Taking up the Mantle

by Rinpoo

Much has changed in the past decade since the defeat of Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn. Robotnik's absolute power and cruelty are left unchallenged as the war escalates to greater heights. Can the youth of Knothole change the fate handed to them, or will they fall victim to this vile, decadent world of brutal tyranny?

22. In Search of Sonic

Authors Note. This chapter is the culmination of everything I have waited for and as such. It is filled with ideas and emotions that I was almost too afraid to share.

I will leave you to feel what you want to, and not say sorry for what I have done to characters, even if I really want to….

Trigger Warning: This chapter pushes teen-rated brutality and themes to the absolute limit. So much so that I was at times afraid to be hated for publishing its contents due to my nonexistent self-esteem.

A few times, I considered changing the rating of the entire story to "M" based on this one chapter, but the descriptions of things within are enough that I deem it suitable for 17 under.

In the end, I hope you have fun, and the catharsis I feel from the payoff of a month of painful effort is indeed my reward.

I love all my readers for their vocal support, even those that took the silent effort to read this far.

Legal Trash. Sonic and everybody else is copyright SEGA/Archie comics. Except for Max, Annie, and Sonia. I created them in my rattled brain; if you like my OC's, use them and let me know. It'll be fun; we will have tea.

In Search of Sonic

The dazzling lights and temporary blindness of cross-universal transportation were short-lived, and when it had worn off from Max, he was left with a sense of inspirational awe.

Honestly, the world was wild to behold, and the dying star before him obfuscated by the green mist of morning was more shocking to the senses than was the transport.

The rain and winds were somewhat harsh, and the excess heat made his layers of clothes uncomfortable, but mentally, he felt ready for everything to come.

Nicole stood there, and her artificial eyes were bright at the beginning of the morning. Pretty to Max even… Still, his exploration of forbidden and newfound infatuation was contested by shyness and self-shame.

"…"

Sonia slid her shoe across the crimson mud, then flung some of it up and watched it plop on top of one of the many robot parts scattered through the area.

"Gross…"

Nicole eyed her when she spoke, then surveyed the area and could quickly articulate things that were not overtly obvious to her companions.

"These parts are mostly from experimental war-machines… I can tell by the level of reinforced armor and the plethora of odd weapon types scattered about."

Max looked at her and then at Sonia. "So… Worse than the robots I now have an even playing field against?"

Nicole shook her head in response and moved next to Sonia. "It is difficult to say, but given the alien nature of much of it, I would say most likely…."

Sonia looked up at Nicole and smiled brightly. "Hey, that won't be a prob. We have you; we can just grab dad and go."

Max observed Nicole and could see the intricacies of her expression. Going from surprise to outright gratitude. He then watched as Nicole put out her fist to Sonia, who smashed it with her own.

"Let's do it, to it." They said, nearly in unison.

The friendly nature between the two struck Max as sweet, and he was highly approving of it, even if he wouldn't say so.

Max stepped forward and still felt quite woozy. He was surprised that it had continued on through to now. He lifted his glove to reveal that the light was still set on yellow, and when Nicole saw it, she seemed concerned.

"Max…. Have you even eaten today?"

Max shook his head, which prompted Nicole to immediately grab onto Sonia's backpack and dig through it until she pulled out some apples.

"You need to eat to keep your energy up. You will quickly find yourself in a dire situation if you don't."

Max walked over and took the apples from Nicole, and without protest, he began to devour them. He appreciated her concern and was ultimately thankful that Sonia had brought so much to consume.

After he finished, he tossed the stem and core of the two apples to the ground, and as time went on, he began to feel more energized.

Eventually, the light slowly went back to cyan, and it was clear to him how overeating might be necessary for him from now on.

"Weird shit, bro, but I guess I will be seeing some crazy stuff out of you if things go bad, eh?" Sonia remarked about the changes to his arm.

Max eyed her and then smiled a bit. "You don't know the half of it."

Sonia stretched her hands up and put them behind her medium-length quills. "So, where to first…? I promised to listen to you, so at least give an order… Sheesh."

Max looked at Nicole, who pressed a button on the device strapped to her wrist. With a few more presses and beeps, the screen shot on, but unlike what she anticipated, something weird had occurred.

Seeing her surprise, Max wasted no time asking her about it. "What's up?"

Nicole looked at him and then showed him the screen with multiple dots at varying distances. "I… This seems illogical. This is set to track the live biological markers of Mobian animals… It is reading multiples, at least 8 in the distance to the east and 4 a few miles away from here to the north."

Max walked over and looked at it himself when one of the dots altogether ceased to appear. He gathered what it might mean. "It seems one of them is gone… I assume when something ceases living, it no longer shows up?"

After brief thought, Nicole responded. "I would say as much, but I am uncertain who all of these Mobian signals might belong to and if such a number might require sacrificing them for our objective."

Sonia seemed uncertain, but Max merely nodded. "Fine, we leave any we don't immediately come across… It is unfortunate, but only one person on this planet matters at this point."

After Max's statement, Sonia rubbed her arm, it felt uncharacteristically cold of him, but ultimately, she decided not to repeat her mistakes that day in Robotropolis and listen to authority.

Nicole moved her mouth close to the device and began to speak. "Snively… Can you read me… We see multiple bio signals from Mobians on the planet…."

After a few seconds, they heard static, and then Snively's voice came through in a distorted fashion. "Yes… I had anticipated such… While I was not privy… what Robotnik had been… for many years, I expected… played with more than just Sonic in that…."

After pausing and some tool sounds through the tiny speaker, Snively spoke again. "I recommend caution… as you go and pick up more bio-signals in range… I…"

In frustration, Nicole checked the side of the device and spoke loudly into it. "Hello!?"

Max looked at the device and saw that 4 of the 8 dots had moved closer together, while the 3 of the 4 still seemed to be in the same area.

"Which one do we set course to?" Nicole asked Max, letting him call the shots.

After Max looked in both directions, he pointed toward where the 8 were located. "If my father is here, there is a good chance he has made a group. If that is the case, we should save as many as possible at once."

Sonia smiled, liking the sound of that. Max walked in front of the two and looked back at them. "Stay close, and watch Nicole…." Max pointed at Sonia. "Without her or that device, we are in extreme danger."

Nicole seemed somewhat shy, and her gaze became avoidant, while Sonia nodded affirmatively. "Right, I got this…."

With basic plans set, the three began their trek through the mechanical wasteland, uncertain of who or what they would come into contact with.

…

…

…

BOOM!

The crash of thunder jolted Tails awake from his deep slumber, and despite its sudden abruptness, he remained unmoving in the same spot.

Lying on his back and staring upwards, water freely splashed onto his face from the treetops in the heavy rain.

He was dazed and confused, uncertain exactly how long he had been asleep, but eventually forced himself up with a painful grunt.

"Ugh…" Tails uttered and glanced around the immediate area.

He saw Severa slumbering, huddled up under a tree despite the noise and rain. The fire in front of him had long since been doused, but he assumed that much had been gotten out of it by this point.

Tails' injured hand was throbbing, and his scratched-up arm was stinging, but he felt thankful to still be in one solid piece after the attack of the vicious plant.

With his uninjured hand, he wiped his sopping face, ensuring to avoid his broken nose, and sat there, allowing his now rested but aching body to wake up. His mind slowly recalling the events of the previous night.

"…"

Tails was left perplexed by his behavior regarding Seth, and it struck him as odd that he so vividly recalled his dear Aunt Sally at such a time.

Her presence seemed to be lingering on his mind more than ever recently, but the reasons as to why eluded him.

"…"

As his thoughts caught up with his wakefulness, it dawned on him that Seth was nowhere to be seen. With a quick glance, he concluded it was odd for him not to be there.

Someone so dutiful abandoning their post was downright nonsensical to him….

With his mind made up, Tails lifted himself to his feet and grabbed hold of the makeshift flamethrower lying against the muddy ground. He took a few steps to the center of the clearing and made a semi-loud call.

"Seth!?"

"…"

When there was no response, he wandered away from Severa and into the trees. His eyes glanced everywhere for not only Seth but any sort of strange creature that might inhabit this area.

"…"

The thick green atmospheric mist hung low to the ground creating an eerie and haunting fog that seemed straight out of a creepy novel.

It was difficult to see, and as Tails moved forward into the unknown, he was abruptly stopped by a fierce grabbing of his mouth.

"!"

Pulled backward but unable to yell, his eyes darted around as he rested against the warm body of his captor. After a moment of rest, he heard someone make a noise in his ear.

"Shhhh…."

Tails looked out of his peripheral vision and saw parts of Seth's face. At first, he wondered if he'd been betrayed, but as Seth held his hand over his maw, he heard his delicate whispering.

"There… Do you see it…?"

Tails' eyes darted about and settled on the misty area in front of him. He felt utterly confused and squinted his eyes as if simply trying to acknowledge what Seth was speaking of to be free.

Seth moved Tails' head with his hand and steadied it, after which he used his other hand to point.

Tails didn't see anything at first, but after some time staring, he made out what looked like a moving figure in the distance.

Its form hidden by fog and possibly long rags of some sort. It seemed to be going about its business. As Tails looked harder, he could see that it looked no bigger than a Mobian…

It could be a robot, but even that struck him as odd…

Tails felt Seth remove his hand, and then he heard him speak softly.

"That… It has been looking around here… I don't know what it saw, but it didn't attack…."

Tails considered the scenario briefly and then responded to Seth in his own hushed tone.

"It looks Mobian in height and size…."

He could see Seth nod out of the corner of his eye, and then he heard him whisper again.

"Yeah… That's why I don't trust it… I don't know about you, but I say we follow it…."

"…"

As Tails considered the positives and negatives, he watched the dark figure disappear into the fog. It was unnerving, but he decided it best to be aware in the end.

"Alright… We wake Severa and then head in that direction…."

With quiet agreement from Seth, the two backtracked to their original resting area.

Everything was as they left it, but the weather and the rolling fog made things feel isolated and distorted.

Tails moved over to Severa and gently rocked her with his boot. It took a moment or two for her to open her eyes, but she quickly sat up and looked at her companions once she did.

"Hm…?" She made a noise without opening her beak.

"Time to get a move on… We saw something suspicious…." Tails informed her.

Her expression became worried, but Seth shook his head. "It is probably not too much of a threat. We think it might actually be a lost Mobian, like us…."

Severa seemed doubtful, but Tails spoke before she could even try. "If it is… Then they likely know ways to get food and water outside of Robotnik, given they look like they've made themselves comfortable here."

Eventually, their speaking convinced Severa to stand, and it was apparent she was starving like the other two.

Food, water… It was desperately needed and given there was no reward for burning the alien monstrosity, it seemed that fighting machines was the only way to "win a prize."

"…"

With everyone huddled together and what little they had gathered. They slowly began to make their way into the green mist.

As they marched between the claustrophobic trees, Tails looked over at Seth, who limped at a steady pace.

"We go until nightfall, then we rest again…." Tails said.

Seth eyed him but then nodded. Even without water, he was exhausted, so resting that night was necessary.

Severa was unnerved even with them there, and the atmosphere seemed to compound that feeling. Unlike the previous day, the fog was so thick that seeing even feet in front of them was difficult.

To reduce the risk of ambush, Tails, and Seth monitored their sides, with Severa looking around the back. They were so close that it would be difficult to surprise them without alerting everybody.

They kept this up for more than twenty minutes until, at some point, the trees opened up into another clearing. This one, however, was far less welcoming than the previous one.

Even with the low-hanging fog to cloud their vision, there appeared to be moderate blood spattering on the ground. Tails moved in slowly, and Severa hid behind Seth to gawk.

The low thunder cracking rumbled, after which flashes lit up the mist, disorienting everyone for a moment.

Tails placed his weapon on the ground and used his finger to touch the blood. It seemed to be somewhat fresh, and the smears leading onward indicated that whatever had been attacked had been dragged.

Tails stood up and then glanced at his companions. Seth took the opportunity to speak in a low tone.

"What is it…? Do you think it is from the thing we were tailing?"

Tails shook his head "no" and began to walk along the smeared blood. After a few steps, he paused and waited for the other two to reach him.

Now that they were close enough, they could make out what appeared to be a body. Only it was a body without a head attached.

Severa trembled, and Seth immediately pointed at the corpse. "That was a soldier in my entourage… I can tell by the crest on the torn tunic… I… Without the head, it is difficult to tell who exactly she was."

Tails examined the body closely, and his eyes went along the ground, after which he stood up and squinted, trying to get some kind of look at the treetops.

"What is it? Another one of those goddamn plants?" Seth asked.

Tails shook his head. "No… This was hacked at… Like, with a blade…."

Seth quietly thought and then shook his head. "To hell with whatever we followed then. There might be more of my soldiers here."

Tails retrieved his weapon and smashed the button to ignite the fuel canister. "It is booby trapped… There is a thin line hidden in the mist, though I cannot see too far, so I don't know what it activates."

Seth limped next to his slain comrade, and with enough scrutiny, he could see a barely visible thread. After he saw it, he looked at the body, and another thought struck him.

"There isn't enough blood…." He said aloud.

Tails looked at him perplexed, but then he glanced around at the minimal mess. If she had been decapitated here, there would be so much more.

Now the fear was sinking in, and every ambient noise of the forest made his heart jump.

Seth pulled the makeshift crossbow from his side and unlatched the primitive locking mechanism on it. Now that nobody was talking, Tails eventually broke the silence with his fearful thoughts.

"This is intentional…."

Both Severa and Seth looked at him, and he looked around the eerie area choked in mist. "Something intelligent left the body there, as well. They set that trap to likely kill the unwary or distraught that inspect it."

"I… want… to turn back…." Severa eked out through her pain.

Seth shook his head and turned his back on the two of them. "If my soldiers… If Illa is here… I won't leave them…."

Illa had been critically wounded, but given Robotnik's penchant for cruelty, that didn't mean she wasn't here.

"…" Tails knew it was stupid to go on, but Seth was adamant about it.

With a glance back, Seth spoke to the two. "Just stay here and let me, scout… If I spot danger or am in trouble. I'll yell to you as a warning."

Tails felt that was reasonable at the least and nodded. Severa was looking around anxiously but eventually gave a meek nod to Seth's proposal.

With care, Seth maneuvered his way past the body and evaded the tripwire placed near it. Within mere seconds his form had vanished entirely, and Tails was left with Severa.

The silence of the area was growing ever louder, and the ambient sound of rain would cause Tails to hastily look about. It was like that day in the forest when he'd met Cream, but far worse…

Severa seemed unwilling to sit still and fidgeted around with her wings while she waited for Seth to return. Eventually, she began pacing, which caused Tails to become further stressed.

"Can you stop making so much noise?" He chastised her irritably.

Severa stopped, and just as she was about to apologize, a loud, spontaneous yell of surprise echoed into the fog.

It was a scream of sheer unexpected terror that drew Tails and Severa's eyes in the direction Seth had wandered off into.

Severa was losing her nerve and backed away from Tails.

"Severa… Calm down… Seth might have just been spooked by something…." Tails tried to convince her as much as himself, but ultimately, she kept backing away.

When the sound of a snapping twig distracted Tails enough to turn his head. Severa made a panicked sprint in an attempt to escape perceived danger.

Tails made a grab for her but missed her body with his arm. "Severa, don't!"

He started to get ready to run after, but when he heard the sounds of boots slapping against mud, he stopped. "Seth… You scared the fuck out of us. Now Severa has run off!"

"We have to g…." He began but stopped when he turned to face the person a bit away from him.

"…"

Tails was confronted with the person they'd been tailing, only now that he was close to see them clearly, he'd wished they hadn't done so.

It was a Mobian figure, but it was carrying a long blood-stained blade. Its body was adorned with patched-together skin and fur from what looked to be multiple different Mobians…. Its entire head was concealed by cobbled-together fur that was fashioned to look like some sort of wolf.

Tails held up his flamethrower as the figure stared at him without making a sound. This grotesque creature smelled overwhelmingly of death, even to a clogged nose. Given what it wore on itself, it was clear why it was here before him.

"What in the hell are you?" Tails uttered, trying to wrap his mind around the threat. What surprised him, though, was that it actually answered back in distinct Mobian dialect.

"I am lost…." It answered in barely a whisper, its voice an amalgamation of technology and masculine vocal acuity.

Tails was unnerved, but he held his position, theorizing that it possibly wore some type of communicator to give it that pitch.

"Well, why don't you stay lost and get the hell away from me." He threatened, raising the end of the weapon to the foe.

The creature stared, and it was now that Tails realized in the dark recesses of the eye holes, its eyes were lit red, like some sort of evil abomination.

The creature moved its free hand, hidden behind blood-stained fur, and pulled out what appeared to be a glass jar or case filled with brownish liquid.

Tails immediately recognized what it was, and the second it left the creature's hand, Tails leaped to the side while he held up the flamethrower sideways to block it.

When it crashed against it, acid splashed everywhere and began to slowly eat through the weapon's alloy.

"Ahhh!" Tails screeched, having gotten some on himself, but blocked the majority intended for his face and body.

He quickly dropped his weapon so as not to burn his hand and backed away from the now approaching creature, burning and smoldering splashes eating away at parts of his fur.

Tails was scared, and he glanced about frantically. He now had to consider the risk of flying with zero visibility. It could end badly for him, but he felt he was near certain doom at this point.

The creature sloppily swung its blade at him, but Tails leaped back. He gritted his teeth from the burning sensations that dotted the skin beneath his fur.

Tails began to ready himself to fly. He would rather risk breaking his neck or crashing than the grisly fate that surely awaited him here.

As he readied his tails, he was grabbed roughly from the back and held against someone's chest. It was oddly cool against his back, and then a sharp blade was placed against his throat.

"Please, calm yourself…." He heard the same amalgamation of technology and Mobian tone. However, unlike the other one, this one was as eerily polite as distinctly feminine.

"…"

Tails' heart was throbbing as the wolf stood before him, scrutinizing him. When he looked out of the corner of his eye, he could see the same raggedy patchwork of cobbled-together Mobian fur and skin. Though, the animal's head was stitched together to resemble a deer.

"Ah… You… You don't want to do this." Tails lost his nerve. Of all the terrible things he'd come across, this was the most horrifying to him because of the implication it sent.

The wolf cocked its head to the side, and then the deer spoke in a threateningly low tone made all the creepier by her mannerisms.

"Call out to them, dear…."

Tails was confused at first, but when the deer dragged the blade against the side of his neck, releasing a bit of his blood, he realized that cutting his throat would be effortless for them.

"I… Why…?" He choked out, at least trying to buy time for Severa to get further.

The deer had little emotion, and she roughly jammed the dagger partially into his left shoulder when he didn't fulfill her request—causing him to scream out in pain.

"Ahhh!"

The wolf moved closer to Tails and spoke as the deer ripped the knife from him. "This can be painless for you, or it can be drawn out… Call to your friends…."

"Friends…"

At this point, Tails realized that Seth likely had not been dealt with and that they had slipped up, giving away that information. As violent as they appeared to be, they were clearly not combat-trained or as logical as a robot.

"I…" Tails began hesitantly, and he screamed when he saw the wolf lift his blade as if ready to start hacking at his leg.

"SETH! SEVERA! HELP ME!"

The two waited, and the wolf lowered his makeshift sword. "See… that wasn't so hard… Was it?"

Tails struggled slightly against the deer, and she seemed unempathetic to all around her in this situation.

After a few moments, Tails eventually got the nerve to speak, even if he didn't know the consequences of doing so. "I… really… who are you…? Are you Mobian?"

The wolf looked at him curiously and then responded to him. "We are the lost… That is all we can ever be."

Tails struggled to understand, but given the creature's responses and speech. It was easy to see it at least had Mobian-level intelligence.

The deer spoke to Tails from behind and then pushed him forward forcefully. "You shall be taken back… your blood shall suffice for the time being."

"Ah!" Tails yelped as he hit the ground from the hard push, after that, he rolled over to look up at the deer fully for the first time.

She looked just as patchwork and horrific as the wolf, and she donned what looked to be the tattered remnants of a ruined Mobian dress. Its color faded and destroyed by dirt, the elements, and gore.

When nothing more was said, the deer moved forward and, with one hand, grabbed Tails by the throat. Effortlessly, she lifted him with it, and with a strong toss, he was thrown over the tripwire.

"Oof!" Tails grunted as he slammed into the ground.

Her strength was surprising and surreal, but ultimately Tails was positive she had to be like Bunnie and be partially roboticized.

When he turned to look again, he was abruptly grabbed by the arm and dragged mercilessly across the ground by the deer.

While being pulled away painfully, he could see the wolf following, then out of the corner of his eye, he caught the third member of their group passing him.

Its head was fashioned into that of a cat and carrying what appeared to be a brutal-looking ax in one hand and a ramshackle wooden bucket in the other.

Tails struggled, but it elicited no reaction from the two with him. As he watched the cat disappear into the fog, it became clear that it intended to hunt Seth and Severa.

"…"

…

…

…

…

Nicole examined the locater on her wrist, and with the heavy fog, rain, and long walk, she felt a slight loss of hope.

Two of the 8 dots disappeared from the radar, leaving 6, and it occurred to her that it might be some sort of battle. Even as they drew close to the vicinity, she wondered if those among the deceased were who they were looking for.

Sonia seemed relatively ignorant of that fact and was more so trying to act as if she weren't scared of the low visibility and terrible weather.

Max, on the other hand… He had kept looking over at her… She had noticed every time, and while it made her feel strange in a peculiar way, it wasn't necessarily disliked.

She logically assumed that he was having the same thoughts as her and presented the locater to him to have his own look.

Max seemed concerned but tried to maintain a collected composure. He had lost so much, and the closer they drew to their possible goal, the more anxious he became.

"Bro… This sucks ass… Are we there yet, or what?" Sonia began whining.

Max looked at her, and he lacked the energy to chastise her language, or really, her attitude at the moment.

"Sonia… be thankful nothing has happened, and hope we can get dad quickly and leave this place forever."

"Sheesh…" Sonia grumbled and kicked a random robot part that lay atop the ground.

When she did so, it landed on top of a scrap metal sheet with a loud bang.

Max angrily glared at her, and all she could do in response was shrug and cast her gaze towards the ground. Nicole watched the two, and then, after a moment, she spoke up.

"Do you hear that?"

"…"

Max and Sonia listened, but with the pouring rain and occasional thunder, they lacked the sensitive hearing that Nicole possessed.

Nicole stood still, but there was nothing in sight because the fog was so thick.

After a few moments, the sound of a heavy slamming could be heard a short distance away. Audible enough now that even Max and Sonia heard it.

With their attention set on the direction, the two could feel a strange vibration beneath their feet, followed by an incredibly louder slam than before.

"What is that, Bro?" Sonia asked, her voice slightly elevated.

Max placed his hand onto the hilt of his energy blade and readied himself. "I don't know, but we're about to find out…."

SLAM!

The heavy vibrations of the deafening bang were enough to make even Nicole jostle about.

"Ah!" She cried out as she grabbed hold of Max for support.

The bombastic sounds of machinery were now thunderous, indicating that whatever was approaching was both considerable in size and aware of their location.

The hydraulic noises began again, and as a shape came into view, Max quickly grabbed Sonia by the arm and pulled her behind himself and Nicole.

SLAMMMMM!

The three shook violently as a giant metal "foot" crashed down mere feet from them. Max's eyes traveled up the machine's long digi-legs, stopping at the end of the pod-shaped body.

Steam erupted out from the front vent with a hiss, and several advanced heavy weapons were attached to its outer chasse. The three stood in frightened awe, and then the barrel of one of the minor side canons began to gather energy.

Before anyone could even move, a loud blast erupted from it and straight towards its targets.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted, which caused Sonia to shut her eyes and let out a wail of terror, but when nothing happened, she quickly opened them to see Max holding the palm of his hand to the wandering weapon and an energy shield blocking the front of them.

The ground and things before them were wholly obliterated, but it lacked the power to penetrate the shield.

Max turned off the barrier and grabbed hold of the energy hilt, causing the blade to erupt from it, after which he tossed it to his right hand and readied himself for combat.

Sonia was impressed but could see this was serious, and rather than gawk, she backed away slightly. "Bro, I can distract it if you wanna' cut it to ribbons with that thing."

Max didn't take his eyes off the battle-mech, and it raised its foot again. The sounds of hydraulics filled the area until it predictably brought its foot down to crush Max.

Sonia leaped to the side as Max rolled out of the way until he went full circle and wound up back onto his feet.

"Ah!"

Nicole was barely missed by the several thousand-ton foot and seemed to not have the same survival instincts as the other two.

Max yelled at her angrily. The sound of fear in his voice was unmistakable. "Nicole! What the fuck are you doing!? Get the hell away!"

Nicole listened and began to sprint away from the gigantic machine, though it seemed disinterested in her compared to the other two.

It moved its body and saw Max out of its dark visor-like window, after which it turned its entire form towards Sonia.

SLAM!

The loud stomp came again, but Sonia was already a small way away from it. It was clear to both Max and her that her appearance made her the desirable target of this robot.

"Sonia! Distract it! I'll move in!" Max yelled as the roar of thunder boomed over Sonia's response.

"I… …. ...f…"

Sonia revved up her legs, and she was off into a quick sprint within seconds. The robot just stood its ground, not moving its slow body at all, and it seemed as if it knew it couldn't catch her.

With it focused on her, Max began to run towards the legs of the mammoth machine. He might have been puny in size compared to it, but once the energy sword hit the metal alloy, he began to slowly cut into it, melting the steel as it went through and sending sparks everywhere.

Max gritted his teeth, knowing that if he cut through the foot, it might fall and crush him. Still, it would likely immobilize it entirely.

The robot stood still, and its systems began interpreting what was happening to it.

Warmech, system status. 97%.

Sustaining damage.

Switching to Sonic elimination mode.

Target priority, Hedgehog.

Assisting Program(s): Reinforcement call, Defense Matrix.

…

When Max got about 1/4th the way through the thick foot. He was all of a sudden hit with a painful burst. A flash of light sent electricity surging through his body, and he reeled back.

"Ahh!" He yelled as he dropped the energy blade to the ground and fell backward.

Now that the robot was no longer sustaining damage, it began to lower itself to the ground so that the pod body rested comfortably against the mud. The top front began to open, and what emerged could only be described as a reasonably large canon.

Sonia could not see her brother on the other side of the machine, but its change in stance had her worried. When she moved, the canon began to track her with a 360-degree range of motion.

The mere fact it followed her movements terrified her, but it seemed to be waiting for something.

"…"

Nicole was standing helplessly away from the two, and it was at this point she realized that she had messed up. She had not armed herself in Knothole, and it seemed like an obvious thing to do when coming here.

She felt something was wrong with her, as her logical mind seemed to combat this new part that would distract her from what was necessary.

As she thought, she glanced around at the plethora of parts and debris lying on the ground. It then struck her that she had all the files from the Robotropolis computer raid in her mind.

With little time to spare, she began to use her robot eyes across the immediate field in front of her and cross-referenced it with the data pertaining to weapons.

"…"

As the data found matches, the weapons became clearly highlighted in her vision, making them easy to discern from the piles of trash.

They were all damaged, but it seemed some less than others. She ran towards the discarded weapons, taking a brief look at them up close to see if there was any chance of utilizing them.

"Damnit! Come on!" Nicole said aloud in frustration as she dropped another weapon and moved on to the next.

…

…

…

At this point, Max had recovered and was now back on his feet. With slightly wobbly walking, he moved forward and grabbed hold of the still-lit energy blade with his right hand. It had burnt the mud while lying there but seemed no worse for the ware.

After getting his bearings, he marched closer to the mech that had changed its position, willing to take another shock if it meant doing more damage.

Though it seemed the machine had anticipated his recovery, without even moving, it sent out what sounded like a loud clicking and static sound.

Max was halted by the sudden noise, but in the few seconds it took for the noise to end, he could see flashes of blue approaching through the fog.

"Shit…" Max said as he watched some moving directly for him while one other continued to hold its location.

…

Sonia could see 3 blue lights shining through the fog occasionally, and she was becoming deathly worried about her brother. So much so that she decided she would run to help him.

"Hold on, bro…." She said with determination and began to run with a loud blast.

Surprisingly, the second she took off with a burst of speed, the cannon fired. She expected to be faster than it, but when the blast exploded in front of her, it sent her flying to the ground and rolling into a pile of trash.

"Ahhh!" She screamed.

Sonia tried to get up, now utterly panicked by the fact that the machine could anticipate where she would be and that it was faster than her.

"Fuck…" She said, and she tried to run again, but the canon fired directly on her, forcing her to jump to the side.

BOOM!

It exploded, barely missing her leg but sending her sailing into the air until she smashed her head on a thick metal piece lying on the ground.

"Ohhh..." She winced and whined, rubbing her head.

When she removed her hand and looked at it, she saw blood. At first, she was shocked, but when she looked back at the machine, she could see that it was gathering energy again.

"NO!" She yelled and dove forward, just barely avoiding utter annihilation.

She was sent face first into the ground and rolled along it until she smashed into another thick metal piece.

"Ah…" She gasped, her heart beating faster than it ever had in her entire life.

Max could hear the explosions and was terrified for his sister, but he had already entered combat with the few arriving MK-II bots available. His energy blade clashed with one of theirs, which was already extremely tense.

"Come on, you son of a bitch! Is that all you got!?" Max roared as sparks flew when their weapons clashed.

"#$^ &!" The machine responded.

From the corner of Max's eye, he could see one of the robots pointing a rifle at him and slid his blade off theirs. As the shot was fired, Max saw that the robot he was fighting anticipated him to be hit by it.

Rather than try to dodge, he brought his sword forward into the line of the shot, and his energy blade cleaved through the unsuspecting machine's body like a hot knife going through butter.

Raising his left hand, Max created a shield briefly that caused the shot taken to explode before ever reaching him.

"###&^!?" The riflebot pointed and seemed completely at a loss for what had occurred.

Another infiltrator appeared and swung at Max, but he blocked it with his energy blade, sending sparks flying. The riflebot pointed the gun again at Max, but he held the energy blade locked with the swordbot.

The infiltrator was trying to keep him from using the power sword against it, so Max, using his left hand, reached behind himself and quickly pulled the decorative sword from its scabbard.

With effortless vigor, he swung the blade, cleaving it into the robot's side. When Max heard the riflebot shoot, he used the sword stuck into the robot to force it into the line of fire.

"#$*# #^!" The swordbot chattered as it was hit from the back by friendly fire and sent everywhere in a thousand different pieces.

Max examined the metal blade, and to his surprise, it didn't have a scratch. Twirling it around so it was wielded correctly, he walked towards the riflebot with a sword in each hand.

It seemed uncertain what measure to take, so it readied the gun again and fired a shot at Max as he approached.

BOOM!

An explosion of smoke and fire erupted, but Max, again, held his hand out while grasping his metal sword. The barrier protected him once more.

Now that he was in range of the robot, it tried to defend itself, but his energy blade quickly cut through the rifle barrel with little effort.

Now defenseless, it chattered at Max as if it were insulting or cursing him. "%^%$%&%^*!"

Max was quick to raise both swords, and with a cross-swiping motion like scissors, he lobbed its robotic head off from the neck. Once it dropped to the ground, Max twirled the metal sword and slid it back behind him.

With deep gasps, Max staggered a bit and felt a strange sensation in his body. It was like sudden fatigue, followed by a dizzy spell.

"Ugh…" He uttered deactivating his energy blade by switching it to his left hand and then checking under the glove.

Already, it had reached yellow, and he saw how quickly and strongly he felt the deleterious effects of his brief use of that barrier. Unfortunately, he was concerned about Sonia, so he refused to stop now.

Staggering forward, he got his bearings before moving towards the mech again.

…

"…"

Nicole had gone through many weapons and eventually found a relatively big one. It had a futuristically sleek design and seemed to be a newer prototype.

Looking at it, she could see that the wires on it seemed to be damaged, but she could reconnect them to complete the circuit, no matter how unsafe that might be.

As she examined the weapon closely, it matched basic information she had in her system from the raid. It appeared to be some sort of anti-material energy railgun.

While there were few specifics, it seemed that it was highly experimental and hazardous due to possible flaws in its design.

Nicole set it down and began to re-complete the circuit with the spare wires strewn about her in the junk as another explosion sounded off from a distance.

"Need to hurry…." Nicole said, her voice sounding scared for her friends, as she worked as fast as possible.

…

Sonia was beaten and bruised. She had been knocked around so much that she was scared and exhausted to the point she had huddled herself behind a pile of destroyed robot parts.

It did little to protect her, and within seconds, another blast sent the parts and trash everywhere. It rained down from above, and Sonia began to run but fell to the ground.

"Ah…!" She cried out as parts pelted her while they fell down from the sky.

Max had reached the mech and decided that he needed to stop it from hurting his sister. He assumed that the electric defense was to protect it from damage, so he figured he would wait until he could get in range of the weapon going off to attack.

He used his metal hand to grip onto the leg of the machine and, as carefully as he could, used the strength of his metal arm to ascend upwards. Traveling quickly along the wires and solid metal pieces.

BOOM!

Another explosive shot rattled off, nearly shaking him from the robot. Max gritted his teeth and continued upward until he was high enough to see the gun atop the podded body.

He landed on it with a leap to the top and quickly re-drew his energy hilt to release the blade. Once he saw it gathering energy to fire on Sonia, he swung it, cutting into the holding mechanism of the canon.

It was ripping through it quickly, but Max felt another severe shock go off as expected. Rather than stop, he continued to push the blade forward until the cannon was severed.

With a crash, it fell forward, smashing into the black visor of the machine and cracking it. Max stumbled back when the shock ended, and he gasped a breath before stumbling back towards the edge of its body.

Max knew a fall from this height would likely injure him, so rather than leap, he slammed the energy blade into the metal chasse of the mech and began to slide down it slowly with his cut.

Protected from fast descent, he reached the ground and leaped away before another shock could be delivered, then dropped to his knees in exhaustion.

The machine, sensing the situation had changed, began to rise slowly. The hydraulic sounds were painful to Max's ears. He was so close to it.

Warmech, system status. 75%.

Assessing damage. Lost central speed canon, minor damage to limbs, moderate damage to chasse, and system vision.

Switching to full destruction mode.

Target priority, ALL.

Assisting Program(s): Last resort protocol, Emergency power grid.

…

Now that it had utterly risen, the top of the pod began to fully expand, revealing a plethora of barrels pointing upwards.

Sonia rubbed her mouth while sitting on the ground, thankful that it stopped firing at her, but the ordeal had left her both horrified and filled with self-doubt.

As she watched, it seemed that it was readying for something, but what precisely that was, she had no idea. After a moment, she stood up and began to hobble herself closer, hoping to find Max.

Limping briefly and then moving into a jog, she reached the side of the machine rather quickly. There, she located Max, struggling to stay on his feet. When he fell again to his knees, she called out to him.

"Max! I-It's doing something!"

Looking over, he smiled upon seeing she was still ok. The mech began to roar loudly, prompting Sonia to move in and help her brother away from the dangerous entity.

Within seconds, the robot lifted its leg and stomped around to face the two limping away from it, and the canon underneath it began to shimmer.

Sonia reached for her backpack, sensing that a power ring would be the only way to drag her brother to safety.

…

"…"

Nicole checked the rifle, and its scope had several different modes. With a few loud beeps as she cycled through, she stopped on the infrared setting.

Lifting the rifle to her robotic eye, she could see the mech clearly through the fog because of the scope setting.

Holding down the trigger, the gun began to gather power, and as the barrel began to shine, the screen on the weapon's base indicated that it was nearing high strength.

"…"

Sonia opened the backpack and was about to grab hold of the ring but stopped when an immeasurably loud sound echoed through the world.

An explosion like no other came forth, making both Sonia and Max's ears ring. At first, it left them dazed, but when they saw a large beam of super concentrated light pierce the fog, their eyes could barely follow its speed.

Upon turning back to look at the mech, it now had a gigantic hole through it, as the light traveled on in an infinite trajectory to God knows where.

The sound and light were so brilliant it wouldn't surprise either of them if it had been heard or could be seen from anywhere around the planet.

When Max and Sonia's ears stopped ringing, the mech could be heard sparking and remained motionless.

"What the hell happened?" Sonia asked.

"Nicole…" Was all Max could say, knowing that she'd likely come through again.

The robot crashed to the ground and gave its final assessment with what power it had left.

Warmech, system status. WARNING: SYSTEM RUNNING ON RESERVE POWER -10%.

Assessing damage. 3253621 #& %!*(#^ ?

Activating last resort protocol.

…

While Max and Sonia moved slowly towards where the beam of light had traveled, the mech began to make deafening noises.

At first, Max and Sonia were befuddled, but as they turned back, they could see a maddening number of tiny rockets flying upwards into the sky, their fire lighting up the mist as they traveled upwards.

"Shit!" Max said in a panic.

Sonia held onto her brother, but under the effects of adrenalin, he grabbed hold of her hand and dragged her forward.

"Move it, Sonia. We need to get to Nicole!"

"But what are we going to do, Bro!?" Sonia shouted as a whistling sound began to fill the air from all directions.

The downed mech was still firing off rockets until it completely depleted its entire supply. The sky was lighting up all around, and it looked almost like giant fireflies were hovering through the fog.

When the explosions started happening, they were at complete random.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

All around them, untold destruction was wreaking havoc, and Max was terrified for Nicole.

Moving over through the fog, he found her sitting atop the ground. She seemed dazed but was still intact. The weapon which had fired the shot was dysfunctional and sparking with damage from so much raw power.

"Nicole!" Max called, pulling Sonia next to her.

"Max, Sonia, what is goin…." Nicole began, but more explosions silenced her.

It was raining fire everywhere as the explosions accelerated, and it became clear that no place around was safe.

Sonia hugged her brother for dear life, and Nicole began to look at the device on her wrist.

"Shit!" Nicole shouted her first obscenity in front of Max as both looked at her.

"The communicator containing our escape was damaged when the weapon malfunctioned and blew!"

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The explosions were so numerous that Max grabbed hold of Nicole and held her close.

"Max…?" She said with sudden surprise as Sonia curled up on the ground and held on to Max's leg.

Max held his hand up, and immediately Nicole knew what he would do.

"Max… Please…" She said, but as the firestorm raged on, she saw little chance of convincing him not to.

Max erected and held the barrier around the three, like a small bubble in an ocean of destruction.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The explosions raged around them, some even directly hitting the barrier and making Sonia scream in terror.

Max was concentrating as hard as he could, but already he was beginning to sweat, and his body was shaking. When a loud beeping noise emitted from Max's glove, Nicole pushed it up and saw that it was flashing red.

"Max… You can't…!" She cried out, the visceral fear evident in her robotic voice.

Max ignored her and began gasping for breath. His sister felt his violent trembling through his leg.

"Brother, please!" She cried out, looking up.

Max's vision began to flicker on and off, and his heart was beating so fast that he felt sharp pains in his chest after a short while. It felt as if his heart might explode.

Max let out a yelp, and Nicole just held onto him as the world began to spin, and he wondered if he could stay on his feet.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The explosions continued but had slowed down considerably compared to moments ago. Fires were lit everywhere, and the land had been utterly leveled by sheer destruction.

As Max cried out in pain, blood began to leak from his nose, frightening Sonia to death.

"STOP IT!" She shrieked, wishing to deal with whatever was out there than watch this.

Max's vision split into two, then wholly went black, and shortly thereafter, the world ceased to be…

"…"

…

…

…

…

Tails was being dragged, but the chaotic noise of the world was overwhelming to the senses.

It sounded like a war being waged by an entire army of soldiers, but his captors seemed unconcerned and merely kept pace.

The fog was still dense and thick in the woods, but now that all the explosive sounds had ceased, he was left with a relatively eerie feeling as he was tossed over a second tripwire.

"Ah!"

The wolf came over and began to drag him instead of the deer, and Tails could only look at her horrifically crafted visage staring soullessly at him with their black eye holes.

The ambient sounds of creaking wood sounded delicately alongside the rain, and as his eyes were cast upwards toward the noise, he now understood why Seth had likely screamed earlier.

Hanging upside-down from the branches of the purple trees were dozes of Mobian animals, some missing their heads, while others merely with their throats slit.

Those still with faces grimacing in sheer horror, their blank mummified stare looking upon their murderers with horrific judgment.

Tails cast his gaze at his boots, trying to avoid the sickening sight. Eventually, he was released, and when he had a mind to look up again, he could see he was in a primitive and messy camp.

Many mechanical traps were built and set atop a gore-spattered table. A soldier once in Seth's entourage was hanging next to it by a chain, upside-down and above a giant cauldron. His body was exsanguinated entirely from a wound in his neck.

Tails might vomit if he wasn't so terrified that this was to be his fate. The deer roughly grabbed and hoisted him to the top of a crimson-stained table. A makeshift, dirty blade was stuck into the wood, and around him were various cuts of "meat" and various furs.

As bright as Tails was, this was so difficult to take in on an emotional level that he was trying to mentally convince himself this wasn't what it looked like.

"I am going to secure more of the area." The wolf said bluntly and grabbed some mechanical spring traps. "Hoist him up to be drained."

Tails shuddered and was quickly grabbed by the deer as he watched the wolf disappear into the mist.

It didn't take long for a metal cuff to be strapped around his ankle, and a quick glance around gave Tails the impression that this place was highly barbaric and primitive but also sophisticated in unfathomable ways.

There were devices and pullies to hoist him, and many mechanical pieces were fashioned into weapons and what looked to be parts and instruments.

But why…?

Tails was going to ponder that to take himself out of the terror, but the deer quietly began turning a wheel attached to a pully, which painfully yanked him off the table and hoisted him into the air from his ankle.

"Ahhh, fuck!" Tails yelped.

The deer waited until he was completely upside-down above the ground and then silently began to move another large pot beneath him.

Tails swung back and forth, thrashing in a fight or flight way, wishing for all mercy that he not die like this.

The deer took her short dagger, grabbed Tails' chest fluff like he was livestock, and steadied him. With cold calculation, she grabbed his head fur, pulled it down to expose his neck, and placed the blade to it.

"Please stop! Please!" Tails shouted, trying anything to elicit some kind of mercy from the creature.

The deer pulled the knife to the side and placed it against the end of his neck so it could be done in one merciless slash.

He pulled back to keep his neck away, but it was of little use. Tails looked up at her terrifying cobbled-together face and tried to ready himself to die slowly.

Thwack!

There was a light noise, and before Tails realized it, a sharp piece of metal was sticking out of the side of the deer's neck. The deer seemed perplexed, if not mildly inconvenienced, it was as if she barely felt it.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

A rapid succession of sharp metal bolts landed in different areas of her body. As the deer staggered back, she tore the one in her neck out, and it began to bleed.

Tails looked around while swinging and could see Seth by the edge of the camp reloading the crossbow he had been made.

The deer ripped another one out of her chest, and it didn't bleed. She then turned towards Seth and raised her knife as she walked toward him.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Seth unloaded the entire chamber of bolts from the rapid-fire crossbow, and each one stuck into some part of her body. She slowed slightly but continued to move towards her target menacingly.

Seth grabbed more bolts and began loading them into the chamber. He pointed the thing near her neck when she was in range to stab at him and began to spam the trigger.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

They stuck in various places around her gullet, one even going entirely through her neck and sticking out the back. This final volley caused her to drop to her knees and fall face forward to the ground.

"…."

Tails swung there in complete disbelief as Seth reloaded 5 more bolts into the crossbow and walked towards him. Seth glanced at the creature on the ground and then spoke.

"I don't know what the hell these things are, but that's not normal…."

Tails was unable to respond, still in emotional shock. On the other hand, Seth seemed to be holding whatever emotions he might have inside.

Seth kicked over the pot beneath Tails, moved over to the pully, and gently lowered him until he reached the ground. Once Tails was safe, it only took for him to pull the lynchpin to undo the cuff around his ankle.

Now in the middle of this horrible place, Seth pulled Tails up to his feet and shook him. "Hey, snap out of it! I didn't risk everything to have you lose your shit now!"

Tails seemed to have receded into a world of his own until Seth reeled his arm back and slapped him clean across the face. "Listen to me fucker! Severa is still out there! I… I need your HELP!"

Tails ran his uninjured hand along his cheek and was surprised to hear Seth admit that. Eventually, he took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ok…"

…

…

…

…

Severa stood in the forest by herself. Terrified and alone… She had done it again, her cowardly nature had caused her to flee, and she was utterly sure now that she would die here alone.

She'd stopped running when she heard Tails scream for help, but her indecisiveness prevented her from acting in any way.

She hated herself and knew not where to go without her protectors. She felt she owed them far more than that…

After she'd spent more than a torturous hour alone in the storm, Severa had finally found some semblance of courage within herself.

Quietly avoiding the path, she began climbing over bushes and trees. For whatever had assaulted, Tails could still be out there.

It was slow and hard going, but given how light she was as a species, it made making noise far less difficult than most.

Even as thunder roared and lightning blinded her in her slow and methodical travels, she held onto hope that she could help Tails or find Seth before it was too late.

"…"

Climbing over a massively gnarled root jutting up from the mud, she could just barely make out the open area that they had once been.

She quietly surveyed it for movement, but with the limited visibility, there was some acceptance on her part that taking risks was inevitable.

As she reached the edge of the thickly forested area, she could see the body still resting where it had been left. Tails' weapon was lying on the ground and looked damaged, but there was no sight of him or Seth.

The brush was littered around her feet, and she slowly contemplated her next move. She wasn't making too much noise in the wooded area, but it certainly would be more than sticking to the open one.

"…"

As she thought, she remembered the trap by the body, which led to her willingness to possibly take a risk to fly. Glancing up and unable to see anything, she chose to play it safe.

She retreated slightly into the forest and maneuvered as silently as possible around the open area.

The longer she went without detection, the more confidence she gained, and now that she was hitting her stride, she had moved on to formulating a plan to help her friends.

She still had those fuel canisters… They might come in handy somehow. The high-burning fuel was hazardous and superheated, but she had limited ways of using it effectively.

Severa climbed over a purple log and looked down at the ground covered in piles of wet leaves. She thanked her stars for the rain, which provided noise and softened her walking.

Looking up, she could see a little in front of her, and it seemed unidentified objects were swinging in the breeze from the trees.

It earned her attention, and she cautiously leaped from the log to the ground below. Her feet landed with a slight slap, but her eyes widened when she heard the loud sound of a click.

CLAP!

The brutal sound of metal erupted beneath her left leg and sprung up. Within seconds, it clamped around her, digging its razor teeth mercilessly just above her talon.

"Ahhaaa!" She wailed in abject agony, dropping to the ground and grabbing the top of her bird leg.

She rolled around in misery, trying to hold in her sobbing and screaming for fear of being found. With heavy gasps, and tears rolling down her face feathers, she looked at her now bleeding leg.

It was a nasty wound, compounded by her species containing hollow bones. It was unmistakable in the way that it had bent, that it was broken.

Severa moved her wings as thunder lowly rumbled, and she began trying to pry the trap teeth open. It was difficult, but she could open the jaws slightly with some effort.

Terrified, she frantically began to pull them apart, whining and moaning as she did.

BOOM!

Loud thunder roared across the land, and as she got the trap a little open, she tried to pull her talon out.

"Ah…" She held her breath but was suddenly alerted when the sound of squishing came.

As Severa's heart rate increased, she panicked and hastily tried to move her foot too fast. The trap re-snapped closed and latched onto just below her first open wound.

She cried out, unused to the pain, and again desperately grabbed onto the trap teeth.

Unfortunately, she was alerted to a person standing directly in front of her when a loud slap was heard hitting the puddle of mud.

Severa stopped trying to pry the trap off and instead turned her attention to the entity before her. It had dropped a large wooden bucket and was now using both hands to hold an enormous, savage-looking executioner's ax.

Her heart felt like it froze, and she took hold of the trap in utter desperation, then began to pry it apart with hidden strength. She was roughly grabbed now by the person resembling a cat and was yanked forward.

Despite this, Severa pulled her broken leg forward with a cry and released the trap so that it snapped closed with nothing in it.

The cat laid her head forward across the bucket and then placed its heavy foot onto her back so that the rim of the empty bucket choked her.

She flailed and choked loudly and fought with every ounce of strength she possibly had. Even as the ax rose up, she struggled to free herself.

Now that the cat had a clean shot at her neck, it wasted no time in bringing it down onto her. Without any thoughts running through her head, Severa used her wings to knock the bottom of the bucket sideways.

The entire bucket surrounded her head when it slid out from under her. The ax barely missed, instead cutting the end remiges of her right wing.

Severa screeched, and the cat began to yank the ax from the mud. It took some force and a bit of time, but it came loose eventually.

Once it grabbed the bucket off her head, Severa saw this as her only chance. Using her left wing, she scooped up some of the thick muck and tossed it directly into the face of the creature.

Most of it hit the mask, but it caused the person to stumble and wipe their eyes after dropping the bucket. Severa rolled to the side, grabbed the bucket, and then scooped up as much mud and water as she could with one go.

The cat began to move for her, but she used the handle of it to hurl it at their head. The loud sound of a slam came, and mud poured out all over their face and head.

Severa scrambled to her foot, using the nearby tree to help her, and began to hobble away as quickly as her crippled movement could carry her.

Her adrenalin gave her some ability to use her broken leg, but it always resulted in a cry of agony when she tried. Over the log, she went and scurried like a wild animal while using the trees to keep her balance.

The ax-wielding cat was already on her heels, and despite her best efforts, she could tell he was far faster than her. With little else she could think of, she grabbed hold of one of the canisters and opened the valve fully.

When the creature was in range, she tossed it at its face causing it to stop momentarily as the gas spilled all over them.

The cat seemed momentarily concerned by the action, but it continued the pursuit with unwavering determination when it found it not to be acid.

Breaking out of the trees, Severa fell to the ground, unable to lift herself without aid due to her injury. Unwilling to die, she dragged herself into the fog, hoping that she wasn't seen by her assailant by some off chance.

There was no such luck, though, as the cat was now just on behind her, switching to holding the ax from one hand to both. As Severa pulled herself past the corpse next to the tripwire, she recognized where she was.

STOMP!

She felt the crushing weight against her back as the wind was knocked from her.

"Ah…! No!" She cried out with a gasp as she flailed.

The cat began to speak in a masculine, mechanical, Mobian amalgamation for the first time. "You'll waste some essence, but you are close enough…."

Severa shed tears, and her eyes darted around. She pulled forward by grabbing onto the mud around her, dragging his foot along as she went.

"You can't escape… Rest assured; your death shall sustain us."

Severa reached her wing out in the hail-Mary grab of a lifetime. When the cat lifted the ax, he paused as he watched her grab hold of some unrecognizable device.

As he looked at her with curiosity, she used her free wing to slam onto the button set fixed to its damaged side.

She pushed herself slightly from under his foot, then fell back down so she could haphazardly aim at him. Without concern for her safety, she held down the trigger of Tails' flamethrower.

Even with damage to its exterior, it released a steady stream of superheated flames that lit up the cat. At first, he seemed unphased by the bath of fire, but when he failed to swing his ax at her, it appeared that it had finally caught up with him.

With intrigue, he dropped the ax and stared at his own burning hands, then realized some semblance of pain that had long since been forgotten.

"Ahhhhh!" He thundered loudly and stumbled back away from her.

The gas all over him was only making his burning all the worse, and Severa continued to fire from her position until he dropped to his knees.

Staring at her and feeling his body burning up in its entirety. The creature reached out his hand and uttered words that perplexed Severa beyond measure.

"Blessed... Mercy…"

Dropping forward into a lying position, he burned so hot that parts of him were glowing bright orange. The flesh remnants were wholly gone, leaving nothing behind but an eerie heap of melting metal.

"…"

Severa was not defenseless… and looked at the flamethrower. She seemed shocked that she had done that and felt a morbid sense of relief come over her.

The roaring flames still burned on nothing but melted goop and ash. Whatever that thing was, she was sure it was not Mobian.

…

…

…

…

The sounds of screaming had alerted Tails and Seth, but Seth's knowledge of the traps along the way forced them to slow down while he took point.

They knew Severa was in terrible danger, but her utter silence at this point had brought the grimness of her plight to the forefront.

As they moved beyond the second tripwire, they both stopped the second they saw the wolf standing as a barrier to their destination.

Seth pointed his crossbow and threatened him. "Get the hell out of the way before I shoot you!"

The wolf stared without speaking and held his long, gore-spattered blade at his side. His red eyes watching the two standing there.

As Seth readied to fire, Tails grabbed hold of his shoulder and spoke to him. "Get to Severa… He is trying to distract us… You know about the traps…."

Seth eyed Tails and then the wolf. After a few seconds, he pulled his damaged blade from his belt and handed it handle first to Tails.

"Leave some for me…."

Tails took it and nodded as Seth slank backward the other way and disappeared into the fog so he could navigate his way to Severa without an obstruction.

Tails was no fighter, nor was he trained in hand-to-hand combat, but if there was one thing he recognized about the wolf since first meeting him, it was that they weren't either.

"You can't save yourselves…." The wolf said, continuing to stare at Tails. "Not from us… Not from here…."

Tails held up the blade, feeling nervous. His whole left arm had been screwed up from the shoulder down, and he was about to try and distract something he knew to have incredible strength.

"I… You're fucking monsters…. If you think you've won, you're wrong!"

The wolf began to walk forward and then spoke to Tails calmly. "Monsters…? Maybe… Ultimately, labels are irrelevant when one of us is to die here today."

Tails gritted his teeth and watched as the wolf raised his blade. Within seconds, he had already come out swinging.

The swipe terrified Tails, but knowing he needed to buy time, he weakly swung his own in return.

When the metal clashed, Tails could tell immediately that the wolf could easily overpower him. Rather than get caught in that trap, he pulled backward and made a sloppy swing at the wolf's head.

The wolf dodged, but the ear of his patchwork face had been sliced off. His glowing, red eyes followed Tails as they circled each other in the fog.

"How could roboticized Mobians do this to their own kind?!" Tails yelled, feeling overwhelmed by everything that had been seen.

"I…" The wolf seemed unsure, and as Tails swung his blade, so did the wolf.

When the steel clashed, the wolf finally finished his thought with more garbled nonsense. "Memories are…"

Tails slid his bent sword away and responded in rage. "Memories are WHAT!?"

The wolf lowered his sword, and it seemed that conversing was doing weird things to him. He seemed to be struggling for dialect and to say things.

When he eventually spoke, it came out as if he was trying to remind himself.

"Eroding…?"

The opportunity caused by confusion was enough for Tails, and he ran in with all the force he could put behind his weight. With a painful slam, he sent the wolf tumbling to the ground, its sword flying off into the fog.

Now on top, Tails lifted Seth's blade and swung it for the wolf's head. The wolf merely reached a hand up and grabbed the sword outright, confirming Tails' theory that he was at least partially roboticized.

Even in the advantaged position, Tails was no match in strength for the wolf and was utterly powerless in his attempt to end his life.

Rather than give him a chance to wrestle the blade, Tails pulled it back, managing to slip it from the enemy's grasp. Twirling it around, he made a jab for the wolf's chest.

"Ahhhh!" Tails yelled with righteous fury.

Tails' lack of direct hand-to-hand combat experience proved disastrous, as the jabbing motion left him open to reprisal. The wolf used his hands to push forward, and the immense strength of the blow was enough to send Tails sailing.

"OOOOF!"

Tails landed roughly and rolled along the mud, losing his only defense against his mysterious opponent.

The wolf was quickly on him, and now in a position of power, it was clear Tails was about to lose his life. The wolf began to wrap his hands around Tails' neck, and it would not take long to snap.

Tails choked and gaged, placing his hand onto the wolf's. Ultimately, he had not the strength to best him.

The wolf strangled mercilessly and applied pressure. Tails could feel the strain on his neck, so he decided now was the time.

He used his last bit of strength and oxygen to hoist his midsection up with his legs. With barely any room, he twirled his tails, the propelling motion lifting the extra weight on himself and sending them both toppling.

"!"

Now the wolf was on the bottom, and Tails gasped for breath. Instead of trying to fight his opponent, Tails briefly glanced around, and when he saw what he was looking for, he used every ounce of strength in his usable hand to pull the wolf into a roll.

They tumbled as the wolf fought to regain his place on top, but eventually, he stopped his attempts when he heard the sound of a snap.

Immediately recognizing he had rolled into his own tripwire, the wolf stood to his feet rapidly. Tails followed suit, and when he saw which way the wolf intended to dodge, he grabbed hold of him to pin him against himself by the neck.

Tails listened to the cracking and the sound of rope rapidly dropping. The wolf glanced back at Tails and then spoke one final thing to him.

"So… It seems we both die…."

Tails waited for a second longer, and when he heard the loud sound of branches snapping, he responded.

"Not quite…"

With haste, Tails wound up his tails and leaped into the air, leaving behind the wolf. His enemy could do nothing but stare up in surprise as a gigantic inescapable log barreled into him with the force of a train.

SMASH!

It carried the wolf to the other end and crushed over half of his body against another tree. There was a loud mechanical yell and what sounded like repeated gagging.

Tails landed by the partially crushed wolf, grabbing its bloody blade from the ground for protection, and the wolf could do nothing but cough and laugh a little. His blood leaking from every orifice below, creating a grisly puddle.

"…"

As their vision broke, Tails began to turn away so he could reconnect with his friends, but he stopped when he heard a loud, violent fit of coughing followed by somber speaking.

"Please… Wait…"

Tails tried to ignore him, but as another fit of coughing came, he heard him speak again.

"Please…"

Tails turned around to face the monster and screamed. "WHY SHOULD I! JUST FUCKING DIE!"

The wolf moved his one free arm and then spoke. "I… am… underserving of mercy… I will die… in suffering pain… just, please… you can… can…t."

Tails moved closer and saw that the acid from the tree he was crushed against was eating away at him. It was a horrific and unsympathetic death, but ultimately, Tails decided to let him finish speaking… If for nothing else than curiosity.

"The book… book… bury…" The wolf wheezed.

Tails stared at the pathetic monster, and against better judgment, he walked close. Even when within range of the wolf's grasp, it made no attempt to grab, and when Tails reached for his wolf mask, the monster allowed it.

With a gentle pull, Tails exposed their head, but what shocked him beyond words was that his head was nothing more than a solid metal piece with eyes and a mouth.

As he glanced down, he saw that it was grafted onto the flesh of the living creature. Tails felt mortified, and he grabbed the fur glove, pulling it away and revealing the wolf's arm had been maliciously replaced and cobbled together with steel.

This was not a partially roboticized Mobian but a horrific and inhumane experiment of unfathomable proportions. It had outer, clear tubes that moved blood from mechanical pieces to vital, organic organs, which somehow remained intact.

The pitiful creature was something that Tails could not even fathom the cruelty of or its reason for being. The monster just used its free hand to point at the top of its torso and spoke as if exposing what was done to it.

"My… chest…"

Tails used the blade to cut open the top front of their fur vest, and when he saw that it was partially grafted metal onto flesh, with a clear but cracked chamber containing his beating heart. He could feel nothing but rage and confusion.

The wolf cast his gaze towards the tops of the trees and spoke again. "The book… camp… bury her home… please…"

After brief thought, Tails felt he understood, and when no more words came except for labored wheezing. He decided he could no longer bare the inhumane suffering.

"I'll get the book and take it with me… So, rest…"

Tails then jammed the wolf's blade through the glass container and pierced his heart. With a yelp of pain, the wolf cried out but then gasped a sigh of relief as the sword was pulled from him and discarded.

"Sweet… Slumber…"

"…"

Tails wearily walked away from the disgusting scene. He had wished never to return to that monstrous camp, but if there was anything that Tails couldn't change, it was that he had a caring heart…. Even for those that might not deserve it….

…

…

…

As Tails entered the camp once more, he was in a stupor. His mind unable to connect all the dots of what exactly occurred here or why.

"…"

Hardly able to pay attention to the real world, Tails glanced around. Seeing the grisly imagery was difficult, but when his eye caught a bag atop a table that looked like it might have once belonged to a Mobian. He thought that was the best place to look.

Opening it, he dug through its contents. The first thing he pulled was a strange device of such complexity that even Tails didn't know what it was for. Placing it back in, he searched further.

After a moment of rummaging, he pulled out a worn, leather-bound book. When he opened it, he was met with the tarnished image of a cute child. The writing below it was severely damaged and unreadable.

"S-c- -a-, 1st -."

Even though it was someone he had never seen before, they were clearly very young. Unfortunately, the colors and finer details of the photo were heavily faded, making it difficult to discern their species, or clothes well.

As he scrutinized the image it now made sense to him that the horrible abomination didn't want this book buried, but rather, this photograph….

Turning the page, he saw writing which he began to skim through, he was immediately struck by how intelligent the person writing in it seemed. As he flipped on, the further back he got, the more deranged and nonsensical the writings became.

"…"

Tails closed it, deciding he would figure out what it meant later and bury it on Mobius after. He tossed the book with the picture back in the bag and glanced at the table next to him.

On it sat supplies of varying usefulness. A few jars of collected acid, some sort of electrical device, and several crudely constructed bladed weapons.

Tails placed the bag on the table and realized it might be best to take some of these things… He began loading the small items into it with haste, wanting to be entirely gone from here as fast as possible.

After it was stuffed and latched, he slung it over his shoulder. Then, with his working hand, he grabbed hold of a machete-type weapon on the table. Now armed, he turned around to leave.

!

Once he faced the way he entered, he was frightened to see the deer mere inches in front of his face. She was staring at him, bolts sticking out of her, and her knife clutched in her fist.

She used her free hand to grab the bolt through her neck and tore it from her before dropping it to the ground.

Tails immediately raised the machete to swing at her, but she lunged forward with her outstretched hand. With a rough push, he was sent backward, dropping his weapon.

The deer wasted no time climbing atop him and raising the blade in the air.

"Time for you to sleep, sweet child…."

Her polite yet agony-filled voice made sense to him now that he knew their secret, but ultimately, Tails refused to succumb to this horror like so many before him had.

When she plunged the knife downwards to stab Tails' chest, he raised the bent splint on his arm and stopped it.

The deer was pushing down hard on him, and he grit his teeth as he began to lose the battle. The knife slowly came down more and more as time went on, and he could see her hand shaking with determination as he tried tirelessly to keep her from killing him.

"Ah!" Tails choked out, searching the ground with his free hand while he began to feel the tip of the knife poking at his chest.

With more weight, the deer pushed down, and the knife barely stabbed into Tails' chest. It was excruciating, and he cried out as he held his exhausted and pain-filled arm to prevent the blade from going straight in.

As her hand shook, Tails grabbed hold of the handle of the machete he located further down, and as the deer drove another small inch of steel into him, Tails whined.

"Ohhh!"

She was so busy attempting to end his life that she didn't see the machete come up from the side in an awkward swing and bury itself slightly into the side of her neck.

Immediately blood started pouring out, and she released her force on him. The deer held her neck and seemed to be in a state of utter confusion. Tails was at his limit and would not allow this to continue any longer.

With roughness, he threw her off him, and she landed face down on the ground. He quickly rose to his feet, blood staining the white fur in his front, and raised the machete.

The second he saw her lift herself up with her arms, he went into a violent frenzy, beginning to swing the blade at her neck with pure, unadulterated malice.

One…

Two…

Three…

He hacked viciously, causing her to choke out words between burbled, bloody gasps.

"Release…. Me…."

Tails had never killed anyone like this before, nor had he desired to be so despicably violent. Even after all this, every mechanical gurgle she made horrified him down to his very soul.

With one violent swing too many, the head eventually detached with sparking and rolled a bit until it stopped. Underneath the neck was flesh, a vast array of machinery, and interconnected wiring, showing just how little Mobian was left of the pitiful being.

"…"

Tails was feeling so ill and horrible he dropped his blade and then fell to his knees by the creature, the deer's head staring blankly up at him from his place before it.

As he stared at it, he felt his heart ache, and he had to wonder…. Though everything within him told him not to, his curiosity proved too much to resist.

He hesitantly touched the deer's ear, and with care, he peeled the face from the head.

At first, he thought it to be just another metal head, but when it was fully unveiled, he was met face to face with someone so unmistakably familiar that it brought the world crashing down around him.

Her ears were missing, and there were many robotic implants about the top of the head, but it brought stark memories back to assault both his mind and his conscience.

…

"So, this is her, huh?"

…

"No!" Tails screamed loudly as he grabbed onto his head fur and pulled at it painfully, feeling a wave of remorse so strong that he began to sob before the severed head.

…

"Yes, that's my mommy… I… I wasn't sure if I'd ever see her face again…."

…

Tails began to wail in emotional despair so profound that he felt he might collapse in on himself. The recognition of Cream's mom mixed with the endless sorrow of torturous survival was a reckoning that shattered everything he had left.

There was no explaining this… There was no fixing this… Tails fell completely forward and grabbed fistfuls of mud as he cried. It was as if he was trying to hold himself in the world he found himself in.

His heart was burning as it sank, and the feeling was so intense that even when someone unexpectedly placed their hand on his shoulder, he just sobbed and became a shambling mess.

"Hey…" He heard Seth say gently, but Tails had little interest in him or what he'd think of this.

He just cried, wailed, and sniffled until he eventually ran out of energy. When at last time seemed to resume, Tails was left feeling lost and empty, like he wasn't even in his own body.

When he finally looked up, he saw Seth standing there with his arms crossed and a depressed expression on his face. Severa was sitting outside the camp holding onto Tails' flamethrower looking just as shocked and dejected.

"…"

When Seth saw Tails looking, he walked over and reached his hand out to him. The two silently looked into one another's eyes, and they both could see the trauma hidden deep within.

Tails reached out his hand, and when he grasped it, he was pulled to his feet.

Tails glanced down at the head of what he now considered a victim and had to turn away because of the misery and guilt it brought.

He maneuvered over, grabbed hold of the bag he had stuffed, and then began to walk towards Severa, who looked just as mortified by the resemblance.

Seth began examining the weapons and then looked at the leftover meat. He knew what it was, but he'd rather starve to death than put it in his stomach.

"…"

While Seth was grabbing weapons and anything that might be useful, Tails walked over to Severa and spoke almost timidly.

"You ok…?"

She shook her head and pointed to her crooked leg. It was clear it was busted, which made Tails feel even more horrid for earlier... Hell… He felt terrible for everything….

"I have to carry her." Seth began, placing a makeshift sword in his belt. "It's fine, though. She is rather light."

Tails looked around at the nightmare this place was, and after some brief thought, he reached out his hand to take his flamethrower from Severa.

She relinquished it without complaint, but Tails looked at Seth and pointed to the gas canisters clipped to Severa.

"Help me douse this place…."

Seth was quiet and watched as Tails irrationally started pouring his weapon's fuel reserves all about the tables and trees in the area, coming back for more when the one he held was empty.

When Seth looked over at his slain soldier swaying in the breeze, he shook his head and moved to Severa to help.

Along the way, Tails stopped at the headless body, and with a compulsive need for forgiveness, he reached down and retrieved the torn, stained, blue-faded ascot that was once hidden by fur from what remained of her neck.

Quickly jamming it into the bag, he then started to pour gas all over the body to ensure an entire cremation.

"…"

Little by little, they doused everywhere in gas, and when at last Tails was satisfied, it would be nothing but a wildfire lost to time. He backed out and pushed the trigger on the flamethrower to ignite the table in the center of the camp, then tossed the weapon itself in to add more fuel.

Seth picked up Severa, and they watched the fire quickly spread out of control. The rain would do nothing to quell it with such flammable liquid placed everywhere.

Watching it burn was cathartic for Tails, but unfortunately, he felt no absolution of his deep guilt.

When the fire began to spread to trees and get more out of control. Tails, Severa, and Seth continued on together, closer as allies but broken apart as animals.

…

…

…

…

…

"Ugh…" Max groaned lightly as his eyes opened.

He could feel the delicate rain hitting him on his face and immediately noticed that it was dim and that the thick fog had cleared somewhat.

Feeling at a loss, he rose up to a sitting position and held his throbbing head. A quick glance at his side and he saw a plethora of distant orange glows from the fires that raged on unattended in the night.

Looking to his other side, he saw Nicole sitting by a haphazardly wired light. They were set comfortably underneath the trees and away from danger for the moment.

She was using miniature tools to tinker away at the communicator/locator and had parts strewn about on all sides of her, along with a few weapons it seemed she was trying to repair.

Max caught her blue eye, glancing up at him briefly, and then she looked down to continue her task without a word to him.

He looked over to his side and saw his darling sister asleep by him. She looked minorly beat up, and it hurt to see it, but she at least seemed like she would be completely fine.

After examining Sonia, he moved his hand but found his body aching and stiff. His chest still hurt, and he felt slightly disoriented.

"I… What happened…?" Max eventually spoke in a semi-confused manner, which, when Nicole looked at him fully, he could see an angry glare.

"Your heart stopped beating, and you went into cardiac arrest…." She said, her emotions totally ruling her speech.

"I… it did?" Max said, somewhat shocked.

Nicole was obviously furious with him and tightened the same screw repeatedly, even though she was stripping it.

"You should be dead… If it were just me here, I would have no way to supply oxygen… I pumped your heart, and Sonia breathed into your mouth. At least until the intense effects of the barrier device wore off, and your heart started again on its own." Nicole explained bitterly.

Max looked down at the low glow of the light, and he responded tiredly. "Well… Thank…"

"No…" Nicole interrupted him, their eyes locking with one another's, and it was unmistakable to him that she was in the throughs of irrational emotions.

"You promised you would be careful. You promised me, Max! You lied!" Her voice was clearly tense and upset, even rising to unexpected levels.

Max looked down at Sonia, who shuffled and then he eventually nodded. "You're right… I did, but I had to…"

Nicole was quiet and then dropped the broken device on the ground. "I know… You kept us safe, but still…."

Max was again looking at her, and the inflection of pain in her expression was easy for him to read. "I'm fine…." He began but was silenced by Nicole interrupting again.

"No, no, you are not! This also isn't just about you; you have no idea what you put Sonia through!"

Max watched, and he swore if she was capable of crying, she would. He saw that Nicole was adept at stringing her relationships with them and their emotional consequences together. She cared about them both, and his actions hurting Sonia made this seem justified.

"…"

Nicole refused to speak and picked up a weapon instead. It seemed she couldn't even repair anything with her mind so full of non-informational thoughts… She was distracted.

Max breathed in calmly and spoke in a soft tone. "I am sorry, Nicole… You're right… I was careless, and I hurt both of you."

Nicole stopped to look up at him and could see that he was refusing to break his eye contact. His stare was firm but a clear indication of sincerity in her mind.

"It's ok…." She trailed off slightly.

Max shook his head and spoke again with confidence. "No, it is not… I am in the wrong, and as someone I care about… I want you to know I am sorry, and I will do better."

Nicole stared at him, and it was hard not to smile slightly, even if just a little. Not since Sonic had someone treated her so much as a full-fledged person….

As she thought about it, a strange sensation attacked her, and she let out what could only be described as a spontaneous chuckle.

Max smiled hearing her laughter, and he responded in kind with his own. "What's so funny?"

"I… I was reminded of how Sally would get so angry at your father for teaching me to speak like him. Looking back on it, with my limited capacity… I have no idea how or why I did it…."

Max was surprised at first that past events that occurred as a basic A.I. now seemed to be treated as fond memories with newly layered emotional context.

Still, he couldn't help but laugh a bit imagining his mother's frustration. Eventually though, he ended her curiosity with direct words that were clearly firmly held beliefs. "That's because you've always been and always will be Nicole…."

Nicole didn't quite understand at first, but as they sat there silently, the simplistic harmony overcame them, and she took it to mean that despite what she was she was always a "Mobian" in his eyes.

Now feeling a strange sensation in her robot chest, like the lightening of emotional weight, she could actually pick up the communicator and think about how to fix it.

"I accept your apology, Max…." She eventually said, treating him as a dear friend.

Max was happy to hear it, as he reached down and rummaged some food and water from Sonia's bag, he responded.

"Thanks, Nicole…"

Nicole glanced up and watched him begin to eat. It was the best thing for him at this moment.

Now, with a new and calm disposition, Nicole effectively began to repair the things she intended.

"…"

…

…

…

Tails and Seth, who carried Severa, walked tiredly into the night. Their fear and despair were so intense that the luxury of rest seemed impossible.

Severa would whine in pain, but there was little either could do for her. Tails' arm was so ripped to shreds by this point that he was sure it wouldn't function appropriately in any short time span.

Seth seemed to be the only one who showed little to no emotion and moved on despite his evident waning ability to do so.

The forest was surely engulfed by flames back where they once were, but in Tails' mind, the whole damn thing could burn to the ground for all he cared.

Upon reaching what looked to be an opening in the forest, Seth rested Severa by a tree and peered out to see if any terribleness lay in wait.

When Tails reached Seth, he heard him speak. "Check this out…."

Tails leaned forward, and what he was met with was complete annihilation. Hills, landmarks, forests, everything… Entirely and utterly leveled… As he cast his gaze outward, he noticed several raging fires spreading despite the rain.

"Holy shit…"

Seth glanced at him and then responded. "You thinking it's that roving thing from earlier?"

Tails examined everything and then shook his head. "It is too hard to tell, but I say we keep to the forest. I don't know where we are going, but this doesn't look safe."

Seth nodded and wiped his brow. He was beyond hungry, thirsty, and tired. Indeed, they would die unless they found drinkable water soon.

Severa kept herself against the tree and didn't move or make a sound, she wanted more than anything to be out of here, but as the hours continued, she was slowly resigning herself to the fact that this was now home.

"…"

Eventually, after a short rest, Seth picked up Severa again, and they traveled together along the forest line. They kept looking at the destruction that stretched for miles but dared not step out for fear of the roving death machine.

After at least an hour of walking, they stopped because of some thick brush.

"I'll handle it…." Seth whispered, already walking forward.

He slowly placed Severa down and drew his new blade. After which, he moved further forward and began hacking at the obstruction.

As the hacking echoed into the night, it caught Max's attention, and he stared a bit in the distance. Nicole heard it, too, so she grabbed the gun she'd finished repairing and stood up to be ready.

Tails waited and wondered if they might sit for a while when they got through.

"…"

Seth hacked, and a shimmering light could be seen through the hole, which struck them both as odd given the time it was.

Tails quietly snuck to his side, and with a bit of apprehension, he used his hand to tear through the vines and push himself out into the open.

"…"

When he was met face to face with the light, it blinded him, but he could make out two figures standing directly in front of it, marred in shadow because of the shining behind them.

Seth grabbed hold of the crossbow to guard Tails if they came forward.

"Shit… T-Tails?" Max stammered in shock.

Tails was trembling when he believed he heard a familiar voice.

Seth called out to them, sensing this might be different than everything else they'd come into contact with.

"Are you friend…?"

Max looked at Nicole, who seemed just as baffled by what he saw. After he did a double take on Tails, he responded timidly and full of emotion.

"Yes…"

Seth looked at Tails, who felt like he might explode from spontaneous joy. The voice was unmistakably Max, and while he hated the thought of him being here for any reason… This felt like a reprieve from misery, if ever there was one.

Without thinking, Tails staggered towards Max and Nicole, who seemed so stunned they couldn't move. The sudden appearance of their dear friend was wholly unexpected but a welcome change compared to the danger.

Max could see the uncertain look on Nicole's face, but by the time she was ready to speak. Max had noticed Tails' ripped, torn body and stepped forward.

There was worry and fear, but eventually, quiet staring turned into Max rushing forward towards Tails like he was a small child.

The second they reached one another, Max wrapped his arms around his waist, to which Tails embraced him with his usable arm.

"Tails… Goddamnit…" Max choked his voice on the verge of crying.

Tails had already gone there and sniffled as he held Max's warm body close to him. "I was so worried about you and Annie…."

The two held each other, and as they wept tears of joy, Max said what he needed to at the moment.

"I love you, Tails. I am so sorry for leaving you…."

Tails pushed back a little bit and smiled when Max looked at him. "I love you too big-guy, you did what I asked, and I'm proud…."

Despite the commotion and lovely reunion, Sonia rolled over in her sleep. Unawares of the wonderous surprise that awaited her when she awoke.

With their embrace a much heartfelt thing, Max was surprised when Seth came limping forward holding Severa, who looked distraught.

"Your Highness…" Seth spoke a tad nervously and then placed Severa down by the light. Once he had his arms free, he gave a standing bow, for lack of being able to be on his knee.

The two groups stared at one another. There were so many questions on both sides that talking was the only way to get to the bottom of it.

…

…

…

…

…

…

The conversation was long for both parties, and Tails spoke of just about every possible thing. From Radcliff's betrayal to Seth saving him, to Robotnik…

The only thing he cut out was much of his encounter with the "lost." Not because he didn't want to scare Max but because it was such a traumatic experience that he tried to block the feelings it brought him.

Max regaled what had happened up until now and why he was here dressed so fancily. He omitted the fact that he never told Bunnie about coming here and that he and Annie had run into trouble during their solo adventure and what he had done to her.

Though it weighed heavily on his heart and mind, Max found it challenging to admit to and discuss on any personal level.

"…"

Tails sat quietly in thought, with all the pieces now in place for him to assemble.

So, this was it? This was where Sonic supposedly was?

Part of him refused to believe it. It was so hostile and vile here that even if Sonic hadn't already fallen to it, then he had to no longer be a hero for having not stopped what he had encountered mere hours earlier.

Seth was quietly listening and stuffing his face with food and drink while Severa, having had her own fill, finally found sleep after so much turmoil.

Max felt deep resentment and rage towards Radcliff after hearing what she'd done, and the more he thought about it, the darker his thoughts became.

With a sigh, he focused on the other things Tails had mentioned, but he wasn't sure how to feel about the alien life here or that Seth, of all people, rescued Tails. Still, despite his growing spite, he was grateful to him nonetheless.

With politeness, Max looked at Seth and said what needed to be. "Thank you for saving Tails… He means a lot to me… Well, us…"

Seth guzzled the water, then wiped his mouth before responding to what he considered to be his lord. "No… I am indebted to you for your mercy, and I will see to it that it is repaid."

Max thought about it but eventually nodded, simply accepting the devotion. He knew it was better than to argue against it at a time when it was not significant.

As the talking died down, Nicole quietly tried to fix the device to return home, much to Tails' delight.

Given what Tails had told Max and his friend's apparent injuries, Max knew that it was best for an emergency change of plans.

"I think… I think we should head back immediately… We need to get you guys some help. Once the device is fixed, we can re-supply and return to continue our search." Max let his thoughts be known.

Tails, after so much, simply breathed in deeply at the thought of being away from this hellhole. Even if Sonic were here, the injured were a liability, and Severa deserved to be somewhere safe.

"Alright… That seems reasonable to me…" Tails said.

Nicole closed the back panel on the device, but when she turned it on. It was clear neither the screen nor the transporter was going to work.

"Damnit…" Tails groaned as he shook his head. "Why can nothing be easy?"

Nicole pushed a button on it and attempted to speak into the machine. "Snively… Do you… Can you hear me…? This is an emergency."

"…"

…

…

There was static, and eventually, they heard his voice come through. "Don't… where… been… it's…."

The transmission was so bad, but Nicole still had to try. "Listen to me, please. We need you to open the rift gate. Our transporter function is broken."

More loud static followed, and then Snively's voice became clearer. "Opening… you will… go to the coordinates…."

"Hello!?" Nicole yelled rather loudly. Causing Sonia to open her eyes groggily.

"Go… where… first landed. Contact… there." Snively repeated himself.

With Snively's words broken off, Nicole frustratedly turned off the communicator. Fortunately for everyone involved, Nicole was quite good with directions and memory, given her robotic nature.

Sonia hugged Max's arm while she sat there waking up. She seemed to be staring intensely at Tails, who curiously looked back.

Tails waived to her, but she didn't say anything to him. Finally, Max looked at Sonia and spoke softly to her.

"You ok…?"

She looked up at Max and then shook her head "no."

"Why not? I am fine. Everyone is here…."

She rested her head on his arm and finally spoke. "This dream is so nice… It will hurt when I wake up."

Tails laughed a bit and shook his head. "It's not a dream, Sonia! I'm here…."

Sonia seemed utterly disbelieving but eventually got up to saunter over and touch him. When she found his fur was touchable, it didn't take long for her to embrace him lovingly.

"We were so worried about you…!" She cried.

Tails smiled. "Kid, you weren't the only one…."

Sonia backed away and grinned, then looked at Seth and Severa. She didn't know either but was intrigued by the muscular man sitting there with his shirt off.

Seth stared back at her, and it struck him that she was gawking at his physique. After taking another drink of water, he tossed the container to the side and spoke.

"Who's the brat?"

Sonia glared daggers at him, and it was immediately "on" in her mind. "Who's the dirty, stinky hobo? I ain't never seen him before!"

Already there was chuckling from the small crowd, and Seth waved his hand disinterestedly.

"Come back to me when you can afford better insults, kid."

Sonia pointed at him and angrily ran her mouth. "Come back to ME when you can afford a fucking shirt!"

Max glared at Sonia and she winced a bit when he reprimanded her.

"Watch your language! Especially when it comes to subordinates! You wouldn't want our mother to see that if she were here!"

Seth eyed Sonia, who seemed defeated, and started putting things together. "Wait, so she…"

"Is the princess of Mobotropolis." Tails interjected with a smirk, watching Seth's face go from cocky to uncertain.

Sonia crossed her arms and sneered. "Yea, now what? Got nothin' else to say?"

Everyone laughed at Seth's expense, and it felt like the most wonderful distraction possible for everyone involved. Sonia was playing things up and had Seth scared, much to Tails' delight.

At last, things had died down, and everyone was preparing to move on for emergency evacuation. Nicole picked up the giant rifle she had used against the warmech.

Tails was surprised at its size and design, and he was curious about it.

"Do you think I could fire that?" He said, holding up his splinted arm.

Nicole looked at him and powered it on to see if it worked. When it came alive, she responded. "Not unless you want to tear your arms off your body."

Tails wasn't sure what kind of power it had, but it didn't sound useful to organics. After that, though, Nicole handed him a pistol-type weapon that she had fixed.

It seemed different than most of the weapons he used. However, it was light, and he could manipulate the power switch with one hand.

"Thanks, Nicole…"

Nicole nodded, turned off the anti-material rifle, and used the powerful magnet to stick it to her back for easy transport.

After that, she picked up another pistol-type weapon and held it in her hand. It seemed that she was equipped with firearms only suitable for a robot to wield.

The good feelings and rest were short-lived, and once Nicole regathered her mini tool kit, she opened the panel on the front of her stomach to hide the box with her internal components.

Latching it back up, she looked around and saw the curious look on Max and Tails' faces.

"I… Well, I thought it would be good to keep those there… in case I needed to repair myself…." She said.

The way she looked down and the tone she spoke in clued both in on the fact that she was embarrassed, but why this was so eluded them.

Severa slept comfortably still, and Seth did his best to lift her without waking her. Once he was successful, he commented in his exhausted state.

"Thank god birds are so damn light…."

With the troupe together, the small party ventured with Max, Nicole, and Sonia in the lead. Tails still felt the pull of despair when things were quiet, but he also felt hope now that he had the support of those he loved again.

Max moved next to Sonia as they walked, and when she noticed him looking down at her, she spoke up to him. "Sup…?"

Max scratched the back of his head and then responded to her earnestly. "I… I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier… It won't happen again."

Sonia waved her hand and acted as if she didn't care, after which, she spoke. "It's cool… I wasn't scared or nothin'… Just don't be so stupid again, alright?"

Max grinned and then nodded. Once her attention was away from him, he lifted his glove and saw that that light had turned cyan again. Despite this, however, he was still feeling ill from earlier.

It seemed like "ready to be used" didn't mean "recovery" in the way he was hoping. Still, if he had to push it far, he would… Just not as far as he did earlier….

The group walked with relatively little interference, and after roughly an hour or so, they found themselves in the area Nicole recognized as their entry point.

Once she stopped, she turned to everyone and began to use the communicator. "Snively… We are here. We need you to open the rift gate…."

"…"

"Snively…?"

…

…

…

…

When no response came, it worried them. As Nicole waited, she eventually started moving her head around.

"…"

"What is it, Nicole?" Max asked.

"I… I don't know…" She said, and it seemed like she was afraid.

Tails eyed her and then eventually responded. "Is it that gigantic thing…?"

Thinking back, Nicole remembered Tails mentioning a big machine that attacked them, but she thought he meant the same mech as the one they had defeated.

"I…" As Nicole readied herself to speak. The group began to look at their feet.

The unmistakable rumbling was going through the ground, and as a loud mechanical screech was heard echoing through the end of the night, it sent horrific fear through everyone there.

"It is that thing!" Tails shouted, pointing in the distance at the red dot miles away from them piercing what little fog was left.

The creature could barely be seen, but it could be heard. Severa had awoken and was trembling in Seth's arms while Tails gritted his teeth.

"This thing is beyond dangerous!" Tails yelled and then powered his weapon with his thumb. "We need a plan, and fast!"

As the group shook around, the static came through Nicole's communicator, and Snively's voice could be heard.

"Can… Hear…? Activated…"

They looked around for a portal quickly, but it was evident there wasn't one there to let them escape.

"Snively! Open the damn portal!" Nicole shouted.

The rumbling intensified, and it was now making everyone stagger on their feet. As the monstrous mechanical creature came into view, its size defied logic, and it was utterly apparent that half their group couldn't even fight it.

Max shouted orders with little time to spare, deciding standing there doing nothing was stupid. "Nicole, get somewhere safe! Use that rifle on it! Seth, Severa… Make sure Nicole is not attacked! Sonia, myself, and Tails will distract it!"

Tails, hearing the instructions, glanced over at Nicole, after which, he removed the bag containing the book and ascot and offered it to her. "Keep this safe… If I don't make it back, bury that bag!"

Nicole accepted it with a nod, and slung it over her shoulder and across her chest. After which, she, Seth, and Severa retreated away to follow Max's orders.

Tails then turned to look at Max and knew from their talk earlier that he had some essential new gadgets, but wasn't sure what it could offer in this situation. "Maybe you should fall back too, that thing can obliterate miles of land…"

Max glanced at him, and then just shouted his next orders. "Take to the sky! Sonia, use your speed to distract it! Worry about yourselves! I will be fine!"

The rumbling and screeching made it challenging to hear Max, but with little time to spare, Tails took to the air, flying towards the machine's left.

Sonia took off to the right while giving her brother a thumbs up on the way out. With a power ring still in her possession, she had little worries that she would be bested this time.

Max checked his glove to make sure it was still cyan and then began to run forward in the middle, the monster stopping in place and seeming as if it were considering what to annihilate first.

Tails was the first to reach it, and when it swiped a gigantic tentacle at him, it was so massive that it was nearly impossible to avoid.

"Whoa! Holy shit!" He yelled to himself as he watched the tendril smash into the planet.

The quaking from the slam was so seismic that it knocked Max and Sonia on their ass. Tails pointed the gun at the machine, and it gathered power when he held down the trigger.

Once he released it, it sent an intense burst of energy towards the mechanical nightmare, but a vast blue barrier surrounded the entire thing before even hitting it.

"No way!" Tails yelled, then flew away as another tendril came swinging for him.

This time, when it smashed into the ground, Max held his position and staggered about on his feet to keep himself from entirely falling.

Sonia had fallen again, but she just waited it out before she began to sprint towards the creature again.

The creature honed in on Max, and its eye began to gather power. Tails knew what this meant and began to fly forward so that he could reach Max before the explosion went off.

Max watched, and as the machine let out a horrific screech, he saw a concentrated blast of pure energy flying toward him.

"Shit! Max!" Tails screamed as the beam hurtled towards his friend. It had left far quicker than last time, and he knew he would not make it in time to do anything to help.

When Max saw the beam moving in for him, he erected a shield around himself, and the explosion landed some miles ahead.

Tails was surprised by the entire body shield, but he quickly gathered why Max seemed unworried. Rather than put himself in harm's way, he flew upwards away from the blast radius.

Max watched as the dome of molten fire engulfed everywhere around him. He kept his hand steady as the superheated flames flew around his small dome, like a bubble in an ocean of inferno.

He gritted his teeth and used his free hand to lift the glove. He saw it turn yellow and began sweating while his body, still weak from earlier, started to feel like whipped butter.

"Come on, goddamnit!"

Tails held the trigger of the pistol again and did so for far longer this time. He released it when it finally reached maximum power, sending out a large beam of super-heated energy.

This time, the beam exploded, but the monster's shield was too strong to penetrate. Tails was beginning to get scared that this was it, as he flew back a bit and glanced down where Max was.

The dome of fire was gone, and there stood Max in a mound set in the center of a massive crater. He held his chest for a moment, then collapsed to his knees, appearing to be having a hard time.

Tails, seeing this, immediately went in so that he could secure him and bring him away from the fight. Whatever technological power Max was utilizing was beyond intense, even to his sensibilities.

…

…

…

…

Nicole was positioned far away from the fight and was now grabbing the gigantic rifle from her back. She glanced at Seth, and then undid her communicator.

"Hold this. We can't risk it breaking again…." She said as she tossed it on the ground by his feet.

Once done, she looked through the weapon's scope, and once it was correctly aimed, she held down the trigger.

"Plug your ears and get into cover… This is going to be wild…"

…

…

…

…

Tails landed by Max, who was clearly struggling to stand. It was now apparent to him that Max wouldn't have the strength to hold on during a flight.

"Alright big guy, we do this the old-fashioned way!" He said, wrapping his good arm around Max and allowing him something to lean on so they could traverse backward.

While they stumbled away, they were immediately halted as a loud blast of unfathomable proportions rang out again. Tails felt a pain in his head, and all he could hear was a loud ringing.

The shot stunned everyone, but when Tails glanced back at the monstrosity, he saw a massive explosion that sent a gust of hot air blowing against their fur.

"Holy… Damn!" Tails shouted, still deaf.

The Lovecraftian abomination screeched, and its shield began to flicker. The hit had utterly disabled its protections… It did no damage to the actual entity, but it made Tails hopeful he could now attack it.

The creature swung all of its tendrils unpredictably and violently, causing great earthquakes that rattled across the land.

It sent everyone reeling. Even Nicole fell next to the damaged rifle, its front barrel completely melted from the maximum power it released.

Sonia was closest to the creature, and as she tumbled about the ground, she opened her backpack, desperate to escape danger.

She now realized she was far too close while it was doing this, and the only way she could handle the shaking was to power up.

While the creature swung its miles-wide limbs, Sonia let out a loud yell when it became apparent that it was coming close to crushing her into a bloody mist.

When she reached for the bag opening, the shaking sent the power ring tumbling out and her rolling all over the place.

"No!" She cried out, barely able to hear her screams over the noise.

When she glanced up, she could see her life flash in front of her eyes as one of the gigantic tendrils loomed above her, blacking out all else and letting her know she was done for.

She shut her eyes and screamed when a loud BOOM came.

As she took a breath, she realized she had not been crushed when the sound came.

Opening her eyes, she saw that she was being placed gently on the ground by a figure wearing a tattered brown cloak.

The form was unmistakable to her eyes and she tried to speak, but her voice was mute even as her mouth moved.

The torn red and white sneakers were tarnished by years of abuse, but it seemed that the heroic aura had never left…

The figure walked away from Sonia without a word, and once everyone noticed him. All of their hearts collectively froze with excitement and disbelief.

The monstrous machine looked down at the figure, and the figure looked up. Afterward, he reached down into the mud and picked up the golden ring Sonia had dropped.

As the golden light engulfed them, their cloak began to blow against the released power, and they held it above their head triumphantly for the world to see. A beacon of hope in an otherwise dark world.

When the hood came off, and Sonic's older visage was seen by those close enough to witness it, he merely spoke out loud to the roving monster as if it could understand him.

"It's been fun all these years, but it's time for you to go!"

The creature screeched, but when Sonic took off under the effects of the power ring, he was so fast that nobody's eyes could even follow him.

Even to Sonia, it was like he'd turned invisible, save for the golden streaks of power left behind.

BOOM!

BOOM!

SMASH!

Sonic's destruction was immediate, ping-ponging from the tendrils like a springboard and smashing into its central exterior.

Parts began to fall, and tendrils ripped off, only to slam onto the ground with explosive force.

Fire and smoke lit the sky as Sonic effortlessly tore through it like it were a paper toy.

Such speed and power had no equal, and everyone watched in stunned awe as the final explosion came from the red eye in the center.

BOOM!

Sparks and shorting began to go through the entire destroyed entity, which could only screech one last time before exploding in a fantastic display of unparalleled destruction.

Sonic landed untouched in front of the crater Sonia was lying by, and all he left behind was a mushroom cloud of smoke billowing up into the morning sky while it rained nuts and bolts for miles on end.

"…"

Sonia's anxiety was at its peak, especially when Sonic looked at the depowered ring and he threw it to the ground. Once done, he turned to face her.

"…"

Sonic's shoes flopped about, barely held together after so long. His dirty and torn cloak accentuated his grimy and haggard appearance, but as her young eyes examined his face, she could see a level of maturity that did not exist in aegis past.

Sonia watched his hand as it reached out towards her, and the holes in his once pristine gloves revealed the blue of his fur underneath.

At first, she was afraid to accept it, it didn't feel real… It couldn't. This is what she was here for, but how does one reconcile excitement and shame so intermixed?

Eventually, she grasped the hand offered to her and was raised to her feet. Even as she remained silent, she witnessed Sonic bend down, and without provocation, he wrapped his arms around her.

Sonia shut her eyes and felt the warmth. Something so forgotten that when she experienced it again, she felt tears in her eyes.

When she finally felt confident, she wrapped her arms around his sides. Too short to make it all the way around, but tight and endearing nonetheless.

"…"

They stood in that position allowing the quiet calming of rain to drench them both. Eventually, when Sonic stood up, his face turned serious, which prompted Sonia to look behind her.

Not too far away was Nicole walking towards them. She seemed no worse for the ware, but her appearance made Sonic walk forward as if he was going to trash her.

Another step, and Sonia grabbed his wrist roughly with both hands.

"Don't!" She cried angrily.

Sonic eyed her, but the worried inflection of her voice made him stop. When at last Nicole was close to Sonic, she had a bewildered expression on her face.

Sonic and her just stared at one another, until Nicole could not look any longer and cast her gaze towards the ground.

"I… Uhm… Hi…" She spoke timidly.

The second Sonic heard her voice, he had a shocked expression across his face, which inevitably gave way to a grin. When Nicole looked up again, Sonic had planted himself in front of her.

"…"

Sonic put his fist out without a word, and Nicole examined the dirty, ripped glove. She knew what needed to be done and punched his fist with her own.

"Way past, Nicole…" Sonic said with confidence.

She felt embarrassed and nodded a bit. "It has… been a long time, Sonic… Things have changed…."

"I can't wait to hear all about it, Nicole," Sonic said to her with a grateful smile.

As Seth and Severa watched from the back, Sonic turned his head and was greeted with another beautiful surprise.

A two-tailed fox standing not too far away, his expression an amalgamation of regret and uncertainty.

Even as Sonic moved to stand before him. Tails almost refused to believe they were both here. Long-forgotten feelings warmed his body, and he felt as if he were little again.

Sonic placed his hands on Tails' shoulders, making him flinch. When Sonic had Tails' undivided attention, he spoke seriously.

"I'm sorry little buddy… I let you down, but that stops today."

Tails felt tears but held them back with all his might, his breaking heart causing him more grief. Sonic had let him down, and because of it, Tails had abandoned Sonic…

Eventually, Sonic slid his hands off his shoulders and embraced him. At first, Tails wanted to pull away, but as the hug warmed him, he could do little else than to place his one arm around Sonic to return the hug.

"…"

No words could be said, and Tails knew he would have to allow time to heal the rift between them. If indeed it was possible to repair it at all.

Max stood in the crater, he had gained the strength to stand, but his overwhelming anxiety about meeting Sonic caused him to hide.

He didn't know what to say to a man who had been absent from his life for over ten years, and he would be lying to himself if he tried to act as if there wasn't deep resentment.

As his body relaxed from shaking, he removed his right glove to allow the fur underneath to breathe. He was sweating so bad, that it was unbearable.

Once Max had shoved the glove in his pocket, he began trudging the final way up the crater's edge.

When he appeared, Sonic immediately noticed him, and his expression was utter shock.

Max was standing there all fancy with everyone's eyes on him, and he felt miserable. As Sonic walked toward him, he contemplated how he should act, and the only thing that came to mind was to perform "properly."

When Sonic stood a bit away from him. Max gazed into his father's eyes, and his father gazed back. A stare so powerful that Max felt weak against it.

"I… Um…" Max stuttered a bit, especially when he saw Sonic's eyes staring at the one glove on his left hand.

When their eyes re-met, it was unmistakable that Sonic knew….

With a deep breath, Max stepped forward and offered his right hand to Sonic for a formal shake.

"I'm Max… It is a pleasure to mee… Um… See you again."

Sonic took the hand into his own, and they began their shake, but rather than continue it. Sonic yanked Max forward roughly until they were intimately close.

Finally, after so long, Sonic turned his shake into a deep embrace. One so comforting that it was painful to Max's heart…

He always remembered Sonic doting on Sonia's speed… Why his father wanted to hug an underachieving bastard like himself now was difficult for Max to understand.

"…"

Max stood frozen in the hug, never returning it but secretly enjoying its feel. As time passed, they eventually heard a loud noise that interrupted the heartfelt reunion.

A gigantic portal that had long been desired by Sonic sat open beside them, tearing at the fabric of space and time. After so many years, Sonic heard Tails' adult voice, and it had to be the most beautiful words that had ever been spoken.

"You… You ready to go home…?"

With the group now standing in front of their salvation, Sonic merely nodded and spoke. "With you guys here, I already am home…."

One by one. Seth, Severa, Sonia, Max, Tails, Nicole, and Sonic, went through the gate. Separated no more and ready to rebuild a life that had long since been torn to pieces.

…

Wrap up: Crazy how far things have come. I have to wonder what will occur next…. Well, I already know, but at least you get to be surprised, and I think it will be exciting for you.

Editor's Note: Hope you are all ready for the insane world building skills his mind is capable of.

Editor's Wrap: MR MVP HAS ARRIVED! After all these harrowing years! Who would've thought it would have been THIS dramatic!