The bright blast of blue light filled the city skyline. The buildings around seemed to tremble and quiver in fear at the fearsome battle in the city's heart. There a young psychic hedgehog stood his ground against a fearsome machine; it's blade like claws gleaming in the midday sun and the powerful blasts from a flamethrower mounted in its chest added to the suffering it's young opponent faced in the summer heat. As the hedgehog repelled bullets and dodged blasts of fire his white fur became tarnished with sweat and bruises; the battle would not last much longer.

"Ready to give up Silver?" Taunted a human whose grey hair gave him an appearance of an old man.

Biting his lip, the hedgehog's gold eyes narrowed, "I won't lose!"

The human laughed, "Silver, my boy, still so naïve."

The frustration and desperation of the hedgehog caused the glow of the rings on his gloved hands to intensify and another blast of psychic energy filed the air like electricity. The machine was sent flying back a few feet and the hedgehog greedily panted to take in much needed air in the moments Nega took to right his contraption. That was the first mistake. The now mobile robot stood still for a few moments then the flamethrower began to part. The gleaming hull of a cannon emerged and moulded into the metalwork, the precious chaos emerald the hedgehog was seeking.

Even as he returned to a fighting stance, Silver knew his battle was almost over. With that resolve in mind the psychic hedgehog decided to go down fighting. That was the second mistake. The cannon's powerful energy blast annihilated the young hedgehog's hastily thrown up shield and shattered his small grey furred frame, forcing him back into the brickwork of one of the many skyscrapers that filled the city. Golden eyes forced themselves to stay open as their vision blurred and the world began to spin.

At the top of a large hill outside the city a pair of streaks tore through the tree line, weaving gracefully around the many objects in their path. They were running side by side when a powerful tremor shook the ground; the black blur stopped instantly whilst the blue flipped casually around to face his rival.

"Guess Egghead is up to his old tricks!" Sonic's signature grin flickered across the peach muzzle.

Spying the burning wreck in the distance, ruby eyes narrowed, "I wouldn't be so sure."

"Well whatever it is, Shadow, I'm going to check it out." With those words the cobalt hedgehog tore away across the landscape.

Growling slightly, the Ultimate Lifeform withdrew a green emerald and vanished into the air.

Flames were lapping at the road when Sonic arrived. The outline of a large robot dominated the scene.

A familiar flash to his side caused Sonic to grin, "Decided to come did you?"

"Humph." Was the only reply.

Emerald eyes returned to the wreckage, "Wow Eggman really did a number this time!"

A deep frown crossed the tan muzzle, "This seem more like the work of Nega."

"Huh?" Sonic turned to regard his ebony companion, "Then where's…Silver!" For his eyes had finally found the pale outline of a upwards growing quill amongst the ruin.

Before ether hedgehog could react, a large metal claw descended.

"That brat has been a thorn in my side for too long." The manic voice of Nega echoed through the deserted streets, "I won't let you stop me killing him now!"

"Shadow!" Something about the seriousness of the other's tone caused Shadow to listen to his blue counterpart, "You get Silver and I'll handle this guy."

Swiftly the ebony hedgehog nodded and leap into the flames. As he approached the time- traveller it became clear that Silver was deeply embedded into the wall, for a lesser being this would have been the end of the rescue but for the Ulitmate Lifeform it was simply a matter of pulling Silver whilst pushing the wall. Once freed the grey hedgehog collapsed, only Shadow's grip on his arm saved Silver from another painful meeting with the rubble.

Gold eyes shot up wildly and the young hedgehog panted, "Sh-Sh-S…" exhaustion won out and the eyes closed.

Shadow flung the other over his back where the silver form hung limply. Glancing across at Sonic revealed that the speed demon was having little trouble tackling a machine made to defeat the slower Silver. Despite this a chaos spear was the finishing blow. Any protest Sonic had faded when he saw their defeated friend.

"Silver!" Shadow resisted the urge to throttle the idiot as he shook the younger hedgehog, instead he grabbed his rival and chaos controlled away from the destroyed city.

Shadow's apartment was dark. The pounding music below suggested that Shadow was still sharing his home with Rouge over the club. Sonic noted all this in a few seconds but that was already enough time for Shadow to disappear into another room. Following Sonic found his time traveling friend on what he could only assume was Shadow's bed with the black and red hedgehog being nowhere in sight. Hesitantly and as gently as he could manage, Sonic ran a gloved hand over the younger hedgehog's injuries; accessing the various burns, scratches and bruises that marred the pale coat.

"Some of them will scar." From an adjoin door Shadow's sombre voice cut into the silence, "We need to clean them before they get worse."

The usually carefree Sonic approached with a grim look on his face and took the first aid kit he saw his dark counterpart holding, "What do you want me to do?"

The next hour was filled with the ebony and cobalt hedgehogs doing the best to clean, cover and, with surprising skill on Shadow's part, stitching Silver's wounds. Finally they were done but the time traveller hadn't stirred.

"Shadow," Sonic's voice cut through the silence with a note of anxiety, "we have to make sure Nega can't come back and finish the job."

Slowly the ebony hedgehog nodded, "I trust your team can handle it."

"Right. You'll stay here with Silver?" The emerald eyes were filled with determination

Again Shadow nodded.

"Then I guess I'll see you when we only have one egg shaped maniac to handle." With those words the Blue Blur set out to gather his friends.

It had been four hours since Silver was brought to the apartment and still he hadn't woken. Sonic and Tails had reported no sign of Nega and Rouge, who had finished her shift at G.U.N, decided to put her own resources at the team's disposal. Shadow was alone when the sound of thrashing reached his ears. In the other room Silver was struggling violently, caught in a dazed state and unaware of his removal from the battle. For a few moments Shadow watched the young hedgehog struggle then he delivered a swift blow to the back of the grey hedgehog's head.

Silver snapped violently, "Shadow!" Then the situation sunk in, "Where am I?"

"Club Rouge," Shadow spoke curtly, "second floor, my room."

Sheepishly the younger hedgehog grinned, "Oh… what happened to Nega?"

"Sonic." Satisfied that there were no mad Doctors in the room Shadow turned to leave, "Nega will be returned to the future."

Suddenly Silver tried to stand; it was Shadow's quick reactions that saved the other from landing on the floor.

"You can't!" the psychic's voice was a croak as a wave of dizziness hit him, "Sonic's headed for a trap!"

The ebony ears picked in alarm, "You'd better talk Silver."

"Nega plans to use the Chaos Emeralds to destroy the world…" Noticing his ally frowning the white furred hedgehog paused, "What?"

"The Doctor does that on a weekly basis." The ruby eyes were narrowed.

Annoyed at the interruption, Silver glared, "Not like this! Nega has the Emeralds from my time, he knows Sonic will gather the ones in yours, he plans to use the presence of two sets of Emeralds to cause a time paradox which he hopes will end a universal chaos control wrapping reality to one where he is in charge."

"Could it work?" The dark furred hedgehog mused.

"It might," Silver rubbed his head in pain, "time travel is complicated and there's not exactly a rulebook."

"Sonic will have to come here first; I still have an emerald." Shadow found himself slipping into the commanding role.

Silver frowned, "Tails has his fakes… and Nega might not need all seven."

Ruby eyes appraised the pale hedgehog, "What do you suggest?"

Gold eyes flashed with a challenge, "We go and stop Nega ourselves!"

"And give him the very thing he wants?" A trademark scowl sat on the Ultimate Lifeform's features.

"Going super is our only hope!" Silver staggered to his feet and glared at his occasional ally, "We can't just sit here!"

Laughter. Shadow was laughing, "You think you can fight? You wouldn't make the transformation."

Silver scowled, "You can stay here if you want to Shadow but I'm helping… even if it kills me."

With those words Silver pushed past his part time rival ad headed for the exit. Shadow watched him limp slowly away and scowled.

Suddenly he grabbed Silver, "Chaos Control!"

It seemed Sonic would never have come for the final emerald; Nega had found him first. Amy was panting, her grip tight on her hammer and a determined expression on her muzzle; Tails and Cream flew round distracting the lasers with Cheese surprising the gathering robots; Knuckles, Rouge and Sonic were fighting Nega directly in what appeared to be a newer model of the machine that had attacked Silver with a range of punches and kicks. The bright flash of Chaos control caught the wearied team.

"Shadow!" they cried in unison, relief clearly mixed in.

Then they saw their other would be saviour.

"Silver!" Sonic's tone was unreadable but Amy's angered cry of "Shadow!" was not.

From his seat in the cockpit of the mechanical monster, Nega grinned, "Back for more are you Silver? This time you won't escape!"

At that moment Nega chose to reveal his secret weapons; the machines' doors opened and there sat seven Chaos Emeralds in all their glory. Confused Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Rouge withdrew their own. The twin sets of emeralds started sparking and Shadow found his own green stone in his hand without him summoning it. Overhead a large body of clouds began to gather, their colour was unusually dark and lighting flashed within.

"Sonic!" Silver called as he staggered forward, "we have to use the emeralds."

The blue furred hero frowned, "No way Silver! I'm not letting you go super!"

"You don't have a choice! We have a world to save!" Shadow listened to Silver's pointless arguing. Sonic would never agree.

"Sonic he'll fight anyway," The crimson striped hedgehog decided to make his rival see sense, "the emeralds will give him a chance."

"No." The hero was adamant.

"You'll destroy the world just because you're afraid to lose a friend!" Silver grabbed Sonic and glared, a scowl fixed on his face, "Worthless hedgehog!"

Sonic laughed, "Man I guess I shouldn't have left you two alone." Noticing Silver's confused expression, Sonic sighed, "You sound like Shadow… and there's no arguing with him… we'll do it."

In the least Shadow-like reaction possible, Silver jumped in the air cheering, "Yes!"

A cocky grin flashed across the peach muzzle, "Let's teach Nega why you never mess with Hedgehogs!"