A/N: Hello, everyone! Here I am again with another chapter of Awakened. This one is a special chapter because this is the first time on FanFiction that one of my stories has reached 30 chapters and over 10,000 views! Wow, I can't believe Awakened has been around for two years (the story was written in 2018) and here we are in 2020 with 30 chapters and counting! I gotta say, it's amazing. I always used to get Writer's Block whenever a story of mine reached over 20 chapters, the fact that Awakened has 30 and I haven't decided to give up on it is impressive. I'm so happy. I want to thank my co-writer/close friend Infinite's Ruby for helping me out as well as TGN, SharpDragonKlaw, and others. There are only 10 more chapters left, so let's do it to it :)

Suggested Music:

(1) Shamar (Hub World Day) - Sonic Unleashed OST

(2) Metal Sonic Boss Battle - Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Ep. 2 OST

(3) Adabat (Hub World Night) - Sonic Unleashed OST

(4) Cool Edge Day - Sonic Unleashed OST

(5) Black Bull Boss - Shadow the Hedgehog OST

(6) Miss You - Sonic and the Secret Rings OST

(7) Egg Nega Wisp (Phase 1) - Sonic Colors OST

Without further ado, enjoy the show!


Around the World in Three Days: Part 3

~Synergy's P.O.V. (1)

Here it is… the final day of my world tour.

Gotta say I had a ton of fun exploring the world, learning about different cultures, and getting to know more about the Resistance. It's hard to believe two days went by so quickly. I guess that's what happens when you're having fun.

Anyways, the last day of my world tour began with an odd start. Instead of doing some form of activity, I stood alongside Team Hooligan in the hottest place on the planet: Shamar. From where we stood, we watched as people carried buckets of apples over their heads and shopped over at small fruit carts. Many of the people had dark skin and wore clothing with mysterious symbols on them. From what Tails told me, people wore those logos to honor their ancestors and their religions. Pretty interesting if you ask me. Unfortunately, I wasn't learning about their culture at the moment. Team Hooligan and I stood in the shade, watching civilians walk by.

"Here we are, boys, the jackpot," Nack softly chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "This place is a gold mine. A perfect place to practice our specialty."

"Dancing to obnoxiously loud music?" Bean rubbed his head.

"No, that's our second specialty. I'm talking about a thief's favorite hobby; pickpocketing."

The green duck gasped with excitement. "Yes! Because my dancing skills are rusty. This fat gut can't do the Disco Ducky Tango anymore."

Bark facepalmed.

"What's pickpocketing?" I inquired, raising my hand.

Nack and Bean looked straight at me.

"Ah, nertz," Nack folded his arms. "I forgot he was here. So, Synergy. Pickpocketing is a useful skill you're gonna need in life. You see, there's gonna be a time where you want something that someone else has. Instead of offering them money, you take it from them."

"So, we're stealing?" I scratched my head.

"Not exactly stealing," Nack replied. "More like… taking something you can't live without."

"…That's stealing."

Nack, Bean, and Bark gave each other the same moody glare.

"I don't know if he's cut out for this, Sheriff," Bean nudged his boss, talking in a Western accent. "This ol' whipper snapper's giving us an attitude. Should I get my attitude adjuster?"

"First off, stop talking in that voice, it's weird," Nack groaned. "Second, trust me, Bucket-head. You're gonna need this skill in life. Bark, show him how it's done."

With that, the white polar bear cracked his knuckles and moved into the crowd. He snuck past a few pedestrians and casually walked around as if he was one of them. He walked around for a few moments before he stopped, eyeballing someone's wallet. He whistled, looking off to the side. Slowly moving in, he quickly snatched the wallet in the blink of an eye. The woman he stole from didn't even flinch; all she did was talk with her child. Bark walked back to us and handed Nack her wallet.

"Ha-ha, nice one, Bark," Nack smiled, taking the wallet. "Let's see what we've got in here."

With that, the weasel opened the wallet and pulled out a piece of paper. He raised an eyebrow and read it to himself.

"To do list: get groceries, call Spike, Sonar, and Trevor. Break up with husband. What the heck is this?" he crumbled up the paper and tossed it over his shoulder. He and Bean searched through the wallet and found nothing. "You're kidding me, right? Who walks around with no money?"

Bark and I exchanged an awkward glance.

"Whatever," Nack shook his head. "You get the picture, don't you, Synergy? Let's see if Bark's skills can rub off on you. You're a Gizoid, right? The little fox tells me your kind can copy the abilities of others. Let's see if that's true. Why don't you…"

Nack kept holding his last word, searching for someone to steal from in the crowd. He and I scanned the environment for a few seconds before we saw someone with a black cloak and red metallic shoes beside us.

"Him," the weasel finished with a grin.

"I'm not sure if I can do this," I told him. "How would Sonic and the others react to this?"

"They'll understand… just kidding, they won't because they'll never find out, shush! Okay, go get em', tiger."

Pushing me into the crowd, the Hooligans watched me get to work.

At first, my body froze; I had no idea what the heck I was doing. Yes, I did have the ability to copy moves from others, but most of the moves in my system are combat-related. Pickpocketing has nothing to do with combat whatsoever. But I didn't want to make myself look like a fool, so I moved in for the kill.

Sneaking past the crowd, I slowly approached the black-cloaked man, but he turned to the right. Panicking, I leaped to the side of a building, hiding in the shadows. I watched Nack, Bean, and Bark mouth to one another. Sneering at the man, I quietly moved forward and turned my back away from him. I scanned his cloak and discovered his wallet sitting in the back corner of his pocket. Rubbing my fingers, I looked around one last time before I snatched the wallet in the blink of an eye.

Nack, Bean, and Bark's eyes widened.

Then… I held up my prize.

"Atta boy, Synergy!" Nack cheered softly.

Before I went back to them, I heard a voice come beside me. It was the man I stole from.

"Pickpocketing is a very useful skill, Synergy… but it won't do you any good in the Eggman Empire." (1s)

Turning the man, I watched him rip off his cloak. Everyone in the crowd stopped what they were doing and dropped all of their belongings on the sand. They gasped and started panicking…

…the cloaked man was Metal Sonic.

Nack, Bean, and Bark's faces went pale.

"Uh, oh," Nack said. "That ain't good." (2)

Metal Sonic cracked his fingers, as I tossed his wallet to the side. I got down into a battle pose and observed people running away from what was about to be our donnybrook.

"How many times do I have to destroy you?" I asked.

"You were lucky during those times," Metal answered. "This time, we're fighting on my terms. This is your last chance to surrender to the Eggman Empire."

"Not gonna happen, Copycat!"

"Fine… you've had your chance!"

Metal dashed forward and took a few swipes at me; I dodged each of them and kicked him in the chest. I curled into a ball and spun dashed into him, sending him crashing into a set of barrels. Just as I threw a punch, he blocked my fist and kicked me in my side, blasting me in the chest with a wave of purple energy. I snarled and activated my Knuckles Emulation. My hands drilled into the robot, but at the last second, he formed a black shield around his body, blocking my attacks. He then deactivated his shield and tackled me.

As we fought, I could hear a conversation from Team Hooligan escalating.

"Welp, I'm out of here," Nack turned around and walked away.

"Hey, hey, where are you going?" Bean snarled.

"I'm not getting arrested by the Eggman Empire."

"Yeah, but we can't just leave this dude. He's gonna get captured by Eggman."

"I missed the part where that's my problem."

"Yeah, but if he gets captured, Mr. Needlemouse and his band of goodie-two-shoes are gonna have us arrested by G.U.N. and I don't think you wanna go back to those bathrooms."

Nack's eyes widened. I'm not sure what the duck meant by that, but I was more focused on fighting against Metal. As I was pinned to the ground, I watched the weasel turn around and whip out his popgun. He loaded it and jumped out into the spotlight, shooting corks at the robot's head. Bean jumped on top of Metal's face and punched him twice, but he was grabbed and slammed into his boss's chest.

Bark grabbed Metal and bashed him against the wall.

"You have the Hooligans helping you?" Metal chuckled. "Pathetic. Are you really that weak, Synergy?"

"Ain't nothing wrong with having a little backup," I quipped. "Something you should've thought of before you came here."

"I don't need anyone's help to finish you!"

Just as Metal leaped forward, Bark grabbed him again and held him tight.

"Get clear, get clear, I'm about to make some fireworks!" Bean, holding a bomb in his hands, shouted. He chucked it forward and it landed on the ground. Bark dropped Metal on top of the bomb and evaded to the side. The robot chuckled evilly and pressed his fingers against the ignited string; he diffused the bomb.

"Did you seriously think a black sphere with a string was going to stop me?" he inquired.

With a huge smirk on his face, the green duck shook his head and snapped his fingers…

…the bomb exploded in Metal's face. (2s)

A puff of smoke clouded our vision. We covered our eyes and wiped away the smoke. From there, we looked at the aftermath of Metal's defeat and saw the robot buried underneath a pile of rubble. His red eyes were shaped like spirals and he laid motionless against the sand. Bean approached the robot and stepped on his head, wiping his hands.

"You dare underestimate my power?" he asked.

Before he could throw another one-liner, the duck was cut off by the sound of clapping from the distance. People hiding in their homes came out into the streets and cheered for all of us. Nack placed his gun away and Bark rubbed his fists. We all stood together, as the crowd gathered around us, applauding, whistling, and thanking us for our heroism.

The Hooligans were shocked, but Bean let out a smile.

"Thank you, citizens, thank you," he joked. "All in the days work for the Fearsome Foursome. I'm sure that name's taken, but I'm using it for now."

Nack stared at the crowd before he started to smile. "Huh… what the heck is this tingly feeling inside me?... is this… happiness?"

"It's a skill you're gonna need in life," I wrapped my arm around Nack's shoulder. The weasel rolled his eyes. Bean and Bark shared a laugh with us, as he waved the people goodbye and went on our way. "Now, let's do something fun this time. I want to get as much done before we head back to the Mineral Museum."

Venturing through the town, we searched for more adventure.


~Synergy's P.O.V. (Continued) (3)

"What do you think, Espio?"

"According to this evidence, Vector… the thieves probably went this way."

"Man, I'm hungry! Can we get something to eat after this?"

"Hush, Charmy! We're in the middle of a case!"

"Blah, blah, blah! I'm hungry, Vector!"

In a beachy environment known as Adabat, I walked down a sandy pathway in a forest alongside Team Chaotix, Mighty, and Ray. At first, we were brought here to spend some time on the beach; however, the locals reported that thieves were stealing fresh coconuts from their trees. Apparently, a big thing to do in this place was to drink fresh milk from coconuts. I've never experienced that before in the Nocturnus Clan, but you know what they say, you learn something new every day.

Like right now, we were about to learn who stole these coconuts.

As we strolled down the path, we noticed that coconut shells were scattered across the grass.

"Whoever did this, they really stink at hiding evidence," Mighty chuckled, touching one of the coconuts. "Why would anyone steal milk from coconuts when they can easily buy some at the store?"

"Actually, Mighty," Espio chimed in. "People in Adabat don't sell milk in stores like they do in other places. In this country, they'd go into the forest and find fresh milk from coconuts. It's a nice way of using the environment, but you also have to be professional when it comes to this stuff. Meaning that you'd have to be an expert climber to get half of these coconuts."

"Unless you're awesome like me and can fly!" Charmy chuckled.

"Yes, Charmy," Espio mirrored his gesture.

"I know I made this joke before, but I really wish I was a real Mobian or a human," I folded my arms. "Half of the food I've seen makes me want to jump down and eat it all!"

"I feel your pain, man," Mighty patted my shoulder. "But hey, you are who you are. You shouldn't be upset about that."

"Yeah, I guess so… I just wish I could eat dumplings. Those looked delicious."

Suddenly, we heard a crack in the bushes. (3s)

"What was that?" Charmy gasped.

"Shush!" Vector hushed all of us, as we slowly tip-toed towards the bushes. Vector looked back at us once again and motioned to Espio, telling him to step forward. He did so and he grabbed one side of the bush. "Okay, everyone. When I say go, attack whoever's there, got it?"

"C-c-could it b-be the b-b-b-b-bad guys?" Ray inquired.

"Who knows?" Charmy replied. "But don't worry, Ray. If anything happens, I got your back."

"T-thanks, Charmy," Ray smiled. "M-m-me too."

"Everyone ready?" Vector asked.

All of us nodded at once.

"One," Vector mouthed. "Two… three!"

With Vector and Espio pulling back the bushes, Ray, Charmy, Mighty and I leaped through like a pack of wild wolves. We tackled a mysterious shadow in front of us and pinned it down to the ground. A broken coconut fell out of its hands. Milk spilled out and flowed across the sand.

"Ow! Hey, man!"

The voice sounded familiar.

"Wait a minute," Charmy rubbed his head. All of us jumped off the figure and we were all shocked to see who it was…

…It was Bean.

"BEAN!?" All of us shouted at once.

"Sheesh, if you guys wanted some, all you had to do was ask," the duck scoffed, brushing his fur.

"What are you doing out here!?" Mighty snarled.

"W-w-w-why are you s-s-stealing all the c-c-coconuts?" Ray inquired.

"Duh, so I can make this," Bean pointed over his shoulder.

Each of us looked forward and saw a large fort made entirely out of coconuts. There was a wide-open door and giant holes meant for windows. Beside the house was a mailbox and a sign that read, "Casa De Bean". Everyone, even I, couldn't help but cringe.

"You like it?" Bean asked happily. "I've been debating on what I should make the furniture out of."

The duck reached down and took out a pair of yellow and pink objects from a metal bucket.

"I also found a yellow sponge and a pink starfish in the ocean. I thought of using them for something, but I am not sure what you can do with a sponge and a starfish."

As everyone kept the same face as before, I couldn't help but laugh. I slapped my knee caps and laughed my head off. If I had lungs, I'd say I couldn't breathe because of how hard I laughed. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. Even Bean was thrown off by my behavior.

"Uh… is he supposed to do that?" he asked.

As I laid on the sand below my feet, I continued laughing.


~Synergy's P.O.V. (Continued) (4)

"WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!" Tangle shouted at the top of her lungs. "This is so awesome!"

Her, Whisper, and I took a trip down to the coldest region of Mobius: Holoska. We were in the middle of sliding down the mountain in a strange contraption called a bobsled. To work this vehicle, three or four people have to steer in the same direction at the same time.

This would be simple for us…

…if Tangle could just sit still.

"Oh yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaah! Whoooo hoooo!" She shouted again, as she moved to the left and to the right, making this light-weight bobsled move in different directions. I found myself sitting behind her, screaming at the highest pitch my voice could go. Whisper didn't show much fear as I did, but her Wisps were the opposite.

Turning around, I could tell Whisper was afraid we would crash into something, but she didn't show it. Although, she did hug one of her Wisps, hoping that we'd make it out okay.

She gave me a look and she shook her head.

"Let's hope we make it out of here in one piece," she told me.

"Likewise," I replied. My voice shook as I spoke.

Tangle drove us up the edge of an iceberg before we fell straight down to the bottom. We drove down a slide and went up and around a loop-de-loop. The lemur snickered, cackled, howled, and snorted as we rode through the snow; Whisper and I were hoping to get off soon.

I know I sound negative when I say that, but it would be more fun if Tangle didn't drive us down a dangerous pathway.

"Isn't this fun, you guys?" Tangle turned and asked us. "Why aren't you screaming? This is amazing!"

"It's okay," Whisper answered.

"It would be more awesome if we weren't about to hit that!" I pointed.

The lemur turned around and noticed that we were about to hit two icemakers chopping blocks of ice with their axes. All three of us shouted loudly, as we all turned to the left in unison.

Luckily, we drifted past the icemakers and we came to a sudden stop, spooking the heck out a few more people. Everyone turned their eyes towards us and shouted, "Watch where you're going!"

The bobsled halted on the snow, nearly tipping us over. (4s)

Tangle was the first to hop out of the vehicle, pumping her fists and bouncing on her tail. "Wow! That was intense! My blood is pumping! Remember when we slid down that one slope and nearly fell off the ledge, but I grabbed that pole with my tail and saved us!? Gosh, that was so incredible! Oh, oh! And remember when we nearly hit these people just now!"

She approached Whisper and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

"We should watch where we're going next time!"

Suddenly, Whisper pulled out her weapon and pressed it against Tangle's chest, pushing her back.

"Whoops!" Tangle backed away from the silent wolf. "Personal boundaries… right. So, what should we do now?"

"Not sure," I shrugged. "You two are the bosses around here. What do you think we should do?"

"We should head home," Whisper answered, as she started walking back.

"W-what?" Tangle exclaimed. "But why? We just got here!"

"It's getting late."

"So?"

"The Resistance would want us back to the Mineral Museum. We've had enough fun for today."

"Oh, come on! Don't be such a party pooper!"

"I'm… not being a party pooper… I just… I just want to go home."

I shared a glance with the lemur.

"Are you all right, Whisper?" I inquired. "You've seemed distressed since I met you. Is there something wrong?"

"It's nothing, Synergy," she shook her head, tugging on her mask. "You and Tangle and continue exploring this area. I'm heading back to the museum-"

"HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" a sudden voice cried in the far distance. The three of us turned around to see what was going on. We didn't see much…

…aside from an explosion in the distance. (5)

"Whoa, what's happening there?" I rubbed my head.

"Not sure, but we better check things out!" Tangle gently punched my arm. "Come on, guys! Let's do it to it!"

Whisper loaded her Variable Wispon and ran after the lemur. I halted for a bit before I joined them.

Running down the snowy environment, we suddenly came across a village that was overrun by abstract robots.

These machines were shaped like bumblebees, ladybugs, turtles, etc. Some of them were even shaped by the same Dr. Eggman character I ran into in the Mystic Jungle. And others were giant purple behemoths with massive hammers in their hands.

They terrorized a local town in front of us.

Burning down homes, smacking igloos to pieces, and even stepping on food carts. These robots weren't screwing around and the fact that they took their anger out on these innocent people made me want to unleash my rage onto them.

In other words, I wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine.

"Oh, my gosh!" Tangle cupped her hands over her mouth. "Rogue Badniks!?"

"Rogue Badniks?" I inquired.

Tangle turned to me. "After the Phantom Ruby War ended and Eggman escaped G.U.N. custody, there's been a series of Badnik attacks in random areas. I guess the Resistance missed some here in Holoska."

"Phantom Ruby War?" I questioned again.

"Never mind, it's a long story."

"They'll pay for what they're doing!" Whisper cocked her weapon, as she ran forward and used her Cube Hammer to slam the ground, forming blue shock waves that stunned a few ladybug robots. She then activated Rocket mode and launched orange projectiles to bumblebee drones above her head.

"Let's do this!" Tangle hollered, waving her fist in the air.

Thanks to her flexible tail, she was able to wrap herself around three robots and tear them in half in the blink of an eye. I followed close behind Whisper and shot my right arm forward; I extended my claws and scratched multiple drones in half before they could step on someone's igloo.

Rushing towards a family of three by the ice house, I grabbed them and avoided the massive purple behemoth in front of me; it nearly stepped on me. I activated my jet boosters and dashed forward, where I ran past Tangle and Whisper.

The two of them tackled the gigantic drone; the wolf bashed its head in with her hammer.

I laid the family down on the ground, but I noticed that their baby daughter was crying.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She pointed to something that sat in the middle of the battlefield.

A stuffed bear.

"Seriously?" I rubbed my head. "You want that?"

She nodded her head.

"Okay then," I shrugged.

Swerving away from the corner, I ran down the snowy field in hopes of getting that bear, but just as it was within my reach, a giant foot kicked it away from me. The toy flew to the left and slide across the ice, where it almost landed in the frozen water. I internally panicked and rushed towards it before I was suddenly shot at by ballistic missiles.

Turning around, I realized that some of the ladybug robots had rocket launchers stuck on their shells. They fired more missiles at me, and I evaded most of them; one of them got me in the chest.

Where I found myself skidding across the ground, I got back up and snarled at the cyborgs.

But they just kept firing projectiles at me.

"Buzz off!" I grunted at them, as I activated my Knuckles Emulation and drilled deep into the robots, ripping them to shreds, watching circuitry fly all over the place, and tearing them piece by piece. I finished off both of them before I went to grab the stuffed animal.

But as I grabbed it, I heard a shout from Whisper.

"NO!" She howled at the top of her lungs. "Come back!"

I looked to my right and saw her chasing after a piece of paper flying across the wind.

Really? I thought. The town's being attacked, and you're worried about a piece of paper? And I thought I was stupid.

"Come back!" she shouted again. She jumped up to grab the paper, but she missed it. "No, no, no! I can't lose that!"

Holding the doll in my hand, I looked at it before my green eyes gazed upon Whisper and the paper. I wasn't sure what to do until I saw that Tangle was nearly finished with the robots.

"Hey, guys!" she called, as she was punched by a robot resembling Eggman. "I could use some help here!"

She was bombarded with more enemies.

"Hands off, guys!" she snarled at them. "Take an easy, will ya?"

I was stuck in the middle; I couldn't decide what to do.

Should I help Tangle protect the village or should I help Whisper fetch her item? Whatever that paper is, it looked important to Whisper and I knew losing it would make her feel bad. I looked at her and watched as she dealt with more enemies, hoping to get her item back. But I looked at Tangle and saw that enemies grabbed her by the tail and slammed her around like a ragdoll.

What would Sonic and the Resistance do in a situation like this?

I couldn't think any longer, I had to do something fast!

Looking at the stuffed animal, I forcefully lunged it upward into the air. Then, I cracked the circuits in my fingers and dashed towards Tangle. Activating my Knuckles Emulation again, I drilled deep into the robots that attacked her as fast as I could. I then copied Sonic's Spin Dash ability into my biodata and homed in on five enemies. Rolling into them caused them to explode, to which I untucked and stood up on my feet. Tangle managed to finish off the rest of the enemies, whereas I jumped on top of a food cart, leaped off a few rooftops, spun off a chimney, and vaulted through the air.

Reaching my arm forward, I grabbed the piece of paper Whisper was chasing.

Tangle smacked three more enemies.

Whisper stopped in her tracks.

The stuffed animal fell into my hands.

And the battle was finally over. (5s)

People came out of their hiding places and cheered for us, clapping their hands and waving their arms. I looked over at the people, as they came over and patted my shoulders, thanking me and my friends for saving their town. Tangle shook hands with everyone and Whisper silently waved. It was at that moment I returned the stuffed animal to the infant and her mother thanked me. Just as the family and the other people walked away to rebuild their town, I glanced down at the picture, curious as to what it was…

…I was met with shocking results.

Turns out it wasn't an ordinary piece of paper; it was a picture of Whisper surrounded by other Mobians. To her right was a purple and light grey mimic octopus. To her left was a teal, turquoise, and white ocelot. Behind the trio was a brown-furred lion and on the bottom was a green howler monkey. Each of them was surrounded by Wisps and they all wore similar attire as Whisper.

Who were these people?

Whisper approached me and I gently handed the picture to her. Tangle later came towards us.

"H-here… you dropped this," I said.

Whisper tugged on her mask and took her picture back. "Thank you… I didn't expect you to get it for me, but… thank you."

Tangle looked over Whisper's shoulder, snooping at the photo.

"Whoa, who are those guys?" she inquired. "Is that you? You guys look so cool! You're like a team of superheroes!"

Whisper chuckled. "Thanks… you can say we're superheroes, but that's not what we were."

"If you don't mind me asking, who are they?"

Whisper hesitated to answer the lemur's question at first. Taking off her mask, she took a deep breath and sat down on a rock behind us. Tangle and I sat down next to her.

"Are you all right, Whisper?" Tangle inquired.

"I-I'm fine… s-sorry," the wolf replied.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's okay… I'll tell you." (6)

Whisper took another deep breath and placed her hands on her knees. "Long ago, I was part of an Anti-Eggman mercenary team called the Diamond Cutters. There were five of us," she showed us the photo again, pointing to everyone around her. "Smithy the Lion, our crafter. Slinger the Ocelot, our marksman, Claire Voyance, our psychic op… and Mimic, the infiltrator."

The names were awesome, and their clothes were amazing in my opinion.

"We were always hired to take on the most dangerous missions…" Whisper's face dropped, and she prevented a tear from escaping her eyes. "I thought we were all committed to the cause."

Tangle and I exchanged a glance.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Whisper held her mask in her hands. "A couple of weeks before the Phantom Ruby War, the Diamond Cutters and I were hired by G.U.N. to investigate an Eggman Base in the middle of Green Hill Zone. Mimic planned out the whole operation. He, Smithy, Slinger, and Claire will infiltrate the base and download data relating to Eggman's plan. I asked what my role was, and Claire told me to be the lookout in case anything went wrong…

"I was reluctant to obey her command; however, she assured me that everything would be okay. A few hours later, I waited outside the Arsenal Pyramid and scanned through the video feed on my mask. Our masks were networked, allowing us to review our missions and study each other's tactics. I played back a live feed through Claire's mask and I saw that everyone made it into the base…

"Claire, Smithy, and Slinger were investigating an area filled with canisters that had small rubies inside. But there was something off, Mimic wasn't with them. I tried to see where he was, but I couldn't reach his mask's signal. I've contacted him a few times, but he hasn't responded. That's when it happened."

Whisper froze in the middle of her sentence and she clenched her fists.

She prevented more tears from escaping, but they flowed down her cheeks like rain.

I may not have known Whisper for as long as the Resistance has, but I knew this wasn't her normal behavior. Tangle hesitated to wrap her arm around the wolf's shoulder because she knew that Whisper was sensitive when it came to personal space.

But she decided it was the right thing to do.

And surprisingly, Whisper didn't mind. For she wrapped her finger's around Tangle's hand.

I had a feeling that if she told us how she lost the Diamond Cutters, she would feel worse.

"It's okay…" I spoke softly. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

Whisper looked at me in the eyes and sniffed. Wiping away her tears, she managed to pull it together. As much as I would like to know what happened, I didn't want to make her feel worse. But from the looks of it, she was about to tell us the truth.

"I managed to get a connection between my mask and Mimic's… and that's when I found out he wasn't who we thought he was. Turns out he was working for Dr. Eggman; he'd been leading all of us into a trap," Whisper continued with a soft sigh, "Claire, Smithy, and Slinger were ambushed by an army of drones that looked like Shadow, they were all lead by a team of five marauders: a water-like creature, Metal Sonic, a red monster, Shadow the Hedgehog, and a masked Jackal with a ruby in his chest… he commanded them through combat…

"Mimic managed to get out of there and disguised himself as Slinger, hoping to finish me off. Using my stealth, I hid in the trees. Thankfully, he didn't find me. As I watched him walk away, I jumped down and raced into the factory, praying that my friends were still alive… they weren't.

"I couldn't find their bodies. All I could find were their Wisps and masks… I thought they escaped… but the pessimist inside told me I had to accept the fact they were gone for good."

Tangle and I exchanged a sorrowful glance. I guess this Dr. Eggman person is more sinister than I thought. When he attacked me in Mystic Jungle, I thought he was just a goofball with wacky machinery. This was something else.

"Since then, I swore revenge against Mimic. I spent my days searching for him, praying that I'd make him pay for what he's done. Unfortunately, the Phantom Ruby War got in my way. I helped the Resistance a few times during the War, but I never joined their team."

"I guess that's why Silver calls you the Guardian Angel," Tangle said.

"Yes."

"But wait," Tangle also spoke. "I heard from Sonic and Amy that you attacked Shadow in White Park. Did he really do such a thing? If so, how could he be so heartless!? He's a G.U.N. yet he has the gall to do this to you!"

"No, no… the Shadow that killed the Diamond Cutters was a clone made by that jackal. I attacked Shadow in White Park out of impulse. I knew he was the real deal, but I let my emotions get the best of me… I'm just glad he didn't end my life."

Tangle looked at me again before she turned to Whisper. "If you were out looking for Mimic… why did you join the Resistance now? All they were doing was looking for Synergy."

"I guess… I guess… I guess I didn't want to be alone anymore."

Tangle let out a soft gasp before she found herself wrapped in Whisper's arm. The wolf softly cried into her shoulder. Her Wisps came out of her cloak and joined in the hug. Tangle frowned and hugged her back; her tail wrapped around everyone, including herself. I was tempted to join in the group hug, but as I sat and watched Whisper let it out…

…I thought of something better.

~END OF P.O.V. (6s)


Back at the Mineral Museum, Synergy was hard at work.

"Glue… Scissors… Tape… More glue, please."

Joined by Silver, G-merl, Cream, and Blaze, Synergy was in the middle of making a frame for Whisper's photo of the Diamond Cutters. He figured that if she were to go into battle again, the photo would be lost like it almost was in Holoska. Synergy took a pair of scissors and cut out a strip of blue paper. He placed it on the tip of the frame.

"Marker,"

"What color, Mr. Synergy?" Cream asked with a smile.

"Purple, please," Synergy replied. Cream happily gave him the color he asked for and he drew on the paper. He then took the photo and gently placed it in the frame, sealing it with a small lock. He stood it up and cracked his knuckles, beholding his creation.

"Wow, that looks good," Silver patted the Gizoid's shoulder.

"You think she'll like it?" Synergy asked.

"I'm sure she will," Blaze replied, mirroring Silver's gesture. "But we won't know until we give it to her."

With that, Synergy picked up the frame and approached Whisper, who sat by Tangle, Ray, and Mighty. He tapped her on the shoulder and handed her the frame.

"I made this for you," he said. "Just so you wouldn't lose it anymore."

In shock, Whisper gently took the frame and analyzed it. Each of the four sides had different colored paper taped onto it: red on top, green on the right, yellow on the left, and blue on the bottom. All four sides were covered in Wisp decals. And last but not least, written in purple marker, was a label that said, "My Family".

A tear dripped from Whisper's cheek.

"Aww, that's sweet," Tangle commented.

"Nicely done, Synergy," G-merl patted his fellow android on the back.

Whisper jumped up, gazed into the Gizoid's eyes, and gave him a hug.

"…thank you." She whispered.

Synergy hugged her back. "You're welcome."

Sonic and Amy watched the whole thing.

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" the latter cupped her hands together, turning to the former. "You know, Sonic. It wouldn't be bad if you made me something like that."

"Sorry, Ames. But arts and crafts isn't my forte," Sonic chuckled. "But I gotta admit, I'm surprised to see how much Synergy has changed."

Tails approached the two hedgehogs. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we did it. We changed Synergy."

"Yes, we did, little buddy… heh, I'm not much for nostalgia, but these three days have given me a lot of memories of Emerl. Remember when he was just a mindless drone… now look at him," the hedgehog pointed to G-merl. "He's like a little kid that's all grown up."

"Remember when he used to call me Mom?" Amy teased, nudging the hedgehog.

"What? No, I don't remember that."

"Sure you do. I said I was his Mama and you were like his Dad."

"No way! I don't remember anything like that. You're crazy."

"I'm crazy? There's no way! I remember Emerl call you his dad. He used to copy every single thing you did, like a little kid copying his parent. In other words, you and I were parents and he was our son!"

"Stop saying that! It's creepy!"

"I seem to remember that too," Tails raised his hand.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side," Sonic gently punched Tails' shoulder. The trio shared a laugh before they were met by Knuckles, who was messing around on his Miles Electric. "How are you doing, Fearless Leader?"

"I'm trying to get in touch with the Resistance, but they're not responding," Knuckles replied. "I wonder what's going on."

"I guess they're so busy, they can't answer the phone," Amy replied. "Why don't you sit down and take an easy, Knuckles? You've been using that thing all day."

The Echidna briefly stared at the communicator before he let out a low sigh.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Amy," Knuckles nodded. "I just hope everything's okay."


Meanwhile, at Resistance HQ, things went from bad to worse… (7)

KRAKOOM!

BOOM!

KABLAM!

Resistance HQ was under attack by a squadron of Super Badniks: Camerons, Egg Hammers, and super-powered Egg Pawns. Every soldier grabbed their Wispon and fired heavily a the robots, shooting them down with ease; however, once the Egg Hammers stepped in, the soldiers backed away. The Super Badniks raised their weapons and smacked soldiers from the left and right, bypassing their defenses effortlessly.

Captain Rex was operating a gun turret. "Ready… aim… fire!"

Shooting multiple lasers at the Super Badniks, he managed to destroy three of them at once. But that didn't stop something else from thwarting his plans. A loud rumbling sound came from the underground. Captain Rex wondered what it was until his answer came the hard way; the ground began to crumble beneath him. He jumped out of the way, as a massive object spawned from the dirt.

It was a large four-piloted drill that was the size of a mountain. It was blue and gold and had a gigantic drill on the very front. Even though there were four cockpits, the two that operated it, for now, were none other than Rough and Tumble.

"Better get out of the way," Rough smirked.

"Or be prepared to stumble!" Tumble added.

The two skunks finished their rhyme. "There's no escaping from Rough and Tumble!"

Gadget, Fuchsia, and Corvin hid behind a few crates and lashed out at a few Badniks; destroying them with their Wispons. The cat kicked an Egg Pawn in the face.

"Did those two just rhyme?" Corvin inquired.

"Gadget, what's going on?" Fuchsia asked with worry. "Where's Commander Knuckles?"

"I'm not sure," Gadget replied, shielding himself from an Egg Hammer with a ray of fire. "I tried contacting him, but I lost my Miles Electric during the fight."

"Look!" Corvin pointed. "Someone's coming!"

Upon the donnybrooks in the lair, a shadowy figure nonchalantly walked without a care…

…It was Dr. Starline.

With his Warp Topaz glowing, he stopped once he encountered the three soldiers.

"Good evening, my friends," he smiled, cracking his knuckles. "You have something of the Doctor's, and he would like it back."

"Who are you!?" Gadget snarled.

"My name is Doctor Starline; right-hand man of Dr. Ivo Robotnik. I heard a rumor that you have a Gizoid he made a while ago. I need that Gizoid to help him with a project… so, please. If you'd be so kind, hand it over."

"Like, we're gonna give it up so easily, Mr. Quack!" Corvin quipped, charging his Drill Wispon. "This is for invading our home!"

He charged forward but was suddenly sucked inside the Warp Topaz's portal. He reappeared behind Dr. Starline, where the platypus punched him across the jaw.

"If you insist," the platypus replied, as he kicked Corvin's chest.

"Leave him alone!" Fuchsia shot a void sphere from her weapon. But Dr. Starline created a portal and watched it go through. Wondering where it could've gone, Fuchsia heard a strange noise come from behind. Just as she turned around…

…she was hit by her own projectile.

"Honey!" Gadget rushed towards her, holding her unconscious body in his arms. Angry, he lunged forward. "You're gonna pay for that!"

Shooting a ray of fire, Gadget hoped he'd turn the platypus into a fried meal, but that wasn't the case. Dr. Starline made another portal and sent the fire elsewhere; however, he couldn't avoid a quick jab to the mouth and a kick to the chest. Gadget smacked him across the bill with his Wispon and pinned him against the ground. Raising his weapon, the wolf growled with determination, as he slammed his weapon down.

But something blocked his attack.

Dr. Starline opened his eyes and saw Metal Sonic standing over him, shielding himself and his master from Gadget's attack. Deactivating his shield, Metal Sonic grabbed the Wispon and kicked Gadget in the chest. He threw the Wispon over his shoulder.

"Took you long enough," Dr. Starline said, brushing his purple coat. "Any luck finding G-merl and/or Synergy?"

"I located the latter in Shamar, but he escaped."

"Some hunter you turned out to be."

"However, I managed to track him down. The Hooligans said they're going back to a Mineral Museum in Spiral Hill Village. I marked it down on my GPS. Sonic and the others should be there."

"In that case, I take back what I said. Excellent work, Metal Sonic… Now, if you excuse me, I need to fetch the Doctor's key to destroying Sonic. Keep the Resistance busy, will ya? Oh, and keep an eye on Rough and Tumble. I think they're having too much fun."

"No promises," Metal Sonic replied, as he took off faster than the speed of light.

Dr. Starline walked up the stairs and entered through the Resistance's office room. From there, he saw the prototype Emerl sitting on the table; its red eyes were still blinking. He approached it and removed the wires the held it down. Picking it up, he placed it on his shoulder.

"The Doctor's going to be mad at me for going against his orders," he said to himself. "But once he sees the prize I've brought for him, he'll understand."

Exiting out of the office, Dr. Starline whistled. "Let's get out of here! Our work here is done!"

"Coming, Boss!" Tumble replied. He and Rough steered the machine down the path and stopped in front of their boss. Dr. Starline climbed on top of the mech and opened the third cockpit. He sat inside and closed the capsule.

Metal Sonic followed the mech, as them and the Badniks left through the ruins of Resistance HQ. (7s)

Nearly everything was destroyed, and the heroes were unconscious. Well, most of them were anyway. Gadget and Corvin helped a few soldiers up on their feet. Fuchsia, coughing, walked towards her friends. They showered her with hugs.

"Are you all right?" Gadget asked.

"I'm fine," Fuchsia replied with a cough followed by a smile. "I've been through worse."

Suddenly, a voice was heard.

"Hey! Who's out there!?"

The awakened soldiers looked to their left and saw multiple G.U.N. soldiers approach them with their weapons. Team Dark and Commander Abraham Tower walked beside them. Shadow and Rouge ran towards Gadget, Corvin, and Fuchsia.

"Are you guys all right?" Shadow inquired. "What happened here?"

Fuchsia coughed once more. "It was some guy named Starline. He-"

Before she could explain what happened, the cat was shot in the shoulder by a tranquilizer dart. She fell on her back, unconscious.

Shadow and Rouge gasped.

"Fuchsia!? Fuchsia!?" Corvin shook the cat by her shoulders, but nothing worked. He glared at Shadow and Rouge. "Hey, what gives-"

He was shot too and fell onto the ground.

Shadow and Rouge looked around; Omega and the other soldiers were shooting the Resistance members with tranquilizer darts. The destructive robot picked them up and threw them in the back of the G.U.N. assault truck. His teammates angrily stormed forward.

"What are you doing!?" Rouge snarled.

"UNDER COMMANDER TOWER'S ORDERS, ANYONE INVOLVED WITH THE RESISTANCE IS UNDER ARREST," Omega replied. "THE RESISTANCE IS WANTED FOR HELPING A WANTED CRIMINAL."

"But these guys were attacked by Eggman!" Shadow retorted. "You can't arrest them when they were just attacked! Besides, I thought you wanted to help the Resistance."

"I DO… BUT I CANNOT GO AGAINST COMMANDER TOWER'S DIRECT ORDERS."

Shadow looked at his commander and walked towards him. "Commander, this is insane. These guys were just invaded by an associate of Eggman. We have to be going after the real problem."

"Synergy is the real problem at the moment, Shadow," Commander Tower replied. "We'll arrest Dr. Eggman once Synergy and the Resistance are behind bars."

"But, Commander-"

"I don't want to hear any more of this, Shadow. Unless you want a repeat of our relationship during the Black Arms invasion, you are to follow my orders without question. Do I make myself clear?"

Shadow had nothing to say.

"Are you deaf? Do I make myself clear?"

The ebony hedgehog folded his arms and sighed. "Yes."

"Good. Everyone, let's get moving! Load them in the truck and head back to HQ!"

With Commander Tower walking away, Rouge approached Shadow.

"Shadow," she said. "I know they won't forgive us for this, but we have to call them."

"Way ahead of you," Shadow replied, typing on his Miles Electric. He pressed on Tails' name and waited for a response. But he was left with a voicemail, so he left a message. "Tails, whenever you hear this… Rouge and I have something to tell you."

END OF CHAPTER 30


HOLY SMOKES!? Did G.U.N. just arrest everyone's favorite rookies? What's wrong with them!? Unfortunately, since the Resistance has been hiding out with Synergy for the past three days, that means their soldiers are targets. Now that they're arrested and Starline has taken the Elemental Prototype, things are starting to escalate quickly. Which means we're now approaching the third act of Awakened. The final battle is upon us and we'll see how far the Resistance will go to save the world and keep Synergy out of harm's way. May the Mobian Lords help us all.

Our third act starts in...

"Chapter 31: The Gizoid Crisis"


POST-A/N:

Originally, the rest of the Resistance wasn't supposed to be arrested until Chapter 31, but I figured since Starline invaded Resistance HQ in this chapter, I would squeeze in that small scene. I know Omega would side with Shadow and Rouge in a situation like this, but he really wants to harm Synergy and Eggman, he has no choice but to follow Commander Tower's orders. So it looks like Shadow and Rouge are going to have to track down the Resistance if they want to help them in their final showdown with Eggman... or maybe the final battle involves someone else. Who knows? ;).

Shade was also supposed appear in this chapter. Her and Elder Scruffy were supposed to have a conversation, but I think that should be saved for a later chapter. I cannot confirm when Shade will return to the Resistance, but I can say this, expect her to make a dramatic entrance.

As much as I love the IDW Sonic Comics (SPOILER WARNING), it sucks that Starline is no longer associated with Eggman. All he wanted to do was suggest another alternative to the Metal Virus cure, but Eggman decided to steal his Warp Topaz and jack slap him into a portal. Maybe Starline's chilling with a forgotten Infinite, who's going, "So, what are you in for?" I didn't want to do a subplot in here where Starline and Eggman part ways.

As usual, thank you so much for reading! Be sure to R&R. I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321, the Sonic movie is still awesome, and I'll see you all next time!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)