"Roootoooor!" Sonic called through the broken corridors, hoping for the best, but getting echos of his own voice instead. He had looked everywhere possible, overturning every rock and brick. All he managed to find were either more rocks or dead bodies of soldiers who fought the aliens. Sonic was beginning to think maybe it was better he didn't find Rotor, if he had suffered the same fate…

No! He had to keep looking, even if that was the case. Do it for his friend's sake. At the very least, he did need to find the Chaos Emerald.

"…uurrgh…."

Sonic whipped his head at the faint sound of moaning. A tint of gold caught his eye, and as the hedgehog got a closer look, he found a purple body underneath.

"Rotor!" Sonic didn't waste a second racing over, grabbing what was left of his metallic armor and tossing it aside. "Are you okay?" he asked as he carefully took a hold of one of the walrus' arm.

Rotor cringed as he slowly sat up, with Sonic's assistance. "I've had better days…" he responded, "Awgh!"

"Sorry," Sonic loosened his grip.

"No… it's my back…" Rotor replied, "Those Black Arm creeps are really tough. They managed to pierce my armor, take me down for good…. All it took was one whack to the backside."

Sonic cringed. "As if your back isn't giving you enough grief."

"I did everything I could… we ALL did, actually… But they were too strong. A lot of soldiers died…" Tears formed in Rotor's eyes, "I'm sorry, Sonic. I tried to fight, I really did! Even after I was knocked down…"

"It's okay, buddy," Sonic gently patted his back, "I know you went above and beyond."

Rotor nodded. "You have no idea how strong these enemies are," he said, "They even managed to take out the Chaos Cannon*! It's completely destroyed."

"What about the…"

Rotor held up the cyan-colored Chaos Emerald. "Once this popped out of place, I wasn't about to let them get their disgusting hands on it."

Sonic grinned and gave a whoop. "Way to go, Rote!"

"Yes… Way to go…."

Sonic and Rotor turned their heads at the third voice. Around the corner circled Shadow. "Hey, where did you disappear to?" asked Sonic.

"I had some business to attend to with Black Doom," Shadow gloomily responded as he slowly made his way to the two.

"What are you, nuts?!" cried Sonic, "That's a sure way to get yourself killed, along with the rest of us! They didn't follow you, did they?"

"I came here upon their request."

"Wait, wha..?"

Shadow raised his palm up. "I'll be taking that emerald now."

As the black hedgehog got closer, Rotor could definitely sense something. Perhaps it was the fact that he had a strange white aura glow around him as he clenched two other emeralds in each hand. Not to mention that strange, demented, evil look in his eyes. "Sonic, something's wrong with him!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" responded the hedgehog as he hopped in front of his friend, arms out, protective mode on.

Shadow was up close at this point. Clenching the Chaos Emeralds tighter in his hands, he reared up and slapped Sonic with such force, the blue hedgehog was sent right into what was left of the wall.

"Sonic!" Rotor cried. He glared back down at Shadow, who was now advancing on him.

"If you value your life, you will hand over that Chaos Emerald!"

Rotor stopped and thought… His life… something he nearly lost fighting against the Xorda and the Black Arms… something that his colleagues unfortunate lost too soon. He felt he should have died with them, but for some reason, was spared and given an agonizing back pain instead.

He couldn't fight, he couldn't help his fellow fighters… He was basically useless at that point and didn't stand a chance against this amped-up Shadow…

But he was damned if he was going to cower out and give up their only hope of saving Mobius!

"If you want it," Rotor growled, covering the emerald up and holding it away to the best of his ability, "You're gonna have to pry it out of my cold, dead hand!"

Shadow merely narrowed his eyes. "If you insist."

He reared back. Rotor braced himself. Then…

SLAM!

Sonic burst in and tackled Shadow to the ground. "Run, Rotor!" he shouted, "Get out of here!"

Rotor watched, astonished. He couldn't leave his buddy… but he knew he was no good here either. He had to protect the Chaos Emerald. So reluctantly, he turned and ran as fast as his sore back would allow.

Sonic, unfortunately, was not strong enough to hold down a semi-super Shadow and was tossed off with ease. Shadow spotted the walrus making a run for it, got to his feet, and blasted towards him. He leapt through the air and landed his foot squarely into Rotor's spine.

"AAUUGH!" Rotor fall to the ground, the Chaos Emerald falling from his grasp. Shadow easily jumped over Rotor and snatched the rolling emerald with a cruel smirk. Sonic ran over and stopped by Rotor, checking on him. "I… I can't move…!" Rotor struggled to speak through the pain.

Shadow turned to the two heroes. "You've got a lot of nerve to make an ultimate being such as myself work to take this emerald from you maggots." He stepped towards them, clenching his fist once more. "You'll pay dearly for it."

Sonic seethed and tried to cover Rotor. He was no match for Shadow at this point, and he knew it. All he could do now was simply shield his friend. "Shadow… why?"

"This is who I am," Shadow responded, "The truth has been brought out in me. I now know my purpose. I must deliver judgment against this planet… We shall conquer and destroy Mobius!"

"No..!" cried Sonic, "That's not your purpose! Remember Maria!"

Shadow froze… and the aura around him glowed brighter. "All I remember is those bastards killing her… an innocent girl who was never involved in any wrongdoing! They took her away from me! Everyone destroys each other for no reason!"

"C'mon, Shadow, snap out of it!" Sonic shouted, "You know that's not true! Don't you remember Gerald's last video to you?!"

An image of Gerald Robotnik popped into Shadow's head… he seemed to be pleading… He wanted Shadow to do something… but before he could get any words out, Black Doom was all that Shadow could see.

"Do not forget what these humans did to him, to Maria… to YOU. You work for me now, Shadow. Now unleash your wrath! Take everyone out! DO IT!"

Shadow grabbed his head, screaming. The aura blasted around his body. He snapped down at Sonic and Rotor and raised his fist. "I will exterminate all inferior lifeforms, starting with you two! GOODBYE, SONIC THE HEDGE-"

Without warning, Shadow was suddenly struck with a missile and sent launching across the castle grounds, and slamming into the side of a broken building, exploding. Sonic covered Rotor with his own body, looking up briefly to see the G.U.N. aircraft, piloted by Tails, fly by and circle around. "Soniiic! Get on!"

"Get ready, Rotor," Sonic lifted Rotor to his feet and put an arm around his shoulder. "Ally Oop!" he cried as the aircraft dipped down and the hedgehog jumped up enough to grab the top of the wing, carrying his walrus friend with him.

As Tails flew off, Sonic held on for dear life to the wing with one hand and onto Rotor with the other. The walrus, badly wounded and in immense pain, tried to do his part and reach up to take hold of the wing, so Sonic didn't have to do all the straining. Sonic looked down to smile at his friend, but something caught the corner of his eye.

"Tails, step on it!" he shouted, "We've got company!

Tails glanced over his shoulder to notice an army of winged Black Arm soldiers and Xordas in their water-containment flying objects, giving chase. And if that wasn't bad enough, in the distance, Tails spotted an aura-covered Shadow actually speeding on the ground, closing in.

At that moment, the Xorda began shooting from their mini crafts at the aircraft. Tails had learned the controls quickly, however, and easily maneuvered away from each strike. Sonic and Rotor, on the other hand, did all they could to just hang on. At one point, Rotor was in so much pain he could no longer keep hold and slipped off, only to have Sonic clutch his wrist. "Hang on!"

BAM!

Sonic almost lost his own grip when a winged Black Arm soldier slammed into the other side of the G.U.N. craft. Tails did a barrel roll, wound up on the soldier's opposite side, and nudged him away before taking higher altitude. "Hold on a little longer, guys!" he called over, "We've just about lost them!"

"Make it quick already!" Sonic screamed, as he struggled to hang onto Rotor's wrist, which slowly began to slip away. "Rotor, hang in there…"

Rotor, whose eyes were clenched tightly in pain, slowly opened them to see what was going on now, and took notice of Shadow leaping on the back of one of the winged Black Arms, gaining height himself, before flipping off and finding himself right above the aircraft. A red ball of energy began forming in his hand.

"TAILS!"

The fox whipped his head up to see the oncoming attack. He pulled a level near the bottom of his seat, which detached the wings of the aircraft and sent Sonic and Rotor soaring downwards to the ground at break-neck speed.

He then struggled to find the ejector lever.

"Chaos… BLAST!"

The enormous amount of Chaos Energy struck the G.U.N. carrier, completely obliterating it and nearly everything around it, shaking the entire Great Forest.

Nothing was left.

*"Chaos Cannon" is a large cannon built by Rotor and Tails (mostly Rotor) and debuted in my "Metarex Saga" fancomic. It's like a miniature Eclipse Cannon.