CHAPTER III – A LITTLE INFORMATION

She longed for the days of cheaper coffee. All these macchiatos and frappés seemed to be going upwards in price. One bad crop year for coffee beans, and all hell proceeds to break loose on the market. It was days like this where she wished she were allowed a bottle of Baileys in her office to go with the caffeinated beverage.

All this wind around the northern part of town was testing her patience too. She had to try extra hard to keep the drinks in their holder or get patronized by her coworkers. One gust nearly tipped the coffee, but Amy made the necessary adjustment just in the nick of time.

As she used her rear end to open the door, the warmer climate of the AMG's lobby swept over her like a weighted blanket. No more chilly or blustery November weather but rather a nice 69F and a cozy office that was nine floors away. But she had to drop off her first drink to the lovely wolf behind the desk.

The secretary was sporting a new look these days. It harkened (bark-ened?) to her rebellious teenage years at Mobotropolis West, and Amy was quick to recognize it since they were Spanish classmates for a year back in high school (Amy was a freshman when Lupe was a senior). It was an unconventional look to be sure, but if Storm of the X-Men could pull it off, then Lupe could too. However, Amy couldn't help but chuckle seeing her friend's mohawk to be just a tad off-center.

The wolf was busying typing away, no doubt trying to keep up with emails. Normally, it was something she could do in her sleep. However, whenever Sonic grabbed the headlines with taking down a crime lord (for example), her emailing and job in general became a hectic mess. And who better to drop off a needed pick-me-up?

PLUNK!

Lupe instinctively grabbed it and tore through the coffee-flavored sugar like it was the last drop of water in the Shamarian Desert. Keep in mind that she preferred iced mocha frappés, even as the temperature outside dropped like a stock ticker. She had downed so many at this point of her life that brain-freezes were no longer a problem. As if on cue, Lupe's more frantic mannerisms seemed to be going away.

"Five seconds," Amy said. "I think that's a new personal best."

"4.48, (Lupe the Wolf: Demi Lovato)" the wolf corrected. "Like my forty-yard dash in high school."

"You wish you were that fast," Amy said with a chuckle.

"As long as my fingers are fast enough these days, that's all I need. Well… not all I need." The wolf then looked behind Amy. "Morning, Shadow~." Sorry, toots. He was not there. "Umm… awkward. Where's tall, dark, and handsome?"

Amy's face altered slightly as if she was about to break some untimely news. Her acting skills were second-to-none. "Shadow got into a car accident last night."

The wolf's hands froze as did her face. With a panicked expression, Lupe screamed, "Is he alright?!"

"Down, girl!" Amy replied as her hands gestured for Lupe to calm down. "He's okay. He had to go in for evaluation, but I took him home after I did my report on Sonic. Shadow's alright, but he got some pretty nasty bruises on his chest."

"What happened?!"

"He got T-boned. The bitch who drilled him blew a stop sign. And she was uninsured. Thankfully, she hit him in the passenger side, but his car is toast."

Lupe sighed. "I'm just glad to hear he's okay. How long do you think he'll be out?"

"A week most likely. It should be longer, but Shadow will want to come back to work early because… well, because he's Shadow."

"If he does, don't put him through the wringer."

"I'll keep that in mind. I should get going."

Lupe laughed. "We wouldn't want our media princess to wait on her coffee, would we?"

Amy returned the laugh and set off for the elevators. One quick ride up and leisurely walk took her to her office situated in room 0923. As she set the drinks down on the floor, she dug through her pocket trying to find the keys.

"Come on, you rotten bastard. Where are you? Ah, there we go!"

"There you are!" As Amy bent over to get the coffee, out came a familiar chipmunk with brown fur and a stunning chefchaouen (yes, that's a word) blue business suit that matched her high-heels and eyes effortlessly. With looks like hers and a killer knack for fashion, it was no wonder she had thousands of online admirers.

"Sally, it's 2016. How come your parents haven't installed electronic door locks yet?"

"Because…," the news anchor began before her face changed, "Because… actually, I'm not entirely sure why."

"Perhaps they're 'old school' to a fault?"

Sally laughed. "Yes, yes they are!"

Sally got the door for her colleague as the two ladies headed into Amy's office. Not much had changed in there since the summer. Her file cabinets and computer hadn't moved very far (if at all), neither had her computer, but the biggest addition was a working laptop opposite hers for a certain hedgehog who was taking a sabbatical.

"I miss him already," Amy said in sarcastically prissy voice. "Usually he's my coffee busboy."

Sally smiled and scoffed as she shut the door behind them. "That's a nice way to talk about your partner… and my godbrother."

"Well, 'coffee busboy' sounds better than 'caffeine bitch,' does it?"

"Lighten up, Amy. You and I know damn well he's deserved a break right now."

"I know, I know." Amy set the beverages on her desk where they each grabbed their drinks and clinked plastic. "To truth."

"To truth." Ahhhhhh, the first sip in the morning was always the best. "How's he doing?"

"He… got constricted by Lyric last night."

"I heard. Seemed to slip out okay."

"It's amazing he didn't break any ribs, but he'll be hurting for a few days. It's honestly amazing how his body works. He can take more punishment than any of us."

"I'm sure getting injected with a special serum that alters one's DNA will do the trick."

"There's probably some truth to that. He was sleeping soundly when I left the house. I should really be thanking Max and Alicia for letting him rest up."

"He needs it. Still, I wish I got a day or two of rest and not have to be behind a news desk all day."

"Can it be?" asked Amy feigning shock. "The great Sally Acorn is… jealous?"

"Only in a vacuum. I can't say that I would want my body to be crushed to the point where I popped like a zit."

"Thanks for putting that image into my head," Amy said with a deadpan tone.

"I do what I can," Sally replied before taking another sip of her Nutella-infused drink. "But seriously, I'm glad he'll be okay. He cut it close last night, and I don't want us to lose him again. For me and my parents' sake. Mom and Dad… they can't take any more tragedy."

"I know, I know. But he's not just family to you. Sonic's practically family to me too. I just wish—."

"That he was actually family to you?" Sally guessed.

Amy's surprised face was complimented by a rosy blush. "I mean… that too, but I was gonna say he needs to take it easy for a while. I'm worried he'll try and get back to work too quickly. I know he wants to bring down all the crime lords, but after last night, I think he needs a longer sabbatical than usual."

"So that you can spend more time together~?"

Amy's rosy cheeks got redder at the insinuation. "Yeah... it's been a while since he's held me…."

Sally just shook her head with a small laugh. "If you would have told me in January that our 'Rascal' would be head-over-heels in love, I'd have said you were smoking something. And then I'd have asked you to share with me." The media princess smiled warmly at her blushing friend as Amy absentmindedly fiddled with her straw, no doubt daydreaming about her heroic Blue Blur. "You have to tell him sooner or later, Amy."

Amy's innocent smile faded as she looked away in embarrassment. "I know."

"The longer you take, the more stress it'll put on your heart. The same thing happened with Ken before we got together. Luckily, it turned out alright for us, even if it took him almost a year for him to finally spit it out."

"But what about someone like Sonic? Sonic's dedicated to his hero work. Perhaps too much if you ask me. I'm afraid that some thug will kill him one of these days because he's worked himself too far. It almost happened last night for crying out loud!"

"All the more reason to tell him sooner rather than later. What are you so scared of? I've seen him glance your way more than a few times. I know he likes you too, but he's not going to make the first move when it comes to something like this. Most men don't. It has to be you." Amy nodded solemnly. "So… are you gonna tell him or what?"

"E-Eventually."

Sally didn't like that answer, but she let it slide since there was something else she wanted to discuss. "And what about you and Fiona?" Amy's eyes went turned back to her friend. "Are you going to tell him what happened between you two?"

Her silence and furrowed brow were enough of an answer.

Smoke. Smoldering ash. The horrid odor of burning chemicals. Intense heat coming from every wall. And it was because of him. He drove them to this, and now he was helpless. All it took was one broken cord from a destroyed elevator. His arm hung limp as he looked down into the long, dark chasm. He couldn't do anything to save him. That didn't stop him from blaming himself.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His scream, he knew, fell on deaf ears. No one could hear him. No one could help him. He failed. And now, he'd have to deal with that for the rest of his life.

The sad man then began to weep, the tears falling like his brother: seemingly forever and out of his grasp. He slammed his fist onto the steel multiple times, nearly breaking his hand. He had to do something to cope with the pain, even if it meant hurting himself as penance.

"Why didn't you save me?"

His eyes grew to the size of saucers. Looking behind him… no! It wasn't possible! He just saw him fall!

"G-Green?" Blue asked hopefully, unable to fully comprehend the situation. "But how?!"

There was no mistaking his twin brother. An exact lookalike of himself but with green fur and blue eyes, almost a perfect color palette swap of his own fur and iris shades. But the main difference in appearances was the bubbling red fluid coming from his chest. That broken elevator cable did more than scratch his peach abdomen. He could see the blood spilling out of it and the deep red muscle tissue starring him in the face like a bad memory. But he saw him fall to his death. This couldn't be real. There was no way in heaven or hell that it could be.

Then Green swung his leg back as a vengeful look grew from his face. Blue was left dumbfounded as to what his broth—.

WHAM!

"Whooooooa!"

Blue went careening off the edge but managed to cling onto it with one hand before falling into the black abyss. One look down and he saw instant death from and carnage below. As he reached his other arm up, Green rammed his foot onto Blue's fingers. "Ahhhhh!" Then he looked up to his twin with desperate eyes. "Green! What are you doing?!"

"Why didn't you save me?" Green asked again. "You could have. But you let me fall."

"Green, I'm sorry! Please help me! PLEASE!" His begging was having no effect. Green rubbed his foot on his brother's knuckles. "Ahhhhhh! Green, stop!"

"You should've saved me. Then I wouldn't have to do this."

All it took for Green was one swift motion of pushing out his foot. Blue's eyes went wide again as he hopelessly began to fatally descend.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

SLAM!

He crashed on the bottom landing square on his spine. Somehow, it didn't hurt nearly as badly as he thought. He didn't land on something ordinary like a bed. Whatever this was, it was solid and lumpy, yet somewhat soft like his own fur.

But that could wait. He was able to stand up on the uneven surface and look hopelessly at the top where saw his brother watching. Blue's sullen red eyes shut in defeat as he bowed his head, unworthy of his brother's gaze.

Then something made him jump and freeze in place, his lungs gasping for air due to the shock. Then he realized what he was standing on. He had seen this once before. They were in the same place as last time. He'd never forget a sight like this. What he was standing was an awful reminder. He had fallen onto a pile of decaying clones. Clones of Green no less. Their eyes were clouded in a pasty white, their muzzles as pale as a sick child.

And he felt something from beneath him move.

Blue was too scared to move. He knew what this meant. He wasn't alone. Boy, was he right.

The horror that was in front of his eyes… dear Chaos. Every dead head of his brother's clones slowly turned to face the cerulean speedster, squishing as they twisted and turned. It was a scene from a horror movie. They were his brother. They were rotting in front of him. And they were not happy.

"Why didn't you save me?" they asked. Blue couldn't speak. The terror and horrific truth of his deeds were sucker-punching him in the windpipe. He prayed to the gods that he would choke on his own words or that his actively pumping heart would burst. He'd rather die than know what they would do to him. But that wouldn't be fun, would it?

One decomposed hand gripped his legs tightly, sealing his fate and breaking his silence.

"AH!" Then he felt more hands grab him and pull him down to his grave, all while repeating the same question.

"Why didn't you save me? Why didn't you save me? Why didn't you save me? Why didn't you save me?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" With all his might, Blue hammered the clones' arms, but they would not let him go. The more he squirmed, the fiercer the grip. "NO! STOP!" Then he looked above. Green was still there looking down on him like a judging god. "GREEN! HELP ME!" He was waist deep and sinking. "PLEASE! GREEN! GREEEEEEN!" Up to his chest. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! HEL—!" His mouth was stifled shut by one of the arms as he continued to get dragged down as his scream was muffled. The only flickers of light were soon gone as he had been pulled down. He continued to get dragged down. He continued to struggle. But all that he could see were the clones of his brother, starring him in the face with their lifeless eyes.

"Why didn't you save me, Blue?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His body sprang right up in shock as he gasped for air as he held onto the blanket tightly. He looked up and down and all around, finding that he was not being overwhelmed by guilt and decaying, familiar corpses. He was in his room. He was in his bed. His sheets and body were all soaked with sweat.

He let go of the blanket to feel his face and body to convince himself that this was real. The more he touched his body, the calmer he got. His panicked breathing was returning to normal, despite his heart still pounding feverishly. "Just a… Just a…." He couldn't quite put it into words, but his brain could. He had a nightmare, and a feverishly real one at that.

He slowly turned to his left to check his clock. 10:53 A.M. He then looked up toward the window to see cloudy skies, the rooftops of the neighbor's houses, and his dead brother starring at him through the wind—.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Sonic screamed as he clenched his eyes shut. He immediately jerked forward and spouting off incoherent babble with his heart and blood pressure going back into overdrive. "That wasn't—! Th-That wasn't—!" he gasped as he shook. He forcibly slowed his breathing, trying to keep a grip on reality. That wasn't him. It couldn't have been him. Green was dead. He saw it happen. That had to be his brain fucking with him. But there was only one way to be sure.

The grip on his emerald green eyes loosened as the spooked hero slowly turned back toward the window. His fingers began to separate in front of him as he kept an eye out for him. He starred at it for a good half minute without blinking so he wouldn't miss anything. After ten seconds, nothing. Twenty seconds? Nothing. Thirty seconds? Still nothing.

With a rattled sigh, his body calmed down and tried to relax. Sonic's heart and blood pressure began to slow as he still gasped for air. Sonic was right. His brain was just playing games. An aftereffect of his nightmare no doubt.

While the rest of his body started to slow, his hands didn't. They were still in front of his face and trembled feebly. With all the concentration he could muster, he balled them up into loose fists and pressed them to his head he began to cry. It wasn't the first time he had a bad dream about his brother, but this was by far the worst one yet. He still felt guilty for not catching him. He left Green to fall. He was supposed to have defeated Robotnik with him. Now, all that was left of him was his memory, and it never stopped haunting him.

Soon after, he stopped his silent weeping and tried to mentally calm himself down. "It's okay, Sonic. You're gonna be just…," he gulped, swallowing the pain he was feeling, "you'll be fine. Just… try to take it easy."

At least for the moment, it worked, and now he was ready to start his day (or die trying). Throwing his damp sheets off, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Then a wall of pain jolted through Sonic's body, though this was the physical type. Raising his head just a little bit reminded him of what happened last night and how sore he still was. He didn't feel it earlier because of adrenaline high he was going through thanks in part to his vivid nightmare.

Turning his head, he read the time on his electronic clock. 10:56 A.M. "Okay," he said to himself, "Let's grab a shower."

Following his own orders, he painfully walked out the door and into the bathroom where he quickly whipped up a hot shower. The warm water did wonders for his sore body, but it was only in the short-term. The moment he got out of the steamy bathroom was around the time that his binding pain resurfaced. He eventually walked down the stairs onto an empty first floor. It was no surprise that no one was in the living room or kitchen. Amy was at the AMG. He could guess what Tails was up to. Same for CREAM. However, he noticed that somebody else's coat was hanging on a chair. It looked like it belonged to a public official.

"Is Rouge here?" Looking at the kitchen countertop, Sonic saw his small prescription bag. Walking to it and taking the bottle out, he looked at the instructions. "'Take two every 6 hours,'" Sonic said, reading aloud the bottle's orders.

After taking two out and pouring himself a glass of OJ, he slammed the pills and the breakfast drink. Since that was now done, he headed into the living room and opened up the grandfather clock that rested in the corner. He then pressed a few of the clock's hour numbers. 4-6-8-9. From the extension that held the clock's hands, a small camera appeared, scanning Sonic's face. Specifically, it scanned his eyes.

"RETINAL SCAN ACCEPTED," a synthesized voice said. "ACCESS GRANTED."

The bookshelf to the right of the clock then started whirring. Next, it lifted off the ground ever so slightly. It then pushed itself outward and slid to the right, revealing a well-lit grey staircase. Sonic never got tired of watching this sequence. Something straight out of a movie, Sonic walked down the stairs and into the secret lab, the property of one Miles "Tails" Prower.

"Sounds like Sonic's on his way down," he heard CREAM say.

"Who else could it be?" Tails replied flatly.

"No need to be snarky with the lady, Tails," Rouge joked.

"I wasn't being snarky!" Tails defended.

Sonic shook his head and walked toward his friends. The large lab wasn't altered much since the first time he walked in. The only major differences were that CREAM was still living in Tails's supercomputer, a few new trophies and newspaper cutouts on the left wall regarding the defeats of Robotnik, Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, and now Lyric, and the workbench with a few new prototype gadgets that Sonic would inevitably try out, including something very bulky that he was not gonna have fun testing.

Actually, there was one more thing different. CREAM's old, rusted body that Robotnik had created for her was off to the side, ready to become a trophy in due time. Sonic never understood why. Propping up her old, decaying body was morbid in his eyes. However, Tails and CREAM still needed to utilize it for CREAM's new body. The robo-rabbit and the genius fox had been tinkering on a new, working, prototype body for CREAM. Tails saw the rabbit in his computer and felt sorry that she couldn't move around anymore. He didn't like seeing her cooped up in his computer (and reading his browser history).

CREAM's Mark II body looked a lot like her old one (big, floppy ears and all), though there were a few differences. Firstly, the body wasn't painted, much less polished. The metal had gone through a lot of shaping and welding, painting the metal with metallic scorch marks. Her first body was made almost entirely of iron and was rusted heavily since it bathed in rainwater for consecutive days last summer. The second body, however, was almost completely made of a titanium aluminum alloy and would corrode as easily or as quickly. Not only that, but titanium by itself is significantly lighter than steel and just as strong.

Secondly, her chest cavity no longer held various ports for USBs or HDMIs. That was now going to be on her left forearm. A small plate would slide down and reveal the electronic ports for easier access and practicality's sake.

To Sonic, it was weird to see CREAM like this, but he knew that CREAM and Tails weren't done yet, even if this project was already four months in the making. They had the wiring mostly done, and her new body at least had "clothes", though they hadn't yet been fastened to her body. Her new clothes were also made of titanium and were shaped in to look like a long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of capris. Tails had lobbied for her to wear a metallic dress like the one her old body sported, but that would hinder her ability to move and look a little too… old school, so a switch to more contemporary-looking, robotic clothing (a description that as unique as fingerprint) would be better for her mobility and would be more aesthetically pleasing to everyone else.

The only problem with CREAM's in-the-process-of-making body, other than it looking like a Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria reject with better production values, was that her arms had not been mounted yet. Rainbow-colored wires dangled from each shoulder in a varied, twisted mess that would somehow work like a well-oiled machine. The wiring must have drove him and CREAM up a wall, but they were on the verge of completing that and moving onto the next step as her soon-to-be arms laid limp on the floor for the time being.

And then there was the police commissioner herself: Rouge the Bat. She sported a dark purple business suit (with eyeshadow to match) but with a white, collared shirt coming out from the neck and ending in a V-shape at her large bust, adding a much-needed dose of color contrast. Her sparkling teal eyes tied the ensemble together. In short, she dressed like a professional and a knockout. Though her black 9mm sidearm did ruin the immersion. Kind of hard to get caught up in her beauty and fashion-sense when an obvious pistol was on her hip.

Rouge was the first one to greet him. "And how are we feeling today?"

"Lousy," Sonic replied. "First a nightmare and then my body feels like it got hit by a tractor loaded with cement. You know what it feels like to get the life squeezed out of you?"

She scoffed. "Such a prima donna."

"I'm not crying crocodile tears, Rouge," Sonic said with mild annoyance. Then he turned to Tails. "How's the new body coming along?"

"We would've been done earlier if Ferrum Ironworks didn't screw up the metal the first time around," the two-tailed fox replied with a little venom. "But… we're almost ready for a field test."

"How soon?"

"By the end of the week," CREAM said as she tried to hold in her enthusiasm. "We just have to run final diagnostics on the appendages and then connect them to the body."

"Once the successful tests are completed, it'll be a matter of painting the body and fine-tuning anything else," Tails added. "She'll look like her old body did in its heyday with a contemporary update."

"I don't doubt that you'll do fine on the body. Both of you." He then turned to the commissioner of police. "I'm a little surprised to see you here. Thought you'd be up to your knees in paperwork."

"Up to my big chest," she corrected with a hint of disgruntled sass. "The reason I swung by is because I need your help with Lyric."

Sonic's smile was quickly erased. "He escape?"

"No, but my old G.U.N. colleagues went through his paperwork at the hangar last night. Said they found a datebook."

"What did it say?"

"A deal with Fox. Supposedly it's happening in three days."

"What do you need me for?"

"It didn't give specifics, just the reminder. If we want a lead on Miss Fox, Lyric's our best option."

"And you want me to interrogate him?"

"He won't talk to any cop. And he sure as hell won't talk to a fed. My friends at G.U.N. know how to make scum… talk, but given Lyric's old age, I'm afraid they'd kill him before he'd say anything. That… and Lyric said that you'd be the only person he'd willingly talk to."

"I'm flattered," Sonic said flatly. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked as he picked up a few items off the workbench, like his gloves, a set of contacts, wrist grapples, and earbuds.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tails asked with worry in his voice. "You're still in rough shape, physically speaking. Amy, CREAM, and I talked this morning, and we'd think it'd be a good idea for you to rest for a few days."

Sonic chuckled and made his aching midsection flare up for a second. "I appreciate the concern, but I think we should get this done now."

"Sonic," CREAM said sternly, "I saw that jolt of pain come over you. I know we're right. If the AMG is willing to give you a few off days, you should use them to heal up."

"Lyric needs to spill the beans now. If there's a meeting happening soon, he has to talk. Might as well get this out of the way while we have the chance." Tails groaned at his friend's insistent stubbornness. CREAM was very much in the same boat.

"Don't worry," Rouge assured. "Lyric is strapped up and won't be moving anywhere. He won't be able to make a move on Sonic."

Tails sighed, but his body language told her that he was conceding the argument for the time being. "Just don't bring up his fangs, Sonic. I'm sure he's plenty pissed about that."

"And sore about it too."

He rolled his eyes and got back to working on CREAM's body. Rouge and Sonic made their way out of the lab and eventually out the front door. Yeesh that wind was rough! First ever autumn for the speedster and he was already hating the concept of wind chill. 46 degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind made it feel like 28. The fierce wind coming off the Central Sea was… well, fierce. Was it possible to have a hurricane in this kind of chilly weather?

Rouge's ride was a perfect example of modern muscle, though the commish had to throw some flavor for the paint job. The dark purple metallic exterior made the polished chrome wheels shine. A slicked-back 2017 Ford Shelby GT350 with all the fixings, like matte black racing stripes and that signature, chrome snake on the grille and seats made from rich, Corinthian leather.

"Enjoying your new ride, Rouge?" Sonic asked as her was met by cooler leather. What made it worse was that the driver's seat was a heated one.

"Oh, he's my baby," Rouge taunted as she let the horses sing.

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

With the wheels spinning and spitting black smoke, she peeled off the curb and hit the lights. She had to have the police lights and sirens put in, even though it killed her to do so. This beast of a car was supposed to be for sport, not business. But when she needed to be somewhere in a hurry, there was no better option.

All he could see was the same sequence. It was a horrible memory that had burned into his subconscious. It taunted him every day, and there was no way to escape it. But there was a way to subdue it for a time.

He wanted that to happen. He needed that to happen. And he had to do it himself… or so he thought. As he surveyed him for a few weeks… or had it been a month now? It had been some time since he began to keep an eye on him. And seeing him jump out of his skin earlier was admittedly euphoric.

It had been some time since they had seen each other properly. When he heard about what he had done and with whom he had done it, he couldn't just go after him. In that time, he kept watchful eyes on all of his friends. An inventor with an IQ to rival the deceased doctor's, a reporter with a rep for no-nonsense news, and a police commissioner that used to topple governments for a job. And of course, the speedster.

The nightmares he caused him still haunted his subconscious like a cancer. Every time he shut his eyes, visions of betrayal danced in his head like sugar-plums. And he caused all of it. There had to be something wrong with him. It was always the same, traumatic recollection, playing like a broken record. Maybe the "something wrong" with him was his mind.

No… it was him. It was always him. He caused it all, and he would suffer.

The man who looked after him when he was on death's door agreed. He couldn't recall how he got into his care, but he was thankful for it since he couldn't remember much of that night outside of the long drop. After he was "patched up," he set out to find him. There was going to be a reckoning if he had any say in it.

The pain he would get would have to wait for the moment as the wanderer triggered the store's bell as he walked in. His surveillance had produced much fruit, but that could be put on "pause" if it meant getting out of the wind for a moment. He had underestimated this town's temperature drop. He had lived a sheltered life until very recently including a few months in a few hospitals. But that was then, and this was now. Clothing was needed if was going to survive, yet he didn't need it.

The broken man walked with purpose to the racks in the back, ignoring the headache coming on. Chalk up another thing that he had been getting a lot since he woke up. Just when he thought he was doing okay, another one popped up like a dandelion.

Reaching the racks, he thought about what to… "acquire". He needed something that would (1.) keep him warm, and (2.) help him blend in. With fur like his, it was a small miracle that he hadn't been identified yet (especially since his familiar face was paraded around the city's news outlets months ago). Then he saw it. He picked up the jacket, and the smooth touch numbed his headache. The touch was… empowering. Quickly slipping it on, he instantly felt how it seemed to be made for him. Perfectly tailored to fit his ambitions with black, sublimated flames on each arm. It was gentle, yet strong. Sleek and sneaky. And it looked bitching to boot.

Boots. That was another thing he needed. His shoes had seen better days, and the cooling temperatures weren't making his feet any more comfortable, yet he still sported his without problem.

How about some red boots? Nah, too high profile. Black? It matched the jacket, but something about it told him it was too much, despite him wanting to stay in the shadows. Suddenly, like the jacket, he saw the ones he needed. And just like the coat, they were his size too. A perfect size-12.5 boot that was mostly black but was accented by hunter green on the ankles and rubber soles.

"Perfect."

"This pony has some real giddy-up," Rouge said as she peeled onto Highway 151 headed toward the 1st Precinct in northeast Angel Island.

"I guess!" Sonic said, impressed with the car. It was the first time he rode in her new Mustang. Though he could get around faster on his legs, he still had to admire the craftsmanship put into this car. He preferred Amy's old-school Camaro, but this car was a close second. "Have you been talking to any of your old G.U.N. contacts about those girls yet?"

"I've had some dialogue. Not too much, though."

"Are you afraid that this'll build into some international incident?"

"Saving dozens of kidnapped women and bringing the creeps behind them to justice, creeps that've been on G.U.N.'s radar for some time? Yeah, right. It isn't an international incident, but we did make international news."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Not the first time that's happened."

"Back to your question, I've turned over the situation with the young girls to one of my detectives until further notice."

The hero cocked an eyebrow. "Say what now?"

"You heard me."

"Do I know this detective?"

"You've probably heard of her," Rouge said correcting him. "She transferred in just after I became commissioner. She's dealt with child abductions before. She actually specialized in them when she was serving in her homeland."

"That devoted, huh? What's her name?"

"Hancock."

"Hmm… I've heard that name before. Just can't quite put a face to it…," he said as he began try and remember.

"She insisted on it too. In a tragic twist, she actually knows some of the kidnapped girls."

You'd think a detail like that would catch his attention, but Sonic was still trying to picture the cop in question. "Umm… tall human?" he asked raising his hand well above his head. "Long, black hair? Pale skin? Body like a Playboy cover girl?"

She chortled so badly that she almost veered into the carpool lane (granted, there was no one near her to potentially tag with her Mustang). "Jeez, it took you that long to figure it out?!" She chuckled again. "'Body like a Playboy cover girl.' I'd be offended for her it that weren't so accurate. Yeah, that's her. Damn good detective. Excellent at interrogation too. Her only problem is that she needs to work on her people skills. Especially with men. She can make most if not all male scum spill the beans with her smooth tongue. Between you and me, she's on my shortlist for a possible strike team I'm thinking of starting up."

"I guess that's not the worst qual—. Hold on, back up a second. Did you say she knows one of the victims?!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Rouge cursed as she looked down in disappointment, "you're slower than I thought! Yeah, it's damn weird for sure. Hancock comes from an island near the Equator named Amazon Lily. The one victim matches a missing-persons report filed on the island around a week ago. Hancock has more than a few contacts back home, so I'd imagine she's on the phone with her homeland as we speak."

"Then I can't say I'm surprised she asked to do it herself. Did she say how she knows them?"

"No, and frankly, I don't care. As long as those girls get home safe, that's all that matters."

"Agreed. Last question about her—."

"No, she's taken." Sonic shot her an annoyed look. "I'm jerking your chain… sort of. She's got her eye on some 'super' rookie I'm also looking at for that strike team. His name's… Monkey… something. It's pretty damn weird she's interested in him given her male-oriented issues."

"I was gonna ask why she's fixating on one specific crime like child abductions," Sonic said wanting to get back on-topic.

"Child crimes as a whole," she corrected again. "But between you and me, do not ask her that question. It's a personal thing with her. And I'm not joking, unless you want her to unload a clip into your groin. Or worse, put her high heels into it."

"Okay," he said in a loud tone. Instinctively, the mere idea of that image made him cower like any normal man would do. "I get it. Situation's handled, and her reasons shouldn't be questioned. Can we move on?"

"Yes, and I have a question for you," Rouge said.

"I might have an answer for you."

"I was looking over the footage from last night. You get caught, you said something, and then suddenly you magically latch onto Lyric's metal body and slip free."

"Yeah?"

"Did I miss something? Did Tails whip up a new gadget and didn't tell me?"

"Hehehe," Sonic chuckled as he handed the batty commissioner some earbuds. He hadn't worn this one, he just picked up a second pair for Rouge just in case. Quickly putting them in as she ducked in and out of traffic, Sonic asked, "T, you wanna explain the gloves?"

"You there, Rouge?" Tails asked through the earbuds.

"Loud and clear," she responded.

"Implanted inside of Sonic's gloves and shoe-bottoms is a flexible and durable iron mesh connected to a super-battery. The batteries, wires, and iron mesh are layered between two equally strong and pieces of rubber that insulate Sonic from any shock. When you tell them to turn on, the battery sends a current through the wires into the mesh, creating a potent magnetic field. When equipped, the wearer can walk or climb on metal, like the siding and roofing of most hangars, which is what Sonic used to get in close with Lyric. Note that the wearer cannot move too quickly with them on lest they wanna hear metal clang louder than reggae drums, possibly alerting potential suspects. They are used for stealth more than anything, but they are nice to have around since our friendly, neighborhood speedster can't walk or run up most buildings or if the grapple lines aren't long enough to latch onto taller buildings. With how powerful the magnetic field is, Sonic can cling to a lot of surfaces, and his speed won't be affected… for the most part. It was built to support as much as 1,000 pounds."

"In short," Sonic began, "I have the power of super-magnets at my fingertips. I can zip around town like Spider-Man, and now I can climb walls like him too!"

"All you need is a red-and-blue suit," Rouge said with a chuckle.

"The magnets," CREAM began, "were also built to draw in metals that are highly ferromagnetic, so substances like iron, cobalt, and nickel. Sonic got extremely lucky that Lyric's suit was made of an alloy that was mostly iron. Just don't use the magnetic shoes or mitts on somebody that's been fitted with a pacemaker."

"Noted for future reference," Rouge said plainly. "Any other toys you're working on that I don't know?"

"Just a flight suit for Sonic," said Tails.

"Which I am not down with," Sonic said with a hint of annoyance.

"Oh, come on! It's almost done and needs to get field-tested!"

"Did you say, 'flight suit?'" Rouge asked.

"Long story short, I got inspired by a movie to make a winged flight suit so that Sonic can deal with aerial threats. An example would be helicopters."

"And Sonic isn't keen on testing it?"

"I like to have both feet on the ground, thank you very much," Sonic chimed in.

"Says the guy who grapples up buildings all night," Rouge said.

"Those lines are connected to things that are connected to the ground!" he defended, though his logic made him sound like a child.

"Sonic, it's lightweight and will help you in combat!" Tails reasoned.

"Combat?" Rouge asked as they pulled into the precinct parking lot. "You'll have to fill me on the rest in later, Tails. We're at the cop shop."

"Alright. Have fun."

The hotrod was parked. Rouge shut off the engine to give the angelic choir of horsepower its rest. Getting out of the car, and being greeted by a harsh blow of wind, Sonic and Commissioner Rouge entered the heated complex and walked past the front desk. Going into the police bullpen there were numerous cops in their respective offices. They munched on glazed doughnuts and sipped their coffee… that was until Sonic came in. Whenever he came, they were all a little uneasy. He knew that a few of them were crooked in their dealings, but which ones were crooked was the question. Rouge, however, had cut that substantially in her near four months on the job. The ones that weren't entirely honest, but still loyal to Rouge saw Sonic as a beacon of hope that they could get a fresh start. When Rouge came into power and Sonic defeated Eggman, many of them confessed their information about their dealings. If it meant not being subjected to crime lord punishment, it was good enough for them.

As they entered the elevator, Rouge pressed the button for the level with the holding cells. The door closed, and they descended a few floors.

"Just a heads-up," Rouge said, "Lyric won't be moving his lower body much. When you dropped him from that magnet, he herniated his spine about two feet below his exoskeleton."

"Surprised that he didn't immediately feel it. Seemed spry enough to try and take a bite out of you."

"Adrenaline's a hell of a hormone."

"It's 'drug.' Not 'hormone.'"

"Actually, S," CREAM said through the earbuds, "Epinephrine, or adrenaline as it's more commonly known, is a hormone. R is correct."

Sonic rolled his eyes at his mother figure's know-it-all attitude. He looked over at the commissioner and saw how she was beaming with pride. The smug smile she shot at Sonic was the icing on the cake.

DING!

"Don't be such a sore winner," Sonic remarked as they exited the elevator and walked down the hall.

"I should also let you know that Lyric's other arm was taken off," Rouge said. "They were able to chain him up. He won't go anywhere."

Like a hospital, they went through a pair of double doors. The duo nodded to the officer behind the desk and motioned for them to take a left. He knew who they were there for. They turned the corner and went through another set of doors. Whenever he came down here, he just felt uncomfortable. Down the long hall on both sides were prisoners of every shape, size, color, and species. Sonic recognized a few of these cats from the previous night. Lyric's men were being held here like their boss, including the grizzly from the night before. The bear had his right arm in a sling, and he gave the hero the evil eye.

"Embassy will get me out soon!" the bear gloated.

Sonic stopped and smiled, looking at the convict. "I'm sure the motherland will have no problem extraditing you back here when you go home."

"And when I do, I'll have fun gutting your damn friends like swine! Like that pink whore of yours!"

Oh… no.

His smile went away quickly as he charged to the door. Rouge looked at the idiot convict and shook her head with a smile as if to say, "You done fucked up."

The grizzly shot Sonic a curious face when he got to the door and then a shocked one when he grabbed him fiercely through the cell door.

"Get your hands off—!"

PULL!

The bear could stop his face from being yanked harshly into the steel door.

CRAAAAAAAACK! SNAP!

Sonic immediately let the grizzly go for a second as the bear clutched his face in agony. Amid the screaming, he looked at his bloodied paw and felt warm, red fluid run down his lips and neck. Sonic had broken his nose.

"What have you done?!"

Sonic reached through and grabbed the bear's good arm and pulled him into the door shoulder-first. His entire left arm was fully extended and entirely out of the cell. With his other hand, Sonic gripped the bear's arm and started to bend it back, sending shockwaves of pain through the convict's body.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The bone was crunching a bit, so Sonic let off the pressure but still held onto the arm. "Отпусти меня, сволочь! [Let me go, you bastard!]" he yelled in his native tongue.

"I can snap your damn arm off or send you to the morgue in a body-bag," Sonic threatened. "Joke or not, if you try to go after my friends, you're gonna beg me to let your government deal with you. I know what prison is like from where you're from. They'll show you more mercy there than I ever will."

"You're a dead man!" Sonic reapplied the pressure. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"And you're gonna be a rug in my living room if you don't apologize soon."

The grizzly looked desperately at Rouge. "Call him off!"

"Don't look at me," she said calmly. "You're the one who got lippy with him."

The pressure was starting to be too much. Swallowing his pride, the grizzly forced out, "I'm sorry!" The pressure immediately stopped as the bear quickly brought his wounded arm back in and backed away from the door and into the cell's corner. Rubbing his arm and looking at Sonic like he was Death itself, he gasped feverishly as he panicked. "I'm sorry, okay? I am sorry! We friends now?"

Sonic continued to stare him down. He didn't take pleasure in what he did, but no one threatens his friends. They were the only family he had. "Just keep your trap shut… for your sake."

Sonic rejoined Rouge as they eventually exited the cell block and entered another hall. Every prisoner in there either saw or heard what Sonic did to the poor grizzly. Oh, well. Idiot had it coming anyway.

"I appreciate the protection, but I can take care of myself," Rouge said.

"I'm sorry. That was too far."

"No, dropping a snake from a super-magnet was too far." Sonic sighed. He knew she was right. "But it was still funny," she added, making him smile.

Through the next set of double doors was the high security wing of the holding cells. Only the worst criminals were held here. However, every other big-name threat that had once occupied some of these cells had already been tried, convicted, and sent off to real prisons. The only one taking residence at the moment was Lyric.

"Over here," Rouge said as they came to a set of doors. They didn't lead to the same place. The one on the left was an observation room, the other was the holding cell with the imprisoned snake. "Remember, ask him about Fox. And wait until the red light on the camera lights up."

"Will do." With that, Rouge swiped her badge and deactivated the door's electronic lock. Sonic smiled at the commissioner as they walked into their respective rooms.

Grey walls with black trim on the bottom were the only highlights—sans the big snake—of the oversized cubicle. A lone mirror was to Sonic's left, and in the far corner was the camera. The moment he saw was the moment the light went on. Don't look now, Sonic, but you're on candid camera.

Turning to the serpent, Sonic let out a sigh as he glanced at Lyric. Chaos, he looked like hell. There was some blood slowly flowing out of mouth, no doubt from Sonic's quack dentistry. His scaly, green skin looked pale to go with bloodshot eyes. It surprised the speedster a bit to see Lyric with his exoskeleton mostly intact. Keyword: mostly. Sonic recalled tricking his enemy into breaking off an arm. Now there were two missing appendages as Rouge explained earlier. In place of them were anchor points and heavy chains that connected him to the wall like a dungeon-bound peasant. The same went for his tail. The tip of it was cuffed and chained to the ceiling, only giving Lyric's body a little bit of floor to "stand" on.

Then the snake caught Sonic's eyes. Lyric let out an unearthly hiss. Sonic wasn't fazed by it. He'd seen and heard worse. But Sonic was here for a reason. He had to get down to business, so he went to near wall with the two-way mirror and rested on it. The groan he let out made Lyric devilishly smile.

"What are you looking at?" Sonic asked with hint of annoyance.

"I can tell someone's in a lot of pain," Lyric replied. The hero noted how he sounded like he was in pain. "I do have the deadliest grip in the city."

"It's just because the painkillers haven't kicked in yet. How's that mouth of yours feeling?" Sonic smugly said. Lyric's face quickly soured. "Thought as much. They give you anything for that?" Lyric spat out a wad of bloody saliva. "I'm gonna go with 'no.'"

"The next time I'm out—."

"You won't have any chance of freedom unless you talk first. I was asked to come here 'cause you don't want to talk with the police. Unless you want that chance of freedom, let's cut the bull and get to business."

Lyric chuckled. "What would you like to know?"

"Fiona Fox. We've been hearing rumblings of you two making deals. Would you care to elaborate?"

"First, I want to talk about my release."

Sonic waved his finger and shook his head. "You're not the one who calls the shots here."

"Then I walk."

"First off, you slither, not walk. Second, we've got you for running an illegal prostitution ring. What you can tell us will make or break how long you're in here."

"Then I guess I made a mistake summoning you. Get out of my sight."

Sonic raised an eyebrow and scowled. He bowed his head with exhale and shook it. Looking back at the reptile, Sonic said, "Let me tell you something, snake-breath. You requested me to come down here. I didn't come all this way just you could tell me to fuck off."

"Looks that way to me," Lyric smugly replied.

Sonic smiled and quickly shot out a line at the snake, surprising Lyric. Sonic rapidly zipped up to the crime lord's face and slammed a fist into each side of his mouth. His body was still ailing from the death grip. It wasn't his smartest play to move that much in a short time since his body was screaming in pain even when the adrenaline kicked in.

WHAM!

Lyric's face froze in shock, open like a barn door as blood began to squirt out of his gums. It was more than a little apparent that Lyric's mouth still hurt like hell from the previous night. Seeing him in such agony made Sonic smile.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lyric screamed. "You son—!"

Sonic quickly grabbed the snake's head and drilled him with a mean, left hook. The shot dazed Lyric, giving Sonic the chance to speak and violently stare down the serpent. "I don't like having my time wasted, Lyric. And I really don't like it when pieces of shit like you are the ones that waste it. Now, my friends and I are on the verge of taking down every piece of organized filth in this town. I know you are in cahoots with Fox. She's the last crime boss out there. You don't get a choice in ratting her out. You will rat her out. You will tell me what kind of deals you have planned. Dates, places, meetings for brunch for all I care! And you will tell me, or I will make your life a living hell. Starting with this."

POW!

Another left hook from Sonic nailed Lyric in the upper lip, sending his nerves into a pained frenzy. God, what a bloody mess.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! STOP THAT!"

"Tell me about Fox, and I'll stop." Nothing from the snake. "Fine." Then Sonic geared up for another swing.

"Fine! I'll tell you, you goddamn freak!"

Sonic held his fist in place. "Speak."

"Mitchell International Airport! Hangar A113!"

"When?!"

"10 o'clock on Friday night! We were meeting for an arms deal. She has probably already talked to the Soleannan about taking my place. Said was going to net a big haul for us. Everyone that needs to be is paid off."

"What Soleannan?"

"His name's 'Mephistopheles' or something like that."

"Any other deals I should know about?"

"We didn't plan that far ahead. I can't trust anyone these days, especially someone from her family. Y'know what they say, 'Never trust a Fox.'"

"I assume you've had other dealings with Fiona Fox in the past?"

"Yes!"

"Figured as much." Sonic then jumped off and landing kneeling. Looking back at the bloodied Lyric as he headed for the door, he said, "You will tell commissioner Rouge any other major details about the deal and what other deals you've had with her. If you don't comply, or worse, if you lie, I will come back and I will rip out more teeth."

With that, he slammed the door shut and waited outside. With a moment to himself, he finally had the chance to see the serpent's blood on his legs and hands. Great. And the knob on the other side of the door was probably painted in the stuff too. He had to groan about the whole mess. Again, great. Just freaking great.

Rouge walked out of the observation room and shook her head at his appearance. "Better be thankful it's not yours," she said as she began to walk away.

Sonic began following her. "Yeah, well, it was no picnic for me either."

"You think it's no picnic? Tell that to the carpet cleaner."

"Huh?" Sonic looked behind him. He was tracking blood all over the hall. "Aw, piss."

"I'll get my best SWAT guys to back us up on Friday night… assuming you'll be good to go."

"When am I never?"

"Less than 24 hours ago you nearly got popped like a pimple. Are you sure you're gonna be 100%?"

"No, but I'll be good enough to go. Besides, it's only a deal. Unless Miss Fox has a super-exoskeleton on her."

"Let's hope not. I think CREAM and the city would appreciate it if you didn't look like you committed genocide."

"You got a shower I can borrow?"

"Men's locker room on the basement floor. Maybe you can ask one of the boys to borrow you some shampoo."

"Chaos, I hope I don't drop the soap," Sonic said which made Rouge chuckle. "Lyric said something Mephistopheles?"

"Mephiles the Dark," she corrected. "Had a run-in or two with him back in my G.U.N. days. I can get you his file later."

"Anything you can tell me now?"

"Big in Soleanna. A big pain-in-the-ass that is. He's the country's top man when it comes to mafias."

"Oh, so I'm expanding my horizons with organized crime?"

"Looks that way." Before they knew it, Rouge and Sonic had reached the locker room. The commissioner was more than happy to unlock the door for him. As he headed in, she grabbed his hurting arm.

"What now?" he groaned as it was still tender from the previous night.

"Now what was Tails talking about a flight suit?" Sonic groaned. "Well, if you don't want to tell me, I'll just ask him."

"No, that's not it," he said. "This flight suit just seems like a bad idea. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a pretty grounded individual. The idea of me flying just doesn't seem right. Even if it's supposedly gonna help me in the field."

"How would it?"

"Allegedly, the flight suit is built with retractable wings and a flight pack that can help me whiz around town no problem."

"Sounds like Falcon from those Marvel movies."

"Except that the wings are made of some light metal and can supposedly fold around my hands."

Rouge cocked an eyebrow. "Did you say—?"

"Yeah. Look, talk to Tails about it if you want to know more, okay? I need to shower off."

"Fine, fine. Go pout about it, Sanic."

He slammed the door and walked into the locker room. "I hate that name."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Damn, I forgot how long this chapter was. And I really couldn't split it up since (1.) I couldn't find a good spot to do so, and (2.) the upload schedule has long breaks as it stands, and you guys are being patient enough with me to begin with.

Now, onto other matters. You're probably asking yourself, "Calvin, did you seriously add the most 'fan service-y' of fan service characters from One Piece into this story for no good reason?" And to answer your question, YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT I DID. She is easily my favorite character from the series that isn't one of the Straw Hat Pirates. If there was ever a series that got me back into my fan-fiction groove (if that's even a thing), it's Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. That series... that goddamn series.

You're free to skip over this next paragraph since it has nothing to do with SP2, but if you're willing to let me regale you a tale of me and my relationship with Eastern media, then buckle in and hold on tight.

Honestly, I hadn't touched anything anime or manga related since the 3rd grade (2003-04 or somewhere around there). That's when I stopped caring about Dragonball Z even though seeing Goku beating the hell of Majin Buu was pure eye candy. And when I did see the 4Kids dub of One Piece, I wasn't interested. Also, that corny AF rap intro. Good god, 4Kids was responsible for a lot of good childhood memories, but that was not one of them (also hearing Sonic voicing Usopp will never not be weird). It didn't help that Pirates of the Caribbean was also popular at that time and was my gold standard for anything on the high seas. That said, I turned my interests to Batman the Animated Series, Justice League, Static Shock (the DCAU and Cartoon Network in general). Fast forward to summer of 2019, and I see the videogame "Jump Force" making its rounds and how... lackluster it was. A 2.5D fighting game? Why? Just why? I get that it was Shonen Jump's 50th anniversary celebration, but woof. Give me Mortal Kombat or Injustice any day of the week when it comes to fighting games. And seeing Goku, Vegeta, and Yami Yugi (Moto) look like they were made of out Play-Doh? Yeesh. But at least their special moves looked flashy as hell. Anyway, I see the game with major Shonen Jump representation. Dragonball, Naruto/Boruto, Bleach, and... One Piece. I remember seeing the likes of Luffy, Zoro and Sanji from the 4Kids dub and thinking, "Umm... wow these guys look different. Luffy has muscles. Zoro's missing a fucking eye. Sanji... okay, he looks normal except for the slightly longer hair. And... who the fuck is Sabo?! And... is that Nico Robin? Hold on... that's not her... it's 'Boa Hancock?' Who the hell is she? How and (more importantly) WHY is Luffy ignoring this drop-dead gorgeous character who is clearly showing a lot of interest in him?! YOU STUPID, RUBBER BASTARD!"" So, after a long, long time away from the series, I decided to give One Piece another chance. I had heard the Funimation dub had done a better job with the source material than 4Kids (though it is far from perfect), and since I had caught up on everything else and was looking for something different, I started watching episode and episode of the English dub... and holy crap, I fell in love with the series. The Straw Hats? Love them all (Robin being my personal favorite for her macabre sense of humor AND NO OTHER REASON, I SWEAR). The side characters? Fantastic. (Spoilers inbound) How Oda could make me ugly cry over a goddamn ship. The whole warlord system. Boa-freaking-Hancock and her love for Luffy, and why am I shipping these two even though One Piece isn't that kind of story?! Over 90 volumes of manga and all the Pop! figurines? I had them all bought between November and December of 2019. I never thought that anything could top what DC and Marvel put out in TV and movies. I ddin't think I could love something so much that it rivaled my love for American football and the Green Bay Packers. Boy, was I dead wrong. It brought me back into a love of manga and anime. Since then, I've caught up with others like My Hero Academia (Eraserhead is best teacher) and am thinking about getting into Dr. Stone (I've heard great things about that series too). I'll get back into Dragonball and Naruto in due time, but for now, I'm glad back on the manga and anime train.

Okay, so if you're still hear after all of that, congratulations. Sorry for going off on a stupidly long tangent, but... I just love One Piece that much. I had to include a cameo (even if it is just a name drop) of two of my favorite characters. I can't help that I like them so much. I'm just that impulsive.

Anyway, we have out first reappearance of Green. I seriously hope that you guys like how I interpret Scourge in this story. With me, how I'm presenting him might become a sticking point to some of you, so I can only hope I can live up to your expectations. He was supposed to a lot darker, but when I was in the initial planning stage and took a step back with him, I realized I made him too dark and graphic. I went so had that he became an overly insane parody of the supervillain trope. And then there were plot holes with him that had to be rectified among a myriad of other problems with the story. I guess Scourge was as big a problem for me because I didn't grow up with the Archie comics. I didn't have direct exposure to his character. I was stuck with the videogames when I was younger. I can't say I understand his character as well as you might, so bear with me as I try and do him justice as an outright bastard and foil to Sonic.

Also... Amy, what on earth are you hiding? Fun fact, Amy's part in this chapter wasn't in the original vision for this story. However, I felt I needed to add scenes with Sally, Amy, and the Acorns in order to flesh out the story properly. Give them their due time in the spotlight. And don't worry, Alicia and Max will get more time to shine too. It's fluffing out the story and driving up the word count, but I still want to make them important to the narrative and make the world seem more real.

Before I sign off, I want to thank NeckBreak and Jurassicdinodrew for the reviews. Thanks guys! Chapter 4 will be out February 27, and chapter 5 will see release on March. And yes, that nightmare sequence was directly based on that one scene from Toy Story 2. You know the one.

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Oh, and I can't forget Eiichiro Oda's characters from One Piece. They sure as hell aren't my property either. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.