Chapter Fifteen – Murder Train
As time wore on, Sukko began to get more bold, especially with his brother's friends. He still didn't really like them, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun with them. Suddenly, gatecrashing, completely uninvited, cause havoc, and then leave, wiping their memories in the process, so they'd never remember him. Unfortunately, both Sonic, Tails, Shadow and now Knuckles did, but the stupid antic drove the Blue Blur spare. But, if he said no, Sukko would just leave, and not come back. Only returning when his professional skills were required, on the front line against Eggman. All social engagements would stop. Sonic cried. With the war, he barely saw his family. They were in deep hiding. So deep, in fact, that even he didn't truly know where they all were. Only Sukko did, and he was the Blue Blur's only lifeline to his blood relatives. If he left, his family would be gone, and Sonic would be left on his own.
But the Blue Blur desperately didn't want that. His family were the real reason, he fought the horrendous war against Eggman. Even though he was frightened of Sukko, the rest of the family was still in danger, and the Human could still try something. His friends, however, were not in so much danger. Sonic liked them, but his family meant so much more. This meant that when his brother suddenly landed, out of the blue, for an impromptu social call, Sonic had to just let him, and allow the silly antics to happen. So long as no one got hurt. But truthfully, the Blue Blur relished his brother's company, and was willing to allow Sukko to mildly telepathically screw his friends over, because of it. The best time this happened, was when the mighty Sorcerer just descended on a certain Pink Hedgehog, out of nowhere.
For Amy's birthday, she decided to have a murder mystery party, on a train. Everyone was invited, but unfortunately that included one stowaway. Sukko had heard about the murder mystery, and loving the idea, he just couldn't resist. He purchased his own train ticket and just he turned up, completely unannounced, as the train was about to leave. The Sorcerer just stood by the open side door. He called inside.
"Have you got room for one more?" He asked. He was dressed as an old fashioned Doctor. He wore a dark, professional suit with a black frock coat, a high-collared white shirt, a cravat, a striped waistcoat, a medical bag, with top hat, on his now short and sharp blue head quills, having decided to change them. He looked extremely dashing and a total dandy. Suddenly, there was squealing from inside, as both Sonic and Tails came running out, for an almighty hug. The war, recently, against Eggman had been utterly horrendous, but they all were all being healed between battles, so they knew the Sorcerer was around, but other then that, no one had seen quill nor tail of Sukko in months. Truthfully, he'd been desperately missed, and these social calls were getting incredibly scarce. Immediately, Sukko was dragged into the train, regardless of whether Amy liked it or not, and joined the party. The Sorcerer immediately dived into his bag, and from it, he slammed one of his homemade blueberry sugar-free lollies into Sonic's mouth, in which the Blue Blur was instantly all over, his tail wagging hard, extremely happy. Even Tails got one. Unfortunately, Amy wasn't as she marched right up to the Sorcerer. She growled.
"Hey, this is my party, and your not invited. Get out." She spat. But Sonic, in his captain's outfit and hat, just hissed rather coldly at her.
"Hey back off. That's my brother." He snapped, to the usual gasps from everyone, but Sukko just smirked, ignoring that, as he turned to his twin.
"Sonikku, it's fine. Don't bother. If the lady doesn't want me here, then I can just leave." He leered, taking complete control of the situation, knowing exactly what reaction he'd get, out of his twin. He'd missed his twin too, and truthfully didn't want to leave either, but threatening to do so, was going to be enough to crack the mighty Blue Blur, and consequently, make him whimper.
Which was exactly what happened.
Immediately, everyone was all over Sonic, comforting him, as the Sorcerer stood back and let them. Stunned, it caused Amy to change her tune, very quickly, apologising hard. The Blue Blur was the hero. To hear him so openly whimper was both gobsmacking and utterly heartbreaking. He'd never done it before. Sonic, on the other hand, was tired and fed up. He was well aware that Sukko was manipulating, both him and the situation, but he let him, as he threw off his friends, and cuddled his brother again. He didn't care. Sukko's loyalty to the family was paramount, and Sonic believed in that completely. Regardless, he'd just had enough, with everything. The war, Eggman, all of it. But Sonic heaved. He knew exactly how his party was going to play out. He'd already read all the descriptor lore cards, and that he was the one to be 'killed'. Which was fine. He'd volunteered for it anyway. He was that exhausted. He needed to majorly catch up on some sleep, and with Sukko here, he knew that whatever happened, he'd be safe. Let his brother have his fun, and maybe forget, for one afternoon, that there were even fighting a war.
As Sukko walked around the Dinning Car, they were all in, gave his ticket in, he turned heads, as few people knew that Sonic and Sukko were identical twins, or at least, remembered through the constant memory wiping. But after Sonic shooed away anyone goggling at his twin, soon Sukko settled. Unfortunately, his occasional, very L.B.G.T. accent on his voice, gave him away, and it drove Amy spare, but had to keep her mouth shut, otherwise Sonic would jump dump her and their friendship, and just walk away.
He was incredibly close to Sukko and it showed. Suddenly, the Sorcerer's ridiculously quick witted, insanely stupid jokes began to land and all of the sudden, the Blue Blur just lit up the whole train.
That smile.
Sonic's friends had never seen it before. The biggest, broadest, toothiest grin ever, as the hero's morale just exploded. The Blue Blur had been down for months. Not anymore, as the twins began to gossip, as Sukko, suddenly gave Sonic, a crisp, twenty Mobian dollar bill. He frowned.
"What's that for?" He wondered. But the Sorcerer smirked.
"Our bet. You won." He grinned. "Yesterday, at work, I got a Category One Emergency, 463. Foreign object up back passage." He smiled. Suddenly, Sonic exploded in pure delight, cheering, extremely hard.
"The frying pan?" He bounced. Sukko giggled and nodded.
"Oh, yes, and you called it, Sonikku." He nodded. But Tails just frowned.
"But how do you even get a frying pan up there?" He wondered, but Sukko just rolled his eyes, as he droned in the driest, most sarcastic, monotone voice, ever.
"Not the wide end, Fox." He hissed, to howls of laugher from the Blue Blur. But Tails heaved, giggling hard.
"Uncle Sukko, that's not what I meant." He spat, but the Sorcerer just smirked.
"Well, apparently, bottom tennis is a thing." He added, of which this time, the Fox just also broke down laughing, of which the Sorcerer just shrugged. "What?" He smirked, with a massive grin. Sonic then suddenly cheered again.
"Yes, I finally win a bet against Sukko. My finest achievement." He boasted, but the Sorcerer, suddenly, stopped, as he gave his twin the side eye, replying in yet another sarcastic monotone voice. He huffed.
"Er, no. Your greatest achievement, Sonikku, is proving the existence of the Doppler Effect by swearing at it." He spat, to intense giggling from Tails. He grinned, staring at the Blue Blur, knowing what the Sorcerer meant. The Doppler Effect is finding the distance from a moving object by the dynamics of it's sound. Loud is close, quiet is further away. Suddenly, Sukko smirked. "There is a certain charm in travelling at Mach One, cursing your head off, simply because you can. But it does prove the theory." He shrugged, but Sonic just stared at him.
"I don't remember doing that." He puzzled. But Sukko just intensely smirked.
"You may have been drunk at the time, Sonikku." He sniggered. But Tails gasped, rounding on the twins.
"Wait, whoa! You guys aren't legally old enough to drink." He gulped, but Sukko just rolled his eyes.
"I don't." He spat. "And trust me, that's not going to stop Sonikku." He giggled, indicating the Blue Blur, who just shrugged. Tails whimpered at him, in horror. But Sonic heaved.
"Look, it's not actually that bad. When this stupid fight with Eggman really gets to me down, I hit the tequila, to cope." He admitted, but as the Fox gasped, Sonic rounded on him. "But two things, Tails. One, it's doesn't happen very often, and two, I always take Sukko with me, to stay safe." He added, indicating his twin, of which the Sorcerer agreed. But Sukko heaved.
"There's a war on, Fox, so needs must. Be realistic. Sonikku may be the Hero, but he's no Wonder-Hog. He needs to let his quills down occasionally, otherwise he'll just crash, and be permanently out of the fight, which will help no one." He hissed, of which Tails just intensely giggled at the term 'Wonder-Hog', as Sonic just huffed. It was fair, and truthfully, the Fox should have seen it coming. Sonic wasn't perfect and did indeed need time to rest and have fun. But then Tails suddenly grinned.
"Anymore drunken antics?" He wondered, as the Blue Blur eye's widened. He never remembered any of them, as he gulped at his twin. But Sukko grinned.
"Well, there was this one time, when he mistook the moon, for a bare rear end, and once ended a battle, with his actually bottom in Eggman's face. He wasn't impressed." He remembered. Tails suddenly howled with laughter, as Sonic squealed in pure denial. He growled.
"No, I didn't." He spat. But Sukko immediately when into the inside pocket of his coat, and to the communication device, his phone, he had, and replayed the video, of which Sonic just went absolutely scarlet at. Yes, he did, and then suddenly, just laughed along with Tails at the utter absurdity of it. Finally, Sonic stopped, and heaved. Amy was staring at them. He gulped and hard.
"Sorry." He grinned. "It's been a while since I've seen my brother." He admitted. With him on the front line, and Sukko working in the hospital, they did, very rarely, see each other. But the Blue Blur nodded. "Anyway, we should get this party started." He added, still intensely giggling, as he disappeared down the train.
Finally, all the characters, in this murder mystery, went their separate ways. Amy and Tails stayed in the Dinning Car, as Sonic went to the Conductor's Car, as Sukko joined Shadow in the Lounge Car. A hour later, and one speeding train, and Sonic was found 'dead' in the Dinning Car, completely unresponsive. The Fox frowned. It looked incredibly convincing. Maybe a little too good, but no one would really go after Sonic, for real, especially on this train. With all of his friends, and especially his brother on board. No, something else was going on. With no choice but to leave the Blue Blur, the Fox moved on.
Soon, Tails and Amy worked their way through the train carriages. Knuckles was in the Saloon Car, and told the story of how Vector had visited and that he'd got beaten by the Crocodile at the arcade machine. Vector and Espio are in the Library Car, and knew nothing, and both are very bored. Blaze and Rouge steal some treasure from the Casino Car, but nothing on Sonic's murder.
But when they get to the Lounge Car, do things kick off. The Chao string quartet, which should be playing, are all fast asleep, and both Shadow and especially Sukko are both looking as very rough, as though they had done something very naughty. Shadow was slightly flustered, putting himself straight, but Sukko was a total mess lounging on the sofa at the back of the carriage. He was borderline asleep and very giggly. But the extremely strong scent of testosterone in the Lounge Car, gives them away, as Amy explodes. Sukko mated with someone on her birthday train. She was hurt as she squealed.
"Oh, you're disgusting." She growled. But the Sorcerer just grinned.
"Hey, what's a murder mystery without at least one massive scandal." He laughed. But Tails just huffed.
"Uncle Sukko, please." He begged but then frowned, looking around. "But who were you doing the deed with?" He wondered. Unfortunately, Shadow's awkwardness gave him away, and everyone was gobsmacked. Amy roared with frustration.
"Shadow!" She screamed, but Ultimate Lifeform just outright smirked.
"What? I swing in whichever direction I choose, and he seduced me." He hissed, pointing to the Sorcerer, which Sukko openly admits to, nodding hard. But truthfully, the pair were married and did this on a semi-regular basis anyway, it's just that none of Sonic's friends knew that, including the Fox. But Shadow rounded on the Pink Hedgehog. "But I'd hold your tongue, if I were you. I've bought you a pair of tickets to the latest Hot Honey concert, and Sukko's, this minute, has just upgraded them to V.I.P. front row seats. That's hundreds of Mobian dollars worth of birthday gift." He hissed, rather coldly. Suddenly, Amy went very white and Tails gasped.
"Whoa. Guys." He stammered, as Amy gulped and hard, now feeling rather guilty.
"Thank you." She whimpered. Sukko put his hand up from the sofa, he was still lying on.
"Pleasure." He giggled. The Sorcerer still didn't much like Amy, but her attitude towards his brother had improved significantly in recent months, and Sonic still liked her, despite everything. There was been a lot of forgiveness, and bridges being rebuilt recently, in spite of her obsession of Sonic. Therefore Sukko felt she deserved the extravagance. But Shadow smirked, as he looked at Amy.
"Now all you have to decide, is whom your taking with you." He shrugged, suspecting the Blue Blur. But Sukko chimed in from the back.
"Not me. I'm working." He hollowed. But Tails just giggled.
"Uncle Sukko. Your a Doctor, in a hospital. Consequently, your always working." He repeated. Suddenly, he noticed the Sorcerer's medical bag was open. It didn't contain medicine but was stuffed full with more of his fantastic homemade sugar-free lollies, various flavours, of which Tails helped himself to another. He offered Amy one, which she took. Sukko just grinned and looked up at the Fox.
"Er, yeah, that's fair." He agreed. But Amy frowned, looking right at Shadow.
"What about you?" She wondered. But Sukko howled with laughter.
"Hey, why not. You'll like that, Stripes." He smiled, and then he sat up on the sofa, looking right across the room at Amy. "Actually, I have been trying to introduce Stripes to music, other then classic rock." He frowned, looking at the Ultimate Lifeform. "What? You are rather fixated on it." He added. The Ultimate Lifeform growled, cutting across the Sorcerer, before he added further antics. But he was rather surprised at Amy. He utterly believed she'd take his brother-in-law. Had she finally moved past the blue idiot? Shadow had no idea, but regardless, he'll humour her, but it could never lead to anything. He was married to someone else. He heaved.
"Fine." He huffed, as Sukko had a point. He did need to broaden his horizons, in regards to music. He might actually enjoy it. But Tails suddenly, rounded on the Sorcerer.
"Er, Uncle Sukko, anymore of those scandals of yours?" He wondered, getting back to the murder mystery. Suddenly, the Sorcerer put up a hand and snapped his finger. Suddenly, the wardrobe to the side of them, opened, revealing an alleyway, leading back down the train. He grinned inanely.
"Secret passageway." He announced. Tails was immediately all over it, squealing in pure delight.
"Thank you." He bellowed, as he ran down it, forcing Amy to follow him. The passageway lead back to the Library Car, and after further questions, with the Chaotix, Espio, in particular, was struggling with his alibi. Regardless, Tails and Amy moved down the passageway again, back to the Lounge Car, to find to their horror, Shadow fast asleep, and the Sorcerer gone.
Vanished.
He was nowhere in sight. Tails ran to Shadow, and successfully shook him awake. He frowned. This was worrying. The immortal Black Hedgehog never slept, so something was seriously going on, now, strong enough to knock out the mighty Ultimate Lifeform. This now frightened the Fox. They had been gone, barely fifteen minutes. He gulped and hard.
"Where's Uncle Sukko?" He panicked. Shadow blinked and looked around. What? He growled and got to his feet, as he desperately searched the Lounge Car, his temper flaring.
"Alright, this is no longer funny. I know this murder mystery is supposed to be role play, but someone is playing a dangerous game, especially with both the twins now involved." He hissed, as he rubbed his head. Suddenly, he rounded on Amy. "Have you checked on the idiot? He's supposed to be, just sleeping." He blasted, indicating down to the train, towards the Blue Blur. Everyone went white, but before anyone could move back down the train, there was an almighty scream from the Conductor's Car.
Forsaking the Blue Blur, everyone ran there, to find a fight, and the original conductor, whom welcomed them on the train, bound and tied up. They release him, and he explains of a fight between the helping hands of the trains and himself, being kidnapped and brought there.
Tails runs through the evidence and works it out and everyone is called to the front. But Sonic is still unresponsive, and not waking up. This caused outright panic, and with Sukko still missing, as no one can find him. Both Amy's and Shadow's tempers begin flaring. But Tails calmed everyone down, believing Espio 'murdered' Sonic. There were gasps, but the Chameleon nodded.
"Yes, that was the plan, but Sonic was already gone by the time I got there. Also I have no idea where the other Blue Hedgehog has vanished to." He admitted. Tails blinked.
What?
Suddenly, Sukko appeared at the door, deep blood red eyes, and a evil smile. Sparks of lightning were flying all around him. Amy wanted an authentic murder mystery, that was exactly what she got. She screamed, but Tails wasn't buying it. He growled.
"Uncle Sukko, back off. I know you, and this isn't you." He hissed, but the Blue Hedgehog, walked right into the Conductor's Car and loomed heavily over the Fox, his deep crimson red eyes glaring.
"Are you sure about that, Fox? How do you know I haven't turned, with the whole evil twin idea." He hissed, extremely coldly. "Then killing my own brother, is entirely, plausible." He sniggered.
Everyone screamed, as Amy ran back to the unresponsive Blue Blur, and squealed, tears running down her face. She wailed.
"How could you?" She sniffed, but Tails just growled. He still wasn't buying it, as he rounded on the Sorcerer.
"Uncle Sukko, please stop. I know you. Your a real Doctor, definitely not a killer, but your also the biggest trickster I know. You intervened with the murder, but is Sonic really dead?" He paused, repeating himself, as he looked at the Blue Blur and back to the Sorcerer. He gritted his teeth. "No." He blasted, and then heaved and hard, frustrated. "Come on, Tails, work it out. It's in the evidence." He hissed, to himself. Quickly the cogs of his mind turned. Suddenly, his eyes widened, as he rounded on the Sorcerer. "When we are went out separate ways, Uncle Sukko distracted Shadow to get at the Conductor's Car and Sonic, whom I think had been on some kind of fight. At that point, he was alright, but just before Espio was about to go for him, Uncle Sukko got there first, and teleported him down the train, to the Dinning Car. Him, vanishing after knocking Shadow out, was just a scare tactic. As to the Blue Blur, himself, he's fine, just sedated." He heaved.
Suddenly, Sukko breaks character, returning to normal. The pale blue sparks disappeared, and the everyone's relief, so do the deep, red eyes, which were fake, and just an illusion, as they turned back to their usual, green colour, as the Sorcerer offers Tails a hand. He smiled.
"Well played, Fox." He nodded, and with a snap of a finger, Sonic awakes to the delight of everyone. Immediately, Amy hugged him to much giggling, extremely flustered. He grinned inanely. Suddenly, she slapped him, squealing.
"Hey, you knew?" She blasted. But Sonic giggled.
"Yes, of course I did. I asked Sukko to intervene. I knew Espio would go for me, though the train itself attacking me, was new. No idea about that, but regardless, I desperately needed to sleep this afternoon, and truthfully, I rather do it, under the care of my brother, then anyone." He grinned, then he heaved, as he saw all the somewhat shaken looks on everyone's faces. He rounded on his twin.
"Sukko, when I said to have fun on the train, I didn't mean to scare everyone witless." He pleaded. But the Sorcerer just smirked.
"My apologises, but old habits, die hard. Your know how much I can frighten Eggman. The birthday girl wanted an authentic murder mystery, so I gave her one." He hissed, but Sonic growled.
"What? By making everyone believe I was actually dead." He hissed. Sonic rubbed his face, sighing hard, as he looked back at his twin. "Thanks, Sukko." He heaved, rolling his eyes, but the Sorcerer, just smirked.
"Pleasure." He nodded, but before anyone could say anything else, the train had other ideas.
Suddenly, it went completely out of control, itself being a hidden Badnik, having used its mechanical hands to capture the conductor. It speeds away, trying to kidnap them, as Eggman voice rang out across the train.
But the Blur Blur, got there first, having had enough, as he orders Sukko to just stop the train. Suddenly, his Telekinesis explodes out and overwhelms the train, grinding it to a halt. Then train then attacks them, but Sukko then used his lightning to fry it's A.I., leaving the train completely dead, including his mechanical hands, everyone free.
Tails smiled. That's the Uncle Sukko he knew. A hero, just like Sonic. He never was a murderer. He was only pretending, even if the role-play was a little too good. Tails growled, rolling his eyes. Classic Sorcerer. He always had to take it, one step, too far, but that was his Uncle Sukko all over. But regardless, whatever happened, the Sorcerer's heart was always in the right place, and it was that unmoving believe that help Tails solve the mystery.
Soon, Sukko used his telekinesis to drive the train home. As everyone spread back out on the train again, the twins, just gossiped, in the Conductor's Car, the entire way home, and soon, Sukko pulled the train back in the station. But as people left the train, Sonic noticed the tell-tale pale blue harmless force-field around it, as people walked through it. He rolled his eyes. Sukko, with yet another powerful memory wipe cast. With it, the Sorcerer was written out of their memories, but the days events weren't, everyone believing the that Espio had indeed 'murdered' Sonic, and that the Badnik train had fought back harder then it actually did.
Sonic, Tails, Shadow and Knuckles, were immune to the cast, the Blue Blur looked back into the train, and saw the mighty Sorcerer, explode into hundreds of bright white orbs, ascending upwards, as he teleported home, with a wave. He left the medical bag behind, which Tails grabbed, and took with him, diving in it for yet another lolly. Sonic heaved, taking one himself again. A flavour from home, as he deeply smiled. Maybe, one day, the Sorcerer would allow himself to be remembered, beyond his family. But with the war raging, and Eggman still around, that wasn't going to happen.
Sukko was a father, there was just too much at stake, for the world to know about it. As for his friends, he understood his brother's caution. Sonic liked them a lot, but there was also big mouths in the group. Amy, Cream, Vector. To keep something as major the existence of the Blue Blur's own identical twin brother, within the group, without the world press and media finding out and being, all over the Sorcerer, would be impossible. Sukko was playing a very dangerous game, with these social visits, but Sonic was so grateful he did. They got to see each other, in a horrendous situation, where they never would.
He heaved. Sonic was relieved that now, Amy didn't remember Sukko frightening her so badly, as she was all over the Blue Blur, as he got off the train. He let her, but kept some distance. Regardless, he still had a party go to, and a birthday cake to fetch. The Blue Blur had decided, that despite everything that had happened between himself and Amy, in the past, there had been some significant rebuilding, especially from her. Maybe there might be the possibility of a relationship, after all.
He grinned. Regardless, it was a good day.