"GADGET! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Gears screamed, tears pouring down his face.
His brother had seen their mother, and that could only mean...
"Rookie! Nadia needs you! If you die, you're a jerk!" Knuckles commanded.
Gadget shook his head. "Wha? Gears? What are you doing here?" Gadget mumbled, highly confused.
Gears didn't say anything, he just tightly hugged his brother.
"Where am I? What's that thing on my head? Where's my headset?" Gadget asked, speech slurred.
The commander touched Gadget's shoulder. "You're at the base, Rookie, you have a mental monitor on your head, and your headset is right there on the table."
Gadget groaned. "My head..."
"It's going to hurt for a while, Gadget, you've got a lot of medicine in you."
"Why?" He asked, holding the sides of his head in his paws.
"It happened to the entire Resistance, rookie, you're not the only one experiencing this." Knuckles assured.
"You didn't answer my question..."
"You have two different mental illnesses, Gadget, both are from the Battle of the 80% and its effects." Kimberly told him.
"And they are?" Gears asked, annoyed with the conversation being dragged out like this.
"Patience, Gears, we have to tell him things one at a time."
"What are they?" Gadget mumbled.
Knuckles looked at Kimberly, she looked at a screen.
"PTSD and Depression." Kimberly read.
"Who's a what's a?" Gadget groaned, laying down and gripping his head.
"Oh, the first one is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, it's why you've been seeing the Battle of the 80% in your head over and over."
"Can you make it stop?" Gadget whimpered.
Doctor Kimberly looked down and shook her head.
"I can't, therapy is the only thing that might help you."
Gadget moved his paw to cover his eyes, letting out another groan.
Kimberly touched his left shoulder; he twitched.
"Look who's here..."
Gadget looked at her, she pointed towards Nadia, he perked up. "Nadia! Is she alright?!" He yelled, before realizing that he was too loud for his own aching brain.
"Is this really happening to the whole Resistance?" Gears asked, stunned.
Knuckles nodded somberly.
"They're losing their willpower; we're losing our fighting force. If we lose the war..." Knuckles didn't have to say.
They knew.
Even Gears knew.
Gadget looked down somberly, a few tears rolling down the thick fur on his face.
Gears hugged his twin brother, and held the IV stand. "Come on."
Gadget stood as Gears led him over to Nadia, the others in deep confusion.
Gears set the stand next to Nadia, Gadget bent down to see her.
She didn't look any better than when she arrived, what if she never did?
He placed a paw on her back and gently pulled her closer.
"Infinite's gone, Nadia, we're gonna take down the Empire and free Mobius!" He told her, hoping to evoke a response from her.
She didn't respond.
He sighed and nuzzled her. "Please wake up..." he whispered in her ear.
"Please?"
