Chapter One: The Neon
Just when he thought he'd lost track of her, the green hedgehog used the last of his physical strength to climb the rusty metal fire escape ladder of an apartment building. The downtown streets illuminated as the lampposts lit up during the sundown hour. Manic vowed he would find the girl who stole his sister's Crystal Medallion, and he wouldn't stop until he'd reclaimed it.
A neon pink flash toward the west side of Metropolis caught his attention so he scanned the streets from his vantage point.
There, he whispered to himself.
The Jade Medallion hung around his neck suddenly lit up, as if it too was rejuvenated and ready to go. His neon green glow reflected off the brick walls and apartment windows as he raced back into the city. He was too fast for the normal eye to see, but the thief girl saw him coming a mile away.
"Get off my back, you creep!" she shouted while running.
Manic observed her the closer he got; tall, slim but thick legs from running and climbing constantly. White leather jacket, grey skinny jeans and black steel toed boots was her 'uniform' tonight, though a black hoody underneath the leather conveniently hid her face.
"Drop the Gem and you won't ever have to see me again!" He responded, giving chase across the various rooftops.
"No way, jerk! This thing is too much fun!"
I whole heartedly disagree, lady…
The girl gave an example of her fun by shooting a pink ball of energy toward her pursuer so Manic sidestepped to the right and avoided the hit. He knew how much those blasts hurt from his last encounter, so he did his best to avoid taking damage.
Lets see how you like it!
Manic steadied his aim at the moving target and fired his own projectile. It was much weaker but still packed a punch.
"OW! Screw you, asshole! That actually hurt!"
"Like I said, give up the Gem and I'll leave you alone!"
The girl stopped, spun around and concentrated all her energy into one giant blast.
Oh shit
With nowhere to hide, Manic shut his eyes and shielded himself from the oncoming attack. Both of them flew backward as their combined energy clashed, causing a shockwave that covered the entire downtown area. The power in citizens homes went out for a moment, then quickly flickered back on, causing no concern from anyone.
Ugh...brain freeze, not cool, Manic muttered as he came to.
The thief girl laid unconscious a few feet from him so he crawled over, reached into her jacket pocket and took Sonia's Medallion back. He got to his feet and was just about to race off when she spoke.
"Please, I need that!"
Manic scoffed at this. "Sorry, honey.. You've lost"
"I'll be in a lot of trouble if I lose that!"
"It wasn't yours to begin with, so uh - tough shit."
"I'm nothing without that Gem! Please!"
Manic held his tongue and turned his back to her but kept an eye out just in case.
Feeling the Gem's energy leaving her body, the thief girl looked at her hands in despair while Manic noticed one of them were made of metal. She had a strange digital display on her wrist below it, as well.
This chick's too friggin' weird for me, I'm getting outta here…
He sped off into the night, but not before hearing the SCREECH of car tires coming to an abrupt stop behind him. Manic climbed to a rooftop and held his arm out, ready to fire at whoever this was. But the stop wasn't for him.
Five guys, looked like foxes or wolves, jumped out of the car while the driver pointed out the thief girl, still kneeling on the ground.
"Yeah, that's her!" The driver yelled from his seat.
The leader walked forward. "Hey, baby! Aw, whatcha crying about?"
She stiffened. "oh, shit…"
Manic watched as the gang circled around her, forcing her to stand up.
"You didn't think we'd forget all that bullshit you pulled on us, now did you?" Another thug said as he pulled out a knife. "Looks like it's payback time!"
His four friends followed suit and pulled out their own sharp weapons while the girl clinched her fists.
Aw, man. She ain't gonna win this one….
"Where's your little Gem? I wanna see a magic show, bitch!" The leader of the thugs taunted as he lunged at her, laughing when she tensed up.
Fuckin' hell…
Manic got a running start and jumped off the roof, balled up his fist and slammed it into the street. The Jade energy caused a small shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet.
"What the hell was that?!"
"It's Manic!"
"C'mon boys, let's GO! Stick both of these freaks!"
The leader popped up first, swung his blade and was met with a flurry of punches that knocked him out. His friends jumped up and the green hedgehog spun kicked in every direction. His Gem's energy made him ten times faster than he usually was and his attacks were too fast to either block or avoid. The thief girl watched in awe as Manic put on a martial arts demonstration with the gang members. A neon green aura followed his attacks and lit up the neighborhood. Finally Manic knocked out every thug, then his eyes slowly faded back to normal and his Gem stopped glowing.
Then he was punched and knocked down.
The thief girl grabbed the Crystal Medallion and took off running into the back streets.
"What the- HEY!"
She blew him a kiss. "Sorry, honey, looks like you lost this one!"
Manic jumped to his feet but she was long gone. "…ain't that a bitch!"
The leader of the gang coughed and looked up at the green hedgehog. "You're so dead, asshole!"
Manic put him to sleep with a soccer kick. "Yeah, yeah, cry me a river."
By now police sirens could be heard converging on this location.
Manic sighed. "I need a drink after that shit..."
He put his headphones in and listened to "Machine Head" by Bush on his iPod while ducking into an alley just as the first responders pulled up.
TRICK
Down in a small town outside of Metropolis the next day, a 14 year old female hedgehog pushed her way through the business class waiting for the train at lunchtime. Her name is Starr, she wasn't very popular at school and no one was particularly worried when she abruptly left class. It'd only been a few days since discovering she possessed a form of telekinesis but today she could barely control it. She ran to the closest restroom and slammed the stall door shut so she could examine her glowing purple hands.
This is real! She said aloud.
"Yeah, these washrooms are so disgusting, I didn't think they were real, either!" An older woman replied from another stall.
The teenager took off into the main foyer of the terminal and looked up at a TV Screen broadcasting the 12 o'clock news:...local delinquent turned hero Manic the hedgehog, younger brother of deceased hero Sonic the hedgehog, has been seen showing off his new-found abilities around town. He can seemingly shoot energy beams, run faster than most cars and is stronger than any weightlifter on the planet. Is he a threat? According to Mayor Tinsel, he is not.
Starr got a good look at the 22 year old hedgehog on the screen and pondered to herself.
He'll be able to help me!
A police officer walked up to the teenager. "Aren't you supposed to be at school right now?"
Suddenly Starr weighed out her options. Blast the cop and run off, or head back to school.
Manic is free to use his powers, why shouldn't I be?
Her fist clinched up for a moment, but another thought hit her.
If I do this, I'll have to leave home. Leave Stacy and Dad.
Ultimately, Starr decided to take the truant officer's ride back to class, the risk wasn't worth losing her home.
Two of Manic's friends from school, Thompson and his girlfriend Mickie, made their way home after working a twelve hour shift at the diner downtown. The cold breeze kept them awake for the long walk home, but something felt off. The brunette hedgehog squeezed her fiancé's hand to bring his attention toward a familiar green hedgehog that was barely visible across the street. Manic stood in a dark alleyway closing the back door of a liquor store, confirming Mickie's suspicion.
"Manny?" Thompson asked.
He looked up and drunkenly grinned. "Yo, Tommy boy! Mickie! What's happening!"
Mickie glanced at the various bottles that stuck out of his backpack. "Did you just steal those?!"
Manic took a big drink and burped. "These ones, I did, but I paid for the first round hours ago so jot that down, alrighty."
Thompsons' eyes widened. "Can I get a shot of the good stuff, buddy?"
A stiff elbow to the ribs quickly changed his tone. "I mean dude – you shouldn't be doing that"
"Yeah well, shit happens. What brings you guys to this lovely alleyway?"
"We finished our shifts at Poncho's half an hour ago and we're just coming home. We live a few blocks from here."
"Oh, you two work together. That's adorable!" Manic said as he gave a mock smile.
Mickie sensed he was upset. "…Do you wanna come over? Maybe talk about what's on your mind?"
"Ah, nah. I don't want to intrude."
"Come on, Manny. Lets talk."
Manic handed Thompson a bottle of whiskey and he took a drink, earning him a glare from Mickie.
"What? It'd be rude of me to turn it down, baby, relax!"
She shook her head and faced the green hedgehog. "So tell me what's going on Manic, really."
"Well, it started with this girl, right? And she stole my sister's Medallion, it's just like mine…"