Chapter 1

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Trevor Phillips, guilty of kidnapping Lazlow Jones."

Trevor flew clear off the handle. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

Lazlow took the stand to deliver his victim impact statement. "First, you chased me two miles into the Los Santos River. Then, you gave me the hardest time about the tattoo that one of your lackeys drew on me by force. Then, you held me hostage to the point where I was terrified for my very life. If the cops had shown up just one second later, I would have been struck right in the forehead by a shotgun round. And now, I'm on three separate medications for PTSD."

The presiding judge was Claude Frollo, with some pre-sentencing comments. "Kidnapping is every parent's worst nightmare, and it can be every bit as big of a nightmare for a kidnapped kid. However, you, Lazlow, are not a kid anymore. That said 18 is the age of self defense, not just the age of reason. Trevor, your sentence is to be exiled to the American mainland, the longest way from your friends, Michael, Franklin, and Jimmy. In addition, you can only bring along five percent of your money and property. Take him away, please."

The Marshals wasted no time, taking Trevor away in the patrol car. They got him to the airport in good time, but to save money, Trevor opted for the flight to Kentucky.

Over in Nebraska, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow, and Amy Rose were all being hunted down by three of Don Karnage's lackeys, Mad Dog, Dumptruck, and Hal. All three were armed with tasers, mace, handcuffs, and bullet proof vests. And they were all under Karnage's orders with the same thing in mind- a top profiting zoo. Top profiting, because the Sonic Characters were amazingly different.

"Quick! Into the mall!" urged Sonic. "Our best bet is to whip up some good disguises."

Shadow picked out a business suit. Rouge and Amy both went for ball gowns. Knuckles went for a head to toe University of Kentucky outfit. Sonic selected a U.W. Madison hoodie. And Tails had the sense to choose a tank top and a pair of sweatpants that he could tuck one of his tails into.

After checkout, Knuckles was glowing with pride. "No one will recognize us now."

"Not so loud, Knuckles," whispered Sonic. "We can't afford to let our guard down, just yet." And he continued with a further briefing in whispers. "Okay everyone, let's split up, make sure the coast is clear, chat only via text, and we'll rondevu back home in Vegas. Got it?"

"You got it," answered Knuckles.

"Count me in," added Amy.

Chapter 2

After Trevor landed in Kentucky, the Marshals removed his restraints and sent him on his way. He immediately turned on his smartphone to check for a text or email, but there were only a couple of spam messages.

Minutes later, he did get a text. It was from Don Karnage. "Hey Trevor, I found out about what happened to you this morning. Do you still have your phone on you?"

Trevor wasted no time responding. "Luckily, I do."

Trevor got his message tone again but waited until he was in line for a rental car to read it. It was, once again, from Don Karnage. "If you can make it to Cedar Spring, KY, I have a job for you."

Trevor gasped and sent an urgent question. "You flew all the freaking way to Kentucky with me?"

Karnage quickly sent an answer. "It's not me who's located in Cedar Springs. It's my trucking company, named after my marvelous self."

Trevor was quick to send the next question. "You mean they're named Karnage Transport?"

The answer arrived just a minute later. "Exactly that, and we're always hiring behind the wheel, sometimes as young as ten. Starting pay is 48 cents a mile split. That's to say we hire Olympic veterans, refugees, felons, and even high school dropouts. Needless to say, though, no alcohol offenders. If you're in, tell me now, and I'll tell the dispatch team you're on your way."

Trevor got out of line, called an Uber and entered the destination, Karnage Transport. Then, he texted his reply. "I'm all in."

Sure enough, as soon as Trevor arrived at the terminal, he was immediately handed two of the same Kenworth key and given his first load. "Starting out, you will be on the night shift since you have a senior driving partner," stated the dispatcher. "And for your first assignment, I need you to take a load to Bonnie Springs, Las Vegas. It's right here in the middle of the truck lot. It's the shipping container on a flatbed trailer. And inside, you'll find the decorations to disguise it as a VIP pavilion, but really, it's a trap for The Sonic Characters. You and your driving partner will be unloading the decorations at the destination, and the rest falls to Mad Dog and Dumptruck. Got it?"

"You got it," Trevor replied.

"And your new driving partner is waiting in your truck for you."

Trevor quickly found his way to his new truck, and was surprised to find out who his new partner was. "Jimmy Townley! You finally found a skilled job!"

"You bet I did," replied Jimmy with gratitude.

Tails checked every detail around him to make sure Mad Dog and Dumptruck had not tracked him down. And just for better measure, he took an alternate route and ended up totally disoriented in the middle of Missouri. It was now 11:16 PM, and the only civilization in sight was a truck stop. He looked around for a truck he could stow away on, but in a couple short minutes, something else caught his eye. It was a truck driver he had enjoyed playing as for a couple years. "I know who you are!" he exclaimed to the guy.

The guy was startled.

"You're Trevor Phillips!" Tails continued.

Chapter 3

"How did you know that?" Trevor asked in surprise.

"I've played as you in Grand Theft Auto," Tails answered.

"Is it just me?" asked Trevor. "Or have your parents been neglectful?"

"That's the sad part," answered Tails. "I never knew them. Anyway, I need your help urgently. I'm on the run from Mad Dog and Dumptruck."

"Well then," said Trevor. "Come on board and you should be plenty far away from those big, bad bastards in no time."

Tails wasted no time, going with Trevor, and they hit the road as hard as a nail. Once Trevor merged, he had some further questions. "Well, who might you be?"

"Tails was quick to talk. "The name's Tails. That might sound weird, because I only have one tail. But Don Karnage wants me and all my friends for a top profiting zoo. I think it's because of our physical abnormalities."

Trevor was now a little emotional. "He must be relentlessly greedy if he's targeting someone as young as you."

"That's what's prolonging our fear," said Tails with a yawn. "He has such little regard for certain people's rights and even certain animals' rights, like mine and Sonic's." And he and Trevor quickly exchanged phone numbers. But minutes later, Tails was fast asleep. At 7:00 the following morning, Trevor stopped at another truck stop to do his post trip inspection. He grabbed a quick breakfast, bought one for Tails as well, and returned to the truck to wake him and Jimmy up. As soon as Jimmy took the wheel and merged, Tails knew just who it was. "I've seen you in Grand Theft Auto as well, haven't I?"

"You sure have," Jimmy answered. "I just wish I had more home time in this job."

"Maybe it'll look good on your resume," Tails encouraged. "That is for a crane operator job."

"I see your point," replied Jimmy. "but I'm terrified of heights."

"That's a shame," Tails replied sadly. "because Trevor and I both have a pilot's license. More importantly, though, plenty of heavy equipment operators don't sit 65 feet in the air."

When it was time for Jimmy's 30 minute lunch break, he, too, bought a good meal for Tails.

At 10:47 pm, Jimmy and Trevor finally made their delivery to Bonnie Springs, and Tails had his window open for cool, fresh air, barely awake. Trevor quickly got out and undid the heavy duty straps. Minutes later, Mad Dog arrived in a Container Handler and quickly grabbed the container off the trailer. He had only just backed away when he noticed something suspicious in the passenger seat. He quickly got on the walkies-talkie. "Is it just me, your daringness, or is that one of our targets, hiding in that truck?"

Don Karnage was on the other end. "Let's have a look. Shall we?" He opened the door, climbed right up, and right there, in the passenger seat, sat Tails. He tried to grab the fox by the wrist, but Tails rapidly woke up, shoved him down, slammed the door, threw the truck into gear, and took off with Jimmy in the bunk.

Chapter 4

Trevor was alarmed. "Jimmy, where the hell are you going?"

"Don't worry, Trevor," Karnage told him. "I'll catch him." and immediately took off after Tails in his chopper. He caught up quickly and gave the warning. "Tails, if you don't pull over, I will be forced to break in on you and throw you out that window. Surrender immediately."

Tails locked the truck doors and pressed on, but it was still very unnerving, weaving through traffic in a twelve-foot-tall diesel Kenworth, even with no load to spill on the interstate.

Don Karnage continued on the loudspeaker. "I'm warning you, Tails. All of my trucks are equipped with a tracking device. No matter how far you go, I'm sure to find the stolen Kenworth!"

Tails attempted to pull ahead anyway, just to avoid letting Karnage see where he was disappearing to. But at this point, Jimmy had woken up. "Tails! Where the hell is Trevor?"

"It's a long story, Jimmy," answered Tails. "The short version is Don Karnage is on our Tail!"

"Don Karnage is the CEO for crying out loud!" cried Jimmy.

"Karnage is after me and five of my friends for a top earning zoo!" cried Tails. "He believes our abnormalities will blow people away!"

"I don't see any such thing about you, Tails," Jimmy argued.

Tails had forgotten what he had been hiding. "Have a look, Jimmy," and he threaded his other tail through the small hole under his waistband.

Meanwhile, Don Karnage was getting annoyed and unleashed it through the loudspeaker. "I'll give you to the count of three to pull all the way over and come to a complete stop. One…"

Tails addressed Jimmy again. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jimmy was totally puzzled. "What in the world are your thinking?"

"Two…" Karnage continued.

Tails stopped the truck and hopped out. "Quick, Jimmy! Grab my ankles!" And as soon as Jimmy had a tight grip, Tails spun his tails and took off.

Meanwhile, seeing that Tails had stopped the truck, Karnage landed his chopper right behind it, hopped up on the empty trailer, and grabbed Jimmy by the ankles. But Tails still had enough lifting capacity for both of them, So Mr. Karnage knew what he had to do. He climbed right up Jimmy and tickled Tails in the belly. That was just what it took for a rapid descent and an arrival from Sonic. "Guys, what are you doing, messing around with Tails?"

Before Don Karnage could speak up, Jimmy told the story. "Tails got disoriented, so Trevor and I gave him a ride out this way. He and I are now driving partners."

"Driving partners for Karnage Transport?" Sonic asked further.

"Yes," answered Jimmy.

Sonic turned his attention to Don Karnage, himself. "Mr. Karnage, are you the CEO?"

"I sure am," Karnage answered. "I also have a pilot's license, just like Tails, and back, that way, is my private chopper."

"Regardless, you have no business, kidnapping me or any of my friends. Not to drive your trucks, not as hostages, not even to join your airborne circus."

"That, not for you to decide," Karnage insisted. "Now, mark my words. If I catch Tails messing around with my damn fleet again, he gets four hours in the tickle machine. And if you try to elude me again tomorrow, the same will happen to you."

Chapter 5

Back home, the following day, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, and Amy were laying low, hoping desperately that Don Karnage would never be able to sniff them out. For their first move, they met in the living room to discuss their game plan. "Well everyone," said Sonic. "What should be our first move if Mr. Karnage breaks in on us?"

Shadow was the first to propose something. "How about a homing attack?"

Amy had the second idea. "How about awkward affection? I've seen it work against him before."

Rouge, Shadow, and Tails laughed hard.

Sonic stepped in quickly. "It's no laughing matter. If Karnage catches us, we might be trapped with him for life."

Knuckles had the third suggestion. "How about a six on one boxing match against him?"

Sonic was less than confident in that idea. "It might be 20 of his minions who gang up on us. Not Karnage alone. And we can't just spend our lives, running away."

Rouge was the next to chime in. "I really like Amy's idea."

"So do I," added Shadow.

"Well then," declared Sonic, "Awkward affection, it is."

Now that the meeting was over, Tails went right under his covers and texted Trevor. "Goodbye Trevor. I really hope you can return to Vegas soon."

Tails was just about to send the text when Knuckles walked in on him. "Is it just me or are you engaging with one of Don Karnage's Lackeys?"

"He's a good guy," answered Tails. "He drives one of many big rigs for Karnage Transport."

Knuckles was getting unnerved. "He's simply trying to manipulate you into siding with all of Karnage's lackeys!"

"He's no secret agent," Tails argued. "He's just a truck driver. It was the only work he could find."

Meanwhile, Trevor and Jimmy went to a northwestern sawmill to pick up a big load of lumber. For the next couple months, they continued hauling various shipping containers and many types of building materials from cinder blocks to plywood to drywall. And every morning and night, Tails and Trevor continued texting back and fourth without Sonic's knowledge, partly about Trevor's travels, partly about recent news, and partly about how things were going with Tails and his lifelong roommates. All the while, Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, and Amy laid low, refusing all party invitations, including VIP invitations, and even going grocery shopping in disguise, but they could only handle so much time in one location.

Eventually, Tails got the text update, from Trevor, that he'd been yearning for. "Good news, Tails. Jimmy and I are delivering a container load of home robots to Vegas. We'll be at Walmart sometime tonight. I'll let you know when we get there. I promise."

Tails spent the day playing indoor games with his roommates as he had done 62 days before, but his time to sneak out was by no means far from his mind. That night, when he got the arrival news from Trevor, at 1:03 am, he put on his disguise, took off his shoes, grabbed Shadow's car keys, and tiptoed downstairs as close to the wall as possible so as not to make any squeaks or creeks. He made it out the front door without waking anyone up, put his shoes back on, stepped into Shadow's Lexus as quietly as possible, and made his way to Walmart.

Chapter 6

When Tails made it to Walmart, he went around back and immediately saw the flatbed truck with a different shipping container. He knocked on the driver side door, and out stepped Trevor to hug him.

"Trevor," whispered Tails. "it's so good to see you."

"It's so good to see you too," Trevor whispered.

"How have things been on the road?" Tails asked.

Trevor was in good spirit. "I've seen plenty of beautiful landscapes along the way. The weeks have passed me by quickly. And I've made some very good money."

"That sounds swell," Tails replied. "but my roommates and I have been laying low for a couple months, only going out in disguise."

Before Trevor could talk any further, he and Tails heard an alarmingly familiar voice. "Tails, I thought Don Karnage told you to steer clear." It was Jimmy.

Tails hopped right back into Shadow's Lexus and made a break for it. And Jimmy immediately took the wheel of the truck to get a shot of the license plate on the dash cam.

Tails tried driving through the familiar, residential area to loose the Kenworth, and it worked. But the next pursuer to spot him was Shadow, who made a dash after him and used his homing attack to hop on.

Shadow made his way up front and used his spare key to get in. From there, he called the big antic into question. "Tails, who the hell are you running from?"

Tails immediately came clean. "I'm running from Karnage Transport, because Karnage, himself hates my friendship with one of his drivers!"

Shadow got suspicious. "A trucking company would not hate such a relationship unless you were messing around with them!"

"It's not that simple!" cried Tails. "Karnage's lackey's spotted me a couple months ago and almost got me! Now, they're about to find out your license plate number!"

"I have an idea," replied Shadow. "Let's split up behind one of these mansions. I'll take the wheel while you slip away in the other direction."

"Why didn't I think of that?!" Tails exclaimed. So he got in the back while Shadow got behind the wheel. Shadow performed some parking brake turns to outmaneuver the Kenworth, and once out of Jimmy's line of vision, Tails rolled down his window, flew out, and hid behind a parked car. Meanwhile, Shadow put the car in drift made, just to taunt Jimmy and lured him out onto a four lane highway and right across the median. That was where the 18-wheeler got stuck.

Chapter 7

Jimmy hopped out and spotted two amazing-looking cars street racing. He attempted to hijack one of them to continue the chase, but the guy couldn't stop in time to avoid hitting him. Jimmy was badly bleeding, unable to walk, and the racer hopped wasted no time, calling 911.

Trevor spotted the ambulance and was immediately suspicious. He quickly stole a car and arrived on scene to see what had happened. When he saw Jimmy's injuries, he was flat out devastated. He wasted no time, texting Tails. "Tails! If it takes until I'm old and gray, I WILL get you back for Jimmy's injury! You hear me?! I WILL get back at you!"

Minutes later, Shadow, found Tails, and the reunion was amazing. "Oh, Tails, thank goodness we knew what to do in that chase! Thank goodness you made it! Get in."

Tails came clean about the text message, and Sonic had a panic attack. "On, no! Oh, no! On, no! Oh, no! On, no! Oh, no! On, no! Not only is Don Karnage hunting us down, but his smartest lackey is hot on the trail! Hot, I tell you!"

Knuckles was still confident in victory. "Amy and I can handle a fight like that, easily!"

Tails was still frantic. "Karnage has hundreds of lackeys, not just Trevor. And if just one of them finds us, they all gang up on us! All of them!"

And Sonic was also ready of concede. "I'm afraid Tails is right. It looks like we'll have to relocate." So the six of them packed their bags, piled into Rouge and Shadow's cars, and headed straight to Montana.

As it just so happened, The Karnage Transport Terminal was equipped with an infrared radar dish, and one of the dispatchers immediately relayed the news to Don Karnage, himself via text. "Mr. Karnage, I have news about Sonic and his roommates. They're on their way to Missoula, Montana."

Don Karnage wasted no time, having two of his stunt planes shipped to Missoula and texting Mad Dog, Dumptruck, Trevor, Hal, and even two documented school bullies, Ian Hecox and Stephen Quire, for a 1:00 am (Central Time) Zoom meeting. And the meeting began right on schedule. "Stephen, Trevor, Dumptruck, how many of you would like to make a good $1,600 in a couple days?"

"Honest?" asked Dumptruck.

"You mean it?" asked Ian.

Karnage was quick to explain. "That's what you each get if you successfully help me capture the six Sonic characters who are taking cover in Missoula, Montana. Ian, Stephen, I know you already live there. That's why I've turned to you in addition."

Trevor was quick to step in. "So what's the plan, Mr. Karnage?"

Karnage carried it out well. "Ian, Stephen, the job for the two of you is to dress up in suits and invite Sonic and his roommates to the 'Monte VIP Aerobatic Show.' Once they're distracted, we need you to change clothes, tackle them, and throw them in a net. Hal, you'll be helping with the apprehension. Mad Dog, Dumptruck, Trevor, the distraction is where the four of us come in. I will fly one stunt plane. Trevor, you will fly the other. Mad Dog, you will do the wing walking with me. Dumptruck, you'll be doing it with Trevor. Once the have the six targets in custody, we'll be flying them straight to California to put in my brand new zoo. Any questions?"

Trevor totally relished the idea. "I'm all in!"

Stephen was equally excited. "Sounds right up our alley."

Mad Dog was smiling. "Let's do this."

Chapter 8

Once Don Karnage and the rest of the appointed crew rested up and made preparations, they were hot on the case. First, Ian and Stephen dressed up in suits and knocked on Sonic's door.

Shadow answered it. "I know who you two are. You both went viral on YouTube."

"And it gets better," added Ian. "We wish to invite you to the Monte VIP Aerobatic Show, which we'll be putting on today, just for the six of you."

Shadow wasted no time, carrying out the news. "Sonic! Amy! Tails! Knuckles! Rouge! We just landed VIP invites to the Monte Aerobatic Show!"

Shadow's five roommates wasted no time, at all, following him out the door, and the six of them piled right into Shadow's car and followed Ian and Stephen over there.

Meanwhile, Karnage and Phillips were getting into position to be ready to take off as soon as Sonic and his roommates showed up. They showed up right on schedule. Stephen immediately texted Karnage to let him know. And Karnage gave Trevor the signal. "Phillips, we are clear for takeoff."

Once Karnage and Phillips both gained an 180 foot altitude, the began their act. They started with an outside loop in formation. Next, they carried out a knife flight in formation. For a third stunt, they got into side-by-side formation and performed eight consecutive rolling snaps in precise synchronization. From there, Karnage and Phillips knew they had Sonic and his roommates just where they wanted them, totally distracted from the bullies who were about to tackle them. They got out of formation and got into position to perform a stunt head-on with one another. When they were just about to hit each other head on, they got into another knife flight position and used their elevators to put their planes in a whirlwind. But 20 seconds later, when Trevor tried to steer out of it, he and Karnage clipped their wings right on each other's planes and came tumbling right out of the sky. Ian and Stephen moved in to tackle Tails and his roommates before the distraction expired, but they weren't able to grab Tails before he flew in to save Don Karnage and Trevor. Tails did grab Karnage before he grabbed Phillips had just enough lifting power to save both from breaking or fracturing any bones on impact.

Although he successfully saved Karnage and Phillips, Tails was still a little dismayed about one thing. "Mr. Karnage, I'm sorry your plane was wrecked."

"It's okay, Tails," said Don Karnage. "I have both planes insured."

"And you saved both of our skins," added Trevor.

"I agree," said Don Karnage and declared something important. "Stephen, Ian, release the Sonic Characters immediately."

Stephen was quite disgruntled. "You promised us 1,600 freaking dollars, each!"

"I can't do that right here," Karnage answered. "but I can offer you a very well paying job with Karnage Transport. 48 cents a mile, split. Which of you would like to be Trevor's new driving partner?"

Ian, Stephen, and Tails all raised their hands.

"Tails," said Don Karnage. "Since you and Trevor are such good friends, I choose you. Stephen, Ian will be your driving partner. Would anyone else like a trucking position?"

This time, there was no show of hands.

Karnage didn't take it any further. "Suit yourselves, then."

65 days later, Tails finished his over the road training and was assigned to start out on the night shift, but still totally overjoyed to see Trevor. "Trevor! Long time, no see! How have things been for you out here?"

Trevor was equally pleased about the reunion. "This has been a really good trucking job out here. Our first load as a team is 40 tons of drywall, due in Florida, and having you by my side is going to make an already good trucking job something special."