Trinity: Okay, I'm back. Did you miss me?

Tails: (muttering)Where's our turkey diner?

Trinity: Um, did you check the oven?

Tails: ...no.

Trinity: It's burnt by now. Oh well. You can have some of my leftovers.

Tails: TURKEY! (leaps for fridge)

Jake: Someone likes his turkey a bit too much...

Shadow: Happy Thanksgiving and happy stuff like that. (walks off)

I still don't own anything of Sonic the Hedgehog. What a surprise.


Chapter 13 – Trouble in Town

All eyes were on Tails. The cat, the bull, and the lizard were put on guard when the kit whispered those words. The kit was trying to fight back the anger that was crawling into his chest at the sound of that boar's name. Shadow stood quietly behind the kit, his own anger hidden behind a blank face.

"What do you mean by 'not anymore'?" The lizards said. His hands dropped to his sides, and Shadow figured he had knifes hidden on him.

"Let's go," Shadow said softly. "We're not welcome here."

"I mean he's dead," Tails said, ignoring Shadow's warning. Shadow grimaced as the group bristled at Tails' harsh tone.

"So Jake was kicked out of town because you two are murderers?"

"No!" Jake snapped. "No, it was because bandits showed up in town and they thought I had something to do with it. They didn't even mention it…"

"They were probably too scared to! I know I wouldn't remind a bunch of murderers that they could off me," Lillian hissed. She gripped the hilt of her pistol as Tails opened his mouth to shout back.

"Tails," Shadow said warningly. The kit snapped his jaws close with a click.

"Lillian, take your hand off your guns," Jake said softly, staring icily at the cat, before turning his gaze to the lizard and bull. "Jet, Sledge, stand down. You have no reason to turn on these two."

Lillian hissed angrily, but she let go of her pistols. Jet's fingers stopped itching for his knives and Sledge's for the handle of his war ax on the table top. Shadow still eyed the white cat, whom obviously believed she had every right to turn on Shadow and Tails. Jake, his authority once again recognized, earned the attention of the younger crowd as the undoubted leader.

"You aren't a match for these two. Leave them be," Jake said solemnly.

"Why do you trust them so much?" Lillian said. "It's not like you to harbor hardcore criminals."

"They aren't 'hardcore,' just really strong. This one simply likes to fight," Jake said, jutting his thumb toward Shadow. "But that's not the point. You have to hear the whole story to understand."

"I still don't what those two here."

"Fine," Jake sighed. "Will you two kindly leave so we may conduct business? It's hard for Lillian to concentrate when there's a 'threat' in the area."

"Scary-de cat," Tails murmured as he turned towards the door.

Lillian hissed angrily at the kit. Tails stuck his tongue out at her, and Shadow grabbed Tails' elbow. Shadow steered Tails out the door while Jet and Sledge held Lillian back. Jake watched the two of them disappear through the wooden doors and back out into the pitch black tunnel with mild amusement. Shadow marched Tails down the tunnel to the staircase that sat in a pool of light.

Tails went up first, stomping up the stairs in his fury. Shadow paused with his hand on the rail, and his foot on the first step. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the dark figure standing in indecision in the darkness of the tunnel. He final stepped into the light, revealing himself as a nervous brown puppy. He stood shaking and gulped before delivering his message.

"If you tell anyone about this place," he threatened in a shaky voice, "We'll kill you!" With his message delivered, the puppy turned and fled down the tunnel. Shadow grinned in grim amusement.

"Where to now?" Tails asked when Shadow ascended the stairs. Looking up to the sky, he watched huge, fluffy clouds slowly floating by.

"I suppose we should find an inn to spend the night in," Shadow said.

They headed into the center of the town. The bustling market was still filled with buyers and sellers yelling deals, and children running around playing with their new toys. Shadow and Tails stay near the walls and squeezed past the people and booths. The movement of the crowds forced them apart many times, and Tails nearly jumped out of his skin when an old rabbit missing half of his teeth grabbed him. He waved a gold and red toy just under his nose, shirking about how a bright little boy like him would love this relic from the pre-war days. Shadow managed to convince the man they weren't buying and wrenched the frightened kit from his grasp.

"But surely-!" the old man tried.

"NO," Shadow said. They left the old man and he disappeared into the crowd.

Shadow and Tails avoided all other shady old men and women after that. Deciding they weren't going to spend the night anywhere that was right off the main street of the market place, they risked it and went off into the back roads. Unfortunately, the back roads where confusing, winding trails, crisscrossing and twisting in such a manner, that several roads managed to intersect themselves. The more narrow the road, the more likely it would be to return to the main street, and the wider roads lead to dead ends at the private estates of the rich. Not even a keen since of direction could save the two to them from becoming hopelessly lost.

But they got lucky. Daring to return to the market street, they explored the other half of the town. They discovered how this side was decently laid out and easy to understand. The cobble streets were spacious and clean. Lining the roads were buildings with space between them, and apartments, shops, doctor's offices and mechanics weren't mixed in the same building. And a gracious five blocks from the marketplace was an inn. Tails kissed the building when they reached the front doors.

Inside, the inn was quaint and cleaned. There was a small lobby, with a dinning room behind glass double doors. The front desk stretched from one wall to another, and the wood was polished. Unlit lanterns adorn the walls but the air still smelled of the pleasant candles. The small inn had cheep rooms, but everything was keep neat and clean, giving it a homey feel.

They got the last vacant room the inn had. They took the keys to the fifth floor room gratefully and practically kicked open the door. Shadow went to look out the window while Tails went straight for the bathroom, which was right next to the front door. When Tails came out the bathroom and down the short hall, he was surprised to see a huge, circular bed covered with red satin sheets in the center of the room.

"Um, there's only one bed," Tails commented nervously.

"I've noticed," Shadow said dully. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Why is it so…red?" Tails asked looking at the walls. They were painted red with broad, hot pink stripes. Tails felt what seemed like a remote under the sheets.

"They left us a little card on the table. This inn has a… peculiar name."

"What is it?" Tails asked. He must have hit a button on the remote, because the bed started to vibrate. Shadow grinned over his shoulder at the surprised kit.

"Welcome to Hotel Exotica."

-0-0-

Jake stood on the roof of the bell tower. He looked across the city under the violet sky of twilight. The market was finally quiet, closed for the night. The street seemed lonely, without people packed around the stands and squeezing past each other. The rat scanned the buildings and spotted Hotel Exotica, the inn his friends were reportedly staying in. The rat grinned when he imagined the look on their face when they walked into their room.

Jake looked down to the streets that ran around the huge bell tower. Several troops patrolled the streets, despite the fact that most crimes were committed during the hustle and bustle of the day. The guard rotated in a simple pattern that made it simple to avoid detection while prowling the streets. But the easiest way to avoid being seen was to simply travel by roof top.

Jake leaned forward and fell head first from the bell tower. He flipped and landed on the roof of the walkway below. He ran the length of the walkway and jumped, easily sailing over the street to land on the roof of another building. He moved with the quiet stealth of a thief, and leapt over the heads of clueless guards. He was almost ashamed at how easy it was to get past them. Almost.

Jake stood on the roof top of a building down the street from Hotel Exotica. He stood staring up into the fifth floor window of the Hotel. A pair of ruby eyes stared back through the dark room. They glanced at something in the room, before regarding the rat again. The red eyes disappeared, and Jake watched the front doors, expecting their owner to come walking out of the building.

"Hello, Jake."

Jake jumped. His foot slipped and he fell on his rump. He slid a few feet down the slanted roof. He stood, glaring daggers at the shingles. Jake climbing back up to the safety of the flat ridge at the peak of the slanted roof. Shadow stood on the ridge of the roof, grinning at the rat. Jake gapped at him wondering who Shadow got behind him so quickly.

"How did you…? Never mind. I need to talk to you," Jake said, shaking off his shock. He sat down on the ridge and looked up into the sky.

"I figured that much," Shadow said dryly. "Is it about your gang?"

"Yeah. I…I told them everything. Lillian is still uneasy, but I think Jet and Sledge understand why you did it, even if you did go a bit overboard."

"Do you think we went overboard?" Shadow asked. He watched Jake closely as he sat looking at his lap.

"I…I still don't know how I feel about it."

"Do you feel anything?"

"Maybe because he tried to hurt my sister-"

"But do you feel anything?"

"Such a strange…feeling."

Jake suddenly whirled around to face Shadow. He was a lot closer than before, standing over Jake. His red eyes bore into Jake's soul, and Jake's brown eyes widened. A feeling that was unknown to him spread from his chest into every fiber of his being. Yet the feel was somehow very familiar to him at the same time. He remembered the strange feeling not too long ago, at the massacre of Bubba and his little band of thugs. Jake was both curious and fearful all at once.

"What…are you?" He asked, strangely out of breath.

"The same as you. So the real question is, what are you?" Shadow said quietly.

Jake mouth fell open slightly. He gapped up at Shadow again, before pulling himself together. He got to his feet and looked out over the town.

"You know what I am, don't you? Why don't you tell me."

"A god in the making."

"A god? How can I be a god?"

Shadow pulled a small blood red jewel out of nowhere, the likes of which he had never seen before. It hovered over the palm of the dark hedgehog's hand, spinning slowly and letting off a subtle red glow. Shadow held the red Chaos Emerald before Jake, and it began to spin a bit faster and glow a little brighter. A call echoed in his mind from the dark depths of the mysterious jewel. Jake's hand jerked up and he held his palm toward it. The jewel that he never before seen reacted and drifted from Shadow to Jake. It hovered to a stop in front of his palm still rotating slowly.

"What is it?" Jake asked, watching the jewel spin.

"It's a Chaos Emerald," Shadow said.

"Chaos Emerald? I think I've heard about these…"

"They are jewels if great power that reacts with one's heart and one's will. Few can control the power without being overcome by it," Shadow said. "And it recognizes you as one of its masters."

"A master of a great power. A god in the making. You tell some interesting stories," Jake said. He clutched the jewel in his hand to stop its spinning. The glow escaped between his fingers. "Can I assume Tails is the same?"

"Yes. So I ask you, will you accept or deny it?"

"How can you ask me that? I don't know anything about this. I can't make such a decision so soon."

"It has to be soon," Shadow said firmly. "The powers have been forced to shift over and over again. Too many have denied, or died, or left it in indecision and forced this fate on those who are less capable."

"What are you talking about?"

Shadow looked away from him. He stared down into the streets below instead, watching the guards walking their rounds. Jake looked out over the town as well, and shared his silence. Shadow was keeping something from him, but it seemed it was a personal matter. He wasn't going to press the matter.

Jake's hand felt empty. Looking into his palm, he was surprised to see the Chaos Emerald gone. Shadow had it in his hand again, and his was fingering it silently. Shadow's attention had shifted and he was starting intensely toward the north. He glanced at Jake then nodded toward the thing that caught his eye.

Jake stared over the city walls and spotted the light glowing at the horizon. At first, he thought it was a late traveling caravan that would come into town early the next morning. However, the caravan was far too large to be traveling from city to city, and it glowed too brightly in the distance.

"Wasn't most of our technology lost during the war?" Shadow asked quietly.

"Yeah. There have been rumors that military factions began to spring up in this area. It's said that they have resurrected mechanical and electrical technology."

"What are they doing so close to the city?"

"I guess they want to put Callor under its control. Because it's a merchant city, Callor could bring lots of money to any power the controls it," Jake said. He glanced up at the moonlit sky. "It's time for me to go back. It looks like there might be a commotion tomorrow. I suggest you skip town as soon as possible if you want to avoid trouble."

"Will you be coming with us?"

"Just give me a little more time, and we'll see," Jake said. He grinned at Shadow, before disappearing along the rooftops.


Jake: ...I'm a god...SWEET!

Trinity: Welcome to the ranks of the off-scene cast. You'll the turtored on the regular bases.

Jake: Oh cool-! Wait, what?

Trinity: YOU HEARD NOTHING! (runsoff)

Annabel: ...Is the psycho lady gonna be alright?

Jake: I don't think so...you should be more worried about your big brother, don't you think?

Annabel: (shrugs) Meh, you'll live.

Jake: ...SHADOW! You've corrupted my sister!

Shadow: Did not! (runs away)

Annabel: (Holding a sign that reads: Gimme reviews so bruder doesn't die) Like I care.

Tails: (eating from a bowl of turkey meat) I HEART BIRD!