— Downtown District —

  The streets are quiet at night, and the moon shines directly onto the streets. It’s a clear day with no clouds; the stars illuminate the night skyline, buildings with sporadic lights, and streets filled with vehicles and pedestrians, still indicating the nightlife activity. Some enjoy their peacefulness, while some do whatever they can to finish their day before they hit the hay.

  Nothing between.

  For the moon, it captures the essence of beauty. When the moon shines down on the streets of Haven City, it’s nothing short of remarkable. It’s a reminder to everyone that their tasks have been fulfilled each passing day, even if there is much more to complete in the near future. To the nocturnal people, it relieves them more compared to the sprawling daylight, where everything is tranquil.

  For the people living here, it’s nothing short of a calm day… until the next day hits.

  Friday.

  Children can’t wait for the last day of the week, just go through school, and once finished, the rest of the time is up to them. To most workers, like Solid, Friday will always be their favorite day, representing a day of hard work and a desire to push the clock to end their day. And once they clock out, it’s time for relaxation, and a time for the weekends.

  When the weekends do roll around, it’s nothing short of excitement.

  Nothing more…

  Nothing less…

  After having a rough time dealing with the enemies in the Northern District, the team is all exhausted, still wondering why they’re even alive. For the Mobians, it’s short for survival, yet a failure on their part to swiftly deal with all of Eggman’s recruiters. For the brothers, it’s an easy answer to say for the two of them…

  Complicated.

  The team walks silently in the streets, still having thoughts in their mind. To them, they’re like strangers, not interacting with one another, creating a sense of awkwardness. Although their mission was a success, the lack of interaction between the brothers felt like a no-man’s land, making it difficult to initiate a conversation and leaving one unsure about the outcome. “... Nice attempt out there… right guys?” Tails breaks their silence, hoping that their profound awkwardness may be dealt with some hopefulness.

  “Yeah… except when my bitch-ass brother tells me not to use my-”

  “Isn’t that nice, Tricky? You’d rather choose to kill than to knock the opponents out or deal with stuff in non-lethal terms.” Solid protests, he says while walking backwards to face him. “I don’t care if they’re Eggman’s recruiters. You gotta notice that they’re still people at heart. Right?”

  “I get it, man… ” Tricky fidgets with his gun, seemingly doesn’t care about his brother’s words. “Your ideology is different from mine. It’s not like your brother has to deal with THE AMOUNT OF GANGS IN HIS LIFE!!!”

  The team freezes, shaken by his breakdown. Tails thought that the two brothers would’ve gone over it by then, but at this rate, they’re still conflicted by poor decision-making and the lack of teamwork.

  “... Damn step-brother… I thought you were already over it.” Solid disappointingly shakes his head, ungrateful for this out-of-place relationship between him and his brother. He turns around and continues to direct where he’s taking them, just wanting to move on from their bitterness.

  “Tch.” Tricky, who’s still not over with it, grabs his brother’s shoulder, forcing him to look at his older brother. “Listen to me… Those are Eggman’s allies. They’re out to get rid of us with their guns, while he plans to use the Master Emerald to conquer our world… I repeat… OUR world… And if you don’t understand the part…” He forcefully presses his finger onto his brother’s forehead, showing how upset he is. “OUR WORLD!!! THIS ISN’T EVEN MOBIUS! IT’S OUR WORLD WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, DUMBASS!!!”

  Just as Sonic tries to intervene, the porcupine isn’t settled just yet. “Oh! Oh! Oh! And you think that a gun wouldn’t help? BITCH, I LITERALLY SAVED YOU BY MY GUN GETTING FIRED!!!” He shows off his gun to Solid, symbolizing strength yet a menacing appearance. “I can’t BELIEVE you! How would mom-”

  Yet snapping out of it, Solid snatches Tricky’s handgun; instantly and impressively disassembles the entire thing, leaving it in pieces while he throws it into a public trash that’s coincidentally next to him. “Don’t bring this conversation with mom…” His voice is restrained by hatred, but he knows that it’s his brother. It’s just a moment where they get into these random, petty arguments before they move on with their lives. That’s why he maintained his calm mentality and composure, making himself neutral.

  “... Pathetic.” Tricky gives a personal scoff and decides to look away from him. He slowly lets the rest of the team get past him, while he slowly falls behind them. “Making me lose my cool… I bet you only know how to take the entire gun apart, but can’t use one properly.” He quietly mutters with his arms crossed, still jealous that Solid is the only person able to disassemble the gun entirely.

  On the upside, they’re at least thankful that Sonic had sorted out the whole mess; without him, they’d be at a stalemate. Adding the positive side, no deaths were recorded, even after the mess. All they’ll be looking forward to is a way to step up from last time and to deal with their future enemy encounters.

  Although at this time…

  “Solid, you’re not taking us to your home… are you?” Amy skeptically questions him, still upset about where he lives. “I don’t want to sleep on the rooftop for my first day, you know.”

  The orange hedgehog shakes his head, an indication that “No. We’re not staying at my place. It’s too dangerous to be seen out in public, where Eggman can use his Badniks or whoever to spot our hideout. Instead… I’ll be taking you somewhere else, where a friend of mine lives.”

  The team remains curious about the friend that he’s talking about. Tricky slowly glances at his brother and already knows who it is. Though it takes time for both Sonic and Tails to guess who this friend is, until they realize. “It’s not her, is it?”

  Knock.

  Knock.

  Knock.

  With the door immediately open, it reveals none other than her.

  Woofa the Dog.

  “Hey, orange furball… How are you…” Her eyes slowly gaze at the team, encountering two unfamiliar faces, but she is also surprised to see Tricky and the two familiar Mobians are visiting. “Tricky… Sonic… Tails…? Hello again… you three can come on in...”

  As the three enter with her permission, the brown dog casually greets Amy and Knuckles. “Hello, you two... The name is Woofa the Dog, and I’m… your friend’s long-time best friend.” She nudges Solid to try to have the same reaction as her, where she nervously smiles at them.

  “Knuckles the Echidna, nice to meet you, Woofa.” He reacts with a neutral expression, not caring about saying much, rather just needing a place to rest. He steps inside without any further introduction.

  To Amy, she reacts by smiling at her, slowly but surely, being enthusiastic by nature. “Hey, Woofa, my name is Amy Rose.” They both openly shake their hands, appreciating being the only two females around here. “I like your apartment, it looks like a fun place to live in, unlike someone’s…” She playfully glares at Solid, still disliking his living habits, while appreciating the fact that he’s aware of her opinion. After shaking her hands with the female dog, she gives her a pat on the back to strengthen their new relationship before whispering to him, “Reduce that one mall needed for now. I appreciate it.” She says before entering with her Piko Piko Hammer.

  While Solid takes a sigh of relief and walks into her apartment, Woofa grabs his quills and drags him outside, closing the door while confronting him. “What the hell is going on!? You’re inviting your friends and Tricky over to stay in my apartment!” She pins him to the hallway’s wall, her voice filled with anger and confusion.

  Solid raises his arms defensively, trying to calm her down. “I-I-I can explain-!”

  “Explain what? What do you want to explain to me?” She repeatedly pokes his forehead, demanding an answer.

  He slowly relaxes against the wall, taking a deep breath with calm composure; he tries to explain. “We’re… We’re being targeted...” Woofa’s reaction is filled with shock; she can’t help but at least have a slight understanding, regretting the words she exclaimed earlier. “... We can talk about this later… alright?” His ears notably droop; it’s an indulgence to explain, but he wants someone to tell other than him.

  She sighs, clearly unhappy with the situation, especially since she has work the next day. But, being the best friend to him, she has to pride herself in accepting his words. “Let’s just go inside.” She says while signaling him to come in.

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  — Woofa’s Apartment (Downtown District) —

  Woofa’s apartment is small and not designed to accommodate six other people. For starters, the apartment contains the following: (A kitchen, a living room, a small hallway that connects to the various rooms (a singular bathroom, a small storage with a washer and a dryer, and a singular bedroom)). The small size makes it difficult for the rest of them to sleep in, considering the space guaranteed for the bed and the couch alone.

  On the upside, the apartment is pretty quiet, so any noise around them or inside remains muffled or silent. Additionally, this apartment contains a nice balcony view, allowing individuals like Solid to look out at the night sky.

  Outside of the pros and cons, the apartment is suitable for living in. Woofa’s decorations, the tidiness of the place, along with the entire stuff inside, make this place comfortable to live in.

  “Hey! Ten times better than what Solid lived in.” Sonic remarks, enjoying the comfy atmosphere as opposed to Solid’s home. “I don’t get to hear the streets from down below.”

  The Mobians explore the entire apartment, seemingly comfortable in one particular spot, and find an area to rest. Other than her bedroom and the living room, the Mobians opt to stay at random places, such as the balcony, the kitchen, or the bathroom. “Do you have some Chili Dogs around here!?” Sonic says while scavenging through her fridge.

  She leans against the small dining table beside her best friend, hoping they won’t mess her place up. “No Chili Dogs.” Knuckles tries to speak, but she instantly cuts him off, remembering what her best friend told her. “Not even grapes!”

  With the non-Mobians watching, the porcupine shakes his head in disappointment, opting to sit on the couch and turn on the TV, needing to take his mind off the scenery around him. When the TV is turned on, he switches through a few channels, uninterested in their content. With no sports coverage, which is his favorite content, he decides to switch to a news channel, where at least the channel has something going on.

  Narrator: “Haven City presents to you… The most trusted news source in the largest city on this planet. Haven City News, at 10.”

  “Good evening, Haveners. It’s currently 10 P.M., April 2nd, on a Thursday evening. My name is Super Tapir, and you’re watching Haven City News. Let’s start with the most trending stories that have been happening on the same day. Starting with, ‘The Targeted Victims?’”

  A smooth transition from the news broadcasts, showcasing a viral scenery of downtown Haven City, showing the webcam footage of the afternoon fight between three people versus some robots. “The live footage is taking Haveners and everyone by storm, where a battleground ensued in one of the most popular areas in this city. These mysterious robots appeared to target three pedestrians deliberately. No further details of these robots' motives to intentionally create destruction, but the pedestrians, along with two more, stopped these robots' motives. Hence, saving the day." The footage pauses at the mysterious pedestrians, leaving viewers to debate whether they're good or not.

  Then, another footage, albeit from a viral media source on someone’s phone, showcases an exchange of shots taking place in the neighborhood. “In the Northern District, gunshots were heard, roaring throughout the scenery around West 57th Street.” Footage of the aftermath scenery shows a particular house with bullet holes placed throughout its walls and glass. “At 8251 West 57th Street, we were the primary targets of these armed users, who again were the same people who fought these robots earlier. The video ends with the armed users running for their lives. The police are unsure if these two events correlate, especially the robots and the armed people who targeted them. But whatever the case may be… we’re fortunate to say that no deaths have been recorded.”

  “Haven City News, at 10.”

  With a silenced team, staring directly at the TV, they all know that they’re the headlines throughout this city. They all glanced at each other, looking a little hopeless, as they tried to plan out what to do in the future, now that they were seen.

  “... This is what you guys did… while I was working?” Woofa breaks the silence, seemingly stunned by how their entire Thursday went. “All of you could’ve died!” She exclaims with a mixture of concern and anger in her voice.

  Sonic instantly responds to her reaction, trying to get a reasonable explanation. “You see… We’re experienced fighters. Not to make it more troublesome to you-”.

  “It is!” The dog lashes out, caring for everyone’s well-being. “At least you’re unharmed. But for you…!” She points at none other than her best friend. “Don’t die!”

  “Wha- Huh?” The orange hedgehog looks at the team with confusion before looking at her. “Well-” He takes a brief sigh before continuing. “... I know I’m the weakest in this team, but that doesn’t mean they have my back.”

  Tricky replies with a slight scoff, telling her what happened. “Says the same person who came out to the front door to stop me from shooting at them while we’re literally getting shot at.”

  “SOLID!” Woofa instantly grips his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. “Are you trying to die!?”

  “I-I wasn’t! I swear on my life that I wasn’t trying to die!” He says while raising his arms defensively, trying to convince her that the whole situation wasn’t as bad as she had nearly thought.

  “Then tell me why you’re doing this?” She says, ONLY to her best friend, demanding answers for such a high commitment.

  …

  “Because… this is our world.”

  “To them, they’re interdimensional friends that I’ve met, and we have the same mission. To save our world. They have an interdimensional enemy who’s here with an important item that he has stolen and now possesses. Even if my ideology doesn’t align with fighting, if we don’t fight… we’re going to lose. We’re going to lose our city… our lives… OUR WORLD!”

  “Do you want that to happen? Yes or no?” His voice is filled with determination, and he glances at the team for a show of support.

  “Obviously no-”

  “Then so be it. I would rather die to protect this world than to live and see our world fall into the hands of some enemy.” His voice softens, giving her the time to process the information while she eventually calms down. But please…” He slowly releases her grip on his shoulder before he holds her hands. “It’s fine if you care about me. If I’m injured… You know what to do. Alright?”

  “... Always.” She quickly hugs him, reminding Solid that she’ll always be his longtime best friend. In return, he hugs her back, letting the two best friends know how much they care for each other.

  “And it seems the two lovebirds are-”

  “Shut up, Tricky.” Woofa playfully says before pushing her best friend away, letting the team find a fond way to take a level of amusement thereafter.

  To acknowledge, Amy nudges the porcupine, who also comes with an agreement. “You’re not lying for an older brother. Those two have chemistry… I can feel it.” She whispers with a sly grin to show off her reaction.

  “Speaking of which…” Knuckles breaks off the amusement, now shifting back to the serious topic. “Since Eggman has recruiters… how are we going to approach this? We all know this city is way too massive to explore, so we must have some plan to find more clues about where his base is located.” He lets the entire team shift their focus around the table, allowing the team to pitch ideas.

  “... I do have one thing…” Tricky mysteriously pulls out a paper from his glove, which slowly plops down onto the table. Initially folded, he unfolds the paper, revealing a map of Haven City. However, it is filled with drawings at specific areas throughout each district, showing the location of the supposedly outpost bases created by Eggman; it has its iconic logo drawn at the top of the map.

  “Where did you get that?” Tails questions him while looking at the map with awe, seeing the details of how much progress Eggman has made in influencing a bunch of people in this city.

  The porcupine lets out a snarly chuckle, giving off the vibe of a prickly trickster. To be fair… he is a porcupine with a bit of a trickster attitude. “While I was scavenging through the battle scene, I saw a mysterious paper that fell out of the ground while those recruiters were running away. They must’ve accidentally left something crucial… since they were probably scared of your gigantic hammer and your fists.” He takes a knowing look at Amy and Knuckles, who playfully look at each other as friendly rivals for who’s the strongest. “Anyways, here it is. All we have to do… is to execute our plan right.”

  Sonic slams his hand down, the entire glove firmly planted onto the wooden furniture. “If we gotta execute our plan right, we all just have to do one thing.”

  “Live and Learn.”

  The Mobians smirk at each other, already knowing the reference from his words. The Haveners react with an acknowledged agreement, thinking that this could be the strategy to win more battles and fulfill their mission.

  “Looks like we’ll continue to explore the entire districts- except the Northern District- finding more clues, potentially stall out the progress on the Master Emerald, if these bases are giving support to it.” Tails says with enthusiasm, letting more plans fly by throughout this small apartment.

  With a full-on agreement, the need for a plan has been quickly accomplished. Their game plan to deal with each of the district’s bases is the definitive role as a team. Although this team will be temporary when they do defeat Eggman and bring back the Master Emerald, it’s nothing short of anticipation, filled with excitement.

  Now that the four Mobians and the two brothers are a team, it’s something to be grateful for to kickstart their journey. Together, they’re nothing more than the team that’s going to make the headlines. The team that’s going to save this world, where everything is contained in this city alone.

  “Speaking of which, what should our team be called? We never had a team name until now,” Tails asks them, now sparking a group debate on what their team name should be.

  “Four Mobians and Two Haveners?” Tricky replies first, albeit not the best response.

  “Too descriptive.”

  “Haveners Filled with Care!” Amy exclaims, knowing hers is a joke, but keeps the enthusiasm.

  “Cute… but not enough.”

  “Safe Haven,” Sonic says, with the team looking at him with approval. “... Seems like the blue blur gets the job done. As always.” He gives off his iconic shrug and smirk, a sign of his success. “Safe Haven, it is.” The team signals for a fist bump, grouping each other into a circle, extending their arms, and placing their fists around the center.

  “This is it… our team. Are we ready?” Tails watches as they’re motivated, prepared to start their journey as the saviors for Haven City. With a quick nod by each team member, they all focus on their buildup to do a team effort for this group fist bump alone.

  “1! 2! 3-”

  “I'd like to join.”

  The team is surprised as the brown dog scoots between both brothers, looking at her best friend with a knowing smirk. “I’m tired of working, and I think being on a team matters. Especially when I can’t leave my orange furball.” His response is with a groan, rolling his eyes to look away from her as she probably killed his mood.

  “Typical Woofa…” The porcupine quietly mutters to himself, with the newly formed team amused by the orange hedgehog’s response.

  “But for real, let’s do this for the team.”

  Sonic quickly regroups them, now seeing the team at its finest. Four Mobians and three Haveners, nothing but a team that could finish the job with the right mindset and queue.

  “1! 2! 3!”

  “SAFE HAVEN!!!”

  This is a team, destined to stop Eggman and his plans.

  And bring back the Master Emerald.

  For now.

  “You still have to be quiet. I have work tomorrow.” Woofa takes a long yawn before she settles in her bedroom, signifying that the team’s day is done.

  …

  — Eggman’s Base (Mobius) —

  Back in Mobius, no one has heard or seen the whereabouts of the entire team. To their friends or allies, their mysterious disappearance draws a blank, and they wonder where they went. To some, it’s their opportunity to deal with the enemies in their lives, instead of letting them get involved.

  Inside Dr. Eggman’s lair, on the journey he’s going through, leaving Orbot and Cubot to take care of the entire place, hoping for the best. Furthermore, with their advanced technologies, Eggman and ONLY Eggman can communicate signals from far, even through other dimensions.

  “Doctor…” Orbot says on the computer screen, taking over the line. “The lair is in perfect condition. We’re taking care of the place thoroughly…”

  “Hmm… Amazing… Continue to take great care of my place while I’m on mission.” Eggman replies, letting his dreams come true with the Master Emerald right in front of him, useful for something that awaits his plans in the near future. “Speaking of which… where’s Cubot?”

  “Umm… well…” The red orb-shaped service robot glances around the room, watching Cubot take a nap. “GOD DAMN IT, CUBOT! I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN THE MESS YOU MADE!!!”

  With an instant reaction, Cubot wakes up, causing him to try to grab the mop from the mess to listen to his orders. However, he accidentally fumbles with the mop, along with the wet floor sign he made, causing him to trip onto the bucket, filled with mop water. All of the water decides to spill all around him, already showing off his clumsiness.

  “Oh my god…” Orbot instantly leaves the discussion with his doctor, hoping to clean up the mess Cubot made. “Let me do it for you… seems like you’re a movement away from slipping on the floor-” However, when the yellow cub-shaped service robot tries to grab the mop once again, he accidentally bumps into his partner, causing them to both fall to the ground. “CUBOT!!!”

  “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” Cubot says as he tries to help him out, while being embarrassingly seen in front of Eggman through the screen. Both service robots try to get up, but the floor is very… VERY slippery, due to the metal floor. “I’m sorry, Doctor!” He says, before Orbot complains yet again, trying to mentor Cubot while still being annoyed by his lack of skill.

  Once the screen is turned off, Eggman shakes his head at their negligible skills together. He wonders why he even lets them take care of his lair. Though… back in his own secret laboratory, he stares at the Master Emerald, still eager for his plans to unfold some time… some day…

  Not only that… but with the number of recruits he has influenced, it causes him to be more focused on the Master Emerald’s progress, being less worried about the Badniks he has to repair. All the Badniks are repaired by the recruiters, who are thoroughly taken care of.

  But the one thing he’s glad about the most…

  “I’m glad to have a right-hand man… who lives in this dimension.”