Once a definition for life itself, there was hardly any signs of life in the Biolab now. Save for a hedgehog, bronzen, wearing glasse sin the dark, hunched over a desk with a small desk-light glowing a sombre yellow as he read through the mountains of files that he had surrounde dhimself with. He grank cola and coffee, to keep him awake.

The other creature was Alice, who'd been seated in front of the only actual television monitor, and on the only sofa, with a tray of microwaved finsh fingers and chips. She had a new teddy bear and a blanket in case she needed to sleep. And in case something went wrong with her sleep, a sawed-off shotgun leant against at the desk next to Fireball.

So far she hadn't caused much trouble. But he hadn't really explained to her that she had been kidnapped and that he wasn't sure if he was ever going to return her to Azul.

He looked at his watch. He'd expected Ryan and Sky to be here by now. Those juniors were either being extra careful or just weren't smart enough to find him. Or Azul had locked them up. Either way, it didn't make a difference. They didn't seem to understand what was going on, they didn't have enough experience. But Firebal lwas learning more and more about what was going on as he read on inot the night.

The room's entire color scheme shifts from its dull light blue metallic color to dark grey...in fact, everything in the room does so, everything in the room shifts to their respective shades of grey, with the exception of Alice and Fireball. The shift happens quickly, with only a split second between the blue to the sinister grey, then the grey back to blue...everything looked as though nothing happened. However...if one listened very carefully, they might hear the quiet ramblings of a certain massive hedgehog, very subtly filling the hallways with mathematical nonsense, threats...and gentle footsteps...

"You feel it, too... Don't you, Teddy..."

She can feel the footsteps... but can't put an exact position on them, despite her excellent ears. She only knows that they're close... too close... yet so far away at the same time.

*She cranes her head around the back of the chair.* "Mister Fireball...?"

He stood on his toes to reply back to Sky. "I think they have a strong respect for hedgehogs, since this is Stride's lab and all. I'm not sure if he was a king or somethin' though. Too, me this is all kinda weird."

"Reading this might help clear things up, it seems adressed to us, or at least, you."

The paper was short, sweet, and to the point.

~To Ryan and Sky: My hatred for hedgehogs has been toned down to a much more personal level. Until I have further reason in this city, Fireball is the only hedgehog whos proved himself foolish. In order to ensure your and Chaos' safety, this team of shock troopers has been sent as your personal soldiers. Do with them as you please.

Note of interest: If Alice's nightmares accelerate to the point of "scenario-altering", run.~

"Let's get into the lab then and take back Alice. We'll have to do it peacefully though."

"What's wrong, Alice, sweetie? You want a glass of water?"

He didn't look up, carrying on, oblivious.

"Shh, it's okay, Teddy... It's okay... don't be scared..." She held the toy tightly and whispered into its ear.

"Okay, just tell me if you see something scary, alright?"

He was too distracted to notice thew stupidity of what he just told the blind girl.

"Why don't you just post these guys on the exits and warp us two in, get Alice and warp out? It'd be easier."

*He enjoyed Sky's plan, but it didn't seem necessary, especially when there are more lives on the line.*

"Hey...weren't we supposed to be listening to the hedgehog?" One asked as he continued to walk towards the first exit.

"Yeah...I mean...well, I guess...El Perro never really said...I guess we just obey the one that gives the first order." Another answered.

"Wait...were we supposed to have tranqs packed?" Yet another asked.

"Nah, if it comes down to it, we can just beat the target with a pole until it stops movin'...its just as effective as a tranquilizer."

With the Gorvacian soldiers new plan in place, they take their positions at the exit...now equipped with small metal poles.

~Inside the building~
~The murmuring steadily became more audible...the footsteps louder, more defined...as though whatever was walking had just stepped into the room,then suddenly...nothing. The sounds stop...leaving an uncomfortable, disturbed silence in the room...until the lights flicker off for a moment, then quickly flicker back on...a monstrous apparition appears in front of Alice for just a moment...and in that moment, it's face twists into a disgusting smile, showing its rotting, bleeding teeth...in that moment, it releases what sounds like a psychotic laugh, just before it vanishes again...the entire room shifts back to grey-scale...~

"It's o..okay...T..Teddy...." she sobs, "D..Don't b.be..scared..."

*His head twitched and he looked about the room nervously. He could feel the nightmare in the room. It was real. Only a matter of time unless Sky got Alice to El Perro now.*

"Ryan, I know your too smart to make me do the same to you, since you have a little more trouble re-forming..... Guys, what the heck is up with the colours in here?... are we......."

He gulps, looking at Alice.

"Okay, guys, I'm gonna yell at you for being idiots later, I think we got trouble just now."

He reloads his shotgun.

*Gulp* "Alright... Bring it," he whispered to himself.

*Alice sits in her chair, her countenance darkly glazed over, her shallow breaths forming icy wisps in front of her face. Those wisps form dark tendrils along the ground, lacing between the legs of all in the room, filling them with a growing terror.*

A buzzing that grows in intensity and drowns out all other noise.

The mist.

The mist around them is the source of the vibrations, as each tiny molecule of vapor begins to shiver.

Their ears fail and the windows shatter soudlessly under the assault...

"Alice? You need to calm down."

*He said this though he couldn't see. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't even aware of this. SHe must be really scared right now. He fell to his knees, and still, he was oblivious to what he was doing. He continued to repeat the last words that flowed from his mouth in attempts to end this. His thoughts left him. All confidence drained from his body. What did Sky say? 'Run?' How? Ryan couldn't. He just couldn't. The fear had gripped him, robbed him of his control over his own body. Now he belonged to fear.*

"Ryan, hold the girl, make sure she's still all right. Nyte, can you see or sense anyone? I know there's something there. Sky, see if you can get some light out of those glowy sticks of yours. We need to be able to see."

"Guys?"

Smoking shotgun hole in the approaching figure.

"Actually, Slywhin, you said I should swing by sometime. That's an invitation, I think. Keep away, he's a creature from the girl's head, I just donno how many shotgun blasts it'll take to kill him."

Fireball reloads and re-aims. Its only double-barrelled, but he could reload faster than most people could pull a trigger.

Ryan took one last queer look at the lamp and grasped it be the handle. Aiming the bulb at the creature's head, chuched the lamp. The weapon twirled horizontally as it homed in on its target.*

Nightmare Stride suddenly doubles over his stomach in pain, spewing out more blood and releasing a high pitched howl before two more auger drills slowly extend themselves from his back....right alongside with two massive, bloody cannons. The only thing more concerning then his new display of weaponry was the fact that the lab's self defense gatling guns were now rising from specific corners of the room.

"I'll take out the turrets! You guys take Stride."

*With determination, the hedgehog dashed toward the turret and cuffed his hands together. A red flame encircled his hands which he soon launched at at the a turret in a corner on his side of the room.*

Ryan's attack on the turret was so well placed and well aimed, it almost seemed planned from the start. The turret he attacks doesnt get a shot off and explodes in a burst of flames. Each of the remaining 3 turrets turn and open fire at Ryan, however, the one directly across the room ends up shooting through Nightmare Stride's legs like a hot knife through butter.~

Upon staggering to his feet, he saw the turrets now all faced to Ryan. He was a hedgehog, but even still, one wrong move is all it takes to screw up and get yourself killed. And Sky had just the trick for this, something he loved to practice whenever he wanted. He darted over to Ryan. "Watch out!" He yelled as he jumped infront of him, stupidly as the bullets grazed by, some even slicing into his shoulder and more painfully, his tail. With his angel blade grasped tightly in his right arm, he held it out infront of him, and almost instantly, it whirled around like the propeller on an airplane, deflecting the shots. But then he tried to do something more cunning. Using the chaos energy to propell the angel blade at such a high volocity, he would tilt it, richocheting off the blade, directly at Stride.

He mentally fought through the power of the bullets to turn the chaos energy, and the angel blade, right at Stride, only realizing the person trying to kill him was up there. He rolled his eyes as he lowered the angle, directing the shots at Stride's chest. But he found out, he couldnt keep this up long.

He didn't really trust Ryan to take out the guns on his own, but then again he knew that the Nightmare Stride was seconds away from devouring Sky.

Shade's Burning Ball of Flaming Fire had caused an impact, melting a gun, so Fireball himself decided to cook up a bit more. He ran in a circle around Stride until the ground below them burst into flames, which spread over the ground and pulsed under Stride's feet.

"....If I can't kill you conventionally..." He growls under his breath. "Then I'll have to end us all..."

~Stride slowly begins to rip off the armor protecting his chest, now laughing maniacally as he does so. And fully revealing his plan as he faces Chaos Sky, allowing the bullets deflected from Sky into an armed nuclear weapon, which had been embedded into his chest the whole time. Unless they put an end to him right now, the combined force of Fireball's flames and Chaos Sky's bullets would set the weapon off.~

~Biolab Entrance~

~El Perro slowly steps in behind Alice, gently placing his hands on her shoulder~

"Alice...its time to go home now, okay? He says this in a quiet comforting tone...a tone not often heard by anyone but her. "Come on Alice, I've got some new cartoons and stuff for you back at the base."

~Directly outside the Biolab~

The Gorvacian Firing Squad now in place, they kept their sights on each of the entrances....and several more lined the general area, equipped with sniper rifles, just in case...They had their orders. Anything that came out of there that was orange and small was to terminated on command.~

"I'm ready, Mister Azul," she says in her quiet, passive voice. "This place scares me."

*She continues to stare straight ahead, holding El Perro's hand in one of hers and her teddy bear's in the other.*

*The hedgehog had only enough energy for one more of his Nova blasts, and he'd be all out. He wasn't fast enough to destroy the turret and then fire a blast in order to intercept Fireball's and Sky's attacks. The turret was locked on him. The hedgehog's hand burst into flames as he brought his palms together. He noted the couch wasn't very far away. If the hedgehog really pushed himself...*

*Ryan launched his final blast in hopes of intercepting the fireball and the bullets. He did not take careful aim. As soon as he had done so, the hedgehog leaped for the cover of the couch from the final turret and landed unconsciously.*

Sky slammed his swords into one sword, light flickering from the transformation. Looking straight up and the massive beast, he flinched. "If that's the way you want to play, Stride!" He yelled, dashing up to him, then lunging into the air, landing near Stride's head. "Then I'll play dirty, too!"

With the pain shooting inside of him, bullet wounds and all, he amazingly ignored it as he closed his eyes and focused. He took out a single, large chaos shard. It would take a while to charge up, it wasn't easy moving something as large as Stride, and at that, he was mainly chaos energy. That was even rougher on him. But none the less, he knew it had to be done.

"Chaos Cotnrol!"

~Outside of the lab~

~El Perro stood impatiently with Alice at side, staring out at the Biolab from a steel Gorvacian zeppelin that was circling the area with a group of 2 other ships. All were equipped with ballistic missiles and aimed at the biolab, simply waiting for the group to leave before destroying it once and for all. Even still, El Perro continued to think about what Ryan and Corvak told him earlier...Maybe this firing squad thing wasn't necesary after all...

Furthermore, any of the snipers scattered throught the area, were now well hidden underground The firing squad, now equipped with the armor piercing, shoulder mounted rail guns, now stared through the powerful X-ray scope. Each one of those 20 soldiers now had their aim directed on Fireball.

"Wow... That was intense." He had meant for that statement to be heard by everyone, but instead, it came out only a whisper.

He made his way to Ryan, turning his body so that his back faced no one. "You allright? You did a good job back there." Even after this fight, he still had not left his guard down to the others. He was also worried about Alice, wondering where on Earth she was now.

"Please, TELL ME that you didn't let El Perro and his army fallow you here. PLEASE tell me your not THAT stupid..... Where the f*** is Alice?"

He said all this without slowing down, he was frantically stomping out the fire he'd created in the middle of the room.

El Perro looked down at Alice, then slowly leans down to her.

"Alice. The one that took you away, Fireball...Hes about to be hurt...bad. If you could save him from being hurt...in spite of what hes done so far...in spite of him being a hedgehog...would you?"

~Almost like a response to El Perro's question, the radio suddenly blares to life with the commanding Gorvacian's voice~

"Hey! El Perro! Firing squad #1 has a lock on that hedgehog. The taller one, right? Hes currently in closed quarters. What are your orders?"

El Perro simply grins, then slowly lowers the radio to Alice, gently placing it in her hands. Before whispering to her...

"Alice, what do you think?"

"Why should he be hurt, Mister Azul? He didn't hurt me at all. Actually, he kept me quite safe. I don't know why he took me... but why hurt him for that?"

"OK, you two will die in a shower of various bullets and rockets intened for me, think fast, Tiny Dancers."

"Can't fault you for that, Alice. Sounds good." He holds the radio to his mouth. "Fella's, disperse. This jobs been cancelled. I'm leaving too, just make sure that this spot is destroyed once EVERYBODY leaves. Oh yeah, thanks for coming on such short noticed, move out."

El Perro lifts Alice up and sits her on his shoulder, then orders the pilot to turn the ship around.

"I'm proud of your decision Alice. Teaches me a few things too. Now, lets head home, Corvak and I got somethin' you'll love."

~The soldiers quickly and quietly disperse...first the firing squad, then the snipers, only to cover them. The only things left are the two giant steel zeppelins, only waiting for their opprotunity to take down the building

"Sky...C-can you tell me what El Perro told you in the conference room when I was kicked out?"

"Screw this, I'm not taking an chances."

Fireball puts in the access code, then removes a large piece of metal from the device. Taking a couple of steps back, he takes off his metal sunglasses and places them on a table. There is a high pitched whine, building in intensity, and then....

The "Pinch" goes off. There's no explosion, per say. But everyone can feel the big space where an explosion should have been. The machine jerks angrily, like its swatting a mosqito, and the whine fades, hand-in-hand with an electrical crackle from all directions.

An Electro-Magnetic Pulse. Within a three mile radius, all electronic equiptment is now rendered useless. Radio wires fired, plug fuses blown, anyone touching something metallic will feel a sharp spark, people with a lot of hair will find it attempting to stand on end. If there happened to be any airborn vessals above their head at this moment, say for example two lead zeppelin airships, they would most certainly find themselves lost of all power, and unable to automatically restart. If there happened to be any teams of Snipers nearby, their laser sights would die completly and they'd get a sharp electric shock from the metal of the weapon itself. The lights go out, ALL the light. Its pitch black, again.

But it isn't long before the automatic generator reboots itself, and the skelaton equiptment in Stride's lab, desgned to work in just such an emergency as this, kick's back into life. Fireball puts his glasses back on.

He was not through. He took a deep breath, speaking slowly so every word was heard clearly. "Fireball, I understand where you're coming from. Finding a good place for Alice, that's a good idea. But in all honesty, would you think it's safe to have her life with a normal family? It's dangerous, just as dangerous as it might be to live with El Perro. It's a strange situation, I'm not tottaly sure how to approach it. As for El Perro...." He shook his head.

"Sky... Never said he'd take her to a normal family. He said she needed a good family. And do we really know what Stride's motives when he killed those people? Maybe Stride wasn't such a bad guy..."

*But Ryan soon began to question himself about what he had just said. If that thing they just fought was how Stride was right, then Ryan admited to himself stupid once again.*

"Fireball... I think you should clue us in on who exactly Stride was. And any info you've gathered on El Perro. That way, Sky and I can be sure of our own motives."

"Listen, Water-boy. You owe him your life. If it wasn't for Stride this entire world would have been invaded, destroyed, nuked, and wiped out in a numbe rof ways. He saved your life over and over again before you were even in this game. His inventions have advanced modern medicine and electronic technology by about 60 years, and that's only the ones that he felt were safe enough to share with the world. If you disresect him one more time I'm gonna have your ass frozen and then smashed to pieces by tiny little robotic hamsters. Got it?"

"You two are jerks. Sky was only sticking up for what he believed in. You could have explained it simply. He didn't yell at you when he told you what he though."

*Amid the hedgehog's rage, a fire ball slowly grew from his clenched fist. Ryan didn't take notice of this, even if it was giving off intense heat.*

"Erm...well... What I'm getting at is... Why can't we just get along? I mean, we can beat this El Perro guy if we all stick together. So...waddya say?"

"Sure, sport. Let's do that. I'm going to fire up the ChronoLab gateway. I think I remember how to operate it. Shade, if you would be so kind as to warp Alice back to us, I'd be most appreciative. I'm sure her shadow imprint will be highly unique. Gentlemen, if you would come with me to the restricted area of the lab."

"Uh...Fireball. El Perro doesn't really know we've reallied. Maybe we could act as a double agent?"

"What? Why not?"

"Uh... Well, you got Chaos Control, Fireball. Why don't you do it? Sky could even do it."

Fireball hoped this would strike a chord. He found it difficult to accept the fact that Shade was giving him hassle now.

"Fine, I don't think he'll hurt her just now, but we gotta be careful with that guy... Anyone who wants to meet Stride come with me."

He says as he heads of to the far corner of the lab, where everytrhing is white apart from large read signs stating "Restricted Access: Highly Dangerous".

"So was he really a good guy?"