…
It doesn't matter, now, what happens…so throw it all away…
Hang on to the edge of tomorrow…you'll always find your way…
21:02
Prison Island: Inside the base
Sirens wail as the world is cast in a harsh red warning light. A female voice declares over the sound system, "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Security breach at Gate 3!" A complicated series of security doors slam shut and lock tight. "Intruder has been located in the north quadrant and is moving in the direction of the underground base! All units prepare to engage. Emergency battle formations! Standard battle procedures initiated." The unending series of doors continue to close.
Suddenly, a massive explosion shatters the final door seen closing. The voice continues, "Locate and stop the intruder from entering the security area!" As the smoke of the explosion clears, the figure of a tall, two-legged mech can be seen. "This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!"
Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik sits in the mech as a large weapon mounted on its shoulder begins firing rapid shots. "Hahahahahaha! That was all too easy!" He stops firing, and the mech begins running forward. "Let's take a look at what my grandfather was working on…a top secret military weapon! But the military shut down the research because they feared it!" The mech leaps downward, landing at another level.
The sound system sounds, "Assume level 1 defense formation," as Eggman blows down another security door. On the other side, he finds a small, Chao-like robot.
"Omochao," Eggman declares. "What are you doing here?"
In a childish voice, Omochao responds, "Executing my primary programming, sir. I'm here to help you. I've gathered lots of information, and now I can give you hints to help you!" Eggman continues moving, and Omochao flies up to follow him. Suddenly, three military robots drop down in front of them. "Remember, hold the attack button down to Lock-on! Release it to fire a Homing Missile."
Eggman does as Omochao says, and the robots are destroyed by his missiles. He thinks to himself, "Don't you think it would have been more relevant to tell me about the robots instead? Looks like there are still a few bugs to work out. But I have more important matters to deal with right now."
He comes across another door, and again blows right through it. The sound system again declares, "Level 1 security door breach! Emergency Formation!" Eggman thinks to himself, "All too easy."
—–—
Finally, Eggman enters the door to the central room of Security Level 7. Omochao seems to have left. In front of Eggman is some sort of complex machine with a computer console. "Oh ho!" He walks right up to the machine. Within a translucent yellow sphere in the center of the machine is some sort of small floating black blob. "So this is the military's top secret weapon? It's a lot smaller than I expected."
He activates the console, which immediately pops up with a prompt. Eggman begins reading, "Enter user data…ah…enter password… Password is MA-RI-A. Maria! Now all I have to do is to place the Chaos Emerald into this console." He takes out a large, brilliant, sparkling light-blue gem, the Chaos Emerald. He places it in.
Suddenly, the floor behind the console begins to give way, revealing a hidden room underneath. Eggman's mech leaps down into the room. In the center of the room rises some sort of pod. As the rising stops, a large amount of steam is released as the pod begins to open. The figure of a hedgehog rises up out of it.
"What's that? Is that you, Sonic? Are you trying to spoil my plans again?" He pauses as the steam clears. "Wait a minute, you're not Sonic. This is impossible!"
A hedgehog, with pitch-black fur streaked with red, stands with his arms crossed atop the pod. He speaks in a deep voice, "My name is Shadow. Since you were so kind to release me, my master, I will grant you one wish."
Before Eggman can respond, another alarm goes off as a loud mechanical sound can be heard. "Now what!?"
Shadow immediately jumps into action, and, for a moment, floats in the air as small jets of fire are released from his shoes. "Behold the true power I possess!" In a flash of light, he suddenly seems to disappear. He reappears in the upper tier of the room, face-to-face with a massive two legged walker with large cannons mounted on each shoulder. There is a soldier in the glass-covered cockpit. The side of it reads: "B-3x HOT SHOT: Heavy-Armed Combat Walker—G.U.N."
For just a moment, Shadow has a flashback. A soldier stands holding a handgun pointed downwards towards a cowering figure. The scene seems to be shrinking away. But not shrinking quickly enough for Shadow to miss the flash of the gun. He could hear her scream in his mind. And the label on the soldier's chest flashes in his mind over and over again—G.U.N. Shadow returns to reality. He thinks, "So, they're still around? That makes my revenge so much easier. I will fulfill my promise…"
The soldier in the walker speaks into his radio, "This is Scorpion Troupe Hot Shot. Intruder has been located. En route to intercept, and destroy." A female voice responds, "Copy that."
The Hot Shot lifts into the air with jets, and begins machine gun-like fire from a frontal weapon, sweeping forward. Shadow easily rolls out of the way, and takes a step back to get a careful look at his enemy. The Hot Shot turn around and makes a landing, and Shadow goes in for an attack. The walker's large cannons open up and send out a flurry of Homing Missiles. One narrowly misses Shadow as he runs past, and each of them explode as they impact each other at the place where he just stood. Shadow leaps up and strikes straight at the cockpit, creating a large crack, and startling the soldier inside. Shadow bounces off, and lands several feet back.
As the Hot Shot lifts into the air, the pilot frantically shouts into the radio, "This is Scorpion Troupe Hot Shot, enemy is stronger than expected! Request additional support!" The walker begins charging some sort of energy cannon, and it aims to target Shadow. He takes note of this, and makes one quick movement to the side. An instant later, the cannon moves to follow. "Too slow," Shadow thinks. He begins forward at a run, and the cannon releases a beam of energy, impacting just behind him. The walker is forced to land once more. This time Shadow is ready, and is already on the attack by the time its missiles are prepared. This time he breaks through the cockpit entirely, impacting the controls on the inside. This causes a series of critical malfunctions, and the entire unit becomes racked with small explosions.
The pilot shouts into his presumably broken radio, "He is too strong!"
Shadow glares at the crumpled mess of a machine. "Pathetic humans." He continues to think, "I'm nothing like you. I'll be letting you live. Maybe you might learn a thing or two before you're all destroyed." He turns back to Eggman, who has been watching the entire time.
"Destroying that guard robot was spectacular!" Shadow scoffs, and turns the other way again. "So, Shadow, you are the military's top secret weapon?But what did you mean when you said you will grant me a wish?"
Shadow takes the Chaos Emerald that Eggman put in the console to awaken him. "Bring more Chaos Emeralds." He begins to walk off.
"Shadow, wait!"
He looks back one last time. "I'll be waiting for you…in the central control room…on the space colony, ARK."
"ARK!?" Shadow only responds by lifting the Chaos Emerald, and warping away in a flash of blue light.
—–—
11:08
Desert area
On a raised ruins platform, Knuckles the Echidna glares past the great green Master Emerald, to the bat standing on the other side of it. She demands to him, "Just…let it go! You just don't know when to give up, do you?"
"What are you talking about? That Emerald's mine! You got that?" He sweeps his arm and steps forward, emphasizing the point. "The Master Emerald contains special powers that neutralize the energy of the Chaos Emeralds." He closes his eyes as he begins lecturing from memory. "That makes it very powerful!" He opens his eyes to see a large mechanical claw clamping around and lifting the Master Emerald. "What the…!?"
The bat also cries, "Whaa? Thief!"
As the claw lifts the Emerald up to Dr. Eggman's hovering Egg Mobile, Knuckles scoffs, "Look who's calling who a thief!"
Eggman now speaks, "I came here following the signal from the Emerald…but if I'm not mistaken, this is the Master Emerald, is it not?"
Knuckles barely lets him finish before shouting, "It's you…Dr. Eggman!"
The bat notes with curiosity, "So that's Dr. Eggman."
Eggman continues, "Well, I guess I can use it for something. I'll just take it with me." Eggman's craft turns and begins to float away. "Farewell, knucklehead!"
"Not if I can help it!" Knuckles leaps into the air after the Emerald, and strikes it with one powerful punch, knocking back the Egg Mobile, and shattering the Emerald.
The bat yells in disappointment, "Aaaaaaaah!" She grabs the still-recovering knuckles by the shoulders and begins to violently shake him. "What was that all about? And look what you did to my Emerald!" She lets go, and he reels back a step.
"I did that to prevent the Master Emerald from being stolen, you idiot! If it's in pieces, I can restore it. And by the way, that's not your Emerald."
Meanwhile, Eggman has begun floating away. "Hmmm…it doesn't matter. I'll look into it once I get back to the base."
Knuckles and the bat can only watch as he floats off into the distance. The bat yells off at him, "I despise anyone who takes jewels from me! All the world's gems are mine to keep!"
Knuckles counters, "Yeah? We'll see about that, bat girl!"
"You won't be so smug after I gather all the pieces of my Emerald." She jumps off of the platform and begins to fly off. She turns her head back to shout, "By the way, my name is Rouge the Bat! Better known as the treasure hunter, Rouge!" Knuckles glares at Rouge in anger.
