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Sonic the Hedgehog: Chaos Control Freaks

Chapter 4: Rush Hour

A new day had come.

Not that this was immediately obvious. The hands had past the midnight mark, but it was still dark, still cold, still silent. After all, was it not always darkest and coldest before dawn? So when the silence was broken, when the chill was heated, when the darkness became less dim…it was noticeable. Or, would have been if anyone was in vicinity of the highway that featured one hedgehog running down it and five Formula One racecars in pursuit.

And the hedgehog I question couldn't be happier.

Sonic let out a grin as he charged down the speedway, with the wind in his face and the roar of the vehicles at his back. He'd been caught offguard initially, taken by surprise by the F-1 cars as their leader yakked on about how great a team they were. Yet while Sonic had to admit the racecars were doing a better job of keeping up with him than the other vehicles had, that still wasn't saying much. Kind of like saying a snail moved faster than a slug.

So guys, you want to play tag? Sonic wondered, deciding that he'd gone at this measly pace long enough, even if he was breaking what appeared to be the highway's speed limit. This should be fun…

"The hedgehog has increased its speed. Boost your rear wing angle to twenty degrees. Rest of you, back me up."

Hector Dragg…second in command of the S-Team, second fastest man in Station Square and right now, second in this race. Yet right now, it was only the last second place that irked him. He didn't have any great issue with being Sam's second. Heck, over the last year it had been a moot point anyway. And even if the powers that be criticized him for reckless pursuit of criminals, that hardly seemed to matter, considering he was driving a racecar after all. No…someday, Sam would step down. And he, Hector "Hotshot" Dragg would be team leader and the best of the best. Yet if this…hedgehog got away from him, he might have a little less backing for that claim…

Hector glanced at his dashboard-150mph, and steadily rising. Few criminals could, or would surpass this speed and if they did, it rarely lasted long. But not only had the hedgehog apparently done so, but it was also still accelerating. Hector didn't know its exact rate, but suffice to say, it was faster than his car.

Crap…well, no biggie. The hedgehog may be fast, but it doesn't have a rocket attached to its arse…

Nor did Hector. His 'rocket' was actually inside his car's 'arse', not attached to it. In actual fact, it wasn't really a rocket, merely a cylinder filled with nitrous oxide. And giving his engine a burst of the fuel, accelerating its rate of oxygen consumption, Hector and the cars behind him sped forward.

Bring it on hedgehog…you'll be doing laps in a five by five cell come sunrise…

Ah, so they can go over two-hundred miles per hour…

At least that's how fast Sonic thought he was going. True, he'd done some speed tests with Tails, but without one of his friend's devices, it was pretty much guesswork as to exactly how fast he was going. Which didn't bother Sonic in the slightest. As far as he knew, there were potentially no limits to his speed and the only reason he kept it under control was that it could be difficult to maneuver at certain rates. Yet for now, Sonic was content. He'd picked up the pace and these aliens had managed to keep up with him. Not exactly a challenge, but beggars couldn't be choosers…

Poor guys, they're trying so hard. I guess they deserve a reward…

Sonic kept running on track, even as four of the cars started forming a rectangle around him, attempting to box him in. He didn't know where the red one was, but that wasn't really his concern right now. Right now…well, Sonic wasn't concerned at all, even if the aliens thought he had every reason to be.

"Well well well…" Sonic sneered. "It's starting to look like the rush hour."

A rush hour at over 200mph. A rush hour where a hedgehog was 'trapped' between cars.

"Oh no…" moaned Sonic, still retaining his sarcasm. "How will I ever escape?"

None of the aliens answered. So with a chuckle, Sonic prepared to answer for them.

They could match his speed…but how about his agility?

Like a rat in a cage…or a rodent. Hedgehogs are rodents aren't they?

It was a line of thought completely irrelevant to the situation, but right now, Hector didn't care. Trapped between four cars, the hedgehog was trapped. As fast as it could run, it was a moot point against the cage the S-Team had set up, as if in prelude to the one that awaited it in a penitentiary. And at the back of the officer's mind, there was also relief. There'd been fear initially, a fear that stemmed from the possibility that the hedgehog was faster than him, that he couldn't live up to his reputation, that he couldn't take over the S-Team someday.

Well, luckily those fears were unfounded. Now all we have to do is nab the sucker and-…

"Huh? Where'd it go?"

Hector blinked. Yet the hedgehog had already disappeared before he did so.

Keeping his foot on the accelerator, Hector nonetheless stared at the now open space of road between the units, still travelling in formation. One second the hedgehog had been trapped between them, the next, it was nowhere to be found. And over his car's radio, it was clear that he wasn't the only one who knew it.

"He disappeared! Vanished!"

"Where is he? Did I run him over?"

Hector gripped his wheel far tighter than was necessary. All this radio chatter…understandable, but the captain would be listening to every word of it. His chances of becoming squad leader had become as immaterial as the hedgehog. A hedgehog that was standing on top of his cockpit…

Son of a…!

Hector stared at the creature's green-eyed gaze, the rodent grinning its head off. It was only years of experience that compelled him to keep the pedal to the metal-slowing down suddenly might send the critter flying, but it would cause an accident. And who was to say that falling off the highway might even take the hedgehog out?

No good son of a…

Hector didn't get to finish that sentence. Because as the hedgehog leaped off his cockpit, running down the highway faster than ever before, "son of a bitch" didn't seem to cover it. Add in two words beginning with f, one an adjective and another a noun, and it might have come close. Still, even as he gripped the wheel even tighter, Hector held back. For better or worse, he was still in charge of the pursuit. And if it ended with the hedgehog being a casualty, so be it.

"All units, activate boosters on full, engage stairwing racing mode!"

Full nitro, stabilizing wings designed to boost speed even further…the S-Team shot off after the hedgehog. It wasn't long before the 300mph mark was reached and an even shorter amount of time before Hector could feel his car vibrating. Part of his mind told him that this was dangerous-Route 101 hadn't been finished yet, and there was a drop-off a few dozen miles ahead. The rest of his mind told his sanity to shove it. The hedgehog was still in the lead, and the only way this race would end was with either the hedgehog off the road, or himself.

"Sir, maybe we should pull-…"

"Shut up!" Hector yelled. "Full throttle! Now"

"But sir, we-…"

"I said full throttle! Now use it or I'll run you off the…road…"

No-one answered. Not because of the threat, or how poorly executed it was. Indeed, it was nothing to do with sound at all. Rather, it had to do with sight. A sight that Hector, or any other member of the S-Team couldn't believe…

Backwards.

Facing them, still grinning like an idiot, the hedgehog was running backwards…

"What the? How can…it's playing with us!"

"What's with this thing?"

"Chief, you gotta do something!"

Unbelievable…

Sam couldn't believe it…whatever it was. Was it that his team was asking for help? Was it that the hedgehog was still in the lead? Or was it a combination of the two? He didn't know, and didn't particularly care either. He'd wanted to hold back, to let his team have some fun and allow them to flex their muscles. Yet apparently that had backfired. Not only were Hector's exclamations…disturbing, but now his friends were being made to look like idiots. And while they could be after a beer or five, Sam knew that not a drop of alcohol had been consumed tonight. Right now, the hedgehog was the only one at fault. And if he didn't act now, he'd never have a chance to rectify it.

"Alright guys, playtime's over," Sam announced. "Open the centre lane…let the Highway Star show you how it's done."

There was no affirmation over the radio, but the team obeyed nonetheless. Sam was caught offguard slightly, seeing that the hedgehog was apparently running backwards, but unlike his fellow racers, didn't let it get to him. He had his special 'milk.' And while he'd been hoping to save it for a victory drive back to the station, overtaking the hedgehog with it was an equally valid method of usage.

Sorry about this hedgehog. But no-one, and I mean no-one…is faster than me…on my highway!

And to prove his point, Sam pulled the lever to the cylinder marked Super Nitro.

With a stream of fire shooting back from his car, Sam felt himself pressed back into his seat. Normally, nitro was used in vehicles to accelerate the rate of oxygen consumption and thus increase speed. This however, was an fuel source unto itself, like a rocket or fighter jet. Or a supersonic hedgehog that luckily had the sense to jump over his car rather than be run over. Right now, Sam didn't care about apprehending the suspect. All he cared about now, with the speedometer well on its way to 750mph, with the street lights a blur around him, with his car vibrating like something between a woman's nether regions, was that he was the fastest. The best. The winner of the race…

Well hedgehog, it's been fun, but I'm afraid I can't have anyone faster than me…Sam thought to himself smugly. Only way you can beat me now is if you go supersonic…

Boom!

"What the hell?"

Sam didn't see anything bar a blue blur shooting past him. He didn't hear anything bar a series of 'booms.' Yet putting two and two together, he realized what had happened…

"A sonic boom? He's moving faster than the speed of sound!"

He couldn't believe it. It was impossible. Somehow, a hedgehog, a puny little hedgehog had not only broken the sound barrier, but had proven himself to be faster than him. Him. Sam Speed…the Highway Star…or former highway star, considering-…

"Chief! You're running out of road!"

"Shit!"

Without thinking, Sam acted, slamming his foot on the brake and deploying his parachutes. Route 101 hadn't been completed yet. It had seemed academic at first, but now it seemed real. Very real. As in "holy shit I might go off the highway and kill myself" real. Luckily, as Sam's car reached a stop, that didn't happen.

Or, given his wounded pride, unluckily…

Huh? I overtake the guy and he just gives up?

Sonic wasn't sure how "chicken" became an insult, especially given his rock days with Sharps and the gang. Yet right now, he'd have to apply it to the alien. Admittedly, he'd been the first to impress the hedgehog this night-not only had he succeeded in catching him offguard, but he'd actually managed to overtake him, however briefly. Yet now, with Sonic having asserted his position as the fastest thing alive, the alien had brought his car to a stop.

Stop…just like the red sign said.

In an instant, Sonic understood why the alien had cut the chase short. The highway was coming to an end, a roadworks barrier and a void where the road ended up ahead. Maybe it wasn't a case of the alien being chicken, but rather not being suicidal. Sonic on the other hand…

Can't slow down…so gotta speed up…

Sonic knew he couldn't help but go off the edge at this point, so he increased his speed instead. Already at warp speeds, his legs appearing like a single tire, he pushed himself even faster-to go so fast that he could adjust the rate of vertical motion with that of the horizontal kind.

Okay…thought the hedgehog. Here…we…go!

Or "I." Because only Sonic soared over the edge of the highway. Only Sonic sailed through the air, passing by a windfarm so quickly that the turbines were sent into overdrive, sending the city into something reminiscent of the Casino Night Zone. And only Sonic, sailing above the city as he soared through the air as if flying, could appreciate it.

Nice…the hedgehog thought to himself, watching the world of neon light below him. Pretty nice…

For the hedgehog, who'd spent the entire night and early morning being chased, this had to be the 'high' part of it. True, he had no idea when or where he was, or why everyone here was apparently mental. Yet there was a sense of tranquility in this point in time, one that Sonic found himself able to appreciate. And there was the knowledge that there was always someone he could have fun with if he ever wanted to race again.

Poor guy…maybe I'll try racing without breaking the sound barrier next time…

Sonic shook it off. He could plan to humiliate the alien again later, but right now, he had more important things to worry about, such as gravity, velocity and how to deal with them. He had little control over either, but he could at least see where he was going to land and if necessary, try to adjust it. And so far, it was looking good. From what he could tell, he'd passed over the city proper and was now soaring over a residential area, complete with trees, grass and the perks they provided for a fugitive at the mercy of physics.

Unfortunately, Sonic was at the mercy of something else. His one weakness, his…well, whatever plot device comics used for a superhero's one weakness. Right now, terminology was the last thing on his mind, pushed aside by what was first on his mind…a pool. A pool he was headed for. A pool filled with water. And for a hedgehog that couldn't swim…well, even those aliens could understand his situation.

Not good…Sonic thought as he approached the body of water. Not good not good not good!

It was hopeless. He couldn't adjust his bearing, he couldn't fight gravity and he couldn't separate the H from the O of the hellhole that awaited him. So he plummeted. And splashed. And sinking to the bottom of the pool, wondered if things could get any worse.

They could.

Sinking to the bottom, Sonic's first instinct was to jump back up. Instinct however, served no purpose here. The pool was too deep, and the water prevented Sonic from even jumping four feet. If it was salty, it might have worked, but the water here seemed completely devoid of it.

Never thought I'd miss the buoyancy of the Oil Ocean…

Sonic shook it off, trying to forget the much better times of a world that made sense and reminding himself that while his speed was unlimited, his oxygen wasn't. And since there probably wasn't going to be an air bubble anytime soon, he'd have to take matters into his own hands. Literally, as it was. For as he glanced at a ladder at the pool's far end, his hands were the only thing that could get him out of here.

And my feet…now if I can just walk over there…

He couldn't. The water was too clear, buoyancy was practically nil, and the faster Sonic tried to walk, even run to the ladder, the more hopeless the situation became, only rising slightly. Something about his body, possibly a trade-off from having super speed…Sonic wasn't buoyant at all. He couldn't swim, couldn't float, couldn't even walk in this body of water. HE was just stuck here…fated to drown…

Not good…it can't…end like this…

But it could. His lungs were screaming, his head was pounding and Sonic saw no way out of this mess. Couldn't see that there actually was hope. Couldn't see a light flicker on in the residence to which the pool was part. Couldn't see a young alien gaze at him through a window before running down to the pool. It was only when the alien dived into the pool and pulled him out of the water that he saw any of this.

Great…thought the hedgehog, not sure why an alien would bother to save him after everything that had happened over the past few hours. Out of the kiddy pool and into the-…

"Wow, that was close. Are you alright?"

Or not…

When you're woken up at 12:50am, you know it's never good news.

It wasn't until now that Christopher "Chris" Thorndyke knew that saying to be true. Granted, the time his grandfather had mentioned was much later, yet the spirit was the same. A spirit that involved one suddenly springing out of bed, wide awake and full of adrenaline. Fight or flight, as he'd learnt in school. Yet right now, he saw no reason to do either. He'd been woken up, certainly, but why? And how?

It hadn't been until he walked over towards his bedroom's window that he got a clue as to how. The adult pool, normally crystal clear, showed all the signs of someone having dived into it. Or something. Because while something was faintly visible at the bottom, it was far too small to be a someone.

A cat then? A dog? Something else?

Chris didn't know. All he did know was that he had three options-go back to sleep, call Mr. Tanaka or deal with the situation himself.

So now, less than a minute after reaching the only viable option, Chris, soaked and freezing, was kneeling at the side of the pool, rubbing the back of what seemed to be both a someone and a something. Someone in that it was bipedal, something in that it looked like a hedgehog. A blue hedgehog with white gloves and red sneakers, but a hedgehog nonetheless.

Am I dreaming? Or am I really here with a…thing?

"Thing"…probably the best adjective right now.

"Here, let me help you," Chris said eventually, not sure why he was talking to a hedgehog but seeing nothing to lose. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks, by the way."

Chris blinked, his blue eyes meeting with the hedgehog's emerald ones, his soaking brown hair as soaked as the animal's blue fur. Had the thing just…talked?

"What?" the hedgehog asked. "Something wrong?"

"Er, no," Chris said hastily. "I just…didn't think you could talk…"

It was at this point that Chris knew that he wasn't in a dream. If it was, he'd probably wake up around now, the rational part of his mind telling him that "hedgehogs don't talk damnit!" But since that hadn't happened, it seemed that he was indeed dealing with reality, however strange it had become.

"Well…okay," said the hedgehog skeptically, as if talking animals was nothing strange. "I mean, talking is no big deal, but…wait a minute? Why am I talking to an alien?"

"Alien? My name's Chris!"

The hedgehog raised an eyebrow…and lowered it. Chris didn't know what it was thinking, or why he'd been called an alien, but at least the hedgehog seemed to have decided not to treat him as one.

"Well, thanks Chris. And er…the name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."

Soaked, and still coughing up water, the hedgehog let out a sheepish smile.

Chris couldn't help it-he smiled back.

The End

A/N

So, that's that. First episode of Sonic X novelized, now to start on the seventy...seven...more...

Or not. But I may as well clarify for future reference that this is very much a stand-alone novelization rather than an attempt to novelize the entire series. As tempting as it is to go on a "take that 4Kids!" tangent, especially in season 3, I'll pass up. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed. By way of shameless plugging, I'm in the midst of posting an Archieverse Sonic the Hedgehog story (Transgression) and have another story on my to-write list, The Mobius Chronicles (haven't posted info on it in my homepage yet, so don't bother checking). My current writing focus right now however, is on a Dead Space fic titled Thirteen. Yes, I've gone from super-sonic hedgehogs to space zombies. Go figure.