Sonic and the Freedom Fighters
Chapter 12: Faker

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based work of fiction. All characters portrayed in this story, unless specified otherwise, belong to SEGA.

-Tails' House-

"The damage occurred earlier this week when Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik attacked the town square in a high-tech battle tank." The news presenter said as Sally Acorn watched the news report on the television in the living room, the report showing overhead footage of the battle in question. "However, thanks to the heroic efforts of Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and an affiliated party apparently including Princess Sally Acorn of Mobotropolis, no casualties occurred during the attack. The town square is still undergoing repairs..." She continued, the footage showing Sally and the rest of the group, along with a picture of Sally herself. Seeing this, Sally breathed a small sigh.

"So much for keeping a low profile." She muttered.

"Perks of being famous, huh?" She heard a very familiar voice behind her, turning around to see Sonic standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Morning. Where's Tails?" She responded, noticing the absence of the young fox.

"Still tuckered out from yesterday. Figured I'd let him sleep." The hedgehog replied. "Everyone else?"

"Rotor and Bunnie are helping out with the repairs in Emerald Town Square, Antoine's making a 'supply run', as he calls it, and Nicole's charging in the garage." She responded, before noticing Sonic's somewhat confused expression. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I... I just figured you'd be helping out Bunnie and Rotor, is all." He explained as he sat down beside the princess.

"I wouldn't be much help with construction work." Sally answered, bashfully scratching the side of her cheek. "Besides, now that everyone in the city knows that I'm a princess, I doubt they'd ask me to do any 'hard labour'. It's why I couldn't help with repairing Mobotropolis."

"That makes sense, I guess." The hedgehog responded, sitting quietly until he suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah. Remind me to thank Nicole for yesterday. If it wasn't for her, I would've been paste."

"You mean the barrier? Well, actually, she says she was taking a risk with that. She couldn't guarantee that it would have worked." She admitted.

"Man, she's a lot more... well, real than she gives herself credit for."

"Yeah... I suppose..." Sally said, looking down sadly. Sonic noticed this and immediately realised his mistake.

"Oh. Sorry, forget I said-"

"No, it's fine, really. I-" She tried to continue before the news report on the TV interrupted.

"This just in, major destruction is taking place at the central highway in Radical City!" The alarmed reporter said, immediately catching the attention of Sonic and Sally. "G.U.N. has arrived on the scene and currently attempting to apprehend the individual responsible. Civilians are advised to avoid the area at all costs." The footage shows G.U.N. soldiers firing at something in the distance, followed by a few explosions before a black blur rushed past the camera.

"What the... Hold on." Sonic suddenly muttered as he hastily grabbed the remote and rewound the broadcast, stopping at the frame the assailant came into view. The image was blurry, but both Sonic and Sally could make out a black Mobian figure with red streaks across what appeared to be spikes protruding from the back of their head; a figure that was all too familiar to Sonic.

"Shadow?!" He said, standing from his seat.

"Wait, you know who's causing this?" Sally asked him.

"What the heck is he doing?" He asked to himself, before turning to Sally. "Quick, grab your gear. We need to go."

"Should I call the others?"

"Hopefully, we won't need to, but just in case..."

-Radical City-

Ten minutes and one panicked call to the rest of the Freedom Fighters later, the two arrived at Radical City, stopping on a freeway overlooking the city skyline, the city's main highway underneath them.

"Well, this is definitely the place." Sonic said as he looked around at the expansive city.

"This city's enormous! How are we going to find-" Sally tried to ask, interrupted by a large explosion in the distance.

"Guess we just follow the trail of destruction." The hedgehog suggested in response.

"That works." She replied as Sonic dropped down from the freeway onto the main highway, with Sally following on her Extreme Gear, unaware that a shadowy figure watched them descend before disappearing. Once on the highway, Sally pulled out Nicole's computer form. "Nicole, can you get a read on their movements? We might be able to intercept them."

"One moment while I analyse their attack pattern." The computerized lynx responded as she did so. "Analysis complete. Their movement pattern is a bit erratic, but they seem to be heading towards a G.U.N. storage warehouse." She said, producing an overhead satellite map of the attack locations that were progressing towards the warehouse.

"Wait, what could be there that he'd have any interest in?" Sonic wondered aloud as Sally studied the map closely, before a concerning epiphany dawned upon her.

"I think I have an idea..." She muttered.

-G.U.N. Storage Warehouse-

A powerful explosion punched through the wall of the warehouse, setting off a loud alarm. Through the newly-formed hole entered a black Mobian hedgehog with piercing red eyes, red streaks running along his quills, white gloves with red and black cuffs, red, black and white shoes, and a gold ring wrapped around each of his wrists and ankles. Ignoring the alarm, the hedgehog began rummaging around the nearby storage boxes, tossing each one he examined to the side, until he noticed a safe hidden behind a large pile of boxes.

Shoving the pile away, he held his palm out, gathered a small amount of energy in his hand, and fired it at the safe, destroying it and revealing the red Chaos Emerald. The hedgehog grabbed the Chaos Emerald, but before he could do anything else, Sonic suddenly rushed into the warehouse and kicked the black hedgehog in the back, sending him flying into the pile of storage boxes and knocking the Emerald out of his hand, which Sonic effortlessly caught.

"Oh, there's that darn fourth Chaos Emerald. Thanks for saving me the trouble, Shads." The blue hedgehog remarked. As if in response, a strong burst of energy erupted from within the pile and sent the boxes flying. Sonic dodged one that flew his way, then narrowly avoided a few kicks from the other Mobian, before leaping out of the warehouse, Chaos Emerald in hand.

"Okay Shadow, for real, what the heck are you doing? Are you in one of your moods again?" Sonic asked, appearing not in the least bit intimidated, before Sally caught up with him, dismounting her Extreme Gear. "Oh yeah. Shadow, Sally. Sally, Shadow." He said as he swiftly introduced the two to each other.

"Sonic, who is he?" Sally asked as Shadow glared at the two, as if assessing the situation.

"Wait, didn't I tell you already?"

"You only mentioned him in passing."

"Ultimate lifeform, created by Egghead's grandfather, dark, brooding, kind of a gr-OUCH!" Sonic explained, interrupted by having to dodge a kick from Shadow aimed at his head. "Hey, don't get mad at me just 'cuz I'm right!" He said before rushing towards Shadow at full speed, with Shadow doing the same, resulting in a powerful clash. The two were pushed back before repeating the attack again and again, their battle causing them to race all over the freeway, Sally having difficulty following their movements.

Eventually, Sonic managed to knock Shadow into the ground while launching himself into the air and trying to follow up with a diving kick, only for Shadow to roll backwards onto his feet and ramming into Sonic while he was vulnerable. Sonic was sent flying back and ended up skidding to a stop next to Sally, who began adjusting something something at the bottom of her Ring Blades.

"Uh, Sal, anytime you're ready, I could really use some help here." Sonic called out to his partner.

"Working on it." Sally replied as she finished, activating her Ring Blades and rushing towards Shadow, who proceeded to do the same.

"Wait, hold on-" Sonic tried to call out before Shadow's boot collided with Sally's blades, the two lock in a struggle before they managed to shake each other off and continue their assault. Both managed to block each other's strikes for a short while before Sally managed to dodge one of Shadow's attacks and quickly counterattack with her blades, swiftly followed by a kick across Shadow's face that sent him staggering back a bit. "Uh, I thought those things cut through metal." Sonic asked, surprised that Sally's Ring Blades seemed to lack their previous cutting power.

"These blades are equipped with a low-power setting..." Sally tried to explain before she had to block another of Shadow's attacks. "...so I can use them for non-lethal excursions."

"Huh. Well, that's... convenient." Sonic commented as Sally shook him off and tried to strike him with one of her blades, only for Shadow to duck under to avoid the attack, but instead of taking the opportunity to attack her, he instead rushed towards Sonic. Though momentarily surprised, Sonic managed to block Shadow's attack, who proceeded to attempt to overpower him while seemingly glaring at Sonic's hand. Sonic was confused by this until he noticed that Shadow was focused on the Chaos Emerald in his hand.

"Alright, Shadow. Spill it. What do you want the Chaos Emerald for?" Sonic tried to ask. Shadow gave no verbal answer as he silently charged up energy in his palm. Sonic immediately realised what he was about to do and broke away as Shadow fired a Chaos Spear that only just missed. Caught off-guard, Sonic was helpless as Shadow kicked him away, causing Sonic to loose his grip on the Chaos Emerald as it flew up into the air. Shadow reached out to catch it, only for Sally to jump over him and snatch it mid-air.

Enraged, Shadow fired two Chaos Spears at Sally, who managed to narrowly dodge both before blocking another attempted attack from the black hedgehog. Unfortunately for her, Shadow managed to break her guard and dash around her using his speed, striking her with every movement before kicking her away. Sally, however, managed to keep a hold on the Emerald, forcing Shadow to rush after her to try and attack her as she hit the ground, only for her to land and dodge the strike. He tried to attack again as Sally flipped and blocked the strike with her Ring Blade while, in the same movement, tossed the Emerald towards Sonic.

The blue hedgehog caught the Emerald, prompting Shadow to charge after him. Sonic managed to avoid his attacks, even kicking Shadow's hand to the side when he tried to fire a Chaos Spear, and he used the newly-formed opportunity to kick the black hedgehog in the chest. Shadow, after staggering back a bit, retaliated by waving his hand in front of him, causing a powerful burst of energy to emanate from him, blowing Sonic back a few feet until he regained his grip and stopped close to Sally.

"Something tells me that's not the real Shadow." Sonic muttered before turning his head to Sally. "Sal, you stay back!"

"You can't expect me to just sit back and watch you fight by yourself!" She argued.

"You've seen how powerful this guy is. Whether he's a hollow copy or not, I'm not letting him hurt you!" He replied before rushing toward Shadow to resume their clash while Sally looked on in worry.

"Shall I intervene?" Nicole asked as Sally looked around before noticing an unoccupied bipedal G.U.N. combat walker, with the designation "F-6" labelled on the mech in various locations.

"No, I have an idea." She exclaimed as she ran towards the mech and climbed into the cockpit. Observing the dashboard of the mech, she tried to activate it, only for a message to appear on the screen in front of her saying "Access denied - Authorization required".

"An authorization lock." She grumbled, taking Nicole and plugging her into the dashboard. "Nicole, I need you to access this mech and override the authorization lock. I may also need you to help me with the controls."

Sonic, meanwhile, was still preoccupied with fighting Shadow. The two eventually managed to break away from each other, both parties slightly panting for breath. Shadow, however, began charging another Chaos Spear when they both heard the sound of something being fired and rushing towards them. They both turned their heads in time to see a G.U.N. combat mech - specifically, a F-6t Big Foot combat walker - firing a volley of missiles towards Shadow, who had just enough time to hold his arms in front of him in a defensive manner as the missiles struck him, sending him flying into the wall of the warehouse.

"Yes! Direct hit!" Sally shouted enthusiastically in the cockpit, even pumping her fist in celebration. The dust eventually cleared to show Shadow removing himself from the indent in the wall. The black hedgehog started his approach as the mech's targeting system focused on him again.

"Target locked." Nicole said as the targeting system locked onto Shadow, prompting Sally to fire another salvo of missiles at him while he proceeded to rush towards her, racing past Sonic in the process.

"No, you don't!" The blue hedgehog called out as he ran to catch up with his dark counterpart, who managed to dodge and destroy every missile sent his way. He leapt up to attack the mech as Sonic tackled into him to knock him out of the air, but not before Shadow fired a Chaos Spear at the mech, which ended up striking it in the side. Sally yelled in shock as the attack connected, which was followed by an alarm.

"That attack struck a vital component. We need to evacuate immediately." Nicole warned, prompting Sally to disconnect Nicole from the dashboard, kick open the cockpit, and jump out onto the highway, shielding herself as the mech exploded, only to be blown back by the explosion. Sonic raced towards her and caught her before she could be blown back further.

"You okay?" Sonic asked her.

"I will be once we take him down." She muttered in slight frustration as Shadow readied himself.

"Then let's show him what we're really capable of." Sonic declared with a smirk. Sally nodded in confirmation as the two rushed towards the black hedgehog, with Sonic charging ahead first. Shadow fired two Chaos Spears at Sonic, who effortlessly dodged both of them before jumping and launching a Homing Attack at him. Shadow managed to block the attack as Sonic bounced over him and landed behind him, before trying to deliver an axe kick that was blocked by Shadow. Shadow then moved one of his hands and began charging a Chaos Spear, only for Sonic to smirk as he leapt back, leaving Shadow momentarily confused before he was suddenly struck in the back by Sally's blades. The black hedgehog glared back at her before trying to fire the Chaos Spear at her, but Sonic swiftly kicked him in the chest, causing him to inadvertently fire the Spear away from either target.

The attack left him staggered for a while before Sally attacked again, with Sonic attacking Shadow from behind the second he turned around to fight back, the two trapping him in a tightly coordinated series of slashes, punches, and kicks. Eventually, Shadow tried to spin-kick both of them away, only for both of his opponents to dodge the strike, with Sonic counterattacking with a charged Spin Dash, launching Shadow towards Sally, who then performed a backflip kick that launched Shadow into the air. Sonic jumped up and struck Shadow with an axe kick that sent him hurtling back towards the ground, and before he could hit the ground, Sally attacked him with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying a few meters. The two Freedom Fighters bumped their fists together in celebration.

Their triumph, it turned out, would be short lived, as Shadow got back up again, removing the rings around his gloves as he did so, and began charging up a blood-red energy.

"Oh, that's not good. Get down!" Sonic cried as Shadow unleashed his stored energy in a crimson explosion that sent the two flying and destroyed the surrounding highway. The two managed to recover only for Shadow to strike faster than the two could react and pummel Sonic with a flurry of high-speed attacks before kicking him away. Sally activated her Ring Blades in an attempt to defend herself, but Shadow effortlessly tore through her defences before using his speed to attack at almost every angle, sending her flying with the last strike, with Sally landing next to Sonic.

Defiantly, Sonic struggled back to his feet as he glared down the black hedgehog, who calmly responded by charging up another Chaos Spear, this one appearing more powerful than previously. Sally watched and, wanting to help her partner, attached her Power Ring to Nicole's computer before sliding it towards Sonic's feet. Sonic looked down in confusion before the digital lynx materialised in front of him. Undeterred by the new arrival, Shadow fired the bolt of energy at the group as Nicole constructed a barrier around them. The Spear collided with the barrier and exploded, with Nicole visibly struggling to maintain the barrier. Shadow fired another Chaos Spear, and this time, the Spear began to break through the barrier. Alarmed, Nicole focused all of her energy and the barrier burst outwards, reflecting the Chaos Spear back at Shadow, who had no time to evade as it struck him in the arm and exploded.

After a few tense seconds, the smoke cleared to reveal Shadow, and much to the trio's shock, it was revealed that Shadow was a robot. Its left arm had been completely destroyed, leaving only sparking circuitry remaining, its left optic had been damaged, and parts of the left side of its body had been torn off to reveal the internal wiring. The robot, in what could only be described as defiant outrage, tried to charge up another Chaos Spear in its remaining hand, only for something to leap out from the behind it, grab it by the back of the head, and tear it off effortlessly. The lifeless body of the robot collapsed to fully reveal to the trio who this assailant was - a black hedgehog that looked identical to the one they had been fighting.

"Shadow?!" Sonic exclaimed. "Wait, that is you, right? Like, the real you?"

"I just finished off the robot that was trying to destroy you. What more proof could you possibly need?" Shadow responded in a somewhat irate tone.

"Yup. That's him, alright." Sonic muttered.

"So you're Shadow." Sally tried to ask, eliciting no response from the black-coloured hedgehog observed the remains of his doppelganger. "So then, who... or rather, what, was that?"

"An inferior duplicate of myself created by Dr. Eggman. Looks like they've been given an upgrade." Shadow replied, still holding head of the duplicate by one of its quills. "To think that Eggman still has these things in storage..."

"You mean there's MORE of them?!" Sonic responded in shock.

"Possibly. And if they're anything like this one, then Eggman cannot get his hands on even a single one of the Chaos Emeralds." He told them.

"I mean, that was kinda the plan anyway, so..." The blue hedgehog muttered to himself.

"Hold onto that Chaos Emerald. You're going to need it." Shadow said as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sally suddenly shouted, halting Shadow's departure. "Would you be willing to join us? If these things really are as powerful as you're making them out to be, then we'll need all the help we can get." She asked him.

"I've got some business to attend to right now. Cleaning up after this thing's mess, for starters." The black hedgehog responded as he leapt on top of the warehouse rooftop before leaping out of sight. Once he did, Sally suddenly collapsed onto her knees.

"Sal!" Sonic yelled in concern as he knelt down and kept her steady.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just worn out, is all." She assured him, catching her breath. "Nicole, how are you holding up?"

"No damage detected. However, repelling that last attack caused me to expend the majority of my remaining energy." Nicole stated.

"Alright. Let's get you back so you-"

"Sonic! Sally!" A familiar voice called out, the two turning around to see the rest of the Freedom Fighters - Tails, Antoine, Bunnie, and Rotor - fly down to them. "What happened?" The young fox asked, his voice a mixture of confusion and worry.

"Eggman managed to make a replica of Shadow." Sonic told him, to Tails' shock and the others' confusion.

"Who's Shadow?" Bunnie asked as Tails noticed the destroyed Shadow robot just behind Sonic, seeing something strange within it.

"Well, short answer, he's someone you don't want as an enemy." The hedgehog explained before he heard some metallic noises behind him, turning his head to see Tails pulling a small green device out of the Shadow duplicate wreckage. "What's that?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to analyse it when we get back." Tails admitted.

"This could be a problem." Sally muttered, catching everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Rotor asked.

"Shadow said that there were more of them. This one alone was able to fight us both off. We might have ended up dead if it wasn't for Nicole." She explained, before turning to look at the destruction caused by the robot. "And if this is what just one of them is capable of..."

-Eggman's Base-

"...Imagine what we could do with a whole ARMY of them!" Eggman bombastically declared, throwing his arms up into the air in maniacal glee.

"Well, yes, I do agree that the Chaos Core system is working better than we thought..." Orbot tried to chip in, only for Eggman to turn around and focus his attention on the data on the monitors.

"I had assumed that the Chaos Core could only absorb Chaos Energy from direct contact with the Emeralds. But to think that they can draw it in from the surrounding atmosphere, without even having to touch them..." He observed. "And with a prototype, no less! Once I figure out how to harness the true power of the Emeralds with these Cores-"

"Uh, don't ya think you should be looking for the Chaos Emeralds before worrying about these Chaos Core doohickeys?" Cubot asked, halting Eggman's rambling.

"Hmm... Good point. Without any of the Chaos Emeralds to help our detection systems, finding the rest before those Freedom Fighters do will be difficult." He said as he brought a hand to his chin in contemplation.

Then an idea popped into his head, and his mouth slowly curled into an ominous smirk.

"Unless..."