I don't own STH characters, ST or QL ideas, for future reference. Killer Queen is a Queen song.
The old dog threw him against the wall. Sonic thumped into it like hitting… well, a brick wall. Sliding down to the floor, he thought to himself;
"Okay, what have I done now?"
The old man picked him up by the collar again and held him several feet above the ground.
"I'm not going to take any of your crap, young man. Now, if you don't tell me where my daughter is, I'm going to break more than your bones!"
"Now listen, if we could just talk this out…"
The old man hit him around the face. Hard. Sonic felt blood trickling down his cheek and staining the collar of his expensive-looking tuxedo.
"Tell me where she is!" The old man yelled, sending bits of spit into Sonic's face. At that point, a spotlight highlighted the centre of the darkened stage.
"Ladies ad gentlemen," An announcer called out. "Please put your hands together for the delightful Roxy Starr!"
The spotlight revealed a beautiful young fox, dressed in a fitting red silken dress, and sat upon a small wooden stool. She raised the microphone held in one paw towards her mouth, and began to sing.
"She keeps Moet and Chandon in her
pretty cabinet
'Let them eat cake' she says, just like Marie
Antoinette
A built in remedy for Khrushchev and Kennedy
And
anytime an invitation you can decline
Caviar and cigarettes well
versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice"
She stood up from her stool and began to move towards the front of the stage.
"She's a Killer Queen gunpowder gelatine, dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your
mind...
Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?"
There were various cheers from the audience as the young fox struck a pose, but the old dog simply stared in amazement, still holding Sonic by the neck.
"To avoid complications, she never
kept the same address
In conversation, she spoke just like a
baroness
Met a man from China went down to Geisha Mina
Then
again incidentally if you're that way inclined
Perfume came
naturally from Paris
For cars she couldn't care less, fastidious
and precise"
The old man finally dropped Sonic to the floor and climbed up on stage.
"Pauline?" He asked in amazement. The music stopped and the audience stared. Pauline stared incredulously at the old man.
"Father?" She breathed. The old man took her by the shoulder and spoke to her face. "What in heaven's name do you think you are doing?" He hissed.
"Father, I was only…"
"No! I don't want to hear it. You and I are going to have a talk." He took her firmly by the arm and led her backstage, to various boos and hisses from the crowd. Almost as an afterthought, he turned and pointed accusingly at Sonic, who was still on the floor.
"I'll deal with you later!"
He turned on his heel and followed his daughter behind the curtains. General chatter broke out among the crowd again. Sonic pulled himself to his feet, and wiped the blood away from his cheek.
"Sonic! Are you okay?"
A curvy raccoon came up to him and held his arm. "Did he hurt you? No, of course he didn't. It would take more than a slap to hurt you."
"Yeah, right." Sonic said, dazed. Looking around him, he saw that he was in a nightclub, in a dark cobbled street, from what he could see through the windows. The raccoon was leading him away from the crowd and towards a small room in the back.
"You're not going to let him steal Roxy, are you? She's your star! You can't afford to lose her."
"Lose her?" Sonic asked, trying to make sense of what had happened.
"If her father takes her back, she won't be able to perform, and then she won't be able to make you money." She said, plainly. "Now, you'd better put something on that." She stroked his cheek, and walked away. Sonic looked around him. Aside from all the sleazy customers at the bar, there was no-one here he recognized. In the universes he had been in so far, he had met familiar people with unfamiliar personalities. How was he going to find Tails and find out when he was going to switch? And what was he supposed to do in the meantime? Sonic figured he had better keep track of how long he stayed here, so he looked in the corner at an old grandfather clock. It said half-past 11. Sonic sighed and felt around in his pockets. Pulling out some coins, he went to the bar and ordered a drink. Gulping it down, he began to make sense of what was happening. He was apparently some kind of manager for nightclub singers, and had hired this girl whose father had come looking for her. He figured he had better make himself scarce before they finished their 'talk' backstage. He was just about to turn and look for the exit, when a hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him back.
"Hey you," A slurred voice said. "I've got a bone to pick with you." Sonic turned, and was shocked by the sight he saw. Standing behind him, dressed in a denim jacket and short skirt, was Amy. But not Amy. This Amy had lost the prettiness that was once apparent in her face. She had a broken nose, scars all over her face, and her eyes were faded and dim. She was obviously drunk, and the stench drafted over to Sonic immediately. The usual bubblegum pink of her hair was matted and tatty, the colour faded.
"You're still not giving me a chance." She said. "Why not? Wha's wrong with me?"
"Uhh…" Sonic was slightly disturbed by her appearance. "Nothing. Nothing wrong with you whatsoever. Nope. Nothing."
"Then why won't you let me sing?" She slammed the glass she was clutching onto the bar, cracking it slightly. "If there's nothing wrong, why won't you give me a chance?"
Sonic stared in horror at this alternative Amy. Here was the sweet, innocent young girl he had known, drunken and ruined, asking him to let her take part in some sleazy nightclub performance.
"Look," He said, firmly. "You are too good for this. If you just went out in the world and…"
"But performing is my whole life!" She yelled and swung wildly at him. Sonic ducked and rolled out of the way as her momentum carried her forward into a glass case. The resulting crash drew the attention of everyone in the room. Sonic scrambled to his feet, trying to calm Amy down.
"Listen to me. I know you. You don't really want to do this."
"You don't know me!" She screamed. "Nobody understands! I have to sing! I have to!" She drew back her arm for another swing, but a black paw grabbed her arm and held it back. Whirling furiously around, Amy found herself facing the young raccoon that Sonic had seen earlier.
"Let it go, Amy." She said. "Face it; you're just not good material. Why don't you just go and crawl back into whatever gutter you crawled out of."
Amy glared at her, setting her jaw. "Horny bitch." She said, and spat in her face. The raccoon struck out at Amy's face and drew blood with her sharp nails. Amy launched herself at the other female, and they ended up rolling around on the floor, scratching and hissing. The crowd had gathered around them, keeping their distance, some of the younger men cheering. Sonic turned and ran through the door into the dark street. He had to get away from this place. He ran down the street, and stopped outside a small diner, which was still open. Going in, he looked around. Still no familiar faces, just and empty diner and a man behind the counter wiping some glasses. He went up to him.
"Hey, is there a phone in this place?"
"Yeah, out back." The barman looked at him strangely, his eyes flickering from his bedraggled suit to the blood trickling down his cheek. Wiping it away, Sonic went to the back and found the payphone. Looking in the phone book underneath, he found the name he was looking for.
"Dr. Prowler, Miles. 142 West Way Street"
Sonic punched the number into the phone and waited impatiently as it rang.
"C'mon, c'mon, pick up." Sonic looked at his watch. It was almost midnight; he had been here nearly half an hour. How long before his next switch? There was no way of telling whether he jumped in time as well as reality.
Finally the phone was picked up.
"Hello?" Said a husky voice but Sonic recognized it as Tails'.
"Dr Miles Prowler?" He asked cautiously. What would this new Tails be like? He had already seen what had happened to Amy.
"Yes." The voice answered.
"It's Sonic here. You might know me, you might not, but either way I need to meet with you. It's urgent."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Sonic wondered whether Tails had hung up. Finally, the silence was broken.
"I can meet you by the Clock Tower in Maypole Street. Be there in two hours."
He hang up, and Sonic listened for a moment to the sound of the dial tone. How was he supposed to know where Maypole Street was? Eventually, he ripped out the page containing Tails' address, and went out back to the diner.
"Hey… do you know where the Clock Tower is in Maypole Street?"
The barman looked at him strangely, as if he was surprised he needed to give that piece of information.
"Sure, you can see it from the fountain in the Town Square, about a mile north. You can't miss it."
"Thanks." Sonic hurried out and went in the direction the barman had pointed him. When he met this Tails, how could he be sure he was going to help him? How did he know he was even able to? Was it definite that all of the Tails in the universes where all science whizzes? What if this Tails was a bank manager or something? There was only one way to find out, Sonic thought as he hurried along to the Town Square.
