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tenebraevesper · 5 months

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Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 46: This Machine

''We all danced in fire, trapped in this machine! Don't know how long we've waited, as the Eggman's watching! We all danced in fire, looking thru the screen! Don't know how long we've waited, as the Eggman watches!''

– This Machine by Sonic Heroes (Team Dark Theme)

xXxXxXx

''Sir! Are you certain that this is a good idea?''

Dr. Eggman has grown quite irritated having Dr. Starline follow him around, constantly questioning his decisions and suggesting alternative solutions. He already knew what he was doing and he wasn't going to let the platypus dictate how he was doing his business.

''Oh, I'm absolutely sure…'' Eggman replied, trying not to show just how annoyed he was by Starline's constant questioning. ''As a matter of fact, I was sure the last hundred times you had asked me that.''

''Well, I am just trying to make sure that your plan is completely solid, Sir. You do have a contingency plan, right?'' Starline asked eagerly, with Eggman taking a deep breath and suddenly turning around, giving Starline a sinister smile.

''Yes, Starline, I have a contigency plan. Shoot until everything has turned to dust,'' Eggman told him, with Starline rising an eyebrow instead of being intimidated.

''But…''

''No more of that!'' Eggman turned on his heel, walking away. ''Ferra, Metal Sonic!''

''Yes, Doctor?'' Ferra and Metal Sonic walked up to Eggman. Admittedly, since their alliance with Team Neos, the two decided to see this situation as a vacation. Even if ARMS was primarly focused on Team Neos, both Ferra and Metal Sonic understood that they would also become targets, especially if ARMS learned about their connection to the Eggman Empire. So, the smarter option here was to lay low.

''You two will keep an eye on this place until I'm back,'' Eggman told them, with Starline giving him a baffled look. ''I know ARMS would never be able to piece together where the headquarters of the Eggman Empire is, but this more of a precaution.''

''S-Sir, wait a second, why them? You could just put me in charge!'' Starline protested.

''I could've put you in charge, but I didn't because you've been constantly questioning my decisions,'' Eggman replied.

''But… I was only trying to help!'' Starline replied, still stunned.

''Then you can use the spare time to figure out how to help me properly!'' Eggman told him in a sharp tone, walking away while being followed by Orbot and Cubot. Starline was still baffled, his beak slightly open as he stared at the Doctor walking away in stunned silence. He then huffed, shooting a glare at Ferra and Metal Sonic.

''I assume you two are happy now,'' he said, tapping with his foot and his arms crossed on his chest. Ferra and Metal Sonic gave him the most deadpan look they could manage.

''We're never happy,'' Ferra replied. Starline scoffed, walking away.

''Well, I can certainly do better. This alliance the Doctor has with Team Neos will soon be over, so we need to prepare our next move. I will make sure that the action we take will be their downfall,'' Starline told her, vanishing into the next room. Ferra sighed.

''You know, I think the reason Eggman told us to keep an eye on this place is less because of ARMS and more because he wanted someone to babysit Starline,'' she told Metal Sonic.

Metal Sonic nodded in response.

xXx

''Do you think that Eggman will actually keep his end of the deal?'' Minami asked Lucas, who could only sigh in frustration and shrug.

''Well, he was the one who told us to come here and that he'll pick us up. While I know that he will backstab us eventually, I assume that's going to happen after we storm ARMS HQ,'' Lucas responded, only to pause for a moment, narrowing his eyes. ''Although, I suppose he might as well just abandon us there, but I'm sure we'll be able to find our way back.''

The rest of Team Neos didn't look too convinced. Last night, they had one more group call with both Team Dark and Dr. Eggman, talking about their next step. Team Dark had provided them with a map of ARMS HQ and other information in regards to the facility, the agents and what the easiest way of breaking inside would be. Eggman had told them that he would take care of their means of transportation and agreed to be their back-up, as he wasn't going inside the HQ. Team Neos was fine with that, with Tails and Warren presenting the blackmail material to everyone and revealing that they would be able to send it to anyone they wanted, meaning that depending on what ARMS answer is, their secrets will be leaked to the public.

They all agreed to meet up at the Codex Research Facility, and were now waiting for Eggman to arrive with their means of transportation. What they didn't expect was that a huge aircraft would suddenly materialize above their heads.

''Huh, what's that?'' Silver asked, his jaw dropping. Team Neos was completely stunned to see the aircraft as it got lowered down. Thanks to the fight between Team Dark and Mephiles and Toshiro, the crystal walls did tear through the tree line, allowing for more space for the aircraft.

''Is that the Egg Carrier?! No, it can't be…'' Minami said, shaking his head.

''As you can see, it can! Now, get inside before I change my mind!'' Eggman's voice suddenly boomed through the loudspeakers. Minami exchanged looks with her teammates, following them into the aircraft while muttering under her breath, ''How the hell did he hear what I said?''

Once inside the Egg Carrier, Team Neos was greeted by Orbot and Cubot. ''If you could please follow us to the cockpit. The Boss awaits you.''

Team Neos did as they were told, finding Eggman in the pilot seat and turning towards them. ''As per our agreement, I will bring you to ARMS HQ. However, I will leave all the liberation and fighting to you. If you fail, I'm leaving you behind.''

''Have some faith, Egghead,'' Sonic said, with Eggman shooting him a glare because of the insulting nickname. ''I've been waiting to storm the ARMS HQ for days, and knowing what we know, we'll be out in no time.''

''Only if Commander Williams decides to co-operate,'' Eggman said, pausing for a moment and humming in thought. ''Maybe I should just raze ARMS HQ to the ground.''

Lucas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. ''Even if we agreed to that, I doubt that we would be even achieve exactly what we want. I'm not arguing against that ARMS needs to go now, but not this way.''

''Suit yourself, but I wouldn't mind dropping some of my specialized Badniks as punishment for even daring to go after one of my Egg Bases,'' Eggman replied, turning back to the controls.

''How come we hadn't noticed the Egg Carrier? Does it have some kind of cloaking device installed?'' Tails asked, walking up to the Doctor. Eggman grinned.

''Ah, so you noticed! Indeed, I added some nifty surprises to the Egg Carrier to make conquest much easier,'' he said proudly, only to see literally all of Team Neos just giving him an unimpressed glare. He narrowed his eyes, well aware that their collective gaze meant that they weren't going to let him get away with this.

xXx

''So, ready to break out?'' Touka asked, with Shadow, Rouge and Omega giving her a determined, if not eager look. They were currently at Touka and Shadow's room, preparing for the eventual mayhem that would soon occur. They knew that Dr. Eggman would be transporting Team Neos somewhere close to ARMS HQ and for their part, there were three important things they needed to to. First, get Team Neos inside ARMS HQ without too much fuss. Second, fight their way through to the Commander and the main control room. Third, they needed to negotiate their own freedom with the Commander.

''We will show no mercy,'' Omega said, quite excited about the upcoming fight.

''Omega and I will join you as soon as possible once we get the keycard for my collar,'' Rouge said. Once the plan was set, she realized that the ensuing chaos would be exactly what she needed to finally steal the keycard she needed, and with Omega as backup, she was certain that no one would pay too much attention to her.

''Now, all that's left is to wait for the right moment and hope the Commander won't suddenly call for us,'' Shadow said, holding his own AR Visor in his hand, only to place on top of his head. He was done hiding it from the other ARMS agents.

Fortunately for them, they didn't have to wait too long, as Shadow got a sudden message from Sonic, simply saying ''We're here.'', along with the tracker turned on, showing their location. Shadow smirked, turning to the rest of Team Dark.

''It's time,'' he said, linking hands with Touka, and performing Chaos Surge. Then, he warped away, leaving the three alone. Touka then turned to Rouge and Omega.

''We should also go, since they'll be in the main building,'' she said, her dark brown eyes now glowing a crimson red and orange. The three then exited the room, and while several agents did take note of their fast pace as they went to the main building, no one questioned anything.

xXx

Eggman had landed the Egg Carrier at a more wooded area close to ARMS HQ, but fortunately far enough to keep it hidden from it. Team Neos has already walked out of the aircraft, all of them powered up via Chaos Surge and waiting in anticipation. There was a sudden flash of light, revealing Shadow as he had Chaos Controlled to their location, giving them a firm look. Sonic walked up to him with a wide smile, only to get confused by Shadow's response.

''You're late again, Hedgehog,'' Shadow told him. Sonic was puzzled, only to realize what Shadow was referring to and snort in amusement.

''Well, I wanted to be here several days ago, but you know how things are…'' Sonic said, with Lucas approaching the two.

''We're ready to go. I guess Touka, Rouge and Omega are also ready,'' he told Shadow.

''They should be at the main building at this point,'' Shadow said, getting surrounded by the rest of the team. His eyes then flared up as he extended his hand. ''Chaos Control!''

xXx

It only took a moment, but the intruder alarm started blaring, with the ARMS agents being directed towards the main building. Touka had already separated from Rouge and Omega, who left to get the keycard, while she was running towards where Team Neos would be. Fortunately for her, none of the agents suspected her of having anything to do with this, at least until she snapped her fingers, summoning a Chaos Spear and using it as a melee weapon to fight off the agents that were going after her friends.

One of the agents managed to dodge a swipe of the Chaos Spear, reaching for the baton she was carrying that suddenly crackled with electricity. ''We have a traitor among our ranks!''

The agent swung down the baton, but Touka was faster, dodging it and hitting the female agent in the gut, then fired the Chaos Spear into the Irregular who attempted to assist her. Touka then kept running, summoning another Chaos Spear and trying to clear the way, only to stop when a man with a bigger frame stopped her. He attempted to grab her, but was suddenly knocked down by a blue ball of spikes and fur.

''Thanks, Sonic!'' she said, with the ball unfurling himself.

''You're welcome, but are we going in the right direction? I may have taken a wrong turn,'' Sonic said, looking back at the hallway he came from. Suddenly, Knuckles and Lily emerged, both upercutting an Irregular and his human partner, their fists crackling with red energy.

''Hey, aren't we supposed to go that way?'' Lily asked, pointing down at the corridor ahead.

''Yeah!'' Touka replied, her and Sonic joining them. At the back of the corridor, they saw Silver and Makoto forming a cyan barrier to stop the ARMS agents from advancing, while Shadow and Lucas were at the front, Shadow leading Team Neos to the main control room. Tails, Warren, Amy and Minami were in the middle, fighting off any agents coming from the side corridors. Touka and Sonic went ahead, with Sonic joining Shadow in spin-dashing another Irregular that was blocking their path.

''This way!'' Touka called out, with the group following her lead. While Team Dark did describe the layout of the building, even providing them with a crude map drawing, Team Neos was still relying on Touka and Shadow to lead them there directly. Unfortunately for them, ARMS HQ had additional defenses aside from the agents and Irregulars, with a heavy metallic door slamming down as they got closer to the core of the building.

''Oh, no, you won't!'' Amy shouted, her and Minami slamming their hammers into the metallic door and breaking through it, allowing for Team Neos to pass.

It took them a bit, but they had eventually managed to get to the main control room, with Sonic rushing inside and quickly knocking out the agents who guarded it. Tails went after him, connecting the Miles Electric to the main computer, with him and Warren doing the final bit that would hopefully secure their friends' freedom and ARMS' downfall, while the rest of the team was keeping an eye out on the hallway outside. There were those they had knocked out, but there were no new enemies to fight against.

''Where are Rouge and Omega?'' Makoto asked since, according to their plan, they were supposed to meet up here. The moment he asked that question, they heard an explosion, followed by some cursing.

''I believe that that was Omega,'' Silver said. He and Makoto had used their psychokinesis to move away the unconscious bodies of the ARMS agents and placed barriers on both ends of the hallway, but removed one when they saw Rouge and Omega walking towards them, with Omega pointing his cannon arm at Commander Williams who had his hands lifted up in surrender.

''Look at who we had managed to find,'' Rouge said, waving at Team Neos. She was twirling the collar that was on her neck around her finger, holding a keycard in her other hand, before throwing both of them away.

''You will pay for this betrayal!'' Commander Williams growled, glaring at Rouge, who just gave him an unimpressed look.

''You have no power here, Commander. Omega, do you want to remind him of that?'' she said.

''Commander Williams, do you wish to die by a bullet to the head or a missile to the back?'' Omega said gleefully, having had exploded several parts of the building in his attempt to act as Rouge's back-up. Commander Williams gritted his teeth, refusing to respond, but the trail of sweat made it clear that he understood that he had no say in how things would go.

He was then led into the main control room, with Lucas closing the door behind him and pointing at the microphone at the computer. ''Tell the ARMS Agents to stand down. We are here to negotiate and we'd like to do it without having to fight them constantly.''

Commander Williams shot him a glare, but given how the room was filled with people who had no issue of beating him up to a bloody pulp and he was completely defenseless, he knew that he would have to do as he was told. He walked up to the computer, activating the loudspeaker.

''This is Commander Roy Williams. All ARMS agents, stand down. I repeat, all ARMS agents, stand down. Do not engage into any further fighting,'' he said, stepping back and turning towards Team Neos and Team Dark, his stern expression mirroring theirs. ''What do you want from me? What is the meaning of this breach?''

''I assume you already know who we are, but I'd still like to properly introduce myself,'' Lucas said, stepping towards the Commander. ''My name is Lucas Kinomoto, and I am the leader of Team Neos. You have made the mistake of kidnapping two of my teammates, which is why we have attacked ARMS HQ. We are here to bring them back home.''

''Forget it. I won't let any of my agents go, and as for you, I will have all of you arrested and imprisoned,'' Commander Williams threatened, feeling furious about this situation. This group of teenagers and their Irregular ARNavs just stormed a military base, beat up his agents with the help of Team Dark and were now making such a ridiculous demand. He was not going to let them get away with this.

Upon hearing this, Sonic turned to Tails, holding out his hand. ''Tails, give me the the Miles Electric.''

''Uh, sure,'' Tails said, a bit confused, only for Sonic to walk up and sit down on the control panel, now being at a height where he was eye-to-eye with the Commander.

''I will give you one last chance,'' Sonic suddenly rose his voice, with everyone inside the room turning towards him. He was uncharacteristically serious, his tone low and calm, to the point that even Shadow was giving him a stunned look, as he never saw Sonic act like this. ''Release my friends, or you will suffer the consequences.''

''No, I won't-'' Commander Williams cut himself off when Sonic shot him a cold glare, pressing a button on the Miles Electric. Suddenly, a new window popped up on the screen, showing a red uploading line, already getting to 5%. ''Wait- What is that?''

''This is all of the information we have gathered about ARMS, and it is being uploaded online for all the public to see,'' Sonic replied. Commander Williams' eyes widened.

''You're kidding me!''

''You hurt my friends. I'm dead serious,'' Sonic told him in a cold tone, then smirked. ''It also pays off to have a genius as your little bro.''

He then turned to Tails, who was now hovering next to him, and both gave each other a high-five. Commander Williams remained shocked.

''Y-You're bluffing! There is no way you could've had any access to ARMS-related information…'' he trailed off when another screen suddenly popped up, obscuring the line below, which was now at 13%.

''They aren't bluffing, Commander. In fact, they had made an alliance with me. My own genius allowed them to access any information ARMS was hiding,'' Dr. Eggman said. Commander Williams turned back to Team Neos and Team Dark furiously.

''So, all this time, you worked for Dr. Eggman?!'' he growled, only to get startled when Eggman scoffed.

''Bah, as if! Team Neos is not affiliated with the Eggman Empire, and the only reason we're allied at all was because of your foolish actions,'' Eggman told him, clasping his hands and placing them on the panel in front of him as he leaned closer. ''As you have already learned, the terms of the negotiation for Team Neos are the release of Team Dark. I'm here to add my own terms…''

''Do you really believe that I would do anything like that?!'' Commander Williams shouted furiously. Eggman just rolled his eyes.

''So stubborn…'' he muttered. ''I believe Kinomoto and the Blue Rodent have told you that you have no say in this and that it would be smarter for you to just go along with our demands.''

''Y-You can't just blackmail me!'' Commander Williams protested, but seeing the line at 50%, he realized that he was running out of time.

''You blackmailed Shadow and Touka, so we decided to do the same,'' Sonic responded, then glanced around at the room, locking eyes with Shadow, who nodded in acknowledgement. Commander Williams gritted his teeth, gazing at the line on the screen again and seeing that it got to 53%.

''You-'' He was clearly struggling with his decision. On one hand, he knew that he would lose Project Shadow if he agreed to this, a project that had been in development for more than a decade. On the other hand, he also knew that he was screwed if any of the military secrets get out to the public. Not only would he lose his position, but he would be the one sitting in prison for this. He hissed through his teeth, ''Fine! Agents Sakamoto,…'' Commander Williams almost flinched when Touka shot him a venomous glare. ''Agh, Agents Kageura, Shadow, Rouge and Omega are free to leave.''

''You will also swear to never pursue them again and to let them have their freedom to live their life as they wish,'' Sonic said, earning a hateful glare from the Commander.

''Not only that, but ARMS will also not meddle in the business of Team Neos, as well as delete any information you have on us. We are not your enemy, Commander Williams. We just want to protect Neos City from anyone who wants to hurt the people that live there, be that an Irregular or a human,'' Lucas added, earning the same hateful glare as Sonic did.

''Lastly, ARMS will also not meddle in the affairs of the Eggman Empire, or any battles between Team Neos and myself,'' Eggman said, with Commander Williams giving him a somewhat confused look.

''What?''

''It seems that you either don't understand or don't know, but I don't like having outsiders interrupting this game. The only players allowed so far are Team Neos and their allies. ARMS doesn't have that privilege,'' Eggman told him.

''I won't just stand on the side and watch-''

''That's why we're here,'' Sonic interrupted him, giving the Commander a determined look. ''This is what we do. This is what I do! We are all willing to fight for what is right.''

''You're just a bunch of teenagers…'' Commander Williams trailed off when Touka and Shadow suddenly stepped up.

''Yeah, we are teenagers, but you still forced us to work as ARMS agents,'' Touka pointed out angrily. ''All we wanted was to live a normal life outside the Codex Research Facility and you took that away from us! We didn't ask to be created or live this kind of life!''

''Don't make this harder for yourself, Commander. Your hypocrisy will be your downfall,'' Shadow added, arms folded across his chest. Commander Williams looked back at the line, which was now at 79%. Time was of the essence.

''Fine! You have my word that ARMS won't meddle anymore in any of your affairs, and you can live your life however you want. Now stop that upload!'' Commander Williams growled. Sonic got off the control panel, still holding the Miles Electric and strolling over to Shadow.

''I guess I'm not the only one who kind of ran out of patience. Should we go home?'' he asked, giving Shadow an innocent smile. Shadow smirked at him.

''We have no business here anymore. I agree that we should leave now,'' he said. Before the Commander could even react, both Team Neos and Team Dark gathered around Shadow, whose body was crackling with energy due to Chaos Surge.

''Chaos Control!''

''W-Wait!'' Commander Williams shouted, but the group had already vanished. His attention turned back to the screen, with Dr. Eggman being gone as well, but the line remained, showing that it was at 85% and continuing the upload. His eyes widened in shock and despair as he realized that Team Neos had no intent on cancelling the leakage of information.

xXx

''Finally! It's over!'' Lily exclaimed, stretching her arms as Team Neos and Team Dark found themselves back at the wooded area where the Egg Carrier was. ''Now we can go home!''

''I'd say that we should celebrate this! This is a big victory for us!'' Minami said, with everyone giving her a look of interest.

''Yeah, this calls for a big party!'' Sonic said excitedly.

''I suppose we could celebrate this at my home. Knuckles and I will arrange everything,'' Lily said, with he rest of the group cheering in approval and getting into the Egg Carrier, and Rouge and Touka trying to convince Omega not to blow up Eggman yet as they still needed to return home. The last ones to climb inside were Sonic and Shadow, with Sonic having given the Miles Electric back to Tails, the upload having been complete.

''That was a quite decisive behavior you had displayed earlier,'' Shadow commented, drawning Sonic's attention.

''You think it was decisive?'' Sonic asked in a sheepish tone, rubbing the back of his head. ''I don't know… I did come off as a bit… rough and cold, I guess.'' He then stopped walking, only to snort in amusement. ''Actually, when I think about it, I kinda sounded like you.''

Shadow rose an eyebrow. ''So, I sound rough and cold?''

''Well, now that I think about it… You actually sound way warmer than before,'' Sonic said, scratching his cheek and grinning. ''It's actually really nice and calming to listen to you talk.''

Shadow remained speechless, being genuinely surprised by the compliment. He then tried to play it cool. ''I suppose I will also have to listen to you talk as well.''

''Heh, I missed you too, Shadow,'' Sonic replied, taking note of how tense Shadow looked and just figuring that the latter wasn't going to admit that he missed his rival as well.

xXx

Kisaki sighed, feeling quite sick. Physically, she was actually fine, but mentally, she felt ill. The past few days had put her under a lot of stress and she felt like she was at her wits' end. The fact that she couldn't do anything to protect Touka and Shadow from ARMS and had to forget about their existence left her with pure nightmares. She was worried sick about them and felt incredibly helpless. She had some idea that Sonic and his friends might try to get them back, but so far, she heard nothing from Team Neos.

''Huh?''

Kisaki suddenly stood up from the couch she was sitting on, fear gripping her. She didn't expect any visitors and she was afraid that those were ARMS agents opening the door. For a moment, she held her breath, only to see two figures entering the house.

''Kisaki?''

Kisaki's eyes widened in pure shock, her heart racing. ''Touka? Shadow? Are you-?''

''We're home,'' Touka said, her and Shadow standing in the hallway. Suddenly, Kisaki rushed towards the two, pulling both of them into a tight embrace and falling on her knees, crying her heart out.

''I thought I'd never see you two again!'' she said through her tears, her grip around them tightening, as if she feared that they would vanish if she didn't. Touka and Shadow remained silent, well aware that nothing needed to be said. They weren't going anywhere. They were safe.

They were at home.

xXx

''…the military and security branch, the Advance Reconnaissance & Mission Support, also shortened as ARMS, has been under heavy scrutinity by the Starpoint Area Self-Defense Forces (SASDF). ARMS is a specialized branch focusing on the threat of Irregulars, but now it us under investigation due to allegations of corruption, inhumane experiments on Irregulars and humans, espionage, arms trafficking and information trade,'' Midorikawa reported, turning to the holographic screen behind her. ''As you can see on the comment board behind me, the wider public has already been made aware of the situation via an anonymous online leak that had spread at the speed of light. The SASDF has made the statement that they had nothing to do nor do they approve of ARMS actions and that they will be taking the appropriate steps to shut down and reform ARMS.''

''I suppose that anyone who was a firm believer in anti-military conspiracy theories is now celebrating,'' Kero said, trying to joke, with Midorikawa shrugging.

''I don't know, but I'm just here to deliver the news, not analyze them,'' Midorikawa replied, turning back to the camera. ''But what I do know is that public opinion is very low, especially because the existence of ARMS had been kept a secret. People are calling for ARMS to be shut down and instead have the funding go into the Irregular Hunters organization, especially due to the recent losses they had suffered.''

''We also have a video circling on online forums and social sites that confirms the existence of Irregulars that show no signs of aggressivness, but were still treated with nothing but complete cruelty. We will show this video, but viewer discretion advised due to the disturbing content,'' Kero added. What followed next was a quite disturbing video of an Irregular cat, pleading for her life, getting electrocuted by one of the ARMS agents, while another agent off-screen could be heard wondering why they were doing this, since they had even mistaken the Irregular for a regular ARNav due to her having shown no aggressive behavior or even try to drain the BioEnergy.

''That's horrifying…'' Lily commented, with her and her friends watching the news broadcast on a huge holographic screen in the yard at the Crystle Mansion. It was late evening, with the flood lights being turned on inside the yard.

''There is a lot more to it, but Tails and I had deleted anything in regards to us or to Project Shadow,'' Warren said. ''The last thing we need is more attention from the public.''

''Honestly, thank you two for your work! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to get Touka, Shadow, Rouge and Omega out of ARMS, not reveal to the wider public what ARMS really is doing,'' Lucas said, with the rest of the team cheering for them.

''Thanks guys, but that's what we would do for everyone,'' Tails said. Sonic grinned, placing his hand on Tails' shoulder.

''You've done great work, little bro, and I'm really proud of you!'' Sonic told him, only for his tone to get serious. ''Now, get some sleep or I'll drag you personally to your bed and make sure you're asleep. No more late night projects. Same goes for you, Warren.''

Both Tails and Warren chuckled, having to admit that, yeah, Sonic was right and they really needed some rest… even if they wanted to work on other projects. Nevertheless, they were happy that all of their hard work has payed off.

''Speaking of Project Shadow, those two still haven't arrived,'' Rouge said, having swapped the purple and black bodysuit for her usual black, white and pink outfit.

''Touka did send me a message that they would be a bit late because they wanted to explain to Kisaki what had happened,'' Lucas replied. ''I'm sure they'll be here soon.''

''Speak of the Devil,'' Rouge said, suddenly spotting the two missing teammates at the front gate. Touka and Shadow had soon joined them, with Touka carrying a plastic bag with her, looking around at the yard in front of the Crystle Mansion, clearly impressed by how fast Lily and Knuckles had arranged for the place to be decorated and food to be delivered for the party. As for Shadow, he was suddenly approached by Sonic.

''You're late, Faker,'' he said, giving Shadow a smug grin. Shadow snorted, just shaking his head, well aware what Sonic was referring to. Meanwhile, Touka approached Omega, holding up the plastic bag.

''Hey, Omega, could you please dispose of this for me?'' she asked.

''What kind of disposal do you desire?'' Omega asked, holding the plastic bag.

''Something that involves a lot of explosives and fire,'' Touka said casually.

''I approve of your approach,'' Omega responded.

''Uh, what's in the bag?'' Silver asked.

''It's the ARMS uniform I was given. Honestly, I want to see it burn,'' Touka replied, with her and Omega exchanging a knowing look that made everyone else uneasy.

''If you're going to burn the uniform, please don't use my yard for that,'' Lily said. Omega gave her a look of clear disapproval.

''Huh, I knew there was something different about your outfit!'' Minami suddenly exclaimed, snapping her fingers as she stared at Touka, who gave her a confused look, only to realize what Minami meant.

After removing the uniform, Touka was back to having her hair down, placing her AR Visor (after Warren and Tails returned it back to its usual settings) on top of her head, and was still wearing her dark red jeans shorts and the short black leggings underneath them, as well as her black, red and white high top tennis shoes. However, she was wearing a different T-shirt, this one being black with red sleeves and a red stripe on each side of the T-shirt that went up vertically to the sleeves, and the print on the front was the dark red logo of the Shadow the Hedgehog video game, also known as the Black Arms logo.

''Oh, that… I had actually ordered a new custom T-shirt a while ago, but never got around to wear it,'' Touka said.

''It definitely suits you better,'' Rouge said.

''Thanks. I was also planning to get new sneakers, since these are kinda worn out,'' Touka replied, tapping with her foot on the ground.

''If you want, we could all go out shopping together,'' Rouge suggested, a sly grin on her expression. Next to them, Makoto had a conversation with Lucas.

''I really hope that things won't get worse for us after we leaked that information to the public,'' Makoto said.

''I don't think it should. Point is, SASDF will be focused on trying to keep people calm and deal with ARMS. Whether they knew what ARMS was doing or not is another topic…'' Lucas trailed off, narrowing his eyes. He knew that their own future was still uncertain, but he did hope for the best.

''Hey, Shads, did you and Touka also watch the news?'' Sonic, who overheard this, asked Shadow.

''We did watch it on our way here, and we both agreed that this will cause an uproar among the public,'' Shadow replied.

''Honestly, it might even change the way how people look at Irregulars. The fact that there are Irregulars who mean no harm to humans wasn't public knowledge until now,'' Amy pointed out, joining the conversation.

''If we're lucky, you guys will be safe from being targeted by the Irregular Hunters,'' Makoto pointed out.

''I guess we'll have to wait and see how things turn out,'' Tails said.

''Don't take my word for granted, but I have a feeling that Loki has an idea who we really are,'' Sonic said. He then placed his ams behind his head, smiling. ''In any case, we're here to have some fun and celebrate, so let's just put this behind us and start the party!''

''YEAH!''

The whole group then moved on to actually having fun, either listening to the music, eating from the buffet that had been placed outside, talking or playing darts, as Lily activated the game within the AR Field that was covering the yard. Her parents were away that evening and Lily completely ignored Bennet protests about hosting a party, pointing out how this was her home and so long as nothing got broken, she was free to do whatever she wanted. Therefore, the butler decided to remain inside the mansion, as none of the guests needed his aid. Things did get a little heated when Omega offered to set off some fireworks, with Touka quickly assuring him that wasn't necessary and Lily pointing out how she told him already to not use explosives in her own yard.

Meanwhile, Rouge had stepped away from the group, having been talking to Amy about their shopping plans for tomorrow and cast a curious look towards the mansion.

''Don't you dare to go inside.'' Rouge suddenly turned around, with Knuckles standing right behind her, giving her a stern look, his arms crossed on his chest.

''Don't worry, Knuckles, I'm just here to have a good time,'' Rouge assured him.

''Since our alliance has come to an end, I am well aware that we will go back to our usual routine. Therefore, I'm warning you this once – don't you dare to even think of stealing any of the games inside the mansion,'' Knuckles warned her. Rouge just smiled, having to admit that Knuckles wasn't wrong about her antagonizing him, but she decided to give him a break today, at least in regards to trying to steal the gems. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to mess with him in a different manner.

''Oh, my, don't tell me that you actually missed me,'' she said, with Knuckles giving her a flustered look.

''Wh-What? I didn't say-'' he stuttered, but Rouge gave him a coy smile, stepping closer.

''You even called it 'our usual routine'. Not to mention, you were willing to search for me when I went missing,'' she said, placing her finger on Knuckles' chest and tracing it up to his chin. ''As a matter of fact, I think that you genuinely care about me.''

Knuckles shivered at her touch, being completely frozen in shock as he didn't expect her to pull a move like that. While he wouldn't admit it openly, he was actually a little worried about Rouge, especially after learning what kind of organization ARMS was. He did have complete faith in her ability to take care of herself, but there was a lingering sense of concern in his mind.

''I-I suppose I do…'' he started, only for Rouge to press a kiss on her gloved fingertips and place them on Knuckles' cheek. Knuckles' jaw dropped in complete shock and his mind went blank for a moment as it had trouble processing that Rouge the Bat, his sworn rival, had just kissed him indirectly. Rouge smiled, having to admit that it was quite amusing to see Knuckles' muzzle turn as red as the rest of his fur, while his mind was probably playing an ''Error'' message on loop.

''I care about you too,'' she said. ''Do you mind if I go ahead and quickly make sure that all of the gems are where they belong?''

''Wh-What?'' Knuckles was still processing what just happened.

''Aww, thank you so much, Knuckie. I'll be back soon,'' Rouge replied, spreading her wings and quickly flying towards the mansion. It took a moment for Knuckles to break out of his stunned state, with the familiar sense of rage and irritation taking over.

''Rouge! Come back! Rouge!''

Knuckles shouted after Rouge, rushing towards the mansion and almost knocking Sonic over, who decided to take a break from the darts game after losing to Silver. Apparently, only because he was good at throwing the darts fast, it meant nothing if he was precise. Nevertheless, he had a good time, and so did his friends. However, he did notice that someone was missing and decided to search for this person, but it didn't appear that he was in the yard.

Sonic then looked up, spotting a dark figure on the roof of the mansion and smirked. He managed to find his way up to the top of the roof, with Shadow giving him a slightly questioning look, well aware that Sonic was about to interrupt his moment of peace.

''Do you mind some company?'' Sonic asked, with Shadow pausing for a moment, then shaking his head. Sonic sat next to him, with Shadow taking note of just how close he was, but he didn't mind his presence. Sonic gave him a curious look. ''Why don't you join the others at the party? After all, you're one of the guests of honor.''

''While I am happy to be here, this doesn't mean that I'm going to socialize,'' Shadow responded, glancing at Sonic. His rival just grinned, understanding well that Shadow still wouldn't socialize with other people unless necessary – even if they were his own teammates. Nevertheless, that didn't mean that he didn't appreciate them.

''It seems like things are gonna go back to normal,'' Sonic said, both him and Shadow watching over their friends as they had fun.

''I don't think that you can call this kind of life normal in comparison to those of other people,'' Shadow remarked.

''Yeah, but you can now live a life without having to worry that anyone from Codex or ARMS will go after you and Touka. I'd call that a 'normal' life,'' Sonic pointed out.

''I suppose you're correct in regards to that,'' Shadow responded, feeling a sense of relief. It was as if someone removed a huge boulder from his chest and he could breathe a bit easier now. He knew that Sonic was right and that with Prof. Sakamoto being dead and ARMS not bothering them anymore, he and Touka could live a life without having to worry that they would be used as weapons again. ''It is a relief…''

Shadow was startled when he was suddenly pulled into a hug by Sonic, his own heart racing and his tan muzzle turning a faint shade of red. His crimson eyes were wide and his body tense, with his first instinct being to push Sonic away. However, he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't explain it, but there was just something about being hugged by Sonic like this, something comforting, and he wasn't really sure how to respond. But, before he could even say or do anything, Sonic had released him, giving him an awkward smile.

''Oh, right… you don't like physical contact that much,'' Sonic said, rubbing the back of his head. Shadow stared at him for a moment, only to sigh, realizing that Sonic was just happy that he was here and wanted to show it in a different way.

''Since it's you, I suppose I can give you a free pass this time…huh?'' Shadow was startled when Sonic suddenly pulled him into another hug, burying his nose into his shoulder and holding him tightly. Shadow, trying to ignore a familiar sensation of warmth, narrowed his eyes, adding in a deadpan tone, ''What I meant is that I'll give you a free pass for the hug earlier. That wasn't an invitation for more.''

''Too late, Faker. You won't get rid off me so easily,'' Sonic lifted his head, gazing into Shadow's eyes and grinning at him mischievously. Shadow remained unamused and, for a moment, he thought about his response. To Sonic's surprise, he suddenly felt Shadow's arms wrapping around his torso, with Shadow burying his head into his shoulder, pulling him as close as possible. Sonic felt a wave of heat spreading through his body, his fawn muzzle turning a slight shade of red and his heart beating like crazy. Rest assured, he never expected that Shadow would hug him back, but it wasn't an unwelcome gesture. In fact, he really enjoyed it.

''Heh, so you are a hugger,'' Sonic said, his voice carrying a comforting warmth, only for the smile to fade a moment later when Shadow spoke again.

''I don't mind getting a hug so long as it is from a person I trust. It was a source of comfort for me, especially whenever I couldn't deal with the pressure I was put under or when I suffered from nightmares,'' Shadow said in a calm, somber tone. Sonic felt his own heart breaking for Shadow.

''Shads…'' He wanted to offer words of comfort, but nothing came to his mind. His ears then perked up when he heard Shadow speak again in a sharp tone.

''If you tell this to anyone, I will personally throw you into Cosmo River,'' Shadow threatened, moving his head back and glaring at Sonic, but still keeping his hands around Sonic's waist. Sonic snorted, trying to sound as serious as he could.

''Understood,'' he said, offering a sincere smile. While Shadow still kept a stern expression, Sonic did take note that his gaze did soften a little. ''Thanks for telling me that. I'm really glad that you trust me so much.''

''It cannot be helped… After all, you are a thorn in my side,'' Shadow responded, with Sonic suddenly burying his head right into Shadow's white chest fluff.

''D'aaaww, I heart you too, Shads,'' he said.

Shadow sighed, knowing that, if Sonic had done this several weeks ago, he would've kicked his rival off the roof and yelled at him for getting so close. But now, he realized that he had warmed up enough to Sonic to let him do whatever he wanted. Shadow then buried his muzzle on top of Sonic's head, feeling the soft blue fur, and took a deep breath. It was certainly a confusing feeling, and he had to admit, it was a bit daunting to deal with it, but at this point, whatever wall he put between himself and Sonic had been broken down. He knew that he could trust Sonic with his own life, but he still wouldn't trust him with his own insecurities and show his vulnerable side… at least until now. As a matter of fact, he was looking forward to going back to their usual rivalry.

''So, do you want to race?'' Sonic's question snapped Shadow out of his thoughts, the latter having no clue how long they had remained in that embrace. Sonic, clearly clueless about that, grinned as he gave Shadow a confident smile. ''I had been itching to finally challenge you again.''

Shadow just gave him a haughty look. ''I see… I suppose I should've figured that you'd be eager to lose to me.''

''Lose?'' Sonic suddenly got up, scoffing. ''Only in your dreams, Shads. You won't catch me so easily.''

Shadow stood up, folding his arms across his chest. ''Hmph, don't get too cocky, Hedgehog. One distraction, and you'll be suffering a humiliating defeat.''

''We'll see in a bit! Ready?'' Sonic said, taking a running stance.

''Set,'' Shadow said, smirking as he felt the familiar rush of adrenaline.

''GO!''

There was a rush of wind, with the blue and black-orange blurs vanishing into the night, both determined to continue their rivalry and prove who the faster Hedgehog between them was.

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#Sonic Cyber Revolution #sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #miles tails prower #knuckles the echidna #amy rose #silver the hedgehog #rouge the bat #e-123 omega #dr eggman #metal sonic #dr starline #orbot and cubot #sonic heroes #team dark #knuxouge #sonadow

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