The sun is fully down and the sky is now completely pitch black!
Somewhere else in the building, Manic and Tails are all alone in a room. Manic is grinding some coffee beans in a portable grinder. Once he was done, he took the scoop of grinded coffee beans and poured it into a pot of heated water. The then stirred the water.
TAILS: What the hell are you doing?
MANIC: It's all in the grind, Sarge. Can't be too fine, can't be too course. Manny, you are squared away.
He stopped stirring and began pouring the coffee in a mug.
OUTSIDE
Little did anyone know, Xenin and a few more echidnas have stopped right outside of the buildings where the furries are.
INSIDE
Manic held the mug of coffee to Tails.
MANIC: Sergeant, how would you like a nice hot cup of Joe? Gold coast blend.
Tails just stared at Manic. Manic then began drinking the coffee.
TAILS: Sit down. Let me take a look at that foot.
MANIC: Oh no, it's not a problem.
TAILS: Come on, come on.
Manic sat down on a chair and lifted up his boot to Tails. Tails noticed some blood dripping from holes in Manic's boot.
TAILS: Where the hell did they find you?
MANIC: Behind a desk.
Tails chuckled.
MANIC: No, really. You think I'm kidding?
They both chuckled.
Suddently, an explosion is erupted in the room they're in. Neither of them are hurt, but they are blown back a few feet! They both quickly get up and can hear machine guns from outside!
MANIC: Is anybody hit?
SHADOW: *calling from different room* We're good!
OUTSIDE
Outside, Xenin is signaling echidnas to fire again. Two vehicles are outside of where the soldiers are. One vehicle has a huge mounted cannon on it with three echidnas firing bursts of rounds rapidly. The other truck, where Xenin is, has a machine gun on it, and they're shooting it too.
The cannon fired again and blasted a hole in the wall.
SHADOW: You all right?
ALEENA: Yeah!
SHADOW: Is everybody all right?
SONIC: Yeah!
Cyrus is over a dying Hawking on the table. He's hoping nothing happens to him.
Outside, a truck on fire is driving to the furries. Wes Weasley instantly shot the echidna driving it to death.
Xenin signaled the echidnas to fire another cannon round. The echidnas loaded and fired another round!
TAILS: Incoming!
All the furries ducked as the round exploded on the wall! They all then got up and began firing their rifles at the echidnas outside.
Storms of echidnas ran from all over the roofs and shot down at the furries below them.
Xenin shot and shot his machine gun rapidly!
XENIN: Keep firing... faster!
A few echidnas launched a mortar shell and erupted next to the furries!
NOT TOO FAR AWAY
Unaware of the echidnas, four furries are coming in from behind them. Those four furries are Sonic, Remington, Nic, and Merlin! Each one of them are wearing night-vision goggles. Sonic took his off and can clearly see the cannon and the echidnas not too far away, neither of the echidnas see them.
Sonic gestured with his fingers to follow him. He slowly walked to the echidnas while hunched over, slowly step by step. They all stopped and knelled over.
AT THE BATTLE
Echidnas shoot and shoot. The furry soldiers continuously shot back! The cannon shot off again, this time wounding Wes Weasley!
WES WEASLEY: Aah!
NOT TOO FAR AWAY
Sonic uses his hands to tell Marlin, Nic, and Remington his plan.
Sonic points at his neck, crosses his fists together in front of his neck, and points to Nic and Merlin. He then pointed to Remington, flapped his palm forward toward the echidnas, and then pointed at the echidnas.
Remington nodded.
Sonic looked at Nic and Merlin, then he pointed forward toward the echidnas.
Remington put on his night vision goggles. He stood up and began moving toward the echidnas.
AT THE BATTLE
Bartlby is over Wes Weasley, whom is hurt bad.
BARTLBY: Wes Weasley's hit! Pull him out!
He pulled Wes Weasley out of the battle and into the building.
NOT TOO FAR AWAY
The echidnas began to load a new shell in the cannon, when they noticed Remington standing and smiling right in front of them.
REMINGTON: Surprise!
All of a sudden, Sonic, Nic, and Merlin came from right behind the three echidnas and used thin string to lace their necks. All three soon died. The furries yanked the three bodies out of the truck and all four took over the cannon. Nic loaded a new shell in the cannon and locked it. Sonic aimed the cannon at Xenin's vehicle!
XENIN: Hey! Fire it! Fire—
Xenin soon notices that the cannon have been taken over by the four furries.
All four furries smiled at him.
Xenin was wide-eyed and wide-mouthed.
Sonic pulled the trigger!
BOOM! The whole vehicle exploded, killing Xenin! When the smoke settled, Xenin's intestines and bloody organ were splattered all over the walls of the building!
Sonic gave Nic a high-five. All four furries ran away from the cannon. Sonic pulled the pin of a grenade with his index finger and dropped the grenade in the cannon. As they ran, the cannon exploded, never to be used again!
The four ran to a wall and looked out at the buildings where the furries are.
SONIC: *in radio* Ranger here. This is Kilo 11.
INT. BUILDING
MIGHTY: *in radio* This is Chalk Four. We're at the southeast corner of the crash site. Who is this? Over.
SONIC: *from radio* This is Sonic. I'm coming in with three friendlies. I need some covering fire. Over.
MIGHTY: *in radio* Roger that, Kilo 11. *out loud* Hold your fire! Delta's coming in!
SHADOW: Hold your fire! Hold your fire!
All the furries stopped shooting.
The four furries ran to the building.
INT. JOC
Max and Elias stare at the surveillance monitors without blinking. They cannot believe that a whole battle is happening! They both have to do something to help those Rangers and Deltas!
MAX: Ground personnel will have to mark the target positions with infrared strobes. Get Little Birds on strafing runs and keep them going on all night long. If we don't hold back this city... we are going to have a hundred caskets to fill by morning.
ELIAS: Yes, sir. *in radio* Colonel Rotor, ground personnel at crash site one will have to mark the target positions with infrared strobes in preparation for air strike.
DOWNUNDA STADIUM
At the Downunda Stadium, Knuckles' humvee column drives right into the stadium. Once inside, Knuckles got out a meet Wombat Stu walking to him.
WOMBAT STU: Knuckles.
Knuckles and Wombat Stu stand face-to-face with each other.
WOMBAT STU: Between the 10th Mountain and the G.U.N., we've got enough personnel. Okay? Bobby, you guys do not have to go back out again.
Upon hearing that, Knuckles looked at Wombat Stu with a facial expression saying, "Are you stupid?"
11:23 PM
The 10th Mountain and G.U.N. armored vehicles got ready and began heading out. Leading them is Knuckles' humvee column! Knuckles and his column are heading back into Echidnapolice to save his friends!
BACK AT THE BATTLE
Deep inside one of the buildings, Sonic lays his back against a wall. He overhears Shadow, Cyrus, Antoine, and a dying Hawking in the other room. Hawking is still lying on the table with the other furries around him.
HAWKING: I can't... die here, man.
SHADOW: You're not going to die. All right? You're not going to die.
HAWKING: ... I'm sorry.
SHADOW: You don't have anything to be sorry for. You saved Antoine! You did perfect!
HAWKING: You okay, Tony?
ANTOINE: Yeah, I'm – I'm okay, Hawking.
Shadow pats Hawking shoulder happily.
SHADOW: You did what you were trained to do. You should be proud of that. Be proud of that.
There was a short pause.
HAWKING: ... Shade?
SHADOW: Yeah?
HAWKING: ... do me a favor.
SHADOW: Yeah?
HAWKING: You tell my parents... that I fought well today. And that I... that I... that I fought hard.
SHADOW: You're going to tell them yourself, okay? Do you hear me? All right?
HAWKING: Are the humvees here?
SHADOW: They're coming, Hawking. They're coming. You just got to hang in there a little bit. Hold on a little bit. You can do it.
HAWKING: I can. I can. It's nothing.
After saying that, Hawking smiled at Shadow. Shadow smiled back. They both remembered when Hawking said, "It's nothing," a while ago.
SHADOW: It's nothing. It's nothing.
They both began joking around.
HAWKING: It's nothing. It's nothing.
SHADOW: It's nothing.
HAWKING: Nothing.
Then... Hawking stopped moving. He didn't blink. He didn't breath. He didn't twitch. Nothing.
CYRUS: Oh shit! Hold the wound!
Cyrus put his mouth on Hawking's mouth and blew air in him. He them pressed on Hawking's heart with both of his hands. Cyrus continued to perform CPR on him. After a while, Hawking was still motionless. It was at that point Shadow began to dribble tears from his eyes.
SHADOW: Doc.
Cyrus continued performing CPR on Hawking.
SHADOW: *sob* Doc.
Cyrus then finally noticed the truth. Hawking was dead. Cyrus stopped.
Shadow just stood there and sobbed. Sonic heard it all from the other room.
SHADOW: *sob* It's okay. *sob*
DISSOLVE TO.
INT. SAME ROOM
Shadow stands while leaning his back against the wall. Only he, Cyrus, and the dead Hawking are in the room. Cyrus is sitting on a chair not too far away from Hawking on the table. Shadow continues to drop tears from his eyes. His eyes are now watery and his cheeks are a bit red from the tears. The echoes of the battle from outside are faintly heard.
Sonic walks in the room. Shadow looked at Sonic for a second. Sonic turned and picked up Hawking's rifle.
SHADOW: What are you doing?
Sonic removed the magazine from Hawking's rifle.
SONIC: We need the ammo.
Sonic tapped the magazine on his hand to compress the rounds. After a short pause, Sonic spoke up.
SONIC: You did all you could here.
SHADOW: They should've sent a medivac.
SONIC: Right now, we'd be out there defending another crashed chopper. More furries would get torn up.
Sonic walked up to Shadow face-to-face with him.
SHADOW: ... maybe.
SONIC: See, you're thinking. Don't. 'Cause Sergeant, you have no control over who gets hit or who doesn't. Who falls out of a chopper or why. It ain't up to you. It's just war.
There was a short pause.
SHADOW: Yeah, well, Hawking's still dead. Fiona wouldn't have fallen, none of this would've happen.
SONIC: Should have or could have, it don't matter. You'll have plenty of time to think about all that later. Believe me.
Shadow sniffled.
SONIC: Sergeant, you got your furries this far. You did it right today. You need to start thinking about getting these furries out of here.
Shadow then remembered that he told Sonic, "I just want to do it right today."
Shadow gave a little smirk knowing Sonic was right. He DID do it right today. Shadow did well.
They both heard helicopter fly-by's overhead.
Sonic smiled.
SONC: Well, shall we?
Shadow smiled. They both walked out of the room to join the battle!