Sonic the Hedgehog:  Orcium
by Serinthia & Bookshire Draftwood

based on a concept by Craig Fox

the author of this work will accept questions and comments at the
following addresses:
serinthia@foxcoon.com

the creative consultant of this work will accept questions and comments at
todd@foxcoon.com

this story is protected under Copyright law.  The author grants his
permission for free unaltered distribution of this work through any
electronic media.  Any other use, including the sale of this work for
money are prohibited.

based on characters created by Service and Games (SEGA) Inc. and Archie
Comic Publications, Inc.  Todd appears courtesy of Craig Fox.

Story:

	The sun shown brightly over the Great Forest.  It was the start of
early summer and the temperature was only just beginning to pick up during
the days.  On this particular day, Sally was meeting with Bookshire in his
hut to discuss something he'd found in the RMCC.
	"Actually, I can't tell what it is," Bookshire said, as he read
through the files "All I can figure out is that it's something Robotnik's
involving over half of his resources in."
	"That could be bad," Sally was saying "We'll have to get out there
and see what's going on."
	"Good idea," Bookshire responded "I'll relay any other information
I get directly to you."
	"Thanks, Book," Sally said.

	She left Bookshire to his work and crossed over to the meeting
hall where the others were ready and waiting.
	"Attention, everyone," Sally announced as she entered "Bookshire's
uncovered parts of a plan that Robotnik's been working on.  He's dedicated
half of his resources to it, so, needless to say, we'll need to get out
there and find out what's going on.  The team will consist of Sonic,
myself, Bunnie, Todd and Rotor."
	Tails piped in.
	"I want to go to," he said.
	"Sorry, Tails," Sally said "This mission'll be deep into
Robotropolis.  It'd be too dangerous for you to come along."
	"But, Sally..."
	"I'm sorry, Tails, but you can't go," Sally was firm.
	Tails sat back and grumbled for a second before getting up and
leaving.  Both Sally and Todd were tempted to go after him, but the
mission had to come first.  One of them would talk with him when they got
back.  After a little more planning, the team left for Robotropolis.

	Tails kicked the stones  out of his path as he walked around near
the edge of Knothole, grumbling angrily.  Sonic was doing solo missions
when he was ten, and now Tails, who was also ten, couldn't even go on a
team mission.  As he continued to walk and to grumble, he ended up walking
a small ways away from the village.  Quite suddenly, he heard a noise to
his left.  Going to investigate, he accidentally bumped into a slender,
white furred female wolf who was probably in her mid twenties.  Tails
looked up in surprise.
	"Who're you?" he asked.
	"Perhaps I should ask that question of you first," the wolf
smiled.
	"My name's Tails," Tails responded.
	"I'm Christina," the wolf said.
	"I've never seen you around here before," Tails said.
	"Oh, I'm just staying here temporarily," Christy said "I'm with
the wolf pack, in case you haven't guessed."
	Tails blinked and then nodded.  The wolf pack had representatives
and guests in and out of Knothole all the time these days for assorted
reasons, so it really wasn't unnatural for at least one to be around
almost all the time.
	"You look a little sad," Christy said as she sat down on a nearby
log "Want to talk about it?"
	"Yeah, I guess so," Tails said "I guess it's just that Sally
thinks I'm too young to go on missions, and I'm not.  Sonic did solos at
my age, and I can't even go on team missions.  It just makes me so mad
sometimes, I want to scream."
	Christy nodded.  That smile of her's never quite seemed to
disappear.
	"Why are you smiling," Tails demanded almost indignantly "It's not
funny."
	"No, it's not that," Christy said "I'm just thinking, that maybe
you need to relax.  You need something to make you feel better."
	"Oh yeah," Tails said "Got anything particular in mind?"
	Christy shrugged.
	"Not really," she said "Although, if you're in the mood for some
sweets, I've got some really delicious candy with me.  You might like
it."
	Tails thought about that for a moment.
	"Well," he hesitated "What is it?"
	The wolf reached into the pouch she was carrying and took some
out.  It was completely clear, and looked almost like rock candy to Tails.
	"It's called Orcium," Christy said "Tastes real good."
	"Looks like rock candy," Tails said.
	"Well, it is kinda," Christy responded "Just that this tastes
better and it lasts a lot longer.  Want some?"
	Tails considered this for a moment.  One of the first things he
own parents had taught him long before he was separated from them was to
not accept ANY thing from anybody he didn't know.  Still, this was a
member of the wolf pack freedom fighters after all.  What possible reason
would she have for harming him.
	Tails nodded and took the small piece that was offered to him and
popped it in his mouth.  The taste was almost like that of sugar, but
there was an extra tang in it that he couldn't quite identify.  He sucked
on it awhile, and gradually worked it down to the point where he could
swallow the rest completely and looked over at Christy who was smiling
even more.
	"Thanks," he said "It's good."
	"Yep," Christy grinned "It sure is.  I need to be going  now,
though.  But if you ever want any more, I'll usually be around somewhere."
	"Could I have one more piece before you go?" Tails asked suddenly,
not really sure why he wanted one...but they DID taste good.
	Christy thought a moment and grinned.
	"Alright," she said "One more.  But, next time, see if you can
bring something to trade with.  That way, we both get something out of
it."
	"Sure thing," Tails said as he took another piece.  He popped
that one in his mouth too and waved the Christy.  As she disappeared from
sight, Tails headed back to Knothole.

	As he headed back to Knothole, he began to feel better.  A lot
better, in fact.  He seemed to pick up the scents in the air allot more
than normally. And the color of everything was bright and clear.
Everything was so perfect, he began to feel like he didn't have a care in
the world.  When he got back to his hut, he had a bit of fun, trying to
open the door because that sneaky door handle kept moving around, but he
finally caught it and went inside.
	Once inside, he flopped down on his bed and looked up at the
ceiling.  The fibers in the roofing material were of particular importance
to him for some reason and he spent an uncountable number of minutes just
staring up, trying to count the grains in the fiber.  Once he had a
number he was satisfied with, he burst out laughing, because it was such a
funny sounding number to him that he just couldn't stop.
	In fact, he laughed so hard, the he rolled right off the bed and
hit the floor.  He landed on his arm which hurt a small amount, so he got
up and gave the floor a stern lecture about the amount of responsibility
involved with being hardwood and that he'd punish it, if it ever hurt him
again.  He walked over to the window then and looked up at the sun.  He
said hello as did the sun, and they went on to have a surprisingly
interesting conversation about the ingredients in Antoine's perfume and
how well it would go when mixed with any of a number of assorted fish and
pasta dishes.
	Soon the sun began to get tired and began to slowly sink.  Tails
waved good bye to it and returned to lay down on the bed.  He looked back
up at the ceiling and wondered why he never went on any of the missions.
Probably, he concluded, because the others were afraid that, if he went
with them, he'd track down Robotnik, and kick him in the nuts good and
hard, thereby making the others look bad for not having thought of that
before.  Still, he pondered, Robotnik probably didn't have any anyway.
	After a time, he got up again and paced around the room, pondering
the universal question of what would happen when an unstoppable force
decides to pull over to use the bathroom.  He gave up on that after a few
minutes and went back to lay down on the bed where he promptly passed out.

	When he finally came to, he sat up and shook his head a couple
times.  He still felt really nice, but his head was a little clearer than
it seemed to have been before.  He looked over at the clock on the wall
and it read 8:00pm.  Looking outside the window just then, he saw the
group that went on the mission returning and going their separate ways.
	They'd be sorry they didn't take him with them.  He was the most
important freedom fighter they had after all.  He shrugged and figured it
was their loss.
	Sally came in then to see how he was doing.
	"Tails?" she said as she came into his room "Are you alright?"
	"Oh, I'm feeling fine, Sally," he said "How was the mission."
	"Well," Sally said "Rather unsuccessful, but we'll give it another
try tomorrow."
	"Cool," Tails said.
	Sally almost expected him to ask if he could go again, and the
fact that he didn't surprised her slightly.
	"Is there anything you want to talk about?" she asked.
	"Nope," Tails smiled "Not really."
	"Well then," sally said uncertainly "I'll be in a bit later to
read to you then."
	"Cool," Tails smiled.

	As Sally left Tails' room, she got the unnerving feeling there was
something wrong with him.  If he had been her son, she might have called
it maternal instinct.  But, whatever it was, something told her something
wasn't quite right with him.
	In either case, she needed some advice, and whenever she needed
objective, un-opinionated advice, she always went to Bookshire.

	About an hour had passed since Sally had left.  Tails was laying
in bed, not feeling all that well.  The good feeling had slowly begun to
fade as he woke up, and now, he wasn't feeling at all well.  Something
inside him told him that he'd need to get some more of that candy to feel
better.
	He thought about that for a few moments.  Christy had said he
should bring something to trade with if he wanted to get more.  The
question is what would he trade.  He thought about the very few actual
possessions he had.  In fact, he wasn't even sure what she would ask for.
On top of that, if she didn't like ANYthing he had to trade, what would he
do then?
	Oh well, he thought to himself.  He'd think of something.  In the
meantime, being as tired as he was, he decided not to wait for Sally to
come and tuck him in, and just fell asleep right then and there.

 	"It's like he wasn't even interested," Sally told Bookshire with
concern.
	The raccoon listen attentively as he handed Sally some hot cocoa he
had just fixed and sat down on the couch opposite of her.
	"Well, it's certainly possible he had his mind on other things,"
Bookshire said "I sincerely doubt he did nothing but sit around in his
room all afternoon."
	"Well, yes," Sally admitted, sipping her cocoa "But somehow I got
the sense that there was more to it than that."
	"What do you mean?" Bookshire inquired.
	"Well, he seemed distracted," Sally said "Distant."
	Bookshire stroked his muzzle a little in thought for a moment.
	"Well, the best you can do for now is just to keep an eye on him
and see if his behavior improves or worsens," Bookshire stated "Once you
know more, you'll probably be able to deal with the situation a bit
better."
	"You're right," Sally said "I think I'll do that as often as I can
for the next few days and see what transpires."	
	Bookshire nodded and continued to sip his cocoa as he and Sally
sat up, talking about all numerous things before Sally left and headed for
Tails' hut.
	When she got there, she did, in fact, find the cub out cold,
practically.  She decided he had simply been too tired and gone to bed
early.  She clicked out the light softly and left.

	The next morning, Tails found himself staring up at the ceiling
once again, not feeling quite 100% but, at least, not below eighty
percent.  He got up and went to have some breakfast.  Sally ate with him
as she sometimes did.  She tried to engage him in conversation a couple
times, but he didn't seem to talkative at the time.
	After breakfast, Tails went back to his room and thought for
awhile.  He wanted more candy.  That much was absolutely certain.  The
question was, what to trade.  Well, perhaps he would just go find her and
see what he could work out.

	
	"Have you seen Tails around?" Todd asked Bookshire.
	Bookshire was sitting behind his desk in his office, polishing
something under the desktop.
	"Not actually," Bookshire said.
	"Well, if you see him around, could you tell him I'd like to talk
to him?" Todd asked.
	"Sure, if I see him," Bookshire answered, continuing his work.
	Todd watched him for a moment.
	"What are you doing anyway?" he asked.
	Bookshire smiled and brought his paws out from under the desk.  In
a very soft, white cloth, he was working over an crystal clear diamond,
only just a little bigger than a golf ball.
	Todd almost fainted.
	"Is that real diamond?" he asked.
	"Sure is," Bookshire said "Actually, before the takeover, it was
sitting in the Royal Mobian Museum of Fine Treasures.  Found it in the
wreckage a bit after Robotnik took over.  Been saving it, and a couple
other things until a couple of the museums gets rebuilt."
	"Well, that's good," Todd said "Think I could see the rest of your
collection sometime?"
	"Probably," Bookshire said "Come back at closing time, and I'll
take you back to my home and I'll show you around."
	Todd nodded and said a polite good-bye before leaving.
	Neither one of them noticed the pair of eyes watching them.

	Christy was laying on a log half sunk into the river, staring up
at the sky, thinking about lots of things.  It didn't take Tails too long
to track her down, and soon he had caught up with her.  Christy looked up.
	"Well, hello again, Tails," Christy said as she sat up and smiled.
	"Hi, Christy," Tails responded "How are you?"
	"I'm doing well," Christy responded politely "How have you been?
Enjoy the candy?"
	"Sure did," Tails said "Kinda wondered if I could have some more."
	Christy hmmmed.
	"Well," she said "I do believe I said that you would need
something to trade for it.  What do you have?"
	"Nothing right now," Tails admitted "I was kinda gonna ask you if
there was anything specific you wanted."
	Christy thought about this and smiled.
	"Well, there is one thing..."

	"Incoming communication, Sally," NICOLE reported, startling the
Princess out of her thoughts.
	"Yes, please display," Sally said.
	NICOLE paused a moment, then displayed a projection of Lupe.
	"Lupe, what can I do for you?" Sally said.
	"Greetings, Princess," Lupe said "I'll skip the pleasantries and
get right to the point.  I was calling to inform you of a criminal we
believe is in your area.  Her name is Christina Harper.  She was banished
from the Wolf Pack a few weeks ago for trading and using illegal drugs."
	Sally nodded "Well, we'll be sure to keep an eye out for her then.
You can tell me more about it later when you arrive tomorrow for the
command meeting."
	"Good idea," Lupe responded "I'll bring some extra wolves with me
also, in case we bump into her on our way there."
	"Good," Sally said "See you tomorrow, then."
	Lupe nodded and her image disappeared.

	"You want what?!" Tails exclaimed.
	"The diamond that the one called Bookshire keeps in his desk
drawer," Christy said.
	"But...but that's stealing," Tails said.
	Christy calmly took out a large piece of the candy and held it in
front of Tails.  The effect was almost mesmerizing, and Tails was feeling
even worse.
	"No it isn't," Christy said "Technically, it's not even his to
begin with."
	"But..." Tails stalled.  In his current condition it was hard to
argue with either her, or her logic.
	"Get the diamond, and you get two of these pieces to enjoy,"
Christy said.  Tails grudgingly agreed.

	Bookshire closed up his doctor's office temporarily for lunch and
headed for home.  He made sure the front door was securely locked, and
then departed.
	Tails watched silently from the bushes.  Once Bookshire was gone
and there was nobody else around, he left his hiding spot and began to
examine the building.  Bookshire was old (at least to Tails) and old
people forgot stuff.  Certainly, Bookshire must've left something open.
	He moved around the backside of the building towards where
Bookshire's actual office was.  Then he spotted it.  the window was open
just a crack.  It took him a few minutes, but he managed to work his paws
under it and lift it open to the point where he could slip inside.
	Bookshire's office was neat and orderly.  Everything on his desk
was arranged perfectly and everything in the room was spotless.  Tails
went to the desk and quickly began to search the drawers, going from one
drawer to the next until he found it.  For a moment, he was stunned by the
immense size of the diamond.
	He was snapped out of it, however, when he heard Bookshire
returning to the office.  As quick as he could he closed all the drawers
and jumped out the window, slamming it down shut behind him.
	Bookshire walked into the office only a few seconds later, and
looked around, thinking he had heard a noise.  Going over to the window,
he noticed it was fully closed...he always left it open a crack...

	"Excellent," Christy grinned as she examined the diamond.
	"There, you got your stupid diamond," Tails growled "Now I want my
candy."
	Christy grinned and tossed him the two pieces.
	"A deal's a deal," she giggled "If you want any more after that,
you know where to find me."
	"Yeah right," Tails grumbled.  He popped one piece in his mouth
and sucked on it as he headed for home.

	When he got back to his hut he flopped down on his bed again and
idly watched the polka dot elephants doing an odd dance on his floor while
he thought about what he did.  He certainly felt allot better then he used
to, but the problem was, he stole to feel that way.  Oh well, he thought
to himself.  He glanced over at the elephants and asked them to do a waltz
while he discussed world politics with them...they had some pretty good
insights.
	Todd walked up to Tails' hut, having seen him walk in there
moments before.  Just before he opened the door, he heard Tails talking
inside.  Going over to the window, he saw Tails lying on the bed, staring
off into space, talking to somebody whom Todd did not see.  What made Todd
look twice was that Tails' eyes were glazed over in a serious way.  He
went back to the door to enter when something on the ground caught his
eye.  It was clear piece of what looked like rock candy.  He pocketed it
and went to see Bookshire.

	When he got to Bookshire's office, the raccoon was going through
all of his drawers looking for something.
	"What's wrong?" Todd asked as he entered.
	"That diamond's been stolen," Bookshire grumbled.
	"Stolen?" Todd asked "What do you mean?"
	"I mean, I went to lunch and when I came back it was gone,"
Bookshire said "I'll report this to Sally immediately."
	"Um, first, before you do," Todd said as he took the piece out of
his pocket "Could you take a look at this and tell me what it is."
	Bookshire took the piece and examined it curiously.  He ran his
tongue over it lightly one and made a face.  He tapped on it with one of
his nails and hmmed.
	"Orcium," he said "Highly illegal drug.  Where'd you get this
from?"
	"Illegal drug?"  Todd said "I...I found it outside Tails' hut.
Tails was inside looking really spaced out."
	"Hmmm...that could be serious," Bookshire said "We've got to get
him in here now."

	Tails looked lazily over at where Todd and Bookshire were
standing.  They both looked exceedingly silly there with their serious
expressions and he burst out laughing.
	"Tails, you need to come with us," Bookshire said.
	"Yeah right, whatever," Tails giggled almost insanely.  He ignored
them and went back to watching Antoine doing back flips off diving boards
into small glasses of grape jelly.
	Todd sighed and went forward, pulling Tails up in his arms and
carrying him out of the room as Tails struggled against him.
	"Put me down!" Tails demanded.
	"Nope, Tails this is for you own good," Todd insisted as he pulled
Tails out of the room.

	Bookshire then went to inform Sally and soon they were all back at
Bookshire’s office as Todd strapped Tails down into a bed as the small
fox continued to struggle.
	Bookshire carefully examined Tails' vital signs, hmming several
times as he did.
	"Well?" Sally finally asked anxiously.
	"Well, thankfully, his hallucinogenic state will wear off shortly,"
Bookshire said "He only seems to have ingested a small amount and the long
term effects still have a very long way to go before he would get this way
permanently."
	Both Sally and Todd breathed a sigh of relief.
	"But how did he get it?" Todd asked curiously.
	"That's where we're stuck," Bookshire replied as he gave Tails a
sedative.
	"No we're not," Sally said "Lupe called awhile ago.  She said
somebody named Christina might be in the area, and she was banned from the
Wolf Pack for selling and using drugs.  Tails might have gotten them from
her."
	"Then my advice would be to track this Christina down and get her
before she gives out any more," Bookshire said "Oh, and to get my diamond
back as well."
	Sally and Todd both nodded resolutely.
	"In the meantime, if it's alright with Bookshire, I think I'll
remain here and watch over Tails," Todd said.
	"Good idea, Todd," Sally said "I'll have Sonic come in here also
once he returns from the recon mission he's on."
	Todd nodded and took a seat by the now sleeping fox's bed.

	Lupe and some other members of the Wolf Pack arrived early the
next morning and met immediately with Sally in the conference room.  Sally
updated them on the situation.
	"Christina Harper is a very dangerous wolf," Lupe said "Getting
her back into custody will be difficult, but it would certainly help if we
knew where to start searching for her."
	Sally nodded.
	"Agreed," Sally said "I think we ought to start by the Great
river.  Tails' shoes were wet yesterday so it's possible he could've been
meeting with her along the bank somewhere."
	Lupe nodded.

	Both Todd and Sonic had been sitting by Tails' bedside throughout
the night, neither one willing to leave his side for an instant save for
one reason...
	"We think we've found her," Sally said, startling both Todd and
Sonic suddenly.  They turned and look over at her standing in the doorway.
	"Where?" Todd was the first to say.
	"By the bank of the Great River," Sally replied "Lupe and I are
going after her and you're both welcome to join us."
	"You bet," Todd said resolutely as he got up to join Sally.
	"You got it, Sal," Sonic joined in, racing out the door before
either of them.

	Sonic, Sally, Todd, and Lupe walked resolutely through the forest
to the Great River.  All of them keeping their eyes open, ready for
anything.
	A sudden movement to one side caused Todd to react instantly and
he ran and dove into the brush it was coming from.  The others stopped and
watched as Todd burst out of the brush again, grappling with a very angry
white wolf, trying to snap his neck.
	Before the two could get their footing, Lupe was the next into the
fight, rolling on the ground with Todd and Christy as she and Todd tried
to restrain the wolf completely.  Suddenly, with a sudden burst of
strength, Christy managed to throw Todd off of her and wrestled with Lupe
before throwing her off too.
	Christy was on her feet in a second, yanked a knife out of
nowhere and pitched it head on into the chest of Todd who  was charging
her.  His cry of pain as the knife impaled him covered a half mile easily
as he crashed to the ground.  Sally and Sonic were at his side in a second
as Lupe tackled Christy again and socked her muzzle to and fro again and
again until Christy was out cold.  Without another word, she went about
bind Christy's wrists and elbows tightly behind her with some rope she
brought, then binding her ankles and knees together just as tightly.  She
tied Christy to a near by tree and would send some of the other wolves to
come and retrieve her.
	Lupe went back over to where Todd laid, and helped Sonic and Sally
pick him up and get him back to Knothole as quickly as possible.

	When they arrived, Bookshire was relieved to find that the knife
wound wasn't as fatal as it looked.  With a couple of clean mending tools,
he patched Todd up and moved him to the recovery bed right by Tails.
	Not too long after that, as Sonic and Sally were sitting by the
two foxes silently, Tails groggily began to come to, shaking his head
weakly having just gotten over the effects of the Orcium.
	"What happened?" he whispered.
	"You were on drugs, Tails," Sally said gently "You were acting
in an unnatural way."
	"I was?" Tails asked "I don't remember too much...except for
Christy..."
	Tails' head rolled over and saw Todd resting quietly with some
bandages on his chest.
	"Todd?" he said sitting up in a very frightened voice.
	"Don't worry, Tails," Sonic said "Todd'll be just fine."
	"How..." Tails began.
	"Christy stabbed him when we tried to capture her," Sally said
"He'll be alright though, so don't worry.  Now lay back and rest."
	Tails nodded slowly and got comfortable again.
	"Never again," Tails whispered.
	"Never again what, Tails?" Sally asked.
	"Never going to take any of the stuff again,"  Tails said as
he looked over at Todd "More wrongs in it than rights."
	"There are no rights when it comes to drugs, Tails," Sally said.
	"Bad things always come out of them bro," Sonic continued.
	"The only sad part is that you had to learn that lesson in a
painful way for everybody," Sally said.
	"I know, Aunt Sally," Tails sighed "I'm sorry."
	Sally smiled.
	"I know you are Tails," she said as she kissed him softly "But for
now you rest.  I have to go see Lupe for a moment, Sonic will you wait
here."
	"Sure thing, Sal," Sonic replied.

	Sally left and went outside to see Lupe who was just getting ready
to leave.  Nearby, two wolves where holding Christy, still bound and now
gagged in their arms.
	"What will her punishment be?" Sally had to ask.
	"That will be up to the majority to decide," Lupe replied
"However, in most situations, the offender is stoned to death.  Still, now
and again, we can't bring ourselves to kill one of our own.  We'll wait
and see what happens."
	Sally nodded quietly and watched Lupe and the others depart.  In
all the years she had been alive, she never understood why anybody would
get mixed up in drugs.  It seemed there were always more losses than
gains.  Users took the risk of killing themselves.  Pushers took the risk
of being caught and executed by the authorities or getting killed by one
of their competitors.  And, the bottom line was, they took those risks
for short term gains, rather than trying to direct their long term goals.
	Drugs were never the answer.  That much was fact.  And one day,
when Sally found herself in full power over the planet of Mobius, and
peace had been restored, she vowed she would make certain that all illegal
drugs would be eliminated once and for all.  One day...


THE END


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Do Drugs and Die.  Not a Threat.  A Fact.