supposed to go inside was atomic and had a high risk of exploding, making it far too dangerous for highway use. But Sam figured if Batman could do it, then so could he. He was the type of man to live life on the edge.
Sam tuned into the police scanner and listened in.
"Car 38 to HQ. Alien is out of range. Last reported location is 101 at Manchester." Manchester Drive was about two miles south of the northern part of the city limits, so that meant the alien was about to leave the city. He knew he shouldn't let that happen.
"He's at 101 and Manchester," Sam radioed his team, now that they were all in their cars. "We'll try to cut him off at the city limits."
He was greeted with a chorus of "Yes, sirs!" as the team started their engines.
Man, what a glorious sound these enginesmake, thought Sam. Modified Formula One police cars are the best.
To say the team was pumped was a bit of an understatement. They had never dealt with anything remotely extraterrestrial before, let alone anything that could go over 150 miles per hour.
As the garage door slowly opened, Sam went through his usual pre-mission checklist. Gloves on? Check. Helmet on? Check. Fuel tank full? Check. Gears set? Check. Rocket fuel installed? Optional, but check.
It was time to release the hounds.
As usual, Sam's car was the first to advance toward the now-open garage door. His car was placed ahead of the other cars, so he would always be the first out. As he started driving, the others followed. First there was Ace, then Juan, then Paul and Hector. The five of them drove single-file through the door and onto a small road to their left.
That road led out to another, more open road, which they called their "runway." It was a stretch of road they used to gather enough speed to access the freeways crisscrossing Station Square.
Once Sam reached the road, he switched to gear four, floored the gas, and tore off into the night with his team, ready to take down the mysterious speedster from another world.
Station Square — Sun August 21; 3:38 AM — Sonic's POV
Three miles after the roadblock, I finally stopped running. It had been fun playing with the cops, seeing what their expectations might be. They even set up a huge roadblock made of cars and trucks to test my skills with, which I passed with flying colors. You should have seen the looks on their faces when I soared clear over the tractor trailer they placed in the middle of the road.
Now that I finally found a break in the action, I hopped on top of a light pole to mull over my situation.
This was obviously not my world. If it was, then I would be trapped somewhere in the past, and I knew Chaos Control wasn't capable of manipulating time in that way.
I looked up at the brightly-glowing full moon, which made me wonder if the night sky here was still the same as the one back on my world. For the most part, it was, though it didn't take an astronomer to know that some of the star placements looked different, and yet somewhat the same at the same time.
I knew for sure that I was transported through space and not time. I knew Chaos Control enough to know it transported people through space and not time. That would explain how the police here didn't know me.
Something completely unexpected had to have happened to Eggman's Chaos Roboticizer to made it go berserk the way it did. Either he never tested his machine before using it, or the debris from the destroyed E-13 Guardian somehow damaged it. That probably did a number to it, and factoring the seven Chaos Emeralds in addition to that spelled disaster. I had dealt with Chaos Control a number of times before, but I had never seen it happen on a scale that massive before, at least not since Space Colony ARK.
And that's how I got sent to this world. My mind was still filled to the brim with burning questions. Was I stranded on this planet alone? Or could the others have also been sent here as well? If I woke up alone somewhere, chances were good that Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream made it as well, even if they were separated.
Then my eyes widened. If they were here, then that could only mean Eggman and his minions were here too. I closed my eyes and silently vowed to protect this world from him in case he showed up, even if I had to do it alone.
But what if my friends were here? I knew Knuckles could easily take care of himself; he'd been doing it pretty much all his life. Tails and Amy were also somewhat independent. But Cream was just a kid. Even with her Chao to protect her, She couldn't take care of herself like the others could…
But before I could ponder my situation further, I became aware of the sound of motors behind me. Turning around, I saw what looked like five racecars with flashing lights. Strangely, they were some of the first traffic I saw since landing here. They all stopped right in front of the light pole I was sitting on. I figured it was a special branch of police judging by the lights. Finally… something that set this world's technology apart from my own world's humans.
I jumped down from the pole as the hatch of the lead car opened. Out stepped a man dressed in a snazzy red racing jacket.
"Hey," he called, removing his helmet, "I just wanna tell you thanks for giving us a reason to come out here tonight."
I shrugged with a confused expression. That was a really strange thing for a police officer to say.
The hatches of the other cars opened, and their drivers climbed out and ran toward me. "You're under arrest!" one of them shouted.
"Stand down, team," the first man ordered, holding out his hand. "This is a special case. I want to talk to this one myself." I took it he was the leader of this pack.
He turned back to me and leaned on his car. "So… I hear you speak English… so I take it you can understand me?"
I looked at him with an expressionless gaze.
"Not much of a talker, huh? I can work with that. At least stay here a moment and hear me out, okay?"
I gave him a nod, and the man nodded back in satisfaction.
"So yeah… You legit made my night. You're only the second arrest we had all year. I mean, we don't look like it, but we're police. And I'm pretty sure you wanna know who the first guy was, right?"
I was getting some familiar vibes from this guy, but I couldn't place them, so I gave another nod.
"Yeah, I knew you would," the man said with a smirk. "So anyway, this guy… lemme tell you, he was not my average crook. He and a couple of his buddies shoplifted an entire stock of cigarettes from a 7-Eleven. The cops came and busted most of 'em, but not this guy. He was doing a decent 200 on the freeway 'cuz he had this Formula One car. I'm not kidding, he legit owned the thing, and I'm pretty sure those things are not street legal.
"And then we came in, and we took him down like a boss in two minutes. You know how hard it is to catch an F1? And we did it in just two minutes. Took me longer than that just to get out here."
I wasn't sure what to think about all this. It was kinda strange that a guy I never met before was suddenly tooting his own horn. But what was even stranger was that I was getting Jet the Hawk vibes from this guy.
The man sighed. "I gotta admit, you're fast, but let me tell you this one thing before you go anywhere. There can only be one fastest man in Station Square. And that person is me. You can call me the Highway Star. And this is the Station Square Police Department High-Speed Crime Division, or S-Team for short."
I did a double take the moment he mentioned Station Square!
What?! I thought in shock. This looks like a whole new world. No way can there be a Station Square here too!
The Highway Star gave a rather loud exhale. "Well," he said, "this got pretty long and drawn-out. But you know what? I don't do long."
He slipped his helmet on and started to climb back into his car.
"I do fast."
With one downward hand wave, he signaled the other S-Team drivers to chase me down. Four engines revved, and four sets of tires squealed as their drivers sped toward me with one goal in their minds: arrest me and make this Highway Star person the fastest thing in Station Square.
As I took of running, my mind was on Station Square. I had noticed that this planet's Station Square was slightly different than the one I was used to. For one, the layout was altered. There were roads in places I knew there weren't. I had actually needed to scale a few skyscrapers just to get a bird's-eye view of the city's layout. For another, the climate was slightly warmer, which made me wonder if they ever got cold winters.
And the third and most important thing was, I was sure the entire city of Station Square was destroyed by Perfect Chaos roughly 20 years ago. I was there when it happened, and sadly, even though it was rebuilt, it as only a shell of its former self. There was no way it could exist here in its former glory.
I glanced back to see the racecars gaining on me, so I put on some more speed.
You're on, I thought.
Station Square — Sun August 21; 3:42 AM — Third-person POV
Sam wasn't lying when he said this alien was fast.
While the S-Team drivers had to gain speed for about eleven seconds in order to match its speed of two hundred miles per hour, the alien could go from 0 to 200 without breaking a sweat. In fact, they nearly lost sight of it, but they were able to catch up again after a few seconds.
"Target is at four hundred feet and gaining," reported Paul.
Suddenly the alien did something none of the drivers expected. It turned around on a dime and began to run laps around Paul's car. While he was able to keep his coordination and focus on the road, his brain was screaming at the impossibility of what was happening.
"Mayday; target is running around my car," he said as calmly and professionally as he could muster.
"Boost rear flaps to 20 degrees," instructed Hector.
The drivers did as they were told and adjusted the wings accordingly. Soon, four sets of rear flaps clicked into place, lowering the wind resistance on their cars and allowing them to move even faster.
"Lanes are narrowing to three in half a mile," warned George over the drivers' radios.
"Copy that," responded Hector.
Ace gradually accelerated his speed as the alien stopped circling Paul and resumed running ahead of them. "Target has disengaged; now at 300," he reported.
"Box him in, boys," instructed Hector. "Juan, you're up front. I'll take the back."
A chorus of "Roger that!" came over his radio as the drivers tediously moved into position. The Square Formation involved all four drivers using their cars to completely box in a speeder. It was very dangerous, especially at high speeds, yet it was surprisingly effective.
By this point, the full effect of the flaps were kicking in, allowing the drivers to achieve a maximum speed of 250 miles per hour for the angle the flaps were bent at. Because of this, Juan was able to surpass the alien while Ace and Paul took the left and right sides respectively. Hector brought up the rear.
It took them shorter than they expected to box in the alien. That was made even more surprising by the fact that it had way more than enough reaction time to figure out their plan and make its escape. It was almost as if it wanted to be detained.
"Slow down in three," instructed Hector.
Just then the alien leaped out of the square and landed on top of Ace's car. Hector should have seen this coming. His plan had failed.
"He's hitchhiking!" reported Ace, sounding a little frantic.
"Don't panic," Paul advised before glancing at his mini-map next to the dash. "Exiting city limits now."
"Take the exit at Tingalin Villa Drive," Dawn instructed over their radios.
"Copy," responded Hector.
To the rest of his team, he said, "All units, we are taking the offramp at Tingalin Villa. Single file, guys, single file. Paul, get behind Ace."
"Roger."
As all four cars were maneuvering into single file, a new voice crackled over their radios – that of their leader.
"Sam to Hector. Requesting status report."
Hector was pleased Sam always opted to use his real name on official missions, instead of his many nicknames. This was a professional career, and it required that he set aside such a childish preference that would otherwise throw everyone off.
"Target alien is hitchhiking on Ace's vehicle," Hector reported. "Square Formation has failed. Awaiting orders."
"Continue the chase. I'm on my way," Sam said.
"Roger that. Over and out."
Hector couldn't help but notice the tense strain in his leader's voice. He knew he didn't like if anyone was faster than him in Station Square. While Sam loved to go fast for the cause of justice, he often let his ego go to his head. It was a wonder he hasn't failed a mission yet.
But as they were pulling onto Tingalin Villa Drive, Hector was suddenly surprised at the alien standing on the hood of his car. But he knew he couldn't stop. He had to keep moving or risk failing to catch this alien. It couldn't be allowed to roam the streets and continue to possibly be a menace to society.
However, just as soon as it appeared, the alien was gone like it was only an illusion, yet Hector knew he wasn't hallucinating. The alien was now taking off down the road, even faster than before.
But Hector was more than prepared this time.
This guy has to be stopped at all costs.
"Boost rear flaps to 25 degrees and all other flaps to five degrees," he instructed.
The drivers did as they were told and adjusted their wing flaps accordingly over the next five seconds.
"Full throttle on three!" was Hector's next command.
Exactly three seconds later, all four drivers put their pedals to the metal. However, to Hector's dismay, even with their combined increased speed, it still wasn't fast enough. The alien was exceeding their vehicles' maximum speed of 300 per hour, but at the same time was conveniently keeping itself within view of the racers.
Then the blue alien hedgehog made a surprise move that shocked everyone.
"Chief, we have a situation," Ace said. "The alien is literally running backwards at 300 mph."
"He's playing with us!" exclaimed an incredulous Paul, his voice cracking a little.
"Target within half a mile and gaining," Sam said over the radio. "ETA thirty seconds."
If a police race car driver could sound like he was out for blood, Sam Speed fit the bill. He refused to be surpassed as the speed champion of Station Square, much less by someone who wasn't even from Earth.
Station Square - Outskirts — Sun August 21; 3:49 AM — Sonic's POV
Escaping the law may have been a no-go in anyone's book, but these guys were after me for something I didn't commit. Sure, I could own up to accidentally injuring a couple cops in my getaway attempt, but that wouldn't pardon me for being different. It was almost like the time GUN thought I was Shadow when we first clashed.
But no matter. If I was gonna be here a while, then they would have to get good and used to me by the time I got home.
…whenever that would be.
And hey, for all you would-be stunt performers out there on the other side of this screen, just a couple words of advice: don't play in the road, don't stand on top of moving cars, and especially don't use formula one race cars to chase hedgehogs!
Just then I heard the sound of many propellers beating the air above me. Looking up, I caught sight of a news helicopter, as well as a few police helicopters, and waved to my adoring fans out there in TV Land.
And then I noticed the cars starting to do something completely different behind me. The four cars started to move to the left and right lanes, thus opening up the center lane. And barreling toward me right through the middle lane was the Highway Star's car. It already looked like it was much faster than the others, but I was pretty sure a 15-ton hunk of steel wasn't faster than the Fastest Thing Alive.
At first I didn't think he was all that impressive until he suddenly floored the gas, rapidly accelerating from 200 to around 300 miles per hour in just 15 seconds at my estimate.
So yeah, it looked like he wasn't all talk and no action. But he had no idea that two could play at this game.
I too increased my speed and ran faster before the Highway Star had a chance at passing me. I was once again the fastest thing alive, whether it was on Mobius or… whatever this planet was called.
Suddenly the Highway Star's car rocketed forward at skin-rippling speeds of 400 miles per hour. I didn't know how he was able to suddenly go so fast. In fact, I kinda had to admit, he was pretty fun to race against. This world was full of surprises. Sure, I hadn't seen any other Mobians since landing here, but it was good to know there was at least one human here who stood a good chance at one-upping me.
I didn't want to go off-road now, as I was enjoying this race way too much. And once again, he drove faster and ended up passing me with his new-found speed. My mind was riddled with questions.
How did this happen?
Aren't I supposed to be the fastest thing alive?
How is a human able to rival even Shadow and Metal Sonic in terms of speed?
The next thing I knew, the guy was trying to cut me off. I didn't know what his game was, but I was sure he was trying to get me to stop or something. And before I knew it, he activated a loudspeaker that blared from his car. The unexpected noise was so loud that I nearly fell further behind. I could tell he didn't take too kind to settling for second best.
"You will never be faster than me, hedgehog!" he screamed through the loudspeaker. "It'll take a sonic boom for anyone to ever be faster than me on my highway!"
I smirked. He was speaking my language.
"One sonic boom, coming right up!" I announced, even though I knew it was impossible for him to hear me over our speed and his motor.
I took a deep breath, braced myself, and shot forward at speeds in excess of 760 miles per hour, squinting as the air rushed past me at wicked speeds. The resulting sonic boom was music to my ears.
Station Square - Outskirts — Sun August 21; 3:55 AM — Third-person POV
Sam was sitting completely still in his car, his heart racing a mile a minute. He had never been that scared in his life.
He had seen something he thought he would never see even in his wildest dreams. No land object should have been able to achieve mach speed the way that alien just did. In fact, Sam knew the laws of physics should not allow anything to run that fast.
Sam was mentally kicking himself. He practically had him when it decided to take off down the freeway at roughly the speed of sound. Sam knew that nothing, not even any of his own cars, had ever achieved mach speed on the ground. In a word, it was phenomenal.
It was common knowledge that whenever anything moved past the speed of sound, a sonic boom occured. So when the alien took off running, a tremendous explosion-like sound filled Sam's ears. Not only did it nearly cause him to lose control and crash, but it even cracked his ultra-durable windshield, something that had never been done before.
His heart pumped like the pistons in his car in overtime as he pressed a button on the control panel. Since it was fairly difficult to completely stop his car on a dime at maximum speed, he relied on a pair of parachutes to do the job for him.
"Chief!" Dawn's urgent voice came over the radio. "Construction zone in two miles. Road's closed ahead."
"Roger that," Sam reported with a shaky voice. "Target lost at Tingalin Valley Mile 21. Braking now."
Sam's car came to a complete stop a full thirty seconds later, and he sat there panting as the adrenalin from his chase slowly wore off. He let out a frustrated sigh. No way would he catch this alien now. For the first time in his career, his man gave him the slip.
It took a few minutes for the rest of the S-Team to catch up and stop as well. The drivers climbed out of their cars and walked over to Sam's car. Sam lifted his hatch open and climbed out. He removed his helmet, the night air being a vast contrast to the tight air of his car, and threw it on the ground in frustration.
"A sonic boom," he groaned through gritted teeth. "You gotta be kidding me."
"Wait, so that's what happened back there?" Juan asked.
Sam nodded. "Yeah… It just… i-it's, it's impossible," He sighed, his adrenaline still not wearing off yet. "He shouldn't have been able to just… do that."
"Yeah…" Hector said as he gently clapped Sam on the back. "I mean, we don't know if it's… hostile. Only time will tell, I guess."
"I know…" Sam said, "but… this… i-it's is the first time we ever failed a mission – actually no, I failed. I'm the S-Team leader, I take the blame."
"Hey, it was well out of our hands to begin with," said Paul. "We did everything we could… There's nothing to be ashamed of, big guy."
The only sounds that pierced through the midnight silence was the distant sound of construction vehicles. Sam thought over what all had gone down in the past hour. It was certainly the most exciting mission he had ever been on. It was his biggest case, but also his biggest blunder. He could only hope the police commissioner wouldn't be too mad at him.
How could they be, anyway? How could they expect him to catch someone who could make a sonic boom while running on foot. He told himself: this wasn't over.
"You know what? I can't be calling myself the Highway Star after tonight," Sam said as he picked up his helmet.
"Oh really?" Fred replied. "So what are you gonna call yourself, then?"
"Hm… Lemme see…" Sam said, pondering over several possible names, all of them revolving around a single word. Then he placed his helmet back on and looked back at the others.
"How about the Viper of Vengeance?"
Station Square - Outskirts — Sun August 21; 3:55 PM — Sonic's POV
That. Was. Awesome!
I had only spent around ten seconds at supersonic speed before slowing down right near the construction site. That was all I needed to show the Highway Star what real speed was like.
I tried to be careful to avoid being seen by any of the nearby construction workers; I really didn't want to know their reactions to seeing an alien on this planet. Actually, their reactions would have been priceless, but I didn't want to deal with the consequences of that. Last time I checked, explaining the presence of a space alien running through your city was pretty much next to impossible.
I darted away from the construction site, away from the workers, and away from civilization as a whole. I wanted to see what the rest of this world was like. So far, it didn't seem all that different from human-populated places such as South Island. It seemed that this planet and Mobius weren't so different after all.
That was hands-down the best race I had ever run. It was definitely better than the race with Metal Sonic, which was really more of a time crunch; and the escape from the GUN truck from my earlier days. The humans here really knew how to make the fastest thing alive feel welcome.
I soon found myself passing through a wind farm. There were wind turbines dotting the landscape here and there, and as I ran through the wind farm, they began spinning really fast. There was also a cliff right there, and I took a flying leap off of it to get a beautiful bird's eye view of the city below.
And what a beautiful city it was. I had forgotten just how pretty its neon signs and lights were at night. If the Highway Star lived here, there would certainly be good times all around for as long as I was on this planet. This town felt very much like the humans' neck of the woods back on Mobius. This planet seemed to feel like it was sort of closer to home than I thought.
I still couldn't figure out why and how Station Square existed on this world as well. I knew for sure that Perfect Chaos destroyed Mobius' Station Square back on Mobius, but how was it existing here in one piece?
Then I realized, I was too busy thinking about everything that I didn't even realize where I was going to land! I was free-flying through the air, so I had very little say in what speed or direction I wanted to go in, and when I looked down, I saw that I was falling toward a very large and very scary-looking pool on a mega-million mansion's property at the edge of town. That sent panic through me. I could probably regain my footing if I landed on solid ground, but my path wouldn't change no matter how hard I tried to move in midair. I still had no idea how Knuckles was able to do it.
I took a deep breath, bracing myself for my inevitable fate, before landing in the pool with such force that I hit the bottom almost immediately. That was a good thirteen feet down. I imagined I created a giant splash, but I was too busy trying to think of a way to get out of this dark, cold pool.
I tried running, but that didn't work. A giant leap didn't get me any closer to the surface either. My panic was getting the better of me, because normally I did have some mobility underwater. But tonight, however, was not my night.
Then I spotted a ladder on the side of the pool. That could have been my only way out of the pool, but I was really running out of air and energy.
I felt a fiery sensation in my lungs, which could only mean they were crying out for air. Frantic alarms sounded in my head as I began wondering what my fate would be. Would someone hear me and come and rescue me? Or was I destined to silently drown on a familiar, yet alien, world?
Thorndyke Mansion - Chris' room — Sun August 21; 3:57 AM — Chris' POV
I bolted up in bed, thinking I heard a sudden loud noise from outside. If I had to guess how far away it was, I would say it came from somewhere on our property. I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but I was kind of a light sleeper.
I glanced at the clock, and I saw that it read 3:57 AM. Our security was good enough that we didn't need a night watch, so what could possibly have caused that noise on our property?
Just then I became aware of something else. The noise didn't stop. It was still going on. It was almost like a rushing sound, something that sounded just like–
No. It couldn't be. But I had to make sure I wasn't still dreaming.
Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I pulled back the covers and stepped out of bed. As I ran to my window, the first thing I noticed was that the water was landing back into the adult pool. That was really strange. Like… it was still landing back into the pool. It was like something very big had landed in there.
Assuming that was the case, I strained to see what could have landed in the pool. That was when I noticed a dark shape underneath the pool's surface, struggling with all its might to escape. There was something alive in there, definitely an animal. I knew it would drown if no one went out there to save it, which made me the only person who could save it.
Without even bothering to get dressed, I bolted across my room, opened the door, and started down the hall. My family would hear me if I continued running down the hall, so I tiptoed as quickly and quietly as I could, past Ella's room, past Tanaka's room, past the spare rooms, until I finally reached the stairs. Not wearing my sneakers helped me greatly, but I wasn't one to take chances.
There was one major problem with my plan, and it was kind of a long-term issue. My mom had made a rule that I was never allowed to swim in the adult pool without supervision, and I was also not allowed to swim at night. However, I would have to break both rules tonight. I couldn't just let that creature die. Rule or no rule, I had to save it. It would be cruel of me not to.
Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I made a beeline for the back door, which was the only obstacle between me and the pool. Once I arrived, I unlatched the sliding door and pushed it open. I was downstairs, so I didn't have time to care about little things like noise.
When I reached the edge of the pool, I could see that the dark shape in the water was still thrashing. That meant it was still alive. I took a deep breath and dove into the water, not caring that my pajamas were getting wet.
The suddenly cold water was a shock to my body, and if I wasn't awake before, I definitely was now. It was also extremely dark, and the only light was the patio light that automatically turned on when I ran outside. This meant I had a hard time seeing the animal under the water.
As I got closer, I was able to get a better look at the creature. I saw a limb, but it somehow didn't look like any limb I had ever seen before.
Even so, I grabbed it and started pulling it to the surface. To my surprise, the animal was actually working with me. It was quite heavy, maybe over sixty pounds, but since it was cooperating, it actually made the rescue that much easier.
A few seconds later, we broke the surface. I breathed in a lungful of fresh evening air, and climbed out of the pool. It was more difficult than usual because I was still holding on to the animal's limb, and I didn't want its weight to drag me back into the pool. I turned around and used my other hand to help me firmly grasp the animal's…
…gloved hand?
Oh.
My.
Gosh.
This wasn't like any animal I had ever seen. In fact, I didn't think it was even an animal at all! I was so mesmerized by it that I almost forgot to finish pulling it out of the water.
With one last mighty tug from me, the creature surfaced, and I helped it crawl out of the water. Once it was completely out of the pool, it sprawled on the ground with its arms and legs out, coughing violently. Now I was able to get a good look at this creature.
First of all, it had blue fur, and looked more or less like a hedgehog, with the long quills running down its back. It was completely unlike any other animal I had ever seen. In fact, its body shape was very much like a human's, except it was a bit shorter than me. In fact, it only came up to below my chest.
Even if it wasn't much, it even wore some clothes! It was wearing soft white gloves (I would imagine they were soft, but they were very wet at the moment), cuffed socks, and flashy red sneakers similar to my grandpa's Pumas, minus the laces, and sporting a gold buckle on the outside of each one.
Then it dawned on me that this wasn't just a creature I was looking at.
This was an alien.
So many questions filled my mind all at once, but I had to move them aside for now. This alien was choking on pretty much half the pool, and I had to help it out.
I gently patted its back, being careful not to prick myself on its quills.
"Are you okay?" I compassionately asked, not even thinking of whether it knew English. Not that it mattered, though. It could still comprehend emotion.
After it finished coughing for now, it opened its eyes and turned to look at me, which startled me a bit and made me take a step back. Its emerald-green eyes were nearly mesmerizing, and the cartoonishly large eyeballs were joined together just above its black pointed nose. It had a smirk, something I didn't know how to feel about.
"Yeah," the alien spoke. "Could've been worse."
If I wasn't taken aback before, you can bet I was now. The alien had just communicated to me in perfect English, its masculine voice sounding no different than that of a teenager's.
I was at a complete loss for words. The alien could actually talk!
The hedgehog gave me a more easygoing smile. "Thanks for the save back there."
You're welcome, I thought. But on the outside, I couldn't form words. I had been watching Star Wars and Doctor Who for years. To think I could actually see an alien with my own two eyes, let alone meet one… Better yet, this wasn't the kind of alien who was out to conquer civilizations or anything like that. This one seemed… different.
Then I realized, I was forgetting my manners. If this alien could talk, then I should probably introduce myself.
"U-Um… I-I'm Chris…" I introduced, my voice shaking quite badly. I was basically screaming in ecstasy. "Um… Wh-What's your name? D-Do you h-have one?"
The alien started to stand up. He was a bit taller than I thought, because when I looked down, he came to just above my waist.
"The name's Sonic," he spoke in a tone that almost sounded… confident. "Sonic the Hedgehog!"
I felt myself smiling. Sonic the Hedgehog… I really liked that name. So I took it this meant the alien was an animal after all.
But then another question came to mind.
"Um… S-Sonic…" I started, trying to get myself used to the alien's name. "Um… I'm just wondering, um… H-How did you… uh, get here…?"
"Oh, I ran off a cliff at just under the speed of—"
"I- I mean to this planet," I rephrased.
Sonic closed his eyes, as if reminiscing. "Well, it's… it's kind of a long story," he said at last. "I don't really think you would understand if I told you."
"Y-You can tell me if you want," I invited. "I'll try to understand."
Sonic hesitated for the longest time, debating whether he should tell me, before he sighed. "I don't know why, but… it doesn't feel like it's the right time yet."
"Um, i-is it because my guardians are sleeping?"
"Well, that, and…" His voice trailed off, which made me even more curious about how he ended up in the adult pool to begin with.
"I-It's okay," I said, suddenly feeling a surge of boldness I didn't have before. "Um… Do you, um… have somewhere to stay?"
Sonic slowly shook his head. "I only just got here, Chris, so… I can't say that I do."
"Then, um… " I took a deep breath. "…d-do you… w-wanna stay here tonight…?"
Sonic cocked a brow. "Come again?"
I nodded, looking him in the eyes. "Y-Yeah. Um… I-I wanna take good care of you, and… a-and maybe we can somehow get you back home."
"You would do that for me…?" asked Sonic, to which I eagerly nodded again. "You know what, Chris? I think I'll take up your offer."
"I-I think there should be one condition, though," I said.
"Oh? And what's that?"
"I… k-kinda don't want anyone else to see you… i-if that's okay."
Sonic looked confused all of a sudden. "Just to be clear, how are your folks gonna help me out if you're not gonna let them see me?"
"Because…" I couldn't exactly put it into words, but I couldn't help but imagine what would happen if everyone happened to see an alien in their midst. Lots of bad stuff would happen, the government would get involved, I might get in trouble because I wouldn't be able to explain it… I didn't even want to think about it. Fortunately Sonic provided an easy answer.
"Because I'm an alien on your planet?"
I nodded.
Sonic smirked. It wasn't a condescending smirk; far from, actually. Instead, it was a playful and confident one. It was quite friendly in my opinion.
"Well, you don't need to worry about me, Chris. They're never gonna catch me."
"But-"
"You wanna know why? Just watch."
I was pretty sure I blinked, and I saw the hedgehog standing on the other side of the pool. And then I felt the burst of wind from Sonic taking off so fast. In fact, I had a hard time keeping my balance. I was quite shocked at that.
And then I saw a sudden blue trail that moved around the pool in way less than a second, and just like that, he was standing next to me once again.
My jaw was dropping, and I actually found myself taking a step backwards. I was really startled, and I wanted to have time to myself to process everything that was going on.
"See?" declared a confident Sonic. "The fastest thing alive, they call me. It's not every day you get to see someone who can run at the speed of sound. Well… I'm not gonna do that now, of course. Don't wanna wake the neighbors now, do we?"
I blinked in surprise, trying to process that statement. "Y-You can really run at the speed of sound."
Sonic nodded. "Yep." He glanced across the pool, stifling a yawn. "I had a late night getaway from the cops and I gave 'em a little demonstration of Mach One."
"W-Wait, why were they- Oh, because you're an alien?"
The hedgehog nodded again. "Yeah… I take it I'm a sight for sore eyes around here. I'm thinking they thought I was a real threat just because they had no idea who I am… What I am, even. They even brought out-"
"Uh, Sonic?"
"Hm?"
"I-I think we should maybe be a little more quiet. Everyone is still asleep."
"Oh, okay. Sorry."
I looked at the alien as he began slowly wandering around, glancing up at the house and studying all the details of it from outside. Only now did he realize just how big it was.
"Whoa…" he breathed. "Seriously, nice house. Thanks again for letting me stay."
"You're welcome," I modestly replied.
Silence filled the night air, before I turned to Sonic once more, who was still busy looking at all the decorations around my house.
"Um… I'm just wondering, when can you tell me about how you got here?" I asked.
"Definitely not tonight," he said, giving me a tired smile. "Tell you what. How 'bout I tell you once I meet up with a few of my friends first?" he suggested.
Sonic… had friends where he was from? I assumed they were probably also blue hedgehogs like himself, but… If his friends were going to stay here too, then I was going to have a really hard time keeping them a secret from my family, as well as everyone else who might visit us.
"Wait, you have friends?"
"'Course I do!" Sonic answered. "And I'm pretty sure they all came here too, but… can't exactly say I have proof about that. But I do know they're gonna turn up in some way or another."
Sonic yawned. "It's been a long day, and I kinda don't wanna keep you in your wet clothes any longer, so…"
I smiled. Despite my damp, cold, heavy clothes sticking to my skin and making me uncomfortable, I felt warm deep in my core. I hadn't even known Sonic for ten minutes, and he already seemed like a great guy to hang around with.
"Um… I-I sorry I can't get you a towel," I apologized. "I honestly don't want to wake anyone up." That, and there was no way I was going to outright tell them that an alien landed in the pool.
"It's all good," Sonic nodded. "And I'll manage." I hoped he could. Sonic clearly didn't look like he could swim back there.
My thought changed to where the alien could sleep. The house was definitely big enough for him to have one of the spare rooms, but Ella would get suspicious quickly. She would know in a heartbeat there was an intruder inside. However, there was a good alternative option.
"I-If you want, you can sleep in my room," I offered.
Sonic smiled at me, but what he said took me off guard.
"Thanks, but I'll take the roof," opted Sonic, glancing at my confused face. "Nothing I haven't done before."
"Wait, what? But… A-Are you sure…?"
Sonic looked me dead in the eye. "You said you didn't want anyone seeing me, right?"
Now it was my turn to nod in agreement. I was pretty sure no one would ever think to look on the roof for an alien hedgehog who said he could run at the speed of sound.
I watched in awe as Sonic took one mighty leap off the patio and skillfully landed on the sloped roof. I was amazed at how quiet he was when he landed. He quickly found a suitable place to recline and lay down.
"Um… Are you still gonna be there when I wake up…?" I asked, dreading the thought of having him run loose and possibly get caught, even if he could run fast.
"You bet!" he answered with a thumbs-up. "You offered me a home, I'm not gonna turn it down… even if I'm not gonna be here long."
I smiled at this.
"That's good," I said. "Okay… Good night, Sonic."
"Good night, Chris."
I walked back into the house, making sure to lock the sliding door after I closed it. I became even more ecstatic than before. I had just been talking to an alien. Yes, a real live alien from outer space! And he knew English and was speaking back to me! I would have practically run back to my room, but it was still nighttime, and everyone was still asleep.
…Or so I hoped.
I took a quick listen for any signs of anyone up. Even after something as loud as a giant splash, or us talking, the house was still quiet. It was a wonder no one else had woken up after all that. Luck was on my side. Either that, or I was just a light sleeper.
I made my way back upstairs, making sure to tiptoe. My clothes still felt cold and stiff on me, making me uncomfortable. I told myself to make sure to change out of them as soon as I got back to my room.
I tiptoed past the guest rooms, past Tanaka's room, past Ella's room. At last I returned to my own room. Within, my somewhat warm and empty bed awaited me. But I couldn't go back to sleep quite yet. I had to get out of my wet pajamas first. It was a good thing I had a second pair of matching PJs.
So I locked the door, took the pajamas, and changed out of my wet pajamas and into the fresh, clean, dry ones. Already I felt much cozier, but that wouldn't do anything to dry my wet hair. Oh well.
I didn't know what do do with my wet pajamas, until I came up with the idea to stuff them under my bed for the night. I reminded myself to put them in the hamper first thing in the morning. Already there had been too much noise this night.
I also headed to the bathroom and used a towel to dry myself off as best I could. I would have to sleep with wet hair, but it couldn't be helped. Once I was finished, I popped the towel into the hamper and returned to my room.
Before I hit the hay, I took one more look out at the moonlit patio. I knew Sonic was sleeping right above my room, and smiled as I crawled into bed. I knew it was no use trying to sleep that night, but I needed to. School would start Monday. There would be plenty of opportunity to talk with Sonic tomorrow.
Looking at the window, I remembered that just before I went to sleep, I had wished for friends, and this thought made me even more happy than I thought was possible.
Sonic the Hedgehog was the answer to my wish.
I eventually closed my eyes and started counting sheep. Soon I drifted off to sleep, feeling completely happy. My wish had come true. I felt like this was going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
A/N: And there you have it, readers! The first chapter of many in this rewrite of Sonic X! I actually did my best to make this rewrite stand out from all the other Sonic X rewrites. In doing so, I made the chapters as long as I could, as well as much more accurate to reality. Now I know that many Sonic fans are critical of Chris, but I tried to redefine his personality. You should see this come to light in the coming chapters.
- The first major difference between this chapter and the original episode is that I gave the first scene a backstory, since there was no explanation as to how Eggman had all the Chaos Emeralds, and why Cream and Cheese were captured. As for Rouge, her presence will be explained in a later chapter. And I thought is also made sense to add Bokkun in the scene as well.
- I also wanted to add Badniks to this scene, as well as the whole story, because why wouldn't there be Badniks?
- I took a creative liberty by adding in the EMP gas. It won't appear too much in the story, though.
- I also wanted to clarify why Tails was excited when Knuckles showed up, as well as give them and Amy an active role in the break-in and rescue, as I didn't want them to useless and stand on the side.
- Since this is a post-Forces rewrite of Sonic X (probably the only one out there), the game adaptations already happened, so this would be the first large-scale Chaos Control event without Super Sonic.
- I added a brand new scene to introduce my readers to Chris and his family, and showcases Chris' desire for friends.
- I made the police much more mature compared to the episode.Sorry if I don't know too much police scanner talk, though.
- I gave the S-Team a more official-sounding name (even though they are still nicknamed the S-Team), and I also gave all the drivers names.
- I gave a proper explanation for why Sam didn't arrest Sonic immediately.
- I made Sam's reaction to the sonic boom more genuine.
- I greatly extended the scene where Chris and Sonic met.
I think that about wraps up this chapter. This was SUPER long, more than four times as long as my longest chapter (SMB:TNC Chapter 6). There will not be a set update schedule, but I hope to get the "Sonic to the Rescue" rewrite up some time next month!
I'm hoping to get not just rave reviews, as any good fanfiction writer strives for, but also constructive criticism too. You can help this story to become great! I want to know any weaknesses you see that I don't, and I'll do my best to correct them.
Next time is "Sonic to the Rescue", where Sonic breaks one of his friends out of a top-secret government base! Don't miss it!
