At the police station, the Chief of Police was talking to Dr. Eggman. The scientist's ugly face was on everything with a screen—TVs, computers, phones… The Chief, an aged black man, was trying his best to win the argument with the doctor.
"So you see," Eggman said, "Westopolis has quite a big decision to make."
The Chief was close to giving up. "F-fine! We'll agree to your terms we'll surrender! Just call of your attack, please!"
Eggman grinned. "Heh heh… Look at you, so desperate! I love it, to be honest. Seeing people so scared… It… it fuels me! Ho ho ho!"
The Chief fell to his hands and knees. "Please… Spare us…"
Eggman scratched his chin. "Hmmm…" He snapped his fingers and his expression brightened. "Oh! I just had a brilliant idea! And trust me, I'm known for my brilliant ideas… You see, people like you have too much power over the city. Hell, it's not even a city; it's a pyramid, with the corrupted officials on the top and the helpless citizens on the bottom."
"What… what are you saying?" the Chief asked.
"As you know, Westopolis will show me its surrender with a fireworks show…"
"Yeah? Where are the fireworks?"
Eggman leaned forward, closer to the screen. "Out. Of your. Reach."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Hee hee hee! Here's how the city will be saved: I will put the fireworks someplace where terrified citizens will find them, and it will be up to them to set them off."
"S-so? Westopolis will still be saved!"
Eggman shook his head and waved his finger. "Will it? You fail to understand the mind of a scared person, Chief. I was once one myself. You have no idea how much a regular person hates Westopolis. Will they think—oh, I don't know—'Wouldn't it just be better off destroyed?'"
The Chief shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "No… Please…"
A wide, evil grin took over Eggman's face. "Yes! Yes! Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho hooo! Ciao!"
The scientist waved his hand, and the screens went black. Amy and her parents had been in the large room, listening to the whole thing. They watched as the Chief remained on the floor, bawling his eyes out.
"I can't take this," Mr. Rose said. "Someone has to do something."
"But who? And what?" asked Mrs. Rose.
Mr. Rose looked at his family. "We are, andwe're going to save the city."
Amy was shocked. "What? That's crazy! Daddy, the mustache man's deceiving us. He wants to make us believe that we're doomed!"
"And what if we are, Amy?" Mr. Rose snapped.
The two stared at each other for a moment. Mr. Rose took a deep breath and said, "Fine. I'm going out there by myself."
"Honey!" Mrs. Rose exclaimed as he turned to leave the room. "Please think about what you're doing. It's all-out war out there!"
"My sacrifice won't be for nothing," Mr. Rose said. "I'm a judge, dammit!"
He took a step forward, but Mrs. Rose grabbed his wrist and stopped him from walking. "You can't stop me," he said.
Mrs. Rose hesitated. "I'm not. I'm… going with you."
Mr. Rose looked at his wife for a long time. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." She looked at Amy. "You stay here. You'll be safe."
Amy's eyes glistened with tears. "No. I'm going, too."
"Amy," Mr. Rose said, "if you die, it'll be on us."
"But if I stay and you die, I… I wouldn't be able to live without you."
Mr. and Mrs. Rose looked at each other. Their daughter was only trying to be noble like them. "Alright," they both said.
Amy didn't jump up and down or squeal in glee. She only nodded her head solemnly. The three of them hastily walked out of the room. Then they picked up their pace from a fast walk to a jog, heading toward the garage of the WPD. They got in their car and drove away. Amy sat behind the driver's seat, which was occupied by her father. She fell lost in thought as they weaved around the garage. The person she thought of most was Matthew. She imaged him sitting in the corner of a room belong to a building that was about to be destroyed. She didn't want to think about how scared he was, or how guilty he was feeling.
The Roses made it to the bottom floor of the garage. Mr. Rose stepped on the accelerator as the exit came into view. Amy was scared of what she would see once they were out. Sure enough, her fears came true. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dimming sunlight, and saw tall building on fire, small building flattened, car demolished, and people running for their lives. No one else was driving a car but them. Mr. Rose sped through the middle of the street, honking his horn loudly. More fear overcame Amy as she saw more and more destruction. Westopolis had been stripped of whatever it was hiding behind, she thought, and now it was being infiltrated.
The street became eerily desolate. Fewer and fewer people were seen running away, and thing became quiet. Amy brushed her hair out of her face and looked behind her.
"Dad…" she said quietly.
"What is it, honey?" he asked.
"You need to go faster…"
"Why?"
"Just… just do it!"
"Why?!"
"Just do it! Just do it! Go faster!"
Mr. Rose looked behind him and gasped at what he saw. A whole hoard of small Egg Pawn ships was chasing after them. There had to be hundreds of them, like a swarm of bees. Mr. Rose immediately shifted gears and stomped his foot down on the accelerator, and they started going faster. The ships started firing at their car, but there aim was off, and their shots fell short from the car. But it was more than enough to scare the Roses.
"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Mrs. Rose screamed.
Amy and Mr. Rose were both shocked at Mrs. Rose's sudden swearing, but otherwise weren't very distracted by it. They sped down the street, trying to get away from the Egg Pawns. Amy looked in exasperation at the three-way intersection ahead, and Mr. Rose saw it, too. Soon they would have to turn left or right. It didn't matter which one they chose, but what did matter was that if they didn't slow down at the intersection they would swerve, and if they did slow down they would be doomed.
The Egg Pawns were gaining on them. Their shots were getting more accurate, causing the car to rock whenever a shot nearly hit it. Amy put on her seatbelt, and Mr. and Mrs. Rose did the same. Finally, one of the ships fired a shot at the back the car and made contact. Everything went in slow motion for the Roses as they sailed through the air in their car. The screamed in terror, seeing the world move around them. The movement of time started picking up, and Amy knew this was the end. Her life flashed before her eyes. Her years in preschool through third grade, meeting Matthew, her years finishing elementary school, and her two years in high school. She closed her eyes, accepting her oncoming death.
But it never came. Amy opened her eyes and saw the car… floating in midair? She and her parents, who were also still alive, were hanging in their upside-down car. It slowly rolled right side-up and landed gently on the road. They looked around and tried to figure out what was doing this. An explosion broke out behind them. They looked back and saw that the swarm of Egg Pawn ships was gone.
A black creature landed on top of the hood, in front of the windshield. All three of them yelled in horror. It was Shadow The Hedgehog.
Shadow pulled back his fist then thrust it forward, shattering the windshield. He was breathing heavily, either from exhaustion or anger. He grabbed Mr. Rose by his suit jacket and pulled him out the car.
"What were you thinking?!" he yelled to the terrified man. "Are you stupid?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"I'm sorry!" Mr. Rose cried. "I'm so sorry! Please… please don't hurt me! Just leave us alone!"
Shadow dropped Mr. Rose. His expression softened at the sight of Amy. His body relaxed, and his breathing slowed down as she stared back at him. He looked at Mr. Rose, who was crying at his Hover Shoes.
Shadow spoke in a calmer tone. "Get you and your family somewhere safe."
Mr. Rose looked up at Shadow, confused.
"Now," Shadow said, a little more forceful.
Mr. Rose immediately straightened up and gather his wife and his daughter. They ran into the nearest building, except for Amy, who looked back at Shadow. He forced himself to turn his back on her and super-jump away.
A small smile came on Amy's face, and she went inside.