Sorry for such late updates... Lot of stuff going on...

"Blue Stahli - Bulletproof" (I don't know if you need it on repeat, I did only because I was writing it) To the line. I dunno at the line.

Hope this kinda makes up for delayed chapters.

Enjoy ~~

Chapter Twenty Six

Shadow hissed at Shine as she ducked her brother's swipe, hitting him in the back with her wing as he passed. She rushed at him, dropped to the floor, and slid under his legs. As soon as she was underneath him, she flared her wings, sending Shadow flying.

Kat jumped to the side as Shine's wings lashed out at her. The fox muttered under her breath and leaped up the stairs of the basement, leading Shine out with her. "I can't fight her in such closed quarters!" Kat muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, Tails was helping Shadow up, who had a tear in his skin from hitting his head against the wall. "Shadow, stay still for a minute."

Shadow didn't respond, his gaze fuzzy from the head to the wall.

Outside, Shine jumped up, used her wings for a double-jump as well as a way to knock Kat over. Kat fell, but instantly rolled to her feet and backed away, fists up. Ash danced violently through the air from the disturbance.

"I know you don't really remember me," Kat growled at Shine "But I've improved since I was younger."

"Nice story." Shine rushed Kat, kicking up ash as she ran. "Tell it again." She hissed as she threw a punch at Kat.

Kat smirked and flipped over Shine, landing behind her. "You know," Kat said as she caught another punch from Shine "We used to be really close - Almost sister-like."

"Really? Fascinating." Shine jumped back from Kat, landing on top of the debris above the basement.

"Why are you fighting us, Shine?" Kat called up to her.

"Why not? I wake up and find you creeps keeping me in a basement with Sunshine of Lollipop-land. You think I'm not going to fight?"

Kat ignored her sarcasm. "What about before? You said something about Mortuus - Do you remember him?"

"Of course I do. You don't spend ten years with someone in an apocalyptic wasteland and then forget about them." Shine narrowed her eyes.

"A.. waste.. land?.." Kat frowned. "What are you talking about? You haven't been in an apocalyptic wastela-"

Shine stopped her there. "I've had enough of you, telling me what I am, what I've been through." She pulled out her gun and pointed it at Kat. "I'm telling you what I've been through."

"Whoa, Shine, put that gun down!" Kat's eyes widened.

Shine huffed and pulled the trigger.

Kat screamed, covering her face with her arms, even though it wouldn't do anything. She cringed her teeth, expecting the searing pain of a bullet. But it never came. She opened one eye and looked in front of her.

Sonic the Hedgehog stood in front of Kat, grinning. He had two metal cuffs on his wrists, linked together by a thick chain. Kat's eyes widened.

"Sonic?" She gasped. "You got away from Mortuus? How?"

Sonic glanced at Kat over his shoulder. "Don't you worry about that - I think we have bigger things to deal with, right now."

Shine narrowed her eyes at Sonic and shot the gun again without hesitation. Sonic was ready, though - He brought his wrists up to his chest. It was a pure luck that the bullet ricocheted off his left metal cuff, cracking it and freeing his hands - Relatively.

The chain with the broken cuff hung limp on Sonic's other wrist. The blue hedgehog smirked and jumped onto the rubble with Shine. Her eyes widened as Sonic swung the chain, hitting Shine in the forehead. The metal cut into her skin and half her nise. Her eyes watered for a moment, then she slapped Sonic away with her wings. "Asshole!" She spat, jumping down the rubble hill after him. Sonic lay on the ground, dizzy from the impact of Shine's wings.

Shine jumped down next to him and used the spike on the end of her leathery wing to fork the ground, narrowly missing Sonic as the blue hedgehog rolled out of the way just in time. Shine struggled for a moment to pull the spike out of the ash-covered ground, then turned to Sonic. She raised her gun and pointed it at Sonic's forehead.

Before she could pull the trigger, Shine was pushed to the ground, wings pinned beneath her. Shadow sat on top of her, pinning her arms to her sides. "What the hell is wrong with you, Shine?" Shadow barked.

Shine glared up at her brother, then disappeared. Shadow fell to the ground, disturbing a layer of ash. Shine was behind him now. She went to pull out her gun and blinked when she realized it wasn't there. Shadow rounded on her, gun in hand.

"Stop. Fighting. Us." He growled, reloading the gun. At that moment, Tails came up from the basement. He saw Shine's eyes widen as Shadow got up, keeping the pointed at her face.

"We aren't the enemy, Shine." Kat assured, helping Sonic to his feet. Tails noticed Sonic and he rushed over to help. He would ask why he was here, but now isn't the time for questions.

Shine glared at Kat, slowly wiping blood out of her eyes. Shadow didn't let the gun waver once. Shine looked back at Shadow, not letting their eye-contact break.

"What do you want?" Shine growled eventually.

"What?" Kat frowned.

"What do you want from me? Why aren't you trying to just kill me?"

Tails stepped forward. "Because you're one of us, Shine - We're the good guys. We need you and you need us. You're weak right now because you were just in a coma. You were possessed by Mortuus and you haven't fully recovered." Shine looked at suspiciously ans Tails took another step forward. "You can trust us, Shine."

Shine glanced at Shadow, then to Sonic, who was swinging the chain around his wrist like a ball on a string. Shine stayed still for a moment, then straightened her back and looked Tails in the eye. "Fine." She growled.

"Fine, what?"

Shine cringed her teeth. "Fine, I will trust you - I'll have to... For now, anyways."

Sonic shrugged. "That little Smashfest was pretty fun though. You have to agree to that."

Shine just glared at him and wiped trailing blood off her face.

"So how did you escape, Sonic?" Tails asked the blue hedgehog as Kat cleaned Shine's wounds. Byrch had been kept in the basement to avoid any... confrontations. Now, she was sulking outside.

Sonic snapped the other half to the chain. "Mortuus is smart, but he doesn't always take into account my determination. I didn't know what he wanted with me - All I knew was that I had to get out of there, and fast."

Tails narrowed his eyes and looked up and out of the basement's hatch. "It certainly is fortunate that you're back - It's really helpful to have the whole team back together again."

Sonic nodded. Having Tails, Sonic, Shadow, Byrch, Kat, and Shine back into the same alliance again was goo and all, but how much power are they going to need to take down Mortuus?

Well, that was fairly short, but I hope it was good ^^ It was fun to write lol