Chapter 4

It had taken only seconds for Rouge to reply.

I will if you say pretty please ;)

Shadow just gave a submissive sigh and started typing.

Pretty please Rougie xxx

Tails couldn't stop himself from giggling. Shadow looked a bit embarrassed so quickly explained himself.

"Rouge is super intelligent and manipulative, I've been working with her for years so I know it's quicker just to give her what she wants and move on"

"Pahaha…but … the kisses" Knuckles had never looked so happy.

"She'd've asked for them eventually trust me." Shadow stated with certainty.

"So you're not with Rouge then?" Amy enquired.

"No, she's been flirting with me for years but I think she's like that with everyone, she knows I'm not interested, she just does it to make people feel awkward, and it gives her the upper hand in negotiations."

"You sure you don't like her? Sounds to me like you like her an awful lot" Knuckles teased.

"She's a useful colleague" Shadow said simply.

Suddenly all the lights came on, a very weak sounding siren started quietly wailing, it sounded like there had been a break in about five houses away. A printer in the corner begin to click and whirr and another e-mail arrived.

All sorted handsome. I even set a map to print for you. There is only one room that has been used recently, it appears that there used to be a very large energy source down there. There's a way out there too, though it looks like it leads out the top of some huge boulder, so good luck getting down. I've marked the place on your map. Later hun xxx.

Tails took a hold of the map as soon as the ancient printer completed this apparently strenuous task. Knuckles and Amy gathered round in glee.

"Okay guys it's down this hallway first. Let's go!" Tails enthused, finally getting somewhere in this dusty old place. Shadow hung back, out of view of the others, quickly typing:

Thanks Rougie xxx.

He caught back up with the others before they'd noticed he'd gone.

Eventually they arrived at the location Rouge had marked for them, it was a very large room, with a number of pedestals with wires all connecting to a hollow central tube. The pedestals were all empty, the tube appeared to have been designed for a person to fit inside it.

"Well I think we can make a reasonable guess as to what is meant to go on these things" Knuckles deduced. However Tails quickly deflated his ego.

"There are only seven Chaos Emeralds, but there are fourteen of these things." Tails pointed out. "Are there seven other power sources similar to the Chaos…"

You could almost see the cogs working in Knuckles mind before his eyes shot up in joy.

"AH HA! I think I got it! Shadow!"

Shadow looked over at him, wondering if it was worth entertaining the echidna's notion, whatever it was.

"Did Rouge say when this place was built?"

"No, why?"

"Because if it's when I think it is, I might know what Eggman had been planning!"

They went over to the computer in the corner, Tails couldn't help but notice that this one was more modern looking, as if the place had been recently updated.

"Err…" Knuckles started, as he sat in front of the computer.

"What is it Knuckles?" Amy asked.

"How do you send e-mails?" Knuckles asked, much to the consternation of everyone in the room.

"Hey I grew up on an island by myself, there wasn't anyone to e-mail and I don't have a computer!" Knuckles whined as he stood up so Shadow could sit down. Tails started to wonder how he could get a phone line to the island to get the internet there, when the sound of Shadow's typing removed him from that valueless train of thought.

Rouge, do you know when this place was built?

He almost pressed 'send' before sighing, and adding:

Love Shads.

By the time the laughter had stopped, Rouge had replied.

It was just after Sonic blew up the Death Egg for the first time, after it crashed into Angel Island, before anyone other than Knuckles knew the Master Emerald existed.

"I knew it!" Knuckles started enthusiastically air-boxing "I knew I was right!"

Everyone just stared at him, waiting for him to finish congratulating himself before he explained it to the clueless team.

"The Super Emeralds!"

Both Amy and Shadow looked even more confused, but Tails understood.

"So you think this place was built to harness the power of all fourteen emeralds? That makes sense but Eggman couldn't have used the Super Emeralds. We don't even know why they existed or what happened to them."

"Could someone explain what these 'Super Emeralds' are?" Shadow asked.

"They only existed very briefly, Sonic and I managed to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds, but for some reason they reacted with the Master Emerald to produce seven larger, more powerful emeralds. We have no idea why and they haven't appeared since." Tails explained. "Eggman must have built this device to harness the power of all fourteen, but it became redundant after the disappearance of the Super Emeralds."

Shadow's eyes began to glow in wonder.

"I've known the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, with them I can fly, create chaos spears as strong as lightning, and move with incredible speed with ease, think what I could do with the Super Emeralds power!" Shadow said to no one in particular.

"I wouldn't get too excited" Tails said "Sonic said that he only used the Super Emeralds because he didn't realise how powerful they were. Once he became Hyper Sonic he struggled to control himself, he moved too quickly for him to really handle. After beating Eggman he was relieved the Emeralds were gone. They were so strong that even I was able to turn Super from them."

"I'm sure I could… hang on, you turned Super?" Shadow questioned, astonished. "But you have no real chaos energy at all".

"Can we get back on track?" Amy coaxed. "What happened to Sonic?"

They all turned towards the large hollow tube.

"We can both manipulate Chaos Energy" Shadow considered "Perhaps Eggman used him as some sort of catalyst or as something to direct the energy in a way he wanted it. I can still feel some remnants of the energy he used, if I could still Chaos Control, we could follow them".

"But Eggman didn't have the Super Emeralds, that's impossible" Knuckles pointed out.

"And unnecessary" Shadow countered "We have travelled to the White Space without Super Emeralds before, clearly Eggman has found a way to get there without even using that monster, let alone the Super Emeralds. Hell in theory time travel is even possible if you have enough control over the Chaos Emeralds. Compared to that, getting to the White Space would be nothing."

"But how can we follow them? There's barely any Chaos Energy left" Amy asked, looking saddened.

They may well have reached a dead end here. Everyone looked disappointed, Amy slid down the wall and sat on the floor, Tails started observing the machines for any other way to power it and Shadow sat over by the computer, just thinking about something.

"We could always try the Master Emerald" Knuckles suggested after about 15 minutes of silence. "I've never seen anyone warp with it but maybe it's possible. I really can't think of anything else."

"I agree, it's a long shot but I really can't think of anything else, though I doubt the machine can use that energy, it was made to harness Chaos" Tails responded, not sounding hopeful.

"So should I go back and fetch the Master Emerald?" Knuckles asked, standing up. "It'll take me a few days to travel there."

"In the Tornado I could get you there in no time at all, though we'd have to find it again, our entry method didn't really leave room for an easy exit, so we'd have to walk back through the desert to find it." Tails added, with disdain.

"Hang on, you left the Master Emerald completely unguarded!? Amy reproached, pointing at Knuckles "What if someone steals it?"

"But Eggman isn't here anymore, who else could possibly… ARGHH!"

A blinding light had filled the room as something dropped through the ceiling.

"Special delivery boys" Rouge said, sitting upon the Master Emerald and winking at an embarrassed looking Knuckles.