"I don't have any Guardian powers... because I was deemed unworthy."

A silence was needed to let that statement sink in. Silver blinked repeatedly, expecting to suddenly wake up from a dream, but no – this was real.

"Huh?" He let out. "N-no?" He spluttered. "No! That doesn't make any sense!" Silver exclaimed as he stood. "You're Knuckles the Echidna!" He outstretched his arms towards Knuckles. "You can punch a mountain in half! A-and you're always so determined!"

"But I'm selfish." Knuckles interrupted; his voice quiet – as though he had already resigned himself to this supposed fact.

"You're not! You're literally not!" Silver insisted, spreading his arms out again. "You're the complete opposite! You live on that island all by yourself to protect the emerald! You spent so many years of your life alone to make sure you could keep it safe… and this is what you get in return?" He asked in disbelief. "You're not the one in the wrong here, it's that rock… or the spirits… or whatever decides whether you get your powers or not!"

The usually strong echidna couldn't face Silver anymore. He turned sharply and went to walk down the centre of the train carriage, folding his arms and shaking his head along the way – looking down at the ground. It made him appear small.

Silver called after him, certainly not done with what he had to say. "Not to mention how many times you've saved the world!"

"Silver." Knuckles stopped but didn't look at him. "Just stop. I can't make excuses for myself…"

"It's not excuses! There's no one more deserving of those powers than you, and I mean it." Silver said firmly.

"But you're not the one in charge of deciding, are you?" Knuckles' voice was low.

"No, but- but if I ever find who's responsible for all this, I'll… do… something!" He declared with an odd combination of both determination and uncertainty. Silver glanced towards Shadow; eyes filled with desperation for his contribution.

The dark hedgehog had said nothing since the revelation, and his expression had remained largely impassive. However, he recognised Silver's silent pleas.

"There's little point in any of us getting upset by this." Shadow said. "Nothing has even changed. We didn't even know Guardians were supposed to have powers until now."

While Shadow's words were reasonable, Silver still found himself frowning – he had hoped for Shadow showing some sympathy or compassion, but he should have known better.

"Frankly, I'm just grateful you hadn't been hiding your true powers from us all this time." Shadow continued. "Or I would have been angry."

"What's worse?" Knuckles suddenly asked. "Hiding that… or lying to your friends, and calling yourself a Guardian even after you were deemed unworthy of the position?"

"There is no one more qualified the role than you." Shadow said.

"Do you seriously believe that?" Knuckles whipped his head around. "Do you know how many times I've sat on the side-lines while you or Sonic have fought our toughest battles? And Shadow… you have more connection with Chaos Energy than I could ever hope for! I've seen you on the battlefield, I've seen your levels of resolve… every time I look at you, I always think…" he gulped, hesitating, "… that perhaps it should be you instead."

The carriage fell into silence. Silver's ears immediately drooped, and he was dumbstruck. Even Shadow's mouth hung slightly agape.

"What?" Shadow asked, his voice carrying through the carriage like an icy chill.

"How many times has that emerald been broken… or stolen from right under my nose?" Knuckles asked. "Hell, right before Eggman used the time eater – who was the one at the emerald's side? Certainly not me, I was at a damn party! It was you-"

"What happened to you?" Shadow asked abruptly, causing Silver to feel a shiver. "The Knuckles I knew was a pillar of strength, and no matter what – he'd never turn away from his duty. Certainly, he'd never make a suggestion so unbelievably absurd."

Silver felt an uncomfortable twist in his stomach, wanting to flinch away from Shadow's glare even though it wasn't directed at him. Knuckles could barely keep his head up – eyes filled with a swirling storm of anger and shame.

"I'm willing to pretend this conversation never happened. We have more pressing issues at hand. The doctor has broken our timeline, and we must endeavour to fix it. So, either you're going to get a handle over yourself… or you're dead weight." Shadow narrowed his eyes.

"Shadow," Silver spoke up, "can we talk? Like, privately-"

"Is the 'private' part necessary?" He asked.

Silver nodded.

The hedgehog closed his eyes and sighed. "Very well. Let us move to another carriage."

Shadow wasted no time in moving, but Silver took a moment to pause – looking back at Knuckles.

"We care about you, okay?" Silver smiled gently. "So, if you need to talk… we're here. We'll listen."

Knuckles didn't respond, not even making eye contact.

Silver couldn't blame him. "We'll be back in a second, and we'll work things out… together."

…

When the door slid shut behind them, Silver frowned at Shadow. "That was cold, even for you." He said, walking up to the hedgehog and standing right in front of him.

Shadow placed a hand on his hip. "I could have wasted my time trying to praise him to boost his self-esteem, but I assure you that those words would have bounced right off. I'd rather focus that energy into fixing the world."

"Still, telling him to 'get over it or he's dead weight?'" Silver asked, quoting him. "This isn't Knuckles suddenly having some kind of strop – it's kind of clear he's been holding onto this for a long time." He explained. "Imagine spending all that time alone only for all your efforts to be rejected. I'd be upset too!"

"I'm not saying that he shouldn't be upset, what I am saying is that we are not the ones that can help with his issues." Shadow explained with a mild frustration. "He needs his friends, that much is plain."

"We're his friends!"

"I mean his close friends, idiot." Shadow huffed impatiently, crossing his arms. "Only they know him well enough to grant him the support he needs. I sympathise with Knuckles' plight, I do. I don't wish for him to suffer and break down like this. But am I the one that's going to be able to help him? I don't believe so."

"You still could have worded things better." Silver said.

"Perhaps." Shadow remarked. "But I have other priorities right now."

"There isn't really much we can do until Metal gets back." Silver pointed out. "I'm just hoping the train doesn't move randomly like last time, or he'll have no hope of finding us-"

"Hmph." Shadow thought for a moment. "Why do you reckon Tikal disappeared in the first place?"

"I'm not sure, I mean – she's been distressed ever since Knuckles got angry at her, and I'm pretty sure she's hiding something from us."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Silver pouted. "She just isn't answering a whole lot of questions."

"Well, when she returns – we must make sure that nothing is being hidden from us. The last thing we need are lies impeding our progress."

"Right…" Silver nodded slowly. "On another note, I have yet to mention it considering… what's just happened but- my connection to Sonic's dreams has opened again, we can talk to him. But… I'm not certain we should right now. I don't know if Knuckles will want to when he's feeling ashamed like this, and it might upset Sonic to see him sad, but I also don't want to do this without him since Knuckles hasn't seen him in a year-"

"I need to speak with him." Shadow said quickly. "Can you open up the portal just for me to go through?"

"Should be able to…" Silver spoke hesitantly. "But-"

"Then allow me to speak with him while you stay in the train, if Knuckles asks – just say there was urgent business I had to discuss with him."

"Kind of feels like a mean move-"

"We need to save the world. Their emotional reunion can happen tomorrow night where Knuckles might be feeling less upset." Shadow said. "Priorities, Silver."

Silver rolled his eyes but understood where Shadow was coming from. "Priorities…" He repeated quietly. "Alright."

The hedgehog slowly breathed in, closing his eyes so he could concentrate. The vibration in his head grew stronger and louder, causing him to grimace uncomfortably.

"GAH!" Sliver flung his hand out, sending out a blue orb that quickly expanded into a swirling pool in the air – a portal. "There. I don't think you'll have a lot of time, there often isn't."

"Then I won't waste any." Shadow said. "Thank you, Silver." Shadow gave him a brief nod before hopping inside.

Apparently, the Babylon Rogues were rich and famous enough to own their own personal limousine. Jet refused to hire a chauffeur however, not when Storm was a much better option.

Once again, the bird didn't seem to mind being given all the responsibility.

Storm held open the door for them, and they entered – Wave on one side, Jet in the middle, and Amy on the other. Of course, the dark and sleek vehicle was large – so there was more than enough room for all of them.

When Amy sat down, she couldn't believe how soft the leather felt – it was as though she could almost sink into it.

The group were adorned in their evening wear. Wave looked elegant and refined in her white, form-fitting dress. Storm's tuxedo was simple, fitting for him – but his bow tie had a cute polka dot pattern to make it livelier.

Jet also wore a tux, but it lacked any sort of tie – and he left the button on top undone. However, he wore silver rings on his fingers – and Amy was frankly a bit jealous of his luxurious high-heeled shoes.

Amy's dress was short and frilly slightly at the bottom. It was simple, but she liked the shade of red – she thought she almost looked like a rose. Her shoes, in contrast to Jet, were red pumps – as she was never the greatest at walking in heels.

"Haha, yes!" Wave suddenly exclaimed in triumph, scrolling through her phone as the car began to drive. "Starline's been held up with some business, so he isn't coming." She relaxed in her seat. "One less moron to deal with."

Amy smiled in relief – she had never been a fan of Starline, hell – she didn't know of anyone who was.

Jet didn't acknowledge the statement, lost in his thoughts. The image of him looking over that picture still lingered in Amy's brain, but she knew now wouldn't be a good time to talk about it.

"Are you nervous?" Amy asked Wave, peering over.

"About tonight? Only a little." She said, before nudging Jet sharply with her elbow. "Only because this idiot is bad at keeping his mouth shut!"

Jet was snapped out of his own head and scowled at Wave. "I'll do and say what I want!"

"That's exactly why I'm worrying!" Wave pointed out.

"I've gotten this far without us Rogues being executed for treason, so – somehow I think I'll be good tonight." Jet remarked dryly.

Wave rolled her eyes. "Your hubris will be your downfall…" She grumbled.

"Don't care – speak English." He retorted, looking down at the rings on his hand as Wave growled in irritation.

While the arguing between them could get grating, she found herself smiling in this instance. It was something unfamiliar before she was about to enter uncharted waters, so she wanted to cling to this feeling.

…

The rest of the journey passed with the usual banter taking place between the team. Amy felt the pace of the car suddenly slow, and her heart rate increased. Were they there already? The drive had felt so short…

The hedgehog hesitantly peered out of the window, and her mouth immediately dropped in awe. They were parked outside of a grand mansion, and due to its sheer size – she wondered how many rooms there were inside. Amber lights glowed from the many windows, shining brightly among the dark sea of the night sky.

The architecture was old, it was one of the few buildings that remained that looked anything close to historical in the Robotnik era. It was made of stone, and the exterior was darkening with age.

She had been so engrossed in looking at the towering mansion that she hadn't even realised that Storm had opened the door for her to leave. She jumped when Jet gave her a shove. "Hurry up so we can get this night over with!"

"I'm going, I'm going-!" She quickly huffed, stepping outside the limousine, and quivering as the cold air hit her fur. She really should have brought a coat. As the other two emerged, Wave also seemed to regret her decision of neglecting extra layers.

Storm swung the door shut behind them and straightened out his blazer.

"Alright," Wave breathed in, hugging herself for warmth and staring towards the building, "let's try not to die today."

Awkward wasn't good enough of a word to describe the atmosphere between the group. Whisper and Tangle were at least a few feet apart from the mercenary duo at all times – yet they travelled in the same direction, with the same goals.

Tangle had seemed to imply there was a history between them, and Whisper had already figured out it must be complicated. She noticed the lemur's smile falter in fleeting moments before she plastered it on again when someone was looking at her.

"Is it just me or like… is there less robots around than normal?" Tangle asked quietly as they moved between the thinner alleys and passageways.

Yet, despite how uncomfortable Tangle clearly was by being around them – she was still attempting to break the ice.

"The badniks that are usually deployed to patrol the streets are being sent out to fight the sudden spike of monster sightings." Vector answered. "Station Square has had it especially bad."

"Huh…" Tangle rubbed her chin. "Wonder why that is… Spookies usually stick to the city outskirts."

"You still call them Spookies?" Espio questioned.

"Oh! Heh- I just think it's less gruesome." Tangle rubbed the back of her head.

Whisper recalled images of all the beasts she had encountered throughout her many battles and found herself smiling as she imagined the goofy name of 'Spookies' being attached to them.

"Either way, we need to remain alert." Espio said. "If a monster were to attack us, that would reveal our location to Dr Starline."

Tangle rose a brow. "Don't you mean Egg Boss Rose?"

"Nope. Amy got given a vacation in Empire City after she saved Robotnik from the assassination attempt." Vector explained.

"Oh..." Tangle hummed. "I guess that makes sense… I heard Empire City is like- one of the few nice places remaining."

"As long as you can convince the world you're an Empire patriot – you're fine." Vector said with a disheartened shrug. "Which is why I'm worried about the girl."

"About an Egg Boss?" Whisper asked.

"Amy's a good kid, really." Vector sighed. "You may not believe that after she saved the emperor's life, but… she's trying her best, despite her circumstances. A lot of people were forced into lives they didn't want-"

"There's always a choice." Whisper countered.

"I agree." Tangle added, surprising Whisper with the steely expression the lemur had on her face. "Of course, it's more complicated than that but – it's too easy to justify picking the safe option, instead of trying to do what's right."

Vector breathed in. "I see you're not trying to be subtle."

"Nope." Tangle said lightly.

"Look… we have a kid we're trying to keep safe; we can't afford to give up our jobs. If we could, we would…" He trailed off. "But we've burned that bridge."

"I'd be willing to repair it." Tangle said suddenly. With both Vector and Espio staring at her in surprise. "But first, let's get our kids back."

The mercenaries exchanged a look of uncertainty.

Whisper's ears flicked. "I hear something."

"Not a Spooky is it?" Tangle asked with concern. Espio tensed.

"No… it's something speaking in a higher pitch. A…" She blinked. "A chao?"

They all instinctively looked towards the air where they expected to find a small creature flying towards them – and indeed they would. A speck in the distance began growing inside as it got closer. Whisper watched Tangle's face light up out of the corner of her eye.

"Cheese!" Tangle exclaimed joyously, before slapping her hand over her mouth – realising that had come out pretty loud.

"Chao!" Cheese called back, smiling – he shot towards them at a sudden high speed, and Tangle bounced on the tips of her toes excitedly.

"It's so good to see you!" The lemur smiled widely once the Chao had finally made it. She reached out to stroke him on the head, and he immediately appeared to be soothed.

"You know him?" Whisper questioned with surprise.

"He belongs to Cream, one of the kids! Which means they're nearby." Tangle pointed out with a grin, and Cheese nodded in agreement. "Is that right? Are all the kids together?" She asked.

Cheese nodded.

"Where are they, Cheese?" She then asked.

"Chao! Chao chao chao! Chao chao! Chao! Chao chao chao chao!"

"Umm…" Tangle stared at him blankly. "Do… any of you know how to speak Chao…?"

The other three slowly shook their heads.

They watched as Cheese face palmed with his tiny hand, frowning for a moment before the intelligent little creature got an idea. He appeared to use some form of charades to communicate – suddenly appearing rather haughty, looking down upon them. He brushed off his shoulders flamboyantly, and the four immediately exchanged a glance.

"Starline." They said in unison, before their faces paled in panic.

"Damnit!" Vector cursed in frustration. "How did he get his hands on them?!"

Tangle let out what Whisper could only describe as the verbal equivalent of keyboard smashing.

"Where do you reckon Starline has located them?" Espio turned to the crocodile, trying to keep his voice steady.

"He's likely made the big laboratories his home base. If he's keeping them alive, he could be planning to use them for ransom against us." Vector theorised. "But we shouldn't be waiting to find out!"

"Exactly." Tangle nodded. "Let's move and infiltrate!"

Whisper agreed silently, wanting to get going as quick as possible – fearing for their safety. Who knew what Starline could be doing with them?

Amy had to fight the urge to gasp as she entered the marbled ballroom, gazing at the golden intricate lining on the white pillars. Two spiral staircases lead up to a landing above the dancefloor where she assumed the hosts would stand to give announcements.

By the time they had made it there, the party seemed to already be in full swing. The guests were all chatting amiably, glasses in hand and picking from the silver trays of food that were being offered by the butlers.

A band was playing a quiet melody on a combination of string instruments and harps. It was all at a slow tempo, but it allowed for beginner friendly ballroom dancing.

"Just so you guys know… I'm going to be helping myself to the snacks the whole night, I will not be dancing unless I am dragged." Jet said.

"You mean you're going to be helping yourself to the hors d'oeuvres?" Wave corrected him.

Jet stared at her and rose a brow. "The horse-doors?"

Wave groaned in disappointment. "How did you even-? Ugh, why do I try with you? Storm, go with Jet and make sure he doesn't choke on a horse-door." She waved them away.

"I was already going to." Storm replied with his own huff. "Come on, Boss. We don't need to speak fancy!"

The two boys wasted no time in neglecting the girls. Wave turned to Amy with an aggravated sigh. "I swear I'm going grey early because of them…"

"Come on." Amy shrugged, forcing herself to be optimistic. "It's a party tonight so, why not try to relax?"

"Doubt we'll get to, but we'll see." Wave said.

"Ladies."

The two of them turned, and they both straightened themselves up as the infamous green opossum approached with a smile. His tuxedo was white with thin black stripes, much like his normal attire he could be seen in – but the new additions were a black shirt and black pants with a gold lining. He certainly knew how to dress well.

Amy allowed Wave to lead the conversation. "Clutch! Oh wow, you look amazing!" It was pretty remarkable how well Wave could pretend to be enthused.

"Thank you very much, because I must say – you two look magnificent as well." He complimented. "Although, if I'm perfectly honest, I thought you weren't going to make it."

"Oh dear, we do apologize for our lateness." Wave placed her hand atop her chest. "Jet just couldn't decide on the right outfit, you know him – such a diva!" The swallow came out with a stream of laughter, subtly nudging Amy – prompting the hedgehog to realize she was supposed to be laughing as well.

Clutch chuckled softly in amusement. "He's certainly a character. It's why his fans love him so much."

"And you know we couldn't have gone as far as we have in our racing careers without the support from our beloved fanbase." Wave agreed with a nod.

To Amy's dismay, he turned to her. "I see you've made some very famous friends." He commented before winking. "Trying to get free VIP tickets to the next grand prix?"

Amy pretended to gasp, playing along. "Me? No, no! I'd never!"

This prompted them all to laugh yet again – for a brief moment, it was almost as though they all actually liked each other.

"Even so, I'd give her those tickets in a heartbeat." Wave grinned. "She's been grand company!"

"Well, I am certainly happy that you've managed to become such great friends." Clutch said. He looked away to towards the centre of the room as the music stopped for a quick break, allowing the dancers a moment to breathe.

Clutch held out his hand towards Wave. "Would you allow me this next dance?"

Wave swallowed, then replied. "It would be my pleasure." She said as she placed her hand delicately in his hand.

Before Amy knew it, the opossum was taking Wave away from her – leaving the hedgehog alone. Amy felt smaller than ever, fur prickling every time someone walked close by.

Suddenly, she was now claustrophobic – feeling as though the room has grown smaller. Maybe walking around a bit would settle her tingling nerves.

…

Aside from the trays being carried around by the staff, there was a buffet table on the far end of the room. That was where Jet and Storm had decided they would stay.

Not that the food was good or anything – it was miserably bland. Just bits of vegetable and salmon wrapped together in bite sized pieces mainly. Jet didn't even attempt to disguise his underwhelmed frown.

Storm appeared to be unimpressed as well. "I cook better." He remarked after swallowing his second snack.

"Can't argue with that." Jet admitted, he was quite lucky that Storm was a good cook, but he supposed it would be inevitable since he had always been on team cooking duty. The hawk honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd held a frying pan.

"Hello, boys."

Their gaze flitted towards a dark teal hedgehog. Breezie.

She was abnormally tall for a typical member of their species. She was wearing a mermaid-style scarlet dress, and it suited her well – especially with her dark red lipstick.

Since their races were often televised, they had a number of encounters with the woman. As the CEO of Egg TV – she was the lady in charge of it all, and she had insisted on meeting 'her dear hard workers'.

Jet breathed in slowly when he noticed Storm was blushing. He'd always had a bit of a crush; a lot of people apparently did.

"Hm." Jet acknowledged her presence, quickly shoving another bit of food in his mouth so he had an excuse not to speak.

"U-uh… hello!" Storm stuttered out.

"Pleasure to see you both again," she told them with an easy smile. "We haven't had much of an opportunity to talk lately."

"Too bad that period couldn't last longer." Jet told her bluntly.

Breezie rolled her eyes with amusement, turning to Storm. "Does he ever drop the persona? I'm starting to think he does it in private as well."

"Oh, heh- not exactly, I mean - sometimes. He's uh- it's like method acting." Nerves were once again getting the better of the big guy, and Jet almost felt pity for him.

"In that case, we might have to see if I can get him an award." She joked, laughing at her own humour - so Storm allowed himself to laugh with her. Jet, with no patience to pretend, instead made his scowl deeper.

"Storm." She gazed in his eyes, and Storm almost went as red as a tomato. "Would you like a dance?" She asked him.

"Yes! I mean- uh-" He cleared his throat. "Of course I would, ma'am." For once, he remembered his ettiquette, holding out a hand for her to take. Jet watched on with an uncomfortable twist in his stomach - knowing how easily Breezie could worm information out of people, combining that with Storm's not-so-bright intelligence... it could be a recipe for disaster.

Yet, as he led her away - Jet realized there was nothing he could do.

...

It was hard to weave among the crowds, so she found a place to stand by herself that was relatively open. She needed a moment to try to get herself to stop shaking, just one moment of piece.

"H-hello, madame-"

Amy squeaked at hearing a sudden voice, jumping back.

"S-sorry! Sorry!"

She faced them, and her eyes softened apologetically when she noticed it was a nervous-looking butler. He was a brown dog, his eyes were wide - and almost teary, it didn't seem as though he had been having that great of a night.

"No, no - my apologies." She told him.

"No- no, I'm sorry. Um, w-would you like a drink?" He held out one of the trays in her hand - glasses filled with champagne. He watched Amy stare at it before gasping, instead holding out the tray in his other hand of champagne glasses filled with orange juice. "Forgive me, madame! I forgot you were only seventeen..."

"That's quite alright." She tried to gently soothe him. "It's been a long night." She said, taking one of the glasses and dipping her head to him. "Thank you very much. Keep up the great work!" She said cheerily, hoping that would provide some sort of comfort.

She walked away quickly, recognising he needed a moment to himself even more than she did. She entered into the swing of the party again. The dancers were moving in the centre of the room, while those chatting lingered in groups along the walls.

During her walk, Amy abruptly stopped as she came to face a small chinchilla.

"Oh! My gosh!" She exclaimed, hand cupping over her mouth. It was Thunderbolt - and her face was entirely wrapped in bandages aside from a slit that her eyes peered through. "What happened to you, Thunderbolt?"

Her response was predictably muffled.

"Um-"

Thunderbolt sighed, aggrevated.

"BASTARD REBELS!" She suddenly managed to yell, loud enough to be heard.

"Oh dear... oh-" It was a little hard to feel bad for someone like Thunderbolt, after all - the chinchilla was notorious for how much she loved enacting violent punishments on the law breakers of Central City. "I hope you get better soon-"

She didn't achknowledge the good wishes. Well then.

"I um, I like your dress." Amy smiled, and that wasn't actually a lie - it was a cute, dark green - and had a little bow on the chest. Thunderbolt once again did not reply to the compliment.

"It was... lovely to chat with you! Heh- Um, I'll be off now." She waved, and speedily walked away.

...

"Did you lose contact entirely with Rouge after the Empire took you in?" Clutch asked as the two swayed on the dance floor.

"Of course!" Wave replied, which was a complete lie. "We can't associate with rebels! We don't even want to associate with rebels. Those poor misguided souls... thankfully we have Maw's Robotnikland experiment to help those people out though, hm?"

"Did she not try and reach out to you?" He then continued to ask. Wave was growing wary - what did they know that was making him prompt her so?

"Not a single peep!" Wave insisted. "We went down our seperate paths, and unfortunately for her - she simply chose the wrong one." Wave said, shaking her head.

"I see... what a shame. I've seen her wanted posters around, the Empire is desperate to have her in custody."

"That's for affiliating herself with that... Shadow, I think his name was? The Empire seems largely focused on targeting him... which I find strange, since I have never recalled seeing his face before..." She pondered, although trying to concentrate on her steps.

"You are most certainly right." Clutch remarked before sighing. "I worry for her safety, that's all."

"Why are you worrying for the safety of a rebel?" Wave immediately asked him.

"I raised her like a daughter." Clutch answered to Wave's surprise. "It has dismayed me so to see her straying from the right path."

This information surprised the swallow. Rouge had never mentioned such a thing to the Rogues, but she also supposed they hadn't really had any sort of reason to know. "Oh goodness, I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be devestating to see the mobian she has turned into."

"Yes... you understand." The opposum dipped his head in sadness. As the conversation seemed to come to an end, Wave had to resist the urge to fist pump the air - knowing she had gotten out of avoiding her connections with the bat.

...

Jet wasn't the only one reaching for one of the mints. Miles did the same, he was kind of notorious for how much he loved them. Even Jet knew better than to take one before the fox. The teenager was unpredictable, and wielded far too much power to be toyed with.

Miles popped one into his mouth and crunched, before eventually swallowing. "Good evening, Jet."

The bird nodded.

"Not much of a party person?"

He nodded again, the least he had to say - the better.

"Me neither. I wish I was working on my next project right now instead." The fox admitted with a longing sigh.

The statement made Jet squirm - Miles' inventions were either utterly revolutionary, or they were the monsters - there was no inbetween. "What project?" Jet asked, still trying to sound bored.

Miles placed a finger on his lips, smirking.

That did not fill Jet with confidence in the slightest.

"It'll be some time before it sees the light of day, providing there are no interruptions of course." The fox pointed out. "But I dare say that it will change the world." He added.

"Great..." Jet groaned.

"Aaah! If I talk to you anymore I'll start geeking out and spoiling you-" Miles quickly remarked. "Nice to see you, if you ever need an Extreme Gear touch-up - let me know, we all know who's the better mechanic between me and Wave."

Jet had never wanted to punch a 14-year-old more. "Kay." Jet simply said.

...

The conversations around her began to grow louder, and the nausea in her stomach grew far worse. What seemed like an almost innocent dinner party was home to some of the most awful people she had ever witnessed in her life. They could be pretending, perhaps they were - their eyes were cold, practically soulless as they spoke vendmously about their contributions to the success of the Empire.

"We paid the Empire in mounds of gold from our family fortune - and they used that money to fund all the extra roboticization centres you've seen in the past year!" A lady proclaimed proudly.

"I managed to convince Starline that the extra 5 million they had to fund Station Square would be better off being spent in Empire City! Where the actual Robotnik loyalists live." Another man said, and Amy shook with rage.

"My business has at last managed to expand internationally, we expect to capture 250,000 animals, flickies, and chao for the production of badniks!" Yet another man boasted.

Amy clenched her teeth.

There has to be a reason you're working for Robotnik, despite the fact you don't like him. Storm's voice echoed in her head.

Was there even a reason anymore? Hearing all these proclamations of pride and greed - it made her want to scream, yet by working for the Empire - she was only helping to support their stupid endeavours!

"Did you hear what Starline ended up being caught up with?" A man asked the group he was talking to. "He found a bunch of random rebel kids out on the streets!"

Amy stopped in her tracks.

"The rebels can't even look after their own children!" A woman exclaimed, and the crowd snickered.

"Apparrently he's waiting for a car to take them to Robotnikland, Maw's taking his sweet time - do you think he's doing that on purpose to spare us from him here?"

"Wouldn't surprise me!" A lady chuckled, as did the rest. "What a hero!"

Despite herself, Amy found herself inching closer towards the group. She managed to peer over the shoulder of the man who'd started the whole topic - and saw the messages he had displayed on his phone. There was an image there that she could just barely make out, three kids tied together by rope.

Amy gasped.

One of them was Cream.

Amy held Cream's hand, and had Vanilla in the other. They ran, panting from exhausation - but their adrenaline willed them on. They needed to get away from the fires, from those deadly machines-!

Flames raged through the streets, igniting cars and street lamps on fire - and filling their vision with smoke. Amy's heart felt as though it was ready to burst. Cream whimpered in fear, so Amy squeezed her hand tighter.

She had to stay strong for her.

"NO-!" Amy exclaimed, a large mech suddenly dropping right in their path - cracking the ground below.

"Stay close, baby. Stay close-!" Vanilla pleaded as Cream ran into her mother's arms.

"Hello, Amy Rose." A voice addressed her.

At first, she didn't know what to say - but she gulped, and found the courage. She had to say strong for them. "Who are you?!"

"Did you not hear my announcement? I am the legendary Dr Robotnik, your new supreme ruler!" He announced. "And I see that you're in quite the predicament..."

"Just let us go! We don't want anything to do with you!" Amy pleaded.

"I'm afraid that I won't allow it to be so simple..." He spoke condescendingly. "A fair exchange means that I get something in return, no?"

"Leave us alone!" Amy begged, desperately trying to search for a way out - but the area surrounding them was being filled by more horrific robots. Their engines whirred, and their claws were sharp.

"You care about the rabbits, don't you? So let me make a deal. You will work for me in my new Empire... and I will let the rabbits live."

"No." Vanilla immediately placed her hand on Amy's shoulder. "Don't you even think about it."

"But-"

"No, no there has to be some other way-"

"There's only one alternative - and that is that I kill you three right where you stand."

Silent tears streamed from Cream's face.

"Vanilla..." Amy began, regret swarming in her eyes for a decision she had yet to make. "You were always like a mother to me, and you've done so, so much... I want you to live."

Vanilla's lips quivered, but as her ears blew in the ferocious winds - she was beginning to face the fact that if they even stood a chance, then they needed to comply. "I'm only agreeing to this... because it means you'll get to live too." The rabbit said, cupping her hand around Amy's cheek.

"I see the decision has been made. Run, rabbits! Run, and hope I never see you again!"

"Mama... I don't wanna leave Amy- I don't-!"

Amy bent down to Cream's level, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Cream clung onto her, hugging her legs. "I'll always be with you, okay? No matter what." Amy assured her.

"Time is ticking before I get impatient!"

"Come on, dear." Vanilla managed to pry Cream away without much resistance, taking her hand. "We must run - and get somewhere safe." For the last time, the rabbit family looked towards the Amy that they knew and loved.

"Thank you."

"That tux looks nice on you." Breezie remarked. "I especially like the bow."

"Y-you like it? Oh! I- well, Wave picked it out for me." Storm admitted in embarrassment. "I can't pick out this kind of stuff."

"Well, only a man like you could make it look that good~"

He was falling for it - hook, line, and sinker. "You th-think so?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Of course." Breezie told him. Storm was usually a clumsy dancer, but he was putting in extra effort tonight to be careful. "In fact, I was thinking that perhaps you'd enjoy a dinner out with me some time."

"R-really?" He couldn't even believe it, what the hell was happening to him right now?

"Yes!" She chuckled at his nerves. "You'll have to give my your number at the end of this dance." She said. "But for now, tell me a bit more about yourself. Have you always been with the Rogues?"

"We were childhood friends!" He told her. "As we formed a team, I've been working in Jet's service ever since!"

"How intriguing." She smiled with interest. "You seem very loyal to Jet, do you always agree with his decisions?" She asked curiously.

"Most of the time! Not all the time though, like the one time he betrayed-"

He was interrupted as they heard a sudden crash. A body had been flung across the room, and it crashed into one of the butlers - scattering glasses of champagne across the floor. Several others had also been hit down in the calamity.

There were no screams, or gasps - just a room filled with speechless guests, and a panting girl.

Storm looked towards the noise, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw Amy with a large hammer in her hands - breathing heavily with tears brimming her eyes. "How could any of you be so SELFISH?!" Amy yelled.

The man she had presumably swung at was slowly sitting up.

"SO HEARTLESS?!"

Storm desperately looked to Wave and Jet. Wave was shaking her head in disbelief, while Jet stepped away from the tables and made his way towards the commotion.

"How do you live with yourselves?! Gloating about your money and fame, like it actually means anything! How do you boast about the lives you've taken away?! How do you laugh at children, innocent children - getting hurt?!"

"You're one to talk!" A wolf lady stomped up to Amy. "That was my husband you just-!"

Amy swung again, hitting the woman and sending her flying so hard she hit the wall on the far side, letting out a yell of pain. "You boasted about how all the money you donated went to roboticization centres! The places that have ended lives and stripped our freedom! How dare you?!" Believe me... you deserve so much worse than a wack from a hammer-!"

There was sudden zap, and eyes towards Miles. The fox had produced his own weapon, firing at Amy - but he wouldn't land the hit.

Jet intercepted, blocking the laser with a bashosen, one of his large green fans.

Amy and Jet made eye contact, before their eyes narrowed towards Miles.

"How many of you got weapons? Just him?" Jet asked, with no one revealing anything. Jet glared towards the fox. "Good."

With a swift movement of his arm, Jet was able to create a sudden gust of air that blew Miles backwards. At last, the crowd realised that the situation before them was reality, and the danger was real. They broke out into a frenzy, yelling as they all tried to make a break for the doors.

Not everyone had revealed their cards though, as when his back was turned - Jet suddenly found himself shot in the back by a burning laser. He screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground - revealing the attacker to be Clutch, revealing his infamous cane to be a disguised weapon.

"Jet!" Amy gasped, but as she realised the opposum coming in for another shot - she rammed her hammer right into his stomach, sending him back.

Wave called out, running towards them. "JET!"

"No, Wave!" Jet managed to shout. "Don't get involved!"

"But we're the Babylon Rogues! We stick together!"

"We aren't about to."

Wave and Storm paused in shock, unable to process what was going on before them. What sort of sacrifice was their leader making? Why for their sake? "B-Boss...?" Storm's voice trembled.

"My last order as leader... is for you two to RUN!" He begged his teammates with a desperation that Amy, nor even his own teammates, had ever heard from him before. "Now... hurry up, damnit!" He added as he saw Miles getting up from the corner of his eye.

"Jet-!" Wave wasn't willing to move, until Storm had to forcefully lift her up and sling her over his shoulder.

"It's an order." Storm said, beginning to run.

"Put me down, you brute!" She pleaded, repeatedly hitting the albatross with her fist. "Jet! Please! JET!"

Despite Wave's screams, the two managed to run out of the building.

When they were gone, Jet tried to create another gust of wind with his fan to knock Miles down - but the young fox flew up high, avoiding the stream of air.

If there was one thing Jet lacked, it was fighting skill - and he wasn't prepared to counter a laser attack that suddenly ensared him in an electric rope, tying his body and limbs together as he lay on the ground.

Amy roared in anger, wanting nothing more than to swing at the fox - but he was too high in the air. She leaped and dodged around the lasers until she accidentally tripped on one of the broken glass shards. All Miles needed was a second of an open window, and he successfully landed another shot - trapping Amy too. She fell to the ground with a grunt, her skin being cut by some of the shards she landed on.

As Clutch slowly managed to stand, hand over his stomach - Miles sighed at last.

"It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?"

Once back on the planet, Shadow and Rouge warped onto the rooftops of Station Square. Stealing the Master Emerald was about to be the quickest part of their plan, or the most difficult... "You can't see the island due to all of the smog, but I know where it is." She explained. "So, what's the plan? We just running in and ambushing?"

"I doubt that would be wise." Shadow said. "They could have figured out that we're after the Master Emerald, and returned to the island."

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"I simply don't wish to understimate my adversaries."

"Then... how do you think we should go about this?" Rouge asked with a small frown.

"All we need is a distraction... something worrying enough to prompt the Guardian to abandon his post... tell me, where can we obtain some explosions?" He asked her.

"You're suggesting we blow up the island?" She asked for clarification.

"Only some of it."

"R-right... well, the closest I can think of in Station Square that will have anything close to TNT bombs would be the labatories. If we don't find something explosive in there that we could use, I'd be very surprised."

"The labatories..." Shadow repeated. "Where Starline cured me?"

"That's the place." She said.

"Hmph." He crossed his arms. "If you want the Death Egg destroyed, then let's not waste anymore time." He said, hopping down from the roof - with Rouge quicky following after him in flight.

At last, she thought. They were almost there.

Is this chapter named after the Fall Out Boy song? Yes. Does it have anything to do with the song? No. XD

Angst in the train- with OG Shadow setting off to meet Sonic, drama happens at the dance and now Jet and Amy are captured! Meanwhile Both the kid rescuing crew and our revenge duo are both on course to the labatories... what will happen when their paths converge?

Teehee, I'm looking forward to the next one so much like ya'll don't even KNOW. And the one after that, and the one after that-

But first, as always - let me know what you thought of this one in a review! :) Really hope you enjoyed it! I'm very cold and tired rn, so right after this I'm going to bed lmao. Thank you for reading - but until next time, I'll see ya later!