Come dinner, Tails kept his word, returning to the surface to feast upon Maira's delicacies. He gave the children a hug before joining them at the table.

"Glad you could join us," their mother teased. Tails could see it in her eyes. His small act of kindness had changed her entire point of view.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Savage told me what happened. Sounds like you had quite the eventful day."

"Yeah. My session with Samuel went surprisingly smooth."

"Did you learn something?"

"Yeah. My subconscious created a genetically-engineered superbeing. Soon I'll be able to make her real."

"A girl," Maira smirked, "What's her name?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm partial to Jade."

"I think that's lovely. It means precious stone, doesn't it? Fitting if she's supposed to be strong."

"I agree. I think that's what I'll go with."

"How old is she?"

"If we're following Samuel's logic, she's a manifestation of my romantic desires, but if I make her older, she could be significantly stronger. It's a battle between selfishness and righteousness. I'm not sure what I should do..."

"It's okay to be a little selfish sometimes."

"If she's not strong enough, I'd be risking putting others in danger. I couldn't live with the guilt if someone got hurt because I was too focused on what I wanted."

"But if you make her younger, you could grow stronger together - even more so than her natural strength."

"That's...Actually a reasonable argument. I'm impressed."

"You're stronger together regardless of how she's designed, so why not do things your way and see how they play out?"

"You know what? I like the way you think. I'll do it."

"No more feeling guilty, okay? It won't do you any good."

"Thanks. I think I see more clearly now."

Upon obtaining a sample from Savage, Tails prepared the mitotic rejuvenation chamber. The process worked similarly to a surgical transfusion, incising into the hedgehog's abdomen to remove the dead tissue. The new organs were transplanted, cauterizing the flesh together using live cells for support. Savage was asleep during the procedure. He didn't feel a thing.

"How do you feel?"

"Stomach's a little sore, but other than that I'm okay."

"It's the sting of the cauterization. It'll heal in a few days. Try taking the mask off."

Savage obliged, removing the tank in hopes of recovery.

"I can breathe...!"

"How's it feel being back to normal?"

Savage chuckled, tears streaming down his face. It'd been so long since he smelled fresh air. The sense of joy was overwhelming.

"You and Sonic have a lot in common. You're both saps."

"Shut up."

Savage wiped his eyes, stretching his muscles to get accustomed to his new body.

"I think I'm gonna go out for some air. I'll be back soon."

"Don't overdo it. The flesh is still delicate. It'll tear under enough pressure. I'll monitor your vitals until you've recovered. From there, we can focus on Eggman."

"Got it."

Outside, Savage gazed up at the night sky. He wondered how the others were doing, though he couldn't remember their faces. He looked down at the mask.

"How long has it been since I could breathe...?"

Making his mind up, he crushed the apparatus, scattering its contents to the wind.

"Get ready, egghead. I'm comin' for ya."

Tails invited Sonic to meet their new companions. He was surprised to find another hedgehog like himself and Shadow. Savage couldn't use chaos energy, but he was strong in his own right.

"Seems like you've been busy. Guess Eggman's up to his old tricks again. Once you're all healed up, we'll infiltrate the old geezer's base."

"Tails told me why you let him live. I maintain that was a mistake."

"I've come close a couple times. Very rarely does he push me too far. Most of the time, it's on accident. He's really a scared old man. We have to show mercy. If we didn't, we'd be no better than him."

"How far is too far? What would you do if he killed one of your friends?"

"I'd still have the others. If he killed all of them...Then I'd snap..."

"So you're using them as a crutch to fight your own murderous impulses?"

"Every hero has a flaw. That's mine."

"Savage," Maira reprimanded, "You know that's not fair. Sonic and Tails spent years trying to do the right thing. They went with the best of all bad options. Taking a life crosses boundaries most never recover from. You've killed robots, but have you ever killed a person?"

Savage sighed.

"No..."

"See? You make it sound easy, but nothing could be harder. Killing should only be a last resort. They see his humanity. They know he can change. Your village isn't the only home he's destroyed."

"You're right...I just...I guess I never thought of it that way..."

"Tails is designing Jade for all of us: so we don't have to be scared or make those hard decisions anymore."

"Jade?" Sonic questioned.

"It's what Samuel told me," Tails explained, "That girl in my dreams. I sketched out the blueprints this morning."

"You're actually gonna make her?"

"Yeah. I know it sounds weird, but...I'd feel safer having her around, ya know...?"

"I think so, but you know she might not love you, right? You can't force someone to feel things they don't. Tampering with people's emotions would be just as bad as anything Eggman's done - maybe worse."

"You're right. I can't force her to love me, but I can try to win her over. If that doesn't work, so be it. At least I'll know I did the right thing."

"At least show me what you've got. I wanna know what I'm up against."

"Your call."

Tails led the others down to the basement. On his desk lay a sketch pad, detailing everything from Jade's muscular structure to her cognitive abilities.

"I wanted her to be a little older. She's around Amy's age."

"Sixteen, huh," Sonic noted, "She looks a lot like Maria from Dragon of Grace."

"She didn't in the dreams. I added it today. I want her to be more mature - someone you'd expect to be a skilled fighter."

"How long do you think she'll take to develop?"

"No idea. It could take days, weeks, months...Or years...She may even age with me as we go through the process..."

"Someone to grow alongside you..."

Sonic discovered a side to his brother he never knew before - someone lonely...Someone sad...

"I understand now, Tails. She's really important to you, isn't she...?"

"Yeah..."

The hedgehog placed a palm on his brother's shoulder.

"Then I'll be waiting - waiting for the day she wakes up, and when she does, we'll all grow together."

Tails smiled, nodding in agreement. A new chapter in their lives had begun - one which would rocket them well beyond their years. Jade would be the force which unified everything. It was only a matter of time now...