It had been seven days since Shadow had destroyed the Black Comet. In that time, rescue efforts all around the world had been working around the clock, searching for missing persons, relocating those who had lost their homes, and rebuilding key sections of the cities that had been destroyed. If there was one bright-side to this whole catastrophe, it was how it had brought the whole world together in their attempts to pick up the pieces.

Thankfully, Eggman's treasury in Circus Park had been secured by the GUN forces that had raided it, and went a long way towards helping the reconstruction efforts. As did the salvaged remains of crash Egg Fleet battleships found in the now-relocated Glyphic Canyon.

The Acorn Kingdom had managed to avoid much of the fighting, and had donated a lot to the reconstruction efforts in Central City. The Chaotix were rewarded handsomely for their part in ending the conflict, and made out like kings! Then, Vector generously yet reluctantly gave away that fortune to help support those who had lost everything.

"Easy, Charmy!" Vector grabbed the large chunk of rubble that Charmy was shakily carrying. "I know you want to help, but stick to what you can carry!"

"Awww, I can handle it!" Charmy protested with a pout. "Besides, I wanna get this over with already so we can go back to the agency!"

"Not everyone was as lucky as us," Vector said. He looked over the ruins of the street stretched out before them, just one of many in Central City after the long battle with the Black Arms. "Seaside City wasn't attacked at all, so we got out with all our things-"

"What little we had," Espio interjected.

"Point is, these people lost their homes and everything else. Someone's gotta help them get back on their feet!"

"But why us?" Charmy asked.

"Because it's the right thing to do, and the Chaotix never turn down people-in-need! Understand?"

"Yeeeeeeees," Charmy replied, sighing as he returned to the destroyed house and lifted a smaller piece of rubble. His stomach growled as he flew alongside Vector and Espio. "Can we take a break soon? I'm hungryyyyy…"

"Well, it sounds like we arrived just in-time," Vanilla said as she approached the boys, carrying a cooler. Cream walked alongside her with a large picnic basket in her hands.

"We brought refreshments for everyone!" Cream declared. "We were just about to meet with Mr. Sonic and the others. Would you like to join us?"

Vector jumped to attention. "Oh, o-of course! That's so thoughtful of the two of you, and it'd be rude to turn down such a generous offer."

Espio noticed that Vector's eyes were stuck on Vanilla, and sighed. "Let us dump off this last load, and we'll come to join you."

"Yeah! Time to eat!" Charmy cheered as he zipped past the rabbits.

"Hey, slow down!" Vector yelled as he ran after him. "You're gonna crash into somethin' again!"

After unloading their rubble into the nearby dumping site, the Chaotix joined everybody else at a hilltop that oversaw the neighbourhood. The sky was clear, making it a beautiful day for a picnic, and many others must have thought that as well as many blankets were laid out over the grass.

"Hey, ya made it!" Sonic called out as he saw them approach. With him were Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Cream and Vanilla, as well as Cream's two Chao friends, Cheese and Chocola.

As Vector sat down, Vanilla offered him a drink from her cooler. "Oh, thank you, Miss!" Vector swiped the drink, his face turning red as he accidentally made contact with her hand, and he quickly proceeded to gulp it down.

"Gee, Vector must be thirsty," Charmy said.

"Indeed," Espio said with a grin.

"I can't believe the scale of damage," Tails sighed as he looked out into the distance. "It's like Station Square all over the world."

"Don't sweat it, bud," Sonic said, reaching for a plate of chilli dogs. "Once I'm fuelled-up, I'll have all this cleaned-up in no time." He took out a Chaos Emerald and flashed a grin. He and Shadow, armed with Chaos Emeralds, had been helping out around the world by using Chaos Control to transport large piles of debris and heavy equipment. Tails smiled back.

"Um, excuse me." The group were approached by a young girl with blonde hair, wearing a pink shirt and blue overalls.

Tails recognised her as the girl from GUN's Command Centre, who had helped him regain access to the CIA's mainframe. "Oh! It's uh… Hope, right?"

"Mhm," Hope replied, happy that Tails remembered her.

Sonic moved aside and patted the ground next to himself. "Sit down. We were just startin'."

"Oh, I don't want to intrude-"

"It's no problem," Amy said. "I saw you earlier. You've been working hard today, haven't you?"

"No, I've not done much…" Hope replied with a nervous laugh. Truthfully, all she had done was arrive a part of a three-person team to deliver equipment for clearing rubble and stabilising buildings for repair, and to teach volunteers how to safely operate them.

"Every role is important," Espio told her. "Without your guidance, somebody might have hurt themselves. And it certainly makes our work much easier."

"I guess." Hope sat down next to Sonic, and was offered a can of juice by Cream. "Oh, thank you." Turning to Tails, she said, "Actually, I came here to apologise."

"Apologise?" Tails asked.

"For the Cyclone…"

"Oh! I left it at GUN HQ!" Tails exclaimed, facepalming as he realised he had not retrieved his plane yet. "Wait, what do you mean you want to apologise for the Cyclone?"

"Well, I kinda… borrowed it for a bit, and it got damaged…" Hope gulped, nervous over how Tails or his friends might react, but he seemed more surprised than angry.

"You borrowed it?" Tails asked incredulously. "How? There should've been a security system in-place to stop anyone but me or Sonic from turning it on!"

"Only you or Sonic?" Amy asked with a glare. "What, you don't trust me with the Cyclone?"

"Uh, that's not what I-"

"No offense, Amy," Sonic began, "But did you forget the time you took the Tornado out for a spin?"

Amy pouted and crossed her arms. "It wasn't that bad. I kept it in one piece, at least…"

"Well, you see," Hope said, "I hacked the system to allow myself access and… Um, I'm really sorry!" Hope bowed, completely flustered.

"It's okay!" Tails insisted, equally flustered. "It was an emergency, right? I'm just surprised you were able to do that. That was some of my best work." Sighing, he added, "Guess I've still got a ways to go."

Sighing with relief, Hope raised her head. "I'm happy you're not mad. Anyway, that walker mech was so cool! D'you think you'd be able to teach me how make one?"

"Well, maybe not right now, but perhaps when things settle down a bit," Tails said.

Knuckles eyed her curiously. "You… look familiar. Have I seen you before?"

"Yeah, I was thinkin' that, too," Vector said. "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere recently."

"Ah!" Amy cried, her hand over her mouth. "You look just like that girl from the video! You know, the one that was with Professor Gerald?"

"Now that you mention it," Knuckles began, narrowing his eyes, "You're right! So wait, does that mean…"

Hope felt nervous, but she clenched her fists and steeled herself. "My name is Hope Robotnik," she said. "She was my aunt, Maria."

"'Robotnik'?!" Knuckles, Amy and the Chaotix called out in unison.

"You mean you're Eggman's-" Knuckles started to ask, but Hope cut him off.

"I'm Professor Gerald's great-granddaughter," she said with a smile. "I used to be ashamed of that, but not anymore!"

"Well you ask me, there's nothin' to be ashamed of," Sonic said, giving a thumbs-up. "Doesn't matter where a person comes from. It's what they do that matters. You helped us, so that makes you cool in my book!"

"Same here!" Tails agreed.

Knuckles closed his eyes and thought. "Well, I guess so. I've sure got no right to judge someone based on who their family is… It's still pretty surprising, though."

"I know what you mean," Amy said before turning to Hope. "Compared to Eggman, you're way nicer, and have much better manners, too."

Cream clapped her hands together. "Well, since they're related, maybe that means there's still hope for Doctor Eggman, too!"

There was an awkward silence over the group, before everybody else waved their hands at the nation. "Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen," Vector said.

"We have a better chance of getting Sonic to learn how to swim," Amy joked.

"Anyway, I brought the Cyclone with me today," Hope told Tails. "It's with the GUN soldiers who delivered all the equipment today. They're watching over it until you pick it up."

"Thanks. I'd better go right after we're finish eating."

Finishing her drink, Hope rose to her feet. "Are you leaving already?" Cream asked.

"Sorry, but I've got an appointment to keep," Hope said. She turned to the rest of the group and bowed. "Thank you for helping us defeat the Black Aliens, and for letting me sit with you."

"It's no big deal," Sonic said. "You helped us, too, and it's not like it's strange to let a friend join us for lunch."

Hope was taken aback by this. "'Friend'?"

"You don't wanna be?"

"No no! I'd be honoured, I was just surprised you'd consider me a friend so easily."

"Well, wanna make it official?" Amy asked, holding out her phone. "Here, let's exchange numbers."

Hope took out her own phone. "Sure." The two exchanged contact information. "By the way, do you all know where Shadow is right now? I want to thank him, too, but nobody can seem to find him."

Sonic shrugged. "He's helpin' out, too, but he never stays in one place for too long. Says he's doing some training to get stronger."

"I see…" With that, Hope said her goodbyes. As she left, she looked down at her phone, a wave of joy and excitement racing through her body. She'd made her first friend, that wasn't a part of GUN or the government, since everything that had happened at her old school.

"Chaos… Control!" Shadow moved the toppled building off to the side, clearing the road so that people could transport reconstruction materials through. All around him, people clapped and cheered. Shadow quickly moved before they could thank him, traveling through the decimated city to find where he was next needed.

"Y'know, you could at least let them say 'thanks' before you go racing off," Rouge said, swooping down and landing in front of him.

Shadow stopped, glancing off to the side. "Not yet," he said. "It's my fault things got this bad. From the start, I should have been fighting the Black Arms, not looking for the Chaos Emeralds."

"But it turns out gathering the Chaos Emeralds was exactly what Gerald wanted you to do," Rouge pointed out.

"But I wasn't gathering them for that. I was simply looking for them for my own selfish-" Shadow stopped as he felt a finger flick against his forehead. "Ah! What-" He turned to Rouge in surprise, and found the bat-girl sighing directly in front of him.

"Listen, you, you're just one hedgehog. Even if you had helped us from the start, do you seriously think that would've made a difference?" Shadow was about to answer, but Rouge cut him off. "Seriously, you and that Commander just love to take on all the world's problems, don't you?"

"But that-"

"What I'm saying is, try letting your friends carry some of that weight."

"You and Omega?"

Rouge smiled. "Well, yes, but there are also others. There's one girl in particular who really wants to talk to you."

Shadow thought it over for a few seconds. "… Okay." He grinned. "I guess it has been boring, being on my own. Certainly not as fun as our previous adventures."

The two began walking down the road together. "You mean like when we raced through that town that was a giant casino? Or that forest with the frogs that could summon the rain?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of when you got yourself trapped in a vault that was about to explode, and I had to bail you out."

Rouge shoved Shadow, puffing her cheek as she glared at him. "Oh, of course that memory didn't stay lost forever!"

Shadow used his skates to pick up speed. "Come to think of it, I had to save you from Omega, too. That's two you owe me."

Rouge started running after him. "I saved you that time, so it's only one!"

Back at GUN HQ, Hope was putting the finishing touches on Omega's repairs, bringing him back to his full glory after the damage he had sustained at Lava Shelter. As he looked over his body, Omega gave an approving thumbs-up. "Your repairs are adequate, Doctor. Now I can continue crushing Eggman's robots!"

Hope and Topaz laughed. "Please just call me Hope."

"Don't you ever think about anything else?" Topaz asked. "Y'know, like having fun and unwinding?"

Omega turned to Topaz, confused. "Killing Eggman's robots is having fun."

"What about going shopping or watching movies with your friends? Or maybe just kicking back and playing some games?"

"This unit is not designed for such menial tasks."

"Ah, but that's because my uncle designed you that way," Hope pointed out. "So if you do those things, you'll be defying his expectations, right?"

Omega considered it for a moment. "Your point is valid. Very well! I shall 'kick back' and 'unwind', to prove I am the superior E-Series robot!"

Topaz and Hope exchanged glances and laughed to each other. "Sounds fun," Rouge said as she walked in. "Then how about we go see a movie tonight? My treat."

"Only if it is one about a robot that maims and destroys," Omega said.

"Sure, there are actually a lot more of those than you might think," Rouge responded. She then turned to Hope and waved. "Hey, Kiddo. Got a visitor for you."

"Yeah?" Hope asked, reaching for a cloth to wipe the oil off of her fingers. It was then that Shadow appeared, surprising her and Topaz. "Shadow?!"

"You said you wanted to see him, right?"

Hope leapt out of her seat, running to Shadow and startling him as she grabbed his hands. "I'm so glad you came! I've wanted to thank you since that day!"

Shadow took a step back, surprised by the girl's energy and enthusiasm. Rouge simply chuckled. "Uh, yeah, well… I wasn't about to let that creep just kill everyone on the planet. Even if some are bad, I know not all are-"

Hope shook her head. "I don't mean just that. I mean, for showing everybody that Professor Gerald's work was done to help people, not to hurt them."

"Oh, I see. You're uh, Hope, right?"

Hope nodded. "Hope Robotnik. Professor Gerald was my great-grandfather!"

"Robotnik… Then you're Maria's…" Shadow smiled as it suddenly dawned on him. "I see. That's why you remind me so much of her."

"The Commander told me about Maria. She sounds like she was a great woman…"

"She was… But that's in the past now. I'm going to carry out her wish, but I'm going to do it by looking forward."

Hope nodded, and then ran over to her workbench, where a long, black object lay. It was shaped like a rifle, but with sharp points that resembled Shadow's spines. She ran back over, offering the object to Shadow. "That's why, I wanted to give you this. As a thank-you, and a way to help you fight evil."

Shadow accepted the present, and looked over it. "A gun?"

"It's a special gun. I designed it using the footage of your battle against Black Doom."

"So that's why you've been rewatching that battle so many times this past week," Rouge commented.

"It's powered by a Chaos Drive, and uses Chaos Energy to fire. As a result, it doesn't require any ammo, and is extremely powerful, but only people like you or Sonic, who can naturally harness Chaos Energy, can use it."

Shadow grinned. "So even if it falls into enemy hands, it's useless. Not that I would ever let it, of course."

"Does it work?" Rouge asked, and as though to answer her question, Shadow fired it at a nearby crate, incinerating it in an instant. "HEY! Don't fire that thing in here!"

"It works fine," Shadow said, brushing off Rouge's outrage. "Thanks, Hope."

Hope blushed at the praise, and smiled brightly seeing that her weapon worked.

"There's more where that came from," Commander Tower said as he entered the room, approaching Shadow from behind. Everybody turned to face him as he stopped, and he looked down at Shadow with a stern, intense look in his eyes. "If you were a member of our team, our resident engineer here could provide you with all sorts of gadgets and weapons to help you in your fights."

"Commander," Topaz began, "Are you saying…"

Tower cleared his throat. "Shadow the Hedgehog… I would like you to… No, I would be honoured, if you would join our Team Dark. I know that there is a lot of friction between us, but I am working to reform GUN so that it is the force for justice that it was always meant to be. I can't do that with Doctor Eggman still running around, though. If you help us, we can supply you with whatever you need… Weapons, soldiers, a home…"

"A tempting offer…" Shadow looked at those gathered behind him. Hope Robotnik, the girl who resembled Maria, whose goals were very much aligned with his own. Omega, a weapon designed by Eggman who had defied his programming. The two had fought alongside each other several times, and had formed a connection on the battlefield. And then Rouge the Bat, the first person he ever saw when he woke up in Eggman's stasis pod. He remembers that he once threatened to end her life, and yet despite that, she accepted him as a friend.

"About Gerald, I-"

"I accept," Shadow said. Tower gasped, and Hope was about ready to jump for joy. "Under one condition."

Tower swallowed, beginning to sweat as the hedgehog shot him an intense look. "O-Of course. What do you need?"

Shadow crossed his arms. "There was this motorcycle that I rode in Westopolis, one that belonged to GUN…" The Commander gave him a confused look, whilst Rouge simply giggled.

"Well, we can offer you a motorcycle, but uh…"

"Oh!" Hope shouted, running around Shadow to look him in the eyes. "Leave it to me! I'll put together a custom one for you! One that's faster, stronger, has a compartment for your new weapon, all the works!"

Shadow grinned, nodding his head. "Then it's a deal," he said, offering his hand. Tower sighed, laughing as he reached out and shook it.

"Welcome aboard, Agent Shadow."

"Well, guess I don't need to worry about what you'll be doing," Rouge said, and Topaz smirked.

"You were worried about him?" she teased, poking Rouge's arm.

"Of course not!" Rouge answered with a defiant turn. "Anyway, good for you. You got one more member on your team."

"You should join us, too," Topaz suggested.

"I'd already tried to recruit her," Tower told Topaz, "But she turned down my offer."

"You don't wanna join?" Hope asked, frowning.

"Rouge, I thought we were a team," Shadow said.

"Hey, don't you two go trying to guilt me into this!"

"Rouge should join. I would have no objections," Omega said.

"Wait, are you saying you joined, Omega?"

"There were more guns in it for me," Omega told her, opening his chest to show the new minigun installed in it. "And more intel on Eggman's movements. Plus, Hope is the only human who can repair me sufficiently."

Rouge sighed, pondering on it for a while. "… Well, I guess someone needs to keep the two of you in-line…"

"Alright!" Hope cheered, holding her hand out in front of everybody. "Let's all do our best to stop Eggman and protect the world!"

Shadow joined her, placing his hand on top of Hope's. Topaz was next, sighing as she joined. "Is this an elite team or an after-school club?"

Omega joined too. "I do not know what significance this has, but I would like to be involved."

Rouge joined, despite still being somewhat annoyed. "Well, as long as there's treasure in it for me…"

Everybody looked at the Commander expectantly, who simply stared back with an uneasy look on his face. "Yes, well," he said, already stepping away, "It's good to see you all getting along so well."

"Commander, it'd be bad for morale if our leader left us hanging" Topaz said with a grin.

Sighing, Tower reached out his hand joined the others'. "Team Dark…" Hope began, and then she threw her hand up, the others joining her. "FIGHT!"

"FIGHT!" Topaz and Rouge shouted together. Omega was still confused at what was happening, and whilst Shadow enjoyed the camaraderie, he still found the cheering to be too much. The Commander quickly stepped away, his face red.

"Commander!" a soldier rushed into the room, stopping to salute. "We've just received word! An arrest warrant has been made and transport preparations are complete. Uh, is everything alright?"

"Good work," Tower said, ignoring the question.

"An arrest warrant?" Rouge asked.

"Sorry everyone, but I'll have to leave right away. There is a matter of great importance to attend to." Tower followed the soldier. "You're all dismissed. You can take the rest of the night off."

"Well then, guess we might as well go catch that movie," Rouge said. "I know a place that's near a karaoke bar. We can head there after."

Shadow folded his arms. "Should we really be partying right now? There are still people who need our help."

"You need to unwind, too," Topaz said with a sigh. "Soleanna wasn't built in a day, you know. We've all been working tirelessly this past week. Taking one night to enjoy ourselves is important, so we don't get burned-out."

"Plus, we can make this our welcome party for Shadow and Rouge!" Hope pointed out. "Hey, you mind if I invite my family, too? I know Julian would freak to see a robot like Omega!"

"I am not a child's plaything," Omega pointed out. "I am an instrument of death."

"Aw, please?" Hope asked, putting her hands together and staring at Omega with puppy eyes. "My family's house was damaged in the invasion and he's been down ever since. It would really make him happy!"

Omega stared back for a few seconds, trying to formulate a response. "… Is this part of that 'kicking back' that you mentioned?"

"Sure," Topaz said.

"Then… I will… comply," Omega ultimately relented. "But just this one time!" he quickly added.

"Thank you!" Hope jumped out and hugged Omega, the robot unsure of what to do as he looked between Rouge, Shadow and Topaz nervously. All three simply grinned back at him.

"Well, we'd better head out now if we want to beat the sunset," Rouge said. The others agree, and they all head out together, turning off the lights in the lab as they left.

"Commander, we've arrived," the pilot said, but he did not receive a response right away. Looking back, he found Commander Tower simply staring out of the side of the helicopter, into the distance. "Commander?"

"Mm," was Commander Tower's reply as he stepped out of the helicopter. "… Excellent work. Please keep the engine ready for immediate departure."

"Yes, sir."

Tower stared ahead at the man who he had served under the better part of his career. The man who had promoted him to the position he now held, who himself was now retired and living a peaceful life here in Apotos, relaxing by the pool as he gazed out into the vast, calming ocean in the distance.

Tower ordered his men to stay put as he approached the former Commander-in-Chief, Hugo Brass. Hugo sighed, rising to his feet and turning to face Abraham. "So, you've come to pay me a visit."

"You were expecting me, I'm sure." Hugo Brass nodded. "… After the Black Arms knocked out the CIA's mainframe, a lot of information began to surface that would have otherwise been buried so deep, it might never have been found. Files from fifty years ago, detailing the exact series of events surrounding Project: Shadow. The conspiracy led by the government, the mass-murder led by GUN, and the cover-ups that ensued."

Hugo Brass folded his arm, staring down at the ground as he tried to find the words. "Fifty years ago, the Commander of GUN was none other than my grandfather. He's the one who orchestrated the raid on the ARK, and the cover-up of Project: Shadow, under the President's orders." Hugo closed his eyes. "When he stepped down, he was succeeded by General Cunningham, the man who piloted the experimental mech, Heavy Dog, and led the assault on the ARK. And after that came my time."

"How much did you know?"

"At first, nothing. I was selected for promotion because of my relation to my grandfather, and that's all. They thought that if I knew the truth, I would do my best to keep Project: Shadow under wraps. If the truth ever came to light, my own reputation and livelihood would be at stake." Hugo sighed. "And, as shameful as it is to admit it, I was too young and too scared to challenge them. I allowed myself to be used by my superiors, and by the time I had the guts to speak out, I was already in too deep."

Hugo Brass picked up the bottle of wine next to his chair, as well as the two glasses he had laid out, and offered one to the Commander. "Would you share one final drink with me, Commander Tower?"

Tower looked at the wine with a solemn look on his face, and shook his head. "Apologies, sir, but it is against policy to drink while on-duty."

Hugo Brass laughed, placing the glasses back down and pouring a drink into just one of them. "Yes, that's the kind of answer I want to hear from the man who succeeded me."

Tower raised an eyebrow. "You were testing me, sir?"

"It's not 'sir' anymore," Hugo said, taking a large gulp of his wine. "And, well, I was hoping you'd bend the rules, just this one time. But if there's one thing I don't regret about my time as Commander, it was choosing my successor. When Shadow broke out of containment, I did all I could to try to keep the incident under wraps, instead of doing what was right, and finally revealing the truth to the world."

"You tried to pin the incident on Sonic," Tower reminded him. "I went along with it because I was convinced that you had our best interests at-heart. That letting the public know about Project: Shadow truly was too dangerous."

"I won't ask for forgiveness. In the end, I became just like my grandfather… I let my personal desires drive me, instead of my sense of justice. But when Shadow seemingly died that day, it was as though a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Now, I would no longer have to worry about keeping the truth buried. The last connection to that cursed incident from fifty years ago was gone, just like that!

"At that point, I knew what I had to do to atone for my crimes. I wanted GUN to have a true leader, one who valued justice above all else, and would go to any lengths to protect the people. I wanted you, Commander Tower."

"Then I'm sorry to say that I let you down, sir," Tower said, drawing a confused reaction from his former-superior. "I was unable to live up to your expectations. When the time came, I too chose personal matters over doing the right thing. My actions nearly cost humanity its one hope for a brighter future, and it was all because I let myself be controlled by my own feelings."

Hugo Brass frowned as he listened. "I see…"

"… But I'm not giving up, either. I'm going to do all I can to make up for my mistakes. And not just my mistakes. I'm going to make up for all of GUN's wrong-doings. GUN exists to protect the people, and from this point on, that's exactly what it'll do, even if it means making difficult decisions and putting my own desires second." Tower pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "And as a first step, I'm placing you under arrest, for conspiracy and treason."

Hugo Brass put down his glass and approached the Commander. He held out his hands, offering no resistance as the iron cuffs were locked around his wrists. "It won't be easy."

"I know," Abraham said, and for the first time since landing, he smiled, "But GUN has excellent soldiers, and I have a great team that will offer me their support. And there's one more thing… The hope that Professor Gerald left us is still alive."

"I see. I'm looking forward to seeing the brighter future you and your team create."

Tower led Hugo Brass to the helicopter. The two sat opposite to each other and the helicopter lifted off from the ground.