-Chapter 229-

Hopeless Situation

Westopolis

At Team Dark's brownstone in Westopolis, Shadow woke up, doing his morning stretches before heading down to the kitchen and getting his usual bowl of coffee beans. At the table, Rouge was looking over a jewelry box, fussing over what to wear.

"Hmmm, the pearls?" she pondered. "No, I'm a spy, not a 50's secretary. Diamonds, perhaps?"

"Just pick the rubies like you always do," Shadow sighed. "Honestly, this little debate you have every morning is tedious and exhausting."

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Men. You just don't understand the pains a lady has to take to be this beautiful."

"Ridiculous."

"Like you eating raw coffee beans every day?"

Shadow looked down at his coffee mug, then groaned.

"I've already had this debate with Antoine. I'd rather not have to defend my choice of breakfast to you."

Before the debate could continue, an explosion sounded from the kitchen, followed by a cloud of smoke. Both rushed into the kitchen, only to find it covered in what appeared to be pancake batter. Omega stood before the stove, wearing a chef's hat and apron. Rouge sighed.

"What'd you do this time, Omega?" she asked.

"The recipe said to cook the pancakes for three minutes on medium heat," Omega explained. "Logic dictates a higher temperature would decrease cook time."

Shadow rubbed his eyes in annoyance.

"Omega…" he began, "What did we tell you about trying to cook after your last attempt?"

"There was nothing wrong with those soft pretzels," Omega insisted. "The salt level was ten percent less than a lethal dose."

"And this is why Hope is the cook," Rouge remarked.

Shadow perked. "Speaking of, did Hope come home last night? I haven't seen her around lately."

Omega was about to respond, but at that moment, the doorbell rang. Shadow went to get it, but Rouge held up a hand.

"Oh no, I got it," she insisted. "Last time you answered the door while in a mood, you almost blew up the mailman."

Shadow looked away sheepishly as Rouge went to the door, opening it to find Sam.

"Oh hey, Sam," she greeted. "Wanna come in for coffee?"

"No thanks. I can't stay long," Sam replied. "Is Hope here? She's missed school for the past week."

Shadow perked. "A week?!"

Sam blinked in surprise. "You didn't know?"

"Father of the year right here, ladies and gentlemen," Rouge deadpanned.

"Then Chris wasn't exaggerating…" Sam realized. "She's been at the lab in Knothole the whole time!"

"And you didn't find this odd?" Omega asked.

"She's part of the 'tests only' program for the gifted, as well as a Freedom Fighter," Sam defended. "But just yesterday, she missed a huge test, and now she's at risk of getting revoked from it."

"That's not like Hope, she takes her studies seriously…" Rouge nodded. "Something's up."

"Seriously, you're her family!" Sam pointed out. "She lives with you! How did you not notice?"

"GUN's had us investigating Eggman's army and bases ever since what happened in Station Square!" Shadow objected. "We're lucky to even spend an hour at home!"

"Did you ever think to call her?"

Shadow flinched, then immediately sped upstairs to grab his phone. As soon as he got it he dialed Hope's number.

"Come on…pick up, pick up!"

"Hi there!" Hope greeted.

"Oh thank Aurora!" Shadow sighed with relief. "Hope, what are you…!?"

"You've reached Hope Kintobor's phone." Which was quickly broken when he realized he got her voicemail. "I'm sorry, I can't talk right now, but if you'll leave your name, number, and a brief message, I–"

"Damn it!"

After pocketing his phone, Shadow ran and got his rocket skates, pulling them on before storming out the door.

"Shadow, wait!" Rouge cried as she and the others hurried after him.

"Of all the stupid, boneheaded things for me to…!" Shadow ranted.

"Shadow, hold on! You don't-"

"We don't have time to 'hold on', Rouge! Something's wrong with one of our teammates, MY DAUGHTER! We have to get to Knothole immediately!"

"Then why don't we use the Warp Rings to get there immediately?" Omega suggested.

Shadow paused for a moment, then facepalmed. "Yes... that's a good idea."

"And you call Sonic out for not thinking things through." Rouge said flatly.

Shadow glared at her. "Don't start."

Knothole

At Freedom HQ, Sally was getting herself coffee when Shadow came bursting in the front door.

"Shadow?" she exclaimed before he grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Hope! Where is she?!" Shadow demanded, shaking her. "Speak, damn it!"

"Shadow, will you calm down?!" she insisted. "She's in the lab!"

The commotion soon drew the others in.

"She's been in there for an Aurora-damned week, and you didn't do anything?!" Shadow shouted.

"We've all been busy!" Sally pointed out. "Sonic's been training with Longclaw, and we've all been working on our own things!"

Kat walked over to the lab, knocking on the door and getting no response.

"Hope, you open this damn door right now, or I'll break it down!" she screamed.

When she got no response once more, Kat, true to her word, reeled back before kicking it off its hinges.

"Hope! What the hell is…going on…here…?"

When they entered, they saw it was a complete mess. The tables were covered in so many notes and papers, one could mistake it for a tablecloth. More than a few of the lightbulbs had burned out, and there were cans of Blue Cow, empty styrofoam cappuccino and instant ramen cups, and snack wrappers everywhere.

"Oh jeez…" Kat winced, "It smells like a gym locker in here."

"It looks like a gym locker in here," Rouge replied as she gingerly picked up a half-eaten Boost Bar.

As they made their way through the mess, they found Hope at her computer, typing away while softly rambling to herself, going over calculations and plans.

"Access file Crack exe, beginning system debugging 19 65 09 17…"

"Hope?" Sally called out softly. "Hope!"

Hope gave no sign she heard, just going about her work.

"Hope?"

"Hope Angela Kintobor!" Shadow growled as he spun her chair to face him. "You had better have a good explanation for what's going on he…WHAT THE HELL!?"

Hope looked like she hadn't slept or showered in days. Her hair was a ratted mess and she had dark circles under her extremely bloodshot eyes. She didn't even acknowledge his presence and just blankly stared at him, still mumbling and performing typing motions, as if in a trance.

"My God…"

"Oh honey, what happened?" Rouge bent down and began gently trying to make Hope look at least somewhat presentable, the girl showing no reaction.

"Uploading BlueSphere Protocol 01 09 09 02 01 01 02 04…"

"Hope?" Shadow took her shoulders, shaking her. "Hope, snap out of it!"

As Shadow, Rouge, and Sally all took turns trying to snap Hope out of her trance, with varying degrees of calmness and with no success, Omega turned to the computer. Looking between it and Hope, he popped out a gun on his arm before blasting the monitor, blowing it up. Everyone jumped, and Hope perked, finally reacting.

"Omega, what the hell?!" Rouge shouted.

"Eggman was clearly using the computer to transmit mind control waves in an attempt to convert Hope to his side," Omega said matter-of-factly. "You are welcome."

Hope blinked, looking around confused as if unsure where she was.

"Huh? What happened?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm the one who should be asking you that, young lady!" Shadow snapped.

"Shadow? When did you-?" That was when Hope saw her computer was destroyed. "You blew up my computer?! That had all my research on it! Now I need to start from scratch!"

"We came here to check on you, and discovered you had nearly fallen victim to an Eggman plot," Omega explained. "Worry not, the threat has been dealt with."

"Eggman plot?" Hope facepalmed. "Omega, I was in the middle of research on Cyberization!"

"No, you were staring at the computer screen like a zombie!" Kat insisted. "Even when we pulled you away, you were muttering to yourself like a loon!"

"Hope…" Sam stepped forward, "Just what's been going on?"

Hope took a moment to gather her thoughts, rubbing the sand out of her eyes as she did. She then grabbed a coffee cup next to the remains of her computer, only to toss it aside when she discovered it was empty.

"I've been researching and running data on the cybernetics we collected, trying to break the Crack Protocol," Hope explained. "I was finally making progress, despite all the data being incomplete or corrupt." She turned to Omega and glared at him. "Until some steel-plated jackass barged into my lab and blew up my research!"

"My plating is Megatal, not steel," Omega corrected.

"Hope, sweetie, when was the last time you slept?" Rouge asked. "Or showered? Or ate?"

"Ummmm…"

"Real food?" Rouge glared as Hope put down the Boost Bar she had next to her.

"What's the big deal? It's not the first time I've camped out in the lab for a little while."

"A week is hardly a 'little while', Hope!" Shadow yelled.

Hope blinked, her jaw dropping. "Wait... a week?!"

"One week, four hours, twenty-eight minutes, and fifty-seven seconds, to be precise." Omega clarified.

"What?!" Hope pulled out her phone, checked the date, and went wide-eyed when she saw that not only had it been a week, but she had a huge backlog of voice mails and missed call alerts. "Holy shit…"

"Yeah, Mr Teacher-Spy got worried when you missed our midterm," Kat said. "So much that he asked me to check on you and not the boys."

"I missed the midterm?!" Hope jumped to her feet, stumbling about as she frantically attempted to gather as much stuff as she could. "Oh God... I gotta fix my computer, get ready for the makeup exam, and-!"

"What you need is sleep," Shadow cut in. "Can you even see straight right now?"

Sally picked up the coffee cup, sniffing it before recoiling.

"More like she's seeing triple," she said. "This stuff is so strong it would make a Ricky explode."

"Hope, why are you doing this to yourself?!" Sam demanded.

"Because I have to!" Hope shrieked. "I need to save the Egg Soldiers! So many of them are innocent people Eggman captured! Forced to fight against their will every day, terrified that the slightest mistake will lead to my uncle torturing them, paralyzing and locking them away, or blowing them up!"

Kat sighed. "Hope, listen to me. I know what happened with Kage and Thunderbolt was traumatizing. Believe me, I get it. But you're not doing anyone any favors by running yourself ragged."

"Everyone's been worried sick," Sally insisted. "You can't push yourself like this, especially at your age. You need to take it easy."

"Taking it easy is a luxury we no longer have, Sally!" Hope snapped. "I would think Thunderbolt attacking Twinkle Park and nearly frying us would get you to realize that!"

Sally winced at that.

"Okay, poor choice of words. You need to take care of yourself. You can't help anyone if you're working yourself until you're running on fumes. Relax. Make time for yourself and your loved ones and friends."

"I'll have all the time in the world to do that after I crack the protocol and things are less dangerous," Hope insisted. "I'm sorry that I worried you. From here on out, I promise to call in once and a while the next time I start pulling all-nighters. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

She went to another computer, this one still intact, only for Kat to grab her arm and stop her cold.

"Nope," Kat declared. "You're not going back to work."

Hope scowled in rage. "Kat, I swear to Aurora, if you don't let me go RIGHT NOW…"

Kat pinched the area between the nape of her neck and her shoulder. Hope's pained yelp was cut off as she dropped like a sack of potatoes. Kat pulled back, sighing.

"What did you do?" Sally asked.

"Oh, it's this subjugation technique Locke taught me," Kat explained.

Sam knelt down to Hope. He recoiled briefly at the smell before steeling himself and gently picking her up.

"Well, she smells like ass, to put it bluntly," he deadpanned. "Aside from that, where do you wanna set her down?"

Westopolis

In the bad part of Westopolis, still recovering from the Black Arms attack, a couple had been cornered in a back alley by a group of intimidating thugs. Their leader, a Mobian serpent with a long pair of fangs, pulled a knife on them.

"Just hand over your wallet, nice and easy," he insisted. "No need for this to get bloody."

Before they could, a whistle sounded, and the snake was hit with a thrown pipe, knocking him to the ground. All eyes turned to see three figures standing at the mouth of the alley, two sisters in green hoods and goggles, and a taller man in purple biker attire and a pair of tire-like armbands wrapped in chains. Their faces were hidden by facemasks and a helmet.

"Get outta here!" the man shouted at the couple. "We got this!"

As the couple fled, the leader slowly got up, seething with rage.

"You miserable…Do you have any idea…who you're messin' with?!"

"Ricky Diamondback," the older sister calmly stated. "Leader of the Snakebite Gang. Worth 1,200 Mobiums. Wanted for armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, disturbing the peace, and attempted murder."

"Oh! And being really bad at naming things." the younger sister added. "Seriously, a snake leading the Snakebite gang? Liiiiittle on the nose, don't you think?"

"I'll show you who's bad at naming things!" Ricky hissed in rage. "Get 'em!"

The Snakebite gang charged at the trio, who drew their weapons. The older sister pulled out a collapsible quarterstaff. The younger, a pair of tonfa. While the man simply loosened his chains from his armbands and gripped them.

"Looks like their name's not the only dumb thing about them." the man said. "Girls, give 'em a Double Tap."

"Got it!" the younger sister said, only to stop in confusion. "Wait, which one's the Double Tap again?"

The older sister sighed in annoyance. "Oh for the love of…the one where I do this."

In almost the blink of an eye, the older sister suddenly dashed forward, zipping past all the thugs. The thugs blinked in confusion for a moment, wondering what just happened. They didn't have to wait long though, as several of them suddenly flashed with bright magenta sparks before falling to the ground, unconscious.

"What the…?!" Ricky cried out.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" the younger sister nodded in understanding. "Then I do this!"

The younger sister proceeded to imitate her elder siblings dashing past the remaining thugs, striking each of them with her tonfa as she passed, finishing her sister's work. Both sisters then turned to Ricky.

"S-Stay back!" the snake gangster shouted as he brandished his knife at them. "I'm warnin 'you, I–!"

His threats were interrupted by the sound of chains rattling. Chains that quickly wrapped around his arms, causing him to drop his weapon.

"What?!"

He looked ahead and saw the biker, both his hands grabbing the chains.

"And I do this." he said menacingly. He then proceeded to give the chain a mighty tug, pulling it and Ricky right towards him. The last thing the serpent saw before he lost consciousness was a fist in a leather glove.

With the Snakebites taken care of, the trio got to work making sure they wouldn't get away.

"These guys are worth twelve-hundred?" the elder sister groused as she helped her biker companion bind the beaten thugs with one of his chains. "They're hardly worth one."

"To be fair, bounties are more based on how big a threat they are than actual skill," the biker explained.

"Still overpriced if you ask me."

"Hey, money's money. I'm not complaining," the younger sister said with a shrug.

"Guh…damn hunters." Ricky growled as he slowly came to his senses. "When I get out of here, you're gonna…MMPH!"

"Rue the day you messed with us, we'll give your butts a makeover you'll never forget blah-blah-blah yackity-shmackity," the younger sister mocked as she gagged the serpent's mouth. "Speaking of makeovers…"

Ricky watched nervously as the young hunter reached into her pockets. He could practically see her malicious grin under her mask.

"What say we give you one?" She pulled out a long, thin object, making the snake tremble nervously…only to stare at her in confusion as she pulled out a big, black marker.

"Smile pretty, snakey!"

The young hunter's companions watched as she immediately began doodling on Ricky's' face, the snake squirming the entire time. After about half a minute, the young hunter capped and pocketed her marker, stepping aside to reveal her handiwork.

"Ta-daaaa!" she called out. "My latest masterpiece: Springtime for Hatler!"

With a flourish, she stepped to the side, revealing her handiwork. Ricky's face had been made to look like a caricature of a certain infamous dictator, complete with tacky, toothbrush mustache, an Iron Cross in the middle of his forehead, and numerous "bulging, anime anger veins" all over his face.

"What do you think?"

"I think I'm beginning to regret letting you borrow my coloring books," the elder sister said as she pinched her forehead in exasperation.

"Oh come on, let the kid have fun," the biker said.

"This isn't a game, we're hunting dangerous criminals. She needs to take this seriously or…"

Before she could continue, the sound of drum beats and an electric guitar blared out. The elder sister reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Hold on a sec, I need to take this" As she stepped aside to take the call, her sister walked up to the biker.

"So, how'd I do, Boss-man?" she asked hopefully.

"You did great, kid." the biker replied, giving her a firm, but affectionate pat on the back. "At the rate you're goin', you'll be a full-fledged hunter in no time."

"Hell yeah!" the younger sister cheered.

"Language!" the older admonished.

"Oh come on, sis! I'm fifteen years old! I'm allowed to curse!"

"Not in my house, you're not."

"But we're not in the house, we're outside."

"Don't get sassy with me, little miss, I'm not in the mood!" the elder sister snapped as she returned to her conversation. "Sorry about that, had to take care of something. You were saying?"

The younger sister winced at that.

"Hey now, it's alright, she's just stressed," the biker said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.. "You know she doesn't mean that."

"I know…" the young hunter said, looking at her sister worriedly. "I just…"

"You know what might help? We all grab some ice cream later. We just took down a whole street gang, so I'd say we're due for a little celebration."

"Ooh!" the younger sister cheered, hopping up and down. "Yes! Yes! All the yes!"

As her younger sibling got excited, the older sister continued her conversation.

"What?!" she whispered in disbelief. "You can't be serious! That's almost double the price!"

"I'm sorry ma'am," the voice on the phone said. "But with the Egg Army growing in power, it's getting harder to get the necessary shipments in."

"There has to be something you can do!" the hunter pleaded. "My little sister is…!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said. "We'll let you know if anything changes."

He hung up.

"Dammit!" the huntress cursed under her breath. "We need another job." The huntress immediately scrolled through her apps until she found an icon labeled eBoard and tapped it, causing a virtual corkboard of wanted posters to appear. As she scrolled through the pictures, she could hear the tail end of her companions' conversation.

"I'm gonna get a double-dip Deutschen (1) Chocolate with hot fudge and sprinkles!" the younger sister went on. "No, wait! Marshmallows! No, no wait! Marshmallows and sprinkles! With chocolate chips! Tons of 'em!"

"Yeesh, kiddo." the biker chuckled. "You want ice cream on those toppings?"

"Oh come on, they're the best part!" the girl turned to her sister. "What about you, sis? What are you gonna get?"

The older sister looked up from her phone for a sec, but then went right back to it. "Hm? Oh, yeah sure…get me a carton of mint chip." Wondering what was up with her sibling, the young hunter ran over to see what she was doing and saw the app.

"Wait, you're already looking for a new mark?" she said in disbelief.

"They just doubled the price on your medicine," the older huntress replied. "I need to find a good one."

"Siiiis, come on!" the younger urged. "We just finished a job, we should be celebrating! "

The older sister just ignored her as she scrolled over an article. "Hmm…this one looks good."

"Sis, please! We…" the younger sister suddenly clutched her head, beginning to stumble and fall. The man quickly caught her, getting the older sister's attention.

"Oh Aurora…!" she gasped as she caught her sibling..

"Whoa! You okay there, pint-size?" the biker asked as he ran over to her.

"Sis, can you hear me?! Are you…!?"

"I-I'm fine…" the girl lowered her mask, revealing her white-furred muzzle, and took out a bottle of pills from her jacket pocket, taking one before also taking a puff from an inhaler. "Just got a little…excited is all."

"Maybe we should take her home," the older sister mused.

"I'm fine!" the younger girl insisted as she put her mask back on. "I've got plenty of pills and my inhaler still has about seventy-five puffs left."

The younger sister dusted herself off as she got her bearings. The older sister looked over her worriedly, but before she could protest, the biker stopped her.

"Easy, the kid's tougher than she looks." he assured her. "She'll be okay."

The older huntress thought for a moment, and ultimately dropped the issue.

"Alright." she said, shaking her head. "Anyway, I found our next targets." She pulled up her app and showed her companions. "They recently escaped from Everhold Prison, and are worth 5,000 Mobiums a piece.

"Five THOUSAND!?" the younger sister exclaimed. The biker simply whistled.

"They were last sighted at a bar on 15th and Naka Drive. Meaning their hideout is somewhere in that area." The older huntress smirked beneath her mask. "What say we ask if they can come out to play?"

"Sounds like a plan." The biker said.

"Alright then," the huntress replied as she pocketed her phone. "Let's turn these clowns in, then get some rest. If we go in before dark, we might be able to jump them while they're guard is down."

"No ice cream, then?" the younger sister whined.

"Hey, we'll go out for pizza after this," the biker offered. "Sound good?"

The younger sister grinned. "Hell yeah! Let's go kick some ass!"

"Language!" the older sister admonished.

The younger sister sighed. "Ugh, fine…"

Knothole

When Hope opened her eyes, she found herself in the living room, lying on the couch with a blanket over her. She looked around to see the only other person in the room was Kat, who was sitting in a chair, totally conked out. She was about to wake her up when she overheard Team Dark, Sally, and Sam discussing something in the next room. Walking on tiptoes, she went to listen in.

"We've been conducting investigations into the doctor's operations," Shadow said. "Particularly his new Sub-Bosses like Thunderbolt."

"Actually, according to Eggatha, they changed it to Egg Boss," Sally clarified. "Said it was more 'consistent.'"

"Egg Bosses, Egg Army, the Death Egg, and yet, he hates being called Eggman," Sam deadpanned.

"I think by this point, he's just accepting it," Rouge mused.

"Whatever they're called, they're dangerous," Shadow cut in. "There have been sightings of Egg Soldiers and disappearances all over the world, particularly in Eurish, Soumerca, Artika, and Yurashia. Based on that, our past encounters with Akhlut, Mordred and now Thunderbolt, as well as sightings of Battle Bird Armada ships all over the world, the doctor has a greater presence and is more organized in those regions."

"Akhlut, Mordred, Thunderbolt, and the Battle Kukku…" Sally muttered, "and with what's going on in Yurashia…"

Rouge nodded. "Yeah. He has at least five generals, all strong enough to take down Sonic."

Hope's blood ran cold at that reveal. Turning to the lab, she began to sneak over, only to feel a hand on her shoulder. She yelped in surprise, catching the others' attention as she turned to see Kat right behind her.

"Where do you think you're going?" the redhead questioned.

"I was just-" Hope began.

"Get back in bed," Kat ordered. "You're still weak."

The others came out at that.

"Hope, you should be in bed!" Sam insisted.

"I will!" Hope lied. "Just as soon as I grab something I forgot in the lab."

"Nice try," Sally said. "You are not going anywhere near that lab for the next few days."

"When was the last time you slept, young lady?" Shadow asked. "For that matter, when was the last time you bathed, or brushed your teeth?"

"I imagine it's been a while," Sally added.

"Okay, yeah. It's been a bit. But I have very important work to do, so-"

Kat tightened her grip on her shoulder, cutting her off.

"So nothing," she insisted. "You have a failed midterm under your belt. Even I passed it, and I can barely stay awake for longer than an hour."

Hope scowled, yanking Kat's hand off her shoulder.

"Goddamn it, can't you understand what's at stake here?!" she shrieked. "We're Freedom Fighters for a reason! Why can't you just let me do my JOB?!"

"Because you're killing yourself in the process, that's why!" Sam snapped.

"Sam is right," Shadow agreed. "If you continue to work like this, you'll burn yourself out. You need to take care of yourself. Not to mention, school is very important. You can't just blow it off."

"I need to break the Crack Protocol," Hope insisted. "I'm the only one who can do it, who can save those people. I'll have all the time in the world to do all that afterwards. Nothing else matters right now."

"This argument is illogical," Omega declared. "You do not have all the time in the world, and there are many instances that do matter. The Crack Protocol is secondary to your health and well-being, as well as your education."

"Hope, look," Sally began. "What happened with Kage was bad, but-"

"Bad?" Hope repeated incredulously. "BAD?! That was horrifying, Sally! He killed so many Egg Soldiers, for no reason! They were begging for their LIVES, and he blew them up like they were nothing! I knew my uncle was a lunatic, but recruiting somebody like THAT?!"

"Hope, trust me when I say that we get it," Kat said. "We're all well aware of just how bad that was, and we all want to try and save them. But if we continue to let you kill yourself, then... then we're no better than your uncle."

"My decision," Hope said firmly. "No regrets."

"It's a stupid decision, and we're not letting you go through with it," Rouge declared.

Hope stamped her foot in a rage. "You don't get it!"

"What don't we get?" Kat asked.

Hope sighed. "Snively. Uncle Colin. And now Eggman. All they've done is drag the Kintobor name through the mud. I have to crack the cybernetics, find out how to neutralize the explosive. Maybe then people will see I'm not a Robotnik-in-training, and my family name will be worth something!"

There was a moment of silence, everyone taking that in.

"Hope, you are not defined by your family," Sally said. "You are who you choose to be. You define you."

"You're right," Hope agreed solemnly. "And I choose to keep working."

She headed for the lab, only for Kat to tackle her to the ground, pinning her.

"Not a chance," she insisted. "None of us are going to let you do this anymore. And if I have to knock you out again... I... I…"

She wavered before collapsing on top of Hope. The blonde pushed her off, laying her down and arranging her comfortably before turning back to the lab. She didn't make it two steps before Omega grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, bodily lifting her up.

"Negative," the Goodnik declared. "You will not enter the lab."

"Omega, if you do not put me down, I will dismantle you, and then I will take your Flickies," Hope threatened.

"You are my friend, Hope. I will not stand by and watch you run yourself into the ground."

"Exactly," said Shadow. "So, until you have had proper rest, food, and have retaken your midterm, you are forbidden from entering your lab. And, I'm putting you on a time limit to the amount of hours you can spend working."

"You can't do that!" Hope screamed.

"I am your legal guardian. I quite literally can."

-X-

Outside of Knothole, a tiny figure nervously flitted toward the village.

"So, this is Knothole Village, home of the Freedom Fighters.," she gulped nervously. "I can't believe I'm actually here. I hope I'm presentable. I-I mean…I know they're mostly teenagers and tend to run a fairly casual operation, but still...first impressions are everything. P-Plus, Princess Sally is their leader so…I'll need to mind my manners. Should I curtsy when I see her? D-Do I have to avoid making eye contact? Wh-What if I need to use a special honorific like they do in Yurashia?!"

She smacked her face between her hands to snap herself out of her anxiety.

"Oh! Pull yourself together! This is serious! Lives are at stake!" she took a breath to steel her nerves. "Alright, here I go."

As she went deeper into the village, she took a moment to take in the sights, smiling.

"This place is amazing!" the figure declared. "It's so big and beautiful. I should've brought Tangle, she would've loved it here." She grimaced at it. "No…she'd talk everybody's ears off and get us both kicked out. Another time, perhaps. Maybe…next century."

The figure looked around, finding the place was deserted.

"It's so…quiet," she mused. "Where is everyone?"

She cupped her hands over her mouth. "Hello! Is anybody home?"

She got no answer. "They…must be off on a mission or something."

"Damn it Omega, let go of me!"

"No!"

"Eek!" The figure looked around nervously.

"Hope, cease squirming immediately!" the voice shouted. "Sally, I require assistance!"

"Sally?" The figure turned to a house with a door ajar, grimacing. "Oh dear…just my luck."

She headed for the house.

-X-

Hope kicked and screamed, but nothing would get Omega's iron grip to loosen. Before long, however, a new voice cut in.

"Umm…e-excuse me?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, turning to see a Mobian beetle with primarily light blue skin, pink eyes, a small black nose a white muzzle, an even lighter blue, iridescent exoskeleton with a pink, yellow, green, and blue rainbow-like sheen, along with blue antennae and cream-colored wings. She was donned in a pink blazer with navy buttons, a white cravat attached to a golden brooch with a blue gem, a matching pink miniskirt, white gloves with navy cufflinks, navy tights, and pink wedge pumps with the bottom navy.

"I-Is this the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters?" she asked

"What the…" Shadow blinked. "How did she get in here?!"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude!" the beetle cried. "But the front door was ajar and I heard shouting, so I…"

"No, no, it's alright!" Sally cut in, approaching. "I should be apologizing to you. I'm Princess Sally Acorn. How can we help you, Miss…?"

"Jewel," the beetle replied. "Jewel the Beetle. Mineralogist and curator/founder of the Spiral Hill Mineral Museum. And unless I'm mistaken, you all are GUN's Team Dark. Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, E-123 Omega, Hope Kintobor, and…" Her eyes fell on Sam. "Ummm…"

"Sam Baker," Sam replied. "Not a member, just a friend."

"Ah! O-Of course! I thought it was odd that there were five of you. N-Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just…uhhh…" Jewel noticed that Rouge was slowly walking toward her with big, goofy eyes and an even goofier smile. "Uhhhhh…can I…help you…?"

"You are gorgeous!" Rouge babbled suddenly. "Like a living gem! How did you get that look-"

Shadow promptly yanked her back.

"I apologize for my partner's behavior," he said. "She's… got a jewel obsession."

"Obsession?" Rouge looked offended. "How dare you! I just happen to have an affinity for them."

"An affinity that fills up an entire five-drawer dresser in your room," Omega corrected. "Not including the heart-shaped ruby you keep under your pillow that you kiss goodnight before bed."

"It's for good luck!"

"How can we help you, Jewel?" Sally insisted, taking control of the situation. "Perhaps you'd like to discuss it over some tea or coffee?"

"Oh!" Jewel nodded. "Y-Yes, that would be lovely, thank you!"

Meanwhile…

Elsewhere, in a mysterious lab, a lone figure typed away on his computer. Next to his work station was a large stack of books on a matter of complex subjects. Exotic energies, theoretical physics, robotics and artificial intelligence, psychology, genetics, and minerals and gemstones, and more. He lifted a cup of coffee to his mouth as he looked over a news article reporting people appearing in random places all over Mobius. Just as he was getting ready to move onto the next page, an alert suddenly appeared on his screen. Upon clicking it, his eyes went wide as dinner plates behind his glasses and nearly choked on his drink.

He reread the alert, making sure it was real. Once he confirmed it was, he grinned.

"Yes…" he declared. "I've finally found it."

Author's Note:

(1): Mobian Dutch chocolate.

Well, things seem to be heating up, What will happen now?

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Jewel - Megan Taylor Harvey (Sophia from Persona 5 Strikers, Hanabi Ichijo from Scarlet Nexus, Koumei Shokatsuryou from Ikki Tousen)

Please R&R. Until next time!