Miles was pacing up and down the runway outside of Tails' workshop. Everyone had been asked to leave the room where Nite and Trance were so that the white wolf could concentrate better on Nite's mind. Spike and Amy had stayed in side just incase something were to happen.
"I still don't get why I had to leave as well," whined Metal, it was true that he was a robot and therefore shouldn't have interfered with Trance's mind probe.
"Well Metal mate" Nack turned to look the sonic clone in the eyes "we need someone with some decent power incase GUN attacks"
"Hmph, what does that make me chopped liver" spoke up Knuckles.
Nack sighed and turned pleadingly to Tails. The young fox saw that the purple weasel wasn't getting anywhere with the two hot heads of the group, it was Miles that spoke up though.
"No Knuckles it doesn't…its just…well he is the closest thing we have to Sonic…"
There was an uncomfortable silence following the mention of their lost friend. All of them had been saved, helped or touched by the blue hero at least once before and now that he was gone forever it affected the entire world. Even Shadow seemed darker than usual, as was Metal.
"SONIC HEROES!"
They all spun towards the booming robotic voice and gasped in shock as they saw a huge humanoid walker about the same size as Tails' workshop. It was a yellowy bronze in colour and had giant hammers for hands; there was one cycloptic light in he center of its small shell like head which they guessed was how it saw its surrounding.
"I AM THE J-273 ADVANCED ATTACK DROID, JUGGERNAUT"
"So you're supposed to be unstoppable huh?" Mighty smiled as he cracked his knuckles and fell into a fighting stance as well as everyone else.
"AFFIRMATIVE"
Knuckles grinned as he readied himself for attack, "Oh we'll see about that"
"Everyone ready!" Metal yelled and a combined chorus of everyone else yelled yes, Metal charged forward "CHARGE!" and with that the group of world-renowned heroes charged forward to do battle with this new foe.
Nack made a quick detour during the charge and headed for his new toy the War Hawk but before he could get anywhere near it a barrage of missiles fired from the Juggernaut's back bombarded the jet and left little more than a heap of burning metal.
"NO! MY NEW TOY!"
With that the furious weasel spun and charged towards the robot his custom shotgun ready to deal as much painful revenge on the machine as possible.
They all attacked the huge war machine at the same time, Nack and Miles attacking from a distance aiming for the red light like eye that the machine had trying desperately to block its view but Miles' paintballs just slid right off while Nack's bullets ricocheted off target.
Big, Knuckles and Mighty dove in and attacked the monster's legs with all the power they had trying to bring the machine down but even their powerful attacks barely dented its immensely hard armor.
Cream and Tails were firing Metal at the giant's weapons and arms using their thunder shoot technique with double the kick but it didn't seem to be affected, even when Cheese fired itself straight into the monstrous mechanical man.
"RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!"
With one tremendous kick the battle droid sent Knuckles, Big and Mighty flying away before swinging a huge arm around trying to swat Cream and Tails out of the air, they dropped Metal under the arm while they only barely dodged by flying over the attack.
After that the Juggernaut turned its attention to Nack and Miles, slamming its huge hammer like fists into the ground, luckily the weasel and fox managed to dodge to the side before they were crushed by the attack.
"No one attacks my friend!" Metal leaped forward, grinding up the metal monstrosity until he reached its shoulder where he leaped into the air and threw himself at the mechanical creature's head. He slammed into the metal monster hard making it stagger back slightly as he fell back to the ground beside all of the other heroes.
But the Juggernaut soon shook off the attack and turned to face the heroes.
"THAT…WAS A MISTAKE"
Miles readied himself for attack now a little afraid for his and his friends' lives, the monster had taken the best they had to offer at was still ready for more. They needed Shadow.
OOO
Spike watched as the white wolf stood with her hands placed gently at the sides of his friend's head, concentrating hard on trying to revive the bounty hunter with her skills. The porcupine was beyond glad that he and Amy were allowed to stay and watch over the two, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything ever happened to Nite, he had been his friend for so long and both had helped each other out of some extremely tight spots.
Just then Trance opened her eyes and gasped slightly as she fell to her knees in near exhaustion, Spike nearly gasped himself and in less than a second both he and Amy had crossed from their side of the large room and to the female wolf's side. Amy kneeled down next to her to get a better look at her. Spike glanced to Nite; it didn't look like he was going to wake up any time soon.
"What happened?" he kept his voice calm and collected, although inside he was distraught at the thought of losing his long time close friend.
Trance forced herself to stand and gazed down at the slumbering black wolf before looking up to meet Spike's eyes.
"I've encountered a mental barrier…" her voice was as soft as it was when she first appeared "…it's much stronger than the ones that I created to block his memories…I believe that his own mind created it some how by accident while trying to force itself to remember…"
"Well can't you break through?" Amy was beginning to sound extremely worried, they had heard the sounds of a fight outside and if Nite really was an ultimate life form then they would need his skills.
Trance looked at the pink hedgehog girl, the sorrow very visible in the white wolf's eyes.
"I'm sorry but I can't…not without the help of someone with a similar mind…"
Spike raised an eyebrow at this "What do you mean…as in another ultimate life form…" he turned to leave "I'll go get Shadow then…"
"He wont do…" as Spike stopped and turned back around he saw that Trance had turned back to gazing down at her fellow wolf.
The porcupine narrowed his eyes slightly, he didn't exactly trust the other wolf, she had worked for GUN "What do you mean?"
She looked back up at him and instantly the green porcupine felt guilty about not trusting her, the tears and emotions in her eyes were very much real. As she spoke her voice was weak and shaky.
"We need the one that he was a byproduct of…we need Sonic…"
The green and pink spiked heroes gasped at the news.
OOO
Mighty just didn't know what was going on, he felt so weak against the huge battle bot. No matter how hard he hit it, what he threw at it or how many times they all managed to knock it down it just got back up and continued fighting. He hated to admit it but he already knew that they were no match for the monster made of metal.
"Well gramps" Miles turned to face his black and red friend as the armadillo spoke "guess this is where it ends…"
The striped fox smiled at his friend, "yeah…I kind'a thought I was getting too old for this whole saving the world stuff…"
"No not here!" they both spun to see a very enraged Metal Sonic pushing himself up form the ground, he had only just been smashed into the earth from a devastating hammer blow from their metal adversary, he seemed very tired even though he was a robot "I wont lose to it! I won't lose to anything but Sonic!" he yelled with such passion that the others seemed to catch a second wind.
Tails readied himself to get extra strength even after being smashed into the wall of his workshop as he spun his tails and started to float into the air.
"Yeah! Sonic wouldn't give up!"
Knuckles readied himself for another charge at the monster "So we won't either!"
Nack smiled his usual arrogant smirk as he reloaded his shotgun and switched it to energy blasts "Yeah mates, I got a score to settle with tall dark and ugly anyway"
Mighty smiled as well as he stood up straighter, now filled with strength from just hearing his friends not giving up "Yeah, can't let some piece of junk be stronger than me…"
Miles smiled as well switching to bullets in his wrist shooter "I didn't give up when I was a Shadow, I won't give up as a Metal Miscreant!"
"Mr. Sonic never gave up when he helped me get my mother back, me and Cheese wont give up either" Cream seemed to be filled with a fire that no one else knew the cute rabbit possessed and even Cheese seemed to be more serious.
"The cute rabbit's mom asked me to protect her, me and Froggy wont give up" with that the huge purple cat adjusted his belt and Froggy hopped up onto his head and let out a defiant ribbit.
They all stood in one large line facing the Juggernaut all ready to fight to the death if they needed to.
"CHARGE!" they all yelled together as they ran towards what was proving to be an invincible foe.
But all stopped dead as a fast blur shot from nowhere smashing through the robot's head as if it were nothing. Miles raised an eyebrow slightly in confusion.
"Shadow?"
The blur then spun round in midair and slammed through the robots right shoulder, it was a blue blur. Tails' eyes widened at the realization.
"It couldn't be…"
The blur stopped and charged back this time smashing clean through the Juggernaut's chest and high into the air where it fell down at mind boggling speeds and slammed down straight through the huge machine in one intense attack causing a huge explosion to engulf the metal warrior.
Then, as the smoke began to clear a familiar from walked out from it, a form with blue spikes, red shoes and green eyes, a form that left all of the heroes bewildered and confused. It smiled and gave them the thumbs up while winking.
"Hey guys. Long time no see"
It was the form of Sonic the Hedgehog.