Sonic The Hedgehog: Dark-Bright

[INTERMISSION ARC] Chapter 66: infiltration

Their plan has been set. They decided to meet up at Emerald Hill, which was located on the west side of the island – the same place where they must get to the Metropolis Zone. The scene had shifted to Sonic's crew. It was now nighttime, and Sonic gazed at the stars, his quills ruffled by the wind. ''So... do you have any idea why Dijon doesn't want to come with us?''

Amy looked down. ''I think he is still true to his nature... I've always seen him as someone who tends to avoid a lot of fights, which is the opposite of you. But... who knows.''

''I see. It's hard to imagine how he feels lonely like us – our families are gone, and even one of his friends is arrested. That's probably why he decided to come along with us.''

The fox nodded. ''I can definitely agree with that, but... I think we're just a few minutes away from reaching our destination!''

''Alright! I can't wait to show them what true teamwork can achieve!'' Sonic pumped his fist into the air, exuding confidence.

Now the scene cuts to Dijon staring at the stars as well. Aeon approaches him and asks, ''What's the matter? Why didn't you come with them?''

The orange hedgehog sighed. ''It's just a combination of reasons... I've been feeling a bit stressed out today.''

The old man looked concerned. ''Oh, why didn't you mention that earlier? You should take a break. Besides, I've trained your friends well enough; they can handle themselves now.''

Dijon nodded. ''You're right. I'll take your advice and get some rest.''

Dijon leaves, and now the focus shifts to Tornado 2 landing on the island. As they touch down, they are greeted by a black hedgehog and a bat, who seem surprised. Tails looks at them. ''How did you guys get here so quickly?''

Shadow shrugs. ''I don't know, maybe because we're just that special.'' Rouge chuckles at his response.

''Anyway, I guess we just have to wait for Knuckles...''

Sonic leans on the plane. ''Yeah, let's be patient.''

And after a few more minutes, Knuckles emerges from the ground where he had been digging. ''I'm glad I managed to find all of you.''

''It's about time, Knuckles. Let's hear our plan,'' Amy says.

Rouge gathers the whole crew together as she begins to explain. ''With G.U.N.'s help, we've managed to gather information about the place. It's an abandoned building, nothing out of the ordinary. But here's the twist – there's something more inside.''

''Something else?'' everyone asks.

''Yes! Inside the building, there's all this futuristic tech that doesn't belong to the current era.''

''So, it's really them... I've heard that this echidna clan has always had a unique approach to progress. They seem to have advanced far beyond others.''

Tails interrupts. ''Wait a minute, Knuckles. They were all echidnas?''

''Indeed. They're all echidnas, which makes it even stranger that I'm the only living echidna around.''

''Let's get to the point – we need a simple infiltration plan,'' the bat adds.

''To get there, we'll need to split up. The interior is filled with narrow, scattered rooms. Staying together as a group isn't a good idea,'' Rouge explains.

Amy crosses her arms. ''So who's going to do what?''

Rouge continues, ''Let's start. Shadow and I will operate outside the building, providing necessary commands and support.''

Sonic looks at them. ''Shadow, you're not going to fight?''

''This is about retrieving the chaos emeralds, not about who fights. Success is what matters,'' he clarifies.

''Well, I'm sure you're right.'' Sonic grins.

''Back to the plan. Tails will be in charge of disabling the technology – that's the basic idea.''

The fox nods eagerly.

''And Knuckles... you'll be our vanguard.''

He looks surprised. ''Charging in? Isn't this supposed to be an infiltration or a raid?''

''Don't get ahead of yourself, Knuckles. You'll be a distraction.''

''A distraction? Fine.'' He turns his back.

''Amy, this might be a bit challenging for you...''

''What is it?''

''I couldn't come up with a solid plan. So, during the infiltration, you and Sonic will be working as a team.''

''A team with Sonic?'' She looks at Sonic, seeming a bit dazed.

''What's wrong?'' Sonic asks her.

Amy shakes her head, snapping back to attention. ''Ah, nothing at all! I'm just excited to finally put some action into practice after all that intense training those old men put us through.''

''Whatever you say. At least I won't be so lonely,'' Sonic remarks with a hint of smugness.

''Okay, everything's clear now. All we need to do is use the earpieces we used during the dimension incident a week ago.''

''Great!'' Sonic exclaims as Rouge reveals a secret bag containing the necessary equipment. They all put on the earpieces.

With the equipment ready, they're prepared to go. Shadow leans against a palm tree. ''Now, follow Rouge's instructions, and don't let us down.''

Amy nods, and they're ready to embark on their mission, with Rouge looking at them. ''I have faith they'll be fine. But I can't help but wonder what these Knuckles-like beings will do to us. Will everything be alright?''

''They'll be as fine as ever. Considering their training, I'm starting to wonder if Sonic has truly surpassed me.''

''Still dwelling on that?'' She looks at him.

''Absolutely. Since our first encounter, I've usually had the upper hand, but his luck has always given him an advantage. Now, with his use of the Soul Blade, I can't maintain that top spot. But who cares? As long as he's around, the planet is safe.''

''Definitely.'' She agrees.

And so, as the crew readies for their mission, the story is set to unfold.

-chapter end-