Chapter 4: Echoes of the past

The Chaotix crew and The Dynamic Dynamites had already decided to take the middle tunnel before anyone got to say anything. They didn't even realise that there was a sign saying "Miles" above it. During all this the newly Named Metal Miscreants where talking amongst themselves with the Rose Petals listening in.

"Miles, why did you, Omega, Rouge and Shadow Call after Sonic in such a panic?" Metal Demanded

"…"

"Miles I think we should know…" Said Mighty

"This is… where he was born…" Said Miles

"What? Old man, are you going senile?" Said Metal

"No… this Base… it was Gerald's last fortress… before Shadow was locked up…"

"And what has that got to do with Sonic?"

"Have you ever wondered why Shadow and Sonic look so alike Metal?"

Metal's eyes turned off then on again as if he blinked. "You can't mean…"

"I do… Sonic was the last creation Of Gerald's Ultimate life research."

Everyone gasped at this realisation

"Sonic… was MADE?" Yelped Amy

"But why does Sonic…" Metal began

"Not know anything? That's my fault. Sonic was created to beat Shadow, to be superior to him in every way… and to destroy the planet. They fought, Shadow lost, but Sonic was so tired that Joz and me got the drop him and sealed him back up. Shadow was captured and brainwashed, and during the next 45 years of my life I worked on turning Sonic to good… and when I was done I wiped his memory, thinking it was best he didn't know about his past… I then left him with my prized Plane the Tornado in the green hills… right before he first beat Eggman."

"And because of what you did, if he finds out anything…"

"Then he may revert to being an evil killing machine"

"No… way…" Said Amy, everyone looked at her "No … way… I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT YOUR SAYING MILES!" She Yelled

"Never the less… it is the truth"

"Then we better get going" Said Metal "Who knows what's going to happen if we don't get there soon, there is one tube left, let's get going you six"

And so the last of the heroes made their way down the final tunnel which held the name "Joz" above it, all with heavy hearts (or battery in Metal's case).

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The Sonic Heroes had landed in a room that Knuckles had pointed out felt very much like the lava reef area on Angel Island. They where soon followed by the Ultimate Rogues and The Hunters.

"Glad you guys could make it" Said Sonic

"Sonic we have to get out of here now!" said Shadow

Sonic raised an eyebrow "What's Wrong Shadow?"

"This is one of Gerald's old bases, who know what lies in wait here" Shadow Fudged.

"Heh, what are you worried about Shadow? We already beat the Biolizard and Apocalypse together, we can beat anything else Gerald has left."

The black hedgehog kept quiet, he didn't want to reveal anything here, to many bad memories that could make Sonic revert. He signalled to Omega and Rouge to keep quiet too. "Very well then Sonic, lets continue on, just be very careful. Especially around here, there are a lot of lava pit falls. And if this room still has power, it won't allow Chaos Control"

"Got ya," Said Sonic.

The three teams began Hopping from platform to platform to get across.

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The Chaotix and Dynamics had just got to their room. It was a windy room with a single bridge over a spike pit.

"Uh Charmy I think you should walk for once, I don't want you being blown into one of those walls, you could get knocked out and uh… fall down there" Said Vector. Everyone but the Calm Espio cringed at the thought

"Um, OK vector… I think I will." Said the shivering bee

"Don't you try to fly ether Bean" Said Bark

"No worry, I won't." Said the duck

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In the Final tunnel The Metal Miscreants and Rose Petals where still mostly stunned by Miles's Bombshell when they found themselves in a large cave.

"Eww! This place is so cold and damp… I bet Rouge would LOVE it here…" Said Amy

"Well she is a bat" said Miles "and careful what you say about her, her grandfather Joz was one of my best friends you know."

"Sorry."

"Speaking of which, he told me about his room, careful, there is a pitfall with some crusher walls."

"What walls?"

"You know in movies where there's a hallway? And suddenly the two opposite walls start moving closer and closer together…?"

"… Ah…"

"I guess we need to do some wall jumps." Said Metal "or flight"

Miles shook his head "Air is too thin for flight, not enough air currents"

"Wall jumps then, quickly"

"Indeed"

"Um, Miles? This pitfall you spoke about?" Said Big

"… Yeah that would be it" Said the old fox, staring into a large ravine

"Ok Amy, this is it, ready?" Said Metal

"Um, I can't wall jump" Said the pink hedgehog

"What?"

"Least, I don't think I can, never tried it"

"Sigh, here watch me" Said Metal, he grabbed his team mates hands and started jumping from wall to wall "Now you try it" he called over from the other end

"Um, ok…" She said and made an attempt. She was able to do it, but she wasn't that fast at it, the walls started moving in and she nearly got Big's Tail Squished at the end "Phew!" she said.

" I second that…" Said Big looking at how close his tail was to the walls"

"Well you made it through" Said Metal, "Well done"

"Well let's get going" Said Miles "if Eggman is like his grand dad we have to fight someone now…"

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Meanwhile, back in the first room, thanks mainly to Tails, Nack and Rouge, the three teams had managed their way across the fire pits

"Ok Shadow, what can we expect now…?"

"A Fight of some sort" Said Shadow "Right through that door."

"Well bring it on, I'm sick of platforms" Said Spike

"Ditto Mate." Said Nack

The three teams walked through the light to find Eggman in the centre of the room with a new addition to his Eggmobile. It looked like a giant dragon. The Eggmobile was in the centre of its head, similar to the Egghawk

"Greetings hedgehogs and your teams… do you like my new toy?" Said Eggman "Wait a minute, what is Nack doing here? And who are those two?"

"I'm here cause GUN has a bounty on your head, these two are my Team mates Spike the Porcupine, and Nite the wolf. As for your machine, it looks like a an overgrown metal newt mate" Said Nack

"Let me guess… Eggdragon?" Said Sonic

"Hmph… no mater, I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!" said the mad egg shaped dictator wanna be"

"Bring it on Doctor!" said Shadow

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"Ok so we cross a giant spike pit, flew as high as we could to find we missed a button and then pressed it and had to climb a couple of platforms… and you guys did this kind of thing THREE times before?" Said a frustrated Squirrel

"Hey what about Sonic and the rest of his friends? They've done it many times before!" Said Vector. The Squirrel didn't answer, just fell over.

"That was just ridicules" Said Bark

"Well that's it, we are at the end of the line" Said Vector "Now to see what's at the end of the tunnel." He was greeted with a large room. "This is it?"

"Seems a little anti climatic" Said Bean

Then they where shot at and both team scattered

"Finally, a little action, I was getting bored" said vector, cracking his knuckles. He looked up to see the E-2000 that had attacked them in his house "YOU!"

"Greetings team Chaotix, and unknown allies. I am E-2999 "Celsius". The last surviving E-2000 series robot." Said the plane shaped "Because of the combined efforts of the Team Chaotix, The Sonic Heroes, Rose Petals and Ultimate Rouges, the robots E-2000 through E-2998 all where destroyed. Dr. Eggman programmed me with higher thinking, and fitted more advanced armour and powerful weapons. I' m here for revenge from my 999 brothers"

"Why attack us alone then?"

"Because the part of the Flag ship you blew up before Metal Sonic mkI became Metal Overlord housed the most of them, 700 of my brothers where on it"

"I see. But you made a big mistake attacking us, when we are done there will be no E-2000 series robots"

"Yeah, attacking both the Chaotix Crew and the dynamic dynamites was a mistake!" Said Bark

"You're going down bad guy!" Cried Charmy

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The Metal Miscreants and rose Petals had just entered their battle room to find a face all too familiar to Metal.

"I knew I would finally catch you faker!"

"My my, look who's beginning to sound like Sonic." Said the Metal Sonic mkII

"Shut up you, I'll make you pay for insulting me, threatening my team mates, AND destroying my home!"

"And I see you brought the Rose Petals with you… what you figured since the real Sonic doesn't want her you would try to move in on Amy?"

"HEY!" Said Amy brining out her Hammer "Take that back Metal Head!"

"You're going down!" Said Metal