Hello everybody! Here's another update to this wonderful story of mine. For you skeptics who thought I wasn't really going to update this story and just gave a pity update, I hope this absolved you of all your fears of this not being picked up again. Still, college is being a complete torture on me what with the constant work and tests I have to take. And they're raising the costs of college yet cutting away classes. That's definitely one way for them to keep us there longer and thus take more money. Oh well, what can you do about that if you really want to get a degree?
Anyway, that's enough about my personal rants that I'm sure none of you are really interested in reading. All you're here for is to read the new chapter that I posted. All you want to see is Sonic going through a mini-panic after figuring out at the end of the last chapter that he needed to make a mad dash to Station Square and get his papers from the police department there. Oh, the troubles of procrastinating and doing all your important things at the last minute. Here's to hoping he doesn't have to add being fired on top of being a dead hedgehog to his list.
Please don't forget to leave a review when you're done reading this chapter. They are always very helpful when I make these new chapters in seeing what you guys like or hate about it. Also, any suggestions that you may have will also be well appreciated and might actually be seen in one of my future chapters. Other than that, it's a way for me to know what it is that you're expecting for this story.
And to Ghostkid33; thanks for your review and for sticking with this story for so long. Then again, you have been hooked on my Sonic the Hedgehog: Attorney of Law story for a while; so I guess it isn't too much of a surprise to see you back on this story. Still, it's good to know that someone like you has been waiting patiently for all this time. Also, thanks for taking notice of my new writing style. All I hoped for when writing the last chapter was that somebody would notice, and I'm glad you were able to. So thanks!
Now with all that boring stuff out of the way, I'll go away now and leave you with this new chapter. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on this site everybody!
Chapter 5: Aboard the Mobius Express
As Sonic and Tails rode through town on the local bus, they were forced to sit in separate areas since it happened to be incredibly crowded that morning. They were still close enough to hold some semblance of communication, but the noise of the bus along with the wall of people between them made it impossible to hear a word. As such, they both just sat in silence until they arrived at their destination.
Then again, it was probably for the best since the fox most likely would have talked his brother to death about how he should be finishing his important business right when they are assigned so he would not have to be rushing around. As much as Sonic loved his adoptive little brother, that was one of the few things he hated about him. He would always try to avoid it whenever he had the chance to, and this was one of those moments.
"It's about time we made it here!" Sonic exclaimed once they finally arrived at the train station. They both quickly made their way towards the doors, although they had to shove some people away in the process. This earned them both harsh glares and some choice words from some angry passengers that went ignored for the most part. "I can't believe we actually managed to make it with time to spare!"
"That's if you count having to pay extra to board the express bus and only having less than ten minutes to purchase a ticket as having time to spare," Tails deadpanned, knowing full well that his brother was going to ignore him and run straight to the ticket booth. He then said with a sigh, "I don't know how his coworkers put up with him every day. Then again, I'm one to talk since I'm the one living with him every day!"
With a shake of his head in amusement, the two-tailed fox carefully maneuvered through the crowd to reach the ticket booth. Once he arrived, he noticed that his older brother seemed a bit aggravated. He immediately figured that there were no more available tickets for the eleven o'clock train going to Station Square.
"But there's got to be something you can do!" the blue hedgehog pleaded with the teller. "The two of us really need to get on the eleven o'clock train to Station Square. That's the only way I can get my paperwork and deliver them back here before my deadline. I can't afford to wait until the three o'clock train comes around! Isn't there something you can do to see if there are any spare tickets left?"
"Well, I suppose I quickly skim through the system and see if there's anybody who ended up cancelling their tickets," the teller suggested while shrugging her shoulders before turning her attention onto her computer. "However, I can't guarantee that such a thing is going to happen. The chances of that happening at this point in time are not that great. Still, just give me a few seconds while I run a quick check for… Oh!"
"Did someone actually cancel their tickets?" the young fox asked with ever the smallest hints of hopefulness in his tone.
"Well, I have to say that it's your lucky day today!" the woman stated in surprise as she began reading what was being shown on her screen. "According to this, there's an area in the premium economy class section that opened up just two minutes ago. It'll cost a little bit more than regular economy, but you'll be allowed some extra amenities such as the bar and more spacious seating. And you're in even greater luck; the cancellation involved two adjacent seats and include the trip back to this station under the same class seating. If you'd like, I can print up the pair of tickets for you now."
"Yes, I'll take whatever tickets you're offering!" Sonic happily exclaimed as he dug into his black vest and took out his wallet. "Just please tell me that you accept credit cards, because I don't think I have enough cash on me."
By the time the entire transaction was completed, they heard an announcement stating that their train was on its final boarding call. Hearing this, they broke into a mad dash to make the train; Tails had enough sense to thank the teller before they were out of earshot. Thanks to their ability to easily maneuver through the busy and congested crowd, the two managed to make it into the train just before the doors closed.
"Geez, talk about cutting things down to the last second!" the hedgehog sighed out as he leaned against the train wall. The few people who were in the area gave him strange looks before going their own ways. "I didn't think we'd have to run across the platform like a couple of idiots just so we can catch this train."
"Well, it was pretty much your fault for forgetting that you had to go into Station Square and get those papers," Tails calmly explained as if he did not just finished running. "And don't even think about using last night as an excuse."
"Come on; I doubt even you'd be able to remember much after something like last night happening! You got to cut me some slack here."
"I've cut you some slack more times than I can count already," the two tailed fox replied before taking both their tickets and pressing it up against a scanner next to a door that led further into the train. "And besides, I never said that last night wasn't a good explanation for forgetting. It's just that I doubt your boss would entertain any kind of excuse you have for him after he gave you a month's notice to get those papers in."
The other merely growled in annoyance before the doors opened and allowed them into their designated train car. What waited for them inside was a part of the train that looked well-organized and designed modestly with a simple bluish-green carpet covering the floor. Each side had a wooden table situated between two leather seats that could fit two people each along with a window showcasing the scenery outside. Even the racks above the seats for holding luggage were larger than usual.
When the two stole a glance at their tickets for indication of their assigned seats, they noticed that they only had their names and the car that they belonged in printed on it. Unlike being in the regular economy class as they were accustomed to, the seating arrangement here seemed to be quite lax and apparently was on a first come, first serve basis. And to top it all off, there was a small section towards the center of the train car that looked a lot like a bar mentioned to them earlier by the teller. Overall, the car was well-kept yet not to the point that it seemed overly posh and insanely spacious.
"…I think I can get used to this kind of space!" Sonic said as he began memorizing his surroundings. "It certainly is a step up in both design and apparent service than what you'd get in regular economy. What do you think about it, Tails?"
"I think that you're going to have some trouble paying for all these extra expenses," Tails replied as he quickly took a seat on one of the left seats further into the car. "First you had to pay more so we could board the express bus, then you had to pay extra for the premium economy tickets just to ensure that you can make it to the Station Square Police Department and back here to Mobius. All this is so that you can turn in your papers to the Mobius Police Department on time. If it weren't for the fact that Uncle Chuck left the house to you in his will, I'd be worrying about how we'd be able to make next month's mortgage."
"I already said I was sorry before we even left the house," the hedgehog countered in an annoyed tone as he followed his younger brother's lead. "What more do you want me to say? Can I help it if I became so busy I forgot about those papers? You try working for a department that thinks it's funny to swamp you with things to do every day."
With a roll of his eyes, the fox simply looked out the window as the train slowly moved away from the station. In a matter of seconds, they were travelling through the town of Mobius at a steady pace on their way to Station Square.
"…How long do you think it'll take for us to get there?" Sonic asked not even a minute into the ride. "I have until midnight to get all those papers in, but I don't want to cut it any closer than it already is."
"Provided that everything goes well, we should be there in about a couple of hours," Tails explained without tearing his gaze from the town zooming by. "And provided that there isn't some kind of high-profile-crime taking place, we should be back long before midnight comes around."
"That's good to hear," the hedgehog replied with a happy sigh as he relaxed into his seat. "Now I can finally relax and enjoy this train ride. I wonder how much better the food is in this premium economy seating upgrade. I'm sure that bar there isn't just for show and to falsely advertise the better accommodations."
Once he was fully situated on his comfy leather seat, the police detective allowed his eyes to scan his surroundings once more. This time, he seemed more curious at seeing what kind of people were riding along in the car with them. It was then that he noticed a couple of people a few seats away from him on the right side dressed in black suits with a suitcase resting beside the person he had a clearer view of. In the kind of environment they were in, the two looked rather out-of-place.
"Tails, don't you think those two behind you over there look kind of funny?" the detective asked as he tilted his head at said people. "They don't look like the type of people you'd see in this car."
"…I don't see anything off about them," the fox asked as he turned his head to see the aforementioned two. "They just look like a couple of people going to some business meeting. I mean, it looks like they're doing some of their work right now. I don't see anything wrong with that scene."
"Well, I guess I'm just saying that I know this particular train has a business class section built into it. They look pretty well off judging by their suits, so I just find it funny why they're riding here in premium economy."
"Perhaps they're just trying to save some money on the travelling and take the cheapest yet most comfortable accommodations for them. Think about it like that and they won't seem too off sitting in this car looking the way they do. Just don't think too much into it. Today's technically supposed to be your day off; forget about people you think are suspicious just because they're not riding in the part of the train you feel they should be in. That and it's really not a good basis for you as a detective to be suspicious."
"I suppose you have a point there. I shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions since I'm working with the police and all that. Then again, I've really taken the train while in the regular economy section. I guess being in a new environment doesn't really qualify me to be suspicious about people."
"Attention passengers," an announcer's voice was suddenly heard greeting the travelers over the intercom in her best welcoming tone. "Thank you for choosing to ride on the Mobius Express today. We have just left Mobotropolis Station and are now en route to Station Square. The weather there is currently at pleasant spring temperatures with no signs of rain throughout the day. Our estimated time of arrival is in about two hours at around one in the afternoon. A complimentary lunch will be served to all cars in about thirty minutes.
"Also, we ask that you please refrain from using your cell phones and laptops until we begin riding through Wi-Fi enhanced portions of the tracks," the announcer continued with the obligatory speech and explanations that had to be made at the beginning of train travels. "Most of the machinery on this train requires that the radio waves be free of any cell phone or computer interference to work at their maximum capacity. Thank you all for both your understanding and cooperation. We hope you'll enjoy your experience on this new train service."
"Oh yeah, I forgot that this is the new train they've been advertising on the news," Tails suddenly said. "The Mobius Express is the first non-express train to provide direct service from Mobius to Station Square without stopping at any of the in-between stations. I was wondering why the trip was only going to last two hours."
"But I thought they said it was going to allow full usage of cell phones during any leg of the trip," Sonic questioned with a thoughtful look on his face. "Did they end up scratching that idea somewhere along the line?"
"There was some issue with the project which caused the funding to be cut by a certain amount," the fox explained as he seemed slightly interested in the small condiment rack placed along the wall. "The benefactor felt that the construction was taking longer than expected and took out just enough money allocated to the project so as to prevent the Wi-Fi for being built into the train. I suppose the person had a good reason seeing as how the contractors did promise it'd be done by the time this year came around. There weren't any reported mishaps during the construction yet they still were four months late in completion. I guess the funder did kind of have a right to be a bit impatient and pull away some of his money."
"Eh, it's not like I really care about what the rich people are doing," the hedgehog simply said with disinterest. "I was just wondering why there was a big change like that. That and it doesn't really affect me that much since I don't have much reason to be making calls during these train trips.
"What I'm more interested in is what kind of food they're going to be serving in this new train," he added while happily patting his stomach. "They did say they were going to serve us a complimentary lunch in half an hour, so now's a good chance to see what they have to offer. And we're also seated in an upgraded version of economy class, so the train food should be better than what we're used to."
"It's nice to know some things don't change even when you're supposed to be dead," the other said in an annoyed tone while wearing an amused smile. "Seriously Sonic; couldn't you travel somewhere just this once without thinking about what kind of things you're going to eat along the way?"
Without answering, said hedgehog took a small placard placed among the condiments and saw that it was actually a small menu of what they were offering. With high expectations, he began reading the menu in search for anything that caught his eye. All the while, Tails settled on passing the time by staring back out the window that had now changed to a large and beautiful countryside scenery.