CHAPTER 02:
Shadow couldn't help but grin as he looked over Sonic. He looked almost like his old self. “...wow, Sonic!”
Sonic smiled back before looking to Shard. “Thank you...I'm sorry for not trusting you before-”
Shard held his hand up. “I'm used to it.”
“I wish it didn't have to be like that. It's obvious that you're a good guy,” Sonic responded. He looked to Sonic. “I still have my robotic systems...I just look normal on the outside...” He tapped the device on his wrist. “It does save power when I have to fight, going into 'battle mode' by forming my full robotic self, so I can use the energy to fight.”
“You seem to be adapting to the idea of being a robot quite well,” Shadow noted.
Sonic nodded. “There's not much more I can do at this point. I've communicated with the nanites long enough to realize this.”
Shadow nodded before he looked at Uncle Chuck for a moment, then turning back to Sonic. “Listen...Sonic...about...about your parents-”
Sonic held his hand up. “It's okay. I'm ready to meet them when that time comes.” He looked to Shard. “Shard's helped me understand that...” He then looked to Uncle Chuck, who was still looking down. Sonic went over and put a hand on his shoulder. “...I forgive you. I know why you didn't tell me.”
Uncle Chuck looked up, surprised. “...really...?”
Sonic nodded. “Yea, I know you were just protecting me, making sure I didn't get distracted...”
Uncle Chuck sighed with relief. “Thank you...thank you for understanding...”
Sonic nodded and turned to Sally. “Where to now, Sal...?”
From the throne room, Sonic, Sally, Tails, Shard and Shadow ascended a flight of stairs, with Sally responding. “I have to check something out. It's been such a long time...” They entered a room with crates and other stored supplies. “...since I been home...” She looked around, her eyes growing sadder. A tear fell from her eye. “...only...its not home anymore...is it?”
Sonic finally turned to the others and waved them out of the room, as Sally stood by a boared up window. He murmured softly to them. “Come on guys...I think Sally needs some privacy.”
Back downstairs, they saw where Rotor was looking over tsome of the computer systems in the throne room, and Sonic looked to him. “So Rotor, what's the latest?”
Rotor sighed as he looked over some of the wiring. “Well, we got our work cut out for us, but it's nothing we can't handle.”
Sonic smiled a bit. “Way to go, big guy...”
A tap on Sonic's shoulder had him turn to see that Geoffrey had returned. “Eh?”
Geoffrey merely waved for Sonic to follow. Shadow started to follow after, worried that something was gonna start, but Sonic merely raised a finger for Shadow to stay behind. Shadow hesitantly stayed behind as Sonic and Geoffrey walked down the hall. He looked to Sonic. “...is she-”
“Yeah,” Sonic immediately responded, knowing he was asking about Sally.
“...I thought as much.”
THE NEXT MORNING
As Sonic and Shadow were waking up the next morning from their tents in the city camp, Sally was already up, discussing her plans with Nicole in her hands. “What do you think, Nicole? If we break up into teams, and assign each team a task, we should have some basic necessities up and running quickly.”
“That does sound logical, Sally,” Nicole responded.
“Let's get started then,” she said and began to wait for the others to get up, gathering everyone around. She looked out to Bunnie and Antoine. “Bunnie and Antoine, I need you two to establish a source of clean running water to use.” She turned to Rotor. “Rotor, I need you to see if you can establish a source of power.”
Finally she looked to Sonic and Tails. “As for you two, I need you both to go scouting the city for possible unfriendlies still up and running. We don't know if Snively had repaired any of the robots that were disabled by the EMP bomb that Sonic set off.”
As she handed Tails a communication device, she added. “Just be careful, guys. If there's a problem, remember to signal-”
“-one if by land-” Sonic started.
“-and two if by air!” Tails finished, before the two took off.
Shadow and Shard looked at each other before approaching Sally. “Excuse me, Princess?”
She looked at the two. “Yes? Did you two want to help?”
“If you don't mind. Actually we were hoping to tag along with Sonic and Tails since we don't know this time frame too well,” Shadow informed her.
Sally frowned at this. “...well...”
“Please?” Shard asked.
She sighed. She knew the real reason why Shadow wanted to tag along after Sonic. But what was she to do with them at this point? She handed a communication device to Shadow. “Okay.”
“Thank you,” Shadow said sincerely before the two took off after Sonic and Tails. “Hey guys, we're gonna catch up with you two!”
Sally could only watch as they left, hoping she was doing the right thing before she turned her attention elsewhere. “Now Geoffrey, as for you-”
She looked around as the skunk was nowhere to be found. “Geoffrey?” She turned back to the others.
“Where did he go?”
ELSEWHERE
In another part of the city, Royal Secret Service guards were keeping an eye out, securing a building where Geoffrey was inside, running communications on a small portable computer. “I'm now at the Armory, your Magesty. The facilities have been secured.” On the screen, Geoffrey looked at the face of a half crystallized squirrel, who was looking rather displeased. “And so far, King Acorn, other than the sudden appearance of Shadow, and now this Shard, the threats have pretty much been those we have anticipated-”
The king responded rather violently. “DON'T GIVE ME THAT, COMMANDER!!!”
Geoffrey jumped a bit from the reaction as King Acorn continued. “We must guard from the enemy within, as well as without!”
The skunk blinked. “If you're talking about Shadow and Shard-”
“I'm speaking about Sir Charles Hedgehog and his nephew Sonic! They're both dangerous radicals and could pose major threats to the realm!”
Geoffrey, as much as he disliked Sonic, was feeling rather uncomfortable with how the king was reacting. “...are you certain of this, your magesty? After all-”
“OF COURSE I'M CERTAIN!” King Acorn yelled back. “Don't forget it was Sir Charles that invented the Roboticizer, as well as creating the spy network that begat traitors to the realm!” As he was ranting, a duck doctor came over to take the king's pulse. “In addition, I know what Sonic was capable of doing as a robot. He's even more dangerous, and I will not have him turn and destroy everything we fought for! Remember, I have access to information that even you are not aware of, Commander. And if I-”
“That's enough excitement for now, Sire,” the doctor spoke up, finishing taking his pulse. He reached over to turn off the communications device. “I'm sure the kingdom will survive while you rest.”
Geoffrey closed his communication device and reached to put his beret back on as he headed outside. He looked to one of the woodchuck guards. “I'm out on security detail, Fleming. No on goes in there.”
Fleming saluted. “...even the Princess, sir?”
“ESPECIALLY the Princess!”
ELSEWHERE
“This should just about do it.”
Uncle Chuck had gone back to what was left of his old hideout. It had been recently destroyed, but he had been hoping that he could recover any equipment that hadn't been destroyed by explosions or EMP. He boxed a few scraps, unsure if anything still functioned anymore. “With Robotnik gone, I'm not sure I'll really need any of this stuff anyway. But I'm not sure I feel comfortable without repairing them anyway. Things could still change...”
He sighed and turned to pressing against a floor and grunted to try and shift it open, revealing a hidden passage to the underground system. “But for now, I'll keep everything packed away in case I do need to fix them later. “ He sighed as he started to descend down the stairs. “Speaking of which...perhaps its time I met up with the others and pass on the good news...if they're still down here that is...” He frowned as he wandered the passageway. “I just wish I knew how they would react. I don't even know what's different in this timeline...it just never gets easier, does it-”
“Uncle Chuck!”
Chuck looked up to see a mix of Mobians and robots approaching him, looking relieved. One of them seemed to be a red and black armadillo. “Man am I glad to see you! We been worried after you disappeared.”
Chuck looked hesitant to respond. This wasn't what he was expecting. Back in his own timeline, a number of freed roboticized Mobians were down here exclusively. But he did seem to recognize the armadillo as one of Sonic's friends. He pointed to him. “Uh...Mighty, right?”
Mighty stopped, and for a moment, there was a flash of disappointment as he realized who he was speaking to. “...yeah...I...I take it you're not the Uncle Chuck we know.”
Chuck shook his head. “Afraid not, son...”
“You may not be the Chuck we know...” A female voice said, and those who were there parted to allow a female lavender hedgehog through. She was rather regally dressed. “...but we believe that your arrival in our time line has replaced him.”
Chuck looked at the female with curiosity. “...I take it that you know me as well?”
A hint of sadness came across her face. “If you do not recognize me, then I take it was was not the one to marry your brother in your time line.”
Chuck had to do a double take. “Not unless your name is Bernadette.”
She looked a bit surprised at the name. “Bernadette is my middle name. My name is Aleena Bernadette Hedgehog.”
“Aleena...” Chuck murmured. “But...if you're here....then...where's Jules...?”
Aleena bowed her head at this, while those around her had rather sour looks on their faces. Mighty put a hand on Aleena's shoulder to comfort her while looking at Chuck. “The 'King' turned coward and abandoned Her Magesty and the throne just before the start of the Great War.”
Chuck look horrified at this. He had so many questions. And what did Mighty mean by 'King'?. “That doesn't sound like my brother at all!”
Aleena looked up. “We didn't think he would either, but he did...but...then that means in your time line-”
“Jules and Bernadette fought together in the Great War. In fact, Jules nearly lost his life,” Chuck told her. “But...what did he mean by 'King'? Are you...royalty?”
Aleena turned curious at this. “Was your Bernadette not a Princess at the time she met your brother?”
Chuck shook his head. “Far from it. She and Jules were merely soldiers in the Great War. King Acorn is our ruler.”
Aleena frowned at this. “Never heard of him. This could complicate things, if our time lines have merged.”
Chuck nodded in agreement, looking to some of the robotized Mobians. “I take it they recently had their minds freed?”
“After the fall of the Death Egg,” Mighty said. “I don't know what Sonic did up there, but he helped a lot of people that day. We found the robots and brought them underground before the Mecha Sonic's EMP bomb went off.”
Chuck looked back to Aleena. “Then...if our time lines have merged, and I am your Chuck now, then that means our Sonic-”
“Is now my son.”
