Sonic was ecstatic when he read the email from SEGA the next morning. The email was a call to discuss Sonic’s involvement in a new video game project and if he was interested to meet with the president of SEGA in his office at noon on Monday.
Throughout the whole day, he spent planning out how he was going to present himself in the meeting. How he was going to pitch his ideas and how he was going to promote the game. He had years to think of all the various things he wanted to do with a project and was full of creative concepts.
This email seemed like destiny to Sonic. Yesterday he had talked about a Jackie Brown heist opportunity that would turn his situation around. This was it. This was what he yearned for. Finally, he was going to make this new break-out hit that would clear his name.
He was going to escape the poverty he had found himself in. He was going to help out Tails with the money he was about to get so that they can both move out of Kowareta Yume. He was going to buy a new car, and even though his driver’s license was taken away by the court, he would patiently wait for the court to return it to him. Everything was going to be okay.
Things would go out as he planned and he would get his cathartic ending. He was going to be driving in his new car, smiling and listening to Across the 110th Street like Jackie Brown at the end of the movie. Maybe Tails and he would go on a vacation. After Tails’ exam that is. He jokingly asked Tails if he wanted to go to Mexico, MEXICO CITY to be precise, and they both laughed.
Sonic told himself that he wasn’t going to let his ego destroy his friendship. He wasn’t going to spend all of his money. He wasn’t going to going to make a bad game and if by some chance he finds a new girlfriend he wasn’t going to treat her as badly as he treated Amy. Everything was going to be different.
Sonic had a grand vision of his now bright future. He was now wiser. He was not going to screw this up. He imagined himself being the main character of his own story. He was a bad person, had learned his lesson, had his redemption arc and it was time for the catharsis.
Tails mostly acted as support, he was happy that his friend had finally gotten what he had wanted for so long. One question that he was very curious about getting an answer to was who the president of SEGA was now.
Sonic realized that his current job wasn’t going to allow him to go to this meeting at SEGA since his working hours were at the same time as his meeting. He had wanted to quit his job but Tails convinced him to just call in a sick leave. Just in case the meeting doesn’t go well. Sonic agreed in the end but got anxious at the idea of the meeting going wrong.
The meeting not being what he was imagining was a very scary idea. One that he ended up repressing. How could things go wrong? They just can’t. It’s now or never, if this meeting doesn’t go as planned there is nothing I can look forward to. Jackie Brown heists don’t happen twice. Sonic was thinking to himself.
Sunday would go by with great enthusiasm and a little bit of fear. Sonic was barely able to fall asleep from the excitement.
***
Monday morning arrived and Sonic and Tails woke up to coffee and ‘Good Morning Tokyo’. The guest this time was a famous basketball coach. Sonic and Tails half listened since it was a topic both of them had very little interest in.
Sonic constantly looked at the clock if it was time to go and Tails was in his usual morning grumpiness. Tails always seemed to be grumpy in the morning.
The toilet of course had broke again and Sonic fixed it again. He wondered what households that don’t have someone to fix the toilet do every day. Do they constantly call the plumber? Is there in every neighborhood one plumber that patrols the streets and waits for people to call him to save the day? That would make an interesting TV show maybe?
Finally, it was time to leave and the two got into Tails’ red Saab, with like usual Tails in the front, and Sonic in the back.
Tails drove them to SEGA HQ, which was located in Shinagawa City in Tokyo, a long drive from Kowareta Yume. Sonic looked outside the window, the sky outside was clear and sunny. Both of them were very quiet since they sat in the car. To break the silence Sonic decided to start the conversation:
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“When are you going to fix the front passenger door”
“I don’t know how to fix it. It will take me a lot of time to figure out what the problem is, so I will probably fix it once the exam season passes.” Tails said smiling. His mood had greatly improved since the morning.
“I noticed something,” Sonic said turning his gaze to the rearview mirror to look at Tails. “You are always so grumpy in the morning.”
“I don’t know, am I?”
“You definitely are, every morning you are in such a bad mood but you seem okay later”
Tails pondered rewinding his memory, “I guess you’re right. I am very grumpy in the mornings. I don’t exactly know why that is.”
“It’s not that I mind. It’s just something I noticed is all.” Sonic said in a playful tone.
“I think it’s probably because I think of how much I need to study and how much work ahead of me I have. I get agitated thinking about failing the exam I failed five times at this point. But once the coffee and the food do their thing I feel better.”
Sonic and Tails continued talking about random topics until they reached their destination. In front of them was a very tall skyscraper covered in blue glass. The SEGA HQ. Both of them haven’t been here in a long time. It felt nostalgic to be standing in front of it like this together.
“Feels like the old days,” Tails said.
“It sure does. Where will you be while I'm at the meeting?” Sonic said.
“I didn’t know how long you would take so I brought my book to study while I wait for you. I will sit in a café nearby so call me when you finish up.”
“You got it!” Sonic gave Tails a wink and confidently entered the SEGA building.
Sonic entered the president’s office. It was nearly unchanged after all of these years. The room was full of marble statues and had golden furniture. There was still the golden statue of Polanzo and in the center of the room sat in a golden chair, the man himself, President Marchiano Polanzo. Surrounded by his two bodyguards, always armed with Uzis.
“Glad to see you,” Polanzo said with a mischievous smile. He looked exactly like he used to. Still eternally 50 years old only with some gray hairs on his head. Wearing the same all-maroon-colored suit and sunglasses, even though they were indoors. He extended his arm to Sonic, his fingers had endless diamond and gold rings on them. Sonic bowed.
“Mr. President,” Sonic said and raised his head. “I would always respond to a call from you.”
Polanzo snapped his fingers and pointed Sonic to sit. They were sitting across from each other and Sonic fidgeted barely containing himself. Sonic couldn’t resist himself and started to talk:
“Okay, so I had this idea to-“
“Excuse me did I ask for your opinion on anything” Polanzo cut him off and put a cigar into his mouth. One of his bodyguards who pulled out a lighter wordlessly lighted the cigar. Polanzo inhaled and authoritatively said, “If I want your opinion on anything I would pay you to give it to me. Unless you are asked for I don’t care. Do you understand me?”
“Yes sir. I apologize”
“Good. Now on to business. I called you here over your appearance in a game SEGA is partnered with. It's called ‘Super cooking run 4: diamond deluxe wild ride’. It’s become this super popular game for mobile phones. I don’t what’s the appeal of those. Haven’t played them, what about you?”
Sonic shook his head. “No, I haven’t played those, sir.”
“See that’s how you do it, I ask you an opinion and you give it to me.” Polanzo puffed on his cigar and continued. “Anyways, I see many of our competition lease their popular characters to cameo in these types of games. I want you to appear as a cameo in their game. It won’t take too much of your time, although I doubt you have much going on in your life but you will be paid very handsomely for a little labor.”
Sonic’s heart shattered. There was no video game directing job waiting for him, there was no Jackie Brown heist, just a cameo appearance. Ulala’s words were ringing in his ears. His career had really come to an end. He was on the highway to irrelevance most video game characters have traveled on.
This was his future, no more big games where he was the star. Only small little appearances until he would eventually fizzle out of the public’s conciseness. All of the plans that he made for himself had vanished in an instant. Nothing about his life was going to change, not his reputation, not his financial situation, and not his opportunities.
Was the universe or god going to hand me a million dollars just because I wasn’t an asshole to Tails this time around? How narcissistic I am, Sonic thought to himself.
I didn’t do anything exceptional or outstanding. Once upon a time I had at least defeated Robotnik, since then I haven’t done anything heroic or even virtuous. The only thing I did was not be horrible to Tails, I haven’t even been that good of a friend. Even if had done something incredible, why did I expect some kind of reward in the first place?
Are you truly a good person if you are doing good things only because you do it for a reward? I had been lucky that the fight against Robotnik resulted in video games but most people that do some heroic deeds don’t get anything.
Jackie Brown revived my fantasy of happy endings but, life’s journeys aren’t as clean as films. I wanted to be like Jackie, to climb to the top and fix everything. I wanted to look back at my journey with a sense of pride and accomplishment. I wanted to feel what she felt at the ending and I wanted to tell myself everything was finally okay. I was so desperate for that feeling that completely overlooked how ridiculous my way of thinking was.
There was no indication in the email that this was going to be a new ‘Sonic game’. I projected my fantasy to what was otherwise a standard email. The fact that it has anything to do with video games I should be surprised, it could have been a toy deal, a photo op and so on. I desperately wanted it to be a new video game directing offer.
I guess I didn’t learn any kind of lesson if this was what I had hoped for. The reputation of a laughing stock I deserve to have. I brought it upon myself and this self-centeredness that had led me to be here is still in me.
Sonic was at a loss for words and just blankly stared at Polanzo.
Polanzo looked at his gold watch and raised his eyebrows in a slight panic. He put out his cigar and said, “Listen I have to leave right now, I am needed elsewhere, I will leave the rest of the explanation to my new vice president. You two know each other so you’ll get along very nicely.”
Sonic was still recovering from the disappointment so he just listlessly nodded. Polanzo stood up from his chair and began to leave the room with his bodyguards. The door of the office opened and Polanzo as he was leaving shouted to Sonic “Meet the vice president.”
The vice president entered the room and Sonic stood up from his chair to greet him. Sonic's eyes met the vice president and he was shocked to see it was Knuckles the Echidna.