Chapter 4 - Late Night Events
"Okay..." Sonic said, brandishing several bags of hot food from various locations, "we got tacos for Lazer and Rebecca...a cheeseburger for Ames...fish and chips for Anth from Big's shop..."
"Yeah...I didn't realize that he owned a seafood shop and fishing tackle store," Anthony remarked. "Though I shouldn't be too surprised..."
"...and chili dogs for the rest of us." Sonic said, setting out all the food. "When Tails gets back, we can dig in!"
"Who's he calling, by the way?" Anthony asked.
"We were planning to meet with someone tomorrow, and then head over to Twinkle Park," Amy explained. "Actually...you should know who we're meeting with, since we met her in Mobotropolis. Lisa Echidna."
(A/N: This was covered in one of my MiSTs...before FF.net removed it.)
"Oh yeah..." Anthony said, remembering how she was commissioned to paint a picture for Arcadia, and then turned towards Lazer, Red Sonic, and Ryan. "You should get a kick out this, guys...she's ALSO a SIFF."
"Holy SHIT...how many fanfiction authors wrote about us?!?" Ryan asked.
"I'd show you...but rat.org no longer exists..." Anthony quipped.
Tails finally rejoined the group and said, "Lisa's ready to meet us tomorrow. I even got a hold of Teila and told her we're here, so she'll be joining us as well."
Anthony heard the word "Teila" again, but shook it off, thinking, "Nah...can't be the same one...too much of a coincidence..."
"Well, let's dig in before this food gets cold," Sonic said, "and letting a chili dog get cold is a sin!"
"I'm with that..." Tails said, looking at the chili dogs hungrily.
No further words were said as the group dug into the food.
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That evening, most of the group had already gone to bed. Anthony had just finished tucking Amy in, and noticed Sonic walking out of the door.
"Sonic," Anthony said quietly, "where are you going?"
"Just for a run, Anth," Sonic said. "I'm not tired yet, and I figured a good run should tire me out."
"Alright...I'll tell Sally if she wakes up and wonders where you are..." Anthony said.
Sonic nodded and then headed towards the elevator. Anthony watched as the elevator closed, and began to worry...since he sensed that Sonic had another reason for heading out.
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Sonic ran down the main street of Station Square, creating a blue blur as he headed towards his destination. He finally stopped near a public park, and walked towards a secluded area near some bushes. There, he knelt down near a small stone marker which read, "In loving memory of hero who made everyone happy - Shadow the Hedgehog".
"Hey, buddy..." Sonic said, seeming to talk to the marker. "You didn't think I'd forget about you, did ya?" Sonic then frowned and said, "That's the problem. Not a day goes by without me thinking I could've saved you." He then fingered the lettering which said "Shadow", and with a tear in his eye said, "Goddess...if you can hear me Shadow...please, forgive me..." He then let several tears out, remembering his friend.
Sonic was then snapped to attention when he heard a voice say, "There was nothing you could have done, Sonic. You must know that by now."
Sonic quickly wiped away his tears and looked up towards the source of the voice, and saw a familiar face. A white furred female bat, wearing white elbow length gloves with pink cuffs, knee length boots, and a pink and black jumpsuit. She also had what looked like an arm bracelet on her left upper arm.
"Rouge..." Sonic said, getting up to meet her. "What are you doing here?"
"I've been around..." Rouge said. "I actually work for Station Square's government as an investigator. When I told Knuckles I was looking for something better than jewels...I didn't tell him it was justice."
"To prevent what happened to Shadow from happening again, huh?" Sonic said.
Rouge nodded, and then, to Sonic's surprise, she embraced the blue hedgehog and gave him a warm hug. "I figure you could use this...Goddess, it's good to see you again..."
"Thanks, Rouge..." Sonic said, returning the hug. After releasing it, he then said, "You know, you should meet Anth. He's here on vacation too."
"Yes...I heard the Gamemaster was here..." Rouge remarked.
"Say..." Sonic said, getting an idea, "why don't you join us tomorrow? You can meet him and the rest of the gang then. Knuckles is even going to be there."
"Sure, why not?" Rouge said. "It will be nice to see everyone again."
After saying this, Sonic then heard a voice say, "Sonic?" Sonic turned towards the source and saw Sally and Ryan running towards them.
"Sal? Ryan? What are you guys doing here?" Sonic asked.
"Anthony told me you had gone out for a run...and told me his suspicions that you had another reason," Sally said. "So...I figured you'd be here..."
"Damn that psion..." Sonic said.
"Sonic...don't blame Anthony..." Sally said, and then noticed Rouge off to the side. "Oh...Rouge! I didn't realize you were in Station Square..."
"Actually, I live here. I'm in charge of the city's security and investigations," Rouge said, stepping forward. "It's good to see you again, your highness."
"Please Rouge, no need for the formalities..." Sally said. "Just Sally is fine."
"Alright..." Rouge said. "Sonic actually invited me to join you tomorrow so I could meet the Gamemaster."
"Yeah...I was invited as well," Ryan commented. "We should probably head back to our respective homes...Sonic, you'd better escort Sally back. Rouge, do you need an escort?"
"Why, thank you, Ryan," Rouge said as Sonic picked up Sally and sped off.
After those two had disappeared, Rouge asked, "So...what were you doing here?"
"Sally wanted me to help her find Sonic and figured he'd be here, but she wasn't sure," Ryan commented as the two walked.
"I see..." Rouge said, and was suddenly knocked down from someone brushing against her. "Hey! Watch it!" She then noticed the person was running off and then felt her upper arm. "He has my bracelet!"
"Let's get this guy..." Ryan said as the two chased him, and noticed him running into Radical Highway...
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STAGE 3 - Radical Highway
CHARACTERS: Rouge/Bat
MUSIC: "In the Beginning, There was Light?" from Valkyrie Profile
OBJECTIVE: Catch that thief!
Radical Highway was nearly empty as Ryan and Rouge tried to catch up to the thief. They noticed him trying to escape through some of the buildings on the side.
"You take the high road, Rouge, and fly up to see if you can find him," Ryan said. "I'll take the low road and follow on foot."
"Yeah, well if you reach the thief before me, I'll be disappointed..." Rouge said, and took off skyward.
Ryan continued to run towards the shadowy figure that was trying to get away. "Stop, you!" Ryan yelled, and cursed himself that he couldn't use his sidearm. After all, local law prohibited it unless the perp shot first.
Meanwhile, Rouge reached the rooftops and saw the thief with Ryan in hot pursuit. She deftly jumped from rooftop to rooftop to get ahead of the thief and readied herself for an attack. When the thief came in range, she dived down and sent a hard kick to the thief, dropping him to the ground and sending the bracelet flying towards Ryan, who caught it.
Rouge then got a good look at the thief, and saw that she knew who it was. "Nack? You again?"
Nack shook his head to recover, and then looked up at Rouge with fear. "I'm sorry...I just need the money! With my rep, I can't get a decent job anywhere to support myself!"
"Well, stealing from ME didn't help much either!" Rouge said, forcably bringing Nack to his feet. "I'll let you go this time since the paperwork for turning you in would take to damn long...but if I see you stealing again, I'll send you six feet under!"
"*gulp* Yes, ma'am!" Nack said, and ran off.
Rouge shook her head and then looked towards Ryan. "Ryan, shall we get going?"
Ryan wasn't paying attention. He was focused on the bracelet that was recovered and had a strange look on his face. He was snapped to attention when he heard Rouge say, "Thanks for getting that, by the way..."
"This bracelet..." Ryan said, handing it to Rouge. "Isn't this...Shadow's?"
"Yes..." Rouge said, replacing it on her upper arm. "My way of remembering him..."
"I see..." Ryan said, and then looked down at the ground sadly.
Rouge looked at Ryan and said, "What's wrong?"
"I wasn't exactly nice to Shadow..." Ryan said, "challenging him to fights when we met, laughing at him when I actually beat him. Then he actually saves the world...and dies as a result. If that doesn't make you feel like a jerk..."
"Hey, we all had our bad moments," Rouge said. "I actually tried to steal the Master Emerald."
"Yeah, I know..." Ryan said. "I only wish I could have made peace with the guy before he died..."
Rouge nodded in understanding. "Looks like Sonic isn't the only one suffering. Come...I'll walk with you back to our homes."
Ryan nodded in understanding, and the two of them walked back towards Station Square's main street.
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The elevator doors opened at the top of the hotel, and Sonic and Sally exited it and headed towards their room. As they opened the door, Sally asked, "Sonic...why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry, Sal..." Sonic said. "I mean, you guys were already worried about Anthony, you didn't need to worry about me."
"But you should've told someone about that nightmare," Sally said.
"He did...he told me..." a voice said, and then Sally and Sonic saw Anthony walk towards them. "Frankly, I'm surprised he didn't tell you. Was he where you thought he was?"
"Yes, he was..." Sally remarked.
Anthony nodded in understanding. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea..."
"No, I'll be fine, Anth..." Sonic said. "I...just needed to see the marker again...say goodbye...pray for forgiveness..."
"Oh, Sonic..." Sally said, embracing Sonic. "Come on...let's get to bed. We can talk about this in the morning..."
Anthony said his goodnights as Sonic and Sally reentered their bedroom. He then looked out of the window towards the night sky, and was deep in thought. After a while, he returned to his own bedroom...wondering whether this trip was for his benefit...or for Sonic's.
"Okay..." Sonic said, brandishing several bags of hot food from various locations, "we got tacos for Lazer and Rebecca...a cheeseburger for Ames...fish and chips for Anth from Big's shop..."
"Yeah...I didn't realize that he owned a seafood shop and fishing tackle store," Anthony remarked. "Though I shouldn't be too surprised..."
"...and chili dogs for the rest of us." Sonic said, setting out all the food. "When Tails gets back, we can dig in!"
"Who's he calling, by the way?" Anthony asked.
"We were planning to meet with someone tomorrow, and then head over to Twinkle Park," Amy explained. "Actually...you should know who we're meeting with, since we met her in Mobotropolis. Lisa Echidna."
(A/N: This was covered in one of my MiSTs...before FF.net removed it.)
"Oh yeah..." Anthony said, remembering how she was commissioned to paint a picture for Arcadia, and then turned towards Lazer, Red Sonic, and Ryan. "You should get a kick out this, guys...she's ALSO a SIFF."
"Holy SHIT...how many fanfiction authors wrote about us?!?" Ryan asked.
"I'd show you...but rat.org no longer exists..." Anthony quipped.
Tails finally rejoined the group and said, "Lisa's ready to meet us tomorrow. I even got a hold of Teila and told her we're here, so she'll be joining us as well."
Anthony heard the word "Teila" again, but shook it off, thinking, "Nah...can't be the same one...too much of a coincidence..."
"Well, let's dig in before this food gets cold," Sonic said, "and letting a chili dog get cold is a sin!"
"I'm with that..." Tails said, looking at the chili dogs hungrily.
No further words were said as the group dug into the food.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That evening, most of the group had already gone to bed. Anthony had just finished tucking Amy in, and noticed Sonic walking out of the door.
"Sonic," Anthony said quietly, "where are you going?"
"Just for a run, Anth," Sonic said. "I'm not tired yet, and I figured a good run should tire me out."
"Alright...I'll tell Sally if she wakes up and wonders where you are..." Anthony said.
Sonic nodded and then headed towards the elevator. Anthony watched as the elevator closed, and began to worry...since he sensed that Sonic had another reason for heading out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sonic ran down the main street of Station Square, creating a blue blur as he headed towards his destination. He finally stopped near a public park, and walked towards a secluded area near some bushes. There, he knelt down near a small stone marker which read, "In loving memory of hero who made everyone happy - Shadow the Hedgehog".
"Hey, buddy..." Sonic said, seeming to talk to the marker. "You didn't think I'd forget about you, did ya?" Sonic then frowned and said, "That's the problem. Not a day goes by without me thinking I could've saved you." He then fingered the lettering which said "Shadow", and with a tear in his eye said, "Goddess...if you can hear me Shadow...please, forgive me..." He then let several tears out, remembering his friend.
Sonic was then snapped to attention when he heard a voice say, "There was nothing you could have done, Sonic. You must know that by now."
Sonic quickly wiped away his tears and looked up towards the source of the voice, and saw a familiar face. A white furred female bat, wearing white elbow length gloves with pink cuffs, knee length boots, and a pink and black jumpsuit. She also had what looked like an arm bracelet on her left upper arm.
"Rouge..." Sonic said, getting up to meet her. "What are you doing here?"
"I've been around..." Rouge said. "I actually work for Station Square's government as an investigator. When I told Knuckles I was looking for something better than jewels...I didn't tell him it was justice."
"To prevent what happened to Shadow from happening again, huh?" Sonic said.
Rouge nodded, and then, to Sonic's surprise, she embraced the blue hedgehog and gave him a warm hug. "I figure you could use this...Goddess, it's good to see you again..."
"Thanks, Rouge..." Sonic said, returning the hug. After releasing it, he then said, "You know, you should meet Anth. He's here on vacation too."
"Yes...I heard the Gamemaster was here..." Rouge remarked.
"Say..." Sonic said, getting an idea, "why don't you join us tomorrow? You can meet him and the rest of the gang then. Knuckles is even going to be there."
"Sure, why not?" Rouge said. "It will be nice to see everyone again."
After saying this, Sonic then heard a voice say, "Sonic?" Sonic turned towards the source and saw Sally and Ryan running towards them.
"Sal? Ryan? What are you guys doing here?" Sonic asked.
"Anthony told me you had gone out for a run...and told me his suspicions that you had another reason," Sally said. "So...I figured you'd be here..."
"Damn that psion..." Sonic said.
"Sonic...don't blame Anthony..." Sally said, and then noticed Rouge off to the side. "Oh...Rouge! I didn't realize you were in Station Square..."
"Actually, I live here. I'm in charge of the city's security and investigations," Rouge said, stepping forward. "It's good to see you again, your highness."
"Please Rouge, no need for the formalities..." Sally said. "Just Sally is fine."
"Alright..." Rouge said. "Sonic actually invited me to join you tomorrow so I could meet the Gamemaster."
"Yeah...I was invited as well," Ryan commented. "We should probably head back to our respective homes...Sonic, you'd better escort Sally back. Rouge, do you need an escort?"
"Why, thank you, Ryan," Rouge said as Sonic picked up Sally and sped off.
After those two had disappeared, Rouge asked, "So...what were you doing here?"
"Sally wanted me to help her find Sonic and figured he'd be here, but she wasn't sure," Ryan commented as the two walked.
"I see..." Rouge said, and was suddenly knocked down from someone brushing against her. "Hey! Watch it!" She then noticed the person was running off and then felt her upper arm. "He has my bracelet!"
"Let's get this guy..." Ryan said as the two chased him, and noticed him running into Radical Highway...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STAGE 3 - Radical Highway
CHARACTERS: Rouge/Bat
MUSIC: "In the Beginning, There was Light?" from Valkyrie Profile
OBJECTIVE: Catch that thief!
Radical Highway was nearly empty as Ryan and Rouge tried to catch up to the thief. They noticed him trying to escape through some of the buildings on the side.
"You take the high road, Rouge, and fly up to see if you can find him," Ryan said. "I'll take the low road and follow on foot."
"Yeah, well if you reach the thief before me, I'll be disappointed..." Rouge said, and took off skyward.
Ryan continued to run towards the shadowy figure that was trying to get away. "Stop, you!" Ryan yelled, and cursed himself that he couldn't use his sidearm. After all, local law prohibited it unless the perp shot first.
Meanwhile, Rouge reached the rooftops and saw the thief with Ryan in hot pursuit. She deftly jumped from rooftop to rooftop to get ahead of the thief and readied herself for an attack. When the thief came in range, she dived down and sent a hard kick to the thief, dropping him to the ground and sending the bracelet flying towards Ryan, who caught it.
Rouge then got a good look at the thief, and saw that she knew who it was. "Nack? You again?"
Nack shook his head to recover, and then looked up at Rouge with fear. "I'm sorry...I just need the money! With my rep, I can't get a decent job anywhere to support myself!"
"Well, stealing from ME didn't help much either!" Rouge said, forcably bringing Nack to his feet. "I'll let you go this time since the paperwork for turning you in would take to damn long...but if I see you stealing again, I'll send you six feet under!"
"*gulp* Yes, ma'am!" Nack said, and ran off.
Rouge shook her head and then looked towards Ryan. "Ryan, shall we get going?"
Ryan wasn't paying attention. He was focused on the bracelet that was recovered and had a strange look on his face. He was snapped to attention when he heard Rouge say, "Thanks for getting that, by the way..."
"This bracelet..." Ryan said, handing it to Rouge. "Isn't this...Shadow's?"
"Yes..." Rouge said, replacing it on her upper arm. "My way of remembering him..."
"I see..." Ryan said, and then looked down at the ground sadly.
Rouge looked at Ryan and said, "What's wrong?"
"I wasn't exactly nice to Shadow..." Ryan said, "challenging him to fights when we met, laughing at him when I actually beat him. Then he actually saves the world...and dies as a result. If that doesn't make you feel like a jerk..."
"Hey, we all had our bad moments," Rouge said. "I actually tried to steal the Master Emerald."
"Yeah, I know..." Ryan said. "I only wish I could have made peace with the guy before he died..."
Rouge nodded in understanding. "Looks like Sonic isn't the only one suffering. Come...I'll walk with you back to our homes."
Ryan nodded in understanding, and the two of them walked back towards Station Square's main street.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The elevator doors opened at the top of the hotel, and Sonic and Sally exited it and headed towards their room. As they opened the door, Sally asked, "Sonic...why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry, Sal..." Sonic said. "I mean, you guys were already worried about Anthony, you didn't need to worry about me."
"But you should've told someone about that nightmare," Sally said.
"He did...he told me..." a voice said, and then Sally and Sonic saw Anthony walk towards them. "Frankly, I'm surprised he didn't tell you. Was he where you thought he was?"
"Yes, he was..." Sally remarked.
Anthony nodded in understanding. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea..."
"No, I'll be fine, Anth..." Sonic said. "I...just needed to see the marker again...say goodbye...pray for forgiveness..."
"Oh, Sonic..." Sally said, embracing Sonic. "Come on...let's get to bed. We can talk about this in the morning..."
Anthony said his goodnights as Sonic and Sally reentered their bedroom. He then looked out of the window towards the night sky, and was deep in thought. After a while, he returned to his own bedroom...wondering whether this trip was for his benefit...or for Sonic's.