Intro: Part 1

Alex was only 8 years old when she had lost her parents to the war. Though she was young, she could sense that something was wrong when her grandparents spoke in hushed tones at dinner one night. Finally they turned to her and spoke.

"Alex, my dear, we have a bit of bad news for you. You know your parents were very brave, but I'm sorry to say that they have passed away."

She silently stared at them and then hopped off her chair. She ran to her room and grabbed her jacket and slipped on her shoes.

"Alex?"

She could hear the voice of her grandmother approaching. She quickened her haste, and then sprinted out the bedroom door. She ran past her grandmother in the hallway.

"Alex where are you…"

She was already out the door. She didn't realize that those would be the last words she would hear from her grandmother as she ran into the night.

"Don't worry sweetie, we will be back. You'll know when that time comes. You'll feel it in your heart. And when you do, we'll be here waiting for you…"

It had been 4 years since she had heard those words. The night grew cold around her as she ran through Mobotropolis. Finally she stood in front of an abandoned apartment building. As she stepped over the threshold her heart felt empty. That wasn't a good sign.

"Mom? Dad? Are you here?"

She looked around in the darkness, hoping to detect any sign of life.

"Mo..m? Da..d?"

Her eyes filled with tears and she sank to the floor.

"You said you would come back! You said you would be here! You didn't keep your promise! You lied!"

She covered her eyes and cried. Where was she going to go? She couldn't go back to her grandparents. They were slowly coming to end of their lives and raising her would just be a burden. She had no one.

Part 2

A week later…
Roaming Mobotropolis seemed to be the only thing that Alex could do to entertain herself. She had taken shelter in the old apartment building, but there was nothing to do in there.

One night, as she made her way back to the building, she looked up to see someone running towards her. It was a young boy, about her age, and he looked worn out and tired. When he finally reached her he crouched down and put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Please help…."

The boy fainted before he could say his last word. Alex jumped and caught him before he hit the floor. She tried to carry him but failed, so she slowly dragged him to rest of the way to her apartment. When she reached, she pulled him into her bedroom and laid him on her mattress. She placed a warm rag on his forehead, and awaited his awakening.

"….where am I?"

Alex was awakened by the voice of the stranger that had fainted in front of her last night. She sat up and looked at him. He was covered in bruises and scratches.

"What happened to you? Why were you looking for help?"

He stuttered with his reply, as he held back tears.

"…they took my parents. They took them and turned them into robots!"

He choked on the words. Alex didn't know how to reply. She had also lost her parents, but not in the same way. She didn't know which was worse. Dying in the war against Robotnik, or being transformed into a robot to serve the enemy.

"I also lost my parents. They died in the war."

The boy looked up at her and then looked down again.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. They died for a good cause."

Alex refused to cry. She vowed to be as strong as her parents and one day grow up and become part of the resistance. Crying was a sign of weakness.

"Do you have any other family?"

The boy shook his head as he wiped his eyes dry.

"Well, you could stay here if you'd like. It's just me here, and as you can see I don't take up much room."

The boy smirked and looked at her. He then looked around. It wasn't exactly what someone would call "home" but it would do. At least he wouldn't be alone.

"Ok, I'll take you up on your offer. My name is Nate, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Alex."