CWCollateral: A Tale of the Resistance

by Manajerkop

What happens when innocent bystanders get fed up with enduring the fallout from Sonichu's zappin' adventures? REVOLUTION, that's what! Experience Sonichu from a whole new perspective, as the PVCC fights to end the tyranny of Christian Weston Chandler.

23. Chapter 17: Operation Downfall

CWCollateral: A Tale of the Resistance

by Manajerkop

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Chapter 17: Operation Downfall

February 25, 2009, Charlottesville, Virginia

Kevin lay on his side, breathing gently through his nose as the steady beep of an EKG monitor sounded in the background. The world in front of him appeared as a blur of white and cyan, while bright lights shone upon his face. Still sluggish from hypothermia, he lifted a trembling hand and rubbed his eyes. The blurriness in his vision faded, and objects began to take shape. From what he could see, he was lying in a hospital bed, covered in several layers of blankets. Daylight shone through the room's windows, even though they had been covered by shades. Kevin couldn't tell if it was morning, midday, or afternoon, but a quick glance at the clock on the opposite side of the room revealed the time as 2:55 p.m. He'd been asleep for nearly half a day.

A dull twinge of pain drew the Jerkop's attention down to the source, where a collection of dark, discolored bruises now decorated his skin. No doubt they were remnants of the helicopter crash, or his crippling sendoff at the hands of Sonichu. Kevin winced at the sight, then lifted the neck of his hospital gown to reveal a collection of electrode patches attached to the left side of his chest. His left wrist had been bandaged, and a plastic tube now connected it to the IV drip hanging next to his bed. There was no sign of his PVCC combat gear, since it had most likely been confiscated by whoever had rescued him from the freezing waters of the Chesapeake Bay. No one else was in the room with him. Did they know he was awake? Did they know where he had come from?

Slowly, Kevin sat up. His head still felt a bit fuzzy, but the memories that Count Graduon had shown him were just as clear as they had been in the dreamscape. It was hard to wrap his head around the sheer extent of Christian Weston Chandler's reign of terror and the rise of the chus, but if the ancient spirit's parting words were anything to go by, he would have to make a choice soon. The fate of CWCville and everyone in it was now in his hands. But where could he begin?

Kevin's thoughts were shattered by the sound of a door creaking open. Turning toward the noise, he was greeted by a rather unexpected sight. Instead of a nurse or a doctor, a middle-aged man stepped into the room, bearing the distinctive olive green uniform and insignia of a United States Army officer. With the door open, the Jerkop could see two National Guard soldiers standing outside. That narrowed down his location, at least, but how had the military found him?

"Good to see you're up, Mr. Shaw," the man addressed him, pulling a chair to the side of the bed. "I assume you're wondering where you are, and how you're still alive."

Kevin didn't reply, but smiled. After years of little to no contact with the world beyond the walls of CWCville, it was good to know that America hadn't forgotten about its wayward city-state. If the U.S. military was involved at this point, then something big was certainly about to go down.

"First off, you're safe," the officer said reassuringly. "You drifted south for a few miles before hitting the shore. A National Guard patrol found you on the beach at about 3:00 this morning, and brought you here for medical attention. I've read the report - you're pretty damn lucky, son. The cold might've helped slow your metabolic functions, but by all counts, you should've been a Popsicle when they picked you up." He chuckled and held out a hand to the Jerkop. "Colonel Matthew Devoria, United States Marine Corps. Welcome to FOB Charlottesville, Mr. Shaw."

Devoria? The name sounded familiar, but Kevin couldn't quite place it. His mind was still a little out of focus. Wordlessly, he returned the colonel's handshake and managed a weak smile.

"That's right, nothing to worry about." Devoria sat in the chair. "We've got everything planned out, and here's what's going to happen. First things first, we should get some chow in you. You name it, we can cook it. I'd personally go for a nice ribeye and baked potato, but like I said, your choice." He stopped, a look of concern on his face. "Are you all right? Something wrong, son?"

The Jerkop shook his head. Tears had gathered in his eyes at the mere thought of real food. Back in CWCville, meals had consisted of mostly canned goods and whatever supplies the PVCC could steal from the chus and loyalists. Fresh meat was a rarity unless the operatives were willing or desperate enough to settle for baby Electric Hedgehog Pokémon flesh. Kuri and Steve hadn't seemed to mind it, though. Still, he was looking forward to telling them all about-

Oh my God…Allie…

The floodgates gave way, and Kevin collapsed onto his side, crying uncontrollably as hot tears soaked the sheets and pillows. The memory of his squadmates and Allie's fate had set off a chain reaction, and it was as if his renewed energy had been drained in a matter of seconds. Devoria was at his side instantly, holding his hand and calling for help as a man and woman in nurse's uniforms hurried into the room. Kevin felt a cool washcloth against his forehead and cheeks. The colonel and the two nurses were talking to him, trying to calm him down, but he could no longer understand the words they were saying. He was adrift in an endless sea of icy water, watching Sonichu walk away with Allie's body slung over his furry shoulder. Alone and paralyzed, he could do nothing more than scream as the blackness closed in over his head.

Stay your sorrow, child of Asila, Graduon spoke from the back of his mind. There is much to do and little time. Remember your purpose. Remember who you are. Remember what you fight for.

Kevin snapped back to reality, and voices filled his ears once more. His breathing and heartbeat slowed to their normal rates. Only when he looked down did he realize that he had been gripping Devoria's hand with such force that his skin was now the color of milk. Instinctively, he released it and backed away, looking around the room in confusion. The two Guardsmen had joined them, and the nurses seemed to have been preparing to add a dose of sedatives to his IV.

"Jesus Christ," the colonel muttered, staring down at his hand as blood began draining back into it. "You got a grip like a goddamn vice, son." He smiled. "No harm done. Now then, Mr. Shaw, can you tell me what happened? How'd you end up in the middle of the Chesapeake?"

"Hggghhh…" Kevin wheezed, then coughed loudly. "Ugh. Sorry. How do you know my name?"

"You probably thought the U.S. didn't give a rat's ass about what goes down in that hellhole," replied Devoria. "Truth is, we've had our eyes and ears on Chandler ever since that fat bastard's father announced he was stepping down. Thanks to your buddies in the resistance, our good friends at the CIA put together a little database of PVCC activities and operatives. They only had to do a few minutes of snooping before they pulled up your file."

"I have a file?"

"Yeah, an extensive one, too. Nowhere near Clyde Cash or Jason Howell or Mary Walsh, but pretty significant for someone of your rank. Squad leader, right? They've got you listed in a squad called the Honey Badgers, under Steve Morrison and-"

"Al Ledger," finished Kevin. "Yeah, that's right. How did you find all this?"

"Like I said, CIA." Devoria frowned. "They had agents on the inside, watching everything and sending it to us. The PVCC, Chandler's inner circle, you name it. Only problem…the Electric Hedgehog Pokémon. We still don't know everything that they're capable of. And they're the only things keeping Congress and the President from greenlighting Operation Downfall."

Kevin blinked. "What's that?"

"The end of the line, Mr. Shaw," laughed the colonel. "A project we've had in the works for some time. You and your friends may have lived through ten years of hell in that city, but America's been watching and waiting for the right moment to step in. It's like North Korea – everyone wants us to march in and stop the atrocities, but since Chandler holds absolute control over his private chu army, the collateral damage would be catastrophic if he unleashed them into America. We can't risk drone strikes now – too many civilians. Negotiating would be a waste of breath. That leaves a forced evacuation of the city as our best and most reliable option. After that's done and we have enough leg room, well, that's the point where we bring in the cavalry."

"You're sending the Army to CWCville?" Kevin asked, a hopeful smile forming across his face.

"Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard…hell, we've even got the Coast Guard in on this." Devoria leaned back. "You just wait until tonight. I guarantee, things are about to start heating up for Chandler and his electric rats. They won't know what hit them." He paused. "And that reminds me…you probably don't know about what went down this morning, do you?"

"No." Kevin said confusedly. "What happened?"

"Bring it in," ordered the colonel, nodding to the soldiers. The Guardsmen obediently turned and left the room. "From what I heard, NORAD nearly shit a brick when they picked up that rocket heading out of CWCville. Thank God the CIA got through to one of their field agents in the PVCC, otherwise we would've had to shoot it down. A brilliant plan, by the way. We're not allowed to tell the public anything about what goes on inside the city, but the rules didn't say anything about letting the resistance send out a broadcast of this scale."

"That's what they did with CWCSPACE One? Why?"

"To let the world know what's been going on behind the walls," answered Devoria. "That's my guess, anyway. Once the rocket reached orbit, it transmitted a single live video message and a data packet with information about the Chandler regime. Within hours, the broadcast went viral on the Internet, and every major news network's been running stories on CWCville all day long." He looked back toward the door just in time to see the Guardsmen return, one of whom was carrying a laptop computer. "Ah, here it is. Now you can see for yourself."

Kevin watched as the colonel flipped open the laptop and opened a video file labeled 20090225 PVCC SAT BROADCAST. At first, there was nothing but static, but a few seconds in, the red PVCC leaf logo flickered onto the screen, along with the words PLEASE STAND BY.

"Normally, we can't show these files to nonmilitary personnel," Devoria explained. "This is unaltered footage of the entire broadcast. It ought to bring you up to speed on what's happening."

A meeting desk appeared. Kevin was able to quickly identify the background as the conference room of Wilderness. What interested him more was the fact that the sole occupant of the desk was none other than Patrick Ryan. He had expected that such an important announcement would be made by Mary Lee Walsh, Vivian Gee, or perhaps Jason Kendrick Howell.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the radioman spoke, a grave expression etched on his face. "This is the Voice of the Resistance. I speak for the Private Villa of Corrupted Citizens resistance initiative, for the people of CWCville, and for the city itself. We are alive, and we are fighting back."

Behind Ryan, the conference screen lit up with a flash of color, displaying a montage of silent chaos. Footage of the Jerkop Riots and Occupation Day intermingled with shaky shots of public electrocutions, straight camps, the collapse of 4-cent_garbage, piles of bodies being dumped into Feeding Day drop sites, and crying children being wrestled from their parents by uniformed Sonichus. Videos of death, mayhem, and countless atrocities continued to play as the smug, smiling faces of Christian Weston Chandler, Sonichu, and Rosechu faded in on top of them.

"I speak for those who have had their voices silenced by the madman who rules our city," Ryan growled. "I speak for those who dared to take a stand against the monstrous regime of Christian Weston Chandler, and those who fought and died to see peace and order restored to CWCville." He looked up at the camera. "But most of all, I speak now to those who watch in hesitation from beyond the walls. I speak now to America, to every citizen, every soldier, every politician who stands silent and fearful. The revolution has started. Last night, the PVCC launched an all-out attack on the loyalist occupation…this barbaric swarm of Electric Hedgehog Pokémon who have established a citywide apartheid on us, under direct orders from the Mayor himself!"

More footage played out. This was new – Kevin had never seen it before. Most of it seemed to have been shot in the east side of the city, and showed groups of Jerkops and EHPF engaged in fierce urban combat as buildings burned around them. Crowds of furious men, women, teens, and children flooded the streets, hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails at fleeing families of chus while chanting "RISE! RISE! RISE!" at the top of their lungs. S.A.V.s and Punislavs traded shots with True Blue squads, Shockers, and battle tanks, while Crackders swept the streets with autocannon fire in devastating airstrikes. The city had become a war zone in the span of a single day, much like the June Offensive. This time, though, the people had risen to aid the resistance.

"For ten years," continued Ryan, "we have fought from the shadows, striking back at the force that now threatens to wipe out every citizen of CWCville. Last night, we took the fight to them, a fight that continues on even as you listen to my voice from the safety of your homes. Through our efforts, the foundations of Chandler's reign of terror have been shattered! But the odds against us are nearly insurmountable. We face the combined power of Sonichu, the Chaotic Combo, the Electric Hedgehog Police Force, the traitor mercenaries known as the True Blue, and countless nightmares conjured by the madman who declares himself Mayor. And know this - whether you choose to help us or not, we will continue to fight until our city is free, or until every citizen lies dead in the streets. We chose to start this fire, and we will see it through to the bitter end."

"Rumor has it that he improvised this speech," noted Devoria. "Impressive, huh?"

Kevin was too engrossed by the video to answer him. The screen behind Ryan had turned black, before a burning graphic of the PVCC logo exploded into view.

"I ask you now to help us win our battle," the radioman declared, staring straight out at his viewers. "Do not send us money. Do not give us useless support like tweets or likes. Spread the word. Tell the press. Tell your politicians to intervene. Tell President Barack Obama to send the military to CWCville. The abominable actions of Christian Weston Chandler cannot be ignored any longer. Let today be known forever as the day the world looked at CWCville and declared 'no more'." He closed his eyes, then launched into the finale of his speech. "We are the PVCC. We are CWCville. We are alive. We are fighting back. And one way or another, we will be free."

The PLEASE STAND BY message appeared once more, before being engulfed by static. As Kevin turned back to the colonel, he was surprised to see that the friendly smile on the colonel's face had been replaced by a far more serious stare. As if on cue, the two Guardsmen escorted the nurses out of the room and closed the door, leaving the two men alone once more.

"I'm under strict orders not to compromise or endanger this operation," Devoria said, examining Kevin closely. "We've been planning Downfall for years. Charlottesville will be the staging point for the single largest military operation in the continental United States." He sighed. "But I suppose I should tell you the reason for why I became so interested in taking down Chandler. The truth is…one of our informants chose to enter CWCville of her own accord, many years ago. She hasn't been seen since, though she continues to send back vital intelligence to her handlers. In any other situation, I couldn't care less about what the CIA does with their agents, but…when I hear about what's going on in CWCville, I just can't help worrying about my little Kacey."

"Kacey?" So that was where Kevin had heard the name before! "You're her father?"

"The last time I saw my daughter in person was the night before she left on assignment to infiltrate the PVCC," said the colonel. "From what I heard, she got into the Miscreant circle through some guy who goes by the nickname 'Liquid'. If reports are correct, they're dating now. And here I am, her own father, not even able to see my little girl for almost eight years now. I know you haven't seen your own family for over a decade. Surely you, of all people, can relate."

"I…yeah," answered Kevin. Thoughts of his parents and sister flooded his head. He and Nate had kept in touch with their family through letters, but it felt as if they were from some entirely different lifetime. "I haven't talked to any of them since…I don't know how long ago."

"Here's the deal, son," muttered Devoria, interlacing his fingers patiently. "Tonight's the night. Downfall's going to happen, one way or another. After the broadcast aired, Chandler uploaded a rebuttal of his own to YouTube. One of the CIA teams got through to his office and convinced him to participate in a televised meeting with the President this evening."

"Obama? He's going to debate Obama, live?" Kevin burst out laughing so loud that the colonel drew back in surprise. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my God! Oh my God, this is fucking great!"

"Something I should know about?"

"You have…heh…you guys have no idea what that's going to be like, do you?" wheezed the Jerkop, nearly breathless from laughter. "Arceus, I have to see this. I have got to see this!"

"Oh, you will. No doubt about it. The whole country, hell, the world will be watching." Devoria smiled grimly. "For many people, this will be the first time they see Christian Weston Chandler in the flesh. If they weren't convinced to help after the PVCC broadcast, the debate should seal the deal. And while Congress takes care of the political paperwork and gives us the green light for Downfall, my officers and I have been planning out a preliminary recon operation. I've got approval from the top brass, all the way up to the President. It's risky, but it'll work. I know it."

Kevin waited, politely trying to keep a straight face. It was too much. Arguing with Obama could only result in the foot-shooting to end all foot-shootings for the Mayor, perhaps even more so than when he had literally shat out Cera Rosey's remains in front of the entire city. Whatever happened at the meeting, he knew that nothing good could come of it for Chandler.

"Two squads of Marines and a SEAL fire team will be inserted into CWCville at 2100 hours," said the colonel. "They will establish contact between FOB Charlottesville and the PVCC high command. Once we have a line opened to the resistance, we can start organizing an evacuation. We have to get as many civilians as we can out of the city before the invasion begins tomorrow."

"Invasion? It's actually happening?"

"Ten years went into planning this operation. Tomorrow, the hammer falls on Chandler's reign. We just needed the right opportunity, and the PVCC have been more than helpful in that regard."

"That's great!" exclaimed Kevin. If the Honey Badgers could just keep fighting long enough for Operation Downfall to begin, they could all still walk out of CWCville alive. Rescuing Allie from the Shopping Center would be difficult, but not impossible, especially if the U.S. military were the ones performing the operation in place of the PVCC. "How are they getting inside?"

"I'll explain during the mission briefing tonight. After all, you're going with them."

"How did you-"

"I'm pretty good at reading faces, Mr. Shaw," stated Devoria. "And you don't look like the sort of person to sit back and watch while his friends are in danger. Our friends in the CIA would like to have a little Q&A session with you later today, but after that, they won't need your help any more. That leaves me with the million dollar question of what to do with you."

"I have to go back to CWCville," Kevin muttered, and pictured himself punching Sonichu's head into a sticky red and yellow mess beneath his bare hands. "Unfinished business. Chus to kill."

"Then our agendas seem to coincide." The colonel rose from his chair and stretched, then looked back to the recovering Jerkop. "You know the city better than any of our soldiers. I need you to lead them to the nearest PVCC base of operations so that we can contact the resistance. If you agree to do this for me, I'll give you first choice of whatever equipment the armory can spare. That AK-47 has definitely seen better days, that's for sure."

"It's not mine," Kevin corrected him, remembering that he'd left his beloved assault rifle with George and Missy June. "I'll take you up on that offer, but there's another thing I need first."

"Of course," Devoria said uneasily. He could have sworn he had just glimpsed a momentary flash of violet light shining from the Jerkop's eyes. "Just as long as it's within reason."

"A ride to Viridian Forest," demanded Kevin, repeating the words that Graduon was murmuring from deep within his mind. "I'll tell you where to go. Don't send anyone after me once we land. I just need to find something that I left there a while back. Nothing dangerous…just something a friend wanted me to bring back to CWCville for them. A personal thing."

"We'll have to check it over before we let you bring it." The colonel sounded suspicious. "I'm sure you mean well, but we can't take any unnecessary risks with what you're asking."

"All right, sounds good." Kevin pushed back the blankets and sat up. "When can we leave?"

---

Northern Viridian Forest, 3:56 p.m.

"Thirty minutes!" shouted the Guardsman, pointing to his watch as he and Kevin stepped out of the Black Hawk and into a clearing. "Colonel's orders! We have to be airborne by 1630, got it?"

The Jerkop gave him a quick thumbs up and set off into the forest, carrying an empty duffel bag over his shoulder. The evening sun was already painting the clouds with a beautiful orange glow, and with the light shining through the canopy of barren trees, Kevin could easily find his way through the woods. Snow and twigs crunched beneath his boots as Graduon silently guided him onward to the hidden location. Though the spirit was not directly in control of his mind, every once in a while he would hear it speaking directions, nudging him along an invisible path.

At the top of a small hill, he stopped, turned, and looked over his shoulder. There were no signs of movement behind him - only the sound of wind through the trees and several distant columns of black smoke rising out of CWCville. It was encouraging to think that the revolution was still going on, but at the same time, it filled him with worry. His squadmates, Allie, and Nate were still trapped in the middle of it all, and he didn't even know what had become of Frank. If the Arbok had survived the fight with Angelica, it would have headed straight for Slumberland. It was a faint hope, but definitely better than writing his Pokémon off as gone for good.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kevin asked quietly, once he was sure the soldiers weren't following him. "You heard what he said. They're going to interrogate me, and search the bag."

Do as I tell you, and there will be nothing to worry about, the spirit assured him. Quickly now.

Another hundred yards deeper into the forest, and the Jerkop began to notice a collection of stone blocks partially covered in earth and snow. The years had worn them down, but from the way they had been placed, it seemed as if there had once been a small structure where he now stood. Farther in, the ground sloped downwards and became a set of cracked and broken stone steps, which led through a doorway in the earth itself.

"So this is it?" Kevin approached the stairs cautiously, clicking on the flashlight that the colonel had provided him with. "This is where you wanted me to go? What's down there?"

Graduon didn't respond. Taking a deep breath, the Jerkop stepped forward, through the doorway. The stairs appeared to lead down for about fifty feet, before straightening out into a corridor. The sour odors of stale air and ancient rock surrounded him as he descended further and further into the underground structure. At the bottom of the stairs, the path widened and opened up into a large chamber, entirely devoid of illumination but for the beam of his flashlight. At the center sat a raised stone platform, and a small, unopened door was visible on the opposite side.

It was obvious now. The structure wasn't the Destiny Cave; it was the tomb where Graduon had been imprisoned thousands of years ago. The scepter must have been held here, until Mary Lee Walsh stumbled upon the catacombs after her defeat in 1998. But why had the spirit returned?

The door. Behind it lies what we seek, encouraged Graduon. Kevin crossed the room quickly, taking in the undisturbed symbols that decorated the walls and floor. For some reason, he could actually understand the hieroglyphs. The carvings told of a demon who wore the skins of men, who had bent Sawabia to his wicked ways and sought to do the same to Cherokia. According to it, only the strength and courage of their leader had kept the city from being plunged into chaos.

"Lies," he muttered. "What a bunch of fucking lies."

You would be surprised at how easily your species can be deceived, child of Asila.

"Is that so?" The Jerkop looked around suspiciously. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Graduon made a noise halfway between a laugh and a frustrated grunt. Even now, after I gave you direct knowledge of my memories, you still believe I would simply be using you?

"You were going to, before all that. You thought of me as a pawn. Did you think I'd forget?"

I was wrong, admitted the spirit. I have spent so much of my existence sealed in that scepter… I suppose I had grown quite eager to be free once more. You already know of this desperation.

"Yeah…" Kevin sighed, looking back in the direction of CWCville. Though he stood well beyond the reach of Chandler, he felt as if an invisible chain was still connecting him to the city. He couldn't just walk away from the coming battle, much as he would like to be finished with it forever. There was just too much at stake, and his part was yet to be played. Somehow, he knew that it would end with him and Sonichu – one final battle for the fate of CWCville. But how could he even hope to challenge the original Electric Hedgehog Pokémon?

Place your hand on the door, instructed Graduon. Think of nothing. You are my channel.

Kevin obeyed. The ancient limestone was ice cold and several inches thick, but as he pressed his palm against it, a purple light began to shine from his fingers. A loud crunchechoed around the chamber, and a web of cracks spread outward from the point he had touched. As psychic forces slammed into it, the stone slab crumbled and fell apart, revealing a small alcove in the bricks. By the beam of his flashlight, Kevin could see something smooth and white through the cloud of dust. At first he thought it was a skeleton, but the bones were clearly not those of a human. They had been reshaped into a set of white armor, which now lay on the floor like the remains of a great and honored warrior. It had belonged to Graduon's human avatar, and the Cherokians must have entombed it with the scepter as a way to be rid of the spirit once and for all.

This, Graduon murmured sadly, is all that remains of my past lives. When my vessels passed to the next life, some of their bones would be added, and even in death, their strength would live on in the next man or woman to bear my essence. That same power remains, even to this day.

"This is what we came here for?" Kevin asked, kneeling down to touch the carved bone mask. "What are we going to do with these? They'll never let us take them back into the city."

Gather the armor and put it on.

The Jerkop hesitated. "Why?"

My psychic abilities are limited with no physical vessel to project them. Since I only exist in your mind, the bone armor will act as an amplifier instead, connecting me to you like a conduit.

"I get it." Kevin carefully picked up one of the gauntlets and slid it onto his wrist. The leather straps had decayed long ago, but as soon as the armor was in place, it seemed to magnetically adhere to his body. The link between the armor and Graduon must have been keeping it in place.

Ah, yes! the spirit exclaimed triumphantly as the gauntlet's carvings glowed with violet light. Yes, this shall serve us well! Quickly, assemble the rest! We do not have much time.

Kevin set to work, grabbing pieces of bone armor and piecing them together as each one snapped into place. It was light and unrestrictive enough for him to move around easily, yet the thin white plates felt as if they could withstand an incredible level of force. At last, he placed the ominous pale mask on his face, and felt it sink into a snug fit. Looking through the eye slits, the Jerkop was surprised to discover that the tomb was no longer pitch black. He turned off the flashlight, but could still see relatively clearly. Night vision seemed to be one of the armor's enhancements.

"Unbelievable," he laughed, and looked down at the bone plates covering his arms and hands. "It works. It really works. What else can I do with this?"

Focus on the present, the spirit warned him. We must return now. Retrieve the container.

Kevin unzipped the duffel bag and pulled out a large glass jar that he had acquired back at FOB Charlottesville. It was large enough to hold about half a gallon, but he didn't know exactly why Graduon had been so insistent. He quickly unscrewed the lid, waiting for an explanation.

With a series of dry crunching noises, the armor plates detached themselves from the Jerkop's body and disintegrated in midair, each transforming into a cloud of pale dust. Surprised, Kevin backed away a few steps, but the clouds converged on each other and poured into the open jar, filling it to the brim with tiny fragments and chips of bone.

Even in such a state, I should be able to reassemble the armor upon our return, said Graduon. Until then, give the Americans whatever information they request. But speak not of my presence.

"I won't," promised Kevin as he placed the jar into the bag and set off back toward the stairway. "Besides, I don't want to spoil the surprise for Chandler and Sonichu. Come on, let's go."

---

FOB Charlottesville, 5:02 p.m.

"What exactly were you doing out there?" Colonel Devoria inquired, shielding his eyes against the wind as the helicopter powered down. "I don't mean to sound suspicious, but we can't be-"

"…too careful, yeah." Kevin opened the duffel bag and handed over the jar of bone meal. It pained him to lie to the officer after the kindness he had been shown, but there seemed to be no other way. "I had to do this alone, sir. My girlfriend Allie…she and I used to visit this lake out in Viridian, and I promised her I'd bring back a jar of sand if I escaped the city without her."

"I see." Devoria examined the jar, then passed it back to the Jerkop. "This Allie, is she-"

"Chandler has her," Kevin answered truthfully, his voice suddenly turning into a bitter snarl. "I don't know if she's still alive. That's why I need to go back. I need to get her out of there."

The colonel looked at him silently, then motioned for Kevin to follow him. "We'll do whatever we can, son. No promises."

"Did anything important happen while I was gone?"

Devoria nodded. "They're saying that the President's been pushing an emergency bill through Congress all day. I can't imagine he'll get much resistance. Hell, I'd bet on a unanimous vote."

"What kind of bill?"

"If we're lucky, a declaration of war or military action…something that'll let us go straight to Operation Downfall and bypass all this bureaucratic bullshit. At this point, Arceus only knows what they're doing in Washington. Fortunately for us, the debate's about to begin just now."

Kevin followed the colonel into a large, heavily guarded tent. Inside, a collection of around thirty men in U.S. Marine Corps fatigues and Navy SEAL gear were sitting in rows of chairs facing a large projector screen. Upon spotting their superior, the soldiers rose and snapped to attention. Though they had no weapons but for their sidearms and several Poké Balls, Kevin could tell that the three squads alone would be enough to put a sizable dent in Chandler's forces. He couldn't even imagine how much damage they'd be able to dish out when fully armed.

"At ease!" ordered Devoria. The SEALs and Marines promptly obeyed. "Gentlemen, we have a new addition to the team joining us this evening. Mr. Kevin Shaw is a former citizen of CWCville and an operative in the PVCC. Protocol states that he is a civilian, and should be treated as such up until the operation begins. Once you are inside the city, he will be your eyes and ears in establishing contact with the PVCC leadership. Briefing will take place as soon as the debate is over. Any questions?" He paused for a second, then smiled. "Good. Take your seats."

Kevin nervously sat down beside one of the SEALs. The man was nearly a foot taller than him, and didn't seem like the kind of person one would strike up a casual conversation with. To his surprise, Colonel Devoria gave the officer a pat on the back, then sat in the chair beside him.

"How are they holding up, Kale?" he asked.

"Just restless, sir," the SEAL replied, and turned to the Jerkop. "So this guy's our map, then?"

The colonel nodded. "Keep a close eye on him. Mr. Shaw, I'd like you to meet my son."

"Kale Devoria, Petty Officer, Fifth Platoon, SEAL Team Two." The man held out a hand and shook Kevin's, nearly crushing his fingers. "Escort missions aren't our thing, but according to the colonel, you know your way around. Don't let us down, and we'll make sure you get home."

"They're going live in twenty!" shouted a man from the rear of the tent. "Eyes on the screen!"

The projector clicked on, displaying the interior of the Oval Office. Kevin couldn't see any sort of channel logo or hear any reporters speaking. This was no news program – this footage was coming directly from the source.

From the left side of the screen, President Barack Obama stepped into view and sat down at his desk. The camera zoomed in to get a better shot of the President's face, then moved slightly to the left in order to display an overlaid, smaller screen.

"Second feed ready to go, Mr. President," a man announced from offscreen. Obama sipped at a glass of water, then cleared his throat, straightened himself up, and looked directly at the camera.

"My fellow Americans," he began. "This morning, we witnessed what many claim to be a long-awaited cry for help. A call for us to stand up, to reach out to our distant brothers and sisters, who, even now, face a threat like nothing this nation, or the world, has yet encountered. For many of us, it was the first time we had heard of the ongoing crisis in CWCville. For some, it was merely a reminder of the challenges America has faced in its relations with the city once known as Ruckersville, Virginia. For some, it was a message of terror and oppression. For others, a sign of hope and courage. Tonight, I have been given the opportunity to speak with the current Mayor of CWCville, Mr. Christian Weston Chandler, in the hopes of reaching an agreement on how the situation can be peacefully resolved."

Kevin snorted loudly. Several of the SEALs and Marines turned and looked at him quizzically. He looked up at Kale, who was shaking his head in disappointment.

"It's just for the cameras," Colonel Devoria assured his son quietly. "We wouldn't be sitting here if there was even the slightest chance of a peaceful solution."

The small screen flickered on. Even though Kevin had been expecting to see the Mayor's face again, he was still taken aback by the first shot. The webcam footage was blurry and out of focus, which only served to amplify Chandler's incredible state of disarray. His hair seemed even more greasy and disheveled than usual, both of his eyes now bore saggy discolored bags beneath them, and sweat stains decorated the neck of his striped shirt and the area around his armpits. It was clear that Chandler was filming himself in the Shopping Center's atrium, but judging by the bullet holes, scorch marks, and the myriad of brown and orange stains on the wall behind him, he hadn't had a chance to clean after the True Blue rebellion and his own expulsion of Cera Rosey. There was no sign of Sonichu or the Combo, nor Allie. That was either good, or very, very bad.

"Uh, good evening, Mayor Chandler," Obama greeted his opponent, trying to conceal his visible disgust at the tyrant's appearance. "Thank you for joining me in tonight's debate."

"Hrrrm. Yeah." Chandler sounded more agitated than usual. Whatever was going on in the city, it looked as if he'd been given a hard dose of reality, and was currently trying to ignore it.

"First of all," began the President slowly, "I believe that you showed interest in addressing the contents of, well…this extraordinary video that was broadcast this morning by the PVCC."

"Yeah." The Mayor adjusted his glasses and leaned in close to the camera to accentuate his rage. "Tha' Voice of tha Ressisance JERK is nuddin' more dan a big, fat, lyin' trollin' stupid! I am-" He sighed loudly in frustration. "THEY are tha evil ones here. An' dey WILL be dealt with!"

"Mayor, the footage I've seen suggests otherwise," retorted Obama. "Executions, prison camps, forced labor, children held hostage from their parents. How do you explain these atrocities?"

Chris sighed again. "Tha tr…I ju…tha only people who have done tha wrong have been tha JERKS at tha PVCC an' dose slanderous trolls at 4-cent_garbage. I do not even know where they got all of dat fake footage, but dose were all non-official an' unlicensed an' such!"

"Are you implying that...you're telling me that all of the footage on that video was faked?"

"Well, duuuhhh!" Chandler answered indignantly, his face quickly taking on a darker shade of red. "Errybody knows dat I would not condone such actions on the parts of my individual copyrighted creations! Dey…if I have ever done anything ev…even the tiniest and microscopically remotely wrong, then it is because dose trollin' stupids forced me into it!"

"I suppose the attack on Clarksville, Tennessee was their fault as well," Obama struck back sharply. On cue, an aide wheeled in a TV screen beside him, displaying footage of the 4-cent_garbage concert and the building's fall. "You not only violated the 2005 U.S.-CWCville Severance Treaty by bringing members of your 'Chaotic Combo' onto American soil, but you and your associates personally caused the deaths of over six hundred people, half of whom were U.S. citizens. How in God's name can you sit there and tell me that wasn't your fault?"

"Dat was a PEACEABLE PROTEST!" yelled Chris. "It was not my fault dat tha building had such WEAK construction! Dose JERKS shoulda built dere stupid hind-headquarters better, dey and I know SON-CHU uses them for demolishin' abannoned, an' abannoned ONLY, buildings!"

"Did you even…" Obama began, stunned by the Mayor's dismissal of the deaths in Clarksville. "Did you hear a single word I said? Your 'peaceable protest' killed over six hundred people! Their families are watching now. The American people deserve an answer for this despicable act of terrorism. Your citizens are actively voicing their disapproval at this very moment. Your city has become a war zone, Mayor. The time has come to answer for your murderous actions."

"I am NOT A MURDERER, DANG IT!" Chandler raged, screaming into the webcam. "I have done NOTHING BUT GOOD FOR CWCVILLE IN RIDDIN' IT OF THA TROLL MENACE!"

"The United States will not tolerate such irresponsible and destructive behavior," snapped the President, as if speaking to a child. "We will not stand idly by while you and your Electric Hedgehog Pokémon continue to pose a threat to our citizens, and the innocents suffering in that death camp you call a city. Just an hour ago, the House and Senate voted almost unanimously to pass an amendment ending all American financial support to CWCville. As soon as I sign this bill, your 'tugboat', as you call it, will cease to exist. You may not be willing to believe me, Mayor, but your actions do have consequences. And this is only the beginning."

"Dat…dat is not…y'all are jus-" For the first time since the debate had started, legitimate terror flashed across Chris's face. "YOU DANG IDIOTS! CAN'T YOU SEE ALL OF THA STRESS THEY'VE BEEN PUTTIN' ME THROUGH?! In tha last two or three days, I have been nearly killed TWICE by tha dang Kevin Francis Shaw, tha trolls have tricked Sonichu inta thinkin' his family have died, an' he will not listen ta a word I say! I AM THA REAL VICTIM HERE! Dose murderous, racist, intolerant, boorish, stereotypical, male, arrogant, male JERKS are just jealous of my creative ability, and y'allselves are bein' fooled into stealing MY HARD-EARNED AND HONEST MONEY! Dat is a line you should NOT cross against me! I have all tha powers-"

"Mark my words, Mayor Chandler," interrupted Obama in an alarmingly calm voice, "you will answer to the world for the crimes you have committed. You will answer to the people of the United States of America for those who lost their lives in Clarksville. But most of all, you will answer to the innocents of your city for the decade of terror, oppression, and genocide they have endured under your selfish rule. You have shown your true colors to the world tonight. There will be no second chances." He turned back to the camera as Chris's feed was forcibly muted by an unseen technician. Though no more sound came from the Mayor, he continued to rant and shout silently in the background, spraying his webcam with spittle. "To the refugees of CWCville and the freedom fighters of the PVCC, I have only this to say. The United States stands with you, now and forever, until you are free. And to my fellow Americans, thank you, and good night."

"Soldiers, at-tention!" barked an officer as Colonel Devoria rose from his chair and proceeded to the front of the assembled SEALs and Marines. Kevin hurriedly stood at attention alongside the other men, even though he technically didn't have to. It felt strange to be a part of such an elite collection of soldiers, and even though he couldn't match them in skill or experience, he was still determined to do whatever he could to help them through the urban battlegrounds of CWCville.

"At ease," the colonel stated again. "Before I begin the briefing, I want to once again remind you all that the man you just witnessed speaking to our President is an HVT, top priority. However, you are not to attempt taking him down until Operation Downfall receives the green light. The same goes for any of Chandler's human chain of command, such as Anna McLerran."

Kevin suppressed a laugh. If only they knew what had happened to Anna. Once the battle was over, he resolved to show the military to the dumpster where he and Dexter had imprisoned her. Once she was standing before a court, charged with aiding a genocidal despot, then she would face a little social justice of her own…the kind that ended in a prison sentence and hard labor.

"Now then," began Devoria as the projector lit up again, showing a satellite map of CWCville. "Gentlemen, you are here tonight to participate in a critical reconnaissance operation, one that the entirety of Downfall hinges upon. This assignment is a prerequisite to the main invasion of CWCville, and has been codenamed Operation Skyraider." He paused. "Because this is a covert operation, we cannot risk insertion by land or sea. You will instead be sent in via HALO jump. Once on the ground, you will regroup and accompany Mr. Shaw to the nearest PVCC base of operations, eliminating any hostiles in the way. Intelligence suggests that you may encounter heavy fighting between the rebels and loyalists, and possibly human civilians and mercenaries as well. Use absolute caution when engaging the Electric Hedgehog Pokémon – they are extremely dangerous in combat and should not be underestimated in any situation. But above all else, do not open fire on any human unless fired at first. Your primary targets should be the chus."

The second slide was a chart made up of several rows of photographs, each linked upwards in a sort of family tree. Mary Lee Walsh sat directly at the top, connected to her primary lieutenants Vivian Gee, Jason Kendrick Howell, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and Giovanni da Silva. Below them were Clyde Cash, Jack Thaddeus, Naitsirhc, Liquid Chris, Kacey, Wes Iseli, and the rest of the Miscreant council, as well as elite PVCC operatives like Marcus Bagget, Emily, and Jackie.

"This is the PVCC chain of command, as we understand it," explained the colonel. "Before you ask, Giovanni da Silva and Ivo Robotnik are indeed two of America's most wanted terrorists at the moment. However, your orders are to hold off on any direct action towards them until CWCville is safely under U.S. control and the Mayor has been taken into custody. You should instead focus on establishing contact with as much of the PVCC command as possible. Once we have a direct line of communication to the resistance, you will receive further orders. Operation Downfall will begin with a simultaneous evacuation and amphibious assault from members of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The National Guard will coordinate the civilian evacuation procedure at the U.S./CWCville border, while mounting a push of their own into the city."

"I realize that not all of you have had hands-on experience in urban warfare." Devoria turned to examine the soldiers, his determined gaze moving to each man in turn. "But frankly, none of us have faced a situation quite like this one before. I would not be asking any of you to take part in this operation if I did not have complete faith in your ability to succeed. Your courage will never be more needed than it is today. Remember your orders, study your dossiers, and be at the runway by 2100. Good luck, gentlemen. Dismissed!"

The soldiers stood and filed out of the tent, conversing in low voices and occasionally laughing at a teammate's comment about Chandler. Kale gave Kevin a curt nod and departed. At last, only Colonel Devoria, the Jerkop, and a few National Guard officers remained.

"We should get you outfitted before the drop," remarked the colonel. "I'll have one of the men escort you to the armory. Before anything else, though, I have one more thing to show you. This may come as a bit of a surprise, but the United States isn't the only nation interested in solving the CWCville problem. The topic came up in a few UN meetings over the years, but no one had any idea what to do or how to handle the potential crisis…not to mention the threat of Chandler unleashing Magi-Chan on the world."

"So who else got involved?" asked Kevin.

"For a while, everyone was talking about getting G.U.N.'s attention, but that went nowhere fast." The colonel glanced at his watch. "UN-approved or not, they don't have the discipline for this kind of an assignment. On the plus side, one of their best operatives spoke with us shortly afterward and put us in touch with some old friends of…well, more like friendly rivals of his."

Kevin didn't know much about the Guardian Units of Nations, only that they had been heavily involved in the Space Colony ARK global crisis of 2001. Robotnik had gone into hiding after nearly destroying the planet, and hadn't re-emerged until his 2004 alliance with the PVCC.

"They're here." Devoria opened the tent flap as headlights appeared on the road. "Come on."

Slightly confused as to who the colonel was referring to, Kevin stepped outside into the cold air. The sun had set, and night now covered FOB Charlottesville. A pair of Humvees approached from the north, preceded by a single black truck bearing a CIA decal on the side. Devoria waved to the convoy as it drew closer, directing them over to the briefing tent.

The CIA truck stopped first, pulling to a halt only a few yards away from Kevin and the colonel. Two men – one African-American, one Asian, disembarked in unison. Both of them were wearing winter coats and jeans. They didn't seem like typical government agents, but then again, the Jerkop didn't know much about how the organization worked. Not exactly the Men in Black.

"Colonel Devoria!" the black man announced as he and his associate hurried forward. "Agent Fenn, CIA. This is Agent Barnes." He glanced at Kevin. "I see you brought the operative."

"Glad you could make it," replied the colonel. "Mr. Shaw is leaving on assignment in three hours. I trust that will give you enough time to ask him whatever questions you have?"

"It should be, sir," Barnes answered. "The boys down at Langley don't want him leaving U.S. custody at all. I don't know what sorts of strings you pulled, but he's all yours after we're done."

"Don't be too hard on him. He's been through a lot in the past ten years."

"Then we have quite a bit of work to do," Fenn said curtly. "Mr. Shaw, please come with us."

"One more thing before you take him," stated Devoria. "Has the strike team been briefed yet? I think it would only be fair for them to meet their guide before the mission begins."

The two agents looked at each other momentarily. Barnes motioned to the Humvees, which promptly pulled up beside the CIA truck. As the doors opened and the occupants stepped out, Kevin raised a hand and shielded his eyes to avoid the glare from the vehicles' headlights.

"Brrrrrr!" squealed a shivering female voice. "Oh, why didn't I remember to bring a jacket?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" replied the second newcomer. "Feels fine to me!"

Kevin glanced out from behind his fingers. That voice…he'd heard that voice before, long ago. As his eyes adjusted and the four new arrivals took shape, he felt his heart skip a beat. It couldn't be. It simply couldn't. All this time, the Americans had been planning this?

And yet, his eyes did not deceive him. Standing in a line before him were four of the strangest and yet the most familiar creatures he had ever seen. A small yellow fox with two bushy tails, a pink female hedgehog in a dress and oversized red boots, a serious-looking red echidna bearing a set of dreadlocks and two spiked gloves, and at the forefront, an unmistakable blue hedgehog wearing a pair of red and white sneakers.

"Gentlemen, ma'am, welcome to FOB Charlottesville," announced Devoria. "It's an honor to have you join us tonight. I apologize for the short notice, but the situation has grown somewhat complicated as of late. I trust you'll be able to handle this new development?"

"Yeah, just leave it to us!" Amy Rose exclaimed, twirling what appeared to be a large croquet mallet in one hand. "As long as we stick together, we can handle anything!"

"I wish things didn't have to come to this, but the balance of nature must be restored," Knuckles sighed. "I should have heeded the Master Emerald's warning. But it's not too late to stop them."

"Are you sure you're all okay with this?" Tails asked worriedly, looking up at his comrades. "Sonichu and Rosechu used to be our friends! What on earth could have happened to them?"

"Chandler happened," Kevin answered involuntarily. The four animals turned to him, puzzled. "He fooled them into following his orders and enforcing his laws. He made them think they were heroes, but really…they were becoming the villains all along. It was Chandler. It all comes back to him. It's all his fault, and he's going to pay for what he did to us."

"This young man is a PVCC operative," Devoria explained hastily. "I've tasked him with leading you and the rest of the Skyraider team into CWCville to meet up with the resistance." He pushed Kevin forward gently. "I see you already know our guests. Miles Prower, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, and Sonic the Hedgehog. This is Strike Team Needlemouse, assembled for one purpose and one purpose alone. To eliminate the Chaotic Combo and, if necessary, Sonichu." He looked down at the Jerkop. "Go on, say hello. We haven't got all night."

Kevin's heart pounded violently as he approached the small group. Never, even in the most incredible moments of his life, had he ever believed that he would one day be working alongside what was arguably the most celebrated team of heroes in Earth's history. Amy flashed him a sweet smile and Tails waved cheerily, while Knuckles merely acknowledged his presence with a low grunt. But it was the last of the group that he was the most interested in…the creature who had been an unknowing part of his mortal enemy's creation. Even now, after so many years, Station Square was still as fresh in his mind as it had been in 1998. He remembered sitting with his father, his mother, his little sister, watching in horror at first, then in sudden joy as Perfect Chaos fell defeated. The incident had kindled a fire in his heart, a fire that drove him on toward his Pokémon journey, toward his new life in CWCville…and everything that had come after.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," he murmured, holding out a hand. "I'm Kevin. Kevin Shaw."

"Nice to meet you!" the blue-furred hedgehog replied with a grin. "I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!"

---

FOB Charlottesville, runway, 8:56 p.m.

"Final prep!" yelled an officer as the C-130 transport plane taxied down the runway toward the group of Marines and SEALs. "Masks, chutes, safeties, goggles! Everyone secure your gear!"

Feeling slightly encumbered, Kevin checked each of his new acquisitions in turn. The Americans had supplied him with a set of Marine Corps fatigues, a flak jacket, a helmet, an air tank, and a breath mask for the drop into CWCville, while he had selected an M16A4 assault rifle as his primary weapon. The gun didn't feel quite as familiar as his old Kalashnikov, but it came with a holographic sight and grenade launcher, so he had no reason to complain. The only possessions that he was taking along for Operation Skyraider were his hunting knife, his Jerkop badge, Frank's empty Poké Ball, the second empty ball, and a large plastic Ziploc bag full of Count Graduon's disintegrated armor. The glass jar had been far too fragile to bring on a HALO jump.

"You set?" Kale Devoria looked over to the Jerkop. "Check your straps, Shaw. Not too tight."

"Thanks," said Kevin, loosening his parachute's shoulder straps by a fraction. "I…uh…listen, I've never been skydiving before or anything, so if I get nervous up there…"

"Yeah, don't worry, I already told them to push you out," answered the SEAL. "Just think of it like doing a belly flop off the diving board. You should have a good two minutes of freefall before you need to worry about the chute. Keep an eye on the rest of us and do what we do. And remember, just grab the pilot handle and pull it straight out. The chute'll do the rest."

"SOLDIERS, AT-TEN-TION!"

"Thought I'd come and see you boys off!" announced Colonel Devoria as he and the pair of CIA agents approached the strike team. "At ease! Good news from USAF – recon's been showing clear skies over the drop zone and minimal fighting on the ground. That can change at any time, so stay on the alert once you hit the streets. Watch yourselves out there, gentlemen. Good luck."

The C-130 stopped and turned, its propellers filling the air with a low mechanical roar. At a silent signal from the officer, the soldiers formed a line behind the plane as its rear hatch slowly lowered into a ramp. Kevin started after them, then looked over his shoulder to where the colonel was speaking with Barnes and Fenn. Devoria glanced up and waved, nodding expectantly to the Jerkop before resuming his conversation with the agents.

The CIA interrogation had gone about as well as Kevin could have hoped. He'd told Fenn and Barnes the truth about everything related to the Mayor, Sonichu, and the Chaotic Combo, even going so far as to recount the devastating shootout at Kel's cabin and how he had murdered both his own cousin and Crystal Chandler. The only things that he left out of the recap were anything involving Graduon or Vejovis – CIA or not, the Americans would never have believed him about things like alien medical technology or ancient earth spirits. They would think he'd gone insane.

Kevin ascended the ramp, leaning forward slightly to offset the weight of his equipment. The Marines and SEALs were still seating themselves in the bay, so it was only a matter of finding an empty spot on the end and strapping in. Looking down the two rows of soldiers, he was surprised to see that Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy hadn't joined them. Did the strike team even know?

"Tower, Delibird Six Three, time is…uh…2059. Request takeoff clearance."

"Negative, Six Three. Hold takeoff, passengers still on the ground."

"Do a head count!" demanded Kale as he looked around the bay and tallied up the members of his SEAL fire team. "All here! Hey, Wolff, anyone missing in your squad?"

"Got everyone here!" answered the closer of the two squad leaders. "Bennett, you good?"

The other Marine gave him a thumbs up.

"Damn it." Kale peered out the bay door. "Who else was supposed to-"

SHOOOOOM!

"Sorry we're late, guys!" Sonic the Hedgehog laughed, appearing seemingly out of nowhere in a spinning blue ball of fur and spikes. Kevin jumped a little in his seat, stunned by just how fast the hedgehog had dashed into the plane. He glanced down at his watch. Sonic had arrived the exact second that the clock had turned to 9:00. "I don't say this much, but ohhhh man, you folks sure do know how to cook a mean chili dog! I must've had like...fifteen of 'em!"

"What the hell?" a Marine shouted, awestruck as Knuckles, Tails, and Amy hurried up the ramp after Sonic. He turned to the man sitting beside him. "Dude…dude, did you know about this?"

"Holy shit. Holy shit!"

The plane filled with noise as the soldiers began talking and yelling all at once. Some of them cheered, some stared, and a few fumbled to grab pens and scraps of paper from their packs, holding them out to the four creatures and asking for autographs.

Kevin watched in silence, smiling to himself. This was it. This was really happening. The U.S. military was actually going to use Christian Weston Chandler's childhood hero against him in order to bring him down. The situation could not have been more ironically perfect. Despite the awkward nature of their initial meeting, Sonic and his friends had been incredibly welcoming and sympathetic toward Kevin. He had wanted to tell them of the atrocities that Sonichu and Rosechu had committed on Chandler's orders, but the interrogation had started before he could reach a decision. In any case, the Jerkop didn't want to kill the mood now. A few hours of exploring FOB Charlottesville and snacking on chili dogs had greatly amplified Sonic's carefree attitude, and he was more than happy to oblige the starstruck Americans.

"Delibird, cancel hold order, Needlemouse team is aboard. Six Three cleared for takeoff."

"Six Three copies. Affirmative, proceeding to runway."

Kevin waved to Sonic, who quickly signed a last few autographs and zoomed over to the seat beside the Jerkop. Tails, Knuckles, and Amy followed suit, filling the last empty seats in the plane. The hydraulic ramp closed with a metallic thud, plunging the bay into darkness for a few moments before the overhead lights flickered on. As the plane began to roll down the runway, the sound of the propellers increased, until it had drowned out most of the background noise.

"What did they tell you?" Kevin yelled above the low roaring from outside. "Anything new?"

"Not really!" Tails shook his head. "I wish I'd known what we were doing. I would've brought the Cyclone instead!" He shrugged off a large backpack and unzipped the main compartment. "But I put together a few things that might come in handy. Here, take a look!"

"You didn't bring any of those crummy Ring Bombs this time, did you?" Sonic teased, winking at the little fox.

"No, Sonic, for the fourth time, I didn't!" Tails rolled his eyes and let out an irritated sigh. "Can we please just forget about those?"

Kevin leaned over and looked into the bag. Most of the space had been filled with C4 charges and flashbang grenades, but amidst the clutter lay a few objects that he had never seen before. The smallest of the bunch was a yellow handheld screen that resembled some kind of advanced video game controller. Next to it was a red and white metal disk the size of a Frisbee, and a heavy cylindrical cannon that appeared to be meant to fit over the user's forearm. While Tails lacked the natural combat ability of his friends, the fox was certainly well equipped.

"I don't even know what half this stuff is," observed the Jerkop. "You should've brought a gun."

"A g…a gun?" Tails looked mortified. "I don't want to hurt anybody!"

"That's right," Sonic added. "I know how much Sonichu and the Mayor took from you and your friends, Kevin, but there's gotta be some way to do this without causing more bloodshed!"

"No." Kevin glared at the hedgehog. "They have to die. Every single chu in the city has to die."

"Listen," stated Knuckles. "I only agreed to help out with this as long as the Chaotic Crystals are destroyed. We're not here to exterminate the chus. If you and your PVCC want to keep this going to that point, that's your choice. We're not going to become murderers. We're not going to torture and slaughter their babies. I can't believe you would even do something like that…"

"Try living a decade under Chandler, and you'll start thinking differently about a whole lot of things," the Jerkop retorted, turning his eyes to the floor of the plane. "I saw a Feeding Day on my first trip to the abandoned zone. I saw the EHPF stacking up corpses for their spawn to eat. Civilians. Children. It doesn't make any difference to them. The chus don't care about what happens to us, so long as we follow the Mayor's orders. We're just food, labor, and tax dollars. Nothing else. Chandler's their equivalent of Jesus, understand? They won't stop fighting until he's dead. That's why we had to kill Sonichu's spawn. That's why we had to hold them down and record their screams while we tore them to pieces. We had to show the chus that their idols were mortal. We had to show them the consequences of their cruelty, their oppression, and everyone…" He shivered, remembering Kel's final words before she passed away in his arms. "…everyone who died because of what Chandler did. None of them deserved their fate."

"Oh my gosh…" Amy placed a hand over her mouth, horrified. "That's…that's…"

"That's the kind of hell that I lived through," finished Kevin. Some of the soldiers were listening, and a hushed silence had fallen upon the aircraft. "That's what we've been up against for all this time. That's why we had to fight the loyalists. That's why we have to kill them all."

"Fuckin' savages," snarled a Marine under his breath. Several of his comrades nodded in agreement. Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles all looked about as stunned as if they'd just been informed that Perfect Chaos had returned. Kevin didn't look up. His mind was elsewhere, back at the frozen cabin where his cousin had died. It hadn't even been a full day since then, and he was still finding it hard to believe that he would truly never see her alive again.

"Take it easy, Shaw," Kale Devoria cautioned the Jerkop. "Downfall's going to happen, one way or another. We've got direct orders to kill any hostile chu on sight. And who knows? You might actually get your wish granted. First things first, though. You help us, and we'll help you."

"Tower, Delibird Six Two, we are good to go for Skyraider. All personnel secure."

The C-130 began to roll forward, faster and faster, gaining speed as its wing flaps tipped upward. With a sudden jolt, Kevin felt the entire plane lift free of the runway and begin to climb shakily through the air. Despite its size and bulk, the strong winds appeared to be giving the transport a fair bit of turbulence during its ascent. Gradually, the shaking diminished and stopped, and the plane leveled out and began to bank towards the northwest.

"Tower, good takeoff. Heading is set, climbing to Angels Thirty."

"Roger, Delibird. Good luck."

"I don't suppose there's gonna be an in-flight meal, huh?" Knuckles muttered under his breath.

Amy smirked. "Oh, Knuckles, don't be silly! We'll be there before you know it! Right, Sonic?"

Kevin settled back into his seat and closed his eyes, concentrating on the silence within his head. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been inside an airplane. It was strangely comforting, despite the circumstances. As the voices grew muffled around him, the Jerkop allowed himself to drift back to the very edge of the dreamscape. Through the darkness, Count Graduon's wispy incorporeal form appeared, pulling itself together out of empty space.

"You did well," remarked the ancient spirit, its voice echoing deep within Kevin's mind. "They do not suspect our plan. Once we return to the city, then perhaps it can begin to move forward."

"Yeah, about that." The Jerkop concentrated, bringing up a mental projection of Graduon's set of bone armor. "You said this'll let you channel your power through me. Does that mean I could actually take down the Combo by using this? Or Sonichu? Or Chandler?"

"It is a possibility," said Graduon. "One that I do not think will work. Even with access to all of my psychic energy, your fighting ability is still limited to that of your human form. Perhaps you could stand against one of the Chaotic Combo, but only if there is no other option."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kevin agreed, somewhat crestfallen by the spirit's words. His dreams of murdering Sonichu would have to wait until he could test the armor's effectiveness. Fortunately, there would be plenty of Electric Hedgehog Pokémon to test it on once he was back in the city.

"Do not worry. In time, there may be an opportunity for you to take your revenge," Graduon added, somewhat ominously. "If what I believe is true, then my plan may yet prove successful."

"What are you talking about?"

"I spent many years in the company of Slaweel and her associates, overhearing many of their most secret plans and battle strategies," explained the spirit. "The PVCC knows of a powerful and dangerous weapon…something long forgotten by Chandler and the rest of the world. For years, it was thought to be unobtainable, but recent events have changed that. The Miscreants will undoubtedly try to retrieve the weapon and use it against Chandler, but they cannot unlock its true potential. If we acquire it first, the chances of victory shall quickly turn in our favor."

"A secret…weapon." Kevin frowned. "And you waited until just now to tell me this? You really couldn't have said something earlier? Hell, we could have found this thing by now!"

"I promised to assist you. I did not say that I would reveal all of my secrets." Graduon sounded irritated by the Jerkop's comment. "In any case, the weapon in question is out of reach, even for us. Slaweel and her friends shall find it, and once it is within our grasp, we shall claim it."

"Hold on, what? We're going to steal this thing from the PVCC?"

The spirit looked at him questioningly. "Would you allow an infant to play with a handgun?"

"No, but…" Kevin paused, trying to think up an appropriate response. "We're on the same side as they are. If you're saying that they don't know how to use the weapon, shouldn't we just tell Walsh about it? We'd be better off fighting Chandler together than-"

"No!" Graduon snapped suddenly. "No. Never. She must not discover that I still live. Our efforts would be all for nothing if Slaweel were to learn that I had survived."

"But if we just explained it to her…"

"The last time I spoke with that woman was when she attempted to banish me to the aether," growled the ancient spirit. "I shall not seek her assistance, nor that of your PVCC. They are a means to an end, nothing more. Together, we shall end this wretched war by our own actions."

"A means to an end?" Kevin repeated in disbelief. "They're my friends, Graduon! Yeah, Walsh tried to kill you, but think about why she did that! She was protecting her son! She bought the PVCC enough time to escape! And if we're going to do this together, we need their help!"

"Look around you when you leave the dreamscape," Graduon stated. "The Mayor's reign is coming to an end. For all that the resistance has done, they will be but a footnote in the history of this war. What would you rather be remembered as, child of Asila? A nameless soldier of the revolution, or the legendary hero who brought down the tyrant, Christian Weston Chandler?"

A loud electronic buzz wrenched Kevin out of the dreamscape before he could respond. Trembling, he blinked and shook his head as his vision focused back onto the inside of the C-130. Red light now covered the plane and its occupants, and the sounds of shouting and movement filled the air once more. The soldiers were unbuckling themselves, checking their combat gear and parachutes while Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy looked around confusedly.

"STAND UP!" bellowed Kale, waving to his SEALs. "MASKS ON! LINE UP!"

Kevin unclipped his safety harness and rose from the seat, motioning for the animals to follow him. Together, they moved toward the rear of the bay just as another beep sounded across the plane. With a loud rushing noise, the ramp opened, revealing an endless sea of stars above the darkened cloud layer below. Hastily strapping the mask over his nose and mouth, the Jerkop looked over to Sonic. The blue hedgehog had been given a breath mask of his own, along with a pair of special goggles that covered his oddly fused eyes. Amy, Knuckles, and Tails were putting on similar gear, though they still had no parachutes. How on earth were they planning to land?

The alert started up once again, more rapidly this time. Kevin knew exactly what it meant. They were mere seconds away from the drop zone, and once the green light turned on, there was no turning back. The old lingering fear began to creep into his mind as the strike team prepared themselves for the insertion. Kale and two SEALs stepped into line behind him – a final safety precaution if the Jerkop ended up getting cold feet at the last second. The very thought of being shoved out of a plane by the Americans was enough to keep Kevin's mind centered on the jump.

A final beep rang through the bay. Near the back of the plane, the red light switched off and was instantly replaced by a bright green glow. Kevin heard the clatter of boots on metal as the first few men leapt off the ramp into space. The line began to rapidly move forward, and suddenly Kevin was strapped to a roller coaster, climbing toward a terrifying and wild ride that seemed to have no end in sight. There was no way to get off now. He would just have to make the most out of his situation, and hope to Arceus that his parachute opened.

"GO! GO!" yelled Kale, pushing him forcefully. The Jerkop stumbled forward as the soldiers moved up to the edge. There were only six men in front of him now…five…four…three…two…

In the second before he hurled himself into the sky, Kevin glanced over his shoulder. Tails was holding on to Sonic's arms, while his two tails spun like a helicopter's rotor. Amy had grabbed hold of Knuckles, clinging to the red echidna's back as if she was taking a piggyback ride.

Raising a hand, Kevin gave the group a quick wave and flung himself over the edge as the C-130 disappeared into the night. Wind slammed into him with incredible force, tossing him around and around as he vanished into the cloud layer. Frost tendrils spread across his goggles, reaching to the very edge in delicate fractal patterns. Though the operative was unable to hear anything but his own breathing and the thumping of his adrenaline-fueled heartbeat, he could imagine just how loud the icy currents of air were roaring around him. Without a bearing, he spun in midair, trying to spot the other soldiers who had already jumped. Through the clouds, Kevin could see a few of the falling men, but they seemed to be miles away, scattered across the winter sky.

Panic settled deep in the Jerkop's stomach as the clouds rushed past. He'd been separated from the strike team already, and he wasn't anywhere near the ground. What if he'd gone off course? He knew CWCville well enough, but even if he managed to touch down safely, the city had been plunged into total war overnight. There was no telling what kind of horrors lay in wait for him, what sort of chaos the Chaotic Combo had inflicted upon the PVCC.

The answer to Kevin's question soon became all too clear as the darkness below turned to a deep orange and reddish glow. The clouds were thinning now, and through the wall of grey, he could see fires spreading across the city. Columns of black smoke billowed upward from the eastern and central districts of CWCville, while a raging firestorm had engulfed most of the southeast. It was clear that the PVCC had focused most of their firepower on the abandoned zone, torching the entire district in a strike against the ferals. Whether it had worked or not remained unknown.

As the clouds parted, Kevin angled himself toward the ground and leaned forward. He could see the other soldiers now, descending together in small clusters below him. Miraculously, he hadn't veered off course at all. The city was approaching rapidly, though, and he didn't want to open his chute too late. Every glance at the war-torn city yielded a dozen new questions. How many of the civilians had joined the riots? Were the True Blue still fighting their way out of CWCville? Had Bubbles and Blake managed to escape the Abyss? What was Chandler doing, and where was he?

Kevin feverishly wiped the frost from his goggles and looked toward the south, only to be met by a jolt of fear. The Slum District blazed like hellfire, its streets choked with flames, smoke, and flashes of bioelectricity. The area around Slumberland had been reduced to a searing inferno, but he couldn't see the base through the many buildings that blocked his view.

With a muffled roar, two Crackders shot past the descending strike team, their plasma cannons blasting away at targets on the ground. A thin grey smoke trail rose from the rooftop of a nearby apartment building and struck the leftmost aircraft, shredding its wing into a mess of steel and sparks. The other drone peeled off and shot away across the sky as its comrade angled down and impacted on the street in a fiery blast. Only the True Blue had access to Javelin missiles, and the mercenaries were clearly making the most of their remaining firepower.

Below, most of the soldiers were already opening their parachutes and aiming for the drop zone in the middle of a darkened street. Kevin reached down to his side, grabbed the handle on his own chute, and gave it a forceful yank. The initial tug of release was followed up by a powerful pull on his shoulders and chest as the canopy opened, slowing his descent. Remembering what Kale had told him, he gripped the control handles and held on to stabilize himself. The ground was only a hundred feet away, and steadily growing closer. Just before he touched down, Kevin pulled the two cords and flared the chute.

The impact was harder than he'd anticipated. Thrown off balance, the Jerkop lost his footing and collapsed to his hands and knees on the cold street. A Marine immediately hauled Kevin back up and helped him unbuckle his parachute, then tossed it over with the strike team's other discarded packs and gear. The rest of the men were regrouping at the edge of the sidewalk, taking cover behind a line of abandoned cars and trucks. Still a bit shaken from the HALO jump, Kevin reached to the sling on his back, drew his M16, and followed the soldier over to the group.

"Nice landing," Kale whispered. He looked to the pair of Marine squad leaders. "Bennett, Wolff, watch our flanks. We'll take point with Shaw. Stay low, go silent if you can."

Wolff and Bennett nodded. A few of their Marines had already attached suppressors to their weapons. From what Kevin could see, the strike team members had armed themselves with mostly submachine guns and assault rifles, with the occasional sniper rifle and light machine gun scattered among the bunch. Along with a pair of grenade launchers, the Americans were armed to the teeth. Kevin wasn't sure what they could do against something like a Shocker or a True Blue battle tank, but if the PVCC could destroy those armored units with their meager collection of black market weapons, then the well-armed Skyraider team could certainly do the same.

"Incoming," a SEAL announced, pointing to the sky. Kevin looked up just in time to see Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose descending from above. The two hedgehogs dropped down to the street one after the other, while Tails slowly hovered after them. Knuckles glided to a halt in midair and touched down next to Sonic, then gave his friend a quick fist bump. The four animals undid their breath masks and air tanks, then tossed them into the pile with the rest.

"Yikes, that was cold!" Sonic shivered violently. "You remembered my jacket, right, Tails?"

"Right here, Sonic!" The little fox opened his bag and tossed a blue winter coat over to Sonic, who immediately pulled it on and zipped it up. The jacket's color was almost perfectly matched with the hedgehog's fur, giving him the rather odd appearance of having a pair of blue arms.

"That was awesome!" Amy exclaimed, playfully drawing her hammer and giving it a quick twirl as she looked up at the soldiers. "I want to try that again sometime! Did you boys have fun, too?"

"Ma'am, this is our job," Kale replied, showing the briefest hint of a smile. "I'm gonna have to ask you to keep your voices down, though. We don't want to draw any attention."

"Yeah, yeah! Don't worry about us." Sonic gave him a half-hearted grin, then gazed around the apocalyptic landscape that downtown CWCville had become. The look on his face quickly turned to one of pity and disgust. "Ho-ly cow! You weren't kidding, Kevin – this place is a total dump! Where are we headed, anyway?"

"South," Kevin spoke up, hurrying in the direction of Slumberland. "We have to move, now!"

"Form up. Stay on him," ordered Kale. "SEALs, move out. Wolff, Bennett, stay on our six."

Kevin hastened down the sidewalk at a steady pace, keeping a watchful eye on the streets for any signs of chu activity. If the EHPF had seen them parachuting down, a dozen cruisers would have already pulled up at the drop zone by now. It was more likely that Chandler had ordered them all into combat to suppress the rebellion and the rioting, or to assist with the battle at Slumberland. If the strike team could reach the PVCC base in time, there was still a chance for them to save it.

"FOB Charlottesville, this is Skyraider One Actual," Kale muttered into his radio. "All fire teams are on the ground with Shaw and Needlemouse. Making our way to checkpoint Bravo. Over."

"FOBC copies, Skyraider One Actual. No ETA on Downfall yet. Keep us posted, over."

"Affirmative, out."

"What the hell are they waiting for?" grumbled the Jerkop as a cluster of explosions echoed in the distance. "Why don't they just send in the rest of the military and end this fucking war?"

"We're technically not even supposed to be here," Kale answered impatiently. "Weren't you listening to the colonel? This isn't just about CWCville or your friends. If the U.S. gets itself officially involved without any legitimate reason, the international backlash would be-"

"Who the fuck cares about backlash?" Kevin snapped. "You know how many people are going to be dead in the next hour because your government can't get its shit together? They're dying in here, and we're supposed to tiptoe around and not stir up any trouble? This is bullshit!"

"You don't think we already know that?" retorted the SEAL. "Save that kind of talk for when this is over, Shaw. You should be glad that my sister was even able to convince the brass to put this operation together. Just get us to Walsh, and you won't have to worry about Downfall."

Kevin angrily bit back his reply. What more would it take before the American government was finally convinced to make the CWCville invasion official? Then again, if Chandler was running things again, it would only be a matter of time before his ego drove him to make the single most self-destructive mistake of his life. Whatever it was, it couldn't happen soon enough.

"Roadblock ahead," reported another SEAL, pointing to a burning barricade of wrecked cars and garbage that had been assembled in the road. The bodies of several EHPF officers surrounded it, and a dozen armed men and women were currently dragging the dead chus into a pile. Kevin couldn't see any Jerkop badges among the group, nor any blue and black mercenary uniforms.

"Civilians," he stated, holding up a fist. "Hold on, I'll check this out. Stay back and cover me."

The SEALs, Marines, and Sonic's group quickly dashed into cover, staying out of sight as Kevin walked toward the blockade. Instantly, the civilians raised their assortment of shotguns, hunting rifles, and pistols, directing them toward the approaching Jerkop.

"PVCC!" yelled Kevin, unclipping his wooden badge and raising it in the air. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're good!" yelled a man. "No problem! Sparkies tried to get through about ten minutes ago! We took down about four officers before they fell back! What the hell's going on?"

"You tell me!" the Jerkop shouted back. "We're heading to Slumberland! How bad is it there?"

"No idea, but watch out if you're going alone!" the civilian continued. "The Combo's been tearing the hell out of the Slum District all day! We're gonna keep moving north and join up with the rest of the mob in Downtown!" He waved encouragingly. "Good luck, buddy! Kill 'em all!"

Kevin cursed under his breath and hastened back to the strike team. If the Combo was attacking Slumberland with the EHPF, the base's odds of survival had been cut down to almost nil. They had to reach it, one way or another. Approaching via the streets would be suicide. There had to be another way in. The garage? A zipline from the rooftops?

"What's it look like?" Kale asked once the Jerkop had returned. "Anything we can use?"

"They're hitting Slumberland with everything they've got," Kevin growled. "We won't be able to get in from the main entrance. Do we have anything to make a zipline? A grappling hook?"

"Negative on that." The SEAL frowned. "We need to get eyes on that building. We'll worry about how to get in once we know what we're up against."

Kevin nodded and pointed to the south. "We're about five blocks away. Come on." He set off again, this time at a quicker pace. The soldiers and Sonic's team followed after him, keeping to the shadows and moving from cover to cover. Fires blazed across the street and the buildings around them, and the remains of a dozen different shootouts littered the Slum District. Kevin was glad to see only a handful of Jerkop casualties, but that only meant that the civilians were taking the brunt of the loyalist assault. It was just as he'd feared.

Here and there, the effects of the revolution stood out like exhibits in some revolting museum. The blackened shell of a burning minivan sat in the middle of the road, its charred occupants frozen in their fatal attempt to escape the blaze. A man knelt, weeping, beside his electrocuted wife, cradling her head in his arms while two of his friends tried to comfort him. Three children huddled together next to a pile of burning newspapers and garbage, shivering against the cold air. The bullet-riddled bodies of two EHPF officers had been strung up on lampposts by their necks, left to swing in the winter breeze as blood slowly pooled in the street beneath them. Surprisingly, there were no Sonee or Rosey corpses among the carnage. The ferals must have been staying out of the fight, or perhaps their numbers were now so greatly crippled that they had fled the scene.

Kevin forced himself to keep moving forward. He had seen too many horrors already to allow these new ones to slow him down. The soldiers were audibly whispering to each other, too low for him to make out anything but the occasional "Jesus" or "Holy shit". Tails had gone as white as a sheet and looked about ready to vomit, while Sonic had placed a reassuring hand around Amy's shoulders as they walked. Even Knuckles was visibly disturbed by the state of CWCville.

"This is…this is awful," Tails whimpered, shielding his eyes as the group passed a pile of EHPF corpses that had been stacked together and set on fire. "Sonic, why would the Mayor do this?"

"I don't know, Tails," answered the blue hedgehog solemnly, "but this place makes Robotnik's old city look like Disneyland."

As the group drew nearer and nearer to Slumberland, the sounds of battle grew from dull cracks and distant booms to a cacophony of gunfire, sizzling electricity, and the occasional blast from a grenade or rocket. Kevin dashed to a nearby building and peeked around the corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of the PVCC base. What had once been familiar territory now looked about as alien and indescribable as the ashen city in the Warp. Several structures had crumbled apart and now lay broken and burning, adding to the field of debris that surrounded Slumberland. Amidst the reddish haze of smoke, dozens of lightning bolts arced toward the building. Tiny muzzle flashes spat back in return, while the roar of S.A.V. autocannons blasted across the battlefield.

Kevin slammed a fist against the wall. This wasn't good – the EHPF were actually using a more complicated battle strategy than their standard "charge heroically from a single direction" tactic. Not only did this mean that the chus were far more effective in combat, but it was also clear that someone was commanding them now. There would almost certainly be Shockers among their ranks, not to mention the Chaotic Combo members that the civilian had told him about.

"Sitrep, Shaw," ordered Kale, moving up to cover behind the Jerkop. "What are we looking at?"

"One gigantic clusterfuck, sir," Kevin answered through gritted teeth. "There's EHPF swarming all over the building. I see some operatives in the ruins, though. If we can get through the line…"

"Goddamn," the SEAL swore, staring at the besieged PVCC base. "There's gotta be at least a hundred of 'em, maybe two. We don't have the firepower to deal with that many chus."

"Maybe we won't need to." The Jerkop smiled as an idea took shape in his mind. "Hey! Sonic!"

"Yeah?" The blue hedgehog dashed over and skidded to a stop beside them. "What's up?"

"I've got a plan." Kevin pointed to Slumberland. "That's our target. If we go out in the open, they'll see us before we get ten yards. They don't know that you're in the city yet. Can you run around to the front of the attack and stall them? Tell them you're here to help or something. Just keep them occupied for five minutes, then get out of there, circle around, and regroup here."

"Are you sure that'll work?" Sonic glanced around hesitantly. "Do you think they'll buy it?"

"I've been fighting these bastards since 2004." The Jerkop grinned. "Trust me. They will."

Sonic nodded and sped away, leaving a trail of dust and embers in his wake. Amy threw him a cheery wave, but the blue blur had already vanished around the corner of the last intersection. If the attack was coming from the north, it wouldn't take him more than a minute to circle around.

"Good. Good. This could work." Kale pointed to a pair of SEALs armed with Mk14 sniper rifles. "Get upstairs and cover us. Wolff, stay here and set up a base of fire in this building."

"Consider it done." The Marine directed his men to follow the SEALs. Bennett did the same, volunteering another sniper and two assault soldiers. Kevin heard their footsteps fading as the team entered the abandoned apartment and ascended the stairway to set up firing positions. If all went well, the first Skyraider group could easily reach Slumberland without giving away their presence to the EHPF. At this point, their entire plan depended on Sonic the Hedgehog.

Kevin cautiously stepped into the empty building, making his way through. Tiny fires burned here and there, but the shadows were enough for him to remain obscured. Past the half-destroyed front of the apartment, he had a much clearer view of the battle ahead. Kale had been right – there did seem to be over two hundred EHPF officers assaulting Slumberland. The red and blue flashing lights of their police cruisers shone through the smoke, illuminating the silhouettes of at least a hundred more Sonichus waiting in reserve. How had the PVCC held out against the siege for so long? Unlike the Battle of Menchi-Nasu, there was no way to retreat from the base, and there were clearly Jerkops firing back at the attackers from the ruins. How were they still alive?

A flash of white wings cut through the fire, and Kevin's heart instantly sank through the floor. Angelica Rosechu soared above the chaos, shouting praises to the GodBear and reciting her own butchered versions of biblical scripture. The burns on her fur and feathers had healed quickly since her last encounter with Kevin, and now she seemed to have reached a level of religious derangement even more detached than that of her usual state of mind.

How many times do we have to burn you before you die, you sanctimonious bitch? he wondered silently, tightening his grip on the M16. It was true – Angelica had managed to cheat death far too many times whenever she'd encountered the Honey Badgers. First there had been the fight in the abandoned zone when she sliced Kevin's face open, only for Allie to set her on fire. The second time, Frank had doused her in acid and nearly liquefied her upper body. The third time, Allie's magnesium rounds had forced her to seek salvation in the icy waters of the Chesapeake.

Kevin's jaw tightened. There would be no fourth escape for Angelica. The next time they faced off would be the last. With Graduon and the ancient Sawabian armor, he finally stood a chance.

Off in the distance, a blue speck zoomed into view. Almost immediately, the lightning storm slowed and petered out, until only a few Sonichus remained hurling Thunderbolts at the PVCC defenders. As Kevin watched, the crowd of yellow chus clustered together around Sonic, and an exhilarated cheer sounded across the battlefield. He could only imagine how surprised the EHPF were to finally meet the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog, the Mayor's childhood idol who had fought alongside Sonichu in the Battle of Station Square. Hopefully, the diversion would be enough to buy the strike team enough time to cross the ruins into Slumberland. If not, then the entire mission was about to get a lot more interesting.

"Four tangos in our way," Kale reported, holding his radio as his fire team and Bennett's soldiers joined Kevin in the front of the apartment. "Looks like Shaw's plan worked. Everyone get ready to run. Stay low, and move fast." He raised a monocular and peered through the smoke, picking out the four Sonichus that hadn't moved from their positions. "Suppressors. On my mark."

"Copy, squad leader," snarled one of the snipers. "About time."

"Amy, Tails, look away," instructed the SEAL, and lifted the receiver to his mouth. "Open fire."

Four sniper rounds hissed out of the building, all in the span of a moment. Taken completely by surprise, the EHPF officers dropped to the ground. Three had been headshots, while the fourth Sonichu had a clean hole punched right through his lungs and heart. They never saw it coming.

"Good kills! Good kills!" Kale signaled hurriedly to the strike team. "We're clear! Go! Go!"

---

Somewhat disturbed by the sea of awestruck faces staring at him, Sonic made his way through the crowd of EHPF officers. The stench of fast food and copious amounts of watermelon-scented body spray hung in the air, a thick and choking odor that seemed to be infiltrating the hedgehog's very fur. He felt dirty, exposed, like some circus freak being gawked at by vacant-eyed children. The mob of uniformed Sonichus closed in tighter, some of them pushing through their comrades to reach the front and get a better look at Christian Weston Chandler's childhood hero.

"Wow!" Sonic addressed them, trying his best to display a welcoming smile. "You, uh, you guys have really done a good job holding down the fort! I'm impressed!"

The crowd burst into a deafening cheer and surged forward, rushing to greet the blue hedgehog. Sonic's grin faltered for a second, but before he could think of what to say next, the Sonichus were upon him, shouting his praises, fighting to shake his hands, to touch this legendary being they had only read about in the pages of their creator's revered comic. The smell of AXE was too strong for Sonic to endure. His eyes had begun to water, and if he wasn't careful, the diversion would be blown wide open. He couldn't let that happen now, not with so much at stake.

"Well, uh…" Sonic cleared his throat, putting on another false grin. "H-Hey there! Have any of you guys seen my ol' pal Sonichu?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog," a female voice addressed him coolly. "At last, you have returned to us."

The blue hedgehog spun around just as Angelica Rosechu landed gracefully on the street, her feathered wings stirring up the smoke as she folded them behind her back. The Combo member's white fur was now matted with dried blood and black streaks of ash, and her silver sickle glinted with firelight. Sonic fought back a cry of surprise at the Rosechu's nightmarish appearance. She looked like some kind of vengeful demon straight out of the book of Revelations – a far cry from the sweet-natured, gentle pacifist that Chandler had portrayed her as in the Sonichu comics.

"Do you see now, my faithful flock? The Lo0rd has answered our prayers!" declared Angelica, turning to the crowd of awestruck chus and raising her eyes to the heavens as triumph gleamed within them. "The GodBear and Jesus have sent us a savior; our Father's hero and mentor!" She grabbed Sonic's arm, holding it high as the EHPF officers cheered. "Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"SONIC! SONIC! SONIC! SONIC!" chanted the frenzied crowd. "SONIC! SONIC! SONIC!"

Helplessly, Sonic stole a glance toward the edge of the battlefield, where a cluster of tiny figures were hurrying through the rubble toward Slumberland. They were only about a third of the way across, and he wasn't certain that he could keep up his façade for however long his friends would need. It was worse than he'd thought. This city had gone insane, completely and utterly insane.

Drawing a deep breath, he smiled and forced a laugh. This was going to be a long five minutes.

---

Kevin staggered across the field of debris, nearly catching his boot on a metal strut sticking out of the ground. The crowd was still cheering on the other side of Slumberland, but he could hear Angelica shouting to them now. Cursing himself for not warning Sonic about the Rosechu's presence, he looked back at the rest of the strike team. The Marines and SEALs were faring well enough, Tails was hovering low over the ground, and Knuckles merely plunged through the wreckage as if it were Styrofoam. Amy's boots, however, were far too big and clumsy, hardly suited for rough terrain. Despite her best efforts, the pink hedgehog looked like she was having a fair bit of trouble crossing the battlefield.

"Hold on, Amy! I gotcha!" Grabbing her by her arms, Tails lifted his friend off the ground and carried her to the front of the group. "Everything's gonna be fine! Don't worry!"

"Oh, I'm not worried about me," Amy gazed forlornly toward the chanting mob of Sonichus. "I just hope Sonic's all right! What if they-"

"They won't hurt him," Kevin reassured her, climbing over a pile of rubble. "They practically worship him. Oh, and just a word of warning, you might want to keep that hammer ready in case we run into any Rosechus. They…uh…they kind of took radical feminism to a whole new level."

"Contact!" a SEAL whispered loudly, and dropped to the ground. "Enemy contact, ten o'clock!"

"Down! Get down!" ordered Kale. The strike team hit the dirt all at once, while Tails and Amy sought shelter behind a chunk of drywall. From his position, Kevin could see three Sonichus circling around to attack the western side of Slumberland.

"We don't have time for this," he snarled to the SEAL. "Kill them. We have to get to the base."

"Wolff, come in," Kale muttered into his radio. "Three tangos on our left, approaching fast."

"Copy, stand by." Another three muzzle flashes appeared from the apartment building. The Sonichus collapsed almost simultaneously, one clutching at a ragged gash in his throat. A second round pierced his skull, ending his death throes immediately. "Tangos down. All clear."

"Good shooting." The SEAL stood up and scanned the area for any other EHPF. "We're good!"

Kevin pushed himself back up onto his feet, falling in with the soldiers as Tails, Knuckles, and Amy rejoined them. The area around Slumberland had been all but buried, and some of the PVCC base had even collapsed. Kevin was relieved to see that the main gate to the garage was still intact and sealed off behind the two heavy security doors. Even if the Battle Bus had been wrecked and abandoned at KCWC, at least the other Jerkop squads could still access their vehicles and heavy support mechs. Maybe that was the reason why they had held out for so long.

The base was only a few dozen yards away. Emboldened by his progress, Kevin sprinted ahead of the strike team, weaving through large pieces of debris and rubble as he-

CRACK!

"Fuck!" Kevin cursed, hurling himself behind the nearest obstacle as the rifle shot impacted on the ground beside his foot. "Everyone down! Down! Get behind something!" He peeked out from the rubble, tracking the muzzle flash back to a firing slit in the wall of the base. "PVCC! PVCC! Hold your fire, we're friendlies!"

"Hands where we can see 'em!" shouted a distant voice from inside Slumberland. "How many?"

"About twenty!" yelled Kevin. He unclipped his wooden badge from his chest and waved it in the air. "For fuck's sake, let us in! There's EHPF all over the place!"

"Yeah, we know!" answered the Jerkop angrily. "They've been cutting us to pieces all goddamn day! Who the hell are you, where'd you come from, and what squad are you with?"

"Are you serious?" Kevin stepped out into the open, unclipped his helmet, and tossed it aside to reveal his face. "Kevin Shaw, back from the dead, Honey Badgers squad. Good enough?"

"Oh my God. Sweet fucking Arceus, it's him!" A pair of eyes appeared in the firing slit. "Hold on, Shaw! Just…just stay there! OPEN THE GATE! SOMEBODY OPEN THE GATE!"

The grinding of stone on steel sounded from behind the wall. With a rusty squeal, a large slab of blackened scrap metal slid back, revealing a hidden tunnel that led through the wreckage and into the Slumberland cafeteria. It must have been dug sometime during the siege, a last resort in case the main entrance was overrun or collapsed. Whatever the case, it was all just what they needed.

"We're in business!" Kevin shouted, beckoning to the strike team. "Get inside, now!"

---

"Tell me, herald of GodJesus," Angelica spoke, smiling sharply at the blue hedgehog before her. "What brings you to return to our holy city after so many years? Your place is here, beside us."

"I, well…" Sonic returned the smile as a knot formed in his throat. Try as he might, he couldn't piece the words together to form a reply. He stood paralyzed, unable to speak. His lungs screamed for air, even though he was drawing many rapid, shallow breaths. "I was…"

Drowning. He was drowning. The frightened hedgehog squeezed his eyes shut, suppressing the fear that had crept back from the darkest reaches of his mind. It had always been the same for all of his life, throughout every one of his adventures. No matter how far he ran, how fast he rolled, or how many of Dr. Robotnik's creations he destroyed, Sonic had always feared the water, and the crushing, cold blackness that lay in its depths. Now, surrounded by dozens upon dozens of twisted, childish smiles beaming at him from all directions, that same terror had returned. He was alone, alone in a sea of strange, yellow-furred copies of himself. Alone with this twisted, vile creature who had deemed him some kind of holy savior of her species. Alone. All alone…

No. He couldn't be. He would never be alone, so long as he had his friends. Tails, Knuckles, Amy…they had all volunteered to come along when Shadow appeared bearing a fateful message from G.U.N. They were willing to risk their lives to fight at his side, no matter what. They had stood together against the armies of Robotnik, against Perfect Chaos, against Metal Sonic, even against the Space Colony ARK and the Biolizard. His friends had known what they were getting into when they chose to follow him into this evil place. Now it was time to prove his worth.

Within the darkness of his thoughts, Sonic the Hedgehog found resolve at last.

"Just in the neighborhood!" he chuckled, grinning confidently at the Rosechu. "Heard that the Mayor's been going through some tough times, so I thought I'd stop by to help you guys out!"

"I see." Angelica flashed him a self-righteous smile, beaming proudly as she unfurled her wings and raised her sickle. "The traitors and heretics of this city threaten our brothers and sisters with deceit, lechery, and death. All must be cleansed, in the name of our Father and GodJesus. All who stand against our kind must be purged of their sins, and judged by the light of the Lo0rd."

"R-right! Absolutely!" agreed Sonic, nodding feverishly. Every hateful word the Rosechu uttered was making him feel sicker and sicker. Any more of this madness and the fifteen chili dogs he'd had for dinner would be coming up any time now. "I'll just, uh…" He looked around, searching for a way out. "I've gotta find my buddy Sonichu! He's probably really busy fighting those PVCC guys, and he needs my help! I can't leave my ol' pal alone out there! That's no good!"

"There's no need to go searching for me, Sonic," remarked a new voice, one that the hedgehog hadn't heard for nearly a decade. "I'm right here. It's nice to see you back again, old pal."

Sonic turned slowly, fearing what he might see. The crowd of chu officers parted in near-perfect unison, all standing at attention as a single figure approached. Accompanied by Punchy, Sonichu strode through the army of EHPF with the confidence and skill of a seasoned commander, rather than the pathetic facsimile of a hero he had been while living under Chandler's influence. A dark red sash with a gold lightning bolt insignia was slung across one shoulder, along with an EHPF badge pinned to the cloth and a specialized light Kevlar vest. If it hadn't been for the decorations and the armor, he would have been indistinguishable from the mob of identical chu officers.

"Sonichu!" exclaimed Sonic. There was no forced smile on his face anymore, only surprise and the briefest hint of the utter despair welling up from within his heart. "You…wow, you look great! I love the new uniform! Did you get that from Mayor Chandler or something?"

"Mayor Chandler," the Hero of CWCville stated irately, "is no longer suitable to lead the defense against the rebels. In light of recent events, I have volunteered to lead the EHPF as their new commander until this vicious threat to our city is eliminated and the rebellion crushed. This is a democracy, after all, and the people have spoken. We can no longer afford to waste our time and resources under such a spectacularly incompetent leader as our Mayor Chandler."

"But I thought…" Sonic's heart pounded. "Aren't they all sworn to follow his every order?"

"No. They follow mine now," answered Sonichu with a sinister smile. Triumph gleamed in his eyes as he stepped up to Sonic and grasped the blue hedgehog's shoulders in the iron grip of his own gloved hands. "Welcome to CWCville, my friend. Welcome…to my city."

---

South CWCville, Slum District, Slumberland cafeteria, 9:37 p.m.

Kevin didn't even have two seconds to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Almost as soon as he stepped out of the debris-filled passage, a triumphant roar rang out from the group of shadowed figures that had gathered in front of the tunnel entrance. Suddenly there were people all around him, shouting his name, mobbing him with hugs and handshakes, laughing and cheering, tears of happiness and of relief. Blinded by the flashlights shining on his face, the confused Jerkop could only force a smile. There seemed to be no end to the crowd, the noise, the cheers and applause…

"Enough, all of you! Back! Get back! Give him some space!"

"Commander!" Kevin recognized the voice immediately. Turning toward it, he removed his hand from his eyes and blinked to clear away the streaks of light. "Jerkop reporting in, ma'am!"

"Arceus, we thought you were dead, Shaw!" Mary Lee Walsh approached the Jerkop slowly, her stunned expression mirrored by most of the personnel in the room. The supreme commander was dressed in her usual winter attire – a purple hooded jacket and pants, her red horned hairband, and her devil tail belt. "We all thought you were dead. How the hell did you-"

"You can thank Sonichu for that, Commander," answered Kevin hastily. "I'd tell you the whole story, but right now, you're about to have company. A lot of company."

"What?" The commander's face froze in alarm as the sound of footsteps grew louder and louder from the tunnel behind the Jerkop. "What is that? What did you do?"

Kevin remained silent. Answering Walsh wouldn't have done any justice to the events about to happen. One by one, the group of Marines and SEALs spilled from the opening, barging their way into the cafeteria and moving aside to let their comrades through. The Jerkops and PVCC staff fell back a few feet, shocked, some of them covering their mouths to suppress gasps of surprise. It was the first time that many of them had seen an actual American soldier, let alone around thirty elite Navy and Marine Corps operatives. Compared to the heavily armed and well-equipped strike team, the Jerkops might as well have been teenagers with Airsoft guns.

"Miss Walsh!" Kale Devoria addressed the speechless woman as he emerged from the tunnel alongside the Marine sergeant. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles were most likely still behind them, out of sight for the moment. "Petty Officer Devoria, U.S. Navy SEALs. This is Sergeant Bennett, U.S. Marine Corps. We're here to set up a base of operations and coordinate the evacuation of this city. We need you to assemble the rest of the resistance leaders immediately, ma'am. From what we saw outside, delays aren't something that any of us can afford right now."

"No, we can't afford that at all…" Walsh stared blankly. It was the first time in years that a soldier had addressed her as anything other than "Commander". Unbelievable as it was, the arrival of the Americans had just shifted the odds of the battle back into the PVCC's favor. "I…I'll assemble the Miscreants at once, Petty Officer Devoria. Please tell us if there's anything we can do. Thank Arceus you're here…we've been fighting off the EHPF and the Combo for…"

"You're still technically a civilian, ma'am," the SEAL corrected her. "Calling me Kale is fine." He turned to Bennett. "Take your squad outside, give Wolff some cover, then get everyone back inside Bravo once the sniper team reconnects with us. Watch your fire out there."

"C-can we come out yet?" a frightened little voice sounded from the tunnel. "It's dark in here!"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot." Kale stepped away from the tunnel as Tails scrambled out, followed by Knuckles and Amy. "Miss Walsh, this is Strike Team Needlemouse - Miles Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Amy Rose. We've got Sonic the Hedgehog causing a distraction out there for now. If all goes well, it should buy your operatives enough time to regroup and rearm."

"So that's why the attack stopped," murmured Walsh, staring at the three animals. "Arceus. This is more than we could have ever hoped for. Shaw, how on earth did you doall this?"

"I didn't do anything, Commander," Kevin spoke up, ignoring the angry growl from Graduon in the back of his mind. "The U.S. is gonna invade CWCville sometime in the next day or so. We just got sent in first to make sure everything goes according to plan." He scanned the crowd, searching for familiar faces. Some of the gathered Jerkops were from other HQs, having been brought in to replace the struggling Slumberland defenders. How many of them had died over the course of the siege? What if his own squad had lost some of their operatives? If Walsh had made it back to the base alive, then the Honey Badgers had as well. But how many had returned?

Chills raced through the Jerkop as he thought of his older brother. He couldn't recall the last time he had seen or even spoken to Nate. It must have been last night, but when? Where? KCWC? The rooftop where he had fought Angelica to save Nate's life and the lives of his hobo friends? So much had happened since then, and so much more was happening around him now. He had become so caught up in Graduon's plan and Operation Skyraider that he hadn't even thought of what his squad must have been going through after his disappearance and Allie's abduction.

"We have to set up communications and brief you on the evac plan," said Kale abruptly as Bennett's team of Marines headed back into the tunnel. "Is there a meeting room we can use?"

"Yes. Follow me." Walsh looked curiously at Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. "What about them?"

"Right now, ma'am, all I care about is getting back in touch with Command," the soldier replied. "Treat them like you'd treat us. They're here to help us out with the operation."

"Thank Arceus. We need all the help we can get right now." The PVCC commander turned and strode through the crowd, leading the SEAL team away toward the meeting room. "Shaw, stay here. We'll get you back to your squad, don't worry. Just take it easy for now. You did well."

"Thank you, Commander." Kevin's mouth curled into a weak smile. He walked to the nearest table and sat down, grateful for the chance to finally sort out his thoughts. The crowd lingered for a few more moments, then began to disperse as operatives and personnel were called back to their stations. Looking around the cafeteria, the Jerkop was surprised to see that it had been converted into a makeshift hospital, complete with crude gurneys and operating tables. Medical teams moved from patient to patient, stitching wounds, administering morphine, and bandaging dozens of severe electrical burns. Outside, the lull in the siege continued. Sonic certainly must have known that his friends were safely inside Slumberland by now. If something had gone wrong, or if the hedgehog's cover had been compromised, he would be out on his own in the middle of CWCville, surrounded on all sides by deadly enemies. Kevin didn't want to think about what would happen if Sonic were to encounter Sonichu, or worse still, the Mayor.

Footsteps heralded the approach of Knuckles, Tails, and Amy, all three of whom were looking about as worried as the Jerkop currently felt. Kevin moved over to let the animals sit beside him, then placed his M16 down and leaned against the wall. For a brief few seconds, no one spoke.

"I just hope nothing went wrong back there," mumbled the little fox, retrieving the red and white disk from his bag. With a soft beep, the machine activated and hovered in midair, swiveling to scan its surroundings. It appeared to be a drone, but Kevin couldn't tell what it was meant for. Tails tapped a few commands into the screen of his touchpad device, and the airborne robot promptly extended an array of medical instruments and jetted off to attend the nearest patient.

"That's a medical drone?" inquired Kevin. He was surprised to see that Vejovis wasn't being used to treat the numerous injured Jerkops, but maybe the alien medical device wasn't even in Slumberland anymore. "We could use a few more of those around here."

"I only brought the one," Tails answered. "What do you think's taking Sonic so long, anyway?"

"Ooh, they'd better not hurt him!" Amy ranted, gripping her hammer tightly in both hands. "If they do, I'm gonna make them sorry they ever messed with Sonic!"

Knuckles didn't appear to be paying attention to the conversation going on around him. His eyes were closed, and he looked as if he was in the middle of a deep trance. Kevin looked over at the echidna, then waved a hand in front of his face. Knuckles didn't even flinch.

"What's up with him?" he asked. "Your pal hasn't exactly been too talkative tonight."

"I think he's trying to locate the Chaotic Crystals," whispered Tails, making a "shh" gesture. "I don't know how he did it, but Knuckles helped us find the Chaos Emeralds this way in the past!"

Kevin exhaled slowly. What was taking his squad so long to reach the cafeteria? If word of his arrival had spread around Slumberland by now, surely the Honey Badgers had heard it as well.

"This isn't right," he muttered. "They should be here by now. Something happened to them."

"Oh no!" Tails exclaimed, looking up at him fearfully. "You don't think they…"

"Arceus, I hope not," growled Kevin. His stomach had twisted into a violent knot, and the mere thought of having to face the grim reality of another squadmate's death was almost too much for him to imagine. He had already lost so many of his friends to the war, and though the Honey Badgers had escaped from worse situations, they were still human…still mortal.

The Jerkop slouched forward, resting his head in his hands. Once more, the situation was out of his control. Only time would reveal what had happened to his friends and to Sonic the Hedgehog. For now, waiting seemed to be their best and only option.

---

Slumberland northern approach, 9:40 p.m.

"The next assault will be our last!" Sonichu declared, leaping on top of a large chunk of rubble to address his cheering EHPF army. Punchy Sonichu and Angelica Rosechu stood next to him on either side, while an increasingly uncomfortable Sonic the Hedgehog watched from below. "Thanks to you, our attack has broken the terrorists' spirit! We have worn them down to nothing over the course of this long and bloody battle, this noble crusade for truth and justice! Now the Jerkops scurry among the ruins like the vermin they are, clinging to their false belief that they are somehow the heroes of this conflict!" He laughed. "They want us to fear them. They killed my children and my wife. They've killed hundreds of our brothers and sisters in cold blood. But look at them now! The PVCC doesn't have to be your nightmare anymore! THE PVCC IS OVER!"

A victorious roar swept through the crowd of chus. Sonic looked around feverishly, wondering how on earth he was going to get away from the madness without blowing his cover. The Combo was working their army into a frenzy, even with Bubbles, Wild, Blake, and Magi-Chan absent at the moment. He wasn't sure what he could do, but if he didn't act quickly, the final attack would begin soon. He couldn't afford to put Tails, Knuckles, and Amy into such a dangerous situation!

"Wait!" he yelled, scrambling onto the pedestal next to Sonichu. The EHPF cheered even more loudly, filling the air with their chant of "SONIC! SONIC! SONIC!" Discouraged by the mob's rampant enthusiasm, Sonic waited for the noise to subside before continuing.

"If we hit 'em now, most of you probably won't come out of it alive!" he announced, attempting to make the chus see reason. "What if the PVCC brought in more of their goons, huh? Maybe we should just go chat with them instead of trying to put them down! See if they'd be willing to talk it out...or give up, even! They-"

The cheering ceased, and an angry storm of boos and jeers erupted from the crowd. Sonic's voice trailed off and died in his throat. He never should have spoken. The EHPF were advancing, filled with hatred and what he assumed was supposed to be heroic determination.

"We do not negotiate with terrorists, traitors, and heretics," Angelica answered, smiling smugly at Sonic. Though her voice was as uplifting and gentle as always, a gleam of suspicion lurked behind her eyes. Sonichu appeared to share her distrust, while Punchy was off in his own little random-access world once again. "If they wish to surrender, they must first distance themselves from the violent and irreversibly tainted name of their organization; perhaps then they may understand the oppression and terror they have wrought on our brothers, our sisters, our innocent children!"

"No!" snapped Sonichu, to the Rosechu's surprise. "We have given them enough chances, and they have refused every offer! Tonight, it ends! Tonight, we wipe these vermin from our city!"

"Yes indeed; tonight we will Super Smash these Bros!" Punchy added enthusiastically, nearly giving the blue hedgehog an aneurysm from his abominable attempts at humor. "Like bananas! We will beat those jerk chickens and make jerk chicken out of them! Delicious! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"The Jerkops are weak now!" Sonichu declared, ignoring his subordinate's idiotic remarks. "We will strike now, before they regroup! No matter what the cost, we must bring down that wall! Only then will victory be ours, my brothers! Only then will the tyranny of the PVCC finally be at its end! Take no prisoners and show them no mercy! Kill them all! Every single one of them!"

"NO PRISONERS! NO MERCY!" bellowed the EHPF. "KILL THEM ALL! FOR FATHER!"

"No." The Hero of CWCville smiled cruelly. "For you. For your wives and your children. For my family, and all the innocents who have fallen to these monsters. Fight for them. Kill for them. Show these terrorists what it means to stand in the way of the Electric Hedgehog Police Force!" He stepped down off the platform and pointed dramatically toward the silent husk of a building that Slumberland had become. "First wave! All Shocker units, follow Punchy! Breach that wall!"

"This isn't right, Sonichu!" Sonic pleaded as Punchy and the armored EHPF officers advanced in a column toward the base. Frantic bursts of gunfire rattled from the Jerkop defenders, pinging off the Shockers' heavy plating to no effect. "This isn't you! A real hero would never harm anybody, not even the most horrible villains! Why won't you give them a chance? You've already won!"

"I'm giving them the same chance that they gave Rosey and my children," Sonichu replied in a chillingly soft voice, folding his arms and gazing out across the battlefield. "None whatsoever."

---

Slumberland cafeteria, 9:42 p.m.

"Too long. It's been too long," Kevin muttered in frustration as he rose from the bench. Wolff's sniper team had made it over to Slumberland safely, and the Marines were now providing some much-needed assistance to the PVCC medic teams, along with Tails' drone. "Enough of this shit. I'm going to get us some answers. You guys coming?"

"But Miss Walsh told you to stay here," stated Tails, even though he was clearly growing more and more agitated about Sonic's absence. "I just…I don't know what's taking them so long…"

"Well, I'll go with you!" Amy declared assertively, and leapt to her feet. "If it means that we get to help Sonic, then just try and stop me!"

"Never even crossed my mind," said the Jerkop, and glanced at Knuckles. "What about him?"

"Yeah, I'm in." The echidna's eyes snapped open as he awoke from his trance. "Let's go. I think I've got a solid lead on the Crystals. They're all together, but the controller's somewhere else."

"The Sunstone." Kevin grabbed his assault rifle and headed across the cafeteria. "I don't know what you're planning to do, but you'll need to find that if you're going to take out the Crystals."

Knuckles grunted in acknowledgement. As the group made their way through the chaos, the Jerkop was surprised to see Naitsirhc lying in one of the recovery cots. His father was nowhere in sight, but the Team Rocket heir looked healthier and less emaciated than before, and appeared to be talking with Adrean Grace, of all people. Kevin stopped, and for a moment, his eyes met those of Naitsirhc's. Though the young man didn't outwardly acknowledge his presence, a look of gratitude flashed across his face for the briefest of seconds. Gone was the arrogant, selfish brat who had once been known only as the son of Giovanni. This new Naitsirhc seemed kinder, more humble, and appreciative of what the PVCC had done to rescue him. Was he still thinking about Kel, too? Even after all the horrors that she had subjected him to, was he aware that her violent obsession with him had been forcibly implanted in her mind by Chandler and Magi-Chan?

Kevin made as if to approach the bed, but thought better of it. There would be time to reconcile with Naitsirhc once the war was over. For now, his objectives lay in the HQ's conference room. Followed closely by Amy, Knuckles, and Tails, he pushed the cafeteria doors open and stepped into the hallway. The corridors were all but deserted, the overhead lights flickering between dim and bright as the base's generators fought to keep electricity flowing through Slumberland. It was hard to believe that this had once been Kevin's home, his base of operations for the majority of his time with the PVCC. Now it seemed to be on its last legs, fighting just to stay alive.

"KEVIN! YOU'RE BACK!"

The Jerkop turned toward the shout just as something slammed into him and wrapped around his waist. Looking down, Kevin was surprised to see a little blond boy hugging him and nearly crying with relief. The anger and confusion disappeared, and all became clear once again.

"Marty!" he laughed, grabbing Walsh's son and lifting him off the floor while the Needlemouse team watched in bewilderment. "Hey, how are you doing? Didn't they tell you I made it back?"

"Mom's in some stupid meeting with Clyde and Giovanni and all her other friends," complained Marty. "She told me to go find something to do." He beamed up at Kevin. "I didn't know you were here! Everyone was saying stuff about you being in a helicopter crash or something!"

"That's about right," the Jerkop replied as he set Marty down. "Listen, Marty, I need to talk to your mom. You don't know where the rest of my squad is, do you?"

"Yeah!" The little boy nodded enthusiastically, revealing the two red stubs of his horns through the mess of blond hair. Kevin's mind flashed back to Graduon's story, and the bizarre means by which Marty had been brought into the world. Had Walsh ever told her son the truth about his conception, or was he still too young to be subjected to such a traumatizing revelation? "They got back here last night with Mom, and some more of them showed up in a giant school bus!"

"Huh?" Kevin looked confused. "No, that can't be right. The Battle Bus was destroyed."

"Well, I saw it!" insisted Marty. "It looked like a tank and had lots of guns and armor and things on it! Mom keeps sending them over to Wilderness to pick up more stuff for us to fight with!" His face fell slightly. "But they haven't been back for a long time. I don't know what happened!"

The Jerkop's mind felt as though it had just been put through a washing machine. So the Honey Badgers were alive, they had somehow acquired a new Battle Bus, and now they were doing supply runs between Slumberland and Wilderness? What else had he missed while he was gone?

"Thanks for telling me," he said, then turned to the rest of his group. "Marty, this is Tails, Amy, and Knuckles. They came here with me, and we brought Sonic the Hedgehog, too."

"WHOA." Marty's eyes might as well have been dinner plates. "Oh, wow! Nice to meet you!"

"Listen, Marty, we've got to go see your mom," Kevin repeated before any of the animals could introduce themselves. "There isn't much time. I think they're getting ready to attack again. Go to the cafeteria and stay in there until we're ready to evacuate. You'll be okay in there, I promise."

"All right!" The little boy gave his friend another quick hug and dashed off. "See you, Kevin!"

"Let's go! Let's go!" Kevin broke into a run down the hall, passing the armory and the shower room as the Needlemouse team hurried after him. The main corridor and the numerous Jerkop barracks lay ahead, but at such speed, it didn't take too long before they reached the east side of Slumberland. There were far more operatives here than there had been in the cafeteria, but in Kevin's haste, he didn't bother to check for any familiar ones like the Red Devils or Tomgirls. All that mattered was reaching the command and control room, and finally getting some answers.

CRASH! The base rumbled as something heavy and immensely powerful slammed into the outer wall to the north, shaking Slumberland to its very foundations. Yells of confusion and surprise filled the corridors as Jerkops and PVCC personnel hurried back to their defense stations, and the rattling of muffled assault rifle and SMG fire sounded from outside. On the verge of panicking, Kevin sprinted the last few yards to the command room and pushed the doors open. Giovanni, Clyde Cash, Jack Thaddeus, and Mary Lee Walsh had gathered together in the center of the room, along with Kale Devoria and the squad of SEALs.

"What the hell was that?" Clyde shouted, scanning the few active security monitors for a sign of the incoming assault. He was no longer carrying Vejovis, and looked strange without his flock of Devil Trolls. "They're hitting our blind spot, Jack! Put all the squads on alert! Get 'em up there!"

"Those aren't Spin Dashes, Clyde!" Jack answered hastily. "They're using Shockers! We're gonna lose the entire north side if they breach the wall!" He grabbed an intercom receiver and clicked it. "All personnel, red alert! All active Jerkop squads, cover the north approach, now!"

"…no anti-armor, no tanks, no air support, no goddamn artillery!" Mary Lee Walsh stood in the center of the room, her face white with rage as she ranted at the SEALs. "You came all the way here to tell me your government's holding out on us? We won't last another day in here!"

"I understand your frustration, Miss Walsh, but those are our orders. We'll help you hold out as long as it takes for Downfall to begin." Kale looked up at the door. "What the hell? Shaw?"

"Couldn't wait any longer," panted Kevin, walking over to the group of soldiers and Miscreants. "Sonic's still out there, and if the chus are attacking, it means that something went wrong."

"That's right," the SEAL agreed. "Andrews, take my place. Regroup with the others and head to the front. I'll put in a call to Command." He turned back to the Miscreants as the rest of the fire team obediently departed. "Miss Walsh, we're going to need access to whatever assistance you and your associates can provide. If we're going to survive the night, we need to start now."

"Yes. Yes, we'll give you whatever you need." Walsh gritted her teeth as Devoria sat down at the nearest security monitor and began assembling a portable satellite transmitter. "Giovanni, tell your Rocket operatives that they've got U.S. military support incoming. They are not to engage the strike team under any circumstances. That's the last thing we want to do right now."

The Team Rocket leader nodded and clicked on his radio, then began relaying the commander's message to his squads. Looking around the room, Kevin noticed a distinct lack of technicians and radio operators. Slumberland's command center had been almost completely evacuated, leaving only the PVCC high command and a few personnel to hold down the fort. Unlike the Battle of Menchi-Nasu, though, this time the advantage was clearly in favor of the chus.

"I told you to stay in the cafeteria," continued Walsh, turning to the Jerkop, "but you're lucky I'm too desperate to care right now. We've got an evacuation convoy coming in from Wilderness to extract everyone – that's what your squad's been doing. From what Vivian's told me, they've been running into heavy True Blue and EHPF resistance along the way, so it might be some time before they get here. We need all the firepower we can get until then. Can you fight?"

"That's why I'm here, Commander," Kevin answered.

"Good. Good." Walsh gave him a fleeting smile. "I'm glad you're still alive, Shaw. You might have just saved the entire city tonight. Join up with the Red Devils on the northern defense line. I recall that your squad always worked well with them, and they could definitely use some help."

Kevin saluted and hurried off. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles hesitated, then followed him back into the corridors of Slumberland. At last, things were falling into place. The objective was clear, and with the help of their new allies, the PVCC stood an excellent chance of averting its own annihilation. Time was the only thing that they needed at the moment.

---

Slumberland northern approach, 9:44 p.m.

"I don't get any of this," Sonic sighed, watching helplessly as lightning bolts flashed from the battalion of EHPF and struck among the Jerkop defenders. "All this time, you guys've been holding back when you could just go in and take care of them all at once. Why?"

"It would be a grave error to wipe out the rebels in one fell swoop," answered Sonichu. The chu and the hedgehog stood side by side atop a pile of debris, watching the fierce battle play out at a safe distance before them. "Over the last day, I've been steadily wearing down their supplies, their soldiers, and their morale. After every charge, I let them think they've driven our forces back. I let them send out their transport vehicles, to bring in fresh soldiers. Every time I order a charge, we lose a few more officers and they lose a few more defenders. They may have the range, but we have the numbers and the motivation to grind their forces down into nothing."

"But why'd you start in the first place? What's the deal with you and the Mayor, anyway?"

"Before tonight, there was no organization to the EHPF. Many lost their lives due to Chandler's incompetence, or to their own insatiable hunger for glory." Sonichu rolled his eyes. "I used to be like them. I thought I would always be able to zap to the extreme and save the day, just like my 'father' used to tell me. But after what happened to Rosey and the kids…now I see how naïve I was to obey a madman like Chandler. The Combo cannot understand, nor can the EHPF. In time, though, they will. Maybe then…we might finally break free of the Mayor's control."

"Then what're you doing beating up on the PVCC?" asked Sonic. "You and your friends should be takin' it to Mayor Chandler, not these guys! They're fighting for their lives!"

"Yes. Yes, they are," the Hero of CWCville spoke patiently. "And with you at my side, Sonic, the resistance will crumble before the night is done. Our work will be completed, and this city will truly be mine. Only then will I be ready to face Kevin Shaw for our final confrontation."

"Well," Sonic began, thinking quickly, "This Kevin guy sounds like bad news and all, but how do you know he's gonna come back to CWCville? Heck, what makes you think he's still alive?"

"Villains always come back for one final fight," laughed Sonichu. "I didn't kill Shaw, but I made damn sure that he would return to face me for the last time. He just needed the right motivation."

"You keep calling Kevin a villain, but you went ahead and kidnapped his girlfriend?" Sonic felt as if he was about to explode. "Isn't that, you know, a little villainous, too?"

"There are no bad tactics," Sonichu answered indifferently. "Only bad targets. You just wait and see. Very soon, Shaw will return and…" He paused as a look of sudden understanding dawned on him. "Wait. I never mentioned Shaw's girlfriend to you, Sonic. How did you know that?"

"Oh!" The hedgehog's face fell as he realized what a colossal mistake he had just made. "Well, I, uh, I must've heard about it earlier! Everyone knows about it...right?"

"Who told you about what I did?" Sonichu turned slowly to face his old friend. The cold smile on his face had vanished. "Who did you talk to?" Moving like lightning, he lunged forward and grabbed Sonic by the collar of his jacket. "Who told you, Sonic? Answer me, damn you!"

"Let me go, Sonichu!" Sonic's eyes narrowed. "You know I don't wanna fight you, pal."

"You betrayed me!" snarled Sonichu, drawing his lips back to expose his teeth. "All this time, you've been working with the humans! You came here to destroy us, traitor!"

"NO! I came here to help put an end to this pointless war!" yelled Sonic, finally unleashing the anger that had been building up inside him over the last ten minutes. "I thought I might be able to talk some sense into you, but you're ignoring everything I say! You keep telling me you're some sort of great hero and that you're gonna save the town by destroying the PVCC, but look at what you've done to your city! How can you call that justice? How can you call yourself a hero?"

"THEY KILLED MY FUCKING FAMILY!" Sonichu screamed, and Sonic was startled to see tears in his eyes. "THEY MURDERED MY WIFE AND BUTCHERED MY CHILDREN!" He clenched his hands into fists, slowly moving into a combat stance as he faced off against the legendary blue hedgehog. "I'm going to make them pay for what they did. If you stand in the way of my vengeance, Sonic, then so help me, I'm going to kill you too, I swear that I wi-"

WHAM! Sonic launched himself into a Spin Dash before Sonichu could finish, knocking the Hero of CWCville backward through the air and into the ruins of a fallen building. Uncurling himself, he spun around and zoomed away toward the siege lines of Slumberland, his heart pounding like a jackhammer against his ribcage. Everything had gone wrong. He had just lost his one and only chance of saving his old friend from the madness that had consumed CWCville.

"RUN, COWARD!" Sonichu's roar echoed in his ears. "RUN BACK TO YOUR HUMAN FRIENDS, YOU TRAITOR! FOR ALL I CARE, YOU CAN DIE WITH THEM TOO!"

What have I done? Sonic thought desperately as the world around him became a blur once more. Oh, sweet sizzlin' chili dogs, what on earth have I done?

---

Slumberland, north defensive line, 9:48 p.m.

Kevin gasped, covering his nose as the stench of burning hair and flesh saturated the air around him. Pushing the hallway doors open, he drew his M16 and moved out of the way to make way for Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. The PVCC had constructed a crude line of debris and sandbags to use as cover, but judging by the line of electrocuted and injured Jerkops and Team Rocket grunts lying in the corridor, it wasn't having much of an effect. No less than forty operatives remained, and most of them had taken up firing positions to cover the northern approach. Kevin recognized a few operatives from Slumberland squads - the Spikes of Blue, the Cashiers, and the ALBinos, but the rest were a meager collection of medics and technicians, most of whom were occupied with the endless task of treating the injured and repairing or constructing defenses.

The entire north side of the building had nearly broken beneath the massive EHPF onslaught, and Punchy's Shocker team was pounding away at the inner defenses. Two feet of solid concrete and rebar stood between the chus and the interior of the PVCC base, but at the rate the battle was progressing, even that barrier wouldn't last long. The Jerkop defenders were throwing everything they had at the column of armored Sonichus, but nothing short of an RPG could even put a dent in the Shockers. Punchy, unprotected though he was, kept shrugging off bullets as if they were bee stings, aided by his innate healing factor. Above the battle, Angelica had taken on her "angel of death" persona once more, filling the skies with frenzied laughter and mangled Bible quotes.

"What do we do?" Amy looked around, her confident smile faltering as another impact rattled the building. "Oh no, this isn't good! What happens if they get inside?"

"We'll just have to make sure that they don't," the Jerkop answered bluntly, surveying the destruction. His eyes widened as he recognized the familiar arrangement of furniture that now lay in ruins across the defense line. The last time Kevin had seen them, he and his squad were in the midst of departing for Operation Hedgeclipper. "Oh my God, those bastards hit our fucking barracks! Stay behind me! We've gotta find the Devils! SAM! SAM LYNN!"

"Here! Over here!" a woman's voice called out from the right of the line. "Who wants to know?"

"Heard you guys had a chu problem!" Kevin slid into cover beside the very surprised Red Devils squad leader. Around the defense line, Darren Harkenson, Kamau Nkechi, Adam Jenkins, Wayne Fitzgerald, and Tony Sanders were doing their best to hold back the attacking Shocker column, but not even multiple frag grenades were having any sort of effect on the armored EHPF troops. "Walsh sent me over here to help with the defense! Where do you need us?"

"Jesus Christ! SHAW! How are you still alive?" Sam pulled the Jerkop into a fierce hug. Her face was streaked with ashes and blood, and several scorch marks and welts covered her arms and shoulders. The other members of the Red Devils didn't appear to be faring much better than their leader, either. "You…you know how many people thought you were-"

"Already heard that whole routine, Sam," Kevin cut her off. "Listen, I brought reinforcements. This is Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. We had Sonic the Hedgehog as well, but he's outside now."

"Well, you're just full of fucking surprises, aren't you?" The squad leader gaped as the three animals dashed over to rejoin Kevin. "Arceus, you weren't joking! Let me guess,you did this?"

"Kind of," admitted Kevin sheepishly. "All I did was just bring them to CWCville and-"

"That is exactly what I needed to hear right now," grunted Sam, massaging a reddened burn on her forearm. "They're cutting us apart, Shaw. You want to help out, then get up there with Darren and see if you can put a dent in the Shockers! I'll cover you from here!"

"You got it!" The Jerkop peeked out from behind the sandbag wall, then vaulted over it as Sam quickly fired off a pair of shotgun blasts. A white-hot lance of electricity lashed through the wall, nearly striking his chest as he sprinted toward the foremost defense line. As the base rocked beneath a third colossal blow, a chunk of the barracks' ceiling broke loose and fell, forcing Kevin to make an undignified scramble for safety. Caught off balance, he stumbled and tripped, smacking his elbow on a protruding piece of concrete and nearly tackling Darren Harkenson.

"The fuck? Kevin?"

"Hey there," wheezed Kevin, pulling himself up into cover next to the Red Devil. Darren's bionic arm looked like it had been through hell, and was now sparking and gushing smoke from its joints. "Please don't ask how I'm alive. Everyone else already did."

"Holy shit, is it good to see you!" Darren clapped him on the shoulder, then froze as he noticed the Needlemouse team approaching. "Wait, WHAT?"

"Yeah, I came back with these three and Sonic the Hedgehog," explained the Jerkop. "Can we save the introductions for when we aren't about to-"

"GET AWAY FROM THE WALLS! THEY'RE COMING THROUGH!"

"Goddamnit, we can't do anything to these fuckers!" snarled Darren, poking his rifle out from behind the sandbags and firing off two rounds into the nearest Shocker's head. The armored Sonichu staggered back, shook itself off, then raised its arm and blasted the wall with a bolt of concentrated lightning. Kevin pulled the Jerkop down a millisecond before the Thundershock would have connected with Darren's face. Beside them, a thick crack appeared in the outer wall, and a spiked fist tore through the last layer of concrete. Punchy was at the final barrier, and once he was through, there was nothing between the Jerkops and utter annihilation by the Shockers.

"I've got something that might help!" Kevin shouted. "Tails, how much C4 did you bring?"

"Ten blocks!" the little fox said shakily. "Kevin, what's happening?"

"That wall's coming down, no matter what." The Jerkop looked around, quickly assembling a plan. "We can take the regular Sparkies out at close range once they get inside, but those Shockers are going to tear this place to pieces if we don't do something about them. We've got to rig the breach with C4 and blow them all to hell. Knuckles, Amy, I hope to Arceus that you two are ready to fight."

"Well, it's about time!" Amy scoffed as she and Knuckles hurried to cover beside the breach. "I don't care how big they are! I'm gonna rescue Sonic if it's the last thing I do!"

"This might actually work," Darren muttered, holding a hand out to Tails. "Give me some of those. Kevin, take the rest. Plant 'em in a chain, it'll do more damage than if they're together!"

"Ready?" Kevin switched on his M16A4's grenade launcher and braced himself as Tails passed Darren five of the demolition charges. "On three. One! Two! THREE!"

"COVERING FIRE!" yelled Darren, and rolled out from behind the debris. Kamau, Wayne, and Sam quickly moved over to support him, while Jenkins and Tony kept firing out at the crowd of EHPF. Kevin rose and pulled the trigger. The assault rifle kicked back against his shoulder as the grenade left its tube with a hollow thunk and exploded directly on the chestplate of the nearest Shocker. With a metallic groan, the armored Sonichu collapsed, shaken but still alive. Kevin quickly clicked off the M16's safety and blasted the fallen Shocker with an entire magazine, but the bullets failed to penetrate. His arms aching, the Jerkop ejected the magazine and reached for a new one, but by now, the other Red Devils had already taken over for him. Two of the Shocker's allies turned their arc cannons on the operatives, temporarily ceasing their assault.

"Tails! Tails, give me the C4!" Stowing his assault rifle, Kevin dashed over to the fox and gathered the five remaining blocks of explosives into his arms. Hurrying up to Darren, he began planting the charges in a chain along the entrance, even as Punchy's mighty blows rocked the building around him. As soon as all ten had been placed, the two Jerkops each inserted a remote blasting cap into one of them and retreated. Along the line, the surviving defenders were falling back as well, dragging any injured comrades they could. The pounding on the wall continued, louder and louder, as larger chunks of concrete were knocked loose by the unending barrage.

"Oh, God, I hope this works," Sam groaned as she and the rest of the Red Devils regrouped next to Kevin, Tails, and Darren at the rear barricade. About twenty more Jerkops from other squads were taking up firing positions as well, bracing themselves for the incoming assault. "Everyone, check your mags and reload! I want that breach full of lead by the time they get it open!"

Kevin looked down at Tails. The little fox was holding his touchpad device at the ready, waiting for the signal to detonate the C4. As the concrete wall crumbled away before him, he inserted a fresh grenade into his M16's underslung launcher and propped the weapon's muzzle against the barricade of sandbags. Where the hell was the strike team? What was taking them so long?

"Hold on," he ordered. "Wait for them to come through the wall."

"Kevin?" Tails looked up at him worriedly. "This…this isn't gonna really hurt them, is it?"

The Jerkop sighed. "Yeah, Tails, it is. Want me to do it?"

"Yeah," The little fox handed over the pad. "T-thank you. I'm sorry, I just…I can't do it."

"It's okay," Kevin said comfortingly. "It's okay, Tails, I've got it. Cover your ears, okay?"

"Down! Everyone down!" yelled Sam, waving to the three other Manajerks in the vicinity. The order was relayed to the rest of the Jerkops, who quickly crouched out of sight. With a final crushing blow and a billowing cloud of dust, a massive piece fell free of the wall. Panting from exertion, Punchy Sonichu stood in the opening, his arms, gloves, and fur caked in concrete dust. Silence fell upon the breach as the Shockers began moving forward through the gap, their armored boots clanking against the rubble. If they made it too far inside, it would all be over.

"They're almost through!" hissed Darren. "Do it!"

"Everyone brace!" Kevin yelled, pressing his thumb against the screen. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

The room shook with the force of a minor earthquake as the C4 blocks exploded simultaneously, instantly killing half of the Shockers and flinging the rest of them away from the breach. Punchy disappeared into the blast, his fur alight, his face frozen in a shocked look somewhere between a triumphant laugh and a horrified scream as clouds of dust closed in around the defenders. If the explosion had caught him directly, the Combo member might have been ripped to pieces, but a barrage of self-bleeped cursing from outside confirmed that Punchy had, unfortunately, survived.

Kevin stared at the breach, awestruck by the damage that Tails' C4 had done to the building and to the attackers. Amy and Knuckles had been knocked down by the blast, but were otherwise unharmed. Half of the Shockers lay in heaps of blackened flesh and twisted metal plating, or else had been knocked unconscious. The other half of the Shocker squad had vanished into the thick grey cloud, but judging by the mechanical grinding from outside the wall, his plan had failed.

"Did it work?" Tony asked, peeking out behind the sandbags. "Arceus, that was loud! What-"

ZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPP!

"Fuck! Fall back! Everyone, fall back!" Sam snarled as a dozen arc cannon blasts seared into the breach. One of the ALBinos and a PVCC medic were struck by a single Thundershock and electrocuted, their bodies twitching violently as the supercharged bolts coursed through them. The medical team was on the fallen operatives immediately, administering CPR and charging defibrillators. "Wayne, put up a smokescreen, that'll slow 'em down! Kamau, Darren, stay with me and cover the door! Tony, Adam, help the medics! Shaw, you got any more bright ideas?"

"Yeah," said Kevin, taking aim with the M16's grenade launcher as the first lumbering shadow emerged through the cloud, its arc cannon glowing. "Knuckles! Amy! NOW!"

"Get your hands off of Sonic, you big jerks! HIIIII-YA!"

CLANG! The Shocker slammed sideways into the wall as Amy spun around the corner and smashed it in the face with her hammer, shattering its helmet visor and giving its pilot a concussion. Another blow crushed the second mech's arc cannon into a sparking mess of wires, disarming the Sonichu before the furious pink hedgehog knocked it to the floor with a vicious kick to the chin. Knuckles' approach was somewhat more straightforward – he simply plowed through the damaged wall and backhanded the third Shocker, then knocked out the fourth with a punch to the face. Narrowly avoiding a concentrated Thunderbolt, he leaped at the next attacking chu and delivered a crippling spiral uppercut that sent it flying backwards through the air.

In less than ten seconds, the two animals had effectively taken out all but three of the remaining Shockers. Still reeling from the unexpected surprise of seeing their teammates beaten to jelly by two of their most revered mythological figures, the EHPF mechs charged with a simultaneous yell. It was easily the single worst decision the three of them could have made. Knuckles moved like lightning, pummeling the Shocker on the right while Amy lifted her hammer and brought it down, denting the left one's foot. Shrieking in pain, the Sonichu swung wildly at the pink hedgehog with a charged Thunderpunch, but Amy was already airborne. With a vicious battle cry, she somersaulted in midair and drove the hammer into the back of the Shocker's head, knocking its helmet off just in time for both of Knuckles' flying fists to connect with its face. The chu toppled and fell flat on its back, out cold and missing several teeth, but very much alive.

The final Shocker stopped dead in its tracks, terrified by how quickly its squadmates had been dispatched. Knuckles and Amy hit the ground together, looked at each other, then stood up and began slowly approaching the armored chu. Terrified, the mech pilot hurriedly began backing away from the two creatures, sweeping his charged arc cannon from left to right in a pathetic attempt to intimidate them. So far, it was working about as well as one would expect.

"Stay back!" the Shocker whined, projecting its pilot's voice from its speakers. "What are y'all doing; y'all are supposed to be on our side and battling these Jerkop jerks with us! Stop it now!"

"You won't get away with hurting anybody anymore!" Amy retorted, spinning her hammer threateningly. "You and your Mayor are gonna be in a lot of trouble tonight!"

"RUN, COWARD! RUN BACK TO YOUR HUMAN FRIENDS, YOU TRAITOR! FOR ALL I CARE, YOU CAN DIE WITH THEM TOO!"

"What the heck was that?" The Shocker turned toward the echoing shout, as did the army of stunned EHPF officers standing behind him. "GodBearJesus, was that Commander Soni-"

CRUNCH!

"SONIC!" Amy squealed happily, embracing the blue hedgehog as he uncurled himself from the Spin Dash that had just knocked the Shocker's feet out from under it. Gasping for breath, Sonic looked over his shoulder at the crowd of Electric Hedgehog Pokémon, searching for an approaching dust cloud among them. There wasn't much time. He had to warn his friends.

"Let's get out of here!" he panted, grabbing Amy's hand and pulling her toward the damaged wall. The Shockers lay groaning or unconscious on the ground, all incapacitated by Amy and Knuckles' rampage. "I tried talking with Sonichu, but it didn't work! He wouldn't listen to me!"

"I didn't think he would," grunted Knuckles, and retreated after his friends. The EHPF army surged forward with a deafening yell, many of them rolling into Spin Dashes and launching themselves at Slumberland while the rest of the officers began charging up a fresh barrage of electric attacks. "There's no point in trying to play it safe anymore. What's the plan, Sonic?"

"We gotta help them!" Sonic shouted as the three of them charged back through the breach to rejoin the Jerkops and Tails. The PVCC was in full retreat, as operatives hastily packed up their gear and withdrew toward the fallback position in the hallway. "Kevin! Hey, you guys all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Kevin vaulted over the barricade, his face a mix of panic and relief. "Good to see you made it back! We're pulling everyone inside the base; can you guys give us a hand?"

"Heh! We'll do you one better!" Sonic turned to the echidna. "Knuckles, take down the roof!"

Knuckles flexed his shoulders, popping the tendons in his neck. With a single swipe, he drove his fist into the outer wall, punching straight through the concrete and destroying the last support keeping the north side of Slumberland upright. As the Jerkops and PVCC personnel fell back, Sonic, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, and Kevin dashed after them, just as the roof and walls collapsed inward with a rumbling crash. The entire Honey Badger barracks and part of the hall vanished beneath several hundred tons of rubble, effectively blocking the EHPF's incoming assault.

"Anyone hurt?" yelled Sam as Kevin and the four animals sprinted out of the way, all of them covered from head to toe in dust and bits of concrete. "Holy shit! SONIC?"

"Yep, that's me!" Sonic answered. His characteristic enthusiasm had been almost completely drained by his encounter with Sonichu, but he managed a faint grin all the same. "Sonic's the name, and speed's my game! Sorry to keep you waiting, but I, well…I was…"

"Fuck! I left my stuff in there!" yelled Kevin, slamming his fist against the wall. Everything that he and his squadmates hadn't brought along on Hedgeclipper now lay buried beneath the ruins of the Honey Badger barracks…his spare clothes, all of his letters from home, photos of his mother, father, Lucy, and Kel…and most infuriating of all, the Pokédex that Allie had given him.

"Don't worry about Sonichu," Knuckles said reassuringly to Sonic, ignoring the Jerkop's rants and curses. "There might still be a chance to turn him around."

"Yeah. Maybe." The blue hedgehog looked momentarily optimistic before turning to the PVCC operatives. "So…what else can we do to help out? You folks need anything?"

"Besides a goddamn miracle?" grunted Sam as she shouldered her Saiga-12. "Yeah. We need to get all of the injured and noncombat personnel over to the garage for extraction. If you and Amy could help carry them over from the cafeteria, it would save us a hell of a lot of time."

"You got it!" Sonic grabbed Amy's hand and dashed off, leaving Tails and Knuckles in the dust.

"H-Hey! What about us?" asked the little fox. Behind the wall of debris, the rumble of Spin Dash attacks reverberated through the building as the army of EHPF officers began pounding away at it in an attempt to dig into the partially-collapsed base. "Oh no! They're trying to get in again!"

"Last I heard, the admins were having trouble with the base defenses," the Red Devils squad leader replied. "See if you can give them a hand with that. Knuckles, do you mind staying here?"

"Not at all." The echidna shook his head, straightening his dreadlocks. "What're we looking at?"

"Sooner or later, they're going to get through all of that rubble," stated Sam. "If you can-"

CRASH! Two more impacts shook Slumberland from both the east and west sides of the facility. Kevin and the Red Devils drew their weapons, but the P.A. system was already blasting alarms through the hall. Seconds later, Mary Lee Walsh's voice cut in over the emergency siren, nearly drowned out by the static-filled roar of gunfire and crackling electricity around her.

"All PVCC personnel, red alert!" shouted the commander. "Multiple breaches, cafeteria and garage! All available Jerkop squads, we need immediate backup! We need backup, NOW!"

Kevin's stomach churned as the announcement ended and the siren returned. All for nothing. It had all been for nothing. Sonichu hadn't just been ordering an attack on the breach…he had been drawing the PVCC's attention away from their most vulnerable assets. If the garage fell, there would be no hope of escape, and the cafeteria was full of injured personnel and medics. The defenders were being split up by a pincer assault, and if the walls had truly been breached, there was no telling how much damage the EHPF would be able to do to Slumberland's occupants.

"Oh, SHIT." Sam looked as if she was about to collapse. "They're inside. They made it in." Looking around, she pointed to the west. "Come on! We have to get the wounded out before-"

"No!" Kevin interrupted, suddenly panicking as he remembered what he had told Walsh's son. "I'll go! Marty's still in there with the strike team! Take Knuckles and Tails and help hold the garage - they need your help more! I've gotta get back to the cafeteria!"

"What strike team?" shouted the squad leader. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"America's invading CWCville, Sam." answered Kevin, feeling strangely elated by his own words in spite of the overwhelming EHPF army closing in around him and his comrades. He smiled. "It's happening. It's finally going to happen. We're not alone in this fight anymore."

"You'd better be pretty fucking right about that, Shaw," snarled Sam. She turned and ran for the garage, beckoning to the Red Devils, Tails, and Knuckles. "LET'S GO! MOVE! MOVE!"

I hope I am too, Sam, Kevin thought as he hurried after the group of Jerkops making their way to the western side of Slumberland. Already, the sounds of the ongoing assault resonated through the base, filling the darkened corridors with a chaotic medley of gunshots and screams. If I'm wrong…then we all might as well be dead already.

---

South CWCville, Slum District, Slumberland northern approach, 9:54 p.m.

Seated upon a pile of snow, Sonichu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air held traces of smoke and ozone, much like the aftermath of a thunderstorm. It was a familiar smell to the Hero of CWCville – one that he recalled from the days of his devotion to the Mayor. To think that he had been so blind for so long, unable to break free from the childlike bond between him and his "father"… The memories sickened him. He felt cursed, unclean, like someone who had endured years of systematic and horrifying manipulation at the hands of someone they held dear. He had loved, respected, defended, and fought for Chandler. And now the man he had once believed to be a friend, a mentor, a father…that same man had let Sonichu's family be murdered.

The EHPF commander sighed and looked down at his abdomen. The Spin Dash wound had already healed, and the pain was already gone. Despite the setback of losing his Shocker team, the attack on Slumberland was proceeding as planned. Punchy and Angelica's two-pronged assault had trapped the rebels in a pincer, crushing their remaining defenders between them. Having the rest of the Combo there would have been more preferable, but Bubbles and Blake had disappeared, and Magi-Chan was preoccupied with some personal business. Wild had spinelessly insisted on staying with his daughter, safe within the walls of the Shopping Center. That left only himself, Punchy, and Angelica to keep the city from collapsing.

It was better this way. Without interference from Chandler and the other half of the Combo, Sonichu was finally making some headway in his campaign. Once his army had cleared the base, they would sweep through CWCville, routing the surviving rebels and mercenary soldiers until both the PVCC and True Blue had been wiped from the city. Only then would the revolution die.

There was still much to be done, but all would reach its end in time.

"Clever, Shaw," he chuckled to himself. It was so obvious…why hadn't he seen it until now? "You thought you could turn Sonic the Hedgehog against me, didn't you? Clever, very clever. You may have convinced him for now, but you'll see just how much he trusts you after I show him what you did to Rosey and my kids!" He paused, allowing the imaginary Kevin Shaw to stutter a few frightened words of protest. "Oh, really? And whose side do you think he'll take, huh? His old friend Sonichu, or a spineless Jerkop coward who murders innocent babies?"

"Practicing for something, Sonichu?"

"Huh?" Sonichu snapped back to reality. "Who's there?"

"Oh, do forgive me if I interrupted anything," Magi-Chan Sonichu said dryly, blinking into sight directly in front of Sonichu. "Would you rather I left you alone to finish your monologue?"

"Magi-Chan!" The Hero of CWCville leapt to his feet, surprised by his comrade's reappearance. "Where have you been? No one's seen you since last night! What the hell have you been doing?"

"None of your business." The psychic Sonichu's eyes flashed yellow. "Oh? That's interesting."

"What?"

"You are beginning to wake up," answered Magi-Chan. "Perhaps there is some hope for you yet." His expression hadn't changed, but the Combo member sounded unusually intrigued by something he'd detected within Sonichu's mind. "Fury, vengeance, doubt, mistrust, betrayal. But not all of it is directed at your Jerkop rival or at the Mayor, is it? There is someone else."

"I don't…" Sonichu looked around, perplexed, as the memories of Rosechu's confession came rushing back. In seconds, his expression had hardened into a cold glare. "Yes. Yes, there is."

"I didn't come here to aid you or argue with you," Magi-Chan continued emotionlessly, ignoring his comrade. "You are…and always have been…only a tool to me, Sonichu. Just as you were to Chandler. But I came here to deliver a warning." He turned away. "Until now, there were only myself, Chandler, Walsh, Silvana, Swift, and Naitsirhc. But now…there is an eighth channeler. Its source is heavily protected, but I can identify it well enough to know where I have seen its signature before. Last night, in the subdivisions. 14 Brunchville Lane, as a matter of fact."

Sonichu remained silent, helplessly gritting his teeth. The words seemed to blur together in his mind, flashing back and forth between imagined scenes of his beloved Rosechu locked in carnal ecstasy with the violet-furred creature that now stood before him. A tool. That was all he'd been.

"Whatever this eighth channeler is," murmured Magi-Chan, "it was inside your home last night, shielding your wife and children from my vision as the PVCC butchered them alive. Somehow, it was working in tandem with…" He stared off across the city. "Yes, of course. Of course…"

"My children, Magi-Chan?" Sonichu snarled. "All two of them. Is that right?"

"Ah…" The psychic Electric Hedgehog Pokémon looked over his shoulder, fixing Sonichu with a blank stare. "I have business elsewhere. Compared to what lies in wait for me at the end of this path, such trivialities do not interest me. But for the sake of our mutual objective, I will give you one answer now…whatever you wish. Choose your question well. I shall speak only the truth."

"Christine." Sonichu's voice trembled as he spoke. "She was never mine, was she?"

"Correct," said Magi-Chan. "Nor was she a shiny. The only living shiny is Wild's daughter."

"No…" Sonichu felt his knees buckle and give out beneath him. As if in a trance, he sank to the ground, his eyes slowly filling with hot, acrid tears. He had known it was coming, but he hadn't expected the truth to hurt this much. The fire in his heart had been snuffed out in mere moments. How? How could Rosechu have done this to him? How could she have betrayed her sweetbolt?

"All part of a greater plan." A faint smile flickered across Magi-Chan's face. Sonichu's sobs of despair rang out from behind him, but he never once looked back or even acknowledged the Hero of CWCville's pitiful display. "Christine's death was not entirely in vain. If you recall, I named only six channelers out of eight. The seventh is her half-sister, Aki. I thought it had been destroyed long ago, but the abomination has survived, and now seeks vengeance against me. Not that any of it matters in the slightest, but I believe you might as well know that your wife and I did indeed conceive Christine on the same day that her other, unexceptional sister hatched."

A strangled, choking wail began to escape from Sonichu's throat. Tears streamed down his face, soaking into the fur as he collapsed onto his side and curled into a fetal position. The righteous vengeance, the bravado, the rage…all of it had been snatched away with a single revelation. Now he could only weep impotently as the impact of Rosechu's infidelity crashed down upon him.

"It may take some time for you to accept it," Magi-Chan finished callously, turning to give Sonichu a final smile. "Know this, though. I did not take your wife against her will. She knew. She knew what was happening, and what would come of it. She could have stopped. She didn't." He gazed across the battlefield, taking in the sight of Slumberland in flames. "And here we are. The prelude to the end of the world. Don't worry. It will all be over soon. Goodbye, Sonichu."

Levitating off the ground, the psychic Electric Hedgehog Pokémon raised his arms out to his sides and summoned a faint field of violet light around his body. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, and just like that, Sonichu was alone again.

You're right, Magi-Chan, the Hero of CWCville vowed silently, slowly rising from the snow as a vengeful gleam sparked in his eyes. By now, he was far beyond the point of caring whether the Combo member could sense his thoughts or not. And I'm going to make sure you live through all of it. I want you to be there when I kill Shaw and his friends. I want you to watch me annihilate the PVCC and tear Chandler from his throne. I want you to enjoy it. He let out a crazed laugh, wiping the last tears away as a maniacal grin formed on his face. Because after I'm done with them, you're next, you backstabbing manipulative egotistical bastard. YOU'RE NEXT.

---

Slumberland cafeteria, 9:55 p.m.

"EVERYBODY OUT!" Kevin roared, raising his M16 as a mob of terrified PVCC personnel spilled through the cafeteria's double doors. Flashes of lightning and gunfire lit up the room behind the fleeing men and women, drowning out the collection of shouts and screams. Pushing his way through the entrance, the Jerkop dashed for the first piece of cover he could see – a surgical table that had been knocked over by the medics in their rush to flee the swarm of Electric Hedgehog Pokémon. It was about as safe to hide behind as a wall made of tinfoil, but it was better than standing out in the open and getting zapped to death.

Gripping the assault rifle, Kevin leaned out. A gaping hole had been punched through the wall by an EHPF transport. The vehicle now lay twisted and broken, its chassis protruding through the breach. If the red smear on its windshield was anything to go by, the Sonichu driver hadn't survived, either. The effort had not been in vain, however. Shouting heroic battle cries, dozens of uniformed chus leaped through the opening and into the cafeteria. Those who survived the first wave of bullets quickly rolled into Homing Attacks and Spin Dashes, or else began firing off electric attacks at anything in sight. The floor beyond the breach was now littered with over twenty smoking human corpses. Most of them were clearly medics, along with a few Jerkops who had been caught and electrocuted in the initial barrage.

Kevin forced himself to look away. Losing his mind was the last thing he needed at the moment. Outside lay a wall of black-tipped ears and yellow headspikes, as the Sonichus fought to push their way in. The remaining medics and Jerkops were trying to evacuate the rest of the wounded, but with so many EHPF coming through, their efforts were quickly growing futile. Over in the distance, two figures zipped across the room, carrying the wounded to safety. As Kevin watched, the pink one halted and launched herself at a pair of Sonichus with a fierce yell. Both of the officers flew back and struck the wall, knocked into unconsciousness by Amy Rose's hammer. Sonic the Hedgehog arrived seconds later, delivering a stunning Homing Attack to a third chu.

Without hesitation, Kevin took aim with the M16 and began laying down short bursts toward the breach, taking care not to fire in Sonic or Amy's direction. It didn't matter if he hit anything or not – his only goal now was to give the resistance enough time to evacuate. If things got too out of control, he still had the plastic bag of Graduon's armor to use as a last resort.

"SHAW! SHAW, OVER HERE!"

Startled, the Jerkop dropped out of view and looked toward the shout, only to be met by the welcome sight of Sergeant Wolff waving furiously to him. Sergeant Bennett, the Marines, and the rest of Kale Devoria's SEALs had set up a base of fire around the hidden tunnel entrance, but judging by the number of muzzle flashes and muffled electrical crackles coming from the breach, the EHPF were now attempting to push through this new opening. Unfortunately for them, the Americans were putting up a significantly better fight than the PVCC defenders.

Kevin rolled out from behind the table and leapt to his feet, then emptied the rest of the M16's contents toward the western breach. Ejecting the magazine, he sprinted across the room and slid into the safety of the barricade as the strike team moved out of the way to let him in.

"Thanks!" he panted, shakily grabbing a new magazine from his belt and loading it into the assault rifle. "What's happening? Did we lose anyone?"

"Not yet, thank God!" Wolff signaled one of his snipers, who immediately fired off a suppressed round. Across the cafeteria, two Sonichus hit the floor, killed by the same bullet. "We've been doing what we can, but it sounds like they hit the other side of the building too!"

"They did!" replied Kevin. "We need to fall back to the garage once they get the wounded out!"

"As long as we've got those two, that might work!" The Marine pointed across the room to where Sonic and Amy were helping fend off the tide of Electric Hedgehog Pokémon. "We can hold the tunnel from here and give you cover, but we can't risk compromising the mission!"

Kevin fought back a groan of frustration. As much as the PVCC needed heavy fire support, the American soldiers still technically weren't supposed to be there. If they gave away their presence to the EHPF and word of the U.S. military's involvement made its way back to Chandler or the Chaotic Combo, the consequences would be dire. Come to think of it, what if the chus learned that Kevin himself was still alive? If Sonichu found out, then not even the combined forces of the PVCC and the Skyraider team would be able to stop the Hero of CWCville's vengeful rampage.

"I'm going over to help them out." The Jerkop reached into his pocket and pulled out a bandana, then tied it over his nose and mouth. "Keep the Sparkies off of me."

"With pleasure," Wolff growled. "Watch yourself, Shaw!"

"You too, Sergeant." Taking a deep breath, Kevin edged out of the barricade and charged toward the breach. Muffled reports from the Marine snipers rang out, but he didn't even bother to try and see what they had hit. The cafeteria was almost completely trashed, with tables flipped, medical equipment littering the floor, and electrical scorch marks covering nearly every visible surface. Packs of Jerkops had clustered together to hold off the EHPF, while the few medics that hadn't already retreated were now dashing around, carrying wounded personnel back toward the hall. Sonic and Amy had taken on a double role as defenders and medevac assistants, fighting off the Sonichus whenever they ventured too close and helping to ferry the injured back and forth.

A bolt of lightning flashed in front of him, and Kevin winced as static prickled across his skin. The nearest form of cover he could see was a covered medical bed a few yards away. Firing off two bursts from the M16, he hurried over to the cot and pushed open the curtain to…

WHAM!

"OW!" Kevin reeled backward and hit the floor, stunned. The baseball bat had nearly dislocated his arm, but his Kevlar vest had dulled the blow. "What the fuck? I'm on your side, asshole!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" yelled Adrean Grace, kneeling beside the Jerkop and helping him back up. "Are you okay? Arceus, I thought you were a-"

"Do I look like a fucking Sparky?" snapped Kevin, and pulled down the bandana to show the Los Chupacabras operative his face. "What the hell are you doing here, Grace? Your squad's on the other side of Slumberland! Get over there and help them!"

"I can't!" Adrean pointed to the cot's single occupant. "I'm not leaving him alone in here!"

Kevin drew back impulsively. With so much going on, he'd almost forgotten about Naitsirhc. There was no time for old grudges to get in the way now, though. Giovanni's son or not, he was still a PVCC administrator, and was still too wounded to fight. They had to get him to safety.

"What the hell is he still doing here?" he yelled.

"I don't know!" Adrean winced as another Thundershock sizzled past. "Can you help me?"

"We'll carry him out," Kevin stated reluctantly. "Grab him! Don't worry, I'll cover you!"

"Shaw…"

Kevin looked up. Naitsirhc, heavily bandaged though he was, was staring directly at him. The Team Rocket heir's eyes no longer held their sinister red glow, and the look on his face was not one of conceit or anger. It was almost…regret.

"Everything's going to be okay," he said quickly. "Just hold on. We'll get you out of here."

"I…I know…" wheezed Naitsirhc, weakly reaching out a hand towards Kevin. "I know what happened to Kel. I know what you had to do to her. You…you saved my life out there."

"We can…talk about that later," the Jerkop answered. "Adrean, on three, lift him. One, two…"

"I'm sorry, Shaw." The wounded man's eyes closed, and tears began to run down his face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Kel…about everything. I've been…I've been such a fucking coward." He exhaled shakily. "Please…I know I've done so much to hurt you, but I want to help now. I think I know what I can do. I can still…feel it in my head. It told me…that it would leave me a gift."

Growing more and more disturbed by the second, Kevin forced himself to shut out Naitsirhc's insane ramblings. With a grunt of exertion, Adrean heaved the Team Rocket heir off of the cot and across his shoulders. In such an emaciated state, Naitsirhc didn't weigh much at all. Holding his assault rifle at the ready, Kevin readjusted his bandana and peered out behind the curtain. With Sonic and Amy's assistance, the cafeteria had almost no injured personnel left. The two hedgehogs hadn't noticed him yet, but if he could just get their attention…

Another Thundershock split the air, impacting on the medical bed and setting the curtains alight. Adrean cursed and nearly lost his grip on Naitsirhc, stumbling forward out into the open. Kevin squeezed the M16's trigger and watched the offending Sonichu keel over with a nasally scream, then snapped onto a second and gunned it down before it could curl into a Spin Dash. More and more of the chus were pouring through the gap, rapidly outnumbering the few remaining PVCC operatives. Across the room, Kevin saw a Jerkop drop dead from a searing Thunderbolt, while two more panicked and began to fall back. They were fighting a losing battle, and they knew it.

"I know what I have to do," murmured Naitsirhc, as if in some kind of hypnotic stupor. His eyes had rolled back, and now only the whites were visible. "It gave me something…"

"For fuck's sake, shut him up!" yelled Kevin. A Sonichu leapt towards him, whirling into a spiky yellow ball in midair. Moving automatically, he fired the M16's grenade launcher, sending the explosive directly into the airborne chu. The explosion knocked him flat on his back as pieces of burning fur rained down from above. Swearing, the Jerkop heaved himself up just in time to open fire at a pair of EHPF officers. The chu on the left was cut down immediately, but the second only suffered a bullet wound to his arm. Kevin dropped the assault rifle and drew his sidearm, then emptied its contents into the other one's face and chest. Taking advantage of the reprieve, he reloaded the pistol and grabbed his M16, then reached for another magazine.

It wasn't there. Kevin looked down, fearing the worst. Unbelievably, he had run out of assault rifle ammunition. There were still two pistol magazines on his belt, but the M16 might as well have been a toy gun now. How had he gone through so many rounds already?

"I'm out!" he yelled, firing off three quick shots at the breach. "Adrean, give me your shotgun!"

"Hold on!" shouted the Jerkop, and placed Naitsirhc down behind the broken remains of a bench. Drawing his shotgun, he slid it across the floor to Kevin, who gratefully snatched it up and began unloading blast after thunderous blast with no regard to whether he hit or missed. Up ahead, Amy and Sonic smashed into the main cluster of EHPF together, scattering the chus like bowling pins. Grateful for the distraction, Kevin bolted across the room to rejoin Adrean and Naitsirhc.

"Fucking insanity," muttered the Chupacabra. "They're not going to stop. We barely made it this far…I don't know if I can get to the hall."

"Stay here," Kevin ordered, and handed the shotgun back to Adrean. Naitsirhc was still babbling nonsense about daemons or something similar. "I'm going for help. Just keep him alive, okay?"

"Don't have to tell me twice, stone age or otherwise," Adrean panted, sliding a fistful of new shells in one by one. "Go! I've got this!"

Without hesitation, the Jerkop grabbed his empty assault rifle and sprinted for the barricade. A trio of shotgun blasts sounded behind him, only to be met with a sizzling jolt of electricity. Kevin's momentary panic was quelled upon hearing another blast, along with a string of profanities from Adrean. The defense was only minutes away from being overrun, maybe even shorter if one of the Combo decided to join in…

"TRAITORS! THE JUSTICE OF THE LO0RD SHALL SMITE YOU FROM THE EARTH!"

Kevin looked toward the scream, cursing himself for even having the thought in the first place. Angelica Rosechu burst through the gap, unfurling her wings as she delivered a forceful flying kick to Amy Rose. The pink hedgehog fell backwards, stunned, blood trickling from her mouth. Shouting in alarm, Sonic leapt at the white Rosechu and smashed her in the chest with a Homing Attack. Angelica hit the ground, winded by the force of the strike, but Amy was already up again and charging with a savage yell. A powerful flap from Angelica's wings blew the two hedgehogs off their feet and across the room, leaving the chus open to continue their attack on the PVCC.

"He's back!" yelled a Marine as Kevin vaulted over the barricade. "Hey! Shaw's back!"

"We've got a problem, Sergeant!" the Jerkop panted. "You wanted to see a Combo member?"

Wolff stared wordlessly across the cafeteria, taking in the sight of the winged Rosechu dueling Sonic and Amy at the same time. Howling with rage, Angelica took to the air and dive-bombed Sonic, tackling the blue hedgehog directly into an empty surgical table. Sharp tools and bottles of liquid spilled in all directions as the Rosechu held down her opponent and swung her sickle. Despite his speed, Sonic might very well have been gutted, had it not been for Amy. Punching an EHPF officer in the jaw, she hurled her hammer through the air like Mjolnir. A dull thump sounded as the business end connected with the back of Angelica's head, stunning the Rosechu long enough for Sonic to sink a well-placed roundhouse kick into her stomach.

"Jesus Christ," breathed the sergeant. "We'll lose half the squad if we go up against that thing!"

"They've almost evacuated the cafeteria!" Kevin reported. "We've got to fall back to the garage! Kale's over there with Commander Walsh - that's our only way out of here now!" He pointed to Naitsirhc and Adrean, the latter of whom was currently fending off incoming chus with his shotgun. "Whatever happens, keep those two alive! I'm going back to help them!"

"No! You stay here!" Wolff ordered, grabbing the Jerkop by his shoulder. "We're gonna move across the room and give your guys a chance to retreat! I need you to stay with the kid, okay?"

"What kid?" Kevin looked confused, then realized who the sergeant was talking about. "Marty!"

"Don't worry, he's okay." The Marine beckoned to two soldiers, who obediently hurried over to one of the barriers by the tunnel and retrieved a very frightened Marty Walsh. The little boy was holding his hands over his ears to shut out the noise, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed. "We got him into cover when they breached the wall. The kid's one hell of a good sport."

"Well, he's been through a lot," Kevin answered, smiling as Marty dashed up to him and hugged him again. "Hey, buddy! Don't worry, I'm gonna get you back to your mom! We're going to-"

"OVER HERE, FAGGOTS!"

Kevin looked up, his ears ringing from the deafening shout. Incredibly, Naitsirhc had risen to his feet, his body wreathed in rippling violet energy. Adrean tried to grab him and pull him back down into cover, but some invisible force pushed the Jerkop's hand away.

"The hell is he doing?" growled Wolff. On the other side of the cafeteria, most of the Sonichus had stopped dead in their tracks, mortified by the very idea of being mistaken for homosexuals. Almost simultaneously, they turned to face the Team Rocket heir, their faces rapidly twisting into murderous scowls. Angelica spread her wings and shot forward, leaving Sonic and Amy behind as she hit the floor in front of Naitsirhc.

"Well, well," the white Rosechu chuckled softly, wiping a smear of blood from her nose as she examined the young terrorist. "Naitsirhc, son of Giovanni. Perhaps even all that time with your true love Kel was not enough to purge you of your sinful oritentation." She twirled the silver sickle, readying herself for an eviscerating strike. "No matter; the Lo0rd will judge you!"

"Sinful?" Naitsirhc laughed. "You have no idea, bitch. No idea." He raised a hand and closed his eyes. "Here! This is what you and your buddies have been missing all this time!"

The room exploded in sound, a howling maelstrom of wind, lightning, and screams of both pain and ecstasy. Kevin, Wolff, Bennett, Marty, and the American soldiers shielded their ears as the shockwave spread through the cafeteria. Angelica staggered backward as if blinded, clawing at her head and whimpering Hail Marys to herself. The EHPF had fared much worse. A few of them lay motionless on the floor, blood seeping from their noses, mouths, and eyes as spasms racked their bodies. The others were shaking violently, shrieking in terror, clawing at their heads, vomiting, or making fake swallowing motions and hissing sounds. Whatever unholy power that Naitsirhc had unleashed had just stopped the assault force dead in their tracks.

"What…what was that?" Marty nervously uncovered his ears. "Kevin? What happened?"

"I…I don't know," Kevin stammered, slinging the empty M16 over his arm. "I think he…"

"Move! We need to move!" ordered Bennett before the Jerkop could continue, tossing a final flashbang grenade into the tunnel. "Flash out! Everyone evacuate, now!"

Grabbing Marty, Kevin pulled the little boy out from behind the barricade as the soldiers broke cover and ran for the safety of the Slumberland hallway. His power expended, Naitsirhc collapsed into Adrean's arms, who immediately heaved the Team Rocket heir over his shoulder and began carrying him away from the chaos. Sonic, Amy, and the remaining Jerkops and medical personnel were falling back as well, grateful for the unexpected intervention.

"Get to the garage!" Wolff shouted, pushing Kevin and Marty toward the cafeteria doors. "We'll regroup in there once we get the rest of them out! Tell Walsh that we're on the way! Here!" He tossed over a pair of full magazines. "Make those shots last! We don't have much left!"

Kevin gratefully grabbed the ammunition, then burst through the doorway and into the hall, clutching his pistol in one hand and Marty's arm in the other. Seconds later, Sonic and Amy dashed up to join him, covered in scrapes and bruises from their vicious fight with Angelica. The two hedgehogs slid to a halt, gasping as they collapsed against the wall to catch their breath.

"Nice work back there, you two," Kevin coughed. "I think you just saved half of Slumberland."

"Ha! Don't mention it…YEOW!" Sonic exclaimed, rubbing an open wound on his arm. "Ow! I-I guess she...really got us, huh?"

"You can say that again!" added Amy, pointing to her shoulder. Her dress now bore a thin slash mark, and blood oozed from the cut underneath. Fortunately, both of the hedgehogs were already healing quickly. "Ooohhh, if I get another chance to smack her around, I'm gonna..."

"Want some advice? Don't go picking fights with Angelica unless you're willing to take a few hits," interjected Kevin, pointing to the old scar on his cheek. "She gave me this one, actually."

"Whoa!" Sonic stared at the Jerkop's face, then glanced back at the cafeteria. The gunfire had started up again, and PVCC operatives were trickling through one or two at a time, some of them carrying injured personnel. "Oh, that's no good! Come on, Amy, we need to get outta here!"

"Here! Take him!" Kevin pushed Marty over to the blue hedgehog. "Get him to Commander Walsh and see if you can help out Knuckles and Tails! I'll be right behind you!"

"Sure thing!" Sonic lifted Walsh's son off the floor. "Hold on tight, kid! Gotta go fast!"

"Be careful, Kevin!" yelled Marty, waving as Sonic and Amy zoomed down the hall. "See you!"

Kevin stuffed the pistol into its holster, shrugged off his empty M16, and loaded one of the two remaining magazines into the weapon's receiver. Giving it a final check, he bolted down the hallway. There was no time to waste – Naitsirhc's strange psychic attack might have delayed Angelica and the rest of the chus attacking the cafeteria, but if the Jerkop's assumption was correct, it wouldn't have had any effect on the battle for Slumberland's garage.

"Okay," he muttered, allowing his mind to drift back into the edge of the dreamscape. "Start talking. What the hell happened back there? What was that?"

"I have seen enough of this world to understand every form of psychic energy imaginable," the ancient spirit answered. "That was no earthly force. Remnant power from the daemon, perhaps."

"Reldnahc?"

"I believe so." Graduon thought for a few moments. "It seems as though da Silva managed to project a vision of the chaos realm into the minds of every chu in the vicinity. The domain of the god Slaanesh, to be exact. Reldnahc is one of Slaanesh's servants, after all."

"That's all?" Kevin asked. "Why would it-"

Pain flashed through the Jerkop's head for a millisecond as the dreamscape erupted into a twisted mass of writhing phalluses and sticky, glistening flesh. It was only the briefest glimpse, but Kevin nearly vomited at the abhorrent image. Staggering over to the side of the hallway, he collapsed against the wall to catch his breath. That was what Naitsirhc had done to the EHPF?

"Arceus…he mindfucked them," he groaned, still trembling from the sight. He pushed himself away from the wall and took a few steps toward the garage. "Don't do that again, okay?"

"You are losing focus," the spirit cautioned him. "You know as well as I do that you cannot save every innocent life in this city. Leave the resistance to their own devices. Your goal lies within the Shopping Center, not here. Remember what the Mayor has taken from you."

"I'm not leaving my friends to die here!" Kevin snapped, sprinting down the corridor as the sounds of fighting from the garage drew closer and closer. "Once we get this place evacuated, I'm going after Chandler! We're getting Allie out of there, one way or another!"

"Very well," growled Graduon. Its voice began to fade. "But do not forget your purpose, child of Asila. Do not forget what you are here to do. Do not forget the reason I saved you from death."

The spirit's words vanished, swallowed up by the sound of gunshots as Kevin kicked open the door to the Slumberland garage. The smell of charred flesh and acrid smoke filled his nostrils almost instantly, summoning a fresh surge of nausea deep within his stomach. Bodies blanketed the cavernous room - an almost equal mix of human and chu, lying together where they had been cut down by bullets or cooked alive by shock attacks. Most of the dead Jerkops and Team Rocket grunts had been electrocuted or shredded beyond recognition, but Kevin could still identify a few Slumberland operatives despite their charred skin and grievous wounds. Every familiar face was a cold knife in his gut – a sobering reminder that he and his squadmates were no less vulnerable. Spikes of Blue, ALBinos, Pyromaniacs, Cashiers, Chemomen…these were men and women that he'd fought alongside at Menchi-Nasu, not to mention dozens of missions across the years that he'd served in the PVCC. How many more would lose their lives before the end of the uprising?

Around the garage, machine guns roared from atop a dozen trucks as Jerkops from the White Medallions, Tomgirls, and Picklemen sprayed the incoming mob of chus with lead. The remaining PVCC personnel were clustered behind a wall of sandbags and debris, frantically loading their wounded into Punislavs. Jack Thaddeus, Clyde Cash, and Giovanni were stationed amidst the defenders, shouting orders to the Jerkops around the breach. The evacuation was moving ahead, but at great cost to the resistance. They had already lost more operatives over the course of the Slumberland siege than any prior mission, including the June Offensive.

A horrid metallic screech echoed above the turmoil as half of an entire S.A.V. unit hit the floor and smashed into one of the destroyed Punislavs. Kevin followed the fiery trail back to the center of the garage, where a group of EHPF officers were engaging the rest of Slumberland's combat drones. Despite their best efforts, most of the Transformers had already been torn to pieces, or else were simply crushed beyond all repair. The surviving mechs seemed to be holding their own against the Sonichu officers, but there was no sign of what had destroyed the rest of them.

"HAHAHA! Prepare for the ultimate punching powAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!" With a loud crash, Punchy Sonichu's battered body struck the opposite wall and slid down to the floor. The Combo member shakily rose to his feet, wheezing hoarsely and holding his stomach.

"Had enough yet?" Knuckles the Echidna snarled, striding toward his victim. "You can stop this anytime you want - I'm just getting warmed up. Come on! Get back here, faker!"

"Power level…falling…" Punchy coughed up a thin spray of blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Looks like I am going to need some spare ribs now! Ha ha ha ha!"

"Shut up, you insufferable moron!" The echidna raised a fist threateningly. "Listen, if you give up and go home now, I'll leave you a few teeth." He grinned. "I'd be happy with either way."

"Your Fists O' Fury do not frighten me, Mister Knuckle-Cracker!" retorted Punchy in a pathetic attempt to sound brave. Electricity surged from his cheekspots, surrounding both of his spiked gloves in crackling arcs. "All right, let's dance, uh, conga! CONGA THE DONKEY KONG!"

Kevin ran for his life, sprinting toward the PVCC defense line just as Punchy lunged and Thunderpunched his opponent in the face. Knuckles reflexively blocked the attack, but the residual charge shocked him, delivering a stunning electric blast to his body. Yelling in pain, the echidna headbutted Punchy and staggered back, his fur sizzling and standing on end.

A bullet zipped by in front of Kevin, forcing him to duck out of the way to avoid being shot in the face. More rounds carved through the air, striking and killing an EHPF officer that had just lunged toward the Jerkop. Looking toward the source of the shots, Kevin could see Kale Devoria waving at him from the sandbag wall. Grateful for the save, he stood up and dashed the final six yards to the PVCC frontlines. Thunder roared in his ears and bolts of electricity snapped across the garage, each one sizzling violently as it connected with the floor, the PVCC defenses, or the occasional unfortunate target. The EHPF were focusing their fire on the line while half a dozen of their number kept the S.A.V.s distracted. It didn't seem possible, but the chus were using actual tactics. Their usual swarm mentality was all but gone now, largely thanks to Sonichu.

"Jesus Christ, it's good to see you, Shaw!" shouted the SEAL as Kevin leapt over the sandbags and knelt down into cover. He rose and fired a burst across the room, clipping a chu on the arm. "What the hell happened over there? It felt like the whole building was gonna come down!"

"Psychic blast, courtesy of Naitsirhc da Silva," Kevin answered quickly. "Wolff and Bennett and the rest of the team stayed behind to get the wounded out. They're gonna be here soon!"

"Thank Arceus." Kale reloaded quickly, then motioned for Kevin to follow him. "We're almost ready to evacuate. I managed to get through to Charlottesville – still nothing on Downfall. Dad's been trying to push through an order to airstrike Slumberland, but it's not looking good."

Kevin hurried after Devoria, making sure to stay out of the way of the other operatives. He noticed the Red Devils clustered around their transport, helping a group of PVCC personnel load crates of supplies and ammunition into the armored dump truck while Sam and Kamau kept the chus at bay. Kevin was surprised to see Tails sitting beside Darren Harkenson with an assortment of tools, feverishly tinkering with the Jerkop's bionic arm. The little fox looked up, waved to Kevin, then turned back to his work. Sonic and Amy sat nearby, holding hands and occasionally stealing a glance over the top of the sandbags. With so much gunfire, it was far too dangerous for them to engage the chus at close range…not without running the risk of accidentally getting shot.

"Found him!" yelled Kale as he and Kevin arrived at the central defense line. Mary Lee Walsh had drawn her sidearm and was now in the process of finishing off a Sonichu that had somehow made its way past the other Jerkops. "Miss Walsh! Commander! What's our ETD?"

"Five minutes!" The PVCC commander fired a final shot into the chu's chest, then dropped back down next to Marty. The little boy had pressed himself against the sandbags, his eyes squeezed shut and his ears covered again. "We're going to evacuate once the transports get here! Where's the rest of your team?" She looked at the SEAL, then recoiled in surprise. "Shaw? When did y-"

"Just now, Commander," Kevin replied. "We managed to hold them back. Is Marty okay?"

"Yes." Mary smiled gratefully and hugged her son. "Yes, he is. Thank Arceus for you, Shaw."

"What kind of transports?" Kale cut in abruptly. "We're going to need some for my-"

"Kale, you there?" Sergeant Bennett's voice crackled through the radio. "Skyraider One Actual, come back, over."

"Skyraider One Actual receiving!" answered Kale. "Give me a sitrep, over!"

"We just pulled everyone out of the cafeteria and blew the doors shut. They're trying to get through, but Wolff's team left 'em a few claymores just in case. En route to you now. Be advised, Angelica's airborne, possibly heading your way, and definitely pissed off. Over."

"Copy and confirm, extraction in five. Get over here ASAP. Out." The SEAL stowed his radio and turned to Walsh. "Miss Walsh, pull everyone back. We've got incoming."

"Heard it," growled the commander, adjusting her own walkie-talkie. "Clyde, Jack, Giovanni, everyone fall back to the evacuation line and prepare to-"

CRASH! Kevin looked up just in time to see a shrieking white blur of feathers punch through the ceiling of the garage. Unfurling her wings, Angelica Rosechu spun in midair and dropped straight down on top of a surviving S.A.V. unit, then cleaved the Transformer in half with a single Steel Wing. The two halves of the mech toppled to the floor, sparking wildly.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!" screamed Walsh. Kevin and Kale stood up and fired together, laying down shot after shot towards the Rosechu. Across the garage, the Jerkops had begun to retreat, using a mix of concentrated fire and smoke grenades to cover their escape while the roar of Clyde's revolver echoed over the chaos. Knuckles and Punchy were still locked in combat, striking at each other so fast that it was impossible to tell whose fists were whose.

With a crazed scream, Angelica launched herself forward and swung her sickle straight into a Rocket grunt's back. Hurling her victim sideways into a burning Jeep, she pounced on the man's squadmates and smashed one in the throat with her wing. The other four Team Rocket operatives desperately peppered her with gunfire, but the Rosechu quickly shielded her body with another whirling Steel Wing, deflecting the shots as if they were BB pellets. A single powerful flap of her wings knocked the group to the ground, but before they could even recover, Angelica had caved one's head in with a powerful kick and eviscerated two more with one swipe of her sickle. Hastily fumbling to draw her sidearm, the last surviving Rocket grunt jammed the pistol against her own temple and fired off a shot before Angelica could reach her. Robbed of her victim, the Rosechu simply tossed the dead operative aside and spun to face the rest of the Jerkops. Her bloodlust had reached nearly unprecedented levels, and it seemed as if nothing could…

"Hey!"

Angelica looked up, just in time to see Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose standing in front of her. The two hedgehogs were still holding hands, but there was no more fear in their eyes now. Only a single emotion remained – fiery, vengeful rage.

"That's far enough, you monster!" Sonic declared, releasing his grip on Amy's hand. "You've hurt enough people already! You want them? Then you gotta go through-"

"TRAITOR!" Angelica shrieked, rushing toward the hedgehog before he could finish. "DIE!"

WHAM! Amy's hammer swung in a blur, poleaxing the Rosechu a mere two feet from Sonic. Angelica fell back and collapsed to the floor, screaming in pain and clutching her face.

"…us," Sonic paused for a moment, crossed his arms, and mustered a smile. "Not bad, Amy."

"Thanks, Sonic!"

"You…" snarled Angelica, holding her shattered nose as blood oozed through her fingers. "You dare attack a true and faithful servant of the GodBear? You dare betray your own kind?"

"I'm nowhere close to 'your kind'!" Sonic retorted in disgust. "Look at yourself, Angelica! You're nothing but a twisted, angry fanatic! You should be glad I was slow enough not to realize what you and your buddies were doing here all this time! Because if I had, I would've come here to put a stop to this a long time ago!"

"Your time is over, you sniveling blue coward," the white Rosechu hissed contemptuously. "You and your whore dared to challenge the Chaotic Combo; you shall suffer for it!"

"If we wanted to fight you, we would've done it half a minute ago." The hedgehog flashed her a somber glare. "Looks like you just ran out of time, Angelica."

"What?" Angelica looked confused. "What sort of nonsense is-"

"CONTACT! PUT 'EM DOWN!"

A storm of gunfire exploded from the west side of the garage as Wolff, Bennett, and the team of SEALs and Marines surged into the room. Angelica screamed as a sniper round tore through her wing, while assault rifle and SMG rounds pierced her flesh in a dozen different places. Shielding herself with a Steel Wing, she was forced into an undignified retreat as the American soldiers charged. The EHPF only had a few seconds to process this before a barrage of flying lead sliced through their ranks, transforming chu after chu into bullet-riddled corpses. The small band of survivors from the cafeteria dashed across the room, carrying the last of their wounded over to the line of Punislavs. Kevin spotted Adrean and Naitsirhc among the group, and let out a relieved sigh. Now that they were all together, the Slumberland evacuation could proceed.

"That's it! We're leaving!" Walsh shouted, quickly adjusting her radio. "Vivian! Vivian, come in! We're running out of time! Where the hell is the convoy?"

"One minute, Mary!" yelled Vivian Gee. "Just hold on! We'll get you out of there!"

"All operatives, prepare to evacuate!" The commander drew a small remote from her pants pocket and clicked it. A metallic rumble sounded through the garage as the large reinforced outer door began to rise, revealing the smoking ruins outside. A swarm of EHPF officers poured through, only to be peppered with concentrated gunfire from both the Skyraider strike team and the regrouped PVCC operatives. "Hold them back! This is it! One minute! Hold them back!"

Kevin inserted the last magazine into his M16 and propped it up against the wall. Squeezing the trigger, he began laying down shots toward the cowering Angelica, his jaw set in determination. The Rosechu had cheated death time and time again, but if they hit her with enough firepower…

A flash of blue fire seared across the garage entrance, incinerating three chus before they knew what had happened. Two more blasts exploded in the midst of the crowd, just as the low rattle of multiple autocannons and SMGs sounded from the southern approach. As the EHPF scattered, four Punislavs packed full of Jerkops zoomed through the open doorway, followed closely by…

"No." Kevin rose to his feet, his M16 dropping to his side as the forty-five-foot armored yellow vehicle roared into sight, its roof-mounted plasma cannon glowing with fiery blue energy. "No. NO! OH MY FUCKING GOD, IS THAT THE BATTLE BUS?"

"Slumberland, this is Honey Badger Command," Albert Ledger's voice crackled through Mary Lee Walsh's radio. "We're coming in hot, taking lots of hostile fire. Knock knock. Over."

"What the hell did they do to it?" yelled Kevin, leaping over the sandbag wall as the inbound Jerkops disembarked from their transports and began firing into the crowd of chus. He could see Joshua Martinez and the rest of Los Chupacabras among their number, along with a few other squads. The Slumberland operatives and the rest of the PVCC personnel were already over the line, piling into the Punislavs as Walsh pulled Marty out of his hiding spot. Clyde and Jack were helping to organize the evacuation, while Giovanni had reunited with Naitsirhc and Adrean. Working quickly, the Team Rocket leader placed Naitsirhc into a Punislav, spoke a few words to the Jerkop, and climbed in after his son. Adrean nodded and dashed off to rejoin his squadmates.

"That's your transport?" Kale looked stunned. "That thing's the size of a fucking F-22!" He reached over and clicked on his radio. "Wolff! Bennett! Regroup at the bus! That's our ride!"

"Whoa! Hold on!" Kevin glanced from the SEAL to the Skyraider team. "We might not all-"

"Yes we will," answered Kale confidently. "It's perfect. Absolutely perfect."

The Battle Bus's tires screeched as it braked, pushing its way through the wrecked cars and Transformers that littered the floor of the garage. Turning sideways, it swung into a barricade and began firing autocannon rounds at any chu foolish enough to try charging into Slumberland.

"Clear! We're clear!" Steve shouted, hurrying through the bus's doors as they swung open. Serge and Nate followed him out, holding their weapons at the ready. All three Jerkops were decorated with patches of soot and various burn marks, but at least they were still alive. Sugarplum Fury sat on the Manajerk's shoulder, licking a splash of blood off of her paws. "Commander Walsh!"

"Thank Arceus you made it!" The PVCC commander hurried up to the Manajerk, pulling Marty along with her. "We'll handle the evacuation – just keep them off us until we're ready to leave."

"We'll do what we can," answered Steve. A look of surprise crossed his face as he noticed the three squads of American soldiers making their way towards the Battle Bus. "Wait, what?"

"Petty Officer Kale Devoria, Navy SEALs," Kale stated, shaking the confused Manajerk's hand. "Judging by that eye patch, you must be Morrison. This operation is being conducted on behalf of the United States military, sir, and I'm sorry, but we need to commandeer your vehicle now."

"Commandeer the…hold it!" Steve looked to Walsh. "What the hell's going on, Commander?"

"What's going on is that America's invading CWCville," Kevin spoke up, smiling in anticipation as he emerged from the group of soldiers. "Hey, Steve. Hey, Serge. Hey, Nate. Long time."

The stunned silence set in almost instantly. Steve waited a few moments, then turned to Nate.

"Okay, go ahead," he chuckled, covering his eye and shaking his head. "I…I need a minute."

"HOW IN THE NAME OF ARCEUS ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" screamed Nate, hugging his little brother so tightly that Kevin was almost sure his chest was going to cave in. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I THOUGHT YOU WERE FUCKING DEAD!"

"Hey, don't say that about Mom," wheezed Kevin, trying to laugh through the crushing embrace. "Nate! Nate, come on, let go!"

"You are goddamn indestructible, you know that?" Steve remarked as the two Jerkops stepped away from each other. "That, or you're the single luckiest person I've ever met." He smiled. "Welcome back, Kevin. Good to have you in the Badgers again."

"Save the reunion for later, Morrison," ordered Walsh. "The strike team will be riding with your squad. Make sure they all get to Wilderness alive." She nodded to the Manajerk, then grabbed Marty's hand and hurried toward the nearest Punislav. "I'll see you there. Good luck!"

"Everyone on board, now!" yelled Steve, beckoning to the Skyraider team. "Get on! Go! Go!"

"Come on!" Nate motioned toward the bus, then stopped. "Oh God. Kevin, I…"

"I know." Kevin placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I know what happened to Allie."

"We'll get her back," replied Nate, trying to sound reassuring. "Kevin, listen, we'll-"

"Don't worry about it," said Kevin. He reached down and patted the pocket of his combat pants, where the bag of Graduon's pulverized armor now rested. "I've already got a plan of my own."

"Huh?" The sniper blinked. "What plan?"

"Kevin! Nate!" Steve shouted from the doorway of the Battle Bus. "LET'S GO! MOVE IT!"

"Hold on!" Kevin spun toward the Red Devils' transport. "TAILS! TAILS, WE'RE LEAVING!"

"Don't worry about us!" The little fox waved at him from the back of the armored dump truck. "We'll take this one and meet you there! See you later, Kevin!"

"Was that…" Nate began, but was cut off when Kevin grabbed his sleeve and dragged him back to the Battle Bus. "Hold on! Kevin, who was that?"

"We, uh, we might have brought a little more backup than Walsh was expecting," answered the Jerkop. "Long story short, Chandler's in for the shock of his life."

"You got that right," muttered Nate as he and his brother stepped into the transport. It was almost impossible to see anything through the crowd of American soldiers, but Kevin managed to catch a flash of teal paint from the rear of the bus. Kuri had survived the night, too, apparently. "God, this is…I nearly lost it, Kevin. I nearly lost it when they told us what happened to you and Allie."

"Well, I'm here now, Nate," Kevin replied. "And you know what? I missed this fucking place."

"Everyone, listen up!" Steve shouted above the commotion. "We're pulling out in thirty seconds! In case you haven't noticed, we've got some special guests riding with us tonight! These men are United States military, so give 'em whatever space they need to do their job! We'll be arriving at Wilderness in about twenty minutes! Until then, keep doing what you do best, Honey Badgers!"

A medley of cheers rang out from around the bus. Kevin silently tallied up the voices. Jexis, Kuri, Nick, Serge, Nate…it seemed like there were so few of them left now. How many of them would walk out of CWCville alive? How many were doomed to fall before the end of the war?

"Oh, and one more thing." The Manajerk looked back toward the front of the Battle Bus. "Kuri, Nick, you two owe me forty bucks. Ladies and gentlemen, the unkillable Kevin Shaw!"

"WHAT?" Kuri whirled around. The paint had all but worn off of her face, and she now looked slightly more crazed than usual, if that was even possible by now. "THE HELL? KEVIN?"

"Holy shit! Kevin!" Jexis jumped up and down, straining for a better look. "YES! YES!"

"No kidding? He's alive?" shouted Nick, pausing to focus in on an EHPF officer. The sniper rifle kicked back against his shoulder a millisecond before the chu fell dead with a hole in its chest. He pulled away from the window and stared down the corridor at Kevin. "Mierda! Damn it, kid, you just cost me twenty dollars! Would it kill you to stay dead for once in your life?"

"Next time, maybe," Kevin laughed sarcastically. "Nice to see you too, Nick! Where were you?"

"Stuck in Wilderness with your brother," the Mexican soldier explained. "We got Eggman to-"

"Honey Badger Command to Honey Badger Lead," Al's voice echoed through the bus's PA system. "Steve, looks like they're pulling out. What the hell's going on back there?"

"Found some reinforcements," answered Steve. "Looks like the sort of people you'd know from the Corps, Al. Oh, and Kevin's alive. Go ahead, get us out of here."

"Yeah, okay, I…WHAT?"

"Later! I'll explain later!" The Manajerk wrenched the side doors shut. "DRIVE! DRIVE!"

Kevin barely had time to grab the nearest seat he could find before the Battle Bus lurched to the left and roared forward through the garage. Flanked by Punislavs, it plowed through the last of the debris and burst into the open. The army of Sonichus still numbered in the hundreds, as if the PVCC hadn't made a dent in their ranks at all. Outside, Sonic and Amy dashed toward the Red Devils' dump truck and jumped in, leaving the chaos behind. There was no sign of Angelica on the battlefield, nor of Sonichu. Knuckles appeared seconds later, his gloves stained with blood and his fur smoldering. Leaping into the air, he glided to the truck and latched onto its side, then climbed in to join Sonic, Amy, and Tails.

The Battle Bus rumbled away to the east as Kevin silently watched Slumberland growing smaller and smaller behind him. The EHPF swarmed into the garage like hungry flies after fresh meat, scouring the PVCC base for any surviving Jerkops. It was a shell of its former self now, but Kevin couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness deep inside him. The old building had been his home once, the place he had first been inducted into the resistance. He still remembered every room, every corridor, every time that his squad had departed the base on one of a hundred different missions. Now, the Honey Badgers were leaving for the very last time.

"Goodbye," he murmured, closing his eyes as the building disappeared. The sounds of chatter filled his ears as the American soldiers began conversing amongst themselves. Looking down the aisle of the bus, he could see Jexis and Kuri talking to a pair of SEALs, while Nick was sharing stories of his time in the Mexican army with some of Bennett's Marines. The chaos of the past few hours seemed to have faded away. At last, they were safe. At last, they were heading home.

"Say that again! I didn't get that!" Kale Devoria yelled into his radio, trying to make out the words of an incoming transmission above the commotion around him. "Repeat your last, over! What? Hang on, I can't…" He looked up and took a deep breath. "EVERYONE, SHUT UP!"

The talking ceased. Kevin and the rest of the Honey Badgers turned toward the SEAL, unsure of what was happening. Kale unclipped the radio and held it out in front of him.

"Didn't copy that, sir," he said slowly. "Repeat your last, over."

"We did it. We fucking did it, son," Colonel Devoria announced, his voice trembling with relief. "Congress sent the declaration through and the President just signed it. We're going to war."

"Oh God, yes…" breathed Kale. "Colonel, sir, if you don't mind me asking, what took them so-"

"Those Sparky bastards solved our problem for us," growled the colonel. "We got a report from the western border just about twenty minutes ago. Apparently, the Electric Hedgehog Pokémon have been working themselves into a panic ever since they learned that Obama just cut off Chandler's meal ticket. A dozen or so tried to escape through the subdivisions and were caught at the border. The Guardsmen ordered them back into CWCville, but they refused to cooperate. Shots were exchanged. By the time the border patrol finished perforating them, two men had been KIA and five more were critically injured. That was the last straw for Congress."

"Jesus Christ. It's really happening?"

"0600 tomorrow," Devoria confirmed. "Checkpoint Kilo. Operation Skyraider is officially over. Expect your new orders soon. Be ready."

"We will. Out." The SEAL hesitated for a moment, then switched his radio to another channel. "Commander Walsh? Ma'am, this is Skyraider One Actual. Come in, over."

"Copy, Petty Officer," Mary Lee Walsh answered. "Nice work back there. I'll make sure you're given full access to Wilderness once we-"

"There's been a new development, Miss Walsh," interrupted Kale. "We have full clearance to begin Operation Downfall. America just declared war on CWCville."

"Arceus. Are…are you sure?"

"Affirmative, ma'am. CWCville Beach, 0600 hours. We're looking at a full-scale invasion, so we'll need to secure the beachhead for the Downfall landing. Once we regroup at Wilderness, I'll see about putting together a strategy with you and the rest of the Miscreants. Sound good?"

Walsh did not reply. A soft, almost hysterically calm laugh began to trickle out of the radio. Kevin wondered if the PVCC commander had finally snapped into insanity, but before Kale could ask what was wrong, the laughter ceased.

"Well, it's about time, sir," Walsh chuckled triumphantly. "It's about…goddamn…time."

---

South CWCville, Slum District, Slumberland garage, 10:14 p.m.

"I want this entire building searched," Sonichu snarled to the hundreds of his uniformed kin that had gathered around him in the abandoned garage. "If the Jerkops left anyone behind, I want them brought directly to me. Search every room, every corridor, every single place they could be hiding." He pointed to a clear patch of floor. "Any usable equipment goes here. Radios, body armor, grenades, knives…scavenge everything you can from this place. Any questions?"

"Well, if any of those dang Jerkops are still here; why are we supposed to bring them to y'all alive instead of doin' the true and honest thing by zappin' 'em to the extreme?" The chu officer's words were met with a scattered chorus of approval from the rest of the EHPF army. "Look at what those JERKS did; they have made it very stressful for us to do our heroic duty and save th-"

"That's enough," interrupted Sonichu. "I understand that you're upset about what happened. But the fact of the matter is that most of the Jerkops managed to elude justice. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends have been brainwashed into thinking that those butchers are the true heroes in this fight." He scoffed. "Heroes. They believe the PVCC to be 'freedom fighters'. They are wrong, and mark my words, we will make them see the error of their ways before this battle is over!"

"But why did Sonic and Tails and Knuckles and Amy betray us like this?" whined another Electric Hedgehog Pokémon. "They are the same as us; why are they fighting us?"

"It's not their fault." Sonichu looked around the room, surveying the damage that his army had wrought upon Slumberland. The bodies of the fallen were already being divided into two groups by EHPF officers: a respectable line of lifeless chus…and a heap of dead Jerkops that had been piled together in a corner. "They have obviously fallen victim to all of the internalized racism and homosexuality that the PVCC have filled their heads with. They are so desperate to be accepted by the humans that they willingly turned on their own brothers and sisters to do so!"

The officer hesitated and scratched his headspikes. "Like the Asperchu traitors, Commander?"

"Exactly." The Hero of CWCville flashed him a self-assured smile. "No true Electric Hedgehog Pokémon would dare turn on us. Those traitors are nothing more than sockpuppets of the PVCC, and should be treated as such. The Mayor may hold Sonic and his friends in high regard, but they are still our enemies. If they continue to stand in our way, they will face our zappin' fury!"

A halfhearted cheer rang through the crowd as they dispersed and set about the task of gathering up bodies and equipment from around the base. Sonichu forced himself to keep smiling, even though it felt as if his insides were being scoured by OxiClean. Magi-Chan's smug expression of triumph still flashed in his memory, next to an image of his murdered wife. It was hard enough to maintain his façade in front of the EHPF army to keep them from losing hope, especially after such a sound defeat at the hands of the rebels. How? How could they have escaped so easily?

A flutter of wings from the garage entrance heralded the return of Angelica. Sonichu turned and immediately drew back in surprise as the white Rosechu landed. Angelica's fur was matted with dried blood, especially where one of her wings had been lacerated by a sniper's bullet. Though the wounds had healed, she was clearly dealing with more than enough pain to kill an average chu. Her eyes had grown bloodshot, and occasionally twitched as if she could not control them.

"The heretics have escaped," she spat, staggering over to an abandoned truck and leaning against it as she massaged a bruise on her side. "I could not deliver justice to the servants of Lucifer."

"Don't waste your time with apologies," snapped Sonichu, cutting Angelica off before she could continue her rambling explanation. "Where did they go? What did you see?"

"To the east," the Rosechu announced in an agonized voice. "I attempted to follow them by air, but I could not keep up; my wing was injured." Her expression darkened. "There are other humans fighting at their side; more than just the traitor Sonic and his blasphemous followers."

"Others?" The Hero of CWCville blinked in confusion. "What others? More Jerkops?"

Angelica shook her head. "I saw them; only a glimpse…then the air filled with death. They swept through us like the Devil's fury; I could not stand against them. I had to retreat."

"Who were they?" Sonichu advanced on her, the momentary break in his voice betraying the immense panic that had taken hold. "Angelica, tell me what you saw. I need to know, now."

"Soldiers." The Rosechu let out a pained whimper and clutched her wing. "American soldiers."

It was as if Sonichu's heart and stomach had both dropped to the level of his pelvis. A shiver of fear ignited deep inside him, steadily working its way upward and outward to his brain.

"Invasion," he breathed, his fused eyes widening in horrified understanding. "It's an invasion."

"Of what? The Body Snatchers? Ha ha ha-OW!"

Sonichu turned toward the laugh. Punchy had rejoined the group, though unlike Angelica, his wounds had yet to fully heal. The fight with Knuckles had left one of his shoulders completely dislocated, and the arm now hung at his side. Several teeth had been knocked out, his nose was broken, and bruises surrounded his slanted eyes. Punchy's red coat was now decorated with splashes of darker crimson, though it was impossible to tell what was blood and what was fur.

"Rough night?" Angelica asked coolly. She rarely spoke directly to Punchy anymore, preferring to keep to herself. The awkwardness of their time together at Date Ed had not been forgotten, nor the double tragedy of Reginald Sneasel and Layla Flaaffy's murders by the PVCC. Punchy had made several pathetic advances toward her in the months following their assassinations, but the white Rosechu had turned to her own perverse religion in an attempt to fill the void in her life.

"Rougher than the rest of 'em! Hahaha…ha ha…OW! Oooohhhh, that ham-handed Knuckles! Unlike Sonic, he don't chuck…" Grimacing, the red Sonichu grabbed his shoulder and wrenched it into its socket with a muffled pop. "OUCH! My crunchy Punchybones!"

"They must have sent those soldiers in first, to scout the city," Sonichu muttered, paying no heed to Punchy's antics. "That means…" His eyes narrowed. "Son of a bitch. They're coming."

"More of them?" Angelica rubbed the bullet wound on her wing. "How will we-"

"We can't. Not like this." The Hero of CWCville gestured around the room. Many of the EHPF had been wounded in the fighting, and those who had not been critically injured were now fighting over whatever Potions and Full Heals they could scavenge from the few medical kits left in Slumberland. "They tore us apart with just a few dozen. We'd never survive a siege."

"No. No." The white Rosechu shook her head. "We must be strong and we must be faithful; GodBear will not allow His chosen ones to be slaughtered like cattle by heathens and heretics."

"GodBear didn't stop the PVCC from killing Rosechu and my kids," Sonichu growled. "Save the sermons for when the officers need a morale boost, Angelica. Right now, we need a plan."

"A plan? I have a plan!" Punchy announced, still wincing from the pain in his shoulder.

"Fine. Go ahead," sighed Sonichu. "What is it, Punchy?"

"EVA units." The red Electric Hedgehog Pokémon grinned. "We destroy them with EVA units."

"That is…" Sonichu took a deep breath. "…the most idiotic thing you have ever said, Punchy."

"What in the Lo0rd's name is an EVA unit?" Angelica snapped.

"A giant robot. It's from one of his animes, and…wait." The Hero of CWCville straightened up, a sudden revelation surging through his mind. "Wait! No! That's it! That's what we can do!"

"You're serious?" The Rosechu's jaw dropped. "Sonichu, you're beginning to worry me."

"No, we already have giant robots!" Sonichu answered. "Five of them!" He looked at Punchy and Angelica. "I'll stay here and organize the EHPF. You two, find the Samurai Pizza Bots!"

"I hope you know what you are doing, Sonichu," murmured Angelica as she spread her wings and took to the air. Below, Punchy danced around ecstatically, giggling like a lunatic and occasionally stopping to adjust his still-healing shoulder back into place. "GodBear protect us."

Ignoring the sounds of Punchy's clumsy "happy dance", Sonichu turned and walked toward the pile of salvaged equipment that his army had been gathering. The amount of gear was impressive for a guerrilla resistance movement, especially one that relied almost solely on smuggled black market goods to sustain itself. Kneeling by the pile, he grabbed a walkie-talkie. The radio had sustained a few dents and scratches in the battle, and there was a smear of blood across its side, but it was clearly still functional. A headset was attached to the device by a small wire. Sonichu adjusted it out to the maximum length and placed it on his head. It was an almost perfect fit, even for his long ears. With Magi-Chan gone, perhaps he could use it to talk to his comrades instead.

Sonichu continued rifling through the gear, adding a few choice items to his new EHPF uniform here and there. Dozens of Jerkop badges filled the pile, each having been retrieved from the body of a PVCC operative. On a whim, he nibbled one, then spat out a sliver of painted wood. The badge could hardly have been considered delicious. Of course Chandler had been lying. By now, Sonichu could count the number of truthful things the Mayor had ever said to him on one hand.

A flash of metal caught his eye. Cautiously, Sonichu reached into the pile and closed his gloved fingers around the grip of a pistol. The Beretta appeared to still be in usable condition. Sonichu hesitated, then pressed the release and drew back in a start as the magazine slid out of the bottom. There were still bullets in it, and the weapon didn't seem too complicated. If he could just learn how to use it…

"Commander Sonichu!"

Dropping the pistol, Sonichu leapt to his feet and turned around. A small group of EHPF officers stood before him, smiling in triumph. They were clearly very pleased about something.

"Y'all need to see what we found, Commander; you are going to like this a lot!" The Electric Hedgehog Pokémon stepped aside with a proud gesture. "These villains were trying to hide!"

As Sonichu watched, the band of EHPF officers forcefully shoved two humans – a man and a woman wearing Jerkop uniforms - down on their knees in front of him. Both had been injured in the battle, and during the chaotic evacuation, they had most likely been left behind by the other operatives. Amidst the jeers and smug high-fives between the Sonichu officers, the handcuffed Jerkops remained silent, staring up at the Hero of CWCville with unmistakable hatred.

"I guess they were too weak like water to tangle with the likes of us!" declared the chu, placing his hands on his hips as he laughed victoriously. "Do not worry, Commander; these dastardly Jerkops will soon be cooling their heels in CWCville Penitentiary with the rest of their friends!"

"No." Sonichu knelt, picked up the gun, and slid the magazine in. "No they won't, Officer."

"Oh, God." The woman struggled against her handcuffs. "Arceus, no! Arceus!"

"Wait!" The EHPF officer looked startled. "Commander, you can't…you can't just…"

"I can't?" Sonichu glanced at the chu. "I can't? Are you questioning my authority?"

"Well, uh, no, but…"

"Where did the convoy go?" Sonichu asked, ignoring the officer's stuttering words as he raised the pistol to the male operative's head. "We know your main base is in Lower East. Where is it?"

"You can go straight to hell," the Jerkop spat, coating the EHPF commander's sneakers in blood and saliva. "You have no idea what's coming. You're gonna die. Every single one of you is-"

BANG! The gun kicked back in Sonichu's hand as the man collapsed, his body twitching as a gout of crimson flowed from the hole in his forehead. Tears streamed down the other Jerkop's cheeks, mingling with the dirt and dried blood that decorated her face. Ignoring the horrified gasps from his EHPF army, Sonichu stepped over to her and aimed the handgun. A single wisp of smoke trailed from the Beretta's barrel, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air once more.

"I'll ask that question again," he stated. "This time, I'd like an answer. Where are they?"

"Commander!" another chu shouted. "Commander Sonichu, what the heavy metal rock band?"

"We cannot play by the Mayor's rules anymore if we want to survive what comes next." Sonichu answered coldly. He placed his finger on the trigger. "Where was the PVCC convoy headed?"

"Go fuck yourself," hissed the Jerkop, trembling with fury. "You're going to pay for everything you did to us. I hope they take you apart nice and slow, just like your little shit of a Sonee-"

BANG!

"GodBearJesus, Commander!" screamed the first officer as the woman hit the floor, her final words frozen on dead lips. "This is wrong; we are supposed to defeat the villains and take them to jail, or zap them if they give us too much stress! Mayor Chandler told us that we shouldn't-"

"Tell me something, Officer," Sonichu snarled, slowly turning to face the terrified chus. "Just how long do you think Mayor Chandler is going to last when the American military comes storming into CWCville?"

"Wh…" The EHPF officer looked stunned. "What? What do you mean, Commander?"

"Those were U.S. soldiers fighting among the Jerkops," continued Sonichu. "They're already inside the city. Mark my words, the invasion is coming, and when it happens, you have three choices. You can stand with the Mayor and die like blind sheep. You can run back to your families, try to escape CWCville, and die like sniveling cowards. Or you can choose to fight back against the storm that's about to break upon our city. Not Chandler's city. Ours."

"But Commander…" a third chu cut in nervously. "Commander, won't they kill us, too?"

"Perhaps." Sonichu nodded and began rummaging through the equipment pile in search of a holster for his new weapon. "But sometimes even the greatest heroes must make sacrifices for the ones they love. If you love your families…your wives and children…then stand with me now. Stand against the coming invasion, against the Jerkops and the True Blue traitors, against Sonic the Hedgehog, the Asperchu Combo, and all those who would seek to destroy us!" Straightening up, he fastened the holster around his shoulder, then slid the pistol in. "If any of you wish to die alone, forgotten, and nameless, then leave now. Or you can stand with me, take up arms against our foes, and be remembered for eternity as the heroes who saved CWCville!"

The EHPF burst into a deafening roar, cheering and shouting enthusiastically as bright visions of heroic deeds and zappin' adventures exploded through their heads. The sound reverberated across Slumberland, filling the halls of the abandoned PVCC base with fanatical chanting.

"SONICHU! SONICHU! SONICHU! SONICHU! SONICHU!"

---

East CWCville, Lower East District, Wilderness garage, 10:26 p.m.

Kevin stepped out of the Battle Bus after Nate, silently watching the rest of the Punislavs and other transports roll into the base. It was still hard for him to believe that Slumberland was truly gone, but thanks to Sonic the Hedgehog and the American strike team, the evacuation had been a complete success. Despite taking heavy losses and many injuries, the PVCC operatives were still combat effective, for the most part. It had been a hard-fought victory, but a victory nonetheless.

"What'd you think about our new ride?" Nate asked, looking back at his brother with a grin.

"Unbelievable," laughed Kevin. "Unbelievable. I still can't believe you managed to save it."

"That makes two of us," Albert Ledger chuckled as he descended the steps of the Battle Bus. The Manajerk's welding mask seemed to have taken its fair share of damage since the last time Kevin had seen it, and the visor slit now bore a small crack on the right side. There was no sign of the Legend's assault rifle, but his Desert Eagle and M1911 pistols were still holstered on his belt.

"Al!" Kevin smiled and stepped forward to greet his squad commander. "Did you miss me?"

"We all missed you something fierce, kid." The Legend reached out and drew him in close for a quick hug. Even with the mask, Kevin could tell he was smiling. "You, Allie, SUZI…if I'd lost one more operative, I think I would've gone right back to drinking. It's good to see you alive."

"We've got to get Allie back," insisted Kevin. "She's alive, and I've already got a plan for…hold on, did you ever find out what happened to SUZI?"

"She's still on CWCSPACE I," answered Al. "Last I heard, the rocket was about to fire its third stage." He sighed and looked at the floor sadly. "That was a day ago. I don't know where they're headed, but she's not coming back to Earth anytime soon."

"Al, Nate, Kevin, Nick, Jexis, Kuri, Sugar, me…" Steve scanned the room, counting off each of the Honey Badgers one by one. "Okay, looks like we're all here. Now what?"
"Standard procedure." Al stretched and yawned. "I'll handle the admins. Jexis, give those medics a hand. Kuri, she's gonna need some more fuel pretty soon. See if you can rustle up a few ferals. Serge, go with her. Unless something else comes up, we won't be going into action until the morning." He paused. "Slumberland's gone. It was our home, and a lot of good operatives died defending it. Whatever happens tomorrow…make the Sparkies pay for what they did to it."

"Gladly," growled Nick. "First I miss Hedgeclipper, then Loose Ends…now Slumberland's gone. Fuck the Sparkies and fuck Chandler. I'm in this until the end, Al."

"Glad to hear it," said the Legend. "Okay. Get going, all of you. Kevin, you stay here."

"What?" Kevin looked surprised. "What's going on?"

"You seem to have become a pretty valuable asset to the Miscreants," replied Al as he walked away from the group. Switching on Vejovis, Jexis hurried off to attend to the nearest injured Jerkops she could find, while Kuri and Serge headed toward the garage doors. Nick, Nate, and Steve remained by the Battle Bus, conversing with each other and occasionally pointing toward the American strike team. "And what's more, Kevin, you might have just singlehandedly changed the course of the entire uprising. There's no way I'm not going to make the most of it."

"The hell is he talking about?" Kevin asked, looking to Steve for an answer.

"No idea." The Manajerk shrugged. "By the way, you didn't manage to save Origin, do you?"

"It's still in the chopper with Trogdor," apologized Kevin. "Sorry."

"Damn it." Steve drew his revolver and spun it around on his finger, then opened the cylinder and began removing the bullet casings. "It's not your fault. We might be able to get it back. Besides, at least you got to shoot Sonichu with it. That's way more than I could ever hope to-"

The rumble of a diesel engine and a blaring horn split the air, interrupting the Manajerk in mid-sentence. Kevin, Steve, Nick, and Nate looked up to see Diabolus the Vindicator roaring into the garage, flanked by two Punislavs. The armored dump truck braked immediately, pulling into an open parking space directly beside the Battle Bus. Relieved, Kevin hurried over to the vehicle just as Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose hopped out of the back.

"Oh, wow!" Tails stared around the garage, overwhelmed by the sheer number of vehicles and Transformers. Most of them were in the process of being repaired by crews of PVCC mechanics or small Badnik swarms. The little fox's eyes were as wide as saucers, but his expression of awe and surprise quickly died as soon as he noticed Dr. Robotnik among the group of Miscreants leaving the room. "Oh no! S-Sonic! Sonic, it's him! It's Eggman!"

"Yeah, I figured it was only a matter of time before he showed up..." Sonic gritted his teeth, as if suppressing a bad memory. The sight of his old nemesis seemed to have triggered a few unsavory flashbacks. The missing animals of South Island, the omnipresent threat of the Death Egg, the destruction of Station Square...it was all coming back to him. "It's cool. We're just gonna have to get used to working with the Doc again. It'll be just like ARK, 'kay?"

"Don't remind me," muttered Knuckles. "I never want to think about that horrible place again."

"Hey, guys!" Kevin hurried up to the Needlemouse team, accompanied by Steve, Sugar, Nick, and Nate. "Welcome to Wilderness. How'd you like riding with the Devils?"

"Well, we've never had the opportunity to transport real celebrities before," answered Sam Lynn as she and Wayne disembarked from the front of the dump truck. "That, and Tails somehow managed to fix Darren's arm. I think the grappling cable was jammed or something. Darren?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Darren Harkenson agreed, flexing the fingers of his bionic hand. "It's not jamming anymore, that's for sure. Your little pal's one hell of a mechanic, Sonic."

"It, um, it was nothing, really." Tails looked at the floor shyly. "Thanks."

"So what are we doing here?" Amy asked. "Who are these guys? And…is that thing a skunk?"

"They're part of my squad," answered Kevin. "Everyone, meet Steve, Nick, and my big brother Nate. The 'skunk' is Sugarplum Fury, our mascot. She's a honey badger."

"Wow! Cool!" The pink hedgehog giggled, then drew back as Sugar trotted up to her and sniffed her leg suspiciously. "Oh, how adorable! Uh, does she…does she bite, or can I pet her?"

"To be completely honest, she probably thinks that you're a Rosechu," explained Steve, barely concealing the star-struck look in his eye. "Give her a few seconds to get used to you." He took a deep breath. "On the other hand…can I just say what an honor it is to meet all of you in person?"

"Yeah, same here," Nate added in a hesitant voice. Kevin had a feeling that his brother wasn't too keen on revealing his former employment anytime soon. "I've only heard about you guys through, uh, TV and all your games and stuff. I never thought I'd get to meet you or anything!"

"Well, you know, we're happy to be here!" said Sonic confidently. "So, uh, when do we start?"

Kevin smiled and stepped back to let his squadmates talk with the newcomers. Finally, things were starting to look up for him and the PVCC. Dawn would be upon the city in just a little more than seven hours, bringing with it the final nail in Christian Weston Chandler's coffin. With the U.S. poised and ready to launch Operation Downfall, the end of CWCville's suffering was nigh.

---

Wilderness, administrator meeting room, 10:35 p.m.

"We can't spare more than five or six squads," Jason Kendrick Howell announced, scrutinizing Kale Devoria unenthusiastically. He pointed over to the UAV feed displayed on the conference room's projector screen. "Right now, most of our operatives, including your sister, are deployed throughout the east-central districts, mainly Downtown, Factory, and Upper Central. If those ones go down, we'll lose our momentum. We won't get another chance at this, understand?"

"Perfectly, Mr. Howell." The SEAL leaned back in his chair, stealing a quick glance at the map. "Could you zoom in on the beach, please? There we go. Looks like open ground all along the shoreline. They'll start the landings here. Zodiacs, LCACs, Ospreys, and Black Hawks, right?"

"That's correct," confirmed Colonel Devoria over the radio. "It'll be an amphibious landing for the first fire teams. The choppers'll cover them from above until they're clear, then the next wave rappels in behind them. Once the beach is secure, we can start deploying the heavy armor."

"What we need to know is whether you're planning to soften them up first, Colonel," Vivian Gee spoke up. "There's no way the EHPF won't see this coming. According to Mary, your strike team engaged Angelica Rosechu, and now Sonichu knows that the U.S. has troops in the city. If the landings were going to be a surprise for them, I'm afraid you've already blown that chance."

"The Air Force has two drones monitoring the beach," the colonel continued, ignoring the Miscreant's remark. "We can have A-10s airborne within two minutes' notice, but artillery's a no go. We're not risking any more civilians than we have to. Once we have them fully focused on the beach landings, the Army and National Guard will start pushing their way past the east wall. They'll start broadcasting citywide evacuation orders as they advance, and if all goes according to plan, we'll be able to get most of the civilians out before the assault on the west side begins."

"Now's the time to make a decision, Miss Walsh." Kale looked expectantly to the commander. "We'll have to start planning out Downfall's logistics soon, and I know you don't want to send your operatives in unprepared. Tell us the names of your squads, and we'll see what we can do."

"One condition." Walsh's face hardened as she stared at the radio. "I want Chandler. When all's said and done, once the fighting comes to an end, you can have your little victory for America. You can put Chandler on trial, interrogate him, and show the world what you did. But once you're finished with that worthless abomination of a man, he's ours. You hear me? He's ours."

The colonel did not answer for a few seconds. All that could be heard from the other end of the line was a slow intake of breath. Finally, he spoke.

"I don't have the authority to give that order, Miss Walsh. What I can tell you is this. I fought tooth and nail to get this operation approved. I've been trying for years, and tonight, we finally have the opportunity to make a difference after ten goddamn years of waiting. And I hope you realize that every single American soldier going into CWCville tomorrow is going to want to put a bullet into Chandler's head after they see the kinds of things he's done to his own people. But orders are orders, and mine come from the President of the United States himself. Chandler will be taken alive and tried for war crimes. Like it or not, you'll need our help to win this war."

Walsh nodded slowly. "And if we refuse?"

"You won't," Devoria answered. "Not now. Not with so many innocent lives at stake."

"No." The commander let out a frustrated sigh. "No, I suppose we wouldn't. All right, Colonel, you have my full support and the full cooperation of the PVCC. Give me a minute to pick out-"

"Just one moment!" Dr. Robotnik rose from his chair, irately straightening his mustache. "Before I make any decision as to whether or not I should help you, Colonel, I would like your official rrrreassurrrrance that I won't be penalized when this is all said and done! I may be wanted on several...distinct charges, but let's face it! You need my help. Help that I would be more than willing to prrrovide, so long as you manage to overlook a few of my past trrransgrrrressions!"

"I second that," added Giovanni, and stood up beside Robotnik. "Team Rocket cannot align itself with any government or political entity by principle. We are an independent organization, and while we stand with the PVCC due to mutual enemies, this new partnership with America will only be accepted if my associates and I are granted immunity during the course of the invasion."

"The United States does not negotiate with terrorists, da Silva," snapped the colonel. "Stand in our way and we will treat you as such. Help us, and the CIA might just give you a head start."

"It's a better offer than they usually give out," Clyde Cash remarked with an assertive smile. "Come on, guys. Leave the egos at home, we need you on this one."

"You certainly know how to manage your own ego, Cash," muttered Giovanni. "All right. Ivo?"

"Oh, blast it all!" Robotnik ranted, clearly annoyed by the colonel's terms. "Very well! I accept!"

"Good. Then we're all in agreement." Mary Lee Walsh turned back to Kale. "If this is the way it's going to be, Petty Officer, then I'm giving you the best operatives that I can muster. Bagget's Bastards, the Picklemen, the Tomgirls, the White Medallions, the Red Devils, and the Honey Badgers. You'll be able to meet their Manajerks at the briefing in a few hours."

"Sounds good," replied the SEAL approvingly. "I'll pass the word on to Bennett and Wolff. We're also going to need some heavy armor…maybe a dozen of your Transformers, Doctor?"

Robotnik shot a furious glare at Kale, but relented nevertheless. "I will…see what I can spare."

"Wait." Vivian Gee raised her hand slightly. "We're not sending in the Needlemouse team?"

"Not into a direct firefight," explained Colonel Devoria. "Too much chance of friendly fire. Their job is to draw the Chaotic Combo away from the fighting, and neutralize them if possible. We'll keep them out of the kill zone until their targets show up, then deploy them into battle."

"Just as long as I'm not rrrrrequired to cater to that blue menace and his band of charlatans!" blustered Robotnik. He looked down, glowering at the floor and gritting his teeth. "The very idea of working with that wrrretched rrrrodent is nothing short of rrrrrevolting! I hate that hedgehog!"

"Yeah, we know," muttered Clyde. "Mary, Jason, I'm going with them. You're gonna need a Miscreant in the field for an operation like this. Don't worry, Viv, I'll stay in contact this time."

"You'd better, Cash," Vivian replied darkly. She still hadn't quite forgiven Clyde and Jack after the Loose Ends Campaign, though her anger had been partially quelled by Walsh's prison break and the elimination of Crystal Chandler, the Chaotic Scouts, and Bill Schwartz. "You'd better."

"Very good, Clyde. Well, if that's all the major issues out of the way…" Walsh leaned forward. "Colonel? Is there anything else?"

"Just one more thing," said Devoria. "NORAD's been tracking your stolen satellite, Miss Walsh. Are you aware that the rocket in question is currently heading out of the Earth's orbit?"

"That's news to me." The PVCC commander glanced around the room, feigning ignorance. "Dr. Robotnik, do you suppose the Devil Trolls could have taken control of CWCSPACE I?"

"It would…it would not surprrrise me in the slightest!" Robotnik answered, playing along with Walsh's lie. "Who knows what those little rrrrapscallions are planning right now?"

"So, you are no longer in control of the rocket? Is that correct?"

"I'm afraid so," Vivian Gee sighed reluctantly. "It's a shame…we were hoping to recover that satellite after the broadcast. That much data could be incredibly valuable for the invasion. But I suppose now that the Devil Trolls have gone rogue, your orders are to shoot it down, am I right?"

"Not necessarily," replied Colonel Devoria hastily. "Let me get back to you on that. It's out of my control, but if the information you gave us is correct, they may not have to destroy it."

"Well, we're fully prepared to give you and the American government our full cooperation," finished Walsh. "Vivian, please transfer the mission details and flight log to Charlottesville."

Gee nodded and began typing at her laptop. It was a simple diversion, and would hopefully buy the occupants of CWCSPACE I enough time to complete their assignment before the U.S. military took notice of the rocket's destination. The next stage of the uprising now rested in the armstubs of two dozen Devil Trolls, a barely-functional LIESA unit, and an alien science drone.

"Now, then." Walsh cleared her throat and interlaced her fingers in anticipation. "We have less than eight hours until the landings begin. I suggest that now's the time to put together a plan."

---

February 26, 2009, Wilderness, garage, 5:15 a.m.

"Alert. All squads assigned to the CWCville Beach operation, please proceed to the garage for departure. Repeat, all operatives in the following squads, please proceed to the garage. Bagget's Bastards. Picklemen. Tomgirls. White Medallions. Red Devils. Honey Badgers. This is not a dr-"

"Line up! Everyone, line up!" Al yelled, beckoning to his squadmates as a crew of technicians and Badniks hurriedly set about giving the Battle Bus its final pre-deployment inspection. "Come on, they'll be hitting the beach in less than an hour! I need those equipment reports, ASAP!"

"Group One ready!" Steve answered, and flashed the Manajerk a quick thumbs-up as Sugarplum Fury clambered up from the floor onto his shoulder. Behind him stood Kuri, Nick, and Serge, all of whom were armed to the teeth and bristling with determination.

"Group Two ready!" reported Kevin, and nodded at Jexis and Nate. Normally, Allie would have been part of his group as well, but Sonichu had done a good job of throwing a wrench into that. Still, the squad's morale had risen significantly since his return. It was better than nothing.

"Okay, good!" The Legend glanced down at a clipboard in his hand and flipped through a few sheets of paper. "We're all set here! Sam, how's your squad?"

"All ready to go," Sam Lynn reported. The Red Devils had lined up in front of Diabolus, next to the Battle Bus. Manny was nowhere to be seen, but the disabled Manajerk was most likely back in Wilderness's command and control center. "How are your operatives holding up, Ledger?"

"Just fine. You're taking the Needlemouse team, right?"

"Yeah, Walsh and Clyde want them kept back in reserve with us." Sam's expression shifted to a frown. "Fucking bullshit, that's what it is. They picked us out for the biggest operation in PVCC history, and we get shoved to the side to be babysitters? We should be on the frontline with the Picklemen and Bagget's Bastards, not looking after Sonic the goddamn Hedgehog!"

"Whoa, hey!" Sonic chuckled nervously as he and Amy Rose dashed up to join the Red Devils. Knuckles and Tails arrived on the scene a few seconds later. "What's this about somebody looking after me?"

"Us, apparently," Kevin spoke up. "You didn't hear? They're keeping you guys back with us."

"I guess I just wasn't paying attention!" The blue hedgehog shrugged. "Well, it might be all for the best, ya know? We don't wanna stick our necks out there just to get shot by you guys!"

"This is ridiculous," grunted Knuckles. "We need to find the source of the Crystals before it's too late. Leave the military and the rebels to sort this out; we're not their attack dogs!"

"No, but you're our best chance of surviving if the Combo shows up," Al retorted. "I don't like being pushed out of the way any more than you, Sam, but these are Commander Walsh's orders, and we're going to have to follow them, no matter what. We're Jerkops, and that's what we do."

"Right, because you're always sticking to your rules, aren't you?" snapped the squad leader. "And whose squad ended up having to cover your ass when you pulled that little stunt with the Asperpedia team and Simonchu last April? Walsh may like you, Ledger, but don't go pulling that 'orders are orders' shit with us. Yeah, you're right. We areJerkops. And I'm not going to wait around and stand guard while Downfall happens right next to us. Are you with me or not?"

"Whoa, take it easy there, guys!" Sonic raised his hands and stepped between the two Manajerks. "When you argue, it only makes everyone involved feel bad, and that's no good! Sometimes you don't always get to do the things you want, but that's no reason to feel down about it! You're still an important part of the play, and if you don't do your job, who will? Instead of complaining about getting some lousy role, why not try and make the most out of the part?"

Al chuckled. "Okay, which episode did you pull that 'Sonic Says' from?"

"Episode?" The blue hedgehog blinked confusedly. "What's a 'Sonic Says'? Did I make that?"

Tails opened his mouth as if to answer the question, but quickly backpedaled and stifled a laugh. He obviously knew more about the Legend's reference than he had ever mentioned to Sonic. Before anyone could speak up, another announcement blared through the Wilderness PA system.

"Attention. Any PVCC personnel in the garage, please clear the gate. Repeat, clear the gate. All Jerkop squads on assignment to CWCville Beach, prepare for deployment in five minutes."

"Get everyone on board, now," ordered Al. Steve waved a hasty goodbye to the Red Devils and hurried up the stairs into the Battle Bus, followed by Kuri, Serge, and the rest of the Honey Badgers. "We'll talk about this later, Sam. You've got your radios open to our channel, right?"

Sam nodded as her operatives began piling into the armored dump truck, followed by Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles. "Already done. Anything else?"

"Nope. Just stay in touch." Al flipped his welder's mask over his face and grabbed the handrail. "Good hunting, Sam. We'll see you on the beach."

"It's gonna be weird working with them again," remarked Kuri as the Legend stepped into the bus and closed the door behind him. "I just…I hope things go better than they did last time."

"Don't worry," Steve snarled, and gave his revolver's cylinder an ominous spin. "They will."

Kevin and Jexis automatically looked toward each other. The two Jerkops didn't even need to say anything – the expression that passed between them was more than enough. The bitter flash of anger in the medic's eyes said it all. Kevin desperately wanted to tell her what he had in store for Sonichu, but he had given Graduon his word. One way or another, vengeance was coming to the Hero of CWCville. Matt and Zoey and Amanda and Jake had not given their lives in vain.

"According to the admins, we're going to run a radio check before we leave," Al instructed. "Everyone stay quiet until it's over. We can't afford any delays with this assignment, so stay on top of your game and we just might live to see the end of this war."

"Serge does not plan to die," grunted the Russian Jerkop. "Shock-pigs tried. It did not work."

"Yes, Big Bear…yes, they did," Kuri replied, clearly still impressed by Serge's incredible luck. "Well, you know what they say…lightning never strikes the same place twice, right?"

"Let's hope," Kevin muttered under his breath. The burn mark from his near-fatal electrocution at Soup Hotel Four was still seared into his chest – an eternal reminder of the second chance that Frank Douglas had given him in exchange for the old hobo's life.

"All operatives on CWCville Beach assignment, this is Commander Cash," Clyde Cash's voice sounded from Al's radio. "We're going to be leaving in just a few minutes, so everyone just hold on and we'll get this operation under way. All squad leaders, report in by placement. Over."

"Skyraider One Actual reading you five-by-five, Mr. Cash. Over."

"Needlemouse Lead here, ready to rock 'n' roll! What? Oh, uh, over."

"This is Jerkhief Bagget. The Bastards are ready, Commander. Over."

"Emily reporting in. Picklemen are good to go. Over."

"Jackie Romy reporting. Tomgirls are fabulous, over."

"Blanca Weiss reporting in. The Medallions are all set, over."

"This is Sam Lynn, Devils are eager to give 'em hell, Commander. Over."

"Al Ledger here," announced Al. "The Badgers may not give a shit, but they're hungry. Over."

"Good, that's everyone. Stand by. Vivian, tell 'em to open the doors."

Kevin turned in his seat and looked out of the window as the heavy garage doors retracted with a grinding metallic squeal. Outside, the city skies were still as ominous and firelit as they had been when he and the Skyraider team had dropped into CWCville just six hours earlier. The civilian uprising seemed to have reached a lull…either that, or it had simply moved further toward the west. Kevin could only wonder just how much of the enraged populace had joined the riots since his exile from the city. Did they know what was coming? Would it even make a difference?

We'll just have to make sure they're not fighting for a lost cause, he thought to himself.

"Emily, you're on point," ordered Clyde. Immediately, three green-painted Punislavs accelerated up to the doorway, along with the Picklemen's single S.A.V. drone. "All squads, roll out!"

The Battle Bus rumbled into life as Al ignited the massive vehicle's engine. The Manajerk had sequestered himself in the cockpit to drive, away from the rest of his squadmates. As Kevin watched the swarm of PVCC transports and armored trucks falling into formation behind the Picklemen, he felt a sudden rush of uneasiness in his chest and stomach. Maybe it was intuition, adrenaline, or just some amalgamation of various stress factors, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the convoy was heading directly into a trap.

"You okay, bro?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kevin turned from the window back to Nate. "I was just thinking about Allie."

"I know it's gotta be hard." The Jerkop sniper nodded understandingly. "And Frank too. Arceus, Kevin, I don't know how you're not a nervous wreck right now. I'm barely holding it together."

"Ah, nut up, you big sissy." Kevin jokingly threw a soft punch at his brother's shoulder. "You're not scared, you're just excited. Sonichu and Chandler want me dead, not you. All you have to worry about is the EHPF. Come on, we're both in this shitstorm together. To the end, right?"

"Yeah." Nate smiled and leaned back in his seat as the Battle Bus lurched forward. "To the end."

---

North CWCville, Factory District, CWCville Beach, 5:43 a.m.

The sun had not yet risen from its long sleep, but far away to the northeast, Sonichu could clearly make out a line of black shapes on the grey horizon, all slowly plowing their way towards the shore. Distant lights pulsed and flickered from the battleships and destroyers, as if each one was a small, lonely island city floating in the middle of the Chesapeake. They were heralds of the end times, steel juggernauts filled to the brim with fire and death. It wouldn't be long before the U.S. would at last begin the imminent invasion, and usher in a new age of destruction upon CWCville.

So be it, Sonichu thought. Let them come. They've got no idea what's waiting for them.

Kneeling on the dune, the Hero of CWCville closed his eyes and let his mind fill with a thousand memories of the city's Spring Break celebration from half a year ago. They had been some of the best days of his life… sun, sand, surfing, friends, music, his beautiful wife in her frilly red and white bikini…and best of all, no Mayor to ruin the lovely mood. His family had still been alive. His house had still been intact. His life had been complete. But now…now it was all gone, thanks to Christian Weston Chandler and the cold-blooded demon named Kevin Shaw.

Perhaps, when his revenge was complete, Sonichu would depart to make his own way in life. Unfettered, unburdened, and unbound, he would walk the earth in search of answers – answers to the mystery of his own creation and his ultimate purpose. What unearthly force had brought him and Rosechu and the Combo here, into an unfamiliar world? What hand of fate had shaped their lives into such insanity? And why? Why could the others not see the truth of their captivity?

The Chaotic Combo. A fitting name if ever there was one. Angelica had fallen victim to her own devoutness and desire to convert the heathen humans to the ways of her GodBear. Wild was an absolute wreck after Simonla's murder, and only his love for Sandy now stood between himself and insanity. Bubbles had descended into a whirlpool of madness a long time ago, aided by her immeasurable cruelty towards all those who dared stand between her and her spineless cuckold of a boyfriend. And Punchy…well, Punchy was just…there, spewing his random access drivel for all to hear. Only Magi-Chan seemed to have his life in any semblance of order, and he just so happened to be an emotionless, sociopathic rapist with no regard for any life other than his own.

And somehow…they were supposed to be the heroes. Sonichu could have laughed at the thought. Truly, he was the last great defender of the true CWCville, the CWCville that he had known for over a decade now. The others had built their reputation on the lies of a madman, but he…he was the hero that the city both needed and deserved. The taint of Christian Weston Chandler would be washed from the streets soon enough. Sacrifices would need to be made, but it would all be in the name of justice…all in the name of righteous vengeance. The Electric Hedgehog Pokémon were vastly outmatched in firepower, but their foes were marching right into unfamiliar territory. If they couldn't outgun the Americans, they would simply have to outmaneuver them.

"Everything is ready, Sonichu," a low voice muttered from behind him. "How long do we have?"

"An hour. Maybe less." Sonichu turned to the dark figure. "What about your little surprise?"

"Waiting for us to give the word," answered the newcomer. "I hope it will be enough to stop-"

"Oh, it will," the Hero of CWCville announced, grinning confidently. "I know it will. If I didn't believe this plan was going to work, I wouldn't have even bothered to help you out of there."

"Well…thank you." The figure sounded irked by Sonichu's statement. "Tell me again; why are you leaving us in charge of the defense? They look up to you far more than they do to me; you are the only one who can possibly lead them out of such a stressful situation! It will be an abs-"

"An absolute massacre," Sonichu finished, nodding in agreement. "Yes, it will. But I have my own business to attend to while you repel the Americans. And as for your concern…it doesn't matter, really. What matters is that the EHPF still believe they have a chance at victory, a chance to be heroes, a chance to zap to the extreme and save the city from those evil, evil villains. And as long as they believe, they will fight to the last breath against these invaders, no matter what."

"This is…" The shadowed chu faltered, unsure of how to react. "This is not normal behavior for you, Sonichu; you are acting a lot like Magi-Chan now!"

Sonichu ignored the statement and continued watching the invasion fleet. The ships appeared to have stopped about three miles from the shore, but even at such a distance, their size was truly impressive…much, much larger than even a fully grown Wailord. Behind the main fleet of battleships and cruisers sat a pair of unspeakably massive aircraft carriers, each one carrying a swarm of helicopters and other vehicles. Sonichu had heard many tales of America's military might, but now he was witnessing it with his own eyes.

A cloud of flashing lights rose from the carriers and angled toward the shore. The low roar of approaching motors drew Sonichu's attention down to the surface of the sea, just in time to see a group of what must have been at least two dozen Zodiac inflatable boats plowing their way through the water. Sprinkled throughout the approaching fleet, eight colossal transports skimmed along over the surface of the ocean, borne aloft by cushions of air. Sonichu had never even heard of a hovercraft before, and to him, the landing craft seemed to float on the water itself. An uneasy feeling of impending doom began to creep into his stomach as the first few Zodiacs ran aground, each of them fully loaded with armed soldiers. Marines spilled out of and quickly began hauling the inflatables up out of the surf as a few of them ignited flares to signal the other boats. As the beach lit up with flickering red light, the second wave of landing craft advanced.

Suppressing his own nervousness, Sonichu forced himself to wait. Reaching for the stolen PVCC radio on his shoulder strap, he began adjusting the frequency over to the same channel he had found three hours ago, while toying with the device. It had been a small miracle that he had even found it to begin with, but then again, the rebels probably hadn't anticipated that any of the chus would even know how to turn on one of their radios, let alone operate them with any sort of skill.

"…second platoon is on the shore, repeat, they have made it onto the beach," a man's voice sounded from the radio, breaking the silence. "Be advised, no sign of enemy contact at present."

"That's our cue," muttered Sonichu. "Send out the signal. If those ships reach the shore…"

"They won't." The second Electric Hedgehog Pokémon stepped forward. "We will make sure of that, Sonichu. I know you and I have not always seen eye to eye, but I am willing to let bygones be bygones for the sake of our city. I do have one condition, though." He paused, his fused eyes narrowing in hatred. "Giovanni. I want a chance to kill Giovanni and Naitsirhc. They engineered me to be a traitor to my own species, but I want to show them just what I'm really made of."

"No problem, my friend. No problem at all." Sonichu smiled knowingly as the black chu's cheekspots lit up with crackling arcs of electricity. "In fact, when all this is over, I'll make sure that you get the opportunity to kill both Giovanni and his dirty homo of a son. You've earned it."

"Good." Blake Sonichu grinned back his comrade. "Well, it's time to get this show on the road!"

ZZZZZAAAAAPPPP! The lightning bolt lanced upward into the morning sky, its brilliant flash reflecting across the dark ocean as Blake unloaded a full Thundershock into the atmosphere. Seconds later, a resounding clap of thunder rolled across the beach, drawing the attention of every EHPF officer concealed behind the dunes. As the startled Marines whirled toward the sound, a low bellow echoed around them, seemingly from beneath the surface of the sea itself.

"SWWWWAAAAAAAAAAMMMMM…"

"CONTACT BELOW!" the radio blared. "ARCEUS, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT TH-"

A violent blast of water erupted beneath the centermost hovercraft as a massive dark shape rose from the depths of the Chesapeake. Towering nearly thirty feet even at a third of her total length, Momma Swampert's savage jaws opened wide as a guttural roar blasted across the ocean. Frantic gunfire from the soldiers on board peppered her toughened hide, but they might as well have been harmless mosquito bites to the mutant Pokémon. As the Marines on the shore watched in horror, Momma raised a webbed hand and slashed down as three sickle-like claws extended from her fingers. Fire and showers of sparks sprayed from the LCAC as the beast tore through its hull like cardboard, tipping the landing craft over onto its side. Soldiers and military personnel alike dove into the freezing water, desperately trying to escape the titanic amphibian's wrath. A Zodiac quickly pulled up beside it and attempted to engage Momma with its machine gun, but a single blow from the Swampert's tail fluke sent the inflatable craft and its unfortunate occupants spinning twenty feet away across the surface of the water.

"Excellent work," Sonichu chuckled. "You just might have saved the day after all, Blake."

The chatter of miniguns sounded from above as two of the Black Hawks circled toward Momma, but by the time the deadly rounds chewed through the water around the sinking hovercraft, the monster had already submerged. Cautiously, the helicopters hovered overhead, scanning the ocean with their searchlights for any sign of a dark shape beneath the surface. Back on land, some of the Marines had retreated into the water to help their fellow soldiers onto the shore. The invasion fleet had been thrown into chaos by Momma's attack, and now seemed torn between getting their occupants safely ashore and locating the massive Swampert before it struck again.

With a fierce rushing sound, the ocean began to seethe and churn beneath the cluster of landing craft. As if from nowhere, a small hole appeared in the surface and began to widen as the water spun around it, forming a small whirlpool. Taking notice of the sudden change, the nearest two Zodiacs veered away as the vortex continued to grow and grow. Waves lapped against the sides of the LCACs, and despite their size, the fleet of hovercraft began to rock back and forth in place. Over the roar of the sea, Sonichu could hear frantic yells from the soldiers on board. The group was being pulled into the whirlpool's grasp. Alarm sirens blared as the large landing craft altered course, but the small inflatable boats could do nothing against the raw power of the merciless sea. A few of the Zodiacs lost control and flipped, hurling their passengers overboard.

Panic quickly set in among the invasion fleet as the center of the maelstrom suddenly exploded outwards with a sound like a tidal wave crashing into the shore. Slowly, nightmarishly, a rippling ball of water rose from the chaos, suspended by what could only be described as a miniature waterspout. Searchlights snapped onto the ascending sphere, illuminating the lone figure floating in the center. Even in the pale grey light of the approaching dawn, it was more than obvious as to which Chaotic Combo member had decided to join in the battle for CWCville Beach.

"You boys sure picked a bad day to hold your little beach party!" Bubbles Rosechu giggled, her distorted voice reverberating through the shield like a megaphone. "Oh, this is going to be fun!"

"CONTACT!" a Marine screamed from the shore. "OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!"

"SWAAAMMM!" Another roar sounded from the deep as Momma's colossal mass launched out of the water, directly beneath one of the two circling Black Hawks. Before the pilot could even attempt to veer out of the way, the hulking Pokémon's jaws had closed shut around the tail of the helicopter, its beak piercing the armored hull. Roaring and thrashing, Momma wrenched the Black Hawk downward and hurled it directly at an LCAC. The chopper plowed into the landing craft with a deafening crash, its rotors snapping against the hull as soldiers dove out of the way. As the second chopper opened fire with its minigun, Bubbles lashed out with a hand, directing a pressurized blast of water into the Black Hawk's main rotor. Sparks exploded from the aircraft as it spun out of control, plummeting down and down until the entire thing crashed into the beach. Fortunately for the men on board, the water had softened its landing. Immediately, a group of Marines hurried over to the fallen helicopter and began helping the survivors out of the wreck.

"NOW!" Sonichu bellowed, aiming his pistol toward the soldiers on the beach as hundreds of EHPF officers surged forth from the dunes around him. "DRIVE THESE INVADERS FROM OUR CITY, BROTHERS! DRIVE THEM INTO THE SEA! ZAP THEM ALL! CHARGE!"

"ZAP THEM ALL!" the army of Electric Hedgehog Pokémon echoed back in a fanatical roar. "FOR CWCVILLE! FOR SONICHU! FOR FATHER! ZAP THEM ALL! ZAP THEM ALL!"