Chapter 4: First Test
Nintendo World: Control World
Location: Control Compound Courtyard
Time: 3:35 P.M.
By the time they got to the courtyard, a group of about a hundred Shadowmen were storming through the gate.
"I don't care how you do it, just take 'em down!" shouted Alex over the snap-hiss of his and David's blades igniting. Then the battle was joined.
David and Alex leapt and spun and dodged, slashed and stabbed and parried. Mario, Warrio, and DK dodged and punched, sending Shadowmen to the ground. Sonic moved like living lightning, goring with his spikes, punching and kicking. Knuckles dropped Shadowman after Shadowman with his spiked gloves. Shadow used his Chaos blasts to send Shadowmen flying. Link stabbed and slashed with his sword, penetrating shadowflesh with gruesome effect.
Within minutes, the force of one hundred Shadowmen had been whittled down to five. Those five made a run for the gate, but Sonic quickly cut them off. Before they could even raise their weapons, the hedgehog had gone buzzsaw and cut them down like stalks of wheat.
One more Shadowman peeked around the side of the gate with a phase rifle. He took aim at Sonic's turned back– but, before he could fire, Link planted an arrow right between his eyes.
As the dust settled, Alex took an appraising look around.
"Good job."
That's when the alarm started going off again.
Warning, warning! Incoming hostiles!
Without a thought, David cried, "Get to the perimeter defense weapons! GO, GO, GO!"
The nine rushed to the guns ringing the perimeter walls.
"Shit!" came Alex's voice. "No power."
"Hang on." replied Shadow, spreading his arms. "CHAOS POWER!"
Energy flowed out of the black hedgehog and into the nine weapons. Instantly, the guns converted the Chaos energy into usable charge and came online.
The Shadowmen were just coming into view when Alex yelled, "Fire at will! Take 'em down!"
Energy bolts flew from the emitter barrels into the mass of shadow flesh, carving huge gaps in the oncoming army. But more kept coming.
Then the enemy's artillery came into play.
"Sonic." called David.
"Yo." came the reply.
David tossed him an emerald. "Plant this in that crevice over there."
The blue hedgehog flashed to and back from the crevice so fast it was almost instantaneous. With the press of a button in his cockpit, David activated the two-way shielding around the compound. Seconds later, the first barrage of enemy laser and plasma cannon fire struck the shield.
The nine compound defense guns continued pouring fire through the shield into the enemy lines. A few minutes later, the enemy realized they would not get to the compound and began vanishing.
Alex managed to get a reading lock on a few Shadowmen before they vanished. With a smile he looked at the readout scrolling across his computer screen. Bingo! He had the origin locked on.
Now he and his team could attack the enemy in his lair.