In Westopolis, Manuel, wearing a tight long-sleeved grey shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes, was sat in his own office of his warehouse, looking at a camera feed of a fight. He watched a pair of Mobians fight in a cage, one a blue bobcat wearing a pair of dark purple shorts and black trainers, , and the other a dark yellow ferret wearing a red t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and brown boots. Between the two, the bobcat had the advantage, having taken the ferret down, landing punch after punch.

"This might have to be stopped soon," Manuel said to himself. After a few more punches were landed, he spoke into the microphone next to him. "All right, that's enough. Break it up."

The two in the cage did so, and the bobcat spoke up first. "I win, then?"

Manuel smiled. "TKO. You've got a good wrestling base, dude. Well-earned victory."

"Thanks."

Manuel watched as the fighters left their cage, and soon he heard his phone ringing, so he picked it up. "Hello? Oh, you're here. Good. No... just wait outside. I'll be right out."

He then got up from his seat, leaving his office and going down the stairs to the ground floor. He made sure to congratulate the fighters before clearing his throat, making a break from them and gathering some with him.

"All right, our new shipment of weapons is here," the bull spoke. "I need a few of you to come to the front with me and get them in."

"You got it."

Manuel nodded back, picking five others to go with him, not including the two men that had just fought. They left from the group and headed up their catwalk before making way for the main door.

They soon reached it, and Manuel grinned when he saw his own cop friend. "Harvey! What's up?"

"Not much, big fella," Harvey smiled. He was an older cop, and whilst he did still have his hands in some dirt, he was much cleaner than others. He was a bit older, with greying hair and a dark beard peppered with specks of silver, and his light blue eyes slightly faded. Like other Westopolis cops, he wore the standard Westopolis police uniform, along with some medals in regards to his service.

"New shipment?" Manuel smiled.

"I had to scrape and scratch for them," Harvey said. "I've got a friend in the military who managed to hot-wire these to me. They're better than the ones that I already gave you."

"How so?"

"Well, I stole those ones myself," Harvey smirked. "They weren't quite fully military grade, as they were the old technology that they didn't want to use any more. But these?" He hooked a thumb to a truck behind him. "State of the art. Well, state of the art for this shit-hole of a city."

"I'd like to take a look at them first," Manuel said, turning to his men. "Get a box down."

Two of them nodded, going to the truck as Harvey opened it, along with a small ramp coming down to help them up there. They went up the ramp, seeing five crates full of what they could only assume to be spectacular weaponry, and they grabbed the nearest one, pulling it down.

"Only five boxes?" Manuel asked.

"Double-layered," said Harvey.

"That's been going around a lot lately..." Manuel whispered, hoping that Harvey wouldn't hear it.

The pair of Manuel's men came back to their boss with his box. The bull himself cracked his knuckles before opening the crate, seeing several varieties of machine guns, SMGs, and other types of weapons.

"All right, let's lift these out and see what else there is," Manuel said.

His men nodded, working quickly to lift the weapons out. More of Manuel's group decided to help out later, soon emptying all of the boxes. The secondary layer was similar to the first, only with smaller guns like revolvers and pistols since said layer was smaller.

"This is a big help," Manuel smiled.

"Eh, it's no problem," Harvey said. "Anything to help your girls."

"I'll transfer the money over to you later," Manuel said. He then paused. "Actually... how would you like your old weapons back as well?"

"Paying me with interest?" the old cop laughed. "I'm flattered, but no. You have a use for them, and I don't."

"How come?" Manuel asked. "I know very little about you beyond your name and the fact that you're a cop who's not fully on the side of good."

"It's at least fifty one percent," Harvey winked. "And the truth is I'm not a big fan of guns. I use them, but they're not my style."

"Then what is your style?" Manuel asked.

"Knives," Harvey answered. "I don't have any on me right now, but I can hook you up with some next time, if you'd like?"

Manuel thought about it. "All right."

"You'll do it even though it'll cost extra?"

Manuel nodded. "I'll pay the cost, man. If I can make enough money back from selling guns, then who knows how much I'll make with knives too."

"I'll put you in an order," Harvey smiled. "How soon do you need them?"

"Hmm... by Thursday?" said Manuel. "We've got something big going down, and I am going to be out of town on Friday."

"Just knives, yes?"

"Hopefully we'll stay out of enough trouble to not run out of bullets by then," Manuel smiled. "Don't bring a lot."

"How long will you be out of town for?" Harvey asked.

"Not too long," Manuel said. "It does kinda depend. After we've done what we're going to do, we're coming back up here."

"You know, Martin told me the plan," the old cop said. "I hate that sleaze-bag, but we do talk on occasion. I know what you're planning."

The Spanish bull chuckled. "No getting past you, right?"

"Hey, if it's for the betterment of Westopolis, then I won't try to stop it," Harvey said with a shrug.

"I don't know if betterment is the best word for it," Manuel said. "Then again, who knows? Maybe Nack being so high up will help out the city."

"You mean, it'll help out men like him," said Harvey. "That does include you."

"I'll only fight if I have to," said Manuel. "I don't do what I do just for me."

Harvey nodded. "Fair enough." He then paused, extending his hand to the bull. "Anyway, I'd best get back to the station. I'll remember to bring you your knives next time."

"And I'll remember the cash," Manuel replied with a smile, shaking the old man's hand. "And I'll tell Nack the first chance that I get."

"Sure thing," said Harvey as the grip broke. "See you when I see you."

The old man then got into his van, waving goodbye one final time in the side mirror. Manuel waved back before walking up behind the van, slapping the back of it a couple of times, signalling it to get on its way.

It then drove up and away, and Manuel went back inside, seeing another fight getting underway. Instead of heading to his office, he walked through the crowd and stepped up to the cage. The two fighters hadn't started yet, so he walked in, speaking loudly for the crowd to hear.

"All right, a couple of things!" he said. "First of all, for those who haven't noticed, we got a new shipment of weapons! But they ain't just anything. Our friend in the force managed to get his hands on some legit military weaponry. Whenever you guys want, feel free to try them out in the shooting range." There were murmurs and chuckles in the crowd, and Manuel continued. "Secondly, our next shipment is also going to come up with something extra. We're going to be getting some more physical weaponry next time."

"How physical?" asked someone from the crowd.

"Small, pointy, and easy to conceal," Manuel chuckled. "It will cost a bit more, but if we can get our new guns out, we should be able to cover the cost. That's how we keep our part of Westopolis. More importantly, that's how we grow further. Nack gave us the east side to keep it. Let's stick to our end of the deal. You guys got all that?"

"YES, SIR!" they all said, partially mocking but actually agreeing with their leader.

"One more quick thing," Manuel pointed out. "I want those new guns tested out as soon as possible. As for where to ship them, just the usual spots where we make our deals. Same goes for knives."

"Anything else?" asked someone from the crowd.

"That about covers it," said Manuel. "Oh, and you all get to go home early tonight. I'm going to pay Lara a visit tonight, so remember to lock your shit up before you leave, okay?"

"We got it!"

Manuel chuckled. "Good. Now, get the next fight underway. I'll be watching from upstairs."

The others all either nodded or gave some verbal reply of agreement, and the fight was underway. Manuel went back up to his office, sitting down in his chair and picking up his phone, typing in Nack's number.

The purple weasel picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Nack," Manuel said. "Um... I kind of embellished a bit with my gun running."

"Oh?" Nack said. "Explain, please."

"The guy that I get my usual stuff from? Well, I'm going to go for something new."

"Upgrading your weapons?" Nack asked.

"More like adding on," said Manuel. "I'm looking to get my hands on some knives."

"And you made this deal with your man just now?"

"I did," the bull said. "I'm hoping to cover the cost with what I sell from the guns that I currently have, since I haven't tested the upgraded ones that I just got."

"Then get them tested," Nack said with a smile. "Do you want me to give you more money?"

"No," Manuel said. "With all due respect, I want to make it back on my own."

The purple weasel smiled. "I can appreciate that. All right, you take care."

"Will do."

"Oh, and Manuel?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to go too rough with Lara."

The bull chuckled. "I won't be. See you when I see you." The two then hung up, and Manuel kicked back in his chair. "Hmm... I wonder if I should dress up for tonight..."

Meanwhile, back at Green Hill Police Department...

"I want to give it a shot first," said Tails. "I called dibs on it!"

"And I'm the strongest one, so I say that I get to go first!" said Knuckles.

"I can't believe that you guys are being such children about this," Sonic said. "Besides, I'm the leader, and I get to pick who goes first."

"And is that yourself?" Shadow asked.

"Actually, I was going to pick you," Sonic shrugged.

Vector shook his head. "Guys... look..." he began. "There's no point in arguing over it. We don't have much time to help you out, so pick somebody to give it a shot."

"We're sorry," said Tails. "It's just... it's so cool!"

"Yep," Sonic agreed. "The design just looks awesome."

"Imagine how much easier that'll make getting around," Knuckles added. "Not to mention cooler."

"It's kind of a shame that there's only one of them," Shadow said. The other three looked at him, and he shrugged. "What? I can't appreciate a cool piece of technology?"

"You can," said Tails. "We just don't usually expect it from you. I'm supposed to be the cute and fluffy nerd, remember?"

"So, how about it?" Sonic said to Shadow. "You want to give it a shot?"

The black and red hedgehog looked a bit surprised. "I mean... Tails did call for it first..."

"Thank you!" the two-tailed fox replied, throwing his hands up.

Sonic shrugged. "Well, I can't compete with that logic. All right, you're up first, fox boy."

Tails smiled, but then realised something as he looked around. "Where exactly am I supposed to test this out?"

In response, a voice came on over the radio. "Hello, boys!"

"Rotor!" they all replied happily.

"The big old walrus is going to set up a course for you in this room," said Vector. "Holographic, obviously."

"Just like the one at our base," Knuckles smiled. "That's pretty cool."

"Let's see..." the walrus said to himself, regardless of the fact that he was on a speaker. "This room is pretty big... it should give you enough space to have a course..." He kept murmuring to himself and typing on the keyboard, the impact of his fingers on the plastic loud enough for those in the armoury room to hear. After a few more moments, he was finished. "There we go!" he said proudly, hitting a key to load it up.

Those in the room waited as a course formed around them, almost filling the room to full capacity. Various rails and small kicker ramps or various shades of red and grey with some wood thrown in for good measure make themselves present, showing many opportunities to show the new technology off.

"This is how it'll go," Rotor said. "I won't be changing this course to benefit any of you better, and I won't be judging your own performances, but rather how the board performs alongside you. You'll start from where you are, hopping over that small kicker ramp. You'll follow that up with a transfer over a quarter-pipe into another one, leading you to a rail to grind on. You'll then round off that large rounded half-pipe, leading you to the second half of the course. You go through a loop at first, leading you to another ramp to hop off of, this time onto another rail. You'll then have a long kicker ramp to ride along, and after that is another rounded off half-pipe and a rounded rail next to that. Choose either of those methods to finish the course."

"What if one of us falls off of the board?" Sonic asked.

"Seriously? Your faith in me is that low?" Tails kidded.

Rotor smiled. "That won't be a worry. Put the board under your feet, and you'll see what I mean."

The yellow fox nodded, throwing the board down and hopping onto it. On cue, a pair of straps appeared, wrapping around his feet and keeping him locked in place. They weren't so tight as to restrict blood flow, and Tails tested this by moving a foot out on the ground before moving it back.

"All right... let's give this a shot..." he said nervously. The board appeared to be reading his mind as it started moving on its own, and he wavered a bit, keeping his balance.

"Why is the board moving on its own?" asked Sonic.

"That's one of the features," said Espio. "Wherever the rider wants to go, the board goes there. All that the rider has to do is sometimes turn his body."

"Two-way street, huh?"

"Yep," Charmy said. "After all, what's a rider without his board?"

"Good point."

Back with Tails, the fox was making it through so far. He'd already cleared the kicker ramp and was just now coming over the quarter-pipe, landing past one side and into the next with ease, soon coming up to the rail. On instinct, Tails hopped up, grabbing the side of his board as he ground along the rail, coming off at the other end damn near flawlessly before reaching the large half-pipe.

"That was sick!" said Knuckles. "Who knew that the little guy could shred like that?"

"It can't just be the board," Sonic said.

Tails grabbed the sides of his board as he came around the large half-pipe, keeping his grip as he passed through the loop. He was a bit worried when he was upside down, but was relieved when he made it through without any injury. He then made it to the next ramp, hopping from that and doing a flip trick to show off before landing on the rail, grinding down it with ease. Next was the long kicker ramp, which he chose to hop over, doing a side grab as he cleared the gap. It then came to the last part of the course, and he decided to stay high, bypassing the rounded rail and going for the large ramp at the back instead, coming out the other side with a smile.

"How'd it look?" Tails asked.

"You kicked ass out there, dude!" Sonic smiled. "You tore up that course!"

"Where'd you learn to skate like that?" Shadow added.

"I didn't," Tails shrugged. "The board just kind of knew what I wanted to do, and it did it. Almost like it read my mind."

Vector scratched his head. "Yo, Rotor!"

"Yeah?" the purple walrus replied.

"These boards can't read people's minds, can they?"

"Nope!" said Rotor. "There's nothing metaphysical going on with them. They simply react to what the rider wants. No mind reading or tapping into anything. They move with the rider, and they react with the rider."

"Well, there you have it," the green crocodile smiled. "Turns out that it was part you and part the board."

"It's almost like I kinda said that already..." Espio muttered.

"So, who wants to go next?" Charmy asked.

"How about our fearless leader?" Knuckle suggested.

"Might be worth a shot," Sonic shrugged.

Tails smiled, handing the board over to Sonic, who took it as Knuckles spoke again. "By the way, me and Shadow have a little game going on."

"What would that be?" Sonic asked.

"Well, we're timing you guys on how fast you can make it around the course," Shadow explained. "Tails made a pretty good time of 46.77."

"How are you even checking that?" Tails asked.

Knuckles pulled a phone from his pocket, showing the paused time. "We did it whilst Sonic wasn't looking."

"How did I not notice you guys doing that before?" the blue hedgehog asked.

"You were distracted by my mad skills?" Tails suggested.

"Let's go with that," Sonic said. "Those skills were quite mad indeed."

Tails shook his head. "So, what's the point of the game?"

"Oh, the loser has to buy food later tonight," said Knuckles. "The usual."

"Jade Mountain?" Tails asked.

"Did I or did I not say the usual?" Knuckles smirked.

"Whilst I don't approve of you boys betting on it," said Rotor, "I'm only here to observe, not judge. Sonic, are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," the blue hedgehog replied.

"All right," said Vector. "3... 2... 1... go!"

"And he's off!" said Knuckles, clicking the timer on his phone, Shadow watching said timer and Tails looked as his friend went to work on the course.

Sonic cleared the kicker first, doing a heel-flip for good measure before doing a 360 degree spin over the quarter-pipe ramps. He then felt his speed boost up after that, moving him quicker. He quickly hopped up onto the rail, grinding along it in a straight line before reaching the half-pipe. With a smirk on his face, he flew up the half-pipe, spinning himself whilst spinning the board under his feet, landing perfectly as he came back down, giving him another speed boost.

"How come he's getting faster?" asked Tails.

"Oh, when a rider spins and lands perfectly, the speed of the board is boosted. They can use tricks whilst spinning, but using tricks on their own is useless," Rotor said.

"Sounds like some bass-ackwards video-game mechanic," said Shadow.

"Wish you'd told us that beforehand," Tails complained. "I'd probably have been faster..."

Sonic, meanwhile, kept his pace going. He made it through the loop without any issues, followed by the ramp onto the next rail, spinning as he ground on it, mostly to show off. He then cleared the long kicker with a single jump, the speed boost having helped his momentum. Finally, he reached the half-pipe, choosing to go up it again to grind along the top of it, landing back down with the others.

"That was fucking sweet!" he said.

"Had fun?" Knuckles asked.

"Hell yeah!" Sonic panted, still smiling. "What's my time?"

"Probably better than mine..." Tails mumbled.

"42.57," Knuckles said, showing his phone. "Those speed boosts really helped out."

"So, who's next?" Charmy asked.

"I guess I'll go next," said Shadow.

Sonic nodded, handing his friend the board. "Good luck."

"Figures," Knuckles said. "I wanted to go first so badly, and here I am about to go last."

"Unless we get called for a mission when Shadow's all finished," Tails said.

"Dude, don't even joke about that," Knuckles warned.

Shadow shook his head, getting on the board. "Do I get a countdown too?"

"I don't see why not," Vector smiled. "3... 2... 1... go!"

Shadow started off, hopping over the kicker ramp and doing a small spin before approaching the quarter-pipe, hopping over it and pulling off a method grab trick for style before he approached the rail. He hopped up, landing the lip of the board on it and completing the grind with ease before he reached the half-pipe. Unlike the others, he stayed low on the half-pipe and did a small spin as he turned into the second half of the course, getting some extra speed for his troubles.

"Smart move there by Shadow," Espio said.

"Even little spins can get you the right result," shrugged Vector.

Shadow soon approached the loop, staying still as he rounded it. He then reached the ramp after that, jumping high off it and pulling off another small spin before landing on the rail, performing a crooked grind. Lastly was the long kicker, which he decided to manual on top of, doing small, technical tricks and landing each one accurately. Lastly was the final half-pipe/rail, and he chose the latter, grinding around it and landing perfectly.

"And there we go," he smiled to himself. "What's my time?"

"43.09," Knuckles said. "Damn close to Sonic's time."

"It was that high jump," Shadow surmised. "I went for height over distance."

"Hey, at least you don't have to buy food for everyone else," Tails said. "And you got a countdown, same with Sonic."

"Oh, yeah," Sonic said. "You didn't get one."

"I didn't get a lot of things during my run on the board, dude," Tails said. "Good lord... I'm turning bitter and old already..."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Shadow said, handing the board off to Knuckles. "At least you'll be buying us good food."

"That's a fair point," Tails conceded.

"All right, the best is going last," Knuckles said, setting himself up on the board.

"Good luck, buddy," Sonic said.

"All right!" said Espio. "3... 2... 1... go!"

The red echidna smiled and pushed forward on the board, getting a good start. He hopped up over the kicker easily, then passed the quarter-pipes with a brief spin, but didn't land it how he'd wanted, resulting in his balance being off kilter. He regained it in time for the rail, hopping up with a grab and grinding along it before hopping off. He came up and around the half-pipe, staying low like Tails did during his turn. He approached the loop, and got an idea as he reached it. As he went through it, he did a little hop whilst upside down and spun, landing it perfectly and boosting his speed to the next ramp.

"That was a power move by Knuckles there!" said Vector.

"Wait, hold up," said Sonic. "Those things can just do that?"

"Well... yeah," said Espio. "They're hover-boards, meaning that they can cross over just about any surface, horizontal or otherwise."

"Once again, information that would have been handier if we'd been told beforehand," Tails grumbled.

On the course, Knuckles was carrying on, speeding past the ramp and just then coming off of the rail with a grind whilst balanced on the back end of the board. Then was the long kicker ramp, which he chose to be more unique with, grinding along the side of it before spinning off at the end, landing it and giving himself another speed boost. He then chose to go up the half-pipe at the end, doing a small spin on the way up before landing back down in a curve, meeting his friends at the end of the course.

"Sonic was right," he said, kicking the board up to his hand. "That really was pretty fucking sweet."

"It was," Tails agreed. "I'll bet that even Shadow had fun with it."

The black and red hedgehog nodded. "I did. Like I said, I like the board's look. Its feel is even better."

"No wonder he doesn't want either of his girlfriends," Knuckles joked. "He's got his eyes set on a beautiful piece of technology."

"A beautiful piece of technology that we need back," said Charmy.

"Oh, right," the red echidna said, handing it to the bee. "Sorry."

"No worries," said Espio. "And besides, at least we'll have our work cut out for us now."

"How so?" Sonic asked.

"Well, this might have just been a test run, but we do have our scientists working on more as we speak," said Rotor. "I'll be helping however I can, as well these three gentleman alongside you."

"So, was this a success?" Tails asked. "Do we get to go home now?"

"It was, and yes, you do," Rotor said. "I've got a live feed going from here up to the science and technology department."

"Where are those guys, anyway?" asked Sonic. "We know that they're here working on stuff, not to mention teaming with Simian as well to help speed things up."

"Oh, they're on the top floor," said Vector. "Since that's where most of the big stuff goes on, that's the best place to check things out."

"Actually, that reminds me," said Tails. "I've brought up maybe making them myself, but I don't really know when I'll have much free time to do it."

"That's sad but true," Espio agreed.

"But then again, maybe a different fox could help you guys out," Tails shrugged.

"You mean your father?" asked Charmy.

"Well, he is a mechanic who runs his own shop," said Sonic. "Tails must have told him about the Gear Boards technology, and he did say that they're working on a variation of it."

"How do you know that he's competent enough to handle technology this advanced?" asked Charmy.

"Because he's also helped with the implants," the yellow fox answered.

"All right, we'll give it a shot," said Rotor. "I'll talk it over with Avery."

"No need to worry about that," said Tails. "We can go talk to him ourselves."

"You sure?" Rotor asked. "It's no bother for me to bring it up with him."

"Sure I'm sure," Tails smiled.

"Well, let's get that done before heading back out," Sonic said. "Maybe we can make use of our quiet time when we get back to base."

"How so?" Knuckles asked.

"Video-games, heavy music, and junk food."

"Good thinking."

They didn't wave goodbye to the others, who followed them out, carrying their board in hand. As soon as Sonic and his friends left the armoury, as did Espio, Vector, and Charmy, turning to make their way to an elevator to take to the top floor.

"Hey, guys," Mina and Cosmo said.

"Hey, girls," Knuckles replied.

"How'd it go with the test?" asked Cosmo.

"Not too bad," Sonic said. "The Gear Board is actually pretty cool, and since the test was successful, they're on about making more really quick."

"Do they have enough to pull that off?" Shadow asked the girls.

"Yeah," said Mina. "Believe it or not, they've got a lot of good technology to help them out. They helped a lot with the stuff set up in your guys' new base."

"That's pretty cool," said Tails. "That does explain a lot of things too."

"I guess that Avery couldn't give us the full tour at first," Sonic shrugged.

"So, what are you boys up to?" Cosmo asked, looking directly at Tails as she said it, who blushed.

"Well, we're actually going to take a trip to see our boss," Knuckles said. "We're going to see if we can't get fluffy boy's dad to come over and help out with the proceedings."

"His dad knows about these?" Mina asked, impressed.

"Actually, he's done some research into it, but nothing too tangible," Tails admitted. "Getting him over here to work with the best minds at this department will hopefully speed things up a bit quicker."

"And are you doing anything after that?" Cosmo asked, once again looking at Tails, who once again blushed.

"We were planning on going home and doing nothing until another mission comes up," Sonic said.

"Yeah," Knuckles said. "And Tails here lost a bet, so he has to pay for food tonight. And by food, we obviously mean Jade Mountain."

"In his defence," Shadow said, "Tails didn't know about the bet until his lap was over, not to mention the spinning the board thing."

"Don't act like you care," Tails said. "You and Knuckles are the guys who set that stupid bet up in the first place."

"Be angry at me all you want," Knuckles said. "We ain't the ones buying food tonight."

"Actually, that's where you're wrong," Shadow said.

"Wrong? Wrong how?" Knuckles asked.

"Well... I just realised that we never showed you your time after that final lap was over," Shadow said. "I've still got your phone, and it's got the time paused."

"Show me. Now."

The black and red hedgehog nodded, pulling his friend's phone from his pocket. Knuckles took the phone as soon as it was in sight, and read over it, falling to his knees as he looked at the time, shuddering.

"What is it?" Mina asked.

"47 seconds... on the dot..." Knuckles said.

"Yes!" Tails cheered, raising his hands. "Sorry. Was that out loud?"

"Only a little bit," said Sonic.

"Good," Tails nodded, his arms still raised.

"All right, slow down there, Daniel Bryan," Sonic smiled. "Let's get up to see Avery, okay?"

Tails nodded, and they all turned to leave, with Knuckles dragging himself up to his feet to follow them. They took the stairs up to the third floor as the elevators were busy, and soon, they'd reached their room, with Shadow knocking on the door.

"Hello?" asked Avery on the other side.

The four outside walked in as the door opened, seeing Simian and Avery sat around the table, with Ash helping on the side with a presentation, being the first to speak to them. "Ah, there they are. We were just talking about you guys."

"I wondered why my ears were burning," said Tails. "Then again, that's because my brain's just always like that."

"So, what's the situation?" Sonic asked, gesturing to the presentation on the wall. "Why were you talking about us?"

"We were discussing your positions in regards to the prison transfer coming up soon," Simian answered.

"Won't we all be in the same vehicle?" Shadow asked.

"Not likely," Ash said. "Given how big these convoys have a tendency to be, there won't be enough room for all of you in one car. Maybe two, but no more than that."

"A prison transfer is serious business," Avery added. "Regardless of what we're doing or who we're sending out, we need to take the utmost caution and care."

"Fair enough," Sonic nodded. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, there'll be a total of eight G.H.P.D. vehicles, with four each being both behind and in front of the prison vehicle," Ash said, pushing on his remote to bring up more slides. "There'll be three standard cars, each led by a van."

"And those vans are the ones that'll maybe fit two of us, I'm guessing?" asked Knuckles.

"You guessed right," said Avery.

"Well, I got something right today," the red echidna mumbled.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, Knuckles lost a dumb bet and now he has to pay for our food tonight," Tails quickly explained, unable to stop himself from smiling.

"I see..." Avery paused. "Anyway, moving on."

"Uh, yeah," Ash said, a tad distracted. "So, three standard cars, each led by a van, four at the front of the prison vehicle, four at the back."

"And where do you want us in this?" asked Sonic.

"Well, as we said, you'll most likely be separated," said Simian. "The plan is for you to be in the van at the back. Unfortunately, there's not enough room for another friend of yours."

"Well, that kinda sucks," Sonic said. "Who's going to play awesome music as we march a bunch of criminals to bigger and better cells?"

"That would usually be me," Knuckles said. "But I'm guessing that I can't bring my own car with me."

"Sad, but true," Avery nodded. "You'll actually be in the second car in the front row."

"Do I get to mess with the radio?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Just when I thought that today couldn't get any fucking worse..." the echidna mumbled.

"What are the other seating plans for this convoy?" Tails asked.

"Well, glad you ask," said Avery. "You and Shadow will actually be in the van at the front row together."

"Us two?" Shadow asked. "You're sure about that?"

"What's wrong with being around me?" Tails asked.

"Well, the unfair fluffiness ratio, for one," the black and red hedgehog replied. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of at a disadvantage."

"Besides that?"

"Eh, nothing," Shadow smiled. "I'm just kidding, dude."

"It's honestly weird seeing you be more social," Sonic said.

"Sonic, I spend most of my time with either three other guys or a girl at home. I'm learning as I go along."

"Fair enough," the blue hedgehog conceded.

"Anything else that we should know?" Tails asked.

"You will be armed going in," said Simian. "You have guns at your own place, right?"

"Yeah," Sonic answered. "How many do we need?"

"Enough to be on the safe side," Avery said. "Our own men are going with something two handed as well as a sidearm just in case."

"We may as well do the same then," Sonic nodded.

"What about grenades?" asked Knuckles.

"Not necessary," said Avery. "Too many people in one enclosed space... it wouldn't be a good idea anyway."

"Knives?" Shadow asked.

"That might be a good idea," said Simian. "But remember: it's just in case."

"Got it."

"Anything else?" asked Sonic.

"That should about cover it," said Ash, closing the presentation down.

"So, what can we help you boys with, anyway?" Simian asked.

"Oh, Tails actually has a question for you," Knuckles said.

"What would that be?" Avery asked.

"Hang on..." Tails said, holding a hand up as he searched his phone for his dad's number. He pressed the button to call him, and waited for only a few seconds before getting his answer. "Oh, hey, mum," Tails said. "Oh, I'm good. Still alive, still with my friends. Listen, is dad there? I need to speak with him... no, I'm not in trouble... okay, thank you. I love you too."

"What's all this about?" Avery asked.

"You'll find out," said Sonic.

"Dad!" Tails said. "Let me put you on speaker!"

"All right," Amadeus replied. "Hello, anyone else on the other side there!"

"Hey, Mr. Prower!" Sonic said.

"Knuckles! What's up?"

"Eh, same old same old," the blue hedgehog said with a shrug. "But it's your son who needs you."

"Why? Is he in trouble?"

"No, I'm not," Tails said, walking around the table to Avery. "Actually, I've got something big that I want to bring up with you in regards to Green Hill Police Department."

"What would that be?" Amadeus asked.

"Well, earlier today, we got to try out those Gear Boards for the first time."

"Ah, I'd heard about that," Avery said, turning to the phone. "Oh, hello, Mr. Prower. I'm G.H.P.D.'s Commissioner Avery, your son's now former boss."

"Avery!" Amadeus smiled. "Nice to hear from you."

"So, how'd it go with the boards?" Avery asked Tails.

"It actually went pretty well," Tails nodded. "Which is why I need to ask you something, and it's also why I'm calling my dad to let him know too."

"Let me know what, son?" the fox father asked.

Tails took a breath and turned to Avery. "Well, my dad has been working on hover technology of his own. I was thinking that maybe he could come over and help along with the Gear Boards?"

"It would make sense," Sonic said. "The test runs that we had went really well, and we all had to share one board for that."

"So, you want me to let your dad come over and help out my science department?" asked Avery.

"Well, I'm not much of a scientist myself," Amadeus admitted. "But I'm one damn good mechanic. Whatever you need fixing up, I'll be more than happy to help with."

"Not much of a scientist?" Ash asked. "Didn't you help out with the implants too? That's a pretty big leap in and of itself."

"I did indeed," said Amadeus. "But what I made was only temporary. Wasn't built to last. But I'm glad that the great minds working today took my template and improved upon it."

"Hey, don't be so down on yourself, dad," Tails smiled.

Amadeus chuckled. "It's funny. Usually, I'd have to be the one to say that to you."

The yellow fox smiled more, turning to Avery. "So, can my dad come over to help?"

"Considering what he's already helped with, I don't see why not," Avery smiled.

"You mean it?" Tails asked.

"Of course," Avery nodded, smiling.

"Thank you!"

"This is great news!" said Amadeus. "So, when do I start?"

"As soon as you can get here," said Avery. "Do you have time today?"

"I should," said Amadeus. "I was working on a little something, but I can put it on hold. And besides, Rosemary can hold down the fort while I'm gone. Any parts that people will need won't take long to whip up."

"Excellent!" Avery smiled. "I look forward to seeing your work very soon. Take care."

"I will," said Amadeus. "And once again, thank you, Commissioner!"

"Please, just Avery," the brown bear smiled. "See you soon."

Amadeus hanged up, and Tails did too before hugging Avery in thanks. The Commander was taken by surprise, but patted Tails on the head before the hug broke, with the yellow fox being the first to speak.

"Thank you for letting him help," he said.

"It's no trouble."

It was then that Sonic's radio on his shoulder went off. "Warning! Trouble near the eastern side of Green Hill! We need back up! Now!"

"That's close to our base," Sonic said, turning to Avery. "We'd best take care of it."

"Go ahead," Avery nodded.

The blue hedgehog nodded back, his friends having already left and making their way to Knuckles' car. Before he could fully join them, he heard his phone going off. Looking to see Amy's face, he hesitantly left it to go to voicemail before hurrying to join his friends.

"Sorry, Amy," he said to himself. "Got something big to take care of."

Finally did another chapter. I'm sorry that it took so long. The only real excuse that I have is that the server is still a bit crappy for me, but it's more improved over how it used to be. I hope that you enjoyed the hover-board sequences. They were a lot of fun to write. Anyway, the next chapter won't be for a while since I've got some requests to take care of. But after that, I'll get right back on this story. Until then, take care, and stay tuned.