Chapter 4: Infiltrating the Pirate Base
It was finally time for Shadow to put his revenge plan into action. As the Seaduck headed toward a hidden area on Pirate Island where it landed, it was time for Shadow to get even with the Air Pirates.
"You're going by yourself?" asked Baloo to Shadow as he was getting out of the plane.
"Of course I am, this is my mission and my mission alone" replied Shadow to Baloo.
"Look, I think the story you told Kit, you might need some help" said Baloo.
"Help against a bunch of idiotic Air Pirates?" asked Shadow, "I think I can handle it myself."
As Shadow left to head into the Pirate Base on Pirate Island, Baloo wasn't so sure if Shadow was going to make it.
"We're going to follow him are we?" asked Kit to Baloo.
"You bet ya Little Britches" replied Baloo.
As the two began to follow Shadow, still unnoticed to the black hedgehog, Shadow continued on his way penetrating through an air vent system into the Pirate Base. As Shadow squeezed through, about several minutes later Baloo and Kit arrived at the same thing.
"Er, I don't know if I am going to fit through" said Baloo.
"There must be some other way inside" said Kit as he was reexamining the place, "ah ha, I know just the place, just follow me."
"I sure hope you know a place I can fit through" said Baloo.
As Kit and Baloo were trying to find another place to infiltrate the Pirate Base, Shadow was already within the network of air vents above the Pirate Base itself. He could tell he was getting closer, and closer to his Chaos Emerald which he hadn't realize was already in Don Karnage's procession. As Shadow crept up to one air vent with a hatch, he peaked through the hatch and noticed the two Air Pirates he had previously encountered. They were testing out the hi-tech weapons that their comrades had stolen earlier in the week.
"You sure Don Karnage wanted to just keep us out of his way?" asked Maddog as he was prepared to test fire a hi-tech weapon.
"Er, yep, that's what he said" replied Dumptruck.
"Well, I say we improve our status with him in capturing that black hedgehog you failed to stop" said Maddog, "I am sure he'd be pleased if we manage to accomplish it."
"Yeah, that black hedgehog was so dumb enough to fall for me just simply knocking him on the head" laughed Dumptruck to which Shadow began to growl in the air vents.
"Say, did you hear something, it sounded like some odd noise or something" said Maddog.
As the Air Pirate gazed at the air vents up above, he thought he heard someone was inside the air vent itself.
"There, up there!" cried Maddog, "I think we might have an intruder!"
"Don't worry, I'll get that intruder for you" laughed Dumptruck as he was aiming the hi-tech weapon at the air vent which Shadow was in.
"No, you fool!" cried Maddog.
Yet it was too late, as Dumptruck fired the weapon, a laser came out of the gun destroying part of the air vent which thankfully Shadow wasn't in that part. It was just then that Don Karnage himself came in and began to notice the commotion.
"Hey, what's going on here, I gave no permission for you to fire the weapons at the air vent system" said Don Karnage.
"But sir, I thought we might have an intruder" said Dumptruck.
"An intruder, really, just let me look and see" said Don Karnage as he headed to the damaged part of the air vent.
Thankfully for Shadow, Don Karnage wasn't as intelligent as enough to look through the air vents, only to inspect the damage.
"Well, if there were an intruder, you imbeciles probably scared him away!" roared Don Karnage, "I want you to bring these weapons to the other Air Pirates!"
"Yes sir" said Maddog as he and Dumptruck began to carry the weapons.
As the Air Pirates headed out with the crate loaded with weapons, it was time for Shadow to leap right on out. Yet while the black hedgehog was coming up with a strategy to ambush the Air Pirates, Kit and found the perfect place for Baloo to squeeze right through which was a network of underground caves.
"Er, you sure this is part of the same Pirate Base?" asked Baloo to Kit.
"Sure, I'm sure, I've haven't been around here since about several years" said Kit.
"So you must have explored these caves before?" asked Baloo.
"Yep, it's easy" replied Kit.
"Oh, I hope you're right that we'll find our friend soon enough" said Baloo.
While Baloo and Kit were finding their own way into the Pirate Base, Shadow was already doing his best to dodge the coming Air Pirate patrols as the guards continued on their patrols, Shadow dashed by each one of them which the Air Pirates were too stupid to notice his presence. The black hedgehog finally made his way to where Don Karnage had taken the hi-tech weapons to, where a group of Air Pirates were readying hi-tech weapons in their arsenal.
"You sure this will help us bring down more plans?" asked Maddog.
"Sure I am sure" replied Don Karnage, "and you can test fire at some of those dummies I had some of the other men placed over there."
A perfect firing range was setup for the Air Pirates to test out their hi-tech weapons at some wooden dummies, and also wooden planes that were built.
"Fire!" ordered Don Karnage.
It was suddenly a light show as the lasers from the weapons began to fire, the wooden dummies and planes all ended up into dust. Shadow knew he had to act fast against the Air Pirates and see where his Chaos Emerald went quick. Yet he would have to come up with a plan in order to get the Air Pirates' attention into having themselves disarmed.