Chapter 10: The End Of The End

1 HOUR LATER

Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles walk off the set of a stage inside a downtown auditorium and are guided into a catering area to sit. Agent Warwick is on stage giving a final word about the future security of Green Hill Zone, and all of Mobius.

As they wait for The Suit to finish, Knuckles walks over to a table of food and taps the shoulder of someone working security backstage.

"These are free to take, right?" Knuckles asks

"Yeah"

The tall Echidna grabs a plate and stacks it high with hamburgers, hotdogs and potato salad, then sits next to Tails on a large couch and digs in.

Sonic laughs "You hungry there, Knux?"

"Starving" He answers in between bites "You guys aren't gonna have any? That guy said it's free to take"

"I don't really have an appetite right now, seeing as we're still stuck in Warwick's custody" Amy says

"So he sends us to jail, big deal! This is probably gonna be the last decent meal we'll have before we go down. Come on, I don't wanna be the only one eating, guys, grab a plate!"

"I guess I could go for a burger" Tails says as he stands up

"That's the spirit, kid. Hey, grab me a Coke while you're up there!"

A stage hand comes by to turn the volume up on the nearest TV and everyone listens to Warwick's closing statement.

...and in regards to our vigilante heroes: Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose and Miles "Tails" Prower will herby remain free in our society due in part to their heroic actions to save the world from the terrorist threat Mammoth Mongol.

Knuckles stops chewing "What, I didn't do shit to help, now?"

However, Knuckles the Echidna and Manic the Hedgehog cannot be completely pardoned of their numerous crimes, no matter how much good they do-

"Of course..."

...but I will make an exception in Knuckles' case in the form of redemption, and this is only up to him. I'll give him the chance to work off his sentence. It's a special deal we are normally not permitted to make, however this is not a normal situation we find ourselves in. And as I said, this is completely up to him.

Amy leans over "Knux, you should take that deal. You don't wanna end up in prison again"

"Yeah, Starr and her friends took this same deal and look where that got them. Screw that!"

...as for Manic, and I know you're listening: I can only advise you surrender yourself peacefully, or face the full force of the law.

"Manic is alive?" Amy asks

"I knew the kid wouldn't stay down for long" Knuckles replies

...and finally, the matter of national security. We assure you that the G.U.N foundation has all the tools necessary to fight any and all threats, present or future, because we've learned an awful lot from our Sonic Heroes. With that said, the days of vigilante justice are officially over. On behalf of everyone here, we thank you for your service and sacrifice.

"Yeah, whatever, you fake douchebag"

Tails comes back with his plate "The lady over there said they were out of Coke so I got you a Pepsi, that cool?"

Knuckles takes the can "Yeah, I guess so"

Agent Warwick has his security team wave off all news reporters and he makes his way over to Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles in the catering area.

"I'm glad you guys stuck around, I wanted to say one last thing before I let you go-"

"Apart from me" Knuckles says

"Knux, I want there to be no hard feelings about Vace Beach, that was a long time ago. And, I want you to know I meant it when I said I was gonna make you that deal to reduce your sentence" Warwick says "I even have the terms written up right here-"

The Tall Echidna stands up "I have two conditions"

Warwick inhales sharply "...alright, let's hear them"

"First, I wanna see my girl Julie, and I mean be with her when our child is born, not just a quick stop in"

"Of course, you can see her. As a father, myself, I know how important it is to be there for my kids, and I respect you enough to let you be there when it happens. You've got my word on that"

"...secondly, if I'm working for you dickheads again, then I want you to reduce Vector and Espio's sentences, as well as mine. You screwed them over the same way you got me, and you know they shouldn't be in there" Knuckles says

Warwick takes a moment to think this through

"If you can meet those demands, then I'll sign your waiver and be your cleanup guy"

Warwick extends his hand "I'll have our legal team write up a new contract as soon as possible"

Even though he doesn't completely trust him, Knuckles shakes Warwick's hand, then sits back down to finish his plate.

Warwick grabs his car keys "This next part is kinda private, guys, don't want anyone listening in... I wanna talk to each of you one-on-one. So, let's go for a little ride"

Sonia has the Jade, Crystal and Sapphire Medallions lined up on her kitchen counter and she sits by the front door, waiting for her brother to come knocking. She knew right away Manic survived getting shot and falling from Eggman's helicarrier, and she knows that he'll be here to get his Medallion back. Because he needs it.

Or so she thinks.

After excusing most of her security team for the night, only 5 guards patrol the property outside, giving anyone fast enough a chance to get inside without being noticed.

As Sonia finishes her glass of wine, she hears light tapping on a glass door near the side of her mansion. She jumps out of her seat and opens the door,

only to be met by Starr.

"Starr? What are you doing here? What happened to you?" Sonia asks as she lets the teenager inside

"...it's starting to rain outside, and there ain't many places somebody like me can hide" she answers

Sonia wraps a blanket around the 16 year old, and they sit by the fireplace to warm up.

Tears start streaming down Starr's face as she speaks

"Shadow was all I had, Sonia. And now he's gone. An android took better care of me than my own parents did!... that's pretty sad.."

"Well, I can't speak for your parents, but I've met Shadow and I know he was good. A tiny bit homicidal, but he meant well. And I'd say he did a pretty good job with you... I know it might seem weird, with androids and aliens around, now, but it's not the end of the world. You are free, and you're still young. You could change the world for the better, with all the powers you have, and make it safer for girls like you"

"You think so?"

Sonia grins "Somebody inspired me to do the same thing when I was your age, and I did it. So, I know you can, too"

Starr embraces the pink hedgehog for a moment, then they sit back in their chairs

"...Android Shadow wanted to find the original Shadow, said he needed help. And I told him I'd help him do it, Sonia. But, I just don't know what to do..."

Sonia looks at her "Well, you have to know if you wanna help, or just continue on by yourself. Once you can answer that, then you'll know what to do"

Starr exhales "I mean, I wanna help, but look at all the trouble Knuckles and Manic got into for trying to help. I don't wanna go to prison, or go on the run for the rest of my life! But..."

"You do whatever you think is best for you, not Shadow, not anybody else, just YOU. I know what getting involved will mean, and I also know what staying out of it means. But it's different for you. Much different. And that's your call"

Starr makes up her mind "I am going to find Shadow. I made a promise, and hopefully I can save at least 1 person along the way. This is what I wanna do"

Sonia smiles "You're welcome here as long as you like. And you know you can count on me for resources"

"Thank you"

The magenta hedgehog looks into the kitchen and notices all three Medallions sitting out on display.

"Were you expecting Manic to come by and take his medallion?"

Sonia looks over and sighs "...Yeah, I guess I was. It's just, I'm so used to him asking for help, and given what happened tonight, I kinda want him to come back here... but he would've showed up by now if he was.. I guess he's finally moving on. I hope he does well out there"

As Sonia looks over the city skyline through her window, Manic stays in the shadows as he sneaks through town without alerting the police. He heard Warwick's ominous warning he gave during his press conference, and the green hedgehog plans on staying free.

Manic received a slight burn when Eggman fired his cannon at him, but the Jade Medallion helped absorb most of the pain, and even sealed the wound. But, as he walks through the streets, Manic can feel the Jade energy leaving his body, though it works to heal and energize him every second of the way.

He opens his phone and contemplates calling one of his friends for help, but ultimately he rules against it. He's gotten them involved with enough of his schemes.

He feels the Jade energy leave his body completely and doesn't plan on going back to Sonia's to retrieve it, knowing his journey would be a lot easier with it's enhancements,

but it's time to move on from the Medallion.

Manic starts sprinting through the streets of Green Hill, there's not a second to waste while G.U.N hunts him. He doesn't know where to go, only to keep moving forward.

After Warwick dropped Knuckles off at the residence his pregnant girlfriend Julie Su is staying at, Sonic Amy and Tails are driven to an airport. They get out and The Suit pulls Tails aside to talk to him privately.

"Listen, kid, I went ahead and booked a flight for the three of you, but I wanted to ask you something before you go-"

"Oh, you just assumed we wanted to leave Green Hill? Typical" Tails says

"It's part of the retirement deal. Now look, I just wanna know if you are ready to retire, you know, from this life"

"Is this a test?"

"No, I'm 100 percent serious, I booked a flight to a tropical island, you know, just as a vacation. You are free to leave there anytime. I just gotta know now-"

"Why do you wanna get rid of us?"

Warwick sighs "We don't need any copy cat Sonic Heroes. If you three go off on vacation, then it would send a message to anybody trying to be a vigilante that, even the best ones need to take a break. That's all"

"...what happens if I say no?"

"Then I tear up your ticket and you are free to go. But you have to uphold your end of our deal, which means you can't keep the SAGE program"

Warwick holds out his hand and Tails decides it's best to just hand over his A.I hacking device without a fight.

"Thank you. Now, what's your answer on the trip?"

"...I'm going to assume Sonic and Amy are going because you drove us all the way out here, so obviously somebody is getting on that plane"

"I asked Sonic first and he sounded relieved to finally get a break from it all. It sounds like he needs this, kid. Of course, once Amy heard, she decided to join him. But, that's their choice. What's yours?"

"...I know Sonic needs this the most, and Amy deserves paradise after what she's been through... but I can't sit back and retire, not just yet. Geez, I'm only 17! What am I gonna do out there? I wanna finish school here. So my answer is no. I'm not going on that plane"

Warwick pulls out the third plane ticket and rips it in half, then throws it out.

"Alright, it's official. I'll give you a few moments to say your goodbyes"

Tails walks into the terminal and joins Sonic and Amy

"Well, I heard about the little trip Warwick is sending you guys on. I would go but, there's still so much stuff I have to do" Tails says "But I understand your choice. It's been rough, these past 3 years, and I know you need a break. So, you guys go. Enjoy it. I'll call you everyday, you don't have to worry about me"

"We'll be back in no time, Tails, I promise" Amy says

She wraps her arms around Tails for a big hug, then he looks at Sonic

"I didn't think I was ever gonna see you again, man. But I'm glad you could come home" Tails says, trying to keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks

"So am I, little brother. And I'm glad everyone made it back with me"

The blue hedgehog hugs his best friend, then Amy pulls out her phone to take a selfie with them before they board their plane.

"We'll be back in a couple months, bro, I promise" Sonic says

"Take as long as you need, Sonic. That girl went to hell and back for you, man. Cherish her" Tails says as he waves goodbye

His best friends wave one last time and then they disappear into the crowd of travelers, so Tails nods and turns around to leave the terminal.

Warwick greets him outside "So, do you need a ride into town, kid?"

"Yeah, actually, drop me off near the cemetery on Gore road"

"Cemetery? Alright, whatever you say"

After a short ride back into town, Tails gets out of the patrol car and he waits til it's gone. He makes his way into the graveyard and walks past the hundreds of headstones. It's very nerve racking for the fox, being that it's almost midnight, but this is an important trip.

It's where he buried his original SAGE program.

He eventually reaches Sonic's mausoleum that was built after his death was reported. Of course, he's alive and well, but the monuments' become popular among the locals so the groundskeeper decided to keep it.

"Huh, there used to be a door on this" Tails says before realizing his stash might be gone

The Fox races inside and begins digging up where he left the lockbox, and sighs in relief the moment he touches the metal box. He opens it up and finds the silver touchscreen device is still is mint condition.

Tails puts the SAGE program in his pocket, buries the lockbox and rushes out of the graveyard as fast as he can.

He might not be able to use it to help anymore, but he knows he's got a fail-safe in case of an emergency.

Knuckles and Julie sit at a bench inside the visitor's area at Prison island, they're here to see Vector and Espio. The wait 10 minutes before prison guards escort the jumpsuit-wearing Crocodile and Chameleon over to their visitors. Knuckles and Julie hug their longtime friends and they all sit at the bench to talk.

"So, how far along are you, Jules?" Vector asks

The pink Echidna smiles "About 8 months"

Knuckles puts his arm around her "We're having a daughter, can you believe that? We're about to be parents, boys!"

"Congrats, guys. I always said you two would be great together" Vector says

Espio grins "I wish you the best of luck, my friends"

Knuckles looks over "Hey man, I made a deal with Warwick today. I'm working to get you outta here. Soon, too. I'm not just gonna let you guys rot in here for shit you didn't do. I've got your back"

"We appreciate that, Knux... so, how's everyone else doing?" Vector asks

"Well... it's a funny story"

Tails arrives at his house in Green Hill and opens a big garage door, revealing his X-Tornado airplane inside.

...before we split up, Tails told me that he was going back to school, the same one Charmy goes to. But, he also mentioned something about a prototype A.I he had? I'm not too sure. I just know that the kid will be alright.

Manic keeps his head down as he runs through the rainy streets, trying to get as far away from civilization as possible.

...Manic's a tough kid, but I'm not too sure he can handle the shit show he's gotten himself into. If he's smart, he'll keep on running, at least til he gets away from this side of the boarder... I hope he gets there.

The sun shines over Seaside Island as Amy and Sonic's plane lands on the runway. They grab their luggage and walk out of the terminal, and look over the large beachfront thats in front of them.

...Amy texted me saying she's going on vacation with Sonic. After everything that's happened to that girl, I say she's earned a leave of absence. Sonic too, I guess. I'm just glad this whole thing is over with now, and we can move on. In peace.

As the two hedgehog's enjoy the view, a short female badger notices them, so she walks over to introduce herself.

"Well, hey there, strangers, how're you doing? I see you're new to the island"

"Oh, hello! Yeah, we just got here, we're actually on vacation. My name's Amy, this is Sonic"

The hedgehog waves "Hey"

"Nice to meet you's, Amy and Sonic. My name is Sticks. I'm kind of uh, the adventurer around here. Town delinquent, if you will. I can show you two all around this place, if you want. I know everything you'd wanna know about Seaside Island, at least, mostly everything"

"Yeah, that'd be great, Sticks!"

The badger smiles

"I can already tell we're gonna get along just fine. So anyhow, over here we got the Blue Pebble Trail, it'll take you ALL the way through the jungles to the east..."

As Sticks leads the way, Sonic wraps his arm around Amy and they follow close behind. The sun glimmers off the blue ocean in the background as the trio walk across the massive beach.

The End.

HEY GUYS, IT WAS REALLY FUN WRITING THIS ONE. I KNOW THE ENDING SETS UP A FEW MORE STORIES, AND I PLAN ON WRITING THEM SOON IN THE NEW YEAR, BUT I THINK I'M GOING TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THESE AFTER MY NEXT FANFIC, TITLED "Tricked: Manic's Last Chance"

I HOPE YOU ENJOY READING THESE AS MUCH AS I ENJOY WRITING THEM. UNTIL NEXT TIME, PEACE!

~Menace3117