Vector stood at the back of the procession, a long trench coat and an old fedora covering most of him. He was dressed this way mostly because it made him look more like a professional detective, but also because it was raining. His hands were in the deep pockets on the trench coat, hiding that he was fiddling with a short electrical cord in both hands.

The Crocodile's keen eyes watched the others around him, taking in their every action. He watched silently as Sally laid a white flower on the grave. There was no body buried here. There was no body to bury here. There was nothing left of Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of Mobius. Amy Rose followed Sally, placing a pink rose beside the white one.

Vector looked down at the rose in his own hands. He was here, same as everyone else, to pay respects to a lost friend. He looked over to two other graves beside Sonic's. Both of them were equally empty, but they were different to him. He knew Sonic was gone, but these other two seemed suspicious. They were marked with the names Miles Prower and Fiona Fox, and he didn't believe for a second that those two were actually dead.

Others had bought into it, as shown by the dozens of flowers covering Tails' grave and a few on Fiona's, but Vector was skeptical. He could say that it was natural for him to be skeptical, or that he liked being skeptical, but this time he just straight up didn't believe it. He hadn't added a flower to Tails' grave because of this, which had annoyed a few people and outright angered Amadeus Prower. Tails' father had calmed down to some degree when Vector explained why, but he could tell there was still resentment between them.

He would have even added a flower to Fiona's grave, but again, he didn't believe she was dead. Tails' parents had placed flowers on that grave as well, understanding the relationship between her and their son. Bunnie and Rouge had placed the other two, but hadn't explained why. Vector was fine with that. They didn't need to explain themselves. He wouldn't add another rose though, because he knew she was still alive. He was more sure of this then he was with Tails, because he had been told directly by Fiona's father.

Vector spotted the older Fox, Zak, standing off to the side. He was watching Vector, and when eye contact was made he briefly motioned away from the burial ceremony. He wanted to talk. Vector nodded subtly, then turned back to the funeral. Geoffrey and Hershey St. John placed their flowers and left, and Vector stepped up to the grave. He looked up at the monument that had been erected for the heroic Hedgehog, standing several meters over Vector's head. He took off his hat and bent over, placing the flower.

He stood back up and looked up at the Hedgehog again. "I'll hold it all together while you're gone. I won't let everything you fought for go to hell."

With that, he placed his hat back on and walked away. He followed a route he had memorized at Zak's request, leading him straight to the park. New Mobotropolis was huge, but it only had one park, although that park was considerably large itself. He spotted Zak seated on a bench along the path and sat down beside him.

Zak never looked at the Crocodile when he spoke. "I need information."

Vector nodded, looking around as if he hadn't heard Zak. "What you got to trade for it?"

"News on the whereabouts of the few enemies of the kingdom that remain at large."

This was their agreement. Zak would tell him valuable information about their enemies, what few of them were still around, and Vector would pass on information from Nicole's databanks. Naturally, Nicole was aware of these transactions, as was King Maximilian, but neither was aware of the identity of Vector's contact. As per Zak's conditions, Sally was kept out of the loop along with everyone else. This was acceptable to both Nicole and Maximilian, as the information they gave Zak was mostly files regarding Mobian history and geography. On occasion, he would ask for files on research into cybernetics. That was fine, as far as Vector was concerned, so long as Zak wasn't kidnapping people to experiment on them. Zak had stated often that it was for medical purposes only.

Vector shrugged. "What do you want in return?"

Zak stood up. "Everything you have on replacing an organic eye with a robotic eye."

"What have you been doing with all this stuff I've been giving you?"

Zak turned and waved to someone behind Vector, motioning for them to approach. He looked at Vector. "Take a look."

Vector stood and turned around to see someone who at first looked like a pretty young Vixen. She wore a simple white shirt and stiff black pants, with black boots that reached halfway to her knees. But then he began noticing things wrong with her. Her left hand and right eye were both missing, though the hand had been replaced cybernetically. She walked forward mechanically and stopped in front of him.

Zak stood behind Vector and explained. "This is Li Moon. She got beaten up pretty bad last month, so I've been helping her through her recovery."

Vector diverted his eyes, not sure what to think about this just yet. He turned back to Zak. "I'll... get your files. Be ready with your end of the deal."

The crowds had dispersed, but a few people remained. Sally stood in front of Sonic's grave, looking down at the plaque on the base of the monument. She sensed someone behind her and turned to see Ash standing uncomfortably close. She stepped away from the monument so that she could widen the distance without stepping on the grave.

Ash looked around as if he was looking for something. He shrugged when he couldn't find anything. "I don't see another grave, so I know Mina's still alive. So where is she?"

Sally sighed, putting her hand on her forehead. She had completely forgotten to tell him. "She, um... she left."

He stiffened. "What do you mean "left"?"

Sally backed up again. "She thought Tails was dead, so she... decided to continue what he had been doing."

He stepped toward her, causing her to take another step back. "Hunti- going after bad guys? What the hell is she thinking? You didn't stop her?" He stopped, thinking it through for a second longer. "Wait, what do you mean she "thought" he was dead?"

Sally froze. Had she said it that way? Tails had asked her not to tell anyone he was still alive, and she might as well have just done that. She covered her face with her hand. "Ah, fuck..."

Nicole appeared beside her. "Sally, how old are you?"

She looked up at the holographic Lynx. "Twenty-one, why?"

Nicole grimaced. "Oh... never mind." She turned to leave, but Sally called her back.

"Nicole, I could use your backup here."

The Lynx turned around and gave her a confused glare. "Why would you need my help? I'm only fourteen."

This response stunned Sally. "Wh... what? What do you... where did this come from?" She cringed, suddenly realizing what this was about. "Oh, right... really, Nicole? This is not the time..."

Ash interrupted. "Nicole, is Tails still alive?"

Nicole glanced at him briefly before looking back to Sally. "...I wouldn't be surprised..."

Sally held up her hands in defeat. "Alright, fine. Have it your way. Tails is alive. He's out and about, following Mina around to make sure she doesn't get herself killed like Fiona and Li Moon did. You happy?"

There was silence as Ash tried to process this information. The silence was shattered as Nicole started clapping, although the look on her face was one of sour sarcasm. Ash shook his head and walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

Sally simply stood and watched Nicole, growing less and less pleased with her friend's behavior. She waited until Nicole stopped clapping before speaking. "What's wrong with you right now? I mean, what's really wrong? Is Sonic being gone getting to you, or is it really this crap about you being fourteen?"

Nicole held up one finger, pasting an enlightened expression on her face. "Wait, I got one! Maybe, just maybe, it's not something to do with you or Sonic at all. Maybe it's got something to do with my own life." Her image flickered and sputtered for a second, then she continued with a sudden burst of outright anger. "Maybe my best friend has been ignoring me for a month! Ever think of that?"

Sally was shocked at this outburst, but was thankful she could at least try to remedy the situation. "Alright... I haven't been paying any attention to you for a month. I'm here now. What do you want to talk about?"

Nicole let her hands rest at her side and sighed. "I..." Her expression changed again, this time more worried. Confusion and panic quickly joined as she raised her voice. "Sally! Someone's hacking into my system!"

"What? Who? Where? Can you block them out?"

"No, no, no, no! You don't understand! They're already in! I... I don't recognize the access location! I can't find them! I can't tell who it is! They're going for incry-" Nicole flicked out of sight right in front of Sally.