5:00 P.M. 20 Miles South of Holoska.

After months of endless searching and prodding and picking, G.U.N. had finally found its' target. It had taken nearly three-fourths of the force to hunt down this one wanted criminal, but hopefully after tonight that work wouldn't be in vain. Even the best of the best had been selected to 'tag-and-bag' this wanted murderer - they were to make no mistakes. This was the final run to try and catch Public Enemy No. 1

"I tell ya', that little rat'll see me and wish he'd nevah been born!"

Flying over the eternally frozen landscape of Holoska was the best helicopter that G.U.N. could afford. Equip. with everything from rockets to the kitchen sink, this black beast was something to be feared - and it wasn't enough to take him down. It was what was inside this chopper that made the real difference: G.U.N.'s best.

Six specially selected men and women sat inside the sides of the craft: three on one side and three on the other. All figures, saves for two, were heavily covered in mesh, special fiber suits, weapons of all sizes, and even a couple grenades to finish it off. These "Armor Jockeys" as one big-mouth liked to call them; all had their helmets on, visors down to cover their faces. They were the best of the best: never failed a mission, never messed up, and never lost. That's why they had been sent in, unlike the other two,

"What 'e did too them kids, that's just wrong."

On the right side of the chopper, squished between two "Armor Jockeys", was a fridge with arms and legs. Clad in nothing more than khaki cargo pants, camo shirt, black sneakers, cigar hanging off his lip, and a machete strapped to his back, Steve McClure was nothing less than the best bounty hunter in the world: most wanted too.

Why was he helping a group that would have loved to see him dead? Well you see, after a few couple thousand dollars were exchanged and a few rules bent towards his favor, Steve was able to talk his way into getting his entire criminal file erased if he brought an end to one little problem.

What was this problem, you ask?

Well let's just say...it's a bit of a rat problem.

"Murderin' them like that, just sick." Continued the fridge as he pulled out his cigar and blew out a puff of smoke, nudging the Armor Jockey to his right. "You know what I'm sayin'? Just gonna ring 'is little neck when I see 'im."

The armored soldier next to him just absentmindedly nodded, wishing the man would just shut the hell up.

"Oh, please.." Chuckled a feminine voice directly across from the man.

"What was that, furry? You laughin' at me?" The man spat, blue eyes suddenly alight with the fierce fire he was so infamous for.

"You do realize he could take you down with his eyes shut, right?" A sly grin.

Steve snorted and pulled his cigar for another puff of smoke. "Don't know why they even let'cha come along.."

"Why?" The woman laughed at the man's perplexed and angry face. "The same reason they let you come along for this little trip."

"And the fact you know him..." Replied one of the four Armor Jockeys.

A shadow passed along Rouge's face at the words and she muttered a small reply about how that was true. They had worked together on some missions, more than she would openly admit, and she had grown to like the odd hero, but a job was a job. Even if she did have her doubts...

"Whatever." The bounty hunter replied gruffly as he snuffed out his cigar on the soldier's armored pants next to him. "Sonic'll dead by tonight, mark my words."

8:00 P.M. 15 Miles North of Holoska.

If there was ever a sight to behold it was that of Holoska's mountain range. Reaching high above the clouds and draped in a blanket of pure white snow with a blazing red aura of the setting sun behind them, these mountains were as picture-esque as could be. Even with the endless sea of white and green below the mountains it was peaceful. Yet even with things as beautiful and serene as this anxiety hung in the air like a shroud, choking everything it covered. All life was gone - out of sight and every little noise and breath echoed for miles, distorting any sense of range.

Even with conditions stacked against the G.U.N. team continued on towards the base of those rocky giants.

All or nothing, that's what their orders were. They either succeeded or died trying.

With this on all six members' minds they went forward, all weapons ready to fire at a moments notice. This went on for quite some time: two hours to be perfectly exact and for each second their movement was being tracked by every single military organization around the globe - the world was literally holding its' breath and praying for them to succeed.

Finally, after nearly giving up and calling it a day, one of the Armor clad soldiers spotted something a mile ahead and signaled for them to stop. Making a V with his index and middle finger the soldier pointed towards his eyes then at the blurry blue object in the distance. One by one the group nodded to show they saw and once more they moved forward, only now they were going no faster than gentle bray of the wind.

Their orders might have been all-or-nothing, but they had very specific instructions to also try and take him alive.

Every couple of feet passed the figure began to grow into solid shapes: A head, arms, legs, a torso. All of it curled into a ball on top of a low outcropping of rocks.

A few more feet.

A bloody red patch near the figure's neck. Was it dead?

A couple more feet.

No, not dead. it was a scarf that was barley being held together by its own string.

Halfway there.

The group halted again, this time on the pretense that Steve had seen it move. They quickly began to walk again.

Three-fourths of the way there.

The top of the blue hedgehog's head was facing them, his arms and legs hugging his stomach just beneath.

Now they were just feet away from a murderer.

Guns raised the Armored G.U.N. soldiers fanned out around the outcropping of rocks the hedgehog rested on, coming to a halt only when the furthest two soldiers hit the base of a cliff on the mountain. One of the soldiers, presumably the one in charge, raised his right hand, palm flat and facing the sleeping figure. Before he could even signal for the team to close in the Bounty Hunter snorted and walked forward, ignoring the fact that multiple voices were screaming in his ear to stop and all eyes were now on him.

"Things' asleep so shut it." He muttered to those around him or, more importantly, the microphone that was hooked up to Central Command.

Crunching steps echoed like gunshots as the man continued to confidently walk towards the rocks.

Crunch. Boom.

Crunch. Boom.

Crunch. Boom.

The world held its' breath.

All sounds froze.

The team wouldn't dare move a muscle.

But she realized it all too late.

A scream, high-pitched with the sound of sudden shock ran through the area like thunder, snapping all those frozen to their senses.

The next five seconds were a blur of shouts, curses, gunshots and a blue streak.

Rouge had reacted fast enough to be spared from the rage that was Sonic the Hedgehog, the others not being so lucky. Lying unconscious or too wounded to get up. the best of G.U.N. had been taken out in less time than it had taken for the Treasure Hunter to cry out, "No! He's not sleeping!"

Acting on sheer military training Rouge quickly spun to face the mountains and struck out with her arm. To her surprise it hit, but only the inside of Sonic's now closed fist. Without breaking a beat the bat swung her other arm at the hedgehog, it ending up just as her other arm. Mind calculating on what to do next, Rouge agreed upon sweeping her foot underneath Sonic's legs to trip him, thus disarming him, and then quickly placing her boot on his neck.

The plan played out perfectly: the tripped Sonic let out a cry of surprise, as well as releasing Rouge's arms, and fell to the ground with a thud. What didn't play out right was the way Sonic reacted to all of it - he rolled out of the way, jumped to his feet before the bat even knew what had happened and darted to the top of the outcropping of rocks he was just waiting on.

Both Mobians eyes locked with each others in a deathly glare that said more than words could have ever done - neither of them meant any harm to one another.

Exhausted from the small skirmish Sonic didn't even remotely question if his former friend would attack or not, no matter what her eyes said. He just sighed. A sigh so full of weariness it made the hedgehog seem years older.

"Well you found me, now what?"

That was the second thing she had noticed that was so different about the once famed hero - his voice had lost its happy, albeit annoying, tone. It was no more than a weary shell of its former self. Without really knowing why, that change had shook Rouge harder than the scars he was no sporting.

And he noticed this.

"What? These?" Sonic sadly motioned to the two scars on his body: one half-moon scar on his right forearm and two jagged cuts down the right side of his face and over his eye. "These are nothing. Souvenirs of Amy and Knuckles."

An uneasy silence followed. Even the speaker in Rouge's ear was silent.

"You not going to talk to me either? Fine." Sonic snorted in disgust. "And I thought you were smarter than them."

More silence.

"Well? You gonna lock me up? Kill me for what I did? Or are you just going to stand there?"

Even though she was probably breaking fifty obscure laws, Rouge spoke up, her voice slow and deliberate. "I know you didn't mean to kill him."

"Oh, really?" Sonic rolled his eyes at the bat. "You really believe I didn't kill him? "

"Yes."

"Likely story."

Beginning to get slightly annoyed, although she perfectly understood why Sonic was so paranoid, Rouge held up her hands, palms out towards the hedgehog.

"I had three different ways I could have taken you down right now, but I didn't. Now do you trust me?"

"No." Not even a smile - he was being dead serious. "Besides, what could you do to help me? Let me escape? No matter where you put me I could always escape and just keep on avoiding you. "

He had a point. Prison Island had failed to keep him under lock and key three times now, as well as numerous small prisons - Sonic couldn't be kept behind bars, he would just break out again and again. Everyone knew this and everyone knew what they had to do to stop him, even if nobody ever spoke those words aloud.

Sonic easily read the doubt on the bat's face: he'd gotten quite good at reading people since on the run. "Exactly, there is nothing you can do."

"We could prove that you didn't do it - prove that you didn't kill Tails."

Sonic visibly flinched at the name and cast his eyes down at the blood stained gloves he still wore. They were still on even months after, he still had them on - a sick reminder as to what he had supposedly done.

"Look." Rouge began slowly, hoping Sonic would up and run like he always did when someone brought up the murder of the two-tailed fox. "What happened that day? Maybe there is something or someone you saw or.."

"I don't remember. I told the police when they first found me and...and him, I don't remember a thing. Nothing at all. Only..Only.." Sonic began to shake slightly as a few tears rolled of his muzzle and onto the ground. "I only remember his eyes as he looked at me. Th-They were scared of me, like I was some sort of demon! And as I held him there while he was dying I-I believed them, Rouge. I don't know what happened but I know I did it, I killed T-Tails."

A sudden loud crackling in the bat's ear made her jump and turn away from the now freely crying Sonic as a voice came in blaring over her ear bud. The man was rambling on and on about something of a prison break - which were backed up by loud sirens hollering in the background- and something to do with a puppet?

"Repeat that." Rouge replied as silence filled the base of the mountain.

"This is a Code Omega-Red. Your team is to return at once. Doctor Robotnik has escaped from Prison Island and he left a message saying he's going to have his 'puppet' kill more people. Leave and return to the chopper now. Do you copy? Rouge? Do you copy?"

Crunch. Boom.

Crunch. Boom.

Crunch. Boom.

A loud snarl erupted in the silence, followed by a scream of the dying as a blue hedgehog with murder in his eyes leapt for the kill.