A/N: Well, everyone! Here it is! This story's rendition of the Space Port level from the actual game. Now, before we begin. I want to thank Starlit Storyteller (That is such an awesome username!) for leaving both a favorite and a follow on this story. I also want to thank everyone for getting Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb up to over 60 reviews and counting!

Suggested Music:

(1) This is Our World: A New Hero - Sonic Forces OST

(2) Fighting Onward (Space Port) - Sonic Forces OST

(3) Chemical Plant Act 1 - Sonic Mania OST

(4) Infinite Battle #2 - Sonic Forces OST

(5) Action on the Rails - Sonic Forces OST

(6) Goodbye - Cars Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Without further ado, enjoy the show!


Space Port Raid

In the Secret Strikers' Training Room, the Rookies were lined up next to each other. Dakota and Corvin were teaching them how to work as a unit. In the back, Gadget and Fuchsia were watching the session. They'd just gotten back from cooling off outside, so they believe they're calm enough to watch their teammates train.

Dakota pressed a button on a remote and activated three four training robots that looked like Eggman.

All four drones stood up at the same time, ready to attack.

"It's the first day of training for The Mighty Clay and his team," Clay monologued. "But first, they must hear words from Big Boss Dakota."

Dakota smiled. "First off, the nickname needs work. Second, I want you to take these drones down as a team. Work together to take them down, can you do that?"

Clay smirked, as he gloated, "Pfft, I got this. Buster, fastball special, ready!?"

"Heck yeah!" Buster nodded. He jumped into the air and curled into a ball. Clay twirled his hammer and smacked his best friend in the rear. But instead of hitting the robots, Buster landed into a bunch of crates. Skylar, Emma, Dakota, and Corvin cringed; that looked like it hurt.

Buster's cowboy hat fell off, as the dog spun around in dizziness. "My tennis balls are missing, Grandpa."

Everyone glared at the rabbit, who chuckled nervously.

"Okay," Clay said. "Plan B!"

Spinning his hammer, Clay slammed the ground and created a blue shock wave that decimated the robots. He kissed his muscles and twirled his Wispon. "And that's how it's done."

Annoyed by that act, Gadget stormed to the rabbit's face. "Idiot! What part of 'teamwork' did you not understand!?"

"But I took care of it," Clay replied.

"This exercise was supposed to be about working as a unit!" Gadget snarled. "You can't do everything by yourself!"

"But I just killed the Badniks by myself. What's your point?"

Gadget facepalmed before he deeply breathed. "Let's do this. Scenario: You're stuck in an alleyway and you're cornered by three Buzz Bombers, five Egg Fighters, and two Motobugs. You have two ways to get out of the situation. A: You kill yourself by taking them on alone, or B: You find cover until backup arrives. What do you do?"

Clay stroked his chin until he snapped his fingers. "I'm gonna go for Option C."

"Option C?" Gadget raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I use my flight abilities to travel to space, meet up with a raccoon and a talking tree, build a battle-axe that shoots lightning, fly back down, and destroy the Badniks!"

Everyone was quiet.

"He got that from a movie, right?" Fuchsia whispered into Skylar and Emma's ears.

Gadget growled and waved his fists around. "Dullard! Absolute dullard!"

Dakota placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Easy, brother. Calm down… Gadget's right on one thing, Clay. You can't act like a big shot and do everything by yourself. You need teammates who'll fight alongside you. Because sooner or later, you're gonna need to put your team-building skills to the test. God only knows when that test will come."

Knuckles, Amy, and Zonic entered the training room. Team Feral Strike was amazed by the armored hedgehog.

"S-Sonic!?" Clay asked.

"Not really," Zonic replied with a smile.

"Everyone, come to meeting room," Knuckles said. "We need to talk."

Team Feral Strike looked at one another, wondering what this was about. (1)


Team Feral Strike, the Secret Strikers, and the Zone Cops gathered in the meeting room. Relic and Fixit were in the corner of the computer screen. Zespio was showing everyone a topographical map of Chemical Plant Zone. The Rookies squinted their eyes and looked at the colorful map.

"We just received some incredible news," Knuckles said. "Sonic is alive."

The Rookies were in uproar, so were their comrades.

Gadget and Fuchsia hugged and kissed each other in celebration.

Corvin and Dakota fist-bumped.

Skylar and Emma held hands and jumped up and down.

Buster wrapped his arms around the two ladies.

And Clay jumped and waved his fist. Finally, the one person who promised to teach him how to be a Freedom Fighter was alive and well. Despite not knowing where he was, Clay was still eager to locate Sonic and tell him all about his days of working with Uncle Chuck. Speaking of which, the old hedgehog and Muttski were in the room; the former shed a few tears of joy while the latter cheered.

"Thank goodness," Chuck nodded, as he placed a hand on Tails' shoulder.

Lil' Blue raised a hand to high five Tails, but the fox refused his gesture. This made the little blue hedgehog sad; the fox was still mad at him for earlier.

"It's excellent, right?" Silver asked with a smile.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Amy nodded.

"I've pinpointed his location to the orbiting prison," Zonic told the team. "He's in a solitary confinement cell inside the Death Egg."

"That's horrible!" Amy gasped. "We have to rescue him!"

"Plan's already happening, Amy," Knuckles said. "We're going to the Space Port in the Chemical Plant to 'borrow' a shuttle."

Everyone was determined to get their hero home. They all exchanged looks of determination.

"Relic, Fixit, I need you guys to stay here and watch over the Master Emerald," Knuckles said. The Pika and the Gizoid nodded. "Uncle Chuck, Muttski, stay here and watch over our comms."

The mustached hedgehog and the canine nodded.

"C'mon, guys," Knuckles smiled. The Secret Strikers and Team Feral Strike stood up. The Zone Cops loaded their guns and looked at the commander. "Who's up for an old-school style jailbreak?"

"The Mighty Clay is always ready for a jailbreak!" Clay responded. "Time for the God of Thunder and his teammates to put their strength to the test!"

Skylar, Emma, Gadget, and Fuchsia moaned when they heard that. (1s)


A blue and silver battleship known as the Blue Typhoon flew over the Chemical Plant; the Secret Strikers, Zone Cops, and Team Feral Strike were all by the cargo bay, where they were waiting for Uncle Chuck to open the door. Team Chaotix gathered alongside the No Zone crocodile and chameleon. They smiled at each other before they glanced at their commander, who was talking to Zonic.

"Thanks for helping us, Sonic-I mean, Zonic," Knuckles said. "We owe you one."

"No need," Zonic said. "I do have my own problems back in my zone, but I will help you out first."

Silver and Blaze walked by them and cracked their fingers; the former held his chest in nervousness while the latter calmed him down by telling him he's gonna be okay and that she'll protect him.

Amy swung her hammer and Team Feral Strike gathered together. Clay placed his white mask on and slapped his black and blue gloves together; he was ready to take down Eggman and save Sonic.

Tails loaded his Arm-Cannon and Lil' Blue checked himself in the mirror.

"Am I good lookin' or what?" the hedgehog smiled.

Tails rolled his eyes.

Uncle Chuck's voice came over the radio, "Preparing drop off in three… two… one… good luck, Secret Strikers."

"Let's do it to it," Tails said to Knuckles and Amy. The back door slowly opened; a slight cold breeze blew against everyone's fur/skin, making them shiver. Once it opened, everyone looked down at the mega-industrial plant. Since Zonic told them dimensions were merging with one another, Mobius Prime's Chemical Plant combined with the one from the Mania Zone. Lil' Blue cracked his neck, as he was ready to tackle this stage again.

Gadget suddenly approached Clay and handed him a wrist band. Clay turned around and saw that his friends have gotten the same item. Taking it, the rabbit asked, "What's this thing?"

"Grappling Wire," Gadget replied. "I made it myself. Just point it at something and you'll fly right up there. But be careful, always look before you leap."

"Pfft, I don't need these. I can already fly."

Gadget grabbed the band and placed it on Clay's wrist. "Trust me… you'll need it."

"Secret Strikers," Knuckles said, as the team assembled together. "Charge!" (2)

Everyone jumped out of the ship and skydived down to the surface. Feeling a cold wind brush against their faces, they saw more of the Chemical Plant's wintery exterior. This industrial fortress contained lots of machinery and chemicals mad made of toxic material that could cause many negative health effects. One side of the factory became frigid; however, the other side was perfectly normal.

Pipes were mostly frozen, platforms and ramps were slippery, and the chemicals were abnormal due to subzero-like temperatures.

Tails grabbed Lil' Blue and Amy, flying them both to the ground.

Charmy carried Espio and Charmy.

Knuckles flew down with Zonic on his back.

Silver had Zector and Zespio in psychic bubbles, as he flew down. And Blaze used her fiery abilities to glide next to the white hedgehog.

Team Feral Strike shot their grappling wires onto a building and they swung around as if they were spiders shooting webs. The four newbies followed the professionals behind, as the Secret Strikers and Zone Cops ran up and down a curvy pipe.

"Be careful, everyone!" Amy said. "The pipes and floors are slippery."

"Good thing I can fly over all of that," Charmy chuckled.

"No need to rub it in, Squirt!" Vector and Zector said at the same time. "Jinx! Double jinx!"

"Zone Cops, stick with us," Amy said, as she pressed a button on her earpiece. "Team Feral Strike, scout out ahead and locate a shuttle."

"Read you loud and clear, Amy," Fuchsia nodded. She and the others swung around for a bit until they found a place to land. They ran across some yellow pipes until they approached a concrete floor.

From there, they found themselves engaging Egg Pawns and Buzz Bombers.

Clay rushed ahead, pushing the pink cat out of the way. "The Mighty Clay races past his comrades, wanting first dibs on the enemies. He leaps with swift elaborately, as he slams his hammer on the ground. He stuns the enemies and makes them beg for mercy!"

Clay did exactly what he said… except for the mercy part.

Everyone else scouted ahead of him and blew enemies to pieces.

"I don't know what annoys me more," Skylar said. "The fact he's monologuing again, or that he knows what elaborately means."

Dakota lead his teammates down a narrow road, where they wound up surrounded by Egg Pawns.

"Corvin, Fuchsia," Dakota said. "On your left!"

Both the bird and the feline nodded and worked together to take down the Badniks: the latter cupped her hands together and boosted her best friend into the air. Drilling into the ground, Corvin shot upward and laid waste to the robots. He bent over, so the cat could roll over his back, shooting a void that sucked desolated the robot squad.

"We gotta do that sometime, Skye," Emma winked to her best friend. The bear smiled back.

"Let's just hope Clay doesn't steal it first," the blue mammal replied.

Buster shot purple projectiles from his Asteroid Wispon; every enemy he defeated he blew up into pieces. He jumped on one of the Egg Pawns and shot his grappling wire into the air. He swung around the buildings and ran across them as if he was an acrobat. He got down on all fours and began charging into more enemies. Jumping off a railing, he pounced back to where his team was.

Clay noticed his friend's parkour and raised both his eyebrows. "I gotta teach myself that."

Team Feral Strike eventually jumped on a randomly placed spring and lunged upward onto another platform. Destroying the Badniks they've encountered effortlessly, they ran down a corkscrew before going up and down a loop de loop. At the same time, they shot their wires into the air and swung over to the next part of the factory.

From there, hordes of Egg Robos and Grabbers tried to block their path, but Gadget set them all ablaze thanks to his Burst Wispon. His older brother lead the team down a set of three rails. They jumped on top and started grinding to the other side.

As they sped down the railway, they noticed that there were spikes set in certain areas, acting as traps.

Dakota gasped before he jumped over one set. Everyone else moved to another rail before they made it to the other side of the plant.

"The Mighty Clay and Team Feral Strike are one step closer to finding Sonic the Hedgehog," Clay said. "They just need to get past the dreaded Chemical Plant. Buster Beeza gets down on all fours and charges at his foes, Sweetie Hedgie lashes out with her lightning whip, and Ferocious Bear continues to give The Mighty Clay that same death stare she always gives him. Makes you wonder if she's got a crush on him."

Skylar growled. "Clay, I swear to Mobius!" (2s)


(3) The Secret Strikers and the Zone Cops were ahead of their other fraction, as they have taken a shortcut thanks to the guidance of Lil' Blue. Said hedgehog ran ahead of them, but not too far. He looked over his shoulder and saw that they were dealing with enemies from their world and his. Turning back, he gasped when he saw a Super Badnik called an Egg Hammer right in front of him.

Revving up a spin dash, he boosted into the robot three times, but the drone's durable shell blocked him. Lil' Blue landed on the ground and dodged the robot's attack. It was at that moment when Knuckles and Vector came out of no where and tackled the robot, ripping off both its arms. Lil' Blue jumped inside the arm's socket and started ripping the interior to pieces.

Jumping out, he heard a loud explosion; the robot was defeated.

The rest of resistance caught up to their leader, as they came across an obstacle in their path; a pool of blue chemicals that looked impossible to get across. Lil' Blue scanned the area for a way to get over the pool until he saw a large vile with a yellow button on top of it. Inside was a large amount of green liquid.

"I got an idea!" he snapped his fingers, as he jumped on the button and pressed it down. The blue water suddenly turned green.

"What's that gonna do?" Vector asked.

"Watch!" Lil' Blue replied. He jumped off the button and landed on top of the green chemicals. Because of how soft and squishy it was, it bounced him so high in the air, he could almost touch the clouds.

"Hey!" Charmy squealed. "That looks like fun!" He jumped on the green, trampoline-like pool and went as high as little blue. Silver joined in on the fun.

"Whoooooooooooaaaaaaaa!" Silver screamed. "This is terrifying yet so cool!"

"Be careful, Silver!" Blaze warned, as she joined the other Freedom Fighters as they flew high in the sky. Landing on an upper platform, they continued running down the road. Tails and the Zone Cops shot down Buzz Bombers by firing lasers.

"So far, so good, as Sonic would say," Tails said, shooting more enemies. "How much longer till we get to the shuttles?"

Zonic opened up a topographic map of the factory. A green target indicated their location; they weren't too far from the shuttles. "We're getting close. Just a few more miles. Tell your teammates we're almost there."

Espio whipped out a walkie talkie and spoke to Dakota. "Espio here. My team's almost to the shuttle base. We should be there in… no, wait!" (3s)

(4) Suddenly, a void of black and magenta energy popped up far ahead of the team. Stepping out… was Infinite the Jackal. He lashed out his claws and growled underneath his mask. As the Phantom Ruby on his chest glowed, a massive shockwave pushed the resistance a few feet backward.

Luckily, everyone was able to get back up.

"Watch out!" Espio said over the communicator. "The masked one is here. The monster that took down Sonic."

"Finally," Tails cocked his weapon. "I'm gonna make him pay!"

Zonic placed a hand on Tails' shoulder, stopping him from engaging. He took out his own blaster and closed his visor, hiding his face. "Go on ahead. We'll take care of him!"

Zespio and Zector nodded.

"We're not leaving you behind!" Amy retorted.

"Sonic needs you, get to him before it's too late!" Zespio said.

The Secret Strikers were hesitant to do this, but after some thought, they listened.

"Follow me!" Lil' Blue said. "I know another shortcut!"

The blue hedgehog guided his team down the lower path. They landed on a corkscrew and continued running.

Infinite was about to boost down there and kill them, but Zespio and Zector shot him in the chest with their blasters. Taking hits, Infinite shielded himself and took cover behind a few barrels. He touched them with his hands and transformed them into Egg Pawns with his illusionary power.

The chameleon and the crocodile dealt with the robots, as Zonic jumped over them and shot Infinite twice.

The jackal snarled before he created two swords made of red cubes. Slashing at the hedgehog, Infinite realized the officer was more faster than he was. Zonic deflected the swords by smacking the jackal's arms to the sides, as he punched him in the cut, grabbed his face, and slammed him against his knee. Dazed, Infinite stood back, only for Zonic to start attacking him with brute force; he landed a few good hits.

Infinite regained focus and blocked some of Zonic's attacks before he grabbed his arm and flipped him over. Zonic rolled across the ground before he swept Infinite off his feet. Landing on his back, Infinite grunted, as he shot a ray of cubes around Zonic's body, holding him in his clutches.

It was at that moment where Zespio popped up a small laser cannon on his arm. He aimed it at the jackal and shot a beam that burned his back.

"ARGH!" the jackal cried in pain. "That hurt worse than burnt toast!"

The jackal saw the two cops running for him, as he slammed the ground and captured them in red cubes. Zonic broke free and tackled the canine, pinning him down. But Infinite teleported above him and slammed his fists into his back. Zonic swept Infinite's feet again before he rapidly punched and kicked him like a ninja. Infinite was too slow to block the attacks, so he teleported out of the way and slashed Zonic's back with his claws. The blue Zone Cop collapsed on his knees. Zespio and Zector tried to rescue him, but they wound up meeting the same fate.

Just as he was about to hunt down the Secret Strikers, a wire wrapped around his body, electrocuting him where it hurts.

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Infinite saw that Zonic had recovered and had used his armory to his advantage.

"So, you're the jackal that killed my counterpart," Zonic said in a stern tone.

"Counterpart?" Infinite asked.

"Run back home and tell Dr. Eggman… Sonic the Hedgehog is coming home."

Infinite teleported out of his capture and flew down the bottom path; he was chasing the Secret Strikers.

Helping his partners up, Zonic touched the side of his ear and spoke to Knuckles. "Heads up, guys. Infinite's heading to you."


"We're almost to the shuttles!" Knuckles said, as he ran down the yellow pipes and landed on an upper floor. "Go check on Team Feral Strike!"

The Secret Strikers continued panting and running; sweat was pouring down each of their heads. But as if their day couldn't get any worse, Infinite flew beside, and his hands were glowing. He chucked a few red cubes at the resistance, missing them entirely.

Magenta-colored explosions forced everyone to zig-zag their way across the stage.

Infinite chucked a few more cubes until Amy smacked one of them back with her hammer. The cube whacked the jackal right in the face, forcing him to fly a few feet backward.

"Hit the cubes back at the right time!" the hammer-wielding hedgehog called, as she did the same thing she did before, getting the same result.

"Good thinking, Amy!" Silver nodded. He looked and saw Infinite spawning not a dozen, not a thousand, but a million cubes. He folded his arms and shot them all at once. Using his psychokinesis, he caught some of the projectiles and flung them back. Almost all of them hit Infinite.

The rest of the team did the exact same thing, which made the jackal more frustrated than before.

"I'm getting tired of this mess!" he snarled and shook his fist. Flying right in front of the team, he was about to ambush them using the same move, when he suddenly felt the ground vibrate underneath. "What the!? What's happening!?"

The same occurrence in Mobotropolis was suddenly happening here.

Infinite looked over his shoulder and saw a huge tower spawning from the ground. Moving out of the way, he heard the same sound his own Phantom Ruby makes, as the structure sat itself in the middle of the Chemical Plant. But that earthquake itself wasn't over.

More buildings appeared beside the road the Secret Strikers were on; everyone looked and gasped by the number of features from the Mania Zone were appearing.

"Oh, no!" Tails, Amy, and Lil' Blue said at the same time. "Not this again!"

Just then, the road below the Secret Strikers suddenly fell crumbled; every team member fell forward and started freefalling towards the snowy ground.

Tails grabbed Lil' Blue.

Knuckles grabbed Amy and sat her on his back.

Charmy grabbed Vector and Espio by using the Sling Rings.

Silver and Blaze used their powers to save themselves.

And Infinite was dodging debris that was falling from the buildings. He was too distracted to the notice his enemies escaping.

Said resistance was flying across the Chemical Plant, as they saw more structures and random objects pop out from the ground. They each glitched the same red, blue, and purple colors from before. Lil' Blue sighed, as he thought about the fates of his own friends, praying they weren't involved.

"I sure hope my own friends are okay," Lil' Blue said. "God forbid my Tails isn't caught up in all this."

Tails heard that comment and looked down at the short hedgehog's face, feeling sorry for him.

"Guys!" Charmy pointed. "I see it! I see the shuttles!"

The shuttle base was just up ahead.

"Perfect!" Silver nodded. "We're one step closer to reaching Sonic!"

"Hopefully, Team Feral Strike and the Zone Cops can meet us in time," Blaze said. "I don't want to take off without them."


Team Feral Strike was almost there to the shuttle base. They've spent what felt like an hour fighting a bunch of robots. Dakota lead his team to the far side of the Chemical Plant, where they came across another corkscrew, a loop de loop, and three rails that lead to their destination.

Just then, everyone heard the Secret Strikers' voices over the radio transmitter.

"Team Feral Strike, we've located the shuttle base!" Tails said. "We're approaching it right now!"

"Perfect! They won't mind if we borrow this for a while," Vector smirked.

"Hurry up, guys!" Knuckles called. "Get out of there as soon as everyone's aboard!"

"We're almost there, Knuckles!" Gadget replied. "We should be there in no less than three minutes!"

That three minutes was going to be longer because Infinite accidentally appeared in front of the group. He was panting because of the chaos that was going on. Speaking of which, more buildings started to rise up from the ground. Team Feral Strike has been dealing with this for a while and they wondered how much more was coming.

"According to my calculations," Skylar said. "The Chemical Plant should be collapsing by how much is being piled onto it. I don't how much more this place can take!"

BOOM! (4s)

A large structure came out of the ground and Clay fell on top of its rooftop. He felt himself being pushed off the ground, as he screamed at the top of his lungs. Buster, Skylar, and Emma stopped and saw that Clay was stuck to the rooftop of the rising building.

"CLAY!" they all shouted. (5)

Shouting obnoxiously loud, Clay got back up and saw how high he was going. He ran backward before he charged forward, jumping off the side of the building. Freefalling to his death, he shot a grappling wire at a Frei train. Pulling himself up, he landed on the roof of the train and he fell over the side. He grabbed on a pole that stuck out the side and pulled himself up. He laid down on his back before he got up.

As soon as he looked to the right, he saw he was about to crash into the wall.

Looking left and right, he searched for a way out. He then shot a grappling wire above and shot himself over the wall. But another train was coming up beside him. He screamed and shielded his eyes before he felt something latch onto his back. (5s)

Pushed backwards as fast as the wind, Clay landed back to where he originally was before he was caught in the building's crossfire. Gadget was the one who saved him. Getting up, Clay brushed himself off and chuckled.

"I uh… I intended to do that,"

"You owe me one," Gadget said.

Skylar ran forward and wrapped her arms around the rabbit. "Thank Mobius you're okay!"

Clay was surprised to see Skylar hugging him, as he didn't think she'd be one to do this. Not knowing what to say that'll boost his ego, he hugged her back and rubbed her head. The two of them let go before the bear continued down the road.

"Whoa," Clay said, as he grabbed his hammer and followed his team.


The Secret Strikers ran across the catwalk and approached a large shuttle bus. Silver and Blaze desolated the Badniks that tried to stop them, as everyone else ran inside.

Inside was a control station with enough seats to sit everybody. Team Chaotix got in their chairs and buckled their seatbelts. Silver and Blaze did the same thing, as Knuckles and Amy followed Tails and Lil' Blue to the control panel.

Searching for the controls, Tails found a pair of keys stuck in the start engine.

"Seriously?" Tails asked. "Who leaves the keys in here? Oh, well. Good for us."

He twisted the keys, but the engine didn't start. He did this two more times, but the ship didn't budge.

"Here, let me try," Lil' Blue said, as he twisted the keys as hard as he could. He then spat on his hands and held them up. "Open sesame!... well, that's all I could do."

"Guys!" Vector called, pointing to the window.

"We've got company," Espio said, as he unbuckled his seatbelt and took out his dagger. "We'll hold them off while you guys start the ship!"

"Yeah! Let's beat up the bad guys!" Charmy said. He, the Chaotix, Silver, and Blaze jumped out of the ship and started attacking the Badniks in front of them. The three detectives warmed up the crowd with a Chaotix Recital; a move where they play music so loud that it caused the enemies to explode, while Silver and Blaze used their powers to create a psychic/inferno tornado. They spun around, firing cyan energy and fiery flames before they slammed the ground, creating a tsunami of their combined energy.

Team Feral Strike entered the battle, as the Zone Cops appeared out of nowhere.

"What were you, napping?" Dakota asked the cops.

Zonic, Zespio, and Zector didn't answer the question because they were too busy helping their Prime Zone counterparts buy their friends some time.

Lil' Blue sat down in the command chair while Tails ripped open a vent and ducked underneath; he was greeted to a bunch of gadgets, gizmos, wires, and levers. Yanking out wires, Tails connected a few plugs together and cleaned a few of the outlets keen on activating the ship. Tails grabbed a blue wire and connected to the red one, as he flipped a few switches and pulled a red lever.

The short hedgehog crouched down and watched his older best friend go to work.

He widened his eyes, as he saw Tails do things he never imagined he'd do. While he was well aware thus was a Tails from a universe different than his, he still wondered if his own best friend could do that.

Said fox pulled out one more wire before he plugged two of them together.

"Try it now!" he said.

Lil' Blue turned the keys and waited a few seconds. The ship's engine finally started.

The hedgehog went to high-five the fox, but the latter unintentionally ignored him to call his friends. "Guys! I got it started! Let's go!"

In the horizon, Infinite was boosting towards the battleship. The Secret Strikers, Team Feral Strike, and Zone Cops finished the last herd of enemies before they noticed the magenta canine running up like a dog being called for food.

Without hesitation, they all ran inside the ship and closed the doors. The resistance sat in their seats while the Zone Cops preferred to stand. Buckling their seatbelts, everyone was prepared to go.

"Step on it, Tails!" Amy shouted.

Tails pulled the driver's levers towards him and slammed his finger against a red button. The shuttle slowly rose up from the ground and spewed out a gallon of smoke; Infinite was caught in the black cloud and he began coughing. He flew out to get some fresh air into his lungs, as the shuttle's back engine shot out fire. Turning to the right, the shuttle took off faster than the speed of light; a white flash created a loud sonic boom. Infinite covered his ears and snarled at the obnoxious sound.

Lowering himself to the ground, he glanced up and saw that the ship was gone.

The Secret Strikers were close to saving Sonic.

"No… no, no, no, NO!" Infinite grunted angrily and stomped back and forth. He slammed his hands on the ground and howled like the canine he was. Panting, he slowly placed his hand on the glowing gemstone and sighed.

It was at that moment where he had a memory of his old Jackal Squad.


~Flashback

The Ultimate Mercenary was being bombarded with all sorts of warning from his friends, but the deal made by Dr. Eggman made its way into the mixture of voices that replayed on his head. Him and Eggman shared a common hatred for Sonic so it would make sense if the two worked together. But at the same time, Finn didn't think working with Dr. Eggman would be the best idea. After seeing what the Phantom Ruby could do, he wondered what power could lie in such an advanced jewel. He turned to his jackals and gave them a heavy sigh, right before he made his choice.

"I accept your offer," Finn replied.

Metal Sonic stepped off the jackal, allowing him to get up.

Dr. Eggman held out his hand for a handshake. Finn took his hand and returned the handshake.

"Let's do it, Doctor Eggman," Finn smiled evilly. "I will help you change this world."

A new partnership was now declared.

The rest of the Jackal Squad knew that this wasn't going to be pretty.

Lance cupped his hands over his mouth.

Jay clenched his fur.

Pierce pressed his hands together and prayed this was all a bad dream.

Tempest… she got up on her feet and clenched her fists. She walked towards her leader and slapped him across the face. She then punched him in the gut before flipping him on his back. She pulled her arm back to hit him again, but Finn grabbed her fist and tripped her off her feet. The other jackals raced in to stop the quarrel, but Finn motioned them to back off. They obeyed.

The female jackal tightened her green vest and cracked her fingers.

Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic stepped back, watching the fight escalate.

"You're… you're an idiot, Finn!" she cried. "How could you side with him!? You're not serious, are you?"

Finn gritted his fangs. "Of course I'm serious! This is my only chance to get revenge on the hedgehog who wronged me!"

"You can't live like this, Finn! Wanting to kill someone because of what happened years ago! It's time for you to grow up and move on!"

Finn then did the unspeakable.

He rushed over and punched Tempest smack in the face. (6)

Everyone, including Dr. Eggman gasped. The three jackals knew that Finn and Tempest would get into fights, but they were never this physical. They would often clash blades to let off some steam or they would gently spare, but no one… no one has ever seen their leader punch Tempest in the face like that.

The jackal collapsed on her side; a huge red mark appeared on her face.

Clenching her cheek, Tempest slowly got up and saw the look of rage in Finn's eyes. Said jackal huffed and puffed before he had realized what he had done. His rage burned quickly, as he tried to help her up. But Tempest smacked his hands and helped herself up. She brushed off her pants and looked at her leader one last time.

Pierce, Lance, and Tempest gathered around her.

"Guys… please," Finn said, offering his hand. "I- "

"No!" Tempest said, stepping back. "It's clear you've made up your mind… and we… we understand."

Finn was silent; his face dropped.

"We'll just… stay out of your way."

Tempest, Pierce, and Jay packed up their belongings and began walking away. Lance bowed to his leader as one final goodbye. He ran to this squad and started walking alongside them. Finn tried to stop them from leaving, but he figured… what was the point?

He clearly showed his friends that he hasn't moved on from whatever Sonic did in the past, and hitting Tempest only showed that rage was getting worse. The black-furred jackal lowered his eyes to the ground, as he closed them. He wanted to cry; he felt that urge to just get it out of his system, but because of his position was the Ultimate Mercenary, he shook his head and held back his tears.

Wiping his eyes, he watched as his Jackal Squad disappeared into the sunlight.

Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic exchanged looks of confusion and curiosity. The latter walked forward and placed his hand on the jackal's shoulder. Dr. Eggman tossed the Phantom Ruby in the air and caught it. He did this a few times to ease the tension, as he walked back inside the pyramid.

Metal Sonic took his hand off and told the jackal that the doctor is expecting him.

Nodding his head, Finn decided to take one last moment to remember his squad. He then walked back to the base with the metal hedgehog. With one last sigh, he had to himself…

"They wouldn't understand."


~Present Day

Infinite pressed his hands together and sighed. He reached up to take off his mask, but he paused. He set his hands down and flexed his fingers. He turned around and watched as the sun was setting below the horizon. It reminded him of that very day he lost everything he had.

He lifted himself up in the air and took to the skies. He needed to report all of what he's been through today to Dr. Eggman. But before he skyrocketed to space, he had one last thing to say to himself.

"They wouldn't understand." (6s)

END OF CHAPTER 12


The Secret Strikers have successfully raided the Space Port and have accomplished Phase 1 of their plan to save Sonic. Now, it's onto Phase 2: Navigate through the Death Egg. But what is our hero up to? Not to worry, he isn't watching anymore movie trailers. He and the Forget Me Knots are during their time in jail, following Eggman's ridiculous rules. But it won't be long until the resistance arrives to save them. Shadow and Rouge have a plan to help Sonic escape, but we shall see what that plan is very soon. Poor Infinite. What vendetta could he possibly have against Sonic? I guess we will learn more about him as the story progresses. Find out what Sonic is up to in...

"Chapter 13: Operation: Let's Save Sonic!"


POST-A/N:

Yeah, I'm not doing the whole "Shadow is responsible for killing the Jackal Squad" thing. I've decided against it as it has been done many times in these rewrites. I've decided to make all the Jackal Squad members leave after what Finn just did. This story's take on Episode: Shadow will be very different than the original but also similar.

Looks like Skylar has a some feelings for Clay... or does she?

Tails is still trying to get used to Lil' Blue being around. It may take him a while to accept that he didn't mean any harm in Chapter 10.

As always, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review. Thanks for taking a time to read. Let me know what you liked and what needs to be improved. I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all next time!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)