Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Forces! Eggman launched another assault on the city of Sunset Heights, this time led by the villainous Infinite. A group of Resistance soldiers attempted to fight him, but were effortlessly wiped out, leaving only one survivor. While the city is pummeled by Eggman's army, a new tragedy sends shockwaves through the world.

Author's Note: Apologies for the delay, again. Had a hard time figuring out how I wanted this chapter to go. Remember when I said I'd do a novelization of Kingdom Hearts III after this story? Well, I'm postponing it for now. With the news that the game will have story DLC as well as a manga adaptation, I figure it'd be better if I wait so I won't have to constantly update the story like I did my Sonic Mania novelization. My next story will likely be Devil May Cry 5. Seriously, that game is badass.

Also, today's my birthday!

Everyone thought Sonic's death was the shot heard round the world. So it goes without saying that no one was prepared for what happened today.

It had been five months since Eggman's takeover of the world began. The kingdom of Soleanna was on high alert ever since Eggman declared that it would be his next target. Everyone was on edge and ready for the next big attack. But instead of an army of robots, what they got was much worse. A bright light emerged in the skies above and from the sky, a beam of light came crashing down onto the capital city of Soleanna. The carnage was abominable. The city was obliterated! Casualties numbered in the tens of thousands! Thankfully, Princess Elise III was shepherded away to safety.

And like a mad artist admiring his twisted handiwork, Eggman announced that there would be more orbital bombardments unless Soleanna surrendered. Faced with such overwhelming firepower, the kingdom surrendered without a fight. Now only the United Federation stood between Eggman and total domination.

The entire world was absolutely horrified by the destruction of Soleanna. GUN did its best to send relief and aid to the survivors. The tragedy sent waves of fear and panic throughout the world. The thought of Eggman having a gun pointed at the world and ready to fire at any moment terrified everyone. In the United Federation, talks of surrender were rampant.

And that brings us to GUN headquarters. Rouge the Bat was on her way to Commander Tower's office. After recovering from an attack led by Shadow months ago, Rouge had been on a personal mission trying to find Shadow and bring him back, hoping to free him from whatever mind control Eggman had over him. Of course, finding him was easier said than done. Every time there was a sighting of him, he managed to slip away before she could capture him. It was maddening.

She had also been attempting to find Omega. His last known position was in Sunset Heights, but the place had become such a warzone that searching for him was next to impossible, so instead she decided to help the Resistance however she could, primarily acting as the liaison between them and GUN.

Rouge entered the office and saw Commander Tower sitting at his desk. The commander was still sporting wounds from the attack. "Ah, Rouge, glad you made it." Tower said. "Come in." Rouge sat down on the chair in front of the desk. "You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked.

"Yes." Tower replied. "I have an important mission for you. But first, I wanna warn you: this is most likely going to be your most dangerous mission yet."

"You say that about every mission I go on." Rouge replied, attempting to lighten the mood. It was getting harder and harder to do that these days. "What's the mission?"

"Based on what we know, it seems Eggman has developed some new orbital weapon." Tower began. He pressed a button underneath his desk and a video feed displaying outer space appeared. "Our satellites have been monitoring Earth's orbit, but we haven't found anything. We believe it may be using a cloaking device of some kind."

"And let me guess, you want the world's greatest spy to head up there and check it out, right?" Rouge asked.

"More or less." Tower replied. "But this is strictly recon. No heroics. We can't afford to lose more people."

"Right." Rouge said, looking downward.

"I know what you're thinking, Rouge, and I'm sorry, the answer is no." Tower said. "We're undermanned as it is and I need every able-bodied soldier available in case Eggman tries to invade the United Federation."

"But they're my friends!" Rouge protested. "We can't just abandon them! Can't we spare a few soldiers to help them?

"We can't spare anyone." Tower firmly replied. "I need all the manpower I can get. I'm sorry, but for the time being, your friends are on their own." Rouge wanted to protest further, but she knew that nothing could change Tower's mind once he made a decision. Instead, she just gave a defeated sigh.

"Figures." came Rouge's dejected reply. With that, she got up and walked out of the room.

Meanwhile, at Resistance HQ...

"What do you mean we're on our own?!" Knuckles asked. He had been on the phone with Rouge, begging her to convince GUN to send some troops to South Island. Needless to say, he hadn't been making any progress. "You don't get how dire the situation is here! We're losing more ground than we're gaining! Attacks on the city are on an almost daily basis! It's all we can do to keep Sunset Heights intact!"

"I do understand." Rouge replied. "And I want to help, I really do. But Tower wouldn't budge. My hands are tied. Besides, I'm on a mission of my own. Tower wants me to find out what weapon Eggman used to nuke Soleanna. GUN thinks it might be some orbital station. I'm sorry, Knux. I wish I could do more to help."

"I know." Knuckles replied sadly. "Just... be careful."

"You too." Rouge replied as she hung up. Knuckles roared and punched the wall. "Damn it!" he yelled. Before he could fully vent his anger, he looked out the corner of his eye to see Jason standing at the door. Ever since the last attack on Sunset Heights, Jason chose to stay out of the action and helped organize some of the weapons and supplies. He was still haunted by the deaths of his squadmates. Until today, that is.

"Hey, Jason." Knuckles said as he calmed down. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to get back on the field." Jason replied. "I want to do more to help." Knuckles stared at Jason for a moment, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Well, I appreciate the sentiment." Knuckles said. "But why the change of heart?"

"Seeing a kingdom wiped off the face of the earth can change a man's perspective." Jason replied. "I can't sit by and do nothing while innocent people get killed. I've spent the last few weeks doing nothing but feel sorry for myself. That's not what I signed up to do. And that's... not what my friends would want." Knuckles remained silent, genuinely touched by Jason's earnesty and resolve. "Well, if you want to be on the field, you'll have to go through training first." Knuckles said.

"Fine with me." Jason said.

Knuckles smiled and grabbed Jason's hand. "Well then, let's get to work." he said.

Next Chapter Preview: A New Hope! Next time on Sonic Forces! Jason formally joins the Resistance as its morale hits an all-time low. But just as all hope seems lost, Rouge the Bat makes an earthshaking discovery that can help tip the scales back in the Resistance's favor. Find out what happens on the next exciting chapter of Sonic Forces!