It began to rain, steadily at first, then with a mighty ferociousness. Thunder boomed off in the distance, as storm clouds
seemed to appear from out of nowhere. The rain thudded against the ground with audible force, causing people to flee into
their homes. Lightning struck a brave, lone, bird flying high above the city; its dead body fell quickly down below. The bird
slammed onto the one of the many concrete streets of Station Square. Unmoving, its feet pointing upwards towards the sky it
had fallen from. Out of the concrete, already worms were beginning to descend upon their new host. The black eyes of the bird
forever un-seeing, against this miserable backdrop, Miles wept.
Everyone had fled the rain, everyone but Sonic and Amy. The police cars had left long ago, off to pursue other, more important
matters. The ambulance took one glance at the body and just turned tail and ran, off to help other citizens who weren't
already in the clutches of advanced rigor mortis. The crowd scattered after the first sightings of rain, and even the hardiest did
not stand around once the worst had come to pass. Somehow it seemed fitting, for there to be such heavy rain, the droplets
thudding loudly against the asphalt and concrete. As if the heavens themselves cried at the loss, yet even in his heightened
state of grief, Miles knew that thought was absurd. Even as he held her for the final time, his mind was able to brush away this
earlier notion easily. His eyes were bloodshot, tears having done their job effectively. He was all cried out now, his eyes too
worn to do anything but water uneasily at the edges of the lids. The rain became his tears, at least for the time being they
were. Streaking across his face, they accomplished that end quite nicely.
Taking a glance back, he saw that Sonic and Amy were whispering about something. Sonic seemed to be at a loss, he merely
listened to whatever it was Amy was saying. He nodded his head in some places and comforted her in others, trying
desperately to accomplish the task that had been suddenly thrust upon him.
"I can't believe it, Cosmo's gone. Once again, Jesus. Why? Who could be so heartless? She had done nothing wrong, she
was… she was just kindness and joy. This is all my fault… if it wasn't for this… this stupid fucking ring… she would still be alive
and… and…" Amy couldn't continue this sentence, guilt washing over her like a tidal wave. A tidal wave that would destroy her
if it wasn't stopped in its tracks, guilt had a tendency to do that to people if in large enough quantities.
"Don't blame yourself Amy, this wasn't your fault. If anything it's my own…" Sonic murmured that last part, remembering how
he had failed to hurl Cosmo away from the danger. Now he felt guilty. That wasn't the reaction he had wanted to bestow upon
himself.
"How is it your fault? If I hadn't cared about this stupid ring," She gave a pause and a scream, as she threw the ring as far
away from her as possible, not caring where it landed. "Everything would have been just peachy. WHAT THE HELL DID YOU
DO!? HOW IS THIS "YOUR" FAULT!?" Amy found herself screaming, her voice echoing loudly throughout the vicinity of the plaza
they both resided in. Her fiery temper flared away quickly, leaving her looking ashamed over the callous comment she had just
made. She began an attempt to explain away her earlier comment before Sonic had a chance to retort. "I... I didn't mean it
like… like that… I mean… well… I don't know why I did that. I just… got angry… damnit… this isn't right. Why did Cosmo of all
people I mean… what did she ever do? Her entire family is dead, hell she was the last remaining member of her species for
god's sake! I feel so guilty now; I was so mean to her today. Her and Miles, I was a big fucking jerk. Jesus and then Miles, how
is he going to take this? I still remember… when he attempted suicide… that was such a horrible image. Bleeding like a stuck
pig, his eyes open but unseeing. His hands, dear god his hands… his fucking hands!" Amy collapsed, defeated. Her breathing
had sped up dramatically throughout the course of her sordid explanation. She closed her eyes, trying to ward away that
image, as she began to wail. Sonic was at a loss for this, he began to weep with her. Their collective tear's forming a small
pool of sadness and loss beneath them both, as rain continued to bear down on them both.
Miles took another glance back. Amy looked terrible, the rain washing away the makeup she had put on earlier for her 'date'.
Now the colored blemishes she had used had drifted to various other areas of her face, flowing in the general direction of the
water; down. Odd swirlings of color were patched un-evenly over her face, creating an almost eerie effect. He noticed she was
clutching her 'lucky' ring, then with a sudden cry; she hurled it into a nearby gutter. The ring rolled along the grooved edges of
the gutter, before falling into the void of the sewers. Never to be seen again. Amy collapsed on the ground, as Sonic scrambled
to ease her aching heart. No words seemed to be said, as they both sat, weeping. In that short span of time, she looked
almost as if she had aged 10 years. Such were the effects of her depression, she cried once again. Her eyes were as bloodshot
as his own from all the tears she had spilled, understandable seeing as how she had just witnessed the murder of her best
friend.
Murder, that word struck a chord with Mile's. As he lay there, isolated, he thought of her death. It had happened so fast, he
hadn't even seen the bullet until it had ruptured a blood gushing hole in her ribs. He tried to close that memory; he never
wanted to remember that moment. But it lay stuck in his head, like some kind of backed up sewage that had no place to go. To
sit in his head and rot, to become a disgustingly murky mixture of water and algae blooms. Water and algae blooms? Where the
hell did that come from? He thought to himself, yet even now his thoughts centered on such a sight. It was better than the
thought of her final moments, he supposed. Yet despite his efforts to seal up the memory, just by gazing at Cosmo's open and
un-seeing eyes, he knew it would return in time.
He tentatively moved a lone hand over Cosmo's face. Carefully he lowered his hand to grasp her eyelid, gently pulling it over
one of her bulging eyes. He repeated the process with the other eye, creating an image that might have been serene. Might
have been; if it wasn't for how ghastly white and pale she looked a side effect of the massive amounts of blood she had lost.
The hole in her side still bled a little, and he gave a small flinch when he saw that blood had pooled along his right leg. Sticking
to his fur like a burr, he realized it wasn't going to come out easily.
He shook his head uneasily; he had other things to worry about. Like how he could live his life without her embrace. How he
could live life without her warm smile lighting up his day. Memories hit him like bullets out of a gun, knocking him back mentally.
He could remember, the spiraling depression, the attempted suicide, the almost un-ending sense of loneliness. All the factors
that had helped contribute to how unstable he had been, how full of hurt and pain he had been. Now it was happening again.
This time was different though, despite how down he had been in those scattered months; Cosmo's seed gave him hope.
Another memory hit him, this one stemming back years earlier. Shortly after her 'first', he cringed at that thought, death. Sonic
had found that seed floating around in the remains of Dark Oak, Cosmo's seed, her final gift of sorts. That seed gave him hope,
even at the worst of times he had the smallest sense of hope. That everything would turn out alright if he kept the plant
watered and fertilized.
That seed had become his obsession, even while he lay in the hospital for therapy after his suicide attempt; he had managed
to convince Amy to care for that seed in his absence. Over time it had grown into a flower, a beautiful blooming flower. That
hope was rewarded when the flower died, leaving behind a joyful and bleary-eyed Cosmo. He remembered how happy he had
been, and through that incredible memory of happiness, managed to milk one more tear out of his worn and wasted eyes. She
had been everything to him, and now he realized that everything was gone. He tried to cry again, but only succeeded in
hurting his eyes. The tears stopped flowing, so he just took the pain instead. He realized there was no hope this time. There
was no seed, no chance for a glorious revival. There was only a corpse, and his own broken heart. The resuscitator beeped
almost gloomily, orbiting its master. Miles had almost forgotten it had existed, so absorbed he had been in his thoughts. The
new sound annoyed him, for now he just wanted to be left alone. He felt an unknown rage bellow within his body, a hatred of
his invention. He made an angry fist as if to strike the object, when he suddenly realized how stupid he had been.
He carefully laid Cosmo back on the asphalt, as inwardly he made a joyful jump. His rage promptly vanished as he stood up.
The resuscitator would save her, and in the process save him as well. He took a step back and tried to calm himself; he'd need
steady hands to work his finicky invention. He brought his hands to rest over the resuscitator, which shocked him mildly. He bit
his lip and retracted his clenched palm over to his eyes. Delicately, and with the finesse of a surgeon at his craft, he began to
type into the small keypad on the side of the machine. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed as an excitement overtook his
body. He vaguely remembered Cosmo's reprimand about the use of his device, but he easily silenced that small voice of doubt.
He had failed her so many times before, he would not fail again. He would succeed, he would triumph. The invention which he
had spent so much time and energy on would work flawlessly. She would look at him and he would look at her. All would be
right. Small beads of perspiration coated his body, as he worked his invention. Each button press had to be clear and concise;
detailing all the information about the victim he had available to him. This process would make it easier for the resuscitator to
expend the correct amount of energy on the target. Inwardly, Miles knew energy was his main problem. He had detailed quite
extensively earlier to Cosmo how difficult it was for his machine to work. He shut off this negative thought, his second so far.
He needed to remain positive on the issue; he desperately needed that sense of hope. He needed any sense of hope at all,
anything to ward away the darkness that surrounded him.
He was so absorbed in his work he didn't notice Sonic and Amy staring at him. "What the heck is he doing? Wait a minute…
resuscitator… but… that was a joke. Wasn't it?" Amy turned to Sonic, her demeanor begging him for answers.
"Well I thought so… but… for what other reason would he be using it?" Sonic responded Amy's eyes seemed to brighten
considerably in this revelation.
"Yes… the resuscitator can save her! C'mon… work the fucking thing Tails…" Amy pleaded, receiving no answer in reply. The
closest thing she got was a continuous tapping noise and the occasional banging of keys on the machine. She took that as all
the answer she needed. This opportunity was too great for her to get angry over being ignored. Instead she felt incredibly
happy and light, probably because she had no clue to the faults of the invention. If she had known, her demeanor might have
been far more nervous. Having no clues to the efficiency and workability of the invention, she assumed the device was 100
workable. Such a notion was easy to manufacture due to the great intelligence Miles had shown on earlier endeavors in
technological matters. So she was in a state of bliss, believing herself to have an amiable chat with Cosmo quite soon and
perhaps to laugh about it later if such a situation might present itself.
While Amy was delighting herself in the fantasy world she had conjured, Sonic stood stoically still. He had no idea what to do in
this kind of situation. Earlier Amy had been sobbing her heart out, now she was in a mood approaching ecstatic. The revelation
that perhaps Cosmo could be revived, that all this could be put behind them, was a powerful motivation. Sonic gladly held her
hand, reveling in her abrupt change of emotion. Her perkiness was almost creepy in the context of the present situation, but
given the new Information, it could be excused as extreme hope. Amy had known Cosmo the best of them all, perhaps even
more than Miles himself. Amy had grown very fond of Cosmo over the years, and was always seeking out new ways to help her
with adjusting to her new life. Amy was also not adverse to doling out relationship advice to Cosmo on the side, faulty as some
of it may have been. Sonic didn't know too much about that, so he didn't dwell to long on it. He did dwell on their close
companionship, which was one of the primary factors she had been taking her death so hard. Sonic couldn't blame her on that
respect, if he had learned Miles had died he would have freaked too. Which is not too be saying he didn't feel sadness over
Cosmo's death, such a notion would be absurd and profoundly untruthful. Most of the damage was on the inside rather than
out, and Amy now looked up to him for support and as a shoulder. He would do his weeping later; right now Amy needed him
for what little he could offer.
Sonic noticed that Miles was working on his machine like a man possessed, an look of intense concentration lined his features
into an expression Sonic had never seen before on his best friend's face. Before that day he did not even think he was capable
of such an expression. It seemed to convey a sense of confidence and meticulousness that would have been creepy in almost
any other circumstance. Sonic never knew Miles to be overly confident, meticulous maybe, but he never expressed the aura of
one who was completely confident with himself or his abilities. Such as it was, Sonic also believed that Miles had perfected a
great invention. His earlier guilt over leaving behind Cosmo, when he went to hurl them both away from the bullet was
dissolving quickly, rapidly being replaced with a great ease and calm. Neither Amy nor Sonic knew of how hard Miles was
straining to get his creation to work.
Only Miles knew full well the limitations of his creation. As much as he strained to ward away his thoughts of failure, they still
loomed uneasily over him. Whispers of failure, mocking screams of pain, hollow words of hate; they seemed to claw at his very
soul. Even the very moon seemed to mock him, looking up at the satellite as he worked. In attempts to shift his attention to
anything but the lingered threats that crawled throughout the air like monsters. Grasping and foaming to regain his attention.
The moon offered no solace, instantly contorting its features into a dark wicked grin. The craters were like eyes, and a
streak of mountains on the lower half of the moon served as a makeshift smile of horror. Before his eyes the moon changed
again, this time a reflection of Cosmo herself appeared perfectly on its grayish surface.
She was splayed across the entire surface of the moon, or at least the side visible by himself. She was lit by an unearthly
grayish glow that seemed to resonate from the moon itself, and not the powerful light of the sun. Yet it was a hauntingly
graphic view of her dead. Her mouth was open in a silent scream of horror; crawling with maggots. The sides of her mouth
were covered in sores and blisters. Her teeth were cracked and had holes in them, each tooth stained with a yellow taint. The
tongue was puffing up to unbelievable thickness, blocking the hallucination's air pipes. Small white eggs burst on the tongue
itself, like blisters might if pressure was applied. Maggots popping out of the eggs, coated with blood. Pouring over each other,
the maggots' were writhing. The small, white, and disgustingly bulbous creatures were struggling to escape their rotting
confines. More and more maggots poured into the mouth from the swollen tongue. Eventually the tongue collapsed, sucking
the snarling vicious creatures into the vortex of its throat as they vanished from view. The corneas seeming to dilate and
enlargen, eventually bursting open as hideous and grotesque worms poured out of the sockets. Each worm crawling and
squirming out of their open prisons, covered in small dashes of eye fluids. Snarling at him, each worm on reaching the hardened
ground before the image; died. They were crowding the area surrounding her body, like one would flowers at a funeral. The
worms disappeared, they didn't fade, they just vanished in the time it would take to snap ones fingers. In their stead, Wounds
began to open on the body, wounds that had not been there when she died. Blood seemed to drain from her body onto the
sides of the moon. The moon in response turned red, blood red. The grey, indifferent rocks and soils across the lunar surface,
rapidly flooding into shrieking rivers of dark red ichors'. Torrential rivers of blood flowing across the moon's surface. Bubbling
and steaming as if in a hot kettle. The blood disappeared as the worms and maggots before it, leaving behind a terrifying word
that hit Miles the hardest out of all the sanity devouring mirages and hallucinations.
Failure
Miles gulped inwardly, his mind reeling from the tensions that had arisen. All the distorted images had left him, and the shrieks
of mocking fled with them to some distant place far away from where he stood. He continued hitting keys far past the point he
could have finished at. He was, unknowingly, writing down words, then sentences, and finally paragraphs of extraneous
information into the machines databanks. Each word detailing his deepest sorrows and fears; every letter plead for another
chance. He wrote close to seven paragraphs before he realized he had gone too far. He took a glance to his right, noticing that
Sonic and Amy were awaiting his completion with bated breaths; neither saying a word. Perhaps they had caught on to the
severe disadvantage they were at with this device, then again probably not. He shook his head visibly, a sign Amy took for a
failure of some sort. Her earlier cheer had dissipated quickly. Realizing his mistake Miles hastily flipped a large switch to the
sides of the machine, and watched as it floated confidently over to its target.
The machine began to glow bright blue. At reaching its target it began to spin, slowly at first. The speed increased dramatically;
soon the machine seemed to be a glowing blue wisp of fire in the darkened air. A beacon of hope in such a dark place, it
glowed with the luminosity of a thousand suns in that cold black air. It warded off the darkness, as the shadows hissed at the
invention with frightened contempt. The contempt became fear, as the shadows fled the scene. Horrified terror gnawed at their
figures as the light consumed the dark. The entire plaza was suddenly engulfed in the brilliant blue, a beautiful sight. The rain
itself, the purveyor of gloom, seemed to disintegrate in its light. The rain suddenly stopped; the clouds withdrawing from the
area, as fearful as the darkness had been of this new foe. Wisps of electricity crackled in the air around the group, as both
Sonic and Amy beheld this sight with wonder. Amy reached a hand out cautiously, as if still wondering if such an action would
be safe. She was too far in to back out now, and her hand smoothly caressed the glow. "Wow…" She breathed, noticing with a
child-like joy her very breath was illuminated in the glow. She giggled. She couldn't help herself; it just burst out of her. A truly
melodious sound, as if confirming everything would be alright now. All the emotions she had pent up after Cosmo's death
seemed to emanate off that giggle. It lasted only a short time, but in that instant Miles felt a whole lot better. He hadn't the
foggiest clue why either, it was like he was just being pulled along with her joy. He liked the feeling, and basked in it for the
short time it enveloped him. In that moment, everything was right, everything was perfect. He felt he could take on the world,
as if death itself shrunk from his presence. His notions that his device would fail were thrown, no hurled, out of some great
meta-physical window in his conscience. He was supremely confident, his resolve flared yet again in his eyes. This was going to
work.
Sonic looked at Amy with amazement, he hadn't realized how beautiful her voice was. The melody itself, while only a giggle,
was so pure and sweet he didn't know whether to barf or to cry. The emotion he usually experienced when he watched the
kind of sickeningly sweet ending, to a sappy summer romance. Yet he knew for a fact he would not pick the former option, and
then amazed himself as he began to tear. He couldn't stop himself, as he realized how precious she was to him. Her voice, her
voice could be snatched up at any time. She could be lying dead in her own pool of blood one day, and that thought made him
think of his former option not un-kindly. He was suddenly hit by how angelic she looked in the crackling blue-light. How the light
seemed to dance around her form, like a gleeful child learning the first steps to dance. He realized now, more than ever, what
Miles must be going through right now. As treacherous as this thought seemed to be, he managed to brush Miles out of his
thoughts. He would worry, perhaps more than necessary, about Miles and his tragedy later. Right now, it was Amy. He grasped
her form lovingly, as Amy looked behind her startled. She had tensed up noticeably with fear, but relief washed over her when
she discovered the identity of her assailant.
She didn't break away from his embrace, though she thought this an odd time for such a maneuver. Success was so close, so
why did he hold her now when victory was at hand? Did he think that perhaps the endeavor would fail? His gloved hands
weaved tenderly across her shoulders. She grasped it kindly, and gazed deeply into his emerald eyes. She took what solace
she could from his wizened gaze. While on the surface Sonic's eyes welled with joy, below that façade despair reigned. Her
solace was not very comforting. She decided to voice her anxiety. "Do you think this could fail?" She asked him, half-hoping
for a loud and commanding shout of NO! She received no such comfort as Sonic voiced his opinion. The blue, whimsical, light
seemed to make his words resound a thousand times greater.
"The key word being "could". It will probably work swimmingly. Yet, that's too easy isn't it? If I have one instinct I still trust
worth a damn any more, it's that nothing is ever as easy as it seems." Sonic stated calculatedly, his voice seeming cold and
heartless to Amy. Her earlier cheer was completely gone, replaced with a somber tone as she eyed the resuscitator still
spinning. It was not doing anything else. She realized with a tinge of unease that the blue light had left the area, as if
retreating from her thoughts. Perhaps it's broken? Perhaps it will malfunction? Perhaps Mile's has no idea what subtle aspects of
life he is tinkering with. Then to her bewilderment another thought oozed out into her skull. A voice different from any she was
used to hearing when she thought. Yet it wasn't evil, but it wasn't good either. Whatever was worming its way into her
thoughts was some middle ground. It spoke to her, whatever this new opinion was. Yet while the force itself was some murky
middle, the message was an altogether different matter. Perhaps it is destiny. Perhaps this was all meant to pass. Perhaps…
perhaps… perhaps… The voice seemed to be on an eternal loop inside her skull. The thought hurt her ears, blood dripped out of
her left lobe slightly. The voice didn't stop. Like a broken record on the worst part of a song, it was in mocking. Sonic was
talking to her.
"Hey are you all right? You're bleeding… what's going on? Amy… AMY? AMY!?" Sonic shouted, his fear gripping his arms and
legs. This fear, in part, prompting him to shake her like a limp rag-doll, still no response. Miles was too caught up in his own
thoughts to pay them any heed, fingers crossed in anticipation of success.
Amy couldn't hear Sonic's words; she could barely feel his touch as this voice seemed to spread. The voice echoed loudly
throughout her bones, throughout her organs, throughout her soul. Her eyes began to glaze over; Sonic resorted to a
desperate measure. Her dizzying half smile prompting him to such an extreme as he squeezed his eyes shut. He brought out
his hand, and slapped her smartly across the face.
Amy gave a large wince of pain, as she was brought back from whatever void was enveloping her. A final voice rang through
her head, this one louder than any previous voice. The voice was furious, and it screamed and screamed as she struggled to
escape its grasp.
DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DES-
She awoke from her daze, feeling a sharp pain whip across her face. Instinctively she brought a hand up to her cheek, wincing
again as new pain shot through the area. She brought her hand back to her surveying eyes, no blood. She could draw an
accurate conclusion of what had happened. Well, as far as
what force smacked her cheek. Instead of rage, she found an odd happiness. What should have insinuated an argument or
even a fight, she was laughing a bit crazily instead. The terrible condition of her faces various cosmetic applications, combined
with her increasingly banshee-like wail, gave her a supremely demented look. Her happiness had been nothing but a thinly
veiled facade, she realized with her own kind of horror. She couldn't stop; she began to cry over her new condition. She could
feel herself losing control, her own conscience having completed its self-destructive task.
Sonic was worried now more than ever. While her eyes had returned to their natural hue, the demented laugh that was now
issuing from her lips was not the replacement emotion he had wanted. He grasped her shoulders, and gave her yet another
firm shake. Her eyes were twitching irregularly, blinking away tears as they streamed down her cheeks. He continued in his
attempts to snap her out of her daze by shaking her unresponsive form. He was terrified now; she had never acted this way
before. Far as he knew. Her increasingly erratic behavior was frightening him terribly. Her high pitched, giggly and unnatural
laugh echoed throughout the small section of the city they dwelt in. Sonic tried to reason over the horrid voice, but it seemed to
echo within his mind as well. He could hear Amy's voice, shrieking with insane sorrow and despair within the confines of his
skull. In his, now fractured, way of thinking there was only one way to help her. He dis-continued his efforts to shake the crazy
out of her, instead opting to use soothing words to snap her out of her apparent insanity-laced trance.
"The machine will work; everything is going to be alright." Sonic whispered in her ear in rather anti-climactic terms. It was a
simple, and intensely clichéd thing to say, but her reaction was immediate and gratifying. The shriek had stopped; she was now
gazing at him with a child-like wonder. She felt better for it too, as her fairly fractured earlier way of thinking melted away. Her
control returned; she was instantly grateful for that. She spoke slowly, letting her words fill the void of actions and feeling.
"Do you really believe that? I mean even if- "Sonic cut her off, and Amy noticed with some fear that he was tearing up openly
now. She realized he was as frightened as she was, probably as desperate as well.
"Shhh, don't doubt yourself. Just accept that this will work. Were all too close to the edge to doubt ourselves. Please, don't go
insane with self doubt." Sonic looked away, as if in shame of the fact he was weeping openly. His change of view brought Miles
into his field of vision. The machine was still whirring, and it wasn't clear what it was doing at this point. The blue light seemed
to have been its only affect on them. Miles was muttering something to himself which Sonic strained to hear but couldn't. He
felt Amy's hand brush against his face, and snapped back to face her. Leaving Mile's alone in his thoughts, whatever they may
be.
Amy looked upon him tenderly, recent events having been too much for both of them. Her hand seemed to glide flittingly along
his cheeks, almost as if surveying his apparent reality in an un-real world. Her eyes watered somewhat, but she managed to
keep tears at bay. Everything about him seemed too perfect to be true. She realized she needed more than a simple hand
gesture.
Amy suddenly launched herself on him; Sonic was so taken aback by that action that he teetered unevenly for a while before
righting himself. Amy was now grasping him by the waist, and then she cried. "Don't ever leave me Sonic. Don't even think
about leaving me all alone here. Don't ever die, don't-" She was brought out of her pleading by the presence of Sonic's hand,
gently attempting to lift her chin to face him. She obliged immediately, as she lost herself in his eyes that now seemed to
stretch forever, far beyond mere optic tools. He began to speak, and Amy listened intently.
"I will not leave you here to fend for yourself; I would never dare attempt such an action." He replied with a hypnotic tone of
voice that had Amy believing him completely. Yet she felt compelled to ask him for a favor.
"Promise me then, don't do the 'cross my heart hope to die' bullshit. Just promise me, that's all the reassurance I will ever
need." Amy pleaded with him, striving for some insurance in his claim.
To Sonic's own astonishment he let loose a half-smile. It lasted only for a second, but that's all that was needed to
communicate his confirmation to Amy. Yet he continued anyway, using his words to bring her the reassurance she desperately
needed. "I promise you then, but only if you will promise me the same." He finished by grasping her hands and gently moving
them away from his waist. He clasped his hands in hers, as she strived to find the words to confirm his statement. She found
them rather easily.
"I promise! Oh god… I promise you." She began to tear up, and to her bewilderment and slight shame; they were of joy. Even
as Cosmo lay dead, she had managed to squeeze out tears of joy and she felt ashamed. Sonic seemed to know what was on
her mind as he let loose a sigh. They both stood silently for a minute, collecting their thoughts. As they stood there trying vainly
to think of things to comfort the other, it happened. They both heard the rumble and turned around in shock to find the
resuscitator…