Sonic the Hedgehog characters are ŠSega/Dic/Archie.
WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE, I DECIDED TO GET OFF MY LAZY DUFF AND WRITE SOME MORE. I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR RAVE REVIEWS, ESPECIALLY JODAN, LAZER TH, SATURN'S GEMINI, AND SUZIE ECHIDNA; THANKS, GUYS! WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED ACTION FIC.
SONG SUGGESTION: "The Wretched" by Nine Inch Nails
"Masters of the Game"
Chapter 3
¤¤§¤¤
Sweat poured down his face. It was a hot night in the city, and he didn't want to face this. Of course, he had no choice; he'd have to. He didn't even know who to expect here, but he knew somebody would show, and he'd have to figure out what to do then.
He walked past the towering black buildings, passing a red one now and then. They were all crumbling death traps; Radical City was dead, and had been that way for a long time. They even-
Wait.
He darted into an alley. He thought he'd spotted a familiar shadow on the ground, but couldn't be sure. He now looked up toward the sky.
SMACK!
Sonic went flying back into a pile of reeking garbage. Pulling his head out of a cardboard box, he looked up to confirm who had struck him. He wasn't disappointed.
"Get up."
He reluctantly rose to his feet. "Look, man, I-"
"Shut up!" He waved the pistol at him menacingly.
"Tails, listen! It's me!"
"I know that, Sonic. You think I care?"
He looked down at the dirty pavement. It appeared this might not work. "I guess not, buddy."
"Don't call me that!"
He couldn't bear this. His one-time best friend was out for blood now, just like he had been mere days ago. If only there was some way to turn him, to help him see how vicious and morally bankrupt the game had made him.
He looked up. Miles Prower had changed, alright; he was an adult now. His fur was a darker brown now, and his hair was black, and much longer, reaching down past his head. His eyes were yellow, which made him uncomfortable. He wore a grey jumpsuit with molded body armor, spiked on the shoulders, and a black and red gunbelt. He had forsaken his red and white shoes for black steel-toed boots, and had re-attached the jet anklets to them. Yes, he would definitely be a worthy opponent.
But he wasn't his opponent. Not if he could help it.
"C'mon, Tails... you haven't even heard wh-"
"I SAID QUIET!" He fired. Well, that settled that.
Sonic bolted to the side, racing up the side of the alley wall. As he landed on the top, he whirled and drew his guns, awaiting his one-time ally.
"Aighhh!" He fell to the ground, unbearable agony coursing through his right leg. He gasped, and rolled over to face the two-tailed fox, laughing despite it all.
"From behind... little sneak."
His opponent landed and stalked toward him. "I'm not a little anything, anymore, Sonic." He spat his name as if it were a swear word. "I'm not some puppet, a dog walking in your shadow."
"Did I ever... say you were?" He tried to prop himself up, but Tails stopped and raised his gun directly at his forehead.
"You didn't have to. I knew I was nothing compeared to the allmighty speed freak." His voice held unchecked rage. "You killed my family!"
Sonic's eyes went wide. This life hadn't been so kind to his little buddy; it had driven him insane. "What?! Tails, you're not thinking straight, man, Robotnik killed-"
"SHUT YOUR FACE!" He fired a shot that sliced through the tip of Sonic's left ear.
"AAAAAH!" He groped at the fresh wound, somewhat greatful for the distraction from the now-old pain in his leg. "Tails, I would never hurt you! Your parents were roboticized by Robotnik! I took you in!"
Tails was clutching his head. "Lies, all lies! You- you did it! It was, it was..."
He sat up slowly. He'd heard rumors of this kind of thing. "They 'aligned' you, didn't they?"
"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UUUUUUPPPP!!!"
He slowly dragged himself to his hands and knees and crawled toward his former friend. "It's okay, just let it come out."
The young fox sank to his knees and bashed his head repeatedly against the sidewalk. "MAKE IT SHUT UP! STOP THIS!"
"The voices," he said. "They sound like yours, they tell you what to do, don't they? They tell you what to think is real, and what isn't." He finally reached him, and placed his hand on his back.
"Get off! EVERYBODY, GET AWAY!"
"You can fight it, man! They're wrong, don't listen to them, listen to me; listen to yourself! You can tell they're fake!"
"AAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" He sank to the ground panting and sweating. Then, he stopped breathing.
"T-tails?" He rolled him over. "TAILS?!"
His eyelids twitched, but no other movement. Sonic felt for a pulse.
"Oh, thank God!" He immediately began CPR, hoping he knew how to do it right. He pumped up and down on his chest, forcing the old, useless air out of him. Then he hesitated.
"Bud, you know I love you, but don't take this the wrong way!" He began respiration, reinflating his lungs. Then the fox began to cough.
"YES! Oh, come on, Tails, wake up!"
His eyes fluttered open. To his relief, they weren't yellow anymore. The alignment had been broken.
"Wh..who?" He sat up slowly, trying to focus. "Sonic? Wha... oh, no, I... I'm sorry, man!" He flung his arms around him, tears rolling down his face. "I can't believe I tried to..."
"It's okay, dude, it wasn't your fault. I've done just as bad under my own influences."
"Yeah." He let go and helped Sonic stand. "Sorry about your leg and ear. I wish I could stop myself, but... you know."
"I just need to get the slug out." He reached back and felt inside the wound in his calf. "Hmm... uh... ah, there it is." He bit his lip and yanked it out. "Ah, that's better." As he pulled his gauze out and wrapped it, he noticed Tails staring at him in disbelief.
"Whoa. You didn't even cry out. You've changed."
"Speak for yourself, Mr. Prower." He stood up weakly and walked a few steps. "I may not be running for a day, but I can walk no sweat. All I have to do is make it to my bike, anyway."
"Sonic," he began hesitantly. "I... what do we do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, neither of us iced the other... do you think they'll come after us, now?"
"I dunno, man... they may just figure we've set up an alliance to bump off Knuckles."
"Hey, that's true." He stared at him intently. "Are we?"
He returned the fox's gaze evenly. "Not if I can get through to him, too. And I don't think it'll be as simple as breaking his alignment..."
"Why not?"
"He hasn't been aligned. He's become what I was... a hunter."
¤¤§¤¤
Sonic was once again screaming down the road at a maddening pace, but this time he wasn't alone. Above him was Tails, actually keeping up with him with those jet anklets. They were headed toward Xander, population 500,000. They were a couple days ahead of schedule, and it was on the way to the final destination; Robotropolis. Besides, a little R&R couldn't hurt.
As they neared the town, Sonic thought of the home he once knew- the cluster of little huts that was Knothole. He thought about his uncle, about Dulcy, about Rotor, about the rest of the royal family. What happened to all of them? He wished he knew. At first, he'd tried to find them all, but now realized that was quite impossible. He was lucky enough to have stumbled across the three friends he had.
He noticed Tails had pulled out in front of him and was signaling. He followed him to the parking lot of The J. Rogers Hotel and Tavern.
"So, why we stopping here, keyed?"
Tails ran a hand through his stringy mop. "Whew, I haven't heard that name in a long time. Well, we need a place to stay, and this place has pretty good rooms at really cheap rates." He winked. "And the best vodka on the continent, bud."
"You drink?!"
"Doesn't everybody?" He produced a pack of cigarettes and lit one up.
"AND smoke?! Is there any vice you haven't indulged?"
He thought a minute. "Never have I binge eaten an entire pound of chocolate, and I haven't gambled more than a few hundred bucks away." Then he mumbled under his breath, "At one time."
"Man, this is weird." He sat on the curb. "I can't say I blame you, though. I used to drink, too."
"You kicked it, eh? Wish I could."
"I was so drunk, I stepped out in traffic. If I wasn't Sonic, I woulda been the grill ornament of a semi."
"Ouch."
"Besides, it costs too much. I'm so low on funds, dude." He pulled out Nack's tag. "But this should get me by 'til this is all over."
"I hear ya. I'm pretty tapped. Arlo's tag's all I got left."
"Arlo?" Sonic knew that name. "Wasn't he one of Sally's new recruits?"
"Yeah, I think so." He looked at the tag. "Well, not anymore, but you know how it is."
"All too well." He reached into the secret inner pocket and produced two tags. One had Jester written on it. The other bore the name Antoine. "I hope you burn in Hell, Jest."
¤¤§¤¤
Sonic stormed into the bar. "MILES PROWER!"
The fox lifted his head from the bar, his hand still wrapped around a shotglass. "Whadaya want? Who..."
"You get your tails off that stool and go to bed! We gotta jet in the morning."
"Spspspspspoilsporttt." He then promptly fell off the stool. Sonic stooped down and helped him to his feet.
"Up, boy." He led him carefully down the hall to the elevator. As they rode up, he smacked the drunken fox in the face. "Hey, what's the matter with you? Geez, you're a full-blown sot."
"If you two would quit talking, I could gessome sleep."
"Yeah."
Sonic dragged him down the hall to his room. "Gimme your key."
"Whakey?"
"Grr..." He figured it would be in his pocket, and he was right. He opened the door and shoved the fox inside. "Here's your key, kid. Can you find the bed, or do you need help?"
"I be good."
"Fine." Sonic slammed the door shut and walked down the hall to his own room. The truth was that he was more disappointed than anything; Tails was addicted, and far worse than he ever was. He hoped he could be cured; wherever they ended up, it probably wouldn't have much booze for him to poison himself with.
As he began taking off his jacket, he thought better of it. He didn't feel tired in the least, and didn't feel at all like staring at the ceiling for hours on end. Who knows- a little walk just might be the antidote to his insomnia...
¤¤§¤¤
How cold it was out here. It was unnaturally cold. Almost as if heat itself had ceased to exist, except in his memory.
But the streets of Xander were surprisingly crowded, even so. Throngs of citizens flooded the busy sidewalks, racing off to wherever and whatever. It seemed most of them were echidnas, he noticed. He wondered why...
He picked his way to a small deli. It looked like a calm in the urban storm, and he entered, breathing in the smell of fresh bread and salty chips. He walked over to the counter and drummed his fingers on it for a moment.
"Well?" the saucy young girl behind the register asked him.
"Turkey club with cheddar," he said after a moment. "And a cup of coffee. Decaf." He did need his sleep, after all.
"Whatever." She poured him the coffee, then shooed him to the side as the next customer stepped up. As he added his cream and sugar, he watched the burly dingo in the kitchen fix his sandwich. Then he heard something hit the floor and scatter.
"Oh, crap!" a female voice said. A disturbingly familiar voice...
He glanced down to see a purse, its contents spilled all over the floor. He bent down and recovered a makeup bag and a hair pick.
"Here ya go."
"Thank you so much, sir.... Omigosh!"
Yep. It was Julie-Su.
"Julie!" he exclaimed, standing up and handing her her things. "I thought that voice sounded familiar! What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you that question," she responded, brushing her pink-and-violet forelock out of her eyes. At least her hair hadn't changed; other than that, she was wearing a long coat and high heels. Her robotic dreadlock was gone, now; it was a synthetic one instead. "I live here."
"Oh, well that explains that!" He smiled. "I haven't seen you in such a long time..."
"I know! This is quite the coincidence. Wow, Sonic The-"
"Get a room, willya?!"
"CAN IT!" she snapped at the man behind her. "Geez, Xanderians. What are ya gonna do?" The cashier handed her a latte. "Oh, Sonic, I think that's your sandwich."
"Oh, so it is," he said, just now recovering from her outburst. He picked up his club and they both walked over to a booth. "Well, whatcha been up to lately?"
"Nothing much," she said. "Basically just being the mayor's wife." She looked down into her mug. "Even if he's away on business..."
"What? You're married?!" Sonic grinned from ear to ear. "Who to?"
She rolled her eyes. "Knuckles, who else, Sonic? I would kind of have to be married to the mayor to be his wife."
This confused Sonic. If he was the mayor, why did he want to enter the contest? Then a sudden thought crossed his mind.
"Uh... what kinda business is he off on?"
"I don't know, he didn't really say." She took a sip. "Why?"
So he hadn't told her. Well, he couldn't decide if he should. "Just curious." He could always tell her later.
"I wish he'd come back soon. It bites being without him this long." She drank from her cup, then looked at him. "You know, it's better when it's fresh."
He looked at her confusedly for a moment, then noticed she was looking at his sandwich. "Oh, yeah, I have food." He laughed nervously. He'd been so wrapped up in all this that it had slipped his mind. He unwrapped his club and took a bite, and melted. "Oh, man, this is delicious!"
"I know," she said, smiling. "This is the best deli in Xander. If only they'd get better help..." She glared at the girl behind the counter, who glared back, then giggled.
"Did I miss something?"
"Not really. Just an inside joke. Teri-na acts tough, but she has a good heart." She glanced at her watch. "Whoa, it's too late for me. I'm off. Listen, I live in the mayoral mansion, duh. Stop by sometime. Maybe my elusive husband will even be there."
Sonic bit back his response of "Maybe not." Instead, he simply said, "Okay. Nice running into you."
"You, too. Good night!"
Then the hedgehog was alone with his meal and nagging sense of dread.
¤¤§¤¤
"Here comes the rain again..."
Sonic hummed the rest of the song to himself as they raced down the pavement toward the towering blemish on the horizon that was Robotropolis. He looked up at Tails, whom was pounding his head at regular intervals, making him fly rather erratically. The hedgehog laughed.
"I hate to say I told you so, but... wait, no I don't!"
"SHUT UP, OKAY? You got any aspirin?"
"Yeah, pull over!"
Sonic pulled off onto the desolate wasteland next to the road, Tails landing a few feet away. The fox walked over to him, holding his head.
"Quick, give it here. This hurts like a mofo, and it's not going to get better without drugs, legal or not."
He handed him the small bottle. "You're not some kind of victim here, dude. You did do this to yourself."
"Shut up, willya?" He downed four pills. "I'll kick it. Tomorrow."
Sonic shook his head. "Sure you will."
Then they were on the road again, racing toward a world of uncertainty. The only thing that was certain was that after this, nothing would ever be the same.
