Elis was a flash of Blue as he ran between cars and up buildings, something the public shrugged off as it being Sonic, the hero they don't yet know is dead.

But his mind was overflowing. He had seen the first Black Hat video when the Council were watching the second, and it made him more curious about his work than he had been without watching.

Firstly, what was it exactly that Black Hat wanted from the Council? It seems a bit strange to want nothing more than to lower the city's defences. Normally terrorists would be asking for more than that when they have a Government at their grasp...they could ask for anything: money, guns, you name it. And then there came the death of Sonic. A man with an IQ of three hundred couldn't find a way to kill him. How could a few extremists with a camera-phone do it? It doesn't quite add up.

The only way to find out, he told himself, is to keep asking.

And now he was on his way to the person who first talked of the Storm, who was found just outside New Mobotropolis, and thus only a few hundred metres from the border that separated all of Knothole from the rest of Mobius. This was the forest that a prison was situated, infamous for its brutality and maximum security. The perfect place to find someone like Fiona Fox, in the aftermath of Tails' works.*

Standing at the door to Solitary Confinement, there stood Antoine and Bunnie D'Coolette. The Royal Guard and the Cyborg Mobian Rabbit did everything as partners, even when they were on an all-out battlefield they'd stay together. Antoine's wife may as well be his religion.

They both nodded hello, and then gestured to open the door, which Blue Blur nodded to. He quickly walked inside. The first impression, after all, was the lasting one, and, unfortunately, fear lasts longer than respect.

Fiona was cuffed to a chair with both hands, nailed to the floor like the table she sat next to. The Blue Blur slammed his fist onto that table, slightly denting it.

"Fiona Fox," he said disgustedly. "Scourge's right hand girl, to say the least. You talked of a 'storm' before you were arrested, with Eggman Cyborgs on your side..."

"What if I did?" she looked to one side. "You must be the Second Sonic. I'm glad you heard, the message was meant for you..."

"Geoffrey Saint John also said what you said," he interrupted. " To me. Turns out this 'Black Hat' you were working for was incredibly eager for me to hear your little riddle. I need to know everything you do about it."

"What can I say?" Fiona groaned. "Scourge sent me here because it meant pay, robbing a business centre with some hacked thugs for some guy called 'Black Hat'. Strange how that worked, because Eggman Industries run that building we robbed..."

"Hacked?"

"You could tell that because the poor bastards had even blanker expressions than normal. Turns out he's an expert hacker. He said to only rob Eggman Industries, too. Said I'm not to find out why until I got back, like he knew I'd end up here."

"He knew you'd end up in prison?"

"Correction: he knew that the second I'm in front of a jury is the second I'm on Death Row," she sighed. "Well, I saw it coming ever since I betrayed the guy before you, you know, Sonic."

Blue nodded, trying to hide the anger he felt when Fiona recalled betraying his father figure.

She paused, and to both Blue and Blaze's surprise, there was a beeping on Blaze's comms system, which Blue answered, to which Fiona muttered: "Unless..."

"Madame Blaze," Antoine alerted. "'Zere is a mysterious beeping noise from a watch we took off Madame Fox. It is most peculiar."

Blaze continued the interrogation. "Got an explanation for that?"

Fiona simply smiled. "Picking men is a hard job, Blaze. You of all people should know that. You know, I like to have strong, heroic men to be mine. Do you want to know why?"

No response. Just as a beeping noise came from one of the confinement cell's outer wall. Getting louder and faster.

"...they get me out of trouble."

And before they could ask any more questions, an explosion sent Blaze and Blue flying backwards, through the blown off metal door and into the corridor.

Their sight was blurry when they looked up, only to find a military-grade cruiser jet, onto which Fiona was being taken up to by a green Hedgehog, scarily alike to Sonic. The figure, now seen in a black leather jacket, jumped off the jet with ten thugs they kept on a high payroll, guns included. All clad in ballistic armour, from their own timeline.

Antoine and Bunnie came to help their comrades to their feet, as they all recognised who was marching slowly towards them.

Scourge the Hedgehog.** He was Sonic, just not one from this timeline. He was from a terrible timeline in which he, a greedy, brutal Sonic, is king. Does he have something to do with Black Hat? Or is this something personal about Fiona? Only one way to find out...

"I need backup!" Antoine yelled into his comms, to which four Military Soldiers appeared, both human and Mobian. They all drew and raised their rifles. "Hold fire," he then announced, to which they held down the guns.

Antoine then drew his own rifle, turning safety off. Bunnie's back folded out into two jet engines, and then her arm folded into an energy cannon. Blaze emitted fire from her hand, ready to throw as a ball. Blue Blur simply stood there, making sure his one hand was ready to punch and his other to draw.

By then, Scourge was about ten feet away from the Blue Blur, their comrades behind them. "So," Scourge simply questioned. "You're this so-called 'Next Sonic' Black Hat's been on about, huh?"

Blue Blur ignored the question. "And you're affiliated with Black Hat. What did you do for him?"

Scourge laughed, before sarcastically answering. "Isn't it obvious? I did nothing, but I sent Fiona to go rob some Eggman Institutes. He wanted Eggman's data for some reason, but what do I care? Money's money."

"And all you got out of it was Fiona almost killed," Bunnie muttered.

"Yeah, but now you four showed up, so it ain't a complete loss."

Before anyone could ask why, Scourge raised his arm and in perfect timing shells rained on both sides, machine gun fire tearing apart all four of Antoine's support, Blue Blur only managing to narrowly dodge such firepower in short notice. Both Antoine and Blaze threw themselves into cover, whereas Bunnie spread her weight across the floor below her, charging her arm cannon and locking onto the bodyguards.

"Behind me, Blue Blur!" she yelled, to be obeyed .

They all knew that Scourge was basically Sonic, so aiming for him would be pointless. Antoine came back out, and, now with a riot-shield quickly taken from one of the bodies, jumped in front of Bunnie, a Uzi he kept in his pocket filling his other hand. Keeping all of those bullets was a hard job, but a tactic he was used to. Make sure Bunnie has her cannon primed to auto, combine with your own fire and shoot to miss. The shock of seeing bullets fly will keep them back, ready for Blaze to come in.

A line of flames straight over the team and into the bodyguards meant Blaze had entered. It was hard for anyone to see what happened, but a flurry of punches, kicks and attempted machine gun fire between them left five down, before a kick to the face from Scourge sent her down with them. A grenade from one forced the FFA squad to fall back quickly.

Slowly losing consciousness, the green figure standing above her pulled what appeared to be a pistol from his ugly, blood-stained jacket. "Why is it such a plus you lot are here?" he chuckled. "Because it's my universe. If I'm wrong...why else would God make me so god damn powerful? Why, huh? Why? TELL ME!"

"To set us a challenge," Blaze whispered, smiling weakly.

He clicked the pistol, the hammer now ready to fall. "It's my universe," he whispered back mockingly. "And no matter how many fake Sonics you're gonna train, it'll never be enough."

...and the gun was lost from Scourge's hand, and a single milisecond later a white glove was stained red from a punch to his face. "Correction," the mutters of Blue Blur. "Just one will be fine."

Scourge had had enough. He swung for the new hero, three times, all of which to have been narrowly missed. The fourth attempt was grabbed and was used to pull Scourge's face to Blue' titanium-plated shoe. The green hedgehog then spin-dashed into his rival's stomach, throwing him off his feet and back into the wrecked room in which this battle had started.

"What's the matter, little man?" he smirked. "Callin' yourself Sonic and you can't even do a simple Spin Dash?" he wrapped his hands around his throat. "I never got to kill that idiot version of me," he explained. "But I guess he's replaceable in the eyes of his deluded king. With some dumbass human, Just like you will be. Admit it, you'll be in a dumpster by the time you get to Black Hat. And me...well, I'm still alive, aren't I?!"

Then, a familiar voice, deep and gruff: "Let go of the human, dickbrain, before you'll regret saying that."

Scourge dropped our hero, causing him to regain his breath. The hedgehog behind Scourge was slightly taller than him, the familiar black fur and red spikes told Elis all he needed to know: Shadow's back.

"Shadow the Hedgehog," Scourge announced, while his five men sneaked up behind his new opponent. "Long time no see. I guess you're a rouge in this kingdom as well as mine...But, one question...why are you so interested in Knothole when you're a member of the G.U.N?"

"We heard about Black Hat...and we came here to get you in our gas chambers. The way we see it, you killed Sonic. Considering you just killed this planet...let's make that ten billion life sentences!"

"I didn't kill Sonic, and I wish I did...but I got the next best thing..."

"...the Blue Blur?"

"Nope. You, of course!"

The machine gun fire came from behind. Shadow took one bullet to his back, but jumped and dodged the others. He was, in two seconds, behind them, grasping the Chaos Emerald that he drew from his belt and into his hand... "Chaaaaaaaaaosssssssss...BLAST!"

All five of the gunmen, before anything could be done, were instantly dead, covered in what appeared to be third degree burns. He raised his Emerald again, to which Scourge began to back off. Realising this wasn't his fight, yet, he spin-dashed his way though the forest, in the same direction as his plane had just left.

"Thanks," Blue muttered as he was helped to his feet. "I owe you one!"

"You don't owe me shit," Shadow spat. "You owe these people a bit more effort from you, though! I've seen you fight, on that night with Geoffrey's gang. I know you're better than this," he pointed as his head. "Use your head. Sonic never did, and now he's six feet under somewhere."

Blue Blur didn't know how to respond, so he nodded sadly.

"Listen," Shadow explained. "I overheard Black Hat giving a message to Scourge, for you. I managed to take a photo of the message: it's a riddle of some kind..."

"...Leading to a motive," Blue Blur interrupted in agreement.

Blue Blur ran back to the prison. By now Blaze was up, and ready to continue the investigation, with yet another word of advice from someone who was supposed to be their enemy.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

*If you remember Chapter 2

**Scourge, to those of you who haven't read Archie Sonic, actually exists in its canon. It's not a recolour like a lot of you fanfic haters may think.