Chapter 7: Kindhearted Colleagues
"S-Sonic…"
Tails gently ran his gloved hands through Sonic's quills as he lay in a bed at the Station Square hospital. "Hang in there…big brother." Tears started to form in his eyes as his hand came to rest on Sonic's open palm. "S-sorry I wasn't there…for you."
"Now, now," Chuck placed his palm on Tails' shoulder, "you did everything you could, and you ultimately rescued him. He's going to make it because of you."
"But Chuck…" Tails kept his eyes on the sleeping hedgehog. "If I would've realized where he was sooner, maybe I could've prevented him from getting shot."
"Even if that were the case, we can't lament the what-ifs. All we can do is move forward. Sonic will make a full recovery, I can guarantee."
"Th-thank you, Chuck…" The young fox cracked a small smile before gasping at the sensation of Sonic's palm twitching against his own.
"S-Sonic?" His eyes were glistening as he narrowed his focus on his big bro; the hedgehog was still asleep, but a small smile was present on his face.
"You see," Chuck exclaimed, "Sonic is gonna do fine! I bet my expired licenses on it!" He stared at his wristwatch. "It's getting kinda late. Maybe we should call it a night? We could take an Uber home or stay at the hotel across the str—"
"No." Tails shook his head.
"Why not?" Chuck tilted his head in confusion.
"Because," Tails turned his head to face the elder human, keeping his fingers intertwined with Sonic's, "I'm staying here with my brother." Chuck returned Tails' stare of determination with a gentle smile.
"Okay, Tails." Yawning into an open palm, Chuck stepped around the other bed occupied by a sleeping Cream and Cheese. He grabbed a nearby chair, lifted Tails by the waist, and plopped him down before the fox could protest. "You can relax right here. I'll ask for some extra pillows and blankets."
"Thanks, Chuck." The orange kitsune returned his hand to Sonic's palm.
"Not a problem!" The human replied with a thumbs up. As he was approaching the door, though, the two heard the blue hedgehog begin to stir in bed.
"Sonic?" Still holding his hand, Tails stood up and watched in amazement as his older brother slowly opened his eyes.
"T-Tails? Lil'…brother?"
"Yes, Sonic, I'm here." The young kitsune's eyes began to glisten.
"Where…am I?" The blue hedgehog slowly turned his head, looking around to find Cream and Cheese on the bed to his left and Tails and Chuck to his right. "A…hospital, huh?"
"Yeah," Tails nodded. "You were banged up pretty badly."
"Ah yeah," Sonic lifted his arm and gave Tails a thumbs up, "b-but, how did…we escape?" The blue hedgehog repositioned himself in bed to try making himself more comfortable.
"Here, lift your head a little," Tails said. Sonic complied, giving the fox just enough room to fluff the hedgehog's pillow. "There, now put your head back down."
"Ahhh, much better." Sonic turned his head to face his younger brother. "Thanks a bunch, bro."
"No problem, Sonic." Tails pulled the patient's blanket over his torso. "To answer your question, we didn't really need to escape at all, thanks to Chuck, here." The orange kitsune gestured in the human's direction.
"Right on," Sonic gave Chuck a thumbs up before returning his arm under his blanket. "Say Tails, I'm kinda hungry. I could really go for a chili dog right 'bout now."
"Sorry, Sonic," Tails replied apologetically, "but the cafeteria isn't open this late, and they don't have any chili dogs. I checked."
"My little brother, always thinkin' one step ahead!" Sonic exclaimed, his energy slowly returning to him. Stretching his arms and legs in bed, he turned to face the sleeping bunny and her pet chao. "How're Cream n' Cheese doin'?"
"They're doing okay," Chuck replied, sitting on the side of their bed and gently petting the sleeping chao. "Cream told Tails and I all about your imprisonment. I couldn't imagine how horrible it was for you."
"Well, it wasn't too bad," Sonic replied, itching the base of his nose. "Well, except for the tranquilizers." The blue hedgehog shuddered as he recalled the grogginess and utter helplessness when confronted with Liam and his soldiers while dosed up on the medication.
"You still kept Cream out of harm's way, though," Tails replied with a finger in the air and namesakes fluttering from behind, "and you helped make her feel safe."
"Well, what can I say," Sonic replied with a smile, "a bit of positive mental attitude can go a long way!"
"In speaking of which," Tails snickered under his breath as he unwrapped a small container of applesauce and brought a spoonful to Sonic's face, "time for the airplane to land on the tarmac, right, Sonic?"
"What is this?" Sonic asked, staring at the spoon in front of him. "Wait a minute…" He blushed the moment the realization hit him. "Cream…didn't tell ya that sh—"
"She fed you like a little baby?" Tails replied in baby speak.
"Dang it, Cream," Sonic said under his breath, "I told ya never to tell anyone 'bout that."
"Don't worry, Sonic," Tails reassured, letting out a few final chuckles, "I won't bring it up too much…now open wide!" Tails brought the spoon closer to Sonic's mouth.
"Give me that!" The blue hedgehog swiped the container away from his little brother, grumbling as he fed himself like a big boy. Just as he placed the empty cup on the bedside table, the young bunny sleeping nearby slowly awoke, rubbing her eyes and yawning into her palm before finding the blue hedgehog staring back at her.
"Mr. Sonic!" Cream launched out of bed and hugged his head. "You're okay! I was so worried!"
"Chao, chao!" Cheese added.
"Nothin' a bullet can do to stop me!" Sonic replied with a smile.
"How's your wound?" she asked as she slowly released her hug and peered down at the freshly stitched patch on his belly.
"Let's see…" Sonic slowly touched the skin around the stitches, causing him to wince in pain. "It hurts a lil'." He shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish grin.
"Best not to touch it, now," Chuck explained. "That is, if you want it to heal properly."
"No question 'bout that, doc!" Sonic replied with a thumbs up. The group laughed merrily, only cut off by the sudden opening of the hospital room door.
"Sonikku!"
Amy Rose lunged forward and nearly jumped on the bed, stopping when she noticed something wasn't quite right. "S-Sonic?"
"Heya Ames!" Sonic greeted with a wave. "Long time, no see!"
"Sonic…" She stepped to the side of the bed, examining her boyfriend carefully. "You're…injured."
"I guess ya could say that," Sonic replied with a sheepish smile as he ran a hand through his quills.
"You don't see that every day."
The party turned to the door to find Knuckles with his arms crossed and a frown across his face.
"Hey there, Knucklehead, what's crackin'?" Sonic asked.
"I should be asking you that question," Knuckles replied as he stepped forward, stopping at the foot of the bed. "You can't even last a day or two on an alien planet without getting injured. While you were acting carelessly, I was busy babysitting your girlfriend."
"Babysitting?!" Amy cried.
"Girlfriend!?" Sonic exclaimed simultaneously.
"I think you'd make a great babysitter, Mr. Knuckles," opined Cream from her bed, "and Ms. Amy would make a great girlfriend, wouldn't she, Mr. Sonic?"
"Ummm…" Sonic rubbed his head, a blush appearing across his face. "Sure, whatever ya say." Saved from the embarrassment, Cream approached the pink hedgehog and gave her a big hug.
"I've missed you so much, Ms. Amy," Cream cheered as her eyes glistened.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese added from atop her head.
"I missed you too, Cream," Amy replied. "Has Sonic been treating you okay?"
"Of course!" Cream replied with a big smile. "He protected me and kept me out of harm."
"I can't take all the credit," Sonic replied as he turned to Tails. "You saw how it was. That Liam guy had me in his clutches. If it weren't for Tails over here, I'd have been a goner."
"You saved Sonic?" Amy asked. Tails didn't reply, instead laughing anxiously as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's true," Chuck replied. "I was there for the whole thing."
"Well yeah," Tails replied, "but if it weren't for your credentials and smooth talking, we would have never made it that far."
"Maybe so," Chuck agreed, "but it was your incapacitation of Liam that bought us time to escape."
"Okay," Knuckles stepped forward, "I have a lot of questions. For starters," he pointed at the elder human, "who are you, and can you be trusted?"
"Oh, silly me, where are my manners?" Chuck dusted off his lab coat and approached the red echidna, bending his knees and extending his arm out. "My name is Chuck! Pleasure to meet you." Knuckles cautiously took his hand and shook back.
"You trust this guy, Tails?" Knuckles asked, peering around the towering human to find the orange kitsune nodding his head enthusiastically.
"Yep! He's really kind, and very smart, too! He's into mechanics and engineering just like me!" Tails smiled brightly with closed eyes.
"Well then," Knuckles cracked a smile, "if you're a friend of Tails, you're a friend of mine." He gave another handshake, this time more firm. After the echidna released his grip, Chuck repeated the same ritual with Amy.
"Nice to meet you, Chuck!" Amy greeted, taking a slight bow.
"Likewise," he replied with a hardy laugh.
"So, about my questions," Knuckles interrupted.
"Fire away," Chuck replied, sitting in a spare chair and leaning back.
"What is this place, and why does the sky look identical to our own world?"
"We call this planet 'Earth'," Chuck replied, "and as far as the sky is concerned, I have two plausible theories: one, you guys are actually Earthlings who never ventured to this part of the world, which I doubt," he turned to his new kitsune pal, "given how bright y'all are." Chuck cleared his throat. "Or two: your world may exist parallel to ours."
"Let me see…" Tails pulled out his Miles Electric tablet from his namesakes and brought it to Chuck. "Here's a layout of our home world, Mobius…and here's Earth by comparison." Two blue spheres representing each planet appeared on the display.
"Fascinating…" Chuck studied the screen intently. "The land masses are similar, but not identical…"
"What are the odds of this occurring in nature?" Tails asked rhetorically. "The probability of two planets existing with such similarities, at the same distance away from the sun, and with identical constellations are astronomically low."
"Extraordinary…" The elder scientist rubbed his chin. "Your appearance on Earth may have fundamentally altered our understanding of basic physics. How did you get here? You mentioned something earlier about…magical stones?"
"The Chaos Emeralds," the Mobians replied. Chuck stared back dumbfounded.
"I'll take this one." Knuckles stepped forward and cleared his throat. "The Chaos Emeralds are mystical gems containing energy we don't fully understand ourselves. Bringing all seven together can unlock an even greater level of unimaginable power."
"Like Super Sonic!" Cream exclaimed.
"And…" Sonic brought a finger to his chin in thought. "…Super Tails! How do ya like your super form name, lil' buddy?"
"It's alright," Tails replied with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "Doesn't beat Super Sonic, though."
"Anyway," Knuckles continued, "the Chaos Emeralds are controlled by the Master Emerald, a large gem I've devoted my life to protecting on Angel Island. I've guarded the Master Emerald for as long as I can remember," Knuckles grumbled as he turned to the window, "but now it's left unprotected for anyone to steal."
"If it makes ya feel better," Sonic replied, "the only two thieves on your radar should also be here."
"Rouge and Eggman…" Knuckles rubbed his chin in thought. "Rouge drives me batty, but I'm more concerned about Eggman. This world isn't aware of the wrath he can cause."
"Now that we're on Earth," Sonic interrupted, "we'll stomp him out here, too. It doesn't matter where Chaos Control spits us out; Eggman's still no match for us!"
"Yeah!" The group cheered.
"What is…Chaos Control?" Chuck asked.
"Chaos Control," Knuckles replied, "occurs when the Chaos Emeralds warp time and space. I've only seen it happen once…"
"The blast that brought us here?" Amy asked.
"Precisely," Knuckles nodded his head. "I've heard that one with enough skill can manipulate the emeralds to cause Chaos Control at will, but this was an uncontrolled blast of pure chaos energy, so the explosion sending us here was completely willed by the Chaos Emeralds."
"In other words," Knuckles folded his arms, "it wasn't a mistake that we arrived here. I'm sure the Chaos Emeralds had a reason to send us to Earth."
"Absolutely fascinating," Chuck replied as he scratched his chin once more. "You speak of the Chaos Emeralds as if they have a mind of their ow—" The elder scientist was interrupted by an unexpected yawn. "Oh my, it's getting pretty late. This is all very interesting, but why don't we call it a night?" Chuck leaned back in his chair as he yawned once more.
"And have us all sleep in here?" Amy asked as she tilted her head.
"Not sure if it's against hospital policy, but I could always talk with them if they fret about it," Chuck replied with a nod. "Although we could always get a hotel."
"No, no," Amy insisted, giving Sonic an unsolicited hug, "I'm not gonna let my Sonic out of my sight!"
"Me neither," Tails agreed, shaking his head with his arms folded.
"It's better than sleeping out in the wilderness, right princess?" Knuckles nudged Amy's side with his elbow.
"I swear," Amy turned away with a humph. "I don't know how anyone puts up with you."
"Neither do we!" Sonic replied, followed by a roar of laughter from everyone in the room.
"Whatever, guys, at least I'm used to roughing it like this."
"Says the one who just built a cabin," Tails declared.
"Hey, that was merely for personal convenience! I can still survive out in the wilderness if I want!"
"In fact," he continued as he approached the window, "it's a bit too crowded in here. I'll be back bright and early tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Mr. Knuckles!" Cream said.
"Later." He waved back before opening the window, jumping out and gliding to the nearby city park. After Chuck closed the window, the group got to work making the arrangements; Sonic stayed in his bed alone while Amy begrudgingly shared the other hospital mattress with Cream and Cheese. Tails snuggled in on his chair, staying as close to his big brother as possible, and Chuck retained the other seat.
Turning off the light, and getting himself comfortable, the elder human pulled out his cell phone and typed a message.
Hey Helen, we're okay. We'll be back in the morning.
Placing the cell phone aside after sending the text, he made a makeshift blanket using his lab coat and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take hold after a long day. As he slipped out of consciousness, he received a message that would go unread until the following morning:
:)
"Helen?"
The young girl jolted upright at her desk in the corner of the classroom. All eyes were trained on her, including the teacher at the front of the room, a marker in one hand and a textbook in the other. Helen blushed as her schoolmates snickered.
"Now that you're awake," the teacher began, "perhaps you could tell us when the Declaration of Independence was ratified?" She was tall, wore a dark violet shirt, and sported thick glasses, her long, brunette hair in a ponytail.
"Oh, ummm…" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "July 4, 1776, Ms. Johansen?"
"Very good," the teacher replied. "And how about the Articles of Confederation?"
"1781?"
"Two for two," Johansen declared. "And the United States Constitution?"
"17…88?"
"Excellent," Johansen replied with a smile, "I see you did your homework. Just try to get more sleep, okay?"
"Yes, Ms. Johansen," Helen replied with a nod. "I won't let it happen again."
"Alright, class," she returned to the markerboard. "Who can tell me why the Founding Fathers sought to replace the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution?"
Helen was usually one of the first to raise her hand to answer a question, but she wasn't feeling up to volunteering, as her body still felt groggy, and she could feel bags under her eyes. She tried her best to concentrate on the lecture, but all she could think about were...
Grandpa…Tails…what kind of adventure did you have yesterday? I wish I could've gone with…
Helen peered down at her lap, and the armrests on either side of her legs. She sighed.
Tails did say he could make his plane handicap accessible. I wonder if I could help him with the project?
The young girl raised a hand to her chin in thought as she stared at the tiled ceiling, only interrupted by the sound of the school bell.
"Lunch time!" One of the children yelled as they began to storm out of the room. As per routine, Helen was the last to leave, as it was easier for her to traverse the halls when they were less congested.
As she rolled out of the classroom, she was greeted by a boy her age in the hallway.
"Hey, Helen!" The boy waved at her with one hand as he carried a sack lunch with the other.
"Oh, hey Danny!" Helen replied with a smile. "Thanks for getting me my homework yesterday."
"Not a problem," he replied, running a hand through his short hair. "Sorry Ms. Johansen gave you a hard time in class today."
"No need to be sorry," she replied, rolling down the hall alongside her friend as they made their way to the cafeteria. "It was my fault for staying up so late."
"About that, were you sick yesterday?" He rubbed his chin with his free hand as he studied the girl intently.
"Oh no, I'm fine, just wasn't up to going to school is all."
"Riiiiight," Danny teased. "That doesn't sound like you at all. In fact, now that I think about it, I don't recall you missing a single day of school in, like, ever!"
"Hey, can't a girl have a break every once in a while?" she asked with a smirk.
"True," Danny replied, "but something's tellin' me there's more to the story." Reflecting on his words for a few moments, she tilted her head in the direction of a separate, abandoned hallway leading away from the cafeteria. The message was clear; the young boy followed with one hand in his jeans as he was casually led away.
"Promise to keep this a secret?" Helen asked in a whispered voice.
"I swear," Danny replied just as quietly.
"Okay…" Helen took a deep breath. "Did you…watch the news at all yesterday?"
"I don't watch the news," he replied as he pulled out his smartphone, "but I did see Area 99 trending on Twitter." He showed the young girl an article describing the capture of multiple aliens that were taken to the military base.
"Don't tell anyone, but…" She raised her finger and bent it in her direction. Getting the message, Danny crouched slightly and brought his ear closer. "I met one of the ali—"
"HEY GUYS!"
Danny fell to the floor in fright, rubbing the back of his head before peering up to find Christopher Thorndyke staring back at him.
"Ahhhh!" Danny scrambled to his feet and took a bow. "Greetings, Mr. Thorndyke. You're looking marvelous as ever!"
With a signature look of superiority, and a humph, the young boy turned his attention to Helen. "What's happenin'? I saw you two strolling away from the crowd and thought I should probably snoop around."
"And why would you want to do that?" Helen wore a frown as she furrowed her brow.
"You know me," Chris replied, leaning against the wall with a single shoulder, "I pay kids to get the scoop on all the gossip, but sometimes it's fun to get my own hands dirty." He looked at his hands in disgust. "Not saying I would actually get my hands dirty, that would be gross." He turned away as if he were about to hurl, but he composed himself moments later, dusting off his shirt and pants. "I apologize for my lack of gentlemanly manners."
"Oh, it's no worries at all, Master Chris!" Danny replied, bowing his head once more.
"I wasn't talking to you, Danny!" Chris shouted. "And only my butler and badass assassin Mr. Tanaka calls me Master. You are to call me Mr. Thorndyke only, or should I burn our friend-on-retainer contract and force your family on the streets?" The boy pulled out a document, presumably the agreement, and lit a contraband lighter just below it. A wicked smirk grew on his face.
"That won't be necessary," Danny indicated, falling to his knees and groveling at Chris' feet. "If you just give me another chance, I promise to keep myself in check."
"Rise," Chris ordered as he put away the document and lighter. Danny rose to his feet once more. "Okay, then. I'll give you one more chance…if you go buy out the chocolate chip cookies from the cafeteria and bring them to my desk ASAP."
"Yes sir, right away sir!" Danny shouted as he brought his hand to his forehead like a soldier saluting his commanding officer before running to the cafeteria.
"Pitiful," Chris scoffed, spitting against the wall before turning to Helen once more, "some people are so dependent on others they lose their sense of individuality," the young boy smirked as he grabbed Helen's wrist and kissed the back of her hand, the girl's face contorting in disgust, "but you? You're the exact opposite." Chris placed Helen's hand back on her lap and turned to the nearby window, clasping his hands behind him. "Have you thought about my proposition?"
"Your…proposition?" It took Helen a few moments to remember what Chris was referring to. "Ohhh…yeah, no thanks."
"Thought as much," Chris replied as he ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "I could easily pay for all your medical expenses, and we would make such a cute couple, don't you think? Plus, lifting a paraplegic from the ashes? It would boost the family name for sure!"
Helen wanted to vomit.
"But alas," Chris turned around, walking past the young girl, "I'm sure your vigor alone will keep a roof over your head, no? Have fun stayin' single." With a condescending chuckle, he returned to the cafeteria, leaving an irate and disgusted Helen to ruminate in silence. As she was about to head to the cafeteria herself, though, her cell phone buzzed in her wheelchair compartment.
"A message from grandpa?" She gasped when she read the text.
Waiting in the school lobby to pick you up.
Zipping her cell phone back in its pocket, she rolled as fast as she could to the front entrance of the school, nearly colliding with a teacher in the process. She found Chuck waiting for her near the doors, hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall.
"Hey Grandpa!" She exclaimed, rolling to a stop and stretching out her arms. Chuck knelt slightly and gave her a hug.
"How's my favorite granddaughter?" He asked as he gently pulled away from the embrace and gave her a few pats on the head.
"You mean your only granddaughter?" The two laughed merrily as the elder scientist pressed the accessibility door button, allowing the young girl to roll out of the school with ease. The two made their way to Chuck's old, worn-down car.
"I hate to be a bother," Helen said as she turned her head away, "but without my dad's van, I don't think I can get in."
"You don't think I'm too old to lift ya in, now do you?" Chuck asked.
"You could lift me when I was little," Helen replied as she twiddled her thumbs in her lap, "but I'm a bit too big now."
"Even so," Chuck replied as he knocked on the door of his car, "I've got some help." Out came Tails the Fox, with one hand on the door as he scratched the back of his head with the other.
"Tails!" Helen rolled forward, nearly failing to break in time. She extended her arms out, signaling to the young kitsune that a hug was in order. Approaching the young girl, he wrapped his arms around her back, giving her a big hug from the side of the wheelchair. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, Helen!" Tails replied as he gently released the human girl from the embrace.
"I hate to break up the reunion," Chuck said nervously as he peered around the parking lot of the school, receiving some strange looks from a few passersby, "but if we stay any longer, we'll attract some undue attention."
"Right," Tails replied before turning to Helen once more, "can I lift you in?"
"Lift me…into the car?" Helen asked as she tilted her head.
"Yeah, where else, silly?" Tails replied as he placed his palms on his hips.
"But…you're so smol." Helen jeered. Tails puffed out his cheeks in response, leaning forward slightly with a look of slight embarrassment and anger.
"I am not smol," Tails replied with finger quotes, "I'm just like other Mobians."
"Well, you remind me of Winnie," Helen pulled out her teddy bear from the side compartment of her wheelchair, waving its arm at the orange fox, "isn't Tails just the cutest, most adorable thing ever?"
"Why yes, Helen," she replied in a deeper voice, pretending to be Winnie, "Tails is definitely one of the top ten most adorable things I've ever seen."
"I am not ador—" Tails raised a gloved finger to his chin. "Wait a minute…top ten? That's it?"
"But I thought you said you weren't adorable?" Tails blushed profusely at this retort.
"Okay, Helen, playtime's over."
"Wah, woooah!" Before she knew it, the young girl was in the air, two furry tails wrapped around her waist. Tails slowly brought Helen to his chest before loosening his namesakes' grip, allowing her to gently drop into his arms, cradling her like a baby.
"There we go," Tails nodded in accomplishment before placing her in the front passenger seat. Clicking her seat belt, the orange kitsune stepped back and gave her a once over. "Nice n' secure! Are you comfortable?"
"Yep!" Helen replied with a bright smile. Turning back to the wheelchair, the orange kitsune rolled it to the open trunk and deposited it within. The lid wouldn't close, so Chuck ran a bungee cord across the back of the car to keep the chair secure.
"Heya!"
Helen peered into the rearview mirror to find an entire row of Mobians filling the back seats, with Amy on the far right, Cream and Cheese next to her, Sonic to the left, and Tails squished in next to him. She smiled at the blue hedgehog waving at her with an enthusiastic grin.
"Guys," Tails cleared his throat before gesturing in Helen's direction, "this is Helen. Without her kindness and generosity, we would've never been able to save you guys."
"Ohhh, shucks," Helen laughed nervously with a blush over her cheeks, "I didn't do much, really."
"And here are my friends!" Tails pointed to each of his companions in the back seat. "Sonic the Hedgehog, the best big brother around!"
"Nice to meet ya!" Sonic greeted with a wink.
"Cream the Rabbit and Cheese the Chao!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Helen," Cream bowed her head out of respect.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese added.
"And Amy Rose!"
"The pleasure is mine," Amy said in a ladylike tone.
Helen was filled with a sense of joy. "I'm so happy to see you all safe! I'm sure we'll get to be good friends!"
"Don't cha know it!" Sonic replied, wrapping his arm around Tails' head and giving him a noogie with his knuckles.
"Hey, quit it!" Tails exclaimed in faux-protest. "I'll throw you in the water if you don't stop!"
"Okay, that's enough boys," Chuck said from the driver's seat as he started the vehicle. "You can save the shenanigans for when we're back at home. I would hate to get pulled over by the police and have to explain why I have fugitives/test subjects casually playing around in the backseat of my car."
"I guess ya gotta point, old timer," Sonic said as he returned his hands to the back of his head, closing his eyes with a smile on his face. Once the rambunctiousness died down, Chuck drove out of the parking lot, cutting through downtown Station Square on their way back to the quiet suburb where they lived.
"By the way," Amy said, turning her attention to Tails as Cream softly hummed to herself, "why didn't Knuckles want to join us?"
"Oh yeah," Tails replied with a chuckle, "he wasn't comfortable being squeezed in here like a sardine, so he said he'd meet us at Helen's place later. I even added her address to his wristwatch communicator's mapping application.
"Oh Tails," Amy replied with a smile, "you always think of everything, don't ya?" This elicited a soft giggle from the orange fox.
"Maybe not everything," Tails replied with a smile, "but at least we'll be able to communicate with each other using the human network thanks to the updates I made!" The young fox tapped his watch with a smile across his face. "When Chuck and I dropped the Tornado off this morning at Helen's place, I also quickly updated the software to allow me to remotely call upon my plane at will."
Sonic chuckled. "So that's why you haven't been anxious about leavin' your pride n' joy behind!"
"You got me, Sonic," Tails replied as he scratched the back of his head.
The group sat in silence for a few minutes before Chuck addressed his passengers. "So, how 'bout some tunes?" he suggested as he turned on the radio, flipping through the stations until he found a song with a shredding guitar solo. "Ah yeah, this is my jam!" He bopped his head to the beat of the drums. "Back in my day, music used to be good, but now, all you get are these talentless hacks whose sole purpose is to make money for the record label executives." The Mobians in the backseat exchanged confused glances.
"…don't mind Grandpa," Helen advised with an embarrassed smile, "he can get on these nostalgic rants from time to time."
"In fact," Chuck continued, raising a finger to the air while his other hand remained on the steering wheel, "music sounded better decades ago, even with relatively primitive, analogue hardware they used back in the d—" The elder scientist was cut off as the eloquent sound of a retro guitar riff was replaced by the sound of explosions, followed by the bellowing laughter of someone the alien guests knew all too well.
"Wooahhooohoohooo!"