By the time Infinite's blast from the Phantom Ruby cleared, eighty percent of the Resistance was dead. The Mobian field they had been fighting in was now covered in with the blood and bodies of rebels, ranging from Sonic's former colleagues to unproven recruits. Gadget was on the brink of tears as he and most of Rookiez Special Forces, all rookies, stared at the destruction around them.

This was war.

Sonic, Knuckles, Rose, and their friends were having a hard time processing the destruction as well. Gadget was also worried, because one of their teammates was missing: their strategist, Nadia the Wolf. Gadget was certain that she was dead, along with most of the rookies. And this hurt. Gadget had realized something in that painful moment: He was in love with Nadia.

Through his vision, about thirty paces, and a hundred bodies, away, was a familiar red tint. He walked, then sprinted over to find a sight that was both relieving and heart-wrenching: He had found Nadia, and she was alive, but severely injured and blood gushing from her wounds, which covered the length of her body, and emphasized the damage to her beautiful tail. The pool of blood under her neck suggested it had been torn up, bone visible in a spot on the left side of her neck.

"Nadia!" He reached for her in desperation, falling onto his knees, splattering her blood on himself.

"Gadget... Are we dead?" Her voice crackled as she looked up at him, blood staining her face crimson.

"No. But you're dying. He started to cry. "Nadia... I need to tell you something... Just in case you don't make it."

"What?" She said in a weak whisper.

"I... I love you, Nadia." He crawled closer to the dying she-wolf. and she kissed him.

"I love you too... Gadget." She kissed him longingly, hoping that she was not already abandoned by life. She then pulled away...aaand passed out. Gadget let out a gut-wrenching, ear-piercing, heart-tearing howl, it was completely off instinct, and everyone on the field, and quite a bit beyond, heard it.

Tears poured out of his eyes and down his face as Commander Knuckles and company raced over.

"It's going to be ok, she's alive, we just have to get her back to base." Amy Rose placed a hand on his shoulder as she consoled him. She waved two falcons over and they flew the unconscious Nadia back to base.

Gadget had stopped howling, Sonic's ears were very grateful. However, Gadget was still essentially still sobbing, staring at the piece of sky where Nadia had been whisked away, while surrounded by hundreds of fellow soldiers, all dead and scattered haphazardly on the blood-soaked ground.

"I wanna go back to base now, Commander." Gadget mumbled, his voice now hoarse from his cry. Knuckles nodded and screamed to the still surviving troops, in a voice that seemed to be a whisper compared to Gadget's howl:

"WE'RE GOING BACK TO BASE!"