The trek up the Mobian mountains was tiresome, but far from treacherous.

A large rocky outcropping some hundred meters above sea level sheltered Sonic and Kit from the biting cold, granting safe harbor for the pair when the winds begin whipping at them with their frosty claws and the snow piled on down. Signs of a blizzard were evident in the increasing severity of the weather, time was a precious commodity that was slowly being depleted the long they muck about.

For now, they needed to catch their breath and gather their bearings.

Sonic huddled next to Kit, their teeths chattering amidst the chill as Kit used his improved hydropack to warm the both of them.

Tails had installed an environmental control unit in it to keep the water inside from freezing and disabling the gear, an amateur mistake that Dr. Starline had overlooked when designing the admittedly impressive device. The environmental control unit (abbr. ECU) more or less turned the hydropack into a hot water bottle, something both Kit and Sonic were infinitely grateful to Tail for.

As they rested their feet and kept themselves from turning into popsicles, Sonic figured now would be a good time to give Amy a sitrep. With how dangerous things have gotten in recent memory, she wanted to check in with everyone as often as she could.

"Hey, Squirt," Sonic addressed. Kit turned his head to face him, sniffling the hanging trail of snot dangling from his nose. "You still got the communicator?"

Kit nodded, "It's in my pocket, sir- Er, S-Sonic." He reached into one of his fluffy coat's many pockets and produced a hand sized metallic yellow cylinder, a next generation communicator developed by Tails himself, and handed it over to Sonic. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Squirt," Sonic smiled, patted Kit on the head and took the cylinder from him.

Finagling with it for a second, he flicked a small tab on the side, causing a glowing blue rectangular holographic display to illuminate out of the long slit on the side.

"Let's see here, Tails told me how to work this dang thing a while back but he really needs to learn to use smaller digestible words when teaching people about his inventions."

Sonic manipulated the holographic display, grimacing as he hated the sensation of what was essentially manipulating the air. Touch screens were already pushing his tolerance for new technology. Give him the pleasing tactile response of pushing buttons any day of the week.

"Come on, work you stupid piece of-! Oh, hey, it worked!" Sonic stopped short of a curse as the communicator began emitting a signal and connecting with Restoration HQ.

A short while later, Amy's glowing and occasionally glitching visage appeared in front of him, hovering above the holographic display as a miniature avatar. She squinted at Sonic, inspecting him with a scrutinizing gaze from the other end of the line.

"Sonic?" Amy's voice crackled through the communicator's speakers, scratchy and full of noisy buzzing. "Sonic, are you there? I can barely make you out through all that static," she inquired.

"Yeah, I'm here, Ames. Just checking in for that sitrep you wanted earlier," Sonic replied, studying Amy's features as he wiped at his nose with the back of his free hand. "The distance between us and inclement weather must be affecting the communicator's sound and picture quality. It's not ideal but we can still talk. We're on a secure channel, right? No one can pick up on our little conversation?"

"That's what Tails says. Something about a frequency unique to the headquarters, completely isolated from outside interference or something," said Amy, shrugging. "We'll just have to take Tails' word for it. If he says we're free to speak without fear of being listened to then I'm inclined to trust him. Apropos of nothing, what's your current status?"

Sonic quickly looked over at Kit, whose attention was tied almost exclusively to the winter flowers by his feet, then to the drifting snowfall outside their little shelter before facing Amy again.

"Squirt and I are making good progress up the mountain, we should reach our destination soon. But the weather's starting to kick up, I smell a blizzard brewing. I fear we don't have much time to talk about things if we want to make it to our destination," Sonic explained. "So, let's get down to brass tacks. You're certain this is the place, right? I'd hate to have journeyed all the way here freezing my butt off with Squirt and having nothing to show for it."

"You should be in the immediate vicinity," Amy nodded. "Jet, for all his bluster and showboating, is a trustworthy source of valuable if somewhat illicit information. Say what you will about the Babylon Rogues, they may be a pack of thrill obsessed treasure hunters but they always deliver on their promises when given the opportunity."

A faint smirk graced Sonic's lips. He and Jet the Hawk were rivals who butted heads on more than one occasion in numerous contests of skill, always trying to one up each other to prove who's the fastest in the universe.

In spite of his competitive and ruthless nature, Jet was a babylonian who upheld honor and respect above all else, and, just as with how instrumental the Babylon Rogues were in buying precious time for Sonic to destroy the metal virus, his help had proven invaluable yet again.

"I'll be sure to treat him to a chili dog next time we meet. But give it to me straight, what was his price?" Sonic curiously inquired. "I hope it wasn't a stereotypical briefcase full of unmarked bills or something."

Amy shook her head, "No price, but he's made it very clear we're indebted to them now and if rogues ever decide to cash in on that debt he fully expects us to acquiesce. He's a shrewd negotiator, that cocky fowl, I'll give him that."

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Fantastic. Nothing like owing someone a favor and having it being held over your head like a guillotine."

"Truth be told, I can sorta understand why the Babylon Rogues decided to forgo payment in favor of, er, favors," Amy's gaze hardened. "Things have gotten bad, Sonic. Real bad. The landscape has become increasingly volatile and it's been a hassle keeping up with Eggman's attacks as it is. The rogues can't operate as they do with all this madness bearing down on everyone, they want some sort of safety net to fall back on if it all goes south for them."

Sonic turned silent, his expression unusually pensive for someone of his carefree ways.

"Hey, Amy," Sonic began softly, glancing over to Kit. "How about we give a refresher of what's been going on these past six months to Squirt. He hasn't exactly been keeping up with current events ever since... Well, ever since Surge left him and is kinda out of the loop."

"Hmm," Amy's expression mirrored Sonic's own look of deep thought before finally deciding it was a good idea. "Okay, we can do that. Kit should know what he's getting into. After all, we barely had time to debrief the both of you before shipping you out to the frozen edge of the world. Pass the communicator over to him."

Sonic did as Amy said and passed the communicator to Kit.

"Miss Amy, h-hello," Kit greeted, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Hello, Kit. It's good to hear from you again," Amy waved through the display. "Sonic hasn't been causing trouble for you, has he?" she teased playfully.

Kit's tail began wagging back and forth in excited arcs, an unconscious action he does whenever Sonic was mentioned. "S-Sonic's been very nice to me, ma'am. He's been helping me with my... pr-problems."

"That's good to hear," said Amy. "Now, Kit. How much do you actually know about the Reclaimers?" she asked, raising a brow.

"O-only snippets here and there," Kit sniffled. "They're g-good guys, right? Just like you and Sonic?"

"..." Amy opened her mouth to speak but closed it. It took a moment of thinking on her end before she finally responded. "It's complicated, Kit."

Kit tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy, "Complicated how, m-ma'am? They fight Eggman, don't they? That means they're our a-allies."

Amy sighed, she'd explained the situation many times before, it never got any easier. "It's not as cut and dry as you think it is. Let's... Let's start from the beginning, it'll be easier that way." She cleared her throat and began explaining, well, just about everything. "Listen and listen well, Kit. I don't have the luxury of repeating myself these days..."

"It started roughly six months ago; the first appearance of the Reclaimers. They practically sprung up overnight," Amy started.

"A small town out in the blasted wastes was being attacked by a contingent of the Eggman Empire. Dr. Eggman sought to subjugate the people living there and enslave them to be used as a workforce pumping out metric tons of the precious deposits of crude oil that had recently been discovered miles below the town.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and I were the first ones to make it there. We wanted to mitigate as much damage as possible and stall for time before the others could arrive and help clean up the rest of the badniks... We never got the chance."

"Imagine our surprise; by the time we got there, instead of expecting a tough fight we found out that the attack had already been thwarted. The Eggman Empire were sent running with their tails between their legs and that it had been done by a group of new faces packing some serious heat," Sonic added, his quills bristling from the cold.

"At first we thought the townsfolk had just successfully defended themselves, but then we encountered them; a group of militant mobians identified by their white scarves and armbands emblazoned with a stylized 'R' who called themselves the Reclaimers," Amy explained.

"Self proclaimed defenders of the innocent and bane of all things evil. All that romantic jazz. Yadda, yadda, yadda. We've heard it all before, moving on." She shook her head.

"Okay, right off the bat we noticed something was definitely different about them. When compared to your average band of vigilantes and homegrown heroes, the Diamond Cutters for example, the Reclaimers dwarf them both in size and firepower. They weren't just a bog standard group of freedom fighters, they were an army without borders; well trained, well organized, and very, very well armed."

"You should've seen what those guys were lugging around, Squirt," Sonic scoffed. "Vehicles slapped with Eggman tech salvaged from his many scuttled warships, experimental wispons that bother Whisper with how closely they resembled her own unique prototype, reprogrammed badniks that look frankensteined together to become a new metal monstrosity, the whole nine yards. It's... actually kind of scary how much firepower they have access to."

"Firepower that is thankfully used against our mortal enemy, and not anyone else. Hopefully. Really makes you wonder where they get their resources from," Amy quickly added. "Speaking of mortal enemy, they have one stated goal they wish to accomplish above else: and that is to... end Dr. Eggman, once and for all."

"That doesn't s-sound so bad," Kit murmured. "A lot of people w-want that."

Amy smiled at Kit, a smile tinged with a touch of sadness. "I can understand why you would think that, Kit. Ancients above, I know I'd want to cave that madman's head in myself for all he's done if given the chance but... Uh, well, we'll get to that point soon enough and why that's the problem we're currently facing now. This is actually the perfect place to segue into the next part of this little refresher."

"See, officially, the Restoration doesn't recognize the Reclaimers as allies," Amy admitted. "In fact, I caution everyone to be wary of them."

Kit blinked. "B-but.. why?" he asked. "From what you've explained s-so far their help would be a massive b-boon to the Restoration. They have numbers, talent, supplies and w-weaponry."

"Our agenda doesn't align as cleanly as you might expect, the Reclaimers aren't interested in 'playing ball' for lack of a better term. Now, granted, we worked with them in the past, and they've supported us in turn whenever we needed help the most a good number of times before, but it's been made clear they've only done so more out of convenience and exploitation than any sense of shared responsibility or camaraderie."

"In layman's term, Squirt, Amy is saying that the Reclaimers have been using the Restoration for their own gain," Sonic clarified.

Amy nodded along, "but to what end, we're not exactly sure. If they really wanted to kill Eggman like they claim to, why exploit us instead of collaborating to become an allied front? What do they have to gain by going at it alone? It just doesn't add up."

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Maybe they want all the glory for themselves?" Sonic suggested. "After all, they're a big hit with the locals. So much so that people across the four corners of Mobius have been calling the Restoration an obsolete fossil of a bygone era.

Their optics are better than great, they're fantastic. Public support is firmly in their grasp, they are the new face of hope for every victim of Dr. Eggman's mad ambitions out there."

"It could be anything, really. But I can't deny the Reclaimers are a PR darling," Amy agreed. "The Restoration focuses on defense, on repairing the damage done in the aftermath of battle. Apparently, that's just not good enough for people anymore.

The people demanded action and the Reclaimers delivered on that notion, on taking the fight straight to Eggman himself.

People ate that up and have practically been throwing themselves at their feet, begging to join their ranks and offering support however they can in order to fight the good fight. It's hard to walk around without hearing the Reclaimer's motto being shouted at you by random passersby or seeing it graffitied onto the side of a building."

"It's time to reclaim what's ours!" Sonic exclaimed in a dramatic tone with a flourish of his fingers. "A little cheesy, but catchy in all the ways that matter. Hey, how come you guys don't have a catch phrase?"

"Because it's superfluous, Sonic!" Amy snapped. "We're an organization dedicated to protecting the people, not a soulless corporation pushing out a product!"

"So... If I'm understanding everything correctly so f-far," Kit began, placing a finger on his chin. "The reclaimers are good guys who want to kill Dr. Eggman, exploit the Restoration and are loved and respected by the c-c-citizens of Mobius?"

"You've got it, little buddy," Sonic chuckled. "But, all of that is just background info, a lead up for what comes next. Now we're going to tell you why we're on this mission in this winter wonderland to begin with."

"Okay?" Kit eyes flashed with curiosity.

"Well, to make a long story short," Sonic started, a frown worn upon his frosty visage, "the Reclaimers, for all their good intentions and fame, have, ahem, kicked the hornet's nest.

And now, we're paying the price for their good intentions."

"That's putting it lightly, Sonic," Amy quipped. "Kit, you see, during the first few months they've managed to stop incursions dead in their tracks, destroyed entire robot manufacturing plants and freed countless prisoners from Dr. Eggman's gloved clutches in record time.

It was quite impressive, actually.

Simply put, the Reclaimers hit fast and they hit hard, giving Dr. Eggman the black eye he deserved and practically crippled the Eggman Empire's war machine, slowing it to a crawl.

And for a time, we knew a sort of peace we'd thought we'd never be able to experience again. No rumbles of a mechanical army in the distance, no loud explosion waking you up in the middle of the night, no threats of being turned into a robot servant against your will. Save for the occasional tussle with spazzes like Rough and Tumble or Team Hooligan, everything was nice and quiet. Serene, even.

It almost felt like it could've lasted forever.

Almost..."

"...And then, Dr. Eggman clapped back," Sonic mumbled bitterly. "About a month ago, he struck like lightning, using everything he had at his disposal to make up for his humiliating string of defeats at the hands of the Reclaimers. Entire columns of steel sweep across the continent even as we speak, crushing anything that resists their march towards conquest beneath an iron bootheel."

Amy sighed heavily, her avatar flickering on the holographic display. "All the Reclaimers had done was force Dr. Eggman to reevaluate his plans and get a bit more serious.

You see, Kit, Dr. Eggman rarely ever needed to overexert himself whenever we clashed, finding it beneath him to simply decimate his foes outright through... let's call it 'uncivilized' means. He prefers a more ego driven approach to achieving victory.

It's not enough for him just to win, he wants to do it with panache; a certain... je ne sais quoi."

"Gesundheit," Sonic said in jest.

"Very funny, Sonic," Amy deadpanned. "Getting back on topic.

Make no mistake, Eggman is a lot of things; self absorbed, ruthless, tyrannical, prone to acts of cartoonish villany; but what he isn't is an idiot.

Even at his worst he always carried himself with this twisted sense of noble superiority in his restraint, understanding full well the cost that came with escalating a conflict beyond the realm of what he considered acceptable.

The Reclaimers, in their zeal and desire to see him wiped off the face of the planet, didn't.

And like an animal backed into a corner, Eggman demonstrated he was more dangerous than ever before. Because now he had a reason to make bigger and badder toys to unleash upon the world.

Whether the Reclaimers predicted this level of retaliation or not doesn't matter anymore, what matters now is that we fight to keep things from unraveling any further than it already has.

And, well, that's the long and short of it. I've glossed over a few things but you should be up to speed now, Kit." Amy concluded.

"Miss Rose, I... I d-didn't realize-" Kit stammered, looking like he had been struck. He'd been so wrapped with his own issues he became ignorant to the true scope of their plight for so long, it made his misery look selfish by comparison. He let out a yelp as Sonic wrapped his arms over his shoulders and flashed him a reassuring smile.

"It's alright, Squirt," Sonic breathed. "You didn't do anything wrong. You just know better now, that's all. Don't beat yourself up over these things."

"But... But then, why are w-we here?" Kit looked up at Sonic. "Shouldn't we be h-helping the others?"

"No, I promise the both of you are exactly where you need to be. But don't worry your fluffy little head, last I checked the others have got everything under control," replied Amy as a series of images flashed onto the holographic display in sequential order.

They were images of their friends in action.

One depicted the Chaotix; Vector, Espio, Charmy, Mighty and Ray, who were at the southern swamps battling their way through a prison camp and freeing hostages from a particularly electrifying Eggboss before riding away on a hijacked hovercraft with their spirits high.

Knuckles and Rouge had infiltrated a forward operating base of the Eggman Empire in the highlands and made off with a hard drive containing valuable information. Information such as troop positions, locations of key staging grounds and cyphers to break digital encryptions in the Eggnet. Judging by the smoking crater left behind in their wake it would appear they blew up the base to add insult to injury.

Shadow and Omega, the strange bedfellows that they are, were tasked with cutting off supply lines and redistributing the resources to people in need. In the background, several of Eggman's supply trucks were either littered with enough bullet holes that they resembled swiss cheese more than vehicles or stacked high atop one another like building blocks in tall crumpled heaps.

Everyone from Tails, to Silver, Blaze, Sticks, Tangle and Whisper were out in the front lines combatting Eggman's forces, rescuing civilians and stemming the tides of war wherever the mission took them.

They'd all played their part.

Now, it was time for Sonic and Kit to play theirs.

"Sonic, Kit, your mission is equally as important as the others," said Amy, the collection of images on screen being replaced with topographical data and satellite mapping of the region they're in. "As I mentioned earlier, Jet had given us intel that the Reclaimers' hideout was hidden somewhere here in the Mobian mountain range.

Your objective is as follows: you are to investigate the Reclaimers, gather as much intelligence as you can on them and then report straight back to me. No heroics, no big action set pieces, just observe and report."

Kit furrowed his brow, "You want us to s-spy on them? That's it?"

"That's it," Amy nodded. "As much as I'd hate to admit it, we are woefully left in the dark. Something's up with the Reclaimers and it's high time we finally figured out what their whole deal is. Their information security is something else and the grunts who make up their ranks are frustratingly tightlipped about things that are on a need to know basis.

We only know what they want us to know.

However, with their forces currently spread out across Mobius to deal with the fallout of their overaggressiveness this is the perfect opportunity for us to gauge their overall status.

I need you guys to learn about their leadership and hierarchy structure, how they operate, the size of their organization, where they've been pulling in supplies from, future plans, etcetera.

Normally, I'd have either Espio or Whisper dispatched to deal with clandestine operations, but with them on opposite ends of the earth you guys are the next best thing.

I have full confidence you'll be able to pull this off."

"W-we won't fail you, ma'am," Kit replied, a flicker of purpose in his glassy eyes.

"I'm glad to hear that," Amy smiled. "But... If anything goes wrong, for whatever reason, please, just run. We know how dangerous the Reclaimers can be with their stockpile of weapons. Don't get caught in the crossfire if you can avoid it, we want you two to come back in one piece.."

"Hear you loud and clear, Ames," Sonic winked. "Observe and report, shouldn't be too bad."

"Oh, and before I forget," Amy's eyes darted from Kit over to Sonic, there was a subtle hint of concern in her body language. "Kit, would you be a doll and hand the communicator back to Sonic? I need to speak to him about something private. It's very important."

"Y-yes, ma'am," Kit passed the communicator over to Sonic, who unhooked him from his arms and took the device off his hands.

"Thanks, Squirt," said Sonic. "Why don't you go and prepare in the meantime? Make sure everything is ship shape. The moment I get off the line with Amy, the two of us are making a beeline straight for the mountain caverns. Think you can do that for me?"

"I-I'll be ready when you are, S-Sonic," Kit replied, his tail wagging.

"Awesome! Give me a second, then. This'll be quick," Sonic sat up from his place on the outcropping and stepped away to the other end, holding the communicator close to keep Kit from overhearing their conversation.

Amy and Sonic locked eyes for a spell, this wasn't a talk that they wanted to have before he sped off to the area of operation but at the same time Amy felt they needed to clear the air around them.

"...You think she's here, don't you?" Amy said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact.

Sonic's gaze hardened as his hand instinctively tightened around the communicator, "I know she's here," he spoke resolutely.

"How could you possibly tell? She's been gone now for six months," Amy raised a quizzical brow. "Is it one of your gut feelings, or is it just a desperate hope you've been clinging to all this time?"

"I can feel her nearby, Amy. The way my quills stand on end, it's not just from the cold, there's a faint trace of lingering static in the frigid air. I recognize that gentle tingle on my skin, it's undeniable" Sonic answered, relaxing his hand as his eyes softened. "Kit and I are close, I know it."

"That still doesn't explain why you think the Reclaimers kidnapped Surge," said Amy, folding her arms. "The only reason you could come up with is pretty flimsy as it is."

"Surge vanished right around the time the Reclaimers reared their ugly heads!" Sonic snarled, trying to keep his tone of voice even. "They're involved somehow, I know it! I... I just don't have any proof."

"Most of our friends think you're grasping at straws, Sonic. Shadow believes you're projecting as a means to cope with the fact she ran away and you couldn't stop her before it was too late," Amy attempted to reason. "We found the note in her room. You remember what was written on it, don't you?"

"I do," Sonic frowned, running his free hand through his quills, shaking away the frost that had built up. "But I don't buy it for a second! She'd gotten better, she'd turn her life around!

Surge was no longer the weapon Dr. Starline created, she was someone who rightly earned her second chance and made something of herself! It makes absolutely zero sense for her to just throw it all away and disappear because she thought 'she was undeserving of happiness!"

Sonic spoke in hushed whispers through gritted teeth. He started panting, his hot breath steaming little white clouds in the frigid air as waves of barely repressed anger wracked across his body.

Amy gawked at Sonic with wide eyes. This was one of the few times she'd ever seen him so emotional, so adamant about a perceived injustice.

Sonic couldn't, wouldn't, accept Surge denying herself having a life after everything she'd gone through.

Surge had never discovered who she and Kit really were as people before Dr. Starline broke them down and rebuilt them into tools of destruction, never getting any semblance of closure. But through Sonic's help and the help of those around him, the pair had achieved a peace that had been denied to them by foul intentions.

Surge and Kit had embraced their new identities, embraced that second chance and resolved to fight for the good of others alongside everyone else.

They'd made a conscious choice to be better.

"...Kit felt abandoned, Amy," Sonic mumbled solemnly. "When I found him the poor kid was practically on suicide watch. If I hadn't stepped in and taken responsibility when I did I don't think he'd even be here with me right now," He lifted his head and fixed a hard look onto Amy. "Tell me the truth. Do you actually believe Surge would deny herself happiness? Do you believe she would leave Kit all alone, after everything they've been through together?"

"...No. No, I don't" Amy admitted, nervously rubbing at her arm. "Sonic, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up any bad memories."

"I know you didn't. You're just looking out for me," Sonic sighed deeply.

"Like how you look out for me," Amy said, smiling sadly. "But, given how adamant you are about Surge's presence here, that means this might not be just a simple spying mission anymore. If Surge really is here, if the Reclaimers did take her all those months ago, you're probably going to do something stupid, aren't you?"

Sonic grinned sheepishly, a slice of levity undercutting such a serious moment, "I can neither confirm nor deny that."

Amy pinched the bridge of her nose, she'd expected that answer but had asked the question anyway. With a heavy sigh, she responded, "Alright, well, the parameters haven't changed by much. Observe and report. But, on the off chance Surge is here... it is imperative that you bring her back home. We all miss her too.

I've never been able to stop you from acting on your impulses, Sonic, not even when we were young, and I don't think that's gonna start happening now."

"Anything you say, Amy. Anything you say," Sonic chuckled as he rolled his tense shoulders. "...You know, it's weird seeing you back in a leadership role. The Restoration more or less became your life before you decided to step down and become independent again. So color me shocked when you were willing to take on the mantle as commander again."

Amy laughed as well in response, a soft airy giggle. "Well, with the way the world has been, I didn't really have much of a choice. It didn't help in the slightest that Lanolin practically got on her knees and begged for me to return, she was starting to become overwhelmed what with the continent burning all around us."

"You're doing a great job, Amy," Sonic offered his assurances. "It's like you never even left. I promise, I'll end all this as fast as I can so you can breathe easy again."

"I'd appreciate that, Sonic," she hummed as her expression turned wistful. "One last thing. The very last. I desperately need to get this off my chest, and I want you to be as honest as can be," she started, her avatar fidgeting in place. "Sonic, if you never got together with Surge, would... Would you have gotten together with me?" she asked, a look of uncertainty dancing in her green irises.

Sonic was taken aback by the question, nearly dropping the communicator with how out of pocket it was. He hadn't had to think about this for a long time.

Sonic and Amy were close, incredibly so.

He'd tolerated her advances in their youth, never truly reciprocating because at the time he was a dumb and immature adolescent who couldn't tell apart his feelings between platonic and romantic love.

But it was never a question to anyone that he cared for Amy. He really did. He'd gone above and beyond for her countless times; braving danger, walking the razor's edge, always trying to take her feelings into account whenever possible.

He held her in high regard on the same level as he would Tails and Knuckles.

She was, without a shadow of doubt, very special to him.

But then, a certain walking lightning storm of a green tenrec showed up in his life threatening to turn him into a red smear on the pavement and, well, as they say, the rest was history.

Sonic composed himself and cleared his throat. Amy deserved to know the truth.

"Amy, what I'm about to say comes straight from the bottom of my heart," Sonic began evenly, looking her dead in the eye. "If I hadn't gotten together with Surge, if I hadn't become enamored with her rough edges and electric spirit, her fierce determination and wild soul... There is a very strong possibility you wouldn't be asking me this question."

Amy flushed at the answer, her cheeks glowing on screen as her posture went ramrod straight at the sincerity of his voice. A flurry of emotions crossed her features from shock to sadness, esteem to relief, happiness and, at last, acceptance.

"I see," Amy rasped, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. "Surge is a... a lucky girl. A very lucky girl indeed." She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hands, trying and failing to maintain her composure. She didn't want Sonic to see her cry like this. "Kit, Sonic, both of you, come back safe. That's an order, and I'll beat you two into the ground like I'm setting up a picket fence if you so much as disobey it."

"Aye, aye, commander!" Sonic puffed out his chest and gave Amy a faux salute. "This is Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, signing off!"

"This is Amy Rose, commander of the Restoration, signing off!" Amy saluted back.

The line went silent shortly after.

Kit fastened his hydropack to his back and zipped up his coat as Sonic walked on by and casually tossed the communicator in his direction. He plucked the device out of the air with relative ease and hurriedly stuffed it into one of his pocket before facing Sonic, his head held high.

"Are we going t-to head on out now, S-Sonic?" Kit inquired as he adjusted his trapper hat.

"You bet you big floppy ears we are, Squirt," said Sonic as he crouched down and gestured for him to get onto his back. "Hop on, we're going the rest of the way in style and beat this blizzard coming on. Courtesy of Sonic rideshare services!"

Kit did what he was told and clambered clumsily onto Sonic's back before settling in and making himself comfortable, "O-okay. I did as you s-said."

Sonic smirked and flexed his legs, "Hold on, Squirt. Things are about to get fast!"

Kit barely managed to wrap his arms around Sonic in time before everything in his field of vision turned into a white streak of snow and supersonic speeds.

Somewhere else...

*BZZT!*

"-Yeah, I'm here, Ames. Just checking in for that sitrep you wanted earlier."

*BZZT!*

"-Something about a frequency unique to the headquarters, completely isolated from outside interference or something."

*BZZT!*

"Squirt and I are making good progress up the mountain, we should reach our destination soon-"

*BZZT!*

"See, officially, the Restoration doesn't recognize the Reclaimers as allies-"

*BZZT!*

"-The Reclaimers, for all their good intentions and fame, have, ahem, kicked the hornet's nest."

*BZZT!*

"-Your objective is as follows: you are to investigate the Reclaimers."

*BZZT!*

"-They're involved somehow, I know it!"

*BZZT!*

"-You're probably going to do something stupid, aren't you?"

*BZZT!*

"Kit, Sonic, both of you, come back safe-"

*BZZT!*

"Kit, Sonic, both of you, come back safe-"

*BZZT!*

"Kit, Sonic-"

*BZZT!*

"Kit, Sonic-"

*BZZT!*

"Sonic-"

In a dark room somewhere deep in the mountain, illuminated by the bright glow of a custom built laptop, a green canary mobian sat hunched over a table in front of the screen, one earcup of a large set of headphones pressed firmly against the side of her head.

She was dressed in oil stained coveralls with a white scarf around her neck and a white armband emblazoned with a stylized 'R' strapped firmly to her left arm. The glinting gold of hoop earrings could be seen hidden behind her bobbed bowl-cut which was styled in a way that it covered her left eye.

She tapped in a couple keys on her laptop with her free hand as a grimace formed on her face. She set the headphones down and swiveled around on her office chair, locking eyes with the figure standing in the darkness.

"Sonic and that depressed moist brat are on their way," she said, eyes narrowed. "What are your orders, boss?"

The figure bristled in the shadows, their body language shifting between excitement and anticipation.

"Bait the trap, Tekno," they said. "If all goes well, this will be the end of Sonic the Hedgehog..."