Sonic Adventure: Downfall and Redemption

by ThePhantomHedgehog

6 months after Infinite's defeat, a new adventure begins and a new member joins the team. But as he becomes closer friends with everyone, long-forgotten enemies return, and the team begins to question their new friend's history. Secrets will unravel, relationships will be strained, and trust will become betrayal. Things will never be the same. ARCHIVED; REBOOT & PREQUEL IN PROGRESS

3. Chapter 3: Surprise Renunions

Knuckles: Hey, where'd he go?

Sonic: Who? The author?

Knuckles: Yeah! What's his name again? *Looks at author's name on FFN* ThePhantomHedgehog? What kind of stupid name is that?

Me: *Walking in* It's my stupid name, Knuckles. In case you haven't noticed, it's not like FFN authors actually use their real names.

Tails: Where were you?

Me: Sleeping off the headache you guys gave me last chapter.

Sonic: Well, now that you're here…

Me: *sigh* You really want another chapter? Now?

Team Sonic: Yup!

Me: Fine… I mean, as stated before, I have most of it already written down, so might as well continue forward. *Cracks fingers and sits down at his computer* Time to get back to it!

Tails: Uh, aren't you forgetting something?

Me: What, my fly open? I'm a Mobian, since when do male Mobians where pants…? Actually, don't answer.

Tails: The disclaimer?

Me: Oh! Right! I own Siris the Hedgehog and 'Wisps'. All other characters, both original and reimagined, belong to their rightful owners. As do all videos and songs. Enjoy! Oh, and… holy crap is this a long one. I'm giving you guys too much, but I promised more action.

*Update (11/10/18): A couple of spelling and grammatical errors fixed.*

*Update (1/2/19): Some more errors fixed. Also fixed Amy's age to be 17, like I had originally planned. She's not 18... yet.

*Update (1/9/19): Removed A/N in intro.

Chapter 3: Surprise Reunions

*** October 12, 2020 ***

A couple of miles from the abandoned base

It was early dawn. Sonic the Hedgehog was racing through the forest, back towards the old abandoned base he found a couple of days ago.

"I still can't believe it!" he exclaimed to himself, "After all this time… Maybe Tails can figure out what's going on when I tell him about it."

As soon as he reached the clearing, Sonic stopped; mere inches from the abandoned base's locked entrance. He was tired, not paying attention to the amount of time that passed by as he ran during the night. His two-hour jog ended up being a six-hour run. But, what would you have expected from a guy who loves to run at Mach speeds. The dust around him cleared and the nightly sounds surrounded him. But something felt… off.

"Well...? You've been following for the past couple of days; why don't you come out and show yourself!" Sonic called out over his shoulder, into the darkness.

There was no response.

"Look, I might not be the smartest hedgehog in the world, but I know when someone is following me…"

Silence.

"… especially when the one following me happens to move as fast as me." Sonic smirked.

Out of the darkness, a few dozen feet away, two red eyes appeared, followed by a shadow figure.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it…?" Sonic asked as he turned to face the figure.

The figure started walking out of the shadows.

"… Metal Sonic."

[ Sonic Mania Adventures Remix – "Steel Plated Faker" for Theme of Metal Sonic ] (Uploaded by Jahn Davis) (0:00)

Metal Sonic walked out into the clearing and powered up his jet engine. Sonic grinned at his metal doppelganger, readying himself for battle. The two stared into each other's eyes, filling the vicinity with tension. Within seconds, the two speedsters launched themselves forward. Due to Metal's instantaneous acceleration, he managed to cover more distance than Sonic before the two deflected off one another. The two disappeared into the forest. Silence filled the air for a moment, until two blue blurs returned and collided again; both returning into the forest. This happened again, and yet again. But as they rushed towards each other for a fifth time, if one were to slow down time, it would appear a though Sonic was smiling in the face of his long time enemy. Metal Sonic had his right hand raised and was planning on slashing Sonic. But as Metal attacked, Sonic suddenly rushed behind him. Before Metal could react, Sonic back kicked him across the side of his head, sending Metal Sonic flying towards the base doors. But Metal was just like Sonic; he could do everything Sonic could. With quick reflexes, Metal managed to land, feet first, against the door and boosted off after Sonic.

"Aw, give it up, Metal! We both know you'll never beat me!"

Undeterred, Metal caught up with Sonic. The two curled up and spin-dashed towards each other. Through the forest, the two pinballed off trees, hills, cliffsides, and one another. As the two fought, Metal saw an opening to strike; Sonic had just clipped Metal's left arm, but it didn't stun the robot. As Sonic ricocheted off Metal's arm, Metal was able to react fast enough and slash with his right hand. Just as his sharp fingers were about to make contact with Sonic's form, he was struck on the side of his head again. Flying back into the clearing, Metal wasn't aware that he was about to collide with the base's steel wall.

*CLANG!*

The impact was so strong, it left an impression on the thick metal walls. Metal Sonic fell to the ground but managed to stay on his feet. The left side of his head was damaged; slight cracks were visible and sparks were occasionally erupting. Sonic came back into the clearing and stopped a few meters away.

"Why are you here, Metal? Did Eggman send you? Where's he hiding?"

Metal's eyes darted from the ground to Sonic, giving him an angry glare, or what would one assume the robot was giving was one.

"Aw, still trying to kill me? Usually I'd be flattered, but this shtick's been going on for years!"

Metal Sonic did a quick scan of the hedgehog, trying to see if there was an anomaly. Metal was programmed to be as fast and responsive in both speed and reflexes as Sonic. So why was Sonic able to move a couple of feet within nanoseconds and attack him, off guard.

"Well, ready or not, here I come!" Sonic called out before boosting into Metal.

Metal deflected the attack with his arms, causing Sonic to dash back into the clearing. Turning on a dime, Sonic came rushing back into Metal, and the cycle repeated. As this went on, Metal kept scanning Sonic. Metal noted the increased speed Sonic appeared to be displaying through his attacks. His strikes were increasing in force as well. But that was impossible. There was no way Sonic was harnessing that much Chaos energy by himself, unless…

Unless…

Metal Sonic scanned Sonic again, only this time for any Chaos energy sources. The blows kept coming, but Metal was managing to hold them off. His scan finished; he now had all the information he needed to finish Sonic. As Sonic ran up to Metal for another strike, Metal flew into the air and over Sonic.

"Who-wwhhhoooaaaa!" Sonic cried out as he rebounded off the wall.

As Sonic flew into the air, Metal Sonic began to power up. His circuits began to overheat and sparks from his damaged head intensified. Sonic landed on the ground with ease and looked up. Metal Sonic was now surrounded by a growing energy field; the telltale signs that he was about to use his V. Maximum Overdrive Attack. But Sonic wasn't fazed.

"Heh! Two can play that game!" Sonic smirked and began to spin-dashing in place.

Sonic began charging up Chaos energy within him; blue orbs of light appeared around him and shot towards his spinning form. The two fighters were storing large amounts of energy. Within seconds, Sonic had a light blue aura glowing around him and Metal Sonic had a full energy shield ready for attack. Sonic stopped spinning and got into running position.

"Ready?!"

Metal Sonic looked down at Sonic, giving him a look that was filled with determination.

"Go!"

The two energized fighters launched towards each other. The force of the impact was so powerful, it created a shockwave that was felt all the way to Blue Moon Village. The only other thing that was sent into air was Metal Sonic's badly damaged body, which disappeared into the distance. Back at the base's entrance, the whole clearing was filled with dust. As it settled, the unconscious body of Sonic the Hedgehog was revealed; lying on the ground, covered in bruises and wounds.

(Music fades… or you can wait for it to end)

Moments later, two individuals appeared on site.

"Hey," said the first, "isn't that…"

"It is!" replied the second.

"So, what we just heard was some kind of fight!"

"Now's not the time for that! Look! He's wounded and unconscious!"

The two ran up to Sonic's body.

"He's alive, but looks hurt bad."

"Pick him up. We'll bring him to Siris! He'll patch him up!"

With that, the two ran off towards Blue Moon Village, carrying the world-renowned hero in need of serious medical treatment.

---

Siris' Home

Siris woke up with a start; his alarm clock went off.

"Is it really morning already?" he moaned, rubbing his eyes.

He looked at the clock. 6 AM… yup. He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready. He was about to open the door, when he remembered yesterday's events.

"Oh, yeah… I almost forgot about Sylvie," he told himself, "Hmm… I should be careful about entering the bathroom now. I'll have to get back into the habit of knocking before entering."

Siris gave the bathroom a door a couple of small knocks.

"Sylvie? Are you in there?"

No response. After waiting for another moment, Siris entered the bathroom and got ready.

"Guess she's still sleeping. I'll leave her be. Once breakfast is made, I'll wake her."

As he got ready, Siris took the time to think about his new guest.

"Since she'll be living here from now on, guess I'll have to buy some essentials for her; toothbrush, bathrobe, her own shampoo and conditioner, clothes-"

"Oh crap… I'm an idiot," Siris groaned as he facepalmed, "All she has is that ragged dress, in terms of any belongings, let alone clothes. That should have been the first thing I did yesterday when she was brought here. *Sigh* I guess I'll have to take her out to buy some clothes today… assuming there's no medical emergency that requires my attention."

Oh, if only he knew…

Siris finished getting ready and grabbed one of his white coats out of the closet. He put it on as he walked out of his room and down the hall. He was making his way to the kitchen, when…

"Good morning, Master."

Siris was startled so much, he actually jumped into the air. When he recollected himself, he looked to his left and saw Sylvie. She was standing just around the corner from the hallway.

"Uh, good morning, Sylvie."

"Did she get up before me? If so, did she bathe?"

Sylvie just stood there, her eyes just zoned out.

"Sylvie…?"

Her eyes turned towards Siris.

"Yes, Master? Is there something you wish for me to do?"

"Uh… no, nothing like that. I was just wondering… when did you get up?"

"Around 5 AM."

"Uh… hmm. Must be her natural time to wake up, back when she was with Charles."

"Well, that's a bit-"

"I didn't want to disturb your slumber, so I made a little noise as possible."

"Okaaaaayyy… but what were you doing up so early?"

"I was… cleaning," she replied, her voice had a hint of anxiety.

Siris noticed she had a rag in her hand and took a quick look around the living room. Everything was in its proper location, yet something was different. Upon closer inspection, Siris noticed that most of the living room was dusted off. In fact, many items looked as though they were brand new, albeit the miniscule scratches. Siris was quite surprised.

"You cleaned all of this?" he asked in awe.

"Uh… yes," replied Sylvie, "Does… does Master not approve of the quality of my job?"

"Sylvie, this is-"

Before Siris could finish complimenting her, Sylvie had dropped the dirty rag and was sitting on her knees.

"I'm sorry. I have failed you, haven't I?"

"Huh? Wait, no, that's not-"

"I should have done a perfect job, please have mercy."

Sylvie closed her eyes, as though she was expecting some form of punishment. Siris walked up to her and began to pat her on the head.

"Sylvie," said Siris, "you didn't have to do this. I'm very grateful that you did. And you did a phenomenal job."

"Huh?" said Sylvie as she opened her eyes and looked up to Siris, "R-really?"

"Really. And even if you did do a poor job, I would never punish you, let alone harm you," Siris told her, giving her a comforting smile.

Sylvie remained silent for a few seconds.

"I… Master is… so kind. I'm sorry that I didn't ask for your permission, Master. I just didn't want to be some useless slave to burden you with."

"Sylvie… you're no burden. It's really no trouble making an extra meal for someone."

Sylvie didn't seem to believe those words.

[ Somber Music | Weeping Willow | Beautiful Piano & Violin Music ] (Uploaded by Soul Candle) (0:00)

"Um, Master? Is there anything I can do to help? As a slave, I can't stand by and watch as you work around the house all by yourself…"

Siris sighed and stopped patting her head.

"Sylvie? Do you really want to help around the house?"

Sylvie gave a couple of slow nods.

"Alright… I suppose I could allow you to dust the rooms and do the laundry… not that there actually ever is a lot of laundry to do at times," Siris chuckled, "But, if it makes you feel better, I'll let you do those chores. We can clean dishes together. Sound good?"

Sylvie was no longer showing signs of anxiety.

"Yes. I will do my very best."

Siris smiled.

"I'm sure you will."

His smiled then softened.

"Sylvie, I understand why you woke up so early… but did you bathe? Both the shower and the bathtub were dry when I went in there this morning."

"… I wasn't aware I was allowed to bathe. I haven't screamed or been beaten yet…" she replied in a timid voice.

"God, I know better than to question you… but why must you create such inhumane cruelty?"

"Sylive… just what kind of life were you living before coming here?"

Siris' voice was filled with concern and fear.

"When I was with my previous master?"

Siris nodded. Sylvie looked down and closed her eyes.

"I was whipped daily, amongst other things…"

"One day, Lord… one day, we will meet… and you will give me answers."

Siris knelt down next to Sylvie; she opened her eyes and looked into his.

"I don't have any relatives, so before I was taken in by my previous master I was in a facility until I was eight," she continued.

Her eyes began to water.

"I… lost my parents when I was six… a huge man with a big moustache ordered some robots to…"

Sylvie closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it," she said softly.

Siris was heartbroken. He reached up and pat her again on the head. She looked into his eyes again.

"I don't… really understand. Is this… fun?"

Siris sighed.

"It's a small gesture, Sylvie. It's not meant to harm you, just some… positive reinforcement."

Sylvie expressed some confusion.

"I still don't-"

Siris stopped patting and signaled her to stop talking.

"I get it; you have difficulty finding meaning behind these gestures I give you. It's not really something you need to understand. It's more like something that makes you feel good inside."

Sylvie showed no reaction.

"I understand that you might not trust me or my motives, Sylvie. You've been treated poorly for a long time and now everything's changed. I

Sylvie's eyes softened.

"… I don't feel anything…"

Siris put his hand on her shoulder.

"It'll take time, but I promise I'll teach you how to feel again."

*Cough Cough* Hint hint.

"… If that is Master's wish…"

They stayed like this for a moment.

(Music fades)

"In any case, Sylvie," Siris continued, "you hereby have my permission to bathe yourself whenever you want. I just realized a few minutes ago that I don't have any other clothes for you to wear, but I'll get you some in due time."

"Master… will allow me to bathe?"

Siris nodded as he got up and helped Sylvie up as well.

"There are plenty of towels in the bathroom closet, so don't be shy about using them. Why don't you go bathe now, while I make us some breakfast?"

"… Th-thank you very much," Sylvie said softly and she walked down the hallway, towards the bathroom.

As soon as she was out of sight, Siris let out a heavy sigh. Although she didn't say much, Sylvie's words struck his heart, deep. He was feeling a little better now, but his heart felt something else; something he hadn't felt in a long time. Was it…?

"No. Don't think those kinds of thoughts. She's a just a kid. Get your mind out of the gutter, Siris!" he mentally scowled himself.

Pulling himself together, Siris grabbed the rag off the floor, walked into the kitchen, and began making breakfast.

10 minutes later…

Siris was just placing the food on the table when Sylvie came walking down the hallway. Siris turned to her and smiled.

"Just in time; breakfast is ready. I made us some scrambled eggs, ham, and a couple of slices of toast."

Sylvie stared at the food with a look of uncertainty. Luckily, Siris was prepared for this kind of reaction.

"You can sit down here, Sylvie. This plate of food is yours."

Her face softened as she walked over to her seat. She sat down and nervously began eating.

"… Thank you… Master."

Siris slightly cringed when she called him that, but still smiled at her.

"Hopefully we're making progress," he thought to himself.

"Siris… no, MASTER… he is very kind. But why? Does he plan on doing bad things to me? Does he wish to strip me of false hope?" Sylvie wondered.

The two pondered about the other while eating their breakfast.

---

Abandoned Eggmanland

[ Eggman Land – Crimson Carnival Night – Sonic Unleashed Music Extended ] (Uploaded by BrawlBRSTMs3 X) (0:00)

"Omega, do your sensors pick up anything?"

"Negative. Chaos energy levels are minimal."

"I told you this would be a waste of time coming here, Rouge."

Rouge turned her head and gave Shadow a frustrated stare.

"Well, at least we know now, don't we?!" she snapped, "We would have ended up searching this place eventually. Besides, this was the last place Sonic harnessed the power of all seven emeralds to transform into Super Sonic!"

Shadow slightly raised one of his brows.

"Really, this place?"

"… Okay, so there was that time when the Time Eater took us all into White Space, but that doesn't count! We don't even know if those emeralds we of our world or the other Sonic's."

Shadow sighed.

"This is a complete waste of time and resources," he said in a flat tone, "Even if the doctor was to return, why would we need the Chaos Emeralds? The two Sonics and that Rookie kid were able to defeat both Infinite and the doctor without any emeralds at all."

"And what if someone or something more powerful than all our past foes combined were to show up?" Rouge asked, "Even with just your one emerald, I doubt we'd have a chance in defeating them."

"Hmph. That'll be the day…" Shadow muttered.

Rouge sighed.

"You may be the immortal "Ultimate Life Form", but put to much faith in Sonic and yourself-"

"I don't have faith in anyone but this team," Shadow interrupted, "Especially not Faker."

"Might I bring up a proposal?" Omega asked other two members of Team Dark.

Shadow and Rouge decided to drop the argument and turned to their comrade.

"Alright, Omega. What's this idea of yours?" asked Shadow.

"Given our current situation and mission parameters, would it not be wise to have support in finding the remaining Chaos Emeralds?" the robot asked.

"The mission was clear, Omega," Shadow stated, "We are the only three G.U.N. operatives allowed on this mission. Support is not an option."

"Your assessment is correct, Shadow," Omega explained, "However, there are no limitations regarding support outside of G.U.N. and its members."

Rouge and Shadow caught on fast.

"You're thinking about asking Sonic and his friends for help, aren't you?" Rouge asked.

"Affirmative."

Rouge turned to Shadow, half expecting him to argue against it. Instead, Shadow kept a straight face, appearing to be unfazed.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Shadow. It's like you said, it would be a waste of time if we looked everywhere with just us. But, with other people, we can cover more ground in less time."

"… Very well. As long as they can stay out of our way and give us results, fast," he replied, "I assume you'll try Sonic first?"

Rouge gave Shadow a playful smile.

"Actually, I have someone different in mind, for now," she replied as she activated her wrist communicator. (Sonic 06 style, it's there, we just can't see it.)

(Music fades)

---

Chaotix Detective Agency

[ Vs. Team Chaotix – Sonic Heroes Music Extended ] (Uploaded by BrawlBRSTMs3 X) (0:00)

Vector the Crocodile was sitting at his desk, bored out of his mind, listening to his favorite song (wonder what that is…) from the boombox nearby. It had been weeks since the Chaotix had a case, a real case, and the bills weren't getting any smaller. There were so many bills, that all it would take to pay them off was a big case involving sleuthing and investigating… or winning it big at Casinopolis.

"Ahh… this is so boring! I wish we had some big instersting case!" Vector exclaimed just as the front door opened and a large bee buzzed in.

"You're telling me, boss!" Charmy sighed, "All those low-grade cases put me to sleep. We're detectives and all we do is either look for lost pets, some rich person's valuable jewelry, or save some kid's balloon that got stuck in a tree."

"Those 'low-grade cases' are the only source of income we have!" Vector explained, "Now unless you want to try your luck in Casinopolis, I suggest you stop whining and be glad you're getting paid!"

Espio came in right behind his flying partner.

"He's right, Charmy. We should be grateful that Vector is able to pay us, even with the expenses."

Vector gave the chameleon a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Espio. I'm glad to have someone-"

"However," Espio continued, "we need to find a larger source of income. I fear we might not make ends meet and we might have to find new jobs."

He turned to Vector.

"It's like you said, Vector; we need a big case."

Vector shook his head and sighed.

"Easier said than done. It seems as though the moment Infinite and Eggman were defeated, the world's problems went away with them," he said.

Espio gave him a suspicious look.

"I meant problems that we used to be hired to fix. Stolen goods, counterfeit money, missing persons…" Vector listed off.

"Saving Eggman from that Neo Metal Sonic meanie!" Charmy smirked.

"Yeah, saving Eggman from Neo- HEY SHADDUP!" Vector roared at the laughing Charmy.

Espio placed two fingers on his right temple and sighed. He was about to leave his two coworkers to their feud when the phone rang. The ringing caught Vector by surprise, resulting in him losing his grip on Charmy's left foot and Charmy flying into the wall. Vector got himself organized and answered the phone.

"Team Chaotix Detective Agency! How can we help you!"

Espio and Charmy, who pulled his head off the wall, moved in closer to hear the call.

"Rouge? Long time, you old bat! What's with the surprise social call?"

"DID YOU CALL ME 'OLD'!?" Rouge screamed, which was heard clear as day to Espio and Charmy.

Vector threw the phone up in the air as he fell to the floor, anime style. Within milliseconds, he got himself back up and grabbed the phone.

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant, Rouge! I meant 'old' as in long-time friend, or-"

"SO, YOU ARE SAYING THAT I'M OLD?!"

Vector fell back over his seat, again flinging the phone in the air. Charmy was rolling on the floor with tears in his eyes from laughter, while Espio just shook his head at the sad situation in front of him.

"Rouge, I'm sor- I didn't mean it, I swear! Have mercy! I…" Vector pleaded as Rouge threatened to do terrible things to him.

Vector stopped talking when he heard Rouge's playful chuckle.

"Still the same as always, Vector," Rouge said playfully.

Vector sighed and facepalmed.

"Rouge, unless you have need of our services, leave us be. We're on our way towards a financial crisis and you want to pull pranks! If I didn't know better, I would say you and Charmy would get along perfectly together!"

"Hey!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Sorry. But I do need your help."

Vector was now happy.

"Really? Is that so?"

"Yes. We need your help finding-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on there, Rouge!"

Espio stared at Vector, knowing he was up to something.

"What are you doing, boss?"

Vector covered the phone and replied, "Making it pay day, boys."

He went back to talking with Rouge.

"This job of yours… is it boring?"

"No."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Maybe."

"Will we get paid?"

"That depends."

"On what, exactly?"

"How well you do your job."

"Alright… what's the job?"

"We need you to help find the Chaos Emeralds."

The three Chaotix members froze in place for a moment, with Vectors jaw hanging.

"Vector?" Rouge called out.

"Did… did you just say 'Chaos Emeralds'?"

"Yes."

"As in those powerful gems that hold ultimate power?"

"Yes…"

"Those same gems that Sonic said were trapped in the core of the planet itself and haven't been seen in two years? Those emeralds?"

"… no the Chaos Emeralds in my jewelry box. Of course, those emeralds!"

"Rouge… you do realize that no one has seen any of the Chaos Emeralds on Earth since Sonic defeated that Dark Gaia thing, right? What makes you think we'll find any-"

"We have one already, Vector."

"… Well, that changes things a little. I mean, where there's one, there are bound to be others. But, it'll take more than-"

"Would this convince you?"

On Vector's computer nearby, an icon appeared, indicating that an email had been received. It was from Rouge, subject titled "Payment". Vector immediately opened the email as Espio and Charmy gathered around him to see it. The second they saw it, Vector and Charmy had huge dollar signs appear in their eyes.

"Where should we start looking?" Vector asked Rouge.

(Music fades… uh, you can stop listening to the song now. Guys? Look I love listening to it also, but I have a story to tell… guys…? Team Chaotix… come along for… oh no…)

(Some time later whenever you finish listening the music)

---

Siris' Clinic

"There. Dishes are clean," said Siris.

He and Sylvie had finished eating moments ago and cleaned the few dishes in the sink before opening the clinic. Sylvie returned to the living to finish cleaning.

"I'll be in the clinic next door, Sylvie," Siris told her, "If you need anything, just knock on the door that leads to the clinic and I'll see you as soon as possible."

Sylvie said nothing and responded with a nod.

Siris was about to enter his clinic when he turned back to Sylvie said one last thing to her.

"By the way, Sylvie? You don't have to push yourself so much while cleaning."

With that he walked inside and closed the door behind him, leaving Sylvie feeling… happy? Better? She wasn't sure, she just went back to dusting the bookcase.

"7 AM," Siris said as he looked at the clock on the wall.

He went to his desk and checked for the day's appointments. To his surprise, there were none. At least, for the moment. He was thankful that lived in such age where technology made life easier; appointments could be made either online or in person. He used to do it by phone, but that quickly died out. Siris only did that because he just moved in at the time.

"Ah, well. Gives me time to catch up on some paperwork."

He grabbed a small pile of papers that needed review and to be filed away. As a doctor, Siris knew it was important to have detailed and organized patient files. Unfortunately, with so many patients and files, the organization wasn't exactly perfect. Some files were not in proper alphabetical order or were misplaced with other files. It was times like these where Siris was able to actually have some brief time to get some things reorganized. Things were going smoothly the 20 or so minutes he was working, when there was unexpected pounding on the clinic's front door.

"This had better be an emergency…" Siris sighed.

He opened the front door and saw two Mobians carrying an unconscious blue hedgehog.

Meanwhile, Sylvie was almost done cleaning the living room and was about to start cleaning Siris' personal work area. Her cleaning rag was filthy, so Sylvie decided to grab another one.

"Master didn't mind me using one rag, so maybe he won't mind me using another one. Cleaning with a dirty rag won't clean anything. And I want Master to be happy to be living in a clean home."

Sylvie went to the closet where she found the first rag to grab another. As she opened the door, she heard loud knocks coming from next door followed by the sound of a door opening and Siris' voice. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but Sylvie could tell there was a sense of urgency in his voice.

"What is going on?" Sylvie wondered.

She closed the closet door and went over to the door leading to the clinic.

"If Master needs assistance, I should assist him."

There were sounds of people entering a room and conversing. Her hand reached for the knob but stopped just before making contact.

"No… Master did not give me permission to enter his clinic… even though he didn't forbid me from entering, it would be best to not give Master any reason to be angry with me…"

She lowered her hand. Sylvie was about to go back to her cleaning duties, when she heard Siris' voice.

"-know you guys want to stay, but this is quite a serious matter. And I'm glad you guys are here and all, but now's not the time for catching up."

Sylvie then heard another voice.

"Well, when he wakes up, can you tell us? It's not everyday we get to see an old friend; let alone two!"

"Fair enough. I suppose you can see him later when he wakes up. I mean, it has been a long time since you guys have seen each other."

"Thanks, Siris. We'll be at the hotel in town! See ya! And take care of Sonic!"

The clinic door closed and Siris sighed. Sylvie turned around to get back to work.

"Sonic? As in, Sonic the Hedgehog?" she wondered.

Sylvie shook her head to stop distracting herself and got back to work. A few minutes later, she was cleaning a small table near the door to the clinic, when Siris suddenly came in, startling Sylvie.

"Oh, sorry, Sylvie. I didn't mean to scare you," Siris said, "Uh… I guess you heard me talking to some people back there earlier, huh?"

Sylvie turned around, still feeling a bit jumpy from Siris' sudden return.

"I… I heard some of the conversation. Is someone hurt?"

"Yeah… I, uh… still find it hard to believe who it is, though."

"… Is it Sonic the Hedgehog?" Sylvie asked timidly.

Siris raised his brows.

"Yeah, actually it is. He appears to have been in a fight, but I patched him up. He's still unconscious, so I have to monitor his condition."

Sylvie seemed nervous.

"Will he… be okay?"

Siris smiled.

"He'll be fine. Just a little banged up. After a good long rest, I'm sure he'll be up and about in no time."

"Oh… good to hear."

Sylvie paused for a moment.

"Uh… Master, why are you not in the clinic?"

"Oh, thanks for reminding me, I was getting myself a bottle of water from the fridge," Siris replied, heading to get said bottle, "Would you like a bottle of water, Sylvie?"

Sylvie shook her head.

"No, I'm good, Master."

"I hope no one hears her call me that…"

"Alright, Sylvie. But if you ever want one, feel free to grab a bottle from the fridge."

Siris went back to the clinic and Sylvie went back to work.

---

High in the sky, near the abandoned Eggman base

[ Believe in Myself (Tails' Theme) (Short No Vocals) – Sonic Adventure Music Extended ] (Uploaded by BrawlBRSTMs3 X) (0:00)

"Knuckles!" Tails called to the sleeping echidna.

"Mmmm… hm?" Knuckles groaned as he stirred from his slumber, "What is it, Tails?"

"We're almost at the base Sonic told me about! We'll be landing soon!"

Obviously, since Knuckles was still on the Tornado 2, you can presume that during their journey, he did not sense any of the other Master Emerald fragments.

Knuckles sat up in his seat and took a look down into the forest below. He noticed a clearing with a strange metallic texture near it.

"Tails, land there! I think that's where the base is!"

Tails looked to where Knuckles pointed.

"Good eye, Knuckles! Why don't you glide on down while I change the Tornado to hover mode!"

Although it's been a while since Tails flew the Tornado 2, he managed to make time to give her upgrades. One of those said upgrades was using the same hover mode used in his other plane, the Cyclone. Knuckles vaulted over the side and glided down toward the clearing as Tails landed the Tornado 2.

(Music fades)

Moments later…

"Hm… well it certainly looks like an old Eggman base," said Tails as he investigated the door.

"So that's one mystery solved," said Knuckles, "but where's Sonic? Didn't he tell you he would be here?"

Tails turned to Knuckles.

"Knowing Sonic, he's probably running around nearby. I'll call him on his communicator."

Tails pressed a couple of buttons on his wrist communicator.

"Sonic, you read me?"

Silence.

"Sonic, it's Tails. Can you hear me?"

More silence. Tails and Knuckles gave each other confused looks.

"Sonic? Sonic, answer me!"

Tails was starting to get worried. Sonic wouldn't ignore his calls. Unless…

"Sonic can't talk right now," a voice replied from the communicator.

---

Siris' Clinic

[ Marvel's Spider-Man 2018 )ST – Oscorp Research Station Mission Theme 1 ] (Uploaded by gamingchannel546) (0:00) (Loop if necessary)

It was a couple of hours after Sonic was brought to Siris. He was covered with cuts and bruises, with a rather nasty black one on the top of his head, which concerned Siris the most. Siris was tending to the last of Sonic's wounds when Sonic's communicator went off.

"Sonic, you read me?"

"Huh? Who's that?" Siris asked himself as he finished putting stitches in Sonic's lower right arm, which was the same arm the communicator was worn. (Is it weird to wear your watch on your right hand if your right-handed? I dunno, never could wear one on my left.)

"Sonic, it's Tails. Can you hear me?"

"Tails? Ah, that must be Miles Prower, Sonic's friend."

"Sonic? Sonic, answer me!"

"Better answer it and tell Tails what's going on."

Siris carefully lifted Sonic's arm up and pressed the "answer" button on the communicator.

"Sonic can't talk right now," he said into communicator.

"Huh? Who are you? Where's Sonic?!"

"He's in good hands. My name is Siris. I'm the doctor of the town of Blue Moon Village."

"What have you done to Sonic!?"

"Calm down, Tails. He was brought in by some old friends of his. They were exploring the nearby forest and they found him beaten and unconscious by... some kind of metal door, I think they described it?"

"Unconscious? Beaten? What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's hurt, but he'll live. He's still out, though."

Tails was silent.

"Why don't you come by my clinic and you can see him for yourself?"

"Really? Thank you, doctor!"

"Judging by the device Sonic has, I assume you can find me with that?"

"Uh, yeah… how'd you know?"

"It literally has your name on it. Besides, I'm sure someone as technical as you would want to know where all your devices are at all times."

"Lucky guess. And I've got your location. I'll be there in a couple of minutes, doctor! Thanks again!"

Siris ended the call and gently placed Sonic's arm down.

"Hm…" Siris pondered, "an old base… Sonic's attacked… Wonder what's up."

Siris looked at Sonic's unconscious body.

"Why are you here, Sonic? What did you find?"

10 minutes later…

Siris was sitting at his clinic desk when he heard the sound of a jet engine outside. Seconds later, Tails and Knuckles came in.

"Uh… hello?" Tails asked nervously.

"Ah, Tails. Welcome! And you must be Knuckles," said Siris, as he got up and shook their hands.

"Where's Sonic?" Knuckles asked with a hint of rage.

"Right this way, follow me."

Siris walked them into the first door on the left down the hallway of patient rooms.

"Before we go in, I just want to say that I'm very impressed by how fast Sonic can heal. It's only been a couple of hours and already many of his minor cuts and bruises have gone away," Siris remarked.

He then opened the door to Sonic's room. Sonic was lying in a bed, resting peacefully. Aside from the couple of stitches he needed and the large black bruise on his head, he seemed fine. A little banged up here and there, but overall fine. Tails walked up to his resting brother and sat down in the chair nearby. Knuckles stood behind him.

"As far as his injuries go, he doesn't appear to have any broken bones or substantial injuries; however, judging by the bruise on his head, I wouldn't doubt the possibility of a concussion or head trauma," Siris explained.

Tails and Knuckles turned to Siris, showing worried looks on their faces.

"Oh, sorry. I unintentionally made that sound a bit over-exaggerated; if he does happen to have a concussion or some other kind of head trauma, it would only be a mild case."

The two friends relaxed.

"Besides… from what I've heard about this guy, pretty sure his head can take a few hits," Siris joked.

"You'd be surprised by how many, doctor," Knuckles said with a smirk.

"Anyways, I'll give you guys some time alone. I get the feeling you'd like to stay with him overnight, but I'm afraid I can't allow that. There is a hotel in town you can check into however. I will be out for lunch around noon, be back by 1 PM, and close the clinic around 5 PM. If you have any questions, just let me know," Siris explained.

"Thanks, doctor," said Tails.

"No worries, he'll be fine. And please, call me Siris."

"Okay then. Thank you again, Siris."

Siris left the room, closing the door behind him, and went back to his desk. It was only 9 AM, and patient appointments were made during the time he tended to Sonic.

"Hm…"

"What's wrong, Tails?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't know… it's just that… I feel like I've seen this guy before… a long time ago."

The day continued on in the clinic as Siris met with a dozen other patients; some with chronic ailments that required periodic checkups with Siris, and some involving flu shots, or the flu itself.

"That reminds me," Siris thought, "I should give Sylvie a flu shot. Judging by her appearance and responses, I doubt Charles even bothered to consider giving her any medicine, let alone flu shots. I don't know her medical history, but I hope her parents vaccinated her."

He checked the time on the clock. It was almost noon and Siris was getting hungry. He placed the "Out to Lunch" sign on the outside of the clinic door and went inside his house.

"Wow," he said.

The entire living room and kitchen were immaculate. Siris knew Sylvie would do a good job, just based on her morning cleaning, but this was unexpected. The door to the laundry room opened and Sylvie walked out. She stopped when she noticed Siris looking around.

"Welcome back, Master," Sylvie said with a soft voice.

"Thanks, Sylvie. Wow! You cleaned all this?"

"Um… yes. Did I do well?"

"Well? This is amazing! I can't remember the last time I've ever seen anything this clean before."

Siris walked over to Sylvie and gave her a couple of pats on the head. However, her reaction was no different; she just remained unmoved, not showing any signs of joy or pleasure…

Uh, not that kind, get your heads out of the gutter!

"I think you've done enough cleaning for today. Judging from the sound of the washer and dryer, you just put a new load in the washer?"

"Yes, Master."

"Someday she'll stop calling me that."

"Since that's the case, and I see no laundry folded, why don't you take a break and have lunch with me?"

"Uh… if that's alright with you. What will you make?"

Siris thought for a second.

"Actually, I was thinking of getting food at the café in town."

"Oh… so you're going out then?" Sylvie asked with slight disappointment.

She turned her head a little towards the window. Looking at her face closely, Siris sensed the disappointment.

"Uh… well… actually, Sylvie…" Siris tried to explain, nervously.

"… Yes, what is it, Master?" Sylvie asked as she turned back to Siris.

"… errrr… I, uh… heh… umm…"

"Why am I nervous? It's just lunch, it's not like I'm taking her out on a date or anything… I mean, I don't know how old she is, but… it's not like there's anything wrong with a guy taking a younger lady out to lunch."

"Master?"

Siris got ahold of himself and told her what he meant.

"What I'm trying to say, Sylvie, is that I was wondering if you'd like to join me and have lunch at the café?"

Sylvie seemed a bit surprised.

"Am I… going as well?"

"Of course! I mean… if you want to. I won't force you or anything… I was just… being kind, is all. If you don't want to come, I could always bring you something from the cafe."

The two stood in silence for a moment.

"I… I will accompany you," Sylvie said.

"Uh… okay, sure. Yeah, great!" Siris exclaimed, "I'll just put my coat away real quick and we'll get going."

Siris walked into his bedroom and put his coat on a hanger and hung it up. His eyes darted towards a pair of dusty black shoes sitting in the corner, with a pair of black gloves lying on top. The shoes gave Siris a realization.

"I am pathetic… Sylvie doesn't have any shoes…"

Siris weighed his options and then grabbed the shoes. They were black sneakers, with gray socks (assume that all Mobians that wear socks are wearing the kind that are crafted together with the shoes), and a bit of the tips of the shoes were a deep blue color. He quickly dusted them off and took his boring brown shoes off and put the black ones on.

"Well… it's been a while since I wore those. Still a perfect fit. I'll let Sylvie wear the brown ones for now, until I find time to get her new clothes and her own shoes."

Siris looked back in the closet and the gloves.

"Might as well where those gloves, too. Sylvie's are worse than these white ones I have now."

Siris came back to the entryway, where Sylvie sat and waited patiently on the floor.

"Here, Sylvie. You can wear these shoes. I have another pair, which you can see I'm wearing now, but they're still a little dirty. So I figured, you can have the clean pair," Siris explained as he knelt down next to Sylvie and handed her the shoes and gloves.

"I also had another pair of gloves. So, you can have these white ones, too. They have tiny holes, but they're in much better shape than the ones you have now. Also, not dirty, like my black gloves."

Sylvie was a bit surprised.

"Master… is giving me shoes… and gloves?"

"Yes, I am. And before you ask, yes, you can wear them."

"Master… is so kind. Thank you very much," she said as she put the gloves and shoes on.

"They might be a bit big, but this is only temporary. We'll go shopping in the next couple of days," Siris told her.

Sylvie stood up and walked around for a moment, getting a feel for the shoes.

"Oh, before we get going, I wanted to do something real fast," said Siris.

Sylvie appeared confused.

"Now, don't panic or anything, but I was wondering if you would be okay with getting a flu shot."

Sylvie's eyes widened.

"Uh… flu shot?"

"It's an injection shot. To help prevent you from catching the flu," Siris explained.

"She's starting to panic, I can tell. I hope she'll go through with it."

Sylvie just stared at him for a few seconds.

"If that is Master's wish… then I will accept it."

"Are you sure? You don't have to get the flu shot if you're not comfortable," Siris explained.

Sylvie shook her head.

"I'll be fine. If I do get sick, I can't work efficiently around the house."

"Okay. Let me grab the shot and a couple of things."

Siris hurried back into his clinic. A few seconds later he came back with a cotton swab that was dabbed with alcohol, the flu shot, and a band-aid.

"Can I see your shoulder, please?"

Sylvie turned a little, allowing Siris better access to her left shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sylvie," he told her as he rubbed the cotton swab on her shoulder, "you'll only feel a little pinch."

As Siris injected the needle into her skin, he noticed that Sylvie didn't even flinch. He pushed the plunger down and pulled the needle out. He then put the band-aid on the injection site.

"Alright, all done," he exclaimed, "If you feel sick at all during the rest of the day, let me know, okay?"

Sylvie nodded as Siris disposed of the syringe and cotton swab in the garbage bin specifically used for these kinds of wastes.

"Okay, ready?" Siris asked.

Sylvie nodded and together they walked to town.

(Music fades)

A couple of minutes later…

As Siris walked through town, Sylvie silently followed close behind. She seemed calm at first, but her eyes were darting left and right nervously, clearly indicating that she wasn't used to being in town. Siris thought about taking an alternate route, one that would be less stressful for Sylvie, but decided to continue on the same route he normally took. They were a couple of buildings away from the café when Siris noticed Sylvie had stopped for a moment.

"Sylvie? Is something wrong?"

"Ah… I'm sorry. It's nothing."

Siris was about to ask her if she was sure, but a sweet aroma tickled his nose.

"Oh, I get it. Was it that sweet smell just now?" Siris asked her.

"… yes," Sylvie replied timidly.

"That's coming from the café over there, where we'll be eating," Siris said with a smile.

Sylvie walked up to Siris and they went to the café. As soon as Siris opened the café door and allowed Sylvie inside, a familiar voice rang out.

"Welcome in~!"

"Here we go…" Siris said quietly to himself as a waitress came awkwardly flying over to us.

"For two, isn't that ri-… Oh, Siris, hello!"

"Hello, Nephy."

[ Undertale OST – sans. Extended ] (Uploaded by Etu Tran) (0:00)

"Well, well, isn't this a surprise? Who's this? A new friend?" Nephy asked with intrigue.

Siris looked over to Sylvie, who was shyly hiding behind Siris.

"You could say that."

Nephy reached a hand out towards Sylvie.

"Hi! I'm Nephy, your waitress at this fine establishment!"

Sylvie looked at Nephy with a mixture of fear and confusion in her face. After an awkward moment of silence, Siris gave Sylvie a bit of inspiration.

"It's alright, Sylvie. She's a friend of mine," he explained, "Just tell her your name."

Sylvie slowly moved to Siris' side and shook Nephy's hand.

"H-hello. My name is…. Sylvie."

"It's a start… but we're making progress," Siris mentally noted.

"What an adorable name~!" Nephy's voice rang.

"Uh…" Sylvie began.

"So, table for tow, right? Right this way, okay?" Nephy told them.

They followed her to one of the vacant tables. Siris politely helped Sylvie into her seat before taking his.

"So," Nephy said as she took out her ticket pad and took a pen from her ear, "what would you like for lunch?"

Siris flipped through the menu.

"I'll have a roast beef sandwich, with blue cheese, and on white bread, toasted," said Siris.

"Alright… and what about the young lady?"

Siris looked over at Sylvie. She hadn't even opened her menu; she was looking around the café with curiosity. Suddenly her eyes stop. Siris followed her gaze to the left and noticed she was looking at some pancakes a customer across the café had ordered. Siris turned back to Nephy.

"Sylvie will have some pancakes," he told her.

"Alrighty, then," Nephy said as she wrote down the order.

She then leaned in closer to Siris.

"What's with the scars?" she whispered to Siris.

His immediate response was deadpanning to a random direction… which just so happens to be at you guys!

"Seriously, Nephy? You're gonna ask me THAT? This is not the place or time?!" he remarked to her quietly, hoping Sylvie wasn't listening to their conversation.

Nephy backed away, hands up in defense.

"Sorry, sorry. My curiosity got the best of me… anyways, your food will be out in just a moment!" she said before heading to the kitchen.

Siris sighed and shook his head. He looked up and saw Sylvie was looking at him with confusion.

"Don't worry, it was nothing, Sylvie. Just Nephy being silly."

Sylvie nodded and went back to staring at the pancakes. After a while, the food arrived at the table.

"Here ya go, guys! One sandwich for the hardworking and handsome doctor…" Nephy chimed.

Siris rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Nephy," he said as his food was served.

"… and one pancake tower for the lucky young lady," Nephy smirked as she served Sylvie her meal.

*Record scratch* (Stop music)

Siris' eyes grew as he snapped his head towards Nephy.

"Uh… wait, wha…?" he asked.

Nephy turned to face him, still smirking.

"Uh, no. No. Uh uh. No… no no no… i-it's not like that!" he stammered.

"Please, God, shut her up."

"Siris~," Nephy teased, "you're blushing~!"

She was right; Siris' cheeks were turning red.

"God, why have you forsaken me?"

"Nephy… please stop. And shoo. Don't you have other customers?"

"Eh," she shrugged, "I do, but I'm having too much fun with you!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, if you want a tip, I suggest you go tease someone else then, hm?"

"Fine," Nephy replied, rolling her eyes, "but this isn't over!"

With that, Nephy went back to work. Siris was about to give some kind of explanation to Sylvie, but noticed she was staring into the pancakes that were set in front of her.

"Sylvie?"

"Ah, this… is for me?"

"Yes, it is."

[ Kanon OST 5 2 Steps toward ] (Uploaded by KyonxNagato) (0:00)

Sylvie appeared to be intrigued by the pancakes, almost as though this was her first time ever seeing them before.

"Sylvie, have you ever eaten a pancake before?"

"… Eh?" she replied, "No, I've never eaten this before."

"Charles, you fat Nazi." (You got a problem with a pancake Nazi? Didn't think so.)

"Is it… okay for me to eat this?"

"Yes, it is. Dig in, Sylvie."

Sylvie stayed still for a moment.

"Then, thank you for the meal…"

Sylvie took her utensils and slowly cut into the pancakes. She nervously brought a piece up to her mouth and took a bite. The second the pancake slice went into her mouth, her expression changed to a slight surprise look.

"… Mmm. It's soft… and sweet."

Siris watched as Sylvie began eating her pancakes with vigor. She seemed to be enjoying her lunch. To his surprise, for the first time since he met her, Siris saw a small smile on Sylvie's face. He had a warm feeling rushing into his heart. Siris began eating his sandwich, hardly keeping his eyes off Sylvie's smile. A couple of minutes later, the two had finished their lunches.

"Mmm… thank you for the meal, it was very… delicious. Thank you very much," Sylvie said, her voice sounding livelier than usual.

"You're welcome, Sylvie."

Suddenly, maybe because she noticed herself, Sylvie went back to her usual expressionless self. Her eyes appeared to show shame, but Siris took little notice to them; he knew she was learning and that she was making progress.

"Ready to go home?" Siris asked.

"If that is your wish, Ma-" Sylvie replied.

"Please don't call me that in public," Siris interrupted, trying to sound as polite as possible, "I don't want people getting the wrong idea."

Sylvie appeared to understand and nodded.

"Alright, let's go home then. I'll quickly pay Nephy and we'll be on our way."

As though she was psychic, Nephy appeared next to Siris.

"Ah, all finished I see. Did you both enjoy your meals?"

"Yes, we did. Here's you go, 25 rings. And here are three as your tip."

"Thank you, Siris. Have a nice day, you two~!"

Nephy went to serve other customers as Siris and Sylvie got up and headed back home.

(Music fades)

---

Siris' Clinic

Tails was checking Sonic's wounds for the 20th time, by Knuckles' count. Knuckles was leaning against the wall, thinking about what he should do. He had his duty as guardian of the Master Emerald to search for the fragments and restore the Emerald; on the other hand, he had his best friend and rival badly hurt that might need his help. But there was something else on the echidna's mind.

"What did you mean when you said Siris looked familiar, Tails?"

Tails looked up from Sonic.

"Huh?"

"You said he looked familiar. Do you have any idea where you might have seen him before?"

"Uh… no. I've been thinking for the last couple of hours about that Knuckles. I don't remember or recognize him… but I swear, I get the feeling that I have seen him before…"

Knuckles could tell it was bothering Tails to no end. To be fair, this is how everyone acts when they try to remember.

"What about you Knuckles? You have that look whenever you're debating with yourself."

Knuckles closed his eyes and said nothing.

"Does it have to do with the Master Emerald and Sonic?"

"That kid is too smart for anything to get past him," Knuckles smiled to himself.

"Yeah," he replied, "as much as I want to help Sonic with… whatever it is he was planning, my duty to the Master Emerald must come first. I can't afford to waste time when that… thing… is still out there, probably searching for the shards as well."

Tails was nodding his head as he listened to his friend predicament.

"I don't think there's a wrong choice, Knuckles."

Knuckles looked up at Tails.

"We still don't know what happened to Sonic. But I don't think it was just a coincidence that you and Sonic were both attacked in such a short period of time."

"You think the two attacks are connected?"

"Mm hmm… I mean, it's just a theory, but it seems to be the likely case."

"If I'm understanding this right, Tails… staying here to help Sonic and find his attacker or leaving in search for the pieces of the Master Emerald; they both could lead to the one that attacked me?"

"Like I said, it's just a theory, but, yes, that's what I'm saying."

"Hmm…" Knuckles pondered, "I'll keep that in mind. We'll see what Sonic has to say when he wakes up."

Tails nodded and turned his attention back to Sonic.

"By the way… do you think it was a good idea to call?" asked Knuckles.

Before Tails could answer, the patient room door opened and Siris walked in.

---

Siris' House

[ Undertale OST – Ruins Extended ] (Etu Tran) (0:00)

When Siris and Sylvie got back home, she immediately went back to work. Siris went back to his room to grab his coat. As he was walking towards the clinic door, Sylvie asked if he wanted his brown shoes back. Siris declined and told her she could keep wearing them until they went shopping for clothes. She thanked him as he went into the clinic and began dusting his desk. As she worked, the day's events ran through Sylvie's mind.

"Master is very kind. He gave me meals, allowed me to go outside with him… Is my master… is he really a good person?"

As she continued to think about Siris, how he has treated her, and his possible motives, her rag brushed against something protruding from under the desk.

*Click*

"Huh?"

Sylvie got down on her knees and looked under the desk to see what she felt. On the left edge under the desk, there appeared to be some kind of button.

"A hidden button? What's this for?"

As Sylvie got back up, she noticed that drawer on lower left side of the desk was now three inches open. With curiosity, Sylvie peeked inside.

"What are these?"

Inside were two black metal rings, a small wooden box, a closed locket, and some kind of white disc-shaped thing. Sylvie's eyes widened, and she quickly closed the drawer.

*Click*

She began to feel anxious.

"I hope Master doesn't know about this. He might punish me!"

Sylvie pondered for a moment.

"No… maybe he won't. He might not be happy… but he promised to never hurt me."

Sylvie composed herself and went back to cleaning Siris' desk. A few seconds later, Sylvie saw a dim shine out of the corner of her left eye. She turned and saw it was coming from a blue orb that stood on top of a small bookshelf. Sylvie went up to the orb, but as soon as she took her first step, the orb stopped shining. Sylvie looked at the orb closely, wondering why it did that. After a moment, she shook her head and went back to work.

(Music fades)

---

Outskirts of the Sunset Heights, in Green/Sand Hills

[ Windy Hill… for Windy Valley – Sonic Adventure Music Extended ] (Uploaded by BrawlBRSTMs3 X) (0:00)

The sun was setting in the horizon, giving the world a reddish orange layer of color. A small lake can be found there, where a waterfall emptied into it. Surrounding this lake was a field of flowers; unique only to this small area. While a majority of Green Hills, informally referred to as Sand Hills, was still being restored to its former glory, this lake and small area surrounding it remained intact when Eggman took over the area. The vicinity was peaceful, with only the sounds of Flickies chirping, the roar of the waterfall, and the skipping of stones across the lake could be heard. Sitting on the shore of the lake sat a light gray colored hedgehog, telekinetically throwing said stones across the lake. Silver took the day off of working with the Resistance and repairing the nearby city. Although Knuckles had officially disbanded the Resistance months ago, Silver himself told him that there was still work to be done. So, unofficially, the Resistance hadn't disbanded. With the exception of the Chaotix and Sonic, all the other members and fighters were working together to rebuild everything Eggman had destroyed. However, it wasn't the repair work wasn't the reason why Silver was at the beautiful lake, nor was it the constant reminders of the war he fought until six months prior. The reason he was here, was because he was feeling melancholy. He wasn't sure why he felt this way. Or, that's what he's been telling himself for a while. Silver just stared into the lake's surface, watching the water ripple and flow up and down. He was so zoned out, he wasn't aware that two people were approaching him.

"Enjoying your little vacation, Silver?"

Silver was caught off guard and lost his focus; the stone he was levitating above him fell and hit him on the nose.

"Ow…" he moaned, rubbing his nose.

"Amy! You shouldn't have startled him like that! You know what happens when Silver loses concentration with his psychokinesis in use."

The pink hedgehog gave Silver an apologetic look.

"You're right, Cream. Sorry about that Silver."

Silver got up and turned to his friends.

"No worries, Amy. I'm fine. You did catch me off guard, but no harm done," he said with a friendly smile, "So, what brings you two to these parts?"

Amy and Cream looked at each other; then back towards Silver, with concerning looks on their faces.

"Ah… well, you see, Silver…" Amy began.

"Some people, us included, have noticed you've been acting… different lately," Cream finished.

Silver's face remained optimistic, but inside he felt busted, as though he was a kid caught staying up late.

"Different? What do you mean?" he asked nonchalantly.

Amy bit her lower lip.

"Well… these past couple of weeks, you've appeared to be… distracted," she said.

"You would look in the distance and just stare," Cream added.

"Maybe I just like the view," said Silver.

"Well…" Cream continued, "you would have this look in your eyes, as though you had lost something close to you."

Silver was confused and worried, which made him feel more confused, because why would he be worried?

"I haven't lost anything. At least, nothing worth losing sleep over…"

"Shoot! Slip of the tongue!" Silver mentally remarked.

Cream may be only 11, but she wasn't some naïve child anymore. And both she and Amy knew Silver was hiding something personal from them.

"So tell me, Silver," Cream asked, "what would cause you to lose sleep over?"

Silver had an anime drop of sweat appear.

"Aahh… well, losing a friend to my enemy, to start with…" Silver stated nervously.

"Just 'losing' a friend?" Amy questioned, putting her hands on her hips.

"I- uh… well, I mean, a close friend…"

Cream crossed her arms.

"You'd lose sleep if you only lost a 'close' friend?" she asked.

That drop just got a bit bigger.

"No, I didn't mean it like that! I mean, if I lost any of my friends, I would lose sleep!"

Amy raised one of her brows.

"You'd only lose sleep if a friend was lost? What about someone you miss?"

"Well, yeah… I mean, I have lost sleep over a friend I haven't seen in a long time…"

Silver was so nervous, he wasn't aware of what he just said. And what he said confirmed Amy and Cream's suspicions.

"Oh, so you miss someone?" Amy asked slyly.

"Uh… s-sometimes, sure! I mean, you miss Sonic, don't you?"

"Don't use my boyfriend to turn this thing against me, Silver," Amy warned.

"Uh…"

That drop of sweat sure is getting big, isn't it?

"So, who is it? Who do you miss?" Cream asked, joining Amy's scheme.

"Wha- No one! I've been… suffering from metal exhaustion, that's all!"

The girls laughed, causing Silver to give an exasperated expression.

"What? It's true! Why's that so funny?"

The girls calmed down before replying.

"Silver, really? You?" Cream asked.

"Huh?"

"You of all people, Silver, should know how to avoid mental exhaustion. You have the power to manipulate objects with your mind! You really think that excuse will fly with us?" Amy asked.

"Well… yes?"

Amy deadpanned and Cream facepalmed.

"No, Silver. It won't," Amy stated bluntly.

"Come on, there must be some reason you've been feeling sad lately," said Cream.

Silver looked at Cream.

"How did you know I was feeling sad?"

"You just told us," Amy and Cream said together.

[ Sad Trombone Sound Effect ] (Uploaded by EssentialSamples) (0:00 – 0:04)

"Way to go, moron," Silver mentally kicked himself.

"Ok… fine, I may have been feeling a little under the weather lately."

"Is this because you miss someone?" asked Amy.

"No."

"Amy, I don't think this is working," Cream whispered to Amy.

"Don't worry," Amy whispered back, "I've got an idea!"

Silver stood there, annoyed.

"If you guys are done pestering me, I would like to be left alone now, please?"

Amy shook her head.

"Alright, Silver. We'll stop asking. Why don't we just play a short game really quick!" she suggested.

Silver loosened up a little.

"A game?" he asked with suspicion, "What kind of game?"

"Oh, nothing too serious. We just take turns asking each other 10 questions at a time and the other person must answer them as fast as possible!" Amy explained.

"Hmm…" Silver thought out loud.

"Amy?" Cream whispered, "What are you doing?"

Amy winked at Cream.

"You'll see. For now, just play along!"

"Alirght, fine," Silver announced, "We'll play this game of yours. But only for a few minutes. After that, I'd like to be left alone. Deal?"

"Deal," Amy agreed.

The three sat down in a circle, or a triangle, facing each other.

"Ok, so for the first round, I'll ask you 10 questions Silver, then you ask Cream 10, and then she asks me 10. Second round we go in reverse, third round is the same as the first, and so on," Amy said, explaining the game, "The rule are simple: you must answer the questions, you must answer them as quickly as you can, no hesitating or you lose your turn to ask questions, no paradoxes, no 'yes or no' questions, no asking your opponent to do something, like dancing, hopping on one foot, et cetera, and most importantly…"

Amy gave Silver a dark glare.

"Absolutely no nudity," she growled.

Silver was unfazed.

"Uh… Amy, you do realize that you and Cream aren't adults, right? I am, but not you two… so I think that rule is self-evident and had no need to be stated."

Amy went back to her normal cheery self.

"Just making sure," she chuckled, "Ready, Silver?"

"I guess… wait, how do you win at this?"

"You don't, it's just for fun."

"Ok, fine. Ask."

"What's the color of your fur?"

"Light gray."

"What is Sonic's favorite food?"

"Chili dogs."

"What is Cream's mother's name?"

"Vanilla."

Silver answered question after question immediately. The game went on, with everyone asking simple no brainer questions to each other. Finally, the third round started.

"Alright, Silver," thought Amy, "let's see how you do with these questions."

"Out of questions, Amy? Gonna give up your turn?" Silver joked.

"Not to you, Silver. Ready?"

"Hit me."

"Alright..." said Amy, "What's the color of your eyes?"

"Gold."

"How old am I?"

"Ninet- 17!" Silver corrected himself.

Amy grinned.

"What species is that big purple Mobian, Big?"

"A cat."

"What have you been feeling emotionally lately?"

"Sad."

"Why?"

"Because I miss someone."

"And her name is?"

"Blaze."

"Thanks."

"Your welcome."

Cream sat there, dumbfounded and slack-jawed, while Amy leaned back with a look of success. It took Silver about 10 seconds to process what he just said.

"Wait… WHAT?!" he cried out.

Cream was laughing so hard that tears were falling out of her eyes. Silver just sat there like a statue, with his eye twitching.

"And the truth finally comes to light," Amy giggled.

"It's okay, Silver," said Cream as she pat Silver on the back, once she calmed down, "It's alright to miss someone you haven't seen in a long time."

Silver's reaction remained the same.

"Silver?" asked Amy.

She poked him in the cheek and he fell onto his back.

"Guess he's in shock, Amy."

"Yeah. I think I can fix that!"

Amy walked over to the lake, scooped some water with her hands, walked carefully over the Silver, and dumped the cold liquid on his face. Silver sat right up instantly.

"Aaahh! Huh? What? What happened?" Silver blurted out the moment the water hit his face.

"Oh, good, you're back," Amy teased.

"Why am I wet?"

"Amy poured water on your face."

"Why?"

"Because you went into shock when you told her that you missed Blaze."

Silver blinked a couple of times before proceeding to-

"Don't you dare go into shock again, mister," Amy ordered.

Silver obliged; instead he hung his head, embarrassed.

"Silver, come on! Don't be like that," Cream whined, "I'm sure you'll see Blaze again soon!"

"It's not… it's more than that…" Silver muttered.

"Huh? What do you mean Silver?" Amy asked with concern.

"It's… forget it, it doesn't matter."

"Something's bothering you about Blaze, Silver. We want to help you, so why not tell us what's wrong?" Cream asked.

"Please leave it alone, girls. It's probably too late, anyways."

"'Too late'? What's too late? I'm sure see Blaze again someday!"

Silver sighed.

"I haven't.. I mean, we haven't seen her in over a year! Not since Sonic's 19th birthday."

"Oh, yeah… you two seemed to be enjoy each other's company... wait…" Amy stared at Silver, "Do you like Blaze?"

"Yes," Silver answered, knowing there was no point in avoiding the inevitable.

He was almost half expecting Amy and Cream to tease him more with his feelings for Blaze.

"Have you told her your feelings?" Cream asked politely.

"… No."

"Why not?" Amy asked.

"Because I was afraid of how she would respond. And now, I don't think I'll ever know."

"But… isn't there a way you can see each other again?" Amy asked.

"There is… but only she can do it."

Amy sat down next to Cream.

"What can only Blaze do?" they asked.

"Travel between our worlds."

The girls gave Silver a puzzled look.

"But… why can't you? I mean, why can Blaze and not you?"

"… because we don't have them."

"Silver, what-"

Silver's head shot up, tears building in his eyes.

"We don't have the Chaos Emeralds!" he cried out.

Amy and Cream went quiet.

"Only with at least two Chaos Emeralds, or Sol Emeralds, can one travel between this world and Blaze's."

Amy pieced together Silver's problem.

"And because the Chaos Emeralds were sealed within the planet when Sonic defeated Dark Gaia…" she began.

"We can't go to Blaze's world and only she can use her Emeralds to come here," Silver finished.

Amy and Cream now fully understood why Silver has been feeling down.

"And now, unless she miraculously drops by, I'll never get to see her again."

"Just like before…" he thought.

Amy was sympathetic, but she felt like there was more than Silver was telling them.

"Silver, I understand why you're upset. But, you make it sound as though Blaze has been-"

Before she could finish what she was saying, Amy's communicator went off. She looked down at the caller ID, hoping it was Sonic. It wasn't, to her slight disappointment, but she was still glad as to who it was.

"Hi, Tails! It's been a couple of weeks. What's up?"

"Uh, hey, Amy."

His voice sounded like he had bad news.

"Tails?" Amy asked, "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Uh… yeah. Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I have… something to tell you, Amy."

"Okaaaay. What is it?"

"It's just that, I got a call from Sonic to meet him somewhere…"

The moment Sonic's name was mentioned, Amy's eyes widened.

"Sonic called you?! When?! Where is he?! Can I talk to him?!"

"Amy… uh… that's the thing…"

"Well, what is it, Tails?"

The communicator was silent for a few seconds.

"Tails, what-"

"Sonic's been hurt and he's unconscious and he's being treated at a local clinic."

Tails was so nervous, it almost sounded as though he made one long word. Amy's mouth slightly hung open. Silver and Cream looked at each other, back at Amy, and then covered their ears.

"Uh, Amy…?"

"SONIC IS WHAT!?"

(Music fades)

One napping Tails and explanation from Knuckles later…

"I'm coming over, right now!" Amy said loudly in her communicator.

"Amy," Knuckles argued, "I know you care about Sonic a lot, but there's no need for you to come see him. He'll be fine! As soon as he wakes up, we'll make sure he calls-"

"He hasn't called me in over a month!" Amy cried, "I'm tired of him just leaving me messages! I'm coming over, and that's that!"

"Amy, hold on a second-"

Amy ended the call. Cream and Silver were just lying on the ground, listening to the whole scene in amusement.

"What!?" screamed Amy.

"Nothing!" Silver chuckled, "But I do feel a bit better now!"

Amy glared at Silver.

"Don't think you off the hook, Silver. When I get back, we are going to continue this conversation about you and Blaze!"

"Wait, so you are leaving?" Cream asked.

"Yup. I'm heading to the airport now and I'm going to see my Sonic!"

"But, what about the Resistance?" Silver asked, "You were the one keeping the repair operations running smoothly."

"Cream will be in charge, with you helping her, Silver."

"What?" Silver started complaining, "But she-"

"Cream has been doing most of my job in the past week. She's almost as good as me. She'll keep things running with you supervising her efficiency."

"Fine," Silver sighed.

"Oh, don't worry, Silver. It's not like were having Charmy running things," Amy pointed out.

"… Good point. Well, I guess if she's been doing well this week, how much different can it possibly be next?"

"Besides," Amy continued, "I'm sure Vanilla wouldn't mind helping out as well."

Amy turned to Cream.

"Think you're up for the task?" she asked.

"I'll do my best, Amy."

"Thanks, you guys," said Amy, "Come on, Cream. Let's leave Silver alone… for now. And let's hurry. I have a plane to catch!"

---

Siris' Clinic

"Sorry," said Siris, "just checking on Sonic."

"Oh, no worries, we were just talking," said Tails.

Siris walked over to Sonic and checked on the progress of his wounds.

"His minor wounds appear to be almost completely healed. Guess his speed doesn't just apply to his legs," Siris stated.

Siris reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a flashlight pen. He lifted one of Sonic's eyelids and flashed a light across the eye a couple of times to check his pupil dilation. He then did the same to the other eye.

"There's nothing wrong, is there, doctor?" Knuckles asked.

"Aside from the sleep and couple of stitches, everything appears to be fine. We won't know exactly until he wakes up."

Tails' ears lowered.

"How long until he wakes up, Siris?" he asked.

Siris sighed.

"It's difficult to say right now. He could wake up in the next few seconds or tomorrow morning. If he suffered a concussion, it's possible he'll be out even longer," he explained.

"I see," said Tails.

"In any case, thank you again for your help, Siris," said Knuckles and shook Siris' hand.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. After all, it's part of the job."

Siris turned back to the door.

"As I mentioned before, the clinic closes at 5 PM, and you're not allowed to sleep here. But until closing time, you may stay as long as you wish!"

"Thanks!" Tails and Knuckles called out as Siris closed the door behind him.

Four hours later…

[ Resident Evil Remake Save Room (Safe Heaven) 1 Hour ] (Uploaded by OshiDood) (0:00)

Siris was sitting at his clinic desk, finishing some paperwork listening to some music. He heard a door open and close from down the hall. Tails and Knuckles walked up.

"We'll be staying at the hotel in town for the night," Knuckles said.

"Yeah. I hope you don't mind, but I landed my plane next to the clinic. I don't have any other place to store it for now, so…" Tails trailed off.

"It's alright, I'll make sure no one touches your plane, Tails. Have a good night, you two. I'll see you around."

Tails and Knuckles began to leave.

"Oh, hold on, Knuckles!" Tails exclaimed and turned back to Siris.

"Is something wrong, Tails?" Siris asked.

"No, I'm fine. I figured that since you'll be the one to know immediately when Sonic wakes up, I thought it would be a good idea for you to have this!" Tails explained as he pulled a small device from his inventory.

"Hm? What's this?" Siris asked as Tails placed it in his extended hand.

"It's a wrist-communicator," Tails told him, "It's a quick way for you to communicate with me and Knuckles."

"Really? You're letting me borrow one?"

"Nah, you can keep it. I make a lot of them, people prefer these over mobile phones anyways. Cool, huh?"

Siris wrapped the communicator around his right wrist and toyed with it for a moment.

"Wow, this is impressive," Siris complemented before looking at Tails, "And you build these? From scratch?"

"Uh, heh, yeah… I'm a bit of a techno nerd and mechanic."

"Cool. Such fine craftsmanship. Thank you very much, Tails. And don't you guys worry; the moment Sonic is awake, I'll contact you immediately."

"Yes, please do. And don't worry, my contact information is already listed in the device… Well, have a good night, Siris." Tails said before heading towards the door.

"… Actually, Tails…" Siris called out.

"Huh?" Tails said as he turned back to Siris, "What? Do you need help operating it?"

"Aw, maaaann… I hope the communicator isn't faulty," he thought.

"No, I think I've got it figured out. I actually had an idea come to mind."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Well, as I'm sure you and Knuckles are aware, since Sonic's case was and still is an emergency case, the costs will be a bit more than a normal one."

"Ah… right, the payment… well-"

"Hold on, don't get ahead of me. I actually have a friend currently living with me in my home, which is right through that door. How would you feel if I asked for another one of these communicators as payment instead of rings?"

"Really? I mean, these communicators aren't worth that much, and I'm sure even the two together wouldn't be enough to pay for the treatment."

"Don't worry about that, Tails! Money isn't an issue for me, it's not like I'm scraping to get by."

Tails thought about it.

"So, do we have a deal?" Siris asked.

"Deal!" Tails replied as he took out another communicator and gave it to Siris.

"Thanks. I'm sure she'll like it."

"She?" Knuckles asked with a smirk, "Is she a special lady friend of yours?"

"Oh, is that why you wanted-" Tails began.

"Good night, you two," Siris told them, shooing them away with his right hand; hoping he wasn't blushing.

"Alright, good night, Siris," said Knuckles, "By the way, what is that song you're listening to? I think I've heard it before."

"Safe room music from Resident Evil," Siris replied.

"Thought it sounded familiar. Well, see ya tomorrow!"

As soon as the door closed behind them, Siris began thinking aloud.

"What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this when it comes to Sylvie?" Siris said quietly, "I don't like her in that way; I mean, she's just a kid… the implications would ruin me."

Siris sighed.

"I'm gonna go to Hell, aren't I?… Maybe it's just the fact that I haven't had company in a long time… yeah, that must be it. Just getting used to having a friend staying over… right?"

Siris wasn't sure if that was convincing enough for himself.

"I got to get my mind off this issue. Maybe finishing these documents will help."

(Music fades)

One hour later…

Siris finished the last pages of paperwork. He stretched his arms out and got up, locking up the clinic before heading back inside his house. But just as he reached for the door, he heard noises coming from the clinic hallway.

"Hm?"

Siris turned around and checked the clinic. Nothing in the empty patient rooms and storage room. As he walked back towards his house, Siris heard a noise coming from the first room to his right.

"That's Sonic's room."

Siris slowly opened the door. He poked his head in and took a quick look around. Tails and Knuckles must have forgotten to turn the lights off, since they were still on. Siris took a look at Sonic and saw that he was stirring from his slumber. Siris went in to check.

"Sonic?"

Sonic's eyes began to slowly open.

[ Marvel's Spider-Man 2018 )ST – Oscorp Research Station Mission Theme 1 ] (Uploaded by gamingchannel546) (0:00)

"Sonic, can you hear me?" Siris asked, taking his flashlight pen out again.

"Ugh… my head.." Sonic moaned.

"Sonic, can you hear me?" Siris asked again as he opened one of Sonic's eyes and shined the flashlight at it.

"Get that light outta my face, will ya?" Sonic moaned, turning his head away from the annoying light.

"Thank goodness you're awake. I was getting worried about possible head trauma."

Sonic sat up and looked around.

"Where am I? And who are you?"

"I'm Siris, the town doctor. You're currently in my clinic."

Siris slightly hesitated when he answered, causing Sonic to be cautious.

"How did I get here? Last thing I remember was fighting my metal friend in a forest… right near an old Eggman base."

"Eggman base? In the forest?"

Sonic started to get suspicious about Siris.

"Sorry, let's worry that later. Back to your question; you were brought here by some… old friends of mine," Siris explained, "They told me they found you near some weird building, or base as you call it, in the middle of the forest that's next to town."

Sonic had no reason to think Siris was lying, but he also had no reason to trust him either. Yet, there was something about Siris that Sonic couldn't put his finger on… almost as though they've met before…

"Do I know you?" he asked Siris.

"Hm? I don't know… I mean, I'm sure it would be hard for someone to not know you, Sonic."

"It's just… ah, forget it. Anyways, who are these friends of yours that saved me? I suppose I should meet them and thank them for saving me. Judging by the stitches on me, I'm guessing I was worse when I first got here."

Siris tilted his head from side to side.

"Yeah… yeah, you were a wreck. You lost quite a bit of blood and you had scratches, wounds, and bruises everywhere. You've been out for nearly 14 hours."

"14 HOURS!?" Sonic cried out.

"Don't worry, I already met with Tails and Knuckles. They tried calling you earlier, so I answered your communicator and told them to come here."

"Huh? Knuckles? Why's he here? I thought Tails was coming alone," Sonic thought.

"Uh, you sure it was my friends, doc? I mean, a lot of people would do anything to get within 100 feet of me," Sonic joked.

"How many other two-tailed foxes with a red echidna friend do you know?" Siris asked.

"Uh… other than Tails and Knuckles, none. I guess…"

Sonic relaxed and laid back down. He then noticed the communicator on Siris' wrist.

"Where'd ya get that, doc?" Sonic asked.

"The communicator? Tails gave it to me. He gave me this and another for a friend of mine as payment for your treatment. He told me to call him as soon as you woke up. And since you're awake now, I think I'd better do so."

Siris began pressing buttons on the communicator.

"Hold on a minute, Siris," said Sonic.

"Hm? Why? Don't you want Tails and Knuckles to know you're awake now?" Siris asked.

"I do, but… I'd rather not see them now. This headache of mine is killing me and I feel like I haven't slept in ages."

"Hm… do you feel anything else, any… other symptoms?" Siris asked with great concern.

"Well… I do feel a little nauseous, even though I haven't eaten anything in the past few hours, obviously. My ears are ringing a little and I feel dizzy."

Siris sighed.

"Sonic, those are all signs of a concussion," he explained, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Siris held up his hand for Sonic to see.

"Two."

Siris deadpanned (and looked at the readers); he had up his thumb and his index and middle finger.

"How many digits am I holding up?"

"Three," Sonic smirked, "It's more fun to give a clever answer than the right answer."

Siris sighed, unable to hold back a small laugh.

"Ok, now follow my finger with your eyes. Don't move your head."

Siris moved his hand side to side and carefully watched Sonic's eyes as they followed his finger.

"Okay, good. From what I can tell you have definitely suffered a small concussion."

"You suspected before?"

"Yeah, the big black bump on your head was a dead giveaway."

Sonic rubbed the top of his head.

"Right…" Sonic moaned.

"Let me get you some pain medication. Nothing strong, just ibuprofen."

Siris left the room for a minute and came back with a couple of pills and a cup of water.

"Here, take both of these, it'll help deal with the pain."

"Thanks, doc."

"Ah, just call me Siris. Everyone does."

"Okay," Sonic replied before popping the pills into his mouth.

"For the time being, you should keep resting, Sonic. Seeing how fast you're able to heal quickly, I'm sure your concussion will go away in a matter of days, or a week at the most," Siris explained.

"Ah, no worries, Siris. I'll take it easy. Besides, I'm sure a good jog and some TV would be-"

"Absolutely not, Sonic," Siris warned, "I'm afraid to say, you must not do anything strenuous for the time being. That includes running and watching TV, or anything that requires a lot of concentration."

Sonic wasn't happy to hear this.

"I understand that you love to run, that's no secret to anyone on this planet. But this isn't some minor bump on the head you can just nod off, you basically bruised your brain. It needs to heal. If you push yourself, there could be severe consequences."

Sonic just stared at Siris, looking quite annoyed.

"One of those consequences," Siris continued, "could be second impact syndrome."

Sonic raised one of his brows.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It occurs when a second concussion is experienced before the brain has fully healed from the first one. I don't know how your body compensates against the forces you feel when you accelerate at high speeds; so it worries me that if you try to run with a concussion, you might end up doing more harm to your brain. You could have all sorts of complications; permanent memory loss, seizures, impaired motor and cognitive functions, even death."

Sonic seemed worried now.

"Impaired motor functions?" he asked with worry.

"I'm guessing you're more worried about not being able to run than dying? But, yes, you could end up not being able to run, or walk, normally again."

Sonic sighed.

"Fine… I suppose a week of doing nothing couldn't hurt," he said.

"Good to hear… Hm… From what I've observed so far, I think it's safe to say I can discharge you in the morning."

Sonic looked up at Siris.

"Tails and Knuckles are currently staying at the local hotel. You could stay there for the week, until you've fully recovered," said Siris.

"Thanks. Could you tell them that I have woken up?"

"Sure. I'll just send them a message. Too bad you didn't wake up a couple hours sooner when they were here. Anything else you want me to tell them?"

Sonic thought for a moment.

"Just that I'm not feeling my best right now and that's why I don't want to see them yet. But, tell them I want to talk to them in the morning about… uh… something important."

Siris gave Sonic a look.

"If you're referring to the base, I think we already went over it briefly before."

Sonic shook his head.

"No, I mean yes, but there's something else."

Siris relaxed his face.

"I don't think I should tell you-" Sonic began.

"No, no, it's fine, Sonic," Siris explained, "I thought you were referring to the base. It's not my business to know what you found or what your plans are."

Sonic sighed in relief. Siris wrote the message to Tails and Knuckles.

"So, nothing else? Just tell them you're awake, you have a minor concussion that should go away within the week, and that you have something important to tell them, including the base?" Siris asked.

"Yup, that 'bout sums it all up."

"Alright then, sending it now," said Siris as he pressed the send button.

"Thanks for everything, Siris."

"No problem, Sonic."

Siris checks the time on the communicator; which made things more convenient.

"Wow, it's almost seven!?" he exclaimed, "Jeez, I haven't even made dinner yet."

Siris paused and turned back to Sonic.

"Hey, you want anything to-"

Siris realized that Sonic was fast asleep, light snoring filled the room.

"Heh," Siris chuckled to himself, "guess that answers that question. See ya in the morning, Sonic."

Siris quietly left the room, dimming the lights as he closed the door. He took a deep breath and sighed, releasing the tension that had built up during the day's events, and walked towards the door leading to his home.

(Music fades)

---

Blue Moon Hotel

Tails and Knuckles were getting themselves ready for the night in their hotel room. The hotel was easy to find thanks to the directions given to them by a couple of locals and the room prices were quite low, much to their surprise. Tails had just pulled the sheets off the bed, when his communicator alerted him of a new message.

"That's strange… I just received a message from an unknown person," he remarked.

Knuckles, who was already resting on his bed, turned his head towards his confused friend.

"Maybe it's Siris," Knuckles suggested, "You probably forgot to add him to your contact list."

"Now that you mention it, I did forget to add him as a contact since I gave him the communicators. And I did mention mine was already in his," Tails explained as he activated his communicator, "Remind me to add him as a contact the next time we-"

Silence filled the room as Tails stopped talking for a few seconds. Knuckles had already went back into a more comfortable position to sleep as Tails was talking to him.

"Sure, I'll remind ya, Tails," Knuckles replied, not really paying attention.

After a few more seconds of silence, Knuckles was a little annoyed.

"Sheesh, I told him that I would remind of about Siris' contact info, the least Tails could do is thank me."

"Hey, Tails? I said would remind you."

Still no response. Knuckles turned back to Tails.

"Tails, the polite thing-", Knuckles began before stopping himself.

He saw Tails staring with wide eyes at his communicator. Concerned, Knuckles got up and walked to him.

"Tails?" Knuckles asked, putting a hand on the kitsune's shoulder, "What's up? Something wrong?"

Tails turned off his communicator and took a deep breath before turning to Knuckles.

"It was Siris who sent the message."

"…And? What happened? Is Sonic okay?"

"…Uh, yeah. Actually, Sonic woke up."

Now Knuckles' eyes widened.

"Really? When? Are we going to see him now?"

"Whoa, slow down, Knuckles," said Tails, who was already trying to keep himself calm, "Sonic woke up about 20 minutes ago. He and Siris talked for a bit. Siris mentions in the message that Sonic has a minor concussion, needs to rest for a few days, and he didn't want to talk to us until morning about Eggman's base and something important."

The two stood there in silence, their bodies shaking with excitement and nervousness.

"Well, that's… great news, Tails," said Knuckles.

"Yeah, it is. I feel much better knowing that Sonic woke up and appears to be okay, aside from the concussion."

"Don't worry, Tails," Knuckles chuckled, "Sonic will be back to normal in no time."

Knuckles thought for a moment.

"Or at least what could be considered normal for him," he added, laughing.

"Very funny, Knuckles," Tails remarked sarcastically, "Let's get some rest. Knowing Sonic, he'd probably have us sneak him out of the clinic tomorrow, just so we could go explore that base."

"He probably would," Knuckles replied as he headed back to his bed, "'Night, Tails."

"'Night, Knuckles."

As the two friends drifted off to sleep, they were unaware that someone was listening in on their conversation from the hallway outside.

"Sonic the Hedgehog? Here? In Blue Moon Village?"

The stranger paused.

"Hm… Sonic is at the clinic now… this is not good… But, maybe… maybe I can stop Siris' plans… Yes, with Sonic and his friend's help, I might be able to put Siris away forever… perhaps these… unexpected arrivals may be the key to his plan… I can't let that doctor win. Instead, I'll show them the truth behind his… angelic façade."

The stranger squeezed his fists.

"Too long has he been a thorn in the side. If I want to bring justice to the world… I must prove that he is guilty of his crimes… I just need more time…"

The stranger walked away, mumbling to himself. Just as the stranger disappeared behind the closing elevator doors, the door across from Tails and Knuckles' room opened. A head poked out and looked around.

"Hey," a voice from within the room called out, "do you see anyone?"

The head went back into the room and the door closed.

"Nah," the owner of said head replied, "didn't see anyone. They must have left or something."

"Phew, that's a relief," said the first, "For a moment I thought it was Vector hunting for us."

"Well, it wasn't… I hope. Anyways, let's get back to sleep. I just got a message from Siris saying that Sonic woke up. We can meet with them tomorrow morning!"

"What do you mean 'message'? Don't you mean email?"

"Funny, I know. Apparently, Tails gave him a communicator. Now we can call or message him directly."

"Tails? He's here?"

"Yeah, and so is your old pal, Knuckles!"

"Get outta here! Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Heh, this week is getting more and more interesting…"

---

Abandoned Eggmanland

[ Eggman Land – Crimson Carnival Night – Sonic Unleashed Music Extended ] (Uploaded by BrawlBRSTMs3 X) (0:00)

After hours of searching around the long abandoned Eggmanland, Team Dark decided to end the search there and began planning their next possible location to search. Rouge was thinking of all the most likely places that could possibly harbor a Chaos Emerald, assuming more were on the surface, while Shadow, standing nearby with his arms crossed, shot down suggestions one by one, giving each a simple, but reasonable, remark about why they shouldn't go there. Omega was standing nearby, keeping an eye on the area around them. He hadn't given much input to any of Rouge's suggestions, other than pointing out locations Team Chaotix have already searched or planned on searching. Even to Shadow, it was surprising just how much ground those three have managed to cover in just a few hours. As Rouge continued to list off locations, Omega's scans briefly picked something up. It was so brief, that it was only thanks to Omega's extremely high-speed response programs and systems that he was able to catch it. Eggman built his E-series robots to have response times as short as a few nanoseconds. Yeah, I wish my computer and gaming systems were as good, if not better. Anyways, Omega turned in the direction the anomaly was picked up. He didn't see anything, but he went to check it out anyways, just to be sure.

"We're running out of possible locations, Shadow," Rouge stated.

"Doesn't mean you don't have a few hundred more," Shadow retorted, "Where else should we look?"

"Station Square?" Rouge suggested.

"Too many people. I'm sure someone would have found an Emerald there by now."

"South Island?"

"Searched there over a year ago, before my first run in with Infinite. Even now, with all the repairs going on, someone would have found it by now."

|| Explanation in A/N at end of chapter ||

"Angel Island?"

Shadow slightly deadpanned at Rouge.

"Wrong Emerald, Rouge. Even if a Chaos Emerald was there, I'm sure your boyfriend would have already given it to Sonic, if he hadn't lost it already."

Rouge glared at him.

"One, that echidna is not my boyfriend!" she stated, a bit louder than she was talking before.

"You're blushing," Shadow retorted bluntly.

"Not important! Two, Knuckles would have told us if he found an emerald; he promised us years ago he would."

"You mean he promised you, not us," Shadow corrected, rolling his eyes.

"And three, what makes you think he would lose a Chaos Emerald when-"

"Because he's incapable of protecting even one, specifically the one he guards at all times, for one day without someone stealing or breaking it."

Rouge sighed.

"Fine, next location…" she continued, smirking when she thought of a special place, which Shadow immediately noticed.

"What have you come up with now?" he asked, annoyed.

"The ARK."

Shadow closed his eyes as he lifted his right hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose (or the closest thing on a Mobian).

"No."

"Why?"

"It's in space, we have researchers working there who are probably smart enough to know if one is there…"

"Well, you never know-"

"And you already know all that and just suggested the ARK just to mess with me. Next?"

Rouge sighed.

"Well, we could… hang on, where's Omega?"

Rouge looked around.

"Probably bored of these suggestions, as I am. He went back over there a minute ago," Shadow told her as he jerked his head towards Omega, who was scanning the area.

Rouge noticed and turned to Shadow.

"I wonder what he's up to. Come on, let's catch up and ask him," said Rouge.

"Mm hmm," Shadow responded.

He pulled out the green Chaos Emerald.

"Chaos Control."

The two disappeared in a small flash of light and teleported next to Omega within the next infinitesimal moment. Omega didn't notice, or he did and just ignored them, and kept scanning. Rouge stepped forward.

"Omega?"

Omega scanned for a couple more seconds before turning to Rouge.

"Rouge. Have you and Shadow decided on the next location?"

"Not yet, Omega. What are you doing over here?"

Omega turned back towards the direction he was scanning.

"Sensors picked up an unknown anomaly in this vicinity," he informed them.

Shadow and Rouge looked around in the general direction Omega was looking.

"I don't see anything. You sure your scanners found something?" Rouge asked.

"Affirmative. Anomaly picked up approximately 35 meters away from our previous location."

"You mean, from where we were planning our next move?" Rouge asked.

"Affirmative. Anomaly was found on scanners for approximately 1.2 nanoseconds."

Rouge shook her head.

"Shadow, do you see or sense anything?" she asked.

Shadow took a quick look around, with the help of Chaos Control to freeze time. He came back and shook his head, indicating to Rouge that he didn't.

"There's nothing here, Omega. It was probably nothing, a fluke. Or your sensors just need an update."

Omega turned to Rouge.

"All systems are at maximum efficiency. All systems running nominal. Damage assessment reads 0.00%. Update not necessary."

Rouge sighed. Of all the years she's known Omega, it was nearly impossible to prove any of his systems to be flawed or if he ever made a mistake.

"Let's get moving," said Shadow, "we're wasting time just standing here. Rouge, besides space and the core of the planet, where would be the last place you would look for a Chaos Emerald?"

Rouge thought for a moment.

"Last place I would check would be where ever Sonic is. Experience has been that Sonic would manage to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds during his adventures and defeat his enemy with them."

Shadow silently listened.

"…If this was over two years ago," Rouge continued, "Now, I'm not so sure it is even possible."

Shadow just stared.

"Might as well ask and see what he'll say," she added as she brought up her communicator to contact Sonic.

After a couple of seconds of pushing buttons, Rouge had a confused look on her face.

"Hm… that's strange… something's causing a lot of interference; I can't get a hold of Sonic or his friends," she explained.

Shadow sighed and brought his communicator up. (Again, Sonic 06 style, it's there, we just can't see it.)

"G.U.N. Command, this Agent Shadow."

While normal communications were down, G.U.N.'s communications were done over a different frequency, which was almost nearly impossible to block or interfere.

"This is Command. What's the status of your mission, over?"

"Mission ongoing. Requesting immediate location of Sonic the Hedgehog."

The communicator was silent for a few seconds.

"Uh, request pending, Agent Shadow, please standby."

The three members of the team were surprised. Since when did Shadow's requests ever need pending? And it wasn't like he was asking for an arsenal of military grade weapons, he was just looking for the person he'd rather not deal with. In fact, even when he asked for an arsenal, his request was immediately granted.

"Let me repeat my request, in case you didn't hear me the first time," Shadow explained with a threatening tone, "Where is Sonic the Hedgehog?"

The only response for a moment was silence.

"R-roger, Agent Shadow, understood… uh… Person's location is currently unknown… last known location was South Island, six months ago."

"I know that, I'm the one who reported that location, you idiot," Shadow growled, "Give me the most recent witness sighting of him."

"Uh… roger, one second, Agent… witnesses have reportedly sighted him near Spagonia about two weeks ago. Also, I have new orders for you from the Commander. He's ordered you to refrain from using the Chaos Emerald as a means for transportation from this point further. He wants this mission to be top secret and to have as little attention made as possible. That includes possible enemies scanning for your Emerald and getting any form of assistance on this mission."

"Understood," Shadow replied and turned off his communicator.

"Idiot," he muttered as he rubbed his forehead.

"Well, that was quite amusing," Rouge stated, "Never heard of anyone delay your request, Shadow. And I'm sure that we already broke one of those new orders before we even got them."

"Hmm…"

"…You think something's up?" she asked.

"No. Just someone's incompetence. Let's get moving, it'll take a few hours for us to get to Spagonia."

"You're not going to use Chaos Control?" Rouge asked.

"…For now, no. We have our orders. Let's go."

The three sped off towards the distance, searching for Sonic.

(Music fades)

---

Siris' Home

[ Kanon OST 5 2 Steps toward ] (Uploaded by KyonxNagato) (0:00) (Loop it… a lot)

Siris entered his home, taking a look at Sylvie's hard work for the day.

"Wow, Sylvie did a lot of cleaning. I'm amazed she did this much in one day."

Siris sighed as his mood changed from appreciation to guilt.

"I shouldn't be doing this. I mean, she's no longer a slave, but now I feel as though I have a servant… or a maid. And an unpaid one too. She has no where else to live nor would she accept rings as payment. I suppose what we have now will have to do."

Siris went to his bedroom and put his coat away. He came back out and headed towards the kitchen. Before he reached it, Siris saw Sylvie standing by one of the bookcases. He went up to her and noticed she was staring at the glowing blue orb.

"Find something interesting?" Siris asked.

Sylvie jumped and turned towards Siris.

"Oh, Master. Welcome home. I didn't hear you come in."

"It's fine, Sylvie. I see you've noticed the orb on the bookcase there."

Sylvie started looking anxious.

"Uh, this orb? I- I didn't touch it or anything, honest."

Siris smiled and shook his head.

"Sylvie, I'm not saying you did anything wrong. I'm just stating that you seem to like looking at it."

Sylvie looked down, slightly embarrassed.

"Well… it is a pretty color… and the glow makes me feel… calm," she explained.

"Hm. I get the same feeling when I look at it too."

Siris walked up next to Sylvie.

"I've had this orb for two years. Funny thing is, it shouldn't even be an orb."

"Eh?" Sylvie asked.

Siris shook his head.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. There's some history behind that orb," Siris explained as he turned to Sylvie, "Maybe one day, I'll tell you about it."

Sylvie just stared at Siris. She wasn't exactly sure about what he meant. Siris turned away, realizing that he was starting to blush.

"I really need to get some serious help if these thoughts don't go away," Siris thought to himself.

"Anyways, Sylvie, it's almost time for dinner. Anything in particular you would like to eat?"

Sylvie silently thought for a moment.

"What ever Master wishes to eat would be fine with me," she replied timidly.

Siris smiled and stroked the top of Sylvie's head.

"If you say so, Sylvie. I make us some rice and breaded pork chops tonight."

"Huh," Siris thought as he continued stroking…

GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!

*Ahem* Anyways…

… as he continued stroking Sylvie's head, "I can barely feel her body heat through her fur and quills…"

"Uh…" Sylvie began saying, "stroking my head… feels good?"

"Hm?" Siris replied, "Do you like how it feels when I stroke your fur and quills?"

Sylvie closed her eyes.

"I don't think my fur is that pretty…" she said sadly.

"Well, I think it is," Siris told her.

Sylvie smiled a little upon hearing Siris' compliment. A couple seconds later, he stopped stroking her head.

"I'll get started on dinner," he said.

Sylvie's smile vanished, and she looked at Siris with the look of someone who wants to help.

"Would you like to help me prepare, Sylvie?" Siris asked.

"If Master does not mind."

With that, the two went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"She sure is learning fast."

30 minutes later…

"This meal is delicious. Thank you very much," said Sylvie as Siris placed her meal in front of her at the dinner table.

"Your welcome, Sylvie."

The two began to eat their meal in silence.

"… Ah, Master?"

"Yes, Sylvie?"

"… How's So- I mean, the patient?"

"Sylvie, you can refer to everyone by their name," Siris explained, "But, to answer your question, Sonic's doing quite well. He woke up a few minutes before I came back inside. He has a minor concussion, but with a few days rest, he'll be back to normal."

"… That's good."

Siris noticed Sylvie was still being her emotionless self.

"You're quite the expressionless one, aren't you?" Siris asked.

"…I'm expressionless?"

Siris nodded.

"I mean, I've seen you smile a couple of times and I've seen a look in your eyes, but most of the time, you show no emotion," he explained.

"Sorry, this has become a habit."

"Because of your last master?"

Sylvie nodded.

"It would have been better if I didn't have a soul…" she said quietly.

Siris shot a look of concern towards her. Sylvie must have assumed she was quiet enough for Siris to not hear, because Siris' expression slightly startled Sylvie.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, Master. I… I mean… what I meant was…"

Sylvie trailed off and went silent. Siris was worried about her state of mind.

"It's alright, Sylvie. I understand how you feel."

Sylvie seemed relieved to hear that.

"…I see that it's getting late. Why don't we go straight to bed after finish eating?" he suggested.

"That's fine," Sylvie replied.

They remained silent for a few moments as they continued eating.

"Sylvie," said Siris, "tomorrow morning, there will be a few visitors coming to see Sonic."

Sylvie looked up; her eyes seemed to be telling Siris that she was ready for her orders as a slave.

"Don't worry, they'll be in the clinic. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be in the clinic all day tomorrow, including lunch," Siris explained, "In the meantime, I have a little gift for you."

Sylvie was confused.

"A… gift? From my master? Is it some kind of punishment?"

"Which hand do you write with, Sylvie?"

"Eh?" she replied, "Uh… my right hand. Why?"

"I have a little thing you can wear on your wrist. I assume you'd like to wear it on your left?"

"…Actually, I prefer wearing things on my right wrist," she replied shyly.

"Really? Huh. Funny, so do I," Siris remarked.

Same, I wear my watch on my right wrist even though I write with my right hand. Strange isn't- no, wait, I'll save that for later.

"Can I have your right hand, please?" he asked.

Sylvie reluctantly offered Siris her right hand. Siris reached into his inventory and pulled out a communicator. He gently wrapped it around her wrist and fastened it on, making sure it wasn't on too tight.

"Is this too tight?" he asked?

"…No. Uh… what is this thing?"

"As payment for Sonic's treatment, I made a deal with one of his friends that came by earlier; instead of rings he gave me two communicators."

"Really?"

'Yeah. These things are pretty cool… actually, in all honesty, he gave me one as a means to contact him. I had the idea of him giving me another and making both cover the costs."

"Why would you ask for a second one?"

Siris blushed a little.

"I figured… maybe you could have one as well."

"Oh… you didn't need to do that," Sylvie said timidly.

They were silent for moment.

"Well, consider it as a gift for all the hard work you've done so far. I know you've only been here for two days now, but I figured why not?. Here, I'll show you how it works."

15 minutes of explanation and eating later…

"Here, I'll do the dishes, Sylvie. Why don't you head on off to bed now?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's not a big deal."

Sylvie seemed hesitant.

"It's fine, Sylvie, don't worry. I'm sure there's plenty more you can do tomorrow. For now, get some rest. I got a feeling it's going to be a big day, for both of us."

"…In that case, good night, Master. And thank you for the meal."

Sylvie nodded her head and walked off to her room. Siris got up and took the dishes to the sink. Although he was amazed by today's events and the coming events of the next day, Siris could help but feel something was wrong; like this was beyond a coincidence. Like someone had planned this all out.

(Music fades)

---

Secret Base at Unknown Location

[ Deadspace soundtrack 1: Dead Space Theme ] (Uploaded by GoldskinOST) (0:00) (Loop it multiple times)

Deep in a secret base, an unknown individual sat in their thrown, shrouded in the shadows, overlooking the construction of a robot army. The thrown was surrounded by monitors, each surveying different locations around the base. The individual kept a close eye on one, which housed their prisoner. A small bird shaped robot flew in and perched itself on the individual's shoulder.

"Ah," they said with a robotic voice, "another update? And so soon? It had better be good."

A small wire shot out of the arm of the thrown and plugged itself into the access port on the bird's neck. A small screen appeared right in front of the individual. They quickly read through the update before releasing the cable from the bird.

"Send them in, immediately," they said and the bird flew away.

A few seconds later, two mechanical doors opened at the end of the room and two figures entered.

"So… I see that both of you have failed to comply with my instructions," the individual told the two, "Is there any reason why that is?"

The first figure walked up, stepping into the dim light given off by a single light bulb in the center of the room. The figure responded with mechanical noises and beeps.

"Is that so?" the individual asked, "This is interesting… so you think that's why Sonic had defeated you so easily, Metal Sonc?"

Metal Sonic nodded, occasionally his head jerked due to the damage Sonic had done to him when they fought. The damage to his head was now severe, with many circuits fried and components missing and sparks constantly spraying every direction. His body was dented and warped, and his limbs where all covered in scratches and chips of metal missing.

"Hm…" the individual pondered, "This news is very disturbing to me, Metal Sonic."

Metal Sonic appeared to be nervous in this individual's presence.

"However," they continued, "it also pleases me. This could actually make things simpler… Go get yourself repaired, Metal Sonic. I'm still disappointed that you were seen by that hedgehog, but given the circumstances, I'll pardon you for now. You may leave."

Metal Sonic made a couple of beeps and left the room.

"As for you," the individual said to the other figure, "you I might not be so generous to. Step forward!"

The figure stepped forward, the light revealing they were wearing a cloak.

"So, you failed to retrieve the Master Emerald. Worse, you allowed that idiot echidna to shatter it into numerous pieces, which flew all over the globe. While Metal Sonic failed, he managed to bring me useful information; you have failed, and yet you bring me nothing? I should throw you into-"

The cloaked figure interrupted the individual with beeps.

"Is that so? Bring them to me. I wish to analyze them."

The cloaked figure reached into their inventory and revealed three green crystals to the individual.

"Hm… they appear to be fragments of the Master Emerald… Well, give them to me!"

The cloaked figure walked up to the individual, handing them the fragments before slowly backing away.

"Computer," the individual ordered, "scan these items and give me the results, immediately!"

From the ceiling, a laser-shaped machine was lowered down. From the end, it fired a beam of light to analyze the fragments. Within seconds, the machine finished scanning, returned to the ceiling, and produced the results on the small screen in front of the individual.

"Well, now. Even I'm surprised. These are indeed fragments of the Master Emerald."

The individual turned to the cloaked figure.

"I might have been a bit hasty with you… ah, you appear to be damaged as well. You may leave now for repairs. As soon as you are finished, return back to me at once. I have a new job for you."

The cloaked figure nodded and left the room. The room was once again filled with the sounds of computer beeps and hums. But the individual sensed another presence in the room.

"Ah, returned so soon?" they turned their head to the right and saw a shadow figure in the darkness. A pair of green eyes appeared on the figure.

"Yes, and I have good news, if I may proceed."

"Continue."

"Thank you, my lord. It seems Shadow and his little team are unable to find any evidence of the remaining Chaos Emeralds. They've become so desperate that they even recruited the help from the Chaotix and Sonic himself."

"Really? This is becoming more and more complicated…" the individual stated, "I like it. It also makes things easier in the long run. Instead of having to deal with all of them one by one, we can take them all out at once."

"There's more."

"Oh, this is getting better and better. Continue."

"According to G.U.N.'s intel, Sonic was last seen in Spagonia two weeks ago."

The individual was very pleased.

"Oh, this is too good. I know exactly what you're getting at. Sonic must have been looking for Dr. Eggman. And if he's traveled to the location I think he went… then Metal Sonic's data is consistent. Sonic must be at Blue Moon Village."

The individual began to slowly laugh, menacingly.

"Oh, this is excellent. Those fools won't realize that I have two sleeper agents already placed there. When the time comes-"

"I'm afraid I have some terrible news regarding that detail, my lord."

"What? Tell me, now!"

"It would seem that one of those agents, a Charles Hemburg, has recently died in a fatal car accident."

"Is that so? Well, that would explain why he hasn't been in contact in the past week. Hmm… this puts a small wrinkle in my plans. No matter, I have plenty of time to solve this issue."

"I also have unfortunate news regarding my job, as well."

"Unbelievable… what is it?"

"It appears the robot Shadow drags around with him is more advanced than we initially believed… I'm certain that for a fraction of a second, his equipment was able to detect me."

"I am not-"

"But, I may have a solution and an alternate plan."

Silence.

"Go on."

"Why not send a squad of robot troops after them? They'll believe that they're the reason for the anomaly on the scans. For them, it could mean either they are close to another Chaos Emerald or just slow them down on their search for Sonic. Better yet, we could send even larger squads after them to throw them on a wild goose chase. More resistance means getting close to something important, right? That way, I can stay on their tracks without having to worry of being detected again."

"I like the way you think. And I will send a platoon after them immediately. But I will slightly delay your part in this new plan. For now, I have a special job for you…"

10 minutes later…

"So, do you understand what must be done?"

"Yes, my lord. And I presume this machine can only be used once?"

"Correct. You must leave immediately. The more of an upper hand we can get, the better."

"I will begin my mission now, my lord."

The shadow figure vanished.

"Computer, send in the best retrieval team we have. And make sure they have a Class C Level 8 leader attached to their unit."

Within a minute, a group of four robots entered the room.

"Orders, sir?" they asked in unison.

"It's time we poke the hornet's nest. I have a mission for you four. You are to travel to the town of Blue Moon Village and apprehend Sonic the Hedgehog. I have a theory that he's there now. You are to find him-"

The robotic bird entered and flew quickly to its leader.

"What? More news?"

The bird was plugged in and the individual read the news.

"Aw, now this is just the cherry on top of the beautifully crafted plans."

The individual turned their attention back to the unit.

"Slight change in plans. It would seem that our agent from Blue Moon Village has wonderful news. Sonic has been badly injured during his skirmish with Metal Sonic! This will make things easier. Forget apprehending the hedgehog…"

The individual leaned forward, their shadow towering over the unit.

"… kill him on sight."

"Understood."

"Very good. Your unit callsign will be Dagger; leader is Black Hand."

"Yes, my lord."

"You two," the individual ordered, pointing to two of the Dagger units, "come forth."

The two did as they were told as their comrade and leader watched.

"I think I will sacrifice two of these Master Emerald fragments to each of you. While they have no grand use on their own, you two will be able to harness some of its power."

The individual modified the two soldiers so they each could house a shard and gain its power. Their eyes began to glow green before changing back to red.

"Begin you mission immediately! And leave no witnesses!"

The unit bowed and left the room.

"You may have gotten stronger over the years, Sonic… but this time, you won't survive. Once everything has been set, no one will survive my wrath."

(Music fades)

---

*** October 13, 2020 ***

Siris' Home

[ Kanon OST 8 Pure snows ] (Uploaded by KyonxNagato) (0:00) (Yup, loop it over and over)

"Good morning, Master."

"Morning, Sylvie. Up early again, I see."

Like yesterday, Sylvie had woken up earlier than Siris. She was already sitting on the ground folding laundry when Siris walked into the living room/kitchen hybrid. It was 6:30, a bit later than Siris wanted to get up, but too late now. He walked into the kitchen and made himself a cup of hot chocolate. As Siris turned around from the stove where he boiled the milk, he noticed Sylvie was looking in his direction. As soon as his eyes met hers, she quickly turned away and focused on folding the laundry. Though she tried to hide it, Siris easily knew what Sylvie wanted.

"Would you like a cup of hot chocolate, Sylvie?"

She turned back to Siris and slowly nodded her head. Siris smiled and grabbed a mug and another hot cocoa mix from the cabinet. There was still enough hot milk sitting on the stove for another cup. Siris would sometimes treat himself to two cups but decided to give Sylvie one instead. He made her a glass and turned back.

"Would you like whipped cream with it?"

Don't even go there, sickos.

"Uh… whipped cream?"

"My god, first pancakes, now whipped cream? I can't wait to show her all these amazing things she's been kept away from…"

Siris' mind stopped.

"Wait… why am I getting so excited by this? It shouldn't come as a surprise to me that she might not know about these kinds of things."

"Master?"

Sylvie's voice brought Siris back from reality.

"Oh, sorry, Sylvie. Here," Siris replied as he went to the fridge, "this is whipped cream. Come over and have a test taste."

I mean it… not one word.

Sylvie got up and walked up to Siris. He asked her to stick our her finger as he placed some dessert on it. Sylvie gave it try.

"So, would you like some in your cocoa?"

"Yes, please."

Siris added some to her drink and handed her the mug.

"Careful," he warned, "it might still be hot. Give it a minute or two to cool down."

Sylvie nodded and sat down at the table. She slowly brought the mug up to her mouth…

This is a lost cause isn't it? Me warning you?

… and took a sip.

'It's sweet and warm… I've never had a drink like this before," she noted.

"Glad you like it," Siris told her as he took a sip from his mug.

Siris sat down across from Sylvie. They didn't talk; just drank their hot cocoa. Siris' gaze would occasionally shift to the scars on Sylvie's body. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Sylvie caught Siris observing her.

"These scars from when corrosive chemicals were poured on me," she explained.

Siris' eyes darted towards Sylvie's.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare… wait, someone gave you those scars?"

Sylvie slowly nodded her head.

"I'd… rather not remember it," she replied, getting a little choked up, "I dislike painful things, but… I don't intend to disobey anything Master wants me to do."

Siris rubbed his forehead.

"So it's not like she doesn't have anything she dislikes."

Siris reached over and patted Sylvie on the head.

"…Is there something wrong?" Sylvie asked.

Siris just smiled and shook his head.

"She has breathtaking silver fur and calm eyes…"

Siris' train of thought was interrupted when he loud knocking at the front door.

(Music fades)

"Huh? Are they here already?" Siris asked as he got up and walked to the door.

He opened the door to see who it was.

"Hello?"

"WHERE'S SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!?"

"Uh… good morning to you too…" Siris said to the pink hedgehog that just shouted in his face.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away there. I'm Amy Rose, Sonic's-" she began.

"Sonic's friend, I'm guessing," Siris finished.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Look, Amy, I know you want to see Sonic, but right now he's sleeping off a concussion and the clinic is closed. So, you'll just have to wait a couple of hours before-"

"Please~?" Amy begged.

Siris rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No."

Amy was not too happy to hear that.

"Listen, Sonic's fine. He's not going anywhere. When the clinic opens in a couple of hours you can-"

Amy pulled our her Piko Piko Hammer and raised it over her head.

"-wait, where did you pull that hammer from?"

Amy slammed her hammer down towards Siris' head…

…

…

Making suspense here.

…

…

…only for Siris to effortlessly stop it an inch away from his head with his left hand. Amy was shocked, as was Sylvie, who was watching this occur.

"Hm," said Siris, "Overreacting a bit, are we?"

"Uh…" was all Amy could say.

"By the way, I'm right handed. Now put that thing away. I can tell that you'll refuse to wait, so I'll let you in the clinic in a minute. Let me just get ready first. Okay?"

Amy nodded slowly as she put her hammer back into… Hammerspace? Who knows, your guess is as good as mine. Siris closed the door.

"Sorry about that Sylvie. Wasn't expecting that. I'm gonna go get ready so she can see Sonic. You don't mind doing the dishes, do you?"

Sylvie shook her head.

"It is no problem, Master."

"Okay, thanks, Sylvie. I would do them, but I get the feeling Amy will try to break down the clinic door any second."

Siris rushed off to the bathroom to ger ready.

"Master is very strong," thought Sylvie.

Two minutes later, Siris walked down the hallway in his lab coat.

"I'll be in the clinic, Sylvie. If you need anything, just knock," he told Sylvie as he walked into his clinic.

"Have a good day," Sylvie said before Siris closed the door behind him.

"You too, Sylvie," he replied.

Siris walked to the clinic's front door to unlock it. He didn't even have a chance to reach the lock before Amy opened the door and walked in.

"Huh… I thought I locked the door last night," Siris thought.

"So, where's Sonic?"

"Uh, right! Follow me."

Siris led Amy to Sonic's room.

"He might still be sleeping. If he is, I'd advise you let him stay that way. A concussion is not something to take lightly and sleep is the best treatment for one," Siris explained.

"I understand. Thank you, uh… doctor…?"

"Call me Siris."

Siris opened the door and peaked inside. The lights were still dimmed from last night.

"Sonic?" Siris called out softly.

Sonic was lying in bed, lightly snoring. Siris closed the door and turned to Amy.

"Sorry, Amy, he's still sleeping. You'll have to wait up front."

"Aww…" Amy pouted, "Can't I stay by his side? I promise not to bother him or wake him up."

Siris sighed.

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

"Alright. But if you wake him up, I'll have to remove you from his room."

"Thank you, Siris!" Amy exclaimed, shaking his hand with both of hers.

"Quietly," Siris said sternly.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

[ Kanon OST 16 Mukai ] (Uploaded by KyonxNagato) (0:00) (No need to loop this one)

Amy slowly opened the door and entered the room. Siris watched her to make sure she did as she was told. Amy slowly walked up to her sleeping boyfriend. She looked at the injuries that he had received and sighed; they almost all appeared to be completely healed.

"Oh, Sonic," Amy said softly, "always finding trouble wherever you go."

Siris kept his eye on Amy as she began to stroke Sonic's head.

"Six months…" she continued, "six months you've been gone. Searching for Eggman. And not once did you come back to visit any of us. Just the occasional message you'd leave for us."

Amy sniffled.

"You'd message me, saying 'I'm fine' or 'Don't worry, I'll find Eggman soon'," Amy said, mimicking Sonic, "but you never talk to us. Even when you told us you were leaving, you wouldn't let any of us come along."

She chuckled.

"Just like you, always putting yourself in harm's way just to protect us."

She turned towards Siris.

"Could you give me some privacy, please? I wish to be alone."

"Of course. Just remember what I said," said Siris as he closed the door.

Siris took a look down the hall.

"Well, might as well do an inventory check. It'll take a while, but it'll keep me busy before I have to open the clinic."

Siris walked down the empty hall down to the room where he kept all the supplies for the clinic.

Two hours later…

Amy walked out of Sonic's room and towards Siris' desk, where he was doing paperwork.

"Hey, Siris?"

"You woke him up, didn't you?"

"No, he's still sleeping. I wondering where the lady's room is."

"Ah. It's down the hall, on your right."

"Thank you," said Amy and she headed towards the restroom.

Siris went back to the forms. A few seconds later, the front door opened.

"Morning, Siris," said Tails.

"Ah, Tails. Good morning. And you too, Knuckles."

The two walked up to Siris.

"We got your message last night. Is he awake now?" Tails asked.

He was clearly excited to see Sonic again.

"He was last night, but he went back to sleep. He's still sleeping now, so try to be..."

Siris stopped talking and turned his head towards the hallway.

"Is something wrong?" Knuckles asked.

Siris didn't reply; he got up and headed for Sonic's room. He opened the door and peaked inside. Tails and Knuckles came up next to him, worried that something bad had happened to Sonic. Siris turned his head towards them, smiling.

"Never mind, he's awake now. Looks like he just woke up a second ago."

Siris stepped aside to allow Tails and Knuckles entry to Sonic's room.

"Well, you sure took your time, Tails," said Sonic.

"Sonic!"

The kitsune ran in and embraced his older brother figure.

"Hey, buddy. Been a while, huh? 'Sup, Knuckles!" Sonic called out, waving a hand to the echidna.

Knuckles walked in and shook Sonic's hand.

"It's good to see ya," Knuckle replied.

Siris stayed by the door, watching the trio reunite for the first time in months.

"Man, Sonic," Knuckles stated, "you look like crap."

Sonic took a look at himself.

"Yeah, I've seen better days," he replied.

"So, what happened, Sonic? You told me you were going to wait for me by that abandoned base. When me and Knuckles arrived, you weren't there," said Tails.

"Tails… boy do I have a story for you."

Knuckles sighed.

"Oh, this is gonna be great. What happened?" he asked.

"Well," Sonic began.

"Sonic?"

Sonic's eyes widened and his ears perked up. Everyone turned their heads toward the source of the voice.

"Sonic?"

"Amy?"

Amy slowly walked towards Sonic.

"Sonic… you're… you're awake."

Amy stopped right next to him.

"Uh… hey, Amy… long time-"

"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed, overcome joy…

*WHAM*

*THUD*

…before uncontrollably leaping into Sonic and causing the two to fall off the bed.

"Sonic! You're awake!" Amy cried out as she repeatedly kissed Sonic's cheek.

"Ow… yeah, hey, Amy… I've missed you too…" Sonic replied, lying on his back with Amy on top.

Don't… just don't.

"So much for not stressing him out," Siris sighed as he rubbed his forehead.

Amy kept hugging and kissing Sonic for the next minute.

"Alright, that's enough, you two," said Siris as he entered the room, "Sonic, you need to rest. Amy, please don't stress him."

"Sorry, Siris," Amy replied as she got herself up, "Are you alright, Sonic?"

Sonic got himself up and hopped back into bed.

"I'm fine, Amy. Just a bit surprised to see you here," he explained, "Wait…"

Sonic turned to Siris and gave him a look.

"Did you tell her?"

Siris put his hands up.

"Don't blame me, I didn't do it."

Tails tapped Sonic on the shoulder.

"That was me, Sonic… sorry."

Sonic blinked a couple of times.

"Why did you tell her?"

"Well, I thought she should know. I mean, it's not like you've been talking to her… or any of us, really, these past months," Tails explained.

Sonic sighed.

"I appreciate the thought, Tails. But I don't want Amy to-"

"To what, Sonic the Hedgehog!?" Amy asked, "Worry about you?"

"Well… yeah, but-"

"Sonic, I always worry about you. Those messages you leave me don't make me feel any better! If I wanted to only hear your voice, I would try calling you just to hear your voice recording!"

"Amy, I-"

"You never want to talk to me! Or Tails! Or Silver or Cream or anyone!"

Sonic kept his mouth shut and listened. Amy started to cry.

"Why are you so focused on finding Eggman, Sonic? We're you planning on arresting him? Or…"

Amy stopped herself, unable to ask if Sonic would do the impossible. She buried her face in her hands.

"Or what, Amy?" Sonic asked.

Amy collapsed onto Sonic and buried her face into his chest, mumbling something.

"What? I couldn't understand what you said, Amy."

Amy lifted her head and looked into Sonic's emerald-green eyes.

"Where planning on killing Eggman?"

Everyone was shocked to hear that question, including Siris. The room fell silent for a moment.

"No."

"… Then why?"

Sonic sighed.

"I'm not looking for Eggman anymore."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Did you find him?" asked Knuckles.

Sonic shook his head and sighed.

"I guess I'll start at the beginning," he explained.

Just as Sonic was about to begin his story, everyone heard the clinic front door slam open. Siris turned to see who it was.

"Hey, will you… oh, hey, you made it. No, stay quiet. Come here and don't make a sound," said Siris.

Sonic and his friends were wondering what was going on.

"Uh… what are you doing, Siris?" Knuckles asked.

Siris turned and smiled.

"Oh, nothing. Just letting the two guys that brought Sonic to me come visit him."

Knuckles and Amy were not so thrilled to hear this.

"How do you know they weren't the ones who beat up Sonic?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah, why should they be allowed to see Sonic?" Amy added.

Siris gave a small chuckle and allowed the two visitors to enter.

"Why would they do that?" Siris asked.

[ Nightcore Time Trials Plus ] (Uploaded by MortonDude) (0:00) (I love this song)

Tails and Amy didn't know who the two were, but Sonic and Knuckles knew immediately. The first visitor walked up to Sonic with a grin and offered out his left hand. Sonic was reeling, unable to shake his hand. The second visitor, who Knuckles didn't recognize, walked up next to his partner and offered out his right hand to Sonic. After a moment, a smile crept upon Sonic's face.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Sonic?" the first asked.

"Almost 10 years," the second added.

As Sonic clasped the two hands, he cried out their names.

"Mighty! Ray!"

Memories of the past rushed into Sonic's mind. He remembered when Eggman captured him, Mighty, and Ray and took them to Eggman Island…

The three broke free from their prison cell…

A ball of lava chased after them as the floor erupted in flames around them…

A geyser sent them high into the air…

Mighty saved Sonic and Ray from desert sinkholes…

Sonic dragged Mighty and Ray at high speeds to get away from a rolling cylinder of gears trying to crush them…

Ray glided across the collapsing rock structures as Sonic and Mighty hung on to his legs…

Mighty and Ray helped Sonic swim out of the water systems and avoided the trailing turbine fans…

The three made their way through Eggman's Tower, avoiding traps and dodging obstacles…

Their confrontation with Eggman and escape from the exploding island…

Their brief reunion when Sonic saved Mighty and Ray on Angel Island…

And now, after nine long years, the three have once again reunited.

(Wait for music to end)

"I can't believe you guys are here!" Sonic exclaimed, "How did you find me?!"

"Yeah, well, we we're just wandering around the forest, exploring, when we heard loud noises coming from the distance. As we got closer, a huge shockwave hit us and sent me and Ray into the bushes."

"We got ourselves back up and explored further in. We reached a clearing with a weird building and saw you lying on the ground. That's when we brought you here," Ray explained.

Might felt an arm wrap around his neck. He turned his head right and saw Knuckles standing next to him.

"Long time, no see, Mighty."

"Same to you, Knuckles," Mighty replied as the two bumped fists.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for Sonic Mania… perfected the game and beat Encore mode.

Tails and Amy just stood there, wondering who these guys were.

"Uh… the best friend is lost here," said Tails.

"Same here," said Amy.

Everyone turned their attention to the two.

"Oh, right," said Sonic, "You two haven't met Mighty and Ray before."

Sonic got up from his bed, waving off Siris when he was about to warn Sonic against it.

"Allow me to introduce everyone," Sonic announced, "Tails, Amy. This is Mighty the Armadillo."

"How's it goin'?" said the crimson red armadillo, holding out a hand, "Nice to meet you guys."

"Likewise," Tails and Amy replied as they shook his hand.

Sonic turned to Knuckles.

"Didn't know you were friends with Mighty, Knuckles," said Sonic.

"I could say the same to you," Knuckles smirked, "But I don't know who his buddy is."

Sonic turned to Ray.

"Right. Tails, Amy. This is Ray the Flying Squirrel," said Sonic.

"Hi," said the (NCS/Natural Color System) yellow squirrel, waving to them.

Tails, Knuckles, and Amy waved to him.

"Mighty, Ray. This is my best friend, Miles Prower, but everyone calls him 'Tails'. This is Knuckles, guardian of the Master Emerald. And this is Amy Rose…"

Amy glared at Sonic when he paused.

"…my girlfriend," he smirked, winking and making her happy.

"Well, it's a pleasure meeting you all," said Ray.

"Same here," said Mighty.

"I still can't believe you guys are here!" Sonic exclaimed, "What are you guys doing here?"

Mighty and Ray grinned at each other and pointed their thumbs behind them. The other four Mobians followed the direction.

"Siris?" they gaped.

Siris stared at them with a straight face for a few seconds before smiling.

"What? A guy can't have friends?" he said, grinning.

Sonic couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are the odds? My two old pals, who I haven't even spoken to in years, being frineds with a doctor who saves my life."

Siris stopped smiling and sighed.

"Well, Sonic… there's more."

"Huh? There's more?!" he asked.

"Yeah. You see, there's a reason why-"

A loud knock from the front door interrupted Siris.

"Heh, saved by the knock," Siris joked, "I'll be right back. It's probably a patient who made an appointment."

Siris left the room and answered the door. To his surprise no one was there.

"Wait… why would someone be knocking if the door's unlocked?"

The knocking was heard again, only it sounded like it was coming from the right of the door.

"My home?"

Siris stepped outside and saw four large robots standing in front of his home.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" he called out to them.

The robots turned their attention to Siris and walked towards him. Siris' eyes went wide when he saw what they looked like. They marched up to him and stopped in front of him. Siris looked up at the towering robots; they were twice his height.

"Can I help you?"

One of them, a slightly different looking robot stepped up.

"Must be the leader."

"Do you know where Sonic the Hedgehog is?"

Siris glared at it.

"Really? Now?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog?" Siris asked, "Hmm… don't think I do…"

"We have data the proves that he's been here," the lead robot stated, "It would be in your best interest if you tell us everything you know."

"Time to play."

"Really? Where did you get your information? The local newspaper?" Siris smirked.

"Our sources are not of your concern! Now tell us what we want!"

One of the other robots was doing a scan of Siris.

"Well, there's no… wait, who are you looking for?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Siris blankly stared at the robot.

"Phonics the edge dog?"

The robot raised its right arm as it warped into a projectile weapon of some kind.

"Don't play games, fool! I'm asking you for the last time: Where is Sonic the Hedgehog?!" it shouted.

Siris remained unfazed.

"Really? If you shoot me, you'll never find him," he stated with a raised brow.

The robot that was scanning Siris was beginning to panic.

"Uh, sir?" it asked its leader.

"Not now!" he shouted before focusing back to Siris, "So, you think we need you alive to get information out of you, do you?"

"Sir, if I may-"

"Interupt me again and I'll make sure our lord scraps you for insubordination!" the leader threatened.

"But-"

Siris rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Hey, I'm still here. Can you two married couple take this somewhere else? I have patients to care for,"

The leader turned back to Siris.

"How about… I just kill you now?" the robot said as it charged its weapon.

"Siris, get down!" Knuckles shouted.

Siris dropped the to ground just as a crimson blur shot over his head, crashing into the robot leader and the three other units and sending them flying a few feet back. Mighty landed a couple of feet away from Siris. He walked up and helped Siris to his feet.

"Thanks," said Siris.

"No problem," said Mighty, "Nice throw, Knuckles! Just like old times!"

Knuckles gave Mighty a thumbs up as Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Ray appeared from the patient room.

"What's going on, guys?" Tails asked.

Sonic looked outside and saw the robots.

"SWAT-bots?!" he cried out, "That's something I haven't seen in years. Not what I wanted to see again though."

"Target acquired!" the leader stated.

Siris turned to Sonic. He saw the speedster's look in his eye.

"Sonic, don't. You're still recovering from before," Siris reminded him.

"Come on, Siris. What's a couple of-"

"Sonic," Amy interrupted.

Sonic turned to Amy and saw the scared look in her eyes.

"Let Knuckles and Mighty handle it. I can't bare to think of what could happen if you hurt yourself again, or worse!" she begged.

Sonic sighed.

"Fine," he said, before turning to Knuckles, "You and Mighty got this?"

Knuckles raised his fists, which now bore his Hammer Gloves.

"We'll smash them to smithereens!"

As Knuckles walked towards the clinic entrance, no one noticed the robot leader charging the unsuspecting Mighty from behind.

"Mighty!" Sonic exclaimed, "Look out!"

But it was too late. The leader swung its damaged weapon across Mighty's back.

*WHAM*

[ Shut Up Faker! [Sonic vs. Shadow] – Sonic Adventure 2 Music Extended ] (Uploaded by BrawlBRSTMs3 X) (0:00)

Everyone gasped, except Siris who turned to Mighty before he was hit. Seconds went by, but Mighty seemed fine. In fact, he seemed completely unfazed. Mighty, with a very annoyed expression on his face, cracked his neck in both directions and slowly turned his head towards the robot leader, who was still towering over him.

"Uh oh," Siris and Knuckles smirked.

"What?" Sonic and Tails asked simultaneously.

Within a second, Mighty had picked up one of the waiting room chairs sitting next to him, swung it at the robot and sending it flying back into the other three again, and then heaved it at the robotic heap. Knuckles laughed as Mighty wiped his hands.

"That's what," Siris explained to the others.

As Knuckles and Mighty walked side by side outside, the robots got back up and into battle positions.

"I've had enough of this humiliation!" the leader roared, "You three! Take out those two red baboons!"

"Yes sir!" the three acknowledged.

The attack units charged toward Knuckles and Mighty.

*WHAM WHAM WHAM*

The punches from Knuckles and Mighty sent the robots flying back a couple of feet.

"Don't let them toy with you!" the leader exclaimed, "Kill them!"

The robots got back up. Through beeps and wireless communications, be came up with a plan in milliseconds. They turned back to the fighters and charged at them again.

"Heh, same as usual," Knuckles taunted, "They never learn."

However just as the robots were only a couple of feet away, blue electricity all to discharge all over the robots' arms. Knuckles and Mighty noticed just in time as the leapt away in different directions. One robot went after Mighty while the other two at Knuckles. Knuckles was dodging in every way possible to avoid the four robotic lightning fists that were moving at high speed.

"Damn, these guys are fast. Sonic never mentioned this to me."

Meanwhile, Mighty had only one to deal with. This SWAT-bot was slower than the other two, giving Mighty an advantage. His plated back made a great shield against attacks from behind and the robot was slow enough for Mighty to read its attacks from the sides or the front to dodge.

"I think I can get a couple of hits in when this hunk of junk attacks me head on!"

As the robot attacked Mighty, he watched its attack patterns and waited for the right moment. During one of the robot's swings, Mighty stepped to the side and punched the robot directly in the midsection and sending it flying into the two robots attacking Knuckles.

"Thanks, Mighty."

Mighty winked and gave Knuckles a thumbs up.

"Weak," the SWAT-bot leader groaned, "Dagger unit, back to me!"

Two SWAT-bots got up and hurried to their leader.

"Where's Dagger 3?" the leader ordered.

The three robots turned towards the SWAT-bot still lying on the ground. It was the same one that was fighting Mighty. The leader took a step towards it before watching smoke and sparks fly our of Dagger 3. The damaged SWAT-bot began to flail wildly, almost like it was having a seizure, making beeping and ear-piercing noises. Suddenly, it stopped flailing and exploded, leaving behind no debris and a scorched mark on the ground.

"This is the last straw!" the leader roared, turning towards the red Mobians, "You two have forced my hand! Dagger unit, activate power core overdrive."

The two remaining Dagger unit robots did as they were told. A moment later, their hands and red eyes began to glow green. Knuckles sensed an energy spike within the vicinity. He put together what was happening and his eyes widened.

"You! You have pieces of the Master Emerald! Give them to me!" he ordered the robots.

The leader laughed and turned to Knuckles.

"Ah, Knuckles, you poor fool. Do you really believe we would give them up so easily?"

The two Dagger units turned to Knuckles and Mighty.

"End them now," the leader stated.

Before anyone could react, Knuckles and Mighty sent straight up into the air from an uppercut from the empowered robots. They were only stunned for a moment, but the robots were right in front of them just as they regained composure. As the robots attacked again, Knuckles drill clawed down and Mighty curled up into a ball and hammer dropped down. The robots attacked, but Knuckles and Mighty managed to get out of the way just in time, flying towards the ground. Unfortunately, the robots were too fast and they each grabbed a hold of them.

"H-hey! Let us go!" Mighty cried out.

Knuckles wailed away at his captor's head, but the power of the Master Emerald prevented any damage. Mighty was held above Knuckles and his captor slammed Mighty's head into Knuckles', knocking them both out.

"Knuckles! Mighty!" their friends cried out.

But it was too late. The two robots released their bodies and Knuckles and Mighty landed on the ground below. The robot leader laughed at the fallen Mobians' failure.

"Such amusement," he scoffed, "Kill them."

The two robots fell down to the ground and approached the unconscious duo. Suddenly, Tails ran in front of his fallen friends and confronted the robots.

"Well, isn't this just delightful?" the leader said, "The two tailed freak is trying to save his friends. Do he wish to die as well?"

Tails said nothing and glared at the robot leader.

"There's no use in threatening them; kill them all now!"

"Hey!" Sonic called out, "Leave them alone!"

"Sonic, what are you doing?" Amy asked.

"I'm not gonna stand here and let them get killed. If these guys want me, they can have me!"

Amy stood in Sonic's way, blocking the path with her arms out.

"No way, Sonic! We already almost lost you twice this past year! I'm not gonna lose you again!" she said sternly.

"Amy…" Sonic said softly, putting his hands on her shoulders, "I know. But I can't let that SWAT-butt get away with this."

Amy opened her mouth to protest, when a voice outside was heard.

"LIGHTNING!"

A couple of minutes earlier…

Siris watched in horror as the remaining Dagger units powered up using shards of the Master Emerald.

"Master Emerald shards? Don't tell me the Master Emerald's been destroyed again!"

Siris looked around, making sure no one was watching him.

"Looks like it's time to even the playing field."

Siris quickly, but quietly, entered his home and closed the door behind him. He saw Sylvie was staring through the window, watching the fight.

"Sylvie?" Siris called to her with concern.

Sylvie turned to Siris. She was scared.

"Master?"

Siris hurried over to her.

"Find somewhere to hide. Things might get ugly out there," he told her.

Sylvie nodded and went off to her room. Siris waited until she was out of sight before heading towards his desk. He reached under and pressed the secret button underneath. The drawer next to him opened.

"No click? Never mind, later."

Siris reached inside and grabbed the white tape and rings. He sat down on the chair, closing the drawer with his right foot, and quickly put the metal rings on his wrists. He then quickly wrapped some tape around his shoes, lower leg, hands, and wrists. He had to take off his communicator for a moment while taping his right wrist.

"Knuckles! Mighty!" he heard screaming from the clinic.

"No going back now…" Siris sighed as he put his goggles on.

He got up and headed for the front door. He opened the door and walked outside, noticing Tails standing in front of a now unconscious Knuckles and Mighty. Siris pointed an arm at each of the empowered SWAT-bots and fired a wire from each bracelet at them.

"LIGHTNING!" he shouted, just as the wires attached to the robots.

Sonic, Tails, Amy, Ray, and the SWAT-bot leader watched as electrical current traveled from the wrist-mounted wire grapples and shocking the robots.

"Now, Tails!" Sonic called out.

"Huh?" said Tails.

"Grab the Master Emerald shards!" Ray called out.

"Uh, right!" Tails replied and ran up to the stunned robots.

The shock was strong enough to force open the compartment where the shards were being held in both robots. Tails managed to grab the shard from the first robot, but the second managed to close its compartment before Tails had a chance to remove it.

"Tails! Grab Knuckles and Mighty!" Siris called out.

Tails turned back to Knuckles and Mighty. Knuckles was starting to wake back up, but Mighty remained still. Tails offered Knuckles a hand.

"Thanks, Tails. I can still figh- Uggh…"

Knuckles turned to his left should and noticed it was dislocated.

"Don't push yourself, Knuckles," said Tails, "We need to get you and Mighty inside."

"But, I must protect-"

"You three, get inside now!" Siris ordered.

"But…"

"Come on, Knuckles. Help me carry Mighty back inside," said Tails.

Knuckles wasn't sure what Siris was thinking.

"Trust me," Siris smirked.

Knuckles sighed.

"Just get me those shards back!"

Siris nodded as he watched Tails and Knuckles carry Mighty into the clinic. He then turned his attention back to the three remaining robots.

"Why don't we make a deal?" Siris suggested, "You give Knuckles the other Master Emerald shard and tell us who your 'lord' is, and maybe we let you go."

The SWAT-bot leader and green-eyed robot laughed uncontrollably.

"What makes you think you are in any position to be making demands with us?" the leader questioned.

The third robot, who was now terrified, tapped its leader's shoulder.

"Sir, you need to see this," he insisted.

"Enough! Dagger 1, crush this weak pathetic doctor, now!"

Dagger 1 charged straight at Siris as Sonic and the others watched helplessly. Amy turned away.

"DRILL!"

Dagger 1 sent a fist towards Siris, but ended up just swinging at air. It looked around confused.

"What? What sorcery is this?" the leader demanded.

"Sir, I'm sending you a file. You must read it!" Dagger 2 pleaded, "That hedgehog…"

The leader turned to Dagger 2.

"What about him?" he questioned as he processed the file downloaded to his databanks.

A few milliseconds later, the leader turned back to where Dagger 1 was standing. Upon closer inspection, the leader realized the ground where Siris was now a small hole.

"No… oh, no! Dagger 1, retreat now!"

Dagger 1 turned to face its leader, but it was too late. The earth beneath Dagger 1 opened up and Siris erupted out of the ground, his hands now taking the form of two giant yellow drills. As he emerged from the ground, Siris sent his right fist/drill straight towards Dagger 2's head, sending it flying up in the air. The drills disappeared and Siris shot a wire at the flying robot. The moment the wire went taut, he yanked the wire and pulled the robot back to the ground.

*CLANG*

The robot landed at the feet of its leader but remained unscathed. It got itself back up and the three robots got into formation.

"So… you are the one responsible for his death," the leader growled, "You must be honored."

"If only it were so," Siris smirked.

"No matter," the leader continued, "Together, the three of us will take you down!"

Siris scratched his ear.

"Down where?" he joked.

"How about to Hell?" the leader suggested.

"Oh, how thoughtful of you guys," Siris mocked, "Let me show you how much that offer means to me."

Siris held his arms out to his sides and released the wires. Once they were about six feet out in length, he grabbed the wires and held them out like they were whips.

"You think your abilities will save you?" the leader taunted.

"Nope," Siris remarked, "but they will destroy you."

Siris dashed towards the squad at Mach speed.

"CUBE!"

At the end of each wire, a blue hammer head formed.

[ Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric Trailer BGM – Frantic (3 loop edit) ] (Uploaded by LimzCHX) (0:00)

Siris swung his left whip across his body, smashing the left hammer in the squad of robots. The leader and Dagger 2 slid across the ground while Dagger 1 immediately recovered and dashed towards its attacker. Siris then spun counterclockwise and swung both hammers toward the robot. The hammers were moving too fast for the robot to react and it was sent flying into a large tree that was standing 25 feet away. The blue hammers disappeared as Siris retracted the wires and ran straight to Dagger 1.

"LIGHTNING!"

Siris' fists began to glow a pale-yellow color and electrical sparks erupted around them. Dagger 1 got back up onto its feet just as Siris reached it. Before it could attack, Siris began punching the robot all over its body. The electric strikes sent high voltage shocks through the metal body, more powerful than before. Siris' fists were moving so fast, Dagger 1 couldn't do anything to defend itself. Each blow amplified the shock intensity. The robot couldn't handle the high amount of charge and began to malfunction. The compartment door flew open and with one final blow, Siris knocked the robots head off and grabbed the Emerald shard. He backflipped off the beaten robot, flying a few feet back as the robot exploded.

"This is… impossible… retreat!" the SWAT-bot leader ordered.

"I don't think so."

The leader swung its broken weapon around behind him, but missed Siris. A small whirlwind began to form around the remaining two robots. A moment later, Siris jumped toward Dagger 2 and kicked it into the leader. The two didn't notice Siris again running around them before he kicked the leader into Dagger 2. Again and again he did this. Dagger 2, now completely terrified, began to swing its arms into the whirlwind, desperately trying to make the hedgehog go away. Unfortunately for it, Siris was waiting for that moment. As Dagger 2 swung its arm again, Siris lept onto its head and grabbed it by the neck. The constant contact sent an unbelievable amount of current coursing through the robot's head, overloading its circuits and literally melting away components. Siris released the robot and spin-dashed midair back towards the clinic entrance. As the whirlwind seceded, Dagger 2 fell forward to the ground and blew up. The leader was now horrified by the events before it. It stared at Siris with disbelief before turning around to escape.

"And where do you think you're going?"

A wire wrapped around the SWAT-bot's neck and a jerk forced it to its knees.

"We're going for a ride!"

Siris grabbed the wire with both hands and began to spin around like a top, dragging the robot along the ground. Faster and faster he spun; soon causing the robot to float above the ground.

"Here's a message for your boss!" Siris shouted.

The robot turned its head to him.

"Stay away from me and my friends!" he threatened.

Siris stopped spinning and yanked the robot over his head, slamming it into the ground. Then he did it again. And again. The robot became more and more warped and damaged with each attack. Sparks were flying from all over its body. After a forth blow, Siris stopped.

"SPIKES!"

Along the wire, ultra-pink colored spikes appeared. With a strong pull, Siris ripped the head off the leader. As the wire retracted, the spikes disappeared, and the drained robot body fell forward. Siris wiped under his nose and smirked.

"Heh, I've still got it."

(Wait for music to finish)

Siris took a deep breath and sighed.

"You know… it's kinda rude to just stand there and stare at someone like that," he joked before turning to Sonic and the others.

By now, Mighty had woken up and had seen a majority of the fight. While everyone else was dumbfounded, Sonic's gaping mouth slowly changed into a smirk. He slowly walked up to Siris and extended out his hand.

"And now it all comes full circle," Sonic remarked.

"Yes," Siris replied, shaking his hand, "it does indeed."

"Didn't recognize you at first. You know, black shoes and gloves, no bandages…"

"Oh, I understand. I'm just surprised you didn't put it together sooner."

Everyone else just looked at each other with confused looks.

"Sonic," Amy called out, "do you know this guy?"

Sonic turned back to his friends.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet the guy who helped me defeat Julian 10 years ago."

Tails' eyes widened.

"Wait, Sonic… are you saying this is…"

"Yup. This is 'Wisps'. The one who helped me defeat the Doomsday Project."

As the surprise bombshell exploded, Siris took off his goggles, revealing the light blue aura glowing from his irises.

"I don't go by that nickname anymore," Siris explained.

He walked up to the group and extended out his right hand.

"Siris the Hedgehog. Former slave and Julian's executioner."

---

Sonic: Oh…

Tails: My…

Knuckles: God.

Me: Oh, come on, you just NOW figured it out? It took you another… *checks number of words* another 27 thousand words to figure it out?

Sonic: Well, I kinda already suspected… wait, how many words?

Me: *Dawns on realization* Uh…

*All four look at the number of words*

Me: Holy crap…

Tails: That explains why it took you longer to post another chapter…

Me: Oops. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Follow, Review, do all the good stuff… please? 27 views total thus far and not one review? Please?

*Sonic rolls his eyes*

Sonic: Aw, give it time, buddy. Well until next time! Bye

*Sincere A/N*

More trivia! Eggmanland has been spelt in different ways across all versions of Sonic Unleashed: Eggmanland, Eggman Land, Eggman-Land. However, I believe the correct way is Eggmanland.

Heh, heh… oh, what's this? A super long chapter? Why, I must be dreaming! Ok, so… I now realize that I suck at determining how long each chapter might end up being, so I'll just say this: I can promise you that each chapter will be at least 15k words or more. Now that I think about it, I might end up revising this entire story once it's complete, moving a couple of sections around between chapters, I dunno…

Anyways, I forgot to mention; since the world map across all the Sonic games don't agree with each other (i.e. Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Forces) assume that Green Hills/Sand Hills and the City (Forces) are on South Island. Just go with it. The gist of locations (like Apotos, Spagonia, Station Square, and the Mystic Ruins) roughly remain the same, conceptually. Long story short (across all mentioned in Prologue/Chapter 1), all areas from Angel Island in the games are on Angel Island, same goes for West Side Island from Sonic 2 and the rest of the games that took place on islands. All the other games, just use your imagination to stitch every single location together in the most reasonable way possible… no don't put Mazuri next door to Holoska, or Soleanna right in the middle of the remains of Prison Island… oops, spoiler, maybe~…

One last thing, if you do happen to find anything grammatically incorrect, please let me know. I'm very OCD when it comes to grammar. Not perfect grammar, but if there's a word missing or something, let me know.

Anyways, hope you guys liked this chapter! I think it's safe to say I will be uploading one chapter at least once a month or so, hopefully 6 weeks at most. That said, enjoy, favorite, review, and I'll see ya next time!

~ThePhantomHedgehog