Ring…

  Ring…

  Ring…

  “The person you are trying to reach is not available. At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up or press 1 for more options.”

  Beep

  … Cough. Cough…

  “This is Alloy the Wombat... Uh… You can call me Doctor Alloy. Anything is fine.”

  “...”

  “I want to keep this short and straightforward, but I’ve been… going through some things since my wife and I divorced... I miss my daughter… yet she remained loyal to my ex-wife, but I still miss her. They left me behind as if I were worthless. Sometimes I question myself, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’...”

  “Was it because I was overstimulated with work?”

  “Was it because I didn’t do much to appreciate the relationships in my family?”

  “I’m just an old wombat who is losing things in life. All I want is to have fun… that’s all.”

  “Happiness as well…”

  — Downtown District —

  “Fellow echidna…. Refer to me as Doctor Alloy… The wombat who had gone through things in the past five years… The wombat who had been plagued by work… The tired wombat that’s deprived of the fun and innocence he had had for a long time… The wombat who WANTS MORE… MORE!!!” The mech stomped the ground, creating a crater on the now-empty streets.

  “More doesn’t justify the fact that you worked for Eggman and manipulated the Master Emerald. STOP THIS NONSENSE, NOW!” Knuckles points at him with a determined look in his eyes, ready for a clean fight.

  “... Immature, young man. Not understanding what I’ve been through. Listen first before you speak such nonsense… But keep at it. It puts me at an advantage, while you’ll never know.” Missiles then aimed at the echidna as it fired out, automatically locking in on Knuckles.

  But as expected, the echidna uses his fists to destroy the missiles, causing some explosions midair. It’s preceded by him lunging in for a punch at the actual mech, which does damage, but at maximum, a singular dent. “You like my mech? The doctor was two steps ahead in tackling such enemies—specifically, you, Knuckles. Made with titanium with fifty times the reinforced aluminum alloys recorded inside this beauty.” He relaxes against the chair, using the screen to take a close-up of the echidna’s face. “Offended? Try to punch with your unworthy fists; nothing can take away from the fun I’m finally having. After those unfortunate years…”

  Knuckles decides to run around the mech, randomly punching the spots that could be any weak points in general. But whatever punches he deals to the mech aren’t effective enough. Just sporadic dents here and there that he’s creating. “Watching you punching my mech is like a coughing baby versus a hydrogen bomb. You’re ineffective. Give up. No wonder you lost everyone in the tribe; look how worthless you are, continuing to listen to your dead ancestors while they’re worth nothing in your life.”

  “THAT’S IT, YOU’LL REGRET WHAT YOU HAVE SAID!!!” The continued insults and mockery left his mind consumed in rage. He punches harder and faster, but this depletes his endurance and stamina, further exhausting him. “I’ll continue to tear into this mech until I find an opening. And once I do, you’ll get a taste for my fists.”

  Though his words don’t scare Alloy one bit, in fact, it’s the opposite effect, casually taking this so-called threat as a joke. Laughing. “Oh yeah? Let me show you what a real punch feels like!” He instantly kicks Knuckles up into the air before using the mech to land a powerful punch on him, sending the echidna flying and crashing through the streets, sliding as he eventually collides with the truck, stopping him entirely. After sliding and causing damage to the pavement, the echidna groans from the mess. He hears the pedestrians scream, the vehicles honking, and the mech’s footsteps slowly coming closer, each step rumbling the ground. “Too bad… my mech didn’t mean to open up a sinkhole that your pitiful friends are witnessing. It’s only a matter of time before everything under the base is buried and the reactor melts down.”

  “YOU…!!!” Knuckles once again lunges for another punch to the mech, now directly at the glass where Alloy can visibly see. However, even the glass wasn’t enough, leaving it slightly cracked.

  “Is that the mighty echidna not able to do anything major to my mech? How sad. Just weak as I envisioned…” In response to his weak punch, he swats him away, hoping to keep him humbled for good. To add insult, once he extends his arm-

  ZOOM!!!

  A sudden orange flash halts the mech’s movements, allowing Alloy to process what had happened and what that flash was. He slowly turned his mech around before finally looking at the rooftop next to him, understanding the situation.

  “You just had to be here… Huh, Solid?”

  The mech stares down at the orange hedgehog and the brown dog with an already exhausted and angered echidna at their protection. “Plus, you got your girlfriend with you. Anything to say?”

  “First, you ruined my sleep; maybe I shouldn’t have slept, let’s be honest. Second, she’s NOT my girlfriend. I can’t stop that, though, you can make assumptions while you’re at it.” He disappointingly shakes his head, admitting that he can’t do much while wondering what he’s supposed to do. “Anyways, I could try to help you out in terms of psychological matters, but since you punched my friend, I have no other choice.” DASH!!!

  While the orange hedgehog and the wombat-controlled mech fight it out, the dog checks on the echidna’s well-being. “Knuckles, listen to me. What did he say to you?”

  “... ARGH!!! None of your business!” He swats her hand away, wanting no help at all, and walks to the edge to help Solid immediately. However, Woofa holds his hand, preventing him from continuing. Yet, his personality persists, removing her hand once more to tackle this situation into his own hands. “What do YOU ever want!? Like, you're not seeing what’s happening right now!?”

  She rolls her eyes, clearly inpatient with his personality, and continues fussing. “Can’t you see that he’s testing you? He’s clearly insulting your past and yourself as a whole while you’re aggressively attacking him. And what’s that leading to, more ineffective punches!”

  “And why would I even consider-?”

  Slap.

  “... HEY!!!” He yells as he clenches his fists. “WHY DID YOU-!?”

  “Because you’re not listening.” She unexpectedly cuts him off again, showing her side of dominance. “Psychologically speaking, if he’s clearly making you upset, you’re not going to win if your emotions are gonna get the best of you.”

  “So what!? You want me to hurt his feelings? I’d rather punch-”

  “That's literally what I’m trying to tell you!” Woofa is immediately exasperated, clearly over it by now. “You know what, I give up.” She crosses her arms, disappointed by him as she pouts and looks away from him, completely detached from their conversation.

  “Y-You’re just gonna give up like that!?” Surprised that she would give up and ignore him, he instead does his best to keep her engaged. Sigh… “I want to beat this damn dude named Alloy, and you’re giving up on me!?”

  …

  But with no response, he has no choice. “Tch. I’m…” He hates saying this, but it’s the only way to convince her otherwise. “I’m sorry, Woofa. I… “Why am I saying this…?” … I forgive you, and… I’ll listen to your advice now that this is a dire situation…”

  …

  “There you go! I knew that you still got it!” She excitedly hugs him, though the echidna says otherwise, pushing her away and continuing to show his stubbornness. “Come onnnnn! Aren’t you going to accept a friendly hug?”

  “... No.”

  “... You’re no fun. You’re like Solid if he was bitch.”

  “I’m a what now?”

  “Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!” She raises her hands in defense, presenting herself as innocent. “At least the orange furball accepts my hugs.”

  While an interesting friendship from their conversation, their dynamic is immediately interrupted when a familiar hedgehog flies back to them—CRASHHHHH!!!

  “SOLID!!!” Woofa immediately rushes to him while Knuckles remains frozen, processing what had just happened. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?” She desperately checks for his injury, hoping it’s nothing serious.

  Though, to her relief, he’s alright, but weak to lift himself. “... I’m not strong enough… I bet you two can do better… Groans…” He puts his hand on his forehead and closes his eyes. “I’ll just relax here… now that I’m thinking about it…” He immediately gets sleepy and starts snoring, which, based on their reactions, confuses them.

  “Do you ever think that hedgehog is fine?”

  Woofa can’t help but giggle, amused by Knuckles’s reaction to her best friend. “Solid is Solid. The typical orange furball that I’ve known since middle school. You either love him or hate him. He wants everyone to perceive him as neutral. To me, he’ll always be on my side, no matter what wrongdoings he has committed; they’ll always be justified. And even if he blames himself, me… Tricky… even you and your friends can help him.” She continues to look at the sleeping hedgehog, smiling at his peaceful state. “Let him rest for now; he barely sleeps anyway.” Eventually, she stood up from the rubble and walked over to the edge of the rooftop, looking at the mech that had stared at them. “Come on, let’s deal with Alloy and his dumbass mech.” She smirks, immediately jumping down the rooftop to handle him.

  Knuckles still has a lot to learn from the Haveners; their personalities and actions are different from what he’s used to with his usual friends back home in Mobius. Nevertheless, inside of him, he’s amused, enjoying his life with them in this moment. “Right. Let’s continue our mission.”

  — Base Underneath Peak Haven (Downtown District) —

  Back at the base, despite what had happened earlier, Sonic does his best to guide the scientists in stopping the reactor from melting down, letting them continue what they’re supposed to do. To his credit, the scientists are more concerned about the lives of their own and everyone in the city, pushing them to work harder to deactivate and shut down the reactor. And they’re moving smoothly, getting encouragement from Sonic and Amy, while Tails helps each scientist with each control panel.

  However, just as Tails was helping someone, he noticed that the hole the mech had emerged from earlier was gradually widening, and he sensed something was wrong... Severely wrong… “S-Sonic! I-I think we need to be faster! That’s a sinkhole we’re dealing with!”

  “A sinkhole!?” The Blue Blur exclaims, looking at the sinkhole that’s wider than it had started initially. Now pressured, he has no choice but to announce the situation they’re all dealing with. “Everyone! We have a sinkhole, and it’s widening—But! But! But!” He exclaims at the right time, when he sees the scientists are on the verge of panicking, but they all remain calm and listen to the Blue Blur’s voice. “Do not panic, we can still do this! If we continue the effort we were already putting in, we can shut down this reactor and still save this city! You got it!?” Thankfully, to his relief, all the scientists value everyone’s lives, which means they all want to shut down the reactor for good. All they need is a bit of trust, and they have one in their hearts.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Although Sonic’s speech relieved the entire situation, there was another situation going on outside the base. When Tricky falls to the base, he tells them about another problem. “Yo, Knuckles is losing against that wombat and his mech. You should probably do something about him since his fists are ineffective!”

  Bringing back the pressure that the hedgehog didn’t intend to get, he decides to reroute his plans, hoping it’ll work. “Okay! Okay! Let’s do this.” Clears throat. “Amy, you and I will help our good friend Knux up there! You two T’s, keep those scientists busy down there, and keep them safe! FYI!”

  Leaving the fox and the porcupine alone to take care of the scientists, it’s the two of them who are responsible for this situation, with safety as their number one priority. “Take care of the scientists, while I’ll help them turn off the reactor. If the sinkhole gets close to them or they’re done, help them direct them out of this place immediately.”

  To a reassured nod, they immediately take their positions, with Tricky checking the scientists and the sinkhole while Tails aids them in shutting down the reactor. Together, they’re making substantial progress, with each scientist working on the control panels in turn. And as each scientist finished their tasks, the porcupine immediately directed them to the exit. Not only did they exit safely, but despite being enemies, they thanked him and Tails for their kindness and guaranteed safety. “Don’t thank us. That’s how we usually do things here as a team.” He chuckles, taking their compliments as a casual gesture. “I think Eggman portrayed us as horrible, but deep down, that propaganda can die. We’re not who we are. We’re… uhh… whatever our team name is!”

  “It’s Safe Haven, Tricky!” Tails yells, his voice barely heard by the porcupine from afar.

  “Right… Safe Haven… I still dislike the name, Sonic.”

  The scientists’ swift efforts, aided by Tails and Tricky, made it go smoothly like butter. Every scientist eventually finished with the control panels, mostly with Tails’s support, letting the mission get one step closer to shutting down the reactor…

  Except for one.

  When every scientist is gone, they both check around for any more, since there could be one still inside. As Tails checks on one row of the control panels, he sees an anthropomorphic takin scientist. “Hey? Are you alright?” He politely asks, noticing that the scientist is broken. She’s sitting down and leaning against one of the control panels, desperately pleading for some help. He puts a hand on her shoulder and finally realizes the problem.

  “... I-It’s broken…”

  When the porcupine checks the control panel, he’s horrified; despite the panel having been broken by the wombat earlier, it never automatically shut down the reactor. This means the control panel malfunctioned, ensuring the reactor would melt down right in front of their eyes.

  “No… This won’t end like this, that’s not how we’re supposed to finish this!” Tails immediately looks at Tricky with determination, desperate to help her. “How bad is the sinkhole?”

  When the porcupine checks on the sinkhole, it’s worse than he initially thought. Although the ground is flat, when Tricky actually checks, the ground they’re standing on is actually an overhanging cliff, and it’s not a strong one; it’s a weak one. At the wrong time and place, the cliff starts to incline, truly alarming him. He instantly teleports to them, alarming them with the distressing news. “You two gotta leave, NOW!!!”

  “... I’m…” Leaving Tails unsure, they either save themselves by risking the reactor melting down or risk their lives to stop the reactor entirely. But knowing the Havener’s lives are at stake, it’s now or never. “... Tricky… leave us here. We got this! We can save the Haveners from this reactor. And we’ll… We’ll make this moment count!”

  This is Sonic’s best friend, who’s part of a team that’ll take risks to save the world, risking their lives to achieve the best possible outcome. To Tricky’s acknowledgement, he respected his decision, a firm nod, and a pat on his shoulder to support him. “Survive, you two. We all count on you guys for everyone’s safety.” He takes a few steps before he leaves off with one additional note. “I’ll help them out there. For our mission, Tails.”

  Once Tricky leaves, Tails and the scientist finally regain their confidence. Both enemies are now determined allies, whose lives are on the line. “Together, just like my buddy, Sonic, it’s about how we do as a team!” He maintains a reassuring tone, smiling to boost her morale. And together, they do their best to fix this control panel before anything major happens.

  — Downtown District —

  Back in the city, when Sonic and Amy emerged from the base, not only did they see Knuckles fighting, but also Woofa. Which is weird, because they thought she was gonna stay with Solid in her apartment all day. But what matters? If she’s helping them, might as well help her.

  The dog runs around the mech to find any openings, while Knuckles is a distractor, forcing Alloy to focus on the echidna while being unaware of her whereabouts. Together, they’re doing a pretty decent job at keeping the wombat distracted. The damage isn’t much, but the progress is somewhat there.

  Also, Woofa has powers?

  As Woofa desperately looks for any openings, she’s then met by Sonic, who decides to help her out by running alongside her around the mech. “First, you have powers!? Second, what are you doing here!? And if you’re literally helping us, where’s Solid!?”

  “One, yes, I have powers! You think that orange furball and his stupid brother only have powers!? Two, we’ve heard some rumbling and witnessed Knuckles getting beaten up by this mech, and we’re literally helping you out!” She is still looking around for some blatant openings that Knuckles might’ve ignored earlier while exclaiming at the Blue Blur. “Also, Solid is injured, yet again. He might be the weakest of the team… now I’m thinking about it.”

  “He’s not the weakest! He needs more time to adapt to this stuff I’ve faced in my entire life.” Sonic rightfully defends him; deep down, he cares about those who need time to adjust to such missions. He knows that the new friends he makes will get overwhelmed by the missions they’re on, but they know what they’re in for, and that’s what he understands the most—the time to develop.

  Though she carelessly rolls her eyes and smirks. “I’m just joking! I believe in him, and I know that he’s always going to underrate himself and all of that. Deep down in my heart, as his best friend, he got this. I just… feel bad for how he’s going to think about himself now he’s seeing us do the job.”

  He groans at her jokes, but when she discusses her understanding, he at least understands. “Yeah, give him time to adjust, he’ll get better!” He looks at her with a firm nod, solidifying their support. “You’re both in your twenties, by the way, and I’m younger than you.” He mutters with a sly grin before focusing on what they’re supposed to do. “But I can’t believe you have powers! You think there are more Haveners with powers like you three?”

  “Hell no! I don’t want to THINK about them having powers like us. Either they’re gonna team with us, or be our enemies, which I wish won’t happen!” She eventually shakes those feelings out of her, immediately focusing on what they’re doing currently. “Anyways, let’s do this together!” They eventually separate, running around in coordinated areas to find any openings. Their synchronized flashes give a spectacular look among the spectators. The combination of the blue and brown blurs spinning around the mech makes the battle more interesting, especially to those recording or taking photos.

  Meanwhile, while Sonic and Woofa run around the mech, Knuckles continues to counterattack the mech, dodging every attack while being a distractor and listening to what Woofa’s plans were earlier. The wombat-controlled mech runs through the empty streets, each step crushing the vehicles, and its harsh footsteps mark the pavement. To keep the echidna at a disadvantage, Alloy continues to mock him entirely. “Run. Punch. Run. Punch. Stupid echidna thinks what he’s doing is helping him. Too bad what you’re doing is blatant weakness.” He activates more missiles to keep him from constantly moving around. When they aim directly at Knuckles, he expects them to punch them and still live.

  KABOOM!!!

  Based on Alloy’s expectation, it’s easy to manipulate Knuckles because of how linear his fighting style is. If he does one thing, expect him to repeat this pattern. Because he punched the missiles, another missile approaches him from behind without any realization, leaving the wombat to smirk ever so eerily. “See ya, one-headed Knux!”

  KABOOM!!!

  “HAH-HAH!!! Looks like the echidna is no longer a thing! No more fist-fighting, stubbornness, and all of that-!”

  “You tryna leave out the hammer girl!?” Amy is in front of Knuckles, whom she actually protected from the missile. “If you’re ready with two hard-hitters, you'd better pray that we won’t destroy your mech!” Aiming her Piko Piko Hammer at Alloy, letting the wombat become furious, clenching his grip on the controls.

  Despite her stance, she gradually looks back at the echidna with a completely different attitude. “You’re so stubborn!” Walking up to him and shaking her head in disappointment. “You’re going to lose if you have just listened to her!”

  “I-I’m literally helping her out! What do you mean by some advice!? I don’t need more advice right now!” Knuckles rightfully defends himself, knowing what he’s doing despite her words contradicting his moment.

  “... Same old Knuckles. Either you actually help us, or mess our entire mission up.”

  “You just rushed in like you never saw our interaction! We were in this fight until you came-!”

  “Doesn’t justify the fact that you still never listened to her.”

  “STOP TALKING ABOUT WOOFA AND I!!! THAT MOMENT IS OVER, MOVE ON!”

  Though their moment is literally them arguing with each other, yelling to prove themselves on who’s in the right. From this situation, it’s ironic because when Alloy watches them arguing, he’s surprisingly bewildered. Because when he mocked Knuckles, it didn’t do much, unlike her complaining to him. At this moment, the wombat broke out their argument. “ENOUGH!!! I’m literally right here! I’m literally your enemy, and you’re ignoring me! Come on, stop your weak arguing and get me!”

  “… Aight.”

  They instantly rush at him in different directions, leaving Alloy to react in horror, unexpectedly. He tries random moves—punching, kicking, or using any weapons at his disposal, not just missiles. Nevertheless, nothing seems to be controlling, because the buttons and inputs he’s pressing mysteriously no longer work. “WHAT’S HAPPENING TO MY MECH!? WHY IS IT NOT FUNCTIONING!?”

  It turns out, deep within the mech's wires, Sonic and Woofa had found the cables attached to the control panels. Without Alloy’s notice, they immediately cut it apart, leaving the mech to malfunction and become unresponsive to the wombat’s controls, leaving the mech still like a statue. “No… NO!” Slamming his fists on the control panels, he’s now frustrated that things aren’t going his way. “I need to do something about them. NOW-”

  And then the worst happens, when he finally looks up at the window, he watches Amy and Knuckles getting ready to smash the glass. The only weak spot where a combination of fists and hammer would definitely break-

  CRASHHHHHHHH!!!

  …

  “Ugh… Uhh…” Alloy finally opens his eyes; he’s tied up in the chair, with nothing to do but accept defeat. “Great… I lost…” He remarks as he’s awoken to the team surrounding him.

  “You have problems, Alloy,” Woofa responds, sensing something more than what the others understand. “And it won’t do better if you do stuff like this… because it won’t make you stronger.”

  “You’re wrong… Problems make me stronger…! All the suffering from the past five years… I WAS HAVING FUN UNTIL YOU… YOU DID THIS…! THIS… This… this…” But realizing what he had become, his emotions overbear him, and unable to contain them, he cries. Tears symbolize his defeat, what he had done to himself, and his mental state. “Why am I like this…? Why did I deserve to live such…? Sniff. I miss them… my wife… my daughter…”

  “How would you feel if they saw you in this state?” Amy’s concern about his well-being effectively broke him down, his mind circulating with what he could’ve done earlier.

  Alloy doesn’t immediately respond; instead, he continues to sniff dporadically until he has the confidence to speak. “Bad… Disappointed… Upset… Guilty… Shame… They already see me as a bad father… and now they’ll double me down… losing all respect in me…”

  Fearing that insults continued to linger in Knuckles’s mind, Sonic holds his wrist, preventing him from lashing out. “You don’t have to think that way.” The Blue Blur speaks out, “I understand everyone’s situation, and we have to deal with such separation and losses. That doesn’t mean violence would make up for our losses. We have other ways to deal with such loss.” He firmly places a hand on his shoulder, which momentarily makes him resist, but Alloy eventually lets him do what he has to do, feeling the support he’s given for a long time.

  “I… I need to make up for my… actions… And I’m sorry… to everyone…”

  “... My wife…”

  “...My daughter… Oh, my daughter… What have I done…?”

  — Base Underneath Peak Haven (Downtown District) —

  Back at the base, Tails and the scientist work tirelessly to keep the control panel operational, as their time is running out due to the sinkhole, threatening their progress. Due to damage, the control panel is broken, with wiring and system parts, preventing it from functioning properly. “How are we supposed to configure this out if we don’t have the required materials? Especially when we have another problem to worry about!” The scientist exclaims, nervousness still lingering in her voice, while checking on the sinkhole once every second.

  However, Tails stops her from focusing on the sinkhole with a reasonable explanation. “Stop looking at the sinkhole. The more you continuously look at it, the more you’ll get ticked off and eventually lose focus on our mission.” Giving her a firm nod, hoping they’ll gain trust in one another. “I have a few components in my backpack that may be able to configure this mess. We’re relieved that this control panel isn’t severely damaged, unlike what I initially thought.” He takes out a few spare wires and internal parts that’ll fully configure this mess.

  “You sure that’ll do? Seems like it’s not enough for what we’re seeing…”

  “... I-I’m not sure, but if this is what we've got left to save this city, then we need to trust-”

  RUMBLEEEEE!!!

  “Whoa…! WHOA!” The ground’s incline becomes severely steep; they both lose their balance and rest on the surprisingly still control panels, where none of them fall into the sinkhole. “We can’t work this out if we’re in this position…” Tails immediately starts flying, spinning his tails as he lifts her to a comfortable position. “Is this fine for you?”

  “Y-Yeah…!” She’s able to put herself directly at the control panel, while his flying helps her check the damage in this situation at an easier angle. “This is… fine… m-manageable even!”

  “Here.” The fox drops the components onto her hand. “I trust you. I believe you can rework the wires and components to make this panel function properly once again. Okay?”

  She takes a deep breath; the entire city’s lives are on her to fix the control panel and stop the reactor from melting down. Tails watches her, doing her best to fix the panel. Her hands shake from doing an important task; the pressure is overwhelming, but with him by her side, she eventually calms herself down. “Thanks for the support. I’ll… I’LL TRY!!!”

  And with that support, the fox watches in awe; she effortlessly readjusts the wiring and assists with the components. This left Tails astonished by her skill, seeing the potential she has as a whole. His support came in handy for them at the right time, especially now that the control panel is finally functional. “Fantastic job! I knew you got this! … But curious… What’s your name?”

  “Oh! M-My name? It’s… It’s… I-I’m sorry, I’m embarrassed…”

  “Hey, don’t you be embarrassed! You don’t have to say your name, I-I was just curious! Ahem, if you’re curious… my name is Miles Tails Prower, but everybody goes by the name Tails!” He says enthusiastically, his voice carrying an uplifting tone in contrast to the current situation. “I know you heard about my name because of Eggman… but I’m glad-”

  RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

  “Not again!” The ground finally gave up; the incline gets steeper, and this place finally crumbles. “Hurry—turn on the control panel, now!”

  The scientist ultimately loses balance again and falls onto the control panels. Yet, she continues to push forward, listening to what Tails has said, and works on the control panel, where she immediately shuts down the reactor, relieving the situation while the floor collapses. But at the right time, Tails ultimately lifts her as they fly out of the base, escaping the sinking base.

  — Downtown District —

  Back outside, when Sonic feels the ground rumbling, it's because the base has probably collapsed. Concerned about Tails, he watches the hole, waiting for him to fly out. To his relief, he watches him fly out of the base with the scientist, knowing he has saved this city once again. “Tails!” The Blue Blur immediately hugs him, relieved that the hectic situation has been resolved. “Oh, you’re alive! … That doesn’t mean I completely quit on you!” He pats his back before letting him go, still seeing the same best friend he still knows and loves.

  “Yeah, thanks… But we wouldn’t have saved this entire city without her.” Tails ultimately gives a ton of credit to the scientist, who was brave enough to help him inside the base. “Thank you for overcoming your fears. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. The people around here wouldn’t be here either. And it’s all thanks to you.” Putting his hand on her shoulder to show reassurance.

  The scientist immediately flushed, reacting to the attention she was drawing. “Y-You’re welcome… I was solely doing so in part of my life, and everyone’s life. I value living more than death alone.” She scratches her fur in embarrassment, albeit thankful for the support.

  “And that’s the reason why we all survived!” Woofa exclaims, jumping down from the balcony with Amy and Knuckles. “I appreciate your help!” She immediately shakes her hand, making her more embarrassed but amused.

  Laughing. “Stop! You guys are something else, I swear!” She playfully pushes her away, still enjoying the credit she’s given as a hero.

  “Alloy the Wombat, you’re under arrest for destruction and the endangerment of civilians! Although no deaths were recorded, your destruction is estimated to be more than ten million Lunars! At least no buildings were knocked down, which tells us about something.” The police officer shoves him into the police car, having no shame on the wombat; he looks out the window, seeing the team looking back at him. All he feels is guilt and shame, ruining his life entirely now that he’s arrested. Yet another feeling is fully embraced, a bit of relief, something to remind him that there are always second chances, and to prove he can change his life. “Thank you… for disciplining me… I shall pay for what I’ve done…”

  “You think he’ll get better?” Asks Amy, whose concern rises in her voice.

  “He’ll eventually get better. I know some like destruction, but it doesn’t mean they’re automatically bad. They just want something to do while they’re mentally stressed.” Sonic takes his time processing the entire mission on this day, smiling at the wombat and giving him a thumbs up. He eventually wonders how adventurous it was. “Come on, let’s-”

  “Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!!!” Several news reporters yell out, wanting to get their attention. They either yell, wave their hands, or extend their mics to their faces, hoping they’ll speak. GIBBERISH! GIBBERISH! GIBBERISH!!! The uncontrollable gibberish and chattering force the team to speak out as they’re all basically squished together.

  “What about Tricky and Solid!? You think we should bring them here!?” Amy exclaims from the crowd, wondering where they currently are.

  Woofa chuckles it off, swatting her hand at the air. “They’ll be fine! I think it’s better to leave them there while we’re getting bombarded!” Eventually, all the reporters finally form a position to surround them, while the police gather to protect them.

  - - ACT 1: Stage 4 (Downtown District) || COMPLETED - -