— The Grand Good ol’ Maze (Downtown District) —

  After going down the still escalator, the two hedgehogs reach the start of the maze. Although dark, they’re able to make out the farm-like maze that the orange hedgehog had seen before them. They slowly walk through where Sonic leads, pointing the flashlight, while Amy stays close, holding her Piko Piko Hammer. “Imma be honest…” He confidently says to her, not regretting what he’s about to say. “I’m scared… This isn’t the atmosphere I typically enjoy.” The crunch of the dirt somewhat overbears the sound from their conversation.

  “Really…? You made this situation worse than before.” She says as her grip on her hammer becomes tighter than usual. “Might as well rely on my precious hammer to smash through any potential-”

  THUDDDDDDDDDDD!!!

  The loud and sudden noise causes them to jump, and the sound continues to echo loudly throughout the entire maze. Both of them have started trembling in this already tense ambiance, keeping their position closer than ever. Their faces show concern with vulnerability, now feeling the intense pressure. To the blue blur, he slowly takes a few steps before making his voice loud and clear. “W-We are just some hedgehogs… who’re exploring around… this place…” Although his voice is heard with some fear, it’s enough for it to echo back in response to the loud object.

  However, even with his voice, it didn’t matter. There was no response back to the hedgehog, leaving them more anxious about the now silent atmosphere. “... Did that do the trick…?” Amy whispers, audible enough for Sonic to hear, but she contains her voice to themselves.

  “... I guess…?” He whispers back, still frozen from the loud thud earlier. They contemplate whether to continue their journey, wondering if it’s a good idea to continue. However, since this journey was all about finding and rescuing their orange friend, it took some time before they finally rebuilt their confidence to continue their journey. “Okay then. Let’s continue.”

  Although they’re cautious of the upcoming paths, worrying about the unexpected moments that may appear, their confidence continues to rebuild, and they eventually become comfortable with each passing time. Their conversation transitions from the wariness of this maze to the more casual moments of their lives. “Remember the time when I had to race Jet, and he kept on teasing me for not beating him?” Amy nods slightly, understanding what he’s saying. “Turns out, he says that whenever he starts the race, because his ass shows off at the start, mocking this, mocking that. Mockingbird. I had to teach bro a lesson once I crossed that finish line before him. He is just standing there, glaring at me while I hold the trophy for good.” He takes a laugh, but a reserved one to prevent the maze from echoing. “I wonder how he’d feel now that there’s another hedgehog?”

  Her grip on her hammer slowly weakens; hearing him in a casual mood allows her to open up a bit in this ambiance. “He’ll probably feel dizzier seeing four hedgehogs, but I digress. Solid would intentionally lose because of his humility.” She drags her hand through the stalks, intentionally feeling its firm texture. “... This place is indeed a hoax. These corn stalks have recently been planted, I can tell because Silver had somewhat taught me about these conditions. Or maybe because they’re not good at planting these stalks.” Her changing the topic causes Sonic to listen, directing the flashlight to the corn, which is leaning rather than standing straight up.

  “He’s gonna be bothered by this…” Sonic mutters to himself, already envisioning the white hedgehog in this maze, complaining about the structure of these corn stalks. “I bet all of these stalks are planted horribly by these recruiters. They’d be subject to the worst farm I’ve ever seen.” Yet, something is abnormal about the way some of them stand. Some are awful or good, but some have been destroyed for no apparent reason. “Something’s wrong with these stalks…” He slowly approaches them, investigating the ruined stalks.

  “Some of them are snapped in half… which is weird because these are mature.” She sets her hammer down and feels the texture of these corn stalks once more. “… Very mature. Silver would definitely agree with me. It’s impossible to snap these in half unless we have a heavy-duty tool, yet no signs of any tools are around us.”

  They look at each other, both sensing hints about Solid’s whereabouts. Sonic pans the flashlight ahead, where he stumbles onto something remarkable. “Bullets…?” He immediately picks one up, seeing how it’s already been used before spotting multiple bullets on the ground. Finally, something is going forward with their investigation. “Yeah, something is wrong here. No maze would have random bullets and its marks in the game.” They look at the pathway ahead and see the pack of rifles, all of them fully disassembled. “Speaking of more anomalies…”

  When the two inspect the disassembled rifles, they recollect something notable. “Doesn’t Solid know how to disassemble a gun?” She questions him for clarification, still curious if this correlates with the orange hedgehog himself.

  “He did. I remember the brother’s argument last night, and he disassembled Tricky’s gun in a few seconds.” They slowly look back at the pile of disassembled rifles. “Maybe he did it… while these recruiters were chasing him down…” And that moment right there is when they finally fit the pieces together. They both looked at each other once more, their hearts racing as they found they were witnessing a former battlefield that he had been through. “I think we should continue-”

  Crunch.

  The hedgehogs instantly direct their stare at the pathway ahead, hearing the slight crunching sound of the dirt. “Who’s there!?” Sonic yells out, his voice echoing throughout the entire maze from a singular crunch sound.

  Crunch.

  “T-This isn’t funny, bro.” He continues yelling, standing in front of Amy as her grip on her hammer tightens once more. “Tell me who you are… NOW!” But still, no response.

  Crunch.

  The flashlight is seen shaking, indicating how scared Blue Blur is. “R-REVEAL YOURSELF!!!” Still, his attempts to make the unknown person leave them aren’t effective enough. Rather, they continue to hear a period of silence, feeling their heart beating during the tense moment.

  Crunch.

  Crunch.

  Crunch.

  Crunch.

  Crunch.

  The rapid noise of the footsteps crunching the dirt forces the hedgehogs to back away, creating more distance between them and the noise ahead. It’s not until a foot is seen from the other side of the corner that someone finally reveals themselves, raising their arms while they make out the unidentified figure.

  A female kangaroo, who’s wearing some casual clothes and a vest. She looks at them with a tired expression. “I’m here, blue hedgehog.”

  “Tch.” Sonic and Amy take a step back from her appearance, overwhelmingly becoming defensive. “Who are you?”

  “... The name’s Mila Hopford… I’m a recruiter for the Doctor-”

  “I KNEW IT!” He points at the kangaroo, now letting his emotions get the better of him. Amy has a stern look; she’s almost ready for combat now that the grip on her hammer has fully tightened. “WHERE THE HELL IS SOLID!? WHERE IS HE!?”

  Mila takes a few steps back, trying to calm him down. “Wait! Wait! Wait!” She exclaims, seeing him becoming severely impatient, now needing something to say. “I’m not working for him anymore!”

  The pink hedgehog slowly steps forward, ignoring Sonic’s protective stance. “You’re trying to play with us, aren’t you?” She’s no longer taking any kinds of jokes, retaining her stern look.

  The kangaroo isn’t lying; she’s surprisingly telling the truth to them, yet her status remains highly skeptical for the Mobians. “They’re not trusting me… that’s the problem…” Ever since Solid had beaten her in a solo fight, she couldn’t help but look up at him, having tons of respect for his personality. However, to convince them otherwise… “I promise I’m no longer a part of him. I’ll… I’ll take you there, if you want...”

  Of course, this still leaves them skeptical, although her words cause them to open up a little, reminding them what they’re here for. The Mobians look back at each other yet again, this time forming a plan. “You wanna do something about it?” Amy quietly asks him, who has a plan, but waits for Sonic to tell his plan to her.

  “... I’m not fully sure if she is telling the truth…” Sonic mutters, keeping the conversation low to them. “... But I want her to have the opportunity to show that she is trustworthy. Maybe she can direct us, while we’re able-”

  “You gonna finish your plan or what!?” Mila yells, impatient with their whispering and plans. “I’ll do what you two plan out for me while I navigate to your fellow friend-”

  “Yes, we’re finalizing our plans!” He exclaims, directing the flashlight at her, where Mila blocks the light with her hand, avoiding the bright glare. “We’re going to follow you, but that doesn’t mean we have full trust. Still, try your best to direct us; we’re giving you a second chance. Alright?”

  “... Sure.”

  Squeeeeeaaaaaaaak- THUDDDDDDDDDDD!!!

  “Not too loud, Knuckles!” Tails hisses, genuinely concerned about the area they’re in.

  “It’s not like there’s anyone here.” Knuckles says, keeping the door open for his friend to enter through.

  The atmosphere around represents an unfinished staff hallway, with walls still covered in graffiti, which the recruiters didn’t have the time or the inclination to care about. Everything is unfinished, even the floors. When it comes to each room, it’s the same thing, just bare emptiness everywhere, aside from the same usual graffiti.

  “Sigh… Same old crap. I wonder if that’s the trend here; they were focused on making things outside look pleasing, while the inside isn’t their top priority.” Hints of his voice reveal how somewhat scared he is, but he shows off his unfazed demeanor.

  The two-tailed fox looks at his friend with genuine curiosity. “Shouldn’t you be fazed by this atmosphere? You’re not trying to be fearless around here, aren’t you?”

  The echidna widened his eyes; in response, he crossed his arms and casually swats the air like it’s nothing. “W-What, fearless? You’re saying that because you’re scared.” He mockingly points at him, displaying a humorous yet nervous laughter.

  Beep.

  The sudden beep causes both of them to jump, the unexpected sound coming from ahead. They look at each other, and an intensifying fear surrounds them. Tails, however, ignores the embarrassing moment when Knuckles reveals his fearful attitude and instead directs him to the noise. “I know we’re both scared, but we can do this. We can overcome this. We need to rebuild our confidence. That’s all.”

  The sound remains constant; it isn’t accelerating or decelerating, but the noise remains frightful to them, almost like something is going to pop out from one of the doors. However, as they approach the noise, the beeping becomes louder, and they can sense its presence in one of the approaching doors.

  “Okay, Tails. Which door do you think it is?” The echidna darted his eyes between both sides of the approaching doors, but also ahead and behind him, to make sure they’re safe.

  “Hmm…” The fox leans closer to the door, trying to detect the location of the sound. “The left door; it’s louder compared to the other door.” He says that before noticing a lock on its handle, which was meant to be hidden from any vandals. “Hey, Knuckles… try to punch that door open. The door is locked, and we don’t have the key. Is it fine if you do the honors?”

  Knuckles can’t help but present a knowing smirk, moving Tails out of the way before leaning against the other door, stretching his muscles. “No problem, Tails. All I need is some- pop-pop, before I KNOCK IT DOWN!” He instantly rushes to the door and lands a punch on it, which not only creates an apparent hole but also knocks the entire door and its frame down. Unnecessary, but cool nevertheless.

  Despite Tails being worried about his friend, he doesn’t take a second before looking at the entire room, watching in awe as he sees multiple screens displayed in front of him at selected angles. In one of the screens, he spots Sonic, Amy, and an unknown kangaroo who’s directing them through the maze. However, Tricky and Woofa aren’t to be found on the screens themselves. But one screen really sets him on the edge…

  “Knuckles… you might wanna take a look at this…” He says while the echidna slowly recovers, pushing the door and its frame out of his body to where the fox directs his gaze.

  “Holy s-”

  “Damn, they got tons of exit ways for the maze itself. Probably used one to get my brother while they’re at it.” Tricky says, pointing the flashlight at multiple emergency exits that were left open. “I don’t know why they’re left open, probably to run for their lives if he were a threat to them.” He continues his casual conversation, not realizing that his friend remains dead silent. “... Okay, fess up, dog. You worried about your beloved hedge-”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Shut. Up.”

  “Sigh… Man… Alright. Alright. It’s not the end of the world. I just wanted-”

  “A casual conversation? How can you be so casual when we’re trying to save the person we care for the most?” Woofa’s voice is filled with concern for her beloved orange hedgehog. “It’s almost like you don’t care about him.”

  Tricky raises his hands defensively, pointing the flashlight to the ceiling, where they both stop to continue their conversation. “I-I do care! It’s just that… he’s capable of surviving. I know my brother more than you, and he can manage situations like this. Just saying.” He casually says before continuing, leaving the brown dog to contemplate her situation.

  “You…”

  “Dumb…”

  “PORCUPINE!!!”

  Woofa rushes at the porcupine, who instantly tackles him to the ground, growling right in front of his face. “GIVE ME THAT FLASHLIGHT!!!” She yells out, fighting for it until he finally complies with her demand, letting her grasp onto the flashlight before she pushes herself out of him. “I should lead this trek if you’re not going to show effort. Might as well save him myself.” She shows no respect for his actions as she leaves him behind, risking her life to save one person.

  “Good luck on that.” He mutters to himself, slowly standing up before following her. “If you do try to save him by yourself, what will happen if you die with him? Would you regret your decision?” His expression is now serious, and he feels concerned about her well-being.

  “... I don’t care if I die… If I die with him, I’ll die.” She tightens her grip on the flashlight; her mind constantly racing around Solid. “I just… I want him back…” Her voice transitions to sadness, telling of the brutal situation to her. Though Tricky ultimately catches up, he looks at her face, showing determination while containing her emotions. She stares ahead without a hint of fear. “I’m not scared… I’m not scared at all.” She whispers, not getting into much detail. “I want him back, and I’ll get him back. I don’t care what jumpscares get me-”

  THUD!!!

  “... I’m way too focused.” Although the porcupine got jumpscared, he’s stunned to see her not fazed by the jumpscare, pursuing herself to continue walking this linear pathway while her words tell the truth.

  “Geez… You really are committed.” He says before catching up once more. “But for real, we’ll get him back. I know how much I miss my brother… We’ll get him-”

  Thunk.

  “Ow.” The porcupine instantly backs off, covering his face to relieve his pain; the dog points the flashlight at a mysterious door, inspecting it thoroughly. “Does this door go to the maze?”

  “I don’t know. But only one way to find out.” She tosses the flashlight to her friend, causing him to widen his eyes, knowing what she’s going to do.

  “Please don’t. This door is way too thick.” He knocks at the door several times, testing its thickness. From the knocking itself, it produces a very low and dense thud, proving his case. “You hear? That door is impossible to break down from your-”

  KICK!!!

  It didn’t matter how thick the door was. Woofa knocked the entire door down by doing a powerful dropkick, stunning the porcupine more with her immense strength.

  “... That… was for him, wasn’t it?”

  She slowly gets up, dusting her clothes before looking at him. “I think your brother is right… You should shut up for once.”

  “Snorts, Typical Woofa,” He amusingly chuckles, watching her recover. “Been the same since he introduced you to me. It never gets old…”

  Once they look inside the area, they finally find what they are pursuing. The area is lit green, a laboratory with multiple control panels inside the observation room, and multiple empty office chairs surround the place. As they continue to explore the laboratory, they look out the window, where they see an open area, dedicated to a living individual inside the stasis tank.

  “Solid…”

  The orange hedgehog’s body floats in the nutrient-rich suspension fluid, unconscious, while the machine around the capsule monitors his condition, which is relatively healthy. Nothing is wrong with this place; in fact, it’s surprisingly empty for an important individual, which is a good sign. However, the Haveners know that it’s total nonsense because the area below the observation deck is open, where they expect a fight to take place. Woofa instantly rushes to the capsule, opening the door to the deck, but Tricky holds her wrist, not letting go.

  “Don’t.”

  “Even.”

  “Try.”

  “You’re not invincible, Woofa. I know you have the heart to live, and if you’re trying to risk your life for a single soul, you'd better be wise in your decision-making. We’d rather figure things out together rather than be a reckless individual.” His words reminded her of how reckless she was just for saving her best friend. She was all in on rescuing him, not realizing that she was on the team, while also realizing that Tricky was a dumb distractor. Anyways, other than her best friend’s older brother, she understands her decision to be on the team: to help Solid. However, the orange hedgehog encourages everyone to make a team effort, allowing those opportunities, even though he’s not the leader. And for her, she has to take note of what he encourages and constantly bring that up inside her, to gain the slightest motivation.

  “... You’re such a weird brother… Sometimes you’ll be caring, while other times you’re a complete bitch. I like it.” She teasingly pushes him away, bringing back her casual mood. “... Fine… I guess you’re right about me being a reckless asshole. I still care for my orange furball, but I’ll worry less nowadays, because we know who he is. He’s a strong hedgehog. We’re sure that he can survive such impossibilities.” They both fistbump each other in respect, enjoying the bond they still know and love.

  In a combined effort, without a plan, they leave the observation room and jump down from the deck and into the open area, rushing to the capsule and watching the orange hedgehog closely. They don’t care if they’re now exposed in the open area, where a bunch of recruiters will jump at them; they want him back, completely ignoring his earlier speech.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  “Solid. You there?” Woofa whispers behind the glass, tapping it as she watches his unconscious face, unresponsive to her simple question. “We need to get him out. But how do we?”

  “Break the glass, dummy.” Tricky teasingly pokes her forehead, pretending to make her dumb, before cracking his knuckles. “Now it’s my turn to break something.” He does some short hops before he-

  BANG!!!

  The glass is broken, causing the liquid to drain out and the hedgehog to fall slowly to the ground. But the glass isn’t shattered by Tricky’s punch, instead by a gunshot. “Speaking of you guys… your aim isn’t the best. I could allow you free tutor lessons on how to shoot more accurately, if you want-”

  BANG!!!

  The gunshot once again shattered the glass, which didn’t do much but expose the unconscious hedgehog even more, creating an open space for them to drag him out. However, this caused the recruiters to reveal themselves, jumping down from the hidden area above the observation deck, pointing their rifles or pocket knives at them. “You think I’ll accept your tutor lessons!? I’m an experienced recruiter, you pickle.”

  “What the f-! Ahem. I am NOT A PICKLE, not even remotely CLOSE! I am a… a… Sigh… never mind. I’m a professional dumbass.” Tricky then leans closer to Woofa, keeping the conversation low between them. “... I’ll deal with these rookies. Protect Solid while I’m at it- and no. I’m not being reckless. They’ll come back while I deal with them.” He steps forward, leaving her in a state of shock.

  “Tricky! What about-”

  “That’s what I said, don’t worry. Remember, we’re doing this for him.” He readjusts his baseball cap, taking a few steps before looking back at her one more time. “Protect my brother. Or, your orange furball, if you know you know.” Leaving a small wink at her before he finally leaves.

  “You’re impossible…” She mutters, hopping over the machine and hiding behind it, where she drags Solid out of the container. She pulls him out, where she makes sure he’s fine, which thankfully he is. Taking a peek at the open area, she sees the damned porcupine not caring, still ironic how he made a speech dedicated to her being reckless. She hides behind the machine once more, where she pulls her best friend close for a hug, whispering to his unconscious ear. “Never leave me…”

  The porcupine presents a menacing demeanor, spreading his arms while having a wide smirk. Although it's their first sight of the porcupine, the more he approaches them, the more they’re likely to open fire. Once he takes another step forward, it causes the recruiters to flinch from his sudden movement, now acting in desperation. “One more step, you’ll DIE!” One of the recruiters yells out, confident enough to shout at the menacing figure, while trembling in fear.

  “I think anyone can take a step; even a person like me can take one more step.” He slowly lifts his leg, causing the recruiters to flinch and aim at him. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I didn’t take a step, talk about sensitive!” They watch the lone and exposed porcupine frozen, teasing them.

  “Heads up!”

  The porcupine throws the baseball cap at one of the recruiters, causing them to get distracted and hit by it, before he instantly punches them. In response, the rifled recruiters open fire at him, but it’s too late. He finally shows off who he is by flashing to multiple armed recruiters and snatching their rifles away.

  “H-HE CAN RUN LIKE THOSE HEDGEHOGS!?” Woofa’s shocked expression causes her to rethink what these brothers are. Are they superheroes? Are they villains? Or are they random people that have powers in this world? Otherwise, she’s glad that she’s friends with the two, making her more protected than before. But for Tricky not to reveal his powers until now shocks her entirely. The porcupine would’ve shown off his powers a decade ago, due to his personality. Yet, she slowly hides once more and protects Solid, hoping none of the bullets or random objects strike them.

  Meanwhile, with all the rifled users swiftly dealt with, the porcupine whistles while holding one of the rifles, mocking the pocket-knife recruiters. “Uh-oh, someone is armed. Maybe I can do THIS!” He points at one of the recruiters, causing them to flinch and fall to the ground, scared by his presence. “Just kidding! My brother condemns such violence as this, so…” He tosses the rifles away, leaving them exposed to the recruiters to get. “Number one… You can attack using your pathetic pocket knives, which I doubt you’ll even land one on me. Number two… Grab those rifles and try to shoot at me. But be aware, like those unarmed fools, you’ll be embarrassed by me.” He closes his eyes and presents a smirk, confident that no one will even land an attack on him. “Your choices. Some wise, others not so surely.”

  A recruiter from behind slowly grabs the rifle without a singular noise, their face presented with a wider smirk than his, before they finally press the trigger.

  Click. Click. Click.

  “Gotcha! You want the ammo?” He shows off all the ammo inside his glove, knowing that he was one step ahead. “Too bad. ?? Someone’s gottaa fiiiiiight… With their pathetic pocket kniiiives. ??” His voice is heavily ridiculed with teasing, making them more upset. Not only that, but he somewhat dances, not caring about the drama he’s creating around him. Once again, this caused all of the recruiters to rush at him, clearly falling for his tricks yet again. At a flash, the porcupine vanishes at an instant, leaving everyone confused.

  Woofa continues to observe her best friend, waiting for him to wake up. She continues to check his status, like his heartbeat, hoping he still has signs of life. She’s lucky that he is still showing it, having luck on her side. “You’re fine, Solid… I’m there for you. Relax, orange furball… relax…” She contentedly whispers, still keeping him as close as possible, enjoying their moment together. It’s not until the porcupine teleports in front of her, causing her to jump and interrupting their moment. “Two questions! What are you doing here!? You have powers all along!?” Hissing at him while still shocked by what he truly is.

  “One, I’m planning on doing something to them while I’m secretly hiding. Second, sorry to my brother for not telling him, but yes. I do have powers all along.” He casually says before peeking up, looking at the recruiters. “Just look at them. Clueless. They don’t know where I’m even at.” The recruiters continue to look everywhere, constantly being on the lookout for the porcupine; their gaze instantly switches from one direction to the other. “Oh, do you know why I teleported here?”

  “Because you’re a dumbass.”

  “... Well, that’s also true. But the real reason… is because I’m planning to stay like this.” He crosses his arms and settles down beside her, relaxing in this ironic moment.

  The dog looks at him like he’s insane, definitely not knowing what he’s envisioning. “You’re insane… I guess those days of you dealing with the gang made you abnormal-”

  CRASH!!!

  “WHAT THE HELL!?” Shattered glass from the observation room falls to the ground as the recruiters cover themselves with the falling glass. “ARGH! COME DOWN HERE, YOU DAMN PORCUPINE!!!” One of the recruiters yells as they all form to aim at the room, waiting for the porcupine to reveal themselves…

  Except it isn’t the porcupine…

  It’s none other than the Mobians.

  “Well. Well. Well. Looks like we’re back at it again.” Sonic jumps down, followed by his friends, where they stand there, a menacing sight to every recruiter’s view. “And this time… no holding back!”

  KICK!!!

  The porcupine unexpectedly teleports and kicks the recruiter to the wall, stunning his interdimensional teammates with his profound abilities. “Whoops! Didn’t need to introduce my powers, but here I am!” He exclaims before an entourage of recruiters rushes at him, who can’t handle the annoying porcupine for an extensive period of time.

  Yet, they’re forgetting about the Mobians around them as they take action. Sonic instantly spindashes in a circle, acting as a shield to the porcupine. Once they caught the recruiters off guard, the rest swiftly dealt with them in the usual non-violent manner. “Tricky. Team up and help the others. I’ll check on Solid. Cool?”

  “Cool.” The porcupine immediately springs back to action, watching the team fight as they mean it. He knows what he’s here for, to the point where he shows off another ability that stuns the team.

  He starts spindashing, causing stares at the now spinning porcupine in its still moment. Once he builds up his energy, he releases and starts moving through, striking each recruiter. It wasn’t the smoothest or prettiest spindash they had seen; the prettiest being, obviously, the blue blur. He did hit his targets, causing them to trip or fall, which worsened the recruiter’s situation.

  After he finally stops, he returns to his original form, where he momentarily takes a breather before the others stop by to check on him. “You… You have powers…?” Tails says in awe, rubbing his eyes to check if it’s reality or not.

  “Stunning, isn’t it?” Tricky winks at the team, showing off his powers that weren’t seen before. “I know. I know. It’s weird seeing your first Havener spindashing like you guys, but that’s what makes us a team. Character growth and development at all costs.”

  Seemingly, seeing how powerful he already is, Knuckles declares the porcupine is already more powerful than his younger brother, whom the orange hedgehog doesn’t know how to do a simple spindash. Other than looking surprised, he approaches him with valued respect. “You’re amazing. Once, I saw you doing something that I wasn’t expecting in this new world, I knew you had the strength-”

  PUNCH!!!

  The echidna punches at one of the remaining recruiters, who tries to rush at him, but he wasn’t having one bitter moment. “What a way to ruin my speech, DAMN IT!” His anger causes his head to somewhat steam, visibly upset that his moment was ruined. “Simple words. Stronger warrior. You damn porcupine.” He pats his back before continuing to deal with the remaining recruiters still left in the open area.

  With the combination of Tails’s equipment, Knuckles’s fists, and Amy’s Piko Piko Hammer, the recruiters have had enough time to the point where they fled from the scenery, regretting their choices. Although they celebrated, it was a rather brief celebration, because they had to check up on their other Haveners.

  Behind the machinery, hidden, it is Woofa, Sonic, and an unconscious Solid. “It’ll take some time for him to wake him up.” The brown dog calmly says, throwing her past worries away once she declares that their friend is alright. “We need to get out of here. That’s all we should do-”

  “OH COME ON!”

  The child’s voice attracts the team’s attention, and they look around to find the source of the voice. The figure from the observation deck reveals none other than the gecko from the CCTV footage, angered by his failed plans. “I should’ve gotten better recruiters, I don’t know why I’m stuck with those J.V.-like first-year experienced recruiters who started to wield a knife and a gun…” He mutters to himself, thinking back in time when he should’ve requested the Doctor’s right-hand man for better recruiters.

  “Do we seriously have a kid running the show?” The brown dog says, peeking up with confusion on the team’s face.

  “I’ve seen worse, Woofa. Trust me.” Sonic reveals himself, hopping out behind the machinery to take a look at him. “I’ve seen those younger than him. I wouldn’t be shocked if we had to defeat someone younger soon.” He discreetly mentions a humanoid child, who he remembers is younger than the gecko and was working with Eggman prior to him saving the day once again.

  The rest of the team pops out, now asking the mysterious child. “How old are you?” Tricky questions, demanding an answer. “I swear, if you’re younger than 10-”

  “I’m 8 years old.” The gecko says, accepting such questions to get the team’s best reaction, leaving them shocked by how young he is.

  “8!? You’re 8!? 8… helping out Eggman and trying to kill my brother!?” Tricky yells, shocked and appalled by an 8-year-old child who follows his Doctor’s orders with ease.

  The Mobians quickly glance at each other, raising some questions. “An 8-year-old kid… is running this show? Why would he do this?” Tails questions them, stunned by how much Eggman has influenced these Haveners, even a child is subjected to him.

  “Don’t act surprised, you’re the same age as him. We both are part of a team, one way or another.” Amy’s words cause the fox to express shock, leaving him frozen in his state.

  “Damn…” Tricky looks at Knuckles amusingly. “No need to tell him that, but I see you.”

  However, Woofa steps in front of them, pointing at the gecko to keep the team focused. “Can we like focus on what we’re supposed to do?” She says, redirecting the team’s focus onto the child earlier.

  “It’s fine, myself… I’ll show them how worthy my skills are, even if I’m a child.” He jumps down from the observation deck, not caring if the landing hurts him, but caring about what he’s going to do next. “It seems that you have infiltrated my maze. Not only my maze, but also the lab subject I had obtained in the hour prior. Let me show you off… with a little… surprise.”

  Snap.

  The lights immediately turn off around them, and all they can see is darkness throughout the area, where they also can’t even see themselves. They all huddle close together, preventing anyone from being dragged by an unknown force. Luckily, none of that happens, and they’re relieved to see that once the lights turn on, they’re unharmed-

  “Did you guys take care of Solid?”

  Shocked, their eyes immediately dart to the spot where the orange hedgehog was supposed to be. They look back at the gecko, who menacingly laughs at them while gripping onto the hedgehog’s quills. “Should’ve focused on your main objective, it seems like.” He grabs a random pocket knife from the floor and holds it close to Solid’s neck, where he doesn’t necessarily slice or stab him, but more so, testing the team’s patience. “Come on. Come on. You want to save your friend, don’t you?”

  Hearing some growling, Woofa presents a stern look and clenches her fists. She tries to sprint towards the gecko, but Sonic grabs her from behind, preventing her from getting the child. “No! NO! WE CAN’T LET HIM DIE!” She tries to fight him off, but Sonic, along with the help of Amy, prevents her from advancing.

  Instead, Tails steps forward, wanting to take part in this situation now that it’s something he could try to finalize himself. “What’s your name!?” He exclaims, letting out an interaction between the two 8-year-olds.

  “... Doubt the Gecko.” He drops the unconscious hedgehog to the floor, who flops onto the ground. The two both approach each other, slowly but surely. “It’s sad seeing two 8-year-olds having different lives. One gets to live to fight to save their world. While the other follows their Doctor’s orders. We should be on the same team if I were you.”

  “I am NOT going to be on the same team as you!” He fights back, not appreciating what’s happening around him. “Bring back our friend, we can ensue this without any sort of conflict-”

  “SHUT UP, YOU TWO-TAILED FOX! I DON’T NEED SOME LESSON FROM YOU!” He fights even harder, planting his foot forward for a show of dominance. “If you want your weak friend back, you gotta fight me. No way around it!”

  Tails looks back at the team, feeling stuck on where he is now. He wants help… he really needs help from Sonic… He doesn’t feel confident enough…

  Yet, he gives himself a nod, staying true to himself, being confident and resilient. “Sonic. I know I’m not the strongest. If it means being true to myself versus getting some help, I have to stay true to who I am. I need to overcome these situations myself sometimes.” He steps forward as well, leaving the two to approach each other. “I’m Miles Tails Prower. I don’t care how strong you are, or how weak I am… I’ll never doubt my own strength, just by seeing you.”