X Marks the Spot: Pt 1

"But Grandpa, I don't want to just celebrate my birthday with you Mister Tanaka and Ella." The brown haired kid in front of him whined. "I want to spend my birthday with my friends and mom & dad."

"Now, Chris. You know your parents are far too busy to be here with you on your birthday." The elderly scientist explained. "Your mom has a movie to film in Spagonia and your father is on a good will tour in Chun-nin. Just be glad that the servants and I can be here for you."

"Master Chris. If there is anything we can get for you on your birthday, please let Ella and I know." Mr. Tanaka exclaimed bowing low before his young master. "Money is not an object for the Thorndick family, so please let us know what it is that you desire."

"Jaa, Master Chris. We vill get you anything that you vant." The massive sized cook declared, joyfully as the doorbell rang. "Oh my… I zink our new neighbors might be stopping over to pay us a visit. I vonder what they could want."

"Master Chris, I've heard that our new neighbors are mobians." Mr. Tanaka replied as Ella went to answer the door. "I wonder if they could have been invited over here by a certain rotund cook who wanted to cheer you up."

"Why hello there, neighbors." Ella declared opening up the door. "Please won't you come in?"

"Hello, Miss Ella." A sugary adorable voice squeaked as a cute little rabbit girl came skipping into the room. "Hi, Chris. My name is Cream and this is my friend, Cheese. We're here to wish you a happy birthday."

"Chao, chao." Cheese declared in an agreement.

"Hello, Mr. Tanaka." A mature and lady-like voice said as a mobian woman nearly the size of a human being stepped through the doorway. "I saw you out watering the flowers the other day and I'm very pleased to have the chance to meet you in person." She curtseyed to him. "My name is Vanilla Rabbot; my daughter and I just moved to Station Square."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Vanilla." The butler bowed politely hiding the red on his cheeks. "Please, if there is anything I can do for you or your daughter, do not hesitate to let me know."

"Here you go, Chris." Cream exclaimed, handing the boy a circle of flowers. "This is a flower crown I made just for you."

"I don't want your stupid flower crown!" The boy angrily snapped at the surprised little girl, grabbing and tearing the flower crown in half and throwing it her feet. "I don't want you here and I don't want you cheering me up!"

"But… but I…" Cream exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I DON'T WANT GUESTS!" Chris screamed, falling back on the couch, flailing his arms and legs like a spoiled baby. "I WANT MOM AND DAD! I WANT MY FRIENDS FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY!"

"Wow, it sounds like the baby needs a nap." Vanilla declared, raising an eye brow at the boy who was a year older than her well-behaved daughter asking like he was two. "Perhaps, Cream and I should come back later."

"Nono, Miss Vanilla, please. Come into the kitchen and a cup of coffee with Ella and I." Mr Tanaka pleaded trying to save face after his young charge acted so terribly. "I'm sure the boy's grandfather and young Miss Cream can calm Master Chris down."

"Of course, dear Mister Tanaka." Vanilla replied, looking over at Chris in disgust. "I just hope that your coffee milk isn't as spoiled as everything else in this house seemed to be."

"CHRIS! WE HAVE GUESTS, PLEASE STOP BEHAVING LIKE A CRYBABY!" Grandpa yelled at him. "NOW, MAN UP AND STOP BEHAVING LIKE YOU NEED YOUR DIAPER CHANGED!"

"Please don't cry, Chris. I have an idea that might make you happy." Cream spoke up, finally thinking of something. "My mom and I know Mister Sonic the Hedgehog. Maybe we could have him come here for your birthday and cheer you up."

"Wait… did you say Sonic the Hedgehog?" Chris's ears suddenly perked up as he stopped crying. "The famous hero of West Side Island? Yeah, I want you to bring him here for my birthday."

"But Chris, Sonic is a very busy man." Dr. Thorndike tried to reason with his grandson. "I don't think he could come here on such short notice. Maybe –"

"I want Sonic. I want Sonic. I want Sonic…" Chris stated falling back, kicking and screaming again. "And I'm gonna hold my breath until you make him come."

"Oh dear, you'd better do something to get Sonic here as soon as possible." Dr. Thorndike pleaded to Cream. "I remember the last time Chris held his breath like this, I had a tall smurf for a grandson. I don't want him to turn green afterwards."

"Okay Dr. Thorndike, I'll try to get Mr. Sonic over here." A bewildered Cream stated staring at her so-called new friend in disbelief. "But I'm thinking I should get Chris a pacifier or a bottle first."

Far outside of Station Square, on the coast nearest to where the Thorndike mansion was located, a tall missile solo was sticking out of the ground sideways. It had been one of the giant warheads launched by Julian during his final doomsday campaign against GUN. The warhead had fallen onto the beach and simply been forgotten about during the cleanup afterwards. By the time anyone gave it much thought, the tower had become something of a popular local landmark the citizens of Station Square didn't want to see removed.

No one ever went near the small beach where the warhead stood sticking out, out of fear that it might still go off if triggered by any kind of nearby motion. However, that did not stop a certain portly scientist who was well aware of the warhead's existence to fly in his Egg Mobile to a small door on the side; walking into the long and winding tunnels leading up to the warhead's command tower.

"I can't believe the United Federation just left this thing here to stick out of the sand." Eggman chuckled as he sat down in the command chair of the warhead's bridge. Each one of these missile ships that Uncle Julian launched was like a small warship of its own, piloted by a robot crew who would kamikaze run the vessel into its intended target. Eggman stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "I wonder if any of the crew managed to survive."

It was at that moment that a door going down to the cargo bay, slowly opened and two pairs of eyes stared out of the darkness at Eggman. The scientist pretended not to notice at first, but quickly got bored with the charade.

"You two bots can come out now." Eggman ordered. "Dr. Ivo Robotnik commands it."

"Dr. Robotnik." One of the robots said pushing the door open. As they stepped out into the light, Eggman could see that they were a pair of pilot bots. One with a tall circular head, and one with a short round head. "We've been awaiting farther orders, doctor. But this is the first time, we've had any contact with command."

"State your designations."

"This unit is designated as Alpha-kuanto, shortened designation A-ko." The first robot answered. "My partner is designated as Beta-kuanto, shortened designation B-ko."

"Well then, A-ko and B-ko. I am now called Dr. Eggman." Ivo answered. "And I am your new master. I have come here to Station Square to get some vacation time away from that annoying hedgehog. Will you show me around this containment module?"

"As you wish, Doctor Eggman." The second robot declared. "I will tell you we have a spacy cargo area, our late captain's person quarters, a ping pong table, an arcade, and even a chao garden."

"Good greif. So that's where my uncle's extra defense spending went." Eggman shook his head in disbelief. "Oh well, maybe I should head down and see if I can hatch myself a new speed type."

Even as Eggman was settling into his vacation cabana, a speedy hedgehog and his three companions were chasing a fleeing chao across the sky over the Great Mobian Sea.

"Faster Tails, faster." Sonic yelled, pointing a finger at the dark type chao ahead of them as he stood on the wings. "Or he is going to get away."

"I'm doing the best I can, Sonic." Tails complained. "I'd be able to go faster if Amy hadn't insisted on coming along and adding a ton of extra weight."

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M FAT!?" Amy yelled slamming her fist on the plane's metal exterior. "YOU'RE REALLY LUCKY I CAN'T GET TO MY PIKO PIKO FROM HERE, PROWER!"

"Would you two shut up and quit your whining?" Knuckles snapped sitting sideways between the two. "I can't read my Captain Rescue comic book with all of your whining."

"Would you guys please focus at the task at hand?" Sonic asked all three of them, before looking back at their target. "Give it up, Bonta-kun. There is no way you can outrun the Tornado."

"You big jerks… I can't believe your being so mean to me." The chao answered, tears streaming down his eyes. "I'll never tell you where Eggman-sama is, not in a million years. Sonic no baka."

"Well then, we'll just have to MAKE you tell us." Knuckles proclaimed, reaching over Tails' shoulder and pressing a red button on the console. "FIRE ONE!"

"KNUCKLES, NO!" Tails screamed. "YOU COULD KILL HIM!" A missile had fired already.

"AHH!" The blast hit Bonta-kun dead center exploding in mid-air. The screaming chao was sent into a tail spin, his smoking hind quarters leaving a trail as he spiraled downwards.

"Ouch. Good thing he's an immortal chao." Amy said, painfully, looking at the flaming mess. "But it's still really painful what you can live through." Suddenly, the Tornado's engines began to sputter and knock informing the four passengers that they were running low on fuel.

"Uh oh, that sounds like trouble." Knuckles muttered, nervously. "We better make for the nearest town before we run out of gas and all end up at the bottom of the ocean."

"What do you mean, we Knucklehead." Tails exclaimed pointing back to his two tails. "I hope growing gills is one of your echidna powers."

"Tails, stop teasing him. This is serious." Sonic replied. "What's the nearest town or city on the radar?"

"Station Square: Nice beach resort, mixed mobian and human population." Tails suddenly shivered. "Oh yeah, and my stalker crush lives there."

"Well, at least yours lives far away." Sonic said, looking down at the pink hedgehog in the passenger's seat. "But Knuckles and I were at Station Square on vacation a few months back. I think we know our way around there pretty well."

"Well then, we can stop off there for fuel and repairs." Tails answered. "Besides unless I run into Dreamy Creamy, I won't have any problems."

"Oh wow, a stay at the beach." Amy replied, grinning at the thought of getting to wear her new swimsuit. "What could possibly go wrong?"