AN: I know this chapter ain't a Halloween special and I didn't have the time to make another Among Us chapter, but happy Halloween, everyone!

Here we are! Alright! This chapter is a special one! For those who guessed who's going to fight Infinite, you are right if you think it will be Bubblegum!

For all the ladies in the world, plug your headphones in and find the song 'Just A Girl' covered by First To Eleven. Please listen to the song during the epic battle between Bubblegum and Infinite!

Thank you to The Sensational Spiderdom321 for the song recommendation! Sorry for using the cover, but I hope it sounds good.


- Just A Girl (No Doubt Cover) - First to Eleven, 0:08 to 3:25 [1]


Chapter 16 – I'm Just A Girl

Bubblegum's POV

I growled as I struggled to pull off several gigantic pieces of rubble to rescue a buried squad. It had been a few minutes ever since things fallen apart and I made it my job to find any surviving soldiers.

"Just give it up, Bubblegum!" said Gen. "We already tried!"

"I can't!" I snarled. "Not going to lose anyone else this time!"

"Their heart and breathing rates are down!" said Vlad, reading his wrist watch in which he scanned the soldiers' buried bodies. "Their brains are heavily damaged. I'm sorry, but…they're gone…"

I stopped and fell backwards. In a fit of frustration, I got up and kicked a piece of stone.

"I'm so sorry…" said Gen, giving me a quick hug.

I sniffed as small tears formed at my eyes. The truth is this; as a hero, I can't save everyone.

"At…at least they are in a better place now…" I said sadly.

Gen nodded solemnly.

Vlad picked up a Resistance soldier who was still alive but badly injured. The said soldier was covered in black ashes and let out a cough.

"Check the place," said Gen as she and Vlad walked off. "Meet me back here if there are any more survivors."

I nodded before breaking into a run and used my grappling gun to swing upwards. Landing on a bridge, I started searching through the area for more survivors.

And at that moment, the worse day of my life became worse.

I saw INFINITE standing on the same bridge, overlooking the city.

I stopped and froze in fear.

"More ants to crush," said Infinite. "I wonder if this world can offer me a REAL challenge."

My Pink Wisp came out of my Wispon nervously. She stared with a wide eye at the masked monster.

I started to step back only for Infinite to notice me.

"And as if to answer," he said, looking at me. "The world sends me a TREMBLING CHILD."

I tried to back away, but Infinite teleport behind me and kicked me to the ground. Groaning in pain, I got up slowly and looked at the evil eyes of the masked monster.

"I was hoping that the Dark Wolf come to me," hissed Infinite. "But I guess having two hostages will be enough to bring the Dark Wolf to me…Beth."

Dark Wolf?

I felt a lump in her throat. I struggled to talk. "W-what are you talking about? Who is this 'Dark Wolf'? And who is this other hostage you are talking about? How do you know my name?"

Infinite raised his head and laughed loudly. He then formed something that appeared behind him. I gasped in shock to see who it is.

It was Mecha.

Surrounded by a red aura and tied with chains.

It was obvious that the bird had been crying a lot and he closed his eyes in shame.

"Hi Beth…" he said weakly.

I winced. I have to admit that I never seen Mecha in THIS state before. It was the saddest thing I had seen in my life.

Suddenly, Mecha's Yellow Wisp appeared and flew towards me, cowering behind my back.

"I had to spill the information out from his beak," said Infinite. "Such a shame that I have to kill him – an old friend of mine – soon."

I was getting confused. "W…what? Old friend? What is he talking about, Mecha?"

"It's nothing, OK?!" snapped Mecha, turning his head away.

"Why don't you tell her the truth?" snarled Infinite. "The whole story."

At this, Infinite force choked Mecha, causing him to gasp out for breath. He struggled to breath and his face was turning paper white. He looked like he was trying to hold on – trying to not lose in a losing battle – but he wasn't strong enough.

I started to panic. There was no way I wanted to see someone die in front of that masked monster.

"STOP!" I begged. "STOP IT! Please stop!"

Infinite laughed and stopped choking Mecha. The turquoise bird opened his mouth, gasping for air.

"Are you going to fight and die here?" questioned Infinite. "Or run away in fear again?"

I felt anger burning in my body. I had enough of his arrogance and there was no way I wanted to turn around like a coward.

I gritted my teeth. "If you want a fight, then I'll-!"

"Just go…" said Mecha.

"No! I'm not going! Not without you."

"I'M A MISTAKE, GET IT?!" snapped Mecha. "Know yourself; you are headstrong, but smart. I don't deserve to be rescued. I deserve to go to hell."

"I'm not letting another innocent person die on MY WATCH!"

"And am I innocent?"

I froze. It was something unexpected I thought Mecha would never say…he is right. He wasn't always innocent. He always pushed, tripped, punched or teased me for any reason why. A part of me wanted to leave the bird to die, but…I felt like I NEEDED to save him because he was just a bully – not a madman. If I leave him, I would be no better than him.

I just stared at him, devastated.

"Stop," said Mecha, his eyes spilling out tears. "It's not going to work."

At that moment, there was one person who I could blame for all of this. I looked at Infinite. "You idiot!"

Infinite laughed again. I snarled, but the masked monster threw an energy ball in front of me. When it hit the ground, it caused a loud explosion which nearly made me fall over. I yelped as I tried to maintain my balance while trying to not look so pathetic.

It…reminded me…of when my friends died.

I started to feel scared.

"Me? An idiot. You…you are still the same little girl I've seen…" mocked Infinite. "I remember that day…when I destroyed your town…I got rid of all those people…and I believe that some of them were your friends who could hardly fight me."

He pointed at me.

"And then there was you…your remaining two friends tried to stop you…but you tried to fight me instead…don't you see who are DEALING WITH?! You can't stop me. You can't kill me. You can't even avenge your friends! I'm the ultimate mercenary…and you can't stop me."

I tried to look as tough as I can be, but all my muscles were trembling.

"What's wrong, rabble? You don't have the will to be as strong as me. I mean it was the Resistance's fault to hire someone like YOU. They also hired many inexperienced people with no hope or courage to take me down."

My mouth twitched as I slowly looked down.

"Look at you. You are shaking. You can't hide it: you are scared. I can smell your fear, doll-face. Give it up. You're weak…you're flawed…you're helpless…you're a failure. After all, you're only a little girl."

I started to shake in fear. Sweat began to drip down my head and my heart was beating out of my chest. I wanted to rip Infinite's head so badly, but what was the point? He held the power of the Phantom Ruby and he slaughtered many people. He sided with Eggman and took over the world for six months. I was a police cop, but I…didn't know what for. I wanted to make the world a better place, but it started to sound like some pipe dream. All because I wanted to feel special…when I'm not.

I couldn't take down Infinite. I didn't have the strength to take him down. I wasn't even able to stop the bullies from hurting me. The world I am living in isn't innocent and I'm the one with the short straw.

I was afraid.

"Unlike me, you don't know all the moves. Besides, you don't look that strong with that stupid face of yours."

"Look at how stupid you've become. I wonder why you get to live in this boring world. You are worthless. Nothing. Useless. Just only a mistake. I have no time for failures like you."

I backed away from Infinite uneasily, completely scared out of my mind. I might as well accept the facts of the situation and that I was doomed. I would never see my home again. I would never save the world.

At least I wouldn't get to see those jerks back home. They should be glad that I would be dead.

I felt like giving up.

"I'm…I'm a failure…" I thought. "I'm not like my father."

"Don't worry. I get it. We are all afraid of failing. But since we are safe – even when a few mistakes are made – there will be a solution to stop Eggman and end the war. We may be able to stop that killing machine Eggman made. Just remember to do not let your fear own you. There will be a moment for you to shine."

I remembered Sonic's words.

"I know you can do it! Prove me wrong! Prove them wrong! Show them that you are not a waste of space! If there are any stronger words, I would have said them to you."

I remembered my words to Rookie.

"You made a lot of mistakes that you didn't mean to and you feel like that what makes you who you are, but that is not true. Despite all those bullies, you have a lot of people by your side, but standing around feeling sorry for yourself is not going to help you. Forgive yourself. Redeem yourself. Learn from your mistakes and become a better girl. Your father would be proud of you."

I remembered Emerald's words.

"Can you hear me? My little Beth? I know what happened just now. I know that you are angry at yourself, but please don't be. You're broken. I am still your father, right? Do you still believe that? I know that almost everywhere you go, you feel like nothing. That is not true. I know that someday, you will grow up to become like me. I see this spark, Beth. I see this light of hope in you somewhere. But it's YOURS. I…I know that you can't hear me, but...whenever you need me, I will be there for you even when I'm gone. I can put you back together."

I remembered my father's words.

And that was what I needed.

"You're right," I said quietly.

I looked at my Pink Wisp who was scared as I was.

I gently touched her tentacle and forced her to look at me.

She stared back.

Seeing the look in my eyes, her fear swept away and her eye narrowed.

She went back into my Wispon.

I looked at Mecha's Yellow Wisp. He nodded and sat on my shoulder.

I slowly turned my face to Infinite in a threatening manner.

I can't quit.

I can't fall apart.

I can't die.

I can still fight.

"You killed Addison," I thought, seething in anger. "You killed Finn. You killed my friends. You took them away from me. I will not let them go down in vain and mockery. I will avenge them."

With renewed confidence, I looked up with a determined look and stepped up to Infinite, raising my fist against him.

"I…will…FIGHT," I said.

Mecha looked shocked.

Infinite sighed in annoyance. "Fine. I will teach you fear, then pain and then…well, at least the fear and pain will end."

"You are WRONG, idiot," I snarled in anger. "You taught me fear AND pain already. I already went through that my entire life. It's YOUR turn to face those things…"

"Well, you have the guts to try." [1]

A flash appeared from Infinite's ruby and everything went white. The next thing I knew was that I was inside an empty room with white walls and large windows. I looked up to see Infinite hovering above with Mecha still in chains, hanging from the ceiling.

"You must be a straggler who got left behind," said Infinite, activating his power. "The strong will always vanquish the weak. You have only your own frailty to blame for your friends' deaths."

"You can't blame me!" I insisted. "You kill, your fault!"

At this, Infinite formed red cubes and they chased after me. I started to jump and dash to the sides, avoiding getting hit by the cubes. Using my agility, I managed to get away without getting hit.

For some reason, I felt like I was playing a virtual reality game.

Infinite charged towards me, but I quickly did a backflip and kicked Infinite in the face.

BANG!

"ARGH!" he yelled before flying upwards. "That was a mistake."

Infinite flew up and let out red energy. I looked down to see something sprouting from the ground. I quickly jumped out of the way when several red large cubes appeared nearly killing me. I felt the heat they sprouted before they disappeared.

I was getting agitated.

"Fight me like a REAL MAN, cheater!" I hissed.

Again, Infinite attempted to charge at me, but I quickly jumped on him.

"HEY!" he yelled. "What are you doing?!"

He flew around, trying to pull me off. I quickly jumped into the air and stomped my feet onto his back, sending him hitting the ground. I landed on the floor, making a three-point landing.

Infinite stood up and wiped his mask. "That was your BIGGEST mistake."

He hovered upwards. "Well, well. It seems behind that fear is a spark of defiance."

"And behind that mask of yours is a bunch of UGLINESS!" I screamed.

Whoops. Wrong insult.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

Infinite – in rage – let out a powerful purple shock-wave. I felt its forces blew my body to the other side of the room. I crashed into the wall and stumbled onto the floor; the Phantom Ruby prototype that was in my vest pocket came out. I swear that I nearly broke my back!

"Here's what is UGLY," snarled Infinite. "YOU. For a girl like you, you are weak. How can a simple girl like you take on men? You can't land a hand on a face. You can't lift up a feather. You can't even take on the power of the Phantom Ruby! And that's what makes you weak."

Wow. How PETTY.

I spat. Another jerk bullying me for being a girl. A GIRL. My GENDER.

I remembered the times when bullies beat me up or mocked me just because I was just a girl. They laughed and sneered.

I hate it.

For some reason, this caught me by surprise that I started to laugh out loud. Almost like manically. I felt like an idiot.

Infinite looked confused.

"Well, she is trying to imitate me," mumbled Mecha.

Maybe I was.

I stood up and picked up my prototype.

"Listen to me, FINITE. I DON'T CARE about my gender or my looks. I DON'T CARE what gender I am. I only CARE about what's on the inside and I can lift more than a California-king sized bed. At least I have a fine normal face and I am willing to have a gold tooth in my mouth."

My smile disappeared.

"But what about you? You're covering up your face with a mask. What's wrong with your face? And despite the fact that you are powerful, do you honestly really care about OTHERS? You don't know how to make ANY FRIENDS. Therefore, YOU are the one who's weak."

I got to say, but that was my best savage comment ever.

The Yellow Wisp squeaked in response to this.

Mecha inhaled sharply.

Infinite was…shaking. His arms and legs were twitching, his head was trembling, his hands were quivering and his tail was swinging around. It looked like as if he was having a tremor. His entire body was twitching reflexively.

That…concerned me.

"I'm…I'm not weak…" said Infinite angrily. "I'm…I'm not…weak! I'm not weak! I'm not weak! I'm not weak! I'm not weak! I'm not weak! I'm not weak!"

I tilted my head slightly. I was confused at that moment. I never seen Infinite like…THIS…before. Whatever. I shook the feeling off and got into an attack position.

"Uh…yeah…sorry," I said nervously.

"I'M NOT WEAK!"

Letting out a roar of anger, Infinite charged towards me.

But I was prepared.

The two of us clashed together and we both used our fists and feet. Even though Infinite seemed to be winning, I was able to dodge his every attack. Eventually, I quickly jumped up and did an impressive roundhouse kick, knocking out Infinite. He crashed onto the floor like a boxer knocked out.

Mecha whistled. "Wow wee. You did it like how I did it."

I looked up at him and rolled my eyes.

"I will make you wish you were never born…" growled Infinite.

He used the ruby to change the landscape.

I found myself in an illusion.

An illusion of a destroyed city.

"What the…?" I said, looking around. "That looks like my home!"

Before I could look to the side, Infinite kicked me and I went flying towards a support beam of a building.

"And now we can continue."

I was hurt, but I got up.

He charged towards me, but I quickly dodged. Deciding to bring in the big guns, Infinite made replicas of himself. Those replicas attacked like one big army.

Even though I was surrounded, I brought out my Wispon before kneeling on one knee and spun in a circle, shooting out spiky energy balls. They all hit the replicas, but most of them weren't damaged. Outnumbered, the replicas shot me upwards before flying towards me, beating me up. Around me were blurs of black streaks hitting my body. I couldn't handle the pain. Just when I was about to pass out, I looked up to see Infinite with energy forming at his left palm.

He shot a laser – which EXPLICITLY looked like the same one he used to kill my friends. I screamed as I fell through the air and used my Wispon as a defence shield. I better thank God for helping me as my Wispon was able to protect me from being burnt to death. I flew backwards by the forces of the laser, but to my horror, Infinite was RIGHT BEHIND ME.

KAPOW! [1s]

He did a downwards punch and I hit the ground face-first.

Whoever came up with the idea that 'cats always land on their feet' must be a BRILLIANT genius, because I had my face drilled to the floor.

Dazed, bruised and hurt, I struggled to get up. I rolled onto my back only for Infinite to place a foot onto my chest. That was when my Pink Wisp and the Yellow Wisp came out and charged, only for Infinite to grab them and threw them away.

I gulped as I watched the small creatures hit the ground hardly, slightly crying in pain.

I turned back to Infinite. He formed something from his hand. It was a red sword with a long curved blade, a red hilt with blue stripes and a blue gem in the middle, and a blue handle.

I gulped. I was going to die.

"You think you could really defeat me?" said Infinite. "You can't."

"The thing is that ANYONE can be defeated!" I said, trying to pry his foot off my chest. Despite making a brave face, I was scared out of my mind. THIS isn't how I want to die.

Infinite just laughed. "Me? No. Face the reality, girl. The world is not all about peace, kindness and all that nonsense. You have to struggle through life and have to fight those who see you as less. You can't live a life if you are weak. Only the strong gets to survive while the weak gets trampled by the strong. No matter what you do to me – or THINK you want to do with me – the Eggman Empire's rise is inevitable and we have the whole world in our hands. This is my DESTINY."

I winced hearing this. "T-that isn't true. EVERYONE IS WEAK, including you and I! We can still stop Eggman from world domination and there is no such thing as destiny. It is not a place or a conclusion. We just make it up, so that we can a better world that HAS peace and kindness OR the world you think it is. That second choice? YOU made it! It wasn't like that before, hypocrite! We would have settled for the nice one!"

Infinite growled "Oh…nice? NICE?! Let me show you something NOT NICE!"

Infinite placed a hand onto my forehead. Something flashed over my eyes.

Oh lord...please no.

It was…all the bad things in my life…and the bad things I said.

"You guys are so PATHETIC. I wonder why you guys get to live."

"TAKE THAT BACK, IDIOT!"

"He shouldn't have got us killed! Maybe it is best to kick him out!"

"You don't deserve to EXIST! I thought that you would learnt your lesson why Finn died in your arms!"

"Yeah! And it will be so easy when she becomes vulnerable. She's weak."

"Unlike me, you don't know all the moves. Besides, you don't look that strong with that stupid face of yours."

"Besides, if it was ANYONE'S FAULT for getting Finn killed during the war, IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

"Look at how stupid you've become. I wonder why you get to live in this boring world. You are worthless. Nothing. Useless. Just only a mistake. I have no time for failures like you."

"STOP!" I screamed. The memories were too much and I was taken back to the present.

I started breathing hardly.

I could hear them.

My yelling.

People mocking and bullying me.

My friends' last screams…calling for me.

Things that made me a failure.

Infinite was quiet for a while as he absorbed in the news. "…that was an interesting story…"

I gritted my teeth. I was mad that he made me remembered those sick days.

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?!" I screamed.

"I read your memories and made you watch them using my powers. Is it true that you want your friends to die?"

"N-no! I didn't mean to. I was just so…angry."

"Pfft. You always push people away. You always yell insults at them without a care for them. You see, if you didn't call them names, you would still have your friends back. You would still have your family back. But it's not all your fault. It was their fault for being weak."

Infinite's sword was close to my neck.

"They were so pathetic that they all died in YOUR CARE."

What…did…he…said?

My mind went back to the day when Zach wrote that stupid email.

"But truth to be told, it isn't really her fault that her friends died. Those girls are so naive and so dense that they don't have the simplest instinct to survive. And Finn? Well, Mecha's loss! Nobody needs Finn anymore since his parents abandoned him!"

I felt like giving up.

But did I?

No.

I saw red.

"And yet, they didn't have a care for how the world is. They deserved to die for what they did."

The prototype that was in my hand started to glow. My body started to…glitch. I felt my stamina increasing, my pain numbing and my whole body filled with something powerful. A part of my consciousness was able to realize that the prototype I had was reacting to my boiling anger. Despite not thinking straight, I was able to find a way how to end that masked monster.

And that power was all I needed.

"I can't believe a low girl like you have to face ME. You are so worthless that you can choke on a coin and DIE. You are such a scrawny excuse of a cat! You don't belong here. You don't belong ANYWHERE. You shouldn't…even…exist."

"That does it," I growled.

"Say what?"

And then, the lid finally came off its kettle.

I felt a large explosion coming out of my body, blowing Infinite upwards before he crashed down. I wasn't done yet. Gripping the prototype in my hand, I charged towards him.

POW!

I punched the masked monster in the face SO HARD with my fist. I didn't feel any pain when my fist hit his metal mask.

I was REALLY mad. After all these years of hell, I couldn't hold myself back. My whole body was covered in a red aura, powered by the Phantom Ruby prototype. The fact that I felt a bit...overpowered didn't help my rage. I was too angry that everything around me started to turn red, my mind was overwhelmed and I couldn't feel anything.

"JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" I screamed. "WHY DID YOU TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME?!"

Infinite flew up and so did I.

I didn't care.

I was focusing on HIM.

"What?" said Infinite. "How is this possible?!"

I teleported in front of Infinite only for the latter to dodge. The two of us were throwing punches and kicks at each other in the air. This caused me to become more agitated as I wasn't able to land a hit on Infinite at that moment.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH?!" I yelled as I quickly grabbed Infinite's fist, struggling to push him down. "I'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL THROUGH MY ENTIRE LIFE! AND YOU JUST BARGE IN AND MAKE IT WORSE FOR ME AND EVERYBODY ELSE!"

"It's what you deserve for being weak!" said Infinite.

"ME?!"

Letting out a cry, I threw Infinite to the ground and pressed a foot on his chest. However, he quickly revived and did an uppercut punch on me.

"Bastard!" shouted Infinite.

"YOU ARE THE BASTARD!" I yelled, punching Infinite.

Before I could yell out another insult, Infinite grabbed me by the neck. At this, I saw the ruby on his chest.

Seeing that made me remember why I still wear my police vest.

I decided to turn off my Phantom Ruby powers and the red aura around me disappeared.

Then, I grabbed out a POLICE TASER from my vest and poked the mouth of it onto Infinite's ruby.

ZAAAAAPPP!

Infinite roared as 155,000 volts were zapped through his body. White electricity ran through his entire body as if he was a stormy cloud. His loud screech was enough to make my ears bleed, like a crescendo. I saw that the ruby on his chest flickered, nearly shutting down.

Taking my chance, I did a backflip and pulled out two sticks of pink gum. I threw them at Infinite and when they hit them, they turned into a huge pink gloop that covered him from head to tail.

SPLAT!

I should probably thank Mecha for making those gums.

I mean...they are NOT your ordinary gums.

Infinite – all covered in gum – tried to break himself free, but he was glued to the ground.

"ARGH!" screamed Infinite. "WHAT IS THIS THING?!"

Landing onto the ground, I dashed at Infinite…before doing the final blow.

SOCK!

I kicked Infinite below his chin SO HARD that it knocked his mask off his head. As I kicked, I did a backflip and landed onto the ground perfectly. Infinite fell backwards, stunned by the attack. The whole scenery started to glitch before setting back into the small room.

I sighed in relief. I was back in the real world.

My ears perked up when I heard babbling next to me. I saw my Pink Wisp flying towards me, making a happy squeal as if trying to sing. She then hugged me, her tentacles wrapping around my face.

Despite trying to calm down from my breakdown, I couldn't help but smile in pride. "Why thank you."

Embarrassed, she quickly pushed away from me and crossed her arms, as if trying to look like she didn't care.

I looked up to see the Yellow Wisp cutting the chains to free Mecha. He landed on the ground perfectly.

"A-Are you OK?" I said.

I reached my hand towards him…and he slapped it away.

"Don't…touch…me…" he said shakily. "W-Why do you even bother saving me?"

"It's because I chose to," I said bluntly. "We're teammates, aren't we?"

He gave me a look. "You're so difficult. I thought that when I gave you my goggles, that would mean that I'm no longer a part of the Black Squad."

I looked down to see the goggles still around my neck. "B-But…"

Then, something came to my mind. "Wait. If you were captured…"

I turned to Mecha's Yellow Wisp. "…then why didn't you saved him in the first place?"

The drill Wisp turned around to look at the groaning Infinite who was struggling to get up. He looked…petrified.

I looked at Infinite. "Oh…you're afraid of him catching you?"

The Yellow Wisp nodded.

I looked at Mecha who had his eyes on Infinite.

"Anything wrong?" I asked.

Mecha didn't answer. He was…shivering. He started to back away with worried brown eyes and bumped into the wall.

Honestly, I was surprised by this. For me, it was rare to see Mecha being scared.

Was he worried about…?

I turned around and saw Infinite's mask lying on the floor. It was near my feet. Gingerly, I picked it up and looked at the inside of it. It was just all black form on the inside walls and there was a voice changer.

I looked up to see Infinite cursing in pain. He sat up and the two of us stared at each other. What I saw made me gasped.

Infinite is a jackal.

His face showed something I never thought he would have. He has a left yellow eye and a right blue eye with a large white scar over the right eye. He has a furry muzzle with a pointy nose and noticeable fangs. His ears are tall.

The thing that I found shocking was that in his eyes…there was…fear.

Pure fear.

Fear of being…exposed…

…revealing their true face to the outside world…

So...Infinite...is an ordinary individual the WHOLE TIME?

I thought so. A lot of wild, massive theories came through my head. Was Infinite captured by Eggman and hypnotised by the power of the ruby? Was he made as a normal jackal and fused with the ruby? Was he forced to do all of this? Or…did he joined Eggman?

He didn't have the face of a monster…it was more like an innocent person.

All the anger I had before…was gone.

"A-Am I dreaming?" I thought. "Is this how he looks like? N-No…it can't be! It can't! Infinite is the masked monster who killed my friends! He is the cause for the war! No…no…ARGH! I-I won't care about…! But…he…he looks…"

…innocent.

I was on the urge to cry. After all this time, I had been fighting a monster…who was actually a normal-looking civilian like me. I canon't help but admit that he looks innocent and his real face doesn't look like the face of a murderer. I was being mean to that jackal…just like how I was towards Mecha.

"W-W-What did I just done?" I thought. "W-Who is really the bully here?"

My thoughts stopped when Infinite snapped out of his fear.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" roared Infinite, his voice non-demonic.

The ruby on his chest was brought back to life. He force choked me and I dropped the mask. Infinite punched me out of the way and hastily put his mask back on.

"Wait!" I said. "Y-Your face-"

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ANYTHING ABOUT MY FACE!" bellowed Infinite. "YOU DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS!"

"I'm not saying that something is wrong with you face! So, you are just…a normal person…like everyone else…the ENTIRE TIME?"

"DON'T YOU DARE REFER TO ME LIKE THAT!" screamed Infinite, grabbing me by the throat. "I've abandoned the old me. The old me is weak and I can't stand being WEAK! YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW THE REAL WORLD IS?! FINE! I WILL SHOW YOU HOW IT IS LIKE TO BE ASHAMED OF YOUR OWN FACE!"

Enraged, the jackal threw me and I collided with the paralyzed Mecha. We collapsed onto the floor as we hit each other.

I groaned as I sat up.

Mecha got up, groaning in pain as he held onto his head.

"Well, you've been a lot of help here, Mister Nism," I said sarcastically.

Mecha was about to say something when I yelled, "WATCH OUT!"

Infinite threw a blade illusion at us, so I quickly tackled Mecha to the ground. Everything went into slow motion as I watched the blade flew over us. When everything went back to normal, we fell onto the floor and the blade disappeared.

"Ow…" said Mecha.

"Sorry," I said, getting up. "I had to do it or our heads would be chopped off."

"Say what?" said Mecha, getting up on his feet.

Oh no...

My eyes widened.

OK. Maybe having my head chopped off is better. Why was that?

Mecha's hair feathers were CHOPPED OFF. They were half their original length.

Yes, the TWO HAIR FEATHERS.

Yeah.

I'm not kidding.

My Pink Wisp and the Yellow Wisp slowly flew to me with matching shocked expressions.

"What?" said Mecha.

He didn't need an answer. He stroke his hair feathers…only to find out that they were short. My eyes moved to two turquoise freshly-chopped-off long feathers floating through the air and landed softly behind Mecha. He looked behind…and froze.

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

With wide eyes and mouth, he stared at the two piece of feather on the floor.

I looked up and to my surprise, Infinite seemed…shocked as well. The jackal quickly shook it off and hovered towards them.

OK…maybe it should be a good time to scoot away.

"Um…" I said, looking at Mecha and then back at Infinite. "Good luck with him."

I quickly ran to the other side of the room, followed by my Pink Wisp.

Not because of Infinite.

Mecha still stared at the chopped pieces, his eye twitching dangerously. Being scared of sharp objects is one thing, but having his feathers chopped? That was another thing you DON'T want to do.

TRUST ME.

I saw THIS kind of thing before.

His Yellow Wisp obediently flew into Mecha's Wispon.

Sighing, Infinite flew near him.

"Any last words?" he asked.

That was when the bird's hands clenched into fists.


Clay's POV

I ran through the city helplessly. I couldn't find Bubblegum or Mecha. I didn't know where they were. I called out my teammates' names or howl to let them know that I was around to find them. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

I tripped over something and I fell to the ground. Letting out a moan, I looked up to see that the Phantom Ruby prototype I kept in my pocket fell out.

My Cyan Wisp came out and picked it up, giving it to me.

When I took it, the ruby started to glow.

"W-what?" I said.

"Ooh!" mewled Cyan.

That was when I heard groaning.

"Ow…" said a deadpanned female voice behind me. "Bunch of losers leaving me here…"

I looked behind to see the thing that I tripped over: a black leather gloved hand poking out from the rubble mess.

"Hold on!" I said, picking up the rubble. "I'll get you out."

I held out my hands out and used my powers, lifting the debris up and away.

"I heard that voice before…" said the owner's hand. "Rookie?! Is that you?"

I gulped as I realized who it was. It was Angelica. I pulled her out from the remaining rubble. Her clothes were caked with black and brown ashes, and she had a black eye!

"Ugh…" she groaned, rubbing the dirt off her jacket. "Did I really get saved by a lone wolf like you AND get abandoned by my cowardly squad?"

"Where's my thank you?" I asked, slightly upset.

"Well, thank you or whatever. But, what are you doing here? You are supposed to like get out of the city! We accomplished the mission already and most of our troops are wiped out."

"I'm looking for Bubblegum and Mecha who have been captured by Infinite."

Angelica looked shocked before resuming back to her disgusted look. "Really? What a waste of time. You should like leave them. It's not worth it."

I gasped. "How can you dare say that?!"

"Well DUH! I can go after them, but it's their battle. Not mine. They won't make it out alive from Infinite."

"Exactly! That's why I have to save them."

"Really? You are like SO crazy. I wouldn't spend my time saving some pathetic losers."

I gritted my teeth. "You want to know who the pathetic loser is? It's you. YOU are the one who is the meanest soldier of the Resistance! Don't you dare force me to listen to your 'advice'. That went out of hand before…"

"Oh. That INCIDENT."

And just like that, my confidence slipped away.

Angelica grabbed me by my vest collar. "Listen here, kid. This is FAR from over. Next time, when your whole squad meet up with MY squad, I will pick it up from what happened last time. You HEAR ME?!"

"I wasn't the one who beat you up," I said bluntly.

"Still. You are teammates with Mecha and I think it would be fair to teach him and his – and YOUR – squad a lesson. I won't go defeated. UNDERSTAND?!"

"Sorry," I said, backing away. "What you are intending to do is kind of wrong."

"Whatever, cinnamon-breath, blue-green gem…wait. That's not a good insult."

I rolled my eyes and I tried to contact Bubblegum first, pressing a button on my headphones.

I got no reply.

"Really?" said Angelica with her hands on her hips. "You WON'T be able to get a message from her."

That was when my Cyan Wisp squeaked at her to shut up.

"Don't rub it in," grumbled Angelica, pointing at my Wisp.

I bit my lip as I tried to hear a sound from Bubblegum.

"Is there anything?" said Angelica.

"No dice," I said worriedly. "Let's try Mecha."

I pressed on my headphones. "Mecha. Are you-?"

I was cut off when a loud blood-curdling eagle screech could be heard blasting through my headphones.

"What the…?" I said.

My Cyan Wisp flinched.

"Whelp…that sounds like my grandpa when he spilled coffee on his shirt," said Angelica who was as shocked as I was.


Mecha's POV

If there is one thing I hated more in the world, it is having my hair chopped off.

I'm not kidding.

I am REALLY overprotective over my feathers, so I hate it when anyone tried to touch them.

Or cut them off.

This is kind of embarrassing, but the second I got my feathers chopped off, I went BERSERK. Again, my insanity reached to the highest of all insanity ranks in the entire universe. I decided to fight back Infinite. I was throwing punches, roundhouse kicks and even tried to drill him with my Wispon, even though the jackal blocked every single one of them. I was able to avoid and get through the illusions in which NOBODY can that.

Bubblegum – in the background – watched in awe.

I didn't care at that point.

I wanted to teach that masked monster a lesson.

I kept cursing before dissolving into gibberish, but I didn't care. The least I could do was screech like an eagle.

Eventually, I did the same trick I used back at Chemical Plant. With the Wispon in my hand, I was able to fly through the air like a fast light, speeding and penetrating in an attempt to land a hit on Infinite. I was flying all over the place, but Infinite was able to dodge; managing to avoid getting injured by my charging drill.

Using his powers to go light speed, Infinite flew towards me. Before I knew it, I was kicked to the wall.

I slumped onto the ground. Pain shot through my body, but I was too mad.

I was about to get back up when Infinite grabbed a fistful of his shirt. I gritted my teeth and glared at him.

Sighing reluctantly, Infinite slightly took off his mask to show his mismatched eyes.

"Does this remind you of everything?" questioned Infinite.

My god…

I stopped trying to fight back and gasped. My eyes widened. I realized that I had forgotten who I was messing with.

I started to tremble in fear.

No…no…please no…

Vivid memories appeared in my mind. Lights kept flickering flashing in my eyes as I remembered…that day. However, I shook my head, trying to forget them. I didn't want to remember them. I didn't want to scared. I didn't want to remember those times.

From behind, I saw Bubblegum pulling out her Wispon only to be surrounded by a red aura. She couldn't move!

With Bubblegum out of the way, Infinite put his mask back on properly before placing a hand onto my forehead. Something flashed over my eyes.

All the memories I want to forget.

"STOP, IT PLEASE! IT HURTS!"

WHAM!

"YOU THINK YOU'RE SOMETHING?! YOU THINK YOU'RE SOMEONE?! YOU'RE NOTHING! NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING!"

"Mum…"

"If you ever mention about your father to anyone ever again, I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!

"Please…just leave me alone…"

"Now I'm stuck with you. The biggest mistake I EVER made."

"NO! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! MECHA! PLEASE…PLEASE HELP!"

"Do me a favor. Run, screaming and I'll let you live. Let this be a reminder of how you're nothing. You're such a big mistake."

"STOP!" I screamed. The memories were too much and I was taken back to the present.

I started breathing hardly. I could hear them.

My mother yelling.

Seeing people die.

Finn screaming…calling for me.

The things that made me a mistake.

Infinite laughed out loud.

Bubblegum was TICKED OFF.

"DID YOU DO THE SAME TO HIM AS WELL?!" screamed Bubblegum in anger.

"Why of course," said Infinite. "You would have done the same to him, wouldn't you?"

"NOT IN THAT WAY! He might be a jerk, but that doesn't mean I want him dead!"

I was taken aback by this, surprised of Bubblegum's honesty. At that time, I…I couldn't believe what Bubblegum said.

Did she said…?

"'D…doesn't mean I want him dead'?" I questioned under my breath.

"Want him dead?" snorted Infinite. "Really? You want to be nice to THIS GUY? You don't remember who he is? He was the one who bullied you, made your life miserable and took away your father. Yet it wasn't his fault for being such a bastard at the time. His parents had a divorce, his father left him and his mother treated him like trash. Like he was WEAK."

He turned to me. "I know that you don't want to admit it, Mecha…but you are LIKE YOUR MOTHER. Whenever you can't get the respect and the love you wants, you take it out on other people to feel better, but you aren't satisfied, right? You got your little friend's father AND your 'little brother' killed out of cold-blood or was it REALLY a mistake?"

He turned back to Bubblegum, "Are you sure that he didn't murder YOUR father? He is as guilty as Eggman. Do you think you can change him? Do you believe that you can accept him? A rabble like him? Would he EVEN care about you or the rest of the Resistance? And…even after all he did, do you REALLY have any right to not want him dead?"

I was…speechless. Infinite just…described how horrible I was. I felt a lot of emotions racking my mind. I couldn't think straight. All the rage, coldness and arrogance I showed before was pushed aside by grief, confliction and repressed desolation. I let myself showed my weakness…my vulnerability. I was…unable to hold onto myself.

I felt tears rolling down my eyes. I closed my eyes and let out a soft, but noticeable sob of despair. I couldn't hold myself. I tried to stay calm and not look pathetic in front of Bubblegum, but I couldn't hold myself from getting emotional.

"I'm stupidly broken," I thought as I continued to cry. "I am such a mistake."

Bubblegum was shocked seeing me cry. And to my surprise, she looked…concerned.

"Oh my goodness…" said Bubblegum before shaking her head. "You stop this RIGHT NOW! You are acting like a monster and it's already enough!"

She struggled to break free from Infinite's control. That was when he started to force choke her. She started to struggle to breath.

I finally found my voice.

"Stop it!" I begged. "PLEASE STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE!"

Infinite laughed. He stopped choking Bubblegum, but still kept her trapped.

"Do you REALLY want to die?" said Infinite. "Or join the Eggman Empire, friend?"

The first thing that came to my mind?

"Just kill me…" I said quietly.

"Again?"

"Kill me. Just finish me off. I don't need anyone's sympathy."

"Fine then…goodbye."

Infinite formed a red cube. It started to charge up, flaming and surrounded by electricity. One hit on the face, I would be done for. I didn't care at that time. All I wanted was to die and run away from my misery once and for all. I saw no other way to continue to live. I just wanted to die.

It's not like I can worry if I'm dead.

My Yellow Wisp flew out from my Wispon and squeaked at me. I failed to hear him.

"NO!" screamed Bubblegum, finally breaking free from Infinite's control.

That was when one of the windows cracked open.


Clay's POV

CRASH!

I smashed through the window – glasses spraying everywhere – and tackled Mecha before Infinite could throw that flaming cube into his face. Both of us fell onto the floor with me tumbling onto him when we first hit the ground.

"ROOKIE!" exclaimed Bubblegum, running to us. She looked completely exhausted and distressed. "MECHA!"

"W…what?" Mecha said, opening his eyes.

He looked at me in the eye.

"I'm here, jerk," I said with no emotion.

Mecha looked at me surprised. I saw that there were… tears in his eyes. I never saw him that upset before. To think that he was acting so tough, but…he wasn't holding up that brave shield anymore. He was…shedding his current pride to reveal something I never seen before.

Grief.

That was what I saw.

"Ah…" said Infinite. "The Dark Wolf is here."

My eyes widened when I heard that demonic voice. I slowly turned around to face the floating monster.

I stood in front of Mecha and Bubblegum, trying to protect them.

"I'm not the Dark Wolf for the millionth time!" I shouted, even though I was trembling in fear.

"That's a shame. You have the power in your hands and you had it all along. Why don't you tell them who you are? Why don't you join me?"

Both Bubblegum and Mecha looked shocked.

"What is he talking about?!" said Bubblegum.

"I swear that I don't know!" I insisted.

Infinite just snorted. "Pathetic. Such a shame that you are trying to hide your powers. You could have used them to save those people there."

I froze. "What?"

"It's always deep in your mind. At that town six months ago. Those people I terminated…they were Bubblegum's friends and you didn't do anything to save them. What about your older brother? That red wolf with glasses?"

My eyes widened.

My secret was out.

Bubblegum and Mecha gasped. "What?!"

"You didn't told ANYONE about this. What's wrong, mutt? You look like a deer in the headlights. Your brother was braver than you were. He was trying to escape…trying to get out from Eggman's fortress…but no matter how hard he tried to…he can't. He can't escape. He will always be my prisoner. Why won't you join the Eggman Empire and joined the Resistance instead? Maybe you decided not to because you don't know how to take advantage of those rings of yours."

He hovered closely, appearing intimidating.

"If it wasn't for you, you wouldn't have lost your brother. If it wasn't for you, you would have those weaklings saved. If it wasn't for you, you wouldn't have dragged these people to this mess. It was all…your…fault…for bringing your brother down."

Suddenly, my mind was overwhelmed by all the horrible things that happened in life.

My brother being captured.

Infinite killing those people.

Being alone for six months.

Bubblegum yelling at me for screwing up our first mission.

Mecha bullying me.

The fight we all got into.

It was all too much. I screamed in agony and pain, and started to cry loudly. I placed my hands over my eyes, crying hysterically. Everything fell apart as I collapsed onto my knees, trembling violently.

"I…I shouldn't exist…" I wept.

"Rookie!" said Bubblegum.

Trying to keep me calm, she grabbed me by the shoulders and looked up at Infinite.

"That's enough!" she yelled, obviously failing to be brave. "Enough with you dirty lies!"

"You think that I'm lying?" snarled Infinite. "Do you think I'm faking the fact that all of you are weak? Unsubstantial failures? Are you too young to join the battlefield? I mean...you're 14? 15? How can I take on weak children like you? You are just too young to join the Resistance, crying like wimps. This world has NO PLACE for weaklings like you and only the strong rise above."

Bubblegum trembled, biting her lip as tears formed in her eyes.

"You will never defeat me. You will never defeat Eggman. You will never save the world. Most of all…you let your friends and family die. ALL OF THEM. It's all your fault. Just give in…and accept your death. Face reality. You are nothing, but failures…mistakes…I wonder why you were born."

I shed more tears. Bubblegum started to sputter as tears formed in her eyes. Mecha looked down with tears as well, ashamed. That monster was hitting us harder under the surface.

"This will be goodbye," said Infinite.

He created several cannons aimed at us.

I gasped.

Bubblegum let out a cry and took out her Wispon for one last stand.

The floating cannons fired and I quickly lifted my hand – the one carrying my Phantom Ruby prototype – about to create a shield.

I was too late.

BOOM!

But…we were fine.

The prototype glowed and this happened.

Everything flashed and the missiles from the cannons went through us exploding harmlessly.

I didn't feel the missiles.

It was as if…they weren't there.

Infinite sounded stunned by what just happened.

"What?!" said Infinite before noticing the prototype in my hand. "That again?! I swear I…How did you?"

"HEY!" yelled a voice from behind him.

The masked monster looked behind…to see Vlad and Gen.

"YOUR RENT'S DUE, CLOWN!" yelled Vlad.

They both fired their Lightning Wispons at Infinite, sending him flying through the air. He slammed onto the wall before landing on the floor.

"GAH!" he yelled. He got up and hovered upwards, curling his fists. However – after a few seconds of tense silence – he sighed reluctantly. "You know what? No matter. They have only two days left. Let them contemplate the inevitable until I end this once and for all. You are all below garbage."

He looked at me. "Dark Wolf. I swear. This is not over YET. This is only the beginning, Dark Wolf. You're not in your true form yet. Once you're complete, you'll be a part of mine. It's only a matter of time that will happen."

He disappeared.

The cannons disappeared.

Vlad and Gen turned to us.

"Good lord!" said Gen, helping me up. "Good thing you are safe."

"Just what the heck were you doing?!" snarled Vlad, helping Bubblegum to get up. "You three nearly got yourselves killed!"

"Don't be too hard. At least nobody died here."

"There are still casualties out there!"

Gen was about to help Mecha get up, but the bird just pushed her aside and ran off, wiping his tears.

"Hey!" yelled Vlad as we watched him slammed the door behind. "Where are you going?"

"Vlad…" said Gen. "I will go check on him."

She went off to find him.

Mecha's Yellow Wisp just stayed with us.

Vlad turned to us, his arms crossed.

"Want to explain yourselves?" he said firmly.

Bubblegum sighed. "Well-"

I couldn't help but let out another scream. This time, it was bloodcurdling. I started to sob and collapsed onto the floor. My body was trembling violently. The memories of what happened so far replayed in my mind as they kept telling me how much of a failure I was. No matter where I went, they would always catch up to me.

I couldn't concentrate. The nightmares kept coming to me.

"Rookie?" said Vlad. "What's wrong with you?"

"…give us some time alone," said Bubblegum sadly.

"ExCUSE me?! We are in a danger zone and if we don't leave-"

"I SAID GIVE US SOME TIME ALONE! DID I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

Bubblegum had tears in her eyes.

"I'm…I'm sorry, ma'am," said Vlad. "If you need to talk with him, then do it. I'll be waiting outside."

Bubblegum slightly relaxed. "I'm sorry."

Vlad shrugged and went out of the room.

Bubblegum came over to me and kneel down.

"Hey…are you OK?" said Bubblegum.

I started to breath heavily and more tears roll down my face.

"Did…did Infinite said that…he kidnapped your brother?"

I froze.

The memory of Belt being captured flashed over my eyes.

"N-no…" I lied.

"Don't be an idiot!" said Bubblegum. "Just tell me the truth. Is this person your brother? Belt Colourz? The red wolf with glasses?"

I was about to say no again when I remembered what Sonic and Shark said to me.

"You need to tell the truth. After all, it is YOUR brother."

"Don't inflict it on others, but instead tell someone about the pain you are going through. They may be able to help you. Please. Tell me. Everyone bleeds the same maybe you are not so different to the others. Let me hear you."

I didn't know what came over me, but I embraced Bubblegum and cried loudly. After all those months of isolation, I couldn't handle the pain anymore.

I let it out through screams and tears.

"BELT COLOURZ IS MY OLDER BROTHER!" I wailed loudly. "I-It's not fair! I…I want him back! I want to be with him again…"

Bubblegum was thunderstruck.

I stopped yelling and started to breath heavily. Again, the memories came back.

"I…I joined the Resistance…because…I wanted to find my brother…" I wept as I remembered those hard months. "I want him back…I also want to help others…I…I saw your friends…I saw them killed in front of my eyes…I don't want…I don't want anyone to die…but…do you know…how hard it was trying to do well? How hard I tried to keep up? How hard I tried to be strong? How hard I tried to live up to your expectations? How long it took? You…you and Mecha…you just look down on me for my mistakes…I…I don't know what is going on…I had recurring nightmares…they will never leave me alone…I want to find my brother so badly, but…

I slightly let go, rubbing my eyes with my hand.

"You're right…" I whispered. "I'm always an idiot…I'm so sorry for letting you down…I'm sorry for letting your friends die…just leave me here…blast me…end my life…you guys are better of without me…I shouldn't exist…"

I continued to cry for a long time.

Bubblegum stared at me for a long time, unable to say anything.

And then, she closed her eyes…and opened them.

Her blue eyes suddenly became sympathetic and innocent.

To my surprise, she wrapped her arms around me.

I heard her sniffed.

I looked up to see her crying as well.

"If I ever knew that you are searching for your brother…" she said quietly. "…then I would have understand that you need help. Belt…he's also a friend of mine…I didn't know what happened to him…until now. I'm sorry for yelling at you…but…there's a lot of pressure of being bullied a lot, especially by Mecha. And…I only want to make things right without screwing up like a failure. You don't have to forgive me back…but I lost my parents 4 years ago and it is forever for me. It doesn't have to be for you…I promise that I will help you save Belt…your brother…I promise…"

I was so touched by her kindness and generosity that I cried even harder. Again, I knew that I had someone who understand me. I felt that I still didn't deserve her love, but I know that I was grateful for her.

I continued to sob my heart out while Bubblegum rubbed my back affectionately, having tears in my eyes. I held onto her, not wanting to let go off that warm embrace.

I felt small tentacles wrapping around my arm.

It was my Cyan Wisp.

When I looked at her, she babbled in empathy.

This made me cry harder.

Bubblegum's Pink Wisp and Mecha's Yellow Wisp just watched on with melancholic looks.

"Thank you, Bubblegum…" I wept. "Thank you so much…"

"Thank you as well…" sniffed Bubblegum.


AN: So here, we have an awesome fight between Bubblegum and Infinite, and Clay finally reveals his desire to see Belt again to everyone. You can tell how things will go from there.

In this story, I decided to have Bubblegum fight Infinite. I chose her to be the fighter because she is a girl. A female protagonist that may be suited for a scene that shows empowerment of women. Just experimenting things here and there, but Bubblegum is full of girl power and have an interesting past, so I thought she may be a good fighter against Infinite.

I even had Infinite's face revealed for this chapter because his real face...to me, doesn't look like a villain. Even other sources of Sonic Forces said that he used to be a normal person before. Like everyone else. I had Bubblegum to see this for the first time to make her realize that not all monsters are what she believes, just like how she saw Mecha as a selfish person. She failed to know what Infinite is actually hiding and that Mecha DO have real emotions under his arrogance.

For some reason, I find that the very scene of Bubblegum seeing Infinite's true identity is a bit too similar to the killing of George Floyd this year; some police cops are too brutal to those they see as 'criminals' and they would love to torment those they see as either 'inferior' or 'evil in their eyes'. It's a little harsh writing that Bubblegum - as a police cop - is actually fighting someone who chose to be a monster because of his...past. And she doesn't thought about if Infinite is a real person like her and not an experiment.

And also, we have the berserk button of Mecha; DO NOT EVER PLUCK HIS FEATHERS.

Alright then! Because exams are coming up for me, I'm going to take a hiatus on this story. I will return updating this story on November 21. I am working on other stories, but I feel like this story can take a break. For now, I need to focus on my studies.

As always, if you enjoy this story, be sure to follow or favorite this story, so you can get updates about this story. Make sure to review this chapter on what you think about this chapter. I'm OK of hearing improvements from you (please no flames).

In the next chapter, we see more memories from our characters. Prepare for the shocking news for one of them.

Until next time, keep on rocking!