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Okay, I ended up caving in and bought Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Digimon was my first fandom and my favorite franchise of all, and having played Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory, I wanted more.

With Digimon Beatbreak coming in October, this is a good time to be a Digimon fan.

Are you going to play Digimon Story: Time Stranger at all?

I don't think I will, at least until it goes to sale, because my choice was either Digimon Story: Time Stranger or Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, since I wanted to buy myself a new video game for my birthday.

I did download Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition and I am currently playing through Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory. I'm currently trying to get my Wizardmon digivolve to Beelzemon.

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Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer, Issue #69: Phantom Riders (Part 1)

So, today is my birthday (16.08./Aug 16th), and I was wondering how to celebrate it. I genuinely wanted to post another Sonic Cyber Revolution chapter, but I think I'll be postponing that because I got caught up playing Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory and I simply can't force myself to work on writing.

Instead, I had figured I could finally kick off The Phantom Riders Arc, especially since Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is coming out in a few weeks, so talking about an Arc focused on racing would be appropriate.

Not to mention, this is definitely one of my favorite Arcs because of all the events that will impact the following Arc, which also appears to be the final Pre-Frontiers Arc, since next year, we will finally getting Post-Frontiers stories.

We kick off with Nite announcing the Clean Sweepstakes, a racing tournament brought to you by The Restoration and Clean Sweep Inc. We also see the main characters of this Arc, that being Sonic (obviously), Tails, Amy, Duo/Mimic (BOOOOOO!), Tangle, Whisper, Lanolin, The Babylon Rogues - Jet, Wave and Storm (YAY!!), and Surge and Kit (HELL YEAH!!).

With Omochao waving the flag, the race kicks off and I LOVE how everyone has their Sonic Riders outfits, as well as the artists giving the support characters outfits that I wish we would get in a game.

Also, was I the only one who played the Sonic Riders intro during this part?

If not, here you go. You're welcome.

Nite reminds everyone how this is just a qualifying event and to make it a good clean race. Sonic is clearly having the time of his life, while Tails is geeking out over the new Extreme Gear models, and having to reminded by Sonic that they wanted to test out his prototype Ex Gear.

We then cut from the race to an advertisement that is clearly making fun of Dr. Eggman, which is pretty funny- and hello Barry! Huh, good to see that you found a new job.

We then cut to a conversation between Jewel and Clutch, basically talking about the race, the partnership between their respective establishments and Jewel wondering whether she should go represent The Restoration.

Clutch talks her out of it, preferring to stay in the shadows, which makes sense considering his shady business deals, with Jewel quickly leaving because she still has paperwork to do.

Back at the race, we see Jet taunting Sonic like the captious rival he is (or ex-boyfriend if you go by Sonjet/Sonadow fanon), but let's be real, when was the last time they canonically had a race? Sonic Free Riders back in 2010, so we'll let him have it. Fortunately, he's back for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds so they can race to their heart's content.

Wave and Storm get also in on the fun, taunting Tails and Amy, and I love how Storm gets intimidated by Amy - you don't mess with the hammer. We get some bickering between Sonic and Jet, with the former getting ahead thanks to prototype Ex Gear.

Jet, being a sore loser, tries to knock Sonic off, only for them to get stunned by what appears to be an explosion.

Turns out, it came from Lanolin's Wisp, with her, Tangle, Whisper and Duo/Mimic acting as the referees and Jet getting annoyed that he has to win the race by playing by the official rules instead of him and Sonic duking it out on their own.

Unfortunately for them, that isn't going to happen, because Amy, Tails and Sonic's Ex Gears start going berserk, throwing them off.

We then cut to a brief flashback of Clutch talking to Mimic about whom they should be worried about during the race. Clutch isn't too impressed by the Babylon Rogues, but he does arrange for Sonic, Tails and Amy to get kicked out of the race so they won't cause trouble for him.

Honestly, I see the Babylon Rogues just as much of a threat as Team Sonic, if you ask me, except they're a threat in a different way, but hey, I doubt Clutch would know that even though he had business with them.

We also get another flashback to Surge and Kit getting woken up by Duo/Mimic, and I have to say I love Surge's look with her quills down. Sure, the quills up are more iconic, but still, it looks nice on her.

In any case, this flashback shows us that Surge and Kit, under the command of Clutch, were told to kick Sonic, Tails and Amy out of the race by using a device, but what catches my eye is how the two react to Clutch suddenly appearing behind them. Surge was about to argue with Mimic, only to freeze when she hears Clutch hitting the floor with his walking stick/gun.

It is clear that the two not only dislike Clutch, but are also on edge around him.

Back to the present, Tails and Sonic save Amy with Whisper's help, but unfortunately, this means they're out of the race, with Lanolin scolding them for bringing faulty gear. Tangle calls her out for the harsh words (Duo is just playing along, let's be real), but Lanolin points out how they could've caused a pileup, with the Diamond Cutters leaving.

I'll stop here for a moment to talk about Lanolin. I understand how she's portrayed here and why, being a character who is very strict with following the rules and worried about the safety of her team and civilians, as well as just doing her job, but when this and the previous Arc came out, to put it simple, people called her a bitch for constantly interfering with Sonic and his friends and making the situation worse for everyone. Maybe they weren't using those words, but it was clear what they thought.

I made it clear that I think Lanolin's character is really good, because we need sometimes characters who work with the protagonist, but their methods act as an obstacle for the protagonist to overcome. So don't come here expecting any Lanolin hate.

Moving on, we see Surge being happy to have fulfilled the task she and Kit were given, since causing Sonic pain and misery brings her joy.

We then see Jewel and Duo talking, the latter telling her how they were ''oh so lucky Tails' Ex Gear didn't endanger anyone else'' and how no one saw Team Sonic since the race and to not trouble herself by reaching out to them since he can do that for her.

Honestly, I understand why Jewel would ask Duo for help because she is overworked. Hell, she even wants to at least call Amy to ask how they're doing, but Duo quickly shuts that down. He wants to isolate Team Sonic from everyone else to make sure they won't interfere with Clutch's plans.

We then cut to Central City, Sonic, Tails and Amy talking about what happened (and Tails having a really bad time). Sure, the Ex Gear was a prototype, but knowing him, you'd expect it would actually last longer.

Amy immediately clocked that this might as well have been a sabotage, pointing out how her board wasn't even Tails' prototype and how she wasn't allowed to contact anyone at The Restoration. Sonic agrees with her.

Amy points out how the only time they haven't seen their Ex Gear was when it was examined at The Restoration main shuttle, calling for an investigation. Tails reminds her how the shuttle leaves tomorrow and once it's airborne, it would be impossible to enter it.

Sonic takes the reckless route of using the Tornado to bust in, but Tails points out how this would defeat the purpose of their investigation.

Dr. Eggman wishes they would show this kind of compassion for his plans every once in a while.

Wait, Dr. EGGMAN?!

Yep, Dr. Eggman shows up at a diner in Central City in a rather spiffy trenchcoat and fedora (looks good on you, Doctor!), even if it doesn't work as a disguise because even the waitress seems to recognize him. Or she just got caught off guard because Sonic, Tails and Amy were ready to fight Eggman.

Eggman's not here to fight though, instead offering Sonic his help. As it turns out, he was outright offended by the parody of him Clean Sweep Inc. put out at the opening ceremony and he is petty enough to get revenge on them for that offense.

Not only that, but he was annoyed that Sonic and his friends got knocked out of the tournament, so he went ahead and made a new Ex Gear for Sonic with the speed, power and an adaptive hard-light camouflage that will help Sonic with his investigation.

I will say it again and again - I love moments where Sonic and Eggman have to team up, and even the reasoning makes sense, especially since I can relate as a creator. When you find someone who inspired you to create, or in Eggman's case, build, something after having lost your creative drive, you might as well repay them.

Also, let's be real, Eggman probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for Sonic.

Tails figures they could use the Eggstreme Gear and Sonic as a distraction while he and Amy sneak into the shuttle, with Eggman agreeing and swearing that he has nothing in this besides learning who is behind Clean Sweep Inc. and Team Sonic's investigation was the perfect opportunity.

Sonic tells him that they have a deal.

Honestly, I loved how this chapter was set up. The pacing was brisk, the stakes were set, we know the main antagonist/s, we got Sonic working with Eggman and we are getting to see more of the Babylon Rogues, Surge and Kit and Diamond Cutters.

This Arc is going to be awesome!

#Previous Issue

#Next Issue

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Angel & Devil (Egghead Arc - Kuma's Past)

This opening will never fail to make me cry, even though I already read the manga and knew what I was getting into when I watched the episodes that show Kuma and Bonney's past.

I just adore how all the pain and love then culminates in the most satisfying moment of One Piece:

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Are you going to play Digimon Story: Time Stranger at all?

I don't think I will, at least until it goes to sale, because my choice was either Digimon Story: Time Stranger or Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, since I wanted to buy myself a new video game for my birthday.

I did download Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition and I am currently playing through Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory. I'm currently trying to get my Wizardmon digivolve to Beelzemon.

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Me: *decides to buy Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds because the game looks fun, I want to play a racing game again and it's my chosen birthday present*

Me: *remembers that my only experience with racing games are Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart Wii (using only the Wii Remote)*

Me: *deadpan* Well, damn...

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Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 89: Time Factor

''The more I hope not to lose what's most precious to me, they slip through my fingers by way of cruel fate. More means of reclaiming our stolen time and hearts, I know that's what we're painfully lacking. Dark and lonely inside a mirror, the siren falls on deaf ears. I stood there watching you depart. Should be weaker than glass, a bullet should pierce through, and I pulled the trigger…''

– Time Factor by World Trigger

xXxXxXx

Silver kept his eyes covered, the world around him becoming suddenly bright, almost blinding him. He had no clue what was going on, the flash of light overwhelming him and then disappearing as suddenly as it appeared. He dared to open his eyes, blinking as he saw stars and blurs. His vision cleared, allowing him to finally take in the consequences of Mephiles and Toshiro's actions… and it left him speechless.

''What… is this place?''

Makoto, Sonic, Lucas, Shadow and Touka looked up, having managed to recover from what had happened, only to share their reaction with Silver. The location they appeared at was Neos City, at least from what they could tell. At the same time, there were some differences that made them doubt their initial assumption. From what they knew, they were in Sentoraru, but they did not remember streams of data floating above the buildings, as if there was a second layer within the city. Nor the fact that the people passing them weren't wearing any AR Visors, but still able accessing the AR Fields. There were also ARNavs present, just going about their day. Above them was a blue dome, acting as some sort of barrier that surrounded the city.

''This has to be Neos City, right?'' Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow and turning to his teammates. ''I'm sure that I have ran through this part of the city, but I don't recall that being here.''

He pointed at a silver platform with a yellow frame where what everyone assumed the bus stop was supposed to be. The team exchanged glances, with Lucas quickly taking charge, ''I think that we should return to the Taylor Workshop and call-''

''Wait, where's Eclipse?'' Touka interrupted, frantically searching for her youngest brother. Even Shadow was surprised to see him missing, since Eclipse was with them when they all got caught in the light. He tried to find him via the hive mind, but to his shock, he was met with silence.

''He is not here.''

''What do you mean by that?'' Makoto asked.

''I am not sure, but it is as if the mind-link has been severed. Eclipse would never do that,'' Shadow said. Despite regaining his peace of mind, he felt disturbed by the lack of Eclipse's presence in his head. He realized that he had gotten used to him to the point that his sudden absence felt unnerving.

''Maybe Eclipse wasn't brought along with us,'' Silver suggested.

''I really hope that's the case, because I don't want to think about the alternative,'' Touka said.

''Mephiles has an innate time manipulation ability. If what he had used was something akin to Dual Chaos Control, he might've decided whom he would bring along,'' Lucas assumed.

''I understand why he would bring Shadow, Touka, Silver and Makoto then, but what about the two of us?'' Sonic asked, pointing at himself and Lucas.

''Probably because you're annoying,'' Shadow told him in a blunt tone. Sonic grinned.

''Really? I thought it's because I'm the main character,'' he said, leaving Shadow to roll his eyes. Makoto turned to Lucas.

''So, you're saying that we actually might be in the future? As in, a future version of Neos City?'' he asked.

''One that apparently isn't set on fire,'' Touka added, earning a glare from Silver.

''That's the assumption based on the information we have, but it's not 100% confirmed,'' Lucas replied, wondering if he should change his plans. His natural reaction was to gather the team at the Taylor Workshop as usual, but it seemed that won't be happening. If they were in the future, the time jump might be as far as 200 years. ''I suppose we will have to change priorities to finding Toshiro and Mephiles rather than assessing the current situation.''

''Unfortunately, I don't sense the presence of the Chaos Emeralds,'' Shadow said. ''Mephiles and Toshiro must have ended up in a different part of the city. Maybe even in a different time.''

''Technically, we could gain access to the Chaos Emeralds, but even that's under specific conditions,'' Makoto said, glancing at both Touka and Shadow.

''I think we should just try to search Neos City first and see if we find the two,'' Sonic said.

''I agree with Sonic. I don't like the idea of Mephiles and Toshiro roaming the city,'' Silver added in a determined tone.

''If everyone agrees, we could do that first. Searching for the two would also allow us to see more of the city,'' Lucas concluded, with everyone agreeing that this was the best course of action.

BOOM!

Unfortunately, the sudden explosion they all heard threw a wrench into those plans.

xXx

''Ugh…''

Eclipse was lying on the ground, having been literally ejected from the Cyberspace Field after getting caught in the flash of bright light and energy created by the Chaos Emeralds. He realized that he was on the cold floors of the Codex Research Facility, forcing himself to get up. A sudden chill overwhelmed him when he realized that he was all alone, leaving him wondering whether they were still stuck at the Cyberspace Field. It felt weird that he couldn't sense Shadow's presence through the hive mind, since he knew that this connection could go past what was basically a pocket dimension. When he tried to seek for that connection, he felt nothing but emptiness.

''Shadow…'' Eclipse froze, feeling as if he just stepped into icy cold water. This sensation was the same kind he felt when Black Doom cut him off from the hive mind… but, Shadow wouldn't do that, right? At least, he probably didn't know how to do that.

Eclipse felt himself panicking, hating the silence in his head and the lack of presence from his brother. He shook his head, trying to focus, well aware that if he lost it now, he wouldn't be able to figure out what had happened. He reached for the AR Visor, attempting to call both Shadow and Touka, only to receive a message about the call being unable to connect. He felt his skin crawl, but ignored the sensation as he attempted to call the rest of Team Neos. It felt somewhat comforting that, even if his new teammates weren't part of the hive mind, he could still rely on them, even if that trust was built on shaky ground.

''Eclipse, why are you calling us?'' Lily was the first respond, accompanied by Knuckles as their faces appeared on the holographic screen. Warren, Tails, Minami and Amy soon joined them.

''Shadow, Touka and the rest of your teammates are gone,'' Eclipse responded, deciding to just get to the point. He had seen them having conversations like this before and he knew that sharing the most important information was a priority rather that stretching things out. ''We've been searching for Mephiles and Toshiro and ended up in a Cyberspace Field at the Codex Research Facility. The enemy has attained two Chaos Emeralds and used Chaos Control, even though I am not sure what exactly had happened.'' The remaining members of Team Neos were shocked, to say the least. Eclipse, not liking the lack of response, quickly added, ''I've tried to contact Shadow via the hive mind, but it is as if he's gone. I'm not just referring to a physical distance, since I'm sure I could contact him even if he's in space, but instead it's like he's vanished from Earth.''

He saw Warren and Tails turning their heads to the computer, checking something. It turned out, they were just confirming Eclipse's claims about the Cyberspace Field, having gotten an alert earlier that they didn't notice. Before either of them could reply, Minami spoke up. ''You said that Mephiles and Toshiro used two Chaos Emeralds.''

''Actually, Mephiles did. They just floated up in this infinity sign…'' Eclipse did his best to describe what he had seen.

''It had to be Dual Chaos Control,'' Minami stated firmly, with Eclipse tilting his head. He vaguely remembered hearing of this term from Black Doom, but he couldn't recall what it meant.

''No way. Dual Chaos Control requires for two users to use Chaos Control at the same time,'' Lily replied, furrowing a brow.

''Well, Mephiles controls time and he had to use the Chaos Emeralds for this. It's pretty much the same thing,'' Minami pouted.

''So, does this mean they're now in the future or in the past?'' Knuckles asked, with Eclipse suddenly realizing what that power could do. Using Chaos Control could manipulate time and space, and two users utilizing Chaos Control at the same time could even cause time travel – a power not even Black Doom wanted to use as it was quite dangerous in the hands of someone who did not understand that power and instead preferring to use his own army of Black Arms and Shadow as his agent to conquer Earth.

''That's going to be hard to assess,'' Tails answered Knuckles' question, as well as snapping Eclipse out of his thoughts. ''We cannot tell for sure where they had ended up.''

''I don't believe that Mephiles would take them to the past,'' Amy rose her voice. ''He wouldn't have any reason to return to a past event and mess with it. Silver told me that, while he did suffer from defeats, it seemed that Mephiles was never bothered by any of them.''

''Not to mention, if we go by movie logic, if something changed in the past, then our present would've also changed,'' Lily noted. Knuckles rubbed his head, groaning.

''I think I'm getting a headache,'' he mumbled.

''So, to sum up – Lucas, Sonic, Makoto, Silver, Touka and Shadow are in the future thanks to Toshiro and Mephiles. There are two questions now. First, how far into the future did they go? Two, how should we help them?'' Warren said.

''Unfortunately, neither Mephiles nor Toshiro told us anything about their plans,'' Eclipse said.

''Considering how Mephiles caused Silver's future to burn, they may have committed to that plan,'' Minami said. ''In other words, we need to find a way to stop them, or even if the other half of the team manages to stop them, we need to help them find a way back to the present. And for that, we will need the Chaos Emeralds, or at least whatever remained of them in the present.''

''That's a great plan, but we have one issue. The Chaos Emeralds only appear under a specific condition, either by unleashing Chaos Energy within an AR Field or within the Cyberspace Fields, created by the one who controls them,'' Tails reminded her. ''I don't believe we can go with option two, and for option one, we needed Shadow and Touka to use Chaos Surge since none of us could use Chaos Powers the way they could.''

''Except, we do have someone who can manipulate Chaos Energy the same way,'' Lily pointed out with a smug grin.

Suddenly, Eclipse found himself stared at by three pairs of curious eyes. He was startled by the unexpected attention, but managed to reply, ''Of course I can do that, but I have no idea how to use Chaos Surge.''

He wanted to help his siblings and their friends, but Chaos Surge wasn't in his arsenal. Touka did explain to him that it required deep trust and bond between both partners, and while Eclipse did trust her and vice versa, he clearly wasn't in the state to pull it off. He'd rather let Touka rely on Shadow, since they already had a bond and enough experience with it.

''Didn't Eggman use some kind of device to enhance Shadow's Chaos Energy to summon the Chaos Emeralds back when we fought Chaos?'' Minami suddenly said.

''What are you saying, that we should ask Eggman for help? Not a chance!'' Knuckles said firmly.

''I was actually hoping that Warren and Tails would accomplish the same thing,'' Minami replied in a deadpan tone, glaring at Knuckles. The echidna remained unfazed.

''Why did you bring Egghead up in the first place then?'' he asked, with Minami facepalming in exasperation.

''We can try doing that, but it will take some time,'' Tails said.

''Don't worry, we have 200 years worth of time to take care of this,'' Lily said.

''I don't really think this is a good time for making time jokes,'' Warren said in a deadpan tone, giving Lily an unamused look.

''Even if is technically true,'' Amy pointed out, well aware that, while this was a bad situation, a little humor wasn't going to make things worse.

''In any case, Eclipse, I'd need you to come over to the workshop so we can work on the device to match your Chaos Energy,'' Warren said. Eclipse simply nodded in agreement.

''Knuckles, Minami and I can go make sure Eggman is not up to something and that the relevant parties are informed about the current situation in case something goes wrong,'' Lily added. Once the conversation was over, the holographic screen closed, with Eclipse sighing in relief.

He noted how, even if their leader was gone, all of them could take charge individually, working in tandem in a moment of crisis. As he was leaving the Codex Research Facility, it hit him that this was probably how they were able to handle the Black Arms Invasion. Team Neos may have had an official leader which everyone listened to, not unlike Black Doom, but instead of having their every move controlled by that leader, they all made their individual decisions when the situation called for it which allowed them to act both decisive and unpredictable. It was quite fascinating from the point of someone who had been so used to the hive mind that his own individuality felt foreign to him. Now, he was his own person, but still part of a team, which brought him great joy.

xXx

''What the-?!'' Lucas was stunned by the sudden explosion, probably only a street away from them. They could see the smoke and dust rising, staring in shock. The people around them panicked, some frozen in fear and other running, either towards the center of the explosion to check what was going on, but most ran away. A blue blur suddenly split off, from the group, running towards the sign of trouble. This was enough to snap everyone back into really, causing them to immediately follow Sonic. At this point, it became a habit for them to jump into action rather than just make sure Sonic would do something reckless, and an explosion was certainly something reckless.

They got to the street, which was already swarmed by officials, both humans and ARNavs, all in uniforms. They were surrounding a pair of ARNavs, a mischievous light brown coyote with cream chest fur, wearing white gloves, black and yellow shoes, and a black neckerchief with yellow patterns; and a surly brown bear with red gloves, shoes and a sleeveless vest. One of the human Hunters noticed the curious people gathering, shouting, ''Stay away! These Irregulars are dangerous!''

Before anyone could say anything, the coyote rose his hand up, with light brown specks of light appearing above him, scattering around. Then, he started to snap his fingers in a rhytmic pace, causing the specks of light to explode.

''Watch out!''

The ARNav Hunters summoned what appeared to be riot shields made out of data to defend themselves from the explosions. Unfortunately for them, the bear Irregular used this moment to charge at them, punching one of the riot shields and shattering it instantly. The bear looked up, his maw opening in a twisted smile as he landed another punch on the Hunter, sending them flying. He then leapt as several other Hunters raced towards him, going for another punch and hitting the ground in such a manner that left a crater in the asphalt.

It became clear to the onlookers that these two Irregulars were indeed dangerous, with the civilians leaving as fast as possible. The Hunters pointed their weapons, opening fire on the two, but the bullets their fired, which seemed to consist of compressed energy, were met by the same specks of light, the coyote managing to block each and every of them.

''As if that's going to do anything,'' the coyote said, grinning, only to send more of the specks light towards his opponents. ''Hey, I think you dropped something!''

The specks of light suddenly stopped mid-air, all surrounded by cyan light and becoming completely neutralized, much to the Irregulars and Hunters' shock. They all looked around for the source, seeing both Silver and Makoto holding up their arms, their hands glowing with energy. That energy then extended towards the Irregular duo, easily enveloping them and lifiting them up.

''H-Hey! Let us go! What are you doing?!'' the coyote shouted furiously, while the bear just gritted his teeth, realizing both of them were completely immobilized. Suddenly, both were thrown into the ground, crying in pain and surrounded by the Hunters. The coyote frowned, rolling his eyes. ''Just great…''

Meanwhile, Makoto and Silver felt relieved that everything was over so easily, only to get approached by a female human Hunter. ''Thank you for helping us apprehending those criminals.'' Makoto and Silver just smiled in response, only for the Hunter's expression to change when she extennded her hand. ''Unfortunately, I need to see your license.''

''License? For what?'' Makoto asked, completely confused by the demand. The Hunter gave him a pointed look, clearly not buying into the idea that his confusion was genuine.

''Yes, license. You and your Irregular partner just used BioEnergy Charge. Even if it is legal now, you still need a license for that,'' she said, frowning. ''Or, don't tell me you don't have one. If that's the case, I will have to arrest you.''

''Wh-What?'' Makoto and Silver were baffled.

''Ma'am, I think there has been a misunderstanding…'' Lucas quickly jumped in, not wanting any trouble. He caught Touka and Shadow's gaze, the two having already used Chaos Surge the moment they realized they needed a quick getaway. Lucas and Sonic put their hands on Makoto and Silver's shoulders, slowly pulling them back.

''…that wasn't BioEnergy Charge,'' Sonic finished the sentence, having caught on on Lucas' plans.

''Then what was it?'' The Hunter folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the two.

''Chaos Control!'' Touka and Shadow shouted in unison, a bright cyan light engulfing them and causing them to disappear, much to the Hunters' shock. Even the coyote and bear was stunned by what had happened, only for the coyote to realize that this was their chance.

''We're busting out,'' he said, creating another orb of light. The bear didn't look to convinced by the smug smile, fearing that this will go bad or really bad for them.

xXx

''So, does anyone have any idea what the Hunter was talking about?'' Sonic asked once they were all brought as far away as possible from the Hunters, appearing in Erekiteru out of all places.

''She called Chaos Surge BioEnergy Charge,'' Lucas answered. ''I suppose that in this time, they had somehow discovered how to use Chaos Surge, and apparently, now you need a license for this.''

''Considering what it can do, I'm not surprised,'' Shadow said, with Lucas motioning to them to walk into a less busy alleyway.

''But, how is this possible? The future where I am from had no clue about Chaos Surge or BioEnergy Charge,'' Silver asked in disbelief.

''I assume it's because you were too busy surviving to attempt any kind of experiments with BioEnergy,'' Shadow told him.

''Considering how they called it BioEnergy Charge, I guess none of Team Neos told them about Chaos Surge. They probably realized what they could do on their own,'' Makoto added, glancing at Silver. ''You did tell me that in your future, only Irregulars existed, so maybe we have a similar case here.''

''Right…'' Silver lowered his gaze, looking uneasy.

''What's the matter Silver?'' Makoto asked, concerned about his partner.

''I know I should be happy that Neos City is not on fire, but I can't help but feel uneasy knowing that Mephiles and Toshiro are here,'' Silver explained.

''Hey, look at it from the positive side – you know where they are and all we need to do is to defeat them and the future is safe,'' Sonic said, fist pumping.

''Thanks, Sonic,'' Silver replied, even if he still felt worried. Knowing their enemy, he was well aware that things won't be easy. ''So, where should we go now?''

''Uhm, hello?''

Before anyone could say anything, they were suddenly approached by 15-year-old teenager with black messy hair and grey eyes, wearing a dark green short-sleeved hoodie and black jeans, as well as a grey shoulder backpack. There was also a small holographic screen in the palm of his hand.

''Pardon the interruption, but I was searching for a strange energy signal and it stopped here. Have you seen anything unusual?'' he asked. Lucas, Sonic, Makoto, Touka and Shadow exchanged glances, unsure how to respond considering what happened just moments ago.

''Haru?''

Silver's voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention. The grey hedgehog just stared at the teenage boy in disbelief. Even though they were in the future, it never even crossed his mind that he would come across the one person he believed was dead.

''Do… Do we know each other?'' Haru asked, unsure how to respond as his expression showed confusion. Suddenly, he was tackled by the grey hedgehog, leaving him surprised.

''I never thought I'd see you again, Haru!'' Silver cried out, hugging his close friend tightly and shaking in relief. Haru was clearly uncomfortable by the embrace, unsure what to do about the grey hedgehog and even looking at the group for some help. Makoto stepped out, placing his hand on Silver's shoulder.

''Silver, I don't think this is someone you know,'' he said, his tone gentle. Silver turned towards his partner, about to tell Makoto that he was wrong and that this was his former partner, but when he looked at Haru, he saw the face of someone who stared at him as if he was a complete stranger. He winced in shame and disappointment, stepping back as he realized his mistake.

This was not the Haru he knew. This was not the Haru who found him and helped him when he got lost within the inferno that engulfed Neos City. This wasn't the Haru who sacrificed his life to send Silver back into the past. Instead, this Haru had grown up in a relatively peaceful world, having never met Silver. When Silver agreed to go to the past to save the future, it meant abandoning everything and everyone he knew.

''I-I'm sorry… I mistook you for someone else,'' Silver mumbled. Haru rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little awkward.

''Uhh, it's fine. I guess I have a doppelgänger wherever you guys came from,'' he said, waving it off. ''But, I guess I should introduce myself – my name is Haru Arata.''

''Nice to meet you. My name is Lucas Kinomoto and this my partner, Sonic the Hedgehog,'' Lucas said, then pointed at the rest of his teammates. ''This is Touka Kageura and her younger brother, Shadow the Hedgehog. And these two are Makoto Ryle and his partner, Silver the Hedgehog.'' He looked at Haru. ''You said that you wanted to ask us about an energy signal, right?''

''Yeah. I actually work part-time at the Codex Research Facility in Towa, and the researcher who sent me here, Dr. Rebecca Cunningham, became curious about some of the abnormal energy signals. One of them led me to Sentoraru, only to split off and disappear, with another bringing me here,'' Haru explained, showing them the holographic screen. He rose his eyebrow when he saw the strange look everyone, especially Touka and Shadow, gave him. ''Did I say something wrong?''

''I think we might be searching for the same thing,'' Lucas said, having realized that they might actually get some support in their mission. He wasn't certain how much he could share with Haru, but considering how he was Silver's partner in another timeline and both were fighting to save Neos City, he figured that he could share something. ''We've been trying to find a teenage boy named Toshiro Miwa and his partner, Mephiles the Dark, who have found a pair of gems that might be the source of energy called the Chaos Emeralds.''

''I see…'' Haru muttered, looking back at the holographic screen. ''Unfortunately, it seems they're not using them. Do you guys have one of those Chaos Emeralds?''

''No, we don't,'' Lucas replied. Haru waited for an explanation for why they had a similar energy signal to Toshiro and Mephiles, but Lucas never delivered one.

''Okay, then… Unfortunately, my app can only detect energy signals when they're in use. We could go to Towa and ask Becca to do a more thorough search,'' Haru said, pointing down the street. ''There is a digital port close by, which we can use to get to Codex.'' He took note of the group exchanging glances, not just looking unsure about using the digital port, but giving Haru the impression that they had no clue what he was talking about. ''Uh, are you okay? You have your Signia, right?'' Haru pointed at the back of his neck, which had a tiny black gem-like chip implanted. ''You should know that without one, you cannot use Cyberization and you'd have to travel the old-school way.''

''What about AR Visors?'' Sonic suddenly asked, causing Haru to snort.

''What are you talking about? AR Visors haven't been in use for a century,'' he said, thinking they were just making a joke. ''After the implementation of Cyberization and the Singularity Act, there is no more need for separation of the biological and digital, but you would've learned that at school.''

''So, should we tell him?'' Sonic placed his hands behind his head, glancing at Lucas.

''Tell me what?'' Haru asked, furrowing a brow. Lucas was a little hesitant to say anything, but he figured that Haru would learn the truth eventually.

''We're actually from a version of Neos City that is 200 years in the past,'' he said, deciding to just rip off the band-aid. ''We ended up in the future thanks to that energy signal you've been tracking.''

Haru stared at him, wondering if Lucas was just messing with him, but considering the serious expression everyone gave him, he realized that this wasn't the case. ''You… You're serious...'' Lucas nodded. Haru was stunned, but he then added, ''Well, Becca did talk how it would be possible for data to be sent through time, but unfortunately, that was a pet project of hers she never got around to work on.''

''She did succeed in sending me to the past in a different timeline,'' Silver suddenly said, with Haru giving him a curious look. ''I am from a different future where we knew each other. In that future, Neos City was enveloped flames due to something we called Ignis Infernalis. You and Rebecca have sent me to the past to prevent that future from happening, and it seems that I succeeded, to an extent. However, the ones who would eventually cause that disaster are now in this version of Neos City and we need to prevent them from creating that very future.'' He could see Haru still being unsure about whether to believe them, adding, ''If it helps, I can tell you something only you would know to confirm things. I know that you dislike being around dogs because you got attacked by a stray dog when you were a kid and ended up with a scar on your right arm. You said that you still have nightmares about getting attacked by a pack of dogs.''

Haru blinked, staring at Silver in stunned silence. No one knew about the scar on his arm besides his parents and they have been gone for years. There was no way anyone would know about that story… unless he trusted them enough to tell them that. He took a deep breath. ''Okay, I believe you. How can I help?''

Silver perked up, immediately recognizing the silent determination Haru would adapt when there was a crisis. ''As Lucas had explained, we need to find Mephiles and Toshiro and take the Chaos Emeralds. We defeat them, and the future is safe. If you or Rebecca can track them down, it would be a great help.''

''I'll see what I can do,'' Haru assured them.

xXx

''Is this what you had on mind?'' Toshiro asked, him and Mephiles observing Neos City from a high-rise building. The two Chaos Emeralds were floating around the Dark, waiting for his next move.

''I do not believe I will be able to replicate the same events that led to the future Silver came from, but that does not matter. Instead, I will make sure that the future I want will remain permanent and that no one will be able to change it. Silver returning to the past was a warning,'' Mephiles replied.

''I see. So, that's why you brought Sonic, Shadow and Silver with you. They are your biggest threat, so if you destroy them now, no one will stop you,'' Toshiro said, smirking. ''Especially since they don't have access to all seven Chaos Emeralds considering how we have two. This means that the Super Forms won't be available.''

''Indeed, but we should remain careful. Even if I have Iblis' data and I could absorb it now to form Solaris, just unleashing its raw power does not guarantee victory. Instead, we will continue to move in the shadows and ensure that they cannot stop us with any means possible,'' Mephiles said.

#Beginning of The Absolution Arc

#Previous Chapter

#Next Chapter

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 88: Borderline

''For example, if the future approaches us, collect the light and shine it - open our heart's gate! Always fighting for someone, no matter how we feel, our scars will make us stronger. Finally having a reason to live, give each of those days a color, and paint a rainbow!''

– GIRIGIRI (Borderline) by World Trigger

xXxXxXx

Silver gasped, dodging a stream of flames and using his psychic powers to smother the flames. He was breathing heavily, forcing himself to fly through Neos City as it burned in a never-ending inferno. He was searching for any survivors, his heart pounding in his chest as the fear of loss crept into his mind.

''Silver!''

Silver's eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice and quickly turned around, only to be met with a fire funnel. He used his psychokinesis to protect himself from the flames as he flew through it, going towards the screams and cries of pain as they grew fainter and fainter.

''Haru!''

Silver spotted the teenager surrounded by debris and flames, flying towards him and grabbing his arm, lifting him up. The flames only grew hotter as Silver started to struggle, barely seeing anything in the smoke and feeling Haru growing only heavier and heavier.

''Silver, let go of me! We'll both die!''

Silver felt his heart skip a beat as he heard a different voice and looked down, only to discover, to his shock, that he was carrying Makoto. The teenager was desperate, even swaying in an attempt to break free from Silver's grip.

''Let go!''

''No, I won't!'' Silver refused, tightening his grip on Makoto's hand. Another glance below him left him frozen, as the city landscape became nothing but a pit of fire and smoke, looking more like literal Hell.

''Let me go!''

''NO!''

Somehow, Makoto managed to yank his arm out of Silver's grip, plummeting into the Hell below, with Silver screaming after him. He tried to fly as fast as possible towards Makoto to save him, but the smoke grew thicker and thicker. He couldn't see anymore in the blackness. He couldn't hear anything but screams echoing from below. He couldn't even fly anymore, as if an invisible force was pushing him back.

''Makoto!''

xXx

''No…''

Silver gasped as he suddenly sat up, gently swaying in his hammock. He looked around, hand placed over his chest as his heart pounded furiously. It took him a bit, but he slowly calmed down as he realized that he was at home, in Makoto's bedroom and that nothing was on fire. His partner was in the bed below him, fast asleep and unaware of the nightmare Silver had experienced. Silver took deep breaths, turning towards the window and using his psychic powers to open it, then flew outside.

This was something he would always do whenever he felt like he couldn't sleep. He would take a flight through Neos City, enjoying the calm of the night. He was assured seeing the lack of flames and smoke, making him determined to ensure a peaceful future. A future that Mephiles and Iblis as Solaris would not destroy.

Silver sighed as he flew over Westoru, observing the people and cars that were still outside despite being the middle of the night, wishing there was a way to protect them from the fiery Hell this city would eventually experience. Truth to be told, there was and Silver was confident that he would be able to prevent it, but so far, his goal remained elusive.

After they had seemingly ceased to torment Shadow and Touka, Mephiles and Toshiro focused on Silver and Makoto. Somehow, Mephiles knew he would destroy Silver's future and he wanted to make it clear to Silver that this would come to pass. He would torture Silver by leaving those gems infused with flames in Eden, threatening to set the botanical garden on fire and forcing Silver to get rid off them. Fortunately, his psychokinesis worked just well, but it didn't lessen his concern.

He recalled his previous clashes with Mephiles, how he would taunt him and show his own superiority. Mephiles relished in spreading chaos and fear, willing to team up with the likes of Dr. Eggman and Black Doom just so he could achieve his goal. Silver felt a chill flowing down his spine, noting how their last clash felt less like a victory for him and more like a victory for Mephiles, even if the latter had been defeated.

Silver landed on top of a building, observing the environment below. His mind was still in a dissaray, unsure what to do about this. He felt overwhelmed, even with Makoto's support. He knew that the future rested on his shoulders, but what was he supposed to do? He had no idea how to track down Mephiles and he had no idea what his next step might be.

All he could do was to wait.

xXx

''Thank you for helping us, Mr. Silver and Mr. Eclipse,'' Cream told the two. Silver and Eclipse gave her a smile, having assisted Cream and Cheese at the Chao Garden by planting new fruit trees for the Chao. Silver was called since he knew a lot about gardening, while Eclipse simply tagged along, noting his experience rearing the Death Leeches, so he could keep an eye on the Chao until they were done with their work.

''You're welcome, Cream. If you need any help, you can call us whenever you need,'' Silver told her.

''I will.'' Cream nodded. Silver then glanced at Eclipse, who was surrounded by the other Chao, all eagerly listening to the Black Arms alien. Chao certainly knew how to spot people who would hurt them and they disliked being attacked, thrown or punished, so it was quite meaningful that they enjoyed Eclipse's presence. It helped that Eclipse never dared to harm any of them and would even panic a little whenever a Chao got stuck in a tree or ended up struggling to swim in the nearby lake, quickly saving them.

''What are you doing?'' Silver asked Eclipse.

''We're still training for the Chao Race. We've got several spirited competitors here,'' Eclipse responded, gesturing at the Chao – the Sonic Chao and Shadow Chao in particular.

''It's great to see that they're having fun,'' Cream said, with Cheese agreeing to her. ''Do you want to join them, Cheese?''

''Cha-Chao!'' Cheese nodded eagerly.

''Being a Chao Trainer is something you really like,'' Silver commented.

''Shadow did tell me to find a hobby in order to stop bothering him, but unfortunately, conquering Earth in the name of the Black Arms doesn't count as one, so this is the next best thing,'' Eclipse explained in a nonchalant tone, completely ignoring the baffled looks Silver, Cream and Cheese gave him. ''I can train the Chao to conquer people's hearts by using their cuteness and innocence.''

The Eclipse Chao, whom Eclipse nicknamed Reaver, nodded in agreement, clearly liking Eclipse's idea. Silver, Cream and Cheese weren't really on board with it, but it sounded rather harmless, so they just shrugged it off. It was obvious that, even if Eclipse was on their side now, the bloodthirst he had as a Black Arms alien would never go away. It was deeply integrated in his psyche and they just had to go along with it.

''Okay, so… are you coming along or will you be staying here for a little longer?'' Silver asked, with Eclipse pausing for a moment, then nodding.

''Sure.''

The two then left, with Cream, Cheese and the Chao waving goodbye. Once they were away from the Chao Garden and the Rabbit household, Eclipse spoke up, ''What's been bothering you?''

''Huh, what?'' Silver was startled by the sudden question. ''What do you mean?''

''You look like your mind is somewhere else and Cream needed to ask you the same question several times for you to understand it,'' Eclipse pointed out. ''Maybe I cannot read your mind since you're not part of the hive mind, but I can still tell that something is wrong from your behavior.''

''I… I didn't sleep well last night,'' Silver admitted. ''I had a nightmare where I saw Neos City burning.''

''Look, only because I said I would use the Chao to conquer Earth doesn't mean I'm going to set the city on fire…'' Eclipse deadpanned, but stopped when Silver shook his head.

''I'm not worried that you would do anything…''

''I'm not sure whether I should be annoyed or relieved,'' Eclipse commented, with Silver rolling his eyes, now understanding why Shadow disliked hanging out with his younger brother, even if they did agree to get along.

''I was talking about Mephiles,'' he said, with Eclipse's eyes narrowing. ''I'm not sure how much Shadow and Touka had told you, but I come from a future where Neos City is constantly ablaze. Be it day or night, the fire keeps raging and it cannot be extinguished. My friends from that future have decided to send me back to prevent it from happening and I am doing my best to find the one who had caused it.''

''I didn't know.'' Eclipse was stunned by the revelation, having to admit that he didn't really care about anyone beyond the Black Arms, Shadow and Touka, and knowing very little about the other members of Team Neos. His expression showed seriousness. ''You're saying that Mephiles is behind it, right?''

''Yeah. The flames he's capable of summoning is the same one as the ones I saw in my future. I have no doubt that Mephiles is behind the destruction of Neos City,'' Silver said in a firm tone.

''Do you have any plans in regards to what to do?'' Eclipse asked. Silver shook his head.

''Makoto and the others will support me no matter what, but it's difficult to save the future when you don't really know how to do that. I have thought about trying to track Mephiles down, but I don't know where to even begin,'' he explained.

''I wish I could help you,'' Eclipse said, with Silver giving him a surprised look. ''I don't like Mephiles either, nor his partner Toshiro. I have talked to them and I understand why Shadow and Touka hate them.''

''Wait…'' Silver's eyes widened as a light bulb went off in his head. ''Maybe Shadow and Touka might have a better idea where they might be. Mephiles and Toshiro did target them in the beginning and they probably know the two better than anyone else.''

''I know that Touka is at Solar Stadium, so we should go there first,'' Eclipse said, with Silver feeling a sense of hope as they headed for Sentoraru.

xXx

Toshiro tilted his head, staring at the environment he and Mephiles ended up at. He placed his hands in his pockets as he observed what appeared to be a city with old buildings and water canals. It was completely empty, but still a perfect replica of a location Toshiro and especially Mephiles were quite familiar with.

''I guess that it is not surprising that we ended up here out of all places – the place you used to call a home,'' Toshiro commented. Mephiles was silent, deciding not to add anything to the comment. Toshiro rose an eyebrow, but decided not to push the subject. They had a mission to fulfill, and his partner wasn't exactly happy to be here, even if it was a location where, in a different life, he had been worshipped by its people. ''Do you believe that it is here?''

''I can sense its power. The Chaos Emerald is in Soleanna,'' Mephiles replied in a firm tone, going ahead. Toshiro just stared at his partner, feeling a little concerned for him. Sure, he had no trouble following along Mephiles' plan for the future, but he had to wonder what kind of psychological impact being here had on the Dark. Mephiles refused to talk about anything in regards to his alternate life, focusing instead on fulfilling a plan that had failed once.

''We will still need another Chaos Emerald,'' Toshiro noted as they walked through the Cyberspace Field replica of Soleanna. ''Even then, we don't know whether it will work for sure.''

''It will work. I can confirm that the Chaos Emeralds have the same kind of power as they would do even if they were not generated from data. Even if that is not enough, I have power over time, even if it has lessened because of my current condition,'' Mephiles replied, adding in a haunting tone. ''Lastly, Silver the Hedgehog is in the present. This means that I have succeeded once and I will succeed again.''

''That depends on whether this whole time stuff operates on the idea of a stable time loop or alternate timelines. That doesn't even take the issue of a temporal paradox into account,'' Toshiro noted. Mephiles narrowed his eyes, a little irked due to Toshiro's doubt, but he understood his partner's concerns. Their mission would leave a major impact on this world and they needed to ensure everything would go according to plan, but even he didn't have all of the answers. He simply couldn't conjure any detailed knowledge of the future, which frustrated him, and he only ended up with memories of Crisis City, which was of no use to him.

''We should first focus on finding the Chaos Emeralds,'' Mephiles ended that conversation. Toshiro just smirked, only for the two to suddenly spot Badniks appearing in a swirl of data, as if they ended up at an enemy spawn point in a video game.

''I guess we'll have to work for those Chaos Emeralds,'' Toshiro commented, not looking too upset about the sudden encounter. Instead, he extended his hand to Mephiles, the latter reciprocating.

''Chaos Surge!''

xXx

''Honestly, I don't really know whether we would be able to track down Toshiro and Mephiles,'' Touka said, much to Silver's disappointment.

They were outside the Solar Stadium, with Eclipse having called both Touka and Shadow ahead to meet him there, while Silver called Makoto about his plan. Sonic was also with them, as he had been with Shadow when Eclipse called and decided to tag along. Once they were all gathered, Silver and Eclipse explained the situation. Touka and Shadow were more than willing to help, but it was obvious that they were just as clueless. They couldn't care less about Toshiro and Mephiles' whereabouts, but now that Silver asked them to find the two, they tried to remember whether there was any specific location the two mentioned.

''There is the Egg Base Professor Sakamoto had used. Mephiles and Toshiro seemed to be using it as their personal base,'' Shadow mentioned.

''Right, but I don't think the two are working together with Eggman anymore and I doubt he would let them use it,'' Sonic commented.

''Is there any other place?'' Makoto asked. Touka hummed in thought.

''It is a stretch, but what about the Codex Research Facility?'' she suggested. ''We know that it is abandoned and not many know about it. It would be a good hiding place.''

''That would make sense. If they needed a place to stay, that location would be perfect,'' Makoto noted. He glanced at Silver in concern, observing the hope in is eyes. He wished that they had deal with Toshiro and Mephiles earlier, but they always ended up busy with a different threat while the two lurked in the shadows, spreading chaos whenever they got the opportunity. Only recently, it seemed like they achieved something they genuinely desired, which gave Makoto chills.

''Then we should go and check. It is worth a try,'' Sonic said, already having an open holographic screen and calling Lucas. His partner wanted to have a quiet day, but Sonic decided it was time for him to get active again. The message that returned could be described as an exasperated sigh, much to Sonic's amusement.

xXx

Mephiles summoned many shades, sending them towards the Badniks and easily destroying them. Next to him, Toshiro summoned an orb of darkness, firing at the closest Badnik, both easily clearing the path through Soleanna.

''There is no way that the Doctor is here,'' Toshiro noted.

''What makes you think that?'' Mephiles asked, creating an energy blade in his hand and stabbing a Badnik through its chest.

''There are no hammed up declarations about how we'll get crushed or destroyed,'' Toshiro pointed out. Mephiles just gave him a stare, while Toshiro smirked. The Dark decided not to respond, even if he was well aware that Toshiro was correct. But that brought up the question of who had attacked them, with Mephiles already having an idea. After all, whenever they destroyed a Badnik, it dissolved in red data particles, tiny cubes that would fly into the sky before dissipating. Nevertheless, they were easily defeated, allowing the two to proceed.

However, as they moved on, it appeared that Soleanna around them warped, resembling less of a city and more a stage in a video game. The area they were at before vanished and they found some kind of altar further at the center of the city, resembling the Chaos Emerald podiums that looked like they were copied from Sonic Frontiers. Whoever brought them here wanted them to work for the Chaos Emerald.

Surprisingly, there was no final guard at the podium, allowing Mephiles to grab the purple Chaos Emerald. Pleased with the result, he used its energy to attempt detect the location of a second Chaos Emerald, only for the environment around them to warp once more without any of Mephiles' input.

''This is not Chaos Control,'' Mephiles stated as their surroundings broke apart, only for both of them to fall into a valley housing ancient ruins of palaces and bridges, and a lush green landscape filled with waterfalls. Mephiles frowned, him and Toshiro exchanging glances after realizing where they were. Mephiles was anything but pleased to stand in a place like this once more.

''Kingdom Valley…''

xXx

''Have you found anything?'' Lucas asked after exiting a room at the Codex Research Facility. He had joined Sonic, Makoto, Silver, Touka, Shadow and Eclipse at the facility to help them find Toshiro and Mephiles, even if he wasn't too happy about having his quiet day interrupted. But, he figured that if something happened, he should be present to assess the situation and figure out the next step.

''No, I haven't found anything,'' Sonic suddenly appeared right before him in a gust of wind, having used his super speed to get through the building.

''Is it possible that you have missed something because you were a little too fast in your search?'' Lucas asked him in a deadpan tone. Sonic responded with a sheepish smile and quickly left.

He ran past Touka, Shadow and Eclipse, who searched through the private rooms of researchers who used to live here, those rooms being mainly bedrooms and offices. Touka and Shadow were the most familiar with the place, so they would know how to find signs of someone inhabiting it. While Sonic planned to do another round across the facility, he turned on his heel and returned when Touka waved him over to a room.

''Someone had been sleeping here.'' She had pointed at one of the bedrooms. Sonic peered inside, noting how it was much cleaner that the other rooms, with little to no dust, meaning that it had been cleaned recently. There was even a waste basket filled with food wrappers, probably acquired a day or two ago.

''We don't know if Mephiles and Toshiro were here, but it is highly likely,'' Shadow commented. Sonic gave them a thumbs up and then left to search for Makoto and Silver, who were at the research area, at the main computer room trying to see whether they'd find any clues about Toshiro and Mephiles' plans. After all, it was possible that they might try to use the computers here. Still, it took them a while to find anything since Makoto wasn't exactly a computer whiz like Warren and Tails were. At best, they could look through the history and maybe try to access the cameras that were scattered across the facility.

''How are you doing you two?'' Sonic suddenly appeared behind them, startling them.

''We are still trying to figure out how to navigate through the camera system,'' Silver told him.

''I'm surprised that there's still power within the facility,'' Sonic commented.

''Here we go!'' Makoto exclaimed, finally accessing the camera logs and looking over the most recent ones. To their luck, they did show Toshiro and Mephiles walking through the building, confirming that they used the location as their base.

''I'll get everyone else,'' Sonic told the two, disappearing in a flash of blue. Makoto and Silver then focused on the camera logs, trying to figure out where Toshiro and Mephiles might've gone to. Unfortunately, they couldn't find anything, even after the rest of the group arrived to help them. Touka and Shadow, who had a bit of a more understanding of how to use those computers, managed to access the most recent footage, but it didn't show Toshiro and Mephiles' whereabouts.

''Maybe they are still in the building,'' Eclipse suggested.

''If they were still here, we would've already ended up in a confrontation with them,'' Shadow pointed out.

''What should we do now? Wait for them to appear?'' Makoto asked, turning to Lucas for any ideas. The leader of Team Neos was deep in thought, hesitant to make a move.

''Could I see the footage of today once more?'' he asked, turning to Touka as she had taken Makoto's seat. She did as asked, showcasing the footage at normal speed. Toshiro and Mephiles were inside the building, roaming through the hallways and having a conversation. Unfortunately, there was no sound, so they didn't know what they were talking about. They eventually disapppeared from the footage, the time stamp showing that they were gone for hours before Silver's group appeared. However, it didn't appear that they exited the building, so where were they?

The answer appeared sooner than they had expected, because a red orb of data appeared within the room – a Cyberspace Field. In the next moment, they were all gone.

xXx

''I guess that whoever is in charge of the Cyberspace Fields seems to hate you,'' Toshiro commented in a light-hearted tone, while Mephiles just grumbled under his breath as he spotted an eagle soaring above them. He was already annoyed to be sent to Soleanna and Kingdom Valley and he didn't need any of Toshiro's friendly ribbing, even if the did start to believe that someone had it out for him.

''Let's just find that Chaos Emerald and leave,'' he said. However, that wouldn't be as easy as he thought, because Kingdom Valley, to an extent, resembled a video game stage similarly to Soleanna earlier.

''If we want the Chaos Emerald, we would have to reach the other end of Kingdom Valley. In other words, the end of the stage,'' Toshiro noted. Mephiles presented him with the purple Chaos Emerald.

''That should be simple,'' he said, only for the two to spot a trio of hedgehogs using the path above them, grinding on the water beams and leaping from platform to platform. Mephiles frowned. ''What are they doing here?''

The hedgehogs were followed by three pairs of hoverboards, making Toshiro and Mephiles realized that they needed to hurry up if they wanted to get to the Chaos Emerald.

''I know that the AR Fields and the Cyberspace Fields can shape into stages from the video games, but I don't anyone ever got to visit Kingdom Valley,'' Sonic commented, leaping off the water stream and ending up running on a stretch of a bridge towards the next part. Shadow suddenly appeared next to him using Chaos Snap, while Silver was flying above them using his psychokinesis. Sonic looked up at Silver with an amused smile. ''Isn't that cheating? Shouldn't you be running alongside us?''

''You're using your super speed and Shadow is using his Chaos Powers. I don't think I'm cheating by using my personal power,'' Silver replied, well aware that Sonic was just teasing him.

''We should hurry up. I can sense the Chaos Emerald's power growing stronger the closer we get,'' Shadow told the two.

''All right! First to the Chaos Emerald gets to use it!'' Sonic exclaimed, using his Boost to get ahead of the two.

''Sonic!''

Both Shadow and Silver shouted in annoyance, irked that Sonic turned this into a race despite the earlier agreement that they would be cleaning the path for their partners, but after exchanging a brief glance, they both relented. If Sonic wanted a race, they would make sure that he loses.

Behind them, it appeared that Lucas, Touka and Eclipse, and Makoto realized what the three hedgehogs were up to, because all of them sighed in resignation, deciding to just quietly follow them, because putting Sonic and Shadow on the same track would obviously trigger their competitive spirit, and Silver would join them just to prove himself as their equal.

''At least we're sticking to the plan,'' Eclipse, who was standing on Touka's modified hoverboard and holding onto her, said proudly.

Meanwhile, both Shadow and Silver managed to catch up to Sonic as he reached the eagle, flying him over to the palace ruins. Sonic glanced back, rejoicing that he got so far ahead of them, only to realize that, instead of waiting for the eagle to return to them, Silver used his psychokinesis to fly after him, while Shadow summoned his Doom Wing, and both of them were much faster than the eagle, ending up first at the palace ruins and confronting the Egg Gunners stationed there.

''Oh, com'n!'' Sonic shouted when Silver and Shadow destroyed the Egg Gunners using psychokinesis and the Doom Spear respectively, not leaving anything for Sonic to fight. The moment Sonic touched the ground, the two were already ahead of him, feeling quite smug about leaving The Fastest Thing Alive behind them. Sonic was forced to use Boost to reach them, with the three eventually getting closer and closer to their goal, racing through the last part of the track head-to-head-to-head.

''There it is!'' Silver exclaimed, pointing towards the end of the stage. The spot reserved for the Goal Ring had instead a podium with a red Chaos Emerald, and the three were only seconds away from reaching it. Silver glanced back to his teammates, only to spot something ahead of them. ''Watch out!''

Sonic and Shadow were too late to notice the dark, void-like mass that suddenly sprung up from below the two, throwing them off the platform and into the abyss below. Silver flew after them, using his psychokinesis to grab the two and lift them back onto the platform.

''What was that?'' Sonic asked, baffled that he got caught off guard so easily. Shadow's gaze turned to the end of the stage and he frowned, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

''Mephiles.''

His statement caused Sonic and Silver to look up, but surprised to find Toshiro and Mephiles at the platform, having been the ones who set up the trap. Mephiles suddenly sent orbs of darkness flying at them, which Shadow destroyed with Doom Spear. Sonic then ran up to the two, forcing Mephiles to use create a dark void as a barrier, causing Sonic to slide underneath it. Meanwhile, Silver sent a blast of psychokinesis at Mephiles, which was blocked by Toshiro creating the same kind of dark barrier, with Mephiles summoning flames and sending them in the form of a fiery tornado towards the grey hedgehog. Silver was forced to create a barrier of his own, allowing Sonic and Shadow to use the distraction and charge towards Mephiles. A black mass formed below them, shooting spears made out of crystal upwards, forcing them to dodge as Toshiro kept them away.

Fortunately, reinforcements arrived soon, with Eclipse leaping from Touka's hoverboard and using the Dark Laser to the destroy the crystal spires, allowing Sonic and Shadow to pass through. Mephiles rose a wall of fire, while Toshiro went for the Chaos Emerald, managing to grab it, only to feel a force almost yanking it out of his hands. He frowned, having ended up in a tug of war with Silver, but Mephiles managed to save him by sending the flames towards the grey hedgehog. Silver had to let go off the Chaos Emerald to defend himself, but Mephiles and Toshiro were also forced into a defensive position when Shadow fired another volley of Doom Spears at them. They dodged his attack, only to open themselves up to Sonic's spin-dash, but Mephiles managed to pull through in the last second by summoning a crystal-like wall, causing Sonic to smash into it.

Toshiro used this opportunity to give the red Chaos Emerald to Mephiles, with both it and the purple Chaos Emerald floating above the Dark in an infinity-like shape.

''Stop!'' Silver screamed, reaching feebly for the Chaos Emeralds, but it was too late.

There was a flash of red and purple light, merging together and the only thing remaining in Kingdom Valley was the echo of Mephiles' sinister laugh.

#Beginning of The Absolution Arc

#Previous Chapter

#Next Chapter

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 87: Sage Advice

''Beyond the heavy rain is a rainbow (woah woah woah woah)! I'll know the easy answer's lie. Vow not to back down to the shouting. I need you alone to understand tomorrow. You gave me the time of my life. What do I look like? An Angel or Devil... Beyond the dawn, beyond the dawn, there's so much I want to tell you! Filled with love, with love, that can't be written down in a letter! A small hand in search of eternity (woah woah woah woah)!''

– ANGEL & DEVIL by One Piece

xXxXxXx

Sage sighed after she had closed another monitor. She had spent the past couple of days trying to find the meaning of the only clue they had in regards to the creation of the Cyberspace Fields – Saiba – but none of the results were satisfactory or made even sense. Was it a a name? An anagram? A code? Sage tried everything, but she simply couldn't find a proper answer. While she was a digital being, a program created to assist Doctor Eggman, she was affected by the lack of rest. It was similar to a computer running too long and overheating, and she felt fatigued, with error warnings popping up in her mind to tell her to rest. But, she couldn't. Even if the Doctor decided against pursuing the origin of the Cyberspace Fields, having noted how it wasn't worth it and focusing instead on terrorizing Team Neos with a new robotic creation.

Still, Sage couldn't follow that dismissal, not because she wanted to help Eggman, but because of her own curiosity. She was created to help Eggman learn more about the Cyberspace Fields and not only did she fail, but she felt that she lost her purpose. Of course, it was illogical to even feel something like that, since she was still assisting Eggman, only in a different project, but the disappointment lingered.

''You look awful. Did something happen?''

Sage suddenly looked up, spotting a worried Orbot and Cubot. She was thankful for their concern, and being fellow creations of the Doctor, she felt a connection to the robotic assistants.

''I have been trying to solve the meaning of the word ''Saiba''. Unfortunately, I have not found an explanation for it,'' Sage replied, her body flickering red and black.

''Maybe you should take a rest? You'll overwork yourself that way,'' Cubot replied.

''I do not believe that I should. Even if the Doctor abandoned his previous plan, I feel that it is important to learn more about the Cyberspace Fields,'' Sage answered.

''Do you really think so?'' Another voice interrupted their conversation, their gaze turning towards Ferra and Metal Sonic. Sage noted how she felt a connection with them as much as she did with Orbot and Cubot, even if Ferra was an outsider hired as an Enforcer and Metal Sonic technically wasn't even Eggman's creation in this reality. Nevertheless, their presence brought a calming sensation to the room, even of Sage did observe some oddities in their interactions.

''I am afraid that I do not understand what you mean,'' Sage replied, giving Ferra a curious look.

''It is possible that the Cyberspace Fields are simply not meant to be understood,'' Ferra answered, shrugging with nonchalance.

''But, that does not make any sense. There exists data that can be analyzed…'' Sage trailed off when Metal Sonic shook his head, followed by Ferra's response.

''If they do, we might learn more about them some day, but not today. So, let it go and get some rest,'' Ferra replied. ''I don't think the Doctor would be too happy to see you overwork yourself.''

''Indeed,'' Orbot chimed in. ''It is necessary to rest so you can function properly.''

''That is why we decided to take a break from cataloguing the Badniks,'' Cubot added, only to get a glare from Orbot, realizing that he may have said a bit too much. The two assistant robots were taking every opportunity to take a break from whatever work Eggman dumped on them and they knew that if the Doctor learned that they were lazing around again, they'd be in big trouble. The reactions to the accidental confession varied, with Metal Sonic giving them a look of disapproval, Ferra snorting in amusement and Sage looking puzzled, unsure what to make of it.

''At least we know that Sage is the responsible sibling in this family, despite being your younger sister,'' Ferra said. Orbot and Cubot gave her a sheepish look, while Sage was confused.

''I do not understand. Why are you calling me their younger sister?'' she asked.

''Well, isn't that obvious? You all have the same creator, so you might as well call each other siblings,'' Ferra pointed out.

''But, the Doctor has not given me such designation,'' Sage replied. The idea of being part of a family never crossed her mind. After all, she was created to be a tool, not a person, and she was satisfied with her purpose.

''That doesn't matter. Sometimes, if you trust people enough, you can sense that they are your family,'' Ferra answered.

''Then, are you too part of this family?'' Sage asked, stunning Ferra.

''Uh, I…'' The teenage girl gave her a look of surprise, completely caught off guard by this question. After all, her relationship with Eggman was strictly professional, with her simply doing her job as an Enforcer. Nevertheless, she was spending a lot more time here than she was at home, not even remembering when the last time was that she saw her parents. ''Well, I guess I feel more comfortable here than in the presence of my biological parents.''

''You mean, the people who just saw you as a trophy daughter,'' Cubot added helpfully. Ferra sighed, noting how that didn't help her feelings.

''Yeah, exactly that, Cubot,'' she muttered.

''What are you doing?'' The group immediately turned around, seeing Eggman standing at the door and observing them with a scrutinizing look. They all wondered just how long did he stand there and listened to their conversation. Eggman turned to Orbot and Cubot. ''Are you done with the report?''

''Uh, um, you see Boss, we were working hard on it-'' Orbot started nervously, with Cubot quickly jumping in.

''An Egg Pawn ate the report!'' he said, only to get glared at by Eggman and Orbot. ''Uh, I meant, it got shredded! Yes, shredded!''

''Wasn't the report supposed to be in a digital form?'' Eggman asked, furrowing a brow. It was obvious he wasn't believing any of this nonsense, but he still remained patient just to see how deep his assistant robots were going to dig themselves.

''Uh, yes! We'll submit it as soon as possible, we just need to- edit it!'' Orbot quickly gave an excuse, grabbing Cubot's arm and dragging him along, grumbling under his breath. ''An Egg Pawn ate it? What kind of excuse is that?!''

''I was panicking!''

Ferra burst out laughing, then placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles and even Metal Sonic made a noise that showed amusement. Eggman just shook his head in disapproval, but he knew the two robots well enough to be aware of their antics and laziness. As for Sage, she simply observed the whole interaction, wondering how shirking off duties was a sign that they're a ''family''.

''I believe that you two also have work to do,'' Eggman then turned towards Ferra and Metal Sonic, who gave him a confused look, because they clearly didn't get the memo. ''I want you two to check the Egg Base in Souto. I got a report that a suspicious figure was trying to enter it.''

''You can count on us,'' Ferra replied, with Metal Sonic nodding as they accepted their new task and quickly left. Eggman then turned towards Sage, who awaited his next orders.

''I had told you that it wasn't necessary to focus on investigating the Cyberspace Fields,'' Eggman said, confirming that he heard the whole conversation. ''I can't let you overwork yourself and suffer from a burn out, not when I have plans for dealing with Sonic and his friends.''

''I am sorry,'' Sage replied, lowering her head. She then suddenly lifted it up, giving the Doctor a curious look. ''Doctor, may I ask you something?''

''What is it?''

''Do you consider Orbot, Cubot, Metal Sonic, Ferra your family? Do you consider me… your daughter?'' Sage asked after showing some hesitation. These words, despite knowing their meaning, felt heavy.

If the Doctor was caught off guard by her question, he didn't show it. Instead, he countered, ''What do you think?''

Sage was silent for a moment, then answered, ''I need more time to process this.''

''Take all the time you need,'' Eggman told her, much to Sage's surprise. She knew that he was planning an attack on Team Neos and she thought that he would needed her, but that didn't seem to be the case. Nevertheless, she was determined to find the answer as soon as possible.

xXx

Eclipse yawned, sitting on top of a building as he felt the warm sun rays on his skin, closing his eyes lazily and trying to ignore the nagging feeling of being left out of something important. That morning, he had found Touka and Shadow talking about something in hushed tones and when he questioned them about the topic, Touka told him not to worry about it and that it wasn't important. The attempt of getting into Shadow's head for an answer was met with an immediate block. When they left the house, Eclipse attempted to follow them, but Shadow just Chaos Controlled them away to who knows where, leaving the little alien bummed out.

Eclipse wanted to believe that whatever Touka and Shadow didn't concern him, but it stung that after spending so much time earning their trust – well, Shadow's trust – they didn't want him to accompany them. Still, knowing how much Touka cared about him, he hoped that she would eventually tell him what they were up to. If anything, he did earn enough of everyone's trust that he was allowed to roam Neos City unsupervised. He was quite proud of that accomplishment.

To think that I hated Touka so much… Eclipse sighed. He still couldn't believe how much his life had changed in a week. Nevertheless, he was ready to embrace it, especially since he also got access to delicious food – one of the main reasons the Black Arms even invaded. Touka introduced him to all kinds of meat and fruit, which was pleasing to his senses, but he hated the vegetables. He figured that both being Black Arms aliens, even if one was a hybrid, his tastes would be similar to Shadow's, but even he couldn't stomach the stuff Shadow would eat – namely the coffee beans. He actually tried one, but the taste made him sputter and recoil in disgust. He told his brother that he'd rather eat the vegetables than that, with Shadow just snorting in amusement and giving him a smug look, glad that Eclipse won't try to take away his snack.

''What should I do now?'' Eclipse muttered, staring ahead at the city. Now that he had so much freedom, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He could always go to the Chao Garden, but he felt that he should also try other things. Fortunately for him, something caught his interest. He blinked at the sight of red particles in the distance, making him wonder if one of those Cyberspace Fields appeared again. Summoning his Dark Wing, he took flight, deciding that he should investigate whatever it was.

That thing was actually a white-haired girl in a black dress, seemingly searching for something as she floated above the city, only for her attention to be drawn to the red alien with wings. She immediately recognized him as Eclipse the Darkling, having already gone through all the files Eggman had on Team Neos, including the most recent report from Ferra and Metal Sonic, who confirmed that one Black Arms alien had survived and joined the team. They weren't certain how much of a danger Eclipse was to the Eggman Empire, but after several simulations, Sage concluded that he was just as much of a threat as the rest of Team Neos. Nevertheless, she decided against attacking him on sight, as the information she had pointed to the possibility of reasoning with Eclipse.

''Hey, who are you? What are you doing?'' Eclipse asked, confirming Sage's assumptions.

''My name and my mission do not concern you,'' she replied, deciding against introducing herself to her enemy.

''If you are going to cause trouble, then it does concern me,'' Eclipse said. Admittedly, he had no clue what he was doing, but having observed Team Neos dealing with Irregulars that posed a danger to Neos City, he figured that this was enough.

''I am here to merely find an answer to a personal question. I have no business with you,'' Sage told him. For now.

''What kind of question?'' Eclipse rose an eyebrow, a little confused. It didn't seem like this girl was an enemy and he had nothing else to do, so he was curious about what she was up to.

''Once more, this is none of your concern,'' Sage replied, turning around, only to be met with a really persistent Eclipse flying up to her a bit too close for comfort.

''Maybe I have the answer to your question. You'd never know if you don't ask,'' Eclipse replied, figuring he'd tempt her with the possibility. Sage stared at him for a moment, weighting her options. She already knew that Eclipse couldn't give her a straight answer to her question, but she did realize that she might get some kind of information relevant to her issue. Not to mention, she was interested in learning how an alien who was all of his life a member of a hive mind would react to be cut out of that hive mind, that family, and now have to survive in an unknown environment. So, she gave in.

''Fine,'' Sage said. ''What is your opinion about family; both biological and found family?''

''Eh?'' Eclipse's eyes widened, being caught off guard by the question. His eyes then twinkled and he grinned, giving Sage a confident grin. ''If you want to talk about family, I will tell you everything about mine.''

Sage expected that Eclipse would talk about Black Doom and the Black Arms, but when they settled down on the roof of a building, she was stunned when he started to rant about his older brother Shadow. He started with the greater grievances, like Shadow not acknowledging him as a brother, at least when they met and Eclipse's desire to prove himself, to smaller complaints, like Shadow's habits that the little alien had observed.

''I am sorry, but I do not understand what eating coffee beans has to do with your relationship with your older brother,'' Sage finally interrupted.

''I guess I went a bit too far with my rantings,'' Eclipse muttered, rubbing the back of his head.  ''Point is, Shadow and I had an awful relationship despite being family. In fact, we were more like enemies and despite that, I desired his approval. I never gained it, but what I did gain was patience, care and understanding from someone I absolutely hated. Point is, I learned that you get better treatment from people who aren't your own flesh and blood, even if you tried to kill them.''

Sage blinked. Sure, the logic Eclipse used made some sense, but she felt her head spinning after listening to his ramblings. She also wanted to learn more about his feelings in regards to his creator, Black Doom, so she asked him in a blunt tone, ''Do you have any other family you want to talk about?''

To her surprise, Eclipse was silent, giving her a strange look. Sage couldn't tell what he was thinking, wondering if she made some kind of mistake. Eclipse then sighed, placing his hands behind his back and told her in a casual tone, ''No, I don't.''

Sage was taken aback, knowing fully well that this was false. Unknown to her, Eclipse was amazed at how easily he managed to tell her that. He knew that, technically, he was lying, because Black Doom and the Black Arms, even if they were gone now, they were still his family and he would have a lot to talk about them. However, he then reminded himself that he couldn't exactly brag about his ties to the Black Arms to someone he didn't know, mostly for his own safety. There was also the treatment he had suffered through at Black Doom's hands, who had cut him off from the hive mind, intending to abandon him completely. Going by that logic, Black Doom wasn't his father anymore, right?

Eclipse could accept that mindset.

''Are you certain?'' Sage asked him.

''Absolutely!'' Eclipse replied in a chipper tone, then rose his eyebrow. ''Why are you even asking me this stuff? Do you have a family to talk about?''

''I do, but I get along with mine, unlike you,'' Sage replied, with Eclipse pouting. Sure, she was right, but he wasn't going to affirm that. Besides, he was doing his best to get along with them. ''I merely want to understand my own feelings on the matter. I have a great desire to protect and assist my… father.'' Sage was a little hesistant as she thought about the word and its meaning. It made sense, since Eggman was her creator, but it still felt a little strange for her to utter it. Perhaps, it was because she still wasn't used to it. ''Nevertheless, I want to thank you for giving me some insight.''

''You said that you have a father,'' Eclipse stated, giving her a thoughtful look. Sage nodded. ''I hope he treats you well.''

''Did your father…'' Sage didn't even finish her sentence when Eclipse suddenly turned on his heel, walking away.

''I don't care anymore about my father,'' he said, but there was a slight tremble in his voice as he tried to keep his head high and act nonchalant. At least, I try not to.

Sage lowered her head. She knew that she didn't have the data nor experience to understand how Eclipse truly felt about Black Doom, but she couldn't help but feel curious, if not a little fascinated. There was so much to learn about her enemy, but she doubted that any of this would be applicable to an actual battle, unless she wanted to manipulate the siblings.

Eclipse then glanced back at Sage, then leapt off the building, deciding to go towards the Chao Garden and visit Cream and the Chao, only to almost fall off the ledge when Sage suddenly appeared right next to him in a burst of red data. He managed to dig his claws into the building, giving her an incredulous look.

''Warn me next time you do that!'' he shouted, with Sage giving him an indifferent gaze.

''I will keep that in mind,'' Sage replied, clearly not feeling sorry at all for startling him.

''What do you want now?'' Eclipse pouted, glaring at her. He thought they were done with their conversation, but it seemed that Sage wasn't going to leave him alone so easily.

''I merely desire to observe you,'' Sage replied. Eclipse's tail flicked as he stared back at her, not understanding what she meant.

''I don't think there really is anything to observe,'' he muttered, keeping on walking and going towards Kita.

''I do not believe that I need to share why I want to observe you,'' Sage told him, trailing behind him. Eclipse sighed in exasperation, slowly getting annoyed by her presence. She did get her answer, didn't she? So, why was she still following him?

''I have a question for you,'' Eclipse suddenly said, surprising Sage. He leapt down onto a lower building and onto a safety rail, glancing back at her. ''Do you have siblings?''

Sage thought back to Orbot and Cubot, and even wondered about Metal Sonic and Ferra. ''I suppose that is the case.''

''Then, do you feel weird when calling them your siblings?'' Eclipse suddenly asked, perched on the rail, easily balancing on it as he kept walking.

''I… I have not called them my siblings, yet,'' Sage replied after a short pause.

''I only ever called Shadow my brother, but I never called Touka my sister,'' Eclipse admitted, leaping onto another rooftop. ''I hated her so much when I first saw her and I wanted to continue hating her, but she was the only one who cared about me. How do you treat a person who shows genuine kindness when you want to hate them?''

''That is quite a difficult question to answer,'' Sage replied.

''Welcome to my life – everything's difficult,'' Eclipse deadpanned. He then shook his head. ''In any case, I realized that holding onto that hate won't make things easier, so I tried accept Touka as part of my family. I guess we get along now, but I still feel like we're keeping each other at an arm's distance. In fact, she and Shadow left to do something on their own, and while I understand that they want to do their own thing, I kinda feel left out.''

''You cannot force your presence on them, but you can ask them to join them,'' Sage noted. Eclipse nodded.

''Right, that's what I'll do as soon as they return,'' Eclipse replied in a determined tone. ''I already know that Touka will want us to spend time.''

''I wish to thank you for allowing me to learn something to day,'' Sage suddenly stated, with Eclipse giving her a smirk.

''Right back at you, but you still didn't tell me who you are,'' Eclipse noted.

Before Sage could respond, a sudden holographic screen appeared next to her and she quickly read the message on it. Eclipse stared at her with confusion visible on his face, only to sense a tension through the hive mind. He knew that it was Shadow, probably unknowingly accessing it in a moment in distress.

''I have to go!''

Both Sage and Eclipse were a little stunned when they stated that in unison, only for Eclipse to grin back at her. ''I hope to meet you again. It was nice talking to you.''

He then leapt from the rail he was standing on, going towards the source of distress. Sage just stared at him, then shook her head.

''Unfortunately, next time, we will meet as enemies.''

xXx

''You're not so as fast as usual, rodent!'' Eggman grinned gleefully, sending several missiles flying towards Sonic. The hedgehog was forced to run to dodge them, running towards the closest Badnik, with one of the missiles exploding it, much to Knuckles' chagrin.

''Hey, find your own target!'' the echidna raised his fist and shouted as Sonic ran past him. Sonic could only offer a sheepish smile as a response.

''Sorry, Knux!'' Sonic shouted back, keeping up the speed and turning into a flash of blue as he zig-zagged around his teammates who were fighting the Badniks Eggman had brought along. He recalled how the Doctor had just suddenly appeared in Eas with a new mech and a Badnik Army. He was hanging out with Knuckles, who was interested in Sonic's Cyloop and wanted to see what else he could do, only for them to get into a fight with Eggman the moment the latter appeared, aided by Lucas and Lily. Fortunately, they were joined by the rest of their teammates, who decided to scatter and deal with the Badniks, leaving Sonic to fight Eggman. Unfortunately, Eggman's new mech was doing quite well keeping Sonic at bay, much to the hedgehog's annoyance.

''Woah!'' Sonic leapt, almost getting hit by another missile, this one being electrified. If he tried to grab one of them, he'd get electrocuted. Fortunately for him, Tails appeared, grabbing Sonic's hand, with the missiles still following them. ''Thanks, little buddy, but I don't think this will be enough to get rid off them!''

''Do you have a plan?'' Tails asked, managing to dodge a missile while still carrying Sonic and turning towards Eggman's new mech.

''Uh… Hit it until it collapses?'' Sonic suggested, giving the exasperated Tails a sheepish smile.

''Right, and that's why Lucas is the leader,'' Tails muttered, rolling his eyes. He then threw Sonic into the air, allowing the blue hedgehog to flying between two Buzz Bombers and causing the missile that was following him to hit them.

Sonic then landed on the ground, only to spot more missiles flying towards him. He kept running, noting how it wasn't like he couldn't come up with a good plan, but being constantly chased by missiles he couldn't even touch wasn't helping him focus. Not to mention, Eggman's new mech, which Lucas identified as a modified Egg Breaker, didn't exactly allow him to get close. Not only did it come with missiles, but also a giant spiked ball, the ability to create shock waves and fire lasers from its eyes.

Sonic suddenly ran towards the Egg Breaker, hearing Eggman laugh as he sent more missiles after his enemy, forcing Sonic to take another path. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Silver backing up Amy and Shadow as both charged towards the Egg Breaker. With the Badniks cleared out of their path, both Amy and Shadow leapt towards the mech, only for Eggman to use the spiked ball, forcing Amy to use Chaos Surge to infuse her hammer and slam it at the spiked ball to shield herself, while Shadow was forced to use Chaos Snap to dodge the laser beams, only to get caught off guard by the shock wave that sent him flying back. Like it or not, Sonic had to give it to Eggman for preparing himself for this fight. Eggman then turned towards Amy, firing more laser beams at her, but she was fortunately saved by Lucas, who used the super speed from the Chaos Surge to grab her and get her out of harm's way.

The moment of relief only lasted so long, because another wave of Badniks came from within the AR Field on the street, keeping both humans and Irregulars occupied, save for Sonic, who still was forced to dodge the missiles that were locked on him. He actually had a plan in how to salvage the situation, but he needed to lower Eggman's defenses. Fortunately, that opportunity presented itself in the form of a sonic blast coming from behind, with Eggman pressing his hands over his ears, distraught by the noise.

Sonic took that opportunity to draw a blue line around the Egg Breaker, using his Boost and the Chaos Surge to create the Cyloop before Eggman could even react. The wind that kicked up due to the Cyloop sent the missiles flying and exploding all around the Egg Breaker, damaging the mech. Sonic then skidded to a halt, looking up to the savior, who was none other than Eclipse using the Dark Sonic Cannon, and gave him a thumbs up. Eclipse returned the gesture with a smile, with Sonic turning towards a frantic and frustrated Eggman.

The Doctor was too busy assessing the damage to the Egg Breaker to notice Sonic charging up, only to be met with a boosted spin-dash from the front and Eclipse's Dark Laser from the back. The Egg Breaker stumbled from the impact, sparks flying across the boards. All Eggman could do was to shout in indignation, ''Hey, two on one isn't fair!''

Sonic and Eclipse, who were now standing both in front of the Egg Breaker, exchanged glances and rose their eyebrows.

''Weren't you the one who brought a whole army?'' Eclipse asked.

''Talk about being fair,'' Sonic deadpanned, placing a hand on his hip. He then stretched his arms. ''Oh, well, let's wrap this up!''

Sonic went for another spin-dash, only for a red barrier to suddenly appear before the Egg Breaker that sent him flying back down the street. Eggman laughed at that fail of an attack, then turned towards the person who had saved him – Sage.

''Doctor, I suggest a tactical retreat. The Egg Breaker has suffered too much damage,'' Sage told him.

''Excellent suggestion,'' Eggman replied, noting how his mech could barely move. The fact that he saw Sonic struggling was enough for him, so he might as well retreat… for now.

''You!'' Both Eggman and Sage were startled by Eclipse's sudden shout, who stared at Sage in disbelief. ''I thought I could trust you!''

''I never expected any trust,'' Sage replied in a cold tone, much to Eggman's joy. She then held up her hand, red particles streaming from it as she activated the AR Field, taking control of it and causing both the Egg Breaker and remaining Badniks to disappear.

Eclipse was left shocked, a lingering feeling of betrayal remaining. He knew that he shouldn't feel so shaken since he had no clue who Sage even was, but it still stung.

''Eclipse, are you okay?'' Touka approached the little alien, looking concerned.

''I… I had no idea who she was and I just talked to her…'' Eclipse was still distraught, with Touka crouching next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

''Don't worry, it's fine. It's my fault for not showing you what Sage looks like,'' she comforted him. Eclipse just nodded in response, still feeling that he should've done more, but he was glad that Touka wasn't angry at him. If it were Black Doom… Well, the best outcome he could hope for was getting ridiculed for his foolishness. He looked at the rest of the group, all of them discussing Sage's appearance. It was clearly expected, but still, they weren't sure what exactly to expect from her.

As things slowly calmed down, Eclipse glanced at Touka. ''I know that it's probably not my place to ask you that, but where have you and Shadow gone to?''

''We were actually searching for you when we got attacked,'' Shadow said as he approached Eclipse. The little alien noticed that Shadow wasn't wearing his usual AR Visor, having replaced the goggles with gray sunglasses with green-fused lenses on his head.

''Shadow and I had a little discussion, and we figured that we might as well do something to make you feel more welcome, so we got you a gift,'' Touka added, presenting Eclipse with a purple bandanna that she bought at Honey's shop, tying it around Eclipse's arm. Eclipse was elated about the gift, his eyes sparking as he suddenly lunged at Touka, hugging her.

''Thank you!'' Eclipse whispered, putting everything he had into that hug, wanting to show just how much he appreciated her. Touka didn't respond, just hugging him back, understanding how important this was to Eclipse. They may have had a rocky start, but they were more than happy about the outcome.

Eclipse then turned towards Shadow, about to tackle him into a hug as well, only to be met with an outstretched hand holding out an AR Visor, pair of goggles with dark grey frames, a brown band and orange-red lenses. Eclipse realized that it was Shadow's old AR Visor and could only stare in stunned silence at his older brother who gave him an indifferent gaze.

''Touka and I had also agreed that you would need an AR Visor for situations like these. You will need to keep in contact with the rest of the team,'' Shadow explained, his tone being the usuall matter-of-fact one.

Eclipse took the AR Visor, putting it on the top of his head and then pulled Shadow into a tight hug, much to the dark hedgehog's surprise. While he didn't know the history of those goggles, he understood the significance of Shadow actually gifting him something that he owned, and he wanted to show just how grateful he was for that gesture. Sure, they may not get always get along, but they were still brothers.

''D'aaaaaaaaawwwww!''

Shadow, who resigned himself to being hugged by Eclipse, heard someone cooing in delight, his ear pointing towards the offending party – Sonic and Knuckles, who were staring back at him with wide grins. He frowned, giving the two a death glare, but Sonic and Knuckles just stared back at him in amusement, even doing a fist bump. The moment Eclipse let go of him, Shadow walked over the two with a murderous look.

''Nice shades, Shads,'' Sonic said, still grinning as he pointed at his own. ''Now we finally match.''

''You know that you two are now on my list, right?'' Shadow replied, giving Sonic a dangerous smirk.

''Awww, I thought I was the only one on your list,'' Sonic decided to turn this conversation into flirting, until he suddenly realized that Shadow's eyes had an eerie red glow, the dark hedgehog barely restraining himself from beating the two up. ''Uh, so… are we going to have a sparring match later on?''

''Yes,'' Shadow replied.

''Cool!'' Knuckles was looking forward to it, completely unaware that Shadow as going to unleash his Doom Powers on both of them. Meanwhile, the rest of the team who had witnessed this refused to comment for the sake of their own health, while Touka and Eclipse just exchanged glances, noting how it was really a bad idea to tease Shadow like that. Somebody was going to be waking up with bruises for the whole next week.

xXx

Eggman furrowed a brow as he kept repairing the damage the Egg Breaker suffered the worst. Despite the retreat, he still took this as a win, noting how the preparations he had engaged in were enough to keep Sonic and the whole of Team Neos on their toes. The Cyloop did catch him off guard and he didn't really expect Eclipse to suddenly appear, but so far, even if Team Neos grew stronger, he could keep up with them with his own creations. He was quite impressed with himself and his achievements… even if Ferra and Metal Sonic gave him grief for sending them away while he went after Team Neos alone. Not only that, but having Sage by his side gave him another advantage since she could manipulate the AR Fields connected to the Eggman Network.

''I have analyzed the damage of the Egg Breaker and started the necessary procedures for the software and hardware repairs,'' Sage said as she materalized next to him. ''Once you are done, it can be sent to the Badniks for the detailed repairs.''

''Exellent work, Sage,'' Eggman replied, quite proud of her. Sage nodded, happy to assist him. ''Did you find an answer to your question?''

Sage stared at Eggman, surprised that he brought up the conversation from earlier. She understood now that it wasn't a matter of how Eggman felt about their relationship, but how she felt about it and she was satisfied with the answer she found, her black and red dress briefly flickering to white and blue. ''Of course I did, Father.''

Eggman simply smiled after hearing this.

''Good girl.''

#Previous Chapter

#Next Chapter

[tenebraevesper]

Hot Take: While I definitely do the show think had wasted potential, I don't really think the conpect of Miraculous is really that original. Many other animes and even cartoons did it before and most of them done a much more better job (eg. Shugo Chara and Randy Cunningham)

Absolutely agree, yet Thomas Astruc thinks his show is the most original thing ever created. I actually read a post from him where he claimed all of the Miraculous powers are unique and someone posted a response how the superpowers are basically copy-and-pasted from either other anime or cartoons or comics.

Also, about MLB's concept of having a team saving the day themed around animals, I have three words - Tokyo Mew Mew.

[tenebraevesper]

Are there any criticism of Miraculous Ladybug that you personally don't really agree with? (at least your opinion)

Hard to say, I haven't been reading any MLB criticism for a while now, so I don't really know if there's anything I'd disagree with and I haven't seen the new season, so I don't know what everyone's current take is.

[tenebraevesper]

How do you feel about Marinette and Adrien at this point?

I haven't watched the show since Season 5 ended, but from what I've heard, they should just break up and go to therapy.

[tenebraevesper]

Five Nights at Freddy's: Obsolete, Night 25: HAPPS

''We will find you, terrorize you, and ensnare you in a bear suit.''

– They'll Find You by Griffinilla (Five Nights at Freddy's 2)

xXxXxXx

Just a few more seconds, Aiden thought. The offshoot was right around the corner.

But it wasn't.

When Aiden sped toward where he expected the offshoot to be, his heart plummeted into his gut.

The offshoot wasn't open anymore. Like the other one, it was now covered by a safety barrier.

Aiden was trapped. And Happs was getting closer.

''Out. With me,'' Happs ordered him. The robot's crackly voice was way too loud, which meant that it was way too close.

Aiden didn't look back to see just how close Happs was. He didn't want to know.

Given no other choice, Aiden tore past the blocked offshoot. It was instinct to keep going. But Aiden knew his flight from Happs was futile now.

With the offshoots blocked, Aiden was now caught in a closed-off loop. All he could do was go around in a circle.

Happs's calamitous pursuit had been activating security barriers all along. Aiden had been essentially herded like an animal into a killing zone. He had nowhere to go. But still, he kept crawling.

As Aiden crawled, he didn't allow himself to think anymore. If he thought, he'd have to ask himself the questions he didn't want to ask:

How long could he stay ahead of Happs? How long would it be before Happs's out-of-control passage through the looped pipe would damage it enough to partition it off even more? How long would it be before Aiden died the same way Jace had?

As Aiden crawled through the pipe, he couldn't help but see the kids beyond the pipe's plastic walls, and he realized he had gotten his wish. He was invisible.

xXx

It had been about two and half weeks since the Pizzaplex had opened and it seemed to be only growing in popularity, even in the now chilling weather. Sam continued her work at both Freddy's and the Pizzaplex, as well as attending school without any greater personal incidents despite regularly checking in on any kind of events that might happen in her absence at either location. While nothing major had happened, at least from what she heard, that didn't mean that nothing happened.

In fact, Fazbear Entertainment seemed to be already showing that they didn't care that much about their employees, as predicted. Whenever Sam would show up at the Pizzaplex, she would overhear her co-workers complaining about their conditions, mainly about how the upper management didn't care that much about safety, their employees or the fact that even if you bought a Faz-Cam inside Monty's Gator Golf, it would be taken away from you because flash photography was prohibited and put up for sale again. Of course, the Faz-Cam could only be bought at Monty's Gator Golf.

''It is a very clever marketing plan,'' Springtrap commented when he heard about it, while Sam facepalmed in exasperation.

''Tell me, was Fazbear Entertainment always this petty?'' Sam asked. She was well aware of Fazbear Entertainment's corruption, noting how the company literally had you sign a piece of paper stating they're not responsible for your death and they'll be removing any corpses on the premises and cleaning them up with bleach, so she wasn't that shocked they couldn't care less about safety of their employees and visitors. Instead, she was baffled that Fazbear Entertainment would be willing to fire an employee for not serving Chicken Alfredo to some brat who couldn't understand that they didn't even have Chicken Alfredo on the menu. Apparently, the guy who fired that employee also got fired since the S.T.A.F.F. Bots also don't know how to make Chicken Alfredo.

''From what I can recall, yes, Fazbear Entertainment has always been like this,'' Springtrap answered with a sheepish smile. Sam just gave him a glare, with Springtrap being well aware why she was annoyed at him. Being the one who had managed the business side of Fazbear Entertainment way back at the beginning, he was also partially responsible for this corruption, even taking advantage of it whenever he could. However, that didn't mean that he was responsible for how the current Fazbear Entertainment ran the Pizzaplex. ''I suppose it comes as a surprise to you just how bad things can get since the location you worked at before this actually had a competent manager.''

''Yeah, you're right, but still- I feel like I'm losing my braincells because of Fazbear Entertainment's greed. At least in your case, it is understandable that you would be taking advantage of the corruption just to murder more people and hide your crimes… which is just as bad, if not even worse,'' Sam added after she realized what she just said. She shook her head. ''Point is, this is getting ridiculous.''

''What's worse, this is just the beginning.''

Despite the ominous tone, there was a tone of amusement in Springtrap's voice, as if he was looking forward to seeing how far the new owner of Fazbear Entertainment will go before the company goes up in flames once more. There was also a part of him that hoped that this person would also meet an unfortunate end. After all, this was his and Henry's dream, and despite all the tragedy that caused its downfall, he wasn't too fond of the idea of what they had created together falling into the hands of someone else. If he still had been alive, he probably would've taken over the company himself.

''Springtrap, do you have a moment?''

Springtrap snapped out of his thoughts, turning towards Freddy as the latter approached him. He was currently at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, reminiscing about the past days after he had managed to scare off a group of kids by telling them a tale about having an animatronic assistant who could fetch you anything you wanted, including body parts.

''What do you need?'' Springtrap asked.

''Bonnie is scheduled to attend a birthday party in a couple of hours, but his voice box is acting up, so I was hoping that you'd know how to fix it. I know that Sam is the technician, but considering how she's at school and won't be out for another few hours, you're all we got now,'' Freddy explained.

''Don't worry. I'll have that solved in a moment,'' Springtrap told him, walking towards the Parts & Service room, where Bonnie was waiting for them. The former businessman and engineer noted how the Showtime Animatronics were now quite comfortable in his presence, which he saw as a good sign. It was still a weird feeling, though, considering how he spent most of his life destroying the trust of everyone he came across.

As for Freddy, he was at a point where he accepted Springtrap as a member of the band, mostly because he knew that he couldn't get rid off him, but also because he became someone they could rely on. He and his friends didn't have to fear that another murder would happen at their little restaurant and while he was certain that his predecessors would be furious at him for letting the man who had caused so much suffering walk around freely, he wanted to believe that things have changed for the better. Still, he had to wonder whether his successor knew anything about their dark past and whether he would be able to handle the worst case scenario.

xXx

Glamrock Freddy felt his inner battery running out of power as he still entertained children with a smile. He knew that he needed to recharge as soon as possible, but it was a little difficult to get away from the crowd that surrounded him. He was stuck.

''Hey, kids! How about you let Freddy rest for a moment? He doesn't look well.'' Freddy looked up, spotting Bonnie waving at the children, who seemed to have finally realized that Freddy needed to get his mandatory recharge and decided to join Bonnie.

''Thank you for the help, Bonnie. You are a real savior,'' Freddy told his fellow Glamrock co-worker and best friend, looking relieved and thankful for the much needed aid.

''It's fine. You should go recharge before you malfunction,'' Bonnie replied, with Freddy nodding and going towards the closest charging station. Bonnie was well aware that, being the main mascot, Freddy would obviously have to shoulder the brunt of visitors and parties, leaving the animatronic exhausted. This is where Bonnie came in, taking over for Freddy and making sure his closest friend didn't overheat and break down. He would feel devastated if something like that ever happened.

Fortunately, Freddy got the rest he needed and he returned to the group while holding up a rolled-up poster. ''Thank you for taking over. I actually wanted to give you this earlier, but I was too busy to find the time.''

Bonnie took the poster, unfolding it, only for his jaw to drop in surprise when he realized that it was a signed poster of his best friend saying ''YOU & ME FOREVER & EVER — LOVE FREDDY''. He turned to Freddy, quite elated over the poster and even hugging the bear animatronic. ''Thank you so much Freddy! I'll make sure to hang it up in my room right away.''

''I am glad that you like it,'' Freddy replied, waving as Bonnie left.

The blue bunny animatronic was on his merry way to his room when he passed by Superstar Daycare, where he ran into the Daycare Attendant, who was hanging around at the entrance, not wanting to leave the children that were playing inside without a care in the world, but also clearly looking for someone.

''Is something the matter?'' Bonnie asked, noting just how upset his fellow co-worker looked.

''It's really bad! I've been searching all over for Happs, but I can't find him anywhere! I need his help cleaning up the mess made at the playground!'' Sun said, frustrated.

''Wasn't Happs also assigned to Freddy's Fortress? Maybe he's somewhere in the tube maze,'' Bonnie said, pointing at the tubes that were recently installed all over the Pizzaplex.

''He should've already returned by now,'' Sun insisted.

''I'll ask around, okay? Maybe one of the employees knows something,'' Bonnie suggested.

''You do that. I need to tend to the children now,'' Sun replied, vanishing into the daycare. Bonnie then walked away, wondering what might've happened to Happs and determined to find someone who would help Sun find the elusive robot.

xXx

''So, Happs is has vanished and you want us to find him?'' Sam summed up the current situation after having gotten a detailed description from the Daycare Attendant after Glamrock Bonnie directed her and Springtrap to the Superstar Daycare.

''You are the only one who is even remotely curious about Happs whereabouts. I decided to take my chances since none of the employees cares about a missing maintenance animatronic,'' Sun said.

''I see. Do you have an idea where Happs might've gone?'' Sam asked.

''Last time I saw him, he went into Freddy's Fortress,'' Sun told her, pointing at the tube maze going past the daycare. ''I have asked around, but nobody saw him come out, so he might still be inside the maze.''

''Got it. The easiest way to confirm this would be to go inside the tube maze by myself and find him. Maybe he got stuck,'' Sam said.

''Sam, are you sure about that? This maze covers the entire Pizzaplex. You either might end up stuck in the maze or take ages to locate Happs,'' Springtrap told her.

''Don't worry, I have a plan. Just give me a moment,'' Sam told the two, leaving for the back of the building and going to the employee area. Springtrap and Sun exchanged glances, waiting a few minutes until Sam returned with a pair of walkie-talkies and what appeared to be a map.

''What's this?'' Springtrap asked when Sam handed him the map over.

''It is a blueprint of Freddy's Fortress. They used this when they built the maze and then just left it,'' Sam explained, giving Springtrap the spare walkie-talkie. ''While I crawl around the maze, you'll be directing me through the various sections so I don't get lost.''

''That's smart,'' Sun commented, while Springtrap just grinned, well aware that Sam was more than capable of coming up with plans like this. Both of them knew that it would be hard to communicate due to the maze consisting of a special polymer that made it difficult for people outside to hear, so having both the walkie-talkie and the blueprint made things easier for them, especially since they were well aware how parts of the maze may have been blocked by Happs with a mirror for maintenance reasons.

The two then followed Sam to the entrance to Freddy's Fortress, watching her climb into the tube maze and disappear. The walkie-talkie then crackled, with Springtrap and Sun hearing Sam's voice through it.

''It's Sam. Do you two read me?''

''Loud and clear. Let's just hope that we won't lose the connection, because knowing Fazbear Entertainment, something might malfuction,'' Springtrap said.

''Yeah. Anyways, I have managed to reach the part where the maze branches out. Where should I go?'' Sam asked.

''Give me a moment,'' Springtrap muttered, looking down at the map.

''I guess you could go into any direction,'' Sun noted.

''Considering how we don't know anything about Happs's whereabouts, we will have to comb through each section carefully,'' Springtrap replied. ''Let's try going right for now.''

''Got it.''

Sam took the rightmost path, slowly crawling through the tubes. At first, she had a general idea where she was going, but eventually, the tubes slowly started to look all the same to her and it was getting difficult to memorize all the turns she took. Fortunately, she could see through the tubes to some extent, even if the people below her couldn't see her, and she spotted Springtrap and Sun following her path. It was a comforting thought – the fact that she had Springtrap guide her around the Pizzaplex, ensuring her safety. She then followed to the next pipe opening, only to stop when she ran into a mirror. She reached for the walkie-talkie.

''I have to stop here. There's a mirror blocking the path.''

''I understand. Go back to the previous junction and wait there.''

''Got it!''

Sam crawled back, feeling her knees already ache. She knew that it would take a while until she cleared the entire Freddy's Fortress and found Happs and she was already regretting agreeing to this. She wasn't surprised that none of the staff members wanted to participate in this search. The way Fazbear Entertainment has been treating them meant that, if the company didn't care, they didn't care… until Fazbear Entertainment started to care, causing a mad scramble for the employees to get into their good graces to not get fired. Sam figured that she was lucky enough that she didn't have to deal with that, since her situation was more about infiltrating the Pizzaplex to ensure that more tragedies won't happen.

''Agh!''

Sam was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice how she put her hand on thin air before sliding down face-first straight into a ball pit. She sat up, looking at the rubber balls and shaking her head, while the walkie-talkie crackled.

''Sam, are you okay?'' Springtrap's concerned voice came through.

''Yeah, I'm fine. I just landed in the ball pit,'' Sam replied, looking around.

''Hadn't I told you that you were crawling towards one?'' Sam could almost see Springtrap raising an eyebrow, causing her to chuckle.

''Yeah, you did, but I just lost myself in my thoughts, so I didn't notice.'' she replied, scrambling out of the rubber ball pit. ''Which way should I take now? I was thinking about going down the yellow-and-purple tube.''

''If you take that one, you'll be just going in circles. That one was built as a huge loop,'' Springtrap told her after taking a look at the map. ''There is an offshoot to the left, though, so you could take that one. But it will take you a while to get to the next area.''

''I'll take my chances,'' Sam said, crawling into the yellow-and-purple tube and kept on until she found the offshoot, an opaque pipe that led her through a maze of bends and turns until she reached what appeared to be a partition. She reached for the walkie-talkie. ''No dice. This one is blocked off.''

''That's strange…'' Sun's voice came through. ''This pipe is supposed to lead to a junction area and it should be available for everyone.''

''Wait… It seems like something… Ah!'' Sam reached for the partition, noting how there were scratch marks on the plastic. It took her a bit of moving around, but she managed to knock the partition down. ''I think someone tried to get through into that area after Happs closed it off.'' She crawled ahead, only to stop when she found herself staring ahead, unsure whether to continue when she realized that the tube was shaking. ''I think this one's loose.''

''Be careful!'' Springtrap warned her. He and Sun had managed to reach the part where Sam was, observing how there was a blocked area that, as Sun put it, should've been accessible. It was a web of pipes that lead to the highest parts of the Pizzaplex, where no one would even notice the tubes. Springtrap frowned as he stared at where the tubes led, having a bad feeling about this whole thing.

''Agh!''

''Sam! Sam! What happened?!'' Springtrap shouted into the walkie-talkie in concern. The last thing he needed was for Sam to get hurt on his watch.

''I'm fine! I just stumbled into that blocked-off area! I feel a little sore, but nothing's broken! I think that pipe from earlier broke off and someone tried to hastily fix it.'' Sam's voice came through the walkie-talkie. Springtrap sighed in relief. ''I'll try to explore it. Maybe Happs got stuck here and that's why we can't find him?''

''Fine, but be careful. These tubes go high up and if one of them breaks off, it's going to be a hard fall,'' Springtrap replied. He and Sun continued following Sam, exchanging information about their whereabouts respectively until she managed to find her way to the bottom of the Pizzaplex, sounding quite exhausted.

''This maze feels like it's never going to end,'' Sam complained as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. ''There is still no sign of Happs. I think I should return and find another path.''

It must've been an hour or so since Sam crawled into the tubes and she made her way through another offshoot, this one turning a bit more interesting than the previous one. ''Okay, that's strange.''

''What is it?'' Springtrap asked.

''Every few turns I take, I come across more and more of those mirror partitions. Do you have any idea why those parts are closed off?'' Sam asked.

''No, there doesn't seem to be any reason for that,'' Sun said, looking up at the tube maze above. ''We aren't in a restricted section of the Pizzaplex either.''

''Yeah, I can see you two from my position. I'll be taking a right turn here…'' Sam trailed off, following a tube that led to a slide that ended up in another ball pit. ''Oh, God…''

''Sam, what happened?'' Springtrap asked, feeling chills when he heard her voice.

''A foot- There's a severed foot here!'' Sam's shocked voice came through.

''A animatronic foot right?'' Sun asked, sincerely praying that was the case.

''No, it's a human foot! There's also blood- Wait-'' There was sudden silence on the other side, with Sam's voice, now cold and hollow, coming through moments later, ''I see the body. There's a corpse inside the tube.'' She paused, adding in a mirthless tone, ''I guess now we know why this area was blocked.''

''Sam, get out of the right now! You're in danger!'' Springtrap shouted. He could hear banging through the walkie-talkie, well aware that Sam was now scrambling to get out of the tube maze. ''Do you think you can go back through the slide?''

''It's pretty steep. I think I'll have to go ahead,'' Sam replied, her voice way calmer than Springtrap expected. Truth to be told, she was already used to finding corpses.

''There is a junction ahead. If you take the right side, you should get to a lower level of the maze,'' Springtrap directed her, him and Sun following the tube.

''Oh, what should we do? If this was Happs-'' Sun got cut off by Springtrap.

''This was Happs. I don't know why, but he is the only robot inside that maze,'' Springtrap said, his tone firm. Then, as if to confirm that statement, they heard another voice over the walkie-talkie, this one being raspy and broken.

''Out. With me.''

xXx

''Sam!''

Sam crawled as fast as she could through the maze, having jammed the walkie-talkie so she could hear Springtrap's instructions while she was stuck in a mad chase with Happs. The robot certainly saw better days, having a cracked face and his arm joins having snapped. His grin resembled more of a sneer, and his foam hands and spiky metal pinchers had been ripped off, exposing the sharp metal. His telescoping extender had also been damaged, resembling a serrated knife. Frankly, Sam saw worse, having been friends with the Drawkill Animatronics, but still, she wasn't going to come anywhere near Happs now that he was in this state.

''Out. With me.''

''Then go back the other way and I'll follow!'' Sam hissed. Unfortunately for her, Happs couldn't care less about her demand, instead following her like a madman. She was a little faster than him, avoiding getting her own legs amputated as she turned left as per Springtrap's instructions,… only to run into a goddamn mirror partition. ''Damn it!''

Sam managed to get away from the mirror partition just in time as Happs swung his arm at her, going through another tube. She could briefly see Springtrap and Sun following her, with Springtrap suddenly shoving the walkie-talkie and the map into Sun's arms and running off. She hoped that the bunny animatronic had a plan for this, because Happs was relentless in his pursuit.

''Take the left at the next junction. There is a ladder you can climb down,'' Sun instructed her. Sam did as instructed, barely missing another swing from Happs that almost caught her leg. Fortunately, the ladder slowed Happs down and she could get some distance from him, only to get an instruction from Sun that baffled her. ''Stop right there!''

''Wh-What?! Why?!'' Sam felt her heart racing as she heard Happs behind her. She froze, not understanding why Sun would tell her that, only too look down and find Springtrap standing on a table with a fire axe. She had managed to get to a lower section of the tube maze, allowing Springtrap to swing at the plastic with the fire axe and break through the seams that connected the tubes. Pieces of plastic were flying around, with Sam turning her head and seeing Happs right behind her. She suddenly lunged forward and through the broken tube, ending up safe in Springtrap's arms, with a searing pain spreading from her leg. ''Agh!''

Sam opened her eyes as she heard a loud crash behind her. She managed to turn her head just at the right angle to see Happs on the floor, with Sun holding the axe Springtrap had discarded to catch Sam. She glanced then at her leg, her trousers torn at the side where Happs caught her. She was bleeding, but fortunately, it didn't seem like anything was severed.

''Out. With meeeeee,'' Happs whined, only to for an electronic screech to be emitted from his voice box as he attempted to get up. He was stopped when Sun suddenly brought down the fire axe, hacking at the exposed wiring until the robot stopped moving.

''I don't like violence, but this was a life and death situation,'' Sun said, staring at Happs. ''I'm sorry, buddy.''

''You know, I'd feel better if you put the axe down,'' Sam told him, with Sun lowering the weapon in question.

''Never mind that, you're bleeding,'' Springtrap said, keeping a tight grip on Sam as he carried her bridal style towards the employee-only area to get the first-aid kit. ''Sun, you go and tell the head of security what we have found. After this, I don't think anyone will be allowed into Freddy's Fortress.''

Sun nodded, doing as he was told, while Springtrap brought Sam into the staff room, grabbing the first-aid kit and looking at the bleeding gash below her knee. ''I think you'll need a new uniform.''

Sam snorted as he started to rip off the torn clothing so he could get to the wound, hissing as he cleaned the wound and wrapped the bandages around it. ''What do you think will happen when Fazbear Entertainment learns about this?''

''They'll cover it up,'' Springtrap said in a matter-of-fact tone. ''I'm more concerned that you will get in trouble.''

''You mean Fazbear Entertainment? The worst they can do to me is fire me, and even that's not going to stop me from coming back,'' Sam sighed, feeling her hands shaking. ''I'm more upset that Happs ended up killing that kid. What's worse is that it looked like he was stuck there for some time.''

''I wouldn't be surprised if there are more corpses,'' Springtrap muttered. He knew that there wasn't anything they could do about this, since Fazbear Entertainment would find a way to escape the consequences. They always did.

xXx

As predicted, the aftermath of the Happs incident resulted on a part of Freddy's Fortress getting blocked for ''maintenance reasons'', with Fazbear Entertainment removing the parts where the bodies of not one, but two kids were found. Fazbear Entertainment launched a private investigation, concluding that not only was it the two boys' fault for crawling into a restricted section of the tube maze, but also damaging their property, resulting in Happs malfunctioning and killing them in what they called an ''unfortunate incident''. The story was believable and what was worse, the father of one of the boys, Aiden, didn't seem to care that much that his son died. At least, that's what Sam and Springtrap heard from their fellow co-workers.

Sun was upset that Happs would be removed from the Pizzaplex, meaning that he was stuck cleaning and maintaining the Superstar Daycare on his own, but he could manage. As for Sam, she was also punished for damaging her uniform and for the tube Springtrap had broken to save her by having money from this month's paycheck being taken out for the repairs of the tube maze and replacement for the uniform. She couldn't care less about that.

''I have talked to Mr. Crane about Happs and he said that after he ran diagonstics on the robot's programming, it turned out that he was just malfunctioning due to the damage he had sustained,'' Sam explained. She was currently at home, resting on the couch while recounting together with Springtrap what had happened to Emma (who was furious over how Fazbear Entertainment treated her daughter), Matt (who visited her to check on her) and Michael, Sammy and Elizabeth (who already knew that this was what would happen).

''In other words, this isn't Glitchtrap's doing,'' Springtrap added.

''Yeah, that sounds like what I had been dealing with while working at Freddy's. Except the bodies would be stuffed into animatronic suits,'' Michael commented, but was only heard by Sam, Springtrap and his siblings.

''Honestly, I hate that you had to put yourself through this, sweetheart,'' Emma said, glancing at Sam's injured leg.

''I think that it could've been worse,'' Matt said, drawing everyone's attention. ''You said that Happs was malfunctioning and trying to get you out of the tube maze. Imagine if he actually intended to kill you.''

''Considering how I've already been in a situation like this, I can imagine that quite well,'' Sam said, then gave her mother an assuring look. ''I'll be fine. The wound isn't that deep.''

''Do you think they'll be removing the whole Freddy's Fortress?'' Elizabeth asked, turning to her brothers and her father. Sammy and Michael shrugged, while Springtrap answered, ''Maybe? Freddy's Fortress is quite expansive, so they might remove it after they realize how difficult it is to maintain it. Not to mention, trying to cut costs.''

Emma and Matt gave him a confused look, because from their perspective, Springtrap was talking to no one, but they soon realized that he was probably answering the question one of his children asked. They were made aware of Michael, Elizabeth and Sammy's return, with the Afton children deciding to stick around for the time being. Sam and Springtrap were the only ones able to see and talk to them, but it seemed that Matt could somehow sense their presence. Emma also had a little interaction with them, with Elizabeth having managed to draw her attention by slamming the door shut.

Emma then sighed. ''In any case, I guess we're going to expect more of these kinds of situations in the future, right?''

''I don't know. I'm not trying to get myself killed intentionally,'' Sam replied in a snarky tone.

''Oh, really?'' Emma rose an eyebrow. Sam furrowed a brow, staring at her mother. She knew that, while Emma was worried about her, she would allow Sam to do whatever she deemed necessary regardless of the consequences. Sam knew that she was lucky that Emma understood the task at hand, because if she actually acted like a normal parent, she would forbid Sam from stepping a foot in the Pizzaplex ever again, even with Springtrap's protection.

''It is still awful that Fazbear Entertainment got away with this,'' Matt noted.

''They'll probably get away with more things in the future. The one question that remains is how far things will escalate,'' Springtrap concluded in a grim tone.

Links:

#Previous Chapter

#Next Chapter

[tenebraevesper]

William in the novels/movie stated that he saw the animatronics/kids like a family and that he's one of them, so him hating children makes zero sense. Not to mention, being an entertainer, he would know how to draw them in. You don't have to hate someone to be abusive towards them.

I know the common idea is that William Afton hates kids, but what about the slightly more horrifying one:

he doesn’t hate them, in fact, he’s really good with them. Kids naturally gravitate towards him because he’s a warm presence. If his DBD lines say anything, it’s that he is charismatic and he uses that to his advantage. That adds a whole new level of sinister to him I think.

[tenebraevesper]

Dead by Daylight | Five Nights At Freddy’s Launch Trailer

[tenebraevesper]

The Animatronic - William Afton/Springtrap (DbDxFNaF)

[tenebraevesper]

Five Nights at Freddy's: Obsolete, Night 24: Reunion

''We can only roam when the monster's put to rest. I just want to go back home and get rid of all this stress. Now I'm all alone, seeing nothing but the dark. I walk without the fear that'll only go so far.''

– Afton Family by KryFuZe & APAngryPiggy

xXxXxXx

''I… I think I saw Glitchtrap.''

Springtrap and Emma stared at Sam, looking shocked when she confessed. Both immediately got on their feet, walking over to Sam, with Emma placing her hands on her shoulders as if shielding her, while Springtrap knelt down to be at her eye-level and held her hands, as if fearing that someone might take her away from him and Emma.

''Sam, are you okay? Perhaps you should sit down,'' Emma suggested. Having been dealing with the supernatural and learning more about Sam and Springtrap's work, she already understood that this was serious. Sam shook her head.

''I wanted to tell you that back when Theresa bullied me, I would either feel Glitchtrap's presence or even see him, and I would have those moments when I'd black out and feel this sudden urge to just end the lives of those who make me miserable,'' Sam said, forcing herself to admit everything she had been going through.

''But, you didn't fall for it,'' Springtrap said, with Sam shaking her head again.

''No, because I knew what was going on and I wasn't going to give in so easily,'' she said in a steady tone, although Springtrap could feel her fingers tremble.

''That's a relief,'' Emma said.

''I'm sorry for keeping this a secret, Mum,'' Sam told her mother, who just smiled back assuringly.

''Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm happy that you trust me enough to share that with me,'' Emma replied, sighing. ''Honestly, it would've been worse if you told me that you've been drinking and smoking behind my back instead of dealing with the supernatural.''

''You can't be serious,'' Sam pouted, rolling her eyes. She did smile in spite of herself, something Springtrap took note of. He knew that Emma just wanted to lighten the mood to make sure that her daughter felt comfortable talking about this stuff.

''You said that you saw and sensed Glitchtrap whenever you were in a stressful situation in the presence of someone whom you hated,'' Springtrap said, drawing their attention. Sam nodded sharply. ''Then, I guess that I don't have to tell you what that means.''

''I know. It's not all too different from those children trying to harm me, although Glitchtrap is in a whole another league,'' Sam said.

''Then, what do you want to do?'' Emma asked, ready to help her daughter no matter how.

''Unfortunately, there isn't anything that we can do,'' Springtrap said, earning a glare from Emma that screamed 'Really?! You got nothing?!'. He got up, staring at the two. ''Unless a spirit has direct access to their victim, they can only manipulate them when they are at their weakest. Sam had shown emotional vulnerability, which allowed Glitchtrap to target her. At the same time, she has shown resilience, meaning that she won't fall victim to any kind of possession, at least not without a fight. Me and you know about her situation also guarantees that we'll know what to do if this happens again.''

''So, there is no imminent solution?'' Emma asked. Sam shifted her gaze from her mother to Springtrap.

''There are only two ways to stop this from happening. Either Glitchtrap loses interest in Sam, which I doubt will happen, or we eliminate him, which is going to be even harder to do since we're dealing with a piece of soul that somehow gained its own individuality and can use a video game to influence people,'' Springtrap replied. Emma took a deep breath, glancing at Sam.

''How do you feel?'' she asked. Sam shrugged, still looking weary, with Emma adding. ''If you want to skip school for the sake of your mental health, I can call your teacher. Just tell me how long you want to stay at home.''

Sam was baffled, and even Springtrap gave Emma a bewildered look. He frowned. ''Who are you and what did you do to Emma?''

Emma shot him an annoyed look. ''Point is, you've been dealing with a lot of stuff. The most I can do is to excuse your school absence and give you time to recover. How you're going to use it is up to you.''

''Thanks, Mum,'' Sam replied with a smile, looking relieved. ''Then, I want the rest of the week off.''

''Sounds reasonable enough,'' Emma said. Sam then left, going back to sleep, with Springtrap turning to Emma.

''You know that she'll be immediately going to Freddy's now that she has free time,'' he told her.

''I know, and I think she needs this. She had been spending months avoiding talking about what had happened after you were gone, and her mental health got worse. Now that she's confronting all of this, she's getting better. It may sound contradictory, but it is what it is,'' Emma explained. ''Not to mention, you'll be keeping an eye on her.''

''True… Still, are you sure you're the real Emma? Because there is no way the real Emma would trust me so easily,'' Springtrap asked, with Emma glaring at him.

''You know, maybe I could put that flamethrower I have to good use now…'' Emma started, with Springtrap giving her a dubious look.

''You're lying.''

''Am I? You find all kinds of stuff at yard sales.'' Emma shrugged, walking upstairs, adding in a sing-song voice, ''Good night~!''

Springtrap couldn't help but feel a sudden chill.

xXx

''Why is that area sectioned off?'' Glamrock Freddy asked, walking up to Glamrock Bonnie. It was early in the morning and they still had some time before the Pizzaplex opened for business, so the Glamrocks ended up roaming around along and observe the human employees.

''A technician told me that they wanted to add more attractions, like an AR Dome, a VR attraction and an Urban Legends Role Play Auditorium,'' Bonnie explained.

''What are you two talking about?'' Glamrock Chica and Roxanne Wolf suddenly approached the two, curious about the commotion.

''It seems like we'll be getting new attractions,'' Bonnie told them.

''Already? But the Pizzaplex had only been open for a couple of days,'' Chica pointed out.

''That means that the Pizzaplex is successful if they want to expand, right?'' Freddy asked.

''Correction. We are successful,'' Roxy said, pointing at herself before folding her arms across her chest. ''The main reason why people come to this place is because they want to see us. As long as this new attraction doesn't overshadow me, I don't care what they're doing.''

''Somebody should also tell Monty, DJ Music Man and the Daycare Attendant about this,'' Freddy said, with the other three giving him dubious looks.

''I'll volunteer for Monty,'' Bonnie said, raising his hand, with Chica and Roxy exchanging glances and Roxy slowly raising her hand.

''I volunteer Freddy to tell the Daycare Attendant,'' Roxy said, much to Freddy's disbelief and everyone else's approval.

''Wait, why did you volunteer me?'' Freddy asked.

''Because I am busy and you were the one who suggested that we tell it,'' Roxy replied, flipping her hair. A sense of tension hung in the air as the rest of the conversation was left unspoken, specifically that none of the Glamrock Animatronics were fond of the Daycare Attendant, considering him creepy, if not even unhinged. They all stayed away from the daycare area whenever they could.

While Freddy did agree with Roxy's sentiment about taking responsibility, he still didn't like the idea of having to visit the Daycare Attendant, even wondering if he could ask the employees whether they could tell it about the new additions. In the end, all he could do is sigh in resignation and walk off to the Superstar Daycare, hoping that the Attendant won't act… weird.

The walk to that area was shorter than he hoped it would be, even after dragging his feet and walking as slowly as possible. Freddy always held the belief that, as the main mascot of the Mega Pizzaplex and leader of the Glamrock Animatronics, he should befriend his fellow animatronics and treat them with kindness. He had success with most of them, even the more isolated Monty, but he simply couldn't extend the same courtesy to the Daycare Attendant. He even tried to call him by his name rather than his title and tried to see as a person rather than just a robot, but he couldn't deny anymore that there was something unsettling about that animatronic. It also didn't help that yesterday, he heard that there was an incident at the daycare where a toddler was found crying in the corner and screaming in fear whenever the Daycare Attendant tried to get close to him. Nobody knew what happened and the Daycare Attendant told the parents that they were just playing when the lights suddenly went out. As for what happened in-between the lights going out and turning on, nobody knew, and Freddy doubted anyone wanted to know.

Despite just being an animatronic with an extremely advanced AI, Freddy couldn't help but note how the emotions he felt were similar to that of a human with a severe case of anxiety as she stood in front of the daycare. He tried to calm down, taking note of how it was open and ready to accept all the small children and toddlers who needed proper supervision that couldn't be provided by their parents or caretakers. He steeled his resolve, entering the daycare area and immediately spotted the Daycare Attendant giving instructions to another robot that was assigned to this area.

That robot in question was the Helpful Automated Pipe Protection Server, also known as Happs, an animatronic built for janitorial and maintenance duties of the tube maze at the far side of the playground which, going by the sign, was supposed to be expanded soon, possibly extend to areas outside the daycare. Freddy rubbed his head, his circuits and wires already feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scale of Fazbear Entertainment's future plans for the Pizzaplex.

''Hello, you two!''

The Daycare Attendant, now in the form of Sun, and Happs, turned to Glamrock Freddy curiously, clearly not expecting his presence at the daycare.

''Hello, Freddy! What are you doing here?'' Sun asked.

''I wanted to inform you about Fazbear Entertainment adding new attractions to the Pizzaplex, but it seems that you are already aware of it,'' Freddy said, pointing at the sign on the tube maze.

''Right, right! But this only means there will be more children who will come to play with me. My excitement can be barely contained!'' Sun replied happily, only to take note of Freddy's uncomfortable look. His cheerful demeanor immediately changed as he asked flatly, ''What?''

''Oh, it is nothing. I am glad that you have no issues with the upcoming changes,'' Freddy replied, trying not to show how nervous he was. ''I should go check on the others now. The Pizzaplex will open soon.''

Sun stared at Glamrock Freddy as he left quickly, then glanced at Happs. ''If I had a nickel every time I got those weird looks from people, I'd have two nickles, which isn't a lot, but tells me that it will happen more often in the future.''

Happs just stared at Sun, not responding. He had no clue what was going on and he didn't care, since he was only here to clean and maintain the area.

xXx

''Monty! Hey, where are you?'' Glamrock Bonnie was walking through the golf course in search for the elusive reptile animatronic, unaware that Monty was hiding in the bushes and ferns with a golf club in his hands and a wide smirk on his snout. If he managed to smash Bonnie into pieces, a new spot in the Glamrock Band would open and he could easily fill it. He just needed the right opportunity, which luckily presented itself. They were both alone here, no employees nor annoying S.T.A.F.F. Bots to keep an eye on them.

Monty observed Bonnie as he walked past his hiding place and slowly approached the bunny animatronic, lifting up the golf club high, his eyes flashing maliciously.

''What are you doing Monty?''

Monty felt as if all of his systems almost crashed down, getting startled by Freddy, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere right behind him. He quickly lowered the golf club before Bonnie could notice him. ''Oh, I was… I was practicing my swingin'. Ya know, to show the kids how a professional golfer hits a hole in one.'' Monty then did a few practice swings as if to demonstrate what he was doing earlier. ''Gotta make sure I don't get rusty.''

Freddy stared at him for a moment, then nodded approvingly. ''That is good. I just wanted to tell you that we will be getting new attractions soon.''

''New attractions?'' Monty lowered the golf club, giving Freddy a look of disbelief. ''Why would they add new attractions? Ain't the ones we have enough?''

Freddy rubbed the back of his head. ''I am not sure. I guess Fazbear Entertainment has deemed the Pizzaplex successful enough to add more attractions.''

''I see… They're gonna give the kids other places they can go to 'n have fun,'' Monty muttered, sounding crestfallen. He lifted his head when Freddy put a hand on his shoulder.

''Do not worry. I am sure that people will see the value of Monty's Gator Golf. You simply do what you always do. You are also a superstar, just like me and the other Glamrocks,'' Freddy assured him. Monty nodded, only for the two to get interrupted by Bonnie. Freddy was happy to see his close friend, while Monty glared at the bunny animatronic, wondering what Bonnie had that made him part of the main band, while he was stuck at this attraction. He gripped the golf club tightly, almost bending it as he watched the two leave, his red eyes glowing in anger and desire to be more than he was now.

Perhaps, one day, he would be the one standing on the main stage.

xXx

Sam took a deep breath, leaning against the rail as she overlooked the Atrium. ''I guess that so far, there is no sign of Glitchtrap… or any murderous activities.''

''If I were you, I'd be more worried whether someone from your school will see you. You are supposed to be at home resting,'' Springtrap, who was standing next to her, said. Sam shot him a glare.

''You're sounding like Mum,'' she grumbled.

''If I'm sounding like Emma, I suppose that means that I'm one step closer to actually sounding like a caring parent,'' Springtrap replied in a snarky tone. Sam just rolled her eyes.

''I guess I could go to Monty's Gator Golf, since there don't seem to be that many people. I did promise Monty a match,'' Sam said. ''Do you want to come along or explore the place on your own?''

''Do you want me to accompany you?'' Springtrap asked. Sam paused for a moment.

''I think I'll be fine on my own. Besides, this is a place where I won't be feeling any negative emotions for Glitchtrap to exploit,'' Sam replied. Springtrap nodded, observing her leave for Monty's Gator Golf. Once she was gone, he went down to the Atrium and continued to walk towards the more secluded areas, parts of the building he knew were not accessible to regular visitors. He knew that if he wanted to learn more about Fazbear Entertainment's plans for this place, he would have to go to the employee-only areas. Even then, it would be difficult to be granted any access, as he figured that he needed to have a special pass, which he doubted they would give to an animatronic.

Fortunately, he was not just any animatronic, but the co-founder of this franchise and knew the inner workings of Fazbear Entertainment better than anyone else. They didn't care too much about their security and would cover up any incidents, whether they were accidental or deliberate. This meant that this place was perfect for a supernatural sentient AI to infiltrate it without anyone noticing.

Well, maybe it is not as easy as I thought. Springtrap's eyes narrowed as he spotted a couple of S.T.A.F.F. Bots patrolling the hallway leading to the employee-only area. The actually reacted to his presence, blocking his path and not allowing him to go further. Frankly, he could just easily take care of them, but something else caught his attention. He spotted a figure further away dashing into another hallway. Ignoring the S.TA.F.F. Bots telling him to turn around, he quickly followed the figure, trying to track it down. He could sense that something about that figure was familiar, but he needed to make sure it wasn't a hallucination.

He turned a corner, only stop and stare at the small figure who was pouting as she observed a vending machine, clearly irritated that she couldn't get anything to drink or the snack she wanted. She then turned around when she sensed Springtrap's presence, her jaw dropping slightly in surprise, her eyes wide as she met the animatronic's gaze.

''Daddy?''

''Elizabeth? What are you doing here?'' Springtrap was stunned to see his daughter, who quickly ran up to him.

''What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Hell?'' Elizabeth asked in return. Springtrap winced when his daughter gave him a suspicious stare.

''It's… complicated, but I do have a good reason of coming back this time,'' he told her. ''Where are Michael and Sammy?''

''They were with me moments ago. I think they got lost,'' Elizabeth replied, only to be met with a dubious look from her father.

''Really? Are you sure you weren't the one who got lost?'' he asked, with Elizabeth giving him a mischievous grin.

''Nope! I knew where I was going, but maybe we should go find Mike and Sammy. I'm sure they'd want to see you too,'' Elizabeth replied.

''That's a good idea,'' Springtrap replied, walking ahead, with Elizabeth following him. He had to admit that learning about his children have also returned to the realm of the living was quite a surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise. Going by Elizabeth's reaction, they didn't know that he was here too, meaning that they have returned for a different reason.

The two eventually found their way back to the Atrium, looking around for Michael and Sammy. It took them a while, but Springtrap, being a spirit himself, could sense their presence once he focused on them and eventually found them upstairs, with the two brothers looking quite concerned over losing their sister.

''Mike, look!'' Sammy suddenly jabbed Michael's arm, pointing at the two figures approaching them. Michael was relieved to see his sister, only for a look of disbelief to appear on his expression, him and Sammy exchanging glances when they realized who was accompanying her.

''Father?!''

''Dad, what are you doing here?''

The Afton brothers was completely baffled by this sudden family reunion, with Springtrap replying, ''I could ask you two the same question.''

''I think it is more concerning that you are here,'' Michael replied in a snarky tone.

''It is, but not for the reasons you think,'' Springtrap said, beckoning the three to follow him. ''Let's go find a more secluded place to talk before people start wondering why I'm talking to no one.''

''The one advantage of being a ghost is that you can make people believe they're going crazy,'' Elizabeth said with a smirk as they followed Springtrap towards another part of the upper floor, one that had not many people. They eventually ended up at El Chip's restaurant, which didn't seem to be as much of a hot spot as the pizza place. They sat at a table that was the furthest away from any other visitors.

''How come you three are here?'' Springtrap asked. ''Going by your reaction, none of you knew that I came back.''

''It is hard to explain, but we just had this strange sensation that we should be here,'' Michael replied.

''We also saw a figure of… I think it was a bunny? But, it looked really weird, as if it couldn't take a form,'' Sammy added.

''We decided that we should follow both the sensation and the bunny, and we ended up here,'' Elizabeth added. ''Mike and Sammy then got lost.''

''You were the one who ran off!'' Sammy protested, but Elizabeth just stuck out her tongue in defiance.

''So, to recap, you came here because not only did you sense that you needed to be here, but also because you saw a weird bunny figure?'' Springtrap said, with all three nodding.

''What about you?'' Michael asked. ''Weren't you supposed to be stuck in Hell for good?''

''I was, until I realized that I have the ability to return whenever I want,'' Springtrap explained. ''As long as I am tethered to this realm, I will always come back. Unfortunately, I am not here just for a visit.''

''What did you do this time?'' Michael asked, furrowing a brow. Springtrap looked a little irked that his eldest son immediately suspected him of doing something bad, even though he knew there was a good reason for that.

''I haven't done anything… yet. The issue here was that my stay in that Hell and the torture I had undergone through has fractured my soul. That resulted in an entity separate from myself called Glitchtrap appearing. This entity now wants to continue the legacy I have abandoned,'' Springtrap explained.

''That's not good,'' Sammy said, looking troubled by the news. ''Wait, does this mean we also might've seen Glitchtrap?''

''That may be the case, but for what reason, I can't tell,'' Springtrap replied. ''Rest assured, I don't want either of you three to put yourself into danger. You know what I'm capable of, so assume that Glitchtrap is capable of the same thing, if not even worse.'' He was met by a stunned stare coming from all three of them. ''What's the matter?''

''It is still a little surprising to hear you care about us. We're not used to that,'' Michael replied, with Sammy and Elizabeth nodding in agreement.

''That's fair…'' Springtrap muttered.

''What about Sam? Does she know?'' Elizabeth asked.

''She does. In fact, she had been targeted by Glitchtrap,'' Springtrap explained.

''She must've been really happy to see you,'' Elizabeth said without a shred of irony.

''Actually, she was quite furious to see me, to the point that she refused to talk to me,'' Springtrap told her with a look of guilt.

''That's a more appropriate reaction,'' Michael said with a chuckle. ''Is she here?''

''Yes. She said she'd be at Monty's Gator Golf. She has also become an employee at the Pizzaplex,'' Springtrap added. ''She also knows everything about what's going on and she is determined to deal with Glitchtrap just as much as I am.''

''Then let's pay her a visit!'' Elizabeth exclaimed.

xXx

''Woah, nice shot, Monty,'' Sam praised the alligator as he managed to get ahead of her by two points. ''I guess I lost.''

''That's what happens when you face the golf master,'' Monty said proudly, with Sam giving him the golf club back. His expression turned to disappointment. ''What? You're already leaving ol' Monty?''

''I'm sorry, but I still have some work to do. I just needed some quiet time to calm my nerves,'' Sam replied.

''I guess the other Glamrocks take priority over me, don't they?'' Monty muttered. Sam felt bad for him.

''You really want to become a member of the Glamrock Band, don't you?'' she said.

''I do, but there's nothin' that can be done. Fazbear Entertainment only wants four band members, not five,'' Monty replied.

''Maybe they will change their mind in time,'' Sam said.

''I doubt it.'' Monty shook his head. Sam then turned her attention to the figure approaching them, with Monty taking note of her look of surprise. He followed her gaze, spotting Springtrap beckoning her to join him.

''I have to go now. See you later.'' Sam waved at him, leaving the golf course. Unlike Monty, she saw three more people standing beside Springtrap.

''Mike, Sammy, Elizabeth, what are you doing here?'' she asked, stunned to see the Afton siblings.

''It's a long story,'' Michael replied as they continued their walk. With Sam accompanying Springtrap, their conversation wouldn't draw any weird looks. ''How are you doing?''

''I'm doing better now than I did before,'' Sam replied, happy to see them.

''I guess we should've checked on you,'' Sammy said, him and his siblings feeling a little guilty that they too just abandoned her without telling her anything.

''It's fine. You guys deserved some peace after everything that happened. As for me, I suppose I can't help it but always come back to Freddy's to solve any new mysteries,'' Sam replied.

''I guess that since we're here, we can help you. It's not like we have anything better to do,'' Elizabeth said.

''Thanks.'' Sam smiled. The joy didn't last too long, because they eventually came across an employee carrying a first aid kit while running past them. ''Did something happen?''

''Only one way to find out,'' Springtrap said. The group followed the employee to the back of the building, eventually hearing a man whine and gasp and curse, with red droplets covering the ground and leading up to another employee sitting on the ground while clutching his stomach. Further away from him was a S.T.A.F.F. Bot holding a bloody knife. Sam, Springtrap, Michael, Sammy and Elizabeth hid around the corner, watching the man with the first aid kit tending to the other man's wound.

''Damn those robots! This one just snuck up on me- aghhhh!'' The man hissed in pain.

''Keep your voice down!'' the other man replied, sounding more irritated than worried. ''Fazbear Entertainment doesn't pay you to writhe on the ground.''

''That thing stabbed me!''

''Yeah, so what? You probably provoked it.''

''No, I didn't!''

''Then it's malfunctioning!''

''I don't care, I'm bleeding out there!''

''You did sign a waiver that Fazbear Entertainment isn't responsible for any work-related injuries.''

''Oh, screw you and that waiver!''

Sam and Springtrap exchanged glances, with Sam gesturing for them to leave. Once they were away from the two employees, Michael said in a rather sarcastic tone, ''I'm glad to see that Fazbear Entertainment hasn't changed their approach to how they handle their employees.''

''I'm more curious about that robot. Was it really malfunctioning or was it intentionally programmed to attack?'' Sammy said.

''I don't know, but I hope that it was just an accident, because I don't like the alternative,'' Sam said.

''I guess this means there is going to be a lot more accidents,'' Elizabeth said, glancing at her father.

''You're right. This is just the beginning,'' Springtrap said.

xXx

Vanessa took a deep breath, rubbing her eyes as she felt the fatigue. She stared at the monitor, scrolling down a set of security documents. Thanks to her… partner and his influence, she was allowed access to many things she didn't even know about, including Fazbear Entertainment's future projects. Her partner wanted her to grant him full control over all of those projects, planning on infecting them and corrupting them completely. He claimed that the entire Pizzaplex belonged solely to him and that it was his right to have control over all of the creations.

Vanessa could do nothing else but follow his orders. After all, she too belonged to him now, being nothing more but a tool in his hands. These nightmares would never stop, no matter what she did. He didn't care about her suffering, and she shouldn't care about the people she would make suffer.

Right, all she needed to do was to give into that control. Even if she talked to a therapist about what was really troubling her, it would not matter. No one would believe her.

Well, she could still talk to Luis. Sure, she was initially irritated because he would constantly question her about 'Brad', the alias that was given to her partner, but she guessed that he was a nice guy. He never told the higher ups about her strange behavior and even allowed her access to the IT department, allowing her to hack the system. He was certainly useful.

I haven't heard anything from Luis in a while.

Vanessa shook her head, her eyes narrowing. No, right now she didn't have time for any conversations with him. She had to screen through the e-mails and documents, eventually finding one about a box of costumes being shipped to the Pizzaplex. She read the list, realizing that this box contained very old animatronic costumes, some going as far as 1979.

''Why would they need animatronic costumes that are so old?'' Vanessa muttered under her breath, only to hear an eerie voice talk in her head.

''Because, they don't make these kinds of animatronic suits anymore. At least not the ones that can be worn by both animatronics and humans.''

''What?'' Vanessa groaned, her head aching as she rubbed her temple. ''Is there any value to them?''

''Indeed. I was one of their creators.''

Vanessa sighed, closing the e-mail and checking another one. It was a complaint to the upper management of Fazbear Entertainment about a staff member getting attacked by a S.T.A.F.F. Bot. Even though she held some responsibility for suggesting that the S.T.A.F.F. Bots take on more work so Fazbear Entertainment wouldn't have to pay for the employees, this didn't concern her. If the staff members couldn't deal with the robots, that wasn't her fault.

Vanessa leaned back in her swivel chair, sighing once more. There was so much work to do and the week hasn't begun yet. Not to mention, she still had to keep an eye on Samantha Blackburn, as per her partner's instructions. Although, it seemed that he was doing a good job himself. She still had no answer in regards to his obsession with her, and frankly, she doubted she ever wanted to know.

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[tenebraevesper]

Considering how Henry and William went from owning a small family diner to a whole pizzeria franchise and robotics company, hiring a third party was necessary for them to keep things runnning.

I'm gonna post this twitter thread in the main tags because I think it explains everything of concern with the new game pretty thoroughly! I see a lot of people freaking out (I also did at first because of what I heard)

old information we have about Henry and William and the animatronics is basically untouched, they still made most everything, the new game just adds extra context and information to what was going on back when fazbear entertainment was getting off the ground. it makes sense for henry & william to not have made literally every single animatronic since fazbear ent. is a big chain of locations, but that doesn't mean they weren't responsible for plenty of stuff on their own still