"What?!" Runa exclaimed in shock.

"I know, but please, come find us! Come rescue us! Come take us to a safe place! We have nowhere else to go!" Sara begged her.

Runa's shocked expression turned into a determined one. Her eyes laid on her phone. "Don't worry, Sara. I'm on my way."

With that, Runa hung up and placed her phone back in her backpack.

Runa ran her way back to the Medical Bay. As she reached for the door knob and pushed the door open, there was Lariel, jolting her head towards her in shock.

Runa's feet halted. Her body bent slightly as her knees bent and her hands slid onto her thighs. You can hear her panting as Lariel asked, "Is everything alright, Runa?"

"No. *pant* It's... *pant* not. Sara called and... *pant* The kids. *pant* They're in... *pant* trouble," Runa told Lariel in between her panting.

Lariel gasped in shock. Her hands covered her mouth as she did so.

Runa raised her body back into her proper standing position. "I know, but the kids are in a desperate situation. I have to inform Sally about it, then we'll see what to do about it."

Lariel uncovered her mouth. Her shocked expression turned into a determined one. "Okay, Runa. Go. Inform Sally," Lariel told Runa.

"Right," Runa replied.

With that, Runa ran out of the Medical Bay door. Then, she headed her way towards the Bridge. Once she got there, she saw three of the Freedom Fighters present.

There were five seats in the bridge, but only two on the front center and the one on the far left was empty.

Sitting on the far right seat was Bunnie. She was seen typing on a computer. On the screen was the GPS screen, tracking down the Kingdom of Afrikonkryk. Antoine was standing there, with his hand laying ontop of Bunnie's chair. He bent down slightly and his concerned eyes were gazed on her.

Sally sat on the captain's chair. Her hands were resting on the chair's arms as she stared straight ahead with determination.

Runa walked her way towards Sally and slightly raised her hand to grab her attention. "Excuse me? Sally?"

Sally turned to Runa in concern. "What is it, Runa? Do you need anything?"

"I'm here to inform you that the village my human friends are from is under attack. One of my human friends, Sara, called me about it. She and the others need me there to rescue them," Runa said. "I am asking you to drop me off at the village. I know you have a mission to cure Leo. That's why I have to take on this mission alone."

Everyone in the Bridge turned to Runa in shock.

"You can't be serious! You cannot go in ze village to rescue them all by yourself!" Antoine said.

"He's right, Sugah-hog. We don't know what might happen if you were to go in there like that," Bunnie said.

Runa lowered her head. Her hands clenched to her fist and her arms became stiff. As it happened, she closed her eyes tightly. You can tell that a tear was struggling to escape from her left eye. "I know you're worried about me, but I have to do this. I babysat the kids. I took care of them. I helped provide the needs for the kids when none of their parents are around. And right now, they're in danger. They need me, guys, and I have to go there for the sake of those kids." Runa opened her eyes and raised her head, facing Sally. Determination and a lot of begging were in her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. "So, please! Go to the village and drop me off there! After that, you can go to Afrikonkryk without me!"

Sally was stunned by Runa's whole speech. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. Her right index finger and thumb lightly pinched her chin in deep thought.

After a few moments, Sally opened her eyes, moved her hand back to the armchair and turned to Runa. "Alright. We'll drop you off. Just... be careful out there."

"I will," Runa said with a gentle smile.

-------------------------------------------------

Later on, in the village...

Sally had set course to the village Sara, Lucy, Junior and Bubbles came from, but not before she informed everyone else in the Sky Patrol that they're going on a detour and drop Runa off when they get there.

Once they arrived, explosions roared across the village. Shocked expressions were plastered on everyone's faces as they witnessed the scene.

In the meeting room...

"Oh mah stars," Bunnie reacted. "That village has gotten worse than I imagined."

"Yeah, no kidding," Sonic replied.

In the Bridge...

Sally held up her handheld computer. Her eyes were full of concern. "Nicole, any analysis?"

"It seems that a group of black-hooded terrorists are attacking the village. Not only that, but they're also taking the children to the truck. I just hope Runa's human friends are okay," Nicole said.

Sally pressed and held one of the buttons on the commander's chair. Her voice echoed all over the Sky Patrol. "Okay, Freedom Fighters and Royal Guardians. We'll drop off Runa in the village, then we'll continue on our journey."

As soon as everyone heard her, they nodded. Responses like "Yes, Sally!", "Roger!", "Alright!", "Yup!", "Affirmative" and "Noted!" were heard.

In the Bridge, Sally let go of the button and turned to Antoine. "Antoine, can you do the job?" Sally asked over the intercom.

As soon as he heard his name, Antoine tensed up. He answered with a slightly nervous smile. "O-Oh, yes. I will be bringing her to ze village, princess."

"Great. Make sure the Sky Patrol is hidden from the public. Land Runa somewhere nearby the village's entrance," Sally told him.

"Oui!"

With that, Antoine walked his way towards Runa. "Allow me to escort you to ze Twister, my friend."

"Yes, Antoine. Thank you," Runa said with a gentle friendly smile.

Antoine and Runa walked to the exit doors of the Bridge. Before they exited, Bunnie's arms wrapped around Antoine. "Please, do be careful, Sugah."

Antoine was tensed at first, but after hearing what Bunnie had said, he relaxed and hugged her back with a smile. "Yes, of course, ma cherie. I will be careful."

In the background, you can see Runa covering her mouth, trying to prevent herself from snickering.

"Good luck on your rescue. If you ever need to get back to the Sky Patrol, please, call us," Sally told Runa with a smile.

"I will," Runa said, smiling at her back.

"Chao-chao-chao," Shania said over the intercom.

Everyone in the Bridge were surprised to hear Shania speaking over the intercom.

"Shania says she and your chao friends will come with you, Miss Runa. Rosy even said that she had to go there because your human friends are their friends, too," Cream said through the intercom.

Runa lowered her head and closed her eyes with a smile. She let out a chuckle. "Thanks, Cream and Shania. I appreciate it."

"Chao-chao," Shania said.

"You're welcome," Cream replied.

"Please, tell them they can come with me. They just have to be careful," Runa said.

"I will," Cream replied.

-------------------------------------------------

Later on...

Antoine had taken Runa and the five chao to the spot nearby the village's entrance via the Twister. Once they landed, Runa, the five chao and Antoine waved goodbye to each other. After that, Antoine took off back to the Sky Patrol with the Twister.

"Chao-chao-chao, chao-chao-chao, chao, chao!" Shania told Runa. Roughly translated, "Let's go to the village and save our friends."

Runa let out a chuckle. "Yes. Let's go, but we have to be quiet when we get to their house. We don't want to get caught by the terrorists."

With that, Runa and the five chao snuck into the village. Runa tiptoed and swiftly swooped quietly from place to place. Following behind her were the five chao. They did so by flight. Runa was decent at stealth skills. With her Royal Guardian training, she's sure she could handle it.

As Runa and the five chao continued searching for the Lucas' Family house, Rosy let out a scream. "CHAO!!!!!!"

Runa and the five chao turned in Rosy's direction. Then, they found themselves face-to-face with one of the black-hooded terrorists. The terrorists had a black hood and a large cape covering his body. The only things exposed to the public were his black gloves, his beige sleeves and a gun pointing at her.

Runa was startled. By the look on her face, she was freaking out, but not openly. And so, she formed her fighting stance.

As for the chao, Mystico formed a guarding stance with Rosy behind him. Rosy was startled at first, but she decided to try to intimidate the terrorist while glaring at him. Bearace and Juniper formed their fighting positions. Glaring eyes of protection were gazed on the terrorist.

"Chao-chao, chao-chao-chao, chao-chao, chao-chao-chao," Bearace said. Roughly translated, "Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way."

Runa readied herself to duck while dodging the bullet. The chao readied themselves to soar away while dodging the bullet. Just as the terrorist was about to pull the trigger, a black blurred ball suddenly zoomed in from her northwest direction.

Again, Runa and the five chao were startled. This time, they were surprised.

At first glance, Runa and the five chao thought it was some sort of black blur, but a few seconds later...

"Chao-chao!" Juniper said, pointing at the black blur in front of them.

Once they turned to what Juniper was pointing at, they realized that the black blur was none other than Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow launched a few kicks towards the terrorist before taking him down. After that, he turned to Runa and the five chao. "Are you alright?"

Runa nodded. "Yeah, we're fine. Thanks."

"Chao-chao," Mystico said, nodding in agreement.

Just then...

"Behind you!" Shadow said, pointing at something behind Runa.

As soon as she heard Shadow's words, Runa flipped herself behind her and roundhouse-kicked the head of another terrorist. The terrorist's hand reached his left cheek, the one where Runa kicked him. Once she noticed he's caught off guard, Runa did a running approach, jumped and kicked his stomach. This sent him flying backwards. His back landed at the front part of the dark gray, rectangular garbage can.

Runa landed back on her feet. Her knees were slightly bent and her hands formed a fist.

Shadow let out a light chuckle. "Hmph. Not bad," he said with a smirk.

"Thanks," Runa replied.

Runa saw another terrorist running at her from her left. She leaped over his body and grappled his neck. Then, as she landed on the ground, she pulled him down with him. She landed back on her feet and threw him somewhere on her northwest. She really wanted to throw him over like a judo martial artist, but she didn't succeed.

Just then, a curious question popped into Shadow's head. "I want to ask you something, Runa."

Runa turned to Shadow. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Why did you and your chao come here in the village?"

"Sara called me here. She told me to rescue her and her friends from a group of terrorists. Then, my chao friends asked me if they could go with me because Sara and her friends are their friends, too. We were looking for the Lucas Family's house, but we got caught along the way," Runa explained.

It took Shadow a few moments before telling Runa, "Go."

"What?" Runa asked, surprised.

"Chao-chao?" Rosy asked, surprised.

"Go. Find what you're looking for. Rouge, Omega and I will take it from here," Shadow said to her.

So Rouge and Omega are here, too? Runa thought. That must mean Team Dark is on a mission to take down the terrorists.

After a few moments, Runa nodded. "Okay. Be careful out there."

"I will," Shadow replied.

"Chao-chao!" Rosy said, waving her hand.

"Chao-chao-chao, chao-chao!" Bearace said, making a few punching movements.

"Rosy says, 'good luck' and Bearace says, 'Go kick butt, Shadow,'" Runa translated for Shadow.

Shadow chuckled. "Thanks, but I don't need luck."

"Chao-chao," Shania said.

"Yeah, we figured," Runa said.

Shadow chuckled again.

With that, Runa and the five chao ran their way to the Lucas Family's house, leaving Shadow to deal with the terrorists.

A few minutes later...

Runa and the five chao were finally standing at the front door of the Lucas Family's house. Runa quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Once she's inside, she took a few more steps. After she let her five chao friends in, she closing the door quietly. What they saw made her eyes widened in shock.

"Chao-chao-chao, chao-chao?!" Bearace asked. Roughly translated. "How did this happen?!"

Before them was the living room. The living room contained a couch. In front of it was a brown cabinet. On top of it was a TV. Behind a couch was a bookshelf. Half of it were filled with books. Further ahead of Runa was the window, with white transparent curtains hanging. Rips were applied on the gray couch and the curtains. Books were scattered all over the broken brown bookshelf. Even the TV snapped in half.

Runa and the chao turned to her left. The kitchen. The kitchen consisted of the table attached to the wall. The table formed an "L" in the kitchen. The top part was gray while the one below it was brown. Drawers were applied at the one below the top part if the table. In the middle of it was a kitchen sink. On its right was a dish rack. Further beside it was a toaster. On the other side of the kitchen sink was a bottle of the green dishwashing liquid and the yellow sponge inside the white container. Further from the container was a white plant pot made of glass and in it were fake leaves. Then, in front of the fake plant was a stove. Between the stove and the fake plant was a container filled with a wooden spoon, a whisk and a green spatula made of plastic. Above the whole table were brown cabinets. In the middle of the kitchen was the counter, used for preparing ingredients and making food. The top part was brown while the one below it was gray, patterned with dark gray and white dots. On the left wall was a window, with white transparent curtains hanging. Right now, utensils, and shards made from plates, saucers and even bowls were scattered everywhere.

Runa and the five chao took a few more steps forward and turned to her right. The dining room. The dining room consisted of a brown, polished, rectangular table with color-matching chairs surrounding it. There's also a window with white transparent curtains hanging on it. It was located on the right wall. Nothing was damaged, but there were papers and toys scattered all over the place. Runa couldn't help but wonder. Did someone throw toys at the terrorists?

Most of the walls and ceilings were beige. All of the floors were made of brown hardwood.

"It's probably the work of the terrorists," Runa answered Bearace's question.

"Chao-chao-chao, chao-chao?" Rosy asked with tears filling her eyes. Roughly translated, "Will our friends be okay?"

Mystico laid a hand on Rosy's shoulder. "Chao-chao-chao. Chao-chao-chao, chao." Roughly translated, "Don't worry, Rosy. I'm sure they will."

Runa went to the kitchen, with the five chao following behind. Then, she walked to the right. Then, she walked straight ahead to the stairs. Runa carefully and quietly walked up the stairs. The stairs were beige with the railings being brown. As she reached towards the top, Runa took a few more steps forward, then to her right. And right before her and the chao were three brown doors.

The left one led to the master bedroom. The middle one led to Lucy and Junior's bedroom. The right one led to the sleepover bedroom. That room is where Runa, the five chao, Sara, Bubbles, Lucy and Junior spent most of their time during sleepovers and during the times Runa babysat them.

Runa went to the left door and carefully opened it. She and the five chao peeked inside the master bedroom. Walls were beige. Same goes with the ceiling. The floor was made of brown hardwood. The beddings were white, with the bed board being black. On the front left of the bed was Maverick's black office desk with a matching spinning office chair. Further ahead of Runa and the five chao was a window, with white transparent curtains hanging on it.

No one was there, but papers, notebooks, files and ballpens were scattered everywhere.

"Chao-chao, chao-chao, chao, chao!" Bearace said. Roughly translated, "This has got to be the work of the terrorists!"

"Yup," Runa replied.

With that, Runa and the chao backed up. Then, Runa pulled the door closed.

Runa went to the second door and opened it. Runa and the five chao peeked inside. The colors of the walls, ceiling and floor were the same. The gray carpet was added, so that Junior could play with his toys on the floor. On the right was Lucy's bed. Her beddings were white with the bed board being black. On the other side was Junior's white cradle with white beddings. In front of Lucy's bed was her own brown desk. This was made for her to do homework. Between Lucy's bed and Junior's cradle was a window, with white transparent curtains hanging on it.

No one was in that room. Papers, notebooks and ballpens were scattered everywhere. Runa and the chao backed up again. Runa closed the door.

Runa went to the last door and opened it. Runa and the chao peeked in. The sleepover room consisted of the same colors as the walls and ceiling. The gray carpet covered the whole floor. On the right was a white cabinet. Ontop of it was a medium-sized TV, made for Runa, the chao and the kids to watch. On the other side was a white medium-sized treasure chest. And far before Runa's eyes was a window with peach, transparent curtains.

No one was there, but books from the cabinet and toys from the chest were scattered everywhere.

Runa and the chao backed away as the magenta hedgehog closed the door.

Runa and the chao decided to check inside the bathroom beside the bottom of the stairs. No one was there, either. Unlike the other rooms, the bathroom was neat.

Runa and the chao searched for the kids from top to bottom, but somehow, none of them were found.

Runa's feet halted to the exit door of the Lucas Family's house. The chao flew towards her, with concerned expressions appearing on their faces Runa closed her eyes and sighed. Just as she was about to give up, a loud gunshot was heard.

-------------------------------------------------

Runa and the chao jolted up in surprise.

"Chao-chao-chao?!" Bearace asked. Roughly translated, "What was that?!"

"I... don't know," Runa answered as she turned to where the sound came from. Then, realization came to her and her eyes widened.

Runa quickly rushed out of the door.

"Chao-chao! Chao-chao-chao!" Juniper said. Roughly translated, "Runa! Wait for us!"

After Runa let the chao out of the door, she closed it before running off to where the sound came from. It seemed that anger was plastered on her face, but desperation and need to protect her human friends were rising all over her body.

Following behind her were the chao. They seemed to keep up with her, but multiple breaths of exhaustion escaped their mouths.

"Chao-chao... chao-chao-chao?" Rosy asked. Roughly translated, "Can we... slow down a bit?"

"Chao-chao... chao. Chao-chao-chao-chao... chao-chao... chao, chao, chao-chao," Mystico said. Roughly translated, "I'm not... sure. I've never seen... Runa... this desperate before."

"Chao-chao... chao-chao chao-chao-chao," Juniper said. "We have... to see... what's going on."

"Chao-chao. Chao-chao-chao... chao-chao. Chao-chao... chao-chao, chao... chao-chao-chao-chao... chao-chao... chao-chao," Shania said. Roughly translated, "She's right. It could be... trouble. And once we... find out... we'll find a way... to deal... with this. "

"Chao-chao... chao-chao," Bearace said. Roughly translated, "I hope... you're right."

Later on, Runa and the five chao got to where the sound came from. They found themselves face-to-face with the situation at the entrance of the village. Shadow, Rouge and Omega were seen facing the terrorists. In front of them was a big truck, holding the captured innocent children.

Half of the terrorists were standing on the front left of the truck, gripping the children's arms tightly. Those included Sara, Bubbles and Lucy. As for Junior, he was held in the arms of Maverick. Maverick was knelt down on the ground with two terrorists standing behind him.

The second half of the terrorists were pointing their guns at Team Dark and the G.U.N. soldiers. The G.U.N. solidiers were pointing their guns at the terrorists.

Shouts scattered across the scene.

"MR. LUCAS!" Bubbles screamed.

"NO!" Sara screamed.

Sara was usually calm, cool and collected. She was also chilled during normal days. During her taekwondo and kickboxing training, she was usually determined to get her skills right. But whenever someone dear to her is in trouble, she was desperate to save them. Unfortunately for her, she was trapped by the hands of the terrorist.

"DAD! NO!" Lucy screamed.

"PAPPI!" Junior screamed.

"Those children are innocent! They can't be executed like that!" Rouge said.

"Oh, they're not going to be executed. They'll be working with us," one of the terrorists said. "Although..." His eyes turned to Lucy, Sara, Bubbles, Junior and Maverick.

Once Runa saw this, her eyes widened in realization.

"...they'll be an excep-"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Chao-chao, chao!" Shania said. Roughly translated, "Runa, wait!"

Runa's scream cut the terrorist mid-sentence. As soon as everyone else heard it, their heads jolted towards her in complete shock. She ran quickly towards Sara, Bubbles, Lucy, Junior and Maverick, with the five chao following her.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!!!" Runa screamed again.

Runa kicked the terrorists' heads and knees, one by one, starting with the terrorists gripping onto Sara's, Bubbles' and Lucy's arms. The kicks made the terrorists loosened their grips. The girls were set free. Then, Runa started heading to the terrorists standing behind Maverick. Then, she sent kicks to their knees and punches to their stomachs.

After that, Runa grabbed one of the terrorist's guns and swooped the girls towards Maverick. Then, she swooped in front of the girls, Junior and Maverick, and pointed the gun at the terrorists. She glared at them deadly with an additional feeling of desperation and the need to protect her human friends from the terrorists.

"DON'T TOUCH THEM!!! DON'T TOUCH THEM OR I WILL SHOOT YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Runa's scream was so loud her throat almost went dry.

Everyone, especially Shadow, was in complete shock at what they just saw. Shadow had never seen Runa holding a gun, so this was the first. But that's not what surprised him. What surprised him was her bravery and the desperation she had inside of her when she's protecting her human friends with all her life. For some reason, the way she protects people reminded him of how he protects the world and all the people living in it.

Just then, they heard someone chuckling evilly. Everyone turned to where the sound came from. Then, among the terrorists was whom he seemed to be a slightly muscular man with a black hood and a large cape covering his whole body. The only things exposed to the public were his black gloves and beige sleeves. And no, he's not the same terrorist Runa met earlier. The terrorist's chuckle turned into an evil laugh.

"Oh, how ironically amusing. The one they called 'The Fallen Hero' is back from the dead," the terrorist said.

Confusion shot through Runa. "Fallen Hero?" She turned to the five chao, who turned to each other in confusion. Then, she turned to Team Dark. Rouge shrugged at this. Shadow gave her a look that said "I don't know what he's talking about either." As for Omega...

"I do not recall a Fallen Hero being alive," Omega said.

"I can't recall, either," Runa said to Omega. Then, she turned back to the terrorist. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah, it seems you don't remember," the terrorist said.

"Don't remember what?"

Just as the terrorist was about to answer, Maverick's hand laid on the gun Runa was holding. "Hold on."

Runa turned to Maverick. "Maverick..." she muttered.

Maverick had risen back to his standing position and gently placed Junior down before walking towards Runa. Right now, Junior was holding Lucy's hand.

Maverick gently pushed down Runa's hand. Then, he stepped in front of Runa and faced the terrorists in determination. "I'll take the children's places. As a slave. And the one to be executed."

Everyone turned to Maverick in complete shock. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!"

You can even hear the gun dropping on the ground from Runa's hand.

"Chao-chao-chao! Chao-chao, chao-chao-chao, chao!" Shania said.

"Chao-chao!" the other four chao chimed in, agreeing with Shania.

"Shania's right, Maverick! We can't let you do that! People need you!" Runa exclaimed in desperation.

"Yeah, dad! People need you alive!" Lucy said while holding Ricky in her arms.

"You created inventions to support humanity!" Bubbles said.

"And you took care of us when Runa was not around," Sara stated.

"I'm not losing anyone!" Runa exclaimed. "Not even a member of any family!"

"Pappi!" Junior said.

"I'm sorry," Maverick said as he turned to Runa, the chao, Sara, Bubbles, Lucy and Junior. His eyes were full of sadness and sincere apology. "It's the only way I can keep you safe."

Runa's expression turned into sadness. Tears filled her eyes. Then, as she closed her eyes, tears rolled down her cheeks and her right hand wiped her tears.

The other girls, along with Junior and the five gathered around Runa. Lucy, Bubbles, the chao and Runa broke down in tears while hugging each other. Junior let out cries as he hugged Runa also.

Sara placed a hand on Runa's shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Seeing their reactions, Maverick walked towards the group and knelt down. Maverick reached his right hand out in Junior's direction. "Junior." He motioned for her to come to him. "Come."

Junior approached Maverick, just as he told her to. Then, Maverick and Junior shared a hug. Junior let out a cry as they did so. "Junior, I'm no longer gonna be around. The girls will take care of you. Okay?"

"Pappi," Junior said, still breaking down in tears.

"Yeah, I know. It's hard, but I have to do this for you and the girls," Maverick said.

With that, they pulled away from the hug. Junior walked back to Lucy.

Then, Maverick turned to Bubbles. "Bubbles, it's gonna be alright. I'm sure you won't be alone. You have Runa, Lucy, Junior and Sara. They'll keep you safe no matter what."

Tears still streamed down her cheeks, but Bubbles mamaged to make a smile. "Thank you... Mr.... Lucas."

"No problem," Maverick said. Then, he turned to Lucy. "Lucy. Please, handle your brother with care. Protect him and Bubbles when no one else is around."

"Of course, dad," Lucy said as she wiped her tears. "I promise."

Maverick turned to Sara. "Sara. You are the eldest among the group, other than Runa. Protect them at all cost. Do not let them near the strangers."

"Yes, Mr. Lucas. Of course," Sara said. Her tears streamed down her cheeks, but she smiled nonetheless. "I won't let you down."

Maverick turned to the chao. "I know. It's heartbreaking to see me leave like this. But please, stay strong and courageous. For Runa, the girls and Junior. For me."

"Chao-chao," the five chao said, still breaking down in tears.

"Chao-chao, chao. Chao-chao," Mystico said. Roughly translated, "Yes, of course. We will."

"Chao, chao-chao, chao-chao!" Rosy and Bearace said in unison. Roughly translated, "We're gonna miss you so much!"

Maverick let out a light chuckle. "I'll miss you, too."

Maverick had been with Runa and the chao for a decent amount of time, so naturally, he understand the chao language.

Now, all that's left is Runa. The one who took the hardest in losing Maverick. Everyone in the group pulled away from Runa.

Runa limped towards Maverick and the two shared a hug. Runa kept breaking down in tears. She tightened the hug like it's the last time she sees Maverick. Maverick hugged Runa back. His hands stroke her back gently. "Ssshhh... it's okay."

Then, Maverick leaned over to Runa's ear and whispered. "Runa, I'm leaving the children under your care. Give them love, kindness and reassurance that you'll be there for them no matter what. Sara and Lucy will lean on you for advice. Provide the needs for the whole family. Do you think you can do it?"

"Y-Yes..." Runa said, barely audible.

Fortunately, Maverick heard her answer.

"There's something I need to tell you. Something very important," Maverick whispered.

"What?"

"When you see a house in the middle of Forest Hill, please go inside and find the basement. There, you'll discover your purpose in life. And I mean, a real purpose in life. And when you do, I'm begging you. Please. Live up to it."

"Yes... of course."

"Good."

Runa and Maverick pulled away from the hug. Right after they did so, Runa was about to wipe the remaining tears that escaped her eyes, but Maverick rubbed his thumb against her cheeks, wiping the tears for her.

"Stay strong, Runa. Take care of the kids. Fulfill your purpose in life," Maverick said.

Runa could feel pain in her heart, but nonetheless, her lips curled up into a smile. "Okay."

Maverick nodded. Then, he rose back into his standing position.

The terrorists pulled the other kids out of the truck before escorting Maverick inside it.

The terrorists walked towards the truck doors and opened them. They entered and closed the doors after they sat.

The engine started. Then, the truck drove off outside the village.

Runa, the five chao, Sara, Bubbles, Junior and Lucy watched as the truck vanished before their eyes.

-------------------------------------------------

Shadow had seen the whole scene. The whole scene where Maverick sent his last words to Junior, Bubbles, Lucy, Sara, the chao and Runa before he went off with the terrorists to work as their slave and to be executed. For some reason, the whole scene reminded him of how he lost Maria.

Right now, Shadow was walking outside the village with Rouge, Omega, Runa, the chao, Sara, Junior, Lucy and Bubbles, with Junior held in Lucy's arms. He was currently in deep thought about what had happened earlier.

The other G.U.N. soldiers went back to the Headquarters because Team Dark was on a special mission assigned to them by Abraham Tower.

Nothing else occured to him until Rouge struck up a conversation. "So... about Runa..."

Silence filled the air.

After a few moments, Rouge spoke again, "She's a really brave girl, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Shadow answered.

"I thought she was a shy person at first, but turns out, she's an adult who vows to protect the kids from harm. She hates to lose other people," Rouge said.

"Yeah. It's true," Shadow said. His eyes casted down on his hand. "It's just like how I feel, except that I vowed to protect humanity like she wanted."

Rouge nodded, knowing who Shadow meant by "she."

Just then, Omega joined in the conversation. "I sensed courage and bravery inside of the magenta hedgehog. Although, I do detect her DNA coming from a place far from here."

Shadow and Rouge turned to Omega in surprise.

"Far from here? What does it mean by that?" Rouge asked.

"I do not know, but there's a species in that place I've never seen before. We cannot tell her until we make sure. Other than that, I think of Runa as a brave hedgehog. She swears to protect the children no matter what," Omega said.

"I agree," Rouge said, smiling.

Shadow chuckled in agreement.

Then, what Rouge noticed about Runa surprised her. "And speaking of Runa..."

Shadow and Omega followed Rouge's gaze. They noticed how Runa's head was lowered down and how she went into deep thought.

"...it seems like she isn't herself since the man left the children with her," Rouge continued.

With Runa, so many thoughts ran in her head. She didn't realize it, but something in her was changing.

It's all up to me to take care of the kids and provide the needs for my chosen family. I have to protect them. I have to take care of them. I can't lose anyone... anymore, Runa thought.

Everyone was concerned about Runa. They wanted to know what's wrong with her, but they thought it'd better if they'd do so in private.

A bit later on, Runa tapped the screen on her communicator. Then, after pressing a few buttons, Lariel appeared on screen.

"Hey, Lariel. How have you been?" Runa said in a low voice only Lariel could hear. The reason why her voice was low is because Junior was currently asleep.

"Hey, Runa! It's been a while," Lariel said. "Did you rescue the children?"

"Yeah, I did. Is the Sky Patrol still active?" Runa asked. "I'd like Sally to pick me up."

Lariel's eyes turned away with a nervous expression. "Yeah, about that. We're gonna be delayed in fetching you."

"Why is that?" Runa asked in concern.

"Because, uh..."

Meanwhile, Lariel was communicating with Runa in one of the jungle parts of Mobius. her eyes were currently landing on what's at the nearby distance.

Right at the nearby distance was a battle between the Royal Guardians, plus the Freedom Fighters, and the Underworlders. Punches, kicks, throws, bangs, swoops and spindashes clashed each other. Some of the flips were also involved. You could hear battle cries as Lariel finished her sentence.

"...we're...under attack."