Episode 1: "Being Good is Hard" - Sonic Forces: ARC Infinity

## "Being Good is Hard"

**"Being Good is Hard"** is the first episode of Sonic Forces: ARC Infinity. It aired on a date later to be determined and is produced and uploaded to YouTube by Jackuwarz.

## Summary

In Westopolis, Nero and Voltar rob a convenience store, stealing money and food then fleeing through the store's back door. Shortly after the town's police force arrive, including their sheriff wearing patrol hat and sunglasses revealing himself to be Garris who was able to detect their trails with his hyper sensory, pursue the two thieves. Nero leads Voltar through narrow alleyways and down a sewage hole, quickly losing the police force chasing them.

Silver who is joined by Tails and Knuckles confront Garris who reveals to the three that one of the suspects being Voltar who used to be someone he knew back before Garris became sheriff and instead was a professor at a Technological Institution teaching Voltar before he got expelled for insubordination. Garris then asked Silver, Tails and Knuckles who the other suspect they were chasing was which Silver answered his name being Nero. Garris then asked if he knew anything else about Nero which Silver with hesitation said he knew nothing more about him.

Nero and Voltar use the sewage system to navigate back to their hideout where June is waiting for them but while on their way back Nero expresses his distaste for having to steal from the convenience store when the clerk in it was completely harmless. He also explains to Voltar that he only agreed to the heists if it meant stealing from corrupt and wealthy businesses that wouldn't hurt them all that much financially. Voltar counter argues that the bigger businesses they used to steal from increased their security and was why they needed to go after the smaller ones. Voltar also reminds Nero how important it was for them to steal as it meant food and wealth, but for Voltar's sake getting resources so that he can craft electronics and gadgets he can use for more heists. Voltar lastly explains to Nero that with who they are now being nice and contributing to Westopolis like normal people won't help better themselves and instead just them and would rather see him and Nero sustain themselves on their own and not under anyone.

Nero and Voltar arrive at their hideout where June welcomes them back where Voltar immediately plans out the group's next heist with help from June who suggests they steal from a warehouse located in the outskirts of Westopolis. Nero notices the heist is like the ones he normally likes to take along with Voltar and was quick to accept the heist given that not only is it from a bad company but the payout is huge so that it could be the final one they would have to conduct. Despite their initial doubts and Nero's lack of hesitance surrounding the heist Voltar and June agree to it and they set up their plan of infiltrating the building.

Late at night, Nero and Voltar enter the building of the evil corporation with Voltar disabling security cameras with EMP blasts coming from his Burst Wispon with June giving the two of them detailed information about the buildings structure and instructs them both to head down to the building's lowest floor which has the items Nero and Voltar are looking to take. They arrive at the bottom floor only to be greeted by an empty room with a sole pedestal holding a mysterious red and magenta gem. Voltar wonders if June made a mistake on the loot's location but assured him that they were in the right spot and that this heist appears to be a bust. Meanwhile Nero approaches the mysterious gem mesmerized, and despite the trip sensors wrapped all around the gem, goes to pick it up. The alarms to the entire building sound off and Nero is bombarded with a wave of visions from the mysterious gem including zipping through a race track at high speeds and viewing himself through a series of monitors that create an infinite loop mirror. Meanwhile Voltar rips the gem out of Nero's hand and yells at him to get going with the alarms still set off. As the two leave the bottom floor they get intercepted by the Westopolis Police Force companied by Silver and Garris and split the two up. While chased by Garris, Nero feels lightheaded after holding the mysterious gem and trips over his own leg, allowing Garris to capture him. As Voltar was about to escape out the front he is held in the air by Silver's psychic powers, capturing him as well.

Garris and Silver, accompanied by Tails and Knuckles as well, bring Nero and Voltar to their cells in the Westopolis Imprisonment Center where the quartet begin to question the co-theives. Voltar sarcastically tells Garris "long time no see" much to Garris' lack of amusement to the comment and instead feels disappointed to see him again and more so in this setting. The group then draws their attention to Nero who has one hand covering his forehead as if he has a headache with Garris asking "if the accomplice needs an ice bag". The group then explains to Voltar and Nero that the gem they tried to steal from the building was a fragment of the Phantom Ruby and that it has the power to unravel and destroy the fabrics of space-time if put in the wrong hands.

Silver, Tails and Knuckles leave the cell hallway and Nero goes to rest on the bed in his cell leaving Voltar and Garris in a conversive reunion. Garris asks Voltar about Nero and where he found him to which Voltar mysteriously finds him ashore with June after looking for spare parts in a nearby junkyard. Garris then asks Voltar where June is hiding with Voltar answering unsurely and assumes that she left their hideout and went into extensive hiding from the Police Force. Voltar is then lastly asked by Garris on why he chose the life of a thug after showing much promise and potential enrolling at the Technical Institute the two used to attend with Voltar as a student and Garris as an instructor. Voltar replied to the visibly disappointed Garris that he disagreed with the way he was taught and that the harsh regulations of assembling technology restricted creativity. In short Voltar wanted the freedom to do things in his own way and thought the Technical Institute slowed him down resulting in a heated argument with Garris as his instructor one day and Voltar storming out of the school.

Later that night, Voltar smuggles a guards key into his cell planning to escape the prison overnight. He opens his cell along with Nero's as well who remained sitting at his bed. Voltar tries to hurry Nero out of his cell verbally but Nero refuses to go with Voltar out of the Prison stating he would rather earn his way out than steal it with his help. Voltar then says that he will be leaving him for good if he doesn't go with him and that Nero will be on his own. Despite the warnings from Voltar, Nero stays put in his open cell refusing Voltar's offer and the two go their separate ways after Voltar runs out of the prison hallway after hearing a commotion coming from a group of guards who then find and inspect Nero after seeing that his cell was open. Garris sends out a search party to find Voltar as he interrogates Nero on his whereabouts who then stresses that him and Voltar were no longer acquaintances and that he refused to go with him even after opening his cell. Garris then asks Nero who Voltar was to him with Nero responding that besides being a decent caretaker for him and his sister his greedy tendencies and indecencies proved to be an annoying and frustrating person to be around. Garris is moved by this remark and fully believed Nero in his interrogation who then asked if there would be anyway Garris could reduce Nero's sentence to which he hardly declined it to Nero's dismay.

The episode ends in the cell hallway several days later with Tails overhearing Nero's doubts about not going with Voltar who several days prior managed to escape, retreating into a populated area in a disguise. Tails asks if Nero is alright who then questions what it means to do the right thing and to Tails' answer he brings up how he could have went with Voltar after he opened his cell but chose not to because, in Tails' perception, Nero didn't want to be a criminal anymore. The assured Nero then asked Tails more about the Phantom Ruby including the visions he saw when Nero first touched it explaining that he saw himself living a different life in a different world. Tails keeps his answer to this vague and stammers how those could just be visions and not actual different worlds in a different life. The scene then cuts to Mace skydiving out of a cargo plane late for an Extreme Gear race and is able to touch down on the ground just as the race countdown began.