Oil Oasis Zone
"Shadow! Shadow!" the bat shouted as the shine ended.
She remembered falling, straight on her face actually. It kinda hurt, but the fall was cushioned by soft grass and – let's be truthfully honest – her chest. The white-furred bat rolled onto her back, groaning while she rubbed her face. Teal eyes relayed the image of the setting sky. The bat pulled herself up, still somewhat frazzled and dazed from the sudden impact of falling. She looked around her immediate area, realizing she had fallen into some forest-like zone. A few moments later, the bat came to realize she now sat in Wood Zone.
Rouge pulled herself up, a pain still throbbing through her chest, though she was alright. It didn't take her long to realize yet another important detail; she was all alone. The brooding hedgehog she had come to know as Shadow was nowhere near her; his statement proved to be true.
He had decided to go on without her.
Rouge stood up to her feet, where she gripped her arm with a certain kind of longing to her. Naturally good at hiding her feelings, she would let her guard down when alone. And right now – being all alone in Wood Zone – she felt her tough visage finally crumble. Her mission was simple – and it had been accomplished; she was able to make way to Hidden Palace Zone. But along the way, adventuring with Shadow, fighting Badniks, collecting the Chaos Emeralds, it all felt kinda fun. Sure, she originally didn't want to fight Robotnik – and still doesn't – but she couldn't deny the fact that a lot of good had been done. The many zones they traveled through were liberated of Robotnik's evil control, all thanks to their tenacity and skill in battle. Not to mention the fact that they grew closer as a result; she had learned so much more about Shadow during their adventure than she ever had before.
So being left behind like this kinda hurt. But, hey, it was his nature. She had also learned that about him, during their time together. He'd rather be cold and alone than to be warm and with friends. Why? Probably because danger and destruction follows him around like bees to honey. In his own deranged way, he was protecting her. Keeping her far from the unholy destruction he was about to meet out upon Robotnik and his machines.
But to hell with that! Who was going to protect him? Who was going to keep Shadow all in one piece so he could go back home safe and sound? Who was going to make sure he didn't get shot in the back, or injured in some ungodly manner? Whether Shadow wanted to admit it or not, they got this far together. Not separately. And while he may think he's the ultimate life form, he's not.
He's just a mobian. A very powerful mobian who wields power over time and space yeah, but a mobian nonetheless. And sometimes, he just needs to be reminded of that.
Rouge's wings flapped as she hovered in the air, face hard yet determined. Determined to do what? Why simple; she was determined to bring a certain hedgehog down a few pegs. Even if he didn't want to.
…
Okay, he thought Mystic Cave Zone was hot. And it was; being deep down underground, it did get incredibly hot with varying pockets of cool airs coming every now and then. But, yeah, it was incredibly hot. However, Mystic Cave Zone was nothing compared to Dust Hill Zone. Well, at least in its desert form. The burning heat, the blistering sun, the flaming sands; it made for an arid zone that felt like the surface of the sun. In his entire life, he never suffered through an area as hot as Dust Hill Zone.
Until now.
Shadow has entered Oil Ocean Zone.
Was it the sun that melted him to his core? Or was it the endless seas of black gunk surrounding him that made it so unbearable? Quite possibly, could it be the hazardous and unsafe pipes that constantly spat fire into the skies? Those too made the temperature jump to unsightly levels.
The ruby eyes of the Black Wind panned around in a circular fashion, giving him all the information he needed. Oil Ocean Zone was once known as Golden Bay Zone. A zone sitting on the largest bay on all of West Side Island. Here it was, replaced by the largest oil refinery in known existence. It stretched on for miles, spewing toxic fumes and liquids into the air and waters, all the while the incredible heat index bore down upon them.
This was Hell. Pure and simple. The sulfuric acids, the insane heat, the knowledge that an sociopath madman was ruler behind it all; Hell. Pure and simple. So that would make Shadow – the Black Wind – Dante in this story. Braving the rings of Hell or Zones in this instance to face the Devil at the far end of it.
Shadow glared down toward the many ramps and highways of Oil Ocean Zone with a pit in his heart. Golden Bay Zone was where his parents had their honeymoon. Or so his mom often tells him. It could have been Neo Green Hill Zone for all he knows. The point is, Golden Bay Zone was known for its beauty region wide. But now, tainted and marred by Eggman Industries, it looked horrendous. Shadow would rectify that.
He started running upon the metal flooring, air shoes slowly igniting as he picked up speed. However, some of his sparks met upon oil which immediately burst into flames. Shocked by the sight, Shadow used his impressive speed to blow out the flames. He knew Robotnik cared little for the environment, but this was just plain stupid. Any one of those pipes that spewed fire could set this zone ablaze.
To stop such a thing from happening (could you imagine all of Oil Ocean Zone on fire?), Shadow figured it was best not to use his air shoes. Which sounded like pure hypocrisy to Shadow, but hey, when in Rome Zone.
He started running along the metallic paths, hearing his feet go 'click clack' against the ground. Though he had no clear idea of where he was going, he knew all paths would lead to Robotnik sooner or later. He ran along oil oozing pipelines, leaping from one to another with amazing leaps and graceful strides. Air shoes or not, he appeared vastly capable of dealing with the extreme terrain, as he hadn't missed one step.
Until the ocean of oil around him began stirring. Too busy gazing ahead, he hadn't noticed the small yellow spheres which launched out the oil behind him. The Black Wind continued running, picking up speed as he did so. The yellow spheres uncurled themselves, revealing themselves to be more than just bouncing circles.
They were oddly familiar. Appearing as faux versions of wonderful sea creatures. Their backs held spiked fins, along with the rest of their sterling gold body. Their snouts, long and skinny, along with their tails. They were sea horses, only created with metal instead of flesh. As Shadow rushed down the catwalks of the oil refinery as fast as he could, they kept their eyes forever glued upon him.
…
"The Aquis Unit in Oil Ocean Zone has located a certain rat, Ivo..." the woman claimed, via hovering disembodied voice, "Bringing it on screen."
He wasn't even paying that much attention. Instead, his ship was howling through the skies, roaring at mach 3 speeds. He had done it, he had finally done it! He collected those six mystical stones that evaded him for far too long. All of them were now within his ship, resting comfortably, ready to have their hidden powers unlocked for the taking.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik had killed his most hated enemy and taken the most powerful items in the entire universe for himself. Or so he believed. Listening to Maria's words, it didn't take him too long to figure out who she was talking about. And once that screen appeared on his cockpits window, he sighed.
"Shadow, Shadow, Shadow," Robotnik bemoaned, "I drop an entire zone upon your head, and yet you persist. When will you learn?"
"Further commands, Doctor?"
"Destroy him," he stated easily, "He is weak and... hello, what's this?" he peered harder at the screen, noticing something important as he watched Shadow run. The Black Wind was alone. There was no Rouge backing up his antics, giving him the support he relied on throughout the entire adventure. Seeing that made Robotnik smile. Sadistically, might I add, "What's wrong, Shadow? Decided to continue on alone? You fool! Maria! Prepare the Death Egg! We have what we need! And send Shadow something special."
"Yes! Doctor!"
…
The Aquis fired. From the snout of the sea-horse like Badniks, bullets rang out. Shadow hadn't noticed until that familiar POW! sound echoed into his ears. Naturally he jumped out of the way, dodging the first hail of gunfire and turning to fight back. But the Aquis curled back into balls to harmlessly fall into the seas of the oil refinery.
Shadow lifted his fists and walked back, stopping only when he met a tall structure reaching into the sky. Naturally, he dashed up the girder, leaping between beams and walls with amazing skill before reaching the very top. Now standing on the very top, he placed his hand above his eyes to get a better gaze at the zone all around him.
Only to hear metal bending beneath his feet. Staggered, Shadow gazed down and watched a purple tentacle ripped through the oils beneath to wrap around the metallic pole he stood upon. The tendril clenched upon the large beam, bending with with its great power and causing the structure to bend down. Quickly leaping to safer ground, Shadow watched as the beast pulled itself up.
It was large, purple, and just like the Aquis before, a Badnik created to mimic sea life. In this case, a great octopus. Shadow stared at the Badnik and it stared back, only to quickly retreat into the oceans below. As soon as it did so, another school of Aquis leaped from the ocean to fire upon him.
The Black Wind dodged left and right, leaping from object to object while bullets fell upon him. Powers in hand, he swatted at the sky and sent Chaos Spears heading their way. Many Aquis erupted into explosions, which set the oils below ablaze as well. To Shadow's horror, the area of the zone he stood in suddenly erupted into flames, all of which flying skyward. He quickly skated up a wall, getting as high as he could to avoid the fires. When he thought he was safe, the long tendrils of the octopus Badnik reached up again. Upon doing so, he got a good look at its name.
'Octus' it would seem.
Shadow leaped back as high as he could, hand surging yellow with power. He fired a series of Chaos Spears at it, all of which couldn't pierce its tempered-steel hide. Now falling toward the flaming pit below, Shadow's air shoes ignited and pushed him further up and away. He landed upon another building with Octus still chasing him. The Badnik easily destroyed the building with a simple swipe, causing another building to fall into the blazing sea below.
Shadow landed on a bridge hovering above the flames of Oil Ocean Zone, feeling cornered as he stared up to the mighty Octus. Suddenly turning red however, he used the powers of his Chaos Emerald to enhance his Chaos Boost. Power at its peaked, he immediately flew toward Octus with fists forward. Halfway through, he began spinning in air, where his powerful body penetrated its face. With ease, Shadow destroyed the Badnik thanks to his powerful spin shot, ripping through it and sending pieces flying everywhere. Multiple explosions befell the Badnik, and ran the entire gambit up and down its body. The beast eventually fell, crashing down into the blazing oils below. And, honestly, another exploding Badnik probably didn't help the already burning zone.
The Black Wind fell upon a rooftop, powering down after his powerful rush. He turned around and glared down to Oil Ocean Zone below, breathing hard with his hand on his chest.
"Few..." he grumbled, feeling sweat fall from his brow as the heat got to him.
Being brutally honest with himself, would this have been so hard with Rouge's help? He was a firm believer in the idea that numbers don't equal strength. That was something he and Rouge easily proved correct by blowing through hundreds of Badniks with time to spare. Only the two of them.
"I can't be getting sentimental right now," Shadow claimed as he stood up, albeit weakly, "Gotta keep goin'..."
He jumped upon a wire, one that delved straight into the blazing inferno below. Sliding down the metal covered thread, he ground his way into the very furnace of Hell. Flames exploded and danced all around him, but he ignored it as he kept his eyes trained forward. Some streams of fire jumped over his railing, forcing him to leap over them with precision and land just as expertly. The wiring suddenly aimed up, bringing Shadow out of the flames and instead to the catwalks which hovered suspended over the polluted bay.
He immediately began skating again, picking up speed to outrunning the inferno behind him. From those flames, more Aquis leaped out. They began firing upon the hedgehog, who countered naturally with well aimed and well thrown Chaos Spears. When they were destroyed, another school of Aquis would replace them.
"Dammit!" he grunted, throwing blasts which curled to meet their targets, "They just keep coming!"
Suddenly, he started moving back even though he was standing still. Shadow turned around, watching as a bizarre yellow and green cannon device began sucking him in. It jutted out from the wall, and appeared to be some sort machine used for transportation. Whatever it was, Shadow wanted no business with it. He kicked up his feet and ignited his air shoes, but it was too late. Shadow curled into a ball instinctively as the cannon swallowed him whole, where it began twirling him inside violently.
"Ouch! Ooof! The heck!? Augh!? What!?"
THOOP!
Shadow – to his own surprise – found himself launched sky high. Before he could react, he was swallowed by another green/yellow checkered cannon.
"Ouch! Oof!? Urgh!? Augh!? What!? Again!?"
THOOP!
Once more, he was launched from the cannon at incredible speeds. However, unlike the first time, he wasn't safely launched into another cannon. Instead, the Black Wind flew straight toward a wall.
BANG! POW! BURNG! PLACK!
"Ugh..."
You know how painful it is to be shot at a wall so hard you crash through it? Well, Shadow did now. He struggled to his hands and knees after flying through a steel wall at high speeds, pain rumbling through his entire body. Gazing up, he realized he was inside a hall, somewhere deeper in the zone. There didn't appear to be any Badniks around, which was good for him.
He got to his feet and caught his breath, then started running down the hall. It only took a few seconds before he was back out into the blistering heat of Oil Ocean Zone, the setting sun baring down on him, and the pollution getting to his body. The only difference between this part of the zone and the last part was the fact that he ocean beneath him was once more oil, and not fire. Guess that means he was now in Act 2.
Shadow has entered Act 2.
The Black Wind darted down a ramp, running instead of skating to avoid yet another fire ocean. Just like in the Act before, Aquis erupted from the oil ocean, just to fire upon him with their bullet noses. But instead of destroying them via Chaos Spear, the Black Wind scoffed and vanished into a blur. Seconds later, those same blurs destroyed the Aquis one by one. When the school was annihilated, Shadow reappeared on the walkway.
"Is that your best!" Shadow scoffed, lips curling in a cocky smile as he felt pleased with his work, "I was kinda hoping for something... tougher..."
RRREWWWAAAARRRRRR!
He turned around, watching as the ocean began to stir and part. The Black Wind watched with wide eyes as a grand Badnik – a purple octopus – arose from deep within. The very same octopus Badnik he destroyed in the first Act. It even sported the same hole, one the hedgehog could actually stare through.
Shadow was surprised, by not threatened. He merely crossed his arms at the sight of the grand Octus, while he glared at it. It glared back down at him with its eyes a deadly glare. Despite the hole through its body, the Badnik didn't appear dysfunctional in any way. It rose a tendril and dropped it on Shadow's position, who easily dodged it by vanishing into a blur. However, Octus' sensors appeared to be greater than he believed. Even as he sped away, another tendril trapped him in place. Shadow come to a dead stop right in front of the tentacle, while Octus brought its mouth close to him. He glared into Octus' mouth, before the Badnik showed him with a burning stream of oil.
Or so it thought.
Shadow suddenly leaped through the oil stream, covered by a red aura. Appearing as a bright burning ember, Shadow leaped between buildings faster than what the human eye could see. He stopped on one of the buildings, still exuding this red aura around his body. Octus glared at him and struck the building, causing it to topple over. Instead of being crushed by the falling debris, Shadow launched himself into the hole he made in Octus' body in the first place.
"This time! I'm finishing you for good!" the hedgehog roared as he curled up into a ball, "CHAOS BLAST!"
With his mighty roar he flung out his arms and limbs, triggering a violent blast within Octus. It was at first small, but red lights began to appear within the lines of the Badnik's plating. Its body then began quaking, as if an uncontrollable force was attempting to escape it. Fruitlessly, Octus swatted at its own body in an attempt to force its own body back into place. That didn't work.
CHEEN! CHEEN! CHEEN! CHEEN! The lights roared as they appeared on his body, one by one, CHEEN! CHEEN! CHEEN! CHEEN! Octus suddenly expanded, as it could no longer hold the force roaring within its body, BUUURRRRRSSSSHHHH!
Octus' entire body detonated as a red blast erupted from within. The part of the zone was even blown away from the red field of energy, either being evaporated or thrown miles away from force. The only thing that remained was the hedgehog who caused it all. Shadow remained in the center, floating there as his energies faded away, only to fall from exhaustion moments later.
Maybe he expanded a tad bit too much power in his blast.
Before falling – and surely drowning – into the ocean of oil below, Shadow regain control of his senses. He quickly vanished, reappearing some yards away on solid metal land, still exhausted from his blast. He tried to get to his feet, only to be punished further for his foolish over exertion.
Why had he done such a thing? Simple; Octus simply wouldn't die if he hadn't. The Badnik survived a blow through the head by a powerful homing attack; a Chaos Blast from the inside was the perfect remedy for the situation.
Shadow worked his way onto his feet, slowly realizing just how drained he was. He hadn't slept since completing Wood Zone, and it sure did feel it. Mystic Cave Zone and Hidden Palace Zone really drained him, especially when considering the two fights he had with Robotnik's Egg Mobiles in both. Now, making his way through an Act of Oil Ocean Zone, Shadow felt more drained than ever.
But he kept going, even when everything about him screamed 'get some rest'. He stood up, and started walking along Oil Ocean Zone's walkways. He took his time and didn't run, giving his body at least some time to recuperate. He eventually took to leaning up against a wall, breathing hard to regain some lost energy.
But rest would be denied him once more.
Shadow's red eyes picked up movement out in the ocean. He immediately got battle ready, fists clenched, teeth bare in full. Certain waves began to glide and separate in specific manner, as if there was movement beneath the sea. He thought it was another Aquis unit, or perhaps even a Badnik type he hadn't seen before.
Instead, he saw the gleaming color of silver being reflected into the sky. It was followed by a chrome dome, and a single red optic. Said optic glared at Shadow, before descending into the oceans. The Black Wind groaned; he knew what he was dealing with now.
An Egg Mobile Unit.
Imagine the Egg Mobile-S from Hill Top Zone. Imagine stronger, faster, more resilient. Capable of not only withstanding the heat of lava, but also the degradation of pollution for years on end. Imagine capable of withstanding a blast powered by three Chaos Emeralds. That's what Robotnik set out to create when it came to the Egg Mobile-S Mk. II. And despite being a Beta-state creation, it was still far more powerful than the original Egg Mobile-S
Tasked with guarding Oil Ocean Zone, the Egg Mobile glared upon Shadow with its unwavering optic. The hedgehog glared back, teeth grinding into one another, hand cackling with power.
The Egg Mobile-S Mk. II quickly dove back into the ocean. Shadow was now on high alert, knowing that at any moment, the machine could suddenly attack. And it did.
From the waves, a spear was suddenly launched at Shadow. He ducked down and it flew over his head, missing a clear beheading. Shadow stared back into the oceans while the Egg Mobile-S rose to the surface. Shadow leaped to strike it, but the machine quickly dove back into the ocean. Thus, the Black Wind landed into the oceans, sinking slowly as he thrashed about.
Some yards away, the Egg Mobile-S appeared, as if it teleported away. To Shadow's horror, it began gliding towards him at amazing speeds. He pulled on his limbs to escape the zone's oils, only to realize it wasn't working. After closing his eyes and thinking on his position, he knew what he had to do.
His shoes ignited. The oils ignited.
A mighty explosion roared under his feet, launching the hedgehog sky high. It burned with pain as he was caught on fire as well, but a quick curl and uncurl at high speeds doused out the flames. Shadow landed upon another building, glaring down to the fires below. He was assured the Egg Mobile-S was among them, and surely destroyed by the fire. He didn't know it was designed to withstand such extremes. One way of surviving fire? Flying above said fire.
Shadow stared up, where his eyes caught a gleam. The silver body of the Egg Mobile-S Mk. II was reflecting the glare of the setting sun. It approached Shadow, who gritted his teeth. He called upon the powers of Chaos to forge a spear, though unlike his usual kind, he didn't toss it. Instead, he weilded the off-colored green-yellow blast in hand, and stalked the Egg Mobile-S as it suddenly rushed him. He leaped at the machine and landed on its hull, though it still had enough force to bring him along for a tackle. They flew above Oil Ocean Zone at high speeds, with Shadow clinging to the Egg Mobile-S for dear life. He rose his Chaos Spear in hand, clenched it to the point that he could feel it burning his palm through his glove, then delved it down upon the Egg Mobile-S's chrome head.
It didn't do a damn thing. But the Black Wind was a persistent fellow. He slammed his javelin into the Egg Mobile's head, over and over again, growling fervently while his rage was pressed. A slot on the back end of the Egg Mobile-S opened up, and a gun barrel rose out. Said gun barrel – still attached to the Egg Mobile via a series of wires – aimed down at Shadow.
It fired, but Shadow moved his released one grip on the machine, now hanging with one. He dodged the first blast, but the Egg Mobile-S aimed the next shot at his body instead of his hand. The hedgehog growled then fumed red, cladding him in a shield made of his aura. But this was no bullet the Egg Mobile-S fired, but instead a blue laser blast.
It struck his body, the impact dislodging his hand, and sending him crashing to the earth. He fell upon a building, back first, growling with pain. He rubbed the area where he was shot, a stinging pain running through his limb. It appeared as if lasers could break through his Chaos Boost's defensive aura, unlike bullets.
Something to take note of for the future.
The Egg Mobile-S Mk. II descended to be on the same plane of Shadow, hovering above the burning fire raging below. Shadow growled again, body tensing, now hardened and ready for a fight. The slots on the body of the Egg Mobile-S opened up, and a cannon slid out. The next second, the machine's thrusters ignited, and it rushed for the Black Wind. Shadow's arm suddenly turned red as he fumed all his rage into his arm, charging up a Chaos Spear of destructive proportions. He lobbed it at the machine gunning for him, his blast slamming into it's side. Though the attack wasn't strong enough to damage the beast, it was strong enough to change its course.
The Egg Mobile-S started going at an angle then, though it was quickly readjusting its course. In that moment, Shadow created a sphere of Chaos, and threw himself at the machine. He landed upon the Egg Mobile-S's back, where it began to twirl in an attempt to throw him off. Still wielding his sphere of Chaos, Shadow glared down at the slot which held the machine's cannon. It aimed at him, but he threw the ball into the Egg Mobile-S's gun slot.
Suddenly, the Egg Mobile-S's bladed tendril struck at Shadow, just barely missing him. The strike did cause him to leap off and back. He smiled as he did so, his index and middle fingers pointed at the Egg Mobile as he fell down to the inferno below.
"NOW EXPAND!" he shouted, "CHAOS BALL!"
He lifted his fingers to the sky, causing a light to glow within the Egg Mobile-S's armor. His Chaos Ball suddenly detonated by growing in side. It was like its own mobile Chaos Blast, only smaller and not as powerful. But inside the body of the Egg Mobile-S Mk. II, it was capable of doing considerable damage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOOOM!
His attack triggered a series of explosions that roared along the side of the machine, destroying that entire side of the Egg Mobile. The gun slot was gone, and now the Egg Mobile held a large chuck of it missing. It continued hovering in the area, though extensive damage had been done to it.
Shadow landed on a platform jutting out from the flames, while the Egg Mobile-S Mk. II descended into the flames below. The hedgehog glared down into the fire, wondering when his opponent would rise again. But all remained quiet and extremely hot. How long was the setting sun going to remain up high?
Not for long. It appeared behind him, hovering slowly, silently. Shadow didn't even know it was there, while the Egg Mobile-S readied its spiked tendril. It aimed the spear at the hedgehog's back, while he continued looking into the fire for his foe.
It launched it's blade. Shadow's eyes grew wide. He could feel the wind breaking as the blade sliced through the air. Just barely, he jutted to the left, dodging the spear. But its blade struck his arm, creating a wound which began bleeding profusely. Shadow clenched his wound and fell to his knees, breathing hard from shock and exhaustion. But he couldn't recuperate any further.
The Egg Mobile-S rushed for him, and he jumped over it. Landing again, the pain continued running through his limb. How was he going to contend with both the machine and his limb? It was at this point he began to wish Rouge was here. This fight – while still being a challenge – would've been easier to deal with if Rouge was here. Hell, it probably would've been destroyed by now.
The Egg Mobile-S Mk. II turned around and faced him, just as disheveled as he was. It's wound was still sparking with electricity and flames, matching Shadow who leaked blood. Both both refused to be bested by the other; they would keep going.
The Egg Mobile-S Mk. II activated it's thrusters, though it continued hovering in place. It was about to rush Shadow, who got down in a track star's position. He too was ready to fight, though with a smirk on his face.
"You have no idea what you're up against," he claimed, smiling with a cocky swagger.
The Egg Mobile-S rushed for him, moving faster than it ever did before. Shadow too ran for the beast, though his body was glowing yellow. He moved so fast, it appeared as if he were flying above the ground.
At super sonic speeds, Shadow's body collided with the Egg Mobile-S Mk. II's body. The collision roared aloud, while an explosion erupted. A large plume of fire and smog hovered in the air, with debris raining all around. And from this cloud of destruction, a yellow light appeared on the other end. The light died out, revealing the Black Wind.
He was hunched over on the other end, hand on the ground, posed in such a way it was stylistic. He breathed hard after the collision, whilst gazing up to the skies. By now, the sun laid on the horizon, and night was beginning to arrive. And yet the flames of Oil Ocean Zone still raged. Until the zone's counter measure activated.
All around him, sprinklers activated. They sprayed water all around the zone, attempting to fight off the fire that had taken over. Shadow stood up and said nothing, as he instead allowed the cold water to fall upon his flesh. It felt far better than he could have ever imagined. It brought a smile to his lips.
Oil Ocean Zone was over; he fought his way through. He was tired, weak, and battle warned. Now would be wise time to get some rest. He could hear Rouge in his ears, say something flirty, then grow serious as she checks up on him. He'd rebuff her advances, say they needed to keep going, but she'd put her foot down. He couldn't fight against her if she did that.
But Rouge wasn't here. There was no one to stop him from keeping on. So he kept moving. Even though he needed the rest, he kept going. Robotnik was near, he could feel the evil doctor's presence. Rest would have to wait until later.
After all, there's no rest for the wicked.
Shadow grabbed his arm, trying to hold tight the blood leaking out of his limb. He didn't run out of the zone however, instead walking. He'd take his time for just a little bit, before running again.
…
"Shadow's chances of victory are... minimal..." Maria claimed, eyes on the screen directly before her, "Victory rate has decreased marginally since Rouge's departure. Originally, Shadow's chance of defeating us was 47%, but has now changed to a meager 19%. At this rate, he'll never stop us. With the Death Egg's launch, there's no chance of victory."
"Perhaps..." the dictator claimed, "But time is still of the essence, Maria dear. Shadow has evaded death so far, I have little reason to believe he's going down as easily as we assume. But you are correct; upon the Death Egg's launch, there is very little the Black Wind can do to stop us. Maria... assess the Death Egg."
"All provisions are a go," she replied, "Enough fuel was gained from Oil Ocean Zone to charge the Death Egg for years before it would need to be filled up again. The outer hull has been finished, and the Roboticizer ray is complete. And..." she turned and smiled at him, "The Egg Emperor Unit has been completed, Robotnik. It's ready to go when you are."
"Hmmm..." Robotnik mumbled, eyes on the Death Egg outside his massive window, "Maria. Have the Egg Emperor moved to the Death Egg."
"But, that will push the launch back a few hours, Ivo," she said, somewhat stunned by his request, "Is this really what you want?"
"It is," Robotnik said, smile on his face, "Call it a premonition of some sort. After all, other than our little toy soldier, the Death Egg has very little in the way of defenses... hm..."
Maria nodded at him, then immediately turned into nothing to perform his commands. Robotnik turned around in his chair, facing out the window once more. He could see the Death Egg there, half underground, half above ground, getting plastered by the rain above. His eyes gleamed a bright red, while his lips curled into a powerful smile.
"Yes, yes, oh that's good," he said dementedly, smile growing to the point that it was monstrous, "Maria, I'm pushing up the launch of the Death Egg. Once the Egg Emperor is aboard, we will start the launch. Understand?"
"Yes, doctor."
…
Shadow walked through the industrial compound, a rag on his arm. It was healing his wound, and stopping him from breathing so profusely. As of then, he felt far more energized than he was before; call it cockiness, but he felt like he could easily take on one hundred Badniks by himself.
Then the earth began shaking. Shadow stared down to the ground, feeling it rumble beneath his feet. The hedgehog clenched upon a concrete wall as he looked around, wondering what was causing the quake. There were no major threats around, save for the occasional Badnik he needed to destroy every now and then. But none of those were strong enough to trigger shake this strong.
"Shadow," his voice rang out through the zone's horns, "I know you're here, Shadow. I can see you, even from here. Ever wondered what it felt like to go into space? I dreamed of such a thing, day in and day out. I dreamed of a day where everything was under my watchful eye."
"You're a madman, Doctor!" Shadow shouted, fist clenched, "Show yourself so I can end you!"
"Oh, I will, Shadow," Robotnik claimed, before giving an ominous chuckle, "I will... sooner than you think."
The shaking earth grew worse and worse, as if it were breaking apart. Shadow stared to the horizon of where he stood, his ruby eyes cutting through the industrial complex that was greater in size than some of the major cities. And somewhere, deep inside the zone, there was something rising. He could see the black image of a great spherical machine slowly rising into the sky. He was so far away, he could barely tell it was.
This machine flew higher and higher into the sky, dragging on times for minutes upon minutes. Shadow tried walking toward it, but the force of the machine's titanic thrusters pushed him back, even from this distance.
"The glorious Eggman Empire will rise, Shadow the hedgehog!" Robotnik claimed as the station hovered higher and higher, "And, starting with West Side Island, the entire world will know what it means to be apart of my regime! Those who fight back will be roboticized! Say hello! To the Death Egg!"
Shadow watched with horror as the doctor's massive space station flew into the sky. It was a large black spherical machine, one that bore a striking resemblance to the doctor in question. The four rockets it used to fly into the sky detached themselves from the Death Egg itself, as it was propelled into the planet's orbit. All the while, the doctor's maddening laugh echoed throughout the entire zone.
"You're mad, Robotnik!" he roared, "You're simply mad!"
No longer wasting time, he suddenly skated forward at blinding speeds.
Oil Ocean Zone complete.
Now entering Metropolis Zone.
