Her is the beginning of the end, starting with Amy's last level. I hope you
like it. And Maverick, I really appreciate all of your reviews. If only
someone else would read my story. Sigh.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying it.
Day X, 9:00 PM.
The shuttle left the atmosphere, the booster rockets detaching and falling to the planet below. The shuttle's engines stayed on, sending the craft to its destination. As the artificial gravity came on, our heroes got out of their seats, not believing they were in space. Well actually, Amy and Shadow had already been in space when Snively tried to launch the Death Snivel using the Master Emerald, but that didn't make it any less amazing. Robotnik gathered them all in the shuttle's common room. "I've set the autopilot for the ARK, but it'll take us two hours to reach the colony. That will leave us an hour to stop the cannon from firing. Think we can do that, Shadow?" he asked. Shadow nodded. "I'm positive." "Good. Now, why don't we relax until we get to our destination? This would be a good time to watch one of the movies I brought with us, since I found a DVD player." Said Robotnik. "What movie are we watching?" asked Amy. Robotnik held up a DVD case showing some Chao in helmets. "Planet of the Chaos." "Ooh, I never got to see that movie!" said Knuckles eagerly. "Well, now's your chance. Ready to see it now?" asked Amy. "Hold on, I just remembered, where are the pieces of the Master Emerald?" asked Knuckles. "Relax, they're in the cargo bay, with the Passion." Said Shadow. "Come on doc, let's see the movie." Robotnik obliged and put the disc into the player and turned the TV on. As they sat down to watch the video, Angel tapped Devil's shoulder. The Dark Chao turned around, curious. He was puzzled, noticing that her halo had turned into a strangely familiar shape, not noticed by the others. He queried her in Chao language. Not answering, she took his hand and led him to one of the shuttle's quarters, closing the door behind them. Eggchao looked after them, wondering why they left. He figured they were probably just getting some sleep and turned to watch the movie.
A while later, the movie was almost over. They were in the last fifteen or so minutes. (By the way, you'll have had to see Planet of the Apes to understand this scene.) As the Chao and human/anthropomorph armies looked up in awe from their positions around the wrecked space station, a small space pod landed in the middle of the two factions. The pod opened up, revealing a small dragon Chao at the controls. One of the generals of the Chao army, who looked mostly gorilla, spoke up. "It is Chaos! Chaos has returned at last!" The numerous Chao started bowing before the small dragon Chao, except for a nasty Dark dragon Chao, the villain. As the scene played out, Eggchao looked behind him, down to where the quarters were. He wondered why Angel and Devil were still sleeping, He decided to go check on them. He slipped unnoticed from Robotnik's lap and walked down the hall to the room they had gone into. Quietly opening the door, he peeked inside the room. He saw Devil and Angel lying on one of the beds, on top of each other and moving around a lot. This confused Eggchao for a moment, then with a shocking burst of realization, he understood. His eyes bulged. He backed away from the door, walking backwards down the hallway, going back into the common room and over to Robotnik. He frantically tugged his master's sleeve, trying to get his attention. Robotnik shook him off, too enthralled by the movie to notice him. Eggchao gave up and continued going backwards, sitting in his master's lap and watching the movie. But in his mind, he was still walking backwards. (I love the Simpsons. ^_______^ ) Soon enough, the movie was over. Robotnik wanted to save the rest of the movies for the way back, since it would be a longer flight back to the U.S. than to the ARK. Amy went down to the cargo bay and started using some of the weapons she found on the Passion, trying to make it stronger in case she had to fight Snively's walker again. Eggchao got Robotnik's attention and took him to the room where Angel and Devil were doing it, only to find they had fallen asleep next to each other. Despite Eggchao's numerous protests, Robotnik didn't see anything wrong. Half an hour later, they were at the Ark, passing through the field of asteroids that once had been the empty southern hemisphere. As they passed through, a small meteor grazed the doors of the cargo bay. Amy had finished her modifications to the Passion just before then, so was out of the cargo bay when the doors were blasted open by the impact from the space rock. Robotnik, at the bridge when the incident occurred, quickly shut the doors. As the others waited, he gave the damage report. Sheepishly, the scientist turned around. "I have a little bad news. Although the Passion and all the supplies are still in the bay, six pieces of the Master Emerald fell out." "WHAT?!" shouted Knuckles, so loud that it echoed throughout the entire shuttle. "Turn this shuttle around now! I have to get those pieces!" "Knuckles, wait a moment!" said Robotnik as Knuckles went for the controls. "The southern hemisphere of the ARK still remains as a weak force screen holding all the asteroids and experimental planetoids close to the colony. There is oxygen and some gravity. All you have to do is wait for us to dock with the colony, and you can go out for yourself and find the pieces!" Knuckles hesitated, then turned around. "All right, I'll wait. But if any of those pieces have fallen away from the ARK, I'll hold you responsible." He grumbled.
The shuttle had entered the large docking bay, a space big enough for the entire space shuttle to fit. Knuckles was already gone, gliding out of the open bay doors to search for the Emerald shards in the asteroid field. Amy and Shadow were all ready for their missions. Robotnik was about to begin telling them about the ARK when Amy suddenly realized something. "Hey, where's Angel? I can't go through this place without her as my second gunner!" said Amy. "She's probably still in the shuttle." Said Shadow. "Hang on, I'll get her." Said Amy. She walked over to the door into the shuttle and started calling. "Angel? Angel! Come out here please! We have to get going, there's only an hour left before the cannon goes off!" She waited a moment as her Chao came towards the door. Amy gasped. "Guys, come here, you won't believe this!" Shadow and Robotnik exchanged glances, then ran over to the shuttle. As Amy backed away from the door, they gasped as well. Angel and Devil were standing there, looking more energetic and happy than before. Angel was holding something in her cute little hands. It was a Chao egg. Shadow blinked, putting two and two together. He stared at Devil. "Devil, you little scamp! How dare you get a kid before I do?" he said, half-joking. Devil shrugged, still happy from the last couple of hours he had spent with his new mate. "Oh my-" Robotnik looked down at Eggchao. "Is this what you were trying to show me earlier?" Eggchao nodded vigorously. "I apologize for not coming sooner." Amy bent down, peering at the egg. "I don't believe this! I'm so happy for you Angel!" She paused. "I'm sorry if this may hurt your feelings, but you need to leave the egg here. I need you by my side if we're going to stop this latest evil plan from going off without a hitch. Will you please be my gunner again, before you are a real mother?" Angel looked a little crestfallen. She stared at her egg, then at Amy, trying to decide what to do. She didn't want to leave the egg unattended, but she didn't want to pass up the chance to blow things up either. Her little dilemma was solved for her when Devil gently took the egg from her, holding it tightly, showing he wouldn't let it out of his sight. Her halo turning into a heart, Angel gave Devil a huge hug, then ran over to the Passion, getting into her seat behind the Laser Blaster. The sweet moment over, they all went away from the shuttle so Robotnik could brief them. The doctor cleared his throat and began. "The space colony ARK was the first and only Bernoulli spherical space colony ever created. It was supposed to be a research center and laboratory. It was built using her extensive share of the family fortune by my late and esteemed grandmother, Maria Robotnik. I never met the woman, but my father said she was an incredible scientist, a genius rivaling Einstein's intellect in some regards. She had a hand in every experiment that took place on this colony. My grandmother made many of the modern technological advantages we take for granted today! The Chaos Drive, the Omochao servant droid, the genetic protoform, and other achievements in many different branches of science, most of which could never have been discovered in the first place without her extensive knowledge of the workings of the Chaos and Super Emeralds." He frowned. "However, fifty years ago, something happened. I don't know what, but it had something to do with the military and one of Maria's experiments, something she kept in close secret but reported it to be her greatest creation, an invention that would benefit all species on the planet. I don't know exactly what happened, but the ARK was shut down. All experiments came to a halt, the scientists disappearing from the public forever. GUN left many robots behind to guard the colony in case somebody else tried to come up here, and Maria Robotnik was never seen again." He shook his head a little sadly, and then a smile came to his face. "It's amazing really. We're standing in a piece of history, the culmination of all the scientific achievements made by my family over the centuries. This place is a legacy waiting to be claimed, by anyone. Perhaps I should take it off of GUN's hands, it does rightfully belong to the Robotnik clan anyway. Though I do wonder why she made the cannon anyway, it wasn't in her nature to make a weapon like that-" He mused. "Uh, doctor? This is really interesting, but the cannon?" said Amy. Robotnik shook himself back to the present. "Right, right, sorry." He handed Shadow and Amy a few pieces of paper. "These are maps of the ARK and its environs. I downloaded them from my grandmother's few remaining records in the Robotnik database. They were about the only things she had left behind that GUN didn't confiscate. They will help you work your way through the colony." He turned to Amy. "Amy, Angel, your job is to get to the section I have circled on your map. The cannon draws its power from the Super Emeralds and the colony's Chaos reactor, but also uses four auxiliary power generators. Your mission is to get to the circled generator and shut it down by whatever means possible, preferably blasting it to pieces." "Cool!" said Amy, grinning. Robotnik turned to Shadow. "The destroyed generator will not stop the cannon from firing, but it will allow Shadow to accomplish his mission." The doctor pointed to a circled area that seemed to be inside of the cannon's shaft. "This room is the control room for the entire colony and the cannon. There are receptacles for all seven Super Emeralds, but a shield guards them. The shield will be brought down by the destruction of the generator, allowing you to get to the Emeralds." "And then I take them out, right?" Shadow guessed. Robotnik shook his head. "No, then you put this into the space for the seventh Emerald!" the doctor said, handing him the fake Super Emerald. "It has the same wavelengths and properties as a real Super Emerald, but if used in conjunction with the six real Emeralds Snively has, it will explode when the cannon tries to fire, permanently damaging the control room and preventing Snively from just recollecting the Supers and trying again." Shadow blinked. "That's brilliant! Wait, how do we know he won't catch on?" Robotnik grinned. "I made the fake so well that not even a machine can tell it's not a real Emerald. And most of the security cameras are broken from disuse, including the one in this docking bay, so he won't be able to tell you have the fake and Amy has the real one." He pointed to a door leading into the colony. "Once Amy destroys the generator, it will be safe for you to enter the control room. Call me when you're there and I'll give you further instructions, it'll take more for my plan to work then simply inserting the jewel into the slots. Eggchao, Devil and myself will stay here and take care of the egg. I'll tell Knuckles what's going on when he gets back, okay?" The two hedgehogs nodded. "Then go! The fate of the world rests on your shoulders!" The Passion and Shadow went through the door and split up, each beginning their respective quests.
Stage 10: Eternal Engine. Mission: Destroy the colony's power generator.
Amy was in a room with some cool cylinders and neat décor. She walked down a wide hallway ahead of her. A trio of Hornets appeared and aimed their missiles. Angel locked on and destroyed them. The door ahead opened. Amy walked through the door and was in a tall room. In the middle of the room was a spring. Amy stepped on it, bouncing into a wall, off another spring and into another, finally grabbing a pulley in midair and being raised up into a cluster of Beetles. Angel targeted and blasted them all to pieces. Amy let go of the pulley and hovered to a nearby hallway. As she approached the door at the end of the hallway, it opened, allowing her through. She went along a curve to the left and came into another hallway with a few closed hatches leading to space. She walked past the hatches and was confronted by a strange enemy resembling their friend Chaos, who was now a good guy and living on Angel Island. It was made of water, but had a robot head. As the Artificial Chaos stretched out its tendrils, Angel shot it in the head, destroying it. They passed through a door and came into a room with two doors, one straight ahead and one to the right. Amy walked through the door straight ahead and found a locked door behind it. She left through the unlocked door and tried the other one, finding a room filled with crates and a hatch. She blasted the crates away, revealing a switch. She hit the switch, unlocking the other door. She left the room and used the straight door again, passing through the now unlocked portal. The hedgehog and Chao gasped in surprise. They were in space. They were standing on a balcony outside of the colony proper, protected with an atmospheric shield that allowed them to breathe. After taking in the view, Amy noticed a ledge to her left. She jumped off of the railing and hovered onto the ledge. In front of her, straight ahead of the ledge, were a series of floating metal cylinders, forming steps to a floating platform. Amy jumped and hovered from cylinder to cylinder, landing on the platform. As she stepped on it, it moved upwards, stopping in front of another cylinder. She jumped onto it and saw another floating platform, moving from side to side. She waited for it to get close to her before hovering onto it. Once she was safely on the platform, she saw a door across from her. She waited until she was in line with the door, then hovered over to it, passing through as it opened automatically. Inside was a rectangular room with several space hatches and an Artificial Chaos. As the robotic blob fired lasers at her, Amy blasted its head. This turned out to be a mistake. When the Artificial Chaos died, every hatch in the room blew open, creating a vacuum leading out into space. Very carefully, Amy hovered across the room, staying out of the suction flows and passing through the door at the other end. She was in a high room with some cages piled together, a door to high to reach, and a platform moving back and forth, also out of reach. There were several lasers around the door. Amy jumped up to the top of the pile of cages. When the platform was close enough, she jumped onto it, then hovered towards the door, flying between the lasers. The door opened, letting her in. She was now in a room with a winged Beetle, a canister, and two metal boxes with springs on them. A large shadow was in the center of the room. Amy looked up and saw a giant weight suspended in the air. She figured if she walked under the weight, it would fall on her. She blasted the Beetle, then shot the canister at the end of the room, destroying it and revealing a switch. Walking around the edges of the room, she went between the boxes and hit the switch. The weight shuddered, staying in place. Amy tested the weight by stepping one foot inside the shadow. The weight didn't budge. Pleased, she jumped onto one of the springs and was launched onto the top of the weight. A pulley hung above her. She grabbed the pulley and was lifted high into the air, into a cloud of hornets. Angel targeted and blasted all the Hornets before they could fire their homing missiles. Amy let go of the pulley and hovered towards the door, which opened as she approached. Inside was a hallway with a higher platform going after the midpoint of the room. Three Beetles hovered in the middle. Amy blasted the Beetles and then the canister beneath the tall platform, revealing a spring. The spring sent her up onto the platform, allowing her to continue down the hallway. She passed through the door at the end and came to a small room with a door on the right wall. She went through the door and another door after that, and was out in space again, on a catwalk. She followed the catwalk to its end and grabbed a pulley hanging over it. The pulley took her to a higher catwalk, which she jumped onto. She walked along the catwalk, turning right as she did so, and saw another catwalk below her own. Since the current walkway went no further, Amy dropped to the one below, hitting a switch as she did so. A pulley appeared at the end of the catwalk. Amy followed the walkway and grabbed the pulley, going up to a new catwalk. She hovered to it and followed it to its end. She saw a metal cylinder to her right, forming a bridge to a different catwalk. She walked along the cylinder and down the length of the catwalk, grabbing on to another pulley and elevating to another catwalk. She walked along the catwalk. And stepped onto a platform. The platform floated upwards, stopping in front of a door. Amy went through the door, back inside the colony. She went through a short corridor and emerged in a big room with a long bridge over a big platform. The bridge led to a door. Amy walked across the bridge, blasting all the Beetles and Hornets in her way, only to find it locked. She dropped to the big platform below. She found a switch and pressed it, unlocking the door. She found a spring and bounced back up to the bridge, walking to the now-unlocked door and going through. She walked down a hallway and saw a large floating Artificial Chaos. Angel targeted its head and destroyed it, clearing the way. At the end of the hallway was a tall room with a pulley. Amy grabbed onto the pulley and was lifted to another pulley. She jumped to the pulley and was elevated to a floating platform. She hovered onto the floating platform and was lifted to a door. She hovered to the door, which opened automatically, and passed through. She was outside the colony again. Across a wide expanse was the next door. In front of her was a floating platform. Amy hovered onto the platform, expecting it to take her across. She was understandably terrified when the platform collapsed beneath her, falling into space. She started screaming until she realized she wasn't falling. In fact, she was twisting and turning in midair, thanks to an antigravity safety net of sorts. Relieved, Amy started spinning across the gap, blasting the numerous Beetles and Hornets in her way, until she reached the door. It opened, and she went through. Once more in normal gravity, Amy walked down a hallway and came into a room with a hovering blob of Artificial Chaos. As Angel started to take aim, all the water fell from the blob, leaving the robot head in the air. The water formed into several dozen miniature Artificial Chaos, which started to attack them. As the little artificial lifeforms assaulted the Passion, Amy and Angel desperately fired from their guns, trying to hit the little monsters. A stray shot streaked through the air and hit the floating head, destroying it. The little blobs dissolved. Sighing in relief, they went through the door at the end and came to a small chamber with the Goal Ring in the middle and another door at the end. Amy walked through the Goal Ring, ending the level.
(STAGE CLEAR. RANK A.)
Amy walked through the door, coming into a large chamber with many cables, wires and pistons surrounding a central metal orb, humming with power. Amy turned to Angel. "Ready?" The Chao nodded. They both aimed at the orb and started firing, shooting blast after blast until the generator exploded in a shower of sparks and pyrotechnics. The lights dimmed slightly. Amy contacted Shadow. "Shadow? The generator's out, it's time to finish this!" "Roger that, see you back at the shuttle." Shadow responded.
What will happen next? Will Shadow put the fake Emerald in place? Actually, no he won't. Because it's time for one last Knuckles level, with an ending you won't believe. Enjoy, and please review!
Day X, 9:00 PM.
The shuttle left the atmosphere, the booster rockets detaching and falling to the planet below. The shuttle's engines stayed on, sending the craft to its destination. As the artificial gravity came on, our heroes got out of their seats, not believing they were in space. Well actually, Amy and Shadow had already been in space when Snively tried to launch the Death Snivel using the Master Emerald, but that didn't make it any less amazing. Robotnik gathered them all in the shuttle's common room. "I've set the autopilot for the ARK, but it'll take us two hours to reach the colony. That will leave us an hour to stop the cannon from firing. Think we can do that, Shadow?" he asked. Shadow nodded. "I'm positive." "Good. Now, why don't we relax until we get to our destination? This would be a good time to watch one of the movies I brought with us, since I found a DVD player." Said Robotnik. "What movie are we watching?" asked Amy. Robotnik held up a DVD case showing some Chao in helmets. "Planet of the Chaos." "Ooh, I never got to see that movie!" said Knuckles eagerly. "Well, now's your chance. Ready to see it now?" asked Amy. "Hold on, I just remembered, where are the pieces of the Master Emerald?" asked Knuckles. "Relax, they're in the cargo bay, with the Passion." Said Shadow. "Come on doc, let's see the movie." Robotnik obliged and put the disc into the player and turned the TV on. As they sat down to watch the video, Angel tapped Devil's shoulder. The Dark Chao turned around, curious. He was puzzled, noticing that her halo had turned into a strangely familiar shape, not noticed by the others. He queried her in Chao language. Not answering, she took his hand and led him to one of the shuttle's quarters, closing the door behind them. Eggchao looked after them, wondering why they left. He figured they were probably just getting some sleep and turned to watch the movie.
A while later, the movie was almost over. They were in the last fifteen or so minutes. (By the way, you'll have had to see Planet of the Apes to understand this scene.) As the Chao and human/anthropomorph armies looked up in awe from their positions around the wrecked space station, a small space pod landed in the middle of the two factions. The pod opened up, revealing a small dragon Chao at the controls. One of the generals of the Chao army, who looked mostly gorilla, spoke up. "It is Chaos! Chaos has returned at last!" The numerous Chao started bowing before the small dragon Chao, except for a nasty Dark dragon Chao, the villain. As the scene played out, Eggchao looked behind him, down to where the quarters were. He wondered why Angel and Devil were still sleeping, He decided to go check on them. He slipped unnoticed from Robotnik's lap and walked down the hall to the room they had gone into. Quietly opening the door, he peeked inside the room. He saw Devil and Angel lying on one of the beds, on top of each other and moving around a lot. This confused Eggchao for a moment, then with a shocking burst of realization, he understood. His eyes bulged. He backed away from the door, walking backwards down the hallway, going back into the common room and over to Robotnik. He frantically tugged his master's sleeve, trying to get his attention. Robotnik shook him off, too enthralled by the movie to notice him. Eggchao gave up and continued going backwards, sitting in his master's lap and watching the movie. But in his mind, he was still walking backwards. (I love the Simpsons. ^_______^ ) Soon enough, the movie was over. Robotnik wanted to save the rest of the movies for the way back, since it would be a longer flight back to the U.S. than to the ARK. Amy went down to the cargo bay and started using some of the weapons she found on the Passion, trying to make it stronger in case she had to fight Snively's walker again. Eggchao got Robotnik's attention and took him to the room where Angel and Devil were doing it, only to find they had fallen asleep next to each other. Despite Eggchao's numerous protests, Robotnik didn't see anything wrong. Half an hour later, they were at the Ark, passing through the field of asteroids that once had been the empty southern hemisphere. As they passed through, a small meteor grazed the doors of the cargo bay. Amy had finished her modifications to the Passion just before then, so was out of the cargo bay when the doors were blasted open by the impact from the space rock. Robotnik, at the bridge when the incident occurred, quickly shut the doors. As the others waited, he gave the damage report. Sheepishly, the scientist turned around. "I have a little bad news. Although the Passion and all the supplies are still in the bay, six pieces of the Master Emerald fell out." "WHAT?!" shouted Knuckles, so loud that it echoed throughout the entire shuttle. "Turn this shuttle around now! I have to get those pieces!" "Knuckles, wait a moment!" said Robotnik as Knuckles went for the controls. "The southern hemisphere of the ARK still remains as a weak force screen holding all the asteroids and experimental planetoids close to the colony. There is oxygen and some gravity. All you have to do is wait for us to dock with the colony, and you can go out for yourself and find the pieces!" Knuckles hesitated, then turned around. "All right, I'll wait. But if any of those pieces have fallen away from the ARK, I'll hold you responsible." He grumbled.
The shuttle had entered the large docking bay, a space big enough for the entire space shuttle to fit. Knuckles was already gone, gliding out of the open bay doors to search for the Emerald shards in the asteroid field. Amy and Shadow were all ready for their missions. Robotnik was about to begin telling them about the ARK when Amy suddenly realized something. "Hey, where's Angel? I can't go through this place without her as my second gunner!" said Amy. "She's probably still in the shuttle." Said Shadow. "Hang on, I'll get her." Said Amy. She walked over to the door into the shuttle and started calling. "Angel? Angel! Come out here please! We have to get going, there's only an hour left before the cannon goes off!" She waited a moment as her Chao came towards the door. Amy gasped. "Guys, come here, you won't believe this!" Shadow and Robotnik exchanged glances, then ran over to the shuttle. As Amy backed away from the door, they gasped as well. Angel and Devil were standing there, looking more energetic and happy than before. Angel was holding something in her cute little hands. It was a Chao egg. Shadow blinked, putting two and two together. He stared at Devil. "Devil, you little scamp! How dare you get a kid before I do?" he said, half-joking. Devil shrugged, still happy from the last couple of hours he had spent with his new mate. "Oh my-" Robotnik looked down at Eggchao. "Is this what you were trying to show me earlier?" Eggchao nodded vigorously. "I apologize for not coming sooner." Amy bent down, peering at the egg. "I don't believe this! I'm so happy for you Angel!" She paused. "I'm sorry if this may hurt your feelings, but you need to leave the egg here. I need you by my side if we're going to stop this latest evil plan from going off without a hitch. Will you please be my gunner again, before you are a real mother?" Angel looked a little crestfallen. She stared at her egg, then at Amy, trying to decide what to do. She didn't want to leave the egg unattended, but she didn't want to pass up the chance to blow things up either. Her little dilemma was solved for her when Devil gently took the egg from her, holding it tightly, showing he wouldn't let it out of his sight. Her halo turning into a heart, Angel gave Devil a huge hug, then ran over to the Passion, getting into her seat behind the Laser Blaster. The sweet moment over, they all went away from the shuttle so Robotnik could brief them. The doctor cleared his throat and began. "The space colony ARK was the first and only Bernoulli spherical space colony ever created. It was supposed to be a research center and laboratory. It was built using her extensive share of the family fortune by my late and esteemed grandmother, Maria Robotnik. I never met the woman, but my father said she was an incredible scientist, a genius rivaling Einstein's intellect in some regards. She had a hand in every experiment that took place on this colony. My grandmother made many of the modern technological advantages we take for granted today! The Chaos Drive, the Omochao servant droid, the genetic protoform, and other achievements in many different branches of science, most of which could never have been discovered in the first place without her extensive knowledge of the workings of the Chaos and Super Emeralds." He frowned. "However, fifty years ago, something happened. I don't know what, but it had something to do with the military and one of Maria's experiments, something she kept in close secret but reported it to be her greatest creation, an invention that would benefit all species on the planet. I don't know exactly what happened, but the ARK was shut down. All experiments came to a halt, the scientists disappearing from the public forever. GUN left many robots behind to guard the colony in case somebody else tried to come up here, and Maria Robotnik was never seen again." He shook his head a little sadly, and then a smile came to his face. "It's amazing really. We're standing in a piece of history, the culmination of all the scientific achievements made by my family over the centuries. This place is a legacy waiting to be claimed, by anyone. Perhaps I should take it off of GUN's hands, it does rightfully belong to the Robotnik clan anyway. Though I do wonder why she made the cannon anyway, it wasn't in her nature to make a weapon like that-" He mused. "Uh, doctor? This is really interesting, but the cannon?" said Amy. Robotnik shook himself back to the present. "Right, right, sorry." He handed Shadow and Amy a few pieces of paper. "These are maps of the ARK and its environs. I downloaded them from my grandmother's few remaining records in the Robotnik database. They were about the only things she had left behind that GUN didn't confiscate. They will help you work your way through the colony." He turned to Amy. "Amy, Angel, your job is to get to the section I have circled on your map. The cannon draws its power from the Super Emeralds and the colony's Chaos reactor, but also uses four auxiliary power generators. Your mission is to get to the circled generator and shut it down by whatever means possible, preferably blasting it to pieces." "Cool!" said Amy, grinning. Robotnik turned to Shadow. "The destroyed generator will not stop the cannon from firing, but it will allow Shadow to accomplish his mission." The doctor pointed to a circled area that seemed to be inside of the cannon's shaft. "This room is the control room for the entire colony and the cannon. There are receptacles for all seven Super Emeralds, but a shield guards them. The shield will be brought down by the destruction of the generator, allowing you to get to the Emeralds." "And then I take them out, right?" Shadow guessed. Robotnik shook his head. "No, then you put this into the space for the seventh Emerald!" the doctor said, handing him the fake Super Emerald. "It has the same wavelengths and properties as a real Super Emerald, but if used in conjunction with the six real Emeralds Snively has, it will explode when the cannon tries to fire, permanently damaging the control room and preventing Snively from just recollecting the Supers and trying again." Shadow blinked. "That's brilliant! Wait, how do we know he won't catch on?" Robotnik grinned. "I made the fake so well that not even a machine can tell it's not a real Emerald. And most of the security cameras are broken from disuse, including the one in this docking bay, so he won't be able to tell you have the fake and Amy has the real one." He pointed to a door leading into the colony. "Once Amy destroys the generator, it will be safe for you to enter the control room. Call me when you're there and I'll give you further instructions, it'll take more for my plan to work then simply inserting the jewel into the slots. Eggchao, Devil and myself will stay here and take care of the egg. I'll tell Knuckles what's going on when he gets back, okay?" The two hedgehogs nodded. "Then go! The fate of the world rests on your shoulders!" The Passion and Shadow went through the door and split up, each beginning their respective quests.
Stage 10: Eternal Engine. Mission: Destroy the colony's power generator.
Amy was in a room with some cool cylinders and neat décor. She walked down a wide hallway ahead of her. A trio of Hornets appeared and aimed their missiles. Angel locked on and destroyed them. The door ahead opened. Amy walked through the door and was in a tall room. In the middle of the room was a spring. Amy stepped on it, bouncing into a wall, off another spring and into another, finally grabbing a pulley in midair and being raised up into a cluster of Beetles. Angel targeted and blasted them all to pieces. Amy let go of the pulley and hovered to a nearby hallway. As she approached the door at the end of the hallway, it opened, allowing her through. She went along a curve to the left and came into another hallway with a few closed hatches leading to space. She walked past the hatches and was confronted by a strange enemy resembling their friend Chaos, who was now a good guy and living on Angel Island. It was made of water, but had a robot head. As the Artificial Chaos stretched out its tendrils, Angel shot it in the head, destroying it. They passed through a door and came into a room with two doors, one straight ahead and one to the right. Amy walked through the door straight ahead and found a locked door behind it. She left through the unlocked door and tried the other one, finding a room filled with crates and a hatch. She blasted the crates away, revealing a switch. She hit the switch, unlocking the other door. She left the room and used the straight door again, passing through the now unlocked portal. The hedgehog and Chao gasped in surprise. They were in space. They were standing on a balcony outside of the colony proper, protected with an atmospheric shield that allowed them to breathe. After taking in the view, Amy noticed a ledge to her left. She jumped off of the railing and hovered onto the ledge. In front of her, straight ahead of the ledge, were a series of floating metal cylinders, forming steps to a floating platform. Amy jumped and hovered from cylinder to cylinder, landing on the platform. As she stepped on it, it moved upwards, stopping in front of another cylinder. She jumped onto it and saw another floating platform, moving from side to side. She waited for it to get close to her before hovering onto it. Once she was safely on the platform, she saw a door across from her. She waited until she was in line with the door, then hovered over to it, passing through as it opened automatically. Inside was a rectangular room with several space hatches and an Artificial Chaos. As the robotic blob fired lasers at her, Amy blasted its head. This turned out to be a mistake. When the Artificial Chaos died, every hatch in the room blew open, creating a vacuum leading out into space. Very carefully, Amy hovered across the room, staying out of the suction flows and passing through the door at the other end. She was in a high room with some cages piled together, a door to high to reach, and a platform moving back and forth, also out of reach. There were several lasers around the door. Amy jumped up to the top of the pile of cages. When the platform was close enough, she jumped onto it, then hovered towards the door, flying between the lasers. The door opened, letting her in. She was now in a room with a winged Beetle, a canister, and two metal boxes with springs on them. A large shadow was in the center of the room. Amy looked up and saw a giant weight suspended in the air. She figured if she walked under the weight, it would fall on her. She blasted the Beetle, then shot the canister at the end of the room, destroying it and revealing a switch. Walking around the edges of the room, she went between the boxes and hit the switch. The weight shuddered, staying in place. Amy tested the weight by stepping one foot inside the shadow. The weight didn't budge. Pleased, she jumped onto one of the springs and was launched onto the top of the weight. A pulley hung above her. She grabbed the pulley and was lifted high into the air, into a cloud of hornets. Angel targeted and blasted all the Hornets before they could fire their homing missiles. Amy let go of the pulley and hovered towards the door, which opened as she approached. Inside was a hallway with a higher platform going after the midpoint of the room. Three Beetles hovered in the middle. Amy blasted the Beetles and then the canister beneath the tall platform, revealing a spring. The spring sent her up onto the platform, allowing her to continue down the hallway. She passed through the door at the end and came to a small room with a door on the right wall. She went through the door and another door after that, and was out in space again, on a catwalk. She followed the catwalk to its end and grabbed a pulley hanging over it. The pulley took her to a higher catwalk, which she jumped onto. She walked along the catwalk, turning right as she did so, and saw another catwalk below her own. Since the current walkway went no further, Amy dropped to the one below, hitting a switch as she did so. A pulley appeared at the end of the catwalk. Amy followed the walkway and grabbed the pulley, going up to a new catwalk. She hovered to it and followed it to its end. She saw a metal cylinder to her right, forming a bridge to a different catwalk. She walked along the cylinder and down the length of the catwalk, grabbing on to another pulley and elevating to another catwalk. She walked along the catwalk. And stepped onto a platform. The platform floated upwards, stopping in front of a door. Amy went through the door, back inside the colony. She went through a short corridor and emerged in a big room with a long bridge over a big platform. The bridge led to a door. Amy walked across the bridge, blasting all the Beetles and Hornets in her way, only to find it locked. She dropped to the big platform below. She found a switch and pressed it, unlocking the door. She found a spring and bounced back up to the bridge, walking to the now-unlocked door and going through. She walked down a hallway and saw a large floating Artificial Chaos. Angel targeted its head and destroyed it, clearing the way. At the end of the hallway was a tall room with a pulley. Amy grabbed onto the pulley and was lifted to another pulley. She jumped to the pulley and was elevated to a floating platform. She hovered onto the floating platform and was lifted to a door. She hovered to the door, which opened automatically, and passed through. She was outside the colony again. Across a wide expanse was the next door. In front of her was a floating platform. Amy hovered onto the platform, expecting it to take her across. She was understandably terrified when the platform collapsed beneath her, falling into space. She started screaming until she realized she wasn't falling. In fact, she was twisting and turning in midair, thanks to an antigravity safety net of sorts. Relieved, Amy started spinning across the gap, blasting the numerous Beetles and Hornets in her way, until she reached the door. It opened, and she went through. Once more in normal gravity, Amy walked down a hallway and came into a room with a hovering blob of Artificial Chaos. As Angel started to take aim, all the water fell from the blob, leaving the robot head in the air. The water formed into several dozen miniature Artificial Chaos, which started to attack them. As the little artificial lifeforms assaulted the Passion, Amy and Angel desperately fired from their guns, trying to hit the little monsters. A stray shot streaked through the air and hit the floating head, destroying it. The little blobs dissolved. Sighing in relief, they went through the door at the end and came to a small chamber with the Goal Ring in the middle and another door at the end. Amy walked through the Goal Ring, ending the level.
(STAGE CLEAR. RANK A.)
Amy walked through the door, coming into a large chamber with many cables, wires and pistons surrounding a central metal orb, humming with power. Amy turned to Angel. "Ready?" The Chao nodded. They both aimed at the orb and started firing, shooting blast after blast until the generator exploded in a shower of sparks and pyrotechnics. The lights dimmed slightly. Amy contacted Shadow. "Shadow? The generator's out, it's time to finish this!" "Roger that, see you back at the shuttle." Shadow responded.
What will happen next? Will Shadow put the fake Emerald in place? Actually, no he won't. Because it's time for one last Knuckles level, with an ending you won't believe. Enjoy, and please review!