A portal opens in a forest area, with an insect-like aircraft emerging from it with two Zone Cop vehicles in hot pursuit. One of them calls out for the aircraft's surrender, only for the pilot to retaliate with gunfire. A Zone Cop vehicle fires back, knocking a mysterious capsule from the aircraft's "legs." The Zone Cops, addressing their target as Dr. Nega, chase him through another portal as the capsule falls through the forest canopy. A few days later, Amy Rose is showing Cream the Rabbit and her mother, Vanilla around Freedom HQ. Cream is very enthusiastic, but her mother is less so, given the "rustic" surroundings. As Amy shows the way to the lab. NICOLE calls from within, asking if anyone's around. She tells Amy that she has been investigating a mysterious energy signal for the past