-Chapter 180-

The Solaris Project

Soleanna, Present Day…

Morning came. The group was hunkered down in the Sky Patrol, no sign of any Badniks. They watched TV as Elise sighed, managing a small smile.

"As frightening as all this is, I have to admit... I've enjoyed this adventure," she confessed. "For once, I was able to be myself. Something more than a princess."

Cosmo tilted her head quizzically. "Is being a princess really that hard? Sally doesn't seem to mind."

"Some days are better than others," Elise remarked. "But I love this country. Everyone in the castle, the children, all my citizens really. The same love my late father and mother had... So I do my best to protect Soleanna."

"You'd do anything for them," Cosmo realized.

"There is so much I have done for this country that they will never know," Elise answered. "My crown came with a heavy burden, but I bear it as best I can."

At that moment, a shadow passed over the forest. They looked out to see the Egg Carrier flying overhead, looming threateningly over the city as Robotnik's voice rang out over a loudspeaker for all to hear.

"Princess Elise of Soleanna, by refusing to negotiate with me, you have forced me to take drastic actions. Come to the Wave Ocean Zone alone at noon today. If you fail to arrive on time, I will have no choice but to level this city until nothing but ashes remain. The choice is yours."

"No…" Elise gasped.

"Surely, he couldn't be crazy enough to actually carpet-bomb all of-" Antoine shook his head. "What am I saying? That's le fou (1) who blew up half of the moon. Of course he would!"

"Whatever he's planning ain't gonna come to pass," Bunnie insisted, turning towards Elise, "so don't you fret Prin-"

Elise was gone

"Elise?!" Amy cried. "Oh no!"

"Has she lost her mind?!" Johnny shouted.

"She's doing what any royal should do," Sally said. "Protect her people. If I was in her position, I can't say I wouldn't do the same."

"We can still catch her and stop her," Tekno insisted.

"Right now, we find his bombs," Sally decided. "Get rid of the threat, or we'll never dissuade her."

"Sally, how do we even know he planted actual bombs?" Keith questioned. "He'll just as likely use the Egg Carrier to firebomb the city if Elise doesn't show up. We're between a rock and a hard place."

"I hate to admit it, but Keith's right," Chris sighed. "The only way to save Soleanna for now... is if Elise turns herself in."

They heard a surge of power at that moment. They all looked out to see a portal open before them, Team Sonic and Rouge deposited on the ground.

"Well, that was bracing," Rouge declared.

Sally shoved her way through the door, running right out to the group. She tackled Sonic, kissing him fully before hugging him tightly.

"Sonic! Thank Aurora!" she cried. "When you disappeared yesterday, I thought we'd never see you again!"

Sonic patted her back.

"I always come back, Sal. Don't you-" He cut off as what she just said registered. "Did you say yesterday? Then... today is November 14, isn't it?"

"Yes... but why?"

He grabbed Sally before rushing into the Sky Patrol.

"Well, looks like that's handled." Rouge began heading off, only for Knuckles to grab her arm.

"And where are you going?" he asked.

"To find a robot and rob a museum," Rouge said bluntly. "Then find a good place for a time capsule."

"Excuse me?" Tails questioned.

"Hey, someone needs to find a Chaos Emerald so Shadow and Hope aren't stuck in the future." Rouge pulled her arm free. "Good luck."

She then flew off.

"Whoa, when did Rouge get here?" Kat asked.

Knuckles froze, then turned when he saw Kat standing there, just looking up at Rouge's retreating form.

"What happened that you ended up crossing paths with-"

Knuckles immediately grabbed her in a hug. After a moment of surprise, Kat slowly returned it. At her look, Tails sighed.

"We'll explain on the ship."

-X-

In the Sky Patrol, everyone gathered around. Knuckles was still holding Kat as Sonic began the story.

"We were stuck in the timeline Silver and Lara-Su came from. And let me tell you, it's not as bad as Silver claimed it was. It's ten times WORSE." He looked at Silver. "If that's the hellhole you came from, no wonder you were so desperate to believe killing me would make it better."

"So that's what happened…" Silver muttered.

"Wait, if you were in the future, how did you get back?" Lara-Su asked.

"Chaos Control through the Master Emerald," Sonic replied. "But that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is what we found out while we were there. The Day of Disaster... the end of the world... It's today. It's gonna happen sometime today."

Everyone gasped at that.

"What's gonna happen, exactly?" Sally insisted.

"The Egg Carrier's gonna malfunction and blow up, with Eggman and Princess Elise inside it," Knuckles explained. "And when that happens, Iblis will surface and be free to burn Mobius to a cinder."

"So that's it…" Silver realized. "The Iblis Trigger wasn't a person. It was an event."

So…" Keith began awkwardly, "is this a bad time to tell you Elise surrendered to Eggman not long before you came back?"

Sonic perked at that.

"She did WHAT?!" He grabbed Keith by the collar. "And you all just let it happen?!"

"He was gonna firebomb the city if she didn't give herself up, Sonic!" Keith cried. "By the time we even noticed, she was gone!"

"Damn it, NO!" Sonic screamed. "I WILL NOT! FAIL! AGAIN!"

He dropped Keith and took off so fast he left a Sonic-shaped cloud in his wake, the air exploding with a sonic boom. A moment of silence passed before Sally spoke up.

"Just… what happened to you all in the future?"

Tails sighed.

"We watched the Old Kat in the future die," he confessed. "Sonic was holding her hand when she went."

Everyone gasped, Knuckles pulled a stunned Kat closer to himself, and Lara-Su just dropped to her knees.

"Master… she's dead?" she let out.

Silver bent down, hugging Lara-Su.

"I'm so sorry…" he said.

Egg Carrier

On board the Egg Carrier, Elise sat defiantly as Robotnik paced in front of her.

"You've wasted so much of my time," he sighed. "If you had cooperated with me earlier, I wouldn't have to do this."

"Just what are you trying to do, Doctor?" Elise questioned. "Why are you so determined to revive the Flames of Disaster?"

"Tell me, did your father ever disclose to you anything about Solaris?" Robotnik asked. "Solaris's secrets are in his eternal flames. His power... can change time, and even manipulate the fabric of time itself. I wish to obtain this power and dominate everything in this world. From the past all the way to the future!"

"So that's it," Elise realized. "You wish to rule over time itself. Play God."

"Essentially, yes."

Elise glared at him. "You're talking about power no human or Mobian should have. If you revive the flames, you'll end up destroying yourself. But not before you've annihilated everything else."

Robotnik shrugged. "Well then, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree."

Elise shook her head in disdain. "You're insane."

Robotnik scowled, turning to face her.

"No, Princess. That would imply either mental illness or derangement. I suffer from neither."

"Well whatever you are, so long as I live, the Flames of Disaster will never be reignited."

Robotnik smirked. "Never say never, my dear."

Soleanna

In a local repair shop, Omega emerged with a fresh coat of paint and a recently repaired chassis. The four Flickies were all perched on his head, chirping happily to one another.

"Your compliments about my form are appreciated," he said. "Do you require sustenance? I can acquire your preferred brand of birdseed if you so desire."

"Once you do that, we've got another job to do, Omega."

Omega turned to see Rouge touch down.

"You might wanna sit down for this."

They took a seat at a local bench, and Rouge outlined the situation with Shadow and Robotnik's scheme, concluding with their need to acquire a Chaos Emerald.

"Situation understood," Omega said at last. "What would you like me to do?"

"We need to find a Chaos Emerald and fast," Rouge said. "My senses are too short range, and time is of the essence. From there, we find somewhere to bury it and a way to leave a message to Shadow so he knows it's there."

"Command program priority changed. New mission: Shadow Support commencing."

"Right then," Rouge stood up. "Let's go to work."

Crisis City, 200 years later

Meanwhile, in the future, Shadow and Hope faced off with Mephiles. He snapped his fingers, and numerous demonic shades manifested behind him in a swarm. They resembled him vaguely, except their heads are triangular with a single purple eye on their face, and have two hands with claw-like fingers.

"Such foolishness, Shadow," Mephiles scoffed. "Very well. Let's see if you can entertain me."

Shadow summoned a Chaos Spear, focusing enough to solidify it before handing it to Hope. She took the spear, getting into a fighting stance.

"I'll deal with the shades," she decided. "You handle the mouthless wonder."

Shadow nodded, heading for Mephiles, only for him to suddenly disappear. He looked around to see Mephiles in place of his own shadow, the creature waving his arms to send the shades after them.

"Coward!" he shouted. "Get out here and fight me like a man!"

"You mistake my intelligence for cowardice," Mephiles retorted. "In any conflict, the winner is the one ready to do what the loser is not."

Hope was twirling the spear left and right, the chaos energy ripping through the shades like paper.

"You mean like actually fight?!" she demanded.

Shadow and Hope fought the shades for a while. Eventually, Shadow scowled and flared up, sparking.

"Chaos… BOOST!"

He gained a red skin-level aura, the chaos energy so intense it forced Mephiles out into the open. He grunted, looking at Shadow in surprise.

"How is this possible?" he demanded. "You shouldn't have enough power to actually stop me!"

"If you thought of me as some weakling you could easily toy with, then you haven't thought at all." Shadow shot back.

"I miscalculated…" Mephiles hissed. "Damn…"

He summoned another purple orb.

"He's getting away!" Hope screamed.

As he jumped into it, Shadow and Hope chased after him, leaping in mere seconds before it closed.

Soleanna, Present Day

Back in the present, Rouge smashed open a case containing the purple Chaos Emerald while Omega was confronting the curator.

"Chaos Emerald is required for GUN business," the Goodnik said. "Attempts to interfere will be met with termination."

"But… but that's-" the curator insisted.

"GUN property."

"But-"

A gun cocked, and he found himself faced with a wrist-mounted cannon from Omega's right arm.

"Yes, very well. Go ahead and take it."

"Your compliance is welcome," Omega said.

"Quit wasting time, Omega!" Rouge snapped. "We gotta move!"

Omega retracted the gun. "Thank you for your cooperation."

The two left, gem in hand.

"Now all we need is somewhere to bury this thing where Shadow can find it in two hundred years," Rouge said.

As they debated what to do, the purple orb opened up. Shadow came falling out, pulling off a perfect superhero landing... only for Hope to come plummeting out with a scream and land on top of him, knocking both to the ground.

"Ow…" Shadow let out.

"Sorry, Shadow," Hope winced.

"Oh for the love of-" Rouge sighed. "I was just about to save you!"

Hope rolled off Shadow, standing up and dusting herself off.

"Well, it's the thought that counts," she remarked before looking around. "Damn... looks like Mephiles gave us the slip."

"Clarification required," Omega requested. "How did Mephiles give you the slip?"

"My guess, dropped out at a different point in time," Hope said.

She began pacing around as Shadow got up himself.

"We've gotta work out what's going on. Who or what is Mephiles? How does he know Shadow? Why was he sealed in the Scepter of Darkness, and why did Eggman steal it?"

"It has to be linked to the Solaris Project," Shadow mused before snapping his fingers. "Hang on. Sonic mentioned travelers from the future. They'd have more information. We need to talk to them."

"Head for the Sky Patrol," Rouge said. "That's where they are. And take this."

She handed him the Chaos Emerald. "I get the feeling you'll need it.

Shadow took it. "Thank you."

Sky Patrol

At the Sky Patrol, Hope and Shadow introduced themselves to Silver and the others before explaining what was going on.

"Mephiles…" Silver let out, "he's the one who sicced me on Sonic in the first place. He claimed Sonic was the cause of our future, and I was desperate enough to convince myself killing him would make a difference."

"You were a naïve fool to ever believe his words," Shadow sneered. "Mephiles isn't trying to help you create a better future. He's trying to eliminate the past."

"I made a mistake, okay? One mistake! Do people have to keep beating me over the head with it?"

"When said mistake involves attempted murder?" Lara-Su spoke up, "Let me think... YES!"

"Lara-Su, enough!" Kat snapped. "You threatened him with murder just yesterday, so you don't really have that big of a leg to stand on there."

"Oh, and you do, Miss 'threaten Blaze with murder for a single mistake'?" Hope countered.

"Okay first, I was still fresh from what happened with Metal. Second, I've owned up to the fact that I crossed a line there. And third, I've doubled up on my therapy since that day, so hopefully, that won't happen again."

"The point is, Mephiles and the Flames of Disaster both seem to have a connection to Solaris," Shadow cut in. "And the doctor's theft of the Scepter in which he was trapped seems to tie into his recreation of the Solaris Project."

"So what's your plan?" Sally asked.

Shadow held out his two Chaos Emeralds.

"Travel back to the site of the accident ten years ago, and discover the truth. It's our best shot of knowing exactly what happened, what we're dealing with, and how to stop it."

"Let me come with you," Silver requested. "I need to know what caused my future."

Shadow thought before nodding.

"As you wish," He handed him the Emerald Rouge gave him. "Now, do as I do."

They held the Emeralds aloft, crossing arms.

"Chaos Control!" they both shouted.

The Emeralds shimmered, forming into a blue time portal.

"Don't think you're going without me," Hope insisted.

"Of course not," Shadow held out his hand. "Let's go."

The trio all jumped into the rift, which closed behind them.

Soleanna, 10 years ago…

The hedgehogs and Hope fell out of the rift, dropping to the ground to find themselves in a long corridor. As the lights flickered, they ran down, hiding out of sight as they came to a large room with an older man, clearly the Duke of Soleanna, and some scientists watching a cylinder filled with sparkling orange energy.

"An electromagnetic pulse has just been generated!" one scientist declared, frantically working at a keyboard. "Injecting decompression agent! No, the level's not dropping! A spatial meltdown is inevitable! My Lord, it's too late! We've got to take shelter!"

The Duke slammed his palms on the console.

"Why, Solaris?" he demanded. "Why do you refuse to listen to my voice?!"

"Father!"

They turned to see a younger Elise, around seven years old, running up.

"Elise?!" the Duke exclaimed. "What are you-?!"

It was at that point the cylinder went critical. Instinctively, the Duke threw himself in front of Elise just as it exploded. Shadow pulled Hope close to him, shielding her as Silver brought up a psychic shield, keeping the three of them safe. When the dust settled, Silver killed the shield and they all looked around. The room was devastated, the Duke and scientists sprawled all over. As they checked the bodies, Silver perked at the remains of the cylinder, seeing the orange mass of energy split into a swirling ball of flames and an amorphous mass of darkness.

"That flame…" Silver realized. "It's Iblis!"

"And that black goop must be Mephiles." Shadow deduced.

The two figures swarmed further into the facility.

"They're getting away!" Hope exclaimed. "Silver, Shadow and I will take care of Mephiles! You handle Iblis!"

As they were about to head off, a voice reached their ears.

"Wait…"

They turned to see the Duke, badly wounded, but alive, pulling himself up, holding out what Shadow and Hope recognized as the Scepter of Darkness.

"The darkness…" he managed. "Seal it with this…"

Shadow took the Scepter, the pieces falling into place for him.

"I will. Count on it."

"Hurry up!" Silver yelled. "If those two get out, it's all over!"

They hurried after Mephiles and Iblis, leaving the Duke to stagger to his feet and turn to his unconscious daughter. Hope went over to help him as best she could.

"She's okay," he said. "But you… you're not. You might want to say your goodbyes…"

"Not yet…" the Duke insisted. "I have a duty to uphold."

He scooped up Elise in his arms, using all his willpower to stand up.

"The Living Flame has been entrusted to the royal family. The Flames of Disaster will awaken if nothing is done. That must not happen."

"Hang on…" Hope insisted. "What are you doing?"

"What needs to be done," the Duke replied cryptically.

-X-

Mephiles and Iblis headed down separate hallways. Shadow and Silver quickly split up to pursue both. Shadow raised his Chaos Emerald, holding it aloft.

"Chaos Control!"

Mephiles was stopped in his tracks, unable to move as Shadow got in front of him.

"...What? ...Stop!" Mephiles managed. "Who... Who are... you?"

" I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog." Shadow held the Scepter of Darkness aloft. "Mephiles the Dark... you and I have unfinished business."

The Scepter began drawing Mephiles in.

"Shadow... Your face... Your form... I will remember," Mephiles swore. "Your death... Certain... You... will die!"

Mephiles is sucked completely into the Scepter of Darkness, sealing him within it. After it falls to the ground, Shadow slowly picks the scepter up, the last piece falling into place.

"So that's it… I was the one who sealed him away to begin with," he lowered the scepter. "Seems time has come full circle."

-X-

In another room, Silver had tracked Iblis to a room containing some kind of altar. He restrained him with telekinesis, holding with all his might, only to turn at the sight of the Duke entering, Elise in his arms and Hope on his heels.

"What are you doing?!" Silver demanded. "You need to run!"

"No…" the Duke managed. "Iblis... must be sealed… Only a living soul belonging to the royal family of Soleanna can hope to contain him."

Silver and Hope looked between Elise and Iblis, getting his intent.

"You…" Hope began. "You're sealing Iblis inside your own daughter? How- How can you think this is the right thing to do?!"

"It's not…" the Duke confessed. "If I could, I would take the burden… But as you said... I am dying… My daughter will live… So I must…"

"But-" Hope started to object.

"Do you think I want this any more than you?!" the Duke demanded. "The only alternative is to allow the Flames of Disaster to ravage Mobius! There's no other way!"

Unable to retort, Hope slumped in resignation as the Duke lay Elise atop the altar, drawing the white Chaos Emerald from his cloak.

"Eternal Sun!" he announced. "The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with a royal soul!"

The Duke lifted his hands upward, and Iblis shrank, becoming minuscule, and vanished into the emerald, which then injected it as a beam of light into Elise. The Duke collapsed on the altar, weakened and all worn out, as Elise began to stir.

"Daddy…?"

She sat up, seeing her father's weakened state. The Duke managed a weak smile, reaching up to stroke her hair.

"Elise... it's time for me to join your mother. Forgive me…"

"No… No, you can't leave me!"

The Duke cupped her face.

"My child... please forgive me... for the terrible burden I have granted you… What I did was for the good of our kingdom... and the world… Remember, be brave. Don't cry, no matter what happens. Otherwise your tears will call forth the flames inside you... Become a strong queen who doesn't cry no matter what happens. And... live... happily… Promise me…"

With that, the Duke passed on, slumping over. Elise teared up, clenching her fists before remembering his words and pulling back. Silver and Hope looked at him solemnly before gently laying the Duke on his back. Hope folded his hands across his chest before closing his eyes.

"I promise, Father…" Elise let out. "I promise…"

With nothing left to say or do, Silver and Hope left the young Princess to mourn.

Soleanna Forest Zone, Present Day

Sonic had just demolished several Badniks and had a member of the Eurish Egg Army by the collar

"Where is Eggman?!" he demanded.

"You won't find him!" the soldier shouted.

Sonic slammed him against the wall.

"WHERE IS HE?!"

"With Princess Elise," the soldier smirked at him smugly. "She's ours now. Can you imagine what the doctor is going to do to her?"

Sonic's eyes flashed blue before he slammed the soldier to the ground. He curled up, going into a very slow spin toward the soldier.

"What?!" the soldier cried. "No! You can't do this!"

Still in spinball mode, Sonic pressed against the soldier's head, revving up. The intent was crystal clear; either the soldier talked, or Sonic would blast off with a point-blank Spin Dash and crush his skull like an eggshell.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Kingdom Valley!" the soldier cried out. "The old castle of Soleanna! He's set up a base there! That's it! That's all I know!"

Sonic stopped for a minute before beginning to rev up again.

"For Aurora's sake, stop! I'll tell you, just stop!"

Sonic stopped. "Remember something else?!"

"The Aquatic Base beneath the old castle! It's where the Duke enacted the Solaris Project ten years ago! It's where Dr. Robotnik's been holed up, where he's been keeping the princess and the Egg Carrier!"

Sonic took off in a flash, leaving the soldier alone, a puddle growing under him. As he went, he contacted the others.

"I got answers from a local Egg Soldier. Eggman's got Elise in the old castle in Kingdom Valley. I'm headed that way now."

"We're on our way to lend aid," Sally assured. "Don't worry Sonic. We'll save her."

Aquatic Base

At the base, Robotnik was in the middle of a call with the Egg Soldier.

"What?!" he shouted. "You told Sonic about the Kingdom Valley base?!"

"Forgive me, Doctor! But he was furious! Acting like he was possessed! He's out for blood, and on his way!"

Robotnik's face went pale at that.

"Was he black?"

"I… What?"

"What color were his spines, you imbecile?!"

"Uh... I dunno... dark blue? I didn't see any change at all."

Robotnik just heard "dark", tuning the rest out. He ended the call.

"Launch the Egg Carrier now!" he shouted. "Sonic's ticked as hell and on his way! If he finds us, we're dead!"

Cyberized soldiers and Egg Drones began moving double time to get the Egg Carrier in the air.

Kingdom Valley

The Egg Carrier began to take off, just as the Sky Patrol came flying in. Upon seeing the flying fortress lifting off, the Freedom Fighters were left just staring. Sonic came skidding in on the ground, gasping.

"Well!" Sticks screamed. "Shoot it down!"

"We can't!" Tails insisted. "If we do, it'll crash, killing Elise!"

"Well we can't just let them get away!" Knuckles insisted.

"If we attack, we risk fulfilling the evil future…" Sally pointed out. "We're stuck…"

Sonic's fists clenched before he ran up the side of the castle, hopping across the battlements, determined to get on before the ship could get away. As he went, he clenched his fists, beginning to spark a brilliant blue.

"I couldn't save Uncle Chuck from being roboticized," he recalled. "I couldn't protect Kat's family and hometown on the Death Egg. I couldn't save Hope's grandma from Chaos. To this day, I hate myself for not being strong enough."

He sped up, heading for the highest tower.

"But this time is different! I swear!"
He went flying off the tower, heading right for the Egg Carrier.

"Elise!" he screamed in determination. "I'M NOT LETTING YOU DIE!"

He streaked across the sky, landing perfectly on one of the outer panels of the Egg Carrier.

"He made it!" Amy cheered.

Sonic reached into his hoodie, pulling out the box with the two power gems. A piece of paper was stuck to the inside of the lid, notes written in Laura's handwriting.

"Green Gem is a Spin Slash Gem. Gives your Spin dash an extra kick that will be able to cut through the hardest substances. Red Gem is Slow Gem. Gives you the ability to slow time around you for a short while. Insert them into the heel of your sneaker."

Sonic smirked.

"Oh thank you, Laura Kent."

He slammed the green gem into his sneaker. The effect was instantaneous; his shoes shifted, turning into a green version of the Hi-Speed Shoes he wore during the ARK incident. Wasting no time, Sonic tucked into a Spin Dash, forming into a blue buzzsaw that began slicing through the hull of the Egg Carrier. He rushed in, never leaving his Spin Dash, and just shot through the carrier in a straight line, making right for the cockpit.

-X-

In the cockpit, an alarm was going off. Robotnik was frantically typing away on the keys at his interface while Elise watched.

"Huh? The engines are malfunctioning!"

Elise stood up in shock and fear, Robotnik ignoring her as he tried desperately to regain control of his vessel.
"What's this?" He exclaimed. "Stop all engines now!"

There was no response. Eggman began pounding on his interface in frustration and horror.

"...Why is this happening? No! We're about to crash!"

Suddenly, Sonic came bursting through the door. He came out of the Spin Dash and popped his heels together, ejecting the green gem. He caught it, then slammed the red one in its place before he even hit the ground. Elise and Robotnik turned to see him.

"Sonic?!" they both exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yeah, it's me! C'mon!"

Elise ran over to him. Robotnik was fuming, clearly about to attack.

"Eggman, don't be a fool!" Sonic snapped. "This ship is about to crash! What's more important, our little feud or your life?!"

Robotnik paused, then seethed before Sonic grabbed him by the collar of his coat.

"Let's see how well this slow time gem works!"

He took off running, his surroundings slowing down as he did. He could see by now that the ground was close enough he could easily make the jump, so he did so, depositing Robotnik in a tree before dropping Elise off with the now landed Sky Patrol. He then went back into the crashing Egg Fortress several times, dropping every Cyberized goon he found in various trees before eventually coming to a stop. As everyone watched, the Egg Carrier crashed into the mountains, exploding. Thumbing his nose, Sonic headed back to the Sky Patrol as Robotnik fumed from his tree.

"I hate that hedgehog…" he grumbled.

He began climbing down, only to slip, falling down a few trees before his pants snagged on a branch, leaving him hanging by his boxers. He screamed in pain and embarrassment.

"I'll get you for this, Sonic! I'LL GET YOU!"

Author's Note:

(1): French for "the lunatic" or "the fool," according to Google Translate.

Elise has been saved, but the game isn't over yet. There's still Mephiles to hunt down. Stay tuned...

Please R&R. Until next time!