Part 1
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Protesters filled the city streets with chanting. "Where is Sonic!? Where is Sonic!?" Thousands and people surrounded the Chaos containment center. A line of police blocked the entrance, but didn't seem to be making any arrests.
Hundreds of feet up, chief Oran looked from a window to the people below. He sighed, shaking his head. "This is a disaster." He turned to an opening door behind him.
A woman in what looked like a black wetsuit with plastic armor covering her torso. She walked into the room. "Sir. We've managed to track down Rouge. She's taken the job."
Oran sighed with relief. "Well, at least that should help. Thank you Kya. What's her asking price?"
"10,000 rings." Kya said.
He sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much. Tell her she has a deal. 1,000 in advance, 9,000 when she brings in Sonic."
"And what of Knuckles and the yellow fox?"
Oran turned to the window again thinking. "There'd be even more outrage if we harmed someone with a mostly clean record. Capturing the fox is ideal, but it'd be better to let it go than to harm it.Tell Rouge she'll get a 2,000 ring bonus if she kills or captures Knuckles. But tell her that harming the fox in any way will terminate her reward."
"Very well sir. And what about the fail safe?"
"Tell Dr. Robotnik he'll get whatever he needs." Oran thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it. He said he'd need someone specializing in stealth." A grin formed on his face. "You think you and Percy have what it takes to sneak by Sonic's detection systems?"
"I believe so sir." Oran felt a blade at his neck.
Kya put a dagger in her belt and Oran smiled rolling his eyes. "Show off."
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Part 2
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A man in a black combat suit held a remote in his hands. "So this thing can really shut down Sonic?"
Dr. Robotnick nodded. "Yes. But you have to get within 500 meters."
"500 meters? That doesn't sound too hard. Why do you sound so concerned?" The man raised an eyebrow.
"I really hope it is that easy. But by the time you saw him, you'd still probably be close enough for him to attack you before you press the remote. Just be careful." Robotnick picked up Metal Sonic's removed outer shell, sticking his hand through a hole. "That shell here is made of titanium with a maximum shear modulus of 39 gigapascals. That's nearly 1,000 times stronger than human bone. And some new friend of Sonic's managed to bust this hole through it with his bare hands. Percy, just be careful"
Percy gulped, then smirked. "All right. Don't worry Doc. I'll be careful. Remember, I'm the guy who snuck into Fandango and rescued those hostages. They won't even know I was there."
"Well, we should have a fail safe with a 50 km range working within a couple weeks. So don't take any unnecessary risks."
"Right." Percy stepped into a slender black car with blue and red lights on the top. He looked in his rear view mirror, then at a woman in an identical battle suit. "You ready Kya?"
"Yeah. Kya nodded, turning the ignition key. The car roared to life and shot down the street.
Percy looked at a screen showing the roads.
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Part 3
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The wind sent a chill through Sonic as he stepped out into the sunlight. He stretched out his arms and legs, smelling the fresh flowers. Knuckles frowned at him. "This is one of the few places you guys haven't destroyed."
Sonic looked at the field, then raised an eyebrow at Knuckles. "What are you talking about? Conservation areas are all over the place. I see them all the time, even the city roads are algae."
"Yeah. With people all over them disturbing the wildlife. You trample the grass so it can't grow and turns brown, dig up everything until the ground collapses, and destroy everything you touch." He looked at the flowers, then back at Sonic. "Do you have any idea how many friends I've lost because of you and the humans?"
Sonic's face dropped as he clenched his fists. Then he relaxed. "I don't think we've destroyed as much as you think. But, you're right about one thing." He paused for a few minutes. "I can't bring her back. I know apologizing won't fix what happened, but maybe I can start doing something."
"Yeah, you can." Knuckles threw him a rolled of paper.
Sonic caught it reading a building plan. "What's this about?" He looked over the plans. They included movable walls, security cameras, electric current running along the floors. "Wait, this is GUN headquarters."
Knuckles nodded. "Yeah. They've been messing around with nuclear weapons, blowing holes in an island chain just off the coast."
Sonic shrugged. "Ok, I mean that sounds bad, but why do you care so much?"
"We're gonna blow up their headquarters." Knuckles smirked.
"What!?" Sonic stared at Knuckles. "There are people in there!"
"Yeah, and they'll finally pay for what they've done."
"Are you insane!? They'll get hurt, maybe even killed!"
Knuckles grimaced. "And my friends will finally be avenged. You want to prove you're one of us now, then help me bring justice to the monsters who are destroying everything."
"No." Sonic said.
"No?" Knuckles frowned, then a smile formed on his face. "Well, at least I know where you stand now." He punched the air where Sonic had been.
Sonic shook his head. "Look, I want to help. But I'm not killing anyone. No matter what they've done, or what's at stake, that's a line I won't cross."
Knuckles punched again. Sonic caught his wrist, throwing him to the ground. Knuckles stood up glaring at him. "Fine. Have it your way. But if we don't stop them, a lot of my friends will die. And their blood will be on your hands."