Angel: For those few reviewers who try to guess the story, please don't. It's getting a little annoying. I won't give away too many spoilers to future spoilers if it's NOT the next episode and it's incomplete. Right now, I'm on episode 41, so ask away about episodes 38 to 40. If it's about something like the Metarex Saga, then you'll have to wait until I have a finished episode of that. So don't go asking about the season finale or anything just yet.
Crazycartoons5488: Princess Sophia was made by Eggman's grandfather years ago. But that means.
Angel: Yes, it means that Sophia is a human, and is not really an alien. Well...artificially she's a human. More will be explained later on.
Bajy: We're getting deeper and deeper into the secrets of the past, shocking, yet there are still some unanswered questions that have yet to receive an answer. The fate of the world is at stake (literally), and more crazy stuff will happen next time. By the way, will Sophia save Shadow from plummeting to Earth after he and Sonic stop the Eclipse Cannon? Well I'll just have to wait to find out. Great job here like always! Looking forward to reading more soon.
Angel: This is the second to last episode of the arc, so I will answer that question. No, she will not. Sorry for those who wanna keep him alive. No one really saw him get plummeted to Earth, because obviously 4Kids have certain standards for what kids should see. So I don't think I can fit in Sophia saving him. And actually, he didn't die like some people believe. He was only unconscious. I know he lost his memory of his past, which might make people think he was reincarnated, but nope. He was only presumed dead.
Scrappy Doo Fan: Hoo-boy, is it GREAT to be back! Didn't review last chapter cuz I was...busy fighting monster turkeys! Next time I see you all, I'll tell you about it! So...Sophia was abroad the ARK 50 years ago when that big incident happened?! And the experiments...that explains her powers, as well as how she still looks like a kid. Either that or slow aging. But...the not-so-good-doctor pulled a Darth Vader when he blew half the moon into space-dust?! That Egghead has really cracked, and that's no yolking matter! I am the Eggman, that's what I am; I am the Eggman, I got the master plan! Sorry, it's super-catchy. Sonic...Sophia...and yes, even Shadow-even if I can't help you, I wish you all the best in your endeavors. Until then...I'm leaving. Maybe I can find a place for myself somewhere...where I can actually DO something worthwhile with my life, because it sure isn't HERE. Hopefully I'll write you when I settle in. *heads off, whistling "E.G.G.M.A.N." as he goes*
Angel: Whoo, that was a doozy to write down on here...anyway, yes, she was. The experiments did cause her to have those powers, but she didn't have them under control. That's where Shadow came in to teach her—which is why she has telekinesis and can do Chaos Control now. As for the aging, space years work differently, so that's why she's still a kid. She didn't get the slow aging until her parents did whatever they did, I can't answer that yet because they haven't appeared. Eggman may be evil, but he does have his silly moments.
Sophia: Thank you, Ichabod. *bows head*
Angel: And...thanks for not bugging me about putting in your OC anymore. I'm not really adding OCs too much because I have other stories I'm still working on. I'll accept ideas, but OCs, not really. And if an idea involves an OC, then the answer is a definite no.
Guest: Woah I wonder how Sophia's parents react when their child found out the truth about herself and how her friends will think of her I feel bad for that.
Angel: I wouldn't feel too bad just yet. There's still one more episode of this saga. Though, Sophia's relationship with her parents...yeah, not exactly gonna be a happy reunion when they come back.
Crazycartoons5488: Princess Sophia and Maria Robotnik are good friends of Shadow.
Angel: Pretty much.
Challishanlon99: I'm so excited and nervous at the same time I can't wait to find out what happens next anyway thank you for this chapter I can't wait for more but please don't stress yourself out I'm not trying to tell you what to do or anything I'm just saying and everybody good luck and please be careful.
Angel: I can easily say a lot happens, but I'm not that stressed right now. I really only have like 2 or 3 exams, I think, and I'm still doing classwork for my professors, so...yeah. I haven't even started material for the exams yet, that's how slow progress can be at times.
Guest: Sophia I think Eggman is going to catch Sonic in the pod and go BOOM! In SONIC X Ep37 – Robotnik's Revenge. Sonic is using a fake Chaos Emerald.
Angel: Hey, don't say stuff like that to Sophia! That's spoiling, and I'm not gonna have her respond to stuff like this for that reason alone.
Guest: Princess Sophia, Sonic, and Shadow team up to save the world.
Angel: Yup, pretty much.
Guest: Sophia you're going to miss Shadow in SONIC X Ep38 – Showdown in Space.
Angel: Nope, not gonna respond to that so people can see her reaction. You can't just tell characters what's gonna happen in the future, that affects the future!
Guest893: I think that somehow Sophia's chamber ended up traveling into the past by some unknown force, because she first met Tikal 4,000 years ago and I think the reason she looks like a young girl is because she might have underwent some type of gene therapy by the king & queen. I would like to know more of Sophia's origins.
Angel: Well, I'll try to answer this as best as I can remember...Okay, Sophia was created by two scientists who couldn't have a child. Robotnik HELPED them, so technically he did not fully create her. It's Robotnik, he could artificially create a human. After she was complete, she naturally had her powers because of the experiments. When she met Shadow and Maria, Shadow taught her about her powers to develop them into what they are today. He also has a psychic connection with her because of chaos energy, but Sophia did not know that because Shadow was in stasis, therefore he couldn't actively share thoughts with her. While Maria was her way to teach her about the Earth, even though they haven't interacted much to what we've seen. Sophia was the last creation by Gerald Robotnik that had any involvement from him. So by this time, Shadow and Maria already existed, which is why Shadow remembers her past. When the ARK was attacked some years later I'm assuming, Maria was 'taken away' while Shadow and Sophia escaped in the pods. Shadow went towards Earth, which is where he was on Prison Island, as you all know by now. Meanwhile Sophia ended up going away from Earth, and the king and queen eventually found her. She was still a child because of space years, but after her 'parents' altered things, she had memories of a fake past from Xenia, and also still retains their slow aging. Sophia went in another direction because the pod was not modified to go to Earth. Everything that happened after the king and queen was real, it's not fake and it's still canon, including with Tikal and Sonic's world being built. But Sophia's memories of her true childhood and past were NOT known to her, until she found out the truth recently. Whoo...that was a mouthful. Anyway, that's what basically happened XD
Guest: I wonder what will happen and hope they're okay plus Sophia's past is really mysterious
Angel: It's meant to be that way. Or at least, it was until reccently.
Last time on Sophia X, Shadow transported Chris and Sophia to Eggman's space base, where Chris and Sophia learned about a secret orbiting colony built by Eggman's grandfather, the brilliant professor Gerald Robotnik. Sophia also learned about her true past as she was actually born and raised on the Space Colony ARK and shares a spiritual connection with Shadow! Eggman unveiled the Eclipse Cannon, his ultimate weapon, and warned that he'd use it unless the entire population surrender to the Eggman Empire!
What are Shadow's mysterious motives? Can Chris and Sophia's friends find and rescue them? Will Eggman use the Eclipse Cannon and destroy the whole planet? Find out next on Sophia X!
At a house in the woods, a car is approaching the area. A few elderly people are sitting around and the car pulls up. Scarlet Garcia steps out, along with Mr. Stewart. They were still searching for Mr. Schmitz, but this time, they may have finally found him.
"Excuse me, I'm Scarlet Garcia, from SSTV News," Scarlet introduces herself.
"Reporter? I have nothing to say," Mr. Schmitz denies when they speak to him. "I just want to be left alone."
"We don't want to trouble you, sir," Scarlet tries to calm him down. "We'd simply like to ask you a couple of questions."
"Can you tell us what happened on Space Colony ARK 50 years ago?" Mr. Stewart asks curiously. Mr. Schmitz stays silent, closing his eyes. He would not talk about it. He simply wouldn't. It was too much for him.
"Nothing happened," He looks away so that he doesn't have to see them.
"I understand your reluctance to talk about it, sir, but you were there when it occurred," Scarlet states, "And we need to find out all that we can. Please, sir. I need to know."
"You don't have any idea what you're getting involved in, young lady," Mr. Schmitz turns to them with a serious look. "Just leave it alone, before you stir up trouble."
Meanwhile, Tails, Amy, Mr. Tanaka, Knuckles, and Sonic are in space. Rose appears on Amy's head and she gasps.
"Rose, you can't be here. It's too dangerous!" Rose flies in front of her face to argue and Amy sighs. "Well, okay. We'll let you help us."
"Looks like your boys really goofed, didn't they, doc?" Rouge asks as Eggman is on screen in front of her. She's in the colony's computer room.
"None of your business!" He yells at her, gritting his teeth.
"Fine, let's launch the counter-attack," She gestures to the control panel in front of her. "How about giving me the password for the colony?"
"M-a-r-i-a," He spells out the name. "Maria. That's the magic word. Meanwhile, I'll be standing by a crazy gadget."
"Ha," Rouge chuckles slightly. "Fooling that old fool oughta be a snap. Alright, let's start hacking," She enters the password. "Maria. M-a-r-i-a. Let's see what pops up here. Come on, come on." She starts looking at all the files. "Ah, here we are, Project Shadow, top-secret. Sounds exciting! The ultimate creature development project. Sure sounds juicy to me. Shadow? Sealed off? But how?" She blinks in surprise at the information. "If that's true, then who's he?"
Shadow and Sophia are standing at the window they would always look at. Chris is sitting down, not looking. Shadow looks up at Sophia and smiles slightly. She's grown so much...she's still that little girl I remember. Having her here, at this moment...it's like I'm reliving our time together...
Sophia's eyes widen as she gasps. She heard that...and Shadow knew she did given that she can read his thoughts and see his memories. To her, it still feels weird to hear and see things from his mind. "Here comes your friend," Shadow tells Chris with a frown. Chris stands up and looks out the window.
"You mean Sonic?"
"He'd be a fool to challenge me," Shadow dismisses it.
"Shadow," Sophia sighs in slight annoyance.
"You're the fool, not Sonic!" Chris exclaims in defense, looking at Sophia. "I don't understand how you were friends with him!"
"Chris, drop it," Sophia turns to glare at him and he backs away slightly from her look. Why is she so defensive over him? What's going on with those two? Is he brainwashing her? She's just letting him say all of those things!
Shadow glances at the boy, not seeming to care about his words. "You'll see I'm right. This is one battle your friend cannot win." He looks back to the window and Chris looks at Earth, pondering Shadow's words. That can't be true, Sonic's strong and fast. And Shadow's just an imposter...
"Can I talk to you, alone?" Chris grabs Sophia's arm and looks down at Shadow, who doesn't look back. He pulls her away far enough so that Shadow can't hear them. "Why are you siding with him, Sophia? This isn't like you."
"Chris, you do not begin to understand what has happened the past few days," Sophia narrows her eyes.
"Yeah well, I feel like I don't understand you! You're letting him do all of these things to Sonic just because of some stories he told you? It's like you're giving up on our friend!"
"I am not!" Sophia whispers harshly, looking a little irritated.
"Do you even care about him anymore? At least I tried to rescue him!"
"I went to Sonic to help him clear his name! I hadn't known what my life was before I met Shadow. That does not mean that I don't support Sonic! I just think that after all of the news I heard-"
"Who cares?! Why don't you actually do something good for a change instead of sitting around?!" Chris pushes Sophia slightly, making Shadow turn around. Sophia stands in place, eerily silent as Chris gasps, looking at his hands. What had he just done? He had no idea why he just did that...he looks up at Sophia. "Sophia...I'm-"
She walks past him and slams the door closed. Chris groans slightly at how stupid he was being. Even he knew that the topic about Sophia's past was sensitive, especially after all the new information, and he provoked her anyway.
He turns to look at Shadow, who was staring at him. Chris sweats a little and Shadow says nothing, turning back around. Does he know what we were talking about? I don't know anything, why won't they tell me?
"I suppose you have a right to know her story, since you demand answers," Shadow speaks up, surprising Chris. "She's right. You don't understand."
"...Tell me so that I can. She wouldn't give a second thought...would she?"
Shadow closes his eyes. "Sophia's heart is in the right place...she'll make the right decision when needed."
"What you're investigating is much more dangerous than you know," Mr. Schmitz warns the news duo. "I won't answer any of your questions and that's that!"
"Please, sir, you've just got to tell us what happened," Scarlet pleads, "You're the only survivor. Everyone else was...lost." She closes her eyes at the thought of their fate. "Even my father..."
Mr. Schmitz says nothing, glancing away. He did feel a little sympathy for her, but the events...were just not for the public ears.
"I'm begging you, please tell us. You owe it to the memory of all those innocent people!" Scarlet tries further. She wanted to know what her father died for. And she also wanted to put the mystery to rest so that all of those people would be in peace. All of them didn't deserve the fate that inevitably took them. Mr. Stewart places a hand on her shoulder.
"Scarlet..." He shakes his head to silently tell her to stop trying. They leave the house, unsuccessful.
"I'm sorry, that wasn't very professional of me," She says sadly.
"You don't have to apologize. It must bring up a lot of painful memories for you," Mr. Stewart says in understanding and she comes to a stop, eyes wide. Mr. Stewart follows her gaze to see four men in suits and black sunglasses, blocking their path. "Don't panic. Get to the car as fast as you can."
"Why?" She asks curiously, wondering if he knew them.
"Hurry!" He urges her and she runs off.
"She's getting away!" One of the men stand up. They hear a yell and turn to see Mr. Stewart jumping in the air. The man tries to kick him, but Mr. Stewart blocks it with his arm.
"Who's next, hm?" Mr. Stewart cracks his hand into a fist as a threat. Scarlet had gotten to a car, but one of the men also did.
"What do you want from me?" She demands as she struggles, her arm grabbed.
"Scarlet!" Mr. Stewart yells, rushing over as quickly as he can.
"Let go!"
"Get in the car," He demands, and is suddenly hit from behind. The savior is not Mr. Stewart, but Mr. Schmitz himself.
Scarlet opens her eyes and turns around to see him. "Thank you!"
Two cars show up and Mr. Stewart gasps. "This way!" Mr. Schmitz points left and they all run for it. They couldn't take them all at once.
Mr. Stewart peeks above a fence and looks around, Mr. Schmitz and Scarlet sitting around. "I don't see them anywhere," He reports and Scarlet looks up with a smile.
"I don't know how to thank you."
"That was nice work," Mr. Stewart congratulates, turning to the older man. He winks, showing his arms.
"I used to be able to handle myself okay. But...that was a long time ago."
Scarlet looks down as she knows what time period he's referring to...
The space ship Sonic and his friends are on passes by the ARK, as they don't want to just enter without some precaution. They're certain that whoever's in there, they know that the group are out there. And that they have weapons.
"I'll bet they're watching us in there," Tails says.
"You just take it slow and steady," Sonic warns him. Knuckles gets a vision of the Master Emerald and gasps. He stands between Tails and Sonic.
"Hurry it up!" They stare at him in confusion and their ship starts to shake as Knuckles was trying to get control.
"Knuckles, what's wrong with you?" Tails wonders.
"The Master Emerald, it's nearby! I can feel it!" The echidna insists.
"Knuckles, let go of the wheel!" Amy shouts, Rose yelling in agreement as they're flying towards the entrance. And, as predicted, the weapons fire at their ship. Tails, being the pilot that he is, dodges them all. Amy covers her ears.
"Here comes my breakfast," Mr. Tanaka calls out and Rose moves away from him.
"Alright, calm down, will ya?!" Sonic exclaims so that Knuckles can stop, "We're going to the same place, anyway!"
"Master Emerald, here I come!" Knuckles shouts, not caring about anything else at the moment. The ship manages to land, but this causes an alarm to go off.
"Intruder alert, sector M14. Intruder alert, sector M14." Rouge looks up and sees the outside of the ship.
"I wonder who that could be," She says in boredom. The doors are blasted open and Knuckles steps into a room where the Master Emerald sits in the middle. He jumps down and runs over to get it, but Rouge lands in front of him. "Uh uh, this area's off limits, slugger."
"I want that Master Emerald!" He demands.
"Sorry, guy," She leaps forward and he blocks her attacks. He tries to punch her, but she backflips. "Now that's no way to treat a lady. Didn't you ever learn any manners?"
"I've got manners, but you're no lady!" He tells her, as he shows manners with Sophia...most of the time. He lunges forward and punches her, knocking her off the platform. She screams as she falls, but then she stops falling. She opens her eyes and looks up to see Knuckles holding her hand. "I've gotcha!" He pulls her up safely and then she snatches her hand back.
"Get your hands off me."
"Hey, if it weren't for me, you would've fallen on your head!" He saved her life and this is the thanks he gets?
"Ha, were you really trying to save me, or were you just trying to be fresh?" She crosses her arms. "I wonder."
"You're crazy!" He shouts at her, "What do you mean, fresh?! Talk about ungrateful!"
"Whatever," She shrugs, "Have it your way if it makes you happy." She then walks away. "See ya."
"What about the emerald?" He wonders, curious if she was just gonna leave him there to take it.
"Emerald? Take it. It's yours."
"What kind of game are you playing, anyway?" He asks, as judging by her attitude, she would never give up an emerald. He grunts, turning around. "Even for a bat, you're batty." He runs towards the emerald and she turns to see him holding it. She smirks, hands on her hips.
"That's my cue to get out of here." She runs in the other direction, letting him take the emerald himself. She could always just take it back, anyway. It's more fun that way.
The X Tornado walks through the hallway, having gotten inside. "Sure is lonely," Amy notes, a little afraid since it's dark.
"I suspect that no one has been here since the accident occurred 50 years ago," Mr. Tanaka suggests.
"We have a big problem. How do we destroy that weapon when we find it?" Sonic asks Tails.
"Here, why not give this a try?" Tails holds out his fake emerald.
"A Chaos emerald?" Sonic asks in confusion, knowing that there's only 7, 8 if he counts the Master Emerald.
"Not a real one. I made a copy to help power the X Tornado," Tails explains to him, "It doesn't have the same power as real Chaos emerald, but if we put it in with a real one, it might cause some kind of reaction and mess up the whole system."
"Okay!" Sonic smiles confidently, "If this little baby does the trick, it'll be goodbye Eclipse Cannon!"
Someone chuckles and Amy sees a claw reaching out to them. She and Mr. Tanaka scream, Sonic and Tails hearing a crash.
"Amy, what's that?" They turn around to see Amy being held by the claw. "Amy!" A light turns on, making Sonic cover his eyes.
"Let's hit some light on things." Eggman speaks, sitting in his Egg Mobile. "I will set your friend free under one condition: give me the emerald and I'll give you the girl." Amy looks scared out of her mind, wondering what Sonic would do.
Sonic scratches the side of his head. "Let's see. Give me a minute to think it over."
"What do you mean, think it over?" Amy asks, eyes narrowed.
"Well, perhaps this might make you think faster," Eggman threatens, pushing a button.
"SONIC!" Amy screams as the claw squeezes harder around her body. Sonic jumps down from the X Tornado.
"It's a deal."
"Place the emerald in the center of that circle," Eggman orders and Sonic walks over to it.
"Guess it's just like that old saying, easy come, easy go." He places down the emerald. "Oh well." Eggman presses a button, trapping Sonic and the emerald inside a glass compartment.
"Prepare to be blown into space, my little blue friend."
"No, wait! What if I promise to give you a real Chaos emerald?" Tails stops him.
"What's that? You mean to tell me that Chaos emerald is a counterfeit?!"
Tails then realizes what he said, meaning he probably shouldn't have said that out loud. "I shall make Sonic pay for your deception, you crafty creep!"
"You let Sonic go right now!" Amy shouts at him.
"Hey, it's okay," Sonic has his hands on his hips. Amy gets tears in her eyes at his fate.
"Sonic..."
"You're in charge, pal," Sonic looks up at Tails. "Alright?" Tails has tears in his eyes too.
"Now Sonic, it's time to say goodbye!" Eggman presses a button and Sonic disappears into the floor.
"Sonic, no!" Amy cries out and she's let go. The pod launches into space, towards Earth. "He's gone..." Then the pod explodes. "SONIIIIIIIIIIC!"
Sophia and Chris are seeing the explosion with Shadow. The boy glances at Sophia, who's staring at the window, but she seems more focused on the window than on anything else. Chris sighs at her. He shouldn't have gotten mad, now that he knows the full story. He understood why she had to keep this a secret and why she willingly went with Shadow. It was to gain more information about her past, something that she was curious about for a long time. And instead of being supportive, he acted like a jerk.
The girl stares out into space, pondering her friend's words. I'm just trying to do the right thing...was it the wrong decision? Am I really turning my back on Sonic? I don't know what to do anymore...what will my life be like now that I know the truth about my past? She knew that she was beginning to speak like regular humans would...another thing Shadow taught her. He didn't think she had to be so formal all the time, so he's been teaching her how to shorten her words. With Shadow, she's learned so much in a short time...she's grateful, but she still didn't condone some of Shadow's actions, and she doesn't even know why he does them. He wouldn't tell her and just stare out the window when she brought it up.
Shadow knew who was in there...he had to tell them.
"Your friend could not save himself."
"Huh?! You mean Sonic was in there?" Chris asks in surprise, Sophia gasping.
"Yes, I'm afraid he was. Perhaps Sonic was not the great hero you thought him to be."
"You're wrong! It can't be true! Sonic!" Chris runs out of the room, Shadow staring after him. He looks up at Sophia, who's silent. She presses her hand against the glass, closing her eyes as she didn't want to look at the flames...
The explosion dies down, with no trace of the pod. "He's gone..." Amy covers her eyes, crying.
"Quit your blubbering and hand over that emerald! I can't sit here all day waiting for your crocodile tears to dry!" Eggman holds out a hand, showing no remorse or regret for what he did.
"I won't let you down, Sonic. I'll never give him what he wants," Tails declares, eyes shut. "I'll be strong. I won't let myself run away this time! Amy, Rose, Mr. Tanaka, stay outta the way!"
"Amy, follow me!" They both run off.
"You've tried my patience for far too long. You asked for it!" Eggman fires his lasers and the X Tornado jumps into the air. Tails fires his lasers and Eggman flies into the air, growling at Tails. "I'll make you pay for that."
Mr. Schmitz is sitting on a rock in front of Mr. Stewart and Scarlet. "Our mission seemed pretty straightforward at the time. They ordered us to close the facility because of some sort of accident."
"Go on," Scarlet encourages him.
"A couple of us knew they weren't telling the whole story. But none of us had the guts to speak up. We just did our jobs and went up to space like we were told."
A lizard was looking around as the officers were running. They stepped into a room where all the scientists held all their hands up.
"None of us knew what to expect. At that time, we heard all sorts of rumors about the ARK. Some said they were experimenting with the concept of eternal life. Others said they had created something called the 'ultimate creature' and some other indestructible life form."
Mr. Schmitz was glancing at the pods when he suddenly gasped, seeing a blonde girl dressed in blue. She ran off and he went after her.
"Stop!"
She ran as quickly as she could, walking into a room. Mr. Schmitz peeked inside. "It's the creatures! She's setting them free!"
Lasers were shot at the keypad, unlocking the door. "Freeze!"
The girl gasped as she turned around. "Take your hand off that lever."
She grasped it instead of listening. "I'm not fooling around here!"
She got the courage to pull it.
Mr. Schmitz's eyes threaten to water at the memory. "She was so young. I'll never forget her face." He starts crying, Scarlet and Mr. Stewart glancing to each other. They're curious about the girl, as she wasn't mentioned.
Three pods were floating around in space, with one of them taking off opposite of Earth. "We sealed off the area, and they took her away. The mission ended, and we all went home."
"But wasn't there any kind of investigation?" Scarlet wonders, as there would've been news reports.
"The official report called it an unfortunate accident, and we were all sworn to secrecy. But I know that it wasn't an accident and nobody can tell me otherwise! I volunteered for that force as a young man because I wanted to give back to the country I loved! But then...but then they..." He couldn't finish, as he's too upset. Scarlet holds his hand to calm him down.
"I understand now. Thank you."
Chris is running through the ARK hallways, upset after what Shadow said. He's wrong! Sonic wasn't in there! He couldn't be! It's not true! It's not true! Sophia, why won't you help him?!
Knuckles has the Master Emerald, trying to get out of there when he sees a light at the end of the hall. He comes to a stop...and Sonic appears from the light, dropping him onto the ground! "Sonic!" he drops the emerald and goes to his friend's aide. "Hey, are you alright?"
Sonic slowly sits up. "I'm okay. I wanna try something." He opens up his hand to reveal the fake Chaos emerald glowing. "Now, let's see if this works. Chaos Control!" Sonic shut his eyes as the emerald glowed. "This may be a fake, but it works," Sonic comments as he smiles at it.
"You gonna tell me what's going on or not?" Knuckles demands as he wanted to know how Sonic got there.
"Yeah, I will, but first things first, I need you to keep an eye on Tails and the others."
"Okay," Knuckles agrees with him.
"Great, and while you're doing that, I'm gonna put this guy to the ultimate test."
"Sonic, Princess Sophia...she's okay?"
Sonic ponders whether or not to tell him what Sophia was doing. In one hand, it wasn't his place to tell Knuckles about her business. But on the other hand, he may be worried for her safety.
"...Yeah, she's fine. She's doing something important for me."
"Now don't you worry your pretty little head, Topaz," Rouge is speaking to her partner. "I'm copying all the data as we speak."
"Just be sure that you get every bit of information. Don't leave anything behind, Rouge," Topaz reminds the bat, as she's still with Cream, Cheese, and Rose at Eggman's secret desert base. "We need to know all we can."
The disc unloads as everything is copied. "I got it all, honey, and it looks like there's plenty of it. Even that dope Eggman doesn't know the whole story. And It's quite a story."
"You'd better hurry up and get out of there. Have you got the emeralds? We can analyze the data when you get back. After that, w-"
A foot slams on the walkie talkie and Rouge grits her teeth at Shadow. "I suggest you keep your hands off those Chaos emeralds. We wouldn't want them to fall into the wrong hands now, would we, Agent Rouge?"
"Have you been spying on me?" Rouge gestures to herself. "Aren't you the naughty little boy?"
"You've been a government spy all this time!" He accuses.
"Uh-huh. What are you getting so mad at me for? Sophia knew all this time about me."
Shadow's eyes widen as he gasps. Sophia...knew? She knew about Rouge? Why didn't she tell me?!
"Now that I have my hands on this hot little disk here, I think I'll make my exit if you don't mind," Rouge waves the CD in her hand.
"I do mind, you phony!"
"That's pretty funny coming from you," She replies and he narrows his eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
Eggman is shooting lasers at the X Tornado, Tails flying up towards the doctor. "This is for Sonic!" He fires a giant yellow laser, knocking the Egg Mobile onto the ground. The two vehicles both crash onto the ground. Tails coughs as he steps out of the smoke. Amy and Mr. Tanaka approach him.
"You're not hurt, are you, Tails?"
"It worked. I did it," Tails looks satisfied as he's avenged Sonic...or so he thought when Eggman snatches the emerald from his plane. "Oh no, give that back to me!"
Eggman chuckles, grinning so wide it was creepy as the elevator doors close.
Rouge is holding up an article to Shadow. "According to this, the body of the original creature was sealed off fifty years ago."
"Yes, that's right, but that was the prototype," Shadow blinks as he wonders where Rouge got this from. "I was the very first creature created after that one. And Sophia was created after me."
"Ah!" Rouge gasps in shock. "You're saying that Sophia...she's not...?"
Shadow nods in confirmation. "I was there for it myself."
"...But it says here that there were three capsules ejected from the ARK when the facility was shut down. Apparently none of them were ever found. And if those three capsules were never found, then how did you end up on Prison Island? I wonder."
Shadow glares at her.
"I have a feeling none of us are who we say we are."
His walkie talkie beeps and he answers it. "Good news, Shadow! I've gotten a hold of the Chaos emeralds!"
"And?" Shadow asks expectantly.
"It appears one of our enemies are headed straight for the Eclipse Cannon. We have no time to waste, prepare for takeoff immediately!"
Shadow starts to walk away, as he could care less about what Rouge has to say anymore. He had to get Sophia out of here first.
"Come back! Don't you understand you're not the real Shadow?" He continues walking, ignoring her. "Everything in your memory is as unreal as you are!"
He comes to a stop, turning to her. "If it is true that all of my memories are not my own, they are still all that I have. Sophia is the only person I have to recall those memories through her with our psychic connection. I will do what I must. I promised them."
Rouge huffs, crossing her arms. Though, she is curious as to what Shadow meant by psychic connection...
Knuckles looks out the window as he sees Shadow for a brief moment going to the Eclipse Cannon. "Him again. He must be going after Sonic and Sophia!"
"Then Sonic's alright!"
He turns around to see a panting Chris. He clutches his heart in relief. "Sonic...he's okay!"
"Master Chris, it is you!" Mr. Tanaka runs up to him.
"Hi, Mr. Tanaka," Chris waves at him and the butler hugs him happily.
"Master Chris!" Tears fall down his face. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, except I can't really breathe!" Chris calls out, Tails and Amy smiling at the reunion.
Sonic is taking the tracks, holding the Chaos emerald. "What a surprise."
He glances behind him to see Shadow. "I could've sworn I saw you blown to bits just a short time ago."
Sonic jumps onto the other side, walking leisurely. "Well, I guess I'm a lot tougher than I look. In fact, it's thanks to you I'm okay."
"I see," Shadow says in interest, "You caused Chaos control with that phony emerald there."
Sonic turns to him. "Yep. I gotta run." He takes off and Shadow glides after him.
"I'm afraid I can't let you get away from me that easily, my friend. Now I demand to know who you are."
"Who, me? I'm just a guy with the need for speed. They call me Sonic the Hedgehog!"
"Ah, yes. I well understand your love of speed, Sonic. But now your high speed adventure must come to an end! After all, Sophia loves speed just as much."
"Where is she?" Sonic demands as the last time he saw her, she was with Shadow.
"She's safe," Shadow says simply.
Sophia looks down from the ceiling at Decoe and Bocoe. She wanted to explore since Shadow hadn't returned and she grew bored. She has turned invisible in case one of the robots notices her.
"Eclipse Cannon is nearly ready to launch again, Dr. Eggman," Decoe reports.
"I will release the safety device," Bocoe says and Eggman chuckles at the emerald in his hand.
"Chaos spear!" Shadow throws four yellow energy spears like Sophia would with her own pink Chaos spears. Sonic jumps past them and gasps.
"That's like the ones Sophia uses! How do you know them?" Sonic demands.
"My student and I are very alike in power," Shadow smirks at him.
Sophia...Sophia got her powers from him?! How? Sonic grits his teeth and rolls into a ball. Shadow jumps over him and flings his arm again.
"Chaos spear!"
Sonic runs past them, jumping back and forth. The spears destroy some pipes that connect to the Eclipse Cannon. What's he trying to do, barbecue me? But he's right, he and Sophia have the same level of strength. What is going on with those two?
"It's the Eclipse Cannon," Chris says as they look outside at the explosions.
"Sonic must've done that," Knuckles comments, "But Sophia's still in there..."
"Now all we have to do is get that Chaos emerald back from Eggman. Then we'll be in the clear," Tails tells them, Chris looking at the ship in worry.
"Doctor, the Eclipse Cannon has been badly damaged," Decoe states as they try to do what they can.
"What does Shadow think he's doing?" Bocoe wonders, Sophia's eyes widening.
"Why is Shadow at the Eclipse Cannon...?" She murmurs to herself.
"Oh no, the gun battery has been hit!"
Eggman turns around as he was about to put the yellow emerald into the Eclipse Cannon. "Well, fire it anyway!"
Sophia clenches her fists. "I must help Shadow! He would do the same for me...but I don't have an emerald...I'll just have to try without it. Chaos Control!"
She successfully teleports out of the room. Eggman pushes in the yellow emerald and pushes past his robots. "Eclipse Cannon, fire!" He breaks the glass protecting the button and powers up the cannon with all 7 seven emeralds, but the cannon breaks down. He looks around in confusion before seeing a timer with 27 minutes left. His grandfather appears on some of his screens, tied up with math equations behind him...the same wall from Sonic's cell at Prison Island.
"Grandpa!"
"The countdown marking my final revenge on this world has begun. In just a few minutes, you will be destroyed. Soon Space colony ARK will hurdle through the atmosphere and crash into this planet with cataclysmic force."
The counter starts, leaving it all up to fate to escape...