Standing in front of a small truck was none other than Sleet, and he wasn't happy. He held out an open palm, still smoking from the blast it sent out, and he was not at all pleased that he missed his target. "Pity. I do so hate when things become complicated." Standing next to him were Dingo, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts, the latter three as good as new.

That just left Thunderbolt. She was slumped over in the back, her face turned away from everyone else. As though she wasn't quite sure whether or not she wanted to be there. Not that anyone else seemed to care.

"We gotcha now!" said Grounder. "You may have taken out all those bots, but now you're pooped! Now you've got to face the REAL pros!"

Sleet banged Grounder's head with his metal arm. Not that Grounder could feel pain in the least, but being knocked on the head was still the slightest demoralizing if nothing else. "The day you become a pro is the day I become a blithering simpleton! Which is what you are in case you wanted to know."

"Hey! I'm not a simpleton! You're the simpleton! So there!" And all Coconuts could do was slide his palm over his face out of annoyance.

"Manic!" said Amy. "Box 'em! Now!"

Manic's ring lit up and a large green box surrounded Sleet and the rest, effectively keeping them contained. Or at least that's what they hoped.

Sleet shook his head, as though he couldn't believe they would even make such an effort. "Pitiful. Dingo? Grounder?" Without a moment's notice, Sleet began pounding on the front wall of the box. Dingo turned his arms into sledgehammers and did the same, and Grounder just kept firing away hoping something would happen. As for Thunderbolt, she still merely stood there. Not really helping, not wanting to help, and not doing much of anything. She could have helped if she wished to. She certainly had the power to spare. But for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Not that it mattered. The strain on Manic's face was plain as day. Try as he might, it wasn't enough. In a manner of seconds, the box was shattered, and Manic yelped in pain from the backlash. "GAEA that smarts!"

Amy gritted her teeth. She didn't see very many options. They were outnumbered and outgunned. Sonic was busy dealing with someone just as fast as him, Sonia was providing support, and Bunnie and Antoine were—

"Miss me, sugar?"

—apparently right above them. Bunnie was flying high above and carrying Antoine in his arms like a baby, and she didn't have to be a genius to know everyone was in trouble. Like a pitcher, she wound up Antonie like a baseball ("OHGAEAOHGAEAOHGAEA—!" and hurled him at the opposition, lobbing him sword fist like a missile.

"Grounder!" said Sleet, pointing towards Antoine as though he were warning everyone of an incoming bomb.

"Right on it, boss!" Grounder let loose at Antoine, intent on vaporizing him into nothing but smoke. Not that it stood a prayer of working. Yelping like a ninny, Antoine pressed a button on his sword, activating a force-field in the process.

"DINGO!" Sleet didn't even have to ask twice. Dingo promptly turned himself into a small, sturdy building, doing his best to protect everyone from the incoming force-field. Not that it worked. Tails and Amy fired a shot at Grounder and Coconuts each, the both of them so mystified by the threat above that they didn't have a clue of what was going on around them. Tails aimed at Scratch, rendering him one giant pile of scrap heap.

He tried to aim at Thunderbolt. He really did. But for one reason or another, he just couldn't do it. Especially not after looking straight into her eyes. At that moment, she reminded him of how he was when his parents died. Lost. Confused. Uncertain. Not knowing where to go from here. He wasn't sure what to think of her, but he was near sure of one thing: She didn't want to fight. However, she didn't want to be crushed by a force-field either. She was scampering as far away from the truck as she could, desperate to live another day. If nothing else, she was a smart one. Not that he could say the same about the others.

Dingo tried to shift himself into a speedy little hummingbird and attempted to leap away at the last second but to no avail. The forcefield crashed into Sleet and Dingo and flattened them against the plains, rending the former battered and bent and the latter frazzled as though he'd knocked his head. Antoine promptly rebounded from the recoil, but Bunnie snatched him up before he could fly into the stratosphere. "NEVER. DO THAT. AGAIN."

"Sorry, hon," said Bunnie. "Really. And sorry I couldn't get here sooner, ya alls!" Bunnie jetted to the ground, extending her metal arm in the process. "But we kinda had some mopping up to do elsewhere."

"Thanks for the save, Bunnie!" Tails and she took aim, adjusting their sights straight for Sleet: Still standing, still tough, but still wounded. And still cackling like he held all the cards. His voice was low and hoarse, and yet in some ways was just as strong as it ever was. Perhaps stronger.

"Clever. Very clever. In fact. You ought to be commended. Even I would never have thought of something that brazen. But it wasn't brazen enough. For you see, when a wolf is cornered, they can still. Bite. BACK!" He launched a blast of energy at Amy and Tails and then flew up into the air, his legs emitting flares of jetfire at their soles and blasting him forward. He barreled at Bunnie, his jaws wide and his teeth bare, ready to tear off the one limb of flesh and blood that remained.

Amy and Tails ducked once more, just managing to evade the blast as they felt its' power graze the backs of their clothing. (Or the tips of Tail's fur in his case.) As for Antoine and Bunnie, they weren't about to take Sleet's rampage lying down. Antoine pressed another button on his sword and slashed straight into the air, letting out a tall and narrow slice of energy that he hoped would bring Sleet down to size. Not that it worked. He lifted up his legs and flew around it, letting the attack give several blades of grass a good clipping. If nothing else, it was an 'A' for effort.

In any case, Bunnie had a plan, but she knew she wasn't going to like it. Nor was Antoine. "Sorry, sugar!" Before Antoine could so much as protest, Bunnie dropped him to the ground, hoping he'd do what she thought he would. Which he did. Just before he hit the ground, he activated his force-field at a lower setting, harmlessly bouncing down upon the grass like rolling around in a hamster ball. Not that it didn't stop him from whimpering the whole way there, but at least he was alive. Which was what mattered

And what also mattered was taking care of Sleet. But if she guessed right, she knew that no matter what he did, he was screwed. She held out her Mobian arm, displaying it for all to see and giving Sleet an easy target. And with one huge, savage chomp like a mighty tiger, he did so.

Or at least he tried to. But he couldn't. At all. Oh, he had bitten down alright. And he knew it was her flesh and blood arm he was chomping on. But it didn't feel much like it. It felt hard and tough, almost like a rock. And his teeth nearly shattered to pieces as a result. He howled in pain, livid at being made a fool. (And at being in pain, because who wouldn't?) "What did you do?!"

"Simple, sugar. See, this little arm here? It ain't exactly normal no more. Turns out, turning part of my bod' into metal wasn't the only thing you did with it. You also exposed the rest of it to some sort of strange chemical or somethin'. Somethin' that makes the whole thing possible. Well, guess what? It worked! Because now the rest of my body's trying to match up with my robot half. So among other things, I've now got a left arm that's just as strong as my right. Wanna test it?"

As Bunnie was busy giving the growling Sleet a lecture, Amy saw her chance. Though she wasn't sure it was one she wanted to take. She aimed her laser crossbow at Sleet, the back of his head square in her sights. She had him, right there. If she just ended this now, she could take one essential piece off the board. After all, this was war, wasn't it? Kill or be killed. Simple. Easy.

Except it wasn't. She would still be committing murder. She would still be going against everything she believed. But if she didn't, then she would be letting an accomplice to a hostile takeover go free. How many people would he kill before the next time around? How many—

And then he lunged for the neck.

As it turned out, the choice had been made for her. Antoine thrust forward with his sword and let loose a straight line of energy as Sleet made his move, this time aiming it right through Sleet's heart and letting out a pained whimper as he did so. Ordinarily, Sleet might have been able to notice. He might have been able to dodge it. Fire a blast of his own at it. Anything. But he was still stunned from biting Bunnie's arm, and too angry to think about anything else other than tearing her from limb to limb. And so as he lunged for her neck, claws first, he didn't so much as notice that red and yellow blast pierce his chest until it was too late. He plopped to the ground with a thud. And all everyone else could do was watch in awe as his blood slowly but surely flowed into the thick, deep grass below him.

Everyone was in silence. Silence and shock. Antoine especially. He held his sword in front of him shaking like a leaf, and yet, he was still standing. And his overall poise was as firm and resolute as that of the finest soldier. As if part of him believed he did what had to be done.

After a moment, everyone finally bothered to speak up. "Uh, guys?" said Manic. "I think he's dead." Sleet didn't move a muscle. Nor did he breathe so much as a whisper. His face was deep down in the grass and he didn't budge an inch. And for all they knew, he was there to stay.

"Antoine!" said Bunnie. "You okay?"

Antoine was still shaking, almost like a vibrator. His teeth were chattering and he was mumbling, but in spite of that, it almost seemed like he was at least trying to say something concrete.

Tails was almost in shock. As most twelve-year-olds would be at seeing such a sight. And he couldn't bring himself to say a word. No-one could. Until at last, Antoine finally did.

"I, that is, I did not mean to do it! Except I actually did. Except I didn't! Except I did! I do not know what I mean!"

"Relax, sugar." Bunnie floated down to the ground as she made a soft landing. She took a moment to gaze at Sleet before pushing away Antoine's sword with her Mobian hand and hugging him like she had never hugged anyone before. "You were trying to save me. That's all. That's all it was."

Amy still wasn't sure what to think. She'd nearly done the same thing. Nearly brought him down for the count. Nearly put a bolt straight through his brain. And for much the same reasons. But in the end, she didn't. And she didn't know whether it was because Antoine got there first or not. All she knew was that she had him in her sights. And she couldn't do it. And the scariest part was that she didn't know whether or not letting him live would've been the correct route to take.

"You okay, Amy?" said Manic

"Fine, Manic. Thanks. Just thinking."

Amy sighed. In any case, there was time to ponder the nature of war another day. Most of Eggman's forces had been grounded to a halt on their end. And that just left Thunderbolt. Amy raised her weapon, pointing it straight at Thunderbolt's noggin. And she still couldn't care less.

"Okay," she said. "Just take it easy, alright? No-one wants to hurt you—"

"LOOK OUT!"

It came at her like being knocked away like a car. Amy was blown away by something or someone before she could blink, And as she came to, she could see who it was: a twirling, bubbling, large orange mass with tentacles up the whazoo. "That you, luv'? If it is, then I'm glad. Because I want to show ya somethin'. And that's NOT TO FUCK WITH ME!" And as Dingo let out a long, sharp tendril, she had to wonder if for once she was truly and utterly screwed.