It took a while for Rouge to acclimate to her current situation. It was... difficult, to say the least, to come to understand everything that had happened in her absence, but she'd manage. Being confined to the small hospital room was definitely not her idea of R&R, but with the brace form-fitted to her body, she didn't really have a choice in the matter.

She had been informed by the guards that were stationed outside of her room that everyone was safe and Eggman had been miraculously apprehended. However, it seemed they weren't able or willing to divulge any further information on the current status of the rest of Team Dark. It didn't sit well with her, naturally, but there really wasn't anything she could do about it at the moment.

Her ears twitched as she heard the agents outside her door stirring to attention. There were a few murmurs here and there, nothing she was able to make out even with her keen sense of hearing. It didn't seem like there was any hostile commotion, so there was that at the very least.

She heard the door to her room open, turning her head to see who was coming in. Her eyebrows raised as she saw the head of a smiling green-eyed hedgehog craning through the opening.

"Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time." Sonic sheepishly greeted.

"My my, what a surprise, Blue!" She jokingly replied, gesturing for him to come in. "Taking time off from saving the world to visit little old me?"

"Well, with Eggman out of the picture, my schedule has been a lot more open." He laughed, closing the door behind him as he walked over to her bed. "I came over as soon as I heard you were up and about. How are you holding up?"

"Doc said things are healing faster than expected. I'll still need to do some physical rehab for the next few months, but I should be clear to leave in a day or two." She paused, before holding out a hand towards him.

"Would you be a doll and help me into that chair? I'd like to be able to look at you while talking."

"Sure thing!" Sonic immediately chirped, grabbing her by the arm and carefully pulling her up off the bed.

Rouge grunted slightly in pain as her feet touched the ground. She leaned onto Sonic's side as he slowly walked aside her over to one of the chairs in the room. With more effort than she would have liked, she was able to get comfortably seated, the brace keeping her back straight as she leaned back into the cushioned surface.

Sonic pulled over a second chair, placing it directly across from her so he could be in full view. As he sat down, he reached into his quills and pulled out a small velvet box.

"Tails and I thought of this as a 'get well' gift... and an apology for taking so long to find you." He held the box out for her to take.

The treasure hunter took the item- a fairly standard jewelry case. It felt a little heavy.

She held it out at eye level, flipping the lid open so she could see what was within. A glitter caught her eye, and upon recognizing the contents she gasped in amazement.

Inside were two large topaz stones, expertly cut to have countless faces. Each one glimmered in different colors, cascading from green to purple, all of its facets changing color with just the slightest tilt or rotation.

"Tails called them Mystic Topaz." Sonic explained. "I don't know the full details, but they're like some normal topaz crystals that he did some weird science stuff on. I honestly don't remember all the details."

"Sonic, these are drop dead gorgeous! " She exclaimed, closing the box and setting it to her side. "Once I get back to my place, I'm going to put them with my gem collection- I've got a glass case in the front that I just know they'll be perfect for."

Sonic chuckled, a small smirk forming on his face.

"Is that gem collection all legally obtained?"

Rouge was quick to smirk back as she rebuffed him.

"I've been told not to answer that question without a lawyer."

The blue hedgehog's smile widened as he shook his head and waved his hand.

"Well, who am I to argue with that kind of legal advice?" He laughed. "In any case, I'm glad to see you're in good spirits."

"Same goes to you, Blue."

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes. The jovial air and banter were nice, but the both of them knew it couldn't stay forever. Eventually, it melted away, an awkward air hanging between them- they both knew where the conversation needed to go, but neither of them were quite willing to steer it there.

Eventually, Rouge spoke up.

"...So, what happened while I was out?"

Sonic apprehensively rubbed his teeth with his tongue, trying to find the best way to word things.

"He... Eggman messed with Omega's brain quite a bit. Made him think his friends were his enemies. At the time he thought you and Shadow were dead, and he was fighting to avenge you. We stopped him and fixed the problem in his head, but..." He trailed off, a grimace forming on his face. "He's with us for now- his body was destroyed in the battle, so Tails is building him a new body."

"That's... that's awful." The bat solemnly replied, eyes soft as she cast a sympathetic glance downward. "How is he holding up?"

"He's still upset about it, clearly- even if he won't admit it. They've been getting into screaming matches for the past few days."

"Over what?"

"...He wants Tails to hack into the GUN database because he wants to know if they've recorded any casualties at the places we battled. Little bro doesn't want to do it for obvious reasons. Argument ensues."

The blue hedgehog's foot was tapping against the ground, a nervous energy slowly building up in him as the conversation continued.

"...What about Shadow?"

Sonic sighed deeply, shrugging as he closed his eyes.

"No clue. I don't know where he is, and his phone doesn't even ring anymore. It's been like that for the past couple of days now."

The bat instinctively shook her head, rolling her eyes in exasperation as she sighed.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." She chided cynically. "He can be a real jackass sometimes, you know that?"

The blue hedgehog was put off by her words, mouth hanging open but struggling to find the words.

His reaction wasn't lost on her.

"Sorry, I hope that didn't come off the wrong way." Her expression softened. "It's just... he tends to take things in the worst way possible. I'm sure he's off somewhere, skulking around and finding a way to blame himself for everything- meanwhile I'm stuck here and Omega's not doing much better either."

"Yeah." Sonic shrugged, recalling how utterly stressed-out Shadow was when he first came to their house. "He was... already pretty torn up while we were trying to find you two."

"Look, it's not like I don't get it." She turned to look out the room's window, watching the sunset as it peered over the rows and rows of old-world stone walls and terracotta roofing outside. "He's supposed to be sixty-something years old, but almost all of it was in cryogenic sleep. He acts like a child sometimes because he was never really given a chance to grow up. I try to help when I can, but... I've got my own life too, you know? I'm not the kind of girl who puts everything aside to 'fix' a wayward man."

"I... never really thought about it like that." The hero admitted, grimacing as a pang of guilt echoed in his chest. He always thought Shadow's standoffishness and social bluntness was... well, honestly just part of his charm. It legitimately never occurred to him that it may have been that his rival honestly just didn't know how to talk to other people.

He couldn't really blame the treasure hunter for her anger, either. It wouldn't be fair on her or anyone else to try to take on that burden.

It just... it just sucked for everyone involved.

Rouge looked back at Sonic, noting the expression on his face.

"Listen, Blue, I don't need two hedgehogs in my life going hard on themselves." She chuckled. "Don't blame yourself, you're not responsible for his well-being. Besides, I'm pretty sure he likes you the most out of everyone."

The blue blur was snapped out of his thoughts, though given their last few encounters he wasn't entirely convinced by her assertion.

"What makes you so sure of that?"

Rouge went to lean forward like she was about to gossip, only to be stopped by her back brace. With a huff, she leaned back into her chair and continued.

"Promise me you won't tell Mr. 'Tall, Dark, and Edgy.'"

Sonic let out a huff through his nose, a small smile forming on his lips as he shook his head.

"Fine by me."

She nodded, continuing.

"A couple years back I managed to find out where our mutual friend lives and paid him a visit. Now, I know it's going to be a total shock for you to learn that he doesn't really do much in his off time, but... well, I was still a little surprised.

"How so?"

"Well, he doesn't really own anything. No books, no television... I honestly don't even think he touched the kitchen in his apartment." She shrugged, folding her arms over her chest. "About the only thing he had at the time was a mattress that's just shoved in the corner of his room. He doesn't even have sheets for it."

"That's..." Sonic trailed off, not really sure what to think of that information.

"I was honestly a little appalled." The treasure hunter shifted in her seat. "He bought some furniture for the living room, just in case someone else visited, but by that point I had already decided I'd try to get him into something. It was just too sad to look at. I tried everything I could think of. Reading, watching movies, indoor gardening- hell, I managed to drag him to a pottery class. You should have seen that one, I've never seen him out of his element so much."

The blue hedgehog snorted, holding in a laugh as he imagined his black and red counterpart scowling as he tried and failed to make a clay vase.

Rouge laughed a bit herself, before continuing.

"I did eventually get him into something."

"And what was that?"

"Writing and sketching!" Rouge proclaimed, a tint of pride in her tone. "Probably the first thing I should have tried, but it's a bit late for that kind of hindsight. I told him having something to read would be good for him to have in case he lost his memory again. To be honest, I just said that so he'd have an excuse to do it, but I think I might have actually scared him given his track record as an amnesiac is... not great."

"Yeah..." Sonic sheepishly replied. That was definitely one way to describe the Ark and Black Arms incidents.

"I got him a small leather-bound book for him to write in. Now, it would be absolutely insane for any self-respecting thief to not sneak a peek-"

"Naturally." Sonic quipped, rolling his eyes.

" Naturally. " Rouge repeated, smirking. "I've only been able to take a couple of glances, but the few chances I can, the thing is filled with sketches of the people he knows- probably so he can tell what they look like if he forgets again. Now, Blue... you want to know why I think he likes you so much?"

She trailed off, her smile growing as she looked at the hedgehog square in his eyes.

"...Almost all of those drawings he's made are of you ."


Shadow breathed in deeply, the frigid air burning his nose as he took in the plains of ice surrounding him. His fur and quills were working overtime to contain the heat his body exuded, just barely able to stave off the cold.

He was getting used to his self-imposed isolation. Days had turned into weeks, and weeks had turned into months. What remained of his guilt and indecision had dissipated, their effects no longer having hold over him. The silence, only broken by the occasional howl of distant wind, suited him greatly- even if the climate didn't. He'd have to return here later, once he was done with what he had set out here to do.

If his information was right, somewhere around here was the Holoskan tribe. It was hard to make any details out in the pure white environment- only amplifying the difficulty in finding their settlements hidden within the crevasses of ice, out of the reach of the blizzard winds that constantly threatened them. He'd just have to run around, hopefully finding one such place- or at least someone who could lead him there.

Eventually, he was able to find one such refuge, the entrance almost impossible to see amongst the ever-reflective snow. His shoes struggled to keep traction on the decline into the village, but with a good deal of caution and patience he was able to keep himself upright.

Eventually he made it back to level ground, the air just slightly warmer as he studied the settlement. In the middle was a crackling bonfire, surrounded by a handful of carefully constructed igloos with built in windows and vents at their top. A number of sculptures dotted the enclave, ranging from a simple snowman dressed in woolen clothing to a few elegant looking markers made of abstract curves and shapes.

"Visitor!" A voice called from somewhere nearby, catching Shadow's attention. It wasn't long before a number of humans had emerged from their domiciles, dressed in beige and white parkas and wide smiles as they gathered around the hedgehog.

"A Mobian, too!"

"Poor thing must be cold- are you hungry?"

"He looks plenty fit and fine, Jari-Thure! If he'd like help, he will ask for it!"

Shadow felt surprised by the immediate level of kindness afforded to him, glancing back and forth as he tried to figure out who to address first.

"Now now, everyone. Give him some space to talk." An elderly voice called over the commotion. The crowd separated to let a short, grey-haired woman through, who greeted him with a handshake and a warm smile. "My name is Ursule. Chief Jari-Pekka is out fishing, but I'll be happy to welcome you in his stead. Have you come to visit? We'd love to have you as our guest. My shop is just on the other side of the village if you'd like to trade as well."

The hedgehog paused for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Perhaps later." He replied, trying to keep his eyes focused on the old woman. He could practically feel the stares of the other villagers boring into him. "I was wanting to know if you have knowledge of any Eggman bases in the area."

The crowd grew quiet, a slight unease growing in the air. Ursule paused for a moment, reinforcing her smile as she replied.

"I've heard that he was arrested. What reason do you have to ask?"

"Just cleaning up the mess he left behind." Shadow replied. "Even with him gone, his robots still pose a threat."

"A noble cause." She nodded, her posture visibly relaxing. "There was another hedgehog like you who helped us when Eggman threatened our village- a blue fellow who could run like the wind. Do you know him?"

The black and red hedgehog did his best to keep his expression fixed, silently shaking his head back and forth.

"Ah, well, then forgive my rambling. I'm glad to see such golden hearts are shared by your kind." She apologized, before grabbing him by the hand and leading him back up to the surface. "We know where one of his bases are, we haven't been attacked but we make sure to stay far away from it. Allow me to point you in its direction. But I must ask for you to return when you're done. We'd love to repay you for your efforts- and I'd like you to see what wares are in my shop as well!"

Shadow just nodded, following the woman up onto the ice planes. Once he was given the direction to go towards, he thanked her for her time and sped off, passing a very confused-looking older man along the way.

The trip itself was rather uneventful. The harsh winds kept the masses of ice floes flat, only interrupted by the occasional cavern and open expanse of salt-laden, deep blue ocean that broke the land up.

In a rare chance to have a diversion, Shadow cut the flow of power to his air shoes, feeling them skid into the ice- the friction causing a thin sheet of water to melt below them, and the momentum from his speed keeping him moving forward. He skated across the ice with great speed, stretching his limbs out to feel the wind rushing through his fingers as he was propelled forward.

It felt like a few hours before he finally made it to the base, the red and white squat building slowly appearing over the horizon. From this distance, he could tell it was too big to be a simple research outpost- though it didn't seem big enough to be a drydock for his fleet.

Robotics factory, possibly. The thought echoed in his mind.

He furrowed his brow. There was a possibility that his target was here.

There were a handful of Egg Fighters languishing around the base's perimeter, stirring to life once they saw the rapidly approaching hedgehog. They had only gotten to their feet as the Ultimate Lifeform curled into a ball and spin-dashed into them, their brittle metal hulls being quickly dispatched by the attack.

When Shadow returned to an upright position, he found himself at the entrance of the sprawling facility. The smokestacks were inactive, and whatever machinery that was inside was apparently inactive. It was definitely out of the ordinary- most of the other manufactories were still operating, pumping badniks out into the wild.

The hedgehog's suspicion grew. It's possible that the Doctor was hiding something here.

The doors were made of reinforced, thick steel, held tightly shut together. A well-placed chaos spear pierced the seam where they met, creating a fairly large sized hole in the entrance. He braced both sides of the hole with his hands, using his strength to force the doors to slide open, allowing him to pass through.

The hallways were dark, his shoes clacking loudly against the frozen floor as he looked around. Much of the area was a sprawling mess of conveyor belts and various machines, ranging from smelters to routers, to all other kinds of equipment needed to create more robots. The only thing that seemed to remain active was a large vat of metal slag in the distance, kept molten so that the rest of the factory could be activated at a moment's notice.

What few badniks were actually active were quickly dealt with. The cold had worn down their durability, leaving them barely able to move around.

Shadow looked up to see a stairwell on the far side of the base leading down to a basement floor beneath the frost. Turrets had been mounted on the nearby walls, but years of disuse left them completely overcome by the frozen substance. The rest of the security doors on the way down provided similar levels of resistance, only becoming harder to open as more and more ice built up on the surface. The stairs only continued to descend further, only broken up by security doors that at this point were only a slight annoyance.

As he opened the final door with a heave, he found his suspicions confirmed. The room was relatively small, most of it taken up by a number of computer consoles and desks scattered with paper. Wires and elastic pipes dangled from the ceiling, arching back towards the far corner of the room. Shadow peered through the frozen mess, eyes settling on the device where all these connections had led to.

Wedged in the corner was a large tube of glass, filled with a sickly green liquid that remained fluid despite the utter cold. In its center floated a metallic creature, its stubby, spindly limbs jutting out from its chest that was basically a jet engine wrapped in a smooth enclosure. Its head was a mix of royal blue and silver, swooped back with spikes that shot out backwards in a distorted resemblance of a hedgehog.

Metal Sonic.

Shadow's eyes narrowed, quietly observing the adversary. It appeared to be in some kind of stasis for now- probably waiting for the wake-up signal from its master. It seems GUN had done a good job of keeping that from happening for the time being. But that wasn't guaranteed to continue; and to be frank, if Metal Sonic made an attempt to raid the black site prison the Doctor was being kept at and extract him, there was a good chance of it succeeding.

The Ultimate Lifeform didn't waste time mulling it over. He reached back into his quills, pulling out his emerald. Within seconds, an entire volley of energy spears were thrown at the holding chamber, piercing the outer walls and slicing into the metal hedgehog's body like a hot knife through butter.

The glass shattered from the repeated impacts, the oily liquid spilling out and flooding the floor as the Super Badnik crumpled to the floor. Its body twitched and spasmed, eyes springing to life as it desperately tried to activate any part of its body that wasn't critically damaged. Its eyes scrambled around the room, focusing on the black and red hedgehog in a hateful glare as its limbs sparked and its jet engine uselessly popped and blew billows of dark smoke.

Shadow could only walk over, grabbing the top spike of the metal hedgehog's head. He placed his foot atop the body, pressing down hard as he pulled on the head with all his might. He could hear the metal chassis screech as it was forcefully separated at the neckline, wires snapping as the ball joint was yanked free and its body once again collapsed with a solid thunk.

Head in hand, the hybrid hoisted the decapitated body over his shoulder as he trudged back up the stairs. He traveled across the factory floor, going up a set of grated stairs that traced along the side of the vat of molten metal. He paused as he reached the top, the harsh orange glow lighting the immediate area as a wave of heat washed over him.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. The warm air filled his body, despite the fumes irritating his lungs.

With little fanfare, he threw the body into the molten vat. It hissed and popped, the heat distorting and breaking apart the metal chassis as it melted. Within seconds it was gone, the only remains being the impurities from the burned paint floating on its surface.

Once he was ensured that the metal was hot enough to destroy the robot, he quickly tossed the still-functioning head into the same vat. Metal Sonic's head landed into the super-heated material facing him, its expression baleful as it slowly sank.

Shadow could only stare back at the metallic hedgehog, his expression devoid of any emotion as the adversary was unceremoniously disposed of. He watched as Metal Sonic's expression quickly fizzled out into a black void as the sizzling slag melted its way into its head and burned the electronic components within.

Finished with his main goal, he pulled out the chaos emerald once more. Now that he was done with his primary goal, all that was left was to make sure this base was never usable again.

All it took was a few controlled blasts, rendering all the machines inoperable and incapable of repair. The walls had been destroyed in the explosions, the heavy ceiling collapsing in on itself and exposing everything to the elements. The metal vat was split into two, spilling its contents over all the machinery before the cold eventually cooled it down to a harmless silvery mass.

A small burst of pride puffed Shadow's chest as he walked away from the decimated site. Things couldn't have gone any better- and he was certain if the doctor ever managed to call for help, he would be dismayed knowing his most powerful servant would never respond. The world was, once again, put in a better state than he found it.

He contemplated returning to the Holoskan tribe to report on his efforts; Eggman's derelict machines did seem to be a concern to them, after all.

He shook his head, dispelling the thought as quickly as it arrived. They would find it eventually. He knew the real reason why he wanted to return, and it would only harm him in the end.

A pang of guilt rushed through his chest, but his mind quickly chased it away, replacing it with a soothing numbness.

He was getting good at that. It felt good.

Feeling nothing was certainly better than being hurt.


Sometimes, Tails wished that Eggman hadn't been captured. It was an incredibly intrusive desire, one that he'd never actually wish on the world...

...but Sonic was becoming absolutely unbearable .

Over the past few months, the hedgehog had been scrambling to find anything to take up his time. He repainted the house- twice, scrambling around the countryside until every square inch had been tread upon. At some point he started making trips to the nearby cities, just going to passersby on the streets and seeing if they needed help doing anything.

He'd often arrive at home right as soon as the fox was working on his own projects, shooting questions out of his mouth like a gatling gun. It only got worse when Omega was eventually given his rebuilt body and sent off to return to GUN, as he no longer had that project as an excuse to shoo his older brother away.

He had suggested to the hero that he could try traveling to other parts of the world, but it was quickly shot down. Usually, he accompanied the rejection with some explanation that without Eggman around he didn't need to go traveling as much and didn't want to explore everything too quickly.

Obviously, Tails knew that was just an excuse from Sonic. It was plainly obvious when the hedgehog would spend his time leaning against the garage door, arms folded over his chest and tapping his fingers impatiently. His eyes would search the horizon, looking for any sign of someone who seemed adamant on not returning.

He would have to discuss it with him at some point, but... it was pretty clear that his brother was still in denial.

Until then, he'd do his best to be there, even if it meant that he'd have to juggle his own hobbies with placating a hyperactive speed demon. Maybe he should try to get him a new hobby...

"Yo, Tails!"

The fox snapped back to reality, ladle in hand as he overlooked the slightly bubbling pot of chili on the stove in front of him. His brother's voice had come from outside the house, probably in the same spot he always waited.

"Yeah, what's up?" He called back.

"Think you have enough made for three people? It looks like we've got company coming!"

Tails glanced back to the pot, rushing to grab another can of chili and dump it in.

"Yeah, I think so! Who is it? Amy?"

"Nope! It's hard to tell from here, but it looks like Rouge and Omega!" He called back.

The fox frowned a little. He doubted the bat would take up such an unsophisticated food, but... well, if not it'd just mean they have extra leftovers.

It wasn't long before the food slowly started simmering again. He turned off the stove, putting a lid on to preserve the heat as he made his way outside to greet the two members of Team Dark.

He exited the front door just in time to see Rouge land on the ground in front of them, her robot companion not far behind.

"Hope I didn't catch you two at a bad time." She began, placing her hands on her hips. The recovery appeared to have gone well- she looked just as healthy as she had prior to her injury.

"Not at all." Sonic waved his hand, pushing himself off of the garage door. "What's up?"

"Well, I wish this was a casual visit, but unfortunately it seems that business has other things in mind." Rouge huffed, not quite looking the hedgehog in the eye.

"...What's going on? Something GUN needs help with?" Tails asked, looking back and forth between the bat and the E-Series robot that blankly stared back at him.

"Not quite..." The treasure hunter trailed off. "Sorry, it's-"

"GUN HAS ISSUED DIRECTIVES TO APPREHEND SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG AS A WANTED CRIMINAL."

"Wh-what?!" Sonic exclaimed, eyes widening in shock. "Has he-"

"Let me stop you right there, Blue." Rouge held her hand out as she cut him off. "As far as we know, he hasn't done anything."

"Then why?!"

She sighed. "That bonehead lost all his protection when he quit GUN. And now, it seems like the United Federation has finally decided to prosecute him for... well, what happened in Westopolis during the Black Arms Crisis."

Tails could only watch in sympathy as Sonic visibly recoiled, ears laying flat as he looked down at the ground.

"That wasn't... he... He wasn't..." The hedgehog stammered, struggling to say anything as it seemed a flurry of thoughts all struggled to leave his mouth at the same time. "Rouge, you know that he... wasn't himself back then."

"You don't have to tell me. I was there too, you know."

"COMMANDER TOWER WAS ISSUED THE ORDERS BY THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF." Omega added. "BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT HE DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE COURSE OF ACTION TAKEN."

Rouge nodded. "He directly assigned the task of bringing him in. Naturally, we both resigned on the spot."

"What a jerk." Sonic spat, growing more upset by the second.

"He may be a jerk, but he's anything but an idiot." She shook her head. "He probably did it because he knew we'd leave and go to you. Omega's right, I don't think he wants Shadow captured."

"So..." Tails trailed off, trying to ignore the ceaseless stare that Omega was giving him. "What now, then?"

"Well, seeing as we've been recently let go from our previous jobs..." The bat smirked, looking back and forth between the two brothers.

"...Are there any open positions in Team Sonic?"