Rouge looked at him.

"You're going?" she asked. Sonic nodded.

"Do you think I'm going to let her get away with this, Rouge?" he asked. "I just can't. She was...responsible for everything that happened. Mine and Shadow's cryogenic freezing, Maria's death...the imprisonment of my brother." Sonic turned back to the computer and printed out a copy of the map to Shayla's base

"And besides...Scourge will be there, won't he? I have to apologise for believing what Shayla told us all..." Sonic looked at the ground, a sad look upon his face. Rouge moved forwards and put her arm around the blue hero.

"Sonic…Sonic, listen to me. You weren't the only one aboard the ARK who believed her. Everybody did. Scourge knows this and I'm sure that he'll understand." Sonic looked up at her words.

"Really?" he asked.

"Positive." Rouge replied, smiling. "Now why so glum, this isn't like you. Where's that cool, laid back Sonic I've gotten so used to?" she asked. Sonic thought to himself to a moment, before answering her.

"You're right. What is there to be worried about? Plus, we're not going to get there just by standing here! Come on, let's go!" He was about to run out of the door, but Rouge caught his arm.

"Don't you think we should tell Shadow and Tails before we go?"

"Yeeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh…." Sonic grinned sheepishly. Then his ears perked up a little. "Wait, you're coming with me?"

"Of course. Did you really think I was going to let you go on your own?" She asked, placing her hand on her hips and a devious little smirk on her face, causing the hero to Blush.

"Roooouge…"

...

"You're WHAT?" Tails blurted out.

"You heard me. Rouge and I are paying a certain relative of 'butniks a visit and I was asking if you could watch Shadow for me while we're gone.

"Err….sure, I guess…."

"Thanks, little bud. I'll make it up to you later, okay?" Sonic nodded at Rouge, and they both took off out the door. Tails sighed loudly. Ever since Shadow had come, he'd been getting less and less attention from his older adoptive brother.

...

The green hedgehog was standing at the door of Shayla's base.

"Maybe he's no coming, after all…." He muttered to himself, turning around….only to be glomped by his blue-quilled brother.

"..." Sonic blurted out, tears falling down his face.

Scourge grinned and pulled him into an embrace, and started to scratch behind his ear, knowing that this would calm Sonic down. Just as he expected, Sonic started reacting immediately to the treatment he was getting. He stopped sobbing and started to purr, relaxing.

Rouge touched down on the ground and grinned at the sight of the pair of them, Scourge holding Sonic in his arms. They truly were brothers.

"Scourge...I'm so sorry...I was stupid to believe what that bitch said..." Sonic murmured. Scourge responded by giving him a small squeeze.

"Sonic, don't...it's not your fault, and I forgive you." Scourge told him, softly. Sonic looked up.

"Really?" he asked.

"Did you really think I wouldn't?"

"Yes..." Sonic mumbled.

"How'd you escape, anyway?"

"Simple. I was locked up in the same base as you were. One of the many things you smashed was the control panel to y chamber and you released me. I tried to catch up to you, but the time I was out of that place, you were long gone."

That made Sonic feel even more guilty. Scourge noticed this and squeezed him again.

Rouge looked up at the gigantic building in front of them. "So this is really Shayla's base?" she asked.

"Yep." Scourge replied.

"What does she even do in there...?"

"You really want to know?" Scourge also looked up at the building. "If you really want o know, she uses mobians as her personal lab rats...she gives them the most awful injections and crap...the ones that survive become her unwilling slaves..."

"She's definitely one of Ivo's relations." Rouge muttered, Sonic nodded, a look of complete and disgust on his face.

"Look at this." Scourge lifted up the left leg of his tracksuit bottoms to reveal a large purple swelling.

"This is what Shayla gave to me back on ARK. It still hasn't gone down since, and I doubt it ever will."

If Sonic and Rouge had looked disgusted beforehand, then that was nothing to what they looked liked now.

Sonic looked back up to his brother.

"I'm guessing that you want this place taken down?" he asked. Scourge nodded.

"Yep." Scourge answered him, pulling his trouser leg back down.

Rouge had already gone over to the keypad attached to the gate. She had barely been working on it for a minute before she had successfully cracked the code. The gate slowly began to lift up, making a huge rumbling sound.

"C'mon, let's go." Scourge sped off into the base, Sonic taking Rouge's hand and speeding after him.

Pretty soon, they were speeding past cells, most of them filled with sick or dying mobians.

"Good lord..." Rouge whispered.

"She is definitely going to pay for this…" Sonic mumbled.

"Is it me, or is this just to easy?" Scourge asked. It was then that they ran into a pitch-black hall.

"Who turned out the lights?" Sonic asked. As if on cue, the lights turned back on, revealing...

"Shayla." Scourge muttered.

"Well, well. Look who we have here. The two annoying rats." Shayla smirked. "In case you're wondering how I'm still alive, I developed a formula for keeping one's youth. Quite hard to make, it was. You don't have any idea how many subjects died during testing..."

Sonic started to growl.

"You know, I'd know you'd eventually come. When G.U.N reported that Project: Shadow had escaped, it was only a matter of time before you came for me."

"Get to the point." Rouge muttered. Shayla eyed her for a moment.

"So, brought your Girlfriend, have we, Sonic? Good. One more test subject for me!" She laughed, and the trio immediately found themselves surrounded by mobians.

"They're completely under my control. They do anything that I want them to..." As if on cue, the army started marching.

"Ah, Dammit..." Scourge muttered.

"We can't harm them, they're innocent mobians!" Sonic said.

"Uh, I don't really think we have much of a choice..." Rouge indicated.

"And if it's them or us, then I say us." Scourge added.

"...good point...whoa!" Sonic dodged a punch. The trio leapt into action, quickly taking out mobian after mobian, but they just kept on coming...

"It's like a never ending army!" Scourge exclaimed, kicking another one off him.

"Don't state the obvious!" Sonic yelled back, taking four on at once.

Unfortunately, Rouge didn't notice one until it was too late...

"Yah!" One of them grabbed Rouge from behind and then several more leapt on.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GIRLFREIND!" Sonic roared. Both Rouge and Shayla froze, staring at the blue hedgehog. In less than a second, Sonic had spin-dashed through the claw holding Rouge, freeing her.

One by one, the remaining claws were sliced off by the spinning blue blur.

"You...will...never...hurt...my...family...or...anyone...else...ever...again!" he yelled. Pretty soon, all that was left of the machine was the cockpit. Sonic walked up to it, lifting his hand as he did so.

"Good bye, Shayla." He said to the villainous scientist. "Chaos...Spear!" There was a flash of orange light, and the cockpit was sent crashing through what was left of the ceiling and into the sky, with Shayla still inside it. If you listened you could just hear her going: "Aiiieeeeeee!"

Rouge gently floated to the ground, landing in her saviour's arms. This time, Sonic didn't even turn red. He just smiled. A large grin spread across Scourge's face.

"...What?" Sonic asked. Scourge clapped him on the back.

"I think you know." He simply told his brother.

Later...

After a few quick calls, the trio were overseeing the evacuation of the survivors.

"All's well, it ends well, right?" Rouge asked. Sonic nodded.

"I guess so."

But, as soon as he said this, several helicopters bearing a familiar looking logo were landing not too far away.

"G.U.N!" Scourge exclaimed.

Soldiers started pouring out of the helicopters and quickly surrounded the trio.

"Project Sonic, Project Scourge and Rouge the Bat, you are under arrest!"

"WHAT?" Sonic yelled.

The shoulders moved apart, and the G.U.N commander stepped forward.

"Because, project, you and your 'brother' are still dangerous, escaped government projects, and 'little miss' here have been assisting you, that's why." He turned his attention towards the many soldiers. "Take them away." He ordered. The soldiers were about to comply, before another helicopter touched down.

"That's the president's personal helicopter!" Rouge exclaimed. The commander instantly froze. The door opened, and the president himself slowly stepped out.

"That's quite enough, John." The president said to the commander.

"But sir...they are escaped projects..."

"They have given more to this planet than should be possible. They are to be left alone. Same goes for Shadow." The president stated plainly.

The commander looked aghast. But nevertheless, he turned back to his troupes and told them to retreat. They obeyed, filing back into the helicopters, which then took off, leaving the troupes, police and ambulance crew that had already been there confused at what had just occurred.

The president turned towards the three heroes.

"I apologize for what you just had to see." He said to them. "But John still sees you as property of G.U.N. He just won't see anything differently, now." And with that, The President walked back to his helicopter, which took off shortly after he boarded.

"Well, now it ends well, right?" Scourge asked, looking at the speck in the sky that was the president's helicopter.

"Almost." Sonic replied, putting his arm around Rouge.

Remembering what the hedgehog had said earlier, Rouge grinned and looked up into Sonic's eyes, as he did to hers, before lowering his lips to kiss her with a surprising softness, which the bat returned happily. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer, both of them in a state of bliss. Sonic thought he saw some cameras flash, but he didn't care.

Back at the house, Tails was watching the news, Shadow on his lap.

"Ew! Daddy and Miss Rouge are kissing!"

"Rouge?" Sonic asked.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"Same here, honey."

Sonic grinned, then lent in for another kiss.

Scourge patted him on the back.

"Well, well, well. Little Sonic's all grown up!" He teased.

"Scourge….."