Back after awhile. Have a bit of other things going on, so continuing is hard, but not impossible.

--

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

Dr. Eggman placed his gloved fingers together nervously as he peered out the large window in the airship's corridor. Endless bouts of sparkling blue water whizzed by under them. Theta Black's leader stood beside him, wearing a disinterested expression.

"You have never heard of us, have you?" he replied quietly, his eyes glued to the sights outside the window.

The scientist gulped. "I have. Stories and tidbits of information, mostly. There are hardly any records of you in the government's security files."

The Mobian standing beside him smirked faintly. "A hacker, are you? In that case, let me inform you that all our missions in the past year have been a success."

"Right. But, you see…have you ever heard of Sonic the Hedgehog?"

The hallway was silent for a moment. Suddenly low, hard laughter rang out from the cloaked leader's mouth. Every cackle sent a cold shiver down Eggman's back.

"Have I ever heard of Sonic the Hedgehog?" he repeated the query. "So that's your rodent problem. That's one hell of a predicament, my sir."

All Eggman could do was nod.

"Station Square…" Eggman seemed to be zoned out of the conversation. "If our Plan A worked as we hope, then we shouldn't have so much trouble with Sonic the Hedgehog."

"The artificial storm?" Eggman confirmed. Then another thought struck him. "His fox friend is presumably dead from our last encounter, which would make it easier still. But I wouldn't count on my success. That little bastard has an annoying knack for survival."

"No matter what happens, I prefer to prepare for the worst-case scenario. I'll be heading out with the members this time around."

The endless blue expanse was shattered by a gray speck appearing on the horizon. Eggman was hit by familiarity, even from this far away.

"It was one hell of an expedition attempting to get into the mountain, but we've reached our destination."

Eggman grinned awkwardly. "You can thank that fox I mentioned earlier for the aircraft vent."

The leader of Theta Black finally turned to look at Eggman. "It's time."

\../

"Sometimes I wonder if that crazed bitch even likes me after all." Sonic leaned back against the roof of the building next to Tails. Tails gazed at the dazzling colors that assaulted him from the setting sun. "The littlest thing sets her off…"

"That's because she cares," Tails offered in her defense.

"Exactly. Way too much. She knows that there's danger everywhere! What, does she just want us to sit back and let Eggman deteriorate the world into disarray?" He rubbed the bump that formed on his head from the strike of her hammer.

"I'm sure she means well. She just doesn't want us to get hurt..." he glanced at his aching collarbone. "…badly."

"Weren't you the one who sent her careening down through the atmosphere as a blazing inferno?"

"Yeah, she got burned…but I had just gotten pummeled by the head of a giant hammer. No one would really be in the best of moods."

He thought for a moment. "You know, we should spar again soon. I shouldn't have to wait a week to walk again after every fight I get into."

Sonic displayed no emotion on his face. "There are a lot of things I could say to you right now, but none of it would be different than anything I've told you before."

Tails was silent, so Sonic continued. "There are too many things about you, too many things that you do right; that make you a really cool person to be around with; to treat yourself that way."

Tails looked at the ground on the city below.

"You should think about a lot of things. Think about how you've grown these past years. How you've learned and matured. About how you were when you started sparring with me, and the fighter you've become. About how you're even better at mechanics. And, most importantly; about how you act around other people. Think about these things, and then try to put yourself down."

Sonic stood up. "Because I know thinking is what you do best."

Tails was too engrossed by these words to tell Sonic how much wisdom they possessed, about how much power they held; about how much they meant to him. By the time he figured out something to say, Sonic had already gone.

Tails replayed the scene a few times in his head. Sonic truly liked him. Sonic cared enough to be an understanding mentor and a playful friend at the same time. Tails discarded the idea that when Sonic became his idol, the vice versa also happened. But deep down inside, he concluded; he knew it to be true.

\../

"Boys."

Amy Rose spewed the simple but meaningful word while sifting through the merchandise she, Cream, and a stunned Neptune had purchased. The latter was fascinated with the means of gaining accessories, but wasn't truly interested in buying anything. She was truly an outcast among the shopping spree maniacs, but she didn't mind. She was still clearly tackling the fact that she was now in a place far away from anything she'd previously known – and now thrust with the task of getting to know the people who had taken her in.

"You can't live with them…and the trick is finding a way to live without them."

Cream seemed lost in thought at the edge of the bed. Neptune was puzzled at Amy's words. "Do you not like these people?"

Amy seemed to have trouble coming up with an answer to that. "Sometimes I forget, but the truth is, they're very close to me."

That's weird.

Neptune desperately tried to make eye contact with Cream, but to no avail. She was startled to find Amy standing in front of her. "Are you feeling well?"

"Uh, yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I…" Neptune looked away. Amy waited patiently. When no answer came, Amy said very seriously, "I know I can try to understand what you're going through right now, but I can't. No one here can. All we can do for now is make you as comfortable as possible."

Neptune glanced over at Cream again. She was now gazing sympathetically in her direction.

"Just know that you're one of us now. If anything ever happens, we're always right here."

With that, Amy turned and was out the door in the next moment. Neptune and Cream gave each other awkward expressions for a few seconds, then she managed a shy smile and followed Amy out.

Neptune sized up her situation. Amy Rose had immediately broken the ice with her and assured that her back was being watched. Amy struck her as the kind of person to keep her word. The boys she hadn't gotten much of a chance to interact with, although they seemed kind enough. But she felt there was a barrier between her and Cream; and she needed something to break it.

--

Again, I find this to be cliche, but nothing's perfect. Besides, the best part is coming up.