"The Shadows of Sonic, Part 2"

written by Shayne Thames

Sonic and related characters © and ™ SEGA

Shalita and related characters © Star Dreams Entertainment

Chapter 20: "Mission Street"

Sonic, Tails and Amy looked up in the sky, gaping, as people

paniced in the streets.

"Look! Half of the moon is GONE?" Amy pointed.

"Eggman!" Sonic growled. "Oh, that creep NEVER gives up!"

"But how did he managed to harness all that energy?" Tails

asked.

"It's got to be the Chaos Emeralds..." Sonic murmured. "Yeah!

THAT'S the reason they were looking for them!"

Tails slowly reaching into the cockpit of his Walker and pulled

out a gem.

"Tails!" Sonic stared. He had a Chaos Emerald with him the

entire time?

"The Chaos Emeralds are like magnets," Tails stated. "They have

the power to attract each other. I can use that to find where Eggman

is!"

Sirens wailed, and once again, lights shone down on them.

"The three of you! Freeze! Get your hands in the air and get

on the ground!" the captian yelled through his megaphone.

"I'll take care of the police, while you try to find a way outta

here! Find Eggman!" Sonic said.

"Got it!" Tails said, as the two took off.

"'The three of you?'" Amy murmured. "That means me too! Hey!

WAIT!!!!"

Amy ran off after the boys.

Tails ran down the street in his Walker, running from the police,

and blasting the guard bots that got in his way. A message came through

on his radio.

"Tails, it's Sonia! What's going on out there? I can see you from

my apartment-"

"Sonia, big trouble. Get outside so I can pick you up," Tails

called.

"Okay..." Sonia said.

Shalita flagged Sonic down as he ran past. "Hey, what's going on?"

Shalita called.

"No time!" Sonic called, grabbing her. "Let's go!"

Police were shooting at Tails as Sonia ran to him and hopped

in.

"Why are they shooting at us?!" Sonia yelped.

"Sonic's been framed, and we're suddenly the bad guys!" Tails

said.

"So where to?" Sonia asked.

"Anywhere but here!" Tails said, taiking off down the street.

The Golden Gate Bridge was eerily quiet as Tails and Sonia

traveled down it.

"There's been some construction going on, that's why no one is

here," Tails said to Sonia.

"I see. Will we be safe here?" Sonia asked.

"I think so...." Tails said.

He spoke too soon.

It started as a tremble, but then the entire bridge started

shaking.

"EARTHQUAKE!" Tails yelped.

"Get off the bridge!" Sonia screamed as Tails drove the Eggwalker

off the bridge as fast as he could.

As soon as they got off, they waited until it was over. They

sighed. "What rotten timing for an earthquake," Sonia sighed.

"Yeah..." Tails said.

A shot rang out that sent Tails on the run again. He shot at a

few robots, and ran into a dark alley. He stayed in the shadows until

the police finished screeching down the road. Safe at last...

Chapter 21: "Aquatic Mines"

In a mountianous region

8:21 P.M.

Knuckles looked around, a bit confused. He was inside a mine

filled with water.

"Hmm...I didn't expect the inside of the mines to be like this...

this is gonna be tougher than I thought!" he said, cracking his knuckles.

Nearby, a ghost was watching him. "Sire, he's in the mines. What

shall we do?"

"Deep-Six the pest," came the reply.

Knuckles walked around the mine, inspecting a console.

Behind him, floating in the water was a ghost with a thin mustashe

and a bozooka.

"Adieu, Mouseur Echidna! Heheheheh!" the ghost laughed with a

french accent.

"Wonder what this button does," Knux said, flipping a switch.

The water level under the ghost sank suddenly.

"Aieeeee!" he yelped, falling.

"HUH?!" Knux yelled, looking behind him. No one was there.

"Oh...THAT'S what I heard!" he said. "The water sank a level! I

get it..."

Knux flipped another switch.

The ghost below muttered as he pulled his bazooka out from

the water. "Steeupid Americans. Can't even fight honorably."

The water level started rising, setting the ghost underwater.

"Steeupid Americans..."

Knux scratched his head as he turned around. And found an

emerald shard sitting at the base of a pillar.

"Hey! Found one!" he grinned. He looked up the pillar. There

seemed to be another room above the area. "Are there any more up

there...?"

Knux grabbed a pulley, and it pulled him up to the top level.

There were overturned mine-carts.

"Huh. Must of been an earthquake..." Knux guessed, and started

putting the mine cart.

A ghost was hiding under a cart, snickering. When that echidna

finds him, he's gonna scare him to death! He waited...and waited...and

waited.

"What is he doing out there?" the ghost thought and went to peek

out. The echidna was gone. "Where did he go?"

The ghost came across a hole. "Did the echidna go down there...?"

SMACK! The ghost was hit with a piece of plank being tossed out

of the hole. Dazed, the ghost collasped behind the mine cart.

CLANK!

"Ah hah! Found it!" Knux said, popping out of the hole with

another shard. "Wonder where to from here...?"

A console caught his eye. Above a switch was marked Level 3...

"Well?" the ghost boss asked.

"We....ah...didn't exactly kill him...YET! But we will!" a

ghost said.

"You idiot! You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn! Where's

the echidna NOW?"

"He's...heading to level 3, boss," the ghost said.

"Level 3?! Stop him, now! If he finds the magic air necklace,

then we can never drown him!"

Knux looked around, tumbling into a mine shaft. He thought he

sensed an emerald close by.

Behind a door, a ghost waited with an ax. There was no way the

echidna could escape THIS time. As soon as the echidna opened the door-

SLAM! The door burst open, slamming into the ghost, knocking it

senseless. "It's got to be close...."

In the room, he found what looked like a mini-oxygen tank on a

necklace.

"Hey cool! I can dive underwater now!" Knux said, putting it on.

He walked out, closing the door. The ghost, flattened againt the wall,

groaned.

Knux dived underwater. He could see it glimmering in the distance.

He swam up to it and got it. That was it!

Chapter 22: "Where's Eggman?"

In the capital city

9:03 A.M.

July 4th, 2085

Tails sat in his Tornado, which had now converted into a car,

hiding in the alley as alarms still screamed through the area. Sonia sat

behind him. Amy stood next to them, along with Shalita. Sonic finally

radioed in on the communicator.

"Sheesh! There always seems to be a lot of police around when you

DON'T need them! Tails, any news yet?"

"For some reason, I'm not getting a signal from the 6 remaining

Chaos Emeralds. Maybe Eggman took the emeralds into outer space!" Tails

reported.

"Outer space?" Amy asked. That's a long way to travel!

A banging was heard coming from the manhole cover. Everyone backed

up, expecting the police to chage from there at any moment. The cover

slid off, and a head popped out.

"Knuckles!" Amy sighed in relief.

"Hey guys! Long time, no see! I must of gotten lost in the mines.

Looking for the Master Emerald pieces was thougher than I thought it

was gonna be," Knux said, looking around. "Where are we anyway?"

Amy ran over, and started pulling Knuckles out of the sewer. She

was getting out the way he came in!

"Hey, where ya going?!" Knux yelped.

"Move aside, Knuckles!" Amy said, continuing to pull on his head

to get him out.

"I managed to find the transcripts between Eggman and the

Presedent in the government computers," Tails suddenly announced into

the radio, looking at soem information on the console in front of him.

"I'm following the Presedent's Limo right now! If we get into the limo,

we can trace the call to find Eggman!"

"Okay! Let's meet up there!" Sonic said.

Tails revved up the Tonado and suddenly took off. Knux ducked in

the hole for a moment, to avoid getting ran over by Tails as he shot

off down the road.

"HEY! Wait for me, Tails!" Amy shouted.

Shalita looked at the others.

"If y'all excuse me, I gotta go take care of something. I'll have

my radio on so y'all can keep me informed of your progress, alright?"

"Okay..." Amy said.

Out on Route 101, Tails drove, while Sonia hung on. "The Presedent

must be over there! Let's go!"

"Where did this black hedgehog come from?" Sonia asked.

"No one knows. He just suddenly showed up over 2 weeks ago!" Tails

said. "I'm getting closer!"

"Great. I noticed Sonic sounded a bit...disturbed. Something

happened?"

"Yeah. He and Shalita broke up last week. No one knows why!"

Tails said.

Sonic's voice came on the raido. "Tails, did you find the

Presedent?"

"Almost, Sonic! Just a few more minutes!" Tails called back.

"So what's gonna happen if we don't find Eggman?" Sonia asked.

"...we may never exist, Sonia..." Tails said quietly.

They were silent for a few minutes until Tails spotted a long

black car ahead of him.

"Yeah! I found the Presedent!" Tails called on the radio.

"'Mr. Presedent, reports show that since the incident three hours

ago, the country is in turmoil. Our financial communities are impacted,

and our satalitte communcations are down. An emergency meeting has been

called. Mr. Presedent, this is a national crisis,'" the secretary

read aloud the e-mail to the Presedent.

The Presedent sighed, and looked up towards the video screen.

"Spare me the details. Exactly just what is it that you want...Dr.

Eggman?"

Up on the screen was Dr. Robotnik himself. "Heheheheh. Well, let's

just get down to business then, shall we, Mr. Presedent? I won't bore

you with all the details since you are a very busy man. Mr. Presedent,

my demands are quite simple. Surrender to the Eggman Empire and make

no attempts to resist. OTHERWISE..."

The Presedent leaned forward. "Otherwise...?"

"Otherwise, your country will cease to exist! You have 24 hours

to give me your answer-" Robotnik continued.

"NO WAY!" came the yell from outside.

"What the-?!" the Presedent yelped, looking outside. Running

alongside the limo was Sonic the Hedgehog himself. He grinned at the

Presedent. "Heheheh!" . He leaped up and through the sunroof of the

limo.

"Sonic! YOU-" Robotnik growled.

"Eggman Empire! Yeah, RIGHT!" Sonic said. Tails leaped into the limo

with Sonic, while Sonia was keeping up outside, driving the Tornado.

"What the heck's going on there?!" the Presedent demanded.

Tails ran over to the console, and grabbed the disk from it,

disconnecting the video link.

"Oh no! What'd you DO?!" the Presendet asked.

"Don'[t worry, Mr. Presedent, everything's under control!" Sonic

reassured. "Just leave it to us! Got it, Tails?"

Tails held up the disk. "I got it! He's transmitting from the

space colony ARK!"

"Okay! Let's MOVE IT!" Sonic said, leaping out of the limo. Tails

followed. "Wait up, Sonic!"

"Hey you-WAIT!!!!!" the Presedent yelled at the duo, too late

to stop them.

"Mr. Presedent, we're recieving an incoming signal from our

agent," the secretary interupted.

"What are we going to do NOW?" he sighed.

"As the blue hedgehog said, Sir. Leave it to them..." a small

voice called. The Presedent looked up. "You know something, Princess

Kymira?"

The small soft lavender hedgehog sitting in the car looked up.

"History has a way of writing itself, by depending on its future," she

said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Mr. Presedent...that blue hedgehog...Sonic the Hedgehog...IS

our future," she said.

As she said so, she sent an e-mail on the laptop. "Shanna,

Sonic just left..."

Chapter 23: "The Last Chaos Emerald"

Back on the ARK, Dr. Robotnik was slamming his fist against the

console. Sonic was interferring again!

Rouge entered the room, seeing Robotnik throwing his fit. "Why

are you SO upset?"

She added in a sarcastic tone. "Well THAT was really impressive!

You've managed to create havoc on the WHOLE planet! Does this now mean

we CONTROL the planet and can do as we CHOOSE?"

"At this rate, the cannon will take too much time to charge up.

If you want to unleash its full potential, you'll need ALL 7 Chaos

Emeralds," Shadow said.

Robotnik whirled around towards Rouge. "Where in the WORLD have

YOU been?"

Rouge looked at Shadow. "Something happen?" she asked innocently.

"Our threats fell on deaf ears," is all Shadow could say.

Rouge eyed Robotnik. "Look at you! Thowing a tamtrem like a

little kid! How TOTALLY embarrassing!"

"Don't forget YOUR end of the bargain, BAT GIRL!" Robotnik shot

back. "What about that last Chaos Emerald? We had a DEAL, RIGHT? So

where is my emerald?"

Rouge pulled out a newspaper from her pocket. It was the same one

she took when she first stole the Master Emerald. "Here you go! I

found THIS!"

"Why didn't you show me this BEFORE?" Robotnik demanded, grabbing

the paper from her hands. He read it aloud. "'Station Square saved from

a life-threatening Missle Attack. The city has awared its famed prize

to the boy who saved Station Square. Miles 'Tails' Prower was given the

Chaos Emerald as a testament for his heroic deed at a cerimony held in

City Hall!'"

Robotnik cleared his throat. "Hrumph! This makes things a WHOLE

lot easier. Hurry, go back to Earth and find them fast! I WANT that

Chaos Emerald!"

"Did you get that?" Rouge asked Shadow, who seemed a little

distant.

"Soon enough...Maria..." Shadow mumbled as he walked out.

Rouge looked after him supiciously, but had no time as she called

into her communicator.

"This is Rouge, reporting. Currently, I have not been able to

confirm that Shadow is the Ultimate Lifeform or not. I will continue my

research on Project: Shadow, and have a follow up report shortly..."

Rouge lowered her voice as she added. "Just a reminder: Don't

forget about my jewels..."

Back on Earth, Sonic radioed in to everyone to meet up in the

desert. Shalita radioed back that she'll catch a ride with Tails when he

passes through Pumpkin Hill Mountians.

In San Francisco, the police chief got a call: Sonic and the 6

other fugitives were heading towards the desert, the area where they

tracked Dr. Robotnik to before he dissappeared...

In the desert, Manic worked hard on his machine.

"Come on, guy, I need you working so you can help the others.

They won't exactly trust me, so I need you to build up some confidence

for them..."

Manic sighed. He's doen his part. Now only if he can get his

friends and family to trust him again...they just have to!

Chapter 24: Route 280

Near the capital city

12:10 P.M.

Rouge drove down the road in her car, looking between the road

and a console on the dashboard.

"I'm picking up a signal from the emerald," she noted. "Fox-Boy,

wait for me!"

She put the pedal to the medal and raced down Route 280 in pursuit

after Tails, ignoring the road construction warning signs.

Her eyes wandered down towards the console. "I must be getting

closer..."

A honk from a semi brought her attention back to the road as she

swirved back to her side of the road before the semi hit her. She

suddenly realized she was heading for a gap in the wall....she could

fall into the ocean! She quickly jerked to the left, nearly bumping

into a car that was riding the same lane as her.

"HEY LADY! Go back and learn how to drive!" a man spat through

the window. Rouge sped up to get past him, leaving the man to curse her

out. Humans and their stupid road rage...

Rouge started passing into a tunnel.

"Rouge, did you find Tails?" Robotnik radioed in, impatiently.

"Wait a minute! Be quiet! Just leave it to me!" Rouge radioed back,

frustrated as she swerved along the road. She looked up and shrieked as

her car leaped off a slanted piece of cement in the road, sent flying

across the tunnel, and smashing through soem road construction signs.

"Sure, NOW they tell me," Rouge grumbled. After a moment, she

heard a distant roar.

What was that? Sounds familiar...

Rouge saw the light up ahead and came out into broad daylight.

The roar was louder here! She looked up and saw Tails in a blue plane!

"I found ya, Fox-Boy!" Rouge laughed.

Above in the plane, Sonia looked down.

"Hey Tails, be glad you're not on the road. There's some maniac

woman down there swerving all over the road!" Sonia giggled.

"Yer right about that!" Tails grinned.

Shalita wandered through the Pumpkin Hill Mountians. She had a

feeling something was going on here, so she told Tails to meet her here.

She hoped to find Shadow somewhere. Maybe he was on the ARK with

Robotnik.

Suddenly she spotted a figure up ahead.

She looked a little harder and grinned.

Shadow was here.

Chapter 25: "Sky Rail"

Shadow stood at the top of a mountian when Rouge radioed in.

"Shadow, they're in that blue plane! Spotted at 11 o'clock!"

"Copy that. I'm in pursuit," Shadow radioed back.

He took off on the railing, heading towards the rendevous point.

He heard a grinding sound and looked behind him.

"RUNT!' he growled, seeing Shalita following him.

"Hey Bad boy! Long time, no see!" she grinned.

"Scram, I don't need you following me," Shadow said, and leaped off

the railing, blading.

"Playing hard to get, huh?" Shalita asked. "Hey, I been looking for

you all week ya know..."

"Oh REALLY?" Shadow asked with a sarcastic tone. "I thought you

been with that blue HEDGEHOG all week..."

"Huh? Ya mean Sonic? No way! We just-"

"-kissed?" Shadow asked.

"Huh?"

"I saw you last week. He came up to your apartment and swept you

off your feet. And here YOU are trying to play with my heart! Well I

DON'T PLAY that game-"

Shadow added with venom dripping in his voice. "-SISTER..."

Shalita knew he was only being sarcastic with that last word, but

still. It stopped her cold in her tracks.

"But-"

"GET LOST, RUNT, before I get mad!" Shadow yelled.

Shalita tried one more time and stepped forward. "Shadow-"

"NOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shadow screamed. He was so angry, he

pushed Shalita off the ledge.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shalita screamed, falling the long

ways down.

"I warned you, Runt," Shadow growled with no remorse. As he turned

his back, he looked over his shoulder, a small glint of regret in his

eye. "So long..."

He looked down. Killing another person....someone that he loved, no

less...or did.....his fist tightened.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" he yelled, running back to the ledge.

To his suprise, a blue plane soared up out of nowhere. The

passengers were an orange fox piloting, a pink hedgehog passenger, and

a screaming shell-shocked Shalita.

Silently, he thanked that the orange fox saved her. Then he

scowled. "Stupid runt..."

Shalita was in the cockpit, screaming.

"HE TRIED TO KILL ME! OH MY GOSH, HE TRIED TO KILL ME!!!!!" she

cried.

"Hang on, Shal! Calm down! Calm down, you're okay now," Sonia tried

to reassure her as she settled in the plane. She looked back and glared

at Shadow. Sonia wasn't too fond of Shalita, but even she didn't

deserved that. And this only increased the hatred against the likes

of Shadow...

"Doctor, they're heading directly toward us. What should we do?"

Shadow radioed in.

"Just sit tight! I've got them on radar. There's NO way they can

get away. I don't know what they are planning, but I'll be sure to give

them a warm welcome..." Robotnik radioed back.

Chapter 26: "Eggman's Hidden Base"

Desert Area

1:02 P.M.

Tails' plane landed next to Knuckles, Amy, and Sonic, converting

into his walker. Sonia pried Shalita off of her and leaped out of the

cockpit.

"Hey....Shal...you can get out now..." Tails whispered.

"You okay, Shal?" Sonic asked, but was greeted by Shal's

screaming "HE TRIED TO KILL ME!!!"

Alarmed, Sonic looked at Tails. "What happened?!"

"Shadow pushed Shalita off a cliff," Tails said casually.

"We caught her before she plummeted too far," Sonia asked.

"WHAT?!" Sonic yelled, and ran to Shal.

"Shal! Hey, you're okay now!" he said, grabbing her trembling

hands. She looked to Sonic, tears in her eyes, and suddenly hugged him

tightly. "It's okay, Shal. I'm here now. It's gonna be alright..."

Shalita sobbed, hugging him tightly. Sonic looked at Sonia and he

glared. "Shadow is going to pay for this..."

Amy sighed. "Shalita is SO lucky..."

Tails gave Amy that 'Are you nuts?!' look.

After Shalita calmed down, the group gathered together. "Okay

team, listen up. We're dividing into three groups. Tails and Amy, you

two are together. Knuckles and Sonia, you two pair up. Shalita's with

me," Sonic said.

"Got it!" the others said.

"So where do we head from here?" Tails asked.

"Over there!" Knux pointed. Sonic looked up and saw what looked

like to be a pryamid.

"Inside THAT pryamid?" Sonic asked.

"I saw Eggman go inside the pryamid. And more importaintly, I saw

that bat-girl go inside with him as well," Knuckles said. He looked at

Amy. "You saw them too, right?"

"Well, yeah!" Amy said.

"Should be able to get into outer space from there. I don't know

what this space colony is all about, but I'll find and destroy that

cannon, and then kick their emperial butts!" Sonic said.

"Alright!" Knux agreed.

Tails stepped forward. "I'll go and find the entrance!"

A dozen pairs of eyes watched the group from afar.

"He's in the desert, Sire. And he's brought his friends with him,"

one said.

"You bunch have one last chance to destroy the echidna. Take his

friends with him as well!" came the reply.

"Yes sir!" they all mumbled.

Tails and Amy, in the Tornado walker, wandered through this maze

of confusion. Guards, mixed of what remained of G.U.N.'s robots, and

Robotnik's henchbots, were all around them. They had to be careful.

Tails tried to start a conversation as they walked through the

maze. "You know, Amy, when you get back to Station Square, you need to

concentrate a little less on Sonic, and more to devoting to the cause of

the city. I know you and your group want to be dedicated to fighting

Eggman..."

"You know what, Tails? I think you're right. I need to be

serious. I am, after all, a mayor of the largest city in the South."

"And hey, maybe we could team up to help find Queen Aleena

herself," Tails suggested.

"Hey, sounds like a cool idea!" Amy agreed.

When they entered the next room, Tails stopped.

"Hey, there's the entrance!" Amy pointed off to the right. "Let's

go-...Tails?"

Tails wasn't paying attention, for he was looking ahead. "Tails,

what's wro-AAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Ahead of them were maybe half a dozen ghosts.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" Tails and Amy cried, and Tails went

zooming into the entrance, never noticing that they passed Sonic or

Shalita, who had just arrived.

Looking puzzeled, they looking into the room they were running

from. Nothing was there. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"What spooked them?" Sonic asked.

"No clue. You know how kids are..." Shalita shrugged.

Chapter 27: "Pryamid Cave"

Sonic and Shalita entered the pryamid, looking around.

"Wow, sure is big," Shalita murmured.

"Yeah..." Sonic agreed. "Let's go..."

As they looked around, it was dark, and spooky.

"Sonic, I'm gonna find a light..." Shalita said.

No answer.

"Sonic?"

Suddenly, torches lit up the room, and Shalita could see.

Sonic was gone.

"SONIC!!!" Shalita cried. "Wherw are you? HELP! Tails! Amy!

SOMEONE!!!!!"

"I can help!" a voice piped up.

Shalita looked up and saw a figure fly towards her. It looked

like some sort of....robotic chao!

"W-who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Omochao, and I'm here to help!" he said.

"Where'd you come from?" she asked.

"What matters right now is finding Sonic. Come on, I know my

way through here!" he said, taking Shalita's hand.

"Okay..." Shalita said uncertianly, following him.

Chao Island

Chaima paced back and forth on the playground, while Pucha sat

in a swing. Chaima heard about the news about Eggman on the ARK, in

control of a powerful weapon. And Sonic must be on his way up there

right now! WITHOUT him!

"Oh get real, Chaima! How are WE supposed to get into outer

space?" Pucha asked.

"I'M WORKING ON IT!" Chaima yelled.

"Psst!" a hiss came from the nearby fence.

"Huh?" they both perked, looking at a black hedgehog.

"Hey, you want outta here and go to the ARK?" the chao asked.

"Well, yeah. Who are you?" Chaima asked.

"Secret Chao Agent Channa. I'm here to bust ya out," he said.

"Great! ....How?" Chaima asked.

"You CAN evove, right?" Channa asked.

"Well DUH," Pucha said. "What about it?"

"No...wait! He's right, look!" Chaima said, pointing to the

fence. The fence was nore more that 2 feet high. Enough to keep regular

chao in. Not evolved, grownup ones.

Chaima and Pucha looked at each other and nodded.

Charika came around a corner, holding a ball.

"Hey Pucha! You wanna-"

She stopped, gasping as Chaima and Pucha glew, and grew. Chaima

turned into a blue hedgehog, and Pucha into a pink fairy. Charika

dropped her ball. "Wowie! I wanna do that!"

"Charika!" Pucha gasped, turning around.

"Charika!!!" Channa groaned. Charika spotted Channa.

"Channa! Go away! No more silly pranks!" Charika whined.

"Pranks?!" Chaima asked, looking at Channa. "Yer NOT a secret

agent?"

"Secret agent?!" Charika asked. "No way. He's just a chao that

hangs around here for no reason!"

"Then what was that about getting us to the ARK?" Chaima asked.

"Well....I know where a space transporter is....BUT I WANNA GO

ON AN ADVENTURE!!!" Channa cried.

"Adventure? Why, wouldn't you rather be with your family?"

Chaima asked.

"I....I dun have one..." Channa said quietly.

"Oh..." Chaima said quietly.

"Hey, can I come?" Charika asked.

"Whoa, the goody-two-shoes wants ta go?!" Channa asked.

"Yeah, I do!" Chaima whined.

"Alright, if it'll shut you up!" Chaima said, picking up

Charika.

"HEY! You!" a voice yelled. Everyone saw the principal coming

their way.

"Uh oh! Let's scram!" Chaima said, hopping over the fence with

Pucha and Charika. Together, they ran off with Channa.

Shalita and Omochao checked every passage, unlocked every door,

but still no Sonic.

"Where could he be?" Shalita wailed.

"Shh, I heard a noise around the corner," Omochao said.

They peeked around the corner and gasped.

There was Sonic, lifeless in the hands of a big ghost!

"HEY!!!!" Shalita yelled in anger. "Leave him alone!"

"About time you got here!" the ghost laughed. "This child

posesses enormous energy to increase my strength. He is more than

enough to satisfy my hunger for energy!" he laughed.

"Leave him alone!" Shalita yelled again.

"WHO are you to make demands of me, the ghost king?!" the ghost

yelled.

Suddenly the lights came on, and the ghosts vanished, dropping

Sonic.

"What the-?!" Shalita yelped, catching Sonic.

Sonic stirred awake. "Ugh, I don't feel too good..." he moaned.

"It's okay, Sonic..." Shalita said, holding him up steady as

Knux and the others ran in.

"Hey, we made it!" Amy cheered.

"Guys, I don't think we're alone-" Shalita started to say.

"Looks like we're heading towards the center of the base,"

Tails announced, interupting Shalita.

"That Egghead sure loves mechanical things, doesn't he?" Sonic

added. "I'll bet he has one or two spaceships laying around here

somewhere!"

Tails walked up to a door. "The door is locked. We need a key to

get in there!"

"No problem! We can find it...." Sonic called. Knuckles sighed.

Leave it to Sonic to find a way in-

"-right, KNUCKLES?"

Knux looked at Sonic soberly.

"What? Why do I have to find the key?" he complained.

"We're counting on you, buddy. The world's GREATEST treasure

hunter!" Sonic winked, giving him the thumbs-up.

Thank you, Sonic, for volinteering FOR me. Sign my Death

certificate while you're at it, Knux thought, never realizing the

experience Sonic just went through to get in here.

Chapter 28: "Death Chamber"

Knuckles and Sonia looked around the area.

"Let's split up. We can find the key faster this way," Knuckles

said.

"Good idea," Sonia agreed.

The ghost king looked at his lackeys.

"You have one last chance to get rid of the red one. If you

don't-"

"YES SIR!" they saluted.

Three ghosts watched as Knux searched a room.

"Hey, watch this," one said. "I'll blow up like a balloon and

scare him to death!" one said.

The ghost inflated until he looked like a balloon. Knux turned

around and saw it. He chuckled.

"Eggman's scares are becoming more lame!" he grinned, and dug a

knuckle into the ghost. It popped.

"That's it..." the second ghost grumbled. "I'm gonna EAT him!"

Knuckles searched another room as the ghost sneaked up behind

him, ready to chomp on him.

Knux pulled out an hourglass.

"Huh? What's this? 'Magic Hourglass'?" he read the label. He

turned it around, and a trap door above shot open, showing sunlihgt.

The ghost vanished just before Knux turned around.

"Neat! Hey, what's that shiny thing?"

Knux put down the hourglass to check it out, not noticing the

third ghost grabbing the hourglass.

"Boss!" the ghost ran to the ghost king, holding the hourglass.

"When the sands run out on the hourglass, the sun will be gone, and you

can defeat the red one!" he said.

"Perfect. I'll teach this echidna never to mess with King Boom

Boo!"

"Found it!" Knux grinned, pulling out the key from under a glass

shield. "Hey Sonia! I found the-"

The door suddenly snapped shut, cutting off most light, and a

growling sound was heard.

"Huh?! Who's there?!" Knuckles yelped, whirling around.

Sitting above him was the LARGEST ghost he's ever seen. Behind him

was his cronie, holding the magic hourglass.

"What the....a-a ghost?!" he whispered.

"BRAWWWW!!!!!!' he yelled, and ran after Knuckles.

"RUUUUN!!!' he yelped, running in the other direction. The two

started to run in wide circles around the room, King Boom Boo throwing

ghostly-but deadly fire at him.

"What'd I do?!" he yelped, leaping from the fire.

"Watch this, Boss! I'll get him!" the little ghost yelled, running

in the other direction at Knuckles.

Knux wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of him, only what

was behind him.

"Oof!" he groaned, running into the little ghost. Startled, the

little ghost dropped the Magic Hourglass and it broke into pieces. The

trap door shot open and King Boom Boo howled in pain, sinking beneath

the floor to escape the light. Knux saw the shadow of the ghost.

"Now's my chance!" he grinned running after the shadow. Knux

leaped up, and dug into the floor, grabbing King Boom Boo, and

dragging him to the surface.

King Boom Boo howled and melted into a pultegeist puddle on the

floor.

"Huh....what a hassle!" Knux sighed, walking away.

The little ghost looked at the puddle.

"So the prophecy DID come true...King Boom Boo, the King of

Ghosts...defeated by a red echidna with the moon upon his chest..." the

ghost said. "Oh well, maybe I can take that vacation in Romania now..."

The puddle started bubbling.

"Uh...boss?" the ghost asked, looking at the puddle. A fist shot

out, grabbing the ghost, and pulling it into the puddle, dissappearing

in a puff of smoke as the puddle finally evaporated.

The door to the center of the base slid open, and Knux wiped off

his forhead as Sonia and the others arrived.

"Huh....that was pretty rough!" Knux sighed.

"We did it! Let's go Amy!" Tails cheered.

"Ya!!!" Amy agreed, leaping in the air in victory.

"You little thieves! Did you really think you would get out of

here alive?" a familiar voice called.

"Eh?!" Amy yelped, as she and the others whirled to face a

side-door that was sliding open.

"Come and get some, Eggman!" Sonic challenged, as Dr. Robotnik

stepped through the door.

"Sonic!" Tails yelped.

"Just leave it to me!" Sonic reassured, getting into a fighting

stance.

"This time, I'll take your lives, as WELL as the Chaos Emeralds!"

Robotnik growled. "I call on you to come out and DESTROY these pests!

Come out, my servant!"

A LARGE stone giant climbed out of a pit, taking the group by

suprise.

"Whoa!" Sonic yelped, shocked.

"It's a golem..." Shalita whispered.

"The Egg Golem!" Omochao said. "Sonic, destroy the restraining

bolt on top of his head!"

"Right! You guys go find the ship and get on it! NOW!" Sonic

called.

Knux nodded, and the others took off.

"Follow me, I know how to get outta here!" Omochao called,

leading the way.

Sonic turned his attention back to the Golem. Time to get this

over with.

Chao Island

Chaima, Pucha, Charika and Channa looked through an old military

communication station.

"This place was abandoned 50 years ago, when the ARK was

evacuated. I always wanted to go up there, but not alone," Channa

explained.

"Hey, here's the transporter!" Chaima said, walking to a console.

"YAY! Let's go!" Charika cheered.

Chapter 29: "Hidden Base Intercept"

Inside the pryamid

2:58 P.M.

"Now go! Squash that blue hedgehog, Sonic!" Robotnik ordered the

Egg Golem.

Sonic eyed the large restraining bolt at the top of the stone

giant's heat, and made a flying leap.

"HA! TERIAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Sonic cried, spin-dashing on top of

the head. The golem spun its head, starting to malfunction.

"Nice try, Rocky!" Sonic grinned, then made a dash for the launch

bay.

"When Sonic struck its head, it must of broken the restrainling

mechanism. ARRRGH, what a piece of junk!!!" Robotnik growled in anger.

The Golem turned towards Robotnik, it's circuts fried. It reached

out to grab Robotnik.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Robotnik yelped.

Inside the space shuttle, Atlantis, Omochao ran up to the cockpit.

"Sonic's coming, and everyone else is on board!" he reported.

"Good," the pilot said. "We'll wait for Sonic, then take off...."

"Is there something wrong?" Omochao asked.

"I don't know...I'll find out soon enough..." the pilot said

quietly.

"Okay..." Omochao replied.

"By the way, buddy, good job helping Shalita..."

"It's part of the service I provide..." he said.

Robotnik fired furiously at the Golem. If he could break through

the rocky hide, he could destroy the power core inside.

As he fired, the golem attacked, smashing a fist against the

walkway. Robotnik leaped into the air, firing at the golem again. A

piece of exterior broke away, revealing the power core.

"Powering up laser..." Robotnik grumbled.

The Golem flicked Robotnik away.

"ARGH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!!!" he yelled. "FIRE!!!!!"

Eggman fired the laser, and a beam shot out, hitting the power

core, destroying it.

The Golem fell lifeless into the pit.

"YES!" he laughed.

Time to head back to ARK...

Chapter 30: "Space Colony 'ARK'"

The top of the pyramid started opening, ready to launch the

shuttle. Sonic ran as fast as he could to get on board.

"Green light for launch! Primary ignition on!" the computer

announced as the engines fired up. "Beginning lift-off count-down! 10,

9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,"

The shuttle started lifting off the ground and into the air.

"Shuttle lift-off!"

Sonic and the others sat tight in their seats until they cleared

the atmosphere. Omochao broadcasted over the intercom.

"Attention, attention! We have cleared the atmosphere and can now

remove safety belts. We shall be arriving at our destination shortly.

That is all!"

Things were silent for a few moments, until Knux spoke up.

"THAT is ALL? For cryin out loud, we're in space, in a shuttle,

and WHO THE HECK IS DRIVING THIS CRAZY THING?!"

"Calm down, George," Sonic called sarcasticly. "I mean, geez, be

glad we even got this far!"

"I think the King of the Ghosts spooked him!" Sonia teased.

"It did not! Now I'm gonna go see who's piloting this shuttle,"

Knux said, taking off his belt. "AAAAAA!!!!!"

He started floating. "WHAT the heck?!"

"We're in SPACE, dummy. There's no GRAVITY!" Sonic rolled his

eyes.

"Uhhh, I knew that!" Knux said.

"RIIIGHT," the girls groaned.

Sonic and Sonia slowly made their way towards the cockpit.

"Hello?" Sonic called. Omochao spotted them and flew up.

"Sonic, you shouldn't be here, this place is off-limits," Omochao

stated.

"No. Omochao, let them come in..." a voice said.

"Who's there?" Sonic called.

From the chair, a hand raised to silence them.

Knux and the others slowly appeared at the door.

"Please, do not ask any questions yet. Sonic, I have a message

for you and the others," the voice said. The hand tapped on a console,

activating a holographic image of the fox girl.

"HEY! She was with Manic and that bat-girl when they stole the

emerald!!!" Knux telled, but everyone tackled him to shut him up.

"If you are recieving this message, it's because I have fallen

in the line of duty. I am Agent Sabre Prower, from the year 3265. I

am a time traveller, sent by the Council to protect the prophecied

children to save our world. I cannot reveal too much, but I have a

message for all of you. Sonic, Sonia, your brother Manic did not have

much of a choice when he stole the emerald with Rouge and myself. We

all acted as spies to gain Eggman's trust. Rouge saw the emerald as an

added bonus, but I allowed her to do so, to gain the attention of

Knuckles the Echidna, so that he would contact the rest of the Sonic

Underground, and come back here. Sonic, Manic was needed to awaken

Project: Shadow. I had protected Manic since he was adopted by Guild

Master Farrell, and even taught him the basics he needed to know to

decipher Gerald Robotnik's notes to awaken Shadow. Sonic, do NOT

seek revenge upon Shadow. You and he are the key to our future. He

is not evil, only confused. To Shalita, I know this may be hard,

but do NOT be mad at Shadow. I know he tried to kill you, but you

are our last hope to set him upon the right path. Continue your

research on Project Shadow, and you will soon learn the truth about

his past. Thank you all, for taking the time to listen to me, and good

luck on your mission. You all are our last hope."

The hologram flickered off, leaving everyone stunned.

"Well...it explains a lot..." Knuckles said quietly.

"Yeah..." Sonic agreed.

The chair rotated around, showing a tearful Manic.

The group was quiet for a moment, until Sonic and Sonia ran to

him, giving him a big hug.

"Hey bro, it'll be okay!" Sonia said soothingly.

"Yeah...." Sonic added.

"I couldn't save her, you guys," he cried.

"How did she die?" a voice asked quietly.

The rest of the group backed up from the person who asked.

Tails.

"Shadow shot her, in grief..." Manic sniffled.

"I see...." Tails said, bowing his head.

"Tails, you okay?" Sonic asked.

"Hey, you don't suppose Sabre-" Knuckles started.

"Shut up, Knux. I don't wanna think about the future now..."

Tails whined.

A beep sounded, and Manic pressed a button.

"We're approaching the space colony," Manic announced.

Everyone ran to a window to get a look at the station. There were

a lot of meteors floating about from where the half of the space

station cloak broke open.

"So THIS is the space colony where Eggman is hiding," Sonic said

in awe.

Manic, also staring, didn't see the huge meteor shooting under

the shuttle. It skimmed the surface, boucing off of it.

"WHAT the-?!" Sonic yelped.

"Is everyone alright?" Tails called. "We should be landing soon!"

Knuckles looked out the window.

"Oh no! The hatch door is open!" he gasped. He became supicious,

as a green piece of something floated by.

"Don't sweat it, Knuckles! The only thing in the cargo bay are

those Master Emeralds!" Sonic announced.

"What do you MEAN 'Don't sweat it'?!" Knux yelled angrily, running

for the controls. "Land the shuttle and let me off NOW!"

"Hey, knock it off Knuckles!" Sonic yelped as Knuckles pressed

some buttons. "You're going crash the thing if you keep THAT up! OH

NO!!!! DON'T TOUCH THAT LEVER!!!!!"

The shuttle started whirling about, with everyone screaming.

Chapter 31: "Eternal Engine"

Inside the Space Colony ARK

3:49 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 2 hours, 11 minutes

Sonic groaned as he walked down the halls of the station. "What's

up with that knucklehead anyway?! Tryin to take over the shuttle...I

thought we were toast for sure!"

Sonic looked around. Guess who went missing. "Huh? Where did he

go NOW?" he groaned.

"Looks like he bailed," Tails said.

"This place looks deserted. Dusty too," Amy announced, looking

around.

"This place was shut down about 50 years ago, because of a terrible

accident," Tails said, digging around in the cockpit of his Tornado

Walker. "The first spherical bernoulli space colony, called ARK. When

it was operational, it was the most advanced reseach center of its

kind. But looking at it now-"

"-now it's an abandoned ARK, wouldn't you say?" Amy finished for

him.

"There's not much time before Eggman fires that weapon again,"

Sonic said. "We got to hurry. We must find the cannon and destroy it!"

"Yeah!" Tails agreed, pulling up a console on his on-board

computer, and opeing a box. A map appeared. "Someone designed that

weapon to be impenitrable from outside attack. It's defense shields are

super strong, so we have to find a way to destroy it and get inside-"

"-isn't that a Chaos Emerald?" Amy interupted, poining inside

the box.

"It looks like it, doesn't it? But in fact, its a fake one I

created after researching the REAL emerald. It has the same wave-legnths

and properties, but its less powerful than the real one. It's designed

to reverse the energy field inside the chaos emeralds and blow up,"

Tails continued, handing the fake emerald to Sonic. "It looks SO real,

even a machine can't tell the difference. I'll find the power supply

and destroy it. Sonic, you find the Control Room, okay?"

"So the plan is, we'll switch the Chaos Emeralds when the machine

has stopped, right?" Sonic recapped, taking off with Tails, leaving

the others behind.

"I HATE you!" Amy yelled at the boys. "You guys ALWAYS leave me

behind, and have ALL the fun!!!"

Shalita put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "That's okay, Amy. You can

accompany us. We're gonna access a terminal and see what info we can

dig up on Shadow!"

Manic hacked into the system, pulling up available data on

Project Shadow.

"Let's look at this stage of progress, the embryo retrival,"

Shalita said, pointing to a date on the screen. Manic brought up a

text file.

"Guys, look at this," Shalita said. "Apparrently, Professor Gerald

had travelled forward to the year 3218, to pose as a surgeon. He was

looking for a soon-to-be mother that would need surgury for embryo

removal, due to crowding if more than a number of children were

concieved at the same time. He found one and was sucessful in bringing

back the specimen, where Shadow was grown and born."

"So what does this mean?" Manic asked.

"Dunno. Looks like we may have to do a medical history check,

when we get back to our time," Shalita said.

Chapter 32: "Last Piece of the Master Emerald"

Cannon Control Room

3:49 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 2 hours, 11 minutes

Meanwhile, Rouge was doing a little investigating of her own,

but she couldn't get access to the computer files...

She radioed in to Dr. Robotnik.

"Hi Doctor, how's it going? ...What?! What do you MEAN they

escaped? ...Well, that's okay. I will go after them myself! Can you

tell me the password for the space colony control? ..."

She turned off her radio. "Hmph! Tricking that old doctor is JUST

too easy! Okay, it's time to get to work!"

She tapped into the console. "The password is MA-RI-A."

She stopped to think. "Maria, hmm? I've heard that name SOMEWHERE

before...oh well!"

She looked back towards the screen. "This is it! Reseach Project:

Shadow; the Ultimate Lifeform. Let's see now..."

The picture on the right took Rouge by suprise. "What in the

world is THIS? This can't be right! Just what IS Shadow ANYWAY?"

The console beeped, alerting of Chaos energy outside the ARK.

"Hmm! Looks like I'll just take the last pieces of the Master

Emerald!"



Outside Space Colony ARK

4:18 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Knuckles groaned as he walked around the area. Meteorites flew

off everywhere. He had better hurry to find the last pieces in this area.

He had already rounded up most of the others. He wore the air necklace

to give him oxygen while he was outside.

Meanwhile, Rouge was outside, a shard in her hands. She herself

wore an oxygen mask, as the atmostphere was thin here. She leaped into

the air and glided off to find the next shard.

Knux found his first shard when he spotted her in the air.

"What's SHE doing here?" he growled. He better find the next

piece fast.

Rouge grabbed another piece floating in the air when she looked

down and saw him. "Well well well, the game's a-foot!" she grinned.

Knux found another piece when SHE landed.

"Long time, no see, Treasure Hunter. Did you find MY emeralds?"

she grinned.

"THAT's a good one! YOUR emeralds? Talking to you is a waste of

time!" Knux growled.

They got in a fighting stance.

"Very well! If that's how you want to play, I will TAKE it from

you!" she announced.

"Not if I can help it!" Knux yelled, nailing her right off the

back with a Hammer Punch.

"AGH!" she yelped, and returned the favor with a Hip Drop.

"Oof!" he groaned, getting up. That's it, time to get SERIOUS.

He raised his hand, and concentrated. Using the power of the

Master Emerald, he called upon an arrow of sound and electricity.

"THUNDER ARROW!!!" he cried, and a bolt rained down on Rouge.

"ARGH! NOW you made me MAD!!!" she yelled. "Here I come! GET

READY! BLACK WAVE!!!!" she cried, and sent out a sonic wave.

"ARGH!" Knux yelped, getting caught in the wave. "That's IT!

I had enough! POWER FLASH!!"

Calling on the power of the emerald, a bright light blinded

Rouge momentarily, giving Knux the moment he needed to attack.

"AAAAARRRGH!!!! Now I mean BUSINESS!!!" she yelled. She

roundhoused him unexpectedly, knocking him senseless. He stumbled,

falling against a switch. The floor suddenly opened, and the rising

heat sent the two flying in the air. Knux regained his senses, and

climbed to a catwalk where Rouge had taken shelter at.

"Time to get this over with," he growled, wiping blood from

his lip.

Both pulled out all the stops and really gave it all they got.

Knux was a master of the martial arts, and Rouge was a good fighter

herself as they kicked, boxed, and fought hard. Rouge grabbed Knux

in a head-lock for a moment.

"So how do you like how I fight?" she grinned.

"You're good..." Knux grumbled, then flipped her over his

head. "But I'M BETTER!"

Rouge landed on the catwalk on her back, and moaned. "This

can't be true...I never lose..."

Knux glared at her as she stumbled to her feet, panting. "Get

away from MY emeralds!" he growled.

Rouge was panting as well. They glared at each other a moment.

"Stop fooling around, and give me back MY EMERALDS!" they both

screamed at each other.

"What are you babbling about?!" Rouge yelled. "You call

yourself a hunter, attacking a LADY? SHAME ON YOU!"

"What kind of a lady goes around stealing gems ANYWAY?" Knux

growled.

"Those belong to me-!" Rouge started to say, walking forward,

but the heel of her boot caught the edge og the catwalk and she

slipped. "Whoa!!!"

She started to fall. "AAAAAAAA!!!!!"

She closed her eyes, about to become a smear on the floor, when

something grabbed her hand. She opened her eyes and looked up. "What

in the world..?"

Knuckles had caught her before she had fallen too far, and

pulled her up. As he helped her up, she looked at him. He was looking

at her. Their eyes met. The stared at each other for a moment as they

stood up, holding each other's hand.

Before the moment got too far, Rouge yanked her hand away.

"Keep your hands to yourself! Don't touch me!"

"Is that how you say 'Thanks' to someone who just saved your

life?" Knux grumbled.

Rouge coughed a fake laugh. "Saving my life! Don't think I owe

you one!" She grinned as she added. "You just wanted to hold my hand,

didn't you?"

She grinned even more as she sang out. "THAT'S why you saved

me. You're such a creep!"

Knuckles shook his head. If that's how she wanted to play-

"This isn't a joke, you know! Think what you want, Bat Girl,

I was saving the Master Emerald!"

Rouge sighed. "No matter WHAT you say, it SOUNDS crazy."

Knux was taken by suprise as emerald shards fell to his feet.

He looked up. "Wha-?"

"Fine, then JUST take them. They stink like echidnas do!" she

said.

Knux started scooping all the shards together. "If THAT'S what

you thought, you should of given them back in the FIRST place!"

He brought all the pieces of the emerald back together, restoring

the Master Emerald. He inspected to make sure it was all together.

"Finally!" he sighed. This seach was finally over.

"What?" Rouge demanded, looking away.

Knux rolled his eyes. This was gonna be hard. "I'm sorry....

if I hurt you..."

Grabbing the Master Emerald, he ran off.

Rouge folded her arms, looking up. "WE should get going..."

She started to run off, but stopped, looking back. If it wasn't

obvious already, Rouge admired Knux for his strong spirit.

Chapter 33: "Eggman's Plan"

Inside the pryamid

5:02 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 58 minutes

Robotnik growled, looking at the security camera footage.

"What's Rouge up to, anyway?"

He looked at the readings on the map of the ARK. "This is strange.

This is showing energy readings from two SEPERATE chaos emeralds!"

Robotnik whirled around. "Did they really think that they could

trick me with that FAKE emerald?"

Shadow walked over towards the transporter.

"Wait!" Robotnik called. "Shadow, I'M the one who should be

telling them the end is near, not you!"

Robotnik approached the transporter. "Now is the time to end this

long drawn out battle, and take my place in history as the ultimate

genius!"

He looked at Shadow. "If something happens to me, I'm counting on

you to finish the job! Hurry, the time for attack draws near. It's

now or NEVER!"

Back in the Research lab, Amy was grumbling as she paced around.

"Amy, would you QUIT that? Come on, we gotta go!" Shalita called

as she ran off with the others. Amy growled.

"Darn! Why do they always leave a sweet innocent little girl

like me alone?!"

"Well well well, young lady," a voice said behind her. Amy whirled

to face Robotnik, who pulled a gun out at her. "Is there something I

can HELP you with?"

"Dr. Eggman!" she shrieked.

"If you value your life, you will tell me where Sonic and

Tails are..."

Colony Central Control Room

5:15 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 45 minutes

"Tails, I found the control room," Sonic radioed.

"Great, I'm destroying the power generator now..." Tails radioed

back.

Sonic approached the console, with the fake emerald in hand.

"Okay, Sonic! Now put that emerald-"

An interuption over the radio cut Tails off. "Ahem! Tails, Tell

Sonic to meet you back at the reseach facility immeditely!"

"Sonic! Amy is-" Tails started to say, but his radio died.

"I-I didn't get that Tails!" Sonic radioed back. "What happened

to Amy? TAILS?!"

The radio was dead. Sonic stood in silence, looking at Omochao,

who was beside him.

On the other end of the ARK, Shalita, Manic, and Sonia were all

listening as the radio went dead.

"We're in deep trouble," Shalita said.

"Amy's always asking for trouble. Now look what happened!" Sonia

griped.

"Okay, let's not panic. We need to get to the reseach lab, now!"

Manic said.

"Right!"

Chapter 34: "Sonic in Trouble"

Inside Space Colony ARK

5:19 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 41 minutes

Sonic ran down the halls as fast as he could, with Robotnik

taunting him over the intercomm.

"Hahahahaha!!!! Sonic, come here if you want to save her life!"

Sonic rounded the corner and gasped.

"No....it can't be!" Sonic yelped. In front of him was a water

monster. One he reconized from so long ago.

"No! It can't be Chaos! It's impossible!" he yelped, backing up.

Chaos was a water demon that possessed Shalita so long ago. He had to

fight her, and even didn't know her until his past was told.

He backed up, then growled. "You're not REAL! You're a robotic

FAKE!!!"

"It's an old reseach project!" Omochao announced. "Don't let it

fool you!"

Sonic nodded and spindashed into it. He wasn't about to let

something so fake get to him. It destroyed immeditely.

"What are you DOING?!" Robotnik yelled. "Sonic, there's NO

TIME for GAMES!"

"Shut up and leave me alone," Sonic grumbled as he ran through

the halls. He heard crying in the nearby hall.

"WHAT?!" he yelped, looking.

In the hall, surrounded by these water monsters, were the

chao!

"CHAIMA!!!" Sonic cried, attacking the monsters.

"SONIC! I found you!" he cried, hugging him.

"More like I found YOU. What are you guys DOING here?" Sonic

gasped, hugging back.

"We had to find you! We were worried!" Chaima said.

"Well come on. Amy's in danger, and we gotta find her!" Sonic

said.

"Amy's in DANGER?!" Pucha yelped. "Let's go!"

"YOU"RE TOO SLOW!!!" Robotnik yelled. "Sonic, if you don't come

here, she WILL die!!!"

"I'M COMING!!!!" Sonic yelled. "Come on, guys."

They ran down the halls until they came into the next room.

They were on a platform...outside!

The doors slammed shut behind them as alarms went off.

"Emergency! Emergency!"

"Well done, Sonic!" Robotnik laughed. "But you'll never leave

THIS room alive!"

"Is that a fact?!" Chaima yelled. "There's nothing out here!"

Chaima heard Sonic stumble and he whirled. Sonic collasped

against a railing, gasping for air.

"Oh no! The air in here is too thin for Sonic!!!" Pucha wailed.

"No kidding!" Chaima gasped. "We chao can handle it, but Sonic

can't! We need to get him outta here, NOW!"

Sonic struggled for the tiniest bit of air as Chaima and the

others helped Sonic up. He leaned on them, just concetrating on trying

to breathe.

Sonic collasped again before they made it to the doorway.

"Someone go open the door, I'll help Sonic!" Chaima said, trying

to pick Sonic up. "Sonic, please, keep trying! You can't die now, you

just can't!"

Sonic couldn't even hear him now, he was so lost from the

surface of life. His strength was gone. The situation was becoming

hopeless. Why not die now, end the pain and suffering...

"GET THE DOOR OPEN!!!" Chaima cried hystericly. "He stopped

BREATHING!!!!"

"I got it! Get in, now!!" Pucha cried, as she helped Chaima

drag Sonic inside.

Shalita and the others saw the chao bring Sonic inside.

"SONIC!" she cried, running to his side. "NO!"

"Shalita, will he be okay?!" Chaima cried.

Shalita looked at Chaima soberly. "I don't know. His body is

still alive because of the energy inside him, but we still got to

revive him, or he'll become nothing but a living vegitable," Shalita

said, then proceeded to cuff him.

"Come on...breathe Sonic!" she gasped, giving him more air.

Sonic suddenly gasped, for air, coughing.

"Sonic, wake up, you need to go save Amy!" Shalita cried.

Sonic opened his eyes. "Shal....?"

He sat up, head bowed. "Thank you, Shal, Chaima, everyone. For a

moment, I wanted to die...to end all this pain...but when I tried,

I was trapped. Trapped inside my own body. You guys....rescued me

from a mistake I tried to make...I have to save everyone...this...

this is why I'm still here. If I try to die...I won't go where you

guys will go when you die...I'll be trapped in a lifeless body, forever

in pain, forever unable to live..."

Shalita hugged him. "Just don't do that again!"

"I promise. Now come on, let's save Amy!" Sonic said, standing

up.

Chapter 35: "Tails VS. Robotnik"

Research Lab

5:27 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 33 minutes

Tails, Amy, and Robotnik looked up as they saw the door open.

Standing there was Sonic, glaring at Robotnik, ready to attack.

Robotnik held the gun to Amy's head as a reminder of who's in charge

now.

"Let's take care of business first, shall we Sonic? Hand over

the Chaos Emerald, SLOWLY, and THEN we'll talk about your girlfriend.

That is, if you REALLY cared for her..."

Sonic looked at the emerald in his hand.

Handing over the fake emerald? I can kill two birds with one

stone! Sonic thought. looking at Tails. Tails nodded, biting his

lip. This was gonna be easier than they thought...

"Put the emerald down there and BACK OFF," Robotnik growled,

pointing to a spot on the floor.

Sonic slowly approached the area.

"You've turned into a BIG-TIME villian, doctor!" Sonic smirked,

with a sarcastic tone. As he apprached the spot, a tube fell around

the hedgehog.

Everyone gasped, while Robotnik laughed.

"Whoa!" Sonic gasped. No...NO! Not this! Anything but the

Robotisizer!!!

"No....NO!" Tails yelped.

"Oh please. Robotisization is too good for Sonic. We all know

what happens if Sonic dies," Robotnik said. "You thought you could

trick me with that fake emerald, didn't you?!"

"So...how did you know it wasn't the real one?" Tails asked.

"TAILS!!!!!!!!!!" Sonic yelled. He knew what the doc was doing.

"Because you just told me, Fox-Boy," Robotnik laughed. He looked

back to Sonic. "Now...for a little Space Ride! When the capsule clears

the space colony, BAM!"

Sonic looked at Robotnik in horror. He wasn't to be robotisized,

he was to be blown away!!! He looked at Tails.

"I'm counting on you Tails..." Sonic whispered. He looked at

Amy. "Amy...take care of yourself..."

"Farewell...Sonic the Hedgehog!" Robotnik called, pressing a

button. The capsule ejected, sending Sonic into space.

"Sonic!" Amy yelped, looking out the window. Tails joined her to

watch.

Inside the capsule, Sonic held the fake emerald in his hands.

"It has the same wave-legnths and properties but is less powerful

than the real one," Sonic recalled Tails' words. "The SAME wave-legnths

and properties! But...can I do this...?"

Inside the lab, the three saw the capsule blow up.

"Farewell...my admirable adversery!" Robotnik laughed.

"....SONIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Amy cried, pressing her hand

against the window, and started to sob.

Robotnik turned to Tails, who was still staring out the window

in disbelief. "Now we have some unfinished business to take care of.

If you give me the real emerald, I will release you BOTH! You have my

promise!"

Tails never heard the doctor's empty promise. "Sonic..." he

whispered.

"Huh?" Robotnik called.

Tails looked at Robotnik. "Sonic's asked me for the first time

to do something for him! I WON'T let him down. I WON'T GIVE UP!!!" he

yelled, charging at Robotnik.

"You're no match for me, you sweet little fox!!!" Robotnik

yelped, somewhat in suprise at Tails' reaction.

Chapter 36: "The Mystery of Shadow"

Central room

5:38 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 21 minutes, 7 seconds

Shadow watched from a window as the capsule exploded.

"I guess he was just a regular hedgehog after all..." he

murmured.

Outside Space Colony ARK

Knux wandered inside the gate-room, when he stopped.

"I feel some strange energy," he murmured.

A blast of light and energy blinded him for a moment before it

died away. He looked to see Sonic laying on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Hey Sonic!" Knux called, running to him. He watched as Sonic

slowly stood on his feet, swaying heavily. Knux helped to steady him.

"Whoa...I wasn't sure if I could pull that one off. Somehow I

managed to use the Chaos Control..."

"..Chaos Control...?" Knux asked, never hearing the term before.

Sonic lost his balanced and nearly slumped on Knux. He regained his

balance and stood up.

"Are you okay?" Knux asked, concerned.

"I'm worried about Tails and Amy," Sonic said, not answering

Knux's last question. "I hate to ask, but could you help them?"

Sonic held up the fake emerald. "This is our last chance...I got

it! Before the cannon fires, I'll slam-dunk it in there!"

"Sonic, wait!" Knux said, and took off his air necklace. "Take

this. You'll need it to survive in that thin air outside..."

Sonic took it and put it on, feeling the difference in oxygen

levels right away. "Thanks Knux, I needed it."

"Good luck, Sonic!" Knux called as Sonic ran off.

Research Lab

Tails stood over Robotnik, who was defeated. Tails had dueled

Robotnik to the end and won.

"Take that, Eggman.." he said, half-heartedly, and wandered

away. He didn't see Robotnik grab the emerald that Tails dropped...

Central Control Room

Meanwhile, Rouge stood in the control room, gazing at her prize.

"Ledgend has it that when all 7 Chaos Emeralds are collected,

the power creates a miracle! I have 6 of them! They're mine! All mine!"

Rouge laughed.

"I don't think so!" a voice said from behind her.

Rouge whirled around. "Shadow!"

"So that was your plan from the very beginning, huh? Or was it a

direct order from the PRESEDENT? NOW I know who you are!!! You're that

government spy, Rouge the Bat, aren't you?!" Shadow accused.

"So you did your homework. Is that it? I would say that's an

invasion of privacy!" Rouge smirked.

"I could say the same thing about you!" Shadow shot back.

"Hmph! Looks like things aren't quite going your way! But since

my job is done, I thought it was time to take what's mine and get

out of this place."

"You are one PATHETIC creature!" Shadow sneered.

"Hmm...look who's talking," Rouge said. "What about you?"

Rouge leaped down, holding documents in her hands. "Here are the

results of the research project called the Ultimate Lifeform. But if

this picture is of the real ultimate lifeform, named Shadow...then

exactly who...or WHAT...is standing in front of me?"

Shadow stood in silence for a moment. What was THIS?

His radio beeped. "This is Dr. Eggman. I have found all seven

Chaos Emeralds. Shadow, someone is trying to enter the Eclipes Cannon.

There's not much time left before the cannon fires again. Can you get

over there?"

Shadow glared at Rouge. "If you want to live, leave the Chaos

Emeralds where they are. The fake emerald is good enough for you!"

"Do you actually believe that you're the REAL Shadow?" Rouge

asked.

"No doubt!" Shadow said.

"Even your memories might not be real, you know?" Rouge added.

"Even if my memories are NOT real, it's still me, Shadow!" Shadow

said, now starting to doubt himself. "And I will forfill my promise

to Maria. That's the only thing that matters to me now..."

"Listen to her, Shadow!" a voice cried. Shadow looked up to see

Shalita coming his way.

"You.." Shadow said.

"Shadow, I have reason to believe you may NOT be who you think

you are, as Rouge first stated," Shalita said.

"Are you a spy too? Is that why you play with my heart that is

heavy with grief. Haven't you two done ENOUGH damage?" Shadow growled.

"I hope you're satisfied, but I guarintee you, before this is over,

you will all die."

"Wait, SHADOW!!" Shalita yelled as he pushed past her. "It's not

what you think!"

Rouge looked at Shalita. "What's going on here anyway?"

"Long story...so you're one of the good guys?" Shalita asked.

"Better believe it. So what information do you have on Shadow?"

"Only that he's very much real as you and me are. Gerald

cheated on the final outcome," Shalita said.

"The final-ohhhhh!" Rouge said. It was all starting to make

sense...somewhat.

Shalita ran after Shadow. "Shadow! Shadow, you CAN'T do this!"

Shadow glared back. "When do you ever learn to QUIT, Runt?! Why

don't you just go back to the blue hedgehog and leave me be???"

"Why don't you ask Sonic yourself??" Shalita grumbled, walking

away. Shadow stopped. What does THAT mean?

Chapter 37: "Final Chase"

Outside Space Colony ARK

5:54 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 5 minutes, 44 seconds

Sonic stood on the runway that led to the Eclipes Cannon when he

heard someone approach him.

"You never cease to suprise me, blue hedgehog," Shadow said,

walking beside him. "I thought that capsule you were in exploded in

space."

"You know, what can I say? I die hard!" Sonic grinned. Sonic held

up his fake emerald. "You actually saved me, you know!"

They took off on a trot. "It WAS a Chaos Emerald, wasn't it?

But, there's no way you could of activated the Chaos Control using an

emerald that's fake! So, there's more to you than just looking like

me...what ARE you anyway??"

"What you see is what you get. Just a guy who loves adventure.

I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic grinned.

The two took off running.

"I see. But you know I can't let you live! Your adventuring

days are coming to an end!" Shadow said. "Before this is over, I'll

show you the true power of CHAOS CONTROL!"

Shadow lashed out first, tackling Sonic.

"Shadow! This might sound dumb, but I don't want to hurt you!

Don't make me do this!" he yelled, shoving Shadow off.

"Are you weak at heart? How is it that you can care so much for

everything?" Shadow yelled. "The only things I ever cared about have

hurt me!"

"Is this what's it's about? Revenge on those who have hurt

you? Shadow, there's more to life than this!" Sonic growled, throwing

a punch to Shadow and making a dash for the cannon.

"THIS IS THE ULTIMATE CHAOS CONTROL!!!" Shadow screamed, and

appeared ahead of Sonic "You will NEVER understand how I feel!

After all, Shalita loves YOU, doesn't she?!"

"What does Shalita have to do with anything?!" Sonic yelped,

spindashing at Shadow.

"Only that just when I thought I started caring for the little

runt, I found you kissing her!" Shadow yelled.

"When was THIS?!" Sonic growled, attacking Shadow again.

This time the hit connected.

"Ugh...that hurt..." he grumbled. "Last week."

"Last week- so THAT'S why Shalita was acting so weird!" Sonic

gasped. He spindashed Shadow.

"Ugh, you're better than I thought. What do you MEAN she was

'acting weird'?"

"I mean she and I broke up that night, it's like she had her

mind on something else....or SOMEONE else!" Sonic stared at Shadow.

"So THAT'S why she was following you all this time!"

He attacked Shadow one last time, to knock him down.

Shadow groaned, falling to the floor. "I can't believe...I

lost...I am...the ultimate life..." he whispered.

"Game over, Shadow!" Sonic announced. "I'm out of here. I have

a world to save. But I suggest rethinking about what your problem with

Shalita is before you try to puch her off anymore cliffs."

Shadow flinched. Sonic just knocked a blow to his concence.

ARK: Abandoned Lab

5:58 P.M.

Cannon Countdown: 1 minute, 33 seconds

Tails sat next to Amy sadly, calling softly on the radio.

"Sonic...I did it..."

Both of them bowed their heads for a moment of silence, when

the radio beeped. Everyone looked at Tails, who looked at his radio

and clicked it on.

"Awsome job, Tails!" came Sonic's voice over the radio.

Everyone gasped.

"SONIC!!!!" Tails yelped in suprise.

"EH?!" Amy gasped in delight.

"Look outside!" Sonic said, and everyone ran to the window "OH!"

Amy squeeled.

Colony Control Room

5:59 P.M.

Cannon countdown: 40 seconds

"Hahahahaha!!!!" Robotnik laughed, holding the last Chaos

Emerald. "This completes my plan to take over the world!"

He put in the emerald. "Now begins the era of the empire of

Eggman!"

His laughter rang out through the control room, never noticing

the wanring signs flash "DANGER!"

Outside, the cannon opened out, about to fire, when it suddenly

exploded. Hanging from an attenna was Sonic himself. He grinned and

gave the thumbs up to Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Manic, Sonia, Shalita,

Chaima, Pucha, Channa and Charika. Everyone cheered. The world was

safe at last.

TO BE CONCLUDED IN "Wishes Are Eternal"