CHAPTER XXI – BROKEN

All that built-up momentum made him soar through the air. From the angle he crashed in from, he was still rising ever so slightly even if he had to break through a window. His speed was cut slightly because of the obstacle, though not by much. However, was it enough that it meant Sonic witnessing his godfather getting bludgeoned in the back with a heavy news camera?

"No," he thought. He knew it to be true. If he were maybe that little bit faster on the highway, if he hadn't been slowed due to Acorn Street's traffic, or if he hadn't taken his fury out on Fiona… maybe, just maybe, he would've made it.

It all happened so fast, but when he crashed in, time seemed to be in slow motion. He saw it all clear as day in HD perfection, horrifically—but more ironically—thanks to a 4K 1080p news camera.

Sonic came too late. He had failed to protect his family. The sobering sound of Max's spine echoed as the life left the speedster's eyes.

"It's all my fault." It was the only thought coursing through his mind, though it was easy to see why. If he puts Scourge away earlier, this doesn't happen. The heartache of breaking one's brother would be hard to swallow on its own, but at least he'd still have people like Amy, Tails, CREAM, Rouge, Max, Sally, and Alicia.

Now… Tails was beaten within an inch of life in their own house with CREAM miraculously coming through in the nick of time. Amy, Sally, and Alicia had been terrorized for the whole city to see with Amy doing her best to keep their attacker at bay. And Max….

He had failed. He knew that. There was only one thing left now, and as he passed through the air and as he sailed over the desk with the beaten Acorn, there was only one thing on his mind. It blinded him almost instantly, but Sonic didn't care anymore. This was deeper than personal if that was even possible.

This was revenge.

As the cerulean speedster flew into the newsroom, he turned toward his kin with rage not seen in Sonic since the day he found out his parentage. If Bernie and Jules were looking down now, Sonic prayed that they'd turn their heads away immediately. This was going to get ugly, though not as Scourge's face would be.

Sonic's intense stare came back tenfold as he set his eyes on his brother's face. He should've seen the look on it! The mixture of anger, tears, and unbridled shock was on full display.

"How?!" the green hedgehog cried. "How are you here?!"

Big Blue was in no mood for talking. Sonic was more fixated on the splendid idea of kicking in Scourge's teeth. It helped that the newsroom invader was too stunned to react in time as Sonic twisted his body ever so slightly to land his new shoes right into Scourge's face.

WHAM!

All that forward momentum took Scourge down. A pair of feet to one's mouth would already hurt like hell, but what about when that face had to bear all of that pain plus the attacker's bodyweight? The moment Sonic jumped off and landed, he spun around to see his brother's ugly mug shielded by a hand. It was all Scourge could do to try and cope with that kind of pain. The new running shoes left a distinct mark on his cheek as Scourge yelled in agony.

Sonic was not about to let this go by the wayside as he blitzed Scourge, tackling him into the front of the desk with the younger brother taking the brunt of the blow. Sonic didn't feel a thing from all the adrenaline pumping in his veins as he quickly straddled his downed brother and began to sock him with a barrage of punches!

Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right!

The moment Scourge's mouth began to bleed onto Sonic's gloves, Green was finally able to enclose his fist with metal thanks to that fancy suit of his and nail Sonic in the cheek. It wasn't much, but it was all he could think of to get Sonic off him. Which personality of Scourge's was responsible for drilling Sonic was unclear, but he loudly groaned before his head twitched again.

The invader's cold, deathly eyes wandered to that of his blue brother who shook his head and began staring right back with equal intensity. The hero's breathing was labored, probably because of the long run he made getting here and the gymnastics needed to arrive so spectacularly seven stories up.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Scourge cried in disbelief as he took the first step and lunged with an encased fist.

Too easy.

Sonic dodged the swing and grabbed Scourge's arm in the process. Living up to his speedster moniker, Sonic then spun his twin around like a miniature tornado while those able either ran for the hills or tended to Max, namely Alicia, Ken, and Sally.

"St-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-p!" Scourge forced out amid the spinning.

"Careful what you wish for!" Sonic replied as he hurled Scourge up, and with a might CRASH, the wicked twin nailed the light rigging above while taking out a spotlight in the process. Sonic paid the sparks little mind as he jumped up and cocked his leg back with as much torque as he could muster. Amy tired this same move earlier and failed, but unlike Amy, Scourge was airborne and defenseless from his trip to the ceiling.

Roundhouse kicks: guaranteed for a loud pop at a wrestling show, damn near lethal when pulled off by a trained fighter.

POW!

THUD!

Scourge yelled out as he grabbed his nose. Not only was it broken, but then he felt a grapple dig into his leg. No surprise who he found when he followed the line. Those enraged eyes would make any lesser criminal run for the hills.

"GET OVER HERE!" Sonic yelled before pulling the line back with reckless abandon. With Scourge being dragged on his back, he had to think fast. Cutting the line seemed like a good start. He promptly disengaged his covered fist, whipped out that wing again, and swiped. Too bad that Sonic saw that coming and yanked the line up so that Scourge missed… and he missed bad.

SHUNK!

"FUCK!" Scourge bellowed as he surveyed the damage. Not only was he still being dragged along, but the influenced swipe made him slice open his own calf. The cut was bleeding more rapidly than his mouth, but that'll happen when someone cuts themselves open by one-eighth of an inch (1/8"). Then came the crash back down as a result of that upward yank. The blood stopped flowing down his leg and began to stain the floor and then the suit as Sonic pulled him closer and closer.

In a last, ditch effort, Scourge grabbed the grapple and tried to pull it off himself. That made Sonic reel him in faster since he saw how Scourge was getting close to doing it. "Come on!" Sonic grunted. But it was in vain.

Scourge got free, and the sudden release of wire tension made Sonic fall backward. With the quick loss of balance, Scourge readied for a counter. He got himself up just fine, but that first step with his left leg gave him pause as his fresh injury was already hobbling him. But he couldn't afford that. He powered through despite the bad bleeding and sped up to Sonic with his bladed wing at the ready.

"Rah!"

TING!

A sudden jerk from his left arm stopped the attack dead as it was Scourge's turn to lose his balance again much to his anger. He glared behind him, and who else would save Sonic but Amy Rose? The pink lady might've still been reeling from that kick to the kidneys, but she would not allow her man to be hit.

"Stay out of this!" Scourge barked as he whipped his arm to send Amy sliding. It didn't matter since the Rascal was still smiling when she retracted the line and saw Sonic behind Scourge with a face full of hate. Scourge's window for a counterattack had just slammed shut. Sonic had a free hit, and he did what any good brother would do when he saw injured kin: he helped them heal.

SMACK! CRACK!

Scourge nearly went down again from another wicked cross from Sonic, but at the very least, his brother's strike was so hard that it reset Scourge's nose into place. However, it was a double-edged sword as blood gushed out faster. That was the least of his worries as Sonic followed up that right-handed swing with another to the back of the head. "This was between you and me!" Sonic yelled. That last blow didn't take Scourge down, so Sonic put him back upright with a left knee to the face. "But you had to get my friends involved!" The loud CRUNCH that came out was absolutely a fracture of some sort. Even Sonic knew he got him good. But not good enough since he was still standing. One last punch might do the trick if he hit him hard enough. "And I won't let you hurt them anymore!"

With that, Sonic planted his right foot. He reared back his left hand and tightened his fist harder than ever before. He didn't want it to come to this, but things had gone too far. He was so infatuated with rage that he didn't even notice the tear rolling down his face. This was his thought-to-be-dead brother, for Chaos's sake! How could it have gone so bad so quickly between these two after so many years together?

The room was spinning. Green was far too dazed and beaten to fight back. For Scourge, this was his version of being in dire straits. It was bad enough that Sonic somehow found a way here, but now the coup de grâce had to be coming. There wasn't anything flashy about this beating either. It was a straight brawl, and a one-sided one at that. No nonsense, almost no theatrics, just a clean, hateful beatdown. How could he get out of this? He needed to get out of here now or Sonic might legit kill him for what he did to his friends, especially Max.

Then Scourge had one last idea. It was a longshot, but he was that desperate. Sonic was prepping the knockout blow, and since Scourge was already reeling, it was the perfect time to suddenly drop to the floor. The dodge was crude as all hell as the seemingly random flop to the floor made Sonic miss his swing. It was then Scourge's chance to trip up the reaching Sonic.

As the hero fell, Scourge began to bolt. With so much adrenaline pumping through his body, he barely noticed how it increased his blood flow. His leg was now gushing blood as he put everything into this escape. There was his ticket out. He had to get past the small huddle of people, but this was doable.

Scourge's footsteps made Sally turn her head in horror. "Stay back!" the chipmunk begged. As she cried. Ken and Alicia turned back to see the barreling villain come down on them. He was so close! He just had to—!

TINK!

Dammit, not again!

Another grapple at the worst possible time as Sonic shot it out and got his brother in the boot, tripping him up. But the invader would not be denied as he crawled despite the line trying to pull him back. Sonic got up quickly to better wrangle his catch in, but Scourge's determination was winning so far.

"You… are… not… getting… away!" Sonic declared as he struggled. The heroic speedster then shut his eyes and pulled with all his might, though that one moment was his biggest mistake. He took his eyes off Scourge, and the ultimate opportunist took this chance to get that wing of his ready and try swiping again. This time, Scourge didn't miss.

SNAP!

The immediate loss of tension not only made Sonic fall on his back, but the cable came straight up into the rafters where another light came crashing down with a small spark-show. This little distraction worked gangbusters as evidenced by the news team shielding their eyes in defense. Sonic, due to his exhaustion, didn't get up right away. Maybe if he were a bit faster, he'd have seen Scourge get to his feet before him. Maybe he'd have seen Scourge lick his chops and activate his flight suit. Maybe he'd have seen Scourge take flight and soar over the small huddle of reporters and land on its opposite side.

Then Sonic got to his feet and found his brother that close to the seven-story exit. He seemed to be struggling with Alicia, Sally, and Ken, but the trio had to back away when Scourge whipped out that wing, warding them off.

"Get back!" Scourge piped up as the three did so with anxious, frightened faces. What was he doing?! The hero got his answer when his twin viciously ripped Max off the table.

The broken man yelped and went into a terrified frenzy. "Wha-Wh-What's happening?! A-A-A-And why—?!"

Scourge then kicked godfather square in the mouth which seemed to send Max further into an erratic panic followed by equally erratic breathing… and it wasn't just because he was upside-down.

The moment Sonic finally got to his feet and locked eyes with Scourge, the invader knew it was time to fly. "Gonna give you a choice, Soniiiiiiiiiiiiiii—!" Another head twitch, and a powerful one at that. For the briefest of seconds, Sonic didn't see the malicious eyes of Scourge, but… Green? Then another twitch came about but was followed by devastating blows to Green's own head, courtesy of Scourge. "No, no, no, no!" Scourge yelled as he struck himself over and over. "You stay down there!"

By the time he got back to his senses, he looked back up at the reporters and hero who were all too stunned to react, waiting on bated breath. "You have a choice, Sonic! Me… or…," then Scourge held Max that little bit higher, showing the masses a convulsing Maximillian Acorn much to the horror of all those in the room.

"D.V. on," Sonic whispered. The speedster's field-of-vision became that distinct shade of deep blue with his eyes trained on Max's now-cyan skeleton. Looking at Max's vitals—.

OH, SWEET CHAOS!

"Scourge, put him down!" Sonic pleaded.

It was like a softball getting lobbed over home plate.

The evil twin furrowed his brow deeper as his wicked smile grew. "Okay, but you have to choose! Here on the floor!" Then he grabbed Max's leg with his other hand spun him around and around… and out the window!

Every ounce of anger left Sonic's body the moment he began charging. All that was left was dread and concern of the highest degree.

Scourge then bowed and reactivated the flight suit. He flew out of the window, but he left Sonic with the parting words, "Me or Max, Sonic!"

The answer was obvious to everyone in the studio, and Scourge knew it, so with that in mind, he revved up his thrusters and jetted away into the Mobotropolis night, just as his injured leg began screaming again.

And Sonic?

He sprinted toward the desk and screamed, "MOVE! MOVE!" as he flailed his arms to the side. Alicia, Sally and Ken had to duck out of the way as Sonic hopped onto the desk at full tilt and dived down the face of the building. With tears in his eyes, he turned back to his Detection Vision to find his godfather's falling and screaming body.

There wasn't much time! Seven stories wasn't a far distance, even on Knothole's tallest hill. Sonic knew that by putting his arms by his side and his legs together as he dove faster to reach his godfather, praying he'd be there in time. The wild spinning Max was doing was slowing his descent, but would it be enough for Sonic to catch him?!

Four-and-a-half stories to go!

"Come on, come on!" Sonic begged.

Shit, he wasn't going to make it! He didn't get out of the building fast enough! Max was—!

"NO! I'M NOT LOSING YOU, MAX!"

To hell with Chaos. He wasn't going to help Sonic this time.

Instead, Sonic would will himself there.

With no other options, Sonic whipped his arm out and took aim. It slowed him for a short time, but he was already short on time already. With one last move, he shot out the line. The level of difficulty was great, almost insurmountable. A falling target who's only picking up more speed the longer he fell? And with just over three stories to go?!

SNAG!

YES! He got him! But there was no time to celebrate. Sonic's plan needed a second grapple! He flicked his other wrist, and—!

"SHIT!"

Scourge broke the other one! What was Sonic going to do?!

Well… there was one slim chance that was riskier than a random hyperlink on Reddit, but he had to try. Sonic jerked his grapple to reach Max faster. He was so close to getting there!

Five feet to Max!

Four feet!

Three feet!

Two stories until impact!

One foot!

Sonic retracted the line, aaaaaaaaand…!

GRAB!

"Gotcha!"

No time for celebrating! He put Max in his other arm as Sonic shot the line out again, this time at the closest building. He couldn't tell if his arc was going to swing him to freedom or splatter him on a truck on Acorn Street, so he gripped his godfather with all his might. He tucked his legs in. He closed his eyes as oncoming traffic was going to make this closer than he realized!

"Come ooooooooooooooooon!" Sonic cried out as he swung for his life. "Come oooooooooooooooooooooooooon!"

This wasn't a game of inches. It was a gamble with mere millimeters to play with.

And Sonic won.

His short tail may have shaved the cold pavement, but Sonic swung free again! The moment he went upward, Sonic opened his eyes and gasped for air! But he still wasn't out of the woods yet! He needed to get down safely and fast! He had seen Max's vitals. His heartrate was in the low 200s, far above what a man at Max's age should be at. But given all that happened in the newsroom that night, and from the trauma he suffered, it was no wonder that Max was undergoing cardiac arrest.

As Sonic debated his next move, he could see and hear the sirens and lights in the distance. The cavalry was on the way! Was there a—? Yes, an ambulance! But was Max going to make it?!

"Don't die on me, Max!" pled Sonic. With one last move, he shot out one last line and swung towards Acorn Street's median. When he was at the lowest part of the downswing, while dodging all the traffic, he let loose the moment he was on the way back up. He floated for just a second or two, but the moment Sonic hit the pavement, he almost celebrated. He was in full control now as he blasted toward the paramedics. He had to check on Max, an—! Oh, boy! Max was fading fast!

"Rouge!" Sonic yelled. "Is that your convoy on Acorn Street?!"

"Yes!" Oh, it was so good to hear that bat's voice! "I dispatched them when—!"

"Listen! I'm closing in on you! Max is having a heart attack, and I need an ambulance NOW!"

"Fucking hell! Okay, I'll let them know!"

They were a half-mile away and closing in, so Sonic had to put on the brakes right the fuck now. He hopped and skidded amidst the traffic as horns honked and others moved because of the lights in the distance. Sonic knew he'd stop in time, but what about the ambulance?!

Then the line of officers and paramedics split up. The cop cars took the left side of the road, but one ambulance made its way to the right.

"The ambulance in the front is going to meet you, Sonic!" Rouge said. "How long does Max have?!"

"Minutes, maybe seconds! They better be ready!"

Come on, come on, slow down faster! There! They were just a block away!

The ambulance stopped, and the back doors blew open!

"Come on, Max, you're going to make it!"

The moment the paramedics arrived, Sonic made the turn as he saw the officers running toward the AMG. Those in the ambulance immediately got out the gurney and put it on the pavement. Sonic handed Max off to the professionals as he looked on with anxious anticipation.

He didn't need Chaos's help on that dive getting to Max, but Sonic was certainly praying to that deity now. He had to crouch and survey the medics' actions as he panted with his hands covering his mouth, muttering as he did so. "Please, please, please, please!" he whispered incoherently. "I can't lose anymore family! Please, not Max! For of love of Chaos, not him too!"

This was taking too long! Or was it? Sonic didn't know the ins-and-outs of CPR, so he couldn't tell if it was working or not. It only heightened his anticipation and exasperated his stress levels which were already at critical levels to begin with.

"Come on, Max! Come back to us!" Sonic muttered.

Then his godfather shot up with the loudest gasp ever recorded. Max instinctively propped his arms up for a brief moment as he tried to take in as much air as he could. He could take Sonic's since the speedster let out the biggest sigh of relief after witnessing what had to be a miracle.

"Oh, thank Chaos!" Sonic let out with all the relief he had left. Then his heart nearly dropped the moment Max came crashing back down with a groan. "Max!"

As Sonic scurried closer, the paramedic stopped him. "Easy, Sonic!" the assistant said in a calm and stern tone. "That was just a physical reaction to the CPR. He'll be okay now!"

I take that back. Now Sonic could let out all the relief he had left. He bowed his head with tears running down his face as Sonic did everything to catch his breath. Catching one's breath was a pretty good idea as it turned out. As the hero tried to calm himself down, the paramedics put a breathing regulator around Max's face with pure oxygen pumping into his lungs shortly thereafter. Seeing Max this peaceful was frankly the happiest Sonic had felt all night.

"Can he hear me?" Sonic asked.

"He should," one of the doctors said.

That was his cue to get closer to his ailing godfather. As if by instinct, Max turned his head and cracked his eyes open to see his savior. With a broken smile, it was Max's turn to shed a tear. Without thinking, Sonic grabbed Max's hand and held it tight as he let out all of his negative emotions. He may not have been blood, but the healing touch of family was what Sonic desperately needed at that moment. Max had been there from the moment Sonic came back, and Sonic would be damned if he didn't need him.

"I'm sorry!" Sonic quietly cried. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's… It's okay," Max replied weakly. Then a wave of honest anguish washed over Max's face, and Sonic saw it clear as day. "I want to hug you right now… but I don't think I can right now."

The color left Sonic's face. "Why?"

Then he remembered.

The camera.

The moment he landed, the war within him raged. That rundown apartment was the sight of Scourge's mental brawl. Where had this second voice come from? It was so familiar, so why was it here? Why did it show up now? Did it have anything to do with that shock?

His head twitched as he hurried up the stairs. "What's wrong with me?!" he screamed loudly into the abandoned building.

Another twitch. "That stupid bitch!" Scourge bellowed. "If it weren't for Rose—!"

And another twitch as he punched in the code. "Why did you do that?!" Green cried. "That was my godfather! I didn't know I had one, so why did you make me do that to him?!"

And another. "Because Sonic left me to die!"

Another. "We don't that! Wanna know why? Because now I have two sets of memories in my head!"

Another. "Yeah, and we both know he—!"

And still another. "Shut up! Just be quiet!"

And another. "No, you don't know what he did!"

Another. "And you do?! For all we know, that fucking freak—!"

It was all too much. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He banged his head on the nearest wall repeatedly with all the pent of force of a sledgehammer. Within seconds, there was a skull-shaped hole in the wall with traces of blood from his head.

He knew what might shut him up. And as he got into his room, he bolted for the bathroom and pulled out a few pills of ibuprofen. To hell with the water, he needed this mental battle over with now!

It took a minute for it to kick in after he swallowed, but the pain began to subside, and the second voice quietly went away for the time being. Finally… peace. However, Scourge knew that this peace wouldn't last forever.

Not only was Sonic still out there, but then there was the matter of Fiona. This was her place after all, and last time he checked, his most recent attack almost surely got him on her bad side.

All this… for naught. She was going to be coming around sooner or later. Scourge was damn sure of that, and he'd take care of her when that time came. But right now… he needed to rest and recuperate. That interaction would have to wait. What needed his attention now was his leg. Flying through the city dulled the senses where he didn't feel his left leg's cut, but that sensation had since subsided. That pain was back, though he was fairly sure that the drugs he had taken would take the edge off soon.

That said, he went back to the bathroom and rummaged around. There had to be a first aid kit in here somewhere. And indeed there was. He yanked out a white-and-red box and dug through its contents. He finally happened upon some small scissors, a needle, sutures, rubbing alcohol, and a ton of band-aids.

Knowing the next few minutes were going to be hell, he grabbed the nearest towel and stuffed it in his face. It was no hunk of leather, but he needed something to bite down on. It started with the stinging sensation of rubbing alcohol on his gashed leg. Next would be the needle and sutures.

This was going to be rough.

"… And that's what happened, officer."

The cop nodded and stopped the recording. He slid his phone back into his pocket and tipped his cap. "Thank you, Mrs. Acorn," the crocodile said. "We'll have to take some evidence back to the precinct. There's going to be a lot of paperwork because of all this. I hope you understand."

Alicia nodded. "Do what you have to. And please… do you have an update on my husband?" Understandably, Alicia's voice promptly turned from spooked to concerned.

"I will let you know as soon as possible."

"Thank you, officer."

The croc smiled. "Please, call me Vector."

Alicia nodded. "Thank you, Vector."

As he tipped his hat again, the cold-blooded detective went back into the AMG. He didn't leave Alicia all alone as Sally, Ken, Amy, and the rest of the news team were right beside her. Sally held her mother's hand before hugging her as she tried to comfort her mom the best she knew how.

"We'll get through this," Sally comforted.

Amy smiled and turned away for a moment to get a little… well, calling it "air" wasn't exactly accurate. The Rascal figured she needed a little space. Sally, Ken, and the rest would do just fine being Alicia's support, at least for the next few minutes.

She folded her arms in an attempt to warm herself up against the cold, November air. It was all she could do to comfort herself, because all the carnage and police tape around the complex wasn't doing the job at all.

The AMG was supposed to be a beacon of hope and safety. Now look at it. She thought it was bad enough when Lien-Da barged in as took Lupe hostage. Now Scourge had terrorized them, during a news broadcast no less, all in an effort to get at Sonic. The AMG's reputation was going to take a hit. Maybe it already had. But whatever the cost, Amy was still proud to work here, to contribute here. She'd do everything in her power to help it become that beacon again. That was for another day, but right now, it was the only comfort she could afford herself at the moment.

Amy took another look around the crime scene, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a certain someone walking toward the building. She was wrong, there was one other comfort in her life.

Amy started running toward him with a grateful smile. Despite everything that happened, he was still okay. He drove Scourge away and saved everyone! He saved her!

"Sonic!" Amy cried out. He turned his head, and… the sight wasn't pretty. She slowed her run to a jog and then to a walk as whatever happiness she had was quickly replaced with concern. From the way Sonic's smile was fracturing, the way his eyes were on the verge of tears, Sonic looked as if he was barely clinging to his grip on reality.

With a wobbly smile, Sonic spoke. "H-Hey, Amy."

Without thinking, she brought her hand to his face and held it gently. She didn't have much warmth to spare on this cold, autumn night, but whatever she had, she gave it to Sonic. He was thankful because to him, her soft touch must have been a saving grace if his more relieved face was anything to go by. He then brought his hand to gently hold hers against his cheek as she cupped it lovingly.

"Sonic?" she asked quietly. "What's wrong?" Unbeknownst to them, their friends spotted him and started walking his way.

He took a moment to respond. As he tried to find the words, he started to break down. He began to cry again as his grip on her hand tightened slightly. But then… it became too much. Sonic let her hand go and covered up his tears. His legs then gave out as he shamefully crashed down on both knees as his crying loudened. Amy crouched down straightaway and put her arms around him. He was hysterical with his blubbering now. It was to the point where their newscaster friends all rushed to his side as he cried into Amy's shoulder.

Needing someone—anyone—to hold, he threw her arms around Amy and completely broke down. He tried to speak, but he couldn't get more than a word out before succumbing to his rawest emotions. The only word Amy could make out was "Sorry." Over and over again.

She had to do something. She had to help him be put at ease. So… Amy gently stroked his quills and began to softly shush him. It looked like it was working well enough, so she then nuzzled him. That seemed to do the trick as she heard his breathing slow further and further until it was back to normal.

Amy… Amy was truly a special woman. She knew exactly how to calm him, even when he was at his lowest. Despite their recent history, there wasn't another person who could make him feel better, even when life was at its worst. Okay, maybe CREAM could do that too, but Amy… Amy was different.

"Sonic, it's okay. We're all okay." She gently cupped his cheek and looked deep into his bloodshot eyes. "We're fine."

Sonic wished she had her optimism at that moment, but the news he carried made that impossible. "It's all my fault," he said a defeated, low voice. "I should've been here sooner. I should've beaten him sooner. I should've ran faster! But I didn't!"

"Shhhhhhh," she whispered as she stroked his quills again. "None of that matters, Sonic. CREAM told me what happened."

"But… you don't understand. If I… If I was faster… Max wouldn't be…!"

It was that last sentence that got everyone's attention. Namely Alicia's and Sally's.

"Sonic?!" Sally shrieked. "Where's dad?! What happened to him?!" The chipmunk then grabbed Sonic by the shoulder, but Alicia grabbed her wrist in retaliation. Those stern, motherly eyes told Sally to calm down. "Sorry, it's just—."

"Sally, he's still alive." The whole group's eyes went straight to Sonic. There was a sudden burst of joy among them all! However… there was a catch. "But… But I…," Sonic tried to force out as the group was hanging on his every word. "But I didn't stop Scourge in time!"

"Sonic, you still saved him didn't you?" Amy asked trying for him to look at the positives.

"You don't understand! B-Because I wasn't there… because I didn't stop him…."

Sonic then swallowed his pain and finished his piece, and boy… did he finish his piece.

"I… I don't think he'll ever walk again!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I can't thank you enough for your patience. I know it must have been annoying and inconvenient to wait over 24 hours since I was technically supposed to upload this yesterday on 8/17. However, there's a big reason for that. Despite me being in my busy season running my alma mater's football, social media platforms, which normally doesn't prevent me from updating on time, something personal happened last week that needed my attention. To cut a long story short, we had to put one of our cats down last Thursday. If you want the long version, then read on. If not, you can skip the next paragraph.

Ziva was in our family for almost ten years. We didn't know her exact age, but the vets told us she had once given birth. How she came into our lives was anything but orthodox. She wasn't a normal type of rescue, but rather she happened to wander into a semi trailer and was found by my dad who runs the receiving area where he works. He brought her home after a day or so of her running around the warehouse where she was all skin-and-bones. Go figure since she had been riding on a trailer all the way from California with no food in the meantime. So we took her in and got all the check-ups done. In case you couldn't tell, she was named after the popular NCIS character, Ziva David. She was a very friendly and social cat who loved her treats a little too much. The problems started coming up around spring and had snowballed since. She was going deaf, her digestive system was wearing down fast, she wasn't eating as much, and whatever else she had going on. It was time. It was sad to have to let her go, but she was at least peaceful. Losing a pet is one of the hardest things anyone can deal with, especially when you know they loved you back. I'm going to miss her very much. She didn't know how to lay on one's lap properly, often giving up and laying on me and dad's chests, but she was a very good black cat. Not a drop of bad luck with her... at least until the bitter end. Rest in peace, Ziva.

Okay... I know that was somber, and I'd like to say we can move onto lighter things, but Sonic isn't having a great day either. Neither is Tails, Amy, Rouge, or any of his merry band of friends and misfits. Sadly for them, this long night still isn't done. All that happened during the primetime news slot. And Scourge? Well, let's give him a breather. He has his own demons to worry about.

Now this actually is a lighter thing. First off, when this chapter goes live on DeviantArt, it'll officially be my 100th deviation, so that's something cool!If you're reading this on dA, thank you for staying with me all these years! Thanks also go out to jurrassicdinodrew, 000Marie198, and FlameShadowFireDragon (x3, and has your username always been that long, or have I always misspelled that name?) for their reviews. And again to all of you, thank you for your patience. It means the world to me, especially since real life had to barge in and punch me in the gut.

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.