Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After the events of the prologue

[Capital City - Departmental Blocks - Morning]

"The world has changed! The future is today ladies and gentlemen! We can finally be at ease and give a better world to future generations. New technologies guarantee the quality of our lives and...."

The young wolf changed the channel of his TV with frustration. That was the speech of every day and he already had it memorized, all the matinees were always about the same thing. The same fat guy with the air of a scientist, showing the "newest" in home appliances, the same big breasted lady presenter saying that her life was easier with robots doing everything for her, and finally the same bald guy saying that people shouldn't be lazy just because technology was a big help. He didn't need to hear the same thing again.

"Seriously, there's no need to say what everyone already knows" He said while constantly changing channels until something caught his attention.

"... In other news. A new terrorist attack occurred last Friday afternoon, on the outskirts of Capital City. Apparently, an organized group would have tried to steal an entire shipment of model 04 Avatars, which were inside the military bunkers..."

"Oh those guys are crazy hahaha!" The wolf laughed with irony "Trying to steal  models 04, which are inside military installations Ha! What a silly idea is that. Obviously they were going to get caught."

"...Fortunately, the criminals were intercepted by the G.U.N. units and are currently at..."

"I told you!" He shouted at the monitor and then turned it off.

That kind of news was becoming very frequent during the last few weeks, after because of a fire on Prison Island, some prisoners managed to escape.

Many people suspected that the fugitives allied to form a strange organization, with terrorist purposes, whose fame has spread little by little. But everyone is still confident that the authorities will take care of them, or at least they hoped they would.

But that was not a matter for the young wolf to worry about. He had other, more important, priorities to attend to.

"Well, today is just another day." He said, getting up from the couch he was on and looking at the clock on his wall, noting what time it was. "JUST ANOTHER DAY THAT I'M LATE!"

It didn't even take him two seconds to stand up and grab his backpack. He slammed the door of his apartment, instantly regretting it and praying that the neighbors wouldn't complain to him later, and rushed off to his university.

That was the daily life of Gadget the Wolf, an average young college student, the son of a renowned inventor and a prominent female scientist, with a great passion for discovering and creating new things... and believing himself to be the unluckiest person in the world, for very good reasons.

[Freedom University - Main Entrance - Lobby]

"Oh! Brother I'm here!". A young cyan wolf raised his hand to get Gadget's attention.

"Damn Giz, I'm sorry for making you wait!" The red wolf finally arrived next to his brother, after running to make it in time "Good morning" he said, barely catching his breath.

"Good morning, Gads" For Gizmo it was not uncommon for his twin brother to be late almost daily and it was also not uncommon to see dark circles under his eyes "Did you stay up late again?"

"You know how I am"

"You'll make Mom worry and Dad scold you." He said with a slightly annoyed and worried tone "They agreed to let you live alone, as long as you promised to take care of yourself"

Sigh "It's barely morning!... At least wait until lunch to scold me"

The twins, Gadget and Gizmo. They were a famous duo in college, though not exactly for good reasons. Some people believed that the twins had privileges at the university only because of their parents' influence. Many even had the gall to make up gossip about them.

As they walked, they could hear people talking and whispering behind their backs.

"They only got into this university because their parents are famous"

"Maybe they offered them money or some bribe to the teachers"

"They look down on others, just because they're rich How angry they make me!"

"Good morning to you too, gossipmongers" Gadget muttered with mild annoyance "Can't you people even dissemble?"

The chatter and murmuring, which was always going on around them, was already part of the daily routine of the wolves who, after a while, got tired of giving explanations and simply began to ignore them.

However, those people little knew that, growing up being raised by two brilliant minds, the young wolves had learned a lot about technology and science during their lives. Their parents didn't even agree 100% with the college the twins chose, but they accepted because they trusted that they were mature enough to make their own decisions.

Nor did they get into college with influence or money. The twins spent four months studying for the admission exam, which they passed and earned a scholarship. All thanks to their own efforts. That's why their grades stood out, but many thought it was just a sham, a front to hide some bribery.

At first, some people tried to intimidate Gizmo, who, being shy and calmer than his brother, was an easy target for bullies. No one expected the cyan wolf to know how to use his head to win arguments without getting into fights. But that didn't stop him from feeling uncomfortable with so many people who seemed to throw darts through his eyes every time he passed by.

Others, on the other hand, fixed their attention on Gadget, and had slightly more pointed reasons for doing so. Many believed the red wolf was mad and made jokes about it.

The reason for this was the small project Gadget had been working on for some time. The whole university knew about it, after the wolf presented his project during a class and the matter spread like raindrops throughout the campus. The idea was not only ridiculous, it was also considered far-fetched, impossible and even taboo, considering the ideals of today's society.

A project that was intended to teach Avatars to ...

"Hey, Gads?" his brother called to him in a low tone, as they entered the campus. Many eyes were on them, but his older twin didn't seem to mind in the least.

"Mhm?" Gadget put his hands behind his head as he kept walking.

"Are you still working in... well, in that...?" Gizmo didn't know how to finish the question.

"Now that you mention it..." Gadget seemed to remember something. "After school come with me to the store. I need another meca-body" Somehow, he had answered his brother's unfinished question.

"You broke another one!?" Gizmo's shout drew even more attention, so the cyan wolf lowered his voice immediately. "Gads, that's the third one this month. You can't keep that up!"

For better or worse, Gadget was stubborn as a mule, something he inherited from his mother. When an idea got into his head nothing and no one would change his mind.

"I haven't been able to get them to stand up to the initial program and they end up overheating until the CPU melts" He said flatly "That's the problem with the models 01, they're too fragile!"

"Gads, may I remind you, that last one, it was a model 02 and it was mom's technical assistant" Gizmo sighed "Now you've gotten yourself in trouble"

"Model 02, but it was in disuse" The red wolf excused himself.

"In disuse, but it was almost new" his twin replied "Even the ones sold used are expensive, and mom lent it to you because you said it was for your homework"

"And yet, it was useless. Another failure on my list" He sighed "I thought being a more advanced model it would stand up to the program. What a bummer!"

"No, brother" Gizmo replied "Rather, they're not made for it. What you're looking for is impossible and you know it, everyone knows it!". There was no point in talking sense into him, but he wanted to try anyway. "Why don't you stop with that idea, no one will criticize you if you do!"

"Once a wise man said: If others can do it you can do it too. And if no one else has done it, you can be the first to do it" Gadget said looking at his brother.

"Brother, what you want is for a robot, a cold machine that only carries out orders, to understand and feel what love means" It was a conversation they had had many times before and he knew it.

"Giz..." Gadget stopped and looked his twin squarely in the face. "Sorry if I've caused you worry. See you at lunch!" He said and ran off.

Gizmo stood in the same spot, watching his brother walk away. They attended the same university but were in different majors.

With a defeated grimace, he turned around and walked to his respective classroom. He knew his brother had no ill intentions, but he also didn't want him to become the new "mad scientist" of his generation.

Luckily for both of them, the rest of the day passed without further problems.

[Outside the City - Abandoned Chemical Plant]

Meanwhile in another place. A person was pacing back and forth, inside a dark room.

"If that black rat and his useless cops really think they've defeated me. They're really wrong!!"

An improvised laboratory, inside an abandoned place, was the right place for a certain evil mind to babble and divulge his plans without anyone suspecting anything.

"... I have finally finished my master plan. I have drawn inspiration from the best master. The most brilliant mind that has ever walked this world..."

The place was only illuminated by the light of some of the computers, which were in the narrow hiding place. A small battery-powered motor worked as a power source, that way, he didn't need to connect to the power line and no one would notice that there was anyone living in the plant.

"Those fools. They thought they sabotaged my plans, but no!" He said, rubbing his hands together "Now that I've managed to severely damage that legged washing machine, I'll be able to advance to the next level without too much trouble"

One of the monitors showed an image of 5 faces. One of them was marked with a red circle. It was the target.

"Once I have access to the total network, I will implant the new virtual virus I have created. There will be no avatar in the world that is free from my control. And when people become aware of my new army, they will have no choice but to submit to their new leader if they wish to live"

A maniacal laugh echoed through the place. The person hidden in the shadows approached the monitor and stroked the screen with his fingers.

"... And you, my canine and robotic friend, will be the one to help me fulfill that dream!"

The person in question spun on his heels, directing his gaze to other shadows, which were almost imperceptible due to the darkness.

"We'll attack the main base and steal the Avatar as soon as possible. I don't need to wait another day. Soon the main show will begin!

[Shopping Center - Cafeteria - Afternoon]

Gizmo's lessons had ended early, because of his professor's absence in the last hour.

So there he was, in a coffee shop near the university, with his friend and classmate, Corvin. A turquoise bird.

That was a place they used to frequent, they even had a favorite table, which was a little out of the way from the others, and they stayed there while waiting for the arrival of the older twin and their other mutual friend.

Gizmo met Corvin during the first days of classes. The bird usually wore clothes and accessories that made him look like a rebel. Whoever saw him would think he was a bully or something just by looking at him, but the reality was, the guy was a math and programming nerd, just like Gizmo.

Corvin had entered college with his childhood friend, who attended the same classes as Gadget. It was because of her that they had become a group of friends, for when the girl discovered the twins, she insisted for a whole week that they should be friends.

Gizmo still remembered how crazy the girl seemed, screaming that she would adopt the red puppy and Corvin should adopt the green puppy, just because they were adorable twins. She was a weird girl, although very cheerful and a bit perverted. But also, she was the only person who didn't make fun of her brother's project, on the contrary, she was genuinely curious about it. While the only thing Corvin said when he heard about it was "Oh, cool" and didn't say anything else again.

While the cyan wolf was deep in thought, Corvin used his fingers to tap his forehead and get his attention.

"Guh!" Gizmo was startled "What... What happened?"

"Stop drooling on the table" Said the bird "There's Red"

'Red' was the nickname Corvin used to call Gadget. So Gizmo turned his gaze to where the bird was pointing and saw his brother not far behind them, but thought it odd to see that he had arrived alone.

"Gads! Over here!" luckily Gadget heard the call, despite the bustle of the place, and took a seat with them.

"Hello Giz. Hi bird" Greeted the newcomer, plopping down in the chair.

"Hello brother" Gizmo greeted him.

"Hi Red" The bird looked sideways and then asked "Where's our lunatic friend?"

"I have no idea" Gadget replied "Fuschia skipped class, probably to take a nap in the library. But she sent me a message saying she'll be here soon"

Not many minutes passed when a cat, with pink fur and blue eyes, appeared out of nowhere behind Gizmo and scared him.

"Here's The Queen you were crying for, my dear sexual slaves!" Aside from Gizmo's little scare, Corvin and Gadget didn't even flinch. They were already used to it "Hello gallants! Have you ordered something to eat yet? I'm starving!"

"I'll get the food. The usual, right guys?" Gizmo stood up without waiting for an answer and headed for the ordering counter.

While they waited, the cat just took a seat and began to apply her makeup. But then her attention turned to Gadget's face.

"Wow Gads, what's up with those dark circles under your eyes?" said the girl, looking closely at the wolf "Did you stay up all night watching porn? That's not healthy dude, you might get something splashed in your eyes, fufu~"

"PFFFT! Fuschia!!" The two boys jumped out of their seats, totally embarrassed at how shameless their feline friend could be.

They already knew that the girl could say any nonsense that came to her mind at the most inopportune moments, but sometimes they were a little inappropriate and she took them by surprise. In spite of everything, they were a united group, unusual, but very united.

They used to spend their evenings like this, in the cafeteria or at some McDonald's, chatting and wasting time or skipping classes.

When the clock struck 20:45, the friends decided it was time to go home. First they agreed to accompany Gizmo and Fuschia to the station and then they would go their separate ways. Corvin lived near the university and the station was on the way anyway.

On the other hand, Gadget lived alone. A decision he made in order not to have his parents breathing down his neck and supervising his project 24 hours a day. So the red wolf preferred to walk, even if he lived a bit far away.

"Phew! My goodness. That banana cake was giant and delicious. I'm so full!" Said the girl patting her stomach "Although, I've eaten much bigger bananas"

"Could you stop talking in double meanings!?" Gizmo's face was red with embarrassment "We're still in a public place"

"Meh! At some point you just get used to it" Corvin said "Just pretend you don't know her"

"Your words hurt me... Nah! Not really" The girl just laughed at her own bad jokes as they walked.

They were already on one of the main avenues, waiting for the traffic light to change color so they could cross and get to the station.

"Guys, can you hear that?" Gadget said suddenly, looking in several directions.

Not far from where they were they could hear some police sirens. They seemed to be moving and approaching very fast from somewhere, but they couldn't tell from where.

"That, is just my heart, breaking, because of my friends indifference" The cat made a bad dramatization holding her chest and then kept walking to cross the street "Haha! It's nothing dude. It must be just some panty thief who..."

"FUSCHIA WATCH OUT!!!" Gadget barely had time to jump forward and push her friend out of the way.

Just at that moment, a bunch of patrol cars and black vehicles passed in front of them, just inches away and at high speed. Other people also had to run to manage to get out of the way quickly.

"What the hell?!" Corvin stopped in the middle of the street and held up his middle finger to the vehicles that were quickly driving away "You're cops, set a good example and don't drive like my grandmother, you crazy motherfuckers!!!"

He was not the only one, other people were also complaining and insulting the vehicles for excessive speed.

"Guys, are you okay!?" Gizmo was genuinely concerned. His brother and his friend had almost been run over. They were really lucky.

The cat and the wolf were sitting on the floor and looked very agitated. Gadget raised his head to get some air, but just then, he saw that on the roof of the store in front of them, there was a person.

The silhouette seemed to look at the people below for a moment, then disappeared, leaving a faint blue trail. No one else seemed to notice it.

"Sonic?" Gadget mumbled. 

If Mobius' hero was around, then what was going on could be a serious matter. It was better to get home as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

"Throw the ball to me! Throw the ball to me!"

"There it goes!"

"Noah! It's my turn! It's my turn!"

Playing ball, was something Gadget and Gizmo enjoyed more than anything else.

The small park near their house was almost empty at that hour. It was perfect for the little puppies to play and run around freely.

Their mother had accompanied them, and while the family's personal avatar was keeping an eye on her children, she was sitting on a small bench under the shade of a tree, reading a small book.

"Giz! I bet you, you can't throw it any harder!"

"That's what you think! You ask for it!"

The little cyan wolf's kick, managed to throw the ball too high, causing it to hit a tree and deflect into the street.

"I'll get the ball!"

The innocence proper to a child, did not allow him to measure the danger of his actions.

"Wait! Don't cross the street!"

A loud horn blared, and the boy could only watch as a car sped toward him.

"Gadget! Watch Out!!!"

He had no time to react, and could only hear was the screeching of the car's tires, but it was obvious that it could not be stopped in time.

"GADGET!!!"

…

"Gaaaahh!!!.... Guh!"

The red wolf woke up, opening his eyes with a gasp. He was sweating and breathing heavily, his body tangled in the sheets and pillows of his bed. That had been a nightmare, or rather, a memory from his past with a sad ending.

Gadget sat up and rubbed his eyes with his hand "Shit... I thought I'd already forgotten about it" Just in time, the alarm on his phone started to ring.

It was very likely that the events of the previous night had brought back those memories. It was as if the whole world was against him.

He got up from his bed, with very little encouragement, to turn off the alarm and to walk to the bathroom of his apartment. When he looked in the mirror, his tired face seemed to tell him a thousand things, mostly emphasizing to him the fact that, despite the years that had passed, he still hadn't made any progress in his program.

The wolf clenched his fist and gently tapped his forehead.

"I'm doing the best I can, but I need more time" Gadget sighed and looked at himself in the mirror again "I haven't forgotten my promise, Noah"

The best thing for him to do was to get ready to leave for class, if he didn't want to be late again.

[G.U.N. HQ - Morning]

While a black hedgehog was in his office, firm, swift footsteps could be heard in the hallway, approaching. He already knew who it was, but didn't even bother to look up from his papers.

"Shadow what the hell happened last night!?" There he was, a frantic blue hedgehog entered the office, without even knocking on the door.

"What do you mean by that?" Shadow answered "We were on a mission"

"I know damn well it was a mission, you stupid! I was there too!"

"Then don't ask stupid questions!"

"I'm talking about the violent mobilization! You scared the civilians and almost ran them over!!!" Shadow's ears twitched back slightly, the constant shouting was starting to annoy him “You didn't even give a warning, or any public notice! The media is not an ornament, you know? That was very irresponsible of you, Captain~"

"The media is always meddling where it doesn't belong, and getting in the way. I didn't want them on my mission. Besides, the terrorist attacks are gaining ground fast. We had to act as soon as possible" Shadow at no time had looked at his partner directly, but it was obvious that he was angry "On the other hand Sonic, I remind you that you are not an ornament either. If you were sent as part of the escort, it was your responsibility to guard the route, and yet you stayed behind, wasting time over minor details. So now, you will take responsibility for the media. Go and take care of making a public apology later"

"What?! Why do I have to clean up your mess?"

"Because you're the famous hero, because you disobeyed orders, because you're an idiot who doesn't know how to knock a door, and because I said so. Any other questions?"

"Son of a..." The blue hedgehog sighed "Fine. Whatever. There's no point arguing with you" He said and walked away, leaving the door open just to annoy the black hedgehog.

[Freedom University - General Computer Science Class - Morning]

"Did you see the news?"

"Yes! Apparently, last night's police activity was due to yet another terrorist attack on Avatars shipments"

"They managed to steal a whole shipment, didn't they?"

"How scary! Why would someone want to steal so many?"

"The politicians must be very angry about the loss. I barely have one at home and it's really expensive. It would really make me very angry if someone stole it"

"That's right. I'll tell my family not to let our Avatar out of the house alone..."

"Me too. I'll tell my mom not to let my avatar out alone..."

The buzz inside the classroom was totally focused on last night's event. It wasn't just gossip at the university, the issue was everywhere, from the morning news to the advertisements in the markets.

Not surprisingly, the situation had caught the public's attention. Avatars were the symbol of today's society. That someone was stealing them, for an unknown purpose, was frightening. And it was even worse when the stolen units were Type K9.

Unlike other units, Model 03 or K9, were the main line of response in case of catastrophes. Losing them was akin to feeling exposed and vulnerable to danger.

However, no news or announcement mentioned the presence of the hero Sonic. Did that mean the situation was under control already?

Gadget sat all the way to the front of the large classroom, listening faintly to the murmurs of his companions behind him, trying to pick up if anyone else had seen the hero that night, but everyone was only talking about the robbery. It was almost as if Gadget had been the only one to see him. Or maybe it was his imagination?

"Hello, my little red puppy!" Fuschia, who had just arrived, sat down next to Gadget and stroked his head to get his attention "Good morning. What gossip do we have today?"

"Wow! You're early today. It's sure to rain or fall a meteorite!" Said the wolf sarcastically "Good morning, Pinkie Pie"

"Ha ha, very funny… Anyway, I brought you something" The girl pulled a small box out of her backpack and held it out, handing it to her friend "I was kind of surprised last night and forgot to tell you but... Thanks for saving me, Gadget"

The wolf received the box slowly, feeling a little self-conscious to see his, always spontaneous, friend being so serious for once. He carefully opened the gift and saw that inside was full of gummy bears, of different fruit flavors. Those were his favorites!

Gadget's mouth felt like water "Wow! You're really giving this to me?" He immediately took some and ate them "Yummy! But you didn't need to bother, we're friends. It's obvious that I would help you"

"Phew! Friendzone?" The girl gave an impish grin "If you keep this up, you'll die a virgin!"

"What?! No! That's not what...!" The wolf didn't finish his claim when the professor finally arrived to the classroom.

"Pay attention. Good morning students. Return to your places and be quiet. Class is about to start"

When lunchtime finally came, and the group of friends were sitting under the shade of a tree at the back of the campus.

Everyone was calm and quiet, enjoying the cool breeze, at least until Corvin waved his hand and started counting.

"3... 2... 1"

"I'm sooooooo bored!!" Squealed the pink cat.

"New record!"

"I'm serious! You all sound like tape recorders, repeating the same thing about last night's incident. Doesn't anyone have anything exciting to talk about? I need my daily dose of gossip!"

"I heard that, the commercial engineering professor cheated on his wife with a student..." Gizmo said trying to cheer her up.

"Nice try, my little green puppy, but that gossip is old and I need fresh blood. I need to see the world burn!"

"Girl, you're sick"

"I love you too, Corvin"

While the friends chatted trivialities, Gadget kept quiet, lying on the grass, looking at the sky and immersed on his thought.

The nightmare from that morning still lingered in his head, reminding him to get back to work on his project software as soon as possible. The problem was that, because of the incident that night, he forgot to buy the meca-body he needed. Maybe that was why his mind was reminding him that there was no time to rest.

A sigh, a little too loudly, escaped from his chest and drew the attention of the rest of those present, unnoticed by him.

Corvin was the first to speak "Hey Red! What's up?"

"Eh? Ah! It's nothing!" Gadget sat up and scratched his head a little "It's just... What do you think it happened last night?" Trying to talk about anything else could maybe distract him. Or so he thought.

"Oh, no! You're going to start with that too!?" Apparently, his feline friend wasn't too happy with the topic of conversation.

"Why not? Don't you think that's something we should worry about too? Someone is stealing Avatars for who knows what. In fact, I thought I saw Sonic too. It must be a serious matter if even Sonic has gotten involved, right?"

At the mere mention of that name, the girl jumped up from where she was sitting to grab Gadget by the neck of his jacket and shake him, while bombarding him with questions

"Sonic? The hero Sonic himself? Did you see SONIC? My Prince Charming? Where was he? When did you see him? Did he give you an autograph? Did he give you his number? Did he greet you? Did you kiss his shoes? Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!!!"

"Fuschia! Let him go! You're choking him!" Gizmo tried to save his brother from the girl's grip.

Corvin for his part, could only laugh that the red wolf, looked even redder, because of the sudden movement. But in the end, he had to help to rescue the poor bastard from the girl's clutches.

Once he was free of that torment, Gadget took a moment to breathe and drink some water.

"You're insane! You almost kill me!" hissed the wolf.

"It's your fault, Red. You know very well how Fuschia gets, when she hears the name of the main character of her fanfics" Corvin was still laughing at his friend.

"Sorry red puppy. But why did you mention Sonic in the first place? Where did you see him?"

"I said I thought I saw him, but I'm not sure" Gadget took a deep breath and adjusted his jacket "After those cop cars left, I saw a silhouette on the roof of the store across the street. It looked familiar but disappeared almost instantly. I only distinguished out a brief flash of blue"

"He disappeared almost instantly?" asked Gizmo "What does that mean?"

"It means, my green puppy, that Sonic was there and then, POP! He wasn't there anymore" Fuschia said mockingly.

"Hold on, Red. Did you see it or not?" asked Corvin a little confused "How are you so sure it was Sonic and not someone else?"

"I only saw a silhouette and a blue trail. But I think it was him"

Gizmo put a hand to his chin, thinking about the possibility that the hero really had been there "If that was the case, why didn't he intervene to stop the police patrols? I mean, his duty is to protect civilians, isn't it?"

"Maybe he was working with them?"

"With the military!? I thought Sonic was a hero who worked alone!"

"There really must be something serious going on, don't you think?"

Gadget held up his hands to intervene in the conversation when he saw they were straying off topic "Hey, hey! We're not sure. I said I didn't see it clearly. Maybe I mistook it for the light from some Drone or something. We shouldn't jump to conclusions so fast guys. We don't need unnecessary worry"

"Well, you're right about that, Red. The final project submission date is coming up. Better think of nice things" Corvin stood up and shook out his clothes "Anyway, it's almost time for the next class. We'd better get a move on"

"I don't wannaaa~!" Fuschia stood up and stretched her arms as she yawned "I already want it to be vacation!"

Gadget also got up and shook out his clothes, but at that moment, Gizmo caught his attention by tapping him on the shoulder.

"Gads, I forgot to mention, mom wants you to come home for dinner this weekend"

"What? Why? Are we celebrating something?"

"I suppose not? She just said something about spending time as a family, so dad will be there too"

"...I have a bad feeling"

"I'm just fulfilling to tell you, since you don't pick up the calls" Gizmo took his backpack and started walking "Ah! Also, she said that if you don't show up, she'll come to catch you, and force you to wear a pink dress"

"What the hell!?"

"It's just a heads up, but if I were you, I'd get to that dinner on punctuality"

"Oh crap"

Corvin and Fuschia just laughed at their friend, as they walked to their respective classes.

There was nothing wrong with a simple dinner, but that it was so sudden didn't bode well for him, even more so knowing that his father, who practically lived at his job, would also be there.

[United Federation - Cargo Zone - Afternoon]

BOOM!

"Escorts to base! Repeat! Escorts to base! Please respond!" The voice behind the radio communicator sounded desperate.

Alarms began to sound all over the place, people were running around in an uproar. Some trying to put out the fire and others simply fleeing in panic.

"What the fuck is going on!" It was a black hedgehog who answered the communicator, demanding answers as to what was happening "What's the situation, are there any injuries?"

"It's the terrorists again, Commander!" Answered the person on the other end "They are attacking the new cargo!"

Shit. Their obvious target was the cargo containers. If they got to them...!

"Copy that. Hold on! Reinforcements are on their way" And without further ado, he cut the line and quickly headed for the arsenals of the base he was in.

"Shadow!" A white bat saw her partner pass by and quickly flew towards him "Under attack again? Is it the same guys?"

"Unfortunately yes" Shadow said without stopping his walk "Rouge, send medical equipment to the attack zone. I'll go with the reinforcement convoy. Please keep me informed of the situation"

"You're not sending Omega?"

The mere mention of the robot caused Shadow to stop his walking, but only for a few brief moments.

"He' s still under repair because of the last attack on the warehouses" He then continued walking, with Rouge behind him "I won't risk sending him"

Next, the black hedgehog picked up his communicator again. He couldn't be accompanied by his robot comrade, but he still had an Ace up his sleeve.

"Attention JK-04 Rex units. Report to the arsenal immediately!"

Not even 10 minutes passed, when a group of 5 avatars, looking like jackals, appeared in front of Shadow and Rouge.

G.U.N. had granted Shadow permission to be in command of a squad, of 5 Rex units, which had been customized and modified to the hedgehog's own requirements and standards. The latter so that these robots could keep up with him without major problems.

"Bad Shadow" Rouge said in an amused tone "I'll tell Omega you're replacing him with these puppies"

"It's no time for jokes, lady" he replied, frowning "We're in an emergency, all help is welcome" Shadow turned his gaze to the avatars in front of him.

These Avatars, in themselves, were extremely expensive. Obtaining permissions to customize them was practically impossible, and was only allowed to high-ranking officers under special circumstances. And the ones in front of him were even more valuable, not only because of their modifications, but also due to the large amount of military information they had saved in their Internal Disks.

Losing one of those shits, could cost him his reputation.

But after the spate of terrorist attacks on the various military arsenals and avatars shipments, the G.U.N. forces were running out of options, and resources were becoming scarce.

So, fuck it all. What's the worst that could happen?

"Attention Special Forces Unit. Confirm Command" Hedgehog said firmly.

"Command Confirmed" Replied in unison the units in front of him.

"We are under terrorist attack again and you are coming with me. Activate your timers and switch to Combat Mode. We have 24 hours to nullify all enemy activity. Update information!" As Shadow dictated orders Rouge just watched. She was also authorized to use a command with those units, but unlike Shadow, her command only allowed her to access archived files.

"Information Updated. Combat Mode - Activated" They replied again.

"Unit 00-JK, step forward" With that said, one of the units, with the number 00 engraved on his shoulder, approached the hedgehog "Confirm command"

His long white hair made it easier to identify him from the rest. He was nothing more and nothing less than the main unit of the squad. He was adapted to connect to the database of any avatar, as well as having access to the entire G.U.N. data network and satellite information of all kinds.

"Command confirmed" His golden eyes, were intent on Shadow. In itself he was somewhat intimidating "Master. What are your orders?"

"New mission. Attack formation. You will not open fire unless I give the order" Shadow tried to sound as clear and firm as he could "My orders will be absolute. The priority is to stop the terrorist attack while avoiding loss of life. If the situation gets out of control delete all your data from the Internal Disk"

"Understood. Attack Formation - Authorized. Shadow the Hedgehog in command"

"Proceed with the mission"

"Yes sir!"

Chapter Text

[Suburbs - Departmental Complexes - Night]

That night, Gadget simply could not sleep, he just stood there, contemplating the view from his balcony.

The building where the wolf lived was almost on the outskirts of the city, quite far from the center, and therefore, it was also almost empty. Only a couple of tenants per floor.

That was something obvious, families would prefer to live close to schools or primary services, or just so they wouldn't have to take long routes to their jobs. However, thanks to those details, the rent for the place was incredibly cheap. The apartment was large, with a nice, spacious balcony.

Of course, Gadget had also gone to the trouble of soundproofing most of the walls, in one of the larger rooms, to have a makeshift workshop where he could do his projects in peace. It wasn't as if there were many neighbors on the same floor, who might complain about the noise, but it was better to be precautious.

Although that night, the wolf did not feel like working on any of the projects he had pending, he just wanted to breathe some fresh air and relax his mind for a while.

Luckily, his building was located on top of one of the many hills that surrounded the area, and Gadget lived on the seventh floor, so the view from his balcony gave him a panoramic view of the tall buildings in the center of the city, undisturbed by the bustle of crowds and vehicles. Also, he could see the roofs of all the surrounding houses and buildings in the lower areas of the hill.

The wolf would have fallen asleep on the balcony, thanks to the calmness that the night offered, but his tranquility vanished from one moment to the next, because of what sounded like the sirens of emergency vehicles and fire alarms, very close to where his building was.

"What... what the hell?"

Gadget leaned out as far as he could on the edge of the balcony, trying to figure out where those sounds were coming from, but he didn't need to look too hard, when a loud explosion erupted from one of the nearby buildings.

The roar caused a small tremor, and it didn't take long to hear the screams of several people, who were now running in panic through the streets.

The fire soon became visible, and seemed to have affected several small houses in the area.

The wind was not blowing hard, but it was blowing in the direction of his building, so the fire alarms soon sounded as well when smoke was detected. The fire was very close.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Gadget ran to his room, grabbed his phone and jacket, and headed as fast as he could for the building's exit. It was lucky he didn't fall down the stairs on the way down.

When he was finally outside, he had to run a little further down the streets down the hill, where it didn't take long for several firemen and ambulances to show up.

The police had also arrived, using their flashlights to point people in the right direction to evacuate. But something he found disturbing was the presence of armed soldiers, who seemed to be looking for something in the midst of the fire and chaos.

Gadget could not understand what these men were looking for, as he felt himself being pulled by the arm and pushed hard in another direction.

"Hey kiddo! Don't just stand there! You must evacuate the area, now!" The one who had shouted at him was a cop.

Without wasting any more time, he too headed in the same direction in which the people were fleeing.

The cries of children and screams of women were making him nervous, but it was not for less, all that disaster happened in a matter of seconds. It was obvious that what accompanied the confusion was fear.

The police were trying to maintain as much order as possible, telling people not to run and to remain calm, advising them not to separate from their children and families, and to keep moving at a brisk pace, without being distracted.

They had been walking for about twenty minutes, maybe more, but some explosions could still be heard in areas close to that evacuation route. And although the police claimed that the firefighters had the situation under control, the fire was still quite visible from there.

The screams, the cries, the sirens of the firemen trucks, and the police barking orders were deafening sounds as he moved forward, but even so, he was able to feel his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket.

When he picked it up to check the call, he saw that it was his mother's contact, and what seemed like several missed calls from Gizmo. But there would be no point in answering them in the middle of all that noise. His mother would never be able to hear him, and even if she did, she would hardly understand a single word.

Without thinking much about his actions, Gadget took a detour through an alleyway, avoiding being seen by the police, and trying to get as far away from the hustle and bustle as possible.

When he was far enough away, he had reached the other side of the alley, where there was a small park. Everything was dark but it was quieter. The fire was still visible nearby, but not close enough that he couldn't escape.

Gadget allowed himself a few seconds, to catch his breath, before answering the call.

"Hello?!... Hello? Mom?"

"GADGET! Oh my sweet baby, where are you? Are you all right? Are you hurt? Honey tell us where you are, we'll come right now and get you!" The woman's altered voice gave Gadget a sense of impatience.

"Mom, I'm fine, take it easy. How did you know that-?"

"Son, the explosion is all over the news! Apparently it's a terrorist attack! Tell us where you are. Your father and brother will be picking you up now!"

Terrorists? Oh fuck, that's... No wait! If it's something that dangerous, Dad and Gizmo will be in danger too if they get close. Thought the wolf.

"Mom listen to me, I'm fine, the police are evacuating us now, it's better if they don't come, it could be dangerous!"

"But, sweetheart-"

"No! I'm fine! I have to go back to the evacuation zone now. I stepped away to take the call. Don't worry, I'll call you back when I'm in the safe zone"

"Promise you'll call us!"

"I promise, but I can't stay away longer. I have to go!"

"Sweetie, take care of yourself!"

"I will. I'll call you later mom. Love you. Bye!"

Without waiting for an answer, Gadget ended the call and hurried back the way he had come, but when he turned around, he noticed something he hadn't seen when he arrived at that place.

In the middle of the small park, almost hidden by the shadows of the trees, there was a large vehicle. At first glance it looked like a police vehicle, but it lacked the distinctive logos and symbols. The engine was off, so there was no noise around it other than the bustle of people in the distance, the sound of the wind and the emergency sirens, which sounded far away from where he was.

The wolf wasn't sure why, but he couldn't help but move closer to get a better look at the details of the car.

It didn't take him long to see that, indeed, it was a car almost as black as the night itself, perfectly camouflaged with the darkness of the place, even with tinted windows, and apparently, it was empty. How did he know that? Because the pilot and co-pilot doors were open.

Gadget didn't want to get too close, since inside the vehicle's cabin, there was a small light still flickering.

But curiosity killed the cat, didn't it?

It seemed that the car had not been left there long ago. However, on the outside of the driver's door, almost under the rearview mirror, there was a small gray logo.

The wolf used the flashlight of his phone, to be able to see better and not have to get so close. It didn't take him long to notice, though, that the logo was nothing more than three simple letters.

"G.U.N."

Oh no...

Bad sign.

The presence of that car was a very bad sign, and Gadget was right there, away from the evacuation route, all alone.

Suddenly the world became noisy again, as if his brain had suppressed sound as he approached that car, and then he became aware of the situation again.

There was no time to lose, he had to evacuate as soon as possible.

His mother had told him on the phone that the explosion was a terrorist attack, and if G.U.N. was there, the situation must be more serious than it looked.

He quickly retraced his steps to get out of the alley, but when he got to where the evacuating people were, he found a totally different scenario than when he walked away to take the call.

Instead of finding people walking in a hurry, he saw that the place was now a veritable stampede. Even the policemen were fleeing in panic from something.

Some new explosions were heard nearby, along with the car alarms, which were activated by so much commotion.

Gadget did not dare to, even try, to cross the huge wave of people passing in front of him. The very thought of falling, and being trampled and crushed by hundreds of people, left him frozen right where he stood.

But what had happened while he was gone? What were those people running from?

There was another explosion, just a few meters from where he was.

Gadget threw himself to the ground and covered his head with his hands out of instinct, but the sound of the explosion was accompanied by something else, like sounds of something crushing metal. It was a sound like the giants made in the movies, when they crushed cars.

The wolf raised his head just a little, looking for the source of the strange sound, and it didn't take him long to find it.

Not far from him, where the fire was still visible, a shadow could be seen jumping in zigzagging in an agile and violent way, passing over cars and houses, advancing in the same direction in which everyone was fleeing.

It was not a large or voluptuous shadow, it was rather a uniform and small silhouette, perhaps only a little smaller than his friend Fuschia, but the force it exerted every time it landed on some surface, was enough to crush until it left a small crater.

Gadget could not move from his place on the ground, it was hard to believe that all this was happening.

The strange thing jumped over a car, which was parked almost next to the wolf, and finally gave a short hop to land on the ground.

When the creature straightened up, a strong smell of rust and burnt metal reached Gadget's nose, who was quick to recognize what kind of creature it was and why people were running away.

"A... a P-Parasite-Avy..." Muttered the boy, frozen with fear.

The thing in front of him, was an Avatar... or rather, it was.

The robot was completely scorched, it couldn't even tell what model it was. The skin fiber was gone, leaving the Meca-Body exposed in several areas. It was like looking at a metal skeleton, walking and smoldering.

The avatars that ended up in this deplorable state were the result of multiple computer viruses attacking and destroying the operating systems, practically, it was like watching a zombie robot.

A monster out of control. A threat to the Mobians.

Any inventor's worst nightmare.

When the original command was destroyed or altered, the Avatars acted unpredictably, totally unstable. But in the worst case, computer viruses could alter the command without destroying it, managing to invert it.

That is, if the avatars were made to protect, the inverted command only ordered them to destroy, and apparently, that was the case with the uncontrolled beast, which was now walking slowly down the street.

The thing was missing an arm and half of its head, but that didn't stop it from having enough strength to destroy whatever stood in its way.

Just a couple more steps, and that metal monster was already standing in front of Gadget. The eye that still remained in his face glowed an intense neon green, and he extended his hand in the direction of the boy lying on the ground.

"M-A-----S-SS---SS---TE-E--R" Spoke the robot, in a distorted voice.

"... W-what?" the wolf was perplexed.

That thing was looking for its master?! Even in the state it was in?!

Gadget didn't have time to think of anything else, when another being quickly appeared, pushing the out-of-control avatar with a strong blow, which sent it flying into a wall.

The attacker was not alone, there were two other shadows that arrived almost instantly as well, and when they met, they jumped forcefully in the direction of the broken robot, to attack it.

While he couldn't get a good look at their faces, the red wolf could make out the glowing pairs of yellow eyes of those creatures. Those were avatars too, and judging by the insignia on their shoulders and backs, they must have been military models.

What happened after they arrived looked like something out of a futuristic movie.

A big fight between the crazed robot and the three military Avatars, and it looked like they were having a hard time, despite being three against one.

The moves, the jumps, the hard hits, it all looked like a well-crafted action movie. And if Gadget hadn't been nearly peeing himself in fear on the floor, he might have found the courage to pull out his phone and record the moment.

"Hey buddy! Enjoying the party?"

Someone else had come up from behind, and had grabbed the wolf by the scruff of the neck, as if he were a small puppy, and lifted him smoothly off the ground.

"It's good to see you don't seem to be hurt. But you know, you're supposed to be evacuating, not napping on the ground"

When the red wolf looked up, he was met with a rather familiar face.

"SO- SONIC?! You're Sonic the Hedgehog, right?!"

"The very same in person!" boasted the blue hedgehog "But as I was telling you, you shouldn't be here, since- Wooah!! DOWN!!"

Before he finished speaking, both boys were knocked to the ground again, just in time for one of the military Avatars to fly past them and crash into the bottom of the alley.

"Fuck... That thing better not have damaged that Unit!... or Shads is going to be pretty pissed..."

"Sonic, what's going on?!"

"Well, as you may have noticed, that piece of crap is a Parasite-Avy... the problem is, that one, it's a former Model 03"

"W-what?! That's why it's so strong?!"

"Yep! And it's very dangerous. So do me a favor and get out of here, okay? I can't fight and protect you at the same time"

The hedgehog's gaze became very serious, enough to give Gadget the impulse he needed to get to his feet and get away from that place, as fast as his legs would let him.

However, before he was far enough away, the red wolf turned around again, to continue watching the fight between those amazing avatars, as one of them caught his attention.

The glow of fire and smoke in the surrounding area seemed to create a perfect curtain to hide the battle, but thanks to the close proximity, Gadget could still make out the silhouettes of the hedgehog, the two remaining Avatars, and the Parasite.

What was more clearly distinguishable was the blue trail left by Sonic's speed. And then there was that white light, similar to a very long saber, which seemed to come directly from the wrist of one of the Avatars.

The third Avatar, who had arrived with them, had shown no sign of leaving the alley. Most likely it had been damaged by the force of the blow it received, and a second Avatar soon met the same fate.

The crazed robot jumped onto one of the roofs of the nearby houses, and was soon chased by a military avatar. However, in a cunning move, the thing pretended to fall, only to end up circling its opponent and attacking it from behind.

Gadget could only watch helplessly, as the Parasite grabbed the other Avatar's head, making it fall from the ceiling, and smashing its head against the ground, rendering it immobile.

Now there was only Sonic and one Avatar left to face the enemy.

It was the moments of confrontation between the Parasite and that last Avatar that most caught Gadget's attention.

Although he could only make out a blurry figure, he could tell that the latter Avatar was slender, very different from the stocky bodies of other military models, but he was also very elusive and fast. It was not someone who would fit in a battle with a violent essence, its presence fit rather elegantly.

The white saber it used, moved smoothly, as if it were an artist giving slow strokes with a brush, but with each stroke, some part of the body of the crazed robot was cut accurately.

Whoever the Master of that Avatar is, it must have put all its creativity into it. Thought the wolf.

The fight continued, and Gadget knew he should stay away, but he was almost hypnotized by that battle, and anyway, he wasn't sure where exactly he should go. Everyone around him was running around, obviously terrified by the fight, the same fight that had the wolf so in awe.

It wasn't long before a frightening shriek was heard.

The Parasite was screaming.

It was a really loud and unpleasant sound, as if it was some kind of war alarm, mixed with the sound of fingernails tearing a blackboard, that would burst anyone's eardrums.

Gadget covered his ears and crouched down, in a feeble attempt to hide his head from the roar.

A blue sphere soon hit the crazed robot to shut him up. Sonic also looked bruised and tired, but he still had the strength to fight.

To their bad luck, as if all the commotion in the place wasn't enough, a white, mowing light appeared from above, illuminating the place where Sonic and the military avatar were.

Was it a helicopter or something? The damn light didn't allow to see well what kind of flying object it was.

"Hoho! What do we have here? What's not the blue rat and the trophy that will make a King!"

That voice seemed to come from the object in the sky, it sounded like the voice of a man speaking through a megaphone.

"Dude! I don't know what trophy you're talking about, but if you're the one controlling the Parasite, let me tell you, you're in serious trouble!" Sonic was practically shouting, just to make sure that person heard him.

"Ooh! is that so? Maybe we can fix that. I'll make you a deal. Give me the military Avatar, and I'll walk away without any complaints, AND we can pretend none of this happened!"

"So your target is this Unit, is it? Sorry buddy, it's not for sale, but I can give you a big beating as a consolation gift!" Said the hedgehog, ready to leap in the direction of that light.

"I see... no deal then" Out of nowhere, other avatars with the same appearance as the Parasite appeared. There were about ten of them "Annihilate the blue rat and get the Avatar!" Commanded that voice, and those things launched into attack.

"Like hell?!! Unit 00-JK, Retreat! Now!"

"Command denied" Declared the Avatar immediately.

"What?! But if Shadow say-... Oh shit... SHADOW DIDN'T AUTHORIZE THE DAMN COMMAND!"

"Aggressive Mode. Activated"

"HUH?! Don't you dare! We're still in a residential area and-" The hedgehog looked around, until he realized that the wolf was still standing at the end of the street "YOU?! DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO RUN AWAY?! RUN! HURRY UP!"

Gadget was startled, and without a second's hesitation he started running, this time without stopping.

He could still hear the fight behind him, but he no longer felt like standing around and watching.

He couldn't help but feel useless, for not being able to do anything to help, and could only pray in his mind that Sonic and the Avatar could win the battle, despite being outnumbered.

On the other hand, his mother would be furious when she found out that he stood around looking at a dangerous matter, just because an avatar looked interesting to him. It would be best not to say anything about the matter for now.

For the moment there were other things he should worry about, such as getting to the safe zone, where he should call his family to tell them he was okay, before they panicked.

Too much was going on at the same time, and it was barely after 23:00.

No doubt it was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

[Suburbs - After midnight]

Explosions, gunshots, ambulance and firedfighters sirens, screams, and the sound of solid structures being demolished, were the music that decorated the night that was just beginning. Any kind of peace and quiet had vanished in a matter of minutes.

In the suburbs, halfway down the street, the fierce battle continued.

The numbers were still quite unequal between opponents. Nothing seemed to be in their favor. And the blue hedgehog was seriously wondering if, all the reinforcements, went to the bathroom together and at the same time or something... because absolutely no one had arrived to help them yet!

The first Parasite-Avy, which they faced upon arrival, was still standing, battered and quite damaged, but it was still strong enough to cause trouble. While the two military units, which had been shot down minutes before, had shown no signs of reactivating. 

As if that were not enough, after that strange man arrived in his flying device, he brought with him ten more Parasites. All of them just as crazy as the first one, and with a thirst to tear apart anything that moved.

The worst part of the joke was that the only thing left to fight back and protect the civilians was a bruised hedgehog and an avatar with blocked battle commands. What a night awaited them.

The whole scenario was set to be a daunting landscape.

So, in short, they now had eleven new enemies in front of them, or possibly twelve, as they still did not know the intentions with which that man above them had arrived there, but it was obvious that it had something to do with the Avatar left standing.

The whole thing there was too suspicious. Why go to all that trouble, just to drag a single Rex unit and an unarmed hedgehog to one of the farthest corners of the city center? What did that man intend to do with them?

Sonic knew he wouldn't last long at this rate. His super speed wasn't useful when what they needed was heavy artillery, but there was no point in requesting a counterattack from the avatar beside him, not as long as it was still blocked.

If Shadow wasn't kind enough to tell him the damn password, all he could do was deflect the enemy's attacks, but he couldn't attack back directly.

The robot, which was supposed to be his backup, was practically like a locked water faucet in the middle of a desert.

Oh great. New count of enemies and allies. The result: Twelve versus one and a half.

And to top things off, the damn thing had activated an emergency command, which would definitely give him more problems than solutions if he didn't find a way to deactivate it.

The Aggressive Mode meant that the avatar would attack tooth and nail anything that qualified as enemy or dangerous.

Simply put, you could stand in front of it with something as simple and stupid as a screwdriver or nail clippers, and the avatar would catalog those objects as possible weapons, proceeding to attack you without preamble to eliminate the threat, and that... was a really big problem.

They were in a residential area! There could still be civilians trying to flee in the vicinity.

What if the avatar attacked the wrong person? The controversy would be enormous! And the last thing the blue hedgehog wanted was to give the Anti-AI groups more reasons for their protests, which had already become a pain in the ass in recent years.

"Attack!" shouted the man in the flying device, bringing Sonic back to the present.

The hedgehog didn't have time to refute anything, when he was grabbed by the right shoulder and shoved hard backwards. Thank heavens Sonic had good reflexes, so he had managed to swing his feet just in time to avoid crashing into a wall.

"Please abstain yourself from any inappropriate actions. Proceed to a safe area as soon as possible"

That warning came from the military unit that was still with him. Apparently, it was the avatar who had pushed him out of the way, just as the wave of parasites jumped directly at them.

"What the-?! I'm not a civilian!" The robot ignored Sonic's shriek, and jumped into the direct fight.

To the hedgehog's surprise, it didn't even take two seconds for the avatar to wave the saber coming out of his arm with enough agility to accurately cut off the head of one of the parasites.

One enemy down, eleven to go.

"Awesome! Amazing! Definitely wonderful! Just what one would expect from a high quality piece!" Exclaimed the man from above, applauding and praising what he had witnessed earlier "And you, useless parasites, Hurry up and get that Unit!"

"No way... That was fast" Sonic didn't hide his own surprise either.

But there was no time to waste. They had to buy time until reinforcements arrived.

However, Sonic was also 100% aware that that man really was trying to steal the avatar, and although he didn't know why, he did keep in mind the fact that they were still outnumbered, and that the unit's battery wasn't eternal.

It was essential to give support in the fight as soon as possible. The question was, how? He did not know what kind of reaction the avatar might have to his intervention.

The aggressive mode was still operative, and he knew it thanks to the constant red light on the avatar's neck, so there was no point in trying other requests. But he also knows that there must be some other command getting in the way, since that is the only thing that would explain the avatar's ignoring his orders.

So how would it be right to approach without causing a negative reaction?

If only he had a way of knowing, or remembering, what orders Shadow gave the unit, he would at least have a chance to formulate some plan.

Miraculously, the avatar hasn't activated its firearms yet, and that's a relief to the hedgehog. The Rex unit simply uses the sword to fend off the unified assault, with a grace, elegance, and intensity that would make a professional swordsman look ridiculous. Quickly and violently demonstrating how far below his level of combat the others are in comparison.

His sword is an extension of his arm, blocking, parrying, striking, and slashing with a speed and fluidity that is almost impossible to keep up with. The long blade slices away parts of the parasites with the precision of a surgeon, and he moves with such dexterity, it doesn't even look like he's really exerting himself in battle.

From one moment to the next, the avatar spun on his heels to circle around another parasite, and when he was behind it, he raised his saber to cut quickly from the head to the trunk of his enemy, managing to cut it in half.

Two enemies down, ten to go.

In a short time he had gained enough advantage, and he was doing it single-handedly.

Sonic admitted, mentally, that the robot was impressively agile, as even the long tail, lashing wildly behind it, sounded like a whip when it moved.

It was almost impossible not to wonder what kind of combat programs, or commands, the black hedgehog must have given that unit.

Sonic was never an expert in robotics, nor was he good at learning about computers and digital resources, but if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that Shadow must have installed the best possible learning resources on that avatar, or in the best case scenario, he installed all the existing learning programs... even if it sounded exaggerated, knowing the black hedgehog, it was a possibility.

Oh, and speaking of the devil!

Just as two other parasites seemed to remember Sonic's presence, and rushed at him, a red and black flash crashed into them with all the delicacy of a cargo truck, smashing them into the nearest wall, and causing the few circuits in their heads to be destroyed, successfully stopping them.

... Four enemies down, eight to go.

"What are you doing standing there like an idiot?" The unmistakable voice of that black hedgehog was heard right behind him "Move! There's a battle going on in front of you!"

"Really? No way~ I didn't realize that..."

The reinforcements had finally arrived, or rather, only Shadow accompanied by two other units, which were similar in appearance to the unit that continued to fight.

"Don't just stand there with your mouth open eating flies! Give me the details of the situation!" The black hedgehog reached Sonic's side, grabbing his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hi Shadow. Yeah, I'm fine thanks, just-"

"SONIC!"

"Shit! I know! That guy in that flying thing is who controls the parasites. Your unit activated Aggressive Mode, and I can't get close because he seems to think I'm a civilian"

"What? That's not possible. You can't just activate Aggressive Mode like that. Unless it's blocked by an unauthorized command. What the hell did you order him to do?"

"What?! I didn't do anything wrong! We were outnumbered, so I ordered him for us to retreat. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, what fucking command did you give him that he wouldn't listen to me?! This is your fault too!"

"This is what you get for not paying attention to me, asshole! The command I dictated was Shield. His duty was to cover you. But if you ordered him to retreat, then he assimilated the situation as you being in danger. That's why he's now trying to eliminate threats with aggressive mode!"

"WHAT THE FUCK?! You ordered him to protect me?! I don't need a fucking babysitter, you fucking idiot! "

"BetaLink connected. Online with Unit JK-00. Emergency analysis in progress"

Another of the units, with the number JK-01 on his shoulder, approached the hedgehogs, interrupting the discussion.

"Unit JK-00? Which isn't the one we're talking about and is fighting right now" Sonic said noticing the number.

"Shut. Don't talk" Shadow quickly walked over to the unit "Give me the analysis results. What's the emergency?"

"ClearBoB assistant from Unit JK-00. Overheating in lower extremities. Internal battery at 24%. Short circuit in emergency batteries"

"Oh shit. The area fire must have overheated him. Looks like it's melting his circuits. If it keeps this up, my unit will take more damage than I thought..."

"Something told me he'd have battery problems soon..." Sonic muttered "When was the last time you had his battery checked?"

"No time to chat. Units JK-01 and JK-03, activate Joint Combat Mode. Give backup to Unit JK-00. Confirm command!"

"Command Confirmed. Joint Combat Mode" Both avatars responded in chorus.

Those units jumped forward, to join the fight against the remaining eight parasites, even if it looked like the JK-00 unit didn't actually look like it needed help.

"That'll buy us time. Sonic, we should-" Shadow stood still for a moment, looking around, as if searching for something.

"Mm? Is something wrong, Shads? You suddenly went quiet"

"Sonic... My Rex Units are five" The black hedgehog's voice now sounded menacing.

"Eh?!... ah, well... Are you sure about that? haha" Just what Sonic feared would happen, was happening.

"The unit JK-00 is fighting, and the units JK-01 and JK-03 arrived here with me, so... Where are the other two?" Shadow's stern look was a terrible omen.

"Well-well... you see... some things happened and-"

"Don't play with my nerves!"

"I swear I didn't have time for anything! The first parasite that attacked us was identified as a model 03! I don't know how bad the damage is, but I assure you the Meca-bodies are in one piece!"

"What do you mean, they're in one piece?! Where the fuck are they?! What happened to them?!"

"I'll pay for them! I'll pay for them! Don't kill me! I didn't mean to!" The poor hedgehog had spoken so fast, that he was almost sure he bit his tongue.

"What the- It's not about whether you pay for them or not! It's about the information those shits have stored! I gave you orders to contain, not attack!" Shadow stroked his forehead to relieve a twitch, trying to calm himself "Forget it. There'll be time to evaluate your performance later. For now, let's get this over with as soon as possible"

"Yes but... What do you suggest we do? Even with you, me, and the three avatars, we're still outnumbered"

"Earlier you said it's that guy who controls the parasites, right? Then he is our priority. Follow me. And I suggest, strongly, that you don't try any more nonsense"

"Okay! I get the point, Mr. Grumpy. Let's go!"

"Hold on. One last thing"

"Hey, I told you I'm not going back to-"

"It's not that. I'm worried about the JK-00 unit's battery. If it runs out, it will be in suspend mode, and that will make it vulnerable to the enemy"

"Yeah? And then..."

"If things get worse than this, forget about me and the other units" Shadow started walking in the direction of his enemies "Your priority will be to take that unit and get it out of here"

"W-what? Wait, but that-"

"That's an order" Sentenced the black hedgehog, with a stern countenance on his face.

"... Yes sir"

[Civilian Shelter - Same time of the night]

Gadget was pacing back and forth, like a captive beast inside a very small cage.

The wolf had made it to one of the shelters near the train station, but had been unable to contact his family to tell them he was okay, mainly because it was a subway shelter, so there was no signal.

Also when he wanted to use the emergency phone, which was set up there, he saw that there was a long line of people also waiting their turn to use it, so that idea was discarded. Obviously everyone would want to contact their families to find out, or tell them, if they were safe.

The problem was that he really needed to contact his mother, and tell her that he was already in a safe place. Or else the poor woman would have a nervous breakdown over not knowing the whereabouts of her older cub.

Gadget could already imagine his mother calling an army, just to find out his whereabouts. So, to prevent that, a short call would suffice.

But how exactly to do that?

His phone still had more than enough battery, but no signal at all. His only option was to go out for a moment, make the call, and come back in. Not difficult, was it?

Well, as a matter of fact, it was.

The guard guarding the nearest exit would never allow the young wolf to go out alone, much less with the cheap excuse of making a short call to his family.

That man would surely tell him to use the emergency phone, just like the others who were there. Even if it meant having to wait for hours in the long line.

But what could he do? You couldn't blame the guard. That guy was just doing his job, trying to keep everyone safe until the danger outside passed.

Obeying the orders of the authorities was the most sensible thing to do at that moment.

Yes, that was the best thing to do. Stay where it was safe, and wait for things to calm down.

He might as well stand in line to wait for the phone, to kill a little time. Why would he want to risk going out anyway? Expose himself to danger just for a two-minute phone call? His mother was surely watching the news at that very moment, so she must have already known that all the residents in that area had been evacuated.

Or so he wanted to believe.

But anyway. There was no real reason to be worried. There was no reason to expose himself to any unnecessary danger. Besides, who would want to go outside, considering the fierce battle going on not too far away? Him? No! Of course not. Gadget had no reason to want to go out just for that.

The fight he saw was very cool, but it was no reason to obsess. No! It wasn't worth venturing out.

He would be a completely rational person and wait there, in the safety of the shelter, like everyone else.

Yes. That was the right thing to do.

It was the right thing to do.

.

.

.

Who was he trying to fool?!

He was too eager to go back to the place of battle, where Sonic and those fantastic Avatars were!

Those creatures, full of wires and screws, were the wet dream of every average teenager who put every single coin in a piggy bank, or the frustrated dream of young inventors who could barely afford a used Avatar, just like him.

And if that wasn't enough, it was the first time Gadget had seen a Rex model in action. But he wasn't even able to quite make out what design those avatars had. The long tail gave him a clue, maybe foxes, but he couldn't be sure just with that, since he couldn't pick up on the color or size either. What he did know was that they were serial models, as they all seemed to have similar characteristics. And the one that fought using a kind of sword, that was, without a doubt, the main unit.

Who knows what other spectacular modifications it would have hidden, or what super advanced programs it would use.

A video, or perhaps a simple photo, would be enough to quench his thirst for admiration and curiosity.

He could brag in front of his friends for months, just for the fact that he had been so close to a Rex, but he needed some proof for them to believe him.

He wanted to see them. He needed to see them. To capture more detail, to see the model up close. All that and more... But how?

That guard was not going to allow him to go outside, and all the other exits were closed or blocked by more guards. Only the side where he had come in was the only one clear of security, but that didn't mean it was an easy task.

He needed an alibi. He needed a distraction. He needed something to get the guard far enough away from the door for him to escape, if possible, without being seen.

Gadget stopped his anxious walking for a moment, to look around again, searching for something that might be useful to use as a distraction. The shelter was large and there were several people scattered about, but most, to say the least, were quietly sitting on the floor, waiting to be given the word on whether it was safe to leave or not.

In addition to the line of people waiting for the emergency phone, there was also a small line in the women's restroom, a group of people chatting in one of the corners, and some children running around. Nothing that was significantly conspicuous enough to attract the guard.

But then he saw an opportunity, which seemed tailor-made.

Near the women's restroom was a little old lady, showing her phone to some people passing by. She was probably looking for a missing family member or something, and was showing a photo to ask if anyone had seen them.

What that lady didn't know, was that she had become the accomplice to Gadget's perfect little crime.

The red wolf approached the guard with a casual stride, pretending to be concerned, but that man didn't seem to trust him much, so he became alert standing closer to the doors of the shelter as soon as Gadget was close enough.

"Can I do anything for you, boy?" the guard asked, bluntly.

"Yes. You see, there's a little old lady near the restrooms, who seems to be looking for someone..."

"There's not much I can do. The authorities shouldn't be long in coming. Only they can help her"

"Yes but... is it right to just leave her like this? The poor lady looks very altered, and she seems to be disturbing the other people around here" That last was a lie, obviously, but it was necessary for the guard to believe it.

The man seemed to think about it for a bit, but Gadget tried to throw more fuel on the fire.

"Sorry to bother you, really. But I saw that the other guards seemed to be busy, and I thought maybe you could do something" The wolf put on his best innocent face... and apparently, it worked.

"Fine. Tell me where the woman is. I'll see what I can do"

"Thank you very much sir! The lady is near the women's restroom. She is an old lady of short stature"

"Got it. I'm going over there. And you go back with the others"

"Yes sir!" the man finally walked away "Yes sir, I'm not going to do that~" The wolf muttered as he tried to contain his laughter.

The way was finally clear.

It was time to get some good pictures of those steel warriors, and of course, maybe some pictures of Sonic. Then he could sell Fuschia some pictures of her idol, to bribe her later.

Without wasting any more time, he opened the heavy metal door and stepped out. He didn't even have to go all the way up the stairs leading outside to hear the rumbling, of what was definitely the battle from earlier.

Chapter Text

Well. The matter was getting out of control, or more clearly, the matter no longer had any way to be controlled.

Shadow and Sonic were still trying to take down the strange enemy, of whom they still had no background to prove his identity.

The strange object in which that man was flying was covered with an electric shield, so hitting him directly was out of the question, but no matter how hard they looked for any other weak point, they didn't seem to get anywhere.

The only option they had was to throw things at him or shoot him, but they had already been doing that for several minutes, and Sonic's agitated breathing gave Shadow more than enough reason to know that they had to find a way to take him down on the next hit, or they would be the ones to fall.

The sound of something colliding not too far away made both hedgehogs turn around, and Shadow almost completely lost his concentration at what he saw.

His Unit JK-03, had been crashed into a car, it could still move, but he could tell it was stuck. Totally vulnerable to the attacks of the parasites that were still around it. 

He quickly scanned the place with his eyes to look for the other units, and it didn't take him long to find them, but the scenario didn't look good.

The JK-01 unit was fighting as best it could, it wasn't as effective at taking down the parasites as the main unit, but at least it was clearing the way and buying time.

The JK-00 unit on the other hand, had become too slow. It was still fighting of course, and still delivered accurate blows, but no longer with enough force to destroy the parasites on the first hit.

Shadow regretted not having calculated how much uptime the unit had left, now he wasn't even sure it would last another 10 minutes on its feet. The steady red light on its neck had changed to a bright yellow color, indicating the battery limit. It was obvious that the unit was constantly assessing its surroundings, calculating possibilities, formulating attack trajectories, but with little energy left, its options were drastically reduced.

Something similar was happening with Sonic. With each new hit, the blue hedgehog would take two steps forward and then five steps back. He was tired, and the fact that he couldn't breathe properly, due to the amount of smoke from the fires, wasn't helping him at all. He could pass out at any moment.

And Shadow had no choice but to reassess his own position. He was caught between a wall and a sword. He had to make a decision, make a choice, the problem was that all the options were terrible for several reasons.

On the one hand, there was Sonic, his second in command and his battle partner, but above all, a living being. The idea of leaving him behind was out of the question. For various ethical, moral and legal reasons.

On the other side, there was the Avatar. A robot whose stored information was so valuable that if it fell into the hands of the wrong person, it could trigger a war.

The black hedgehog never thought that one day he would have to make such a decision, but he no longer had time to wait for more reinforcements, and end up putting more people at risk. He had to find a way out of this mess before both Sonic and the Avatar ended up as dead weight.

If they went down, Shadow knew he wouldn't be able to carry or cover them both, or at least not without leaving his own back vulnerable to enemy fire.

To some extent, he considered going straight for ripping the computer chip out of the Avatar's head, or else taking just the head, and then abandoning the mecha-body. That way, he would only have to worry about carrying Sonic's weight.

But then he thought better of it.

If what the terrorists were after wasn't the chip, then abandoning the robot, which was literally armed to the tail, would be the same as giving a gun to a baby. In other words, he didn't know what might happen but without a doubt, the end result would be bad.

"Shadow, listen to me!" They weren't far apart, but the hedgehog didn't risk looking directly at him "Come closer! I have a plan!"

"Sonic, there's no time for-"

"Just get over here before we get roasted alive!"

Shadow sighed, but if there was any chance of getting out of this situation, no matter how small or stupid, he was willing to listen to suggestions.

With a nimble leap he imposed himself backwards, as far as possible from that man and the parasites that kept appearing, and staying almost on a par with his blue counterpart.

Despite the noise in the vicinity, both hedgehogs tried to have a conversation at a moderate volume, so as not to give any hint of their possible plan to their main attacker.

"Make it quick. No time for your little games"

"That guy has an interest in your Main Unit right? Let's use it as bait!"

"Bait for what?!  I'm not going to risk losing my avatar just because you thought of it!"

"It's not that silly! We're stuck here, let's divert that guy's attention to more open ground before he destroys every house in this area!"

Or well, the black hedgehog couldn't fool himself that that wasn't a good idea.

 "What do you have in mind?"

"The sports complexes west of here. Past the landfill"

"No. We'd still have to go through another residential area to get there. We can't put any more people at risk!"

"We wouldn't! The reinforcements you called in are coming from that direction too, aren't they? We'll meet them halfway!"

"If you're done with your newlywed discussion, I'm afraid I have more important things to do!" That man turned on a blinding white light, and a sound similar to a radio frequency forced both hedgehogs to cover their ears "Stinking parasites, bring me the main unit!"

"Shit! It's now or never Shads!"

"We can't leave! There's a unit that's still trapped!"

"I'll take care of that one!" Before Shadow could say anything, Sonic jumped down from the roof he was on and ran away "You order the other units to follow you! I'll catch up to you in a second!"

"Sonic, don't-" Too late, the blue hedgehog had already moved away "Shit! Units 00 and 01! New plan! Follow me!"

Shadow jumped to a rooftop not far from where Sonic had disappeared, and his remaining units soon caught sight of him. Both robots' eyes turned a strong, bright neon yellow, indicating that they had heard the new command and were on the lookout for any others.

"New Command, Retreat! Make your way to the sports complexes to be regrouped!"

Without a second's delay, the two Avatars jumped onto the roof where the black hedgehog was standing, then began to follow him in the direction they had been directed.

"You colored rats won't get away that fast!" shouted the stranger again "Parasites, go after them!"

It was working, as ridiculous as it sounded, it was working. That man and the parasites had begun to follow them without a second's hesitation.

Sonic was right. The new plan could work.

Meanwhile, the blue hedgehog ran as fast as his aching legs would allow him to where the unit was trapped on the roof of a car.

As soon as he saw it, he couldn't help but metaphorically compare it to a butterfly trapped in a spider's web, for as much as the robot shook, it seemed to get more stuck instead of breaking free, becoming increasingly helpless and appetizing to any enemy that wanted to tear it apart.

"Wait a second buddy! I've got to get you out before that fool UFO comes after us!" The Avatar heard him, and stood still waiting for the blue hedgehog to give him some command.

Sonic could hear how some parasites were getting closer and closer to them, and he couldn't help but wonder where the hell so many were coming from and how it was possible for that man to control them even without dictating orders to them.

But there was no time for that!

"Okay... and now how do I get you out of here?"

"To proceed, please move the seats in the vehicle"

"Eh? What?" the question the hedgehog had asked was to himself, so he didn't wait for the avatar to answer "W-what did you say?"

"I'm trapped between the dashboard and the front seats of the vehicle. If you move the seats, I'll be free"

"The seats..." A roar almost behind his back made him startle "The seats! Of course! The seats!" He quickly set about trying to open what was left of the back door of the car to try to do as the avatar suggested.

The force with which the robot had crashed had caused the poor car to practically bend a bit like a V.

When Sonic saw it from the inside, he understood what the avatar meant. The robot had punctured the roof with its own body, and the new angle the car had been left at had imprisoned it in the cockpit. Now the problem was, how the hell to move the seats?

He had to hurry, Shadow had probably already left him far enough behind, and knowing him, once he realized that, he would turn around to come back for him. He couldn't allow that, not when it looked like his plan was working.

Almost crawling through the cramped space left inside the car, he managed to notice what might be his beacon of hope. The small lever that served to adjust the space between the seats was in sight, and it was intact.

He grabbed it hard and pulled on it as much as he could, hearing the seats squeak and feeling the avatar jerk free again.

Sonic used his hand to keep moving the seats as much as he could, even until he felt that the crushed one was now him, but he didn't stop. He continued like this for a few more seconds, until he heard a crunch louder than the rest and saw the avatar's body slide out of the car.

He had made it. The avatar was free.

The robot slithered like a snake into the small space Sonic had created, inadvertently crashing its long tail into the hedgehog's face, causing him to sneeze and briefly distracting him from what was going on around him.

As soon as it was free, the first thing the avatar did was to destroy a parasite that was inches away from biting Sonic's ass, which the blue hedgehog thanked with a sigh of relief.

But soon, Sonic found himself pulled out of the car, and before he could even realize it, he was sitting on the avatar's back, jumping between the rooftops, heading in the direction Shadow had gone, and with a new horde of parasites behind them.

What started with a battle against ten parasites, had turned into a showdown against over twenty enemies, and only Chaos knew if there would be more hiding out there.

Seriously, where were all these things coming from and what was attracting them?

As the red wolf approached the area where he had last seen Sonic, all he could hear was an unusual silence, clearly overshadowed by the sirens of the fire department and the fire, but there was only that.

The wolf could no longer hear those screeches typical of parasites, nor anything remotely resembling any confrontation or fight, there just didn't seem to be any of that.

"How strange... I'm pretty sure it was this way..."

In the surroundings there were still traces of destroyed robots, damaged cars and marks on the walls that looked like they had been made with some very sharp tool or something, but then, where was everyone? Was the battle already over? Who won? Had the avatars already retreated? Or had the enemy gone into hiding?

"Something's wrong, it's... it's too quiet..." The wolf walked as close as possible to the walls, but the only thing moving in the surroundings seemed to be himself "Let's see... I came from this side and, of course! the alley where that black car was!"

Knowing very well which way he needed to go to get to that little alley, the wolf started to run lightly in order to get there a little faster. There was still fire and debris in the place, but it was visibly clear of any other potential threats.

Finally he reached his destination. The alley was right in front of him, but on the ground was a stain that looked like a trail of black with splashes of yellowish and blue. It was a long trail, as if something had been dragged with brute force.

"Oh no... I remember you..." Even though there was no one there to hear him, Gadget couldn't help but feel some regret as he noticed the lump at the end of the trail, at the bottom of the alley "You're the avatar that flew right over my head"

Gadget approached carefully to get more details of the scene. Everything seemed to indicate that the force of the impact had left the robot semi-buried in the ground, almost upside down, and it was possible to notice what looked like sparks flying out of its back, but it was complacently immobile.

Although there were other finer details that did not escape his observation.

The avatar had long white hair. Its body itself was coated with black carbon fiber, just like the other units he saw with Sonic. And both the hair on the head and the hair on the long tail must have been of some artificial fiber of vegetable origin, as it really looked like real fur.

But this particular unit had slightly more distinctive features than the others.

The robot's waist and hips were more defined than they looked, the protection that could be made out on its chest formed an arch, not very pronounced but visible all the same, and thanks to the fact that its hair was tied in a ponytail, Gadget could make out the middle of its face, where long eyelashes were visible.

"It can't be... A female Rex model?! You've got to be kidding me!"

He immediately pulled out his cell phone to get some good pictures of his incredible find. It was certainly something to brag about, for if Rex Models were unusual, a female Rex Model was like finding a needle in a haystack.

The flash of one of the photos caused a reflective mark to stand out on the avatar's thigh, which was enough to remove any remaining doubt the wolf might have had about his discovery.

"FEM-JK-04... That's your name? Or perhaps your identifier?" Obviously he would get no answer, but it was almost natural for him to speak to himself in certain cases "But anyway, what kind of Avatar are you?.... Your tail is too long to be a fox, and your body seems too dynamic and athletic to be a coyote... If you were a car, you'd definitely be a sporty one... Dude, what the heck am I saying?"

Now that he thought about it more, taking pictures of a damaged avatar felt almost like taking pictures of a corpse at a crime scene, to say the least.

I mean, it made sense to make the comparison, the robot was so well made that it really looked like just a girl sleeping on the floor. If it wasn't for the chips coming out of its back every so often, and that dark blue oil coming out of some cracks in its legs, anyone would think he just took pictures of some girl and edited them to look like an avatar.

"Now it turns out I'm starting to feel guilty for escaping the shelter to take pictures of a robot..."

A loud roar echoed throughout the area, and Gadget got up from where he was to look for where it was coming from. He had heard that sound before, it was the roar of a Parasite-Avy, and it couldn't be heard very far away.

"It must be them! It must be Sonic and the other avatars!"

The wolf rushed out of the alley, searching for some clue among the rooftops and as far as the smoke would allow him to see. Groping for the source of the sound and stumbling over something in the process.

"Wh-what the hell?!"

He almost screamed for believing he had hurt someone, only to notice that it was an avatar just like the one in the alley, only this one was literally with half of its body buried in the ground. Especially the head.

He recognized that one too. It was the one that was fighting on the roof and then attacked from behind by a parasite. Unlike the one in the alley, though, this avatar did have exposed wires on its head.

Repairing something like that would undoubtedly cost a fortune for whoever owned it.

"Holy Chaos, how many of these were destroyed!...and as expensive as they are, what a waste..."

A new rumble echoed again, but this time, Gadget could actually pick up where it was coming from. Somewhat away from where he was, there on the rooftops, a bunch of silhouettes seemed to be moving in the direction of... the landfill?

The small blue dot in the distance was enough to clear his suspicions.

"Yes! That's definitely Sonic!"

With renewed motivation, the wolf began to run. This time, he was sure he would at least get a good picture of a Rex in action, and of course, a few pictures of Sonic.

Calculating the trajectory to properly land on a roof, doing parkour while dodging a bunch of enemies attacking from every possible angle, feeling the air running out of your lungs and with your legs numb with pain and exhaustion... that must have been how people escaping from zombies in the movies felt, right?

Sonic couldn't move anymore, having been inhaling the smoke from the fires for such a long time was taking its toll on him. He was dizzy, and if it wasn't for one of the avatars carrying him, he probably would have already become the punching bag of all the enemies chasing them.

He could still hear Shadow yelling at him not to dare faint or he might end up falling. But he was so exhausted, his body was not responding to what his brain was telling him to do.

He knew that the parasites and that man were already on their heels, and if that wasn't enough, they were still far from the sports complex.

Yes, the plan had worked at first. They had managed to get them out of the suburbs, but now they had to think of a way to get rid of them.

Shadow was beyond stressed at this point. The worst-case scenario was coming true right under his nose. Sonic on the verge of losing consciousness, and his main unit becoming increasingly sluggish, taking longer and longer to jump from rooftop to rooftop and unable to activate its emergency batteries.

"I'm done playing catch! Hand that damn robot over to me you fucking rodents!"

The enemies had caught up with them.

Shadow knew it. Time to escape had run out before they reached their destination, and that joint attack call was the sentence of what could be a horrible outcome.

But he tried to think of something anyway. He had to. He had to think thoroughly, in detail, not to miss even the slightest opportunity that would give him a quick escape.

The eight, or perhaps ten, Parasite-Avy that had come with that man now far outnumbered them. There were a score of them.

Those things had multiplied as the little group moved away to more open ground, but they were so absorbed in their objective, that they simply did not realize they were being cornered, until they had that bunch of beasts on top of them.

Those things, those savage beasts that had been forged in the enigma of some computer virus, being driven by different motives, which in the end united them in the same path of destruction and annihilation of everything that crossed their path.

They were surrounded. There was not much to do. There was nothing more to do.

Behind them, that man had finally deigned to turn off the light that blinded them before, revealing a tall and robust body, and his tone of voice had transformed from mockery to fury.

Now, a huge gun was coming out of one of the sides of the flying object, and seemed to be aimed directly at their heads.

"It's a pity we got to this point, dear vermin" Mentioned the stranger when he was in front of both hedgehogs "But I tried to give you a more political solution and you refused to accept, so this is the only option you leave me"

"Political solution you say? You mean handing over a piece of military artillery, on a silver platter, to someone who hasn't even rebelled his name? I think I have good reason to not be very convinced don't you think?" Claimed the black hedgehog, still discreetly looking around, searching for some miracle.

Sonic on the other hand could barely follow the thread of the conversation. The only gloomy thought that filled his foggy mind was "we're dead" as if it was a resounding certainty. But it wasn't his own death that frightened him, it was the fact that Shadow was also going to die because of him.

"Emergency situation. Primary rescue actions. Evacuation priority!" Repeated in chorus the avatars.

The robotic voice of the units startled the blue hedgehog, causing him to hiss at the headache he was beginning to feel. But before he had time to react, the avatar carrying him backed up several steps and set the hedgehog on the ground, as far away from the man as possible.

"Sha-Shadow, what... what's going on?"

"The units are protecting us. Our lives are the priority now. That's what's going on"

Shadow was trying hard not to look as nervous as he was. All he could do was watch in horror as his Main Unit staggered for a moment before placing itself firmly between Sonic and the parasites, seemingly oblivious to the enemy towering over it as well.

"It's a real shame... anyway! Goodbye little mice!" Murmured that man.

The blinding white light had been turned back on, and the cannon aimed at them crackled with fresh energy as it prepared its attack.

As the avatars swooped down on that man and the parasites once again, Shadow realized that the current battle was lost, and that fleeing with Sonic was his only option, even if he could never get his units back.

It no longer mattered. Now, all he had to do was get them both off the roof of the building, before that huge weapon blew them to dust, but... why did Sonic seem to be so far away from him?!

When that machine fired, Shadow ran towards the paralyzed blue hedgehog, but it felt like his body was moving in bloody slow motion. He was almost certain he wouldn't get Sonic out of the way in time!

"Command Confirmed, Shield"

Like a distant echo, that voice was the only thing Shadow managed to hear before they were hit by the enemy attack.

"What?!"

In a matter of seconds, both Sonic and Shadow's bodies were thrust forward from the blast produced by the cannon shot, both rolling unceremoniously to the other end of the building's roof.

The explosion that had been generated at that moment stunned them and was deafening, but even if both hedgehogs were unharmed, that shot had definitely hit something.

Something that shot off like a missile in the opposite direction, until it was lost somewhere between the buildings.

"No!"

Multiple projectiles appeared from all sides, attacking the man and the parasites simultaneously. The reinforcements had finally arrived, now the enemy would have no choice but to retreat.

Sonic sighed in relief… But in Shadow's mind, help had arrived too late.