ARC 2: No Zone

41 - Vertical - 41

South Island - Green Hills, Green Hill Zone

August 18th

DAY 39: Monday

Morning, 10:00 AM

Today was the day.

The necessary preparations for SEA Shadow's legal absence from GUN was notarized and approved. As for Sonic, he contacted all of their friends and told them they'd be leaving with the person known as Zonic. He explained to them in detail that while he despised the soldier, it was in both Shadow's and his own best interest to go with him as he initially asked when he first appeared in Mobius. He was the one who saved Sonic and reverted him from that demonic state. If anybody knew what was going on, it'd be him. Therefore, they had no choice. They needed answers, and they'd be forced to go with him eventually anyway. At the very least, he wanted them all to see them off. They were all in front of the hero's home, gathered together for what would be the last reunion for some time. Sonic gave Tails a quill charged with his energy and told him to incubate it in one of his devices so it couldn't die, just in case it'd be a long while before they returned. He wanted Tails to have it so he'd know whether or not the hero was in danger. In turn, Sonic gave one to Shadow to charge it up with his own power. He gave it to Rouge, and instructed her to do the same with one of Tails' machines. The hero also informed everyone that if anything bad were to happen here in Mobius, that they should contact Tails and get their hands on the spine. Their collective negative emotions would be enough to alert him that there was trouble back home.

On the days leading up to this one, the hedgehog duo spent some quality time with their allies.

Amy was lucky enough to drag-err...take Shadow to his first concert, which he surprisingly enjoyed immensely. Sonic hung out with both Rouge and Knuckles in one of the zones of Angel Island, Sky Sanctuary, and went on a sky-diving death defying yet relaxing treasure hunting adventure with two of the world's best contenders. They didn't find much, since the couple had already cleaned most of the island out of gems together, but they did find some scraps of malachite and even some diamonds. Sonic and Tails took Shadow to Cream and Ms. Vanilla's home, and the biohog finally got a taste of the woman's world famous pie. And it was so, freaking, worth it. When they got time alone, Shadow helped train Sonic with more chaotic techniques and skills that would most definitely aid them during their trip. Sonic failed at a lot of them and still wasn't very good at some of the things he was taught yet, but he was a quick learner and would get the hang of it soon. Wherever Sonic fell short, Shadow would be there to step in, and vice versa.

They would be okay.

This was their time to say goodbye for now, promising to return in the near future. They confessed that they didn't know how long they would be gone, as they wouldn't know what would happen once they left Mobius, but they swore they'd never desert their home. Someway, somehow, they'd make it back before the year was over. They hoped this trip would end much quicker, but who knows? Things were getting hectic and very unpredictable, neither of them could forsee what might happen while they were absent.

Sonic sighed as he placed his hands on his hips. "...And to top it all off, he's probably comin' with a warp ring to snatch us up anyway. So that's what's goin' on." He made a guilty expression. "Again, we're sorry about this. Nobody expected any of this to happen, y'know?"

They all nodded quietly, glancing at each other to see mutual agreement. There was nothing anyone could do, this couldn't be helped. Tails nodded with a confident smile. "It'll be alright, big bro. I'm not worried." He then glanced over at the taller pink hedgehog, who looked more than a little concerned. "Amy is, though."

She pouted at the fox for outing her. "N-No I'm not!" She stepped closer to Sonic and placed her hands on his softly. "Sonic, can I...be honest?" She asked in a hushed whisper, causing the hero to nod with a troubled grimace. "I am worried. See, remember when I said I would do some readings for you and Shadow?" She saw him nod again. "I was gonna tell you what I saw, but I kept getting this catastrophic result with my cards. I kept redoing them over and over for days to weeks, because I didn't wanna give you any bad news. But the result never changed, and by the time I wanted to tell you what I discovered, well...A lot of stuff kept happening, and there was never a good time to pull you aside. Point is, I don't know why," Her eyes flashed with some unsure fear. "But something bad is going to happen. I refuse to believe it's because of your love, that's crazy. I never got any readings of you breaking up or anything like that, which is super sweet but," She ceased her own rambling and sighed. "I think...Someone is going to take advantage of the fact that you two found each other." Her face became determined and fierce, and her hold on Sonic's hands tightened. "Whoever this is, do not let them win. Don't let them use your love against you. Fight back, don't give in. Ever." She tried to give him a reassuring smile. "Okay? I'll make sure Tails is safe, and I'll keep a cosmic eye on you two." She winked.

Catastrophic result...?

Hmm...

...Taking her words into account, Sonic nodded firmly. "Ames, you're tough as nails and sharp as a tack. I won't forget that." He gave her a hug, making her blush a little.

When their embrace ended, the red echidna suddenly spouted out something. "So is this just gonna be an on-and-off thing, or are you guys serious or...?"

Amy scowled and punched her fist into his arm, causing the guardian to wince painfully. "And why is that any of your business?"

Knuckles growled at her and huffed. "That's my little brother, of course it's my business!" He turned to the two hedgehogs, but mostly stared at Shadow. He eyed him up and down, before tapping his foot and putting his fists on his hips. "'Can't say I'm disappointed...You're pretty strong, I see why Sonic picked you." The hero was glowering blades of daggers into the echidna's skull as he inspected the biohog. Shadow meanwhile, was just standing there with a blank expression. He didn't know how to react to this. "Hmph, I guess I'll allow it." Knuckles crossed his arms. "You're better than the other assholes he messed around with, and you're way more reliable. But let me tell you something," He said with a threatening tone. "You hurt him, break his heart or do anything stupid," He smashed his fists into each other. "Then you and I are gonna have a big problem. After all," He cracked his neck, his muscles tensing. "You two aren't the only ones with a super form. He better be in full health by the time you get back, too. If he so much as has a cold when you return," His purple eyes narrowed ominously. "You're dead and put six feet under the grounds of the Master Emerald's alter, where the rest of my people are buried. They could use some company down there that aren't maggots. You got that?"

Still just staring blankly, Shadow easily answered: "Sure."

"Good-OW!" He was suddenly punched in the head, a bruise instantly appearing.

Sonic dusted off his fist as he gave the guardian a harsh glare. "I'm flattered, Red. Don't embarrass me like that again."

"Oh screw you," The echidna barked. "I hope you get a hangnail!" He was suddenly patted on the shoulder and shushed by a lipsticked kiss to his muzzle. It stained his cheek, leaving a very obvious kissy mark. "...!" He blushed and scowled while looking away, as a white bat walked from beside him and towards Sonic.

Rouge made a small sigh with a smile, looking at them both with some pride. "Well, look at you two now. I'm happy for you, really." She then glanced over at Sonic with a kind smile. "You've been so kind to Mr. Sunshine, and I'm so glad you're making him happy. I can't thank you enough for that, sweetheart. Now as Rad Red was saying," Her smile turned into a creeping, fanged grin as she cracked her knuckles in her palm. "Shadow's been through a lot, you know? He doesn't need anyone else causing more damage to him. So if you ever, ever, hurt Shadow—There will be no emerald, no super transformation in this world that will save you from me." Her face darkened significantly, and her voice became deeper. "I'll break your precious legs, and you will never run again after I'm done with you. GUN will cover up your injuries as a tragic accident, and I'll make it so that they never investigate what really happened. You will sit in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, eating out of a damn straw forever." She tilted her head as her expression brightened back up. "Understood, Big Blue?"

Feeling himself sweating all over anxiously, Sonic just nodded. "U-Uhh, yeah-"

She suddenly laughed and flagged off his expression. "Oh I'm just kidding, honey! You know I like you~" She gave both hedgehogs a big hug before returning to Knuckles' side.

Stunned, Sonic was nearly speechless. Her threat was far worse than Knuckles'. "I freakin' told her, girls like that are scary..."

Shadow looked over at him. "Now imagine living with that for an entire year."

Tails laughed at this and went over to nudge Sonic with his elbow. "Well, Sonic already told me I got first dibs on Shadow if he ever hurt his feelings, so the rest of you guys are out of luck." He used his namesakes to fly above them in the air, propelling himself over to Shadow. "Whatever Knuckles said, I'd basically say that by now. I don't feel like repeating it." He gave the biohog a sincere smile. "Just take care of him and make him happy, alright? Sonic can be a dummy sometimes, but try to be a little patient with him."

"Okay," Sonic suddenly cut in with a whine. "Are all of you gonna embarrass me today?"

Shadow made a small chuckle. "Fair enough." He gave Tails a nod. "I'll protect him with my life, and I'll make sure he's always happy. You won't have to worry about that, Miles."

The vulpine poked the striped hedgehog's arm. "Hey. You and Sonic are the only ones allowed to call me that, ya hear?"

"Of course."

Amy then squealed as she hopped up and down in the air. "Ooooohhhh you two are so cuuuuute!" Little hearts flew over her head as she skipped around merrily. "I feel like a little girl again, this is so precious!" She cupped her hands together as she swooned around the group of friends. "I can see it now, gorgeous black and blue bouquets on every table, velour-suede tuxes, and a grand sweeping orchestra...And I'll be the maid of honor-"

Tails immediately flew over and stopped her before she spoke any further. "Psst. Amy," He whispered. "That's tier eighteen, they're not there yet."

"Not yeeeeet~!" She sang happily.

Sonic cringed. "Chaos, I actually want to leave now."

The biohog just shrugged. "I've already been tortured by Rouge with that kind of behavior at work. I'm sadly used to it."

A large portal suddenly stretched out and appeared before them all.

It was engulfed in light blue aura, illuminating in their eyes all at once right in front of the hero's home. A supremely advanced metropolis appeared within it, showing a world beyond their own. Two pairs of black, steel toed military boots stepped out from within the portal. They expected the Sonic lookalike from all those weeks ago to be here, but that's not what they saw. With their hands behind his back and batons in their gloves, two Mobian-like persons briefly glanced at the crowd before them. Sonic Team and two-thirds of Team Dark all glared at them, their bodies prepared for a fight if need be. Uninterested, the soldiers then turned to Sonic and Shadow, who looked standoffish. This isn't what they agreed on, who was this? One was average Mobian height, but the other was above average and had a stocky build. These two strangers were both wearing strange, all black full bodied armor along with those helmets they saw Zonic wear on Angel Island. And the armor looked even stranger, as if it was designed by some insane sci-fi engineer. If they didn't know any better, they looked like advanced, anthropomorphic Eggman robots.

They both stepped beside the portal on opposite sides and announced their presence. "Sonic and Shadow prime," They both spoke at the exact same time, and their voices were filtered. "Due to unprecedented circumstances, first lieutenant general Zonic could not be here to escort you to our reality himself. We will be escorting you instead. Please come with us." They saw Shadow and Sonic share a gaze, then at their friends. They looked very unsure, but they could all tell they meant no harm.

Besides, they could also tell these two were nowhere near as powerful as Zonic was, meaning they could all ambush the two and take them down here and now if they truly felt threatened. That Zonic guy was strict, meaning he would have been here if he could. Something major must have happened for him not to show up. Fine, they'd just have to take their word for it. The two hedgehogs looked back at the soldiers and nodded. The soldiers then bowed to their friends with respect. The shorter soldier spoke first. "Our apologies for our superior's first meeting, it was never his intention to harm anyone. He already understands that his reputation in your world is highly negative."

The larger one spoke next. "Be that as it may, he will not cause anymore trouble in your realm." They straightened their posture before gesturing for the two male hedgehogs to come along. "We swear to you," They promised the gang. "He will make sure the primes are safe and protected."

The hedgehog duo in question glanced back at them all one more time to wave. Sonic gave a bittersweet smile to the vulpine. "Be good, lil' man. Tell Zooey and Cream I said 'hi'."

Shadow glanced at Rouge and gave her a single nod. "Tell Omega and Tower that I'll be fine, and I won't fail."

Hearing their final goodbyes made both Tails and Rouge wince sadly. The fox was the first to speak up towards the soldiers. "You better keep them safe, or we'll find a way to come to you instead." He exclaimed with a gruff voice. "You better treat Sonic and Shadow like kings in there."

Ignoring his comment, the two soldiers and the two hedgehogs disappeared within the portal, before it closed up immediately and vanished from their realm.

With troubled frowns, the friends all looked at each other with worry.

They could only hope that lookalike would keep his promise.

30XX - No Zone

Parallel City, No Zone Corps Headquarters

August 18th

DAY 39: Monday

Morning, 10:05 AM

In an instant, two male hedgehogs and a pair of soldiers appeared out of the portal.

Once they did, they stood on the grounds of something extraordinary.

Taking this chance to look around their new environment, they witnessed the massive wonder before them. It was as if they were transported in time to the future, where buildings were so tall that they seemed to reach outer space. Where cars could fly as high as an airplane, where people...walked sideways? They couldn't believe their eyes—They were actually watching people walk sideways along walls. In fact, some of the cars and even the buildings were upside down or completely vertical, floating in the air. The sky had a strange light blue hue, and the sun glowed brighter than it did back in Mobius. The clouds didn't look fluffy at all, almost as if they were just sitting there and barely moving in the sky. Roads and streets, venues and neighborhoods were beyond anything out of their imagination. Everything was so high tech, so advanced, so futuristic. Mailboxes were simple holograms, street lights hovered in the air above the highways, cars drifted without wheels or even without a driver. Even flora like trees or shrubbery was faux with a digital replacement, giving the illusion of cyber leaves falling to the ground. There were people in those same strange, all black, sleek yet thick armored uniforms at every corner. They all had batons that looked like Zonic's, and those weird helmets too. They were all in a rush, though. Some were escorting civilians to safe areas, or demanding that they stay away from this perimeter. What was going on?

Standing behind them, was an intimidating structure that resembled a towering, platinum white, modernized obelisk. A giant and heavy looking metal plaque floated above their heads in front of the building that read: No Zone Headquarters. Around the building's pillar-like form, were swirling light blue paths of cybernetic power. Floating armored trucks and other military-grade vehicles drove on them, entering in and out of various places of the architecture. Flat floating steps leading down from the platform they were standing on, led to nothing. Looking over, they realized the entire building, including the platform, was also floating in the air some how. Only a few of those cybernetic roads led from the ground to this platform. When Sonic curiously reached his hand out, a light blue hologram appeared, almost looking like a net pattern. When he took his hand away, it disappeared. Was this some kind of invisible forcefield? Shadow was just as stupefied as he was, trying to comprehend how such a place could exist. He was looking at so many things at once, that his head was starting to spin. Suddenly, a group of people in black were sprinting on one of the only cybernetic paths leading to the platform. Once they stepped onto it, their black uniforms digitized into more casual uniforms similar to Zonic's. They somehow ran in perfect single file lines, marching quickly in unison before entering the building ahead of them. What was the hurry?

"Gentlemen," The shorter soldier announced with the click of his boots. "Welcome to No Zone. Or," He stepped over to look over the skyline of his own home. "In some realities, the Perpendicular Zone." He noticed how breath taken then were, and understood their silence. "Yes, marvelous, isn't it?" He said. "Our home is extremely advanced, perhaps the most advanced realm in all of the realities-"

A loud series of explosions rang in their ears, causing them all to turn to the right.

"...!"

The sounds of roaring rotor blade vortexes blasted through, and Shadow and Sonic winced while covering their ears with their palms. But that sound, it reminded the hero of the airships he saw on Angel Island several years ago when Eggman first tried to conquer it. He knew it all too well—That wasn't just the sound of a huge aircraft, that was the sound of someone who wanted to take the world for themselves. His lime eyes dilated when he saw a behemothic flying battleship pass by the No Zone Headquarters. It was black and red, and instead of that pretty light blue color that brightened the cybernetic roads, a candy red colored grid-like forcefield surrounded the entire colossal aircraft. It was so massive, it could have fit a small country in it's innards. Or perhaps even be used as a missile for the sun itself. Only Dr. Eggman could create something this unnerving, yet he was firmly locked away in Prison Island back in Mobius. So who the hell made this metal monster? As Sonic and Shadow's eyes watched the vessel slowly go by, they saw an insignia in bright yellow on various parts of the battleship's wings. They were alarmed, but then confused. It was a symbol that looked like Eggman, yet something about it seemed off. The mustache was...smaller?

Suddenly, several dozen black futuristic fighter jets zoomed past the HQ around the towering vessel at speeds so quick that normal people wouldn't have even known something flew by. Just like how Sonic and Knuckles rode on the Tornado's wings when flying with Tails, or how Shadow and Rouge stood on Omega's large shoulders when in the air, several soldiers were planted on the wings of the jet. They had those batons too, but they were using them as guns the same way Zonic used his against them back on Angel Island. However, they weren't using mere shotgun models, they were using rapid fire firearms. Shadow blinked, were those machine guns? The bullets that shot out of them weren't normal, either. They were comprised of that same light blue cyber energy stuff, shooting directly at the flying battleship's forcefield. Each time a bullet hit the shield, the glowing candy red opposing energy brightened from the damage it took. However, the vessel wasn't only good for flying, it was a battleship for a reason. Large metal sidings on the side of the ship lifted up, revealing the gaping holes of several canons. Multiple missiles were shot out from the ship, aiming and seeking the tinier fighter jets beside it. The fighter jets swerved and spiraled through the air to avoid the projectiles, the soldiers on the wings almost losing balance and holding onto the metal birds for dear life. Both Sonic and Shadow watched as one of the jets were hit right in the left wing, instantly smoking and sparking with fire. It was going down, it wouldn't be able to keep flying for long, and the soldier on top of it slipped from the explosion and was hanging onto the tip of the right wing for dear life.

The smaller soldier beside the two hedgehogs suddenly placed too fingers to his helmet, before speaking aloud. "Mad Dog, this is Tallboy reporting: Hammerhead and I have successfully completed the extraction. Requesting permission to reengage in combat immediately!" He said with a hurried voice. "Bird Delta is down, I repeat, Bird Delta is down! Requesting permission to lead the Squadron."

A voice with static replied back, a voice both Sonic and Shadow recognized. "Mad Dog responding, Tallboy you may reengage. Permission to utilize the Squadron is granted, lead a frontal aerial assault. Team Primal is preoccupied with neutralizing seven dozen targets on Ground Zero, complete annihilation should take approximately ten minutes. I want the tip of that battleship's forcefield destroyed by the time we arrive, understood?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes sir!" He went to rush his way past the group, until the larger soldier grasped his arm. "...?"

"Zespio," The larger one said, that name perking Sonic's ears up. Zespio...? "Don't just rush in like that, you might get hurt! You gotta think rationally, that thing is huge. One wrong move and your whole fleet's going down."

"Zector, I know what I'm doing. The first lieutenant general and my entire squad needs me!" He pointed to the entrance of the HQ. "Escort Sonic and Shadow prime to the commander's office, then report back to the hangar. We might need some sailors in a few VTOLS with some model tens in case things go south." When the larger soldier didn't immediately respond, the smaller one placed his hand on top of his to gently make him let go. "I'll be fine, I promise. Keep your frequency open, I'll update you whenever I can." Finally, they both nodded from his reassurance and the shorter soldier sprinted towards the edge of the platform.

Just as he was about to jump off, a hefty, black, sci-fi looking motorcycle digitized in physical form right before their eyes. It was hovering in the air, it's wheels alit with that cyber energized color. He landed on the vehicle's seat and immediately revved it up, before zooming off into the distance away from the HQ. As it rode away at alarming speeds, a trail of cyber energy followed behind it's wheels. Then, it rose into the air, before undergoing a transformation. It converted itself into the cockpit and canopy of a fighter jet, before the larger portions of the aircraft appeared on the sides with cyber power. In seconds, it became one of the black fighter jets they saw before and soared into the sky along with the others. However, this one was slightly larger, and had special markings on the wings. Military emblems of great honor, zipping through the atmosphere like an eagle.

The larger soldier was reluctant, but turned away from his comrade's aircraft in the sky and demanded that the hedgehogs follow him. "You two, come with me!" He ordered. Sonic and Shadow glanced at each other before following the soldier into the building.

While he wasn't running, he was speed walking, almost as if he was eager to get in the action as well. The hedgehogs were distracted by the sky battle behind them, but then their attention was immediately changed to the interior of the HQ. Once they entered the building, they were even further floored. The floor was a smooth white marble, the walls were black with glowing light blue veins of digital power coursing through it. Looking upwards, they saw people walking on the walls again, using this strange feat to get to other floors of the building. How was that even possible? They walked by what seemed like other haste-moving soldiers, who quickly stopped to salute the larger soldier escorting them before continuing on their way swiftly. There were stairs floating and turning sideways every so often, leading to different paths and corridors. Elevators didn't even have wire cables, they just shot up in the air like rockets and plummeted back down to whatever floor was requested of them. Trash cans incinerated any garbage that entered it, and the floors were cleaning themselves with that same cybernetic power. The second someone smudged the gloss, it made a faint blue glow before the stain faded away in mere seconds. There was a reception area, the people sitting behind the desks were typing on holographic computers with impressive briskness. They looked anxious yet very determined. People who the hedgehogs assumed were normal citizens sat in the lounge, wearing clothing that wasn't at all the normal Mobian fashion sense. As usual, they barely wore any clothes to begin with, but the pieces of fashion they did wear were strange. It was almost like the cyber-punk, sci-fi clothes one would see from a movie.

However, they were all very shaken up. Their eyes constantly darted from side to side, whispering to each other with scared murmurs about what was happening. They were panicked, but they couldn't leave. Places where windows were supposed to be, were shuddered with metal slats. No one would be getting in or out without permission, these citizens were being kept in here for their own safety. There were even other soldiers surrounding the reception lounge standing by as guards. A mother in the lounge area, a female squirrel with odd triangle-themed piercings in her ears, pulled out what the hedgehogs initially thought was a smart phone. But no, it was flatter than that—It was just a screen. There was nothing to even hold, she was just holding up a flattened touched screen. Then, she somehow stretched the screen to be bigger by pulling the sizes with her palms. It was now about the size of a tablet. After a few taps with her finger, she placed it down near her kit who was sniveling and crying. It floated in the air, before showing a random animated cartoon for the child to watch. It's cries stopped for a moment, and the mother's expression was desperate to calm the child down. She was worried too, but she had to be strong for the kid. She hoped this would at least distract them. Another Mobian-like person, a male rabbit, was glancing nervously around him at the guards, before pulling on some wireless headphones. Maybe music would distract him. Above his head was holographic text that said: Do not disturb, high volume. He closed his eyes and attempted to divert his attention from what was happening. Besides the obvious increased tension of the reception area, the hedgehogs couldn't help but marvel at the high tech they had in this world.

As the three walked past all of this grand showcasing of unbelievable technology, the tall soldier speedily escorted them to a nearby elevator. A holographic sign appeared over it, reading: Restricted Access Only. Once he stepped closer, his very presence opened the doors immediately. He motioned for the other hedgehogs to follow him inside. Once they did, they were skyrocketed up above to a higher floor in only two seconds. When the doors opened, the soldier gave the two a warning. "Be careful here, the gravity is going to shift. Don't be surprised if you trip or fall." He then stepped out of the elevator onto the new floor and awaited for the others. Sonic and Shadow cautiously stepped out, before immediately losing balance and almost falling over onto each other. After taking a moment to find some semblance of equilibrium, they looked around to see that they were now sideways, because they could see that the floors below them were turned to the side. The entire floor they were currently on was vertical, and so were they. "Give it a second," The bulky soldier casually said. "We have devices that will stabilize your body's equity. You'll get used to it in no time." He began speed walking away, almost uncaring if they were still having trouble. "Come on, we're almost there." Grunting with insecure steps moving forward, the two attempted to follow after the soldier. They managed to get the hang of it a little, and they were just barely able to keep up with him. As they traveled down a corridor, they noticed that the theme of this entire world was black, white and light blue. There was no other color in sight besides the forest green, navy blue and brown military uniforms they saw on other soldiers passing them.

At last, they stopped in front of two tall white doors, but there were no handles. They opened simultaneously without being touched, allowing them all to walk within a small hallway that led to the main room. The floor was white hardwood floor, with an odd square-shaped pattern within it's slabs. The walls were black with odd sharp polygons, and the windows were tall but heavily tinted. They could see out, but no one would be able to see in. The room was so nicely furnished that it almost seemed like a small living space. There was a square glass coffee table with LED lighting within it, and it had fish swimming inside of the glass surfaces. They didn't look real, but there was actual water inside of it. Two white leather arm chairs were sat on either side, with a white leather loveseat sitting behind the table. The sides of the room held elevated dark green metal cabinets, probably tightly locked while holding a bunch of classified information. Near the windows was a large black desk that curved on both sides, and it was floating. Underneath it was a thick, large square rug that had a militant symbol, five white stars to be exact. The computer chair behind it had a tall back, and a flag was draped onto the wall behind it. A symbol was planted in the middle of the fabric, and it was unique to say the least. The flag was black, and the white colored insignia printed on it was an..."L"? No, it looked like an L, but it wasn't. It was a ninety-degree angle, with a small superscript circle in the middle.

If they didn't know any better, they'd say the stepped into the grand office of a cutthroat dictator or a great army general.

"You two stay here, and do not leave this room!" The large soldier ordered. "Otherwise my superior will have all of us hung by our tails." He held his fingers up to his helmet. "Mad Dog, Hammerhead reporting. Both primes are secured inside of Dullahan's office, requesting permission to reengage in combat as a standby within the hangar."

The hell were these code names?

"Mad Dog responding, Hammerhead you read loud and clear. Permission to reengage in combat is granted, please assist Team Alpha with physical aerial combat. You may regroup with Tallboy's bird if the opportunity befalls you, over."

"Thank you sir, over and out." The two hedgehogs watched the large soldier run out of the office immediately, the doors shutting behind him automatically. A click was heard, they were locked in.

Well.

This was...interesting.

The two hedgehogs glanced at each other, and Sonic decided to speak first. "...Did we just walk into a war?"

Shadow scratched behind his head. "I think we did. Question is," He walked over to one of the windows that were barricaded. He grunted as he placed his palm underneath it to push it upwards. With a little more effort, it was forcefully lifted all the way up to reveal the tinted glass. "What is this world?" He asked aloud, watching several fighter jets zoom across. Sonic walked beside him to watch along with him, just as curiously amazed as he. "It looks like the future, and everything is either hi-tech or militarized. Or both."

"Yeah," Sonic replied. "And did you hear what those guys said? They said the names Zespio and Zector, kind of like...Espio and Vector from our world."

Shadow then stared down at the floor.

Wait...

He slowly turned to Sonic. "Zespio, Zector, Zonic...are these other versions of us?"

The shock of this revelation made Sonic's eyes dilate. "...Holy shit." He whispered. "No freakin' way," He looked at Shadow and shared his baffled gaze. "That would explain why he looks exactly like me. Those other guys were covered up in that armor so I couldn't tell for sure, but Vector is that exact height. And even though their helmets have voice filters, it still kinda sounded like him too. And that battleship," He realized that maybe that wasn't Eggman, but perhaps..."That insignia wasn't quite Eggman's style, but if there's other versions of us in this world, then there's another version of Eggman here too." But this didn't make any sense. "But why is there a sci-fi world with nothing but different versions of Mobians around? How does this place even exist?" He asked. "I mean, I know that sounds a little stupid comin' from me. I've seen all kinds of whacky shit in my adventures. I've got so many crazy stories, sometimes my friends don't even believe me. But this? This is a whole other level of whacky, crazy shit."

The biohog shook his head. "I don't know what's happening, but we may have put ourselves into something even worse." They watched as yet another jet was shot down, watching the soldier that was previously standing on the wing fall down. That's when they saw more of those cool looking motorcycles drive through the air to catch them, before driving away. "This world is at war, that's a fact. What for, I'm sure that Eggman symbol has something to do with it. That clone of yours has a lot of explaining to do."

Sonic gawked at what happened next and excitedly tapped Shadow's shoulder while pointing at the window. He then got closer, almost watching out of it like a TV. It was so tall and wide, they had a perfect view of the aerial fight. "Yo, look at that!"

The larger fight jet that the soldier known as Zespio was flying, was leading an entire fleet of twenty-four smaller jets behind it to the front of the battleship. On each jet, stood a soldier with a weapon. On the bigger aircraft was the larger soldier known as Zector, along with a few other soldiers on the wings. There was enough room for many of them to stand on, and they all had their baton-weapons readied and aimed. They weren't machine gun models this time either, they were rocket launchers. The battleship had become stagnant in the sky, staying in this position just to attack with barrages of missiles and other explosive projectiles. Zector held up an arm, his palm open. The lower portion of his helmet, where the mouth was, was open. They could see a Mobian-like reptilian mouth speak. That almost sealed it, that guy must have been Vector's twin. "Ready. Aim..." He instructed loudly before making his hand into a fist. "...Fire!" Every soldier sitting atop the jets, including the jets themselves, began to fire all at once. When individual soldiers shot at the forcefield around the ship before, their bullets couldn't cut through. However, with at least two dozen soldiers with rocket launchers, and high powered fighter jets built with minigun-grade firearms, the forcefield barely had a chance. It took maybe three seconds for the forcefield to crack, and digitally shatter into pieces before the red cyber energy faded away into the ether. After they broke it from the front of the battleship, the rest of the shield fell apart everywhere else, leaving the gargantuan aircraft highly vulnerable. "Team Primal, Hammerhead reporting! The shield is down, I repeat: The shield is down! Move in, now!"

A squad of nine flying motorcycles drifting in the air rocketed towards the battleship. The motorcycle leading the group looked even more advanced than the others, and the cyber energy trail left behind it was a different shade of blue. Almost the same shade of blue as Sonic's fur. Could that have been...? "They're gonna hit that thing head on like that?" Sonic exclaimed. "That thing's metal is way too thick. They can't bring that down with a couple bikes, can they?"

Synchronously, all drivers suddenly jumped from their vehicles and ascended in the air. On the soles of their armored boots were thrusters, similar to Shadow's air shoes. They used this to propel themselves above the battleship, before hurdling back down in a V formation. Whipping out their police batons, the law enforcement tools became models of rifles that shot glowing lights of laser projectiles. Mere bullets and even rockets wouldn't be able to damage that metal, but thousand-degree lasers would. It cut through the metal like butter, severing portions of the aircraft in near symmetrical burning lines. The colossal aircraft caught on fire in many areas, metal and machinery from the inside groaning loudly with damage. Some parts were beginning to fall down in the sky, plummeting below onto the city. If they let them fall down completely, it would destroy buildings and kill many civilians. The leader of the squad made a hand signal, gesturing for the group to disperse immediately. They did as they were commanded, and the soldiers scattered to fly downwards ahead of the giant falling pieces of the ship. Like angry wasps zipping around their disturbed hive, they moved at mach speed to fly around the pieces. The more they spiraled around them, the more a light blue forcefield appeared around each one. Once the forcefields were completed, the velocity of the falling battleship rubble slowed to a stop and just continued to float in the air.

As they handled the rest of the plummeting battle ship parts, the leader meanwhile turned off their thrusters and landed squarely in the middle of the remaining flying piece of the ship. He then sprinted forward with a sonic boom, moving just as fast as both Sonic and Shadow.

"What!?" They both gasped.

They ran around the entire surviving aircraft piece hundreds of times in only a single second, forming a forcefield around it. It was larger than the others. The leader slowed to a stop before crouching down and retracting their arm. They swung their fist into the floor of the highly damaged deck, which caused a large vibration of internal damage to ran throughout the rest of the ruined battleship. A cataclysmic explosion rang within the forcefield, fiery blasts and smoke filled the entire sphere. Through the smoke, the leader shot through and phased through the peak of the forcefield, safe from the explosion. The motorcycle they rode to lead the squad quickly drove in the air below them to land on, and drive away. Soon, the fleet of fighter jets flew beside the forcefield. It began to glow light blue, and the sphere holding the destruction of the destroyed battle ship began to float alongside it. It was almost as if the leading jet was levitating the sphere itself, taking it away from the aerial battleground. Smaller jets did the same with the small forcefields of the wrecked ship parts, leading it away into the distance somewhere. Where they'd take them, the two hedgehogs had no idea. They saw a few other members of the leader's squad drive by with their flying motorcycles, announcing to other soldiers listening in that their victory was confirmed.

"Mission successful, target neutralized. Code green, all officers on standby are to escort civilians out of HQ and back to their residences. All combative officers fallback. I repeat, all combative officers fallback. Team Squadron: Dispose of the remains of the target, over."

Like that, the fight was over.

Sonic and Shadow slowly looked at each other again for the third time today.

"...Woah." They both said breathlessly.

Suddenly, they heard a loud voice ring into the room. There must have been speakers in the ceiling for announcers in order to alert other officers in the building. It was a female voice, one that sounded...kind of like someone Sonic knew. He tried wracking his brain for who it could be, but he was drawing a blank. Why did that voice sound so familiar, yet not...? "Sonic and Shadow prime, please exit the office you are currently in. After exiting, please travel down the corridor of soldiers and do not stray from the hall. First Lieutenant General Zonic will meet with you shortly, thank you and welcome to No Zone."

They heard a click, the doors were unlocked.

They gave each other an unsure look, before nodding and moving to walk away from the window and out of the office.

The two Mobian hedgehogs were met with exactly what the announcer said: A corridor lined with soldiers in both casual and armored uniforms. They had their hands behind their backs, in a professional stance and not moving a muscle nor a sound. It almost seemed like they didn't blink, either. They all had their helmets off, revealing their faces. They all looked like Mobians of various species, but they knew they weren't actually from their world. Their postures were so rigid, so flawless that it looked painful. Men, women and anything in between of all shapes and sizes were soldiers, proud and too disciplined to fall out of formation. With every soldier they passed, they saluted the two. They saw that this hallway wasn't that long, yet it seemed like it took forever. They felt like they couldn't walk too fast, almost like they weren't allowed. This was intimidating to say the least, and none of the soldiers would even look at them. They just kept their eyes forward at nothing. True soldiers, through and through.

They finally reached the end of the hallway to see half a dozen soldiers standing by in that same stance.

They all looked like the soldiers who were fighting in the skies, because their armor looked a little scratched. They all slowly took off their helmets to reveal their faces. That's when the hedgehogs saw the familiar faces of a green crocodile and a purple chameleon, going by the names of Zector and Zespio. Shadow was right, they were the spitting image of their Mobian counterparts. However, these weren't the people they knew. These people were not Vector and Espio, not at all the members of the Chaotix. Their expressions were neutral and rigid, not like the two guys they knew from back home. That's when the group of soldiers stepped aside and bowed their heads before standing up straight and saluting. From within the crowd, was the leader of them all. As they stepped in front of Sonic and Shadow, all other soldiers from down the hall all bowed at the exact same time. Zespio quietly stepped beside the leader, and carefully took off their helmet for them. As he did so, they pulled out their baton from their belt.

A male blue hedgehog with a stoic scowl on their fawn muzzle shook out his long quills from the helmet and met their gaze, before firmly planting his baton onto the floor and leaning his palms against it like a staff.

"Sonic and Shadow prime," He addressed with an apathetic tone. "How nice of you to finally arrive in my city."

Zonic the Hedgehog, First Lieutenant General of No Zone Corps stood before them all as if he was beyond the caliber of anyone else.

Almost as if a spotlight was shining down on him, and him alone. While Sonic was the hero of his world, Zonic was the hero of this one and spared no time to prove it. This was his house, and nobody could dispute that with its owner. Under his sheer authoritarian aura, there wasn't a soul alive that could intimidate him or resist his command.

This was the face of justice in No Zone.

41 - END - 41