Chapter 7: Rivals
Location: Station Square
Forty minutes later…
Racing along Route 99, Sonic weaved in and out of the traffic that crowded the thoroughfare. He took notice of a white sedan that was ahead of him, watching as a pair of children pointed at him from the back seat. The hedgehog couldn't help but wave at them as he sped past, eliciting honks from some of the drivers. The hedgehog cast them an apologetic-look, but continued running in the direction of the freeway off ramp. Barely three minutes later, Sonic slowed to a stop behind the SSPD building. The garage acted as the headquarters for the Police Department's high-speed pursuit unit; the S-Team. He had run afoul of the group during his first night in the hidden metropolis, something that Sally had been none to pleased about. There were several Formula One cars parked inside the garage, each one undergoing routine maintenance by the mechanics, while the rest of the team was on standby.
"Yo Sam, you here!?" Sonic bellowed, trying to get his voice above the noise.
He detected movement coming from the inside and watched as a ginger-haired human emerged from the back, drinking a soda from Burger Princess. He was dressed in a predominately red racing uniform; the standard attire as the leader of the S-Team. He was the only human capable of keeping up with him, and they had developed an intense rivalry. Extremely competitive, Sam desired nothing more then to prove that he was the faster then the hedgehog.
"Well! Well! If it isn't Sonic," he stated.
"Wanna race?"
"I'm always ready to wipe the floor with you, Hedgehog," he said with a grin.
"You clearly have memory issues, Sam. I distinctly remember wiping the floor with you the last time we raced," the Hedgehog smirked.
"Uh...Sam, don't you have to be at the courthouse this afternoon to give testimony?" a voiced asked.
Sonic noticed a blonde-haired man standing by one of the racers, dressed in a white and red version of Sam's racing uniform. The hedgehog recognized the man as Hector Dragg; Sam's rival prior to being reduced to third place. The Human resented being in that position, though he grown obsessed to the point of recklessness. His infrequent visits also helped, keeping that rivalry was largely between Sam and Hector.
"No. The judge postponed that court case till next week."
Hector watched as both the Hedgehog and Human exchanged a glance, their rivalry beginning to heat up.
"So…you got a place in mind?"
"Sand Hill Zone. Try and keep up," Sam stated.
"Please, I can be there before you've had a chance to start your engine."
A smile stretched across the young man's face, prompting him to make a break for his Formula One Racer. Hopping into the driver seat, the human started up the engine and rolled towards the entrance. Sonic wasn't about to make good on his declaration, preferring to give Sam a fair chance.
"You'd better not disappointment, Hedgehog."
"I was about to say the same thing, Speed King."
Hector immediately stepped in front of the pair, already knowing that they would require someone to call the start of the face.
"On your mark…get set…go," the blonde-haired human announced, lacking enthusiasm.
Sam immediately floored the accelerator, tearing out of the garage with Sonic in close pursuit. They exited from the Police Department, entering the public roadway, and headed towards the outskirts of the city.
Location: Sand Hill Zone
Ten minutes later…
Waves of heat rose up from the endless tracks of sand, punctuated by the rock formations and ruined architecture. There was vegetation in the from of cacti, but it was sparse even in a region such as Sand Hill. Kicking up a trail of dust, Sonic raced across the landscape, having easily overtaken Sam's racer. They had no real destination, there only intention was for one of them to outdo the other.
"You win this round, Hedgehog," the human conceded.
Sonic immediately slowed, glancing over his shoulder to find that Sam had pulled his race car to a stop.
"Giving up? That's out of character for you."
"Won't do me any good if I run out of fuel and can't get back to the city."
The Hedgehog admitted that he had a point, but neither of them were ready to return to Station Square.
"What? Dawn not willing to come down and give you a fill-up?"
There was insinuation in Sonic's voice, as if he had assumed that he and his co-worker were romantically involved. The SSPD had a policy prohibiting fraternization in the workplace, and he preferred to keep things strictly professional. Ignoring the hedgehog's comment, Sam climbed out of the vehicle and took a seat on the front end, removing and removed his helmet and balaclava.
"So…I never asked; what exactly brought you down this way?"
"Chris and Chuck had plans to visit Mobotropolis, but things have fallen through."
"So, you came up to inform them of that?"
"No. We actually received information concerning a group of humans that departed Station Square centuries ago," Sonic stated, "Sal thinks that by bringing Chuck along they might be more inclined to speak with us."
"Well, if anyone can pull it off, it'd be him."
"I hope so. Otherwise, this'll just be a massive waste of time."
"If it means bringing down Dr. Eggman then it'll be worth the effort."
Sonic conceded that Sam had a point, but he wasn't prepared to admit that out loud. Checking his communicator, the hedgehog discovered that Chris' school would be letting out shortly.
"Guess we should consider heading back."
The ginger-haired human was already hopping into the cockpit of his vehicle, prepared to resume their race.
"Last one to reach the city is a rotten egg."
"You're on, Sam."