The events from your previous adventure, plus all these new events on top of it had finally caught up to you. You retreat to the barracks, find an unused bed, and finally get some well-earned rest.

After a long, restful night, you and your entire crew are up and ready to face the new challenges that await you.

Everyone convenes at the Mess Hall and you are all served breakfast. Unfortunately, with being located under the enemy's own city, a luxurious breakfast was not on the menu. Scavengers could only manage to bring in mostly canned foods and whatever leafy substance was available outside the city. But at least you could still get a well-balanced meal… even though the only thing that was remotely delicious was the toast.

After breakfast, many Resistance members headed over to a new room with a long table. You figured this was obviously the "meeting room."

Along with your own team, there were a few other Resistance Members joining you, including Silver, Janae, Oydax, and the red-furred wolf named Tech.

"Morning, everybody," Silver starts off, "Sorry for another lackluster breakfast. But I'm sure you all can agree we've got more important matters at hand than what's on our plates."

"Move on, please," Janae grumbles.

"Right…" Silver continues, "Well, to start, I'm sure everyone in the room is familiar with the legend of Sonic the Hedgehog, am I right?"

The room is filled with nods and murmurs.

"Last night, as you heard, there was a mysterious ship that entered the airspace over Metropolis Zone. Eggman Nega attacked, as suspected, but we were able to help those on board. Ladies and gentlemen of the Resistance… Let me introduce you all to the legend himself, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

You stand up from your seat, and everyone looks at you in awe and surprise. There are gasps, laughs, and eventually the room erupts in loud applause. You smile, wave, and even bow.

*ahem*

You look over at your team. Tails looks at you proudly, while Amy stares at you with lust. Everyone else, however, isn't very pleased you seem to be taking all the glory. You sheepishly grin and scratch the back of your head. "Um, yea, thanks," you say, "But I'm not the only one here. My friends are just as important and really helped me out. This is my team… Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Shade, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega."

Tails nervously waves, and Amy winks. Knuckles crosses his arms, Shadow turns away unimpressed, Rouge blows a kiss, Shade nods her welcome, and Omega just sits there. You figure he still appreciates the acknowledgement.

"Either way," Janae continues, "We've got a huge advantage against Eggman Nega now. As you know, the original Eggman couldn't even get his stupid schemes off the ground, since Sonic was ALWAYS there to stop him. And while he tried, Sonic got more and more back-up behind him. Now, WE have that back-up! AND Sonic's at the front!"

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Silver holds out his hands, "First off, we can't just expect them to come here and fight our battle for us! Sonic may be the hero, but that doesn't mean we just sit back and assume he and his friends are going to take care of things."

Janae glares at Silver. "Um, HELLO!" she shouts, "Surely you weren't born under a rock! Did you NOT notice just how bad a crap-hole this world has become since Sonic and his crew left? And it's been this way for a whole TWO HUNDRED YEARS!"

"That's exactly my point," says Silver, "This world became the way it is because Sonic was gone."

"So that's exactly why Sonic NEEDS to fight Eggman Nega!" Janae spats, "If he hadn't left, we wouldn't be living this kind of lifestyle! We'd actually be HAPPY for once! Living in luscious green sceneries, and a whole beautiful world!"

"Which is why he and the others should be sent BACK," says Silver.

Everyone looks up at him, curiously.

"You all don't remember Ifrit," Silver continues, "Because Eggman Nega summoned him from another dimension. It was the end-all for us… until I used the Time Stones to go back in time and stop Nega from summoning him in the past. Sonic could tell you all about it. That's how we first met!"

Janae drops her head. "Ugh… THAT time traveling nonsense again…"

"It's NOT nonsense!" Silver hisses, "It's really come through for us before! You just don't remember because the events changed the future."

"Exactly!" Janae shouts, "You keep messing around and going back in time for just a cheeseburger, you might make things worse! Maybe one of us won't even be born!"

Oydax crosses his arms and glances to the side. "Perhaps that would be a good thing, in YOUR case…"

"CAN IT, tin can!" Janae snaps, "Unless you want me to disassemble you!"

Oydax threatens a cricket bat, "I don't recommend that…"

"Stop!" Tech shouts, jumping up from his seat, "We're supposed to be on the same team! Fighting amongst ourselves is stupid!"

"Wanna know what else is stupid?" Janae snarls, "Wasting this opportunity. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends are actually HERE, and for the first time in a long time, we stand an actual CHANCE at defeating the Eggman Empire! And you want to throw it all away for some stupid time travel nonsense that could probably destroy us!"

"Or make things better!" says Silver.

"EXCUSE ME!" Knuckles suddenly slams his hands on the table and shoots up from his seat, "Are WE allowed to speak?"

Everyone looks up at him. "If you speak nicely," Oydax drones.

"Firstly, I don't appreciate being considered nothing more than just 'Sonic's friend' while you focus solely on him," the echidna growls, "Secondly, you're all so worried about time travel and a big, end-all battle against this Eggman Nega creep, you all forgot something very important… Eggman Nega has the Master Emerald!"

A few Rebellion members raise eyebrows. "The what..?"

Knuckles grits his teeth. "Only the most powerful emerald in existence. It has unlimited powers, some even I haven't tapped into yet. It can control the Chaos Emeralds themselves, and grant any type of desire, if used properly. I've come across too many people who don't plan to use it so properly…" He casts a glance at Rouge, who glares back coldly.

"Only one thing," says Janae, "The Master Emerald is just a myth. There hasn't been anything that proved it ever existed. Not since…. I dunno…"

"Two hundred years?" Shade smirks, "There's a reason for that. Ix stole the Master Emerald when he escaped into the Twilight Cage. That's why we all disappeared. We were giving chase to get it back."

"And it got left behind during that last battle…" Knuckles murmured, casting his glance downward.

"I can see the dilemma," says Tech, "Such a powerful relic would not be good in the hands of Eggman Nega. We'll have to see what he's done with it. I have no doubt he cleaned out your ship by now."

"I'm surprised he hasn't become an ultimate being yet," Shadow says.

You nod your head in agreement. "Knuckles, is there some sort of 'secret password' to use the Master Emerald?"

"Not a 'password' exactly," he replies, "There's a way to yield the emerald's power for your own bidding, but it's something only members of my tribe have been able to accomplish, including me. Remember our incident on the Space Colony Ark?

"However, the Master Emerald has been known to bestow its power either on its own, or by other means… Eggman somehow managed to use it to fuel his Death Egg the first time we met. I'm not going to put it past the new Eggman to find a way to do the same himself."

Silver nods his head. "Then it's settled," he announces, "First thing on our agenda, we get the Master Emerald back before Nega learns how to use it!"

"Then we get him, once and for all!" Janae thrusts her fist.

"We'll play it by ear," Silver says.

Janae growls. "Seriously?" she snaps, "Do you people NOT want to save the world?!"

"Not with guns only half-cocked!" Tech says.

Shadow shrugs. "That works for me sometimes."

"Our main focus right now should be the Master Emerald," says Silver, "Oydax, get in touch with the Spy Network and let us know where Nega's at right now. See if they suspect anything involving a giant, powerful emerald."

"Ten-four," Oydax turns and leaves the room. Once he's gone, Rouge gives a low sigh.

"Finally," she mutters, "That color scheme of his was making me sick…"

"He-Is-Clearly-An-Inferior-Consumer-Model," says Omega.

"Hey guys," you say, "Knock it off. These guys are here to help us. Quit gossiping."

"I dunno," says Janae, "Those stripes of his are an eyesore."

You glare at the rabbit. "For your information, I've got the whole red, white, and blue scheme going on myself here."

Janae sneers, "In that case, you're an eyesore yourself."

You jump from your seat, offended, but Tails yanks you back down. "Pick your battles, Sonic," he mutters, "Seriously…"

Silver clears his throat. "We'll reconvene in a few minutes, when Oydax reports back."

END OF PART 1