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**Chapter 12 – The works of yesterday**

Big looked around him in confusion. "Where am I?" he wondered. The large cat stood on a round platform in the middle of a round room, which was surrounded by a moat of a strange yellow liquid. There was no doubt about it; he was well and truly lost. Oh well. Since he was here, he might as well make the most of it. Attaching a fresh lure to his hook, he wondered if there were any interesting kinds of fish in the water…

*****
"What's wrong?" Robotnik exclaimed, his happy smile quickly fading as he noticed the danger message on the screen. "Why won't the cannon fire?!?" Text box after text box appeared, bringing up all sorts of 401's and other error messages. "What… what's happening here?" the Eggman spluttered. This couldn't be happening! Not now! Not in his moment of triumph! Not after all his hard work! He looked up just in time to see the holes that the Chaos Emeralds were sitting in widen, and the seven jewels vanish from sight. "No! Come back!" he screamed. His ranting came to a sudden halt though, as a video file opened and started playing on the screen. The doctor gasped, recognizing the figure in the picture immediately. "It's my grandfather…" he whispered in awe. "Professor Gerald Robotnik…"
*****
Sonic and Knuckles ran into the research lab, and were greeted warmly by Tails and Amy. Amy threw her arms around Sonic's legs and hugged them with every last ounce of strength she possessed. "It's really you!" she cried, wiping tears of joy from her eyes. "You're alive!"
Sonic smiled patiently as he pried her off himself, then looked up as a loud and large rumbling rocked the entire space colony, almost knocking everyone over.
"What… what's that vibration?" Knuckles asked, waving his arms around, trying to maintain balance.
Sonic was about to answer when he heard the noise of approaching footsteps. "Wait… someone's coming!"
Sonic had barely uttered the words when Rouge leapt into the room, looking all around in a panic. Knuckles frowned. "You!" he yelled. Was she after his emerald again? "You haven't given up yet?!?"
Rouge regarded him with only sadness and regret. "It's all over for us…" she sighed, looking down at her boots.
Knuckles was confused by this. "What are you talking about?" he asked, moving towards her.
Rouge looked up to make eye contact with him. "I just got a call from my boss," she explained. "The space colony ARK is currently approaching Mobius at an incredible velocity. It… probably will impact Mobius…"
The Mobians all regarded each other with horror. "My god…" Tails gasped.
"Yeah! It sounds like the plot of a bad movie!" Sonic cracked.
Knuckles was the first to notice the video start up on the computer screen in the room. "Hey! What's that on the screen?" he cried.
*****
The video played on screens everywhere on Mobius. In Robotropolis, Snively fell to his feet in a quivering heap. On the non-Floating Island, the Chaotix regarded their fate with sadness. In Station Square, people ran around in a panic. Some even rioted. The video clip even reached the old rusting computer that sat in Knothole Village's lab, which had never seen a Pentium processor. "Sally!" Rotor yelled, running to the door. "You better take a look at this!"
The Princess sprinted into the hut and started to say, "What is it, Rotor…" but stopped, when she saw what his eyes had viewed. On the screen was a short, bald Overlander, with a bushy moustache. Was it Eggman? No, he was a little taller… and much more overweight… and not quite that old. This one appeared to be in his seventies or eighties… and he was chained to the chair that he was sitting in. There was all sorts of writing in white chalk on the wall behind him – endless calculations, theories, and diagrams.

Sally was just in time to see him start talking. "This is a death sentence for everyone on Mobius," the man declared. "If my calculations are correct, then the space colony ARK should impact the planet in 27 minutes, 53 seconds. All life will cease to exist, along with your beloved planet Mobius!"

Sally and Rotor looked at each other in horror, and raced outside into the daylight, scanning the skies. "There!" Rotor gasped, pointing upwards. Sally looked, and saw it. At the moment it was nothing more than a black dot in the sky, but it was growing larger, and closer. The two looked at each other again. "I'll ring the warning bell," Sally sighed. Rotor nodded and ran off to rally the Freedom Fighters that were out on patrol. Sally looked up at the sky again with a sense of impending doom. Where were Sonic and Tails when she needed them?

*****
Sonic and Tails were with Knuckles, Amy and Rouge in the main research facility, watching the rest of the videoclip.
"I plan to give you a taste of my revenge once all the seven Chaos Emeralds are gathered," the man continued. "Once this program is initiated, it can not be stopped or deactivated. All you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair!"
There was a slight pause then another voice sounded, one from behind where the camera must have been situated. "Is there anything else you'd like to say?" it asked.
The little man glared at the camera. "No."
"Ready!" the invisible voice yelled out, then there was a burst of static and the screen went blank. After a second, the video started up again. "This is a death sentence for everyone…" the little man started up again. Tails pushed a button on the console, and the image froze.
"What's going on here?" Amy asked in despair. "Who is that man?!?"
Before anyone could reply, the ARK shook again, much harder this time. "The vibration's getting worse!" Knuckles noted.
Tails studied the screen. "Look at all the calculations on the wall!" he exclaimed. "This guy must have been a scientist or a mathematician or something!"
Amy peered at the wall on the screen, and realized that she'd seen it before. "Hey! Isn't that the same writing that was on your cell wall, Sonic?" she asked.
Sonic looked up at it in surprise. "Yeah… I think it is…" he murmured.
Knuckles looked thoughtful. "Was it just me, or did that guy sound like he was giving his last testament?" The others all stared back at him blankly. "If that tape was much longer, then I think we would have seen an execution," he explained.
Rouge scratched her head. "Well, based on all the evidence, my guess is that that must be…"
"Professor Gerald Robotnik, the leading scientist of his time!" a voice behind them interrupted. Everyone turned around to see their enemy standing before them. "And my grandfather," Robotnik added.
Knuckles clenched his fists in rage. "I knew you were behind this!" he snarled. "Stop it right now, or else I'll…"
Robotnik interrupted him again. "You fool. I'd have already stopped it if I could!"
"What do you mean?" Sonic asked, also clenching his fists.
The doctor regarded him coldly. "Pretty persistent for a hedgehog, aren't you?" he asked. "You're still alive, huh?"
Sonic had to smirk at that, "Hah! Just letting Knuckles pilot the shuttle on the way over here was more dangerous than you could ever be!" he laughed.
Robotnik growled, then changed the subject. "To answer your question, were you paying any attention to the late professor at all? He just said that the program couldn't be deactivated."
Sonic shook his head. "No way Eggman! I'm not giving up! We've gotta be able to do something!"
The doctor considered this. Maybe there was a way? He thought about the possibilities as he handed a floppy disk to Rouge. "What's this?" she asked, accepting it and slotting it into the disk drive of the computer.
"This is my grandfather's diary. I think the last few entries may interest you…" he explained.
Text started appearing on the screen, filling up line after line. Rouge read it out aloud. "I don't quite know what happened or what went wrong. Was it a mistake to create the Ultimate Lifeform? I thought it would be something that would benefit all of mankind, but then the military troops landed on the ARK that day. My colleagues at the research facility, my granddaughter Maria, I hope you are all safe."

Rouge paused as she waited for the next entry to boot up. This was quite a chilling experience for all in the room. They could practically hear the old man in their heads, saying the words that he had written long ago. "The experiment was shut down, probably to keep the prototype from falling into the wrong hands. The ARK was shut down under the premise that there had been an accident. I found Maria's name along with those that had died when the ARK was shut down. She meant everything to me, and I couldn't bear that she had died because of my research! I became scared as I could no longer control my thoughts. All I could think about was to avenge her, some way! I lost everything! I had nothing more to live for! I went insane! All I could think about was that I wanted it all to end…"

"Based on my original projections, I was able to complete my project, Shadow. I designed its mind to be perfect… pure… I will live everything to him. If you wish, awaken him to the world! If you wish to fill the world with destruction…" Rouge stopped. That was the end of the diary. "So that's why you released Shadow from the base!" she exclaimed, turning to Robotnik.
The doctor paid her little attention – he was still thinking. "The core of the Eclipse Cannon is now highly reactive," he told his enemies. "If the ARK hits Mobius, then the planet will shatter just like my grandfather predicted." Robotnik shook his head. Not even HE wanted that. "That mad scientist!" he spat out.
"That should be you, right?" Amy asked timidly. Robotnik ignored her.
"We have to stop the space colony now!" Tails exclaimed. They couldn't take this lying down!
Robotnik nodded. For once he agreed with the pesky little fox. "The ARK's position has changed from where it was originally orbiting. This is because the energy given off by the Chaos Emeralds has shifted. We have to stop the energy!"
"But… how?" Tails wondered. "Sonic used the fake Chaos Emerald to destroy the cannon…"
Robotnik glared at the hedgehog. So that was why the cannon hadn't fired! "Rendering the cannon useless must have been what started this horror!" he exclaimed. That meant that this was a back-up plan, in case something went wrong! Shadow's plan had been to destroy the planet all along! He'd been duped!

Knuckles caught the look of betrayal on Robotnik's face and smirked. "How's it feel to be the one that was used?" he asked with a warm feeling of satisfaction. He'd never quite gotten over how the Eggman had fooled him years ago. Robotnik just turned away. Rouge suddenly snapped her fingers and turned to Knuckles. "That's it! There is a way to stop the energy! We have to use your emerald!" she exclaimed. Knuckles looked blank for a second. "You're the one who said that the Master Emerald has the power to stop the Chaos Emeralds!"
Knuckles caught on, enlightenment showing on his face. "Yes… you're right!" he said, checking his satchel to make sure the jewel was still there. "If I use this, I may be able to stop the Chaos Emeralds!"

Tails was already at the computer, bringing up info on the ARK. "Oh no!" he gasped. "The reaction of the Chaos Emeralds is heading for the cannon's core! It may be too late!"
Robotnik stepped forward. "There may still be time, if we all pull together!" he announced. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Rouge all turned towards him. "You expect us to trust you?" Knuckles asked incredulously. "This is another one of your tricks, isn't it?"
"Listen echidna," Robotnik growled. "I don't like this any more than you do, but we don't have very many options here. If I die today, then I can't defeat all of you tomorrow. We either join forces, or all of Mobius will perish."
Sonic sighed. The Eggman had a point. "This stinks worse than last week's chilli dogs," he grunted. "But you've got a deal, doc. What's your plan?"
"We have to get to the core and use the Master Emerald to stop the energy," Robotnik told him. "Tails, can you find the quickest way there?"
"Way ahead of you," he replied, already searching for possible routes. Then something showed up that confused him. "That's odd… this looks like a shortcut to the core. But it wasn't there before…"
Sonic looked up at the screen. "Hey, that's where I ran past Big before!" he realized. "He must have found a secret door and got in."
"Think we can make it in time?" Rouge asked.
Sonic gave her a thumbs up. "No worries!" he grinned. "I'm the world's fastest hedgehog!"
"Then let's get to work!" Robotnik yelled, walking over to the Eggmobile. He looked over at Tails questionably. "Is this thing going to work?" he asked.
Tails nodded as he climbed into the Cyclone. "The ion laser's effects should be wearing off by now. You'll be able to drive it, but it'll take another few minutes for the weapons systems to come back online," he explained.
Amy looked up at Sonic as the group headed for the door. "What do you want me to do, Sonic?" she asked.
Sonic sighed, knowing the pink hedgehog would just get in the way. "Look Amy…" he said. "I don't think you could really be of much help here. You're better off if you just stay here and wait."
Amy looked away. She was being left behind again. 'One day,' she vowed. 'One day I'll show Sonic that I'm able to help…'

*****
Tails hit the firing button, and took out yet another swarm of the annoying G.U.N robots. They were really beginning to get on his nerves by now. Looking at his surroundings, the young fox found himself in a narrow corridor. The door that he wanted was at the other end, after two weight traps that were constantly rising into the air and slamming into the ground. Tails made some quick calculations, and gritted his teeth as he realized that there was no way he'd be able to get under the traps and out of their way before they came down on top of him. If he hadn't of been in the Cyclone, then that would be another story. He exchanged looks with Eggman. "Any ideas?" he asked. Robotnik nodded and pointed at a switch hanging from the wall that the door was situated in. "That's a time stop switch. If we flip it, it'll shut down all the robots, lasers and traps in the area temporarily."
"How temporary are we talking here, doc?" Knuckles asked.
The scientist scratched his bald head and fiddled with his computer. "This is just an estimate, but I'd say no more than 5.8 seconds."
Sonic nodded. "Okay guys, be ready." The group all prepared themselves as they watched Sonic study the pattern of the weight traps, then rush under them as they began to rise into the air, and grab the switch. The weights, having reached their maximum height, paused in mid-fall, and Tails, Rouge, Knuckles and Robotnik all safely proceeded to the next room before they bashed into the ground again.

The next room contained a complex series of revolving platforms, weight traps and laser grids, but with Sonic pulling on another time stop switch, the group of five made it to the main platform in the room, where a large doorway was blocked off by a slab of rock. "We'll need to destroy that security door," Robotnik told the group.
"I got it," Tails replied, and started firing the bazooka at it. Chunks of rock started crumbling from the force of the powerful weapon. Without warning, a group of robots that had been hanging from the roof, and thus been undetected by the invaders, jumped down to attack, the time switch's effects having worn off. One landed right in the cockpit of the Cyclone, practically on top of Tails. The fox yelped in surprise and nearly fell out of the Cyclone, but recovered and started bashing at the robot with his twin tails. "Get out, you big doof!" he cried in desperation, as the confused robot started shooting lasers at everything it saw. Knuckles came to the rescue and smashed his fist through the bot whilst Sonic, Rouge and Robotnik took out the remaining ones in the room.
"You hurt?" Knuckles asked, shoving the broken droid to the floor where it collapsed in a sparking heap.
Tails shook his head. "Only my pride." Then he realized that smoke was coming out of the Cyclone. "Oh no!" he cried, and rushed to stabilize the damaged systems. A few button presses later the smoking receded, but the damage remained. "What's the scoop, T2?" Sonic asked, walking over.
Tails sighed. "The main weapons systems took a pretty big hit. I'm going to have sit this one out, you guys."
"Are you sure?" Rouge asked.
Tails nodded. "The damage is repairable, but I better not push my luck and try to continue on to the core. You guys go ahead – I've got you through the first security door, at least."
That much was true at least. The slab of stone that had blocked their way had crumbled mostly, and Knuckles was easily able to smash the rest of it out of the way. He, Rouge and Robotnik immediately headed through the doorway and further into the ARK, but Sonic paused for a moment to shake his partner's hand. "You did good, pal," he said, smiling kindly.
"Thanks Sonic," Tails smiled back. "Good luck!"
Sonic grinned at that. "Who needs luck when you've got talent?" he asked, turning around to follow his comrades into the depths.

*****
Robotnik had taken the lead for the next step in the journey, shooting down attacking robots until he had gotten them through another security door. That door out of the way, the group had stepped into a round room, where the center platform was surrounded by a moat of some yellow type of liquid. In the center of the platform stood a large switch, covered by what appeared to be a glass capsule. "What's that do, Eggman?" Sonic asked, nodding towards the switch. The doctor tapped at his keyboard and brought up the info he needed. "That switch will open that door over there," he announced, pointing to a door built high into the side of the room. "It will open up a mechanical dam that is preventing this room from filling with the yellow liquid."
Rouge paused. "So… we don't want to flip it then?" she asked hesitantly.
Robotnik sighed. "I'm afraid we don't have much choice." He pointed up high at a hole in the roof. "The final security door is up there. Flooding this room appears to be the only way we can reach it."
"Great!" Sonic exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air, exasperated. "Want to give us some more bad news while you're at it?" he asked.
"Not really, but I have some anyway," the doctor replied. "Tails' ion cannon blast seems to have done more damage than I realized before. I'm going to have to turn back for repairs too."
Knuckles groaned. "So how are we going to get through that last security door?"
Robotnik pointed up towards an open doorway in the wall, which was protected by laser grids. "If my calculations are correct, then there is a switch to open it through that passage." Then he turned and made a hasty retreat.

Sonic, Knuckles and Rouge watched his departing form, then turned to look at one another. "Soo… any ideas guys?" Sonic asked.
Knuckles looked thoughtful, and considered their options for a minute. "Okay, here's what I think. Rouge, if you can find the switch that will open the capsule, then we can fill the room with water. Then we find the switch that'll turn off the lasers – it's probably up near the security door. The room'll be full of water, so I'll have to swim down the passageway to the switch."
"I could do that…" Rouge suggested.
Knuckles shook his head. "We don't know how long the passageway is. You could be underwater for five or so minutes. You'd never make it. I've got an oxygen tank though," Knuckles told her, patting his air necklace.
Sonic nodded. "Knuckles is right. Quick! Go find that first switch!"
Rouge nodded too, then started climbing one of the pillars surrounding the capsule, as she'd spotted a time stop switch at the top.

Sonic nudged Knuckles, turning his attention away from her. "So what do I do, Knux?" he asked the echidna.
Knuckles turned back to him. "Once that security door's open, you go through and clear the path to the core. I'll swim back from the switch and follow you."
Sonic nodded grimly. "Okay, but don't dawdle. We're running out of time here!"
Sonic had barely uttered those words when the capsule in front of them opened, leaving the switch exposed to them. Knuckles grinned and flipped it as Rouge glided back into sight. The doorway in the wall opened, and yellow liquid started pouring into the room. "What do I do now?" she asked, landing beside them. Sonic had the answer this time. "I don't think there's much else you can do to help here. Go back to the research lab and keep an eye on Eggman. He might try something against Tails or Amy."
Rouge looked like she was going to protest, but after a few second's thought, she decided against it and ran for the door that had lead them into this room. Big, who had been unnoticed by the group the whole time they had been there, jumped off the pillar he'd been sitting on and ran after Rouge, afraid that the rising water would soon follow. Sonic and Knuckles regarded each other in confusion, then shrugged. "Let's finish this," Sonic said as the liquid made its first contact with their feet.

*****
Amy paced back and forth, feeling helpless. "I hate it when they leave me behind!" she whined in frustration. Well, at least there was no-one around to take her hostage this time… then she saw the black hedgehog on the opposite side of the room, staring out the window at Mobius. "Look… it's Shadow!" she said, then remembered that she was alone in the room. But… why wasn't Shadow helping the others? Did he want to die? How awful! Maybe… maybe she could help him?

Amy thought for a minute. "I've really gotta stop whining," she realized. "Everyone's trying their best to help out, and so must I!" She ran over to Shadow and grabbed at his arm. Shadow noticed, but didn't react. He just continued to stare out the window. "Shadow! We need you!" Amy exclaimed. "Please help us!"
Shadow shook his head. "It's all going according to plan," he said, not really to Amy, but to the depths of space. "There's no reason for me to help them. Besides, there's no way to save anyone."
Amy shook her head. She wasn't giving up on him that easily. "There has to be!" she exclaimed. She had to restore his faith in humanity! "I know that people fight over the most trivial things. Some people may be selfish, like the Professor said… but they're basically good! If they try their best and never give up on their wishes, they always have a reason to be happy! That's why you should help them – saving them is a good thing!"

Shadow turned to Amy, a look of confusion on his face. This girl just didn't give up, much like the bat girl hadn't. But… there was something to her words… something… he remembered… Amy stared right into his eyes. "Shadow, I beg you!" she cried. "Please do it for them! Give them a chance!"

*****
Shadow's gaze never left Amy but all of a sudden, he couldn't see her any more. Her words had unlocked a barrier in his mind, and now he found himself standing in the same room, but in the center of it, gazing at Maria. A glass barrier and eternity separated him from his only friend as he for the third time watched her die. This time though, he could recall what she had said perfectly. "Shadow, I beg of you!" she had gasped. "Do it for me – for a better future! For all the people on that planet! Give them a chance… to be happy… Let them live for their dreams…"

Shadow looked down at his feet as he heard the clicking and whirring that signaled that the escape pod was about to leave the colony. "Maria!" he called, one last time.
"Shadow… I know you can do it…" Maria continued, trying to stop herself from falling unconscious, as she knew that she would never wake up. "That's the reason why you were brought into this world!" she looked up, into the black hedgehog's eyes. And Shadow looked straight back, gulped, and nodded. What else could he do? Then the capsule blasted away, and she was gone forever. But her dying words stayed in his mind as if they were carved in stone. "Sayonara, Shadow… the Hedgehog…"

*****
Amy realized that Shadow had woken up. He had sort of conked out for a second there. His eyes darted all over the room. He remembered everything now! "That is the promise I made to her," he murmured, a single silver tear rolling down his cheek. "And I must keep that promise. It's what Maria wished for."
Amy stared at him in confusion and took a cautious step back. "Shadow…?"

Shadow looked at Amy and remembered. The ARK! The backup plan! He had to get to the core and help the others! A look of horror came across his face as he remembered what guarded the core of the cannon. Oh no! The others were in danger!
"I have to go now!" he yelled as he ran from the room, grabbing a bracelet that was hanging on the nearby wall as he went. "I have to keep my promise to Maria! …and you!"
And then Amy was alone again.

**Chapter 13 – Live and learn**

Sonic stood at the entrance to the core, stunned. He had just arrived seconds ago, but the sight that had awaited him had caused him to stop and stare. He looked up to see Knuckles jump down to meet him. His jaw dropped too when he saw the sight. There was what looked like a small temple at the other end of the room, with steps leading up to it. It had no walls, only stone pillars holding the roof in place. There were another seven pillars surrounding the temple, on each of which a Chaos Emerald sat. "What's that?!?" he gaped in astonishment. "It… it looks just like the shrine of the Master Emerald!"
Sonic nodded as he felt movement come back into his limbs. "They probably designed the core like the shrine, so that it would harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds," he guessed. Knuckles looked doubtful. "That would mean that the Professor must have known about the Floating Island though…" he started, but Sonic was already running towards the circular platform in front of the shrine. He made a good point – they didn't have time to discuss the ARK's architecture. Knuckles ran forward to, but he stopped just like Sonic did as an image of Professor Gerald appeared before them. "All you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair!" he hissed, as energy started to fluctuate all over the room.

"Knuckles, look out!" Sonic cried as the energy formed a large ball of light in front of them. Both of them jumped backwards as the light faded, and a huge creature dropped into the hole in the center of the round platform, roaring angrily. It looked like a monstrous lizard, like a dinosaur or something. It walked on four legs, and had shades of blue-green and orange on its scaly skin. But it wasn't entirely artificial – pipes came out of its mouth, connecting to a blinking red life support system housed at the highest point on its back. This creature was biomechanical, like Shadow! Knuckles was the first to make the connection. "Could this be the prototype of the Ultimate Lifeform, that was supposed to be encapsulated?" he wondered.
"I've got an even better question," Sonic said, making a face. "How do we get past it?"

A voice from behind them answered that question. "Leave this one to me," Shadow ordered, walking forward to meet the Biolizard's cold gaze. The creature glared at him, snapping its immense jaws. He knew this creature. And he did not like him.
Sonic stared at the black hedgehog that he thought had died from a fatal fall through space. "Shadow, what are you doing?" he asked.
Shadow looked back at him and smiled. Sonic couldn't contain his surprise – it wasn't a smile of anger or a sneering smirk. This smile showed friendliness behind it! Had Shadow had a change of heart?!? The Biolizard didn't give him time to comprehend this, as it snapped at Shadow, who jumped aside just in time.
"I'll take care of this, while you run to get the Chaos Emeralds!" he yelled, skating away from the creature's mouth, around the platform.

*****
Shadow looked back at the Biolizard as he skated to prevent becoming a morsel for it. 'I know my opponent's weaknesses, being its successor. Physical wounds are fleeting – his immortal flesh begins to close over as soon as it's cleaved, due to that life support system, which is powered by the Chaos Emeralds. I'll have to modify my tactics, to suit my foe.'
Shadow saw his chance when the Biolizard stopped to catch its breath. He quickly ran towards it and leapt at its head, landing on the pipe coming from its mouth and grinding up it the life support system. Shadow jumped, and delivered a homing attack to the red blinking light.

Biolizard howled with pain, its hatred for Shadow growing larger by the second. Pulling its head around, it resumed its chase after the black hedgehog. Shadow skated away again, but this time when the Biolizard paused to catch its breath, he started spitting out black energy balls at Shadow. The hedgehog was ready for this though. He looked down at the bracelet around his wrist, which had a ruby embedded in it. It was a flame bracelet, called such for a good reason. Shadow somersaulted under the first energy ball, glowing with a red hot heat as he did so. Then under the next he went, and the next. Then there were a few that came at him low, which he jumped over. All the while, he was getting closer to the Biolizard's mouth, until he was able to jump onto the pipe, grind up it, and score another direct hit on the life support system.

Again the Biolizard howled, and again it started firing the energy balls at it. After another two unsuccessful attempts to hit Shadow with these, and suffering another hit on his life support system, Biolizard tried changing his style. After trying the energy balls again, he lifted his head up and roared, summoning a group of glowing orbs to attack Shadow. Shadow ducked as one shot over his head, and looked at Biolizard. His head was too high in the air – there was no way he could possibly reach the pipe from there. Maybe he wouldn't have to though… Shadow aimed a homing attack at the nearest orb, bounced off that and homed in on another one nearby, slightly higher up. Rising into the air in this fashion, Shadow was able to gain the necessary altitude to deliver another blow to the Biolizard's life support system. Biolizard was furious. It chased after Shadow with energy balls and orbs again, but Shadow still managed to evade his attacks and smash the life support system a sixth time. Weakened but not yet defeated, the Biolizard cut off the gravity in the core, sending Shadow, the orbs, Sonic and Knuckles all flying into the air. Sonic and Knuckles saw their chance and floated past the Biolizard towards the shrine. Shadow still had a prototype to deal with though. The orbs were floating around the Biolizard, making it extremely difficult to reach the life support system. 'Difficult,' Shadow noted. 'But not impossible.' Shadow carefully navigated his way between the orbs, making sure his arms or legs didn't accidentally brush up against one as it floated past. It took about a minute of twisting and turning, but Shadow eventually found himself floating above the Biolizard's broad back. The black hedgehog delivered a final homing attack to the life support system, cutting off its power from the last Chaos Emerald. The Biolizard howled with pain, and its long neck and head fell to the ground with a painful thump. The gravity came back on, and Shadow landed in front of the defeated beast. "Yeah! Get out, you ugly prototype!" he cheered. He was quite proud of himself. He'd done good this time.

*****
"The servers are the seven chaos," Knuckles chanted, placing the Master Emerald in the center of the shrine. "Chaos is power, power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one who unifies the chaos."
Sonic watched in silence. He'd heard those words before – when he'd traveled to the past and seen the echidna girl Tikal neutralize Perfect Chaos, who had absorbed the power of the emeralds. It worked then, so it should work now. The Master Emerald glowed with power, reacting to Knuckles' incantation.
"Only you can do this! Stop the Chaos Emeralds!" he cried.
Sonic and Knuckles jumped back as green lightning bolts struck out from the Master Emerald, one hitting each of the Chaos Emeralds sitting on the pillars. All seven emeralds glowed green for a few seconds, then returned to their normal colours. The two grinned at each other. They'd done it!

A loud roar of anger from behind them wiped the smiles from their faces though. They turned around just in time to see one very unhappy Biolizard rise into the air, then vanish in a flash of pale blue light. "Is it gone?" Knuckles asked in confusion.
Shadow leapt up the stairs to join them. "Is that what Chaos Control is?" he wondered aloud.

Just then, the vibration came back into the ARK, rocking it much harder than it had before. This time the three were unable to remain standing, and fell over. Knuckles looked around in surprise. This didn't make any sense!
"Since we've stopped the Chaos Emeralds, why is the colony still on a crash course to Mobius?" he asked. Sonic and Shadow stared back blankly. They were just as clueless as he was. Their answer came from Robotnik, who had managed to find a PA system that ran all around the ARK. "The prototype is still alive, and is controlling the space colony as it's falling!" he yelled. "He's become one with the space colony, and is determined to keep it on its collision course!"
Shadow was surprised. He hadn't known about THAT failsafe. He stared at Sonic and Knuckles helplessly. What could do they do now? Knuckles realized in an instant. "Sonic!" he yelled, nodding at the pillars surrounding the shrine. Sonic caught on immediately. "Oh yeah!" he grinned. "Wanna give me a hand?"
Knuckles shook his head. "I'd love to, but I'd better stay here and make sure there isn't anything else in the core that'll try to destroy us. Maybe someone else would like to though…?"
Shadow turned to Sonic. "What are you talking about? Do you have a plan?"
Sonic smiled at him. "You want to see the true power of the Chaos Emeralds?" he asked.

*****
Knuckles stood back and witnessed quite a display of power. Sonic and Shadow threw a hand each into the air, summoning the Chaos Emeralds to float down from where they sat to hover around the two hedgehogs. The jewels glowed with energy, and began to fluctuate their power into the two. Sonic and Shadow brought theirs fists down in front of them and shook them hard, letting the energy flow into them. Had Amy or Tails been present, they would have burst into a fit of giggles at what it looked like they were doing. (Anyone who's played Sonic Adventure 2 knows what I'm talking about. ;o)) Knuckles had to bite his lip to prevent himself from grinning and breaking their concentration. The emeralds disappeared, and Sonic and Shadow leapt into the air, their usual colours of blue and black replaced with gold and silver. Knuckles stared in amazement, not at his long time ally (he had been witness to the Super Sonic transformation before), but at Shadow. The black furred hedgehog had been like an agent of evil, a bearer of darkness, since his release. Looking at him now as he glowed in a silver aura, he resembled not one who was going to bring about the destruction of Mobius, but rather one who was a guardian of it, who would protect it at all costs. Without warning, Sonic and Shadow disappeared. Knuckles had been so lost in his musings that he hadn't even heard them yell, "Chaos control!"
*****
Sonic and Shadow were not alone as they whistled through the depths of space. The screen in the main lab was functioning perfectly, and Robotnik, Tails, Amy and Rouge were watching their progress. As the hedgehogs approached the Biolizard from either side, who had attached itself to the in-operational cannon by its rear, they heard the words of the Eggman through the PA system. "Can you hear me Sonic? Shadow?" he asked, although there was no way he could have heard them reply. "He's very weak without his life support system. Aim for the red swelling area to defeat him! You're our last hope!"
"What swelling area?!?" Shadow yelled. From his side, he wasn't able to see any such thing. Sonic however saw it at once – a huge, swollen boil on the side of the Biolizard. "I see it Shadow!" he yelled back. "Keep him busy while I hit it!"
Shadow nodded, and soared towards the Biolizard, zooming around his head. Meanwhile Sonic shot through space, towards the boil. It was surrounded by the same glowing orbs that Shadow had faced only minutes ago, which Sonic had to dodge through to smash it. And he did. The prototype screamed in outrage as the boil disappeared from Sonic's sight. "Shadow! Did it come over to your side?" he yelled.
"Yes! I see it!" Shadow yelled. "Leave it to me - I'll destroy it!" Then he shot off towards it. Sonic flew down to the Biolizard's face and started flying circles around it to distract him. The prototype snapped at him, trying to defend itself from Shadow at the same time. "Where does it get all this power?" Sonic wondered as he evaded the massive jaws. "Is this the power of the Chaos Emeralds?" Looking up, he was just in time to see a laser bolt come out of the Biolizard's side and strike Shadow seconds before he could attack the swollen boil. Shadow was thrown backwards quite a way, disorientated. "Shadow! Are you okay?" Sonic yelled.

Shadow righted himself, nodded, and sped towards the Biolizard again. This time he started making evasive moves when he closed in, so when the Biolizard fired another laser, it missed him by quite a way. Shadow belted the boil, which immediately disappeared from his sight as the owner of it howled in pain again. Shadow pumped his fist victoriously, then looked up as Tails' voice came over the PA. "Sonic! We're in danger!" he yelled. "Atmosphere entry in about four minutes!" Shadow looked down for the first time and realized just how close they were to Mobius. "Crud!" he muttered, then looked for the boil. It appeared to have gone over to the other side again. "Now it's up to you Sonic!" he called.

Sonic nodded and yelled back at him. "Shadow, take a rest! Let me give it a try!" Sonic grimaced as he sped through space. That laser blast looked like it had hurt. He was worried – he'd never shared the energy of the Chaos Emeralds with anyone… well, except for when he'd fought Perfect Chaos. The serpent had absorbed the negative power of the emeralds, forcing him to power up with the positive energy. But that hadn't been too bad, since Chaos was the one who had gone down. But sharing the power of the emeralds with a friend was something else. What if they weren't quick enough? What if they used up all the power? Sonic shook his head. He didn't have time to worry about these things. They had less than four minutes to take out the prototype, or else Mobius was history. Sonic sped forward in zigzags, so that he was able to avoid getting hit by the laser blast, and scored another direct hit on the swollen boil. It switched sides as the Biolizard screamed yet again. "Yeah! Take that!" Sonic cheered. "Shadow? You okay?" he called, signaling the silver glowing hedgehog.

Shadow ignored him and charged at the Biolizard again. "Here I come, you creep!" he yelled, zigzagging forward like he had seen Sonic do. He scored another hit against the boil before the laser hit him, throwing him backwards. He righted himself and pretended not to notice. "Sonic! How are you doing?" he yelled.
"Almost got him!" Sonic yelled back, speeding forward yet again. He risked a look down as he went, which made him grit his teeth. Mobius looked closer than ever. Looking back up, he dodged just in time to avoid getting hit by not one, but two laser beams that were coming right at him! Rouge seemed to know that he needed some encouragement right about them, and her voice came over the PA. "Can you hear me Sonic, Shadow?" she asked. "Everyone here is rooting for you! Good luck, and give him trouble!"

Sonic did just that, striking the fifth blow against the boil. Time to switch attackers again. "Shadow, be careful!" he yelled. "The prototype's got a second laser cannon armed!"
He wasn't fast enough though. He'd barely uttered those words when the Biolizard fired the lasers. Shadow was able to dodge the first, but not the second, and was shoved far backwards yet again. The hedgehog grit his teeth and clutched his arm. He'd felt that one.

Sonic noticed this. Uh oh. His invincibility was starting to wear off. He'd been afraid of that – Shadow wasn't used to using his Super Shadow powers. "Shadow!" he yelled. "Your power's getting weaker! Are you okay?"
Shadow nodded and sped forward again. He would make the horrible creature pay for that one. This time he managed to get past both lasers, but before he could hit the boil, a field of glowing orbs appeared around it. Shadow again had no time to take evasive maneuvers and was flung backwards quite a way. He yelped as he tried to right himself. He was hurting all over now. Shadow wasn't sure he could take much more.

Sonic had seen his friend take another hit and got really worried. He couldn't last much longer out here. "Shadow!" he called. "Your super form'll wear off at this rate! Hurry and get back to the colony!"
Shadow groaned and started to nod, but before he did, he noticed the ARK was beginning to glow a hot red. So was the Biolizard – it roared with pain, but kept on target for Mobius. This was what stopped him from returning to safety. That, and a desperate voice over the PA: "Can you both hear me? The ARK is close to Mobius! Please, hurry up!"

Amy! He couldn't let her down! A new determination filled Shadow, and with speed he had never imagined possible, he thrust forward in a silver blur and dished out a final hit on the Biolizard. The prototype screamed in agony, lifting its head… then dropping it. The monstrosity that had once been the ultimate lifeform was finally defeated. The energy of Shadow's attack had flung both him and Sonic down, right outside the barrier of the planet's atmosphere. They both grinned victoriously, and exchanged a high five. "Did he really think he had a chance?" Sonic laughed, grabbing Shadow's hand. Shadow shook it firmly. "I must destroy all the evil the Professor has created," he added.
Sonic chuckled. "Well, I think you can rest easy now pal," he grinned. Shadow looked up, and his smile vanished instantly. "Afraid not… look!" he exclaimed.

The ARK was still coming, right towards them. The Chaos Emeralds had been stopped, the Biolizard had been defeated, but now the planet's gravitational pull was bringing the space colony in. Sonic swore. "No way that's getting through!" he declared. Shadow nodded, and they both flew upwards in glows of blue and yellow. As Shadow sped towards the incoming ARK, he could have sworn he heard a voice echo inside his head…
"Shadow… I beg of you… give them a chance… to be happy!"
"Maria!"
"Now Shadow!"
That voice hadn't been an echo. Sonic was thrusting his hand out at him. Shadow reached out, nearly touching his new friend's glove. A ball of yellow energy formed, growing outwards from their outstretched palms. "CHAOS CONTROL!" They both yelled. At that second, two things happened. The first was that the ball of energy grew to gigantic proportions, and surrounded the entire ARK, which froze in mid-fall.

The second was that Shadow, whose super powers were growing weaker with every passing second, lost his ability to fly.

Shadow, still glowing silver, took the ARK's place in falling from the heavens towards Mobius. Sonic gasped in horror and flew towards his friend, reaching for his still outstretched arm. Almost… had him… Then the chaos control took effect, and Sonic and the ARK both disappeared. Shadow shut his eyes. "Maria… this is what you wanted right?" he whispered. "This is my promise, I made to you."

There was a purple flash of light, and Shadow too was gone.

*****
People rejoiced all over Mobius as the ARK resumed its normal orbit of the planet. None was more relieved than Princess Sally in Knothole though. "Thank you Sonic," she whispered. "Just come home to me safely."
*****
"Where's Shadow?" Rouge asked. Sonic sadly looked up at her, Robotnik, Amy, Big, Tails and Knuckles as he entered the room. The look on his face said it all, but just to emphasise his point, he unclenched his fist, and gave the item he held in it to Rouge. The red ruby of Shadow's bounce bracelet sparkled as she turned it over in her hand. Oh man. Shadow…

"Do you really think the Professor created him, Shadow, to carry out his revenge on all of those who lived on Mobius?" she asked, strapping the bracelet around her own wrist. Sonic shrugged and turned away, towards the window. "He was what he was," Sonic sighed. "A brave and heroic hedgehog, who gave his life to save his planet. Shadow the Hedgehog."
Rouge nodded and turned to look out at Mobius too. "I guess you're right," she murmured.

Robotnik looked over at Tails thoughtfully, and continued the conversation they'd been having. For one of his enemies, he actually wasn't that bad to talk too. "As a child, I looked up to the Professor, and all the great things he accomplished," he explained. "He was my hero, and I wanted to be a great scientist like him! But… did he really mean to destroy us?" he wondered.
Tails shrugged. "I don't know. But what I do know is, we all did it together!" he cheered.
The doctor smiled at him. "You're right. But if you think this means I'm giving up my evil ways, you have another thing coming."
Tails frowned at him. He'd had a faint hope that all this horror would have turned him, but apparently not.
"Well then, you better be ready to run when we get off the ARK, Eggman," he grunted. "Because I don't think you can fight all six of us off at once."
The doctor nodded. "It was a pleasure working with you, while it lasted," he said, then turned around and headed for the door. Both he and his enemies would live to fight another day.

Knuckles turned away a little as Rouge came over to admire the view from his window. He was slightly ashamed of himself for the way he'd treated her. After all, she had helped him get some of the Master Emerald pieces back. She'd only been doing her job.
"So what's next for you, Rouge?" he asked. "Off again to find those jewels you love so much?"
"Naaah," Rouge replied, shaking her head. "I think I'm gonna give up that line of work. Too much work for too little pay." After pausing for a moment, she added, "Anyway, I've got something better than jewels that I'm thinking about right now…"
Knuckles turned to her. "Oh? What's that?" he asked.
"It'll all work out. You'll see," she smiled.
"Knuckles smiled too. "If you say so," he replied, a faint tone of amusement present in his voice.

Sonic stared out the window at the planet he'd just helped save, deep in thought. "Create… the ultimate… lifeform…" he murmured. What had Shadow's real purpose been? Had he managed to achieve it?
"What's the matter, Sonic?" a voice behind him asked, interrupting his musings. He turned around and smiled at Amy. "Oh, it's nothing," he assured her. "Come on, let's go home! To the planet that's as cool and blue as me!"
"You mean as big and round as Eggman!" Knuckles grinned, heading for the door. Tails, Big, Amy and Rouge all laughed as they left he room, but Sonic stopped in the doorway to take a final look at the place that had once been his fallen comrade's home. "Sayonara… Shadow… the Hedgehog…" he whispered, waving halfheartedly as he exited the room.

**Epilogue – A place where you dreamed you'd never find**

Sonic looked around him in wonder as he took in the sights of the Green Hill zone. 'This is where it all started,' he thought to himself. 'This is the place where I made my first stand against Robotnik, ten years ago. Wow…. Has it really been that long?' he mused. He looked over his shoulder to see Tails and Knuckles looking around too. The Green Hill zone was one of the most beautiful places on Mobius, and one of the few locales that had avoided the toxicating effects of Robotnik's touch. Mostly, anyway. A lone Crabmeat and a single Buzzbomber was all that the three had had to destroy upon reaching this place.

Sonic glanced at his friends. "Are you sure this is the place?" he asked them.
Tails nodded. "The computers says that the emerald should be right here, in this field," he announced. Knuckles nodded. "I can definitely sense the energy of a Chaos Emerald nearby…" he said, then sighed. "I just don't know where…"
Sonic sighed. His discovery of only having six of the Chaos Emeralds in his possession after leaving the ARK had brought them to this place. Knuckles was going to send them back into the special zone, where the forces of evil wouldn't be able to get to them, and fuel such destructive things like the Eclipse Cannon or Perfect Chaos. But if they couldn't find the emerald, then how would they do that?

A blaze of purple light interrupted Sonic's unhappy thoughts as hedgehog, fox and echidna alike all covered shielded their eyes from the intense energy. When the light faded, there was a large surprise waiting for them. Sitting on the ground, looking rather dazed, was a black hedgehog, who was grasping the purple Chaos Emerald.
"No way…" Sonic breathed. "Shadow?!?"
The black hedgehog stood up and brushed himself off. "I don't know of any other black hedgehogs as cool as me, do you?" he asked, a faint smile visible on his lips.
Tails blinked. "We… we all thought that you were dead!" he exclaimed.
"Well, I did shout out, 'Chaos Control,' didn't I?" Shadow pointed out.
Sonic nodded, grinning. "I'm glad you're okay pal."
Shadow smiled and tossed the Chaos Emerald to Knuckles. "So am I, actually. I realized something – my promise to Maria isn't fulfilled yet. As long as Eggman's tyranny remains present, then people can not live in peace. So, I still have a lot of work to do," he shrugged, holding out his hand. Sonic nodded firmly, and extended his own hand. The two shook.

And so it was that the three most well known and beloved heroes of the planet gained a fourth ally to join their ranks.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

For those of you that haven't actuallu played Sonic Adventure 2, I better clear something up right now. The epilogue doesn't happen. In Sonic Adventure 2, you can access the Green Hill Zone if you earn all 180 emblems, but you don't get Shadow back at the end. So it leaves the big question - did Shadow die? That, for now, remains unknown. I guess we'll have to wait until Sonicteam makes another game to find out. Somehow I don't think Sonic Advenace will answer anything.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my first Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic, based on Sonic Adventure 2. If you want to now read a great telling of the first Sonic Adventure game, then I would highly recommend NetRaptor's "The Epic Adventure." And, if you'd like to see Sonic in a more humerous role, then you might want to check out the sprite comic that I'm doing. You can find it at www.geocities.com/kylegonjinn/adventure.

Well, that's all from me guys. Thanks for reading!