Across the world, the virtual reality field collapsed and faded away. Mobius's fear turned to joy. Shouting and celebration filled the streets.

The Resistance saw the sky brighten and cheered wearily. Knuckles stood on an empty runway by himself, watching the sky and the surrounding city, waiting for something else to happen. It had to be a trick. The Phantom Ruby was plotting some new devilry to inflict on them.

Not until Sonic, Tails and Artemis stepped through the broken fence and approached did Knuckles relax a little. Sonic was carrying the body of a black jackal that Knuckles at first took for Infinite. Then he realized one leg was missing. This was the crippled brother, then. Had Infinite been killed?

Knuckles hurried up to them. "What happened?"

"Oh, you know," Sonic said with a pained grin. "We fought the monster. It got nuked from orbit. We fell into null space. It tried to get away, but this guy, Honir, gave Infinite his life energy. Infinite chased the Ruby into some other dimension and they're both gone."

Knuckles looked at Tails and Artemis's downcast faces, even though they each carried a handful of glowing chaos gems. This victory had come at a cost, it seemed.

"Where's young Sonic?" Knuckles asked. He didn't really want to know, but the question had to be asked. The tears in Tails's eyes told him everything.

"Gone," Sonic said in a low voice. "When the Ruby left, he ... well, he dematerialized."

Tails made a sound like a sobbing hiccup.

Knuckles rubbed Tails's shoulder in wordless sympathy.

Sonic grimaced, as if he wanted to comfort Tails, but couldn't while carrying a body. "So, we really need to get Honir to a hospital. His heart is still beating. They might be able to save him if we hurry."

Knuckles held out his arms. "Give him to me."

Sonic slid the jackal into Knuckles's stronger arms, then gave a groan of relief and rubbed his back.

Knuckles hurried toward the terminal, carrying the limp jackal who felt too light for his size. "If he lives, he'll have all kinds of valuable intel. And maybe they won't execute him in Infinite's place. Maybe."

Honir spent three weeks in a coma.

With both the Phantom Ruby and Eggman gone, the Eggmanland officials stepped in to run things. Within a day they had major roads cleared and opened. They politely showed the Resistance to the borders, and only allowed the wounded to stay until they could leave the hospital.

Artemis was permitted to stay because of Honir.

She sat at his bedside day after day, listening to the oxygen pump and the heart monitor, holding the limp, warm hand, and watching news reports.

The country leaders who had been imprisoned on the Death Egg had returned. They immediately attacked Eggman's forces to regain control of their countries. The Acorn Kingdom was restored the quickest, due to Sally Acorn's short absence and the courage of her people. Some countries, like Spagonia and Apotos, would take months to regain complete control.

There were strained talks with the acting leaders of Eggmanland, who were unsure of their position without Eggman to run things.

The Resistance disbanded, each member returning to their homes to rebuild. But there were plenty who were injured and in the Metropolis hospital. Artemis visited them every day.

Shadow had a severe head wound and concussion. But he was recovering and complaining about how bored he was. Artemis scavenged magazines from the waiting rooms for him to read.

Amy Rose was released in the first few days. She and Sonic had gone off together, holding hands and with stars in their eyes. Artemis watched them go and sighed wistfully.

Vector the crocodile and Espio the chameleon shared a room. Throughout their recovery, they harassed each other and bragged about how they'd received their wounds. The stories grew more elaborate whenever Artemis visited.

Jet the Hawk had surgery to remove the shrapnel from his side and to rebuild his insides. It was touch and go for a while as they waited to see if infection would set in. But Jet was determined to get well, and his determination saw him through fever, antibiotics, and a second surgery.

Knuckles quietly disappeared. Artemis asked about him a few weeks later, when Sonic called to check on her.

"Yeah, he went back to Angel Island," Sonic told her. "He had to dig it out of ten feet of snow, ha ha. Now he's down south of Adabat, letting his jungles regrow. Happy as anything, let me tell you. When I talked to him, his exact words were, 'That was the worst job I ever had. You can save the world next time.'"

Honir awakened on a cold, rainy day.

Artemis had opened the curtains in the hospital room and was sitting beside the window, watching the rain draw a grey veil across the city. It was fall, and the change of seasons had brought the autumn storms.

She watched the raindrops trickle down the glass. She was alone again. Her Resistance-pack had fragmented and fallen apart. The whole world was in chaos as the various countries fought to return to their proper political states. Spagonia was still half-occupied by robots. Where could she go once the hospital tired of her?

All she had left was Honir, and if he didn't awaken soon, the hospital staff would have her leave.

She happened to turn and glance at her silent companion, to find that his eyes were open. He, too was watching the rain.

Heart pounding, Artemis crept to the bed, uncertain if he was really awake or not. "Honir?"

The jackal's eyes focused on her, and he smiled around the feeding tube in his mouth.

Artemis called the doctor, who was pleased to see Honir awake at last. They removed his feeding tube later that day. Although he wasn't supposed to sit up, Honir had Artemis lift his bed a little so he wasn't flat on his back.

"My bones ache from staying in the same position," he said, as Artemis wedged pillows around him. "How long was I out?"

"Three weeks," she told him, pulling up a chair. "Mobius is trying to get back to normal. It's been crazy."

"Really?" he said, gazing at her raptly. "Tell me."

Artemis told him, enthusiastically, for the next hour. Honir lay on the pillows, gazing at the rain, sometimes closing his eyes, but always listening.

When she finally wound down, there was silence for a while. Honir smiled and nodded. Slowly his smile vanished, and he drummed his fingers on the blanket, as if counting. Finally he said quietly, "Three weeks. Twenty-four days. No news of Infinite, in all that time?"

Artemis shook her head. "He chased the Phantom Ruby into null space and they disappeared."

"He had the strength to cross the world border, then," Honir said, looking satisfied. "We won't see him again." He gazed at the falling rain, a deep sadness stealing across his features. "Poor Elder, I hope you find peace on whatever world you land on."

"I'm surprised he left you alive," Artemis said angrily. "He tore your soul right out of your body! I saw it!"

"It was my life force," Honir said. "Not my soul. I thought he would take it all ... but he must have left me a little. Even when it was in his best interests, he was unwilling to kill me. Ah! Elder! You never could abandon yourself entirely. That's what it takes to be Infinite."

Artemis pretended not to see the tears in the jackal's eyes. She gazed at his hand, instead. "He had a little mercy in him, I guess. He didn't kill me, and he could have, multiple times."

"The Ruby twisted his kindness into sadism," Honir said. "But he wasn't always that way. I grieved over the changes it made in him. Wherever he is, I hope he can overcome the Ruby and destroy it. He has my power, but he doesn't have me to argue with. I only hope he's strong enough alone."

He looked at the staples in his chest and ran one finger along them. The unsealed wound beneath glowed a dull red. "I wonder if they can remove my prototype. This didn't hurt while I was in the tube, but now, it's ..." He gasped a little and let his hand fall to his side. "It's really awful. I just want to be well."

"I don't see why not," Artemis said, gazing at his mutilated chest. "You don't have to be an experiment anymore."

"No longer Finite," Honir said with a grim smile. Suddenly he raised his head and his yellow eyes grew fierce. "Tell the doctor that I must speak to the leaders of Apotos and Spagonia as soon as I'm strong enough. The time has come to tell my secrets at last."

Artemis wasn't allowed to be in the room when Honir told the leaders of four countries the secrets he had been keeping. But as they departed, Artemis observed the excitement on their faces and the way they spoke excitedly in undertones.

Afterward, she was allowed back into his room. The black jackal lay against the pillows, looking exhausted. For a second, he reminded her sharply of his older brother as he had laid in the stretcher with a hole in his chest.

"What did you tell them?" she asked. "They were sure excited."

"There was more than one Resistance," he said without opening his eyes. "There were three. I organized all of them. I was injured while setting up the fourth one in Adabat."

Artemis stared at him. "You ...?"

He smiled and opened his eyes. "You might say it was a finite resistance."

The wolf laughed. "Is that why you were in Willow Springs?"

He nodded. "I couldn't get an audience with your alpha in time, or the battle would have gone much differently. But I saved you." He held out one hand, palm upward.

Artemis took it. "I wish you could have saved more of my pack."

"I did," Honir said, looking surprised. "Didn't I tell you? Half the Gemstone pack joined the Spagonia resistance after they lost their alpha. I manifested my projection all over Mobius, carrying news. It was the only way I could work against the Elder - Infinite, I mean."

Artemis sat very still. Hope struggled inside her. "You mean ... some of my family might ...?"

"Your father is gone, I'm afraid," Honir said. "Your mother was wounded, but they saved her. They ran a very fierce resistance to Eggman's rule. The Spagonia leaders are going to make contact with them at once."

She leaped to her feet, eyes wide. "Honir! I could go back! I could go home! My pack is still alive!" Gone was the aimless loneliness she had felt as the Resistance disbanded. Gone was her sense of helplessness. Returning to her pack would change everything.

"Yes, you can go back," Honir said. "But ... could you wait until I'm well? I want to go with you."

She looked into his eyes and saw unexpected tenderness there. It was underscored by piercing loneliness she understood too well. Honir had lost his pack, too.

"Of course," she murmured, sitting at his side again. "Of course I'll wait."

Artemis waited while Honir went through surgery to remove the Phantom Ruby prototype and mend his damaged torso. She waited as he was fitted with a prosthetic leg and learned to walk again. He regained strength at an amazing rate, owning to the powerful life force that burned within him, healing wounds and sickness.

Two months later, the wolf and jackal left the hospital together. Sonic met them at the border of Eggmanland, where there was a bus station a short walk from a clear, blue lake. It was a clear, cold day, the grass brown underfoot as winter approached.

"Hey guys," Sonic said, giving each of them a high five. "Ready to do this?"

"Very much," Artemis said. She took Honir's arm and steadied him as they walked down the hill toward the lake. He carried the Ruby prototype in one hand, and walked with care, watching his footing. The prosthetic leg was a high-tech design from Eggman's top engineers. It responded to nerve commands like a real leg, but Honir hadn't quite mastered it yet.

As they reached the pebbly shore, Sonic said, "So, what're your plans?"

"I'm going home to Spagonia," Artemis said. "Some of my pack are still alive, and I want them to meet Honir."

Sonic nodded. "I'm headed that way, myself, in a few months. I'm helping with cleanup wherever I can." He gazed across the water, a little sadly. Artemis remembered his anguish about selling each country to Eggman during interrogation. He would be atoning for that for years.

"Silver wanted to see you," Sonic said, brightening. "He has about a billion questions for both of you. He's decided to stay in this time for now. He said something about working out a deal with Solaris."

Artemis grinned. Honir flinched. "Solaris? The time god?"

Sonic nodded. "Yep. I'll send him to Spagonia. Willow Springs, right?"

Artemis nodded with a quickening of her heartbeat. Soon she would reunite with her pack. Soon she would see her friend Silver again. Soon everyone would meet Honir and hail him as the hero he was.

Honir held out the Ruby prototype. "Sonic, will you do the honors?"

Sonic took the Ruby and set it carefully on a large stone. Then he took another stone in both hands. He lifted it above his head, then brought it down with all his strength. The Phantom Ruby prototype shattered into twinkling shards. Sonic gathered up as many as he could find and threw them into the lake. They vanished with a series of small plops and ripples.

"There," Honir said. "The last vestige of the Phantom Ruby is removed from this world."

Sonic shook hands with each of them. "Glad that's over with. Listen. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask, okay? I'm never too busy to help my friends."

Artemis grinned slyly. "Even Amy?"

Sonic raised an eyebrow, his grin widening. "Amy is in a class by herself."

They said goodbye, and Sonic raced off down the road. Artemis and Honir climbed the hill to the bus stop.

"That's a load off my mind," Honir panted, holding onto Artemis's arm. "But you know? All of it was worth it. The suffering and the secrets and the friction with Infinite. You and I ... we made a difference."

She patted him on the back. "I never thought you were Lesser."

He ducked his head with a shy smile. "Maybe now ... I won't have to be."

The end