Journey With No End: What I'd Be Without You

by Archon Of Athenai

War changes people, especially children thrust into it, leaving a mark on them that never can be washed away. Miles Prower was one such child, fighting his whole life, and a child born into and raised amid war soon ceases to be one. Now, he faces the serious challenge of reconciling his own deep beliefs with lessons from his loved ones and figuring out who he truly is (On Hiatus)

18. I Hope You Remember Me

AN: Alright, another week, another chapter seems to be the rhythm I've got going (Hopefully I didn't just jinx it with that). Have to admit checking for mistakes is a real bitch, but it's worth it if it helps prevent confusion or annoyance while reading.

Thanks to wingwolffly for another review, it always helps give me energy and inspiration to continue on whenever I see a new one. Geoffrey and Maximilian are indeed, as many of the other characters are, about to hit a turning point. Also I think its awesome that you took the time to actually look into the context behind the phrases as well as their literal meaning, as they both are relevant; though I should say Silver doesn't have a fear of water, apologies if it seems like that, though the fact that the nightmare happened during the rain is no coincidence.

Now onto the chapter...

---

The sound of lovely humming awakens the white hedgehog and he raises his head. He smiles as his gold eyes gaze upon its source, a beautiful, female hedgehog.

I love you

"Oh, look who finally decided to get up."

He chuckles and rubs his neck as the grey hedgehog comes to sit beside him.

"Yea, the walk yesterday must've tired me out more than I thought."

"How did you sleep, honey?"

"Pretty good, the air is so much warmer; not shivering like crazy is great!"

"See, didn't I say you'd love Northamer so much?"

"Yea, it's a lot nicer compared to the Pale Peninsula. Also, I-"

A new voice cuts into their conversation.

"Hijo, what did I say about names?"

He turns to face the confident and paternal voice. The sight of the strong jaguar with slate fur and white spots, a rifle in his hands and a guitar slung over his back, makes him feel protected from whatever danger there could be in the whole world.

"'Don't translate them'; sorry."

"It's alright hijo, continuar off from where you made your error."

The white hedgehog nods and returns to face his mother.

"It's a lot nicer compared to the Península Pálida. Also, the grass is softer. Why did anyone ever leave here?"

The two adults go to surround the boy.

"Well, you see Silver, a long time ago, there wa-"

"How long ago?"

"Silver, don't interrumpas your madre."

He shrinks back at the chastisement.

"Sorry, I was just curious."

"It's okay, we entender. It was around doscientos años ago."

His eyes shoot open in shock.

"Two hundred years?!"

His parents nod.

"Sí. It was mucho antes any of us were around."

"Okay, so what happened back then?'

His mother returns to speaking.

"Well, the details are fuzzy, but the basic idea is that someone, or something, we don't know, named 'The Gift', conquered the entire world. Well, not literally the whole world, but enough to make the remnants irrelevant."

"That's why my antepasados returned back to La Península Pálida, where we originated from."

"And my ancestors joined your father's group down there; though those not from there just called the whole area the Great Rainforest."

"Talk about painting with with broad strokes."

"Hey, I never said we were the most precise."

"So, The Gift conquered the world, why?"

"Well, we don't really know why. We just know what it did after..."

"Silver, you know la gente de metal we've seen?"

He nods. The memories of Robians in the distance flashing before him sends a shiver up his spine.

Them...

"It made them all?"

"Worse. El Regalo convertido normal personas into those cáscaras de metal; el Sinalmas."

He gasps in shock.

"It's true, honey. So many people, turned into the Soulless..."

"Is that what you and dad go off to do? Fight them?"

They both nod.

"Yes. It's dangerous work, but it's important."

"But there's so many of them and so few of us! How is it possible to win?"

They look to each other and give a brief nod before turning back to Silver.

"You're getting older honey, so I won't sugarcoat it for you; we don't know if it is."

He feels a wave of hopelessness wash over him but his father's voice interrupts it.

"But that doesn't matter. Fighting this mundo, this infierno, is the justo thing to do; and you always do the justo thing, no matter how difícil it is."

As difficult and as disheartening as those words are to him, he feels in his very soul the truth behind them. He nods.

"Yea, you're right."

They both smile.

"Ese es mi chico!"

The jaguar drops the rifle on the floor and pulls him into a furious hug in one furious motion, patting his back with fatherly pride.

"I love you, dad."

He feels his father nod and as they break their embrace, he grabs him and gives him a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm proud of you."

He nods and turns to hug his mother.

"So am I."

"I love you too, mom."

They break their hug as well.

"So, I guess this means I'm gonna be going with you on these 'missions' now?"

"No, you're too young. Though the entusiasmo is bueno to see."

"But dad, I can do it! I know how to scout, track, shoot, and signal!"

"Oh, my 'Little Soldier'!"

He folds his arms.

"I'm not little, mom! I can fight with you guys!"

"Soon, hijo, soon; six is too young. But I promesa you, soon."

"Well, I guess I can wait a bit longer..."

The trio simply sit peacefully in the meadow.

"I'm glad you woke up, because I have to go soon."

He turns to face the jaguar.

"You'd leave without playing for me?"

"Well, if you want me to start waking you up earlier..."

He shakes his head.

"Just play, dad!"

His father reaches back for the guitar and swings it around to his chest.

"Mi padre taught me how to play guitarra, then I taught your madre, and, one day, we'll do the same for you."

He smiles as the jaguar laughs heartily and picks up the guitar from the floor; his father's face is shining bright with a radiant and fearless smile as his fingers strum the strings.

---

Now Playing: "Remember Me"
(Benjamin Bratt Version)
(By Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez)

---

Remember me!
Though I have to say goodbye!
Remember me!
Don't let it make you cry!

Why would I cry? You always come back!

For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart!
I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart!

And I pray every night for you to be safe

Remember me!
Though I have to travel far!
Remember me!
Each time you hear a sad guitar!

I hope you know that I think of you and mom every time I see a star

Know that I'm with you the only way
That I can be!
Until you're in my arms again,
Remember me!

He fights the urge to hug his father; after all, such beautiful playing shouldn't be interrupted.

You're totally the coolest dad ever!

The jaguar playfully swishes back and forth, without much grace.

"Dad, stop dancing, you're terrible at it!"

His father smirks.

"Your madre would beg to diferir."

His mother moves besides his father.

"Indeed, though I just may be biased."

The pair chuckle and kiss each other briefly; he shakes his head in embarrassment.

"Guys, not in front of me..."

"Oh cállate, hijo!"

His father's smile and his mother's much nicer swaying motion makes his embarrassment dissipate. The jaguar begins singing once again.

Remember me!
(Remember me!)

The grey hedgehog joins the singing by repeating the refrain.

Though I have to say goodbye!

The singing duo look into each other's eyes. A wonderful love exudes from their very beings.

Remember me!
(Remember me!)

How could I forget either of you?!

Don't let it make you cry!

They turn to face him.

You're the best parents anyone could hope for

For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart!

The jaguar and hedgehog place a hand to their hearts in unison with each other and the lyrics. He responds by doing the same.

And I love you with all of mine

I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart!

The maternal hedgehog and paternal jaguar slowly close the distance between themselves and their son, their faces smiling at him with a love unmatched by anything else he's ever seen, including their love for each other.

Remember me!
(Remember me! Remember me!)

He is so happy he doesn't even notice the torrent of rain that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Though I have to travel far!

Soon, I'll start going with you!

Remember me!
(Remember me! Remember me!)

Together, we can beat anything! Even the whole world!

Each time you hear a sad guitar!

He smiles; even this song, with its sad lyrics, is made cheery by their delivery.

Is there anything you guys can't do?

Know that I'm with you the only way

The duo is pressed against him on either side, their loving aura infecting his very being; he is blind to the fact that the very sky above him is consumed in a terrible storm.

That I can be!
Until you're in my arms again,

His mother suddenly backs off and his father kneels in front of him; he feels a surge of excitement surge through his very being.

Here comes the best part!

Remember

The jaguar drops the guitar and grabs him with both hands and raises him into the sky, spinning around.

I bet this is what flying feels like!

As his gold eyes stare into his father's own, a bright flash occurs in the sky in the distance.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-!

The colossal crack of thunder rings throughout the air and he sees a bright blast of energy tear right through his father's face and come right to his.

---

His eyes shoot open and his mouth lets out a terrified scream as he sits up;

"AGH!"

His gloved hands swarm his face, searching for the injury he utterly believes he has sustained, all while he gasps in fear.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!"

He pants deeply, the shock of what he dreamt too high for him to properly process it all. After a few more seconds of his feeling all over his face for a hole, for any burns, for any viscera, he understands.

Just a dream

He shakes his head and looks out across the horizon, seeing the dark night illuminated by lightning. The light drizzle has wet his fur and he finally comes down from the adrenaline high.

Why? Why did it have to end like that? That's not what happened! It's not fair!

His anger even his dream parents being taken from him before he was ready is driven away by a sudden thought.

Amy!

He quickly looks to her, to make sure she's okay; to make sure she isn't suffering another night terror, like two nights ago.

So peaceful...

He gazes upon her silent body; her chest slowly rises and lowers and her breaths make themselves barely heard over the rain. The sight of a giant smile on her face brings one to his own.

I'm glad you're sleeping well, unlike me

Then the thought of his dream, of his parents, returns back to him in this calm, quickly killing the happiness he has for her well-being.

I never forgot you

He buries his face into his gloves and begins sobbing quietly. Not one sound of it can be heard through the rain.

And I'll always remember you

---

The Overlander sits at a desk, working on a speech he is to give later today, when the Sun has actually come up.

"Too pretentious."

He scratches out a line and continues on. To the left of the paper is a glass of brandy and on the right is a cigar and a lighter.

"Too combative."

He scratches another line. He stares at the paper, desperately hoping that, as if from the very air itself, the rest of the speech will come to him.

"C'mon..."

No such luck is his. He groans as he stares at both of the vices on his side and shakes his head at both.

"Ad-libbing it is then."

He stands up, pours the glass of brandy back into its bottle and returns the cigar back into its humidor. He smiles as he successfully fights the urge to indulge in them once again.

"What can't discipline do?"

He turns off the light over his desk and goes to his bed. As he lays down, he hears the crack of thunder, slightly jumping at the sound. He turns his head to his window to look out at the sky.

Artillery?

After a brief second, he shakes his head.

"Of course it isn't artillery, you silly fool."

Though he says the words with confidence, internally he feels a great uneasiness at genuinely needing the reassurance.

"I hope the world will remember me for what I'm going to do, instead of what I've done."

He shakes his head in an attempt to drive his anxiety, his fears, away as he sets his alarm to ring in three hours.

"A good night's rest will clear my mind."

He shuts his eyes and soon he is asleep.

---

Annnnnd, there."

His white gloves retract from the miniature keyboard he built yesterday.

"I think that's done it."

He smiles as finishes writing the last notes on the second sheet.

"Tada! All finished. Now, let's do a little test run to make sure it all works out."

He begins playing the song and humming along to the beat. He doesn't sing, not only because he'd rather keep the lyrics secret till the time is right, but also because he fears he will arouse emotions too serious for him to control at this moment; after all, this song only exists because of her.

I hope all of Mercia can experience a fraction of my love for you through this song

He finishes running through the verse and the chorus and ceases playing. A warm feeling arises in his white chest.

One hell of a parting gift, huh?

His smile is radiant with pride and he can't help but let out one piece of the song slip from his lips.

"Mercians will never be slaves, that's for sure."

He takes the two sheets and places them into a folder and seals it.

A far better legacy to be remembered by than the Enlil, that's for sure...

He gets up, folder in hand.

"With this, I'll be able to give one last thing after my death. To the people; but more importantly, to you."

The grey fox appears in his mind.

I hope you like this song. It sucks that I won't be able to see if you do...

He goes to exit the tent and as he turns to his right he sees the jackal.

"Prower, vous are juste full of secrets, aren't vous?"

Miles manages to maintain his external composure despite the dread and terror striking into his chest.

Oh no!

"Hey Edouard. And what do ya mean?"

"Prower,"

The jackal pulls on his own ears.

"I have them, vous savoir?"

Miles nods.

"Yea, duh!"

Edouard looks at him with a face he can't really discern.

Just gotta hope he didn't hear what I said...

"I mean, first vous reveal vous are an expérimenté hunter, then vous démontrer your merveilleux chantant voix-"

He groans.

"Never gonna let me live that down, huh?"

"Non."

He smiles.

"And now, vous turn out to be un exceptionnel pianiste."

Then it dawns on him.

He heard my playing, not my words

He sighs and lets a genuine, eager, whole-hearted smile come to his face as he shrugs his arms up.

"Welp, guess you've caught me!"

Edouard shakes his finger.

"Prower, non more secrets."

Miles lets out a brief laugh.

"Fine, fine. From here on out, no more secrets."

"Jure dessus."

"I swear, I won't keep any more secrets."

The lie comes forth with absolutely no effort; it's probably more difficult for him to keep his tails still while bored than to say it.

What's one more lie?

"Good. So, is that what's in le folder?"

He points to it and Miles nods.

"Yea, I just finished it as a matter of fact."

"So, who is it for? Perhaps a pretty dame? I mean, vous already dropped your opposition to buvant, so it makes sense."

"No. Although it was inspired by a woman who is..."

He thinks to her; auburn hair, tan fur, beautiful blue eyes, and motherly face.

"Special, to me."

I love you

"So then, who is it for?"

"Everyone."

The confusion on Edouard's face prompts him to continue.

"It's an anthem, for when we win. I'm pretty sure you guys have some song in Southern ready, but the Northerners will need one as well; two anthems seems the way to go. So I wrote a whole song and lyrics to boot. I'm pretty happy with it."

"Are vous going to show it off?"

He shakes his head.

"No."

I won't ever play it to anyone, save for whatever you heard I guess

"Then when will vous?"

"It'll be heard when this is all over."

Two meanings, but you only need to know one

"I want it to be like a present, something that you only get once the special day has come."

"Ah, I see. I comprendre; after all, a little bit of the enfant intérieur never really leaves us, I think."

Inner child...

Miles' face makes a slight change in expression at that those words but he almost immediately returns to his previous look; almost being the key word.

"Pardon, I shouldn't have mentionné that..."

Miles shakes his head.

"No, don't worry. I'm good, that was more a reflex than anything else to be honest."

What's one more lie?

"I think I'm at peace, with all that. It's in the past, it's all gone, it doesn't matter anymore; not unless I make it matter."

His smile strengthens as he says those words.

Telling lies may not be hard, but telling the truth feels good

Edouard places a hand on Miles' shoulder.

"That is good to hear."

The boy looks down for a moment and then brings his eyes back up to meet the jackal's; blue and brown lock.

"Edouard, can I ask you for a favour?"

The jackal nods.

"Oui, of course."

Miles hands him the sealed folder.

"I want you to hold onto it. I want you to give it to the Marshal."

"Prower-"

"Wait, I'm not finished."

His command comes with force and Edouard gives a conciliatory nod.

"Give it to the Marshal when this war is over and we've won. Tell him it's from me."

Edouard gives a look to make sure if he can speak and Miles nods.

"Prower, why don't vous do so yourself?"

Because I won't be able to

"Because I can't face him; I won't be able to."

"Are vous referencing le potentiel of décès?"

He shakes his head.

Not potential, inevitability

"I just won't be strong enough; you know?"

What's one more stretching of the truth?

"How can vous be so certain?"

"I know. But hey, when we get through this, maybe you can convince me otherwise."

He smiles as he lies.

I wonder, did any of them ever see it? Did they say nothing? Did they just assume I was having some issue and would get over it? Could they even consider what I ended up doing?

"But until then,"

He reasserts the folder in front of Edouard.

"I want you to hold onto it."

The jackal slowly nods and calmly grasps the folder; Miles' grip on it gently floats off as Edouard brings it to his side.

"I will hold it."

Miles feels a wave of relief come over him.

It's in safe hands now

"Thank you, Edouard. There's no one I trust more right now to hold it and I know there's no one he trusts more either; I know you'll keep it safe, that you'll get it to him."

"I will."

Miles chuckles.

"That's it? A simple 'I will'? No big 'On mon life and honneur!'?"

Edouard snickers at the rather bad imitation of him and shrugs his shoulders.

"What can I say, I'm not un for theatrics. 'Keep it simple and keep it réel' is what I say."

"I can appreciate that."

Edouard sports a smug look.

"Of course! It's difficile to not apprécier everything about moi."

"Oh shut up you!"

Miles playfully punches his shoulder and the two laugh in the cold winter night. Edouard brings the folder back into the air between them.

"I présumer vous don't want moi to ouvert it until I hand it to lui?"

Miles nods.

"Yes. Like I said, think of it like this awesome present that you've gotta see under the tree every day. Sure, it sucks until then, but all that waiting pays off when you open it and see what's inside."

"Well based on that little pièce I caught at la fin, mon expectations are certainement high."

The two begin walking, snow crunching beneath their feet.

"'Prower Le Pianiste'! It has a certain charme to it, vous savoir..."

"Singing and playing as my job? Get out of here with that! I'm a scientist, mechanic, inventor, and fighter! Going into entertainment? Over my dead body!"

He chuckles at the self-deprecating joke disguised as a prideful boast. But through it all, he has one thought in his mind as he thinks to all his friends.

I shouldn't think this, it's selfish

But he can't help himself.

I hope you'll remember me, the lie at least

---

The bat and hedgehog exit the bar, the former laughing heartily.

"I can't believe you enjoy something this mundane."

"Don't start going all archaic on me, gramps!"

"Archaic is less colloquial than mundan-"

"See, right there! 'Colloquial'! Who the hell uses those kinda words?"

They walk down the streets of Central City which are bustling with activity even at this late hour and inclement weather.

"Someone who likes to be precise with his language."

"How are you so damn sober? I'm pretty sure you downed enough liquor to knock ol' mammoth moron on his ass."

"I highly doubt that, but even if I did, it wouldn't matter; I can't get drunk. Wouldn't be much of an 'Ultimate Lifeform' if I couldn't metabolize common booze."

"Count yourself lucky I understood that."

"Count yourself lucky I go with you to drink. Omega wouldn't spare the time. Neither would Hope I'd bet."

"See? That's exactly why we're the best friends!"

"Omega and Hope are my friends too."

"Yea, but in their own special way. Hope is like the most normal person of our group, not a moody fifty-year old,"

He gives a small grunt at that description.

"Not an enchanting and dazzling 'jewelry appropriator',"

"I don't think I've ever heard such apologetic terminology for a thief."

She continues without the slightest hint of acknowledgement.

"And not a semi-psychotic robot."

"Hey, he is not semi-psychotic! He's just devoted and good on him for sticking to his principles."

She lets out a childish giggle.

"And you seem to have the most adorable concern for Omega! If only the world could hear you singing his praises. I should probably start wearing a hidden camera to catch all this."

"I'll kill you."

His deadpan delivery only accentuates the hilarity of the statement as she bursts out into laughter.

"No, you wouldn't!"

He grumbles.

"No, I wouldn't."

They walk past a store and, upon glancing through the window, she paces back and stares into the store.

"What did I say about impulse buying?"

"Don't care; that bass is lovely and it's going to be mine."

"I'm not letting you steal it."

"First of all, yes you would."

"No, I wouldn't."

"Second, I'm off-duty; stealing is my job and professionals have standards."

She walks into the store and walks up to the counter, he follows.

"How much is that?"

She points to the bass.

"That baby? Three thousand."

"That's a bit pricey, what if I played you a nice song?"

The human laughs.

"Doubt you could play something that good."

She heads over to the bass and grabs it, bringing it to her arms.

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised."

"Rouge, what are you doi-"

"Be quiet, handsome!"

The human leans forward with an unamused look.

"You mess it up, you pay for it."

She spins and only displays a small bit of drunken stupor.

"The only thing I'm about to mess up is your sense of reality with my playing!"

The human leans back in his chair as Shadow slowly facepalms.

"Rouge, you're drunk and ne-"

She spins to face him and cuts him off.

"This song's for you, handsome!"

She begins strumming.

---

Now Playing: "Baby Let Me Take You Home"
(By The Animals)

---

Baby, can I take you home?
Baby, let me take you home!
I'll love you all my life, you can bet I'll treat you right,
If you'll just let me take you home!

"Don't call me 'baby'."

Baby, can I dance with you?
Baby, can I dance with you?
I'll do anything in this god-almighty world,
If you'll just let me dance with you!

As she strums the strings and swishes her shoulders about rather aimlessly, he groans at her total neglect of his request, eliciting a chuckle from the human. Shadow turns to face him with an annoyed face

"Hey, this isn't funny!"

Baby, let me take you home!
Baby, let me take you home!
I'll love you all my life, you can bet I'll treat you right,
If you'll just let me take you home!

"Speak for yourself man!"

He grumbles once more.

When I saw you baby, I couldn't ignore you!
And I wanted you for my girl!
And when you said, "Yeah!",
I just couldn't care about anybody else in this world alone!

"I have not agreed to any of this and I'm not a woman."

Rouge smirks at him.

"That's why I said 'my girl', not 'my lady'."

"That's not what I mea-"

She continues right along.

You smiled at me baby and I could see my life
Planned out ahead!
You took my hand and it felt so good
And this is what you said:

She makes a grumpy expression.

"I do not look like that!"

"Baby, won't you be my man?
Baby won't you be my man?"
Yes, I'll be your man and I'll do the best I can!
I want to be your man, that's all baby!

"I'm never drinking with you again."

Oh, c'mon, c'mon baby!
Ohh baby, c'mon baby!
Oh, c'mon baby!
Baby, feel alright, baby, feel alright!
Hey baby, it's alright, so good, it's so good!

The human seems to be enjoying the song.

"Do not encourage her."

"She's your problem, not mine."

It's all right, it's all right!
It's all right, it's all right!
It's all right, it's all right!

The song comes to an abrupt end and she gives a wink to him as she turns to face the human.

"Alright, what'd that get me?"

"I'll knock it down to twenty-seven hundred. Mostly cause I was in a bad mood and you made me laugh."

"Ten percent discount ain't too bad."

She pulls out a card out of her wallet and inserts it into the machine.

"Alright. Ya want a receipt?"

"Nope. See ya."

She heads to the door.

"C'mon, handsome."

He groans as the human laughs.

"Have a good night, weirdos!"

"Oh, we will!"

She exits the store and Shadow follows behind.

"I hope you got that all out of your system."

"If I say yes will you smile?"

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

She smiles.

"So, what you're saying is I'm high maintenance? Well, I'm not objecting."

"That's not what I mea-"

"Oh, relax! Now let's head back to the apartment."

"That's what we were doing before your little 'detour'."

"Oh, don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

"Well, there was one part I liked."

Her eyes spark with interest.

"Do tell, handsome."

"When you stopped playing."

He smirks as she punches him.

"You are such a jerk!"

The two laugh.

"Helluva a night, huh?"

"You bet."

"Hey Rouge."

"Yea?"

"I didn't know you could play. Where'd you learn?"

"Dad taught me a bit when he found the time. Rest I learned on my own. He taught me a lot."

"You never mentioned your dad much before. Why all this now?"

"I'm trying to show you something."

He raises a brow at her words as the drizzle continues to fall on them.

"Show me what?"

She shakes a finger of her free hand.

"Uh-uh. Saying it out loud would ruin the message. You've gotta come to it yourself."

He takes those words in and understands the gravity of them. The two continue the walk with light banter but the whole time there's one thought in the bat's mind as she looks at the hedgehog.

I hope you remember me

---

"How does that sound?"

The two avians nod at the Overlander's words.

"We're in."

The eeriness of Robotnik's smile pierces through right through the screen.

"Good to hear. Now, with you two on board, you're first assignment is to head to Ferretville recruit another operative to join you. I've forwarded a dossier I've compiled on her to your device."

The green hawk scrolls through the information and whistles.

"She seems pretty good, but this don't seem like her kinda work. What makes you think she'll join?"

"Like you, she has someone close to her in there."

"Alright. We'll get on it."

---

The female echidna walks into the laboratory, a glint of light reflects off a metallic dreadlock of hers. At her entrance, an albino hedgehog sitting in a chair turns to face her.

"Ah, Grandmaster, most excellent timing."

She smiles.

Finally, seems like good news is starting to come to me now

"Do tell, Doctor."

She approaches and leans over his shoulder as he returns to his work.

"I finished the synthesis of the binding agent several hours ago. It shall keep the organophosphates bound to the aerosol."

"We don't want to kill them."

He nods.

"Yes I know, I've purposely tweaked these to reduce lethality; besides, these are the cream of the crop of society: well-fed, healthy, good medical care. They'll survive the organophosphates; speaking of which..."

He gets up and walks over to a glass pane, his Grandmaster following. On the other side is a compressed chamber with several hapless Mobians and humans in it.

"The gas I have decided upon is Helium."

Her surprise is evident.

"Helium?"

He turns to face her with a look of amusement on his face.

"Something wrong with my choice, Grandmaster?"

She shakes her head.

"No, I just expected something more..., complicated."

He gives an amused "hmph" and turns back to the chamber.

"A common assumption about us."

"Who's 'us'?"

He returns his gaze to her.

"Men and women of science. We have a tendency to be seen as attempting to make things as complex as possible; that couldn't be further from the truth. The reality is that we desire control, order, simplicity."

He presses a button.

"The less moving parts, the less variables, the less estimates, the less unknowns, the less probabilities, the happier we are. There is no greater joy that can be experienced than that of a physician who discovers a tried and true method to carry out an operation, an engineer who successfully removes a redundant mechanism, a physicist who figures out the reason behind a particle's behavior, a programmer who writes a robust algorithm or the work of any other equivalent field."

"Well of course. If you can find me a group of people who despise the idea of success, I'll be impressed."

He shakes his head.

"It's not the success that drives us, that pleases us; it's the fact that we've, in our own small way, pieced together just one more bit of the universe. And while I am fully in favor of using knowledge to further my, our, goals, I won't deny that I do find discovering, inventing, exploring, and observing reality to be its own rich reward."

"So, 'knowledge for its own sake'?"

He nods and turns back to face the crowd down below as he pulls a lever.

"Yes, I suppose. But like I said, I have no reservations against, and in fact feel rather exuberant about, using my knowledge, all knowledge, to further advance my interests. Our interests."

He stares into the room, the people inside seem to be completely fine, nothing noticeable is occurring. At this fact, he smiles.

"Why are you smiling Doctor? Nothing's happening."

"Nothing that we can see, nor they can. But just because something is not observed does not mean it does not exist."

He reaches into a desk and pulls out two goggles.

"Here, Grandmaster."

The pair put them on and activate them. Through them, the air of the room now glows with a purple aura. She nods with satisfaction.

"The Helium I presume?"

"Astute observation. Indeed. Odorless, lighter than air, non-toxic, easy to acquire, and colorless, unless you happen to either have UV or IR vision; then you'll see purple or red, respectively. The organophosphates in liquid droplet form, with the binding agent, will cling right to it and spread all throughout the air."

She rubs her chin.

"Delivery will be troublesome..."

He turns around and heads to his desk, she follows without any instruction.

"Not to worry."

He produces a rather sophisticated gray metal canister.

"This was difficult to get working. Well actually, still is difficult. But that's more to do with the degradation process."

She smiles as she gives a slight shake of her head.

"I think you skipped over a couple of steps there, Finitevus."

He nods.

"Yes, my apologies. So, to start off with: yes, normally transporting helium would be troublesome since we can't exactly utilise standard deployment methods due to risk of discovery; now in most other scenarios I'd simply freeze it and develop a chemical catalyst to incite the transition back to gas, but Helium provides a unique challenge."

"It won't freeze at normal pressure, at all."

"Correct. I needed a chamber where I could store it and seal it, pressurise it to 25 bar, chill it to 1.3 kelvin, and then implement an algorithm to reverse that process in one swift motion while also fanning out the Helium so that it can properly spread."

"And that's all in there?"

"Yes."

"But you yourself said standard delivery methods won't work due to risk of discovery. How is this canister less risky than any other deployment system?"

"That's where the degradation process comes into play, Grandmaster."

He gestures for her to grab the canister and she does so; her surprise at its weight is apparent.

"Very light, especially considering all the tech you've crammed into it. What is it? Aluminium?"

He shakes his head.

"Magnesium; even lighter."

"Alright, so it'll be easy to transport, that's not relevant to the problem at hand; unless you plan to have our plant exfiltrate with the canister."

He laughs and shakes his head.

"No, no! Nothing so crude!"

He extends his hand out and she gives him the canister as two walk over to yet another section of the lab.

"Nadja-ma, prepare the In Vivo chamber."

Another female echidna nods and walks over to a computer and begins working. Finitevus opens a pressurised hatch and places the canister inside of the chamber and once it's inside he shuts it. He turns to the female echidna by the computer.

"Activate immersion."

She nods and, upon pressing a button, a stream of violet liquid flows down to the top of the canister. The Grandmaster's face is one of genuine interest and intrigue.

"What is that?"

Finitevus gazes upon the chamber with pride.

"Blood."

She quickly turns to face him.

"Blood? Where do you find blood like that?"

"Marine worms. However, I didn't simply 'find' this blood, I added a vast array of chemical and genetic modifications to it for our purposes."

Bright magenta liquid continues spraying all over the canister, signs of degradation can be seen.

"Is-, is it melting?"

He nods as the liquid ceases spraying.

"Indeed, it is. This is the degradation process I spoke about. It's why I chose Magnesium, instead of, say, Lithium; it's the lightest biodegradable metal out there. It being abundant is a nice bonus."

The canister's melting seems to have hit a threshold and it begins decaying at a rapid pace.

"You see, the magnesium corrodes into nothingness from the blood, causing it to disappear."

Soon, the canister no longer exists, all that remains in the chamber is violet liquid splayed all over the glass.

"It's not as fast as I desire just yet, but I think that'll soon be fixed; and to sweeten such a breakthrough, I think I've found another benefit entirely unrelated but perhaps even more valuable."

With nothing new happening in the chamber, she turns to face him.

"What is it?"

"Marine worms have exceptional regenerative capabilities. My studies into the blood for this plan have revealed much information about it; it seems the blood is part of this regeneration process. I've been working to rapidly run organisms through evolutionary chains to get an enhanced version. This combined with inducing cancer into the blood cells to cause rapid and uncontrolled regeneration will allow it to eat through the canister much faster. It can also-"

"Be used as a healing agent for operatives in the field."

"Correct. Off the field to as well also exercise for our operatives. One could engage in a workout so strenuous it should cause permanent tissue damage but with the blood they could heal it, allowing themselves to gain physical prowess beyond what they should. And, after all, isn't surpassing our 'natural' boundaries what the Legion's all about?"

She nods with a smile and a charmed expression.

"Right you are. That's why I respect you."

He chuckles.

"Save your flattery for when I actually have a usable formula."

She turns to face the chamber where the canister once existed.

"While that takes care of the canister, the violet liquid everywhere will probably set off some alarms..."

"Not to worry. Nadja-Ma."

A sound of sucking can be heard in the chamber and after several seconds the violet liquid suddenly becomes invisible.

"The reason why I originally chose marine worm blood was due to it being colorless when deoxygenated. Now obviously, we can't turn wherever the canister will be placed into a vacuum but that's where the dihydrogen comes into play. A separate canister will contain the gas and will bind with it as it melts the canister, the resulting hydrogenolysis will turn it colorless and, with the onset of rapid cell death, they won't reabsorb any more. Combined with my modifications, it will be undetectable to anything short of determined and dedicated surveying."

"Perfect. And what of that foolish nuisance?"

His consistent smile fades.

"Sadly, I don't think there's much I can do there, not without making the gas too powerful and either making its presence obvious or outright killing everyone else. The Chaos energy in his body will make it ineffective."

"Very well, I suppose having him and that fossil maintain their tempers will help to sell the story."

"Agreed. And speaking of your great-great-grandfather-"

"Great-grandfather."

Her correction comes with force. He nods even though she is incorrect; but they both know that. It's a matter of principle to stick to the revised order.

"My apologies. Speaking of your great-grandfather, the D.A.G. is already prepared. It will surely-"

"Grandmaster."

A new voice cuts in and she turns to face it.

"Yes?"

"Our intel team thinks they've found a better target."

"A better target than Priscilla?"

He nods.

"Yes. Central City."

"I presume they all have reasoning behind such a choice?"

"Yes, though it's a lot so it's best if you heard them directly."

"Very well."

She turns to Finitevus.

"I'd say I'm impressed with your work Doctor, but to be truthful I'm not since you've always delivered. I will admit, however, that I am surprised by how you've done it. Keep it up."

She gives a warm smile to him and he returns it with one of his own

"Always proud and happy to serve, Grandmaster."

---

The sound of the metal bars ringing wakes up the swallow.

"Get up ya damn bird!"

She raises her head from the metal slab.

They have the gall to call this a bed...

"I said get up!"

The guard strikes the bars again with his metallic baton once more causing her to quickly get up and she goes to stand in the middle of her cramped cell; her purple feathers cutting out a stark, and somewhat eye-aching, contrast in comparison to the neon green jumpsuit she wears. The intense heat is making her pant.

"I can see that you're a bit heated."

Boiling is more like it...

"Lucky for you, it's shower time, so you can cool down."

She sighs and braces herself as the goat puts the baton into his holster and grasps the hose with both hands.

"Hope I got the temperature just right, darling"

He smiles and then activates it, sending a stream of pressurised water out towards her.

"Agh!"

She falls back despite her best efforts to remain standing, causing the guard to laugh.

"Always fun to see how long it takes you all to break!"

The scalding hot water washes over her whole body, the burning sensation makes her want to yell so loud her throat would explode; but she doesn't, she holds onto something in her.

I won't!

She manages to get to her knees as the blistering torrent continues to assail her.

"C'mon birdy-bird, one little please and I'll stop!"

She continues to bear the terrible pain.

5, 4, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 2

Every number she counts feels like an eternity.

5, 4, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 2

She continuously counts towards a one that will never be reached, not until he relents.

5, 4, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 2

Or she breaks.

5, 4, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 2

After what seems like forever, the pressure ceases and her body is now only racked by the pain from what has occurred, rather than being forced to endure a continuous renewal of it. She breaths labouriously.

"Tough one aren't ya? Well, that just makes when you do break all the better to see. Till next time, birdy-bird."

She doesn't open her eyes, she in fact doesn't move a muscle. She remains just as tensed up as when she was being hosed down; if she relaxes she'll lose all composure and she can't, won't, do that while he can still see her. She hears the guard's footsteps move to her left as well as the sound of banging on the metal bars.

"Get up!."

She opens her eyes and flops onto the ground, her chest sends a sensation of agony out in due to both its contact with the stone floor as well as the remaining pool of scalding water on the ground. She says nothing due to exhaustion and the only thing emitted from her mouth is pained exhales. A groan can be heard in the cell adjacent.

"It ain't six..."

"Don't care, get the hell up!"

A annoyed grunt is given and she can hear the sound of feet hitting the floor.

"Why hello, Nick.

The voice responds to the guard.

"Ma name's not Nick ya fuckin'-"

Before he can finish his retort to the guard's remark, the rushing sound of water is heard and as well as a heavy grunt.

"Agh!"

"You should learn to control that stupid mouth of yours ya idiot! Gets you nothing but trouble!"

No sounds comes in response save for pained grunts.

"What, no witty response?"

"I'm, gah, gonna-"

"Gonna what? Sorry, you need to speak up ya weasel, I can't hear ya!"

The swallow is still laying on the ground, sapped of all strength.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill ya!"

The guard makes an "ehhhhh" sound, like a buzzer signifying a mistake in a game show.

"Wrong answer, bud! Time to crank the pressure up a couple dozen PSI!"

She can hear the difference in the strength of the stream.

"Ahhh! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

The guard chuckles.

"Nick, you idiot, you know the rules! Ya gotta say please!"

"Please! Please stop!"

For a couple of seconds, nothing changes.

"I said stop!"

The hose finally shuts off.

"What the,"

His gasps interrupt his speaking.

"Hell?!"

"You deserved a little extra punishment for threatening me; but I'm a nice guy, so I'll let you off easy. Till next time, Nick."

As the guard's footsteps grow more distant, the swallow hears the inmate mumble to himself underneath his pants.

"It's-, it's Nack..."

She hears him breath deeply. He cannot speak anymore, just like she can't.

Just another day...

---

Charles and Nicole work continue work on the weapons meant for Sally.

"Status report, Nicole."

"Readings show optimal storage and conduction of energy from the Power Ring to the blade. Detecting resistance: 0 Ohms. Superconductor conduit was indeed the correct choice. Passive energy decay is zero; the only time energy will be lost is when the hard-light blade is struck with sufficient force to require it to reform itself, but such a thing will only require a modest power draw."

"Run simulations for estimated longevity of the Power Ring."

"Running."

Charles types on a computer a program related to Bunnie's request as she does so.

"Analysis complete. Estimated length of Power Ring, assuming standard frequency of difficult combat situations as during the First and Second Robotnik Wars, is approximately fifteen months."

Charles continues typing.

"Good. Now, with the first one completed, time to start working on the second one. That'll give my in vitro algorithm to compile."

The lynx nods.

"Indeed. Thankfully, we've figured out everything with the first bracelet so this shouldn't take as much time."

"Yes, let us-"

A buzzing sound makes itself heard from Charles robotic form and he checks his internal clock.

"Ah, it seems I've lost track of the time. My apologies Nicole, but I must see to a volition restoration session."

The lynx's projection nods.

"Of course, Sir Charles. I will prep the internals as best as I can."

"Thank you."

He stands up and exits the lab as two scientists come to take his place in helping Nicole.

---

She enters the room behind the man who had informed her of the new potential target. At her entrance, they all cease what they are doing, stand up, and give a salute.

"Grandmaster."

She raises a hand to signal them to return to normal.

"I've been told that you believe that Central City would be a better target than Priscilla. Is this true?"

"It is."

She goes to stand beside the sitting echidna who answered her.

"Very well, I'm open to the idea. Explain."

He turns to face the computer.

"To start off, Princess Acorn has already departed from Downunda and is returning to Northamer as we speak."

"Already? But her schedule was still booked for the next two weeks."

"We know, but the Enduring was seen taking off from Priscilla two days ago. She will likely be in Acorn by tomorrow or the day after it."

"I see. That is a great loss."

"But that's just why Priscilla isn't attractive. As for why Central City is, well to start we did digging into Robotnik like you said, looking for any potential threads that we could pull on. We think we've found something."

He taps a button.

"Station Square? Are you saying you believe that he's behind the recent development there?"

"Can't say with certainty, not yet, but there are things that all our intuitions picked up on."

"Alright, but how does attacking Central City relate to that? And I hope you aren't suggesting we attempt to assassinate the President; we do not need that kind of heat on us. It's one thing to threaten someone, it's another to kill them. The former can reliably provoke fear, the latter can give rise to uncontrolled rage."

"The Federation's septcentennial anniversary was just two days ago, the entire Confederated Council is in the capital. Specifically, one of absolute importance if you had interests in the Station Square."

"Mayor Bullyani."

He nods.

"Exactly. A strike that is disguised as trying to take out the President but in fact is actually targeting Bullyani, successfully killing him, would both draw much attention from the public and would allow us to probe into Robotnik. You could contact him after it's done; if he really is behind the former Overlord's resurfacing, he'll probably want to talk with you; either to thank you or at least to demand how you knew about it."

She nods.

"Alright, that's good, that's good."

She looks up to the group.

"Excellent work, everyone."

They murmur a mix of appreciative remarks and nod.

"One more thing, Grandmaster."

She returns her attention to him.

There is another good reason to go for Central City. Have you listened to the radio recently?"

She shakes her head.

"No."

"I suspected as such; too busy, of course. Well, do you know of Eadwig?"

"The composer?"

He nods.

"Yes, he recently released a song that's making waves everywhere; a veritable top ten. It's already hit Diamond status. He's performing at a concert in Central City in about three days."

"So, plenty of crowds, plenty of eyes, plenty of chaos."

"Exactly."

She stands up straight and looks over the group once more.

"You, and everyone else here, do the Legion, and me, proud. I understand that times for us right now are tough. I understand that the floating fossil convincing most of our brothers and sisters to join him made it difficult for you to choose to stand by our principles, to stand by me, but that just makes your decision to do so all the more laudable. When our victory comes, your names will be sung as those who persisted in our darkest hours. They'll look back on us who stayed true and say 'we owe so much to those few'. Never falter in your duty, your dedication, and you will never be forgotten. Do you understand that?!"

"Jawohl!"

She feels a sense of pride wash over her as she thinks about her fortunes seem to be reversing.

Brother and great-grandfather! You traitors will get your just deserts! And it is I who the future will know; as the one brought victory to the Dark Legion and to the echidna people! As the greatest leader to ever grace either! As the harbinger of a golden age! They will remember me!

---

The head of a stationary metal target suddenly has a hole in it. Almost a mile and a half away, a skunk looks through binoculars while kneeling besides a prone squirrel.

"These NVGs we got are pretty great, aren't they?"

The squirrel nods but takes them off peers through the scope once more. He fires again and he strikes the target just to the right of his previous shot.

"2,286 meters."

"Alright, now ya're jus' showin' off!"

Hall raises his eye from the scope and raises himself up to his knees.

"No such thing, sir. Simply displaying my skills at Acorn's, and by extension your, disposal."

As he smirks, Geoffrey stands up, chuckling, and begins walking away.

"Yea, yea. Whatevah ya say, ya braggart."

Hall goes to follow him.

"Sir, the RSS field agents you recalled? All but three have reported to this camp."

"First, that's good; consolidating our assets will be key. Though tha' missing ones make me worry. I hope they're alive."

Hopefully ya are all jus' too busy ta return

"Second, I said ta stop callin' me sir when we're alone."

"Ah, my apologies."

"I get it, it's gonna take ya sum time for ya ta get used ta it."

Hall looks down for a moment and looks back to Geoffrey.

"St. John, I've a question."

"Do tell."

"A few days ago, when we were driving to Marves, you told me how you're plan involved marrying Miss Amy Rose. You yourself even confirmed you didn't wish to do so."

"That I did."

"I was going to ask you something but I was cut off."

"I know. Ya were gonna ask, 'why am I doin' it?', right?"

Hall nods.

"Because it's what's best for tha' country."

"For Acorn? Or for Mercia?"

"I hope for both, but if I had ta make a decision on which one ta benefit over tha' other, I'd choose Acorn every time."

Hall nods in agreement.

"But you also said you have a love back home. What about them?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

He stops and turns to face Hall.

"I don't know. I don't have an answer. I don't know what I'm gunna say ta her."

"You haven't told her."

It isn't a question but he answers anyways.

"Yea..."

He looks down with some shame.

"Why not, St. John?"

"All ya need ta know that, as ov right now, I'm not sure how all this will end. If I end up dyin' in this battle, it's best that she nevah knows what I had planned. She can continue to live believin' tha' lie that'd I'd never leave her. She deserves that much, at least."

"Well, you better start thinking of what you're going to do after all this; because I'm not letting anyone kill you."

Geoffrey's sour mood is improved by the boast from the squirrel.

"Oh, so you're ma avengin' angel?"

"I prefer guardian, but you can call me whatever you like, St. John."

"Can I call ya ma 'bragger angel'?"

"You know, Geoffrey, you should be nicer to someone who can kill you from another area code."

Geoffrey smiles and, while laughing, pounds on Hall's chest.

"That's ta spirit! One day at a time, I'll melt tha' bastard in ya out ov that ice block."

"Well, I won't deny your personality is rather infectious. The ardour of youth I suppose."

"Perhaps you should be nicer to yer boss."

"Perhaps."

As the two laugh, Geoffrey thinks of something.

I shouldn't feel this way, it's selfish

But he can't help himself.

I hope ya remember me Hersh...

---

Charles walks into a secure facility, several soldiers and scientists stand around.

"How many do we have slated for today?"

A scientist walks up to him.

"A hundred sixty-three, Sir Charles."

"That's it?"

"Sorry, sir. The RAAF's Power Ring quotas were 13% higher than we expected and the reconstruction budget for the civilian sector is always expanding."

He emits a prerecorded groan and walks over to the glass panel, looking down at the room below.

"Very well. Begin the procedure."

Several Mobians nod and they interact with their devices. An apparatus lowers a Power Ring down and constrained Robians start appearing on the conveyor belt.

To believe with all our technology, the only way to reverse his work-

He looks down with shame.

My work, is a tactile interaction with a one-use object...

The first Robian hits the Power Ring and a surge of energy flows throughout its body as the Power Ring disappears.

"Ahhg! Where am I? Millie, are you alright?!"

The whole room feels an uncomfortable air encompass it despite how routine this is. Charles leans forward and presses down on a button.

"Hello, this is a friend and I'm here to tell you that it's going to be okay."

The apparatus has returned with another Power Ring and the next Robian hits it.

"Huh?! What is this place?!"

Charles has to fight past all the vexation their confusion, their fear, causes him.

"This is a safe place. You're being freed. You're going to go home. Please, just be calm."

If he could sigh, he would.

Why can't they do this without me?

He prepares himself to see the other one hundred sixty-one go through the process.

---

A grey fox sits and drinks in the tent along with a bear, a brown hedgehog, a sable wolf, a coyote, and a hare.

"Ugh, I espoir I don't écraser too many royalistes under mon treads."

The hedgehog throws a crumpled piece of paper at the hare.

"Did quit thy whining, Jules. Thee shouldst beest hon'r'd to has't their sick blood grace thy tank."

"Vous savoir Thomas, not everyone enjoys being a boucher."

"Just because thee doth thy killing inside a vehicle and through a scope doesn't maketh it any less bloody."

"I didn't say it did, but a petite sobriété from vous would be apprécié."

Beric shakes his head in playful dismissal of the hare's words and turns to Montcalm.

"Simon, what is thy opinion on this matt'r? Thee've did get a lot of medals on thy breast."

"I do not enjoy it, but I also do not mind it. It is simplement a tâche that must be seen to, as efficacement as possible."

Beric rolls his eye at the answer and takes a swig.

"Wherefore wouldst I expecte anything diff'rent from thee..."

The coyote chuckles.

"Likely because thou art wasted."

"Forsooth, Bash."

"Doth not calle me that."

"'Sébastien' is a bit too longe f'r me, I'm afraid. And aye, I am getting wasted. That's what we cameth h're to doth, c'rrect?"

The room nods.

"Exactly."

Beric turns to face Noël.

"Marshal, thou art the most dec'rat'd Mobian h're. What doth thee bethink about all the killing?"

"Vous want to hear my vrai thoughts on it?"

The entire room nods even though he is only asking Beric.

"Very well."

The grey fox sets down his bottle and leans back in his chair.

"Le vérité is that I détester it all. Every time I take a vie, I feel a piece of myself slip away."

Everyone's eyes open in shock at his words.

"I don't just mean when we battre in bataille. Every time I give an ordre, I savoir it's likely going to lead to someone dying."

He looks into the eyes of everyone in the tent.

"But I do it nonetheless. For vous, for everyone. And I will continuez to do so until it is no longer nécessaire. I donner to Mercia all of moi to aider elle out of elle misfortune."

Beric raises his glass.

"One hell of a gift, I saye."

The tent murmurs in agreement and raise their glasses, including Noël. They all look to the fox and wait for what he is about to say.

"Aux morts."

"Aux morts."

They drink together.

"Messieurs, let us chanter the chanson that Marves, and all of Mercia, shall hear as we marcher to victoire. Let us chanson le chant de guerre pour l'Armée de Liberation."

They all nod at the fox's words and begin humming the tune.

---

Now Playing: "La Marvesaise"
(Inspired By "La Marseillaise")

---

Allons enfants de la Mère patrie, [Arise children of the Motherland,]
Le jour de gloire est arrivé! [The day of glory has come!]

Montcalm raises a fist in pride at those words.

Contre cette affreuse tyrannie, [Against this dreadful tyranny,]
Nos l'étendard sanglant est levé! [Our bloody standard is raised!]
Nos l'étendard sanglant est levé! [Our bloody standard is raised!]
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes, tyrans, [Do you hear in the countryside, tyrants,]
Le mugir de nous féroces soldats? [The roar of us ferocious soldiers?]

Jules beats his chest with a great energy.

Nous viennent jusque dans vos bras [We're coming right into your arms]
Égorger vos fils, vos frères, vos compagnons! [To slit the throats of your sons, your brothers, your companions!]

Beric smiles wildly while singing those lyrics.

Aux armes, citoyens! [To arms, citizens!]
Formez vos bataillons! [Form your battalions!]
Marchons, marchons! [Let's march, let's march!]
Qu'un sang commun [So that a common blood]
Abreuve nos sillons! [Waters our fields!]

The assembly of aged and wearied voices rings with a clarity and unity of purpose.

Aux armes, citoyens! [To arms, citizens!]
Formez vos bataillons! [Form your battalions!]
Marchons, marchons! [Let's march, let's march!]
Qu'un sang commun [So that a common blood]
Abreuve nos sillons! [Waters our fields!]

They smile as they finish and all lean back. Noël can only think of one thing.

I espoir they remember moi for what I worked to construire, what I worked to save, and not what I worked to détruire

He thinks to the boy.

And I espoir vous remember me fondly, mon garçon...

---

The coyote exits his aircraft and takes his helmet off. Groundcrew swarm his plane as well as those of the rest of the squadron.

"Alright everyone, zet's gather in ze command tent."

The various Mobians nod and follow him. He comes to a table and picks up a tablet, as do the rest, and they begin scrolling through the various images and video they've captured.

"Anyone haz anything to report?"

They collectively shake their heads.

"Nothing, just great..."

"Wait, sir, I think I've got something."

His ears perk up at the porcupine's words and he walks over to him.

"What is zit?"

The pilot hands him the tablet.

"Mon Dieu..."

He quickly turns to a hedgehog.

"Major Wells, run a search for casernes in Mulegomery."

"Sir, there are no barracks in-"

"I know, that's why I need you to run ze scan."

She nods and executes the search.

"Zero results, sir."

Antoine's gaze returns to the tablet.

"A caserne hidden within a movie theatre..."

"Almost hundred potential combatants visible in that image alone, sir."

He looks up to the porcupine.

"Excellent work."

He turns to face the rest of the pilots.

"Everyone, you are dismissed. Go get zome grub and rest."

They all give salutes.

"Sir, yes sir."

They file out of the tent as he sits in a chair.

"I'm going to need zome assistance."

He shakes his head.

"Harvey can hear later."

He pulls out a phone and calls her. After a few seconds of ringing, she picks up.

"Hey Twan, what ya doin' up so late?"

I wish I could tell you

"Routine flying exercises. Zey wanted me to see how ze rookies perform in night conditions."

That iz mostly true...

"How'd it go?"

He brings the tablet back to his vision.

"Better than expected."

"Great ta hear. I hope ya'ah not too long. Where are ya anyways?"

"In ze Baronies."

"Fer real?!"

"Oui."

"Ah shucks! I wish I could be with ya right now. It'd be nice ta be back home."

His frown grows.

"Yea, zat would be nice, wouldn't zit?"

"Ya okay, Twan?"

"Oui, just a bit tired, zat's all."

"Well, I'll let ya get yer beauty sleep."

"Good night, mon amour."

He blows a kiss through the phone.

"Nighty-night, Sugah-Twan."

She does the same and hangs up and he lets out a sigh. He is now fully alone.

"I hate to involve you two, but your country needs you two once more."

---

The red echidna listens to the phone.

"What?"

The blue hedgehog, meanwhile, simply waits impatiently. He hates waiting, doing nothing.

Worse than getting socked right in the face

He says so with plenty of experience with such a thing.

"What the hell is a 'S.U.P.R.A.M.'? Some new robot from Eggman?"

Sonic lets out a brief chuckle at that.

More like 'some new scrap pile'

"No? Sally? When?"

His ears perk up in interest at those words.

"Okay, obviously you wanted to join it, but what did Esp and Vec say?"

A muffled voice sounds over the line.

"What about Mighty and 'Su? Okay. Well, if everyone else is on board for it, I don't see why not. Go ahead and tell Walt we'll join. I'll be busy for the next few days so tell the gang I'm sorry if I can't talk. Alright, see ya around Charms."

He hangs up and Sonic instantly closes the distance with him.

"What's this about Sally?"

"Apparently, while she was in Downunda, she and Walt worked on forming some new group; 'the next evolution of the Freedom Fighters' they're calling it."

"So, S.U.P.R.A.M., what does that mouthful mean?"

"Supreme United Pact for the Regeneration and Advancement of Mobius."

"Oooh, real official sounding."

Knuckles emits a light laugh at Sonic's partial mockery.

"Yea, but I suppose that's the point. Charmy told me that Walt is contacting the cells to try and wrangle as many as he can. I hope he's successful but since Eggman has been quiet for a while, I'm not sure."

"So, 'next evolution of the Freedom Fighters'. How so? Apart from the fancy new name."

"To be honest, not fully sure. But the gist I gathered makes me think there's gonna be more centralization, expanding recruitment to increase all our numbers, probably some changes to how we all operate, though I couldn't tell you specifics, and probably a shift from simply resisting towards more active goals."

"Wow, that's a lot."

"Yea, she wasn't even in Downunda for that long I heard."

Sonic smiles with pride at her industriousness.

"Sal's a hard worker with a big ol' brain on her shoulders."

"That's true."

The hedgehog and the echidna walk up to the elevator.

"Don't tell me this meeting is taking place on the hundredth story..."

Knuckles smiles as the door opens and two enter.

"Not quite."

He presses the buttons for the 26th floor, the 5th floor, the 18th floor, and then the 15th floor. The doors shut and the elevator begins moving.

"Secret codes, huh?"

"Safety is paramount and nothing's more safe than something not known."

The two stand in silence for a bit.

"Didn't know this building was this tall."

"It isn't."

The door opens and they exit out of the elevator to enter a hallway.

"Welcome to the zeroth floor."

He points to a door around halfway down the hall.

"This one."

The two walk towards and then enter it.

"So, this is it huh?"

Knuckles nods as they walk around the conference room.

"Yup. Forty delegates are gonna be here and that number's only so low because both sides agreed that only the big names should attend this."

"Forty is their idea of small?"

"Yea, I know."

"Well at least they made sure this place didn't have any big windows. Being underground is a big plus too"

"Yea, add in the hermetically sealed doors and halls, independent HVAC system, and local power generator, this place is pretty damn safe."

"Yet you still asked me to come?"

"One can never be too safe and this conference is a big deal. Also, you're a total outsider to this whole thing, a world-renowned hero, and your record is pretty much spotless; everyone that'll be here, when they see you, will trust you to be fair, to be honest and that's gonna be necessary considering how crazy things are getting. I'm sure you've heard what the news mentions about all this?"

"Yea, a little."

"Well, that's just whatever both sides decide to let leak. There's so much more that the public, even most echidnae, don't know."

"Like what?"

"Sabotage missions, spy cells, assassination attempts."

"Damn! That's some messed up stuff, Knuckles! Aren't you guys supposed to all be from this place?"

"The Angel Island and Mystic Ruin groups left hundreds of years ago, a lot can change in just a single generation. Look at Acorn, it went from being a feudal, agricultural society into a modern, industrialized nation-state with digital technology in, what, fifty years?"

Sonic nods.

"Yea, kinda hard to imagine things in the scale of hundreds of years."

"And there's even some more worrying stuff."

"Like?"

"I have reports that some members of the High Council tried subtly convincing Dimitri and the Legion to attack Albion while others say that Albion government officials may be supporting and even funding von Stryker."

"Great, just when you think that you've stopped a conflict, some jerkoff is trying to fan the flames again..."

"Yea, I feel you, Sonic. It's bad. If something isn't done soon, it could escalate into a full-blown war between the two. That's why we set up this conference."

"We?"

"Dimitri and I. We came together and recognized the problem and how something needed to be done."

"Legion and the Guardians working together; that always sends me for a spin... "

"Yea, I know. But I think it's an important symbol; if these two ancient rival groups can put aside their differences to do the right thing, so can these delegates, so can Angel Island and Albion."

Sonic nods.

"Yea, I guess you're right. Just be sure to give me a heads up whenever ol' Cthulhu-dreads is near, last thing I want is to bump into him unexpectedly."

"I shall be sure to do so, Sonic."

The new voice draws the hedgehog's attention and he turns to face it. The sight of the metallic head in a floating clear orb sends shock and fright through his blue body.

"Agh!"

He jumps back.

"What hell man?!"

Knuckles and Dimitri laugh heartily at the hedgehog's terror.

"Not funny!"

"I believe we beg to differ, Sonic."

He shakes his head and turns to face Knuckles.

"Did you plan this?"

"Well, 'plan' is such a strong word..."

"Yes or no?"

"Well, did I ask him ahead of time to prepare for this? No. But did I know he was down here, that he may not have been in the hallway or this specific room, and that he would probably do something like this if he caught you off guard? Well, I can't say for certain, but it is a possibility."

"Some friend you are, scaring me half to death like that."

"You deserved it; you know how much I hate it when you call me 'Chuckles'."

Sonic gives an exasperated look.

"You're still hung up over that? It was like two days ago!"

"I really hate it."

"Gentlemen, please. Let's act like adults, shall we?"

Sonic and Knuckles nod and Dimitri turns to face the latter.

"To start things off: I must report that I have not made any progress into the separation of Ixis Mogul from the Master Emerald."

"That sucks, but I guess I shouldn't have expected a solution so soon."

"So, M&M is still stuck inside it?"

They nod.

"Yea. I mean, I'm glad he's stuck and not around causing havoc, but I wish Tails and Shadow hadn't decided to stick him inside the Master Emerald, again."

Sonic rubs his head.

"Yea, but hey, as long as you keep ol' Egghead from it, he shouldn't get out, again."

Knuckles frowns.

"I'm not sure if I like the idea of having the thing keeping my home afloat holding a crazy wizard inside of it..."

"I concur, but the levels of Chaos energy involved makes it beyond a simple removal. But moving on to the matter at hand."

The floating head moves his gaze to the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic, as you know, my fourteen-times-great-grand-nephew and you will serve as mediators. The two of you will each bring a special asset to the task with your respective personages."

"And what's that?"

"Knuckles already told you yours; a world-renowned hero of unquestionable integrity and with a penchant for fairness and honesty. Add in your extreme idealism and amicable attitude to even your most staunch enemies and you get a paragon of virtue that will help silence any talk of bias or wrongdoing. Speaking of your idealism, my databases show that you've never killed anyone, ever. Are they incorrect?"

Sonic shakes his head with a smile.

"Nope. Never have, never will. There's always another way."

"As much as such optimism makes me feel hopeful for the future of the world, our world, perhaps a dose of pragmatism may allow it to remain viable?"

"No way. I don't kill, end of story."

Dimitri and Knuckles smile at each other.

"See, a true exemplar of righteousness."

"Well, not to brag or anything..."

"Sonic, stop before you earn yourself a knuckle sandwich."

"That pun was terrible and you should feel ashamed for thinking it had even a snowball's chance in hell at being funny."

A prerecorded cough from the floating head brings an end to the jesting.

"As for Knuckles; he is a Guardian, a member of a renowned and ancient order. He is also an esteemed hero of great merit, having proven himself in battle, and he has repeatedly defended both the echidna people as well as all Mobius alongside you and your friends. His rank and status come with a dignity that must be respected, especially by the Angel Island delegates."

"And what about you, Octopoda Mk. Eight? You gonna be here too?"

The floating head shakes itself.

"No. I am the father of the founder of the Dark Legion and its current Grandmaster-"

"Right, a very good reason. Also, what kind of name is 'The Dark Legion'? I mean, points for being honest with the villainy I guess."

"Sonic, shut it!"

"Hey, he's your family, not mine."

The angry glare from the echidna gets him to raise his gloves in surrender.

"As I was saying, I am the current Grandmaster of the Dark Legion and am inextricably tied to its foundation, to its ideology. I am also over three hundred and eighty years old; I have more knowledge filed away as 'cursory trivia' than many of the brightest in the world today have as their entire repository. I am a primary source for nearly four centuries of echidna history, I have observed and participated in many major events personally; but I am also a source of a great many problems and issues facing the echidna people, both of Albion and Angel Island. I serve equally as a source of great authority that must be heeded to with great attention and fear that must be guarded against with great care. Add in my unusual form-"

"Unusual is an understatement."

Knuckles gives another death glare, much in contrast to Dimitri's amused expression.

"Soni-"

"Alright, alright; that's the last one. I swear."

"Knuckles, it's alright. I've faced a great deal of challenges in my life; I believe I am capable of handling a meager amount of ridicule from a little blue hedgehog."

"Who you callin' little?"

"Oh, relax! Surely you can get as well as you give, Olgilvie?"

Knuckles' confusion is obvious.

"Uh what?"

Sonic's entire being is racked with anxiety and embarrassment.

"How-"

"To save you further embarrassment, I would suggest you do not finish that question and simply let the matter lie."

He turns to Knuckles.

"It's something he'd rather keep secret."

"And now you're telling him?!"

"I've not told him anything. Now, as I was saying,"

Knuckles gives a smirk, despite not fully understanding the situation at hand, at Sonic's unease.

"All those things make it so that my involvement is both necessary and troublesome. My knowledge is needed, but not my presence. I will remain away from the conference but patched into both of you via an earpiece that will be provided. Normally, radio waves would not be able to reach this far down, but the ones I shall provide to you will operate on a frequency able to operate unimpeded."

"Alright, I guess that all checks out."

The floating head gives an arrogant "hmph" and accompanies it with a prideful smirk.

"Of course it does. Everything I have planned for this conference is designed to 'check out'. Even the date; with the septcentennial, all the focus will on the Federation and Central City and not here. Do you think I would take any action if I believed it would prove a negative statistical-"

"Okay, stop. No techno-mumble jumbo, thank you very much."

Knuckle gives a friendly slap to the hedgehog's back.

"You're a real piece of work, ya know that?"

"Well-"

"I concur. But I also believe you are a most admirable, and peculiar, variable in the global equation. I have observed, and will continue to observe, you with great interest."

"Thanks, I think?"

"When you pass away due to old age, I will dutifully maintain my records of you in my memory banks."

Sonic smirks.

"Weird way to say that but thanks again. It's nice to know that you'll remember me."

---

The warm Sun, cool breeze, and light drizzle graces the white hedgehog's form. The beauty of the plains and forests of the Hesperian subcontinent, the core of the United Federation, makes itself apparent to anyone who takes a second to look; Silver isn't looking. His eyes are shut and his legs crossed as he sits in deep thought.

Master...

He's been at this for some time.

Master...

Finally, his call receives an answer.

My ward, it has been long since I have heard from you...

The voice comes but with no body, no form, no source, it just exists in this space; like it first did, like it now does, like it always will.

You said not to reach out until I've found something worthy of reporting

Silver's exists in this emptiness as well, with no form, just noise.

Indeed, I did. State your finding, I hope it is actually of significance

Silver begins feeling slightly nervous but manages to keep his composure in this mental space.

Here

At once, images and audio of everything Pickle and Amy have revealed to him, from his own perspective, flash and play before their disembodied voices.

I see; it took you some time but this is promising

Thank you, Master...

You have something on your mind, speak

The voice of the elder rings throughout the dark abyss.

I-, why won't you tell me who or what The Gift is? If you just told me, I could just go and end it, right now

My ward, the purpose of this is to make you fit into becomin-

I don't care about that! I just want to stop The Gift! All this vagueness is ridiculous!

Silence dominates the void for an uncomfortable time. Finally, the elderly voice begins speaking once more.

Due to your age as well as the circumstances you were raised in, I will forgive that outburst

Silver feels guilt at his own words.

I- I'm sorry Master. I shouldn't be ungrateful, after everything you've done for me, for giving me this chance...

I understand what it's like to lose your home; I also know what it's like to live to see better days long gone

Silver has no words and so the elderly voice continues speaking.

So: Mercia, the Dominion, the Federation, the Legion, and the Armada. You surely have a long road ahead of you with such a veritable expanse of regions to cover

It doesn't matter, I'll travel to the ends of this world to see this through

Good. I suggest you do more research, I sense your knowledge on these groups is severely lacking beyond the most surface level observations of a laymen

I will. But Master, there is something else I wish to ask

Then do so

This "Amy Rose" that I've met, she knows someone by the name of "Shadow"

Yes, you already showed me

No, it's something more than that. There was a song, from my time; there were lyrics in it

The song makes itself heard in the nothingness, as does the image of that Robian humming happily in her house.

"The Gift had a dream and held no doubts we'd reach it together one day, and so we thank the shadows and remember the lovely rose!"

I was wondering, if this is just a coincidence or if the two are in fact one and the same?

All I can tell you is that the two are not hostile and that attacking them would not be wise. But to be completely frank, I shouldn't need to tell you that

What? Why?

My ward, you should not operate with the intention of attacking anything that sets of your suspicions. It is a poor philosophy; turning potential tools into enemies

The strength in the elderly voice tapers off somewhat at the end of the sentence.

Tools?

People, my ward, people

A tinge of weakness resides at the end of the elderly voice's sentence.

Oh, I see...

Does this line of thinking bother you?

He takes a moment to formulate his answer; he can feel the other presence grow weaker.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But I'd also be lying if I said it bothers me enough to discount. What I'm fighting for, I'll do anything to achieve

The memory of what he did to that Robian for simply singing makes itself seen.

You made quite a mess of her, what did she do?

He can feel the fatigue in the words.

She existed. So, if treating people as nothing more than tools, instruments, whatever, is what's necessary, so be it

The elderly voice emits a genial laugh into the void but pain plagues its.

You possess impressive devotion, but then again I shouldn't have expected any less. Do you know what they say about gold and the brave?

No

Gold is tried by fire; the...

What?

The brave by...

The elderly voice fully trails off into silence.

Master?

No answer comes.

Are you there?

Silence is the only response, leaving Silver's disembodied voice alone in the nothingness.

Why-

"Silver?"

---

The voice causes the void to vanish and it is replaced by the darkened light of the Sun coming through his shut eyelids.

Hmm...

He opens his eyes and turns to see Amy, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes?"

"How long have you been up for?"

"A while."

"Thanks for being specific. And what are you doing anyways; just sitting there all quiet?"

"What you so rudely interrupted was me meditating."

"Mediating?"

He gives a genuinely shocked expression.

"What's wrong with meditating?"

"Eh, it just seems really boring. I mean, an old person doing it makes sense, but otherwise it just seems weird. Don't tell me you're fifty-something, too; like Shadow."

"First, stop comparing me to him. Second, I'm seventeen."

"Ah, I see. Seems you're just weird then."

"There's nothing wrong with taking a moment to collect your thoughts and find some serenity. Besides, it helps me to refine my control of my powers."

She now sports an annoyed look.

"Were you reading my mind?"

"Would you believe me if I said 'no'?"

He smirks and she chuckles for a brief moment.

It feels good to be honest; even if it's in a roundabout way

"Ok, I'll let it slide since you made me laugh."

She stands up and he does the same.

"C'mon, let's get going. We should probably be able to reach Central City either by tonight or tomorrow morning."

The two begin walking.

"Hey Silver?"

"Yea?"

"The day before yesterday, you said you hated most of the songs from where you're from. Why's that?"

He manages to maintain a neutral expression despite everything he's feeling; the meditation also helps him maintain emotional focus and clarity.

"It's a really song story that I don't care to explain, so I won't bother. Just know that I have good reason."

"Well, you said you hated most, not all. So what about those?"

"Well, pretty much all of the ones I love are-,"

He cuts himself off.

"Were, from my parents. They would sing to me when I was real young, ya know?"

Amy nods.

"I'm close with someone who's parents are also, gone. I'm sorry to hear that."

Were we not a good enough family for you?

"Yea, but I'll always keep their songs with me."

She notes his lack of a response to her thought.

Guess he wasn't reading my thoughts

"Do you sing them?"

"No. Haven't in forever."

"When will you?"

"I-, I don't know. Not any time soon I suspect, but maybe I'm wrong."

"I wonder what your singing voice sounds like?"

"Heh, probably terrible. I never got any feedback on it, due to obvious circumstances and I haven't sung in so long..."

"Silver?"

He turns to face her, her hand raised over his shoulder.

"Can I?"

"What did I say?!"

"Silver, it's not healthy to be so, I don't know, disconnected, from people."

The two come to a stop.

"I already told you, I don't care about what's good for me. It's irreleva-"

"I'll give you a reason."

He crosses his arms and gives a disbelieving look.

"Oh yea? Go ahead, give it your best shot."

"You can only find whoever destroyed your home if you're still drawing breath and having allies will make stopping whoever it is all the easier."

He maintains his posture, seemingly unfazed by her words.

"Don't you want to live after all of it? Live a life free of that burden?"

Silver looks down in thought. After a few seconds of thinking he raises his head to face her for he has an answer, though it's in the form of a question.

"Why would I?"

Amy's expression is one of shock and disbelief to put Silver's previous one to shame.

"What the hell kinda question, and answer, is that?"

"Amy, I don't know anyone here. My life is different from all this. I don't really get any of you. Asking me to live in this world, well it'd be like asking a fish if they wanted to fly among the clouds; I'm not even sure they could comprehend living life outside of the sea. What would I even do?"

"Silver, you could live a life."

"I'm living right now."

"No, you're not. You're not living. You're just surviving: drawing breath, eating food, drinking water; the amount of activities you partake in for your wellbeing are equivalent to those of a plant. Living is so much more than that. It's about laughing, smiling, enjoying, adventuring, discovering, finding friends, finding lovers, finding family, and finding yourself."

Amy looks down to the side, smiling.

Thanks Sal

Her gaze returns to Silver.

"You're not used to this life? Get familiar. You don't know what to do? Start exploring. You don't know anyone? Meet people."

Silver stands dumbfounded; he's never thought about what he's going to do once this is all over. He's not even a completely sure that he'll still exist if he succeeds.

Master did say that the gems from the Miracle Planet should protect me from changes to the timestream...

And now, here's someone who he's attacked twice, threatened to decapitate, and in general has just been somewhat unpleasant towards, trying to convince him to find happiness.

Maybe she has a point...

"Okay."

"So, you agree?"

"I-, I don't know if I do, not yet; but I admit you have some points. I'll-, I'll work on trying to adjust."

He extends his hand out.

"I don't know about actual touching, but a handshake would probably be a good start."

She smiles.

"I'll take that."

The two shake hands for a moment.

"You're the second person I've shaken hands with in, god, I don't even know how long. Thank you."

She nods.

"Don't mention it."

She begins walking.

"Wait."

She stops and turns to face him.

"I said pretty much all of the ones I love were from my parents."

She simply nods so as to let him continue.

"Well, there was one song that wasn't from them that I love. No, love isn't the right word, it doesn't quite get the idea across."

He grips his right hand tight.

"I-, it's priceless. It's invaluable, more than any song I've ever heard or ever will."

She smiles.

"That's great. Who was it from?"

He looks down.

"A very special someone."

Well that wasn't really specific...

She waits a couple of seconds for his response to her thought, but none comes, so she continues the conversation.

"Well, would you sing it one day?"

His brow furrows as he raises his head back up to face her.

"No. I won't ever sing that song again. No one ever will."

"Wh-, why? If you love it wouldn't you want it to be heard by more people?"

"No."

He begins walking.

"That song wasn't, isn't, for anyone else to hear; it was just for us."

Her face flashes before his eyes.

I hope I was good enough for you...

Amy follows and she comes besides him. He remembers the pulse of energy from his hand surging out in an instant into the device, too fast to perceive unless you were expecting it, waiting for it, looking for it.

I hope you didn't see it coming...

"And now, it's only for me."

And I'm sorry I didn't let you finish it, it was so lovely...

"Alright. I understand that."

He turns to face her, smiling.

"Thank you, Amy."

He remembers her voice.

"Just us."

"Like I said, don't mention it!"

---

Maximilian kneels before his flowerbed. He has completed the ritual once again, as he has innumerable times before, as he will innumerable times more.

It won't be finished till I am

"Your Majesty."

He sighs.

It's never going to leave me...

He stands up and turns to face the Robian.

"Yes, Charles?"

"Can we sit?"

He is quiet for a moment.

"Yes. We can."

He goes to sit on a stone bench and Charles joins him.

"It's all so peaceful, isn't it?"

Maximilian nods with a reserved smile.

"Yes; yes it is."

The Robian turns to face him.

"I wanted to speak with you, about Nicole."

Maximilian turns to face him with some fear in his face.

"Has she been hacked again?"

Charles shakes his head.

"No, no. It's about her restrictions. I was hoping you and the Privy Council could roll them back, it's been years since that all happened. It isn't fair to continue holding it against her."

Maximilian looks down in thought. As much as he is wary of her, he can't deny how much she has done in the fight against the kingdom's enemy's.

Perhaps such service should be rewarded, but I must be certain that she can be trusted...

"I won't do such a thing, right now. But something will happen soon, if she remains steadfast, I will consider removing all her restrictions."

Maximilian also cannot, will not, deny how many times she has protected, cared for, and been there for his daughter.

My little Bean

"But for now, I will allow her access to enough nanites to reform her body."

Charles smiles with great joy as he misses the most important part of Maximilian's previous statement.

"Really? That's incredible! She'll be so happy."

"You care for her, don't you?"

He nods, unashamed to admit it.

"I understand her, more than anyone else. We both had a connection to the world and then lost it. That understanding is strong. The only difference between us is that she's going to get it back."

Maximilian places a hand on Charles shoulder.

"You will too. You are the smartest man I know."

Charles raises a robotic eyebrow.

"Man, and not person?"

"No man can ever say someone is smarter than his wife."

The two chuckle together, the prerecorded nature of Charles' laughter sends shivers up Maximilian's spine.

Don't react, remain strong. Don't let him see how it makes you feel

He manages to keep laughing and Charles is none the wiser to how unnerving his very being is to him.

Good, I don't want to hurt you, make you feel anymore isolated than you already do. I know how it feels to be all alone...

"But yes, you are a brilliant man. If anyone can figure out how to reverse Julian's damned work, it's you."

Charles smiles but inside him is a disheartening thought.

It's not his, it's mine; my concept, my machine, my process, my legacy...

"Thank you, Max. I hope I can, as soon as possible."

I hope I can fix my mistakes

He thinks to his friends, his family, his positive inventions that have advanced society, improved medicine, saved lives, increased food production, and have raised the standard of living. He also thinks to his nephew and smiles.

I hope that everyone will remember me for the good I brought to the world

He then thinks to all the Robians, to all his weapons of war, to all the Overlanders he killed during the Great War; even though it was war, even though they were his enemies, even though they would've done the same to him, even though he's lauded as a hero for it, he feels shame at each and every kill of his.

And not all the pain I've caused...

He can't deny that this place, despite the fact that he logically shouldn't be able to feel what a normal person does, has an effect on him that is most soothing.

"Would you mind if I started coming out here? With you?"

Maximilian thinks about that.

I cherish the time I have alone; I have so little of it...

And then his eyes return to Charles. Somehow, despite his digital eyes and unmoving metal body, Maximilian can tell how genuine his request is.

But he deserves it, deserves happiness; even if it comes at my expense

"Of course, Charles. I would be honoured to have your company in this place."

He extends his arm around Charles' back and the two look up to the sky.

"You ever think about what's up there, Max?"

"No."

"How can you not? Think of how many millions, billions, of planets are out there, all the potential for life in the galaxy, and we've never seen any of it. I mean, probability states that life should be a common occurrence but yet all we observe seems to run contrary to that. It's like if you were in the middle of the ocean on a deserted island; obviously we know the world isn't empty and thus you aren't alone, but if you never saw anyone, what difference would it make?"

"I am just thankful I can see it."

Charles lets out a prerecorded laugh and once again a cold wave vibrates up Maximilian's spine.

Don't

He keeps his cool and Charles is once again oblivious to how he is making him feel.

I'm sorry I failed you, I'm sorry I failed everyone

He then thinks to Sally.

I won't fail you, no matter what it takes

He looks to the Robian who is still laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I just-, I know I don't say this a lot, but I love you. You're as much a brother to me as Jules is; I admire you, too."

Charles takes a second to think about his next words.

"I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. I'll be your truest friend to the end. No ifs, no buts. Nothing. If there's no one else you can talk to, you'll have me."

Maximilian's smile is as genuine as it is wide.

"I-, thank you Charles. I have so few solaces in my life; I am happy to say you are among them."

The two return their gazes to the stars.

"Can we talk about it?"

He sighs at Charles' request.

"I suppose there's no getting around it."

"I'm sorry, I know it hurts. When you told me about them, it hurt me in a way I couldn't, can't, describe. But not talking about it, it doesn't help us. It's like keeping a poison in your body."

"Perhaps. But maybe the alternative is someone else being poisoned?"

The two look to each other once more. The meaning behind Maximilian's question is apparent.

"Don't say that. Don't ever apologise for telling the truth. It may hurt to know, but it's better than not knowing."

Maximilian frowns.

I hope it is...

"Why did they decide to do it? What made them disillusioned with you?"

"More than I could ever know. But they mentioned how war with the Overlanders had only begun because of the leadership of me and past kings, so I suppose that was the tipping point that convinced them begin planning."

"But why didn't they just talk with you? With us? We could've aired our grievances, engaged in a dialogue, found a solution that everyone could live with."

"I wish I knew..."

"Was it all fake? Or was there something real?"

Maximilian looks down to the ground.

All I know is that what I felt was real...

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I-, if it was all fake, then I can just file them away as bastards; like I did Julian and Kodos and a lot of other people. But if it wasn't, if there was...,"

His trailing voice says more than whatever words he could've conjured.

"Then I don't know what to feel."

"That is okay."

Charles raises his head and looks at Maximilian with great confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Maximilian raises his gaze from the grass and to Charles' eyes.

"It's okay not to know."

The Robian's shock at those words is obvious.

"I don't know what to feel either; but that's okay.

Anger, rage, sorrow, betrayal, confusion, failure, and a million other things

"The only thing you need to know in life is what you're going to do next. Right now, I've never been more certain about what I'm going to do."

Worry quickly replaces the Robian's shock.

"Max, what are you talking about?"

Maximilian simply smiles.

"In due time my friend, in due time."

They return their gazes to the star, Maximilian's arm remains on Charles back.

I hope you two remember me as a father who cared enough to do what was best for you, even if it means you might hate me for it...

---

Miles and Edouard finish going over inventory.

"Prower."

"Yea?"

"Le soldats d'Accorn we captured, vous never saw them, right?"

He nods.

"Yea."

"Well, do vous want to? To speak with them?"

He shakes his head.

"Nope."

Edouard raises a brow but his eyes do not display suprise.

"Why not?"

"Because, there'd be no point to it. I'm done living in the past. Mercia is where I'm at, right here, right now."

"Alright, maybe vous are done with Acorn, but what about le airship?"

"Like I said, it's done, it's gone, it doesn't matter anymore; not unless I make it matter."

"Prower, Thomas and I both heard le chanson."

Miles looks down to the side.

"Do vous remember when I asked you if there was an amante vous left behind in Northamer?"

He nods.

"And how you said 'not in Northamer'?"

He nods again.

"Was she the one in that chanson?"

He takes a deep sigh.

"Yea, she was. She was the first girl I ever felt that way about. And you know what I did to her, to all of them."

Edouard kneels and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank vous."

Miles looks up into the jackal's eyes with confusion.

"What?"

"For keeping your promesse. 'Non more secrets'."

Miles nods and gives a soft smile. Every time he is helped, he is cared for, that he feels good, his certainty in his decision hardens.

I won't let myself endanger you or anyone else I love

"Hey, I swore on it, didn't I?"

The two chuckle, the jackal completely unaware of how much the boy is lying to him.

Soon you and Beric will be safe from me as well as Noël, and Amy and Bunnie and Ant and so many others

He thinks to his hero.

And you Sonic, I love you all

The two exit the depot.

I hope you live a happy life with her

And then he thinks about said her.

And you too. I love you with all my heart.

He feels the thought rise back in him and he once again chastises himself mentally for it. But he can't help it.

I hope you'll remember me

---

The two hedgehogs continue their trek.

"Hey Silver?"

"What?"

"Your gloves, they're all fancy looking. They feel real nice too, when I shook them I was amazed at how soft they were. Felt like they were shifting around my hand."

"Thanks, they're pretty good."

"What are those symbols on the palms and back of the hand?"

"They're superconductor amplifiers."

"Uh, what?"

"Okay, so I move stuff with my mind, right?"

She nods.

"Well, it takes effort to do that, they help make it easier. It's why I move my hands when I use my powers even though I don't have to. Having physical and visual cues for my mind to focus with helps reduce the strain on my brain. These delta-shaped symbols also help make using my powers easier. The bioelectric energy my body, everybody, produces is linked to it as well and so this helps to move and strengthen it through my hands."

"Ok, I kinda got that. Sounds pretty fancy. Did the Professor make them for you?"

He shakes his head.

"Nope. I made these myself a while ago. About five years ago."

"Wow, that's pretty cool and while you were only twelve, too. So, you're like some kinda tech genie?"

He is genuinely surprised that she would refer to him as such.

"Me? No way. I'm pretty much an average joe. The hardest part about making these things was figuring out my own powers so as to ensure they could actually interact with it."

"An 'average joe'? Pretty sure Miles or Charles would-, oh wait, speaking of that."

Silver raises a brow as Amy pulls out her phone.

"C'mon, pick up."

A few seconds pass.

"Guh! Guess she's not available right now."

"Who you trying to call?"

She puts her phone away.

"Just a friend. She's also family with Miles and I told her I'd try to keep her in the loop."

She sighs.

Sorry Sal...

Silver perks his ears at that.

"Her name's Sally?"

She faces him.

"Yea, you've probably heard of her."

Silver turns away from her to look forward. If he didn't, the look in his eyes would be cause for concern.

"Yea, I think I have..."

"Cause she's a renowned hero and a princess, you know?"

Silver nods but it is in a way that makes her doubt that he was listening to her.

"Does she have any kids?"

Amy shakes her head.

"No."

He responds with only a "hmm". The silence that follows is unlike the one that preceded it. Before, they were silent because they were comfortable, because they both had nothing to say; now, they are silent because Amy has much to say and Silver nothing.

Perhaps the timescale I have is larger than I thought? Maybe Master intentionally told me it was smaller in order to get me moving fast?

He frowns at the challenge facing him.

I need to figure this all out, soon...

---

The screen flashes and a partially cybernetic rabbit comes into focus.

"Doctah, why are ya contactin' me? Ah told ya, we're through with ya, with thuh Legion, with everyone."

"It's nice to see you too, Baron."

"Give me one gud reason Ah shouldn't hang up on ya right now."

"Because I'm offering something, rather than asking for."

His face unmistakably lights up in interest and Robotnik smirks.

"And there it is, now I know you're interested."

His interest quickly gives way to anger.

"What's yer angle, Doctah."

"Same as always: Destroy my enemies. Right now, we have a common one."

"Ah got nothing against thuh Blue Blur and Dimitri let us go without a fight, so ya ain't convincing me to fight thuh Legion either."

"Think bigger, Mr. Rabbot."

"What could possibl-"

He stops and looks down for a moment as he comes to the realisation. Robotnik nods with that malevolent smile still on his face.

"There you go; making good use of that brain it seems. It's a shame I didn't roboticize you; you could've done so much more."

"I'll elect ta ignore that comment. What are ya offerin?"

"Weapons, vehicles, supplies, all the things you'll need to prepare. I shall ship them to your base."

The rabbit quickly turns back to face him.

"Nuh-uh, Ah don't wanna see ya or any of ya badniks even a hundred miles near thuh Refinery. That's our home and I'll be damned if Ah let ya get close ta it."

He grits his teeth.

"Fine, then you propose a location."

"Thuh Great Canyon. Ah'll take ya up on this offer but don't think Ah owe ya anythin' or that I'll just roll over for ya in the future."

"I expected nothing of the sort."

"When should Ah send ma people ta collect?"

"Right now."

The Baron's eyes shoot open and he turns to his left.

"Matilda, Virgil, Buck! Gather yer salvage crews and head ta thuh Great Canyon, right now!"

He turns back to the screen and presses a button; his image flickers away.

"My, my, Julian. Aren't you the multi-tasker?"

He turns to face the Efrikan.

"You know, you were never this talkative before."

"Losing your sense of self, let alone the ability to speak, makes you cherish such things. Besides, people can change; you seem rather different too."

"Perhaps if you paid more attention you'd notice what is different. But using your brain was never your strongpoint."

He walks over to a console and types on the keyboard.

"There. He better make good use of that material. I can't believe I only partially augmented him. Goes to show how people repay mercy and kindness..."

"This airship is rather nice. Roomy too. I suppose you need all the space you can get."

He turns to face the chuckling lion, deciding to ignore the joke at his expense and focus on figuring him out.

"What happened to the sorcerer? I thought you were working for him."

"He lost it a while ago, as I did. Unlike me, he's still suffering from it. But that's his problem, not mine."

"What is it that you want?"

"Oh yes, let me explain my grand plan in excruciating detail. Aren't you supposed to be a genius?"

He raises a finger in anger

"The genius. My intellect puts all others to shame."

"Yes, I'm certain..."

Kodos stands himself up.

"So, do you have an infiltration and exfiltration plan prepared?"

"Of course I do, you fool. And if you keep questioning my competence I'll be sure to exclude you from it."

"Please. I spent over a decade in the Zone, a stint in that place won't hold a candle to it."

"It's good to see your arrogance hasn't faded. Perhaps you'll be just as unprepared for my betrayal as you were the first time."

"It's good to see you've developed a sense of humor, Julian."

---

Hershey looks at the tv as muffled sunlight from the clouds comes through the window. A frown comes to her face as the strong, fair-haired, aged Overlander walks up to the stage. His overcoat is wet with water and his hair has slight shine to it.

"Hello everyone. I've come here to say some words, to help further explain myself, so that you may understand me better. To start, let me say that I am proud to come to this city to fight for the distinguished honor of being its mayor, a role that, throughout the world, symbolizes a great fighting spirit. I am proud to be within this United Federation, that for so many centuries has been committed to democracy and freedom and progress, and to be in the company of the strong people of this city, who have persisted through great trials and crises, such as when Chaos nearly destroyed this wonderful place. And I am certain you shall rise up to the occasion of any challenge again if ever required."

The crowd gives a round of applause at his words and he looks to his paper as he continues.

"Today, over all of Mobius, the proudest boast one can say, in my opinion, is 'I'm a Stationite'. There are many people in this city, in this Federation, in this world, who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue facing our time. Well I'll tell them, I'll tell you; that issue is stagnation. We've gotten too comfortable, too okay with everything. 'Good enough' and 'Soon' are the mantras that are leading this world, our world, on a collision course to its destruction. Well, I won't stand idly by and let that happen. 'Good enough' just ain't good enough. I strive for 'Better', for 'Today', not tomorrow!"

Hershey hates how much she agrees with his words.

Maybe he genuinely just wants to help people?

"To those content with how things are, hear these words so that you may understand. Some of you say that the world is alright, that the wave of the future is always a rising tide that lifts all. I'm here to tell you, to remind you, that you often forget how many times the waters of change can drown us instead. I ask you see what we have achieved. And some of you, in Eurish and elsewhere on Mobius, say we can simply rest on our laurels. I ask you to imagine what we could dream! And there are even a few of you who say that it is true that the system we have may not be great, but it works and to expect anything more is idealistic naïveté. I ask you to watch what we will achieve!"

The crowd claps once more and several "Yeas!" can be heard. Hershey can do nothing more than mentally agree. He seems to have reached upon something and tosses away his paper, leaving his podium bare of anything save for his microphone.

"Let's see how well he improvises."

"Progress has many growing pains, change has many difficulties, and freedom is not perfect; but it's not the tried-and-truers who are remembered and lauded for the good they have brought to this world, our world; it is the doers, the risktakers, and the adventurous who we thank everyday. Never has putting a wall in front of us out of fear ever led to a bettering of circumstances and the safety it brings is a temporary illusion, making it all the more painful when it is eventually, inevitably, shattered."

Hershey emits a low hum of concern at his proficiency.

"And what is true of this city is true of our Federation- real, lasting peace and happiness can never be reached as long as one out of seven citizens of this city is denied the basic dignity that all humans deserve. In seventeen years of peace and good faith, the Overlanders deserve to have their voice, our voice, heard. Not above yours, not below yours, but beside yours; for we are not outsiders, we are family. But, my words of action are not simply to you, but also to the Overlanders; We must work to include ourselves into this society, to appreciate and repay the generosity you have shown us. Reconciliation can only happen when both sides reach out to the other. I wish to work to unite this family, the human family in lasting peace, with good will to one another."

"Hard to believe this guy was-"

She shakes her head.

"Is, a warmonger."

She isn't sure if her 'correction' is right.

"But there is more we must do than simply attend to issues at home. We must have our attentions on all the world. You live in this defended island of freedom in Soumerca, but this life is part of the world. You cannot hide yourselves like you once did, so you must face the problems of this world, our world. So let me ask you as I close, to lift your eyes from the floor of the mundane routine of yesteryear towards the dangers of today, towards the hopes of tomorrow; from beyond the successes of this great city of Station Square, that exist as of right now, towards new goals, successes, and heights just within our reach."

He makes a grasping motion, his four fingers shutting tight.

"For the betterment of ourselves and all mankind. All free humans, wherever they may live, can look to this city, see the ideals that it upholds, and be inspired to take them to heart. Therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'I am a Stationite'!"

The crowd erupts into energetic applause and cheers, forcing Hershey to quickly turn off the TV.

"Why can't anything ever be clear cut...

---

Sally sits in her room.

"Soon, I'll be back."

She stares at her phone, she's shocked no one has tried to call her.

"Guess you're all just too busy."

The Blue Blur flashes in her mind.

At least I'll see you again. It'll be good to hold you again

She then sees a stern king.

What will I say? What will you say?

She flops back onto her bed in anticipation to what she's going to do when she's back. She's still not sure how she'll do it, what will happen because of it all; but she simply shakes her head at her uncertainty.

"Doesn't matter. I don't what you'll do dad, but I know what I will; I'll fight for my son, just him. That's the only thing that matters."

She thinks to her best chance for finding him; the pink fury's bright smile makes her do the same.

Be safe and find him

The fox, with his blue eyes, ochre fur, two tails, and warm smile, makes himself gladly apparent in her thoughts.

Wherever you are, I hope you still think of me. I hope you keep all the good times we had together. I hope you still sing my songs when you're alone, like I do yours when I am. Maybe one day, we can sing together, for the first time

She doesn't make any attempt to fight the tear that comes forth.

I hope you think of me, love me, even a fraction of the amount I do you

She closes her eyes and begins humming a song.

This one always put you right to sleep

---

Now Playing: "Have I Told You Lately"
(Rod Stewart Version)
(By Van Morrison)

---

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do...

For the morning Sun in all it's glory,
Greets the day with hope and comfort, too.
You fill my life with laughter,
And somehow, you make it better,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do...

There's a love that's divine
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the Sun!
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray
To the one, to the one...

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do...

There's a love that's divine
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the Sun!
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray
To the one, to the one...

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do...

Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do...
Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do...

"I'm sorry I wasn't good enough for you. I hope I can make it up to you."

I hope you remember me