Deep in the heart of an isolated and undeveloped city stood a man made up of nothing but black mist. His eyes were made of fire and they were scanning the area with worry and concern.
"My master...the troops are ready, they await your orders." A hooded figure hissed, kneeling behind the figure of mist. Their head was lowered so they were looking at the floor, an obvious sign of hierarchy, respect and fear. The figure of mist turned around and looked at the hooded figure.
"Then send them on their way. The war begins now." The figure of mist snarled.
"Where would you like them to go first?" The hooded figure asked, keeping their gaze down.
"Tell them to take out the Guardian and his soft spot." The figure of mist smirked.
Knuckles slowly opened his eyes. The sun was silently seeping through the curtains of his bedroom, causing him to squint his eyes slightly upon opening them. He slowly sat up, being mindful of his partner that was laying beside him. Julie-Su was sleeping peacefully, unaware Knuckles was awake. The red furred Echidna smiled and gently stroked the cheek of his fiancé. It had been a year since the war had ended and Knuckles now finally felt that his life was beginning to mean something. He had proposed last night and let's just say he didn't get much sleep afterwards. Suddenly, Knuckles heard something he wished he'd never hear again. The familiar sound of a bomb hitting the ground.
"Julie! Julie wake up!" Knuckles yelled. Her eyes soon shot open and her hand instantly went for the gun that rested in her bedside cabinet. Knuckles quickly pulled her hand away from the draw and looked into her eyes. In that moment, Julie-Su could see a hint of fear within him.
"A bomb went off, you need to get to the shelter." Knuckles ordered then gently kissed her, got up, pulling on his trousers and ran out of the room before she could say different. When he arrived within the city, all he could see was chaos. A skyscraper had been destroyed completely, the debris and rubble of it could be seen laying across the pavement. Suddenly, another familiar sound echoed in his ears. The sound of a gun being fired was all he could hear, which was shorty followed by the pain of getting shot. He gasped and then fell to his knees. His hand fell to rest upon his wound.
"Knuckles!" A voice screamed. He soon found himself resting within the arms of Julie-Su, whilst she placed one of her hands over the wound to apply pressure, she gently stroked his cheek with her free hand. He smiled weakly, finding it incredibly hard to keep his eyes open.
"No, no Knuckles stay with me! Don't close yo-..." Julie-Su started, but then stopped suddenly. Knuckles looked at her in shock. She had been shot. A bullet hole could be seen on her shoulder.
"Julie!" Knuckles gasped, finding the strength to pull her close and apply pressure to her wound.
Meanwhile, Sonic managed to drag his brother out of their home just before it exploded.
"Sonic! Is Manic alright?!" Sonia gasped, rushing over to her two brothers with concern.
"He got shot..." Sonic panted, looking down at his brother who wasn't moving, nor was he breathing. Sonia quickly started giving the green hedgehog C.P.R in hope to save his life. However, after ten very long minutes, he still showed no signs of life. Sonic sadly pulled his sister away.
"Sonia...Sonia stop, he's gone." Sonic whispered, trying to hold back his tears.
"No! How can you say that?! W-We have to...we have to save him...!" Sonia sobbed, hugging Sonic tightly. Sonic gently stroked her head, trying to comfort her as best he could. However he himself couldn't hold back the overwhelming feeling of loss that was consuming him.
Back on Angel Island, Knuckles slowly opened his eyes to find he was wearing an oxygen mask. Panic filled his eyes when he realised he was not the only one who had been shot. He looked around desperately to try and find Julie-Su, relief filled him when he found her laying next to him. The next thing he knew, Remington was walking over and sat down beside him on a chair.
"You're alright, but, once they've fixed you up, you're going back into active duty." Remington said.