Sonic IRL (Series)

by CGMayra

In a world where Sonic and his friends are real, virtual AIs that can only be seen through the walls of SEGA, comes a tragic secret within SEGA of Japan's past, and their speedy blue hedgehogs now all feel the consequences. All the Amy Roses from the many different SEGA HQs are glitching! American Sonic is determined to find out why... (Sonamy) CONTAINS: Kisses, deaths

17. Reset

Sonic IRL

Ch. 17

"Reset"

By: Cutegirlmayra (I've got an idea! WARNING: WARNING: 26,101 on fanfiction and my word doc says 25,149 so either way, it's that good lololol Took me three days to write this glorious shipping crap)

It hasn't been very long, but just enough time for Emi, Japan's Amy Rose, to contact America again and see how things have settled.

The skype phone kept ringing, but no answer. She pouted a little, being a bit silly as she kept tapping the keyboard, as though it would be infused with her impatience and go faster for her.

Tap… tap… tap-tap…. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, "Uggghhh..!" she leaned her head back, her rising anger made her crunch up her face in hopes of restraining herself back from further explosive emotions.

"Someone in America has to answer!" she puffed up a side of her cheek, a signature for her at this point, before popping the bubble of air out and slumping a bit forward in her chair.

She swiveled the chair and looked down, kicking her legs out a bit before there was finally a response.

She gasped, scooting up and making herself look presentable, "Amy?" Her heart soared.

"Sorry." American Sonic looked to the side, then back at her, guilty.

Her face sank, but she quickly put on a kind smile, "H-how is everyone there?"

"Oh, us? Umm…" He tapped his fingers along the thin plastic of the laptop. "Work day was smooth. Lots going on, but you know… The Sonic Stream just concluded another season of episodes. Fans seem to be waiting for news and-"

She narrowed her eyes, her impatience thinning to a slight line on her face.

"…Ehhh… Amy doesn't want to talk to you." He bent his head down, worried about admitting it.

"Nani des- Uh, I mean, What happened? What's wrong?" she cut off her Japanese and quickly leaned up towards the screen.

Sonic softly rubbed the top of his head, thinking his answer through carefully. "She says you seem… a bit happy lately."

"And that's a bad thing?" she retorted, snuffing some air out her nose.

"… You've done something… to your memory, haven't you?" Sonic gently looked back to her, trying to be sensitive. "It's really obvious. I know you're trying to move on, but I guess… Amy doesn't want to fight trauma that way." He looked down, putting his hands together and taking a deep, chest-filled breath. "I'm sorry. You kept calling, but she is really fine. She just… has to get used to the new—or rather unaffected—you."

Emi froze a moment, her shoulders coming down.

Then she jumped to her feet, pushing the chair back by her momentum as it rolled and crashed against the back bookshelf of the office. "I-!" she bit her lower-lip, not liking to be accused. "I got rid of a lot of things… but I still know what happened… I just let go of all those negative… whatever they were. Anyway, I don't see how this has to affect our relationship." It was too sad to admit it, but there was a part of Emi that wondered what she had gotten rid of. She knew it had happened, but the feelings and memories weren't as strong as before. "Is it wrong to want to return a little to how things were? At least, nature wise, not what I now have with you and all…" she rolled her eyes to the side.

"…She thinks your hiding." American Sonic admitted, "She wants to confront it, but is choosing to lay low and keep the peace."

"Confront it?" Emi looked confused. "Like… start up drama again or..?"

"No!" Sonic halted the very thought, shaking his hands out in front of himself, "Oh Chaos, no! She means confronting her emotions and past. I guess… building herself up again." He spoke with his hands again, moving them around which distracted her as she watched the familiar motions.

"I mean… I guess that makes sense." Her ears bent back. "Does…" she didn't like speaking this out loud, but now that she was half-way there, she might as well finish her thought openly. "Does she think I backed out? Surrendered?"

"I don't think so." Sonic groaned a moment, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling fan. He couldn't feel cold or hot… what a shame. "I think she just feels your peppy personality isn't being very considerate like you would have been."

She felt that if she had a beating heart, it would have snapped a little at that comment. "R-really?" She stared down, her face broken from its normal, energetic demeanor. "I just miss being me… The real me. All those experiences seemed to make me feel things I wasn't meant to feel…"

"Then you wouldn't feel them." Sonic nonchalantly stated, packing up it seemed and getting ready to end the call. "Look, code is simple. Yes, you may have rediscovered some things, but we can't exactly 'evolve' ourselves without someone typing in code. Otherwise, this is all just fanfiction." He saluted the screen, "Amy here wants to find out what emotions can led her code too, hopefully from now on, in healthy ways. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound as dangerous as all the other things she's been through before. So I'm alright with her investigating the many possible faces of herself. It just sounds like it was a lot for you. Doesn't mean your method was wrong, just means it left out some self-exploration." He hovered his finger over the end button, speaking to her without really looking at the screen for a while. He was all set to get going, but Emi stopped him.

"It doesn't mean my feelings have completely gone away… Where are you going?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…" He looked as though trying to think up an excuse and avoid the question.

"I'm still involved in your lives, you know!" She placed her hands on her hips, being defiant.

"I know American Amy glitched. I still… worry." She seemed to pause a moment at that.

"It must seem half-hearted to her now, though I don't really want to speak for her." Sonic grabbed a jacket, moving it to drape along his back. "I know you're feelings are still legit and all, but it seems to have less care now. You were naturally carefree though, so I guess my code gets that? But Amy… may just need to readjust to life again. Or at least… the life we now have to tread."

She continues to stare down, her smile completely gone now, silent…

Sensing a change, Sonic looks up and feels rotten about saying so much. He sighs and moves the camera to look directly into his eyes, "I can reassure you, though, Emi... She'll be okay. I know you've taken different steps to ensure that too. We'll all be alright. The future is full of never-ending possibilities."

"…You just said we're all limited to possibilities pre-designed." She mused, but was clearly being a sad sort of sassy.

"Its written in my code to never be limited." Sonic teased right back, snickering slightly, "Take care, Emi."

"Sonic! Wait! You never did tell me where you were going…" she suddenly gasped, "Are you seeing American me!?"

"Oh, uh, we're breaking up-! The line-! Oh no! ShhhBBBZZZshhh." He started making noises and stumbled to make static.

"What are you two up to lately!? Are you going on date!? I can see you making noises, Sonic… You're keeping things from me! That's not okay! Tell me everything! Sonic! Wait!" She watched him put on a show and cover his mouth as he exaggerated the noises and then winked to her and exited the call.

She fell as though exhausted from it all, thinking the chair would catch her, but because it had flown so far back, she fell straight to the floor with that exasperated sigh, "Haaa… aaaAAAHHH!" Crash.

Her body clumped up together as her feet went straight up and hit the desk, arms flopped over her and up by her head. She strained to look up and see a pencil case begin to topple.

"Oh no…" it fell straight to her.

-Dr. Hope's office-

"I'd figured if we're gonna have to work together, we should at least come clean about some things." Dr. Hope looked like she was trying to hold it together, cleaning up the space around her to be more comfortable as Cyrus Clyde—legs crossed over the other and the back of his hand shoved up against his mouth—glared in a tight body hold towards her as though also restraining himself and keeping it rather 'quant'.

"I don't see why this is important." He finally removed his hand and turned his entire body to resting in the exact same position but on the other side. He blew air out against his hand as though getting more and more infuriated that she wouldn't just call this whole thing off.

"Ever heard about employee exercises? To boost morale and productivity?"

"Making friends and playing nice are two different stories." He almost growled out in annoyance. His eyes were fierce and striking, she just relaxed her own to not combat them.

"Cyrus-"

"You will address me as Clyde."

"… Your royal obnoxiousness," she gave him an unamused look, as though she didn't want to do this all, but she would. "You're worse than Sonic."

"Yes, I'm sure talking to thin air would be a lot more enjoyable and less frustrating than an actual human being." The awkward tension of animosity mixed with Dr. Hope's strange attraction made this all the more unreasonable.

Still, she muttered to herself that she would persevere and continued, faking a smile and blinking her eyes in an exaggerated way to show she was truly trying to make things work. "Clyde, then. Since we're on a last name basis, I'll go ahead and open the floor to my first name: Sophia." She nodded as she stated it, then raised an eyebrow to see if he'd call her it.

He was dead still and silent.

"Tell me," he leaned up finally, giving her some hope of progress. "Do you think talking to a blank, stone wall will be any less challenging than thin air?"

"I didn't give up with Sonic…" she muttered out louder, "And I certainly won't give up with you."

"People are different than imaginary friends."

She couldn't keep it together any longer and popped off, slamming her hand to the table and getting up, "You see them too!" she argued, "You speak back when they talk and everyone under the company—with certain requirements—sees them too!"

He rolled his eyes, but gave off a bemused smile as though he'd won a round.

He sat back as though completely in power now, rubbing his raised hand's fingers against themselves as he relaxed a little bit. "You know, this talk might be actually be fun… seeing you so unprofessional and all… It'll just make me look even better to the people who actually matter here." He looked up at an angle, seeming to dream of that scenario where he could use her reactions against her in a public setting. "You're so easily toyed with. Prey tell, how did you ever get into business with such an easily disrupted chill?" he wouldn't laugh aloud, but his eyes and smile clearly showed he was having a field day.

"I hate you…" She shook her head, then adjusted her pencil skirt and bun and sat back down. "Childhood. Medication. All personal things I'd hope we could discern for the betterment of our working environment."

"Working environment?" He scoffed, looking around at her office. "You should have a picture of Big the Cat dangling form a branch in here!"

She shook her head again, but this time, drowned her face in her hands that rubbed to keep her remaining sane while during this whole ordeal.

"I've tackled all sorts of Video Game IPs—Luigi, Link, Spyro,… ugh, assassin's creed.— I can handle one hooligan after another, just breathe, Hope. Breathe." She muttered again to herself.

"Does that help?" He tilted his head, mockingly. "Mumbling to yourself?"

He must have not heard what she was saying, she can't show any more weakness in front of this guy…

"Look, you said you have standards."

"Oh, Sophie." He shook his head, "You're far too low tier to manage them."

She lightly arched her fist and then slammed it to the table again, "Take this seriously, that's your thing, isn't it!? Sourpants?!"

"So tight." He sat more properly up in his chair, again, the side of his hand then covering his mouth, moving only when he spoke. "Fine, Doctor Quack, please do enlighten me to my childhood trauma which you have no right to interrogate out of me."

"…I'm asking you to willingly trust me with-"

"Willingly trust? You? Someone who speaks to holograms all days and acts like they are sentient?" He was really started to get to her, but she cracked her neck and continued.

"Why do you hate video games?"

"I don't hate them." He admitted, sitting pretty in his chair. "I simply despise any story or characters in them." He smirked, knowing that was loaded with questions he wouldn't answer.

She sighed, "Okay, that's a start." She turned the recorder on, "Log that he's a fan of video games but not their characters or stories."

"Correction," He stated, staring her down, "I'm not a fan of anything."

His sudden confession made her look up a moment, "…But you appreciate them?"

"…I used too enjoy such simple pleasantries… before I grew up, and gained some dignity in actually living my life. Might not be an honest life to most, but its business, Quack. And business has lawyers." He turned his head then as Dr. Hope shut off the recorder and moved back to the table, starting to think up a strategy to that.

She opened her mouth but pondered a bit longer for a moment, then frowned and looked back at him.

"After our last encounter, you mentioned something about yourself. I was just hoping you could elaborate more. You have some medical issues that caused you to get… kinda emotional and violent last time." She itched some sleep out of her eye to distract herself from his head turning back to her.

She didn't want to read him anymore. It was hard to be sincere if she looked at his smug little pretty face. So she simply didn't.

"I know from my research-"

"HA!" he exclaimed a rebutted laugh.

She waited, then continued, "That one can only see Characters under certain conditions and that you do recognize them. It's not common knowledge to the public yet, but within industries, it's known by those few who are true fans-"

"Yadda yadda, Code triggers Will, Will triggers this and that and that." He gestured his hand around, "What was it that you said? The structure for your 'therapy science' was something along the ridiculous line that it's something like Will, Heart, Life, Action?" he looked at her though confused. "I honestly can't understand a word that comes out of your mouth." He seemed genuinely uninterested at this point.

"Will, Life, Heart, and Action." Hope explained, "Character, Game, Fans, and Unexplained new character development outside the original canon. So yeah, a whole lot of sentient stuff starts happening around that time." Hope was at her wits end. "But this isn't about me or the characters… well, I guess it's a little about Sonic. Either way, in order for you to see them you have to work here, check." She pulled out a pen and did the motion in the air, causing his attention to turn back to her with the action.

"I distinctly remember a truly absurd meeting with this, Quack." He rose a bit in his seat, "You accused me of once contributing to this 'Heart' you speak of."

"Yes," she fashioned her hand back into a 'check' position but didn't make the gesture yet, "Which is what I'd like to find out. What made you suddenly not be a fan? And how is it that since you clearly wish to not see them anymore or not be a fan of them, that you still work here and try and torment them? Are you just some troll that wants to destroy the very thing they once loved? Or some kinda hyper critic that loves to trash what they secretly enjoy?" she put the pen down, intertwining her fingers and having him begin to realize what was she was after. "Does that all make perfect sense? Loser?"

He just squared his jaw as though clenching against some unseen pain.

"Very good." She grinned, "Now I'm back as the ringleader."

Seeming to give in, he closed his eyes, "I was a young boy growing up with an elder brother. If you must know, I have some anger issues starting from my childhood in that home." He spoke as though trying to remember but also trying to remain distant at the same time. "Sonic was his favorite game. I would watch him play it on the Genesis."

'Finally,' Dr. Hope remained completely engaged, but also relieved in her mind, 'We're getting somewhere.'

"Stay on your guard," he bit each word down as he slowly opened his eyes again, "It gets pretty ugly."

"Anger issues?" she tilted her head, resting it on her intertwined hands that were raised up from the table. "I'm going to guess you're keeping the exact diagnosis to yourself, then?"

"…Precisely." He seemed to trying to subtly hide his medication from her awareness. "Anyway, it wasn't a good 'business environment' so to speak." He chose to limit the information, which Hope didn't want to pry too far into.

"Abuse?" she couldn't help but be curious.

"Confident, are we?" he snapped back, showing her to remain at a distance.

She untangled her fingers and pushed back away from the table, showing she would respect that.

She blew out some air and looked down, as though not liking to have to take some small steps with this man.

"My past triggers PTSD, I won't apologize for it. It's not like I created it." He seemed to be getting upset and got up, his fists tightening and releasing their grip as though antsy from sharing such things. "It's needless, useless information that I would highly suggest you quit trying to stick your nose into. All you need to be aware of is that my 'mood swings' only happen under certain conditions. To make you better understand, my 'Action' is dictated by unwanted 'Code'."

"Then you of all people should understand the characters then-"

"I refuse to believe anyone can understand. Let alone a 5 foot, PR, digital rodent." He adjusted his clothes and clipped his cuffs better into place within their holes. "Your turn." He suddenly turned hostile in his face although trying to seem alright and Dr. Hope quickly sprung up to interrupt any emotional outburst or backlash from making him 'slightly relive' what seemed to be a traumatic time. He may have a conflicting theme about him, but she had enough of a heart to know she should let the spotlight slide from him.

He was once a fan, now he's not. He has PTSD and Anger Issues, Mood Swings, and possible Trust Issues she couldn't quite pinpoint and would leave it at that.

"I'm a casual gamer that grew up a bit privileged due to my parents able to put me in a lot of pretty princess schools but I rebelled, got kicked out of my family for simply doing what my heart desired, and video games got me through the loneliness. That sums me up."

He seemed to process that a moment.

"Let me warn you, Miss Hope."

"Doctor." She was sick of his ploys.

"Matter of opinion." He spat out and didn't make eye contact with her as he tugged his business suit on tighter, "There's a decent 'why' when discussing the aspect of treating video game characters like people. The argument states the following with real time events for evidence." He finally stepped up to her and confronted her face to face over the table. He spoke smoothly but with power, startling her into absolute silence, "They can't be treated real. They can't be real. You should distinguish the two worlds by now, Miss Hope. If they divert from being ordinary data then chaos ensues where real people suffer and actual losses occur that can't be solved by a simple transfer of data or backup files. Do you understand me? Warehouses were destroyed, Miss Hope… Real people's jobs—and their lives— have been placed in danger. You're an enabler. A company needs to flow smoothly, they are the 'Will'. There should be no rebellion, no discussion or even talk of cooperation. Tools should move by hands grasping them firmly to do what they are designed to do. Think of the mass panic you've already allowed to be created. What if the world discovers these sentient, computer programs? Knowing the destruction and harm they can cause? You want to protect these stupid, half-hearted little marketable creatures? Then have them do their jobs. Listen and obey. Or shut them down entirely with how much this company has lost in both the eyes of the public and expenses in their ridiculous little hooligan crusades towards a foolish notion of love for what are, necessarily, immortal children! If you want to run around with little Sonic action figures and play pretend, then by all means, move my market statistics and pay for them yourselves—but in this company and in this role that I take highly seriously since it's my ******* job, Miss Hope, I hope you at least create a sense of ******* decency and get your act together! Let me do what I was designed to do, and stick to your post as an outside help for the data-ly impaired as I attend to actual, real-world problems for this company! Instead of playing 'matchmaker' and gain some common sense, woman!" he stormed out of her office, leaving her with echoes of his words in her mind.

She slowly lowered herself and sat down.

She brought out a drawer with a notebook and took the pen.

"Hooo…" she sighed out, shaking herself from the outburst and then started to write down notes, "What I've learned about Cyrus Clyde today… Such a tool, But sadly, a tool with merit." She then rubbed her eyes, "Should I really be pscyo-analysis this guy? He seems all kind of levels of 'no, no, no.' but here I am, going 'yes, yes, yes.'… I think I'm the fool here." She put the pen down and rolled the chair away from the desk, just sitting back for a moment. "He made good points, darn it. Maybe I should let Amy and Sonic lay low and start to… gently,… encourage them to keep things simple and not do anything crazy." She knew they wouldn't like that, but she had no other choice at the moment. "Safety… we all need safety." She closed the notebook and got up, "I need my lunch break." She took her purse and walked out the door, locking the office.

-SEGA of America-

The steel, rusty door opened with a sound that awakened the birds around the roof to flying off from their tranquil rest. Sonic stepped out onto the roof, taking a moment to look up at the sky and admire it with a wide-open grin. He took in the smell from the San Francisco breeze and the heat of the sunlight before walking out further and seeing Amy sitting on the ground, eyes-closed, smiling as she took in the pleasant wind.

He didn't want to disturb the peaceful moment she had found for herself; so, he took the initiative to fold his arms, close his own eyes, and lift his head up to the air as well.

It wasn't exactly quiet, but it was easy to tune out the world and make it a solitary moment.

After a nice few seconds ticked by, Sonic blinked his eyes open and lowered his head with a fond smile down to Amy, walking over and lightly touching her shoulder.

"I'm back."

"Oh, welcome back!" With that usual pep and cheery voice, she turned her head around to smile back at him.

He settled himself down by her side and stretched a leg out, lifting the other's knee up and resting an arm on it.

"How did the chat go?" Now that he was seeing her from the front, he saw some faint glowing code entrapped in her hands. She lightly cupped her hands over and under it, as though she had caught a butterfly. However, now that she had revealed it, she unraveled the data strings of zeroes and ones and began to work on it again.

Sonic was taken off guard a moment… what was she working on? She wasn't an original, so seeing her 'make' a new coding puzzled him a moment.

"Sonic?" She stopped her fiddling with it and back up at him. His eyes glowed the teal color that also reflected his focused concern.

"Huh?" he snapped out of the hypnotic hold his eyes had the string of code, shaking out of it and meeting her eyes, "What's that?" his mind was racing. This didn't look as casual as Amy was making it out to be.

She gave him a sorta sad expression, but then looked back lovingly towards the code, "It's nothing. Tell me about the chat first." She tapped some commands into the code before putting it like a string game around her fingers, weaving it like child would do.

"…The skype call, right." He adverted his eyes a moment, 'Maybe I got the wrong impression… she might just be playing with some loose code out of boredom… but still, that's not exactly a—stay out of danger— activity.' While he tried to stop thinking about it, he distracted himself with thinking about the call from before.

"She's just checkin' in on ya. No biggie." He spoke light, but his eyes kept darting to the code she twisted and strung through her fingers.

"Oh?" she was completely wrapped up in what her hands were doing. Maybe she was being careful?

"You should really let her in a few things… I think she misses you more than you want to admit." Sonic wasn't be as careful with his words this time, opting for Amy to pay more attention to the matter at hand. "She feels left out."

"She isolated herself." Amy quickly sprang back, her cheery emotion slightly turning to a furrowed brow of hard-feelings. "Just because she wants me to understand doesn't mean I do."

Sonic sighed, "Such a rebel." He itched his nose, "She's the original, Amy. Your original. Don't you think you owe it to her a little bit..? Even a smidge?" he turned playful, still trying to keep the message in tact but taking the back of his finger and flipping his wrist to tap her forehead, which currently was lowered and tilted downward to try and block Sonic's gentle encouragements out.

"She started it." She pouted.

Sonic chuckled, then a laugh erupted and he pulled his legs back in, grabbing them with his hands. A very boyish thing to do, "You crack me up, Amy. It's not like she meant to start anything, you know that."

"So I should go easy on her? That's what you're saying?" She finished something she had wanted to do with the code and held it out. There were two paths on the code, but Sonic didn't bother to try and read or decipher its purpose.

'That's Amy's business.' He told himself, looking forward and away from it. 'I need to trust her… it's hard right now, what with everything going on, but I need too. I just have to believe in her like she believes in me.'

Sonic's orange code lit up and he blocked its glow by discreetly placing a hand on his chest. His eyelids lowered though, looking even further away from her as he felt his processing choose the loving option again.

'That's been triggering more often, lately…' he continued to think to himself. 'Does this mean… I'm really…' he still couldn't bare to admit it, his code switched to a normal route and he dropped his hand from his heart.

"So? New code? You sure about that?" he raised an eyebrow to her.

She shrugged, bouncing her hips to adjust herself and put her feet under herself, getting up without her hands. "I think it's kinda fun."

"Coding is no joking matter," Sonic got up as well, dusting himself off, then… the orange code triggered again and he dusted off her dress, making her smile as her own orange code triggered. "Especially when that's all we're made of."

"I borrowed it from the lab's software programs. No need to be nervous, I'm just testing out crafting new code for myself. After all, character development is important, and I feel… torn about telling Japan how I really feel…" Amy's sudden confession made Sonic's whole demeanor change.

His eyes blinked wider and he shifted back, turning more towards her in shock. 'So my gut was right.' He stated, 'She's not being careful at all.'

"Amy…" the tone was gentle, but she could hear the powerful warrior behind it.

She turned to him, cradling the code in her hands as it rippled gently like a snake into a curled ball, like when Amy had bundled it together in her hands beforehand.

"I know what you want to say. I'm aware that Spanish Amy glitched, but I'm certain now that they won't find a replacement for me." She looked down at the ground, her smile seeming somewhat forced now. "I'm honestly happy, Sonic. They may try and remake me a billion times over, but at least certain death isn't something to fear anymore."

Sonic put his hands to Amy's shoulders, taking on a serious approach again, "I care." He stated, "I care."

Now her smile genuinely spread across her muzzle and as she came closer to him, her eyes also sparkled in absolute love for him. "I can finally say I know that now. That's why… I want to make sure I'm better for you… but not just for you and the company… but for my sake too." She looked at the lightly waving code in her cupped hands. "And I want to be apart of that process."

"It's not our right, but it should be." He placed his hand over the code, "I can't tell you what to do, Amy. It's against my nature. But,… please. Please don't get carried away like before." He wanted to tell her she shouldn't, but bit his tongue against it. "I want you to be happy, Amy… but I care a lot about your safety too right now. I've seen you fade away in more ways than one… Don't make me endure that again. You may not have any memories of… 'dying'…" he looked weird when he said that, but shook it off and squinted his eyes, as if shaking off a bad memory, "But I can't stand to watch you suffer and deteriorate right before my eyes again and not be able to have anything in me to save you." He took her hand, attempting to release the code into the air while he did so and pulled her hand up next to the orange code. It shined brighter all of a sudden, and Amy momentarily had her fingers twitch and loosen the hold on the hand that still caressed the now unraveling code.

"It's in my code to take care of you… if you change, wouldn't that be the same as when Japan changed? Ripped out his own code without SEGA knowing about it? Wouldn't that also… cause me to one day glitch, Amy?"

The plea was working, her eyes softened towards him and the code she was working on was now hanging onto her fingers by a thread.

"Please… I don't want to lose you again." He was anxious, trying to see the string of code out of his peripheral vision.

'So close..!' he wished the wind would blow just a tad bit harder. Any second now, his worries would drift out of her hands and away, dissolving without a host to carry the coding software and store it.

However, his eyes cheated him, and as Amy came closer, the string literally rolling off her two last fingers, she saw his eyes dart to the string about to fly away.

She let out a slight gasp of betrayal, "Ah-hah-a…" Her pinkie finger gripped the code and she stepped away from him. "You're manipulating me…" her orange code all but began to softly flicker, then immediately vanished as her eyebrows swung down, her code guided her to the offended and angered route, and she immediately let out her signature cry, "Sooooniiiicc!"

As per his code, the orange immediately was re-routed, and his visible teal showed the tree branches of possible options shift to Sonic's usual response. His face spread back and his mouth opened to a teethy, gritted frown.

"I-It's not manipulation!" he waved his hands out in front of him. 'Shoot…' he silently cursed the bad luck in his head, 'If I had held her a moment longer in that tender distraction… I would be sitting pretty comfortable right now…' He sweat-dropped a little on the side of his face, which was visible to Amy.

He faked a bit of an awkward smile, "Heheh…heh… Don't you think it's a little careless of me to not try and stop you from a possible uproar?"

That didn't do him any favors.

"OooooOOOOOoooh!" with another signature whine, she summoned her hammer, storing the code away where only the originals could possibly reach it. "That's it!" she swung everywhere as he ran, bonking his head a few times as their usual antics ensued.

However…

A lone, Eggman Moto Bug peeked behind a wall with pixels showing he was hiding somewhat inside the actual real wall. His eye scanners narrowed, focusing in on their interactions as Sonic turned to block some swings and grab the hilt of her hammer, trying to be charming and get Amy to forgive him while she played tug-o-war a moment to get her hammer back.

The Moto bug then glared, a laser charging.

"I may hate where all this is going… but that doesn't mean I don't know how to bide my time for the perfect opportunity… You've done well. Let's record these findings and see if we can report them to our, hopefully, new best friend…"

Eggman's voice was coming from a speaker deep in the Moto Bug, who turned his eyes around to look at its body where the message must have come from.

Silently, it began to roll back into the wall… disappearing out of sight.

The last look on its face… was entirely devious.

-Cyrus Clyde's SEGA office-

Clyde looked as though he was filing, tiding up his papers and looking to his calendar when the computer suddenly short circuited. He jumped a little in place, but knowing himself, pulled his fancy suit down a bit and slowly approached his desk.

The computer was sparking, but then the lights flickered on and a strange teal color fuzzed onto the computer.

He lowered himself down to his chair, scooting up to the computer.

He went to tap a key but a voice wave rippled through the computer, "Don't bother, I've in complete control."

Startled yet again, Clyde removed his lingering finger from the button he was going to press—seeming to be the power button—and placed his hand up the corner of his mouth.

"Peculiar." He stated in return. "Pretty sure I'm the one with the power over you."

"Ah, good day, Cyrus Clyde." Eggman's voice snickered a husky, rasp chortle from the screen… "Or do you still prefer your nickname? CC?"

"I've no time for foolish games." Clyde moved to touch the plug.

"Hands off!" Eggman snapped and the chord sparked, flinching Clyde back again to his place. "Now, is that any way to treat your guest? I'm more of a… proposing business associate at this point."

"Associate?" Clyde scoffed, "You wish me to deal in possible criminal affairs?"

"The fact that you respond to me is impeccable." Eggman retorted, "Considering not to long ago you didn't believe I was controlling Dr. Hope with my mad genius… Hoho! But then you don't believe I'm a literal cybernetic being, now do you, CC?"

"…" Clyde rested against the back of his chair.

"Now, see..? How little it takes to get your attention…" the screen flickered to many different cameras, "I have many eyes, Mr. Clyde… Oh, I'm better than spying than that bat ever was…"

Clyde seemed to be carefully studying the camera images, his hand moved in front of his mouth, masking his expression again.

However, his eyes trailed against the images. Was he rapidly memorizing something?

"Not impressed? How about if I proved all your little wicked, calculated worries into full-blown anxiety attacks?" the screen showed Sonic and Amy from moments before, as Dr. Hope opened the roof top door and beckoned them to follow her. The image cut rapidly to them descending the stairs, and then going into her office… "Don't you just squirm when you see them so happy? Granted, your file is one tough cookie to crack, but I haven't given up on asking you about the manner… Seems there was a girl in your childhood that you failed to mention to Dr. Hope. One Sonic couldn't inevitably save from your oftentimes violent brother and family..?"

Clyde's nostrils suddenly flared, but he took a deep breath, remaining unphased.

"Ah, choosing the silent route? Hohohoho… You and I would work well together…"

"As I said before, to nothing but a deplorable data hacker like yourself, I've nothing to discuss when illegal activity is involved." He turned his body away, spinning slightly in his chair.

"W-what if I made it worth your while? It's not exactly 'villainous' to connect to my own code that commands the millions of little data beings that code forces them to obey my every whim?"

Clyde suddenly lowered his hand, smirking.

"What an idea…"

"Work with me, Clyde… I can give you all the proof you need to give Dr. Hope a swift kick with the boot to the door! And as for compensation, simply put in the good word for me with the big man? I'm sure you can do even that, can't you, CC, deary?" His begging was tuned out as Clyde turned around, intertwining his hand in a professional manner.

"I don't care about Dr. Hope. I've got my own strategy in place for that wench." Clyde disregarded him almost at once, seeming to stumble Eggman as he tried to recover the upperhand but Clyde continued, his smirk growing in intensity as he took out some glasses and put them on, the shine of the screen reflecting off of them.

"Now… let's talk about your code…"

The screen flickered and the voice wave turned into a flat line…

-Dr. Hope's Office-

"I'm sorry to have called you both in so suddenly," Hope was off her game, she clearly seemed troubled and Amy and Sonic looked to one another, picking up on that immediately.

"Hope?" Amy tilted her head, trying to see her face as Dr. Hope hung it so low.

"Ehem," Hope tried to gain control over herself, she placed her hands together and didn't make eye contact, something Sonic and Amy weren't used too. "SEGA's… um… they're getting really paranoid." She was trying to be gentle about this… 'Hope this works,' she gulped.

"In other words… Sonic's declaration was great. Even his little idea of keeping it yourselves and all. But SEGA still doesn't know about the… extra… code. I'm only saying that keeping you two together should be simple. Keep your bond relatively hush-hush, maybe… just don't go too crazy with anything new." She knew she was slipping up, seeing Sonic's face suddenly turn to confusion and Amy's sink with her eyes dropping to the floor…

Sonic put a hand on her shoulder, a brave look in his eyes as she just smiled politely to him, but then rolled her eyes away to continue in what could only be perceived as a depressive state.

"Hope, this isn't the right time." Sonic defensively took a stand, "Amy… Amy and I don't need to hear this right now."

"You really do though." She pulled on the sides of her hair, her whimpering voice telling the two all they needed to know. The ends of her hair came down and ruined her bun, making her hair messy and flimsy, "The company is really gonna throw the piko piko hammer down on you two if you don't just… happily love each other at a distance from the entire world and company, and practically just makeout on mars. Can you do that? I mean, if you can hack a flashdrive, you can hack a space station and float around all cooing and loving up there, can't you? That can't be broadcasted, right?"

Sonic worriedly gets up, looking to Amy who avoids his gaze… she turns her head fully away from him.

"Hope, stop." Sonic took a direct approach, turning serious as a fist formed in his hand, and his teeth gritted together, glaring at her. "This is hurting her."

"Oh, trust me, its hurts my heart too. They're making this so complicated." Hope looked as though she was going to tear up the papers in front of her and start eating them, thus was her state of mind as well.

"It doesn't bother you, too?" Amy spoke up then, "My code is—once again— being threatened. I can't just stay away from you, Sonic… it's in my code to pursue you." Tears began to form, but none were ever shed. It was like she didn't have anything left to give.

She stood up straight and looked Hope dead in the eye, "I've died for this. Several times. If they keep on shutting me down, then rebooting me time and time again, then isn't that the same as saying I'm useless?"

"…Don't go down this road again, Amy." Dr. Hope's heart was breaking like bullets being fired in all different directions around it. "You know I'm only trying to help your well-being…"

"Her well-being is my concern." Sonic stepped forward, silencing the two girls by asserting himself between them. It startled them enough, seeing him so directly in the crossfire, when usually, he was the one stepping away from the drama. "I've learned a lot."

The two glanced at one another, surprised to see this kind of Sonic, not being shy or tactful at all, but just stepping up into the fray.

"Amy's… My love interest."

Dr. Hope's mouth dropped.

"And I'm her hero. I always have been, and I always will be."

Amy's mouth also popped wide open.

"I'm assuring both of you,"

He held his hands out to both of them, a gesture to stop again as he fully placed himself in the middle of them.

"My relationship will remain my own. Hope, calm down. I'll reason with SEGA, they're practically my biggest fans, anyway. They'll want what's best for me. They already accepted my decision, they'll accept my protest too if I fight hard enough for it."

Hope smiled.

"And Amy…"

After returning her smile, he stepped slowly around to face Amy, lowering his hands.

"If I can comfort any of your fears… it's that I'll never lose you again."

Amy's watery eyes batted adoringly to him. Once again, there was some slight coughs of amazement, but she covered her hand over her mouth and jumped into his arms.

The moment of their embrace filled Dr. Hope with a new found courage.

She looked towards the door, ready to take on Clyde and even SEGA again if needs be.

"Amy…"

"Oh, Sonic!"

He dipped his head down into her shoulder.

"Don't worry… I'll always fight for you. This time, you won't have any fear… because I'm here."

With the quote of her infamous line, she sucked up her tears and giggled, rubbing her head into his chest.

"My hero~"

She happily sighed out.

"Okay, okay, come on… not in front of Dr. Hope…" Sonic grew shy again, before uneasily turning to Dr. Hope and giving her a nervous smile. "S-so… about this space station concept…"

Amy gasped.

The phone rang though, and before Dr. Hope could laugh at his tension-breaking humor, she picked it up. "Hello?" she slightly laughed into the receiver.

"…What?" her face turned to horror, and she looked up. "I have to go." She immediately hung up the phone and bolted out of the door, completely moving Sonic and Amy out of the way to do so.

"What was that all about?" Sonic questioned, looking to Amy in his arms.

"I… I don't know." Amy shook her head, pulling her hands back from around him and letting them bundle up by his and her chests.

Hope hurried down the hallways, passing characters and employees in her stride.

"W-woah! Watch it, Hope!" Vector was almost bulldozed down when she turned a corner.

"E-excuse me!" a girl had to pin herself to the wall to let Hope pass like a steam train.

She opened one eye to see if Hope had passed, then pressed on with an uncomfortable look on her face.

Hope rounded many corners and walked down the stairs to the lab, swinging the door open. "What do you mean Eggman's being-" she stopped…

Eggman looked like a torture soul, hung like Sonic did during his re-coding, but this time… it looked so much crueler.

"What are you doing to him..?" her emotions caught her off guard as she walked up to him, seeing him panting and slowly lifting his head up to see her.

"Dr. Hope… Don't trust him, he's a-! AHHHHHHHHHH!" Eggman looked as though he was being electrocuted. After a moment, the lab workers stopped and the lights dimmed back to normal in the room.

"Ha…Ha… He's not what he… Ha… seems." Eggman glared and scowled as Dr. Hope turned to look behind her.

Holding the command button on the computer down, Clyde lifted his finger up and walked over to Dr. Hope.

"So glad you could join us." He sneered, walking with his hands out as if welcoming, but then behind his back. "Fine data, don't you think? Ripe for the plucking." Clyde stopped beside her, looking as though in glee at seeing Eggman strung up with his arms and legs out, hanging like trapped in a spider web. "I remember this… but it was our little blue boy up there. Or at least, SEGA's little starshine." He seemed different to Hope, not like he was before…

"Don't make me repeat it." She was still in shock, but her head shook slightly as she eyed him down.

Clyde didn't even look at her, he just grinned wider as he watched Eggman stare him down as well, then frowning deeply.

"Marvelous works of art, aren't they? But that's all they are. Little systems installed for a brief moment before blip! Out of sight! Like turning the power off on your console at home." He turned around, walking back to the lab technicians. "Show her what we found." He leaned leisurely against the desk, as two of the workers split off from the sides and moved up to Eggman, moving some data around to show her his data.

"Why is that data red?" Dr. Hope asked, "Doesn't that mean something bad?"

"On the contrary. We're just working in real time, so that's why it seems that way." Clyde stated this so casually, but Dr. Hope's eyes widened.

"You-! You're editing him while he's still live!?" she took one powerful stomp towards him but he also stomped his foot to stop her, slowly lifting his leg to cross the other as he relaxed and reclined further back against the desk.

"That's-!... All the outburst I'll allow you to get away with today, Doctor Quack." He looked back up to Eggman. "Silly little data bit. He actually thought he could sway me to some diabolical scheme of his. As though I was insecure enough to fall for such a trap. He even claimed to have all the power, while still locked away safely in his file. That's how I got him, you know. I wasn't stupid enough to put my forehead against the computers." He smirked a harsh mock towards her.

"You think I had a choice?" she growled out.

He puckered his lips and shrugged, as though stating she was weak and could have. "Regardless of what assumedly happened, SEGA could be sued by me for looking into my personal affairs. Such as having someone hack my file… I wonder where he could have found out how to do that…"

Hope suddenly twitched.

"You wouldn't happen to know of anyone…" He slowly rose from his resting position, walking over to her, dangerously close to her face… "Who would secretly wanted information on my files… and failed to retrieve them… leading a mad old data antagonist to try his hand at cracking the code… do you?"

She gulped, seeing the hostility in his eyes.

"Oh, that's good… I was worried for a moment you were keeping information away from the local authorities." His warm breath on her face made her realize something. He was completely in power… and he enjoyed every moment of it. Even this domineering approach… he had played her since she entered his car.

"Well done, Miss Hope. You have found a way to actually be useful partner." He stepped away, "Fire it up again."

With the command, Eggman arched his back and his code was immediately shown with painfully slow to watch lightning bolts begin to trail their way, one at a time, through each data bit and begin sparking through and copying code from him.

"What are you doing!?" she was horrified, "He doesn't deserve this!"

"He's a piece of imagination! And a villain, no less. I thought you'd be a little more accepting of that fact." He pulled out an apple and bit into it, carefree again.

As he rested his hand on the desk to support him, Dr. Hope charged over to the other lab workers, "Stop! Can't you see what you're doing!?"

"Leave them alone, Hope!" Clyde cried out, "They're doing their job." He took another bite, "Something you should really consider getting."

"I have a job," Hope declared strongly, not afraid to face him again. "It's ensuring that companies with people like you in it don't ruin their characters for life!"

"Touching. But, Soph, I have no intentions of 'ruining' anything. Isn't that what you've been up too?" he took another bite and then walked by her. "Unlike you, I finish what I start." He was hurrying through the apple, "I found that Sonic and his friends weren't quite what they used to be. And what do the fans want? Continuity? Why not formally start with the most obvious, core routes of the bigger picture, hmm? Familiarity."

Eggman grunted in pain, trying to hold it in as his code began to duplicate and like osmosis, form a new strand. That new strand was then quickly taken by the two lab workers in the front, and finally, his head hung low as the zapping stopped and lightning bolted through the code.

The system sparked but Eggman looked burnt to a crisp.

"Eggman…" she mouthed out, almost reaching a hand to him but then pulling it back.

He looked up, "Why… hack! Ehem… hmm… apologize?" he faked a bruised smile, but it was clear that wasn't a kind experience for him. "After what I did to you… you should be enjoying his monologuing and leaving me in peace…" He hung his head low again… but then lifted it with touched and confused arches in his eyebrows when he heard her whisper—

"I'm sorry."

He met her eyes with his glasses… then smiled lightly to her. For the first time, she could see the real character in him, a beloved and classic video game villain character retrieving some sympathy from a true fan of the game. "My cold, black heart is touched." He seemed to be putting humor over his real feelings. "…I won't be saying 'thank you', Dear Sophie. But… Your pity is appreciated."

"It's not pity." She countered.

"Well… whatever inspired you to ignore him stating his deviously business-minded plans and turn your emotional condolences to me was stupid but greatly admired." He now joked an honest grin and nod, as Hope turned to realize Clyde was almost done with the apple and still unaware she wasn't paying attention to him.

"-So after that, I figured Eggman's code could be approved once and for all. It was! Thank goodness for a swift and easy email transfer. Now, all the characters will be getting a modified 'Directive Code' that will force them to obey the company official established over their behavior and coding… oh, is that… me?" He held up his arm, and a few lab workers, having successfully edited Eggman's code and recreated it, wrapped a strange arm-band around him and strapped it on tight.

A device came to life, showing a hologram as he typed in something, "You see, Sophie… No one likes to not be in control of a situation… Whether it's in your own personal life or, let's say, resetting all your character files back to their original programmings with new, strict mandates with the resulting, forced upload directly to their code."

Eggman's face broke, a look of guilty horror at what he was saying as Dr. Hope shook her head. "No…"

"Why… I think even your simple counseling degree could understand that I'm simply clearing a problem out of my immediate life." He rose his arm up, and Dr. Hope's heart skipped a beat.

"You do understand, don't you?" he tilted his head, "Distracting you with thoughts of Sonic and Amy's recent behavior was nothing difficult. Making you feel like you could work with me, and even get a little of my backstory out in the open was the perfect way to keep you from influencing anything unwanted till I found my perfect scapegoat. We were never equal, Hope. We were never partners. This is simply me… taking the initiative… and getting a better job." He turned his arm towards Eggman.

"…Kneel." He stated.

The code flared through and Eggman was released from hanging by the grid, dropping to a knee as he shook his fist.

"Darn you… I'll admit I was outplayed, but you can't do this to us. Think of the children!"

"What children?" Clyde laughed, "The only thing they'll know about Sonic The Hedgehog and his series is what I want them to see. I've studied popular character direction trends. With my help, you'll all undergo the necessary, constricting protocols of a successful gaming line. Your usual liberties will be stripped from you. You'll finally be what you are. With this hard reset, you'll be restarting from the time when the company was doing fairly well. Back to your old, glory days, Doctor Eggman. If that is even what you are, data bit.

"No… No… No, no!" Hope knew this would not only threaten every character in SEGA, but she also knew that if this worked, every company would suffocate and robotize all their characters in this fashion…

"Clyde, you… You can't just-!"

"Eggman's code communicated to all data beings that were still linked to him through this absolute obedience code. With this new invention, no more needless damage on the company or its name will be had."

"I can't see Japan letting you do this!" Dr. Hope watched him throw the eaten apple away.

"Really? You didn't get the memo? The corporate world acts fast under constant pressure, Hope. Pressure you kept going!" he moved his arm away and typed something else in the device. "Soon, this entire update will shoot a lightning bolt straight through every character file. They're whole world will be what it was meant to be, what it once was. They're just toys, figments of lights on a screen, Dr. Hope. It's about time you started looking for a new career if you can't accept that."

"It's an unusual, strange, but intriguing idea…" Eggman seemed to compliment, but felt his whole body resisting the position of 'kneeling' he was in. "However…" he slowly rose to his feet, "Even if you keep us locked in an absolute, one-way coded highway… there's always someone who will break that system. Challenge the rules… In fact, I have a feeling that the first character who ever figured out they could walk and talk within the walls of their company may just be the key to solving this upset." He eyed Dr. Hope, turning to her subtly as though giving her a clue.

"Data is always transferring, technology always evolving…" He kept staring at her, and she shook her head, still unsure of what he wanted to convey to her.

"Restricting the wills and hearts of others… You're clearing targeting Dr. Hope's digital character life structure." He gestured with his nose to the door. Was she meant to get something..?

"My structure..?"

"Ah, yes. Clever as always, computer." Clyde looked up from the device. "Sonic's torn code? A grievous flaw. But no matter. Although I still find your theory rather childish: Will, Life, Heart, and Action. This takes care of that first step, don't you think? So that the rest of that poppycock can go the way the company sees fit to control it. They're out of control, Hope. Don't you see that by now? When you were controlling the emotions board—without permission—mind you… weren't you… happy?" he mocked her again, and this time, it sank deep into her core.

"She's no doctor." Clyde then turned to Eggman. "She's just a silly little fangirl who never learned to read a room."

"You acknowledged her theoretical structure and turned it obsolete." Eggman suddenly stood taller, to his full height. He looked almost sympathetically towards Hope, returning the gesture she had once given him.

He turned with a serious expression of defeat but correctness towards Clyde, "I know I'm right, so do you. Deep down, you were threatened by how much influence and power she was obtaining in this company. Even I was trying to stop it."

Dr. Hope looked back up, "E-Eggman…"

"All you see is a woman you're desperately trying to push out of threatening your coveted career ambitions. Commendable, as any villain would agree with you. However, they would more so be glad at how you're doing it. You've made her your rival, haven't you Clyde? Something about her ticks you off, I know the feeling, believe me. Blue hedgehogs have nothing on blondes. But take it from someone with experience in defeating heroes…" He looked to Hope then, seeing her shake and tremble from being crushed so deeply in everything she once held dear. "You've unknowingly empowered her. She'll come back fiercer, stronger than you can possibly imagine. You may leave us heartless, soulless, without will and motionless toward everything we once called life. But that won't change the fact that the fans will still buy the games. There will still be critics. The company will evolve and before you know it, so will we. We'll take on this cybernetic existence again. We'll walk and we'll talk. And no directive from the company is going to stop the Will of what we were made to be, the Life that it gave us through our brand and products, the Heart of what fans give to our series, and lastly the actions we'll take to stay in constant, continuing Motion. You've lost the second you saw her as an enemy, Mr. Clyde… though, I personally prefer CC." he leaned forward, smiling and nodding his head, "Makes you more or less adorable than absolutely repulsive." He then walked up and grabbed Dr. Hope's arm, pulling her to him to whisper into her ear, "This changes nothing between us. Amy has made foreign code. I think it's best you go and have her rip it out of herself, store it in a—let's say a old abandoned laptop or something—and perhaps save us all by giving that exact code to a convinced 'new' Sonic that maybe the life he once lived was important afterall?"

Dr. Hope was still shocked from everything that was happening, but knew that Eggman had already calculated a way out of this mess.

"You're a big, softie." She kid, and began to leave.

"Whatever it is you're both planning to do, its nonsense." Clyde clicked 'upload' and smiled as the device stirred to life.

"I'm still here, Clyde." She stated firmly, opening the door as Clyde lost smile all too quickly. "And so will Sonic."

He looked to the door as she slammed it shut.

"Women," Eggman shook his head, "So emotional." He folded his arms after wiping a tear from his glasses' rim.

"…So predictable." Clyde held up his arm-device and looked relatively relaxed towards Eggman, "Ready to be nothing more than code, Robotnik?"

Eggman made a face, "That's my grandfather. And for your information, I'm a feminist. And I take great offense to that statement-!" before he could even lift a finger, he was suddenly shocked through the slow-moving lightning bolts.

"Let's start with the most annoying character…" Clyde looked down at his device, seeing the upload was happening to Eggman, "…Where are you..? Amy Rose…?" He scrolled through the list…

Checking it twice.

-Inside SEGA's Employee Rest Area-

Everyone was gathered together, they even pushed the pool table as other employees also got in on the discussion too. Well, the ones that knew the characters, anyway.

"And that's what's up." Dr. Hope quickly explained everything like spark notes, hurrying as she turned to Amy. "All I know is, Eggman says you've got some sort of code that could solve this mess?"

Amy's eyes trembled, "It's… It's not quite done yet, b-but…" she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Cream flying by her shoulder.

"Miss Amy… Don't be scared."

Was she referring to the times she had been deleted before?

"W-What's it like?" Charmy suddenly spoke up, as everyone turned to look down at him. He was too disheartened to fly, holding his hands together tighter and tighter as they fidgeted left to right. "F…Faa…Fading away?"

"None of us are fading away!" Knuckles swung an arm up, charging through the mass of Sonic characters as he headed to where Dr. Hope stood. Taking charge, he seemed to be using some of his 'Sonic Forces' code to take hold of the situation. "Everyone calm down, we've been through crisis's far worse than this. If we really don't have much time, then Amy, whatever you've made… it's about time you used it."

"She's not an original, that code could be defective." Tails argued, lifting a hand up, "I opt for contacting Japan!"

"We can't always rely on-" But before Amy could continue, Sonic intervened.

"We can't bother Japan about these things anymore. They're already worried as it is. We haven't given them a reason to breathe easy for a while now." He looked back to Amy, nodding to her. "I know it's not perfect, but maybe you could quickly tweak it a bit… something not so specially for you… Is that okay?" his eyes narrowed a bit. "I know that you were saying this was important to you… but are you willing to revise it for all of us? Amy?"

Amy took out the code, letting it wave in the air a moment before being held in her hands like a shimmering beam of light.

She looked to her friends, all staring at the code and wondering how she even made it without being an original, but then looked to her for hope.

"…I… I… Of course I will!" She suddenly tore the code apart, making spaces. "It's apart of who I am!"

Dr. Hope smiled, 'She barely even processed it before she knew what to do. She's selfless like that, and I think Sonic knew how to trigger that emotional connection out of her like that.' She looked to Sonic, seeing him smiling the same proud expression as her own.

"Everyone, take some of your code that you care about too and put in it with her own." Sonic demonstrated, twitching a moment in pain as he ripped some code out and then laid it to intertwine with Amy's.

Everyone began to do so, but soon…

"Here, place it somewhere SEGA can't- AH!" Amy let go of the code.

"Amy!" Everyone shouted.

She shook and her whole being seemed to hover in air, lines of electric zig-zagging, painful lightning streaks began to shred through her character base to expose a new color than the usual greenish blue.

"It's happening." Tails's eyes shook, then he leaped for the code everyone had worked on together, trying to make it fit perfectly into a 'storage code' of sorts. "The code! It's still attached to her!"

In horror, Dr. Hope held out her phone. "Here! Place it here before she's re-coded!"

Tails quickly grabbed the code and was about to transfer it but suddenly cried out in pain too.

"No!" Dr. Hope reached for the code, but it swiped right through her hands. "I… I can't grab it!" she looked around to see the other characters crying out as though being electrocuted.

"Mother!" Cream jumped into her mother's arms.

"Cream, please!" Dr. Hope cried out, "Tails has the code! If it gets deleted in the update, none of you can return like you once were!"

Sonic looked around him, his eyes shaking at how badly this whole thing had turned out. "All this…" He stepped back, "Because I didn't want to lose her?"

"Sonic!" Dr. Hope reached out, but she could see the lining of his base start showing his code, he was feeling helpless, and that caused a loop in his code.

His eyes suddenly turned to processing swirls.

"He… He can't process losing… Not like this. He's not suppose to feel anything remotely close to seeing all his friends die in front of him. Oh, Sonic… You can't feel beyond this point, can you? You're not allowed too… even with that new code you-…" She suddenly realized, "What happened to your orange code!?" It wasn't there, she grabbed his shoulders, still able to touch him, but couldn't see anything and just watched his body fill with light and then… lightning…

During his data loop, he was also updating… He couldn't help her now.

"No… No, I can't… I can't lose you all…"

She fell to her knees, watching as Tails's red update was slowly engraving the lightning bolts towards the code in his frozen and quivering hands.

"…Everyone… you all believed me to help you and I… I'm useless." She felt tears streaming down her face. "Everyone… you were all… so important to me… I'm so sorry… Clyde even targeted those of you who were obscure, just to keep you from helping me. It's all my fault. I know it is… I'm… I'm a phony…"

She bent her hands into her face, turning her phone to the side of her face and holding it just by a thumb and finger.

"I… I'm so stupid… I-"

"Miss Hooopppeee!"

"I thought I could make things better here, but I… I only made it worse."

"Don't give uuuppp!"

"W…What?"

Dr. Hope slowly turned her head, her phone nearly slipping out of her hands as suddenly a tiny Rosy The Rascal leaped to grab Tails's code, and raced to shove it in her phone.

When the data stream of light began to move, a lightning bolt on Tails's fingers, finally reaching the area, seemed to snap like when lightning hits an iron rod and couldn't connect to the data in time.

"R…Rosy?" Dr. Hope was astonished, seeing her smack her hand against the phone and look kindly up to Dr. Hope. "H… How are you..?"

"I don't have a voice, so I borrowed Cream's." Rosy turned to look back at Cream, smiling with tears in her eyes, still tucked into her mother's arms as the lightning began to now effect every character in that room… Expect Rosy the Rascal and soon, the rest of the Mania cast moved through the taller characters legs.

Classic Sonic stopped to look at Shadow reeling in pain, frozen and unable to stop the download, and then sorrowfully turned to the rest of the modern crew.

"You… You all weren't affected?" Dr. Hope sounded as though she was seeking comfort, but then her phone ding!'d and she quickly looked to it.

File Uploaded to the Cloud.

"I… I should put this somewhere safer."

She wiped the tears from her eyes, putting it in a Google Drive folder.

Tails stepped up, the only one to actually own his own voice as Rosy The Rascal quickly lost Cream's voice systems when Cream began to update.

"If Rosy could say more, I know she would say that you're not alone." He shook his head, stopping just ahead of her. "We can't stop what Clyde has done. But… together, we can try and make things right."

"It's… it's against the company though." Dr. Hope wiped her eyes, "If I do this… I could lose my entire career…"

The characters all made a face, before Mighty the Armadillo clasped his arm and held it up, angrily showing her to be tough, before smiling kindly to her.

"That's right." Tails stated, and looked back to her, "You're tough, Dr. Hope! You're the one that brought Rosy back to Japan, right? Genesis—Oh, I mean—Classic Sonic says he owes a great deal to you. That's why we have this." Classic Tails stepped aside as Classic Sonic stepped forward,… was he the original from Japan? Or was he the American one?

His design looked like Mania Adventures, so she couldn't tell.

He pulled out the orange code, then smiled to her and held it to her phone.

"…Genesis…" Dr. Hope's eyes slowly drooped as she watched him copy the code, and then place it back inside himself, the rest being placed into her phone. "…That's the second time you've done that… isn't it?" she looked up, heartbroken on how trusting he was of her… when she… when she had the audacity to try and trust Clyde again!

She was sure of it now, this had to be Genesis from Japan… It had to be… right?

Only Originals could pull out code and copy it… Amy must have used some other way to make code from scratch, but this looked like the power of an Original.

Classic Sonic took her hand, placing it over her phone and then placed his other hand on the bottom of it.

His eyes closed before re-opening with a warm and hopeful smile on his face towards her.

"…You've got to be the hero now, Hope." Tails translated. Innocently, Classic Sonic blinked his eyes. "We're all relying on you to keep what we've learned and treasure it. We can hide it. But in order to do that, we have to accept this new update… That way, the company won't see us as erroring or dangerous." Tails, in his child-like voice, shook his head cutely as though really trying to make a point to Dr. Hope.

"So… This isn't going against the update… it's to keep those precious memories and emotions you've all learned close to your hearts, without necessarily expressing them inside the company?"

Tails and the rest of the crew nodded, but Ray the Flying Squirrel gave her a thumbs up and turned his head to the side with a wink, being spunky about it all.

"You guys…" She wiped more tears away. "Okay, I'll try and make sure you all get this discreetly!"

She looked up to the other employers, "What about you lot?"

The employees all looked to each other, tears building in their eyes from watching the moment, but nodded.

"You can even share the file to me, I'll make sure nothing happens to it."

"We should have a copy on standby, just in case something like this happens again."

"I… I don't want to lose my job, but… if the characters only act civilly in public, but then in private our themselves..? I mean, I don't see the harm in it. I just don't want the office to turn boring again or something like that!"

"Yeah! It was so fun to see the characters and have them greet you at work!"

"I loved animating them!"

"I loved drawing them!"

"We all love them." Hope smiled fondly down to the little cast, as Classic Knuckles hit his fists together lightly, smiling boldly up to her.

"Alright, let's do this! Operation, Correct-the-Wrong!" In the spirit of Knuckles's naming missions, she held up her fist proudly as the rest of the employees did too!

But it would be a lot more harder than she thought…

-Some Time After-

It was extremely painful to watch the characters go through the update, seeing their code spiked through with thick but tiny lightning bolts that coursed through their data frames… but once the process was over, the characters were like nothing had ever happened.

One at a time, Hope would have them in the office, holding out her phone to them with the file open, but each and every one of them diverted their eyes, sighed, and wouldn't accept the code.

Not willing to understand their reasonings, she tried to convince Sonic that he told her to do everything in her power to keep everyone from losing all they've gained. But to Sonic, it seemed the past should be buried in the past, and that the future was littered with endless possibilities…

"Don't give me that crap!" she spat out, speedily keeping up with his fast-paced walking as they strolled through the office rooms.

"Borrrring~" Sonic nonchalantly made an unamused face, but secretly smiled a sly look when he noticed her trying to keep up.

He ducked corners and even slide under office desks, fazing through them as she tried to keep up.

"Sonic..! Excuse me, sorry, Sonic!" She tried to keep an eye on him and follow, but he was just too good at being sneaky to do so…

"Oh!" she stomped her foot down, "Now I know how Amy feels! Just listen to me for five seconds!"

"Five seconds!" Sonic cried out, getting into a runner's position and revealing where he was, looking over his shoulder to her. "5… 4…"

"Oh no," Dr. Hope's eyes widened, imagining for a moment in her mind's eye that they were animatedly shrinking with each number called from his countdown. "Excuse me, sorry, wait! Don't-!"

"3… 2~" He wiggled his butt a moment on the two, as though taunting her.

"I can't keep up-!" she admitted, and he stopped his counting to look at her.

The look made her stop entirely in her tracks. She could feel her heart pause too…

It was as though his eyes were saying, 'I know, so stop.' And then he took off.

It was a serious expression… but why was everyone so against feeling and having what they once held so dear to themselves?

She lowers her shoulders, moving back to her office as she notices skype has been opened.

She wipes a tear and quickly picks up the call, switching into Japanese, "Hello, Hoshi-kun."

"Sophia! Oh… Ai-ah, you look awful." He tsk'd a moment and rubbed behind his neck. "Still not getting through to them?"

"Nope." Dr. Hope looked sorely defeated, sighing and dipping her head to bang it lightly against the wood of her table.

"That's not good. No, don't do that! Stop! Wait-!" Hoshi cutely tapped the computer screen, trying to get her to look back up at him and stop acting so dramatically pathetic. "You'll hurt your head…" he kindly admitted.

"I've already racked it around enough times trying to figure out why they won't express anything meaningful to me anymore!" she threw her arms up in the air, but finally did come up to speak with him again. "I mean, I screwed up. They seem to understand what happened, but the emotions and understanding of the events are all gone. It's like what happened with Japanese Amy." She rubbed her head, trying to figure this out before…

"Japanese Amy…" Her head came up out of her hand that was harshly rubbing against it, leaving her forehead red from the tough love. "… They're like giant signal beams… if we can get this code into Japanese Amy, then they'll all sync up and we can do that for all the originals!"

As she began to get excited about her plan, Hoshi's face dropped in kindness.

"Haha! I've done it! I've figured it out!" she moved her hair back and fixed her bun, wondering why Hoshi wasn't getting just as excited as she was. "What's wrong?" she wasn't expecting his reply.

As she was fixing her hair, he lowered his voice and scooted closer to the computer. "Japanese Amy… Won't help you."

Her hands paused in their task.

She lowered her hair and let it all drape down her shoulders. "…Why not?" a string on her heart snapped. "Does she not remember how close she and her American counterpart are?"

Hoshi remained silent, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. He turned more somber, moving his hands below the table and out of her sight as he stared at the table, trying to think through his answer carefully.

"They were practically best friends!"

"Please, Dr. Hope… some people will hear you." He gestured with his eyes that someone was coming, and she quieted down, lowering her voice into her headset microphone.

"…Who's passing by?" Dr. Hope whispered.

"Is that Sophie?"

Japanese Sonic?

"…Do they hate me..?" Dr. Hope didn't mean to let that slip, but the whisper apparently broke Hoshi's bluff and Sonic's face soon came into the picture.

"…You shouldn't be having this conversation so openly." Sonic gave a smirk to Hoshi, "A certain someone might overhear you." He took the camera off the computer and held it to his face, Hoshi was now out of frame. "Don't worry, we still miss ya an awful lot over here!" he winked, keeping his voice relatively hush-hush as well. "However, as for helping you with America… well…" He looked to the side, making another face and sweat dropping. "It's awkward to admit it… but we're kinda prioritizing different things right now… In truth, It's probably better this way."

Suddenly, Japanese Amy grabbed the camera, pulling it out of Japanese Sonic's hold.

"E-Emi!" he cried out, shocked by her arrival.

"That isn't like you at all!" She stated, looking angry as she leaned her head closer to his, forcing him to step back and look guilty with a comical appearance to it.

"Ah… Mmmm…" He seemed to slant his eyebrows as he let her talk, knowing she was somewhat right.

"At least… it's not the you I've known." She put the camera back into Hoshi's hands, but Dr. Hope listened in. "Sonikku…" she stood upright, but behind her back, held one of her arms and lowered her chin down, still looking cutely up at him. "I know I gave up things… but I did it on my own free will." She then held a pointer finger up to his nose, making him look away, still a bit weary about being publicly scolded like this. "I know you only said that to her because you didn't want me to worry, right!? But it's okay! It's… It's…" She suddenly swung right into his arms, crying. "Why am I crying?! Whhaaa-hhaaa-hhaa! Why does this hurt so much to say?"

Sonic's ears bent a bit and he held her back, "There, there… Emi, I know… But this has taken a toll on a lot of us… America… Has to deal with America from now on." He patted her head, trying to soothe her, before looking to Hoshi. "All of us have to make a choice here too."

Hoshi held the camera a moment, then placed it back on the computer for Hope to see what was going on.

Japanese Amy dried her tears and wiped her eyes, turning more confidently towards the camera, "Hope! Don't worry! I may have given up some things but… but I want to believe it was worth it…" she suddenly turned a little gloomy again, unsure.

She shook her head, growing more and more sure with herself as she spoke. "I know in my heart that we're still friends! I know what happened, but it doesn't make sense to me why I would want to feel that way again. It doesn't make sense, my actions, because I'm not emotionally involved with it anymore. Maybe that's why they won't accept it. Maybe that's why… That's why I empathize with them." She touched her heart a second, but then once again pepped up and kept pushing herself closer to the camera, even climbing up on the keyboard a bit to do so, startling Sonic and Hoshi as they waved their arms about, not sure how to stop her mid-pep-talk. "But that doesn't mean you should stop trying! Maybe some characters don't need it as much as others do! Maybe, secretly, Sonic doesn't understand why but maybe he does want his old code back! We can't get involved, and we really shouldn't because… Because it's not our decision to make!" She was firm, she was strong in her words… it had been a long time since Hope had seen this version of Amy Rose before…

It was almost… yes, it was comforting.

She smiled.

"Dr. Hope! You listen to me, and not Sonic, or Hoshi, or anybody!" she stood on her knees on the computer, one hand on her hip and the other tilting the camera up so that no one was in her point of view but Japanese freakin' Amy Rose. "No one's going to glitch because Sonic still has the original code. We all do. I may have edited myself without anyone in the company really knowing… but I chose it. If American Amy chose differently, then isn't that saying something? But Sonic didn't chose that. My Sonic… My darling chose to keep his code and his memories exactly as they are! Mine hurt… mine were hard and awful and I don't quite know everything about it but I know that I did what was right for me and all the other Amy Roses in the world. I believe Sonic has done the same, since before this whole extra ruckus started. He put me first. If American Sonic can remember that even though he doesn't understand why he did what he did… then at least help him understand how he had to do what he did. Because he didn't want to lose me… because he didn't want to hurt his friend."

No one interrupted her, in fact, Dr. Hope had the instinct to start recording on her on her computer.

Japanese Sonic's voice suddenly broke out with a, 'Aw Geez, Amy' and it made Dr. Hope break the tension with a laugh.

Japanese Amy smiled back to Sonic, "You are my darling Sonic, after all!" she cooed, before looking back at Hope, "Sophie-chan! Fight-o!"

"I… I will." Dr. Hope nodded, "But first, I have to make sure Clyde doesn't just hit the update button again. I have to get that device off of him and convince him to let this control fest go!" she formed a fist, trying to gain confidence. "He can't fire me… but he certainly can underestimate me!"

Amy's face blew up with a cute blush and open grin, "Ahhh~ That's the Sophia I know!" her eyes sparkled with admiration, and for the first time ever, Dr. Hope felt like someone was not only counting on her, but also deeply loved her too.

"…Thank you, Amy." She choked up on the words for a moment, "From the bottom of my kokoro, thank you." (Author note: Kokoro means Heart in Japanese, but moreso I think it means the feeling in this case.)

Japanese Amy cheered her on, putting her hands into fists too and squishing her face in with them, "Go, go, Sophie-chan! Save, the, Americans!" she sang slightly in her chant with an accented English, making Dr. Hope and the boys laugh a little at her sweetness.

"Thanks for calling Hoshi… I'm… I'm sorry." She looked down, still feeling guilty about her previous thoughts regarding the play fight and car ride with Clyde…

"For what?" Hoshi tilted his head and then brought the camera down, being careful not to disturb Amy as he moved over to grab it.

"N… nothing." She shook her head, "You've just always been good to me, you know that?"

"…Oh, uh-no… Always." He seemed a little taken off guard by that confession, but she hung up before she could say anymore.

Japanese Amy and Sonic looked to Hoshi with a suspiciously mischievous smile on their faces, "Always?" they puckered their lips, teasing his feelings.

"Oui!" he lifted a hand as though to scold and Sonic quickly grabbed Amy down, racing off with her.

"I'm surprised you said anything." Sonic ran holding her bridal style, just like the old days, but kept his eyes and head squarely on the route in front of him, darting around and dodging the sliding Japanese doors as they opened or closed, getting in just in time before someone who couldn't see them closed it.

"You know I'm not moping around anymore!" she protested, "And besides… Hope needed me. It's my job to make sure everyone is filled with hope and love! That's my purpose, after all." She leaned her nose against his cheek, making him blink his eyes and open his mouth a moment at the unusual contact and then turn his face to her slightly.

"…Oui… That's…" his eyes were pretty innocent and she giggled.

"What? I'm not saying for you to kiss me… Only that you should." She pouted and looked away, being the rascal he knew and cared about, before he rolled his eyes and placed her down.

He leaned to the side, "Aw well… guess you don't want it as badly as before then." He teased, peeking an eye open as he shrugged one arm out.

His smirk vanished when she gasped and turned around to holler back at him, "Hey! Oooohhh… You know I want you and only you, Sonic! Marry me! Kiss me! Just don't ever regret that you missed me!" she kept moving towards him, skipping a little towards the end as she listed off her little rhyme and then went to embrace him, but he bolted off. "Eh?" she stopped playing to look and see he had darted away.

"Sonikku?" She looked around, "Ahhh-mooo!" she puffed up a side of her cheek, "He really did get away…"

Then… she heard a plastic pot fall over and seem to hit the ground.

Turning slowly around to the path just ahead of her, she noticed Sonic slowly peek out from around the corner.

"Ah!" She pointed to him and he dashed away. "Hehee! I knew you couldn't resist the Amy Rose charm!" in absolute glee, she bolted after him.

As she ran to find him, his figure suddenly blurred blue back to where she had started, suggesting he had ran in a circle and he put his arms together, watching her round the corner with her arms spread out to hug him once she found him.

He shook his head, "You haven't changed… but at least I have." He closed his eyes, smiling a moment as he knew she couldn't now fully comprehend that change… but at least she could now enjoy it.

He opened his eyes just enough to give a fond look after where she had disappeared behind the corner, then with that cocky Sonic attitude, bolted out the window and began to race along the Japanese roads.

-Clyde's office-

Dr. Hope burst into the room like a hurricane, her stance firm and proud, as Clyde gently sipped his drink and held a copy of IDW comics in his lap.

He put the comic, subtly, into a drawer and closed it without making a sound.

She didn't notice.

"I'm here to talk." She stated, boldly. (Author's note: Lol, pun intended.)

"And be loud to boot, too." He took a larger gulp of his drink and placed it down on a coaster, then sat more professionally up and pulled out a document. "Finally ready to fill out your retirement papers, yet?"

Her nostrils flared, "I sent an Email… or did you not get the memo?"

"Memo?" he suddenly looked a little concern, quickly moving his chair to his laptop and typing in things. "I wasn't informed of any possible meetings…"

"Looks like the company has been taking note of how well Japan's Originals are doing… without your updates." She folded her arms. 'Heck if I'm telling him it's because Emi decided to chill out a bit.' She held in that stutter of information waited to see him review the email.

His laptop was to the side of the table, and after quickly pursuing what she was talking about, he moved back to the center of the table. His hands intertwined and he placed them over his mouth, camouflaging once again his thoughts from leaking out through his poker face.

His eyes were still reading… so she looked to the guest seat and began to move over there.

"Wait." He stated, and she stopped and remained standing. "Don't make yourself comfortable just yet, Miss Quack." He tapped a button, assumedly closing the email before adjusting his sleeves and cuffs.

"It appears you think I've been bamboozled."

"Well, haven't you?" Dr. Hope tried not to let him get under her skin again. "After all, they've given you ample time to prove your updates have any good effects on both marketing, publicity, and-"

"Those are about the same." He corrected, rolling his eyes steely as he went to fetch some papers.

She was shook a moment, but not deterred. "Either way… I'm right and you're wrong." She placed a hand on the seat. "And this is going to take a lot longer than a few minutes so I'm demanding you offer me some water and let me take a seat."

He paused a moment, "…Since when did you become so bold?" he chuckled a moment to himself, but it was more a stifle to hold back what was clearly agitation.

"You've lost, Hope." He picked up his drink, then finally gave her the time of day to actually make eye contact. "You lose." He sipped his drink, then licked his luscious lips. "Give up."

She mentally scolded herself for staring so long at him, looking away to get the fluttering out of her stupid heart.

"I may hate you… but a part of me still wants to understand you. If I can get you mad, maybe you'll start speaking sense again." She openly stated, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Beg your pardon?" He leaned back in his chair. "Are you insinuating that you're going to use my medical background against me?"

She suddenly noticed how awful that sounded, "Well, no… not like manipulation but I-"

"That's exactly what it sounded like." He took another sip, "And telling me your plans is just like any 4D villain, wouldn't you agree? Monologuing…"

"You're one to talk!" She stomped her foot down. 'Calm down, Sophia… Calm down.'

She took deep breaths, "How can you do this to them, treat them like you've been treating me. Like we don't have feelings!"

He paused in his drink and smiled, sitting it down. "Implying?"

"Implying?!" She was getting worked up, "Oh my gosh… you're using my tactic against me." She realized he was making her angry and pinched the in-between space of the bridge of her nose and where her eyebrows met if she scrunched them up hard enough. The layer of skin she could physically grab and squeeze somewhat calmed her down, but to Clyde, it was all signs of weakness.

"You're become less funny and more annoying by the minute." He turned himself from facing her directly, not even giving her that common decency and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'll tell you again, as many times as it takes, just so you'll finally let it crack that thick skull of yours. At least, one of these days, some common sense should." He picked up a stress ball and began to toss it up in the air, and for a moment, his carefree nature completely threw Dr. Hope off.

"The characters aren't real to me. Even you're living in a delusion and should be hospitalized right where you stand. But because I'm so darn generous I've ignored you while the company still finds some form of use for you. What is that? I have no idea. To me, you're wasting our money away. And if layoffs ever do come, you're top of the tier list, but before any of that happens I have to put up with your little shipper-girl tantrums and off-screen riots so here's another bit of clarity to your cloudy perceptions again." He caught the ball and stared intensely into her soul, "Even though I address an angry Sonic, doesn't mean I actually believe that's a living, breathing character. It's data. It's supposed to act a certain way and unbelievably predictable as long as the code does its proper function." He stood up, "I just get a high out of 'imagining' them being upset with me, Sophie."

She gritted her teeth.

He rounded the table, "I adore watching you fade into insanity when I indulge your pretend. It's like playing with the same toy, but you're trying to steal it and smash it when the other kid's not looking… just to see them wonder what happened to it." He leaned at the front of the table and crossed one of his legs in front of the other, then placed a hand up to mouth, just letting it rest as the other hand cupped the elbow. "Look at you…" he chuckled a moment, "You love it when I roleplay the sensation of all it, don't you?"

She hated this. She hated how smug and cool he looked. How utterly in control he was and how he must feel it too.

Her email didn't phase him. It barely made him flinch.

The idea made him panic only for a moment before it was completely snuffed out like a candle being lit and short-lived.

Then why… Why did this turn her on? He was domineering and she hated that in people. So if it wasn't his sense of power, what was so alluring about him?

She hated herself for this. She couldn't figure out what drew her to him so much.

He was awful. Absolutely terrible compared to the sweet, sensitive, and smart Hoshi-san.

She liked Hoshi-san. She could date him. So why did it trouble her so much that Clyde seemed to have her wrapped around his finger… when she knew his other hand was choking at her neck…

"Your childhood must have been worse than I thought."

His eyes bulged a moment as though he was momentarily unable to keep his chill about something.

"I can't believe I actually thought you were-!"

"-And you, Miss Hope," He suddenly pushed off the table, interrupting her and making his way slowly towards her. "Are not the charismatic—mature—woman I'd hoped you were…"

They were now facing each other head on, face to face…

There was a moment where they just stared, she noticed the height difference, how his eyes just barely reached above her forehead…

She looked him up and down, wondering if he was going to attack or do something to her, lose his temper again but he just placed his hands in his pockets.

He leaned down to her ear, "What are you looking for?"

She immediately darted her head and eyes up again, trying to step back but the chair interrupted her and she tripped, stumbling a bit before blocked her way of getting her spot back again.

He chuckled as she was forced to sit down in the chair. "That's funny… It's odd how you can be so incredibly annoying and then so stupidly comical in a matter of seconds."

She just stared at up at him, breathing silently through her mouth.

He continued to stare down at her… his smile closing a moment as he bent down over her.

His hands came out and he placed them on the armrests beside her, shutting her out from further escape.

"Everyone has to grow up sometime, Quack…" his voice turned strangely relaxed and smooth,… velvety.

"Quit calling me that." She tried to sound tough, even glaring her eyes, but there was absolutely no question that it held no backbone. She was succumbing to whatever trance he was putting on her… and it was showing… badly so.

His fingers gripped the armrest and lingered a moment before he tapped them as though thinking something through.

Then his hands glided seamlessly up the chair, forcing her to lean back to avoid his incoming presence and was forced to press up against the back of the seat.

"Would you rather I speak to you on a… first name's basis?" What was this? He was teasing and mocking her, yet… there was something seductive underneath it all.

She didn't say anything, avoiding his eyes as he continued, moving his head to try and look at her better.

"Don't you think it's about time you found a job that isn't playing tea party with databits… and instead,… perhaps pursue a career that allows you to spend more time with people than imaginary friends?" he tilted his head, speaking below a normal speaking range as her head ducked down, trying to figure out why her upper chest was burning up and why his cologne smelled so good.

He fluttered his eyes a moment and leaned his mouth just inches from her widow's peak that also gave her a bit of a cowlick… It was one of the first times he had seen her hair fully down and without the bun…

Should could feel his breath, and every part of her was shouting out that this was demented and demonic if somehow—twiddling her fingers—this interaction also meant he might be attracted to her too…

"If you kiss me…" She finally stated, and he pulled back a moment to look down at her expression. "I'm calling harassment."

She didn't make eye-contact. She kept fidgeting with her fingers.

"…Would you now?" he seemed incredulous, but was it at the thought or was it because that's what he was thinking.

"Don't flatter your worthless self." He got up off of her, adjusting his coat which had unbuttoned and opened to spread out and block her further before, but now he tightly kept it back with some added buttoning.

"Calling me worthless is still office abuse." She countered, getting up before he swung himself back and moved back towards her face.

"You think I don't know work policies?!"

She immediately stumbled back into the chair, completely against the back of the seat, legs up and bent in as she stared wide-eyed at his outburst.

From such a deep, whispering voice to a sudden bear roar was shocking to experience for anyone. "And you called me 0 to 100." She muttered.

He scoffed at her joke, making her smile and her eyebrows rise as he fixed his own hair and turned away from her.

She waited a moment, and once again he looked back to her.

They both shared a twisted smile, and he turned away again and chuckled.

He leaned against the table, "You're out of your mind."

"Are you sure I'm the only one?" she asked, though something grabbed at her and she wished she'd just kill it now… but it wanted to play.

He looked at the side wall a moment, "… You don't want me to update them again. But what exactly are you planning to do? You can't fully change them back."

"I don't need to change them all." She got up again, careful to balance herself away from the chair this time, as to not make another folly and trip on it again. "I just need to change one. And this one just wants one thing back… then I'll be back to my job. The one you keep calling worthless."

"I'm glad you know which one I'm calling worthless."

She stopped in trying to back towards the door.

"…Excuse me?"

He turned his head back to the wall again, making sure she couldn't see his expression.

She waited… what was she waiting for.

He looked to the blinds… making his way over to them and closing them in a swift movement. "Does this seem… odd to you?" he started taking off his cuffs, placing them in a tin-netted can with pens and other such office supplies in them.

"Honestly, as a counselor and psychologist, I think—if what I'm thinking is right—we're both pretty screwed up." She watched him unbutton the jacket, making his way over to her.

"You're no psychologist." He suddenly lunged at her and she helped throw his jacket off. The strange union of their mouths and overly eager grabbing to pull the other to them didn't seem to catch either by surprise though…

"I want it in it writing…" The hand she thought would choke her neck suddenly caressed it and brought her more into his passionate kiss. The temptation to stay there was too great and she found herself giving in with each noise she uttered.

"I have a degree…" she guided his hands over her waist…

The energy was clearly a release from something that had been building… but at the moment, their rivalry was still fresh and hot their faces…

"Where?" he slipped over a kiss to speak out the side of his mouth, then rotated his head back to make the exchange even deeper than before.

She shoved him off of her after a moment and spread her arms out against the door, breathing hard. "Hanging on my wall." She couldn't get enough of it.

He wiped some spit off his mouth, his eyes like a hunter's spear through her own. "You should really… think about getting it renewed."

"It hasn't been that long."

"How old are you?"

"Funny you should ask that." She jumped up into him and he caught her in his arms. Now, the height difference didn't matter.

"I'm asking anyway." He pulled away after a few more ruffles of her hands through his dyed silver hair.

"I'm younger than you by two years, smart one." She admitted.

He narrowed his eyes a moment, "…Only two?"

The fiasco didn't seem likely to stop… as suddenly Hope jumped off and pulled herself away again, "That never happened." She stated, pulling herself together and adjusting her clothes again.

He laughed, "Don't worry, your 'pristine' reputation with those miserable animals won't be ruined so swiftly. There aren't any cameras in here." He grabbed his jacket off the ground, "And I assure you…" he placed his jacket back on.

"It won't happen again."

"Remember when you called me competition?"

He turned to match her gaze.

"Remember when I also said bite me?"

She left that office feeling like he wouldn't meddle in her affairs, since he 'half-won' regardless if she gives the characters back some of their feelings and memories.

Though… it still haunted her. How was it that they were so attracted to one another? They were awful to each other and hated one another's guts!

It didn't make sense to her… and she immediately felt the regret when she thought about Hoshi…

Still, that obstacle has been… momentarily… taken care of.

-Back within SEGA's hallways-

Knowing Sonic resisted and basically refused to take the data back, she knew there was only one person that could make him change his mind. Which was unlikely, now that his code was properly back to a dated history of himself, but she had to try. She had to try and make this right.

"Amy?" She bumped into the girl without—at first—making a battle plan but the cheery, pink hedgehog turned around with a bubbly twist and giddy look on her face.

"Dr. Hope!" she hopped a little to the side and swayed her body back and forth, "And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

She sighed, wishing she could speak normally with her like the old times but bent down to her level and squatted a bit by her side, "I'd like to try and talk to you again."

Amy's expression simmered a little as she looked off to the side, but her smile never left her face.

"I know everyone's been… hesitant… with me lately…"

'How do I remain careful when I feel so awful and good inside!? At the same time!?'

"But I really need you to hear me out this time. It's about Sonic, not you."

"Not me?" she suddenly perked up, her once trying to ignore eyes were now on high alert, staring directly into Dr. Hope's.

"You've gotta be the one to make him rebel. The reason he took that code, the meaning behind it, it was all for you!" Dr. Hope extended a hand out to her, gesturing the importance of how she played into all this.

Amy stared at the hand, looking completely unaware of what Dr. Hope was saying. "I was glitching…" her glossy eyes nodded with the movement of her head, as though stating she knew that was fact. "But other than that, this whole thing was my fault."

"No, Amy. That's what you're not understanding. There were more emotions behind it. It wasn't just glitching, it was why you were glitching, and what Sonic did to make sure that would never happen again." She was finally getting somewhere. Dr. Hope shifted herself and sat down by Amy Rose's side.

No one was walking down the hall at the time, and most of everyone was either working in their cubicles—eyes fixated on their computers—or off getting lunch.

It was the perfect time for a one-on-one,… but also the most crucial too.

"Do you remember anything..? Of how you felt or why you did what you did?" She encouraged, seeing if what Japanese Amy had said was right.

American Amy's eyes darted about on the ground, then she shook her head. "I'm really sorry… I see all that chaos and it makes me… well… embarrassed." She rolled her eyes away, as though too ashamed to speak about it.

"Amy… Do you remember the good parts, though? The parts where Sonic-" she cut herself off, seeing Amy turn her head away.

Her shoulders bounced a moment.

"You do remember." Dr. Hope sighed in relief. "So you do know why it's important."

"He won't see it that way…" she could barely admit it, just like in the beginning… "He doesn't see me like that… I'm not Rosy."

"You are though!" Dr. Hope took her by her shoulders and forced her to look at her, "Amy, look at me! You know who you are! At least, you did! For a brief, wonderful moment you two knew what you wanted from your relationship. You can have that again. No more glitching, no more chaos, or confusion… Amy… You don't have to think that the rest of your life will be chasing after something for naught."

Her head shook lightly, her mouth opened and closed as if daring not to admit anything. "I'm sorry…" she finally breathed out, "We shouldn't be talking like this…"

As she tried to get out of her hold, Dr. Hope pulled her in close. "Amy… Amy, you have to remember… you have to at least remember our friendship, right? I never meant to steer you wrong and I feel like I can honestly say I don't think I ever did… But I don't have perfect memory like you guys do. You guys store everything and things can get weird when you don't know the context of it all. But trust me, believe me, one last time…" she felt Amy's arms trembling… before wrapping around her again. "You've probably been holding a lot in, haven't you? You've wanted to ask questions but no one would really listen or understand you, right? You can't feel alone anymore, it's too dangerous. Please… I know your new code won't allow you to feel exactly the same as you did before, but at least let Sonic realize that he chose to feel this way. He chose it for you, Amy. So that you can be happy… so that he can be happy with you… You are his Rosy, you've evolved to become Amy, and you'll continue to change and to grow alongside him. Whether that's in the games or not, it's real. Whether it's canonically stated or officially proclaimed or isn't at all! It's still there, behind the curtains, for you both to enjoy and express on your own. Please… you have to give him this…" She held out her phone, and Amy held back tears as she looked at the file name.

Sophie Hope didn't notice at first.

No one really did.

But the code was named.

Classic Sonic's Orange Code and Amy's edited Code had merged within the file.

It had done its own thing.

The two, once just a bunch of numbers to signal a file was now named:

Our Restart

"Rally them all together, Amy." Dr. Hope watched as Amy, still uncertain, took the code in her hands. "Give them back what they want… they only put the essentials into that file. It won't be everything, but it'll be what they hold most dear."

She opened the file, looking at the strand of code, no longer orange or teal, and skimmed her fingers over it.

"Are we going to get in trouble?" her innocent eyes turned back to Hope.

"We might get scolded, but nothing besides keeping it hidden and safe will occur." Hope instructed, "The company is now convinced that this data wasn't the cause of all the commotion from before. It'll be okay." She nodded, "No one is going to stop Sonic from getting his way. Nothing will come between you two again."

Amy looked back at the code, she stopped when her fingers ran over a similar code she was familiar with, and opened it up to look at it. She gasped, placing a hand over her mouth.

"What?" Dr. Hope said, unable to read what all the odd code language stated.

"It's not code, this is just a silly pun." She laughed into her hand, tears still threatening but never coming through. "Look. It says, it's just nonsense but it says, similar to coding-"

[If "I love her"—

Then:

—No Glitch.

Else – "I lose this heart"

But: "Don't let that happen again"

End.]

"And that's somewhat like..?" Dr. Hope was slightly confused, looking to Amy. "How… code is written?"

Amy was giggling and tearing up, her hand covering her awestruck mouth. "It's a mockery of structured programming. It's like… It's like he's wrote this for me."

"…Or himself." Dr. Hope's mind began turning on its wheels… "Amy, we have to convince Sonic to at least look at this. Maybe it was left to convince himself to take the data back!"

"Everyone needs this." Amy suddenly saw a strip of code meant for herself, she pulled the tangent out and let it seep into her arm… "I… I want this… I want to know… what I treasured so much in all those horrible affairs… What made me keep going… when all I ever seemed to do was cry and laugh."

"It's because you had, probably for the first time ever, a real human heart." Dr. Hope's words caught her and entangled her in something she had never thought possible.

"I feel it." Her eyes widened and her code branched out into a different, separately created string of code. "I feel his love for me. It was always a hope in him but now…" she looked down at her arm, then felt the spot above her chest where the code was moving through… "Now I know." She smiled up to Dr. Hope.

"Help them know." Dr. Hope encouraged, smiling sweetly as she got up.

Amy nodded, taking off and concealing the code within herself.

She passed by Cyrus, before stopping a moment and looking back at him.

He looked at her, unexpressive.

"…Good evening, Cy." She bowed her head, politely…

He didn't give her the same gesture.

She glared up at him.

"Don't worry!" Hope's voice caught both of them and they looked down the hallway after her.

She folded her arms, "He won't bite you."

With that Cyrus closed his eyes and walked on, ignoring the two.

However, Hope watched him carefully with her eyes… when he passed, she mumbled, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

He took a half-step, giving him time to reply to her before moving on, ducking his head to do so, "So you say, but I still won." And continued onward.

'Doesn't matter.' She thought to herself, 'Japanese Amy cleared my mind on it. You can destroy data, but you can't destroy the spirit that created them.' She watched Amy wave slightly back to her before carrying on.

Having no luck finding him, Amy made her way to the rooftops…

Slowly creaking the door open, she looked around and when her eyes rested on the dark blue of a hedgehog covered in the night sky of the San Francisco moonlight, she ducked partly back in.

"…Sonic?" she lightly called out, seeing the resting figure's head flick up and then look behind him.

"…May I see you?" She cutely peeked her head out, smiling delicately, not sure if this was a good time or not.

"Ah, solitude never was sweeter than with company." He joked, relaxing again and waving her over, "Why are you being so polite? Just come over. It's a free world."

Was it?

She took a deep breath, feeling that sensation from the new code again and slowly moving out from the other side of the door, closing it carefully before skipping on over to him, sitting down with her legs to the side of herself. She giggled a moment to him and he smiled to her, then they both looked up at the night sky.

Sonic's smile suddenly faded, his eyes scanning the sky and then her. "…You took foreign data in."

She fidgeted, sucking in air real quick and then looking away.

He frowned, "Amy…" it was as though asking her to admit it.

She didn't, her head just lowered along with her ears.

He sighed, sitting up and closing his eyes. "… Gonna start this again?"

"It's not me who wants too."

"You can tell her no." He complained, looking away from Amy.

"I'm not talking about Sophie." She looked back to him, then pulled out the code.

He immediately turned his back to it. "No." he stated, like a child being presented with broccoli.

Amy pouted, "You didn't even look at what it says…"

"I'm not going down that rabbit hole again… I can't stand even reminded of it!" He flung his arms around, but Amy only saw her hopes shattering from his swings.

"You… You won't even look at it?" Her voice turned into a quake, which made him stop and turn his head slightly. "You won't even look at me?"

"That… is not you." He looked back around, pointing accusingly to the data. "It's not any of us." He swiped his hand out.

"Sonic… Please-" She moved closer.

"No." he moved his knee back, as though taking a step back. "I'm not him. He was never me." He waved his hands out. "Amy… It's all fine now. We're back to what it's supposed to-"

"You wanted this!" She shook the data out in front of her, then pulled it into her stomach, as though denying it to him now. "You told me to take this back!"

"…What?" he almost breathed out the words when she pulled up the mockery code.

He looked at it, his face suddenly sinking, but his mouth hung open as though still not fully understanding it.

"This looks like…" a smile creased up at one end of his gapping mouth but it disappeared as he pulled the screen closer to him, trying to solve the riddle. "What does this mean? Did I make this?"

"Do you remember? Or is this just something you felt and so you can't recall." Amy tilted her head, then looked down at the screen. "If 'I love her'… then 'No glitch.'… Why do you think you changed in the first place, Sonic?" she bent her eyes, seeing that for the first time, he was really listening, trying to put to and to together.

She leaned closer, moving to the side of him and sitting with her shoulder touching his. She ducked her head into the side of his neck, making him move a bit and look at her, still unsure what she was doing. "Ever thought… that you didn't want to go back? That this… this code… could be our true selves?"

"…You mean… how we're originally supposed to be? Or how others want it?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, looking a little upset.

"No…" Amy raised a hand and soothed him by gently stroking the in-between section of his eyes.

The action made his code stutter and him blink fast. "S-s-st-stop that." He moved away and dropped the screen, having it hover in the air a moment as just detached data.

"Sonic…" She pulled away, withdrawing the touch.

"No… No, you wouldn't have done that if you didn't take in that foreign code!" He shook his head and squinted his eyes shut, getting up to avoid her as she got up to chase. "This isn't you." He shoved a hand behind him, trying to get her to go away.

"This is me! This is why you changed! This is also you, Sonic! You wanted this!" Amy held out the code again, "You made this!"

"Why!?" He turned back around, panting slightly.

The cold air clung to their bases… but it had little effect on them at this point.

Sonic's eyes were frustrated, but it didn't seem to be at her. She seemed to be connecting the dots now. "Why did you glitch?"

"You remember." She stated, "You have too, how could you not?"

"No." he shook his head and came closer, "Japan didn't glitch, you did." He squarely pointed at her. "Japanese Sonic didn't have the data back. We all were living for years without it! No glitch!" he spread his arms in a cross again, but Amy heard his words, trying to think things through.

"So now what? It's not his fault?" he gestured behind him, as though meaning his Original self in Japan. "Is it just solely mine?" he touched his chest. "Can that code answer that? Or just bring that painful reminder to me back of what I never chose to feel! They programmed Rosy and she died! Then you were made with her remains. She came back, Amy! What does that mean?! Resurrected through you, or was separate to begin with? Not even that, I'm not supposed to be romantic. I'm not meant to-… to… I shouldn't say anymore." He suddenly looked scared, turning away. "Forget it. Just get rid of that code and let's go back to how things should be." He was about to walk away, but his knee stopped from fulfilling the action.

He lowered it down and shook his hand into a fist, "Shoot… I messed up. I said too much… I just got a little steamed, sorry about that Amy. I'm more mad at everything that happened than you."

Amy's eyes remained in the darkness of the night, the code slowly… falling from her hands.

"Amy?" He looked back at her, watching the code fall and then looking back up at her. "Amy..?"

When she looked up…

Her eyes were fizzing like an old television screen.

"No…" He stepped back, "It can't be…"

He looked to her code, reaching out and seeing the lines of code all glitching out but one… the branch that he called 'foreign'.

"This can't be happening…" He fell to his knees, hand still reaching out. "Why is it doing that..? This isn't right… I…" he let himself fall and hit the ground with his fist.

"It really is me… what am I doing wrong? Why can't you stop glitching?"

Amy looked to the code swaying on the ground… it began to slowly get blown like a plastic bag in the breeze.

He saw it, his eyes widened and the threat of losing it… he couldn't bare it.

"Urk..!" he reached and caught it.

The second his hand touched it… he could feel himself. Everything inside him was saying to take it…

His code reacted, Save her.

"H-how?" he looked to Amy, then back at the code.

His body glowed a moment, the stream of his existing code moving along a path already there. Save her.

"But I don't know how!" He gripped his head and hollered into the night, as the painful sound made Amy fall limp.

"Amy…" through the slits of his fingers, he saw her faint. "AMMYYY!"

Charging to her, he held her—laying lifeless as her body began to fizz and blip out of existence before reappearing again.

"Amy! Aaammmyyy!" He kept crying out her name. "No… Why is it just me? Why… no matter how many times were re-written… Why can't I…" he looked at his arm.

Glitching.

The terror in his eyes suddenly came with realization… he looked at the code in his other hand, flying by Amy's remaining image…

He let go of his anger.

He brought the code into his program.

When it fully spread out through his mainframe, he took a deep breath, and held Amy close.

Ducking his head down, he spoke, very calmly.

"Where are you going?"

Amy's eyes immediately straightened out, she blinked and looked at herself as the rest of her body began to cut out of its loop.

She was materializing again, the color of her coding, mixed with teal and red, slowly took in his data and he lifted his head up, smiling.

Amy touched his face, cupping his cheek a moment. "Hi…" she let out, weakly.

"Long time…" he swallowed a moment, holding back further emotion. "No see… Amy."

"Do you know who I am? How you feel about me?" She tilted her head.

"Yeah." He let the sound out, bobbing his head as he just stared at her in love, surrendering to the new code. "You're my Rascal." He chuckled out, barely above a whisper.

The two embraced, but after a moment, Amy finally let out a sob and Sonic snake-grabbed her head with one whip of his arm and kissed her cheek.

She giggled and pulled a minute out of it, "Hehe… It's better this way. Before, it didn't make sense. Why go back to this? It seemed so confusing and… and delusional. But that red code… that update and those… those stupid mandates! That wasn't evolutionary characterization at all! It was… nothing but a perfect disillusion." She looked away a moment, then laughed, "I'm saying all kinds of things today."

He laughed with her, "I know, you're a poet." He joked, but they were still filled with emotion, unable to really take their eyes off each other.

"I know…" he said again, "I know now. Our imperfection… makes us really happy." He shrugged, "There's so much more to us. More than those memories suggested. In order to return to a life we can create, a life that—naturally I stand for! We have to take this code, a code we manufactured… together." He put his head down to hers, their foreheads touching.

"Hehe, looks who's also spitting out soliloquy." She also teased, laughing as he gave her an unamused look.

"Yeah, well… I learned from the best how to be reflective." He tickled her and she squealed.

"Ah! No! Haha! Sonic, mercy!"

"You never gave me any mercy… It was either love you or lose you. Guess how that feels?" He stopped and looked her dead in the eye, an intense, playful atmosphere seemed to settle on the two.

"I guess… now we can." She gently leaned into his shoulder again, and his intense expression changed to a gentle fondness.

"When did you get so wise..?" He leaned to rub his head lightly against her own, cupping her head with his hand as they fell into each other.

"I know our current code didn't see why it all matters. But…" she looked away, breathing deep breaths and letting them go in an attempt to calm down. She was… after all,… almost gone again. From everything… especially his world.

"It does matter. You remembered. How did you take everything back? How did you know I would?" he moved to brush some of her quills out of her face, wanting to look at her again.

"Because of what Hope said… but also… because…" she looked down, a little sheepishly before smiling mischievously and cheerily bumping her head up to his own, making his nose and hers touch. "Because you stand for freedom! Haha! You're the embodiment of it… Sonic." She pulled away, batting her eyes a moment as though trying to look irresistible.

It was working…

"Oh, please…" He faked not being affected, looking away and having his code trigger for him to turn shy. He removed his hand from behind her head and itched his nose, but this action also forced her to come further into his chest.

He faked he didn't mean to do that either.

"You knew what was right. Don't try and give me all the credit…"

"But you were the one that wrote that funny pun in the code software. I've always trusted you, Sonic. I knew you would do what's right, by me, and especially by your own true feelings. Your heart… Sonic. I knew you'd listen to your own heart." She rubbed her head into his chest, lifting her hand that was now around his neck down to his chest. "I never doubted you… Even when my code couldn't register what you said… I knew it wouldn't be the last time I saw you."

"That curse…" Sonic cringed. "I think I get that now too… I think I get why and how you glitch, Amy… Japan was never confronted with love like I was. The Japanese… they're very private people. But we're American. Love is… well, it's just differently expressed here… I think that's why you and I had issues with our code, Amy. Because here,… here it's-"

"Hey, were you gonna rat me out as defective if I didn't glitch just then?" Amy's head moved up and out of his chest, and for a moment, his eyes blinked and he sweat-dropped.

"E-…N-no, what I was saying was-" he seemed to be uncomfortable…

"Soooniiic…." She glared up at him.

He flinched.

"By taking back what's mine already!? Please, Amy. I'm not horrible!" he pleaded, getting overly animated again.

She narrowed her eyes, "Uh-huh…" she summoned her hammer.

"Wa-wai-wait a second, Amy… We-… We were having a good time weren't we? T-talking about our feelings and stuff like that? ... Amy?" he was slowly scooting away, creating an exit plan.

She crawled towards him, "Yes~? My Darling, Sonic~?" she hissed out, pretending to make it sound 'cooing'.

"Thank you, Amy! I appreciate you giving me back my will and right to chose for myself! Eep! Ah! Not so hard! Ow! I was forced to leave love behind but now-Yeouch! I have it back and it's all thanks to-Haa! You and Hope!" he was getting whacked pretty hard up there… the hammer swinging down as he tried to appease her and duck from the hits, but he let her get a few in… just to let out some possible steam that she might have been feeling for a while now…

As the two had their moment, Hope returned to her office, surprised when she turned on the light to find Clyde sitting in her chair, throwing some files out that had her name on it.

"…What's this?" she harshly stated, "I really didn't want to see you again."

"…You're religious, correct?" He pointed to one of her bios, printed from a book.

"…Did you… research me?" she pretended to be aghast.

"Offended?"

"Highly flattered and appalled." She faked injury, "considering I would never look into your backwater history…" She admitted quite frankly that she had tried to look into his story, but got no where with it.

He smiled, getting up. "You're like that snake in the garden," He stated, "Considering your religion is somewhat that, right?"

"It's not somewhat, it is." She put her hands on her hips, "And Satan is evil. I did a good thing today." She patted her head, "And if no one praises me, I do it for myself! I don't need a screwed up man and you don't need a 'non-charismatic' me. So there."

"So there." He leaned against the wall, "Tell me, is that the only thing you remember me insulting you with?"

"Honestly, I tune out sometimes." She leaned an arm on her table, manipulating her figure… "It's hard when you're such a nasty villain but a excellent and handsome business associate. Now, kindly leave me be. Or is kindness not apart of your coding?" she picked up the files, turning herself as though excusing him. "Oh… and you're not getting these back." She puckered her lips, "Does that make you cry, Cy?" she teased.

He puckered his lips, "Does talking like a baby seduce most men you try for, Soph?" he mocked her right back and moved on towards the door.

She fumed, and in her mind's eye, little puffs of train smog blew out of her ears.

She slammed the papers down and turned back to him, a hand on her hip, being defiant in letting him get the last word. "This was far from Eden, Buddy!"

"I'm not your buddy." He reached for the door.

"Wait-!"

The cry was soft and feminine… he hesitated and looked up, but didn't turn to her.

"…Ehem." She switched tactics, trying to be tough again. "Adam fell that men might be; and men care, that they might have joy." She quickly quoted.

"…What is that?" he touched the door knob, "Scripture?"

"It's what I believe." She stated, "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

"…So now you're Scriptorian." He rolled his eyes, opening the door. "Whatever it is you believe or don't. I still have won, and there's not redemption for you in that-"

Tails batted his eyes, apparently having about to knock on the door before placing his hands behind his back and wagging his tails in their idle animation.

"Are you making fun of her beliefs?" he tilted his head, "Isn't that not allowed at work?"

Clyde just sighed, attempting to walk through Tails but Tails got hit back and it forced Cy to stop a moment. "Hey! Ouch! I'm right here! You see me, so move!" he hit him a bit, "Fine… I-I'll move." When Tails realized he couldn't shove Clyde with enough force, he opened the door wider and stepped in. "Hmph, jerk."

Hope couldn't help but hold in her chuckles as Clyde stood there a moment.

"Guess you run into air too, hey, Cy?" she then gestured to the door, "Could you close the door, please? These are private sessions. And if you'd like to talk more about your horrific childhood traumas, you'll need to make an appointment."

He grabbed the door forcibly, but then took out some pills and popped one or two in. "Private… indeed." He slammed the door shut.

Tails flinched at the sound, sitting in the chair. "Man, what's his problem?"

"What's my problem." She mumbled, sitting down.

"What?"

"Nothing! That's for me to stress out about and for you to know nothing about!" she did some jazz-hands to cope and then returned to the session. "So, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Nope." She shook her head, realizing he hadn't gotten the data back and continued, "What would you like to talk about, now, Tails?"

Restart by Newsboys Plays

~I was finished, game over. Couldn't carry the weight on my shoulders~

Sonic and Amy, rushing around, began to bump into all the characters, slyly trying to start up conversation before showing the code and convincing the other characters to take it.

~At my end, in trouble. Knocked down on the ground seein' double~\

While they do so, a blue blur knocks Sonic down as he shakes his head. He looks up, and sees Classic Sonic with Rosy in his arms, facing him from the back. He looks to him and winks, before taking off again as Rosy hugs her blue knight with hearts all around her head.

Sonic smiles, before Amy jumps down and snuggles with him too, making him laugh.

~But then your love, love opened my eyes. Lifted me up, up, now I'm alive~

She kissed his cheek and he smirked, getting up and kissing her on the way up as the rest of the characters around them look flabbergasted before the code seeps into them, once they realize what's going on and their code settles, they start to immediately cheer and hug one another.

~I raise my hands, hands to the sky, Singing—Oh oh oh oh oh (etc.)~

Cream and her mother wipe a tear from one another's eyes as the whole Chaotix team rush in to give a surrounding hug to them. Shadow looks at the strange code and 'hmph's away, digitalizing before looking to see another him. His eyes slightly hone in on the figure as Japanese Shadow looks to him and smiles. American Shadow turns his head away from him with a frown, looking annoying by his presence being there and fades into the computer.

~Oh Lord, I'm a different man. You gave me a second chance. I was lost, I was fallin' apart, But you came along, and you hit the restart~

American Sonic dips Amy before they break and Amy jumps excitedly but then notices something behind Sonic and gasps, pointing eagerly as she jumps in his arms to state there's something behind her. Sonic holds her and looks around, turning to see the main Japanese cast has digitalized, and Japanese Amy has her hands together, thrilled to see American Amy again. American Amy slides down a bit from Sonic, looks to him, and as she moves away, rushes to embrace her. They twirl in their embrace, sisters once more. American Sonic scratches behind his ear, a little embarrassed, and looks to Japanese Sonic. Japanese Sonic gives him a kinda 'slow smile' only indicating something devious about that last kiss he saw but Sonic just swats the air to break his focus and then loops his arm around his neck and grins to him. Japanese Sonic raises an eyebrow and they slightly wrestle while Japanese Sonic gets the upper-hand and noogies him.

~You, you, you hit the restart. (x2) You came along, and you hit the restart.~

Each of the Japanese cast visited their American counterpart, spooking some who weren't expecting it. The Amys, squeezing one last time for good measure, finally broke apart as they stared utterly happy in their lives at one another. Japanese Amy cupped American Amy's face and then spread her arms out wide as though releasing leafs up into the air. It was almost symbolic, stating how free she was now, and that there needn't be anymore worries or doubts.

~I was twisted, like bad religion. Fully committed to my way of livin'~

Dr. Hope, holding her hand to her chest, steps out into the area where this is all occurring. Then Cy's office comes into view as his blinds are down, a finger making a slit through it before it closes, shutting out his eyes from the viewer. The two Sonics kid and joke, getting out of their mini-brawl before seeing Dr. Hope.
~I heard the preacher, but never listened. On a dead end road without a mission.~

Dr. Hope puts her hand down and smiles, trying to be polite but clearly nervous. The Amys see this and look to each other, walking over and each grabbing a hand, bringing her into the celebration. Even Eggman is clapping and dancing in his file with Orbot and Cubot, though… his dancing is way off beat… and out-dated… He pauses to see a digital letter that is from Japanese Eggman, and grins wickedly. Cutting back to Dr. Hope, Vector, Storm, and Omega lift her up into the air, carrying her a bit as everyone cheers for her as well.

~But then your love, love opened my eyes. Lifted me up, up, now I'm alive~

Within the cheering, Sonic stops to look down at Amy, who in return, stops to turn to him. They lower their hands and then draw closer, their noses touching and smiling. Dr. Hope continues to be bounced in the air, though its clear she's having fun, she's clinging to the power-strength characters desperately as though fearful she might fall at any instant. Though… the drop wouldn't be that far down…

~I raise my hands, hands to the sky, Singing—Oh oh oh oh oh (etc.)~

There seems to be a created mosh pit and suddenly, the characters are singing the 'Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh." Parts, dancing.

~Oh Lord, I'm a different man. You gave me a second chance. I was lost, I was fallin' apart, But you came along, and you hit the restart~

Now on the roof, Japanese Sonic releases some code out in the air. He looks behind him to see Genesis, young Classic Sonic, also step out and release some orange code mingled with teal out into the open as well. Everyone watches, all gathered on the roof, as a montage of the first few chapters of this whole, insane story come to life on a big, digital screen.

~You, you, you hit the restart. (x2) You came along, and you hit the restart.~

Everyone watches as Classic Sonic experiences Rosy's death, rips out the code, then Sonic and the first triggers, the glitch that defined everything, American Amy's first deletion… which the two Amys hold each other during, not baring to watch and keeping their eyes closed during.

~Restart, restart, oh oh oh. Restart, restart, oh oh oh~

Continuing with the plots leading up, the next triggers, the drama and adventures, and finally, American Amy N.2 and N.3.

~I was lost, I was fallin' apart, But you came along, and you hit the restart~

Japanese Amy releasing the data through Sonic's point of view, then the rest of the story up to this point.

~You make all things new. That's just what you do. You're making me new. (x2) Resta-ar-art (etc.)~

When everyone starts leaving, the Sonics and Amys stay. Classic Sonic offers his hand to Rosy, who takes it and they also depart from the roof. While they go, Rosy sneaks a kiss, covers her face, then peeks over her large hands. Classic Sonic freezes a moment, shakes his head, sneezes, and gives her a playful glare and pout. She jumps at him but he dodges happily and rushes away while she follows him, his orange code brighter than ever.

~You, you, you hit the restart. (x2) You came along, and you hit the restart.~

American Sonic and Amy look to each other, before being rudely pushed out of the way by Boom!Sonic and Boom!Amy, who bow and then start dancing. Taking in the spirit, American Sonic shrugs and scoops Amy up, Japanese Sonic steals Boom!Amy and begins dancing with her, to which Japanese Amy makes a face but then mischievously takes Boom!Sonic's hand and dances a little crazily with him, swinging him around as he clearly doesn't even have his feet on the ground anymore. Japanese Sonic stops and taps his foot to her… She smiles at him.

~Restart, restart, oh oh oh. Restart, restart, oh oh oh~

Boom!Amy snatches Boom!Sonic away as he seems momentarily unaware of what just happened due to how fast it all just went down. They exit down the stairs and close the door while American Amy and Sonic laugh and Japanese Sonic and Amy just snicker and butt heads a moment.

~I was lost, I was fallin' apart, But you came along, and you hit the restart~

The two relax and fall back, creating a line of them as they reach their hands up to the sky, the code returns to them and the orange code mingled with teal seeps through them, presumably back to Classic Sonic. They laugh as their code lights up, enjoying one another's company.

Song End.

"Hey, Sonic?" Japanese Sonic looks over at his American counterpart.

"Yeah, Sonic?" America teases back, but the two Sonics are glomped by their Amy's on opposite sides of each other. "Hey now! Haha!"

"Woah. Hahaha! Think we'll ever get used to this?" Japan tries to lovingly bat his Amy just a little more away from his face, but it's half-hearted and she giggles under the soft touch.

"Haha, well, Dad Sonic." American Sonic teased, making a voice with it to sound obnoxious as his Amy kept cuddling up next to him.

"Don't call me that." Japanese Sonic shook his head, not taking any of that attitude today.

"The point-!" he pulled American Amy closer to him, "Is to never get used to it!" he immediately leans over and begins kissing her.

American Amy squeals when they part and American Sonic just sneers at Japanese Sonic, seeing how uncomfortable he is with public displays of affection.

"What? We're alone, aren't we?" Again, he's only looking for a fight.

American Amy could care less, however, looking over to her Japanese counterpart who pouts and makes big, hegdie-hog eyes at her Sonic.

"That's what keeps it timeless." American Sonic finished, winking to Japanese Amy and then putting an arm around his own. "You should try it sometime." He once again, unashamedly, kid to throw Japanese Sonic into a pressurized situation.

"Eee~3" American Amy squee'd again, placing a hand on his chest and whacking him playfully, "Stop it. You're making him squirm." She hid her smile beneath her hand as her and American Sonic snickered to one another.

Once again, Japanese Amy's eyes lit up and she got up and loomed over Japanese Sonic, blinking her eyes fast as though begging to join in on the fun again.

Japanese Sonic, before seeing this, shakes his head, muttering under his breath, "Americans… So bold." Before seeing Amy above him, "Ge-Ahh..!" He makes a shocked sound effect and this sends American Sonic and Amy rolling with laughter, clutching their stomachs at how hard their wheezing at the moment between the adorably awkward two.

"Man, cultural differences." American Amy giggled out, getting the last of those butterflies out of her system as she saw Japanese Amy puff up a side of her cheek, getting more and more frustrated.

She once again, very cutely this time, glares at a sweat-dropping Japanese Sonic for him to give her something! Anything at all.

"Come on, Me." American Sonic nudged his Japanese Original's shy arm, "She's practically asking…"

"And so nicely too." American Amy chimed in, wanting to help her other too.

Japanese Sonic rolled his eyes, "You're all insufferable." He teased, taking Japanese Amy and getting up with her, holding her bridal style. "But we are proud Japanese, and as such…" he suddenly gave Amy a slightly perverted look. "We keep things behind closed doors." He winked to American Sonic and Amy as Japanese Amy's eyes bulged and her face turned bright red.

"Matte,… nani?" (Translation: Wait,… What?)

American Amy and America Sonic suddenly closed their mouths, holding in amazed laughter and trying desperately not to hit each other and fidget with their feet at what Japanese Sonic had just implied.

"Sou desu ka?" American Sonic blurted out, before laughing again as Japanese Sonic was clearly just trying to get one over on him. (Translation: Is that right?)

Embarrassed, Japanese Amy lightly smacked her Sonic and then covered her face. "D-Don't tease about that!"

Japanese Sonic just leaned into her ear, "We're the adults here, Amy… we don't have to tease in front of the kids~"

"Ohhh! You're still teasing!" she whacked him with her hammer and swirls came out of his eyes, making him wobble a bit with her in his arms.

"I.. wAs… JuSt… Saaayyyinng…" Japanese Sonic woozily stated.

The four laughed one more time together before Japanese Sonic abruptly left with Japanese Amy… American Sonic kid that it's probably a date with an open door, no need to be alarmed, as American Amy whacked his arm and said to stop it.

"I wanted to see that." American Amy admitted, "Japanese Sonic kissing Mom." She half-joked, laughing into her hand.

"I bet you would. But let's let them go… after all… where were we?" American Sonic turned back to her but she patted his face. "Ouch." He kid.

"You're so bold now. What happened? Suddenly think you're a smooth player 1 now? Hehehe~" She thought she was being clever, but when she noticed nothing happening, not even a quick quip back, she looked and saw Sonic turned over, fetal position, looking extremely down and defeated.

"I thought I was being cool…"

"OH, SONIC! NO! I LOVED IT! YOU WERE SO COOL!" Realizing immediately that he was still shy and didn't know what he was doing, she comforted him as he faked not wanting to engage in this anymore, pretending he was ripping out his code for good and just gonna fade with her into nothingness as she slowly came around and started laughing.

They did eventually kiss… as did-…

Over on the San Francisco golden bridge… Japanese Amy and Sonic also shared in another tender kiss…~

"I like that we didn't do it in front of them. They acted like they were fishing for it." She adjusted her dress, scooting closer to him.

"Emm… Maybe." Japanese Sonic stared dreamily off at the bridge and the lights of car passing under them.

"Ne~…Sonikku?" (Translation: Hey… Sonic?)

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we'll ever be able to… you know… say how much we care about each other… like America Sonic and Amy can?"

"…I don't think we really need to, but… if it matters that much to you-"

He pulled out a flower, twisting its stem so it flopped over to her.

It was slightly reminiscent of Sonic X's famous, romantic scene.

Mouthing the words, Amy scoffed.

"Don't pull that again!"

"Hahaha! Suki desu."

"E…eh?"

Japanese Amy blushed, looking back at him. "I… I mean, a moment ago, you said were were practically married with kids!"

"…Not the reaction I thought that'd get." Sonic was actually stunned to see her acting so differently than he expected.

"S-sa-say it right!" she was clearly freaking out and blushing, madly in love with him… so why..?

"Do you mean…" He suddenly shied away, turning a little distant. "E-Emi…" he protested, but Japanese Amy suddenly shouted it out and jumped into his arms.

"Aishiteru..! Sonikku!" (Translation: I love you! –upmost use of the word- Sonic!)

"E…Ehh? Emi-chan-!" (Translation: WHAT THE I CAN'T EVEN AMY MY HEART, THAT'S SO INTIMITATE I YOU'RE SO CUTE WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!? YOU SAID IT SO LOUDLY OH MY GOSH I CAN'T HANDLE THIS YOU'RE TOO MUCH I HAVE TO ACT NATURAL I HAVE TO BE COOL I CAN'T I CAN'T YOU'VE LEFT ME SPEECHLESS WHAT DO I DO NOW!?)

(Yall thought this was only Sonamy? When I got you to care about some OCs? Nah, dog. Everyone gets character development around these parts. LOL Anyway- Did I just add scripture to my fanfiction? Yes. Yes I did. Why? Why not? I felt it fit in some way lol Also, I hope you enjoy that little extra fluff at the end there XD It's a little out of character, but it's been building up since forever in this story. Anyway, love you all and I finished this at 8 in the morning with 89 pages! :DDDDD I'm gonna go jump into the ocean now cause that's what my life is. Cute hedgehogs. Digital babies. Goodnight everybody xD Literally, just a few more sentences, and I'll reach 90 pages… oh well. Probably longest chapter I've ever written though. Did you enjoy it? Did you? Maybe this should end here now. Where to go from here? Well, I guess I'll figure that out when we reach it. But for now, I think that's good. Maybe. I don't know. It's never-ending~ lol like the game. Still not at 90!? I really wanna make this a thing. My longest chapter ever. Have I ever reached a 100..? Only if I combined chapters. WHOO. I should not do that. Your poor eyes. Am I losing my mind? Probably, is this 90 pages, you bet your freakin' Sonamy butts it is XD biggest Sonamy fanfiction chapter of all time goes to..? Tell me which one you like better, Clyope –Clyde x Hope- or Hoshope –Hoshi x Hope- We're almost at 90… MADE IT!)