I do not own any Sonic characters.

Chapter 17

Blaze, the lavender cat and princess of the sol dimension, march beside the line of people as they struggled through the harsh forest environment. Just as Sonic, the hero of Mobius, promised he has his strongest members carry those who could no long go any further, but even they are starting to look tired. Knuckles was the only one of the entire muscled heroes who was carrying two individuals and not looking even slightly weary. Shadow carried one female who was now asleep in his arms looking somewhat tired… or bored… actually Blaze could not tell, that hedgehog always held that expression so maybe he's just fine. Rouge was carrying a child, Sonic was carrying a sick man, and Silver was outdoing them all. He was carrying around twenty of them but now the grey hedgehog is showing signs that such a load was starting to wear him out. Apparently telekinesis had its tolls as well as its benefits.

The cat looked around at what was left of her group: Sonic, Silver, Knuckles, Shadow, and Rouge. They first started with thirteen and now there was only six including her. More than half her team is now gone. Ralph was clearly so deeply respected that now his demise has wound the group immensely. Three of her teammates left because of it and Sonic sent Metal and Omega away to protect Sally, Eggman, Amy, and Cream from any possible attacks.

Blaze never had something so precious that she never considered how she would regret its departure. She never had any feelings for Ralph, but such a major player was what they needed to tip the scales in their favor. Now who can stand against what they're about to go through next. Sonic? No, the hedgehog said that even with his power taking on one giant 4.0 was too difficult on his own.

Silver, maybe; however he mentioned that the previous war against these things allowed the robots to scan his powers and counter it, they have even manipulated it into a weapon.

There is Shadow and she has heard the team mentioned he is called the 'ultimate life form' with his strange yet useful 'powers'. So far all she has seen is his super speed, if he does have more power than he is showing right now then he will defiantly be useful later.

Rouge does not seem very qualified for fighting, more for scouting, stealing, and reconnaissance so she is not going to be the next big player.

Knuckles has proven his strength but if that's all he has, he is no use at all.

Blaze felt the pit of her stomach clench with fear as she remembered the other big player. Everyone descriptions, everyone's questioning, the major person she feels as… untrustworthy. Anonymous. The strange man has proven himself but in questionable ways. Blaze feared that by the end of this battle she will have no choice but to trust that man even if he is the most wanted terrorist in Sonic's world.

Blaze growled and kicked a rock on the ground. This was all Tails' fault! He telling her he knew the robots better than anyone else besides the Mysterious Villain. He being the one who defeated the Mysterious Villain when he WAS the Mysterious Villain! That fox had made it to her number one most hated person on her list and that was a feat since Eggman Nega was the one who occupied that top list. When she got her hands on him there will be no telling on what she will do to him.

A small child collapsed in front of the princess. Blaze walked over as the kid tried getting up to no avail. Blaze smiled and knelt down "Here." She raised her hands offering to carry him.

The kid with her teary eyes reached out to the cat and allowed the lavender princess to pick her up. Blaze raised her up and marched on toward the mountains. Blaze whispered to the child "Don't worry. We're almost there. When it becomes night we should be there for you all to rest."

Eggman sat behind him computers facing the screen with the strange code. He was not looking at it though. He was looking down. The news of Ralph's death was nerve-racking. The first time he had ever met the dog was when Metal brought them to the island where that fake Sally attacked them. The dog then was stubborn and strict. As it turned out he was only doing that because he only just met them and was unsure on how to handle the situation with them. He was near downright powerless against the robots but managed to live on his own for a while till met Metal in disguise only for both of them to find Rotor.

Ralph tried his best to fight with the team and has even been able to annoy Alpha One slightly with his explosives. In till the robot used his own explosive against the dog wiping him out… that was actually the first time he died, but when Tails punched the ground in super form sending out the chaos emeralds and a wave of its power rebuilding the structures that were torn apart it also somehow resurrected Ralph. Eggman remembered going to collect his body and found the shock of seeing Ralph crawling on the ground gasping for air.

The doctor brought Tails to the dog where the fox built the strong armor for the agent to be his life-support system. Even though it was the fox's fault Ralph forgave him and instantly became friendly with him. Eggman was surprised to hear Ralph crack a joke to someone and even laugh. He remembered the first joke Ralph ever spoken "Don't worry about it Tails. I made the mistake of thinking I had the drop on that robot. I realy blew it." Ralph burst out laughing and Tails even revealed a small smile in his depressed hurt form of Tails dragging on the ground and ears lying on his skull.

Eggman tapped his fingers on the desktop and sighed. Sally walked in looking perturbed… nervous. The chipmunk cleared her throat "E-eggman? W-would you like to go search for the clue again? I just realized we haven't been in the engine room ye-."

"Metal and Omega are already searching there." The doctor interrupted without even glancing at her.

Sally looked down "Oh… right."

Eggman sighed and sat up "I just… I've only lost the energy princess. The want to keep going is now gone… Out of all of them I thought it would have been Rouge first… I was sure of it. Now what the group that started with eight-teen is now six."

Sally tried to smile "What about us. That would make-."

Eggman stood "We're not out there princess. We don't count. We might have to cut our losses and leave."

Sally backed up "Why?"

Eggman walked past her "We can't find the clues and now Sonic is left with a struggling team that has no power strong enough to fight Alpha One." Eggman reached the couch and sat down "I am sad to say… I am defeated."

Sally looked hopelessly at the doctor as she could find nothing to say to him. She felt defeated just like him.

Amy snickered as she ducked from the corner she was peering from. Cream looked confused "Miss Amy, why are you laughing? Mister Ralph's death isn't funny!"

Amy smiled at the rabbit and shook her head "Well, that part isn't, but now I get to see my Sonic again!"

Cream shook her head along with Cheese "I think we should tell them about that clue you hid. It's more important now more than ever!"

"Chao, chao!" Cheese nodded.

Amy rounded on them "What do you mean it's more important now! That clue was never important! IT was a waste of time! Sonic is the most important thing now!"

Cream stepped back in fright "But if we don't tell them about it we all might die!"

Amy smiled and looked up dreamily "Well… oh well. I get to see my Sonic one last time and we will die together as the cutest couple ever."

Cream pointed at where Eggman and Sally are "But even if Tails is evil he might have purposely hidden his plan in there since he'll think we'll give up before solving his riddles. He might even have expected you to do this."

Amy scoffed "Please, Tails is too much of an idiot to think of all of that. Sonic is the only one who could think up of such a thing."

Cream scrunched up her face "He's not an idiot! You're falling too infatuated with Mister Sonic! They should know about that Clue!"

Amy snatched at the rabbit's wrist and glared at her threateningly "You dare and try to tell about that clue and take me away from my Sonic and I will beat you down! Literately!"

Sally came around the corner and froze at the sight "What the-… What's going on?"

Amy dropped Cream's hand and smiled innocently at the chipmunk "Heh, heh… nothing Sally. We're only playing. Right Cream?"

Cream looked at Amy and saw the anger in her eyes. The rabbit turned to Sally fearfully and choked up a smile "Y-yah just playing."

Cheese looked at Sally sorrowfully and nodded "Chao, chao."

Amy patted the rabbit's head "She's still recovering from the shock of Ralph."

Sally nodded "I'm a bit rattled myself. Pardon me." She walked past them and into her room to rest.

Amy stood tall and proud rubbing her hands together "Don't worry Sonic. We'll see each other again."

Cream looked sadly at Cheese who stared back with the same feeling.

Blaze leapt into the air and landed upon a boulder and peered up the mountain. The base was near and all there was now was to find the opening.

"So where is this base of yours?" Blaze yelped and stumbled forward slightly. She spun around to see Shadow looking up at the mountains. He looked back down at her, his arms crossed as if impatience "How do we get in?"

Blaze looked at him inquisitively "Why must you sneak up on people like that?"

Shadow looked at her now "It's not that I'm "sneaking up" on anyone. They just lack the instinct to recognize the fact someone is behind them."

Blaze glared him seemingly offended "I have good instinct!"

"Then why didn't you recognize the fact I was up here?"

Blaze froze, but a smile soon formed "You didn't give me the chance. You spoke the instant you moved up here and I am nowhere near as fast as you."

Shadow cocked one of his eye brows. Blaze stood taller and crossed her arms definitively. Shadow's lips curled slightly into a small grin "Alright. You got me. Didn't give you proper time to tell I was there. I'll try that next time then shall I?" Without even waiting for a response Shadow tore down the rock into the crowd below.

Blaze uncrossed her arms and glared after him, her smile gone "Real charmer isn't he?"

She turned to see Sonic smiling at her "Sorry, couldn't help but over hear that. Came up here to ask you the same question… You didn't answer by the way."

Blaze sighed as she looked up at the mountain "I can't swear for sure, but if we find it I'll defiantly be able to get in."

Sonic nodded "Alright. How much longer?"

Blaze looked back at him "Maybe an hour or so. Not too long."

"Good people are starting to get too tired. I'm tempted to have them camp her toni-." There was a loud whirring and a shadow loomed over the horizon. A major ship began to fly over them.

Blaze looked up at it in shock while Sonic bent down into a fighting stance "Great! They found us!"

Sonic pelted down the rock and up to the front of the people who all froze in fear of what was before them. The ship began firing down robots and they ground shook at the collisions. Sonic growled as Knuckles ran to the front yelling at the crowd "EVERYONE! GET MOVING IN THE LONG DIRECTION WITH ME! SONIC AND THE OTHERS WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS!" The crowed instantly rushed after Knuckles who lead them to another path. Blaze landed right next to Sonic "How'd they find us so fast?"

Shadow screeched to a halt right next to them "What kind of scanners do they have."

Sonic shrugged "Well. No doubt Tails used his advanced thermal scans. Must have picked up the large amount of heat coming from the group."

Silver landed with Rouge right next to him "In that case we can't take them to the base. They'll find us instantly."

Blaze looked down the mountain "Not if I use my powers to lead them away."

Rouge looked at her "Could you last long enough?"

Blaze cocked her head to the side, making it crackle "Let's find out."

Blaze began twirling in flames. The blazing hoard of fire built up to the point in was engulfing the entire mountain with light. The civilians stopped to look even Knuckles paused. He regained his composure however and waved at them to follow "Come on! That's a distraction! Get moving!"

The firey tornado quickly spun down the mountain side away from the robots.

On the ship the scanning equipment went haywire. At first it registered the group they were searching for moving up the mountain now the heat signatures were saying they were retreating. The robot at the desk however was fooled "They are heading back down the mountain."

Alpha One was on screen and commanded "Follow them! I've had enough of Sonic and his gang of interlopers!"

The ships started forward and followed the fire. Sonic smiled "It's working!"

Silver chuckled nervously "Yah, and them?"

Shadow cracked his knuckles "Beat them into scrape!" The black hedgehog blasted off, glowing spears fired off into the crowd of robots.

Sonic shrugged and rushed to help. Rouge looked at Silver "Ready, future man?"

Silver looked confused "That was strangely a creepy tone. Don't do that."

Rouge closed her eyes and shrugged, but did not change it "Whatever you say, sweety." She flew off.

Silver looked at her fly off and shivered "Agg. I just threw up a bit." He charged up and blasted into battle.

Two men bobbed up out of the water and swam to shore. They climbed out and walked up the beach to their leader who stood at the bank. Anonymous looked at them "Did you find him?"

They shook their head "Sorry sir. Ralph's body's gone. Alpha One must have taken his body after the fight."

Anonymous rested his chin in his fingers thoughtfully "What are you playing at Tails? What are you up to?... Did you find anything useful?"

"No. Just multiple scraps and pieces they left behind."

Anonymous turned away and began to walk "Return to base command. I need to go to the city to test out a theory."

The men looked at each other in worry "Wait! Sir! It'll be crowded with robots!"

Anonymous only continued on. One terrorist turned to the other "Must have a plan."

"What is the fox up to?"

"Who knows? The Sir will defiantly find out though."

As they began to walk of the second terrorist spoke up "Does he always sound this neutral?"

"If there's one thing you need to know about him is that he does NOT let emotion affect his judgment… But still, don't get on his bad side. Ever heard of what happened to the traitor who tried to use his resources and conquer the planet?"

"I thought that was a myth!"

"Ever saw that destroyed shell of an armor?"

"That was him?"

"Yep."

"Jeeze."

Sonic was slammed onto the ground. He pushed himself back up and kicked his enemy back into another. Silver lifted a boulder and launched it at a 4.0 only for it to blast it into parts with its laser. The blast forced Silver to roll back uncontrollably in the air. Once he regained himself however the robot pounded him with a fist into the side of a cliff. The cliff shook and rocks burrowed down onto the robot. Silver blasted from the top of the rockslide and flung himself at the robot. The robot did not see him coming behind the rocks and before it could register him there, he blasted through its eye.

Shadow swiftly ran around another 4.0 in a yellow blur catching its attention. It looked down and blasted its laser. The ground shattered sending Shadow flying away and crashing on the ground. Thankfully, he was only the distraction. Rouge landed on the head, twisted around so she would swing down and smashed into the robot's eye. She jumped away just as it exploded.

Sonic roundhouse kicked a robot causing it to shatter, but a robot behind it flung a punch right as it shattered and once the pieces cleared the attack struck Sonic in the gut. The hero was thrown into the side of the mountain. Sonic grabbed the side of his chest and groaned. His attacker leapt up as claws speared out of its fingers. It was just about to impale the blue blur when it was suddenly jerked back and smashed into the ground. A boulder then crashed on the robot and Silver blasted into the boulder completely destroying the robot underneath. The telekinetic hedgehog pushed himself off the ground looking bruised and out of breath "This… was… hugh… so much. Easier. With more back up."

Sonic chuckled but instantly moaned "Don't make me laugh, it hurts."

The ground shook and a giant 4.0 glared down at them. Silver sighed and Sonic limped forward at it. It raised its foot to stomp them in till a red blur smashed itself into its eyes and out the back of its head. Knuckles landed and punched a robot away "Left the people in a cave where the scanners couldn't find them. Came to help."

Sonic smiled "Great! Don't know if I could continue."

Knuckles smashed another robot with a huff "No kidding."

Shadow rushed up the leg of a 4.0. The robot closed its eye, Shadow ran up and around its head onto its shoulder, the eye opened with the strong glass, Shadow spun and cracked it, and as he bounced away he twirled and threw a chaos spear at it. The energy spear smashed through the glass and destroyed the eye. As Shadow landed in a hero pose the head blew and the bot fell over on its back. Shadow stood and brushed off the dust "That was the last one."

Sonic growled as he stood straighter and brushed off his dust. Even though he was weak he was not going to let Shadow out show him like that "No biggie." Knuckles huffed and rolled his eyes at the remark.

Silver stood up and looked down the mountain at the ship following the fire tornado "Blaze's still goi-." The fire suddenly stopped. Silver froze "Wait!"

Sonic looked down the mountain "Oh no. She must have passed out or something!"

Knuckles ran "Well hurry! They'll get her."

Sonic and Shadow blasted down the road at the ship.

Blaze kept spinning and spinning in a firey inferno. It felt like hours and her strength was leaving her. She felt her foot snag on a rock and she tumbled down. The hours of fighting made her weak and now that strong use of her powers for that long period of time had literately burned her out. Heh, Silver would probably laugh at that. Ralph would defiantly laugh at it.

The ship stopped and the robot starred on "It was just Blaze! She tricked us!"

Alpha One yelled at them on screen "Then get back up the mountain AND FIND THEM!"

"Roger. Eliminating enemy." The robot pressed a button.

Alpha One looked shocked "No! STOP! THE MASTER WANTS HER ALIVE!" But it was too late.

A ball of energy charged up and Blaze looked up at it all beaten and bruised. She tried to push herself up only to fall back down. She was too fatigued. She turned away to look down the mountain and look at her once proud city and castle "Good luck Sonic. Defeat Tails for me." She closed her eyes and fell unconscious.

The ball of energy began to vibrate and in a loud bang it fired off into a laser striking the ground where Blaze was. Shadow and Sonic soared right at the blast Sonic shouting out Blaze's name. The energy blast struck the ground and the entire ground shattered. The force threw both speedster hedgehogs back and smashed into trees and rock.

Alpha One roared "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

The robot however was freaking out "Does not compute! How is this possible?"

Alpha One slammed on his console "WHAT!? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Hi everyone. I am terribly sorry this was late… way too late. This should have been finished months ago. I have no excuse to give. I only got interested in other things and I forgot about this. This was my fault and I have no intentions of letting this go without being finished. I don't want to be like other authors on this website who just don't finish their work. What really helps keep me focus is if you guys review. I'll be more compelled to work on this, but I wouldn't be surprised if I lost the interest of everyone since I waited so long to post this. However, I won't let that stop me from working on this. I have a plan and I hope I'm keeping everyone's interest in Anonymous.