A powerful thunderstorm shook the cathedral where Sonic stayed, the walls rattling but standing strong against the wind and rain. The power flickered from time to time, but it did nothing to stop the hedgehog's pondering of a plan, something he usually left to Tails.

Over the months that had passed, he had had a lot of time to think about his life, and what he'd done with it up until now. When he really stopped, something that had been rare, he realized that as much as he was called a hero in the tabloids and by the people... He really hadn't acted much like one.
He pounded robots into the ground and blew up Eggman's bases all the time, but was he ever there to help clean up the mess he left? Or to lend aid to the people whose homes and lives were uprooted by those attacks? Up until the bombings, he could hardly think of a time when he hadn't given a bow and then took off into the sunset.

Shadow was the one left helping clean up the messes, pulling victims out of the rubble. He must've brought up this topic many times, but Sonic hadn't listened to his rival, he'd been basking in the glory.

"...I'm no hero..." He whispered, leaning back on the couch and staring up at the ceiling of the library. "...I'm just a guy who likes to go fast...And get the thrill of fighting."

"You see that now..."

Sonic turned his head to look at Amanda as she entered the room, taking the stick and poking the fire roaring in the fireplace. "...I was pretty upset when you left Camelot in such a hurry. I thought you were being selfish..." She bent down, the firelight dancing in her eyes. "...but it was I who was being a selfish child, not understanding just how little time we had left even if you had stayed."

Sonic got up, walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "But you lost your entire world...Everything here in the present is beyond anything Camelot had."

"Indeed... It's been two years and I'm still astounded by things that my neighbors seem ordinary. Filtered water, for example. Something you take for granted unless you've been without it."

She grinned, wrapping one wing around him. "You helped me find my new family here...And now I'm going to help you get back to yours."

"Thank you... How do you suggest we do that?"

"We need to find a safe place for a pass-off. Have your friends meet us there, and then we can get you transferred into their hands without anyone ever knowing we were there."

"That may be our best chance... But I don't want you or Venice getting hurt in all of this."

"We'll be fine, Sonic... I didn't spend hundreds of years as a statue and the waking up in a whole different world to just hide up in this cathedral all day doing nothing, and Archeology, as much as I love it, can become a little tedious."

Sonic grinned, and then wrapped an arm around the hedgehawk's neck, "Thank you, Amanda... Your parents would be so proud of you."

"I know... Now," She stepped back, "get some sleep. We have more work to do in the morning..."

Sonic nodded, and then after she'd left the room, he curled back up on the couch under the blanket, staring upward at the ceiling. "...Don't worry guys... I'll be home soon..."

"Tower."

The man looked up from the papers he'd been overlooking, slowly resuming his post after the attack all those months ago. He hadn't expected to see Shadow just standing in the doorway, looking miffed and his quills a little unkempt as he marched up to the desk. "Shadow, did you get any sleep last night?"

"No Sir." Shadow placed his hands on the desk, leaning across it. "Tower, what do you know of Project Kintobor?"

Tower's eyes widened just a bit, and then he lifted a hand. "Before you get angry with me Shadow, you should know that Project Kintobor was commissioned by the Commander before me, Commander Reagan. I had no hand in that project's development."

Shadow's ears folded back, "I had the right to know that he was always intended to destroy me!"

"But he didn't, did he?" Tower chuckled, "That hedgehog was never one to follow instruction, always following his own intuition and whimsy... They all were."

"Tower, this is serious... Sonic is still alive."

That got Tower's attention. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"I am. We received confirmation yesterday afternoon."

Tower stood up from this chair, eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Then we do indeed have a problem... Because they think Phase 1 was completed."

"I saw the files, Tower. The project was decommissioned after the two of us stopped the ARK, but those that worked on the project have either gone missing, or they've all been terminated mysteriously... Somebody wants there to be no trace of it and nobody left to talk about it."

"I know... It's been on my mind ever since Eggman's tyranny was ended. If Sonic is still alive, then he may be the next target of these mysterious assassins. He knows more about what Project Kintobor was about than I do."

Shadow gripped the edge of the desk tighter, "...We need to get him back here where we can keep tabs on him." His ears then perked up a little and he looked back up to the human, "Permission to go on an away mission?"

Tower chuckled, "You're the Commander, Shadow, remember?... But yes, I can handle things just fine if you have something important you must look into, this situation requires your level of diligence and I know you're getting antsy sitting in an office all day. You're meant to be out there in the field."

"You know me too well."

"Well, Maria did talk about you a lot growing up."

Shadow nodded, "Thank you, Tower..."

"Might I ask where you're headed?"

"Timber Creek. There's someone there I need to check on... I shouldn't be long." Shadow then hurried out of the room.
Shadow hurried down the halls towards the barracks, stopping when he found his teammates. "Rouge, Omega. Suit up, we have a mission."

"About time!" Rouge announced as she came over and punched his shoulder gently, "I missed having your grumpy butt with me."

What is our destination? Omega inquired. Will it involve explosive violence?

"Hopefully it won't come to that, but we need to check up on an old acquaintance of mine... Hopefully, he'll cooperate. But I can almost promise you some explosive violence on a later mission."

I will accept that promise, as long as you do not disappoint me.

Shadow nodded and then gave a hard exhale as he smiled just a bit. "...It's good to be back..."