Miles the Fox: Corundum Corruption

by VerdigrisRookie

In the new year, Miles has been working to improve more than just his mechanical expertise and prepare for more than the next adventure. But as time draws closer for important events around him, the peace that's lasted a few months is suddenly interrupted. Angel Island has fallen again, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, Speedy's own troubles might just require the help of his rival.

10. Chapter 9: End of the Line

(Angel Island)

Despite his name, Big the Cat never really tended to sweat any of the major stuff. Fishing, sunbathing, napping, and nice walks on pleasant days was a routine he'd practiced for more than half his life by now, almost all of which he spent alongside his amphibious Critter friend, Froggy. There had been that incident a few months back that really shook things up, but his new friends and Knuckles had managed to rectify it. After that, it had been back to business as usual, aside from that one time the Echidna left the island for about a week. But he'd returned in good shape, and the large feline believed that there wouldn't be any more funny business. Also, that mysterious man, Gil, whom he'd met a few times before, had been conspicuously absent since the incident with the Battle Kukku Empire.

That had been the case until the past few days, where he'd woken up to Angel Island once again on the surface of the sea. He'd gone to the Hidden Palace to check on Knuckles, but the Guardian wasn't there. Though before he'd left, his large ears had picked up the sound of fighting, and he'd been careful to hide behind one of the crystal pedestals around the shrine. From there, he'd watched a woman in a strange suit battling against a robotic copy of Miles, with the latter coming out on top and taking her away. He'd waited a good while, but neither of them came back even after a prolonged period.

Big had a bad feeling about it all, so he'd left Froggy by his home near Azure Lake and went to the Hidden Palace one more time to see if Knuckles had returned. The Echidna was still gone, though even without its caretaker, the Master Emerald shined as brightly as ever. So long as that remained on or within the landmass itself, then Angel Island would continue to be safe. Something in the cat's figurative gut told him that it wouldn't be for much longer, though, and that stirred a memory from a few months ago, not long after he'd returned from Carnival Island.

' Big,' Knuckles had told him, ' there may come a time where the Master Emerald is in danger and I'm unable to protect it, for whatever reason. If that ever happens, take it from the Hidden Palace to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. There are many places you could hide it, but if it comes to where there's no other option, go to the Sky Sanctuary. At the very least, that'll keep Angel Island from crashing and sinking.'

That was when the cat heard a series of rumbles coming from beyond the crater's rim. Something massive was descending towards the volcano that housed the ancient Echidna stronghold, and that brought back memories of the Battle Moon incident. The difference between then and now was that there was nobody else aside from him to help defend the island. And while he was quite strong and knew a little about fighting, Big was not a natural warrior like his long-time friend was. He much preferred throwing his fishing line into the water than throwing hands. Thus, in his opinion, the better course of action was to heed Knuckles' words and get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Sorry, Froggy," Big apologized to his amphibious friend, even if he wasn't around to hear, "but I know what I gotta do. Stay safe from the bad people."

He jumped up to the crystal-studded altar of the Master Emerald and wrapped his burly arms around it, lifting the giant gem out of its socket with ease. The cat then leapt down and hurriedly pressed one of his feet around the floor just past the shrine, searching for the switch to the passage below. He managed to find it after several seconds, wasting no time in descending into the pit and running towards the transporter. With a low sigh, he shut his eyes and let the column of light take him away, hoping that whoever was coming wouldn't find him, and that Knuckles would return soon.

No sooner had the tunnel beneath the core of the Hidden Palace closed back up when the main dirigible of the NBA fleet touched down, the length of the main body resting across the width of the caldera. A loud thunk echoed in the main hall of the shrine as the two-tailed fox robot touched down on its steps, its capris optics scanning the area. It replayed logs of the events that occurred here and other areas of Angel Island nearly half a year ago, and while before its anger would've burned anew, Mecha kept calm this time. Its near-destruction had been a blessing in disguise, for the death of its original creator had freed it from its servitude to him and the Emperor. While it still didn't know the reasoning, it did appreciate the skeleton dog delivering its remains to Alexei so that it could be reconstructed and upgraded beyond the scope of its original specs. And now that it was back here with its own designs in mind and a mighty source of power at its disposal, it could push itself and said ideas forward.

Yet, in order for it all to come to fruition, Mecha required the Master Emerald as well. And from what it could determine, the mystical gemstone wasn't present at the altar like it had been during its previous visit. It mattered little, for the droid had been installed with an Emerald Radar as part of its most recent update. And according to that handy function, there was a large concentration of Chaos Energy several kilometers above Angel Island. The ferrous fox remembered that the Sky Sanctuary was located up in that region, the place where it had almost been scrapped for good.

"A shame the Guardian isn't here," it droned, "it would have been...poetic to kill him in the same place that he had nearly destroyed me."

But, that sweet bit of vengeance could wait. And that aside, thanks to its records of the previous incident, it easily deduced who was trying to keep the last piece it needed for its grand plan away from it. After all, there was only one other Animal resident on the island. It amused Mecha that Knuckles trusted Big enough to have him take the great rock from its resting place and keep it out of the metal vulpine's hands by any means necessary. That meant that the Echidna cared about the cat, and the fox bot knew a thing or two about the lengths people would go to for those precious to them. It could certainly find a way to use the hulking Animal, whether as leverage or another tool for its purposes.

"Attention, all units," Mecha announced across the local frequencies, "frontline Robo Kukkus and Badniks are to secure passages into and out of this area, including the perimeter of the peak and the surrounding mountains. All the rest are to assist in the construction of our latest project. 50% of the Mecha Troopers shall stay behind to help the doctor and supervise his work. The remaining half are to take command of defenses."

The cruisers and battleships hovered around its position in a several kilometer diameter area, swarms of Badniks and Robo Kukkus pouring out of each one. These companies of machines were directed by cybernetically-enhanced Animals and Mecha Troopers, who split up to each attend to the tasks given to them. While its underlings tended to their duties, Mecha scoured the Hidden Palace for the device that would get it to the Sky Sanctuary. True, it knew that it could have simply flown up to the floating ruins, but it didn't want to waste energy. Acquiring the means to get up there quickly would be more efficient in the long run, anyway.

It didn't take long to locate the pressure plate, and without missing a beat, Mecha entered the beam of light the crystal emitted. Meanwhile, Alexei emerged from the main dirigible. While his favorite garments were kept intact, everything natural about him, save for his brain, had been swapped out. His feathers had been replaced with a rusty metallic sheen, the down that was like head spines exaggerated even more so. Like Mecha, he now had artificial eyes with black sclera and pupils, crimson iris optics shining brightly as they activated. His sharp beak was now steely and bright yellow like electrum, while his hands and feet were now red like his gloves and boots, and equipped with some rather nasty talons.

While the owl no longer felt physical pain, the imprint left in his still organic mind was something that would haunt his nightmares forever, assuming he was even capable of sleeping anymore. So many fail safes could be detected in the frame he'd been "gifted," as though the malicious machine had compensated for most every eventuality. On top of that, it had taken the Phantom Ruby to serve as its new energy core, preemptively thwarting any attempts to use it against the machine. If the self-styled supreme ruler of a fox intended for the bird to hate it and foment any ideas of rebellion, the artificial Animal had done a splendid job.

But even with these frustrations, there was a tiny light of hope for Alexei. He knew that while he couldn't commit outright sabotage on Mecha's grandiose design, there was another way he could bring about the robot's downfall. Perhaps an external device loaded with a program that could, at the very least, undermine its potential might, if not shut it down entirely. The only part that bothered him was that the idea had been inspired by Dr. Robotnik and Speedy's betrayal of the old Empire. That he would be going down the same path as the former prince in that regard made him grimace. Not only that, but he knew that doing so would give the ace and his allies the advantage needed to topple not just Mecha, but also the NBA as a whole.

However, what made him push past his reluctance was the fact that he had no real loyalty to Mecha. He was devoted to the memory and the ideas of the Battle Kukku Empire, not the ultimate weapon of his dearly departed grand-uncle. Even if everything else collapsed around him, so long as he lived to see another day, the Armada would as well. They would rise again like the phoenix of Flicky Island did, brighter and mightier than ever. If he had to bury this reminder of his relative and what remained of his organization to make that happen, he would.

'And who knows?' he contemplated with a smirk as he got to work on the behemoth before him, 'with a bit of fortune, I may even be able to grasp victory from the jaws of defeat.'

(Dazzling Desert, Jackal Squad HQ)

Zero let out a groan as he stirred from his slumber, opening his eyes after what felt like ages. He woke up more readily once he realized that he was back in his room at the base, then pinched himself to make sure he wasn't still dreaming. Confirming that this was reality, he glanced over at his nightstand, where he found the pouch with the Sapphire in it. The jackal wasn't sure how he'd ended up home again, but he was content that he still had the gem.

He remembered what happened prior to him passing out, and his lips curled in wicked satisfaction. That self-righteous fox was finally gone, sent away to a place that even Zero didn't know about, nor did he care to. And even if he could somehow return from wherever it was he went, the jackal wasn't worried about him so much anymore. He'd proven that, at least with the aid of the Sapphire, he could beat Miles even if the teen was using the cyan Emerald. All he would do if that fox showed up again is kill him personally, like he'd originally intended before he let himself get a big head.

"At least then, I'd be sure that he's gone for good," he muttered.

But, that wasn't important at the moment. What took priority was figuring out his current situation, so he grabbed his scimitar and the Sapphire, then left his bedroom to head to the main area. He found the twins and Cress there, the latter taking stock of his munitions while the former lounged about. The three of them perked up at his arrival, but what struck the leader's curiosity was the absence of his Number Two.

"That thing must've taken a lot out of you, Boss," the black-backed member of his crew said softly, "you've been snoozing for over half a day."

Zero smirked. "Best sleep I've gotten in a long time." He let his toothy grin fade into a more serious expression. "Where's Tao?"

"We don't know, Boss," Shana said with slight concern in her voice.

"Last time we saw him was last night," Lana added, just as worried as her sister, "he went out and told us not to follow him. We haven't seen him since."

The biggest jackal there gritted his fangs and let out a low growl between them. He'd long established that no one in the Squad went anywhere outside HQ without his approval first. Zero was no fool about the reality, of course, that Tao would sneak out every so often in the dead of night, but he'd overlooked it because he'd always returned before morning. And before he lost his head or jumped to conclusions, the head of the Squad went to the next line of questioning.

"Did he say anything about where he was going or what he was doing?" he interrogated the others.

Lana shook her head. "No. He just decided to go out after we had a bit of a fi–"

Zero perked a brow when the female cut herself short. It was unfortunate for her that he didn't like it when people tried to be secretive around him.

"A bit of a what, Lana?" he asked her with a dangerously sharp edge in his tone, causing her to shrink back and fold her ears.

Shana raised her hands in an attempt to diffuse the rising tension. "Easy, Boss. Tao and the three of us talked a bit last night while you were out, and things got a bit heated."

"Yeah, so we figured he just went out to cool his head," Cress supplied, "gotta say, though, I haven't seen that kinda anger in his eyes in a long time. It's like there's something else going on in his head that he's not telling us."

While his underlings might have been ignorant to what sort of ruminations his brother had, the top dog had more than an inkling about what they entailed. While he appeared very obedient, Tao had argued with him more fiercely than he had with any of them. The most recent sibling squabble in Japan had been the first time he'd done so within earshot of the others, which had made Zero all the more spiteful in response. It didn't surprise him that the older jackal was probably still seething about that. Still, he had been similarly bothered by some of the other things the younger had done in the past, and yet he'd never up and vanished like this.

"Any of you check his room?" he questioned.

"When we didn't see him first thing out here like he usually is, that's the next thing we did," Lana replied.

Shana shrugged. "All his usual stuff's there except his field gear and that gem he's been carrying around."

That was reason enough for Zero to go and investigate without any more hesitation. He stormed through the base until he found his brother's quarters, finding the door unlocked. Just like the others had said, most of Tao's personal items and effects were on display, but his comm, his knives, and the yellow Emerald were all absent. There was one thing that stroked Zero's curiosity more than anything, though, but at the same time, it stirred that ire in him that had been surfacing rather frequently as of late.

"There's one thing that doesn't add up with your stories," he announced as he confronted the rest of the group with a glare.

Cress shared a confused look with the twins. "What do you mean, Boss? Isn't it exactly how we said?"

"Sure it is, but there's a problem." He held up a finger from his free hand and took a big whiff. "Tao's scent's still lingering here more than it should if he's been gone all night long." He let his displeasure show through his fangs. "At best, he's been gone for a few hours by now. What, are your noses broken or something?"

Shana scrunched her muzzle up a bit. "Sorry for not thinking about sniffing for him."

"As if we've never searched for our targets using our sense of smell," Zero fired back, "besides, your sister does it plenty when she's alone with him."

Lana wanted to argue back, but she was too flustered to give a proper response. Cress, on the other hand, was not liking where the conversation was going.

"Come on, Boss," he said with a sigh, "now's not the time for that. Tao's out there somewhere doing who-knows-what, and he didn't even bother to tell you about it. Just give us the word and we'll go looking for him."

Zero pressed one hand against his face. True enough, the deal with Tao was pressing, but there was another matter weighing on his mind. It was the fox's friends and allies, at least one of which Al had said was affiliated with G.U.N., of all possible entities. They outnumbered the Squad by more than three-to-one, and that was without including other potential forces, not to mention they had more of those stones like the fox did. He'd shown bravado to Miles about taking care of them, and he couldn't let that boast of his turn out empty. It would be a tough battle, but with the Sapphire, he was confident he could trounce them as long as he kept his wits about him.

There was also the matter of Alexei to contend with. The Neo Battle Armada was a formidable force in and of itself, from what the owl had shown him. They likely had already recovered the Phantom Ruby as well, and if that was supposedly as strong as the Shadow Star Sapphire, then he couldn't just ignore it. Most of all was that robotic duplicate of the fox, and although they'd only interacted briefly, Zero saw that it was nothing like Miles. Its artificial eyes had shone with a sort of malice that had made even the sadistic jackal shiver ever so slightly. Not because it was made to kill, but because he felt such an intent coming from it that wasn't so different from his own. The most off-putting thing of all had to be the fact that it wasn't a mindless machine; Mecha could think and speak all on its own, and if those optics were any indication, it imagined very unpleasant things. He wouldn't be surprised if it was coming up with all sorts of ways to tear him to shreds, but such a prospect only made him grin.

'The feeling's mutual, tin can,' he thought eagerly.

As for the rest of the Squad...he'd take the advice of his weapons expert.

"You know what, Cress? Let's go with that." He pulled his gloves tight against his fur with a snap, then gave the Sapphire a hearty squeeze. "You guys go find Tao, and I'll take care of the others in my way." He frowned heavily. "If he's doing anything that makes him a threat to me...you know what to do."

The other three members were visibly shocked at this order, but none of them raised any fuss. They knew that doing so would only mark them as suspicious, too, and so they simply nodded their obedience.

' Imagine him...and your enemies...' came a voice that whispered directly into the head jackal's mind.

Zero held his head with his other hand, both eyes half-lidded as he nearly stumbled. It wasn't the first time he'd heard the voice in his head, but it was stronger than most previous instances. He wasn't stupid; he knew he'd only started hearing it after he'd acquired the Sapphire, and that he'd be considered crazy in pretty much any other scenario. But he knew for a fact that it was real, and it had directed him to make many of the decisions he had ever since he obtained it. Without its guidance, much as he hated to admit it, he might not have gotten as far as he had up to this point.

And so he did as the voice suggested. He pictured Tao and directed the Sapphire to send the rest of the Squad close to wherever he was, watching them disappear in a dark flash. And then, heeding its advice, he himself got equipped and began calling upon the gem's power once again.

"If that fox ever gets back," he said with dark mirth in his voice, "he's gonna be in for a hell of a rude awakening."

With that, he recalled the cross fox that he'd heard Miles was related to, and summarily teleported to where he should be. At least, that had been the plan, but when he opened his eyes following the transfer, he was confused. Zero found himself about half a kilometer away from a very familiar place, one that he and the Squad "visited" years ago. A lot of it had changed since last he'd been there, but there were some things that still stood.

"So, this is where they're holed up, huh?" he murmured to himself, "the old Sunset Park site." He put on a twisted grin as he held the Sapphire in his right hand and drew his scimitar with his left, slowly stepping towards the complex. "This is gonna be fun."

' Hold... he is here...' came the voice in his head.

Vague as it was, Zero immediately understood the meaning, his differently colored eyes burning at that news. "I see. So the brat survived after all. What a pain in the ass...not like he'll beat me this time! I already schooled that stupid fox before!"

' Yes!' the shadowy tone told him, inflating his ego all the more, ' kitsune...is nothing!'

Their gloating was interrupted by a ping coming in on the jackal's comm. Irritated at his moment being trampled on, Zero clicked on the receiver button rather hard.

"What is it?" he grumbled into the mic.

"Boss, we've found out where Tao is," Cress disclosed, "he's being chased by some of the fox's group into Sunset Park. Not sure what he's up to, but he's not working with 'em, that's for sure."

Zero came to a halt. "Well, isn't that a funny little coincidence? The Sapphire popped me over here, too."

"Oh, really? In that case, Boss, I've got something to run by you."

The head of the Squad waited patiently for his munitions expert to fill him on his plan. Once he got all the details, a vile grin graced his muzzle.

"I like that, Cress. Lemme help take some pressure off you guys so we can make it happen. That brat and his friends will come running for sure."

(East of Mirage Town, some minutes ago...)

As the Sea Fox soared over the sandy and plateau studded expanse, Vector laid across the back seats while listening to tunes on his headphones. Gizmo was minding the console every so often, though she left the flying mostly up to Remi itself, with Charmy perched on her shoulder in his flight mode. Then there was J, who was writing in his phone and uploading the contents to his online storage. As he cheerily did so, he hummed a little tune that caught both the bee and the she-wolf's attention.

"What's that song?" Gizmo asked him, "it sounds familiar, but I can't place it."

"Yeah, me too," Charmy commented, "I've definitely heard it before!"

The cross fox smiled at them as he looked up from his smartphone. "Oh, it's the old theme that played in the ads they used to show for Sunset Park when I was a lad."

"How'd it go?" the teen bee inquired.

J chuckled and scratched at his chin nervously. "Ahah, you really want me to sing?"

"You were fairly good at Christmas," Gizmo complimented him, "and I'll admit I'm a bit curious about the song."

The black and orange vulpine let out a sigh, but he decided to humor them. He started over from the opening, humming it for several seconds until he came to the first part.

" Coasters that leave your toes tightly curled," he let out in a playful baritone, " twists that keep you 'til after dark. If you want on all the best rides in the world, then come on down...here to Sunset Park!"

For a brief moment, Gizmo imagined J a little older than in the pictures Miles showed her, singing this song while riding in the back of his parents' car. Then she pictured him laughing and yelling on rides with them and random friends she thought up, and she couldn't help smiling.

" Horizon shining beyond the top," J continued, " sights that are sure to leave a mark. And if you're not quite ready for it to stop, then stay a while...here at Sunset Park!" He snapped his fingers and swung his head. " Thrills and chills and, there's sure to be some spills too! So do not, wait up, there's lots of fun here for you!" He let out a little bit of a laugh. "And that's it. Not very long, but I could never forget it."

The she-wolf nodded softly and smirked a little. "I remember it now. You actually sound better than the guy in the original commercial, in my opinion."

"Psh, you flatter me," the cross fox replied humbly, his cheeks a little warm at the praise.

Charmy stifled a snicker of his own, as he could see where things might be going. But before Gizmo could give him a tongue lashing, the radio in the Sea Fox came alive with a ping from Sonic's comm.

"Yo! Sunset Park, dead ahead!" the hedgehog reported.

Indeed, just like he'd said, there were billowing smokestacks, repurposed rails, and much more like what they'd seen earlier with Remi's analysis. A lengthy train was currently parked in the station, where they could see workers performing maintenance and resupplying. As Charmy went to get Vector's attention, Gizmo switched over to the Emerald Radar to see if she could get a bead on the green gem's position, but found more than that waiting for her.

"I'm picking up the green Emerald down in the facility," she told the others as she zoomed out the map, "but the yellow and magenta are pretty close and heading in its direction, and Miles isn't too far behind them."

J sat up and got the white stone ready. "Sounds like the Jackal Squad got to the Emerald in Mirage Town before he did. How about we try and cut them off?"

"Yeah, let's get 'em!" Vector agreed as he punched one fist into the other palm.

Sonic let out similar sentiments, while Knuckles agreed in a more silent manner. Espio tapped at his device while keeping calm and balanced atop the windswept canopy.

"We could potentially maneuver into a pincer attack," the chameleon suggested, "also...do you have any way to scan for the energy of the Corundums?"

Gizmo scratched at her chin. "Not inherently, but Remi is meant to be very adaptive." She tapped at a few of the buttons. "Well, boy, you've been around the Sapphire a few times now...you think you can look for it?"

It gave a confident series of chimes through the deck, showing visual feedback as it did its work. By the time they scoped out a good landing site to potentially intercept the jackals, it finally gave them an answer. Activity like that of the Sapphire was detected very close to the two Emeralds, but it had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and then dissipated just as quickly. Nothing else lingered after that, suggesting that Zero had sent some of his members to meet whom the group presumed to be Tao, which left the lead canid in question a mystery to them in regards to his activities. Still, it brought up a rather pertinent question.

"Where's Zero?" Charmy wondered, "if he was with 'em, wouldn't the signal stay constant?"

That did give at least the older members in their group some pause for thought. The head of the Squad had to have been up to something if he wasn't joining the rest of them on a potential raid. But, given that he, or rather the Sapphire, didn't appear anywhere close to them or where they came from, he wasn't an immediate concern.

"Wait, what's that?" J inquired as he pointed at a new signal that popped up, this one actually lingering, "is he here after all? Then we mustn't let Tao rendezvous with him! I say we go after the second-in-command while we have the chance!"

As far as seniority in the team was concerned, Gizmo knew she was the one that technically called the shots, but she had no objections to the fox's plan of action. Thus, she made the decision to land roughly a kilometer away from the outermost sectors of the Sunset Park operation so as to prevent the people there from getting caught up in their fight. The seven Animals and one robotic Critter, now in its Speed Type state, all stood prepared for the arrival of their prospective foe.

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long for a tall and hooded figure to show up. It stopped several meters away from them, familiar piercing yellow eyes gazing at the lot of them from behind the hood. With a sigh and a click of the tongue, the cloak was thrown aside, revealing the person to indeed be the Jackal Squad's Number Two.

"You guys sure are stubborn," Tao said, no longer sporting the relaxed expression or tone those who'd met him knew him to employ. Rather, he scowled at each of them before narrowing his eyes at J specifically. "But you've got something I need, scholar fox. Hand it over, and things don't have to get complicated."

The cross fox brought out the white Emerald and kept a close and tight grip on it. "You mean this, I assume?" The hand and the arm that held it hardened into iron. "I've no reason to oblige your demand, given our past meetings. Especially not when you're just going to hand them over to your leader."

"That's not my intention," the jackal corrected him as his eyes lit up like Miles and Speedy's did whenever they used their Emeralds intensively, "I'm not collecting the Emeralds for his sake. But, I suppose it'd be foolish to expect you to believe me."

Tao unleashed what had become his go-to power, intending to wrap the other Animals in yellow light and reduce them to sloths by comparison. Unlike before where he employed a wider wave, he instead kept it as a short-range burst. Charmy, Vector, and Remi were all caught off-guard and thus slowed down, but all the rest got away in time. While Knuckles dug into the sand to try and attack from below, Sonic closed the gap with a Spin Dash.

He didn't notice, though, that Tao's eyes had a fleeting magenta flash run through them prior to this, and he dodged the hedgehog's attack with little effort. The emerging uppercut that Knuckles attempted was also unable to connect, leaving the jackal free to rush past the spiny duo. His eyes flared once again, allowing him to see Espio through his camouflage and deflect the "invisible" shuriken that were thrown his way with a pair of his longer daggers. J summoned a semi-circular Stone Wall to try and cut off Tao's path, only for the taller male to vault over it without much issue and lunge for him. Gizmo intercepted him thanks to the speed boost from her green escrima, but because of how much Chaos Energy he was exerting, the other canine parried each of her blows and soon pushed her away.

Having missed his best opening to get the white Emerald, Tao put both of those in his possession to use and took off in a rush towards the facility. He'd just have to try again later, he thought. As the fastest one among them, Sonic went after him immediately, while Knuckles didn't let the hedgehog get too far ahead of him. The Slow effect wore off due to the jackal's retreat, allowing the once-affected Chaotix and Remi to catch up with Espio and the others. They didn't realize, however, that the rest of the Jackal Squad, sans Zero, had been watching the action from a safe distance away. Or rather, their munitions expert had been doing so through a high-power monocular while the other two covered him.

"What's the sitch, Cress?" Shana asked as she scanned the direction they came from just in case.

"Tao's making a beeline for the facility, and the kid's friends are on his tail." The short guy got up from his kneeling position atop a sand dune. "Looks like he got another of the Emeralds, too. He's definitely not working with those guys, but I wonder why he's gathering the stones up without telling any of us."

Lana tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I know the Boss gave us our orders but...what if Tao's taking what we said to heart?"

"You mean, like, actually trying to stop his brother?" her sister snorted, "no way, you know how loyal he is."

"Point stands that he's up to something, and he didn't trust anyone enough to tell, not even the Boss," Cress reminded them. He gave the facility another look and then smirked when his eyes caught something interesting. "Well, maybe we can draw him out and get some answers. Things might get a little messy, though, depending on how it all goes."

And just as they prepared to pursue, they were left momentarily stunned as a massive mechanical eagle flew overhead in the same direction as everyone else. Cress focused his monocular on it to try and discern just exactly what it was, feeling his breath catch in his throat as he saw three figures atop of it. One of them was none other than that amber fox he swore he'd seen Zero get rid of for good.

'Now we've got no choice but to escalate,' he decided as he clenched his fangs, 'at least if we wanna come out of this ahead. It'll be a doozy, but I've got a plan.'

(Sunset Park Mining Facility)

"Garnet, Blue," Miles shouted over the wind, "keep watch from above while the rest of us head down to meet up with the others and intercept Tao!"

"Roger that," Garnet answered, her voice filtered through Nanatsu no Chikara's speakers.

"We won't let him sneak away!" Blue assured him.

The fox smiled and went into a dive from the great bird, with Ray following suit as he helped his own little buddy down from the drop. All three of them came to the top of a platform high up in the complex that was close to a lengthy section of the rust-colored railway. No sooner had they touched down when Sonic and Knuckles arrived at the other end just a few meters away from them.

"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed happily, going up to his partner and giving him a fist bump, "great to see ya, big guy!" He then gave the other two Animals with him a thumbs-up. "Yo Ray, Mighty! You guys were in the area, huh?"

"Something like that," the armadillo replied with a shrug, bumping his blue buddy in turn, "we've been filled in on most of the details."

The squirrel nodded. "Y-yeah, it sounds like you guys have had it a bit r-rough."

"It has not been easy, that's for sure," the Echidna said with his arms crossed, "and I worry about the Master Emerald. I hope Big can keep it safe until we return to Angel Island."

The prospect admittedly concerned Miles as well. He knew the burly cat was no slouch when it came to his physical strength or helping his friends. Big could hold out against Badniks and the like well enough, but he was a bad match for foes such as Mecha or Zero. It was only a matter of time before he'd be forced into such a situation against the former, which would definitely be sooner than later.

"I'd like to get there ASAP," Miles said as he turned his attention to the facility, "but I'm worried about the people here, and we still need the other Emeralds."

"Don't sweat it, big guy," Sonic assured him, "J, Gizmo, and the Chaotix are handlin' things below while we're up here. Remi's got his own Radar too, ya know, so it's not like Tao can hide!"

"We saw him heading into this place," Knuckles informed the teen fox, "and I can feel the presence of his two Emeralds. Between our parties working together, it shouldn't be hard to find him."

The fox had thought so as well back in Mirage Town, but he'd allowed himself to get completely distracted by the situation that his two other friends had found themselves in. He had more help this time, though, and he was further motivated with the raised stakes. They wouldn't let Tao get away this time, and they'd pay the Jackal Squad and the NBA back for what they had done to their friends and all the affected innocents.

Miles proceeded towards the nearest rail and positioned himself so that he could best use his shoes to grind on them. After a brief rise, the track took a sharp downturn, allowing him to build up momentum and leap across a wide gap towards a separate platform. He passed a few pairs of green weather vanes as he went into a Roll, following the curve of a loop across a precarious catwalk. The fox would've apologized for rushing by and startling a few of the workers in that area, but he was in too much of a hurry, Jumping past them and rushing through a second loop when it came up. A steep quarter-pipe sent him straight up, the amber ball bouncing off of one of the blinking red tower lights and landing on a yellow spring, which propelled him to a couple more. He kept up the pace as he went downhill once more, diving down a short pitfall so that he could cross over to the other side of some alternating rails and resume grinding. A yellow spring at the end redirected him down a different route, one that brought him a little deeper into the facility.

Sonic kept close to his partner the whole time, briefly using a construction crane to swing across a gap while his buddy simply flew over. They continued over several dips and hills in the path until they found a tall wall and a security gate blocking the way forward. The hedgehog spotted a metallic lever with a red light nearby and gave it a hearty pull, watching the indicator turn green as the gate opened. A yellow spring pushed them down the track to a red spring, which allowed them to get back into the higher parts of the complex. As they'd done when first starting out, Miles and the others rode the rails to a loop, but changed course by grabbing a hook just past it to boost themselves into a different spot. Rather than perform any fancy acrobatics with the platforms there, Miles and Ray gave the other three boys a lift with their flying abilities in order to get to where they needed to go.

'Just a little further,' the fox mused as his eyes wandered towards what appeared to be the administrative area of the facility, 'then we'll get to the last Emerald before Tao.'

"Wait!" Knuckles shouted suddenly, causing them all to screech to a halt, "I felt that strange energy from the Sapphire just now, and it isn't far."

That got Miles' attention in a heartbeat. "So Zero's here...not surprising. Maybe he found out I came back from Aqua Planet and has come to finish the job."

"Aqua Planet?" Sonic questioned him, "is that the place the others said Zero sent ya to?"

"H-how would he even know you escaped?" Ray had to wonder.

The fox scratched at his cheeks. "We still don't know the full extent of the Sapphire's power and capabilities. It's not unreasonable to assume he could use it to sense my presence."

"Yeah, Espio can do that, too," Mighty pointed out as he shrugged, "something about detecting one's 'spirit' or whatnot. I kinda get it, but he's on a whole 'nother level."

True, Miles considered. There were those like the chameleon that could find others by relying on a completely different set of power than Chaos Energy, supposedly. Which meant that if Zero really could pick up on him being here...

"We have to hurry!" he yelled at the others, "the people here are in mortal danger!"

"There it was again, that bizarre power," Maria said as she looked down at the green Emerald, "nothing like what you put out. But now that I'm thinking about that..." She closed her eyes briefly, then snapped them open almost as quickly. "The other four Emeralds are really close! I've got to hurry out of here before anyone else gets hurt!"

Maria bound her two tails up into one again and covered them with the dust sock, then hid her ears after wrapping the cloth back over her head. She put the gem in her pocket and hurried out of what would be her former office after today, making her way to the train station. About halfway there, she fell to her knees as she felt a stabbing pain in her heart. It wasn't from any sort of condition, but rather, a response to the sudden shift of Chaos Energy in the region. She could feel it dispersing into the atmosphere in many different spots, and that unusual power moving to and from each one.

'No!' she realized, 'people are already being slaughtered!'

Gruesome imagery filled her head: bodies of humans and Animals alike dismembered, decapitated, and disemboweled. Some were riddled with stab wounds or bullet holes, others gorily torn up by claws, and more had been blown to pieces. She badly wished it'd been her imagination, but these visions were all real and happening in the facility. It was so horrible that she could barely fight the urge to shed tears for the fallen.

"Maria!" she heard Barry yell as the quokka and his Flicky friend, Red, approached from right in front of her. He knelt down to help her up, which she didn't need, but accepted politely anyway. "Hey, are you okay?"

The vixen rubbed at her face with her other hand, covering her misty eyes. "I'll be alright. What're you doing here, Barry?"

"Didn't you hear? There's an evacuation order!" he told her as he began pulling her along towards the station. He had no idea she'd intended to head that way in the first place, albeit more discreetly. "Some maniac's going around killing people, and security can't stop him, so everyone's being told to head for the train! I've already led the tour group from earlier there, so let's go!"

Maria soon became the one leading Barry along, surprising the smaller Animal by getting them to the station in what was record time for him. The train had already started up, and it seemed like they were the last two to arrive, as they saw no one else coming from the other entrances. She urged her former co-worker and his companion aboard, but just after that, a throwing knife struck the door button on the outside and sealed her out. She spun around to see a tall and wiry jackal with black and white fur, his belt loaded up with many myriad knives. She didn't feel the abnormal energy coming from him, meaning that he couldn't be the killer, but she did detect the two Emeralds in his possession. And while the one confronting her had quite a serious face, Maria also saw pain reflected in those brilliant yellow eyes.

"Kindly hand over the Chaos Emerald, vixen," Tao ordered her calmly as he got within a few meters, "and I promise to leave you and everyone else alone."

Maria didn't see any signs of deception in his body language, nor hear it in his words. His aura remained steady, though what concerned her was that it wasn't a benevolent one. It wasn't particularly malevolent either, but even if Tao was telling the truth, she couldn't trust the jackal just like that. She would rather hand off her gem to the teen fox or one of his allies, and she could tell that he wasn't among them.

"I refuse," she replied evenly.

Tao let out a long-suffering sigh and brought out the yellow Emerald. "I seriously suggest you reconsider your answer. Don't make me resort to hurting you."

" I refuse." Maria met his steely gaze with a firm one of her own. "I won't let you lay a finger on the Emerald."

The bigger Animal ran out of patience, clutching his gem tight and releasing a sizable shockwave of its Slow power. The vixen kicked off the ground, flipping over the attack's area of effect and its user, taking a defensive stance and keeping a close eye on her opponent. Annoyed, Tao stowed the Emerald as he closed the distance, rapidly swinging two of his envenomed blades at her, only for her to duck and twist away from every swing and jab. He tried to mix her up by feinting another lunge and activating Slow once more while he was close, but Maria back-stepped away faster than the burst could expand. Even when he used the magenta Emerald's "Vision" power to better analyze her movements, the vixen compensated without issue, as though she was aware of what he was doing. If that wasn't aggravating enough, she was fluid, almost graceful, and yet conservative in how she shuffled around his assault. She may not have desired this clash, but it was apparent that she herself was rather adept at combat.

For those inside the train that could get to a window facing the action, most everyone was dumbstruck at the feats the two Animals were displaying. For Barry and Red in particular, it wasn't what Maria was capable of, but rather the fact it was her doing it all. She'd always seemed friendly yet purposefully unassuming, like she didn't want to be noticed, and thus she was a mystery to most workers. By contrast, they knew well who Tao was and what he could do from numerous stories about the Jackal Squad, not to mention his wanted poster was a common sight around the region. Seeing his skill in person made him all the more fearsome, though the two had to wonder what the fox lady had been doing before Sunset Park. What nature of work would allow her to keep pace with someone like that, much less evade everything he was throwing at her?

Not too far away, in the lower reaches of the facility, Espio leapt from the tracks and grabbed onto the metal handle of a black and yellow device, which brought him to the top of the wall it was attached to. Charmy flew himself and Vector up the shaft to follow, while Remi did the same for J in its Flying form, and Gizmo used her grappler to catch up. The next couple of hurdles were similar enough, the last one bringing them to a spot that had been warded off with a roadblock type of barrier. They would've normally heeded it, but given the circumstances and the fact that the green Emerald was close, Vector did the misdeed of busting it down. They rode up a platform there to a red spring, winding through a loop and up a quarter-pipe turn onto a high ledge. From there, they followed the rails through another loop and into a tunnel that sent them across a long bridge built over numerous pipes.

After many twists and turns that took them high and low, the six abruptly found themselves inside a huge building where most of the lines went. Past a couple more loops was a broad chasm filled with molten metal below while conveyors above hauled in various materials. The gang used these to climb their way across the hot region and make their way up to one red spring, then another, until they crashed through more of those barricades from before. Following a rapid descent into the bowels of the factory, they eventually found themselves at the back of a train station with one very long locomotive. But what caught their eyes was what was happening on the platform several cars ahead.

"Look, we caught up to Tao!" Charmy exclaimed.

"But who's that he's fighting?" Vector wondered, "doesn't look familiar."

"Whoever she may be, she's quite skilled," Espio noted as he watched the vixen and jackal "dance" about the place, "and if the Jackal Squad is after her, it's highly likely that she has the final Chaos Emerald."

Gizmo glanced at Remi, who nodded its head and ran a scan through its own internal Radar. It projected a zoomed-in grid of the area, where they could see the white one J held next to the robot, and the magenta, yellow, and green ones moving about in tandem with Tao and Maria.

"That settles it, then," J said as he tightened his gloves, "we need to assist that young lady and lock Tao down!"

However, before everyone could rush in to help the vixen, the action stopped when the train blew its whistle and started to chug along. Seconds later, there was a bit of static over the loudspeakers before a voice came in clearly, one that some of those present were familiar with.

"Attention, workers and passengers," Cress announced over the line, "this train and all its contents are now the property of the Jackal Squad. That includes your money and valuables, which we'll be coming by to collect shortly. So long as you don't resist, you'll be dropped off at the next station, no harm, no foul. But if you do, well."

The sound of a sword being drawn was relayed for all to hear, along with an intimidating change of announcer. "I don't mind making an example of one of you, or all of you, really. And Tao, we know you're here; better catch up and explain yourself if you don't want me to tan your hide, dear brother."

Gizmo and the gang with her were stunned at the sudden predicament facing them. Knowing that it was too much to handle on their own with Zero involved, the she-wolf hastily sent an emergency voice-only call to Miles through her comm. She was glad that it only took him a few seconds to pick up.

"What's going on, Sis?" the fox inquired concernedly upon answering her hailing.

She took a deep breath so she could get it all out quickly in one go. "Tao's here at the train station trying to get the green Emerald, but the rest of the Squad just hijacked the train that's currently heading out! There's a lot of people aboard!"

"Shoot! What do we do, big guy?" Sonic asked his partner.

The fox didn't even need a moment to mull it over. "The hostages take priority. There's no guarantee Zero will let them go even if they cooperate, so we've got to hurry! I'll leave Tao to you and the others, Giselle!"

"You can count on us!" the she-wolf affirmed proudly, "godspeed, boys!"

Gizmo ended the transmission and led the charge, drawing both her red and green CD escrima sticks while J brought out the white Emerald. Espio utilized his Chroma Camouflage to get to the other side of Tao so that he wouldn't be able to escape so easily. Vector backed him up as Charmy took to the air, with Remi following the bee after assuming its Flying form. The jackal was still a bit out of it from realizing he'd been discovered by his gang, so he didn't notice the other Animals until they were surrounding him. Maria, by contrast, merely turned her eyes towards them and flashed a soft smile.

"Please, miss," J addressed her kindly, "allow us to–"

He was cut off when the vixen appeared in front of him in a blink, both her hands momentarily clasped around his free glove as she dropped a weight into it. The cross fox's eyes widened when he saw that it was, indeed, the green Emerald like Espio and Remi had been telling them.

"I leave this to you," she whispered lightly. Afterwards, she hopped away so she was beyond their circle. "I'll stop those vandals."

"Hey, wait!" Charmy tried calling after her.

But it was already too late to stop the vixen, who skipped across the ground like a supersonic stone over water as she went after the departing. Tao wanted to stop her, but found himself blocked by the efforts of everyone else present, which only served to deepen his aggravation. Once he noticed J had the Emerald he was seeking, though, he relaxed ever so slightly.

"Whatever," he snorted, readying a pair of knives that were more like minor machetes with how big they were, "the Emerald was my target anyway. All that's changed is that I need to grab it from you guys instead of the girl now, along with the other one you have."

The croc kid flexed and let out a short chuckle. "You really think you can beat all of us, bub?"

"Considering none of you could land a hit earlier when you had two more people helping you out?" Tao shot back, "yeah, I'd say so."

"I think you overestimate yourself," J disagreed, "after all, you and I were fairly evenly matched when we clashed at the old castle."

The jackal perked his brow. "How about just yourself then, scholar fox? You believe you could defeat me one-on-one?"

"Don't do it, J," Gizmo discouraged him, putting herself between the two other canids.

"I second her sentiments," Espio said as he reappeared, "you may now have two Chaos Emeralds like your foe, but Tao has far more fighting experience than you. Accepting his challenge to a duel would be unwise."

The cross fox Jumped over the she-wolf, landing a few meters in front of Tao on the balls of his feet. "Oh, I know, I just want to seize the initiative." He shook his head and smiled. "Sorry, Tao, but I have to decline. Perhaps if this weren't such a dire situation, I'd be more willing to entertain the idea."

"It doesn't matter to me either way, really." Tao's yellow eyes became electrified once more. "But, I can't afford to lose, so I'm not going to hold back anymore!"

Everyone took up a stance and position as they prepared to throw down. As he'd intended, J took the lead in confronting Tao, swinging his arms in a horizontal arc as he called on both Emeralds. Some of the station platform's concrete rippled and surged towards the jackal like a wave, which he simply Jumped over. Charmy moved in to strike with his stinger, but Tao parried it with his knives and swiftly dropped back to the ground. His tall ears caught the sound of shuriken in the air, turning around to promptly knock them away and block a rushing strike from Espio's tanto. He shrugged off the chameleon fairly easily and cartwheeled to one side as Vector let loose his fire breath, then used a Spin Dash to send the croc sprawling. He made a beeline for the little aerocopter robot, but Remi retaliated by firing a blue ray from its main turret.

Tao tried to ward it off with his weapons, only to discover that it was a lightning-based beam, taking a strong shock and leaving him vulnerable to a Mid-Air Spin Dash from Charmy. Though it stunned him and sent him flipping back, he managed to stick a landing and recompose himself. Gizmo zipped in with her green escrima alight, and Tao prepared to counter a fury of light attacks. But at the last second, she switched the active stick to the red one and hit him with a powered-up jab, breaking his guard and making him stagger back a few steps. Vector checked him with a shoulder charge, and Espio used that opening to smash into the jackal with an Axel Spin, sending him sailing into a nearby support pillar.

Tao righted himself in time to spring off of it with his feet, then tossed his current weapons into the air as he plucked several more blades from his belt and into the spaces between his fingers on both hands. One, two, then three volleys of throwing knives were flung at the gang in rapid succession, and while they did their best to contend with them, the jackal caught his poison daggers and made his move.

"Slow!" he shouted, his body wrapped in a bright yellow aura.

Though they knew it was coming at some point, Gizmo and the rest were unable to do anything as the Emerald's power washed over them. Tao went for J, eager to claim the other two Emeralds, only for the cross fox to emit a white flash. The jackal gritted his teeth as his venom-filled knives hit iron instead of flesh, breaking the relatively fragile blades. The frustration of losing two of his favorite tools caused his concentration to slip, ending the Slow effect earlier than planned. Instead of exploding his makeshift armor, J simply dismissed it and then clasped the white Emerald more tightly.

"Inspiration really does strike at the strangest times," he told Tao with a playful grin, "although I'll have to 'borrow' a bit for this one, I've figured an effective way to slow you down."

The jackal dodged a few more attacks from the vulpine's allies before he got a chance to speak again. "Then show me, if you're so sure of yourself."

"Patience." J's sclera seemed to shine an even brighter tint of white than usual. "I want to surprise you."

Miles and the other four boys had put the figurative pedal to the metal once they'd heard the news from J and the rest. They found an alternate route to the eastern tracks in short order, and further off, could see the back car of the lengthy locomotive line. After following the old carnival lights and crossing a few narrow but deep ravines on the way, Sonic, Mighty, and Knuckles all clambered up the caboose's ladder, while Ray and Miles flew on either side of the rail car. The fox caught the glint of metal in the distance and swerved off to one side out of reflex, the whizz of a bullet passing him almost immediately after doing so.

"Watch yourselves, guys, we're being sniped!" he warned them all, "probably the girls. Let's help draw their aim away from the others, Ray!"

"Right!" the squirrel shouted back, folding his arms inward a bit more to increase his speed.

As they raced on ahead to do their part, Sonic took the lead for the others running atop the train. He Rolled along the curves and dips in the roofs, jumping from car to car while keeping his eyes out for any more sniper fire. Given his super speed and reflexes, whenever a round did come his way, it was like it was in slow motion for him. Knuckles' keen senses and experience allowed him to likewise avoid taking a hit, while Mighty's shell combined with his raw strength and endurance rendered the bullets mostly ineffective. The two fliers also made sure to check on the train itself, keeping watch for any place that might be holding passengers.

Once they'd traveled over a handful of railway vehicles, all of which were meant for supplies, that's when the trio on top were nearly knocked off balance. The connection between them and the next car was blown apart by a small explosive, forcing the boys to abandon their ride and continue the chase on the tracks for a hot minute. Ray and Miles, meanwhile, found their enemies employing a different approach, catching sight of several rockets jetting towards them. The fox saw that they altered their trajectory when he and the squirrel did, giving himself a slight boost with the cyan Emerald so he could attract the projectiles. At that velocity, he tricked many into hitting each other while herding the remainder away from the train, allowing his friend an easier time.

And then the hail of enemy fire simply...just stopped.

"Huh? W-what's going on?" Ray asked as he pulled in next to Miles.

"I don't know," the fox answered, uncertain himself, "maybe they ran out of ammunition?"

After a few moments of relative silence, the aerial duo decided to fall back and check on their friends. In the meantime, Sonic and the others caught up again just as the new rear car entered a steel and concrete-lined tunnel that appeared to go on for several kilometers. Thanks to the internal lighting that came on in response to the fairly dark passage, this let the guys see which parts of the train had civilians. Fortunately, there were only a few, and all were connected, so if things got hairy, people could be transferred between them, or they could uncouple them from the succeeding cars.

"Alright, let's make sure these folks are okay!" Sonic yelled over the commotion of the wheels as he opened the door of the front-most passenger carrier.

A number of Animals were startled by his sudden entrance, though this changed to confusion when they saw that it wasn't a certain jackal greeting them. They were even more perplexed once the rest came inside, wondering just who these kids were, as they obviously weren't with the Squad or among the workers. A couple of them decided to approach: a red quokka that was rubbing at his green eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and a Flicky that matched his crimson fur.

"Blue hedgehog, red and white high tops," Barry muttered as gave the hoglet a once over, "you...you're Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Sonic gave him a thumbs-up. "That's me!"

"That's funny, because all I see is a blue sewer rat!"

The crowd let out a gasp and the three boys swung around to see Zero standing there, holding the Sapphire in his right hand while his left hefted his scimitar. Sonic flicked his nose and let out a short snicker.

"What's with the bad guys always gettin' things wrong?" he joked, "hedgehogs aren't rodents, ya dumb mutt."

The kid was promptly flung into the far wall after getting caught in the Sapphire's gravity manipulation, hearing the jackal snarl at him and the people start to cower. "All trash is the same to me!"

"What makes you think you're not garbage?" Mighty retorted while running in along with Knuckles.

Zero grunted as both the Echidna and armadillo delivered a solid punch, knocking him back and out of the car. This released Sonic, who followed up with a Spin Dash, driving the leader of the Squad even further away from the hostages. But even after those consecutive heavy blows, the jackal stood tall and stared down his foes with utmost confidence.

"So you're supposed to be that kid's partner, eh?" he inquired about Sonic, "wonder how pissed he'd get if I killed you first?"

"You don't want to know."

Zero couldn't whip his head around fast enough to prevent himself from taking a jumping roundhouse kick to the face, sending him bouncing through a few rail cars and out back into the open. The jackal let out a rabid noise as he saw his most hated enemy touch down a few meters away, fixing him with the dirtiest look he'd ever seen from the fox.

"Back to die for real this time, freak?" the jackal sneered.

Miles straightened his utility belt and brought out his most trusted keepsake. "You wish, weakling."

Veins visibly pulsed in Zero's forehead, eyes twitching at the insult. He let himself and his sword be engulfed in a deep black-blue shade, trembling all over in rage. How dare this runt have the nerve to call him that after the results of their last battle!?

" I'm. Not. WEAK !" the jackal roared in a voice that was both his own and yet not, as if two people were screaming at once.

A howling gale coupled with a shock wave of shadow energy exuded from his body, nearly blowing the boys off their feet. Several orbs came next from the jackal, but thanks to what Miles related to them, all of his opponents were ready. Ray and Miles dodged by flying up, while Sonic sped beneath the one meant for him, and Knuckles and Mighty outright blocked the ones headed their way. Zero warped in close to the fox, intending to cleave him in two with his scimitar, but was knocked out of the air by a Drop Attack from the squirrel. Breaking his fall with the Sapphire, he fended off a punch from the Echidna, then kicked the hedgehog away when he attempted another Spin Dash. The armadillo caught the boy with one hand and slammed into the ground with his other, throwing Zero off balance for but an instant. It was just enough time, however, for Miles to blast him with a Tornado Spin, making the jackal crash into some supply crates.

Barely a second later, those same boxes came soaring at the quintet, which were splintered by a well-aimed Explosive Punch from Knuckles. Zero floated up into the air and then away from the boys, holding out the gem while he simultaneously tilted his sword back. Miles was first to chase after him, side-stepping and jetting around blue lasers meant to slow him down. The jackal timed it so that when the fox dodged yet another row, he slashed in his direction, unleashing a blade of energy that was as dark as the Sapphire itself. Though he got around it easily enough, Miles was a bit afraid when he saw it cut into the top of the rail car with no issue, leaving a massive gash in the metal. That certainly wasn't something he wanted to get hit by, as he couldn't be sure whether or not a Chaos Barrier would be able to withstand it.

Zero kept up the pressure by launching more of those projectiles at him and the others, carving up the ground below them and the walls of the tunnel. Fearing a potential collapse if it kept up, a boom echoed throughout the place from Miles launching at full speed towards the jackal. The bigger canid didn't have time to react as the smaller one slammed into his left shoulder with his free hand, hurting him enough to make him drop his sword. Sonic brought up the rear and kicked the scimitar over the side, smirking as he watched it clatter away in the distance. Zero attempted to call it back to him with the Sapphire, only for Ray to swoop in and try to knock the gem out of his other glove. It only succeeded in angering the jackal further, the squirrel getting a head-on short blast for his trouble as their foe reclaimed his weapon. But Miles had been expecting that, bringing out the Pikkon Hammer and pouring the cyan Emerald's energy into it as he met Zero's incoming slash. There was a short, but difficult struggle between the two, until finally...

CHING!

The head of the Jackal Squad's eyes widened in both shock and fury as the blade of his scimitar snapped clean off the handle and fell by the wayside of the tracks. The fox was repelled by a powerful pulse, then forced into a hard fall as gravity multiplied around him. Zero prepared to crush him with a massive bin he teleported from the car beneath them, but a timely Lightning Arrow from Knuckles allowed the fox to break free. The teen caught his young partner as he Rolled his way, then redirected him at the jackal with a Thunder Shoot. Zero reeled back from the strike, though he managed to avoid the Boomering Miles sought to trap him with. Or so he believed until it came back around with Sonic's help, the hoglet calling the bound-up Animal back to him and tossing him towards the rest of the gang.

Miles took that opportunity to deliver a two-handed swing with the Hammer, once more giving his nemesis a rough landing. No sooner had he bounced off the roof when Knuckles came in to deliver a fiery rising uppercut, burning and launching Zero again. Sonic sped in circles beneath the airborne jackal, keeping him suspended with a Blue Tornado. As he did, Mighty Jumped up to grab Zero by the ankles, flipping them about a few times before locking him in a pile driver. Their combined teamwork had a lot more impact than the jackal thought it would, but he was loath to admit they were anything other than how he saw them.

Seconds later, the train exited the tunnel, and the jackal shakily rose to his feet, keen on resuming the fight. He'd barely gotten a chance to get fully upright when the fox snapped the Boomering back to him, then punched his enemy square in the gut, winding him a bit.

"Give up, Zero," Miles told him as he shoved the jackal onto his backside, "just hand over the Sapphire before I really lay into you."

Zero coughed a bit, his lips curling up evilly. "Really lay into me, huh? Would you even go as far as killing me?"

The fox hesitated for a moment. He thought of Dr. Fukurokov and Great Battle Kukku XV, as well as all the others that had probably met their end because of him. None of them had come directly from his own hands, but he knew that's what Zero was really asking. And, if he were to be perfectly honest...

"If I absolutely had to, I would," Miles answered him with firm conviction, gloves clenched tight.

The jackal started laughing as he once again got up. "Then prove it."

Zero opened his jaw as wide as he could, and then stuffed the Sapphire right into the back of his gullet. Miles and the boys were utterly flabbergasted as the jackal grunted and struggled, starting to choke a bit. Even as it seemed he was taking himself out for them, Zero tilted his head back and hissed through his teeth, eyes shut tight and watering. The bulge of the Sapphire hung in his throat, trapped in place until...

GLRK!

The shape actually went down, completing its journey to the jackal's stomach. Zero hunched over and panted heavily, straightening himself up after a few moments with a triumphant grin on his muzzle.

"My gods," Mighty muttered in disbelief.

"H-he actually a-ate it!" Ray stuttered frightfully.

"So that's how it is," Knuckles growled, "he's trying to make it so that we have no choice but to end him to get the Sapphire."

"That's right, trash!" the jackal derided them, "if you want it so badly, you'll have to gut me!" His form became more obscured as his aura grew bolder. "Not that I'll let you!"

Sonic went to shut him up with another Blue Tornado, but he was stopped halfway through one revolution by Zero's gravity slam, then hurled back towards Miles. The fox skidded back after catching his partner, only to lose hold of him after abruptly being smacked forward by a snap kick from the jackal warping behind him. Knuckles moved in with an Explosive Punch, letting out a surprised shout as one of Zero's hands caught his fist and the other transported the blast back at him. Mighty grabbed him by the legs and started up a Giant Swing, ready to throw him Ray's way. However, in the span of an instant, the young armadillo and the jackal swapped places, and the former was the one tossed into his friend instead. The jackal blew all of them further away with a dark shock wave, then singled out the fox, grabbing him by the throat with both hands and squeezing hard.

"I'll wring your fucking neck!" Zero snarled in his face as he applied more and more pressure.

Miles gagged and struggled against his grip, fighting to get free. That was when he came upon the idea to genuinely slip through the jackal's fingers, calling upon the cyan Emerald's unique Power. Just as he'd hoped, once his body changed to water, Zero wasn't able to keep hold of him, and this allowed the teen to reverse the situation. He snatched both of the bigger canid's wrists and yanked him in for a headbutt, then used his tails to sweep his feet out from under him. Zero stopped his fall with the Sapphire's levitation, only to slam into the ground anyway thanks to a Rolling Jump from Miles.

It was like a chain of dominoes falling as his friends rejoined the brawl. Sonic revved up a Spin Dash, but rather than follow through, he let the built-up energy continue without him in the form of a white-blue, arrow-shaped wave while he bounced back from recoil. Zero bounded over it, only to get bashed in the back by a huge boulder Knuckles summoned from the rocky badlands around them. Ray snagged the jackal's tail while he was off balance, dragging him over to Mighty, who met his target with a wind-up punch. That put Zero right in Miles' path, the fox transforming into a whirling dervish and trapping his nemesis in a Typhoon Tails Attack. And after the lightning crash that topped off the technique, the boss of the Squad was left battered and beaten on top of the rail car.

But even then, he refused to give up.

"You miserable little maggots," Zero began to rave as he pushed himself to stand, "it doesn't matter how much you struggle! The Sapphire can just keep giving me more pow–"

He suddenly interrupted himself by spewing up a good mouthful of blood, tainted the same black-blue as the Sapphire's energy. He doubled over with his arms around his abdomen, groaning and hacking as more and more spilled from his muzzle and nose, gradually starting to stumble backwards.

"Gah! What's going on, Tails!?" Sonic asked his partner, both disgusted and freaked out.

Miles gritted his teeth loudly. "It looks like the Sapphire is reacting violently with his insides! At the rate he's bleeding–"

All of them fell over as the speed of the train significantly decreased without warning, the din of screeching metal ringing in all their ears. Zero stumbled and rolled to the edge of the rail car, barely managing to catch it with the tips of his claws. Unfortunately for him, he spasmed at the worst time and vomited another sizable volume of blood, his vision going white as he lost his grip. The jackal's body bounced and crashed over the barren soil of the badlands, the momentum carrying him over a cliff and into a deep ravine with a slim river at the bottom of it.

Miles hopped off and ran to the gorge, flying down to try and find the jackal. By sheer luck, Zero had fallen into the water, though the fox noticed that he wasn't moving as he floated along. The teen carefully and warily brought him over to one of the shores, checking his vitals using every means he knew. But no matter where he put his focus, he arrived at the same, inevitable conclusion.

"It's over," Miles concluded, letting out a mix between a hum and a sigh as he activated his multi-tool and lifted himself back to the top of the cliff, "better let the others know."

The fox gave the pair of future warriors a ring, with Blue being the one to answer.

"What's going on, Miles?" the mystery Animal asked.

Miles glanced back over his shoulder at the gorge. "The boys and I met up with Sonic and Knuckles, and we just finished fighting against Zero. I...need you to pick up his body while I go make sure the others are okay."

"Oh, I see." The fellow on the other end nodded gently. "Send us the coordinates and we'll take care of it. And Miles? Don't beat yourself up over this. After everything he's done, that guy's comeuppance was long overdue." He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. "Anyway, we'll be in touch."

The teen ended the call and proceeded to do what Blue asked of him. Once that was done, he was about to hail the others, but paused and tilted his head when Sonic's icon came in through the comm app before he could get a chance. With a shrug, he patched his hedgehog protege through.

"Good news, Tails!" Sonic reported happily, "the train's stopped, folks are okay, and we got three of the jackals!"

Miles smiled and gave him a peace sign. "Good job, partner. I bet they were easy compared to Zero."

"A-actually," Ray butted in, "they were already beaten up w-when we got here."

"So we restrained them to prevent them from escaping," Knuckles added.

The fox perked part of his brow. "That's strange. I wonder who beat us to the punch?"

"Probably the same person who stopped the train," Mighty reasoned, "not sure how they did that, though. The controls're busted and the emergency brake's broken."

It seemed that the gang had something of a mystery on their hands, but it had to wait. Miles still needed to check on the others, so he sent a ping to Gizmo's device, and she picked up after more than a few seconds.

"A bit busy at the moment, foxy," the she-wolf said the moment she was audible, "Tao's not been making things easy, but I think we've got him on the ropes!"

Much as he didn't like the idea, the teen knew there was one surefire way to give her and the others the edge they needed to beat him. "Put me in projection mode."

(Some minutes ago...)

While that was going on, the side-striped twins Lana and Shana were starting to sweat as they defended their position near the engine car. No matter what they'd thrown at Miles and Ray, the two fliers outmaneuvered them and continued to close the gap. Not only that, but they're beginning to run out of ammo for the weapons Cress lent them, and he wasn't able to help them at that moment. Zero was also preoccupied with another matter, so they couldn't count on anyone except each other against the boys that'd been rapidly approaching.

But in their tense state of mind, the two had completely missed the presence of a third antagonistic entity towards them and their goal. Shana had just finished reloading her launcher when a sky-blue blur slammed into the side of it, knocking it out of her hands and over the side. She barely even got a chance to recover from the sudden strike when she was thrown across the roof of the car. Lana urgently noticed the state of her sister, but she herself was given no quarter to retaliate when her weapon was also kicked away. She'd been given but a glimpse of the assailant, a sunny yellow vixen, when she was swiftly tossed aside in a heap onto her twin.

"What the hell?" one of them growled as she got up.

"Who's this bitch?" the other snapped, rising to her feet.

Maria crossed her arms. "The one who's here to take the train back from you."

"Shut up, skank!" Shana jeered.

"Yeah, what can you do?" Lana chimed in.

In response, Maria flashed sky blue all over for a split second, the overflowing energy tearing her rag and dust sock off while her limbs became mostly uncovered, revealing her true two-tailed nature. That was when the jackal girls knew that they'd seriously messed up.

"H-hey! That's not funny!" Lana stammered.

"There are two of you!?" Shana blurted out, "that's not fair!"

Smacking their heads together was enough to incapacitate them, though Maria wouldn't let them just lie there in a place they could fall off. The fox warped them from the outside of the front-most car to the inside, then gingerly placed the twins in a secure position. She'd been expecting things to be easy from there, but to her horror, she discovered that the engine's controls had been utterly sabotaged. Even the emergency brake lever had been snapped clean off the fulcrum. The train was now a runaway; unchecked, it would crash into the next station with catastrophic results for everyone involved.

'No choice, then,' she decided grimly, 'I wanted to avoid using my powers extensively, but the situation's become too dire for me to hold back.'

"Hey!" cried out a masculine tone, "where'd you come from and what'd you do to the girls!?"

Maria didn't flinch one bit as she felt the tip of a barrel placed against her lower back. The vixen teleported behind the assailant and trapped him in a Full Nelson, satisfied upon hearing his gun clatter to the floor. Cress couldn't even process what had happened to him in such a brief interval, now finding himself at the mercy of another two-tailed fox. The only similar time he could think of was when he'd been laid low by Miles, but he knew that this wasn't quite the same.

"Stop struggling," came the soft, but serious demand in his ear.

But Cress didn't stop. Even compared to their scout, he was the second most ruthless member of the Squad, only below their terrifying leader. Such came with the territory of being their supplier and the nature of their work. He couldn't afford to be taken down by some upstart that came out of nowhere, not like this. And yet no matter how much he fought, he couldn't escape the vixen's grip.

"The hard way it is, then," Maria mumbled in a disappointed tone.

Cress broke free of her grasp, or at least he convinced himself of such before he saw her face. His view was quickly obscured as a gloved hand grasped his head and slammed him down so hard into her knee, he was seeing stars. If he'd been any typical Animal, or if she'd used more force, the impact alone would've surely killed him. His fading consciousness wondered whether his hardened self was a blessing or a curse in this case. It hardly mattered once he was out of it and slumped over the fox, who put him next to Lana and Shana.

She was about to tend to the most pressing problem, but stopped when she felt the boy's energy clashing with that unnatural power, along with a few others helping the former. It was an intense struggle from what she could determine, but the fox's team had the clear advantage in terms of numbers and collective might. The vixen was still intrigued, and a part of her desired to see the fight up close and observe what Miles could do.

'Now is not the time for that,' she chided herself, returning her attention to what needed to be done, 'I've already allowed my emotions to dictate my actions more than I should.'

With a steady breath, Maria faced towards the back of the engine and thrust both of her arms forward, tightly shutting her eyes. Slowly and steadily, the vixen covered the engine's wheels in sky-blue light, forcing them to rotate in the opposite direction. An earsplitting screech filled her being as the vehicle struggled against her efforts, sparks flying off the rails from the metal-against-metal resistance. Yet despite the friction and groans of protest, within a scant couple of minutes, it all came to a grinding halt. With the knowledge that she'd prevented a major disaster, Maria let herself breathe easy for the first time in a while.

'That energy from before has dwindled too,' she discovered as she felt for it, 'good. I'll let the boy and his friends handle the rest.'

And with that, Maria disappeared from the engine room, whisking herself away to parts known only to her.

Back at the station, Tao was definitely getting tired. Even though none of his foes had anywhere near as much experience as he did, it was still a six-on-one battle, and J was effectively his physical equal when counting their Emeralds. But they were getting worn down as well, aside from the little robot, though that one was more annoying than truly threatening. All he had to do was keep up the pressure, and perhaps he could–

A tune came from Gizmo's hip as her comm went off, signifying that she was being hailed and distracting everyone for a moment. She answered it quickly once she saw it was a joint call between Miles and Sonic.

"A bit busy at the moment, foxy," the she-wolf informed her adoptive younger brother, "Tao's not been making things easy, but I think we've got him on the ropes!"

Miles showed her a rather serious face. "Put me in projection mode."

Gizmo bit her lip out of reflex, a tad intimidated by her surrogate sibling's expression and tone. Still, she did as he directed and made it so that everyone could see and hear his holographic image.

"It's over, Tao," the fox announced resolutely, "we stopped the train and your squad mates. As for Zero, well, he didn't make it."

Everyone there stopped. Tao felt his blood run cold after hearing that, freezing on the spot as his fur dampened with sweat.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, though he already knew the answer that was coming.

Miles softly shook his head. "It's complicated, but to make it short, Zero brought it upon himself. I checked him over several times...he's dead."

Tao wanted to object and call the kid a liar. He wanted to berate him for suggesting such a thing. But the look in those capris eyes and the way he'd delivered the news...the jackal could tell it was no deception. And that, for him, was the killing blow to his motivation and drive to keep fighting.

"I give up," he uttered in a defeated tone.

Charmy nearly fell out of the air at the proclamation. "Wait, what?"

Tao tossed his knives to the side, then undid his belt and threw it at their feet. The two Emeralds he'd been holding in his tail dropped into his hands, which he summarily chucked at the group as well. He sank to his knees, both arms slack at his side as he started laughing softly, eyes watering heavily.

"I said I give up," the jackal repeated. He covered his face with one arm. "They say all seven Chaos Emeralds can do anything, right? I wanted to use their power to save Zero from himself. But if he's really gone...then continuing on is pointless."

No one else was sure what to say to that. After several seconds of silence, Gizmo went to tie Tao's hands behind his back with some grapple wire, and he didn't even put up a semblance of a struggle. Though they'd won here, she didn't take any pleasure in ending the conflict this way, and she knew that Miles felt similarly.

"We're going to see what I can do about the train and getting the passengers home safely," Miles told them, "Green and Blue are taking care of–"

Everyone was startled when the emergency signal went off in stereo, the overlapping keening hurting their ears. Miles and Gizmo responded at once, and on each of their respective ends, Garnet's face showed on screen.

"Everyone, we have a problem!" the hybrid said to the fox.

"We found blood stains where you said Zero would be, Miles," Blue filled in for her, "but he's not there!"

(Angel Island, western shore)

The shadows of the jungle felt even more foreboding with the presence of the shambling jackal there. It was thanks to the Sapphire stirring in his stomach that Zero had managed to revive himself, albeit just barely. He'd not even been given a second to realize he was alive when he was transported to this place against his will. There was some irony in returning to where the gem had been sealed, but it soon became apparent why it had chosen to do so.

' Sister here...' came that eerie whisper, ' at last...reunited.'

Despite the pain and exhaustion that plagued his body, Zero couldn't help but be excited. The power that the Shadow Star Sapphire had granted him was amazing, not the least of which was cheating death itself. But if he were to obtain the Phantom Ruby as well, then nothing would be off the table.

"The world I've always dreamed of can become reality," he slurred, the sclera of his eyes darkening from white to black-blue.

' Yes...our power...shall be...'

"Infinite!"