Baker's POV:

I yawn, tugging the trash bag up out of its bin. My tired eyes lay half-lidded and give me blurry vision, but I don't mind; they'll wake up eventually. Having extracted the bag of garbage, I unlock the alley doorway and step out onto the concrete.

Whew. Cities don't smell good after rains like lawns do, not at all. I open the dumpster bin and toss in the refuse from this morning's baking. Something catches my eye on the ground, and I flick my gaze towards it.

What on Earth...? I think, seeing what I now realize is the tip of a shoe on the other side of the bin. Curious, I walk over, expecting to see yet another homeless person sleeping away in the alley. Instead, I see a small, petite, black and red pelt, and it takes me a few seconds to register that it's attached to the body of what appears to be a Mobian. I peer closer, interested--I've never seen a Mobian in person before--and nearly choke on my own gasp as I realize I'm staring at the very same creature that was on the news yesterday morning.

"Bloody hell," I whisper, backpedaling wildly. I sprint back to the door as silently as possible, closing it as if I were a thief in someone else's home. I run for the phone, and call the emergency hotline as fast as I can, somehow remembering the phone number in my panic.

"State your emergency," says a voice on the phone, and I whisper into the receiver as if I was still standing in the alley.

"Eggman's weapon, that thing that was on the news yesterday, i-it's right outside my shop!" I say frantically, and the woman responds immediately.

"Are you sure it is the weapon?"

"Yes, positive; I saw it myself."

"Can you describe it?"

"Uh... Yes! Black and red, quite small, with strange shoes and...um..." I try to remember more details, but my panic-stricken brain is offering no help.

"Remain calm, sir. Can you confirm your address?"

"Yes, um, 578 Worchester street on 8th Avenue."

"We'll send a response team immediately. Stay inside and keep everyone you can from heading outside." The woman hangs up, and I stand holding the phone, heart pounding in my chest, for several seconds until I get ahold of myself. Walking quickly to my kitchen, I see my wife kneading dough, oblivious to the danger.

"Karen, whatever you do, don't go outside," I say, trying to stop myself from shaking.

"What? Why? What's out there? Are you okay?" She asks, coming to my side in a heartbeat. I nod to show her I'm okay, and then swallow and say:

"There's a superweapon in the alley."

Policeman's POV:

"Unit 38, come in, Unit 38, come in, over," the radio crackles, making me and my partner look down in reflex.

"Unit 38 here, over," I say, holding my thumb against the transmitter button.

"There's a report of Robotnik's weapon on 578 Worchester street, 8th Avenue, and we want you to check it out before we send in G.U.N., over."

"Roger, on our way now, over," I respond, and my partner pulls a quick u-turn in the middle of the road.

"Do you think it's too dangerous to put on our sirens?" He asks, and I look over at him, confused. "I mean, it might escape if it hears us coming, you know?"

"Yeah, I'd leave 'em off," I nod slowly, thinking. "Lights too; we should keep this low-key until we confirm it's actually the weapon. No need to wake up the whole neighborhood unless the thing's actually there."

We arrive at the reported destination in minutes, stepping out of the car with hands on our holsters.

"Ah! You're here!" Whisper-shouts a middle-aged man sticking his head out of one of the windows of the bakery. "It's right there, down the alley and behind the dumpster." He points, and I nod at my partner even as he nods at me, both of us deciding to approach. I draw my gun in preparation to defend myself, and lead the way in our shuffle towards the designated spot. Peering around the dumpster with as much silence as I can manage, my heart catches in my throat as I see there is, indeed, a black and red creature lying curled up on a piece of rugged cardboard. I couldn't fail to recognize it as the creature that has been pasted all over the news, and the knowledge I'm so close to such a dangerous thing makes my very soul shake in fear.

Stepping back quickly, I wave frantically at my partner to do the same. We slowly retreat out of the alley, and I leap for the radio.

"Headquarters, come in, headquarters, come in, over," I urge, hoping G.U.N. can get here in time.

"Headquarters here, over," comes the reply.

"Report of Robotnik weapon on 578 Worchester street has been confirmed, over."

"A confirmed report? Should we call in G.U.N.? Over."

"Yes. Call in G.U.N., over. Repeat: Call in G.U.N., over."

"Clear the streets if you can, over."

"Yes, Sir. Over."

I put down the radio and see that my partner is already heading towards the door of the grocery store. I point my feet towards an office building on the other side of the street, walking in the double doors quickly.

"I need you to lock your doors," I say, and people in the room look over at me in surprise. I arrive at the front desk, and show my badge to the receptionist. "There's a dangerous creature outside, and it needs to be kept out of all buildings, if possible. Please give me a minute to clear the streets, and then lock all exterior doors."

"It's Eggman's weapon, isn't it?" Asks a businesswoman, clutching her briefcase to her chest. Others around her jump and start muttering, clearly unnerved by the idea. I let the question pass without comment, and my silence seems to confirm the idea. A state of mild hysteria seems to come over the people in the room, some staggering, others edging towards the inner parts of the building. I know I shouldn't confirm the idea, but I can't stomach the idea of leaving people in the dark as to the danger.

"Yes," I say, and leave as quickly as I came, determined to save as many civilians as I can from the mad scientist's deadly creation.

G.U.N. Soldier, Name: Lyri Daugh

"All available Special Operation soldiers report to Level 25, room 3, all available Special Operation soldiers report to Level 25, room 3," declares the announcement, and I put down my barbell with a sigh.

"And just when I was starting to get into my routine," I complain, nevertheless nervous about whatever assignment awaits me now. I trot to the stairs, seeing several of my teammates right ahead of me. I descend two levels and come out on the 'Meeting and Briefing level,' ducking through the open door to see about a dozen others, a number that grows to above thirty in the next minute. We all seat ourselves in the rows of chairs, and I take a front seat so I can pay as much attention as possible to the details; such things can save lives in the field. The Commander steps out from the wall to address us, and the entire room grows tense with anticipation.

"You have a mission," states G.U.N. Commander Abraham Tower, and I almost smile at his complete lack of preamble. "Robotnik's weapon has been located in Central City, and it's up to you to bring it down. You will each be equipped with an energy shield and a set of energy shackles of the same model you drill with, but this time the energy fields are live and will provide you with unbreakable defenses. Accompanying your usual equipment will be restraining guns that shoot a wrap-around energy restraint at their target, immobilizing whatever part of the body they are aimed at. There are a limited amount of these, so only the best of you will be provided with one. The rest of you will protect the soldiers with restraining guns, using whatever specialty weapon you've mastered. You each need to be careful, and you each need to protect the men and women around you. This mission is of crucial importance regarding the protection of Central City, and will go down in history as a blow against Robotnik. Suit up and be at Garage B in 10 minutes. Good luck."

With that statement, the room comes alive with activity, everyone funnels out into the stairwell to descend one level, each of us heading towards our lockers that hold our uniforms and specific weapons. My weapon of choice is a spear-ended metal staff, useful for both blocking and attacking. However, I'm also a rather mean shot with a gun, and I wonder if I'll be one of the ones chosen for a restraint gun.

Sure enough, once I'm suited up and armed with the standard energy shield, energy cuffs, handgun, and my mastered staff, a weapons-department guy comes up to me.

"Lyri Daugh?" He asks, and I nod. "Good. Here; you get one of these. Don't break it." He hands me a restraint gun and shuffles off to find the next person on his list. I heft the weapon, knowing that the engineers will have eliminated practically all of its kick-back, and practice holding it. I've already guessed that the restraint will wrap around whatever I target with the intersection of the lines in the scope, and I make sure I can comfortably sight through it. Holding the gun, which is too bulky to go in a holster, I head towards Garage B with my comrades.

The ride to where the weapon was spotted takes surprisingly little time, and I squint up at the brightening sky as I get out of the armored truck.

We get into formation, having been told the weapon is in the alley, careful to have our strongest-in-defense people in the front where they'll surround the creature, and I mentally curse the alley for being so narrow. We won't be able to get more than two or three people down it at a time.

A tight smile tugs at my lips as I undo the safety on my restraint gun. I share a glance with another soldier who has one of the limited-in-number weapons, and we nod briefly at each other.

Time to capture a creature.

Shadow's POV:

I blink my eyes open, not knowing for a moment what woke me. I sit up cautiously, noting with worry the sky is quite light.

"We start advancing in 30 seconds," says a voice quietly, and I start as I pick up the scents and sounds of some thirty people at the end of the alley. Dread squeezes my chest in a grip of iron, and I very, very cautiously peek one eye around the edge of the dumpster. My hearts nearly stop as I see a gathering of well-armed soldiers standing no more than twenty feet away from me, and I freeze in my position. Unfortunately for me, one of the soldiers sees me.

"There!" He shouts, pointing, and everyone looks. My eyes saucepan and I yank myself back behind the dumpster as a hail of shots rips the air where I just was apart. The moment the firing stops and I hear footsteps rushing towards me, I fire up my shoes and blaze a trail out of the alley.

I yelp in surprise as I feel something graze my left arm's fur, and my eyes track the object and see it bounce off of a building and fall to the ground. I gulp as I see that it seems to be some sort of wrap-around energy binding, recognizing the blue glow that comes from magnetically-controlled energy restraints and weapons. I zoom down the street, cursing myself as I see that the entire place seems to be empty. Blast it! Shoot! How did I forget how dangerous it is to sleep outside?!

I duck into another alley and immediately back-track as I see that there are soldiers running towards me from the street where they were originally. I blast out from between the two buildings and barely call a Chaos Spear in time to keep myself from being hit by another one of the energy cords. I notice with fear that I have humans blocking both available escape routes from the street and decide to use my momentum to my advantage to get through the group on my left.

"Shields!" Barks one of the left troopers, and I skid on air as every person in front of me is covered by a large energy shield, unable to stop before I whack into the one in my path.

!!Zzzrraaap!! I let out a surprised cry as the shield sends a jolt of energy feedback into my small frame, the energy zapping me like a lightning bolt. I fall back and manage to land in a crouching position, watching as the person I hit rolls backwards and covers himself with his shield again. I start to get up, deciding to jump up and over the soldiers, but something whacks me in the head before I can think, hitting a very sensitive spot at the base of my skull.

"Ngh!" I cry out in pain as stars burst into my vision, and my hand comes up just in time to block another strike. I stumble backwards slightly from the woman holding a double-ended spear and retort by hurling a Chaos Spear at her weapon. She blocks it, and calls her shield from some unknown device, striking me with its edge and zapping me yet again with what should be a fatal jolt of energy. I wince in pain, but my body isn't caught as off-guard this time and I dodge her next blow. I use my speed to my advantage, extricating myself from the knot of soldiers and ducking into yet another alley. I stumble and fall over my frantic feet, my left knee striking the ground with so much force that tears prick my eyes. I roll and come up again, uttering an exclamation as I see that there is no exit from the alley.

I barely get out before I'm closed in by humans, and I run back to the alley I was in before, the one I know goes through. Adrenaline rushes through my veins, but it's wasted by my lack of experience, accomplishing nothing but increasing my terror. I skid to a stop as I see people blocking the end, leaping up into the air in an attempt to clear the building to my right and escape. Someone fires a restraint at me from the front, and I slice it out of the air with a Chaos Spear.

"Gah!" I yelp as I'm struck by a wrap-around energy restraint from behind, losing my control over my jump. I land on my feet in the middle of the alley, completely blocked off from all escape with my arms pinned against my sides. I go to leap forwards over the people, but I'm struck with two more restraints, one on my legs and another on my hip, the second wrapping around both my arms and legs. I collapse, realizing for the first time I can't feel my connection to Chaos. I whimper lightly in despair as I writhe on the ground, hearing exclamations from the soldiers on either side.

"We actually got it!"

"Who hit it?"

"Ha! Now that's gonna be a blow against Eggman!"

"What do we even do with it?"

"It's so much smaller than I pictured it."

"We beat a superweapon!"

I try once more to rise, but I'm helpless against the bindings. I hear two people start to approach me from my right, and I curl up as much as I can with the restraints.

"S-stay away from me," I growl, trying to sound threatening, but the men don't even hear my voice. I shy away from them as much as I can, but they grab my arms and haul me off of the ground roughly. I wiggle around, trying to get free, but the situation is hopeless and the soldiers carry me towards an armored vehicle with G.U.N.'s logo on the side.

"Dang, this thing is a lot heavier than it looks," complains one of them, and I shiver as I realize he's referring to me as a 'thing.' I gulp as the doors to the vehicle open and I'm lifted inside. A small cage, no more than three and-a-half feet tall and one and-a-half feet wide, is being opened by a man inside the truck, and I'm placed inside this despite my desperate struggling.

No! I think as the door of the cage is closed and locked, and I lean against the bars to stay upright on my bound feet. I'm done for. Oh, I'm done for. There's no way I'll escape now. And that means... The concept of death is still incomprehensible to me, even now that I've witnessed the passing of my best friend. Chaos... Is it selfish to not want to die, even if I might deserve it? But, then, what did I ever do to deserve such a thing? Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll still be dissected or something by scientists, whether I deserve it or not!

"Lyri, you hit it, do you want to do the honors?" The man who opened the cage I now reside in asks of a young woman in full uniform. She responds, raising her eyebrows considerably.

"Do the honors?" She asks, and the man hands her a small, long metal strip.

"Control collar," he explains, and gestures to me. The woman approaches, and I press myself back to try and avoid her hand, but it's useless. She reaches through the bars and clips the 'collar' onto my neck, tilting my head to the side with a strong pull on my chin. It closes, and I shake nervously in anticipation of what horrors it might unleash on me, but nothing happens.

Well, something happens. The collar, loose at first, starts shifting and tightens around my neck until it's not-quite-comfortably tight against my sensitive throat. I move my head experimentally, feeling the metal edges that are cold against my exposed skin.

!Sheeewww! I startle as the bindings around me shut down, the energy cords becoming no more and the metal devices on the end bouncing onto the floor and out of my cage. I quickly regain my balance, feeling slightly better now that my limbs can move again. I get into a defensive stance, not really sure what to do. Gulping, I decide to ask some questions while I can.

"What do you want with me?" I ask, raising my voice so it can be heard above the clamour. One by one each of the soldiers looks at me, and everyone has a bewildered or interested look on his face. Finally, a man regains his composure and responds to me.

"Oh, so you can talk? We came to get you because you're a threat to society. After all, you're a dangerous weapon of the Doctor's." My chest tightens. A weapon of the Doctor's?

"Where are you taking me?" I question, trying to not sound terrified.

"You're being taken to G.U.N. so you can be deweaponized and studied," the soldier replies, and he shakes his head as if exasperated by my question.

"Y-You're taking me to G.U.N.?" I ask, trying to confirm my fate.

"Where else? We can use you to develop defenses against Robotnik, and we can learn about his technology by experimenting on you. Not a pleasant experience for you, I'm sure, but we're fighting a veritable war here. If we have to make things a little uncomfortable for a captured weapon, then so be it. You likely won't be killed, though, if that's what you're asking; you're too valuable as a specimen."

Feeling numb, I slump against the back bars of the cage. So, I probably won't be killed, but I'll be experimented on? Well, at least I might survive long enough to figure out a way to escape before G.U.N. decides they can learn more from my corpse than from me. But, who is this Doctor that keeps showing up in everyone's conversations? What's going on on this planet?

My thoughts come to a standstill as the truck starts moving, and I huddle in a ball with my head on my knees in the back corner of the cage.

I'm going to survive this. I have to. If I don't, no one will ever know Maria's wish. And I won't let her legacy be unknown.

Author's Note: Everyone but Shadow, Tower, and Topaz in this chapter can be considered my own original characters. I hope this long chapter compliments the short previous one! Keep reading! ^-^