┗━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━┛

(No One's POV)

(Y/N) sat in the corner of the dimly lit room, her body curled tightly into itself like a wounded animal. The cold metal walls around her felt like they were closing in, pressing the air from her lungs. Her limbs trembled—not from fear exactly, but from exhaustion, from heartbreak, from the raw, gaping emptiness clawing at her chest.

The door creaked open with a slow, almost reluctant groan. She didn't look up at first. She didn't want to. She was too tired. Too broken.

Footsteps crossed the threshold, steady and deliberate. Then a voice—low, almost mechanical in its attempt at kindness—spoke.

"The doctor said you needed to drink this."

It was Shadow.

(Y/N) slowly lifted her head just enough to glimpse him through the messy curtain of her hair. Her bloodshot eyes flickered over the small bottle he placed carefully on the floor, as if even that small offering carried the weight of a thousand unspoken words.

"It's to keep you hydrated," he added, standing rigidly a few feet away, almost like he was afraid he might break her by getting too close.

She said nothing. Only lowered her gaze and buried her face back into her arms, shutting him out, shutting everything out.

Shadow stood there, unsure. Eggman had ordered him to check on her, to make sure she didn't "malfunction." But somewhere deep in his chest—where a heart should have been—Shadow felt something twist painfully. A whisper of a feeling he couldn't quite crush.

Pity.

He hated the word. Hated how it clung to him like a disease.

Eggman had shown him her files, after all. Had explained her "specs" and her "limitations" like she was some kind of toy he'd built wrong.

In a way, Shadow understood her better than anyone. They were both made for someone else's purposes. Both trapped by choices they never made.

Still, he couldn't understand why she fought so hard against them. Against him. Against everything.

"You need to drink so your systems can work properly," Shadow said again, his voice firmer, trying to mask the uncomfortable emotion scraping at his throat.

(Y/N) didn't move. Didn't even flinch.

"Don't speak to me like you know me," she muttered, her voice rough and cracked. "Like you know anything about me..." She hugged herself tighter. "My readings indicate you're upset. You're mad. Well, good. I don't talk to bullies who hurt the people I love."

Her words hit him harder than any physical blow could have. Still, he said nothing. Only stared at her for a long moment—the way her shoulders shook, the way her goggles hung brokenly over one eye—and then silently turned and walked away.

Just before he stepped out, he paused. His hand gripped the doorframe so tightly it squeaked under the pressure. His voice, when it came, was low and steady.

"We are alike," he said. "We are nothing but dangerous objects to them... You can hate me all you want. But I will still protect you, Maria."

(Y/N) lifted her head then, just enough to glare at him through the dark, the broken lenses slipping from her face to reveal the fiery red of her eyes—burning with grief and defiance.

"My name..." she whispered, her voice shaking, "isn't Maria."

For a moment, Shadow just stood there, stunned into silence.

"And I am NOT your Maria," she finished, venom dripping from every word.

Shadow didn't argue. Didn't defend himself. He just slipped quietly out the door, leaving her alone once again.

The silence that followed was crushing.

(Y/N) let out a ragged breath, reaching up to rub her aching forehead—and felt something foreign against her skin. She pulled it off and stared.

The headband.

Sonic's headband.

Her heart twisted painfully. Memories flashed behind her eyes—his laughter, his endless optimism, the way he always believed in her even when she couldn't believe in herself.

Sonic was the light in a world that only ever tried to smother her.

He had given her this simple gift. Something so small but filled with hope.

And now... if Sonic had surrendered...

Her breath hitched sharply. Realization slammed into her like a freight train.

Prison Island.

That's where Shadow had been locked away. That's where they were holding Sonic now.

And suddenly, the room felt suffocating. She needed to get out. She needed to fight.

"Ohhh, I'm so stupid," she groaned, tears burning her eyes as she clutched the headband close to her chest.

She looked at the bottle of water at her feet, sneering at it like it was poison. With a sharp kick, she sent it skittering across the floor, smashing against the far wall and shattering into pieces.

She didn't need anything from them.

While Eggman thought he was rebuilding her into something obedient, into some tool for his revenge, she would be rebuilding herself into something stronger.

Stronger than any machine. Stronger than the hate that created her.

She was more than steel and circuits.

She was heart. She was soul.

And she was not done yet.

Wiping her tears, she pushed herself shakily to her feet, her voice a whisper of steel through the dark.

"Hold on, Sonic. I'll be there soon."

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡

I knew it wouldn't be long until they realized I had sneaked out.
Eggman's goons aren't exactly known for their sharp perception, but even they would eventually notice the walking science experiment had vanished.

Also... what the hell is an Eclipse Cannon?
It sounded like something Eggman dug out of a forgotten archive while he was poking around the ARK, probably alongside outdated tech manuals and three broken espresso machines.
Whatever it was, I'd have to deal with it later.
Right now, my priorities were clear: stop crying, find Sonic, and avoid getting turned into scrap metal.

I wiped my sleeve across my face, taking a steadying breath.
Sonic needed me. They'd almost definitely locked him up somewhere tiny to slow him down — a cell designed to make him restless, angry.
Sonic wasn't built to stand still.
I remembered reading somewhere that extreme-speed types had a neurological setup almost identical to hyperactive disorders. It would explain a lot about Sonic... the boundless energy, the impulsiveness, the reckless need to run.

He's practically a living physics anomaly.
And, if we're being honest... a scientist's dream subject.
Focus, Y/N! I mentally snapped at myself, giving my cheeks a quick slap.
Now wasn't the time to daydream about strapping Sonic to a lab treadmill and collecting data.

Focus:
Find Sonic.
Stop Eggman.
Figure out what an Eclipse Cannon even is.
Maybe survive the night while I'm at it.

From the little I overheard before slipping away, the Eclipse Cannon was apparently connected to my great-grandfather.
(Still feels surreal saying that out loud.)
Guess being related to the creator of a potential planet-killer wasn't exactly something you put on a résumé.

I shook the thought away and crouched in the shadows.
I had reached the perimeter of Prison Island, thick jungle giving way to towering walls and guarded gates.
Not exactly welcoming.

My mind raced.
Last time they caught me, they said they were going to "deconstruct" me — like I was some defective blender someone left on a clearance rack.
I couldn't let that happen again.
But I also couldn't just blast my way through. That'd be about as subtle as setting off fireworks in a library.

Think, Y/N. Think.

I scanned the perimeter.
And then I saw him: a lone guard, standing bored near a side entrance, his helmet tilted too far forward, probably half-asleep.

A terrible — and brilliant — idea slid into my head like a hand into a glove.
If I couldn't sneak in as myself... maybe I could sneak in as someone else.

Disguise.
Classic. Effective. Reckless.
My specialty.

Without hesitating, I pulled a small stun device from my belt — designed for short-range bursts, non-lethal, but enough to put someone on the floor for a bit.
I crept closer, silent through the brush, heart pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it.

One quick move.
I jabbed the stun into the back of his neck. He barely had time to grunt before collapsing into the grass.

"Sorry, buddy," I muttered under my breath, already hauling him into the bushes. "Nothing personal."

Getting into his uniform was a different nightmare altogether.
Turns out, body armor wasn't exactly designed for speed-dressing.
By the time I strapped everything down and stuffed my hair under the helmet, I looked like a slightly lopsided rent-a-cop — but at least from a distance, no one would notice.

I checked the guard's ID badge, clipped it to the vest, and tried to practice my "I belong here" face.
Unfortunately, I think I just looked constipated.
Close enough.

The path to the gate was clear now.
I straightened my stolen uniform, sucked in a breath, and strode forward, trying to radiate the same exhausted indifference I'd seen on every other guard.
No running. No hesitating. Act like you own the place.

Inside my chest, my heart was hammering, but outside, I was all business.

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡

(3rd Persons POV)

[Half an hour later]

"Well, this officially sucks," Y/N muttered under her breath, kicking a loose bolt across the floor.
"This place is so freaking massive!"

She would have used her rocket boots by now — zipped through these halls and been halfway to Sonic already — but no. She couldn't risk it. One wrong move, and they'd figure out who she was.
And considering her track record, subtlety wasn't exactly her strongest suit.

Y/N had even tried asking a few guards where they were keeping the blue hedgehog captive, putting on her best innocent-lacky act.
Most of them just barked that it was "none of her business," shoving her along without a second glance.
Apparently, she had "so happened" to take on the identity of some newbie grunt who no one respected or even remotely liked.

"Fan-FREAKING-tastic," she grumbled, throwing her hands in the air.

Still, it wasn't all hopeless.
Thanks to the tech stashed in her system, Y/N managed to discreetly download a basic digital map of the facility.
She just had to play it cool — not too fast, not too nosy. Blend in.
Easy rescue, right?

Yeah.
No.
Not even close.

The sharp wail of alarms suddenly shattered the heavy air. Red emergency lights flashed across the halls, and Y/N's stomach sank.

"Damnit," she hissed, ducking into the nearest shadow.
There was only one explanation: Eggman must be nearby.
Which meant... Rouge and Shadow were probably already inbound.

"No good," she muttered. "Welp... guess stealth mode is over."

No longer worried about subtlety, Y/N bolted, her boots pounding against the polished floors.
A few soldiers shouted for her to halt, but she didn't slow down.
Didn't even glance back.
Sonic was still far ahead, locked away in some deeper sector — and Y/N was barely near the weapons center.
Not good.
Not good at all.

As she sprinted, her scanners picked up two heat signatures nearby.
One of them was dangerously close —

"Uh oh—"

"MARIA!!"

The voice cracked through the chaos like a gunshot.

Y/N barely had time to react before she was tackled to the cold, unforgiving ground with a bone-rattling thud.
A sharp grunt escaped her lips as her head smacked against the floor.

"Jeez," she groaned, struggling against the weight pinning her down, "I thought the Super Bowl was over. No need to tackle me like you're going for a touchdown—"

"Silence!"

Shadow's voice was tight with something — anger, maybe. Or something worse.
He was gripping her like she might disappear if he let go.

"I don't understand," he said, voice cracking slightly. "The Doctor said you should have been fine! Why are you still—"

Before he could finish, instinct kicked in.
Y/N twisted her hips and drove her fist into his jaw with everything she had.

CRACK!

Shadow stumbled back, stunned, more shocked than hurt.

Y/N scrambled to her feet, breathing hard, fists raised.
"Personal space, kid," she snapped. "Don't touch me. Call me Maria again, and I swear I'll put you back into cryo-sleep for another fifty years."

Shadow looked at her — really looked at her — like he didn't know whether to be furious or heartbroken.
Y/N could see the war in his eyes, the confusion, the desperate need to protect something he thought he lost.

"You're just confused," he said thickly. "You don't understand what they did to you. They deserve everything that's coming—"

"Dude," Y/N cut him off, voice flat. "I don't care what you do to this place. I'm just here to get my boyfriend back."

That shut him up.
For a second, Shadow just blinked at her like she had slapped him.
The words hit harder than any punch she could have thrown.

"No..." he whispered, clenching his fists so tight they shook. "I'm not losing you again."

"You already did," Y/N said softly, her voice hollow. "Bye."

Without another word, she bent her elbow back — her arm shifting, clicking into its weaponized form.
In one fluid motion, she aimed and blasted the wall beside her.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the corridor, filling the air with smoke, fire, and blaring alarms.
In the chaos, she slipped through the shattered wall, vanishing into the thick fog.

Shadow staggered, coughing, trying to follow — but he couldn't see anything beyond the haze.

And then, her voice cut through the smoke, cool and final:
"Sayonara, Shadow."

The words froze him in place.
His breath caught in his throat.
Because he had heard those words before.
Long ago.
On the ARK.
In a different life.

"...Why..."
His knees buckled as he dropped to the floor, fists pressed against the cold steel beneath him. Tears, hot and blinding, slipped down his cheeks.

"...Why do you hate me... Maria...?"

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡

Sonic sat slouched against the wall of his cell, arms lazily folded behind his head. The whole room was surrounded by a deep, swirling moat of water—basically a big, cruel fish tank with him as the main attraction. No way out, no clever tricks this time. He hated to admit it, but the quiet was... weirdly peaceful. Boring, but peaceful.

At least, until the heavy metallic doors across the water creaked open.

Sonic cracked an eye open, instantly stiffening when he saw another G.U.N. soldier enter, fully suited up in the standard ugly black-and-gray armor. He glared at them with a mixture of boredom and annoyance. Great, another grunt coming to poke the blue hedgehog with a stick, he thought bitterly.

A tube system connecting the outer hallway to his cell started whirring, slowly moving the soldier toward him. Sonic stayed still, watching with mild irritation. Yet... something was off.
This soldier was way smaller than the bulky tanks that usually came by... and when the airlock opened to let them in, he caught a scent—sweet, familiar, definitely not regulation-issue soldier smell.

"What is it, pal?" Sonic said, cocking a brow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Come to mock me about my new aquarium lifestyle? Maybe throw me some fish food?"

The "soldier" snorted—a laugh that made Sonic's ears perk up.

"Pfft, dude... they seriously got you locked in a fish tank? That's foul." The voice, the tone—it clicked instantly. Sonic's heart did a somersault.

"...Y/N?" His voice cracked slightly, hope rising in his chest like a geyser.

The soldier tugged off their helmet with a dramatic flair, revealing a gorgeous, slightly disheveled face that Sonic would recognize in his dreams. Her sparkling E/C eyes locked with his, and her H/C hair tumbled free, a little messy but still perfect in his eyes.

He scrambled to his feet so fast he almost tripped over himself, rushing to the cell bars until his hands gripped the cold metal. Y/N was already there, sliding her fingers through the bars to intertwine with his.

"You really thought I'd leave you?" she said, tilting her head with a soft smile. "No chance. I mean, my options were: stay working for Eggman and suffer the worst family reunion in history... or save my incredibly handsome, slightly soggy boyfriend." She gave him a teasing look. "You should know which one I'd pick."

Sonic chuckled, his heart hammering in his chest. "That uniform looks great on you, by the way," he added with a wink.

Y/N blushed slightly, her S/C cheeks heating up. "Oh shut up," she muttered playfully, but her grip on his hands tightened for a second longer, neither of them wanting to let go.

For a second, it was like the whole world—the water, the bars, the danger—just... disappeared. It was just him and her, like it always should've been.

BWOOP! BWOOP!
The alarms blared suddenly, harsh and deafening, ripping the sweet moment apart like a bad record scratch. Red warning lights began to flash.

"Intruder detected. All doors locking."

Heavy steel slammed shut behind Y/N, trapping her inside the room with Sonic.

"...Well, there goes the romantic prison date plan," Y/N muttered bitterly, throwing her hands up. "Alright, stand back so I can blow these stupid bars."

Sonic backed up a few steps, giving her room.

"Watch out!" he suddenly shouted, eyes widening.

Before Y/N could react, a massive golden beetle-shaped machine—government-grade, ugly as sin—came whirring out of a hidden wall panel behind her, its cannons locking onto her.

She turned with a furious glare, immediately recognizing the design.
"...WAIT A SECOND—" she screeched, her voice shrill with betrayal, "—THAT'S MY BLUEPRINT! THESE IDIOTS STOLE MY FREAKIN' TECH?! I SWEAR I'M SUING SOMEONE!!"

The sound of clanking bamboo sticks echoed dramatically as the machine prepared to attack. Y/N, meanwhile, dropped into an overly dramatic crouch, clutching her heart like a wounded actress. "Forgive me... my beautiful creation..." she whispered tearfully.

Sonic, from the sidelines, was this close to falling over from laughter. His knees actually buckled a little.
God help him, he really did have a type.

Without wasting more time, Y/N bent her elbow sharply. Her arm transformed, mechanical plates shifting until a blaster cannon snapped into place.
Aiming with no hesitation, she fired off a crackling energy shot that exploded the Gold Beetle into a mess of burning metal and sparking wires. The blast rocked the whole chamber.

She straightened up, dusting imaginary dirt off her soldier uniform like it was just another Tuesday. "Okay, now we're back to breaking you out."

Sonic, staring at her with stars practically glowing in his eyes, couldn't help himself. He rushed forward again, practically squishing his face between the bars to be closer to her.

"You," he said breathlessly, "are the coolest girlfriend in the entire world."

Y/N gave him a teasing smirk but her cheeks burned a little hotter. She leaned in, close enough for him to see every fleck of color in her eyes, and whispered:

"You're damn right I am."

They shared a soft, lingering look—one full of unspoken promises and stolen moments. For just a heartbeat, Sonic forgot about the water, the alarms, the burning wreckage of the Beetle machine—and just felt the electric thrill of her being there.

"Now stand back before I blast these bars," she said sweetly, cocking her blaster-arm again.

"And maybe after we bust outta here..." Sonic added with a playful grin, "...we can pick up that romantic prison date where we left off?"

Y/N rolled her eyes fondly. "Save your flirting for after we're not, y'know, on every government most-wanted list, genius."

But even as she said it, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Sonic suddenly threw his arms out wide, blocking her path like a living blue barrier.
"Wait! Don't!" he shouted, voice sharp with urgency.

Y/N blinked, confused, skidding a little as she tried to stop herself from crashing into him.

"I let them drag me to Prison Island," he said quickly, panting slightly, "so that I could learn more about my look-alike."

(My English sucks- I keep pronouncing Island as IS-land.)

She just stood there, absolutely dumbfounded.
"Uhhh... Dude," she said, voice flat. "He's here. Like, I just ran into him, like, ten minutes ago. Before I got here. And what's sitting around gonna do for you?! Huh?! LIKE YOU AREN'T OUT HERE DATING AN ANDROID OR SOMETHING!"
Her hands flailed as she shouted, her eyes flickering into little flames with how frustrated she was.

Sonic winced and chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
"Heh... sorry — forgot..."

But then, just like a broken weather report, his mood flipped like a switch.
A low growl rumbled in his chest.
His fists clenched so tightly his gloves creaked.
His normally bright green eyes darkened into something stormy and unfamiliar.

"Wait," he said, voice gravelly. "You saw him? Here?"
His teeth flashed into a grin — not his usual happy-go-lucky grin, but something... sharper. Meaner.

Y/N took a small, instinctive step back.
"Uh... yeah... I'll take ya to him—"

But before she could move, her internal systems pinged a warning.
Anomaly detected.

Behind Sonic, covering the walls like ivy, were layers and layers of writing.
Symbols, numbers, scientific diagrams.

(Y/N's POV)

I narrowed my eyes, my HUD automatically enhancing the images.
The walls were coated in scrawled formulas — chemical symbols like H₂O + C₆H₁₂O₆ → energy, messy physics equations like ∂²ψ/∂t² = v²∇²ψ, and strange frequency patterns plotted out across torn pages.

There were diagrams of DNA strands, blueprints of mechanical limbs, even detailed notes on Chaos Energy Extraction protocols.

And right there, circled in heavy black marker over and over again, was one word:

SHADOW.

My heart — or whatever passed for it — dropped.

I ran a scan, analyzing the handwriting style: the way the letters dipped and jerked at specific angles...
Not Sonic's.

Older.
Familiar.

It matched the notes I'd seen stored deep in the old ARK files.
Doctor Gerald's writing.
My great-grandfather.

My synthetic veins ran cold.
I dove deeper into the buried data, pulling up corrupted files...
Only a single flashing word remained:

EXECUTED.

They killed him.
Executed.
Like some criminal.

For what?!

Why were all the linked files scrambled into garbage data?
Why was my access suddenly denied?

My circuits sparked violently, the internal temperature sensors screaming as they tried to stabilize the surge of corrupted emotions.
Tiny warning screens blinked across my vision:

[SYSTEM ERROR]
Emotional Override Detected.
Neural Stability: 54%.
Cooling Protocols Engaged.

I clenched my fists so hard sparks flew from my fingertips.
Damn you.

Static buzzed loud enough to make my vision flicker. My knees buckled slightly.
I tried to reboot my focus, but the storm of emotions inside was too strong.

"Y/N! Snap out of it!" Sonic's voice cut through the noise like a blade.

I shook my head violently, blinking as he bounced off the nearest wall with a huge burst of speed.
"We don't have a lot of time!" Sonic called over his shoulder. "Here I go!"

Without warning, he spun into a wild somersault and — CRASH! — kicked down the nearest door.

The heavy metallic door creaked... then sagged... and fell off with a sad little clunk.
Honestly, it looked like a toddler could've knocked it down.

I stared blankly.
"...That is the weakest door I have ever seen," I muttered, deadpan.

As alarms began to blare, my scanners kicked into overdrive.
Infrared showed security bots converging from two hallways over.

ENEMY COUNT: 12
Threat Level: Low to Moderate.
Recommendation: Evade or Neutralize.

I charged up a plasma bolt in my palm, fingers glowing bright white-blue, and blew the next lock apart with a sharp blast.
The doors buckled inward with a thunderous BOOM! and we tore down the corridor at full speed.

"Whoa! New weapon unlocked!?"

"Heck yeah!"

Behind us, turrets activated and fired — but Sonic was faster, zig-zagging wildly, dragging me behind like a kite in a hurricane.

We managed to defeat them one by one, a relentless flood of the Prison Guards robots that seemed to multiply like bacteria under a microscope. Sonic zipped through them like a living bullet, and I wasn't far behind, my chaos energy crackling from my fingertips with every strike.

"Where could he be now, Y/N?" Sonic called out, skidding to a halt beside me, sending sparks flying from the ground. His quills were ruffled from the last explosion. "Because I don't think this facility is running out of robots any time soon!"

Panting lightly, I pulled out my chaos tracker. The screen blipped madly, the sensor picking up HEAVY chaos power—dense, almost suffocating—and I already knew exactly who it was. A thrill shot through me.

"He's escaping right now!" I yelled, my eyes widening. "We have to get to a higher level—the roof!"

Sonic grinned at me, cocky and bright, his eyes gleaming. "Peachy. Roof top, here we go!" He glanced up toward the ceiling, gauging the distance. "Throw me up and I'll break through!"

Cracking my knuckles, I smirked. "You asked for it, hedgehog."

I grabbed him by the sides, and, feeling playful, gave him a tiny, teasing kiss right on the top of his head. I swear I felt him stiffen in my hands—but before he could react, I hurled him upward with every ounce of my chaos-fueled strength. Sonic immediately curled into a ball, spinning fast, his body becoming a deadly whirlwind that tore through layers of concrete and steel like tissue paper.

Light streamed down through the freshly made hole, and a few seconds later, I saw the bright glare of the sun. Perfect. Without wasting a second, I launched myself upward, wings of energy flaring at my back.

Sonic was already there when I landed on the rooftop, tapping his foot impatiently but wearing a huge, excited grin. Around us, the air was thick with smoke from the crumbling facility, and far off in the distance, helicopters circled like vultures.

"Alright!" Sonic said, turning to me. "Now where's—"

"Ugh, this jacket is way too hot," I muttered, interrupting him. In the heat of battle, I hadn't noticed how much I was sweating. Without a second thought, I shrugged out of the heavy prison jacket I'd stolen earlier to blend in. Underneath, I wore a thin spaghetti-strap shirt that clung to my skin, damp with sweat.

The moment the jacket hit the ground, I heard a sudden, awkward choking noise.

I turned to see Sonic standing stock-still, staring at me. His muzzle had gone pink, his green eyes wide. He immediately snapped his gaze up to the sky, pretending to be deeply, deeply interested in a passing cloud.

"U-uh... uh... where, um... did Shadow go now?" he stammered.

I blinked, then glanced down at myself. Nothing too scandalous—just a shirt and some slightly baggy pants cinched tight with a belt. Dang, do I have some pretty shoulders or something? I thought, amused. What the heck is he staring at?

But before I could tease him, a flicker of movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.

"There!" I shouted, pointing.

Sure enough, the black-and-red blur of Shadow leapt gracefully from the edge of a nearby tower, his form sleek and dangerous against the midday sun. He was moving fast, probably heading back to Eggman to regroup. Every instinct in me screamed to follow, to chase him down—not just because he was the enemy, but because...

Because I needed answers. About Project Shadow. About my great-grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik. About why I felt this strange, aching connection to a man I had never met—a connection that only grew stronger the closer I came to Shadow.

"We can't let him get away!" I said urgently, already gearing up for another burst of speed.

Sonic snapped out of his flustered daze immediately. "Right behind ya!" he said, his usual cockiness returning, though his face was still a little pink.

Together, we raced across the rooftop, dodging debris and broken machinery. The air smelled of burning metal and ozone, a heavy, charged scent that mixed with the adrenaline pumping in my veins.

As we ran, Sonic glanced sideways at me, a mischievous glint back in his eye. "Y'know," he said casually, "for someone who beats up robots like it's a hobby, you sure know how to rock a look. That tank top's... distracting."

I snorted, elbowing him lightly. "Focus, perv! Shadow's getting away!"

"Hey, hey, it's not my fault!" Sonic laughed, his grin widening. "You throw me through three floors and kiss me first? A guy's gonna get ideas."

Despite the seriousness of the mission, I found myself smiling too. Only Sonic could be this ridiculous at a time like this.

Still, I could feel the tension between us now—a spark that hadn't been there before. Every time our shoulders brushed mid-sprint, it sent a jolt through me that had nothing to do with chaos energy. Later, I promised myself. First, Shadow.

We were gaining on him now. Shadow glanced over his shoulder once, his crimson eyes narrowing. He said something into the communicator on his wrist—probably warning Eggman—then accelerated, blurring almost out of sight.

"Dang, he's fast," Sonic said, slightly breathless with excitement. "Almost as fast as me."

"Only almost," I teased.

Sonic winked. "I'll prove it later. After we catch him... maybe over a chili dog date?"

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "You're unbelievable."

"And charming," Sonic added cheerfully.

We pushed harder, chasing after the black blur that held all the secrets I needed—and maybe, just maybe, chasing the start of something new between me and the world's fastest (and most shameless) hedgehog

"Wait!!" I screamed, skidding to a sudden stop so fast that sparks flew under my boots.

My whole body seized up as my chaos-enhanced vision flooded with red alerts. Warnings screamed across my heads-up display—data streaming in real-time from the hacked security systems wired into my brain.

[DANGER: DETONATION IMMINENT]
[TIME TO EXPLOSION: 04:56]
[LIFE SIGNS DETECTED: 17 REMAINING]

My heart rammed into my ribs like a hammer. No. No, no, no.
There was a bomb.
A nuclear-grade, self-sustaining plasma bomb rigged inside.

And there were still people trapped inside.

I didn't give a damn about the G.U.N. soldiers—but my allies were in there. Rouge and—
My vision flickered to a hacked feed from the southern quadrant's security cams.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

Chris.

Chris Thorndyke, the idiot kid who somehow kept finding his way into danger zones, was inside Prison Island, fumbling around with something that looked suspiciously like an unauthorized access panel.

I squeezed my eyes shut, fury sparking in my fingertips. I'm going to kill him myself if he survives this.

"What's wrong, Y/N?!" Sonic shouted, pulling up short beside me, his voice sharp with concern.

"I can't talk!" I barked back, chaos energy already surging through my body. "GO KICK SHADOW'S BUTT! I have to fix this!"

Without waiting for a response, I pivoted and shot back toward the crumbling base, my body sheathed in an aura of chaotic electricity. The broken stairways and flaming corridors blurred around me as I pushed my power to the limit, overriding my own safety protocols just to move faster.

[WARNING: CELLULAR DEGRADATION]
[WARNING: INTERNAL TEMP: CRITICAL]

Shut up, I growled at my own systems. Not now.

As I blazed through the ruined halls, the damaged A.I. servers lining the walls flickered and buzzed—half of them overloaded from the bomb's energy signature. Sparks rained down like lethal snow.

The farther in I went, the more resistance I faced. Broken-down security bots, glitching heavily, lurched at me, trying to grab, contain, or neutralize me with twitching servo arms. Their voices were corrupted into digital screeches:

"INTRUDER...INTRUDER...ELIMINATE..."

With a roar, I summoned a chaos burst and shredded through them like paper.

"Not today, you scrap heaps!" I hissed, diving through a collapsing hallway as the seconds ticked away mercilessly in my mind's eye.

[TIME TO EXPLOSION: 03:17]

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡