Hello! With the recent stuff happening in our world today, I've decided to give you guys the next chapter of this story. I was originally gonna post this on the 21st, but I had things to deal with. Better late than never, right?

First off, sorry for the long ass wait. I've been more preoccupied with my Kingdom Hearts / MLP story on FIMFiction. But now I'm going to take a break from that story for a while to shift focus back into this story. Again, this will be updated at an unspecified schedule, but the good news is that I'm going to bring more action this time.

Also, if you had noticed already, I've updated the previous chapters before posting this one, giving some more dialogue in some parts, redoing some of the scenes to tone things down a little bit, and also fixing some spelling errors. I'm still checking the other chapters for more spelling errors when I can. I've used WordPad when writing this story, so it doesn't give me notices of spelling errors.

Hopefully I'll be able to get Microsoft Word in the future for future installments.

So anyway, here's the beginning of the second act. Today is much of a breather, but in the next chapter, there'll be some training.


Chapter 19: Back to Base

ACT II

While it has been a long long day for all parties involved, everything eventually ended well for the good guys. Hydra Force was out of commission, and the Wattersons and their friends are safe and sound. The test run was a pure success. But while victory is in their grasp, the adventure is far from over. The two SPD helicopters were flying overhead, with the Starship and Hellcat IV following suit.

"Wow, this is so cool." Mordecai said. "I've never been in an alien ship before."

"Cool?" Rigby asked. "More like awesome! Aside from quitting our jobs, this is the best day ever!"

"Wait, you guys quit your jobs?" Ben asked, turning his head from the passenger's seat.

"Yeah, Benson was being a asshole as always." Mordecai said. "He said he wasn't going to pay us anymore everytime we slack off once."

"That's horrible." Ben said.

"Yeah, but we don't have worry about him anymore." Rigby said.

"Because you guys quit your jobs?" Ben asked.

"Yeah... and that freak with the metal arm sliced him up up the middle in half." Mordecai said. The boy looked at the two, a bit shocked at what he said.

"Oh..." Ben said. "Sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." Rigby said. "Jerk got what he deserved."

"Dude, don't say that." Mordecai said. "Sure he was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to be sliced in half. I still can't get that out of my head."

"Not used to seeing somebody get killed in front of you." Ben said.

"Eh, death is only funny when it's not happening in front of you." Rigby said.

"But enough about that." Mordecai said. "What's been going on with you lately?"

"Me? A lot." Ben said. "I stopped an alien invasion, took on Vilgax again, time traveled, kicked a doppleganger's behind, overthrew an evil counterpart of me, and traveled to another dimension and helped a magical girl defeat a race of love sucking monsters who took over her world, then went to a big wedding right after that. Pretty much it so far." The blue jay and the raccoon stared at Ben with surprise.

"Wow." Mordecai said. "You really were busy."

"How was the wedding?" Rigby asked.

"It was actually pretty fun." Ben said. "They sure know how to throw a wedding. I also got a kiss from the groom's sister."

"Really?" Rigby asked. "Score!"

"Yeah, don't wanna brag about it." Ben said. "And she's amazing. Never met a girl like her."

"Sounds like you and the groom's sister gotten pretty close, if you know what I mean." Mordecai said.

"Ooooooo..." Rigby teased, as Ben only gave a blush.

"Guys, please don't rub it in." Ben said as the two gave a chuckle. But the teen gave a smile. The two were right on the spot. He and this mystery girl have gotten pretty close. However, his attention was dwelling onto Ratchet, who was driving. The boy looked at him with curiousity, then leaned to get a better look. This was noticed by the lombax, who moved his eyes and face to look at the boy.

"Uh... What?" Ratchet asked.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to find out what alien you are." Ben said. "I've checked the Omnitrix, but can't seem to find your species."

"Well that's because there's only me." Ratchet said.

"Only you?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, just me." Ratchet said. "And to answer your question, I'm a Lombax."

"A Lombax?" Ben asked surprised. "You're an actual Lombax?"

"One of a kind too." Clank said.

"Wow, I'm actually meeting a Lombax!" Ben said, filled with astonishment. "I've heard about your species. When I was little, Grandpa Max used to tell me about them, how they saved an entire galaxy from the Cragmite Overlords."

"Really?" Ratchet asked. "I didn't know about that. I was probably born sometime after that."

"Hmmm... I do not recall anything like that from my Data banks." Clank spoke. "Probably because it happened in a different galaxy."

"I take it he's the smart one?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, he is." Ratchet said.

"Well still, it's actually pretty cool." Ben said. "So... there's just you?"

"Pretty much." Ratchet said. "There aren't any much of us left, at least in Solana, the galaxy I grew up in. I crash landed on my home planet Veldin when I was just a baby. No note. No name."

"Like I was." Clank said.

"Huh..." Ben said, then clicked his Omnitrix, scanning through the holo-screens, passing images of Wildvine, RipJaws, Goop, and Grass Hopper. "Still no sign of any of them in the Omnitrix. Azmuth placed almost every single alien DNA in the watch. Maybe he didn't place the Lombax one in here."

"Maybe they're all being hunted down by a surviving Cragmite Overlord." Rigby spoke, with Mordecai giving him a glare. "What? I'm just saying."

"Riiiight." Ratchet said.

Back on the Helicopter, everyone was sitting in random seats. Nicole, Skips, and Richard were seating together a little upwards towards the cockpit, while Sonic, Lincoln, and CJ were seating together, along with Aelita, Gumball, and Tommy. Darwin and Carrie were also seated besides both groups, while Robotboy was inside Tommy's backpack. A long silence was engulfing the room.

"I feel awkward." Darwin said with a smile, breaking the silence at last.

"So... what's been going on?" Sonic asked.

"Aside from being chased down by crazy lunatics and monsters, a lot." Gumball said.

"I could tell." Sonic said. Tommy kept staring at CJ, who took notice.

"So... what's the whole story with you dressing up like a Kamen Rider?" Tommy asked.

"The J.A.P.A.N. Unit." CJ said, pointing to his belt. "It was built by a brilliant alien prodigy named Man-Chu, years and years ago. My ancestor Yoritomo Miyamoto used it to stop an invasion by SHADOW back in the old days."

"SHADOW?" Gumball asked.

"An inter-dimensional organization of Shadowkan who tried to take over the multiverse." CJ said.

"Shadowkan... those were the monsters we fought down there, right?" Sonic asked.

"That's right." CJ said. "This belt has been passed down within my family for generations."

"So that thing lets you turn into a high tech armored masked super hero?" Gumball asked with a smile. "Awesome."

"So... this SHADOW Organization." Lincoln said. "Do you think they're in league with the Dark Phoenix?"

"I don't know." CJ said. "They disbanded after I killed Lord Destruction, their leader. After that, some of the stronger Shadowkan survived and fled. We managed to hunt down a few in the past couple years. But if they collaborated with the Phoenix, then something must be up."

"But why are the Shadowkan working with humans?" Sonic asked. "I thought they despised them."

"Actually, Dr. Kamikazi teamed up with some Shadowkan a couple years ago." Tommy said.

"Guess they're getting desparate." CJ said.

"Or maybe they're looking for mates." Darwin said.

"Mates?" Carrie asked. "For what?"

"I dunno." Darwin said. "I mean, they probably want to save their species. The blonde kid did say that the monsters kidnapped female humans to repopulate their kind, so yeah." Sonic, Lincoln, and CJ looked at the fish with a bit of confusion. But the blue hedgehog knew that Darwin wasn't bright.

"He's not the brightest one in the bunch." Sonic said to Lincoln and CJ, who both gave a nod in agreement. Suddenly, there was moan.

"Huh?" Gumball asked, looking over to Aelita, where she was showing a nauseous and dizzy expression.

"Uh, are you ok Aelita?" Gumball asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I'm just not that comfortable flying in the air." Aelita spoke, quickly covering her mouth. CJ turned his head back.

"Hey Calhoun, we may need a paper bag in here!" CJ called out to Barney.

"We don't have any!" Barney called back. Lincoln looked around, searching for something.

"Is there an airvent in this helicopter?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, why?" Sonic asked.

"Open it up to allow direct airflow." Lincoln said.

"Hold on, I'll get it!" Darwin said as he used his arm to stretch and reach the button up top to open the air vent, allowing some air to blow directly on the girl.

"Is that helping?" Gumball asked.

"A little bit..." Aelita said. "But I'm still not feeling too good."

"Try taking deep breaths." Lincoln said. "But breathe through your nose." The girl glanced up and took in deep breaths, in through her nose, then out of her mouth.

"Cat kid." Lincoln said.

"I have a name." Gumball said. "It's Gumball Christopher Watterson."

"Isn't your middle name Tristopher?" Darwin asked.

"It was suppose to be Christopher." Gumball said.

"Right." Lincoln said. "Gumball use your hand and rub her stomach. Acupressure can help with nausea."

"Um... ok?" Gumball said. The blue cat lifted his hand and rubbed Aelita's tummy at the exact place Lincoln described. The blue cat rubbed gently, and the girl's dizziness began to dwindle away.

"Feel better?" Gumball asked.

"Yes... much better." Aelita said.

"Good." Gumball said, halting his hand.

"You don't need to stop." Aelita said.

"Anything for you..." Gumball said with a smile as he continued to rub her tummy.

"Wow, you know your stuff." Sonic said. "How'd you know that helps?"

"Something you pick up when you have a large family." Lincoln said. "And my second oldest sister Leni is in the nest as well, and I've been helping her deal with morning sickness."

"Second oldest sister?" Sonic asked.

"He's got a big family." CJ said.

"There's eleven of us... well, thirteen if you count my parents." Lincoln said.

"Eleven?" Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, Tommy, Carrie and Sonic asked.

"Yep." Lincoln said. "I'm the middle child, and I have two sisters in between, one before me and one after. Our oldest sibling is Lori, and our youngest sister is Lily."

"How many sisters do you got?" Gumball asked.

"10." Lincoln said. Everyone was actually surprise, with Gumball and Tommy having their mouths hung open.

"Wow..." Tommy said. "That's a big family."

"It sure is." Lincoln said. "I actually had bags under my eyes from the stress a while back. One boy and ten girls, but I wouldn't trade them for the world."

"Well you're a lucky kid." Sonic said, with Lincoln giving a blush and a smile. People have always asked him what it was like to live in a house with so many sisters, and they would praise him for being such a trooper.

"Attention Passengers!" Barney called out on the speaker. "We're almost at SPD Headquarters. Be ready to depart!"


Back at SPD Headquarters

Sally was making her way down the hall over to the vending machine. She was feeling a bit hungry for a snack. Hopefully something like some cheese crackers or at least some chips can keep her stomach from growling. She went over and placed a quarter into the slot and pressed one of the buttons. Unfortunately, the machine, while it was operating, didn't respond, and nothing was dispensed. Sally pressed the button again, but no response. She sighed in defeat, and leaned her head onto the vending machine, slamming her fist upon it. The room was quiet... very quiet. The only sound that was present was the clock ticking ever second that had passed. She closed her eyes for about a few seconds. Suddenly, she heard whispers.

"Prisoners shall know pain..."

The princess opened her eyes real quick, and she turned her head, but saw nothing. Except for the lights flickering on the ceiling. Wait, why were the lights flickering?

"You cannot escape..."

She turned her head again, but saw nothing but the hall. She heard more of this whispers. It was probably nothing. She just went walking down the hallway slowly, but the whispers she was hearing continued. She stopped in place. Were the whispers just in her head. Taking a look to her left, she saw her reflection in the mirror. Making her way towards it, she just stood there, looking at herself. Was she going crazy or something?

She just shook it off, and removed the ring that kept her hair in a ponytail, allowing it to flow a bit freely. She then glanced down at her wristwatch and checked the time, seeing that it was almost 7:00 PM. Sonic and Agent Miyamoto have been gone for quite some time now. She's just hoping they're ok, and she's hoping Sonic isn't just out fooling around as usual.

"You belong to us now...!"

The whispers continued again, making her turn around, seeing nobody behind her. What was going on? Was she having another panic attack or something? She glanced down at her hand, seeing that it was twitching. That was not a good sign.

Turning her back to the mirror, she gasped. She was looking at her reflection, but instead if showed her very pale, her hair a complete mess, and she was covered in blood. The Princess didn't know what was happening. She pressed her hand on the mirror, seeing that her weakened reflection was doing the same.

"What's going on?" She told herself.

"We're their prisoners now..." Her reflection said. "You're weak... helpless... powerless..." Suddenly, her reflection's eyes turned black with red pupils, and she opened her mouth, showing sharp teeth.

"AHH!" Sally screamed as she dropped to the floor. Getting herself up, she saw that she wasn't in the hallway. It was a dark place, and the ground was purple. She lifted her head up, and looked around. Around the platform she was standing on was surrounded by some strange black ooze. Sally's eyes widened with horror, realizing where she was at. It was the Black Comet, the home to the Black Arms race! But that's impossible! They're suppose to be gone forever! Fear began to take over her body.

Before she could react, however, a tentacle from the ground suddenly grabbed her leg, pulling her downwards. Three more tentacles appeared and grabbed her other leg, and her arms, holding her down on the floor. She struggled to get out, but it was no use. She was trapped. Sweat began to roll down her face as she tried to move.

"Help!" Sally shouted. "Someone Help Me!" Then out of nowhere, two smaller tentacles emerged from the ground, and one went into Sally's ear, and the other inside the other. She froze, and her eyes shrank, feeling the tentacles attach inside her head. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk, and she couldn't breathe. She could only grunt slightly. This was the same torture that she had endured during her time in captivity last time she was here. She knew at this moment what was going to happen.

Suddenly, three creatures emerged from the end of the platform. Turning her head, to her absolute horror, she saw two green colored yellow eyes Black Arm aliens with red claws and feet. There were two smaller ones, which were Black Warriors, and one Black Oak, the giant ones. They approached her, their mouths drooling, an their teeth showing.

"No..." Sally thought. "No!..." Suddenly, one of the black warriors jumped on, his entire body over her's, and her claws around her throat, choking the life out of her. There was no escape! Except... except...

"Sally!"


During all of this, coming from the end of the hall was Chase, still in his new SPD suit. He sure had a long day two days ago after the whole fight with the Huntsclan. With them out of the picture he can focus with the SPD and help them deal with these Dark Phoenix bad guys. As he turned right, he spotted Sally staring at the mirror.

"Oh, Princess!" Chase said as he made his way towards her. "I was wondering where you went. Do you need anything to drink, or something to eat?" The Princess didn't respond however.

"Um, Princess?" Chase asked. Suddenly, instinct came in, and he noticed something was very wrong. With him being a dog, he can sense whatever a person is feeling. Sally's frozen posture and the strange face of fear she was showing was telling him that something was wrong. He slowly approached her, and placed his paw on her leg.

"Princess?" He asked.

"YAH!" Sally screamed suddenly as she flinched and fell to her knees, leaning towards the wall. This made Chase jump and worry.

"Princess, are you ok?!" Chase asked. The chipmunk suddenly flung around, leaning against the wall in her back with her eyes closed. Her breathing was more rapid as if she was struggling to breathe. Chase realized what was happening. He quickly approached her.

"Princess!" He said. "Princess, it's ok!" The Princess didn't respond, and her hyperventilating continued to grow faster and faster. The German Shepard leaned closer to her ear.

"Sally!" He called out.

"Gah…!" She gasped, opening her eyes. Her breathing slowed down, and she finally caught her breath. Inhaling and exhaling out slowly, she looked around, and realized that she was still in the hallway. She turned to glance at Chase, who was showing a face of concern.

"Chase?" She asked a bit surprised.

"Sally, just relax." Chase said. "Just breathe, ok? Breathe." The chipmunk just sat there, still taking deep breathes in and out.

"What happened?" Sally asked.

"You were having a bad flashback again." Chase said. The Princess just sat there and stared forward, now realizing what happened. What she thought was really happening was all just in her head. It happened again. She had another flashback, or an panic episode of the experience she endured on the Black Comet. And by the looks of it, this one was a doozy.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered. "I'm sorry..."

"It's ok." Chase said. "I'm just relieved you didn't hurt yourself."

"Y...yeah." Sally said. She only stared at her feet, but she could still see the images of her flashback, where she was tortured.

"Hold on, let me get you some water." Chase said as he went to go get her a glass of water.

"Wait!" She said, her hand on his back, getting his attention.

"Yes?" He asked. The two sat there for a little while until Sally let out a heavy sigh and gave the pup a big hug, while letting a couple of tears drop from her eyes. It was still there. The little cracks in her mind and heart. Usually the flashbacks are not as bad since she got treatment for it, but this was a big one. Of course, even small bits can make one uneasy. Sure physical pain like arthritis and migraines can go away, but traumatic feelings can't be repressed or forgotten.

"I'm sorry..." Sally said. "I... eh..." She just held on, while the German Shepard pup nuzzled her with affection, understanding her pain.

"It's ok, Sally." Chase said. "It'll be ok." The two remained their in their embrace, while the Princess was feeling a bit of relief. One of the best things about dogs is that they're there for you when you need comfort.

"PTSD, huh?" Sally turned her head to see Alyx, standing from the end of the hallway with some concern.

"How did you know?" Sally asked.

"I've seen it happen to those who've seen a lot." Alyx said as she approached the two. "How bad was it?"

"Really bad." Sally said. "It's been a while since I've had an episode this big." Alyx sat down with the two.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked. Sally turned her head. There was a small part of her that didn't want to talk about it. But her therapist had told her that she didn't need to keep stuff like that to herself. Talking to someone, such as friends and family, even if they don't understand it, can help her.

"You remember the Black Aliens?" Sally asked.

"The Black Arms?" Alyx asked. "Yeah, the SPD dealt with that a while back. I recall a black hedgehog blew up the comet." Sally gave a nod, knowing who she was talking about.

"Months ago... the Black Arms were moving toward the Kingdom of Acorn to claim territory." Sally said. "My father led his army into the field, while I stayed to protect the castle. I led my people against the intruders... but... we couldn't hold them off. They managed to break in, and they took me hostage." The chipmunk then began to feel a bit uneasy, but she kept going.

"They held me into the air with these strange tentacles... god.." She said. "They dug into my ears and into my back... all I felt was pain... not like broken bones or fractured arms, but pain all over, like they were controlling my nervous system. They had complete control of my body. I couldn't move... I couldn't do anything... I felt so... helpless." Her eyes began to water up, and there was a struggling of her trying to fight back tears. She could remember perfectly, how she was held in the air and could feel nothing but pain.

"And what's worse... the aliens... they tortured me nonstop for three days straight..." She continued. "They didn't... do anything graphic, but it was more than enough to... to...break me." She lowered her head, and began to cry softly. The tears began to flow down her cheeks. Alyx wrapped the girl with her arm and stroked her hair, as Chase nuzzled into her cheek.

"How'd you escape?" Alyx asked.

"Sonic saved me..." Sally said. "He got me out of there, and the aliens were wiped out from existance. Everything was fine, but after a while, I was starting to get paranoid. I kept seeing hallucinations. I began to feel uneasy. I began to imagine everyone around me turning into those aliens, including my father. The kingdom was asking me constantly about what to do because I was acting ruler while my father was working rebuilding the kingdom and it was too much for me. It got worse that weekend, and I just had a mental breakdown in front of everyone. I actually tried to kill myself." She removed her right Ring Bracelet, and showed a line mark at her wrist, implying that she cut there.

"Oh my..."

"Yeah... I was actually close to dying, until Sonic showed up." Sally said. "That was the first time I've ever seen him scared. He got me to the hospital, and asked me why I tried to take my own life, after I nearly cut his head off. I told him what was going on with me. What was happening to me." The girl lowered her head in so much shame. The agent next to her rubbed her shoulder in comfort, and Chase nuzzled her cheek, bringing a smile to the chipmunk. "I saw a therapist afterwards, and it was concluded that I had developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from my encounter with the Black Arms. He gave me a list of options that could help me deal with this sort of thing. He adviced that I should take some time away from my duty as princess and leave home, as new surroundings can help. At first I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to risk falling apart in front of everyone around me. So..."

"You left home?" Alyx asked.

"I did." Sally said. "I decided to move in with Sonic at his place in Adventure Bay. That's where I met this guy." He gave Chase a good scratch behind the ear. "I'm getting better. But sometimes I do have panic attacks. They're not as bad as before, but they're still there."

"Stuff like that doesn't go away." Alyx said.

"I know." Sally said. "And I can't undo what happened either."

"Don't let it get to you so much." Alyx said. "Just remember there's people around you that care about you. It's a long road, but you're getting there." Sally lifted her head, and gave a warm smile.

"Chase! Princess!" The sound came from the hall, where Marshall was running inside with a happy face.

"Marshall?" Chase asked.

"Sonic's Back!" Marshall said. "And he's brought friends!"


Outside the Base...

Pretty soon, the copter, the Hellcat IV, and of course the starship slowly entered the hanger as the doors opened up for them. The helicopter landed in the copter zone while the Hellcat and starship descended into the additional vehicle zone. The cockpit opened up in the starship, allowing Ratchet, Clank, Ben, Mordecai and Rigby to get out, while Jak and Daxter departed the Hellcat. The helicopter opened up, allowing Sonic, CJ, Lincoln and the rest of the crew to exit the vehicle.

While Sonic and CJ have seen the base, everyone else has not. Though Nicole and Skips had a sense of familiar ground, no one else did. Lincoln's eyes widened as he took a grand view of the massive room, seeing all the high-tech vehicles and the interiors with great detail. A smile was on his face, though he did his best not go squeal. This day had just gotten even more better.

As for the Wattersons, Gumball, Darwin, Aelita, and even Richard were quickly taken back by the view of the huge level they were in. Their reaction was just as big as Lincoln's but they were awing as they passed everything in the room, even the crates. Mordecai and Rigby were just as surprised, luckily Nicole, Skips, and of course Tommy made sure they didn't run off with the group.

Jak and Daxter were a bit surprised and impressed. The remote Haven City was a bustling city known for it's own share of high-tech technology, but this was way much more advanced than what they have seen. Ben had his own fair share of seeing extraterrestrial bases, since his grandfather is a senior member of the Plumbers, but he had never seen a home base used by the SPD, and honestly, he was blown away.

Ratchet and Clank were also astonished as well. They have done some research before coming here to Earth, learning that it's blue and green, with the oceans and lands. But they didn't know how a planet to the humans, where they use Level 2 Technology for their vehicles and appliances, had such secret intergalactic protectors like this.

"Whoa..." Ratchet said. "This is amazing."

"You're telling me." Ben said. "I've never seen a base like this."

"Wow." Daxter said as he looked around. "This definitely beats the strips back home."

"I am curious." Clank said to CJ. "How exactly did you manage to build such a fine fortress like this?"

"We've been studying whatever tech we could get our hands on." CJ said. "And we've used it to build places such as this. But I'll be honest with you, the one in my home country is much more impressive."

"So wait, there are different SPD bases around the globe?" Lincoln asked. "How many are there?"

"Besides here and Japan, there are at least a few dozen all over the world in almost all of Europe, China, even Russia and Italy." CJ said.

"What about one up in the far north?" Ratchet asked.

"No." CJ said. "Antartica is too cold, and we don't want to damage the environment."

"Yeah, but we can't do anything about that, though." Sonic said. He looked forward to see several others coming into the hanger. The first one to come out is Tails, who was very happy to see his blue hedgehog friend.

"Sonic!" Tails called out as he flew in.

"Tails!" Sonic said as the fox dropped to his level.

"Welcome back Sonic!" Tails said. "That was pretty quick."

"Good to be back Tails." Sonic said, as Ben came up.

"Hey Tails." The boy said with a wave.

"Ben!" Tails said, happily lifting himself up in the air with his swirling tails, and giving the teenager a hug. "What a surprise! It's so good to see you again."

"Good to see you too Tails." Ben said, and examined the fox. "Wow you've grown."

"Maybe a little bit." Tails said, but then looked around, as if he was trying to find somebody. "Is Gwen with you guys?"

"No, she's back home with Kevin." Ben said.

"Kevin?" Sonic asked.

"KEVIN?!" Tails asked, showing a face of aggression and disgust, remembering a certain ruffian with black hair he encountered with Ben a long time ago. "Wait, why is she with that... that ruffian?!"

"Don't worry Tails, he's one of us now." Ben said. "He helped us defeat the Hybreed and Vilgax."

"Really?" Sonic asked. "That's nice."

"Oh." Tails said. "But I still don't like him."

"Aww c'mon buddy." Sonic said. "If Ben trusts him now, then we should too."

"Well I don't." Tails said turning away with his arms crossed. "I can't believe he's around sweet beautiful innocent Gwen. Oh how much I missed her." The two tailed fox then began to smile and blush as he thought about Gwen. He remembered meeting her when Ben and Sonic crossed paths and they both worked together to stop Eggman and Dr. Animo. Tails also met Gwen, and while she only saw him as a friend, the two-tailed fox however developed a massive crush on her, and it seems that he still has it to this day. Sonic and Ben only stared at him with some annoyance.

"It's been almost six years and he still has a crush on her?" Ben asked.

"I know." Sonic said. "Say, you still got that picture of him kissing her when she gave him CPR?" Ben then pulled out his phone, and showed the screen, which displayed a picture dating back when Ben was around 11, and Gwen was 12. The photo was of Gwen, shocked and confused on the ground, with her lips locked with a younger Tails, who was enjoying every second of it. That was taken when Tails nearly drowned in the river and the girl tried giving him mouth to mouth. Turned out he faked it just so she would kiss him.

"Still as my screensaver." Ben said with a snicker, with the blue hedgehog chuckling along.

"Hey, what about us?" Ratchet asked as he and Clank approached them, getting the two tailed fox's attention.

"Ratchet! Clank!" Tails said as he was brought out of his romantic trance and greeted the two. "Wow, Sonic contacted you guys too?"

"Sure did." Ratchet said. "We just got back from battling some crazy monsters."

"Awww, I wish I was there to see it." Tails said, then turned his attention to the small robot. "Good to see you again Clank."

"Same with you Mil- I mean Tails." Clank said, but then he examined the two-tailed fox, noticing that there was something different about him. The last time he saw him months ago, Tails was a bit skinnier than he is now.

"Apologies, but I have noticed that you... aren't as thin as I last saw you." Clank said.

"Oh." Tails said with a blush, scratching his head and patted his stomach. "That's because I've developed a big appetite lately."

"What did you expect?" Sonic asked, joining the conversation. "You ate all those hot dogs in that eating contest back in Manhatten."

"Hey I only had one... hundred and fifty." Tails said, bringing a bit of surprise to Ben and Ratchet.

"I think you should put him on a diet." Ratchet said.

"Tried... but he learned how to cheat on it." Sonic said.

"Cheat on what now?" Lincoln asked as he popped his head from between Ratchet and Ben. Tails looked at the white haired boy with a bit of surprise. He's never seen anyone young with white hair before.

"Oh, right." Sonic said. "Tails, this is Lincoln Loud."

"Hi, you must be Tails." Lincoln said, shaking the fox's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Tails said, but then noticed the boy's face. "Whoa, what happened to you?"

"Oh..." Lincoln said, seeing that he noticed the scar. "Got the scar from an... accident back at home."

"No, I'm actually talking about your teeth." Tails said. "You're front one is chipped."

"Oh." Lincoln said. "Accident as well."

"He comes from a big family." Sonic said. "A very big family."

"Oh, so is that why his hair is white?" Tails asked.

"Oh, not at all." Lincoln answered. "It's actually a genetic trait from my mom's side of the family. My grandpa has white hair too, and so did one of our ancestors."

"Sonic!" a voice called out, showing Marshall and Chase running toward the hedgehog. The dalmation pup leaped onto the blue hedgehog, making him fall to the ground. Neverless, the blue blur smiled and laughed as Marshall licked his cheek.

"Good to see you too Marshall." Sonic said, scratching behind the pup's ears.

"Sorry, guess I got a little over excited." Marshall said.

"Nah, it's alright." Sonic said. "I missed you too buddy." The boys were a bit surprised that Sonic was nuzzling the pup.

"Wow, didn't know you owned a dog." Ben said.

"I don't, but if I did, it'd be him." Sonic said, petting the dalmatian.

"Good to see you again too, Sonic." Chase said. "And company." Hearing them speak made Lincoln even more surprised.

"Wow... did those dogs just talk?" Lincoln asked.

"Actually, we're pups." Marshall said. "Well, I'm only 13 in dog years, and Chase is 14."

"I'm Policepup Chase and this is Firepup Marshall, at your service." Chase said.

"Nice to meet you guys." Ben said. "Name's Ben Tennyson. You have heard of me, right?" The pups looked at him with a confused look.

"Nope, never heard of you." Marshall said as Chase shook his head. Hearing that made Ben display a sad disappointed look. Guess they were the fifty percent that still don't know about him.

"Well, it's nice to meet some fellow animal talkers such as yourselves." Daxter said approaching them. "I'm Daxter, and this is Jak, he's with me." Jak only rolled his eyes.

"He always does that." Jak said.

"My name's Ratchet." The lombax spoke with a wave. "This is Clank."

"Hello." Clank spoke.

"And I'm Lincoln Loud." The white haired boy said. "Are you guys part of the SPD too?"

"Well, I'm not, but Chase is though." Marshall said. "We're actually part of the PAW Patrol; a team of rescue pups who save the day. I tagged along with Sonic. Because Sonic's my friend, and I'm willing to help him no matter what."

"And I'm one of the new recruits of the SPD." Chase said. "As a Policepup, I help uphold the law, and I make sure Marshall doesn't cause another accident."

"What?" Marshall asked. "I don't make accidents, I put out fires. I'm old enough not to make accidents."

"Not that kind of accident Marshall." Chase said.

"Then what acci-" Marshall suddenly felt unbalanced as he moved a bit to his left. Then he flipped over and rolled over, into the pile of buckets.

"Ow..." He said. "I'm ok." Lifting his head up, he noticed the bucket was still on his head.

"Ohhh, you mean these kind of accidents." Marshall said with a nervous chuckle, while Chase only shook his head. Sonic then turned his head, seeing Sally emerging from the doorway with Alyx. A smile came across his face as he saw Sally.

"Hey." Sonic said as he approached the chipmunk.

"Hey." Sally said, but noticed that there was a bit of dirty on his face, like he was in a fight. That's probably what happened. "So, who'd you pick a fight with this time?"

"Some shadow monsters and some sicko with a metal arm." Sonic said. "But don't worry, we won't have to worry about him anymore."

"Well, at least you guys are safe and alive." Sally said.

"Excuse us." Daxter spoke from behind the hedgehog, making the latter turn to see the others. "Are you gonna introduce us to your... girlfriend?"

"Oh, right." Sonic said, ready to introduce Sally to the boys. "This is Sally Acorn, daughter of King Nigel Acorn and Princess of Mobotropolis."

"Hello." Sally said with a wave.

"Princess?!" Ben and Lincoln said in great surprised. They quickly stumbled a bit and stood up tall, then gave a bow, which is a sign of respect towards royalty. Jak did the same, while pushing Daxter's head forward so he would bow too. Ratchet and Clank however, gave a salute.

"Honor to meet you, princess." Ratchet said.

"Thanks." Sally said. "But you guys don't need to do that. Sally is just fine." Hearing that made the boys tilt their heads. A princess who doesn't need anyone to bow to show respect.

"Oh." Ben said. "Well, guess you're not the only one."

"Only what?" Sally asked.

"Only Princess who would prefer to be called by their first name." Ben said. Sonic looked at the boy, surprising that he actually gave a bow.

"Since when did you start showing respect towards royalty?" Sonic asked.

"Just eariler this Spring." Ben said. "Long story." Not far from the group, Gumball and Darwin were looking at the massive room they were in. To be honest, they were astonished, way more astonished than the time they managed to open the money safe when they were at the gas station. That too is a long story.

"Sonic, this place is amazing!" Gumball said, getting the hedgehog's attention as the blue cat and fish with legs approached him.

"It's like Avengers mixed with Star Wars!" Darwin said. Sally, Chase, and Marshall looked at the two a bit confused.

"New friends?" Sally asked.

"Actually, they're the trouble-prone boys I've told you about." Sonic said as he introduced the boys. "Gumball Watterson and Darwin Watterson."

"Oh, the boys from the whole CHAOS thing, right?" Sally asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said as he scratched his head.

"Hey Gumball, hey Darwin!" Tails said as he approached the two.

"Hey Tails!" Gumball said as he high-fived the two tailed fox. "It's been generations since we've seen you."

"Same with you." Tails said. "I hope you guys haven't been causing too much trouble."

"Funny you should mention that." Darwin said. "Our house got blown to smitherines, and we were almost killed by a bunch of mutants and a psycho with a robot arm." Tails stood there a bit speechless.

"Um... ok?" Tails said, while Marshall and Chase looked at the cat and fish with legs.

"Whoa... a blue talking cat and a fish with legs." Marshall said.

"To be honest, I believe pretty much everything at this point." Chase said, with the two talking pups making Darwin gasp.

"WHOA!" He said. "A talking poodle and retriever!"

"Dalmatian." Marshall said.

"German Shepard." Chase said.

"But you don't speak German." Darwin said.

"Actually, I do speak German." Chase said. "Und ich kann auch andere Sprachen sprechen, wie Spanisch, Französisch, Italienisch, Chinesisch, Japanisch, Sie nennen es." The blue cat and fish with legs looked at the pup.

"Huh?" They both asked.

"I can speak in other languages too." Chase said.

"But what about you, though." Marshall asked the fish. "How do you have legs and breath without water? Are you a magical creature too?"

"Nope." Darwin said. "I got my legs and lungs from the love of my best bro in the world." He gave a hug to Gumball, who gave him a hug back.

"A fish being a brother to a cat?" Marshall asked. "That's... unexpecting. Usually cats eat fish." He then glanced over at Chase.

"What?" The German Shepard asked.

"I'm actually surprised your kitten allergies didn't act up." Marshall said. Chase then realized it too... Usually whenever a cat is around, Chase would start to sneeze.

"Yeah, I just realized it." Chase said. "Maybe my cat allergies are gone."

"Or maybe he's not really a cat." Marshall said.

"Hey, I am a cat." Gumball said, pointing to himself. "I got the cat ears, I got the cat muzzle, the whiskers, and I also have a tail. And I can do this... HISSSS!" As the blue cat showed his slant eyes and made his cat hissing, the Dalmation jumped.

"WHOA!" Marshall yelped as he hid behind Sonic, a bit shaken by Gumball's hiss.

"Don't worry, Marsh." Sonic said. "Gumball's not gonna hurt you."

"Gumball, shouldn't we stick with your parents?" A voice asked from behind the blue cat. He turned to see Aelita approaching the group.

"Who's that?" Marshall asked as he leaned his head out, as Tails's eyes widened with surprise, and a smile on his face.

"It's Aelita!" Tails said as his tails spun around, allowing him to fly up. He then zoomed in and hugged Aelita, who was quite surprised, but she was very happy knowing that it was Tails.

"Oh, hi Tails." She said.

"It's good to see you Aelita!" Tails said as he nuzzled the girl. "I missed you!"

"Nice to see you again too, Tails." Aelita said, and then hugged the fox tightly, nuzzling him.

"I can see that you missed me a lot." Tails said. "Man, I guess Sonic wanted to invite you too huh?"

"Well, actually, he saved us." She answered.

"Really?" Tails asked. "That's so cool! Gosh, you sure look... uh..." The two-tailed fox then glanced down, and with a surprising gasp, he saw the girl's stomach, rounded out a bit. "Different... You guys had lunch on the way here or something?"

"Excuse me." Gumball said in defense. "She is an expecting mother, thank you very much."

"She is." Darwin said. "Though people get confused with that." Tails's mouth hung down with surprise.

"Wait... WHAT?!" Tails asked. "You mean she's...?"

"Yes." Gumball and Darwin said in unison.

"Yes, it's been a... tough ride." Aelita said a bit nervously. Tails only stood there a bit surprised, and confused.

"But... but... isn't she-" Tails said.

"Yes, please don't ask about it." Gumball said.

"Oh, sorry." Tails said. "Man, I can't believe Jeremie actually had it in him, huh?" Hearing Jeremie's name made the girl freeze in place, but then lower her head with a bit of grief, making the fox show a confused expression.

"What?" Tails asked. "What did I say? Did she and Jeremie have a fight or something?" The blue hedgehog then realized, that Tails doesn't know what happened to her friends. He approached the two-tailed fox and took him aside.

"We need to talk." Sonic said. He then glanced back at Marshall. "Hey Marsh, can you give Aelita a check up, make sure she's ok?"

"Sure thing?" Marshall said. "Not only am I a Firepup, I'm also a certified Medicpup."

"You're also accident-prone too." Chase spoke with a chuckle, making the Dalmatian glance at him with an unamused stare.

Back with Nicole, the mama cat was looking around with her head in one spot. She had been here before, but all of this was much different. Everything looked more advanced, and it looked a bit bigger too. But yet, she felt a sense of familiarity around her. She never expected that she would be back here at the SPD. But at the same time, she was relieved that she was, and that her family was safe.

"Wow..." Nicole said. "A lot has changed since I left this place."

"Same feeling." Skips said. "Looks different, but it's all the same within." The mama cat gave a nod. Turning her head, she saw Arne Magnusson and Eli Vance approaching her. She gave a smile.

"Agent Watterson, Agent Skips." Eli spoke with a salute. The mama cat and Skips each gave a salute back.

"Sir!" They both said.

"Nicole, thank you so much for coming." Magnusson said, shaking her hand.

"Well, thank you for getting my message." Nicole said.

"And Agent Skips, good to see you too." Magnusson said.

"Good to see you too, Arne." Skips said, as Mordecai, Rigby, and Tommy approached the group, getting Eli's attention.

"And are these your park worker friends?" Eli asked.

"Yeah, though the blonde kid is new." Skips said.

"And you two are?" Mordecai asked.

"Arne Magnusson, and this is Doctor Eli Vance." Magnusson said.

"Doctor Vance?" Tommy asked, a bit surprised. "From Black Mesa?"

"Formerly Black Mesa." Eli said. "And you?"

"Tommy Turnbull, sir." The boy said. "I'm a friend of Professor Moshimo. You worked with him, remember?"

"Oh yes, I did." Eli said. "And you must be the boy he spoke highly about. I trust you're looking after his latest creation?"

"Sure am." Tommy said as he turned to show his backpack, with Robotboy giving a wave and a smile.

"Good to know he's in safe hands." Eli said, then turned his attention to Sonic's group and Gumball's group talking together, though Sonic and Tails left to chat alone, while Gumball and Darwin were talking to Chase, Aelita was petting Marshall on his head.

"So Nicole, how'd you end up meeting Schaeffer's daughter?" Eli asked.

"My son." Nicole said, seeing Gumball and Aelita laughing at Marshall's joke. "He found her one night and brought her in. After hearing what happened to her, I couldn't throw her out. Besides, they've been getting close."

"It was quite a risk letting her stay with you." Magnusson said.

"Yeah, but it was worth it." Nicole said. "So, how long are we gonna be here?"

"Once we deal with the Dark Phoenix." Magnusson said. "Luckily with Hydra Force down, we can now focus on them."

"We were hoping you could help us." Eli said. "We're gonna need all the help we can get." Nicole glanced back at her son.

"Those guys were also after my son." Nicole said. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect them. I'm in."

"Me too." Skips said. "Can't let my old partner get into more trouble without backup."

"I'll help out, too." Tommy said. "Me and Ro both will."

"Hey, can we help too?" Mordecai asked, with all eyes on him and Rigby.

"Yeah, we can be of help too!" Rigby said. "Pleeeease? We won't break anything!" Skips only let out a sigh, knowing well that Mordecai and Rigby would usually get themselves, and sometimes all of them into trouble. But he has seen them fight pretty well against the Shadowkan, so might as well give them a chance.

"Alright, but only if he keeps an eye on you two." He said, pointing to Tommy.

"Sure will, Master Skywa-... oh, sorry, I mean, Skips." Tommy said, correcting himself. "Sorry, you sound like someone from a great movie I've seen."

"I get that a lot." Skips said with a smirk. "And I like it."

"Good to have you both back." Eli said. Nicole couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah... it's good to be back." She said.


As they made their way to the rooms, Sonic was trying to figure out what he was going to tell Tails about what happened to everyone back at Kadic Academy. The two tailed fox wasn't present when he read the report on the Computers, so how was he gonna explain this to him?

"Wow, you really brought everyone!" Tails said as they went into the room, nobody was inside.

"Yeah." Sonic said.

"I'm actually really surprised that you brought Aelita into all this." Tails said. "After everything that she's been through, I was expecting her and the others to just living normal lives. Though I'm more surprised that Jeremie and the others didn't come along." Sonic turned around and closed the doors behind him. Hearing Tails talk about the others only made him more anxious to tell him.

"So, how come they're not here?" Tails asked. "Did they have family stuff or something?" The blue hedgehog took a deep sigh, knowing that Tails had to know what went down last year.

"Tails... there's something I need to tell you." Sonic said. "And you're not gonna like it."

"Like what?" Tails asked. The two tailed fox noticed Sonic was looking a bit nervous, and sad? "Sonic, why are you looking like that?"

"Something... happened to Jeremie and the others." Sonic said. Tails raised an eyebrow?

"What happened?" Tails asked. "Did they move away?"

"No..." Sonic said, though he was really wishing that was the case. "Something bad happened last Autumn."

"Huh?" Tails asked. The blue hedgehog lowered his head, and though he felt tense all over, he spoke.

"There was an attack, at the school." Sonic said.

"Attack?" Tails asked.

"At Kadic Academy..." Sonic said. "These creeps raided the whole school, and they had guns, and weapons. They ravaged the school and killed everyone that was in their way. Aelita was the only survivor of the attack."

"Only... survivor?" Tails asked. Suddenly, the fox's eyes widened. It was now coming together for him. The school became a slaughter house, and everybody except for Aelita was killed? So... that means...

"They're... dead?" He spoke.

"Yes." Sonic said, looking at the floor. "Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and the others... they're gone." Tails on the other hand, was showing denial.

"No... it can't be." Tails said as he turned away. "But they can't be gone. Not Jeremie." Sonic only expressed sorrow. During their time at Kadic, dealing with XANA and the Shadow incident, Tails and Jeremie bonded quickly because of their love for technology and computer wiz stuff, and the two-tailed fox was more than pleased to have a friend with a lot in common. But now, his human friend was gone, and Tails couldn't believe it.

"Tails." Sonic said.

"No... No... No..." The fox spoke, with tears dropping from his cheek. "No, they can't be gone!"

"I'm sorry buddy." Sonic said. "I didn't know either until yesterday."

"NO!" Tails shouted as he turned around and clung to his friend, beginning to cry his eyes out. "No, no, no, they can't be..! No!" The poor fox couldn't help but let the tears out, and Sonic knew why. He lost his friend, and he didn't even know about it. The blue hedgehog wrapped his arms around his companion, holding him close.

"Listen." Sonic said. "Those guys that took them out. They're not gonna get a way with it. I promise. I know this is a lot, but you have to be strong. Ok?" The fox gave a weak nod and held on for a bit longer. It took about a minute for the fox to let his feelings out, before releasing himself from Sonic. The poor chap took a deep breath, though there were tears still pouring out.

"I'm... I need to be alone." Tails said. "I'm getting hungry again."

"Tails... are you sure?" Sonic asked.

"I'd rather get a tummy ache than feel sad." Tails said as he made his way to the door. As it opened, he froze, seeing Aelita who was about to come in, but she halted as she saw the fox. He looked right up at her. The girl noticed his tear stains, and the ones that were still dropping. Before she could react, he hugged her tightly. Taken back at first, she then wrapped her arms around him, completing the tender sad hug. Half a minute, he released, and walked away, still showing tears. She then glanced at Sonic.

"You told him?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "He didn't take it well."

"I can see why." The girl said coming in and the door closing behind her. "He and Jeremie bonded so well."

"How are you feeling?" Sonic asked. The girl only sat down on the bed next to her.

"I don't know. A bit relieved that we're safe. But..." She said, her head looked away. The blue hedgehog approached her.

"So, you wanna talk about it?" Sonic asked. The girl didn't say anything. She only lowered her head.

"It's ok." He said, turning away. "You don't have to tell me about it, if you don't want to." Suddenly, he felt a warm pair of arms wrapping around behind him, feeling the embrace of the girl hugging him.

"I'm glad you're back." She said. The blue hedgehog was doing his best to keep a straight face, but it didn't stop him from shifting around and hugging her with his own arms. The report of the attack on Kadic was still lingering in his mind. She was all that was left from that place.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Sonic said. The girl nuzzled against his forehead.

"You don't need to be." She said. "There was no way you could've known."

"Yeah... but still." Sonic said. The pink haired girl gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you for coming when you did." Aelita said. "Now you're here, and that's all that matters now." The blue hedgehog gave a nod, and departed from their hug.

"Yeah." Sonic said with a weak smile. "Now I'm here. And I'm gonna show those Phoenix guys what happens when they mess with my friends." The blue blur gave a confident smile, The girl gave a smile as well.

"Thank you, Sonic." Aelita said.

"Aelita?" The door opened up, revealing Gumball coming into the room. "Oh, hey Sonic."

"Hey kiddo." Sonic said. "How you holding up?"

"Pretty good." Gumball said as he walked inside. "This place is so cool. You never told me that you were part of some super Intergalactic Protector Organization... or whatever these guys are."

"Oh, I'm not, actually." Sonic said. "They just called me, and I agreed to help."

"Hey, Sonic." A voice said from behind Gumball, revealing to be Ben, leaning in. "You got a minute?"

"Oh, sure." Sonic said. "I'll be right there."

"Gotcha." Ben said as he headed off, while Sonic began to head out too.

"I better go catch up." Sonic said. "Marshall will be back to check up on you guys." Before he left, he took a glance at the blue cat. "Oh, and Gumball?"

"Yeah?" The blue cat asked.

"Thanks." The hedgehog said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. Gumball didn't know why Sonic was thanking him, but he responded with a nod, and Sonic left the room, leaving Gumball and Aelita the only ones inside.

"So, how'd you meet Sonic, anyway?" She asked.

"It's a long story." Gumball said. "And it involved a lot of water."

"How so?" Aelita asked. The blue cat only chuckled, and knew that this was a story he needed to tell her.

"Two years ago, me and everyone were visiting Station Square with the big money mom got from work." Gumball said. "We met Sonic and I looked up to him growing up. We helped him search for the Chaos Emeralds when Mean old Robuttnik was trying to feed them to this water god that turns into a massive beast when it eats all seven of them. But in the end, Sonic ended up shrinking him back down, and it all ended well."

"Well that's good." Aelita said.

"Yeah, Sonic's the best." Gumball said. "The world wouldn't be awesome without him."

"He must really be your hero." Aelita said.

"Actually, I see him more as an Idol." Gumball said. "Sure, he's great and all... but there's only one person I call my hero."

"Your mom?" Aelita asked.

"No, my dad." Gumball said. "Dad's always been there for us to cheer us up when we need it, and he's pretty fun. Plus, dad's always around while mom's at work."

"I've noticed." Aelita said.

"Well, what about you?" Gumball asked as he sat next to the girl. "How'd you meet the Fastest Thing Alive?"

"Not in the way you did." Aelita said.

"Try me." Gumball said, making the girl smile.

"It happened during the holidays last summer." Aelita said. "Sonic was being pursued by the local law enforcement because they mistook him for a thief who robbed a jewelry store that had one of those... what are they called?"

"Chaos Emeralds." Gumball said.

"Right." Aelita said. "Sonic got into a fight with one of those big Military robots just outside the school. Sonic saved me when I was in the crossfire. And that's where we met the real thief... the Black Hedgehog." Gumball's eyes widened open.

"Shadow...!" Gumball spoke, remembering the black hedgehog with the red arrows on his spikes, and the red eyes.

"Yes." Aelita said. "Shadow was working with the crazy mad scientist that Sonic was enemies with. They were planning to use the gemstones to power up this massive space station in the sky and use it to destroy the planet. But it was all a trap by whoever created it, causing it to crash into the planet to destroy everything. Everyone had to work together to stop it from happening, though Shadow refused to help. But I was able to convince him that humanity was worth fighting for. I don't know what he saw when I begged for his help, but he seemed to have developed a change of heart. He eventually helped Sonic stop the station from impacting the planet, saving everyone. But Shadow, he gave his life up to save us."

"Gosh..." Gumball said. "That must've been intense."

"It was." Aelita said. "But everything ended well, and me and Sonic stayed in contact through letters ever since. He would write about all the cool adventures he had since meeting me."

"Wow..." Gumball said, but then something came to his mind. Shadow gave his life up to save everyone? "Wait, Shadow's not dead. Last thing I've heard was that he was alive during the alien invasion, kicking alien butt." Aelita turned her head at the blue cat with disbelief.

"Wait, he's alive?" She asked.

"Yeah." Gumball said. "The news showed him teleporting the huge meteorite back into space. Nobody's seen him since, but from what we know, he's still alive out there somewhere." Aelita looked at the ground, surprised that Shadow was alive. A smile formed on her face.

"That sneaky little devil." She said, giving a little chuckle after that. "Oh!"

"What?" Gumball asked, surprised by Aelita's sudden choked sound. The girl looked down at her stomach, and her hand rested upon it. She felt it. She felt another kick from the little girl that was inside her.

"She kicked again." She answered.

"Really?" Gumball asked as he rushed over towards her, and leaned his head in, and his paw on her surface of her bump. He gasped, as his hand felt a kick himself. "She did!"

"Guess she likes it when I'm telling a story or something." Aelita said.

"Probably." Gumball said, leaning his head on the girl's tummy. "Hey little girl, you like it when me and your mommy tell each other stories? Well, lucky for you, I have a lot more stories to tell you when you finally arrive... oh, wait... probably not..." The blue cat looked down at the ground. He remembered Aelita was still considering adoption for the baby. And although he supported whatever her decision would be, he couldn't help but feel sad.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Are you still considering... giving her up?" Gumball asked. Aelita was a bit surprised, and she started to think. She hasn't really made her choice just yet, and surprisingly, she was actually conflicted. Maybe because part of her didn't want to give the baby up.

"I... I still don't know." Aelita said. "I haven't made a decision yet."

"Oh... ok." Gumball said, looking away, though his eyes were sighed upon her belly, and his hand was still on it.

"You seem attached to her, do you?" Aelita asked. She could tell, that he has formed a bond with the baby inside her. It was a bit surprising since he wasn't the biological father. But if anything, a man doesn't need to be a biological father to be a real father.

"Yeah." Gumball said. The girl couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

"I'm sorry." Aelita said.

"No, it's ok." Gumball said. "I'll be honest, I would love it if you kept the baby, but I don't want you to keep her for my sake. The choice to keep her or not is still your choice. And no matter what your choice will be, I'll accept it." The girl looked at the blue cat, and then back at her belly. She won't lie, it actually feels nice carrying the little one inside her, and she felt joy when she would feel her kick. Maybe that's motherly pride.

"Well... I've enjoyed having her inside me so far." Aelita said. "I'll think about it some more." Hearing that made Gumball smile.

"Ok." He said. He then took one more glance at the girl's tummy and planted a kiss upon it. Aelita couldn't help but smile. Despite being young and optimistic for his own good, he would make a good father. As the two remained there, the doors opened, revealing Darwin, Chase, and Marshall coming inside. Both Gumball and Aelita glanced at the three, and there was silence.

"Oh, are we interrupting something?" Darwin asked. The blue cat and pink haired girl blushed and quickly departed their hug.

"No, not at all." Aelita said.

"Yeah, we're done now." Gumball said, though both of them blushed and smiled.

"Ok then." Marshall said as he and the others came into the room. "You ready for your check up, Miss Aelita?"

"Yes, I'm ready." Aelita said.

"Alright." Marshall said. He then let out a bark. "X-Ray!" His pup pack then sprouted out a X-Ray, which are used to allow doctors to see past your skin and organs to glance at your bones.

"I'm gonna check the bones in your body and make sure you and the baby aren't hurt." Marshall said as he approached her. He then lifted it in front of him to get Aelita's full body in view. The screen showed her skeleton, which is the framework of all the bones in one's body. All the bones are where they should be, and nothing looked broken.

"Your bones look ok." Marshall said. "Now let's see how the baby's doing." He then let out a bark. "Ultrasound!" His screen then began to change up, moving away from the skeleton scanning. He moved the screen closer to Aelita's stomach and began to scan. His eyes widened with surprised, seeing the unborn child inside.

"Wow...!" He said.

"Cool." Chase and Darwin said as Gumball looked in closer. His eyes sparkled as a smile formed on his face.

"She still looks cute..." He said.

"The amniotic sac isn't ruptured or anything." Marshall said. "And the fetus inside isn't injured at all."

"So, she's ok?" Gumball asked.

"She's perfectly fine." The dalmation said. Hearing that made Gumball go back to Aelita and his head leaned towards her stomach.

"You hear that, little girl?" Gumball asked. "You're invincible..." He began to nuzzle the girl's stomach, while Chase only raised an eyebrow.

"Awkward..." He said.

"Don't worry, he always awkward." Darwin said as Marshall placed his Screen pad back into his pup pack.

"You know, usually girls should wait to have babies when they're at least older than twenty." Marshall said. "How did you end up this way?"

"It's... it's a long story." Aelita said. Marshall and Chase raised eyebrows, but they started getting the idea of what she meant by a long story.

"You mean someone did this to you?" Chase asked. "Who?" The girl was about to speak, but she turned her head for a second, showing a little discomfort, much to Gumball's notice. The memories of her being experimented by the hands of the Dark Phoenix was still horrifying to speak or think about. She was able to tell Gumball, but she probably didn't want to tell them.

"Some bad people." She said.

"You mean like a cult?" Chase asked. Gumball and Aelita looked at each other. A cult is usually a group of people having religious beliefs and practices regarded as strange and sinister. The freaks who did this to Aelita wasn't a cult, but they were kinda like it, so...

"Yeah." The two said.

"Oh..." Marshall said. "I can understand that."

"Wait, you've dealt with a cult before?" Gumball asked.

"Well, me and Sonic recently did, though they weren't actually a cult, they were a bunch of dragon slayers who wanted to take over the world." Marshall said, but then he quickly covered his own mouth.

"Huh?" The blue cat and the girl asked.

"Marshall, weren't you suppose to keep the magical realm a secret?" Chase asked.

"Sorry, I forgot the fish with legs wasn't a magical creature." Marshall said.

"Magical creature?" Darwin asked. "You mean like mermaids, leprechauns, giants, wizards, and dragons?"

"Oh yeah, we know about those." Gumball said, with the Dalmatian and German Shepard looking a bit surprised.

"Wait, how do you guys know?" The two pups asked.

"Because we're friends with a giant and his mom, who is actually a witch." Gumball said.

"Yeah, this one time we tried to help Hector be cool and his ended up trashed the town, and Gumball begged his mom to give him wizard powers." Darwin said. "I made him get stuck in Hector's nasty toes to help him forget something embarrassing." The blue cat quickly tensed up and blushed hearing that.

"Dude, you promised not to talk about that!" Gumball said, but with everyone hearing it in the room, the pups couldn't help but chuckle. Aelita also gave a giggle, but suddenly she couldn't help but shiver. It sure felt a bit cold in here. Luckily, the pups noticed this right away.

"You ok?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Aelita said.

"You don't seem like it." Gumball said. "You just shivered for a second."

"She's probably cold." Marshall said. "I know, I'll go get you some warmer clothes. Does that sound good?"

"Well... I do feel a little cold." Aelita said. "I suppose putting on warmer clothes won't hurt."

Soon after she said that, she then found herself wrapped up in multiple coats, most likely placed on by Marshall, overbundling her whatever coats were found, including winter.

"Um... Marshall, I think you overdid it... again." Chase said.

"Yeah, I think I did." Marshall said. The girl tried her best to walk, though she started to waddle a bit, and it was a bit hard to move her arms with all those clothes on. It wasn't as difficult as when she placed everything in the house on that made her look like a beach ball, but it was hard to move still.

"I feel like a penguin." Aelita said with a chuckle.

"A beautiful penguin if you ask me." Gumball said. Hearing that made Aelita giggle, and the others gave a friendly laugh. Despite today being so suspenseful, tiring, and tense from being chased by those Dark Phoenix enforcers, dealing with a little sister's betrayal and almost getting killed by monsters, Gumball and Aelita were very grateful that things turned out well in the end, with Sonic and his own routine coming in to save the day from their doom. Hopefully now that they're on the side of the good guys, they'll feel much safer. But they knew that there was a fight up ahead, so for now they should just enjoy it while they can.


Back with Ratchet and Clank, the two were exploring the SPD Base Halls. It was almost late and they knew they needed to get some well earned rest. After all, they have just beatened a squad of Shadowkan and Vicious Mercenaries, so they needed it. For two space travelers who have been in a galaxy that was very high tech and more advanced than humans, they were a bit impressed how he SPD's own technology was more advanced than what they have red in the reports.

"Wow... this place really must have it all." Ratchet said. "For a species who are only at Level 2 Technology, they're truly in the right direction."

"They are probably using technology that is what they have considered Alien." Clank said.

"Well, we're pretty much alien ourselves." Ratchet said.

"True." Clank said. "But we should still be very careful."

"Don't worry, Clank." Ratchet said. "Sonic trusts these guys, and that masked rider guy with the cool bike seems legit."

"It's not that I'm worried about." Clank said. "Those monsters that we have faced today were unlike anything we have ever seen. And if they come in all shapes and sizes, then there could be more of them on this planet." The little robot had a strong point. They have faced other alien life forms back in their galaxy, ranging from Blarg, Sea-Mutants, Robots, Protopets, even the Thugs-4-Less. These Shadow-Mutants were unlike anything they have ever seen. Good thing Ratchet spent two weeks training as a Commado during his time in Bogon, otherwise they wouldn't have had stood a chance despite having loads ot weapons. They didn't know much about these monsters, but Ratchet knew one thing, Clank was right. They'll need to be careful, and not be too cocky.

"You're absolutely right." Ratchet said. "We better let the Rangers know about this just to be safe. We'll inform Elaris where we are so they don't get worried."

"Check." Clank said. Pretty soon, they were joined by Sonic, Ben, Jak, Daxter, CJ and Lincoln, with the latter still amazed that he's inside the SPD headquarters.

"Wow... to think the outside looked amazing, the halls are even more amazing." Lincoln said.

"Yeah, this certainly beats home." Jak said. "Haven City's got it's own share of advanced technology, but nothing like this."

"And Spargus is more of an outland post-apocalypse city." Daxter said. "I can get used to this place."

"You know, it's nice that we got to meet up with old friends, and new friends." Ben said. "And it's more cool that we're all fighting side by side."

"Yeah." Sonic said, but he didn't look at the boy. He only glanced forward, much to Ben's notice.

"You ok?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, I'm trying to be." Sonic said.

"Never faced monsters like that before, huh?" Ben asked. "You're not the only one who hasn't."

"It's not that what's bugging me." Sonic said.

"Then what is?" Ratchet asked.

"Aelita." Sonic said.

"The pink haired girl?" Daxter asked. "What about her? You weren't expecting her to end up as a teen mom or something?"

"Dax, don't say that." Jak said.

"I'm just saying." Daxter said.

"No, not that... well, actually yes." Sonic said. "It's been a whole year since I've seen her after the ARK incident, and I didn't expect so much change since the last time we've talked."

"Oh, did she tell you about what happened?" Lincoln asked.

"What happened?" Ben asked, with the white haired boy looking at him with a bit of surprise.

"Wait, you guys don't know?" Lincoln asked.

"Know what?" Ben asked. Sonic stopped in his tracks, and so did everyone else.

"Ok, what's going on?" Jak asked. The blue hedgehog glanced at his friends, and started to think. Should he tell them?

"Sonic." CJ said. "I'm sure they can handle it. You can tell them." Hearing his encouragement helped the speed demon find the strength to talk about it.

"You ever heard of the Kadic Massacre?" Sonic asked.

"The Kadic Massacre?" Ben asked with a bit of surprise, as Jak and Daxter were also aware of. "Yeah, I've heard about it. Grandpa Max told me about shortly after it happened.

"I'm sorry, what's the Kadic Massacre?" Ratchet asked.

"A Massacre is an event where crazed people slaughter other people." Daxter said.

"I know what Massacre means." Ratchet said.

"He was asking about the event." Clank said.

"Oooh." Daxter said.

"It happened in the beginning of Fall last year." Jak said. "The incident took place at Kadic Academy."

"One of the many boarding schools for students with talents and exceeding expectations." Ben said.

"Last September during the start of the school year, the place was ravaged by terrorists." Jak said. "They just showed up at the school with guns and weapons, started killing anyone that stood in their way."

"The worse part was that nobody escaped it." Ben said. "Teachers and students alike were blown and ripped to pieces as the terrorists charged right in. The whole school was destroyed in their path, and there were no survivors. The place has been abandoned since, and now acts like a ghost town." Ratchet and Clank were quite surprised. A bunch of psychos attacking a school and slaughtering everyone inside? That was very surprising.

"Geez." Ratchet said.

"That is very sad." Clank said. "No survivors?"

"Well... except for one." CJ said, with him and Lincoln looking at Sonic.

"Aelita is the sole survivor of the attack." Sonic said. "Her friends were slaughtered in the incident."

"Oh my gosh." Ben said.

"Now that is even more sad." Clank said.

"The attack was actually not by terrorists." CJ said. "It was coordinated by the Dark Phoenix."

"So they attacked the school?" Jak asked. "Why?"

"Because they were searching for notes regarding Franz Hopper." Lincoln said.

"Franz Hopper?" Ben asked, even more surprised.

"You know about him, do you?" CJ asked.

"Sorta." Ben said. "He was someone that my grandfather told me about. He said that he infiltrated the organization Hopper was involved with and helped him out of there years ago."

"Hopper... he's also Aelita's father." Sonic said. Everyone, except for CJ and Lincoln were surprised.

"Really?" Ben asked.

"So she must be another reason why they attacked the school." Ratchet said. "They must've kidnapped her to get information on his work."

"And they slaughtered everyone who stood in their way." Clank said. "Now that is, how you humans say, graphic." Noticing Lincoln and CJ's far less surprised reactions, Sonic glanced at them.

"Did you guys know that Aelita was Hopper's daughter?" Sonic asked.

"Well, not until this morning." CJ said.

"I actually met her a couple months ago." Lincoln said. "She had a little run in with me at the Gas Station, and I saved her from getting mugged on the streets later that night. I recognized her when I saw a photo with her and Franz. We started making the connection."

"You ran into her?" Sonic asked surprised.

"Yeah." Lincoln said. "I saved her, and I helped her get out of the city. I just wished I could've done more though."

"It's alright..." Sonic said. "You saved her. Thanks." The blue hedgehog than glanced at the floor.

"Her friends were my friends too." he continued. "They helped me and Tails so much. But now they're gone. They were the only people Aelita considered family. I just didn't realize how easy it is to lose people." He couldn't help but shake his head. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Ben, who knelt down to face him.

"I know what it's like to lose people too." Ben said. "We all have. But don't let that get to you. If there's one thing that I know, is that we have another reason to keep fighting. We'll show those Phoenix freaks what happens when they mess with friends and family, and we'll prove that our sacrifices will not be in vain." CJ gave a smile.

"He's right." He said. "We're all in this together."

"Yeah, we got your back." Lincoln said.

"Definitely." Ratchet said as Clank gave a nod.

"So, let me just get this straight." Daxter said. "We're gonna go up against actually people, with actually weapons, and an army of mutants monsters who wanna kill us?!"

"Yeah." Jak said. "Pretty much that." Daxter only gave a defeated sigh, but then he smiled.

"Well, you're all not gonna last long without me, so I'm in." Daxter said. The blue hedgehog glanced at seven, who were all willing to stand by him and help him take down the Dark Phoenix. He gave a smile.

"Thanks guys." Sonic said. "You're all the best."

"So... what now?" Lincoln asked.

"We turn in for the night." CJ said. "Tomorrow we got a big day ahead of us. So expect some training. We gotta be ready for anything that comes our way."

"Sounds good to me." Sonic said. "No doubt those Dark Phoenix guys and those Shadow monsters are probably gonna be amping up for what's going to come."


The Headquarters of the Dark Phoenix...

In the office that served as his most comfortable place to be alone, Wallace Breen was waiting for an update on Hydra Force. It has already been hours since he last spoken with Drex, and unfortunately, there was no word. He was sure hoping that it wasn't a good sign. He was actually hoping for everything to go so smoothly. He wasn't expecting Hydra Force to struggle with capturing the girl and that Shadow-Mutant hybrid. And with the Shadowkan that Drex managed to persuade to help them, it shouldn't have been too much trouble.

He was about out of his thoughts as one of the workers came into the room, feeling a bit nervous. Not only because he was a rookie, but from the look on his face, he was ready to give Breen some bad news.

"Um... sir?" The rookie asked.

"Yes, what is it?" Breen asked.

"We have some... startling news." The rookie spoke.

"And what would that be?" Breen asked. The man only stood there, completely nervous, and trying his best to find the words to say. "Please, tell me now."

"Just... don't shoot the messenger." The rookie said.

"I won't." Breen said. "Tell me what happened."

"Hydra Force was unable to capture Hopper's daughter and the family that was protecting her." The rookie said. "Drex has been gravely wounded and all of his men are... dead."

"What?" Breen asked. "Did. You. Just. Say?"

"Hydra Force is down, sir." The rookie said, more nervously. "Drex is alive but in critical condition, but the rest of Hydra Force have been eliminated. And most of the Shadowkan that were helping the squadron are also dead. Only General Voidus, Gorgon, and Lionizer are the only survivors, but their location is unknown." Wallace only sat in his seat, still not turning his head.

"So... you're saying a 36 year-old cat and some boy with Professor Moshimo's killing machine took out Hydra Force?" Breen asked.

"Well... not alone sir." The rookie said. "They had help... from others." Wallace turned his chair, and his head was staring directly at the man, with a raised, stern eyebrow.

"Others?" Wallace asked.

"We don't have much confirmation, but the SPD's Captain Japan and the Yeti helped them in taking out Drex and the rest of Hydra Squad. We also have evidence that the famous Ben Tennyson was also part of the-" The rookie said, only for Wallace to grab the coffee cup from his table and then threw it across the room, surprising the man giving the information. Breen then began to push his chair over and pulled the kilt off the table, but it didn't pull the silverware, plates, or the nice vase with the flowers in it. Within a couple of seconds, Wallace then just pushed everything off the table in his fit, and then pushed the table to its side. He then turned around and threw the vase across the floor. Yes, he was indeed angry, like Kylo Ren when he used his lightsaber to smash everything in his path when he would get bad news. A few moments have passed before Breen turned his head, not looking at the messenger, but showing that he was still listening.

"Anything else?" He asked, with the rookie feeling a bit more scared.

"They were four others as well..." He answered. "A man with a ravage orange rat on his shoulder, a furry animal with a robot on his back... and... and..."

"And?" Breen asked.

"They were also accompanied by a blue hedgehog-" The rookie said.

-BOOM!-

That was the sound of a pistol when Wallace Breen turned around and shot the rookie in the leg with a pistol he pulled out of hic coat, causing him to scream and fall to the floor. Dr. Breen approached him and continued to fire shots, up the man's legs, his arm and pelvis. As the poor man laid there, Breen picked him up and pulled him close to his face, which was very, very, angry.

"Did you say... Blue Hedgehog?!" He asked with a loud voice.

"Y...yes..." The rookie said in pain. "S...Sonic the Hedgehog... He was there to..."

"Congratulations." Breen said. "You've just been relieved of service." He aimed the gun at the rookie's head.

"NOOO!-"

-BOOM!-


-CRASH!-

The complete echos of trees breaking apart was from General Voidus, who may have survived his onslaught against Captain Japan, but lost all but two of his own crew. This was not a very good day for him. Not only was he defeated, again, by Captain Japan, but he was defeated by a man with an orange rat, a furry alien with a robot backpack, the infamous El Tigre, the famous Ben Tennyson, and the legendary blue hedgehog. He didn't expect that Captain Japan would bring that much help.

But he was more bitter about his defeat against the one who destroyed his master. Since Lord Destruction's defeat, General Voidus has been off the radar for quite sometime, that is until the Dark Phoenix managed to keep a close tab on him. He's never one for working for humans, but he was hoping that this was a sign that there was still a chance to destroy Captain Japan, but no. General Voidus got his butt kicked again, and now he was throwing a temper tantrum.

"How can this be?!" Voidus shouted as he kicked a nearby tree, causing it to fall over. "We were so close! So close of destroying Captain Japan!"

"Yo, relax!" Gorgon said. "Pull yourself together. So what, Captain Japan defeated us, but we'll get him next time. We just need to find more Shadowkan."

"Ummm... wait, I thought that was all we got left." Lionizer said.

"Don't tell him that!" Gorgon said.

"Well, I'm not the one who got thrown across the field by some tiger boy." Lionizer said.

"Well, what about you mister two blades?" Gorgon asked. "You got your dick sticks pixelated by some furry cat alien! I thought you were the professional here."

"Oh, will you two shut up!" Voidus shouted as he picked up part of the large bark from the tree and hurtled it towards Gorgon and Lionizer, who quickly ducked out of the way as the bark flew above them and into the bushes behind them.

"Oh boy, he's pissed." Lionizer said.

"Now Voidy, no need to get a pissy at us." Gorgon said. "It's not our fault Captain Japan and his Tiger Partner kicked your sorry ass-" Too late, for the General grabbed the winged shadowkan's wing, tugging hard and pulling him across the floor.

"Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow!" The winged Shadow-Kaijin said in pain. He then pushed him into the tree next to him while Lionizer watched from behind.

"I swear...!" Voidus hissed. "If I hadn't promised our Lord on his deathbed that I wouldn't kill you, I would kill you now!"

"Oh believe me, nobody appreciates that more than I do." Gorgon said. "So why not just get it over with already?"

"Shut up!" Voidus hissed. "Just shut up... I do not want to hear another word out of you while we're in the middle of nowhere. Do you understand me?" Gorgon didn't say anything, until Voidus began to shake him.

"Do You Understand The Words Coming Out of My Mouth?!" Voidus shouted.

"Well, how am I suppose to answer? You told me to shut my mouth up!" Gorgon answered, with the General beginning to raise his fist up, ready to punch him.

"Whoa, whoa, remember your mama!" Gorgon whimpered. Then the General turned around to punch Lionizer.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lionizer shouted, but it was too late.

-POW-

A smack was met from Voidus's fist to Lionizer's face, causing the Shadowkan to fall backwards, rubbing his sore spot.

"Ow, you punched me." Lionizer said, caressing his own cheek.

"Oh, can this day get any worse?" Voidus asked himself, completely unaware of several soldiers with the Dark Phoenix sigil on their suits, emerging from the trees with weapons.

"General Voidus." a voice spoke, getting their attention. The three Shadowkan turned around to see the Dark Phoenix soldiers with their guns aimed at them, ready to shoot on command.

"Oh great, it just got worse." Voidus said.

"Well, we had a good run fellas." Gorgon said, with the General giving a cold glare at the winged mutant. "Sorry, shutting up."

"At ease, gentlemen." a voice spoke, with the soldiers lowering their weapons. The source of the voice began to emerge from behind them, showing a enigmatic soldier, dressed in a type of suit just like Captain Japan, or any other Kamen Rider, but his suit was completely red, with various wires on his arms, with a turquoise visor and chest component. He stepped forward between the soldiers and the Shadowkan.

"Sorry for the intrusion." The mysterious man said. "Hope we weren't interferring with anything." The General only squinted his eyes and he glanced at the armored warrior.

"And who... are you?" Voidus asked.

"Some call me by many names... though in this form I am known as Blood Stalk." The warrior said.

"Blood Stalk?" Voidus asked.

"Yes, but I am also known by many other names..." Blood Stalk said as he clicked the belt around his waist, causing it to flash in a bright light. but as the light cleared, it revealed a man, with his hair shaved down, and he wore combat gear.

"Hannibal Mago... Mark James Hollenback... or sometimes the Magician." The man said.

"And why are you here?" Voidus asked.

"We already worked with you guys, and you guys suuucked!" Gorgon spoke out.

"Yeah, what he said." Lionizer said.

"No need to worry." The man, Hannibal said. "I am just a friend of someone that you may have already met, and unlike him, I tend to show compassion to my comrades. I'm here to offer you guys a position at the Dark Phoenix."

"For what?" Voidus asked. "Experimentation?"

"No." Hannibal said. "We just want knowledge of your kind, and resources. And in return, we shall give you everything that was taken from you. After all, the Shadowkan Sorceress really wishes to see you again." The General then tilted his head. He knew who Hannibal was talking about. A Sorceress. What was she doing with them? The only way for him to find out... was to collaborate with them.

"Ok, you have my full cooperation." Voidus said, with the man giving a smile.

"Splendid..." Hannibal said.


Well, this is the end of this chapter, and the next chapter is also almost in completion too, though I don't know when I'm gonna post it.

Like I said, the chapters will be at an unspecified schedule, especially since I don't know what's going to be going down for the next few weeks work-wise due to the Covid-19 situation. So far, while I was originally scheduled to work, but with business being a bit slowly due to all this happening, I've been given time off until all of this blows over, which I hope won't be too long.

I'm trying my best to stay positive during all this, yet it is a bit difficult with everything going on. But even if I can't go to work for a while, at least I have more time at home to continue writing... I just hope I can get new PC soon.

There's no telling how long all of this Covid-19 will last, maybe a while, but it will get better eventually. Until then, you guys stay healthy, stay home, and be sure to wash your hands right after you handle anything, including money.