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It was still dark when Matthew awoke. The crickets were chirping, and the smell of the alleyway was setting in. His eyes instantly adjusted to the darkness. He started to breathe heavily as he remembered the events that happened just three or four hours ago. He closed his eyes, trying to envision himself back at his house in Westopolis, trying to hear his mom's voice. He opened his eyes, trying to grasp the vision, trying to make it real. He wanted it to be his reality, not this! He was living in a nightmare! He had to escape! But soon, the vision faded away, and Matthew just sat there, alone.

"Time to get up," he said to himself. He reached his hand out, searching for something to help pull himself up. He eventually gave up, exhausted. Tears were rolling down his little cheeks. Even after a few hours' rest, he had no energy.

He looked at the dumpster he was sitting by. Should he… No, that was disgusting! But it was the only way.

He found a small reserve of strength to stand up. He opened the dumpster, and began digging.

It was impossible to see what he was doing. He dug out anything that smelled decent. He found a paper bag with contents that smelled of McDonald's. Not caring how old it was, he grabbed what was in it and scarfed it down. It still had some flavor, but its texture was nauseating. But he was so hungry. He had to keep eating. He needed the nourishment. The dumpster smelled like a mix of diapers and rotten eggs. He ate anything seemed edible, including fried chicken skins, thrown out leftovers, and disposed restaurant food. After a quite filling meal, Matthew rolled out of the dumpster, no longer starving.

As he lay there, he wondered what to do next. He could either walk or stay hidden. Since it was night, his black fur would make him difficult to see. Could he hide during the day? He hated walking in the sun. But could he still be seen? Where would he hide? The last thing he wanted was to cause another catastrophe. He made a decision: he'd set off, find out where he was, and find a way home.

There weren't many cars driving on the highway, so Matthew walked on the side of the road instead of in the tall grass. While he walked, he thought about Amy. He had no idea what day of the week it was, but he hoped he would get home by Monday. He had a feeling it was Sunday night… or Monday morning. Damn! he thought.

He kept thinking about their kiss. The memory of it was so vivid, like he was reliving it. The way she kissed him felt weird… but good kind of weird. It made him feel safe, like she was protecting him with her embrace.

Matthew remembered what happened in Malone. He remembered jumping around to get away from police. Would that… make his journey quicker? Walking was boring. Not tiring, but boring. Besides, Matthew would never know the limits of his powers if he didn't push himself. So he began a running start. He was surprised by how fast he was going. It was like he instantly went from a jog to a sprint. His legs were carrying him faster than they ever had. He felt like the wind, breezing past without slowing down. He looked at his legs and was surprised to see them moving like a blur. A smile crept on his face he loved this fast feeling. The concrete below his bare feet didn't hurt at all.

He jumped. It wasn't a very big jump, maybe about ten feet high. A little disappointed, Matthew jumped again, this time higher. He jumped again right when he hit the ground, sending him flying.

"Woooooooo!" he screamed in glee. "Yeah!"

He jumped again when he landed, and this one cleared at least a mile. He jumped again, this time going two or three miles.

A crazy idea entered his mind…

Could he fly?

He had no idea how, though. He extended his arms forward, doing a Superman stance. It didn't seem to wok, though. He could feel gravity starting to pull him down. His current position was awkward, making him unable to prepare for a hard landing. He spiraled toward the earth, and belly flopped the ground.

The impact formed a small crater. However, Matthew got up, dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Uncaring, he started his jumps again. Okay, so maybe he couldn't fly. But it didn't matter since he had his super-jumps. Jumping felt even better than running. He couldn't help but feel a part of the night sky as he passed through the clouds with the wind beneath his body. It gave him peace, something he really needed.

Matthew stopped to rest when the sun began peeking over the horizon. He'd gone quite far, much farther than walking. He'd followed the path of the interstate the entire time, so he wouldn't get lost. A clump of trees was by the road, so Matthew decided to hide there. When he got there, he vomited everything he'd eaten from the dumpster.

It was a couple hours later, and the sun had made it to the sky, giving it a bright blue. Matthew heard a strange noise. It sounded like a semi, but it was right outside the trees. The black hedgehog decided to check it out. He climbed a nearest tree to get a good look. He held in a gasp when he saw a tank hanging around by the road, which was being blocked off by two more tanks and a black hummer. It didn't take long for Matthew to put 2 and 2 together.

"They're here for me," he growled. "Who are these guys?"

People in black military uniforms were walking around, talking amongst themselves. They looked exactly like the people who raided his home. There was one man, however, who was not wearing a black uniform, and instead was wearing a green commander's suit. Matthew had a feeling he was their leader.

Someone spoke out of a megaphone. "Matthew! We're know you're there! Come out peacefully!"

Like hell, Matthew thought, starting to get the familiar feeling of rage. How did these people know he was Matthew? He looked completely different than what he used to be, like he was an entirely new being! But he remembered the destruction he caused in Malone. He didn't want a fight like last time. He jumped down and emerged from the trees.

"Put your hands up!" shouted the commander.

Matthew ignored him. He continued walking toward them, reading the letters on their uniforms, which were G, U, and N. G.U.N.? He'd heard of them. They were also called the Guardian Units of Nations, weren't they? Now he was feeling a little intimidated.

"Who are you, and how do you know I'm Matthew?" he asked.

"We are G.U.N., and I'm the G.U.N. Commander, remember?"

Matthew made a face. "What do you mean by 'remember'?"

"What, you don't remember us, Matt?"

"No," said Matthew. "All I know is your punks broke into my house and made me sleep, and I woke up on a beach. I've been taking care of myself since then."

"And how's that working out for you?" the commander jabbed.

Matthew didn't flinch. "Did you do this to me?" he asked.

"In a way, yes. Please surrender, so we can avoid a fight."

The irises of Matthew's eyes began to glow as his rage built up. "No, not until you answer me! Where's my mom?!"

"You sound like a little kid. You're 15."

"Where is she?! What did you do to her?! What did you do to ME?!"

"Please, liste-"

The commander was cut short when Matthew leaped off the ground, toward him. As Matthew came down, he threw a punch, but the commander moved out of the way, causing Matthew to punch the ground instead.

"Engage!" the commander shouted.

The G.U.N. soldiers fired their tank machine guns at Matthew, but the same thing from before happened: the bullets just bounced off his body. Matthew jumped on the nearest tank and unleashed a barrage of punches on the soldier on it. The soldier was knocked unconscious, Matthew's eyes were still glowing red. He looked at another tank, shooting red-colored beams at it. It instantly exploded, killing the soldier in it. Another person killed…

Another soldier was shooting him from a different tank. Unable to control it, Matthew shot his Beam Vision at that one, too. He saw the G.U.N. Commander hiding behind a hummer. Matthew moved his hand liked he was throwing a ball, and threw a Chaos Spear at him, but the commander evaded it in time. Matthew was extremely angry by now. Now all he wanted was to crush the commander, but had to resist. He need to fight his rage. With a loud scream of misery, he forced himself to super-jump away.

The commander watched as the black hedgehog leap away and fade into the sky. He knew he'd created a monster.