There is a lot of setting up in this chapter.
Nevertheless, I hope you'll enjoy it!
Entry 40
The Spy and The Network
''Waking up, breaking out - this is what it's like to be free. Rip it up, tear it down - this is what it means to be free. Jet sounds a distant roar behind you, as you try to clear your head. You start to look and answers find you, your inner purpose lies ahead.''
– Waking Up by Shadow the Hedgehog
xXxXxXx
''…so most people are not going to trust you. Well, mainly you Shadow, but I don't think they'll feel comfortable around you either, Touka,'' Rouge said. She had given them a tour through the main building, although this time, Touka and Shadow listened to what she had to say, especially since she explained to them how this place worked and what they could expect from their supposed co-workers. ''These people do not like to work alongside Irregulars, even if ARMS focuses on it. There is a strong distrust between both humans and Irregulars.''
''We're not here to make allies,'' Shadow stated sternly.
''I'm sorry, honey, but if you want to get out of here, you will have to act friendly. That's the only way to make people talk and gather information,'' Rouge replied, furrowing a brow. ''If you make them suspicious of you, it will make things only more troublesome for us.''
''Hmph.''
''I hate to say it, Shadow, but Rouge is right,'' Touka said. ''There isn't much that we can do, but we need to make sure to stay out of trouble. We will have to rely on outside help.''
''Speaking of which, I bet you two are getting hungry. Do you even know where the canteen is?'' Rouge asked. Shadow rose an eyebrow, wondering what was up with the change in topic, while Touka shrugged, feeling a bit hungry. The woman from earlier did mention a canteen, but again, neither of the two payed attention. ''I figured. Good thing I led you here then, and I hope you remember your way.''
She then opened the door behind them, showing off the canteen that was filled with people and ARNavs, either talking or eating breakfast. Feeling a bit resigned, Touka and Shadow followed Rouge to get their breakfast and found a free table at a corner, sitting down. Rouge then gave them a curious look, lowering her voice to a whisper so only the siblings could hear her.
''So, have you noticed?'' she asked.
''You mean, the Irregulars?'' Shadow asked. Rouge gave him the slightest of nods, furrowing an eyebrow.
''They don't look too aggressive,'' she commented, her eyes flickering to a nearby Irregular that walked past them. Touka and Shadow had indeed taken note of the fact that the Irregulars appeared to be more languid, constantly staring off into space with their huge empty eyes. They walked and ate in a rigid manner, as if someone put them on autopilot, barely acknowledging the other people in the room. Touka felt a little unnerved by them.
''What happened to them?'' she asked Rouge.
''These Irregulars are the ones captured by the Irregular Hunters and hauled off to this place. You both know just how aggressive a typical Irregular can get when exposed to BioEnergy,'' Rouge gave them a pointed look. ''Well, here, they had finally figured a way out to curb their aggressiveness by essentially lobotomizing them.'' She noted Touka and Shadow's shocked looks. ''I don't know the details, but I do know that they found a way to erase any kind of emotional response, turning the Irregulars into obedient zombies. No sense of emotion, no sense of desire, no aggression.''
''That's awful,'' Touka said, feeling pity for the Irregulars.
''I wouldn't feel too sorry for them. These Irregulars killed people for their BioEnergy,'' Rouge responded. ''The only reason they didn't do the same to me was because I could be negotiated with and didn't show any sign of aggressiveness.'' She then glanced at Shadow. ''What do you think, Shadow? You're being really silent.''
''They wanted to do the same to me,'' Shadow replied in an even tone.
''What?!'' Rouge hissed in surprise, while Touka just stared at him, quite disheartened.
''In the last log that was written before the Codex Research Facility had shut down for good, the Professor mentioned how my emotional response in a situation of great duress was flawed, making me imperfect as a weapon. If he had more time, he would've removed those inhibitions, and I believe he wanted to do this right after he lied to me that Touka died during our encounter with that Irregular,'' Shadow explained.
''That's horrible,'' Rouge said, clearly feeling concern for Shadow, only to be surprised when he shook his head.
''It doesn't matter. As you and Touka had pointed out, we won't be a target as long as we act accordingly,'' he replied, calmly sipping the coffee he brought along, only to scowl when he realized that it tasted weird. He figured it was just a different brand from the one he usually used. Rouge kept staring at him for a moment, wondering just how he managed to remain this calm in such a bleak situation, but then quickly moved on.
''Right,'' she muttered. ''In any case, let's just hope that the Commander will go along with the team up idea.''
xXx
''We need to find a way to get Touka and Shadow back,'' Lucas said, having just explained everything to the rest of the team. Speaking of said team, their reactions ranged from shocked to intrigued.
''Yeah, you're right, but first of all, we're being spied on? Well, that explains that the van that had been following me and Amy,'' Minami said. ''I thought we were about to get kidnapped.''
''We got lucky. Bennet spotted the van outside our property and just told them they're on camera and he'll be calling the police if they don't leave,'' Lily said.
''Even if they attempted to get sneak inside the mansion, they would've fallen into our traps,'' Knuckles added.
''Lucky you, we had to deal with the ARMS van following us towards Lucas and Sonic's house,'' Warren said.
''At least you are living close to each other. We've been followed from Eden through Westoru to Eas until I flew myself and Makoto over,'' Silver replied, glancing at Minami and Amy. ''What about you two?''
''Minami managed to get rid off the van for both of us,'' Amy replied, only to fold her arms across her chest as she shot Minami a pointed look. ''You're a menace to society.''
Minami playfully stuck out her tongue, winking at Amy. ''They had it coming.''
''What did you do?'' Sonic asked.
''Oh, I simply made a ruckus, screaming how there is a black van following me and begging people to call the cops. One woman even offered to do it and the van drove off,'' Minami replied, a devious grin spreading on her lips. Amy just sighed, facepalming.
''Once again, you're a menace,'' Amy said.
''Thanks for the compliment,'' Minami replied proudly. ''After all, I'm quite a skilled actor and my specialty are crocodile tears.''
''Speaking of which, how come all of you guys came here?'' Lucas asked. ''I only asked Warren to pay a visit.''
''There is no way you would write something elaborate like that and expect us not to question it,'' Lily said, folding her arms across her chest.
''There is no Sonic Adventure 2 mod like that. I checked,'' Minami said, placing her hands on her hips.
''I just went along with everyone else's responses,'' Makoto said, shrugging. Lucas sighed in exasperation, while Warren and the Irregulars just chuckled in amusement at the responses.
''Nevertheless, I only wanted Warren and Tails to be here since I was afraid that we might get into trouble if we have a meeting right after Touka and Shadow vanished,'' Lucas explained. ''As I had already told you, the reason I wrote the message was because I was afraid ARMS is monitoring our communication.''
''Using a coded message like that is a smart idea,'' Knuckles commented.
''Right, and since I'm fairly certain that everyone here wants to get Touka and Shadow back, I had realized that we need to come up with a proper plan,'' Lucas replied. ''Unfortunately, we have a bunch of obstacles we need to deal with first, the communication part first.''
''Well, we could continue using the Sonic Adventure 2 as a code,'' Lily suggested, but Lucas shook his head.
''No, we can't. We need to establish a better method of communication,'' he replied. ''It's going to be hard to discuss plans like that.''
Warren hummed, placing his hand under his chin. ''Well, I suppose it would be possible to establish a private communication network. However, given how we're dealing with military agents, they probably have the tech to hack into that as well. We would need to find another way.''
''I'm certain that we will figure it out,'' Tails said.
''Thanks, but that would be just the start. We would need to figure out how to get into contact with Touka and Shadow,'' Lucas replied, glancing at Sonic.
''I had called both of them, but I couldn't reach either. Shadow didn't answer his call, and when I tried to call Touka, I was blocked,'' Sonic explained.
''It is possible that ARMS took Touka's AR Visor to block any number, but what about Shadow? You said that he just didn't answer your call,'' Tails asked, with Sonic nodding. ''Maybe that means that Shadow still has access to his own AR Visor. If that's true, Warren and I would be able to contact them.''
''That's great!'' Sonic said.
''It would take some time, though,'' Tails quickly added, turning to Lucas. ''Do you have any other plans?''
''Other than wait until we get into contact with the two? Unfortunately, no,'' Lucas replied, much to the disappointment of others, especially Sonic. ''Here is the deal. We barely knowing anything about our situation, and we don't know what Touka and Shadow are dealing with. We need more information from the other side to find a way to work around this rather than recklessly rushing into action.''
''Okay, I get it, but can't we just-'' Sonic was cut off by Lucas.
''I'm sorry, but we literally cannot do anything here. We don't have access to any way to discuss plans, we don't know where the ARMS HQ is and we don't know what Touka and Shadow's situation is. We literally cannot do anything until we get some proper information,'' he replied, with Sonic's ears drooping.
He was ready to get into action, but hearing that all they could do was to sit around and wait for a better opportunity didn't sit well with him. He wanted to be proactive, not do nothing. However, he knew that Lucas was right and he trusted his partner's judgement, but it was still quite frustrating to be forced to wait.
''Sonic, listen,'' Amy started, drawing Sonic's attention to her. ''We all know that you're worried about Shadow and Touka, and we're worried about them to. Believe me, I'd love to slam down the door at the ARMS HQ and get them out right this instant.''
''Despite that, recklessly charging into action will not only put us into danger, but Shadow and Touka as well. As the leader of this team, Lucas has made his point and we should listen to him, and wait until we get a better opportunity,'' Knuckles added.
''Besides, Shadow and Touka are capable of their own, aren't they?'' Silver said. ''They will definitely try to find their own way out.''
That was a statement everyone agreed with. They knew that Shadow was someone who could handle himself in a dangerous situation, and being with Touka made him even more powerful thanks to Chaos Surge. They would be able to stand on their own, at least until the rest of Team Neos could find a way to help them out.
''Yeah, you're right…'' Sonic agreed, with his attention wandering back to Lucas who still had a thoughtful look on his expression. It was clear that something still bothered him. ''Lucas?''
''Honestly, there is something that I don't understand,'' Lucas said, leaning against the couch. ''ARMS should know that Shadow is an Irregular, and they know that we are friends with Shadow and Touka and they sent these people to spy on us. This begs the question – do they know that you guys are also Irregulars?''
''What?''
His teammates were staring at him in silence, unsure how to answer this question. They all thought that they were being followed because of their connection to Shadow and Touka, not because they had other Irregulars in the group.
''How would that be even possible?'' Makoto asked. ''We all know that the program Tails implemented in the AR Visor works.''
''Yeah, Makoto's right,'' Sonic added, remembering his own encounter with the Irregular Hunters.
''Right, we know this works because Tails made that programming to counter the scanners the Irregular Hunters use, but if ARMS had observed us in these past weeks, they'd probably pick up on some atypical ARNav behavior,'' Lucas replied.
''You mean, like eating food or being able to stay outside AR Fields for much longer than they should,'' Minami pointed out.
''We had all figured that people wouldn't notice it, and obviously, they wouldn't, because that is not widely known information, but ARMS would probably be aware of it,'' Lily added.
''Not to mention our fights with Dr. Eggman,'' Makoto added.
''There is even more to it,'' Lucas continued.
''More?''
''Yeah. Now, we all know what Touka and Shadow are capable of. They could've returned home immediately with a snap of Chaos Control if they wanted to, but they didn't. I sincerely doubt that they would stay at ARMS out of their own free will. So, why didn't they come back?'' Lucas asked. A sense of dread filled the room.
''So, you think they're being forced to stay there in some way?'' Warren suggested.
''Yeah… and it might have something to do with us,'' Lucas stated, feeling a chill down his spine, and he knew that his friends felt the same. ''It is possible that ARMS has threatened that they would hurt us in some way, maybe expose Sonic and the others as Irregulars. Whatever it is, ARMS made sure that we are completely cut off from each other. They are not going to let them go so easily.''
There was a moment of silence as everyone contemplated the situation, with Sonic breaking it, smiling softly, ''Heh, and to think Shads never liked the idea of having friends or teammates. I can see his point in this situation.''
''Sonic…'' Amy attempted to reach out for him to comfort him, but Sonic shook his head, giving her and everyone else a confident smile.
''Let's then focus on the now, then. I guess it will take a while, but we'll be able to help them return,'' he stated, reigniting the confidence in his friends. He did take note of the weird look Lucas gave him, but he just smiled back, now more self-assured.
Everything would be fine.
xXx
Warren took a deep breath, him and Tails working in at the Taylor Workshop on their respective computers and trying to figure out how to establish a safe communication network without ARMS noticing. It was quite a challenging task for them, especially given how their own resources were limited. Granted, they were quite skilled when it came to technology and inventing stuff, but Warren felt that the only thing they could do was to just launch their own satellite into the atmosphere to achieve their goal, and that was the one thing they couldn't do.
''All of these servers are open to the public… well, I guess we could create our own app and put up enough firewalls, maybe even hide our IP by creating dummy accounts, leave a false trail… agh, that's too complicated!'' Warren groaned, ruffling his hair as he felt as if his head was about to explode.
Being childhood friends with Lucas, he was used to his cautious nature, but this bordered on pure paranoia. However, at the same time, he understood why Lucas acted like this, as they weren't just dealing with an Irregular or even Dr. Eggman. No, they were dealing with a branch of military that was approved by the government and the last thing Warren wanted to do was to get arrested or worse. They were putting themselves into danger for Touka and Shadow's sake, and while the easy way out would be to just write them off, the entirety of Team Neos refused to do that. Touka and Shadow were their friends and they weren't going to leave them hanging.
''Maybe you should take a break,'' Tails, who was sitting on a chair next to him, suggested. He too looked tired, but was still working diligently alongside Warren.
''And leave you work on your own? No way,'' Warren replied, shaking his head.
''Then you could at least take a walk and ask your mum for more mint chocolate chip cookies,'' Tails pointed at the nearly empty plate. Warren chuckled at the young fox's obsession with any mint-flavored food, figuring that he could at least do that.
However, as he stood up, the scanner on their computer alerted them to a strange signal. He and Tails exchanged glances, wondering what they had found, as they had enhanced their computer to find more communication networks and servers they could use for cover. They covered almost all of the public ones, but this one was new.
''Let's see…'' Tails muttered, typing away on the keyboard. Suddenly, on the screen appeared the logo of The Eggman Empire. ''What the-?!''
''I think we somehow managed to track down the EggNet,'' Warren said, just as shocked as Tails when they both saw the result. He then paused for a moment. ''Wait, would it be possible…''
''You mean, that you want to use the EggNet to communicate with our teammates? What about Eggman?! I don't want him to know what happened, let alone listen to our plans,'' Tails asked, alarmed.
''What if we manage to kick him off the EggNet?'' Warren countered, with Tails rasing his eyebrow, giving him a doubtful look. ''Yeah, you're right, this is not going to happen. Nevertheless, depending on how tight Eggman's security is, we might be able to create a private server on the EggNet and making sure he get in. I sincerely doubt that ARMS even knows about the EggNet's existence.''
''I hope that you're right,'' Tails said in resignation. ''I suppose Dr. Eggman is the lesser evil of the two, and even if he gets into our chat room, we would still have the administrative authority to kick him out.''
''Exactly!'' Warren nodded, with both getting to work. While they had gained access to the EggNet, they still needed to infiltrate it and create a safe space that would serve as Team Neos' private chat room. Both were ready to use everything they had for the infiltration process… but surprisingly, getting into the EggNet didn't appear to be too difficult, aside from some minor obstacles. ''Huh, we need a password here to access the main server.''
''Do you want to do some guesswork or…?'' Tails started, with Warren narrowing his eyes.
''Wait, let me try something…'' he muttered, typing in something. ''I swear to God, if this guy's password is…''
ACCESS GRANTED!
''Woah!''
''No way!''
Tails and Warren shocked when they realized that Warren's guess was correct. Both then started laughing uncontrollably, as Tails had seen what Warren guessed to be the password. As it turns out, the password to Eggman's computer network was ''H4T3TH4TH3DGEH0G''.
''I swear I had no idea this would work. I knew about his because Dr. Eggman in the manga had used it,'' Warren explained, wiping a tear.
''I suppose Eggman is just that predictable,'' Tails said, still chuckling, but managed to regain his composure. ''Alright, let's get to…''
''Prower! Taylor! What are you doing in my EggNet?!''
Both Warren and Tails were startled when Dr. Eggman's face suddenly showed up on their screen, almost falling off their chairs. Clearly, their attempts at infiltration didn't go unnoticed.
''I'm sorry Doctor, but this is an emergency and we need to use the EggNet,'' Warren replied, immediately starting his work by typing furiously on the keyboard.
''No you don't! Get off the EggNet this instant!'' Eggman growled furiously, but before he could say more, the screen suddenly closed, as Warren made sure to set up enough firewalls to prevent the doctor from accessing their private server.
''You know, Eggman really needs to invest more into IT… or come up with a better password,'' Tails commented, shaking his head at the situation.
''Yeah, but let's make sure we tell him after we don't need the EggNet anymore,'' Warren replied. ''The last thing we need is for Eggman to kick us off before we can finish our mission.''
xXx
Sonic took a deep breath as he sped down Cross Layer Highway, having decided to go for a run after the meeting. Unlike Lucas, he simply couldn't stay cooped up at their home, and while he understood that he couldn't do much at the moment, he needed to go outside and stretch his legs. It gave him something to do, a temporary reprieve of everything that was going on, and he was certain that there was no way that ARMS would be able to track him like this. He needed this sense of freedom, the exhilarating thrill of knowing that he could go anywhere he desired.
He actually found himself on the highway towards Mikado City, having gone past Infinity Forest and the borders of Neos City, and he knew if he continued, he could easily reach the other side of Starpoint Area and visit other countries, exploring the wide world all on his own. This was something he genuinely enjoyed, the freedom to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and no one could stop him. He trusted this feeling, embraced the sensation and entered a new adventure.
However, instead of allowing his insticts to take over, Sonic skidded to a halt and entered a nearby open field, getting up on the top of a highway billboard, then turned back to the highway as he sat down and observed the cars passing by him. He knew that, while he could go anywhere he desired, he would always return back to his friends, especially since he knew that there was a new adventure on the horizon.
''Com'n, it'll be fun!''
''So, you want us to use Cross Layer Highway as our personal racing track, ignoring the fact that there is traffic there?''
''Heh… well, nothing happened… so far. I'm sure things will be fine. Besides, don't tell me that you're afraid of a bit of traffic.''
''Hmph. You'll be eating my dust.''
''You'll have to catch me first!''
Sonic chuckled at the memory of him convincing Shadow to go on a race on Cross Layer Highway. The dark hedgehog clearly had some reservations about racing in an area with so much traffic, but after a bit of banter, he accepted the challenge. It was fun overall, both weaving across the highway and trying to outspeed each other. It was an activity both enjoyed to the fullest, with Sonic even spotting Shadow smirking at him whenever he got ahead. The blue hedgehog then shook his head, feeling a sense of hollowness in his chest.
''Great, Shadow hasn't been gone even for a day and I already miss him,'' he grumbled. ''Admittedly, this is different than him going off somewhere on his own. This time, no one knows if he and Touka will return.'' He then grimaced, getting up, still balancing on the top of the billboard. ''Oh, what am I talking about, of course he'll come back. It's Shadow! There's nothing that can slow that guy down!''
Satisfied with this sudden burst of faith and confidence, Sonic smiled, only to get a message from Tails on his AR Visor. At first, he gave it a suspicious look, well aware that the team wasn't supposed to communicate like it, but he still opened the screen, only to find an URL link next to a message that said ''Sonic Adventure 2 Mod''. Curious and trusting Tails, he opened the link, only for the holographic screen to crackle and flash red, and Sonic was shocked to see The Eggman Empire logo appear on it.
''Tails, what did you…?'' Sonic trailed off when the logo disappeared and Tails' face appeared on the screen.
''So, you got my message! Great!'' Tails exclaimed.
''Uh, what did you do, little bro? Why did I see Egghead's mugshot on my screen?'' Sonic asked.
''The link you used is an app that directly connects you to the private chat room on the EggNet. That way, we don't have to worry about ARMS spying in on our conversations,'' Tails explained.
''Wait, the EggNet?'' Sonic was both surprised and impressed that his little brother thought of using Dr. Eggman's private computer network for communication. ''Won't Eggman know what you've done?''
''Oh, he already does, but we managed to restrict his access to the chat room,'' Tails explained. ''Warren is sending out the links to the rest of the group. Let's hope that Shadow will open his.''
''I'm sure that he will,'' Sonic replied, grinning happily. ''Should I stop by at the Workshop?''
''No, you don't have to,'' Tails replied. ''Just keep an eye out for Shadow contacting us.''
''Will do!'' Sonic did a two-finger salute, feeling quite optimistic about their situation, with Tails then vanishing from the screen.
xXx
''You want Agent Rouge as part of your team?'' Commander Williams rose an eyebrow at the demand Touka just made. The teenage girl seemed to have prepared a whole speech about why she wanted Rouge to team up with her and Shadow, mainly pointing out how Rouge had more experience than them and was willing to help them out since they were going to stay at ARMS. Commander Williams wondered what was up with the insistence, but then realized that this would actually solve a completely different issue he was dealing with. ''Fine. You can form a team. I've been already searching for a volunteer to accompany Agent Rouge, but I suppose I can grant you this request.''
Touka was fidgeting for a moment, only to straighten her back, giving the Commander a firm look. ''Yes sir, I do have one more request.'' She noted his questioning look, but when he didn't say anything, she continued, ''I need a hoverboard.'' The Commander gave her a look of surprise, with Touka quickly adding, ''Rouge can fly and Shadow uses his air shoes for travelling. If I want to keep up with them, I'd need a hoverboard. I'm quite skilled in using one and that would also solve the issue of what my mode of transportation would be during a mission.''
''If that's all, it can be arranged. You're dismissed,'' Commander Williams replied. Rouge saluted to the Commander, with Touka and Shadow following her example, then they left the office. Once they were away enough from it, Rouge clasped her hands in glee.
''I can't believe that it worked! This should make things way easier for us,'' she said.
''I suppose that the Commander is convinced that we will remain here, as Agents of ARMS,'' Shadow commented.
''We will… for the time being,'' Touka told the two as they walked back to the dorms. They still had to discuss the situation in private, as they needed to figure out how to get out of ARMS with the new information they had gotten. However, once back there, Shadow got a message on his AR Visor.
''This is from Tails,'' he said, opening the message. The message said ''Sonic Adventure 2 Mod'' with a link next to it. All three of them were confused by the link, as well as a little worried because, even if ARMS wasn't aware of Shadow having access to an AR Visor, that they still would notice something being off.
''Should we open the link?'' Rouge asked. ''It might be an important message from your friends.''
''Weren't you the one who said that ARMS monitors all communication here?'' Shadow responded in a deadpan tone, with Rouge giving him a pointed look. Both then glanced at Touka, as if expecting her to either give her input on the matter or just make the decision. She sighed.
''We'll take the risk,'' she said. Shadow then opened the link, with the trio being startled that they were greeted with The Eggman Empire logo, only for it to disappear and six separate monitors to open.
''Shadow!''
''Touka!''
''Finally!''
''It's great to see you again!''
''Where are you?''
''Are you okay?''
''What's the deal with ARMS?''
''Wait, Rouge?! What are you doing here?!''
Touka, Shadow and Rouge were all surprised by the sudden barrage of greetings and questions coming from the rest of Team Neos. Clearly, their teammates were relieved to see that they managed to contact their friends, but still Touka and Shadow did feel a bit overwhelmed when the questioning started. The only one who noticed Rouge's presence was Knuckles.
Suddenly, Lucas whistled loudly, drawing everyone's attention to him. ''Okay, slow down everyone! I'm sure Touka and Shadow – and Rouge – have also questions for us. We explain our side of the story, while you guys explain what had happened to you.''
''Yeah, I think that would be the better approach than playing 20 Questions,'' Touka replied in a dry tone.
''Well, to keep this short, we know that you two have been taken by ARMS, as Kisaki had told Sonic what had happened, and that we are all being observed by the organization. We didn't want to get into contact with you until we made sure we had a safe communication network, and as you probably noticed, Warren and Tails utilized the EggNet for that,'' Lucas explained. ''I suppose you, Touka, cannot use your AR Visor to call us, right?''
''Yeah, you're right. Fortunately, ARMS doesn't know Shadow has his own AR Visor, so they didn't search for one,'' Touka replied. ''As for our side of the story, well, since Kisaki told you already what had happened, I'll just fill you in on what we found out. ARMS is an abbreviation for Advanced Reconnaissance & Mission Support, and they're basically a military organization focused on fighting Irregular ARNavs all over Starpoint Area and using them for their own goals. Project Shadow was basically part of that goal, which is why they kidnapped me and Shadow, and they also know that you guys are also Irregulars.''
''Huh, so you were right about your assumption, Lucas,'' Sonic said, and when Touka, Shadow and Rouge gave him questioning looks, he added, ''We kinda talked about what happened and that was one of the conclusions.''
''Right, so… The only reason you guys aren't being dragged away as well is because the Commander decided blackmail us into becoming Agents of ARMS. We take a step out of line, you are done for,'' Touka added, a grim expression forming on her face. ''They also know about Sakamoto's death, but I don't believe that they know what really happened, nor that Shadow and I knew the truth before we got there. I also don't know how much ARMS knows about our adventures, specifically the battles with Dr. Eggman. We did manage to convince him to let us team up with Rouge.''
''How did you end up at ARMS?!'' Knuckles asked, still shocked to see his rival.
''It's a long story, but basically, they're keeping me here by force as well,'' Rouge replied, then smiled coyly. ''I have heard that you really missed me, Knuckie.''
Knuckles froze, a tint of pink spreading across his muzzle, only to huff in response. ''I was merely making sure that you are not up to something.''
''So, what do we do now?'' Makoto asked. ''Lucas said that we should first get into contact before we make up some kind of plan.''
Before anyone could say anything, another screen appeared, with a furious Dr. Eggman shouting, ''I told you get off the EggNet!''
''Not again! I thought that the firewalls would work,'' Warren grumbled.
''I would've gotten here faster if it weren't for those. Now get off the EggNet before I make you- Huh?'' Dr. Eggman paused for a moment, taking note of the logo on Touka's uniform. He frowned. ''Don't tell me that you teamed up with that pathetic ARMS organization.''
''What?! No!'' Touka replied, looking quite offended at the accusation. ''We got forced to be here.''
''How do you even know about ARMS, Doctor?'' Shadow asked.
''None of your business,'' Eggman replied offhandedly, adding, ''But, I will say, they've been keeping me busy by targeting my Egg Bases.''
''Well, that explains why you haven't launched an attack in the past week,'' Minami commented, folding her arms across her chest.
''Don't underestimate me! I could easily destroy you then and there, but even a genius like me needs some down time,'' Dr. Eggman told her. Minami just rolled her eyes.
''Wait a second,'' Lucas rose his voice, turning his attention towards Eggman. ''I know you're not going to share much information with us, but could you at least tell us just how problematic would it be for us to get Touka, Shadow and Rouge out of ARMS?''
Eggman gave him a curious look, grinning deviously. ''It is good to see that you're showing some common sense, Kinomoto. To answer your question, it will be impossible for you to save your friends. ARMS is not an organization to be taken lightly. You have no idea of the horrors they're capable of committing, all under the excuse of doing the right thing.''
''So, ARMS has done some shady stuff, haven't they?'' Lucas continued, his eyes narrowed. Eggman nodded, still grinning as he realized that Lucas was up to something. ''Would it be possible to use that information against them?''
''What?!''
''I mean, if Touka, Shadow and Rouge are essentially being held by force and blackmailed, then we could do the same to ARMS,'' Lucas continued, much to his friends' shock. Eggman, however, started laughing.
''Ho ho ho, if I knew that you could be this ruthless, Kinomoto, I would've invited you to join my empire,'' he said, quite enjoying watching the ongoing drama.
''I'm not interested,'' Lucas shot back in an irked tone. ''Also, I have a proposal for you too, Doctor.''
''I'm listening,'' Eggman responded, now suddenly interested in what the leader of Team Neos had to tell him.
''It appears that ARMS is our common enemy, so would you be willing to agree to a truce and allow us to use the EggNet until we achieve our goal?'' Lucas asked. ''Also, no Badnik attacks in the meantime.''
Eggman paused for a moment, thinking about the offer. ''Heh, why should I even agree to this? What do I get from this proposal?''
''Like I said earlier, ARMS is our common enemy, and you also said that they're attacking your Egg Bases. I assume that you would want them off your back as well,'' Lucas pointed out. Eggman hummed in thought.
''You're not wrong about that. I don't like having outsiders intrude into my game, especially when they have no place in it,'' Eggman replied, then nodded. ''Fine, I agree to your terms. However, you will only be using this space you have created within the EggNet. If you try to access any of my other private data, I'm kicking you out. I also won't attack Neos City as long as this trainwreck is ongoing. In return, however, you will give me information in regards to what ARMS is up to.''
Lucas frowned, being silent for a moment, then nodded. ''Fine. I agree to your terms, Doctor.''
''Good.'' With that said, Dr. Eggman turned his screen off.
Lucas, in turn, just took a deep sigh.
''Lucas, are you sure about this? I don't think it's a smart idea to team up with Dr. Eggman,'' Lily said.
''Honestly, I don't think that we have much of a choice now,'' Lucas replied, a tone of regret in his voice. ''I'm sorry for making this decision without consulting you guys, though.'' He glanced at Sonic. ''I guess that this wasn't my best idea…''
''Honestly, I wouldn't trust Eggman with my life, but I do believe that you made the right choice. We can handle Eggman and his attacks. ARMS is a completely different story,'' Sonic replied, then glanced at Shadow. ''What do you say, Shads? Are you up for the challenge?''
''Hmph, why are you even asking?'' Shadow replied, with Sonic shooting him a knowing smile.
''Okay, so, if we all agree, then here's what's going to happen next,'' Lucas started, taking a moment as everyone nodded in acknowledgement, then continued, ''Touka, Shadow and Rouge; you would need to find any information on ARMS that we can use. Anything that they wouldn't want to be leaked out to the public.''
''We will,'' Toula replied.
''That's not going to be easy, though. I've been here for a while and ARMS is quite protective of their data,'' Rouge replied.
''Take your time and make sure that you're safe,'' Lucas replied. ''We'll try to do whatever we can on our side.''
''Good luck guys!'' Silver rose his voice. ''We'll stay in contact, right?''
''Of course,'' Touka replied, exchanging glances with Shadow and Rouge as everyone said their goodbyes and the screens closed. ''I guess it's now our turn.''