THE NEXT DAY, 1000 HOURS

Jack awoke, groggily, to the consistent beeping of a heart monitor at his side. The bed and pillow beneath him weren't the softest he'd ever slept in, but he'd just spent 3 nights on a cave floor, so he wasn't going to complain. Opening his eyes to the bright morning sun revealed two beds to his left. The one closest to him was empty, while the one furthest from him had Raccoon, sound asleep with a repaired and cleaned Lady Chao in his arms, and the Wisps snuggled up tight next to him. Jack silently smiled at the sight, happy to see the kid finally find a bed he liked.

"Ah, 'bout time you woke up! Was starting to worry I'd have to kiss ya!" Sonic joked as he entered from the door to Jack's right. The wolf tried to get up, but his pained groans and Sonic's hand stopped him from getting too far in that goal. "Ah-ah-ah, at least two days of bed rest for you, dude. Doctor's orders!"

"What happened?" Jack asked, settling into a more comfortable position. "Just a bit of exhaustion, dehydration, partial starvation, getting the snot beat out of you, and...Well, you have something ELSE minor, but I can't read that handwriting." Sonic said, referencing the clipboard at the bottom of Jack's bed. "Yep, certainly feels like it. Where's Cyber?"

"-Right here, sleepyhead!-" Cyber said, skidding into the room on a wheelchair. Her lower legs were still missing, and her arms were currently substituted with less sophisticated replacements, but her eyes shone bright and blue. "-Everything else is still in the shop for another week or two, but the peepers are back online, so we can catch up on some TV in the meantime!-" Jack chuckled as he reached for the end of one of Cyber's substitute arms, holding it tightly. "I'm just glad we got out of this alive. If my message hadn't gotten through..."

At the mention of the message, Sonic gave a slight grimace. "Yeah, about that..." The blue hedgehog closed the door to the room, then pulled up a chair to the end of Jack's bed. "You see, you guys were WAY off radar for a few days. We had no idea where to even start. And after comparing stories with Cyber...Well, according to the tech guys, we DID get a message about you guys, but it wasn't YOUR message."

Jack and Cyber looked at each other, concerned. "Not MY message? Who else could've sent it, then?"

"I don't know, man. But there's something else you need to know about, too..."

DAY 4, 2246 HOURS

Xavier sat next to his father in the prisoner transport. His sister had managed to get away in the scuffle with the blue hedgehog, but a good chunk of the Dingo Squad had been captured and were being transported across the desert to proper holding facilities. With a sudden jolt, however, the transport Xavier was in tipped over, slamming him and his father to the wall. A few seconds later, the door was torn off, and a mustard yellow wolf dragged the two dingoes out onto the desert floor outside. A partially mechanical figure walked casually up to the Alpha Dingo, and effortlessly lifted him by his throat. In spite of his best efforts, in his current restraints, the older dingo could do nothing to loosen the steely grip on his windpipe. "You were WARNED!"

"Xavier...Get out of here...RUN!" The Alpha Dingo choked out. Xavier attempted to obey, but an order from the mechanical being sent the wolf after him, who quickly kicked him down onto his knees, and held his sword up to his throat to make him watch what was about to happen. "Just listen to him, kid. It's your best shot." The wolf whispered to Xavier, sounding just as frightened as the young dingo.

"You were WARNED to stay away from ECS-001. You were TOLD the consequences! You forced me to risk revealing myself because of your idiotic goals, and for what? A measly pay day from some low-rent sewer rat dealing in junk! JUNK!" The mechanical being ranted, his grip tightening on the Alpha Dingo's throat with every word. "Well, I normally DETEST doing the work of a stooge, but congratulations, SIR! You made it personal enough for it to be ENJOYABLE for once!" And with that, a sickening cracking sound indicated the end of the Alpha Dingo, as his limp body fell to the ground.

"FATHER!" Xavier cried out, the reality of what had just happened hitting him full force. Even the wolf, unmoving as he was, seemed sympathetic to the young dingo's situation. The mechanical figure, however, simply walked over, unphased. "Now now, despite that display of force, I'm sure you'll find me to be a man of...Great mercy." He said, running a hand across the young dingo's weeping face...The same hand that had just ended his father's life. "However, you still need SOME punishment for the part you played in your father's disobedience..." He mused.

"Well, I suppose people do things to honor their dead, right? My spy drones overheard him saying something earlier about everyone having a breaking point..." The mechanical figure held up Xavier's head, tracing over a spot on his skull with an index finger. "So, what do you say we honor the old man by testing that little theory, eh?"

TO BE CONTINUED...