"President Alexander has issued a state of emergency following yesterday's terrifying attacks. The president is urging all citizens to remain calm and trust in the military's new mobilization plan. G.U.N spokeswomen Trinity Graves lauded the military's anti terrorist defense forces and is confident that their air defense unit codenamed MASTERSYSTEM can protect U.F territories from the superweapon employed by the terrorist known as Metal Overlord..."

The reporter's voice drifted through the empty apartment. Espio glided across the living room, his transparent skin rendering him completely invisible. The room was dusty and had a stale smell hanging over it. None of the couches appeared to have been used in weeks. Drawers were left open with their contents removed.

"Information leaked by staffers within the capitol suggest that G.U.N believes that Metal Overlord is also responsible for the explosion at Emerald City and the aerial attacks on dozens of major cities across the globe. The extent of the machine's forces and the exact nature of the superweapon employed by them remains unknown."

He's not here. Espio resumed his normal complexion and walked into the bedroom. The mattress was left bare with no sheets. A few pairs of old shoes were left in the closet but otherwise the room had been cleared out. Espio approached the bedside table and found a picture frame laying face down. He picked it up and was surprised to find his own face looking up at him. His heart twisted painfully. The picture was old and slightly faded but the memory was still fresh and alive in Espio's mind.

Espio took the picture out of the broken frame and stored it away. He was surprised to find it here, but not surprised that it had been left behind. Espio sighed and returned to the living room. The news channel was now showing rows and rows of G.U.N jet planes leaving a hangar bay.

"The president's office wants to assure the populace that G.U.N is able to protect its citizens despite the growing panic in major metropolitan areas. Yesterday, two of the five global attacks occurred within the U.F borders. One being a floating island off the shore of the Mystic Ruins and another, a G.U.N military base at Red Mountain. The island in question has long been involved in hundreds of rumors and speculations about its origin. While not officially recognized as part of the U.F its proximity has many experts doubting G. statements about protection. Commander Argus Smith of G.U.N said that the military is doing everything within their power to hunt down the terrorist and bring the self proclaimed Metal Overlord to justice. The one question on everyone else's mind is, where is Sonic the-"

Espio turned off the television. G.U.N had played the national media with contemptible ease. With a simple sleight of hand, they had positioned themselves as the irreplaceable defenders of the world by raising up the perfect villain. The best part was, no one would have any reason to suspect them. By pretending to have suffered their own casualties, G.U.N kept their lies a perfect secret. How many people knew that the base at Red Mountain was not a military base, but one of Eggman's?

With Metal Sonic serving as the world's boogeyman it was only a matter of time before G.U.N spread its influence over the whole world. Get them sick with the disease and then you sell the medicine. G.U.N would play both sides of the board while everyone else just became disposable pieces.

Unless I stop them. It didn't matter how many of them there were or how powerful they had become, Espio was preserved from despair by one piercing desire;revenge.

He withdrew the photo and unrolled it. Team Chaotix celebrated their first cracked case. Vector and Charmy held up bottles of root beer. Espio was trying to stand stoically in the background but had cracked a smile at the last moment in response to a joke Vector had made. And then there was Mighty. He stood closest to the camera with a broad smile on his face. It was a photo of the original four members of Team Chaotix.

Chapter 67

Recruitment Tour

The Dragon Road outstripped the damage. A red line cut across mountains, rivers, and forest in one of the marvels of the human world. Seen from above, its sheer length made the devastation appear small. A small black blemish in an otherwise unbroken line.

As the plane descended, the illusion of distance broke and the scope of the devastation took hold. The Eclipse Canon had completely destroyed a Chun-nan military base, plus an adjacent section of the Dragon Road, and a number of small villages located in the forest. Espio wondered if G.U.N had even known that the villages were there, or if they had even bothered to check.

The ground was swarmed by military personnel and members of various relief groups. Espio was not surprised to see that the United Federation had the largest foregin presence. There wasn't much for the relief groups to actually do. The Eclipse Canon's blasts had utterly eviscerated the military base. There was no one to save and the only ones who could make it to a medical tent were those on the periphery of the blast radius.

Espio snuck away from the plane that had carried him across the sea. He had secured travel on a foreign aid transport plane, hiding in the cargo hold. Three days had passed since the Metal Broadcast (as the media had titled it) and Espio had not heard any more news.

Espio passed silently through the city of tents and pavilions. He could not decipher much of the chatter going on, but one word kept ringing in his ears. Metal Overlord. The citizens of Chun-Nan hung effigies of the metal demon everywhere. Their hatred was so pure and actualized, Espio doubted that any of them questioned who the real villain was. The relief workers of the U.F marched among them in white coats offering them food, relief and the means to rebuild. No one would suspect that it was the U.F who was responsible until it was too late.

At the edge of the camp, Espio located a banner that did not belong to any government. A third party relief group marked themselves with a red and yellow banner. Espio hurried in that direction before pausing when he heard an English voice issuing from a radio.

"G.U.N forces have successfully orchestrated a raid on a Metal Overlord base hidden within the Mystic Ruins. However, representatives from the military had informed the press that Metal Overlord himself was not taken into custody and that they found no sign of the superweapon. Abroad, the countries outside the U.F have all called for international aid following attacks on military bases and city centers. President Alexander has called for an amendment of the U.F charter that would allow him to place military-"

The voice trailed away as someone changed the station. Espio quickened his pace and entered the red and yellow tent, and there he was. Mighty the Armadillo shuffled in front of a punching bag. Quick as a wink, he threw a punch and the heavy bag swung backward and nearly broke free of its support.

"Nice hit."

Mighty spun around and his expression flattened. He stared at Espio as if he was a ghost. The tent was empty except for Mighty and not comfortably furnished. "I've had worse greetings," Espio commented as he took a step further into the tent.

The punching bag was still rocking from its support. Mighty reached out to stop it. "What are you doing here? How did you even find me?"

"I'm a detective, remember?"

Mighty frowned. "You broke into my apartment didn't you?"

"You left the t.v on. I don't want to imagine what your electricity bill is going to be."

Mighty didn't smile. "You're making the jokes now? Where's Charmy and Vector?"

"You might want to take a seat. We have a lot to catch up on."

Mighty shook his head. "I told you I never wanted to see you again."

"Charmy and Vector are dead." Espio glared at Mighty, gauging his reaction.

Mighty's frown broke. "What happened?"

"We got too deep on a job and they were murdered by G.U.N soldiers."

"G.U.N?" Mighty shook his head. He was now clutching to the punching bag for support. "I don't understand…"

"I need your help," Espio continued. "We're the only one's left."

Mighty shook his head. "I don't know what y'all were up to, but that's your business. My place is here. I'm sorry about what happened to Charmy and Vec, but that doesn't' mean-"

Thud. Espio's kunai dug into the punching bag. Sand poured out of the hole onto the ground. "G.U.N murdered them," Espio repeated. "And this isn't just about revenge, the entire world is in danger."

It took nearly an hour for Espio to explain everything. Mighty constantly interrupted him with questions, forcing him to double back and re-explain bits of the story. By the time it was done, the sun was setting outside. Mighty sat on the ground with his arms wrapped around his knees. Espio had let him think quietly for a time, but he knew he would have to force the issue eventually.

"Well, what's your answer? Will you help me?"

"I…I don't know. There's…"

"The longer we delay the more times G.U.N will get to fire the Eclipse Canon. We need to stop them now."

Mighty sighed and looked towards the tent's entrance. "I formed this company because I wanted to help people. I'm sick of fighting…of secrets."

"You can't help people from here," Espio insisted. "This is a waste of your time. You're strong, nearly as strong as Vec and you're fast. These humans fear what you can do. What's the point of all those abilities if you just sit here?"

"There are other ways to help! Not everything has to be solved by fighting."

"Some things can only be solved that way," Espio growled.

"Why not take what you know to the press? Convince more people?"

"What will that do? Even if we tried it would be our word against the governments. We don't have time to waste. G.U.N has to be stopped with force, whatever means necessary."

Mighty jumped to his feet. "That's what you were always saying, you and Vec. It didn't matter what the laws were, you all had to solve your little cases no matter what. What's someone's privacy worth, or their rights, you just had to win."

A kunai slid into Espio's hand. His chest burned with an unyielding rage. "They killed Vector and Charmy," He hissed.

"So we should kill them back? Where does it end? There are other ways."

"Coward," Espio breathed the word as if he were exhaling venom. "You haven't changed at all. You wanted to be a little hero but you backed out as soon as things-"

Mighty's speed was always underestimated. The hit sent Espio flying across the room. He landed gracefully and responded with a flurry of exploding kunai. Black smoke covered the air and Espio became invisible. "Call me that again!" Mighty roared. His fists were raised and his eyes were red with fury.

Espio stayed low to the ground and out of sight. "If you had done like we told you to, the girl wouldn't have died. It wasn't us that failed, it was you."

"Argh!" Mighty rolled himself into a ball and bounced on the ground. The force of the impact caused a small tremor that launched Espio into the air. Mighty caught a glimpse of his translucent skin and charged. Espio countered with a kick that bounced uselessly off of Mighty's armored back. He was forced to absorb the tackle and squirm away just as they hit the ground.

"You always acted so tough!" Mighty bellowed. "Stop hiding and face me!"

"You need to stop hiding from the past and accept what happened." Espio whispered from behind Mighty. The armadillo swung widely, but Espio had vanished. "You can play the good samaritan all you want, that won't change the past."

Mighty scanned the room, but Espio was completely invisible in the corner. "You think you can just come back here after all this time and demand my help?"

"Sooner or later you'll have to face reality. The entire world is at stake and there isn't anybody else that can save it."

Mighty headed towards Espio's voice. "I don't remember Team Chaotix being in the business of saving the world. There isn't a lot of profit in that game. You and Vec never cared about protecting people. You and your one man vendetta against the world and Vec wanting to make us all rich. You're no hero." Mighty paused as he still couldn't find Espio. "You both were terrible influences on Charmy. He would've come with me if he hadn't been so desperate to earn your approval. Look where that got him."

"Shut up!" Espio exploded out of hiding and lunged. Mighty had expected that and easily countered. He seized hold of Espio and effortlessly threw him out of the tent. Espio soared outside and just managed to avoid injury by rolling back onto his feet. He had forgotten how stupendously strong Mighty was. That only enraged Espio further. "I shouldn't have come," Espio snarled as Mighty walked out of the tent. "You won't help. You only wanted to play a detective as long as things never got too dark. Let me be the one to remind you. The world is dark and if you don't have the stomach to face it then go back to your fantasies."

Mighty popped his knuckles and got into a boxer's stance. "I'm not afraid of you Espio." The two charged headfirst at one another.

"MIGHTY!" They both froze and looked up. A yellow squirrel was descending towards them. Its arms were outstretched and it was using an excess layer of skin to glide along the wind. The squirrel landed beside Mighty and grabbed his arm. "You have to come quick! We found more villagers but they're trapped."

Mighty continued to glare at Espio. After weighing his options he exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry I can't help you Espio. My place is here." The yellow squirrel took flight again and Mighty followed on foot.

Espio was left to watch them go. The adrenaline and rage that had been burning inside him a second ago faded away. Suddenly, his whole mission felt laughable. What chance did he stand against the most powerful of the human governments? Mighty had been right about one thing, Espio was no hero. He wasn't a leader like Vector nor could he inspire like Sonic. His talents kept him in the shadows, that's where he belonged.

"Is this all you can do? You're Espio, our resident ninja and ace-in-the-hole." Vector's voice cut through the fog of doubt. "Do it for us, for Team Chaotix." Charmy added. Espio closed his eyes and tried to flee from the memory of his friends but they pursued him. He knew what they would say, how they would feel if they could see Espio now. I can't…I cant' give up. Even if he didn't believe the mission, Espio could still try. He could fight until he was reunited with his team.

Espio would not relent until he had done his absolute best to try and convince Mighty. If he failed, then he would continue the fight alone if need be. He tracked Mighty down to a village located in the forest near the Dragon Road. The Eclipse Canon had not eviscerated the location entirely, instead the force of the blast itself did most of the damage. Most of the homes were knocked down.

There was a large group gathered near what appeared to have been the village temple. It was the only building made of stone. The roof had collapsed and from what Espio could gather the people had been in the middle of a ceremony when it caved in.

A white haired monkey was ushering the people away from the sight. "Back up please. We need to assess the damage."

"Damage? There are still villagers inside!"

Espio could indeed hear groaning and faint rumbling from beneath the collapsed stone. "That roof weighs almost a ton. We need to bring building tools here but there are no roads through the village. This will take time." The monkey held up his arms and Espio spotted an i.d badge that identified him as a member of Chun-nan's foreign affairs agency.

"I'll help them," Mighty strode towards the fallen temple and placed his hands underneath the stone.

"That is appreciated but no one can-"

The monkey's words failed as Mighty started lifting up the roof. Mighty raised the roof over his head and braced it on his shell. Immediately, everyone rushed forward and started pulling people out of the gap Mighty had created. "There are more here!" Mighty shouted.

Espio looked closer and saw that there was an attic to the temple. Dozens of people were crawling out of it, reaching for help. Espio quickly raced over to Mighty's side and attempted to take some of the weight. It made little difference. "You can't hold this on your own," Espio said.

Mighty's knees were already shaking badly. "Not until they're all out." Espio abandoned his efforts to hold the weight and instead slid through the gap.

"Higari." Espio's fireball allowed him to see. Dozens of villagers were rushing towards the gap. Many more had not been so fortunate. Dark mounds littered the temple floor. Espio helped those that were too wounded or old to pull themselves out of the gap. However, the extraction was still taking too long. Espio looked back and saw long cracks spreading down Mighty's back.

"Let go!" Espio shouted. "You'll be crushed!"

"Not yet…"

More and more came out of the temple. One suddenly grabbed Espio by the arm. It was a red panda with grayed out eyes. "Children…below…can't…" Espio understood at once. He sprang towards the attic and descended into the earth below. His fireball lit his way illuminating a small storage cavern. Cries echoed from the far wall.

When Espio arrived he found a furry faced monkey sitting on a broken chair weeping into her hands. The cries were coming from beyond the wall. When the monkey saw Espio she fell to her knees. She pointed at the wall and cried out in a foreign language. Espio tried to puzzle out her meaning. From what he could tell, the children were separated into another room and were stuck. Their tiny fists were beating against the stone.

Espio kicked with all his might but the stone was undamaged. Panic shot through him as he tried to decide what to do. There's no time. Espio placed his hands on the stone and closed his eyes. He focused his ki and felt the energy bubble in his stomach. It would take almost everything he had, but it was his only option. "Shiro!" An inferno seemed to swell inside Espio and then expand outward. The stone was blasted away.

Espio swayed and his vision blurred. The last thing he saw was a child stepping out of the breach.

"Maybe I was wrong about you." Espio woke to a canvas of brilliant stars. For a second he felt oddly comfortable before a wave of fatigue stole over him. He let out a small gasp of pain as all the muscles in his body seemed to cramp at once.

"Is he going to be okay?" The yellow squirrel leaned over Espio looking concerned.

"He'll be fine. It will take more than that to kill this ninja," Mighty answered.

Espio rolled up into a sitting position. It was the dead of night and they were sitting alone in the heart of the forest. "Wha…what happened?"

"You passed out breaking down a wall. The woman picked you up and brought you out. You saved all those children's lives." Mighty didn't look much better than how Espio felt. His face was dirty and there were cracks all over his shell.

"You nearly got yourself killed," Espio grumbled.

"So did you. Like I said, maybe I was wrong about you. Perhaps you're a hero after all."

Espio sighed. "What does it matter?"

Mighty shared a glance with his friend then turned back to Espio. "Listen…about before…I'm sorry about all that." Espio grunted. Mighty ignored Espio's refusal to reciprocate and continued. "Me and Ray have been talking. If G.U.N is really responsible for all this…then we want to help stop them."

"We?" Espio eyed Ray suspiciously. The squirrel looked to be about as young as Charmy.

"We," Mighty said firmly. "He may be young but Ray is no pushover. He wants to help."

"This isn't a game. Vector and Charmy died, we probably will too."

"We won't. Not if we work together.G.U.N took you by surprise, things are different now. We want to help you stop them, and we plan on winning." Mighty held out his hand. "Whatddya say, captain?"