We all knew this day would come.

Our dear Oceanera has finally succumbed to her ailments. They told us she only had four years left, but we never imagined the day would come so soon. Friends, Romans, Countrymen… we gather here today to mourn the loss of yet another victim of the accursed SENIORITIS-

HALO, QUIT TELLING PEOPLE I'M DEAD.

Sometimes I can still hear the sound of her voice...

Seriously, you are gonna give someone a heart attack! I just graduated!

To the next life. Alas, poor Era, I knew her well...

HALO!

Ignore my co-author. She is just over-reacting. Quick comments then let's get to the fun part of the update. The actual story.

Hawkfeather: (I'm just gonna keep calling you that. It's too confusing to do anything else). YAY! ACCOUNT! Okay, please stop stabbing Dark. I need him, whether you like him or not. It won't do anything anyway. He'll just… well, that's a spoiler. *And you got Havoc's attention. Not sure if it's the kind of the attention you wanted but…* Also, here is a big hug from me and Halo. *HUGS*

MelGamingPlays: To be honest, they don't know what he is. Tikal knows, but she's keeping her mouth shut at the moment. Something about making sure Dark doesn't find the Master Emerald…

StarlightSparks: No, we are not going to get another Sonic POV until Dark is….taken care of. We debated but it's a little… tricky. And confusing. Basically, no one would know what was going on, including Sonic. It's like a daydream for him: asleep, but awake. At this point, Sonic might as well be watching a scratched up movie. He has bits and images, but he is missing a lot of the story and there is nothing he can do about it.

ultimateCCC: Funny you should ask that! And technically….no.

Guest: Yeah, I've thought of the Avenger AU several times. Tails is Tony but after that… I really can't tell who is who. Thoughts?

SharpDragonKlaw: Poor everyone for being in this story. We have ruined their lives for your entertainment. I hope you're happy.

Detta: It had us crying for even longer. Also, funny you should mention that…

ThatSpeedhunter: I agree. Sonic and team going down, down, down, down, until they spiral out of control is highly unusual. Even in fanfic. Seriously, I have found one other story that might be even WORSE than ours.

Andy: Working on it! Promise!

Faso: Holy Kriff, Bill! Don't die on me here! No, no. I say Kill Bill™. Halo, no. Yeah, Dark is a little… well for me to put it simply, he is hard to write. Like, I've tried. And it did NOT work AT ALL. So the fact that he's a little… stereotype, is because he is HARD to write. Sorry. We tried to add some depths to him in this chapter. Hope we did. If not…. Sorry.

Without further ado, ACTION.

XXX

Rouge's POV:

Manic hadn't moved for five minutes and the guards were starting to look nervous. I would have been too, if I had actually been in the cell. Instead, I was safely on the other side of the glass, peering in at the squirming men and the prisoner. I would have found the situation amusing, if I wasn't concerned for my own life.

Seconds ticked by with Manic remaining motionless; it was starting to creep me out. I finally tapped on the glass as loud as I could. The guards jumped at least three feet at the sound, but it got Manic to open his eyes, blinking wearily. I sighed in relief. I really did not need another possessed hedgehog in my life. I wasn't sure if I could take it.

Manic's head jerked up, his eyes darting around in panic before relaxing and forcing a smile. I was reminded of the time I had found Matthews high as a kite. Never thought I would miss that side of him.

Sonia and Tails had filled me in on the whole situation last night. I remembered hearing my communicator buzz, but had opted to ignore it. Part of me felt guilty for not being there to help, but my more pragmatic side was grateful I had stayed out of it. Call me a jerk, but I didn't find much appeal in putting my all into helping Team Sonic if it meant me being taken out by Dark, or worse. I couldn't afford that sort of risk these days- no one could.

Ugh, I needed a break. I activated my com, "General, I'm taking a walk. Be back in ten." I shut the device off before he could respond. Right now, I couldn't care less of what that gasbag thought.

The base was almost empty at this time of night, just the way I liked it. Empty meant quiet, and Chaos knows I needed some quiet in my life. The past few weeks had been filled with arguments, explosions, and the constant beeping of medical equipment. The only time I had to enjoy some silence was when I slept- that is, when I wasn't having nightmares.

I debated if I should stop by Shadow's room, but decided against it; I really didn't need that image in my head any more than it already was. Shadow was still unconscious. Nothing had changed. Nothing ever changed.

The doctors claimed he was supposed to have woken up weeks ago, but something was holding him and making it harder to heal. I hadn't mentioned it to anyone because of… everything else; Sonia and Tails were obviously preoccupied, Amy couldn't sit still long enough for me to break the news to her, with all the do-gooding she'd been up to, and Knuckles wouldn't pick up his com anyway. No one needed the stress of knowing the Ultimate Lifeform wasn't responding to anything the doctors were trying. And the General had made it clear that he did not need that information broadcasted to the public, so I had been given the order I knew how to follow the best: to keep my mouth shut.

I could live with that.

Gave me time to think, anyway. All those hours spent by Shadow's side? Internet. Magazines. Whatever it took to pass the time while I waited for Shadow to come to.

Generally speaking, the news articles were boring or slow. Such as "Mina Mongoose breaks up with 'The Love of Her Life' " or "Princess Elise crowned Queen of Soleana". Pfft... Gimme a break. Politics had never been my thing and celebrity scandals were either over exaggerated or totally fake. But now and then I'd find a gem in the wastebasket, like the one from an hour ago.

Crime Levels Skyrocket in Kingdom of Acorn

Amidst the conflict of the Acorn Civil War (see page 4A), criminals have taken advantage of the growing political turmoil and have overrun the fraying kingdom. Crime overlords that once stayed to the shadows are no longer afraid to come out in the open, operating their illegal practices without fear of arrest, due to the police force's division of loyalty between King Max and Prince Elias.

"We in the government are striving to find a peaceful solution, and ask that every citizen do their part," said Princess Sally Acorn during a recent press conference. "Those who would choose to bring about further distress during these troubled times will soon face proper justice. The House of Acorn may be divided, but neither side will tolerate criminal actions."

Gang-related homicide rates have reached record highs since the beginning of the war, with one in every four mobians currently at risk. Identified crime rings include the Babylon Rogues and the Mercian Mafia, whose leadership seems to be fluctuating between Josef Lavar and Katrina Voleur, former spouses now fighting for control of the largest gang in the region (SEE PAGE 7B FOR ARTICLE)

Katrina Voleur… there was a name I hadn't heard in a long time. Made me wonder what my big sis had been up to all these years. I'd had a feeling that someone had survived. Come to think of it, their baby would be around seven or eight by now, if he had managed to escape along with them. Poor kid.

Whatever. The past was the past. Best to leave it behind.

Of course, Manic could bring it back if he felt like delivering on that blackmail. I was struck with a thought. If Manic knew about the circus, does that mean Dark knows? Great. Most likely the demon wouldn't care much about it, but I did not want any more people to know about me and my stupid family.

That is, assuming he did know about them. All he had bothered to mention was the circus slogan. There was still a chance that he'd been bluffing about the whole thing, but I had a hunch that wasn't the case. Who knows what dirt he had on me?- on everyone?...Actually, that was kind of an interesting thought. Maybe when he got better, I'd be able to squeeze some answers out of him. That is, if he ever got better- no, no, no, I can't let myself think like that…

Dang it, Manic, why did you have to make things so difficult?

I stared at Manic through the glass, fiddling with the locket around my neck absentmindedly. It took a moment for me to realize what I actually was doing. I glared down at the locket in disgust. Why was I even wearing this stupid thing? It had been gathering dust on my jewlery table for weeks now. I wanted to throw it away, but… It was just way too nice to pass up. Tossing out anything that had real diamonds (believe me, I'd checked) went against everything I stood for. Even when that thing came from… Manic. The annoying, dirty, conniving little street urchin-

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose in exasperation. Who was I kidding- he wasn't that bad. For a former gangster and permanent pickpocket, he was… surprisingly kind. And since he had decided to lay off on the whole, 'please date me' phase, he had actually become somewhat bearable. Friendly Manic was infinitely better than flirty Matthews. And I had to admit he had his moments that made me smile.

And now, all of that seemed to have been stolen. The figure in the window was neither the friendly Manic or the flirty Matthews. He was... broken.

I felt a lump forming in my throat and swallowed hard, turning away from the window. Focus, Rouge. There was too much at stake here.

I turned to leave when my communicator started beeping. Private line. I answered immediately. "Agent Rouge speaking."

"Agent Rouge, this is Doctor Andersen. I was told to notify you when anything in Agent Shadow's condition has changed."

I felt my blood run cold, suddenly imagining all the worst possibilities. "I'm on my way."

"Don't you want to know-"

I hung up and flew down the hall without a response.

XXX

Shadow's POV:

Over the course of my life, I have been forced into hibernation, cryostasis, and multiple coma-like states. I can say with confidence that each experience has been nearly identical: Long, quiet, and in no way entertaining. Hence why Sonia's company had always been a welcome gesture. Always.

-Not that I cannot handle being alone. I am perfectly capable of acting as my own company. But after going over a month without seeing anyone, it can get very old, very fast.

Sonia was decent enough company. And slightly more intelligent than I had first judged her to be. And quite good at chess. Not as good as me, obviously, but reasonably competent.

The most useful thing about her companionship, however, were her updates on the Dark situation. Every time I had ever been out of commission for an extended term, the next several weeks included short breaks to understand what had happened while I had been incapacitated. The fifty-year cryostasis had been the worst, but revenge had taken up most of my time, allowing for no history lessons. Which meant a year later, I had to recover from amnesia and a fifty-one year time skip. Needless to say, I still was not used to the modern world.

And as Sonia had not returned after I had slapped her back into reality, I assumed something must have gone horribly wrong. Which meant I needed to wake up as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I did not have the slightest idea how, or even if I should.

With the Chaos field out of alignment, it was extremely difficult to tell if I had fully recovered from my injuries. Although my time in the coma was dull, it was a faster way to heal. Waking up in the middle of the process would not only slow the recovery time, but limit me. And when you considered recent events and what was inevitably to come, it was clear that I could not afford limits.

Perhaps if I attempted to contact Tikal again, I would receive an answer. However, the ancient guardian had been unresponsive the past five attempts. No, I was alone. As usual.

The unknown was becoming unbearable. Had Dark successfully infected Manic? Had he killed anyone? Was Sonic dead or alive? Too many questions and not enough answers.

It was time to investigate.

XXX

The first thing I saw was the nurse. She was bent over me, peering down at my face. It took a moment for her to realize I was awake.

I almost winced at the piercing scream, as the silence I had grown accustomed to shattered. The nurse stumbled back and stared at me as if I was the most terrifying thing imaginable.

I did not have time for this. I sat up and squinted down at the bandages and wires enveloping my limbs. I determined that I had no further need for them. I ripped them out easily, ignoring the sudden machine alerts that presumably warned the doctor of patient distress. The bandages were now useless on closer examination. To my relief, all wounds were now healed, if still a bit sore.

The nurse finally recovered. "Um… sir? We, uh… we still need to run some tests to make sure you have recovered comple-"

I glared at her, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "I have recovered." It was not an opinion. The nurse pursed her lips and nodded slowly.

Rouge burst into the room, white as a sheet. She stopped short when she saw me. A flash of relief turned into annoyance. "Well, you certainly took your sweet time!"

"Shut up, Rouge."

We ignored the nurse and the two doctors outside the room, just arriving on the scene, and left the medical wing of GUN.

"What happened?" I demanded. Thankfully, Rouge left her usual snark out of the update. I was not in the mood.

"Manic is being held in a secure cell. Four fully armed guards, security cameras, steel-enforced walls with encrypted lock- the works. Visitors are kept to a minimum and he hasn't eaten or drank anything since he snapped out of Dark's control. Won't even let food get sent in. Dark Sonic has vanished and we're almost certain he's in possession of at least four chaos emeralds. Maybe five. General Towers and Knuckles have been working on plans to eradicate them both. Amy, Tails, and Sonia are protesting, but Amy seems to be coming around to reality. Tails has been working on a cure, but hasn't made much progress as far as I can tell."

"Manic's infection level?"

"Tails tested an hour ago- 58.2 percent of his blood. The infection has physically spread to cover his torso and back, and has started up his neck and onto his other arm."

"Has anyone spoken to Tikal?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

"...I see. Take me to Manic's cell."

Rouge nodded and led the way without another word.

XXX

If Sonia was surprised to see me, she hid it well. The hedgehog was standing outside the cell, her gaze fixed on her brother. When Rouge saw her, she stiffened, mumbling an excuse about reporting to the general before hurrying away.

I approached slowly and stopped beside Sonia; she didn't even flinch.

"Nice to see you up and about." said Sonia, smiling bitterly, "At least Chaos hasn't completely abandoned us in our time of need."

I flicked my gaze from her to Manic. "How long has he been in here?"

"Less than twenty-four hours. He is already bored."

"How can you tell?"

Sonia turned and gave me a look, "Wouldn't you?"

I did not answer. Sonia turned back to her brother, her voice softer than it had been, "He hasn't moved in a while. He just… stares. Like he's thinking. Or sleeping."

"Can Manic sleep with his eyes open?"

"Manic can do a lot of things I'm not aware of."

I nodded. We fell into a companionable silence, each in our own thoughts and opinions.

This was a lot to process. I had been out… two months? Three? Time doesn't exactly register when one is in a coma. There had already been a lot going on before I had been incapacitated, and that wasn't even when you factored in Dark. Depending on your point of view, Sonic's life had been revealed as a lie, albeit an understandable one. His name was fake, his family had previously been nonexistent and his relationship with Robotnik was a lot darker than anyone had ever imagined. His 'dead' siblings appeared out of thin air to arrive only to watch their elder brother be possessed by a Dark deity.

And then the team lost a very important and powerful asset: Me.

Thanks to my inability to assist the team, Robotnik had been killed off and Manic was discovered to be infected and partially possessed. It was remarkable how no other tragedies had befallen while I had been out.

Upon further examination, his entire story was similar my life, in a twisted sort of way. Family killed in horrible ways and situations. Alone for several years. Most likely extreme trauma, a compulsive desire for revenge, and a desperate need to protect the world- albeit for different reasons. Sonic cared about the people. I cared about Maria.

Of course, Sonic actually as family still alive, even if he didn't know it. Unless Dark told him. If Dark even knew. Chaos, this was becoming confusing.

Dark in itself was confusing. I had missed Tikal's history and Sonia paraphrasing had hardly helped. The way I understood it was Dark was an echidna who got too close to Chaos energy and manipulated it in ways that were not moral or correct. This somehow turned him into an actual part of the Chaos field, which Guardians and Sonic's ancestor locked in an emerald to prevent him on feeding. Dark was literally a virus that needed to feed in order to grow and not… well, die. Has far as I could see, Dark had just been in a comatose state inside the black emerald. Now that he was awake, he needed to feed.

Which is why Manic was strapped down in front of me, slowly turning into someone- something he was not. In theory, Dark could possess anyone. That was terrifying in every perspective and angle. There was no telling how much he needed to feed and if there was a stopping point. I had already seen what happened when dark energy infected something like a tree- it shriveled and died. I did not want to see what would happen to Mobius if Dark decided he had no more use for it or its inhabitants.

GUN was fairly useless against something of that magnitude. They had proved that time and time again. If they could not handle and alien invasion or Robotnik, they had no chance fighting an ancient demon fresh out of hibernation. Not even Robotnik could hold his ground- even I had been overpowered. The Ultimate Life-form cast aside like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

That thought made me pause. Had Dark infected… me?

Before I could follow that happy thought, Hope entered the room, clipboard in hand. "Shadow! You're awake!" She sprinted across the room and threw her arms around me in a hug. I hesitantly wrapped one arm around her, unsure of how to react. Lucky for her, Hope was one of the few I allowed to make affectionate physical contact without being impaled with a Chaos spear.

Sonia raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment, a quizzical smile tugging at her lips.

Hope pulled away, her smile infectious. "This is perfect timing! I need your help running some tests on the new security system that I've been working on." She scribbled something on her clipboard, "The General wants to be ready if Dark decides to come back."

I almost snorted at the idea of a security system keeping Dark out, but managed to maintain a stoic appearance. "Of course, Hope. Where would you like to conduct this test?"

Hope checked her board. "I promised Tails I would help him with his cure- research and stuff, you know? But I should be free in about an hour. How about we meet in Training room 0-6 then?"

I nodded. Hope gave me another quick hug then dashed off to work, as usual. I smirked. It was almost jarring to for such a young girl maintain such a professional exterior.

Sonia spoke up a moment later, "She seems… nice."

Something about her tone threw me off. It seemed almost… forced. "Are you surprised?"

"No," Sonia hesitated for a second, "It's just that… you know…?"

I raised an eyebrow, confused. I did not have the slightest idea what she was talking about, but I had the feeling it was not something I would like. "No, I do not know. What is wrong with Hope?"

My mind was racing; Was she sick? Had something happened to her with Dark? Perhaps they had met previously and it had not gone well? Did Sonia see something I did not? It could be likely, I had been in a coma the past two months. Maybe I should check on her? Or-?

"It's just that… she's… y'know… an Overlander."

My thoughts abruptly stopped and I slowly turned towards Sonia, expressionless and blinking. "And that is a problem... how?"

Sonia shrugged, and didn't respond immediately. "Well, I mean- you know how Overlanders are, right?"

I frowned, "I was created by an Overland-run project, befriended an Overlander who gave her life to save mine, and am currently employed by an Overlander agency. I see no problems with them."

"Yeah, but they weren't… that kind of Overlander." Sonia spread her arms out in gesture, clearly uncomfortable.

I raised an eyebrow, "There is another kind?"

"No, I just mean that… ugh, never mind. Forget I said anything."

I stood there for several minutes, trying to understand. And ultimately failing. This required more research… at a later date. Perhaps now was not the time.

I remained with Sonia until it was time for me to join Hope. We parted after Sonia informed me of the team briefing General Towers had called for the following day. Something told me it was not going to be an enjoyable meeting in any sense of the word.

XXX

Shadow's awake! 'Bout time. But Rouge already said that, so why say it again?

You just did.

Shut up, Halo.

Alright, so we have Shadow awake, Manic infected, and Dark missing. Oh, and Sonia is racist towards Overlanders. Fun update. Not even a hero can be perfect.

And before any of you flip out, let me just say: 1. This makes her a little more interesting and unique. I mean, I don't think Shadow even knows about… racism? Speciesism? Prejudice against Overlanders? I mean, he was prejudice against Mobius in general, but…

Whatever. Anyway, Sonia is a little more interesting. 2. This is something we are just brushing over. It isn't really going to come up in the rest of this story. We just needed to set up something for-

*drumroll please*

"UNCERTAIN BUT VERY POSSIBLE SEQUEL STORY", COMING TO THEATERS NEAR YOU

We aren't in theaters.

That's how much you know.

Shut up, Halo.

Anyway, it was a set up. Don't get excited.

Please review and here's the chapter's question:

Do you want a sequel? Yes? No? Maybe? Like, are y'all sick and tired of reading this for the past three years (MFH included)? If you don't want one, tell us why. Because I don't want to waste four years of my life on something no one wants. If you do, also tell us why!