Welcome to the start of the second half of the story. To get the most out of each chapter of this new arc, each chapter will probably have more words in general compared to the first half. Which is for the best, because I have a lot planned out from here. If you find this new start enjoyable, please consider following or leaving a review for much-appreciated feedback or encouragement.

Chapter 11: We're on the Run

Outside Station Square

The sun settles behind the horizon, becoming a dark orange dusk. A looming mist surfaces off the damp grass, its tint shifting with the setting star. Falling leaves and tall grass lay upon hills on the outskirts of the vast Station Square. A gust of powerful air flows directly down into one of the hills, scattering the leaves away and swaying the grass in the opposite direction. Descending from the sky was a G.U.N. shuttle, slowly landing by itself on the field. The landing gears engage and the ship plops unevenly against the inclined surface. The door on the side shifts open and a flight of steps extend down to the ground, making a path for Team Sonic to step down and out of the shuttle. They could barely see through the thick fog, and could only spot very little of a silhouette of the city. "We need to warn everyone." Sonic said. "With this fog in the way, they won't be able to see that giant spaceship."

"If we can contact G.U.N. and tell them about it, then they'll be able to alert more people." Tails pitches.

"We might not even have to bother with that." Knuckles adds, gathering the attention of Sonic and Tails. "We have all the chaos energy. Sonic, if you go hyper again there won't even be a need to panic." Sonic figuratively hits himself on the head. How could he have been so inconsiderate to even see that as a possibility? The fight would be over in minutes, maybe even seconds.

"Alright, Knux, I like the idea. Let's do this!" Sonic helps hype up Tails and Knuckles, pumping their veins in excitement. To help prepare, Tails would need to grab the container holding the energy, which was still located on the ship. But before he could enter back on, a sound of a rotor rippled through the sky. All three of them look up in the air and faintly see a helicopter descending on their position. As the copter gradually gets closer, it is made clear by the logo that it was a part of G.U.N. "Well, look who showed up." Sonic commented. The helicopter lands and a group of five soldiers exit. As they approach Team Sonic, Tails notices that one of the soldiers is holding out some sort of navigation device with an antenna sticking out the top. The device is pointed right at the shuttle, which makes Tails now suspicious. He wasn't sure why they would be tracking them at all, or how they were even doing so in the first place. "You guys missed us, didn't you?" With Sonic commanding the soldier's attention, Tails sneaks behind the shuttle and scans around the hull, trying to look for anything small latched onto the plating. With nothing on the side, Tails lays prone and crawls underneath to look.

"Do you have it?" The soldier leading the group chimes in, ruining the easy-going vibe Sonic was trying to maintain.

"Yeah, don't worry we can handle it. Let Shadow know that we are coming to him after we kick that spaceship's butt."

"The situation does not demand for you to fight. Give us the energy for the chaos emeralds, we'll escort it out of here." That order gave Sonic the wrong impression. Now he knew that something was up that he wasn't made aware of. The soldiers being all pushy with them was helping their case either.

"Let me talk to Shadow, I'm sure he can clear this up." Sonic tried to reason.

"He's on a crucial mission. Hand over the energy." Sonic looked at them with distrust. He knew that there was something they weren't telling him, or rather something that they were hiding. Tails was still searching for anything hidden beneath the shuttle, even crawling further under the bottom. A quick and snappy flash catches his eye for a brief second, located closer to the underside of the wing. Tails slides nearer to the blip of light and gets a better look at it. He sees a chip bolted onto the hull. After removing it from the plating, Tails examines it closer. He deduced that this had to be the tracking device that the G.U.N. soldiers used to find them, but why would they put it here, and when did they do it? Tails flips the chip on its other side and sees a logo that sends shivers down him. He sees the symbol of the nine tails imprinted on the chip, which he figured was the logo for the Abyss Voyagers. If G.U.N. tracked them here using this chip, then those soldiers were not on their side.

"Sonic! They're Abyss Voyagers!" Tails yelled from underneath the shuttle. With that confirmation, Sonic's suspicions were quickly justified. He watches as the soldiers in front of him arm themselves and are ready to attack him. Fortunately, Knuckles reacts faster and slams the ground with his fists, causing the earth to rumble and shake below the soldiers. With them off their balance, Sonic homing attacks them before they could regain their balance. However, the pilot of the helicopter takes off in the air, revving the machine turrets loaded on its sides.

"Tails! Need a boost." Tails runs back out from under the shuttle and begins to fly into the air. Before he reaches far off the ground, he grabs Sonic's hand and lifts him up with him. The turrets on the copter fire, and Tails is forced to make drastic evasions. With not a lot of opportunities to counter-attack, Tails and Sonic are stuck dodging the hellfire of bullets. Once again, Knuckles comes to save the day, as he rips a chunk of earth out from the ground and chucks it up at the heli. The chunk clips the tail of the copter, causing it to briefly spin out of control, giving Sonic and Tails a chance to perform their signature move, an aerial throw where Tails spins Sonic rapidly around in a circle before letting go and tossing him toward the target. Sonic dashes through the middle of the helicopter, permanently disabling it. The bird plummets, with the pilot needing to eject to escape a fiery crash. Unfortunately for the pilot, his ejection only allows him to escape for so far, as not long after the crash, Tails flies up to the pilot awkwardly sitting in their chair, slowly descending thanks to the parachute. Tails gives the pilot a stern look before crossing his arms. Back on the ground, the pilot is safely brought down by Tails to Sonic and Knuckles. He has nowhere to run now. Knuckles puts the pilot's arm behind his back and twists it, causing distress in the pilot's voice. "You, tell us what's going on." Sonic demanded.

"I won't tell." With an unsatisfying answer, Knuckles twist the pilot's arm more.

"You won't have an arm if you don't." The echidna threatens.

"Ok, Knux, let's not scare him half to death already." With Sonic's command, Knuckles lightly lets loose of the pilot's arm. Sonic directs his attention back to the pilot. "Look, we're a bit out of the loop here so if you could kindly tell us what happened the past few days we were gone, then I could possibly talk my friend Knuckles out of snapping your limbs." The pilot stays silent. "Do you comprehend?"

"Yes, but I think none of you comprehend either." The pilot coldly remarks. "Let me put it blatantly. This is not our world anymore. It is theirs. If you continue to fight, you'll die. If you run, you'll be found. Your only chance at living a decent life is to surrender the fox and back away." Sonic grinds his teeth, angered by the pilot's casual response. Was that supposed to be a choice? Sonic would rather die fighting than give away his best friend any day. His visible anger causes the pilot to chuckle out of cruelty. "The funniest part is that you all think that we'd risk our chance to take him by sending just one helicopter." Right on cue, an approaching whistle echoes through the sky. A break in the sound barrier palpitates as the whizzing encroaches. Nothing could be seen out for miles, the thick fog blocking their sight from witnessing anything that was coming their way. It was only when whatever was hurling toward Team Sonic reached twenty feet ahead of them, they were able to see it clearly. A mortar shell arcs above them and dips down to the grass they're standing by. With little time to respond, Team Sonic is caught in the middle of a concussive blast that sends them flying back, dazing their sight and hearing. Even with his senses dizzy, Tails still manages to hear more whistling headed their way. He figured that it wouldn't be long before more mortars shelled their location. The obvious move was to hightail it out of there, but with the container for the chaos energy still inside the shuttle, they couldn't risk leaving it. In a daring action, Tails stumbles back onto his feet and attempts to climb the stairs back onto the shuttle. He had to get the chaos energy. With Sonic back on his feet, he sees Tails nearing the shuttle.

"Tails! What are you doing? We need to get out of here!" Sonic cried out to Tails, but the fox remained determined to press on.

"Not until I get that container, then we can-" It was too late. A shell pierces through the roof of the shuttle and detonates, causing the ship to implode and send Tails falling back. Quickly thinking, Knuckles jumps up and catches Tails midair before he hit the ground. The explosion knocked the young fox unconscious. With the container still inside the burning wreckage of the shuttle, the glass shatters and the energy is free. Rising from the ruins were eight multicolored beams of light that shoot into the air and separate from each other, traveling in different directions. Knuckles immediately deduced the phenomenon as the chaos energy escaping again. He's seen it before with Sonic after he'd get out of super form and the emeralds would leave, wandering to new locations to wait for someone to pick them up. But since they no longer had their shell, Knuckles wondered how the chaos energy would stay put in their new place. However, Sonic quickly reminded Knuckles that now was not the time to ponder, and they had to move. Sonic and Knuckles run away from the oncoming mortar shells trailing close behind them, with the echidna holding Tails close in his arms.

Meanwhile, a few G.U.N. mortar teams continue their efforts in firing shells from outside the city limits. Accompanying these teams is Harrow, looking out to the horizon with a pair of mechanized binoculars, able to see through the fog. She spots Team Sonic running away from them, but she focuses more on the unconscious Tails, which makes her gnaw her teeth. "You idiots!" She barked. "Cease your fire, you've hurt the vessel." The mortar teams render their fire to a halt, awaiting the orders from Harrow, who pulls out a radio. "Send some aerial units our way. Cut them off and herd them back to the city. They'll be trapped there. Just don't hurt the fox any further."

Back with Team Sonic, both the blue blur and echidna start losing the heat of the bombardment of shells. All was calm for a moment, but just a moment. As they continue to run forward, Sonic looks to his side and barely sees an outline of a fleet of attack helicopters beyond the fog. The fleet passes them and vanishes from Sonic's sight. It wouldn't be long until they appeared again, as Sonic and Knuckles run further forward, they bump into the fleet ahead. The row of helicopters stare them down, forming a blockade. With the way ahead no longer an option, Sonic, and Knuckles sharply turn to the right and head back the way they came at an angled route. The copters give chase and fire their gatling guns close to Team Sonic, making them take evasive maneuvers. However, Sonic and Knuckles were not aware that the gunfire was deliberately aimed to miss them, and that they were being rounded up right back to the city.

Soleanna, City of Water

The sun had fully set, and the moon had started to rise. Tonight was the festival of the sun. A tradition celebrated by the peaceful inhabitants of the independent city. To remember the loss of their god Solaris, and to gather the people together for a night of delight. For many years, Queen Elise refused to show up to the festivities to spite how Solaris made her father obsessed with it before he died. The god was nothing special to her. But this year, she felt different about it all. Instead of celebrating Solaris, she thought she'd celebrate with her people instead, healing her old wounds. That night, she thought that it would be the rekindling of her connections with the people, but fate would not allow her to remain in fortune forever. At the peak of the festival, while everyone was living at their best, they were shocked once G.U.N. soldiers and drones marched through their streets. Tanks barged through gates and fences, prompting people to flee. Elise's constables and enforcers were helpless to protect their city, and she was left defenseless. Descending from the chilling air was a G.U.N. transport helicopter, landing in front of Elise. Emerging from the steel hanger was James, with a cold and cocksure smile. His smile contrasted with Elise's hateful glare. "I thought you were one of the good ones." Elise says. "I thought I was wrong when I said that G.U.N. can't be trusted. I wish I was wrong, but you are the worst out of all of them."

"Don't be so grim." James said while still exhibiting his grin. "My allegiance isn't to G.U.N. Never was. We're building something new, and you can be a part of it without any repercussions to your power. All you have to do in return is to do a few favors for us in the future, and we'll take good care of you."

"Or else you'll do what?" Elise questioned.

"Or else you get to watch all of your people die. Starting with these ones." James snaps his fingers and commands a trio of drones forward to him. The drones have a person locked firmly in each of their hands. "I'm going to count down from three. If you don't concede within that time, I'll just have the drones lightly squeeze." Elise watches as even the slightest inch of pressure from the drone's hands causes major distress in their victims. "Three…" With her pride, Elise struggled to come up with a choice. "Two…" But she had to set that pride aside for the safety of her own people. "One!"

"James!" A distant howler calls out to the human. James' smile fades away as he sees Arsonal step up to him from the hoard of drones. "Haven't you noticed that you already won? Is there any reason for what you are doing?"

"Arsonal, I wish you wouldn't lecture me when I'm working."

"How can you expect to rule over when you maim people for fun?" Arsonal's core beliefs were screaming out of him. Although his objective was to conquer this world, he saw no point in tormenting its inhabitants. What he saw James casually try to pull off was making his blood boil. "Don't make me remind you that you're only alive because of me, Vulnter, and Harrow. Without us, you could never fulfill these heinous actions."

"I'm just trying to do my best for our cause, right" James nonchalantly said, fully meaning to come off as snobbish. "Isn't it a little hypocritical to tell me that I'm in the wrong when it was you last time that nearly burned half the town down?" Arsonal tightens his fist. "Relax, I was just joking around. Queen Elise and I are friends here, right?" James directs the question at Elise. The muted queen remained silent. "Yeah, I never was going to kill anyone of course." James snaps his fingers, signaling the drones holding the hostages to let go. "Don't worry, my queen, G.U.N. will take good care of your city. Come on, Arsonal, let's get out of here." James begins to walk to the helicopter, preparing for lift-off, but before he embarks, he leans his mouth to Arsonal's ear. "You aren't fooling anyone with that bark of yours. Despite how tough and noble you want to act, you are the weakest among your peers. So I can allow you to step in my way, but if you get in theirs, they will tear you apart." James menacingly whispers to Arsonal before closing the door to his copter. Soon, it lifts off, leaving Arsonal alone to his thoughts. Was he really the naive one here? He meant no harm to the innocent, but he started to wonder if his comrades felt the same way.

Cloaked Woodlands

A deep and condensed forest composed of tall and girthy pine trees. Their needles create a roof to the sky, blocking any sunlight from entering, even when the dawn is imminent. No possible way anyone could find someone hiding here. Which was what Shadow was hoping for. Before leaving the G.U.N. base, Tower told Shadow of a safe house where they'd organize operations to retaliate against the Abyss Voyagers if they ever attacked first. But with the commander captured, maybe even dead, Shadow didn't have any luxury to arrange any plans with a larger task force. It was just him, Silver, and the sad state that Team Dark is in. Rouge and Omega both out of the picture for who knows how long. And with Sonic still presumably in space, he was almost alone. He had Silver with him, but the white hedgehog wasn't yet persuaded to wait for a miracle to save them while they hid for the duration. His unsureness led to him questioning Shadow. "Shadow, is there nothing else we can do right now?" The ebony hedgehog stopped walking but respectfully slowed his movement to not disrupt Rouge, who was still strapped to a stretcher.

"I know you're eager to keep fighting, but we have to wait for the cinders to burn out. Striking now at the heart of their attacks would set us up for failure." Shadow hoped his answer was enough to satisfy Silver, but the white hedgehog wasn't having it.

"How long do we have to wait? We're on borrowed time, you don't have much longer to live. We have to do something in the meantime. At least I have to do something."

"If you go, you might die. She'll… She will find you." Shadow indicated. Although it was a brief description, Silver had a guess about who Shadow was talking about.

"That gray fox, that's who you're talking about, right?" Shadow turned his head away from Silver, refusing to answer the question. "Yeah, I saw her before I left to find you."

"Then you know how dangerous she is."

"C'mon, when has that ever stopped you? The Shadow I know would never turn his back on danger." It was true, Shadow usually never backed down from a fight, but Harrow reminded Shadow of a looming dread that plagued his mind. Even if he wasn't dying, he was cursed to stay alive and watch as everyone he cared for vanish from his life. He would eternally wander, lasting longer than everyone around him, with no control over who lived or died, as in the end, all who would remain would be him. Harrow embodied that thought, evoking that no matter how much power he possessed, Shadow would lose everyone again.

"I can't face her. She'll just get into my head again and twist it." Silver was beginning to understand. Shadow was afraid of her. He knew that Shadow was considerate enough to keep Rouge out of harm's way first, but he couldn't place what else was troubling him to fight back until now. "Even to look her in the eyes is enough to send me spiraling. If we want to face her, we have to give it everything we got, but that can't happen now."

"I get it. But I still can't wait any further." Silver hands Shadow Omega's head. "My job is to protect all life on this planet. Somewhere out there are people who are going to get hurt, and I will not stand by when I could do something to help. I'm fine with you taking some time, but when we need you, will you be there for us?" That was the ultimate question Silver laid out. Shadow knew that he had no right to stop Silver from acting, even though he wanted to. When the time comes to face Harrow again, would Shadow regain his courage to confront her? With no clear response, Shadow simply nods. With that, Silver flies off and out of the woods.

Station Square

In the heart of the city, Sonic and Knuckles are forced to take refuge in a narrow and crummy alley. With the skies swarming with aircraft searching for them, barely anywhere was safe to move without being spotted. To make matters worse, Tails was still unconscious. Knuckles gingerly lays him against a wall, giving his arms some time to rejuvenate. "We can't keep running like this." Knuckles tells Sonic. "At some point, we'll lose our pace and they'll get a lucky hit on us."

"Doesn't help that we got trapped in the city. We need to find a way out of here. Get Tails to safety."

"It won't be easy. I can almost be certain that we'll have to fight our way out. And if we have to carry Tails around while he's still out, I'm not sure if we can make it." Knuckles said.

"It's not fun if it's too easy." Sonic tried his best to reassure Knuckles, but both of them knew that things were going to get bleak. The city was a big maze as it was, combine that with the world's biggest government hunting them down, maybe one of them wasn't going to make it out of here.

"I have an idea, but you're not gonna like it." Knuckles said, making Sonic's face spike with caution. "I think you and I can fight our way out. But if one of us has to carry Tails, then we're essentially handicapping ourselves." Sonic knew where Knuckles was going, and he instantly tried to shut the idea down.

"No."

"Sonic-"

"No! We can't leave him here."

"That's not the plan. We only let him rest here for as long as it takes for the both of us to clear a path out of the city. When we do, we come back for him and escape with little resistance."

"That's too much to risk. What if someone checks in here and finds him napping against the wall?"

"We could hide him there." Knuckles pointed to the end of the alley. There, a dumpster bin laid in the shadows. Sonic didn't want to think of the implication, it was disrespectful of them and for Tails to set him there to hide. What he hated the most was that this plan could work, and it was the best one they got, which was why Sonic tried to dismiss it the best he could.

"Can't you just dig us out of here?"

"Dig? Under the whole city? That's miles to go and if someone finds the entrance to the hole, we'll be flushed out." As the two argue, a spotlight from a passing helicopter shines into the alley, but Sonic and Knuckles were quick enough to find cover before it spotted them. The light travels away, and Sonic sighs in relief. "I'm sorry, Sonic, but they're gonna close in on us at some point. Even if we can't find a way out of the city, we'll make a big enough distraction for Tails to escape when he stirs back." At this point, Sonic had no other choice but to comply. In the end, it was his safety that the hedgehog needed to ensure. He gives Knuckles the ok with a somber nod. Knuckles picks Tails back up in his arms and carries him over to the dumpster. He took no pleasure in placing him in such a dishonorable spot, but it was for his own good. Knuckles opens the lid and lays Tails inside, soon closing the lid back down. "I'm sorry, Tails." The echidna walks back to Sonic at the end of the alley. "Let's get started then."

High Colossus: Orbit of the Planet

The freighter of the Abyss Voyagers, High Colossus. A destructive battleship floating in orbit outside the once peaceful world. Inside the bridge were chiseled pillars acting as the stronghold and foundation of the room. The wall's and control panel's decals are mixed with a dark holiness. Statues of nine-tailed foxes hung against the pillars. The bridge was empty, except for one operator. The robed disciple, Highest Oracle. No physical features escape through his thick and elongated cloak, his face shrouded by darkness. The Highest peers through the bridge's window and down on the planet. He could be heard humming a whimsical tune as he rocks his head back and forth. All was going well for his plans. But his blissful crooning is interrupted by an irritable beeping emitting from the control panel. With a swipe against the screen, the beeping goes away and a transmission is relayed to him. "My Highest. We have an incoming ship requesting access to the dock." The freighter's A.I. alerts him.

"Indentification?" The Highest mumbled. His soft enthusiasm fading away.

"The individual claims to be your missing subordinate, Vulnter." The Highest's mellow mood shifts back to an avid tone.

"Let them in."

Later

When the doors leading in open on the bridge, Vulnter steps inside. A pleasurable smile as she sees The Highest. "My Highest, it is good to see you."

"Vulnter, where have you been? Your team has been trying to contact you. I have been trying to contact you."

"Just was trying to expand our territory in the galaxy. Although, it didn't go to plan like I hoped it would."

"I admire your ambition, but next time run it through me first. This is a very important task here on this planet. Was it brought to your attention that the kitsune vessel was tracked here?" Vulnter chuckles and shrugs her shoulders.

"My Highest, I was the one who planted the tracker." The Highest, while unable to properly show any form of expression, looks impressed by Vulnter. "Also, I have another surprise." Vulnter confidently claimed. With a snap of her fingers and a sharp whistle, she calls forth her 'present'. Dr. Eggman, cuffed in a particle shackle around his wrists and tubby body. "It's everyone's favorite doctor, of course. He did cause quite a doozy when he wasn't supervised the first time, but I'm sure he'll appreciate all the attention we'll give him now." Vulnter condescendingly talked about Eggman, making the doctor wince and anguish in the humility. As Vulnter presents him further, she fails to notice The Highest's body quake and twitch. Pools of anger leaking from his pores until it was too much to let it subside.

"What!?" The Highest explodes with rage and pushes his arm forward. A hand, created by nanotech, manifests above the room and descends down to grab Vulnter by the throat. She is flung and pinned against the wall, gasping for air. "Was I not clear when I ordered you to finish him off?"

"You were… But I thought I convinced you to force him to help us." The nanotech hand tightens, making Vulnter lose more breath. She struggles to pry herself out of the grip, but it's futile.

"That was for repairing High Colossus's railgun, and for that only. It was your duty to eliminate him, but your arrogance and aspiration are a hindrance to your judgment." The Highest lets his arm down, dissipating the hand choking Vulnter, and letting her catch her breath. "I'll allow this disobedience one more time. But if you fail me again… I will grant you a world where you will crave death." Vulnter doesn't dare look at The Highest in the eye and instead stares at the floor. Panic ensuing on her face. "Am I making myself clear?"

"Y-Y-Yes, My Highest." She fumbled to say.

"Good, now get out of my sight, and help your team on this filthy planet." Vulnter sheepishly stands up and walks out of the room. Her head still facing down, avoiding to look at The Highest. The Highest then turns his attention to Dr. Eggman, who was still awkwardly standing in the doorway. "Despite what I said, I could still have some use for you. If you are willing to lend us a hand, I could exchange your freedom." Eggman's face perks up, finally something that's sounding good to him. "I only ask of two favors. Both are going to be a pain to deal with in the upcoming days. There will no doubt be prisoners, mainly from captured G.U.N. soldiers who refused to convert. I expect a lot of them to pop up, and spaces to hold them will be tight. Perhaps you have a solution?" Eggman knew exactly what to come up with. An old machine that needed the dust and cobwebs to be blown off.

"Oh, I have something for them. One of my earliest inventions. Stripping away any free will from them. The roboticizer."

"Good, good. Finally, I shall grant you freedom if you can help us hurdle one last obstacle in our goals."

"What is that?"

"Retrieving the two-tailed fox."

Station Square

If Sonic and Knuckles weren't already in the heart of the city before, they sure were now. Everyone was after them, turning downtown into a warzone. They couldn't stand their ground and fight. Instead, they relied on more hit-and-run countermeasures, since as soon as they took out one squad of soldiers or an armored vehicle, many more would be notified and take their place. But at least progress was being made, as Sonic started to come up with a route to escape the city. It leads down a wide avenue through the city's park, and in the park is a tunnel heading into a sewer system. Only problem is that it's too far out in the open, leaving little time and room to manage through with all the attention they've been gathering. It felt like the whole world was caving in to get them. G.U.N. drones diving in for a bombing run, tanks moving up the front line, soldiers firing artillery. Nothing was in Sonic and Knuckles' favor, and yet they would never give up. Sonic helped gather most of the attention from the drones and lead them down crowded and narrow streets where it was easier to have them hit against oncoming poles and buildings. Knuckles on the other hand was bringing the fight to G.U.N.'s ground forces. Tunneling underneath and rising up for a devastating surprise attack. However, with all the damage they could do, they were far outnumbered. Sonic was losing ground, and Knuckles could only hold a defense as long as nothing from afar was trying to shoot him.

Sonic meets back up with Knuckles, who was taking cover behind a stone barricade. He sees that Knuckles has been through some heavy resistance, as his quills are stained with oil and bits of scrap are stuck in between. "Are we having fun yet?" Sonic jokes, although he himself didn't find the time to be appropriate, so the comment came off pretty forced. Knuckles also didn't find the gag hysterical either and lets Sonic know with a hefty sigh.

"Were you able to at least find an exit?"

"Kind of. It'll work but not with this much heat on our tail."

*Attention Sonic and Knuckles!* A voice blared out from a megaphone. To the surprise of the two, they weren't expecting anyone to try a diplomatic method. *You are surrounded! Surrender yourself, and the fox, and we can find an agreement to set you two under minimal surveillance.* Sonic and Knuckles exchange the same look as if they can't believe that this guy was serious.

"I think we can come to an understanding… If you know… the deal was actually good." Sonic sarcastically remarked to the negotiator. "You want to cut us some slack and offer us something that would be worth our time?"

*I'm afraid not. You refuse to hand over the fox, and you've proven that your presence threatens our regime. None of you are leaving here free.* Sonic finally started to process what was really going on. While they were gone retrieving the emeralds, the Abyss Voyagers must've usurped G.U.N., turning it into a dictatorship around the world. What shocked him the most was how quickly it all happened. One moment everything was at peace, then boom, the world turned against them. Although Sonic and Knuckles were able to hold out a little longer, it wasn't looking good for their escape plan. Picking Tails back up and trying to get back to the park could easily spell disaster. Didn't help that they were hilariously outmanned. *If you are unwilling to make a decision, then we will make one for you. If in the next five seconds, you refuse to answer, we will bombard your cover with everything we got.* Running away wasn't going to get them out of this, and they both had to come up with a plan quickly. *One…*

"Knuckles, dig us a hole to take shelter in!"

*Two…*

"On it!" Knuckles began working on excavating a hole below them. But to their surprise, the negotiator made a radical call.

*Fire!* Within an instant, a bombardment of mortar shells, tank rounds, and explosive ordnance rained upon them. The hole Knuckles was digging wasn't nearly deep enough to avoid all of the blasts, but it was their best shot at surviving. Without question, Knuckles yanks Sonic into the hole and they close their eyes to brace for the impact of the blast. For six cold seconds, nothing happened, but the two remained firm in place, still frightened to move. The endless time passes with zero going on. No disturbances, no explosions.

"Are we dead?" Knuckles asked with his eyes still shut, prompting Sonic to hesitantly lift his lids open. He looks around, and nothing seems to be wrong.

"I… don't think so." The calmness in the air makes Knuckles open his eyes as well. They both lift their heads up to view their surroundings. What they saw next was shocking. The bullets, shells, and grenades were all suspended in the air, encircled by an aqua-colored aura. Even the G.U.N. soldiers were shocked. This aura was strikingly familiar to Sonic and Knuckles, and when a white hedgehog floated down into the battlefield, their suspicions were made clear. Silver had stepped in to help. With no time for pleasantries, Silver immediately gets to work to dispatch the G.U.N. force. He sends the suspended ordnance back at them with viscous force, causing disarray amongst the soldiers. Most of them start to retreat at the presentation of power that Silver displayed. With them falling back, Silver meets up with Sonic. "Silver? What are you doing here?"

"I came back to help out. This city needs our aid."

"I figured that, but why are you back here in the past? What's going on in the future?"

"I'll explain later, but we should probably get out of the city first. Wait… where is Tails?"

Later

Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver run back into the alley. Silver watches as Sonic makes a b-line to the dumpster. "You left him there?" Silver exclaimed.

"Not a lot of other safe places at the moment." Sonic responds. He lifts the lid up, but something already wasn't right. Sonic thought it was his imagination, but after scrambling through the rubble inside the bin, panic ensued through his mind as he scavenged further. "No, no, no, no!"

"What happened?" Knuckles asked.

"He's gone! Tails is gone!" Fear strikes in Knuckles and Silver's eyes as they run over to the dumpster. Upon looking into the bin, the bitter truth came to fruition. Tails was missing. "He couldn't have gotten far. He must be close." Sonic tried to rationalize any silver lining, but Knuckles soon brought up a troubling possibility.

"Or he was taken."

"Well, then we get him back!" Sonic pounded his foot on the side of the dumpster, making a loud sound echo through the alley. "After all we did, we can't just leave now." The sounds of rotors approach the alley from a distance. But soon, they'll close in on them. Silver knew that staying here or trying to linger in the city any longer would attract bigger attention and more dangerous troubles.

"We have to go! It won't be safe for much longer."

"Not without Tails." Sonic argued.

"Listen to me, Sonic. If G.U.N. took him, then they wouldn't bother as much with us. He's a smart kid, he'll make it out." Silver tried his best to plead with Sonic, but the blue blur was too stubborn to listen.

"I'm not leaving the city without my little bro-" Suddenly, as Sonic was about to race out of the alley, Knuckles chops him lightly in the neck. But due to his strength, it was enough to knock the hedgehog out. Knuckles picks up Sonic and is ready to follow Silver's lead.

"Get us out of here." Silver nods and picks Knuckles up with his psychokinesis. They fly out of the alley just in time as a squad of G.U.N. soldiers pull up in the alley guns blazing. But they were already out of there before any of the bullets could pose any real danger. With the threat now behind them, they just made it out with just the fur on their skin. However, they couldn't bring everything with them.

Apartment

Vision blurry, ears ringing, senses blocked and clogged. There was not much around to make out as a black tunnel encircled around Tails' vision. 'Where am I?' He thought. The last thing he remembered was that he tried to enter the shuttle to retrieve the chaos energy, but everything went black after that. A killer headache drills through his skull, and he presses his hand against his head in pain. The more he tried to stir up, the more his senses started to come back. He could identify certain aspects of wherever he was held, although faintly. He could make out that he was in a living room, lying on a sofa with spongy cushions. The more Tails squirmed around to look, the more pain he felt in his head and legs.

Footsteps approach, making the young fox freeze in fear. His vision was still hazy, and he had no way to defend himself; it had to come to that. With how many people are now after him, it seemed justified to be cautious about everyone he met from now on. The figure approaching leans over him, gazing down at him. Tails can see small distinct features from the silhouette. Notably, long-pointed ears, fluffy cheeks, a ponytail at the top of their head, and biscotti fur. The figure picks up a container filled with a thick buttery spread and a spoon to dip into the container. They hold the full spoon to Tails' mouth, but the fox tries to resist and struggle away. "Shhh… It's okay. You were hurt. This is just medicine." The hushed voice murmurs to Tails. The calmness in her words relaxes Tails instantly, but he still hesitantly accepts the medicine. Within seconds, it does its work, and Tails feels more rejuvenated and more willing to talk.

"Where am I?" He let that thought escape through his lips.

"My place. You were left alone. I saw you and just couldn't let you lay outside." Tails sits up on the couch and gets a better look at his rescuer. She had white fur around her eyes, which were almost fully closed, but enough to see a glimmer of bright blue eyes. She was wearing a cream-colored top, with a leather coat over it. Her dashing appearance dazes Tails' eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Whisper, and I'm glad I found you when I did."

To be continued…