With Sonic...

He came to the edge of the land strip and noticed too late. With a cry, he fell.

He landed with a thump on a large round platform. All around him black clouds flickered with purple lightning. There was no more gray mist.

A small laugh came from the center of the platform. Then Kerrigan appeared, and next to him was Shadow.

"Well..." said Sonic. "This saves me the trouble of looking for you."

"Very funny," said Kerrigan. He was staring at Sonic with a kind of hungry look.

"I suppose you're very confused right about now. You have no idea where you are, who I am, and what I can do or plan to do to you. A little explanation is required, I think. I shall try to simplify it enough so that your pitiful little mind can wrap itself around it."

He paused for a moment. "You have known of the brilliant scientist Professor Gerald Robotnik. He created more than you know of." Sonic nodded, not seeing where this conversation was headed.

"He was very interested in 'making people happy through the power of science.' Therefore he came up with the idea of the ultimate life-form. It would be perfect and flawless, the kind of person we'd always want to be but never could be." He laughed, a cold sound without humor. "Only a human could think such a thing! But he came close. Closer than he knew..."

"Right," said Sonic. "Shadow's the ultimate life-form, and the prototype was beaten up."

Kerrigan's piercing eyes bored into him. "No! That is what he wanted you to think. But you are wrong. So far from the truth." He gestured at Shadow. "He thought he was the ultimate life-form... but he was wrong. He was never a part of the ultimate life-form. He was merely part of an experiment to perfect Chaos Control, after the first failed."

Sonic's eyes widened. "What do you mean, first one failed?"

Kerrigan chuckled. "Ah, now I have your attention. You see, the first project of Chaos Control was meant to be part of the ultimate life form, but it was later dropped after its failure. Dr. Robotnik inserted certain genes into the DNA of a female hedgehog. I believe her name was... Marlyn. It was supposed to give her the ability to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds to warp time and space. But it failed. Marlyn showed no signs of being able to do such a thing, so the good doctor abandoned her. She was still alive, of course. Nine was created to try again to perfect these genes. And as you can see, the experiment worked. But, something happened that the professor did not intend."

Kerrigan stopped for a moment, his words hanging ominously in the air. Clearly he was enjoying the look of utter surprise on Sonic's face.

"Marlyn was married to another hedgehog. She had a son, and died shortly after his birth. The father soon disappeared as well, leaving the son to be raised by his uncle. The father's name was... Gabriel."

Sonic's mouth dropped open.

"And the child was named by his mother before she died. She named him... Sonic."

Sonic could not speak.

"Thus the Chaos Control gene was passed on... from mother to son... why else could you have used that fake Chaos Emerald? As soon as I heard of it, I knew then... I knew you were the one."

Kerrigan had a wide smirk on his face. "I have been around for a while, Sonic... before Gerald died, he created me."

His eyes flashed bright green. "Nine is not the ultimate life-form, and neither are you, Sonic."

He paused dramatically. "I am the ultimate life-form."

Sonic felt like Kerrigan had punched him hard. Too many revelations... all at once. Images were flashing through his head... Shadow falling to earth... Chaos Controlling out of the pod... the energy crackling around Harry as he flew back off of Kerrigan...

Kerrigan laughed again. "Now it makes sense, doesn't it? But there was only one thing wrong with me. Although I had been born with the power of Chaos, I had no ability to use Chaos Control. And that is where Nine comes in. While he was falling from ARK, I was watching. I knew he would not survive unless he used Chaos Control. So I... helped him a little bit. Since we both can use Chaos, I nudged his mind to have him Chaos Control out of there with the last of his strength. Then... he came here and joined me."

Sonic was deeply suspicious. "He would not have just joined you like that. You did something to him! What are you hiding?"

"Why would I hide from you?" asked Kerrigan. "All I need is you, Sonic. Your Chaos Control ability only works with the fake Emeralds, which, incidentally, have an enormous amount of explosive power if used right. Mine only works with the real Emeralds, as does Nine's. If we join, we can have both."

He looked to Sonic, and in his eyes there was no malice but pleading. "I will be the ultimate life-form! We will be perfect! We will bring to the earth and cosmos peace and prosperity, fulfilling the professor's wish! All you have to do is join willingly. I cannot force you to do this."

Suddenly Harry, Alene, and Starlight, who had heard the last few minutes, jumped down from the land strip.

"No, don't listen to him, he's lying!" cried Starlight.

"You think he can give all that to you?" asked Alene. "He's not the ultimate life-form, no one is!"

Other voices suddenly swirled around Sonic.

Hey Sonic, this is your chance to be the hero! said Tails' voice.

No! Remember the metiyas! objected Retio.

Gabriel! Who do you think hired Hashlar? put in Saermore.

Give the people a chance to be happy! It was Shadow's voice.

It's Chaos... I know it... it can't be all that bad... said Knuckles thoughtfully.

Don't trust him! He's about as honest as me with a jewel in mind! shouted Rouge.

The voices mixed together, shouting and yelling. Sonic's head whirled. Kerrigan stood calmly, but his hand was out reaching toward Sonic.

"Join," he commanded.

"There are more things resting upon your word than you know," said Kerrigan quietly. The voices that had been shouting around Sonic suddenly quieted.

But Sonic had already made his decision.

"No, Kerrigan," he said loudly. The world went still. "It is not possible to make the ultimate life-form. People may try, but people are not perfect, so how can they make something perfect? Nothing is perfect in the sense we think it is."

Kerrigan said nothing, but he trembled with rage. Then his eyes fixed on something over Sonic's shoulder, and he froze. A strange look came into his eyes, and Sonic could not identify it until he realized it was...

Fear.

Sonic turned, and he realized Kerrigan was looking at Harry. But why would he be afraid of Harry, of all people?

Harry was wondering much the same thing. Then, something in his mind clicked... something Kerrigan had told him...

"Above all, Mr. Greene, you must not mention the word Maria to him. I have reason to believe it is something tied to his past and mention of the word would produce instant mind trauma..."

Maria! Harry thought. That was the key to Nine's release!

Evidently Kerrigan knew that too, for he sent out a bolt of pure Chaos straight at Harry. Harry ducked.

"Maria!" he yelled. He had no idea how this would help, but he yelled anyway.

Beside Kerrigan, the image of Nine flickered and vanished. The real Nine took its place, and it seemed to come out from Kerrigan. Kerrigan gasped in pain and sent another bolt of Chaos at Harry. This one didn't miss.

Then Starlight tackled Kerrigan. They both went down.

"Try to get him! I'll distract him!" shouted Starlight to Sonic and Alene.

"Nine! No!" shouted Kerrigan as he struggled to get a hand free so he could blast Starlight.

Sonic realized what he had to do.

"Shadow! Remember Maria! Remember what you promised! If you help Kerrigan, that won't happen!"

Nine shuddered, then cried out, sinking to his knees with his head in his hands. All heard a crack, as if of a tight string suddenly snapping. Kerrigan screamed. Nine looked up.
Sonic saw something in his eyes. It was recognition.

Sonic almost collapsed in relief. But there was no time to do so now.

Kerrigan threw Starlight off him with sudden strength. He leaped to his feet, and there was a red madness in his eyes. Everyone could tell that he was no longer sane.

He screamed madly, and suddenly Saermore appeared. He looked dazed and obviously had no clue as to what was happening. Kerrigan grabbed him.

"You will regret your choice, Sonic!" he screamed. Then he snapped Saermore's spine.
Kerrigan tossed the body aside like nothing, and then shot a deadly bolt of Chaos power directly at Sonic. It was aimed to split his head in two.

But it never reached its target.

Shadow threw himself in its path, and took the brunt of the hit. He slammed back against Sonic, and they both fell over Harry's body.

Sonic felt something hard digging into his back. It was in Harry's pocket. He felt for it and pulled out a fake Chaos Emerald.

He stared at it. How had Harry gotten a hold of that? But now was not the time to wonder. Kerrigan was advancing on him and Alene, who was backed up to the edge of the platform looked terrified.

Sonic knew what he had to do.

He used the power of the Chaos Emerald to transport everyone besides himself and his enemy out of the world. Then he faced Kerrigan, who was raving now.

"I'll kill every last one of you!" he screamed.

"I don't think so!" shouted Sonic. Then he reached inside the Emerald, not for the transporting power, but a different power.

"Final... CHAOS!" he yelled.

The world exploded.

Tails opened his eyes.

He was back on the space colony ARK.

For a moment he was utterly bewildered. Where was the gray world? And where was Sonic? He could see Rouge, Knuckles, and Retio, but no one else.

Then there was a blinding flash of light, and Harry, Alene, Starlight, Saermore, and Shadow appeared.

"What the..." exclaimed Tails. Everyone else was similarly astonished.

Then there was another flash, and Sonic appeared.

"Sonic!" cried Tails, but he rushed over to Alene and helped her up.

Sonic struggled up and crawled over to Shadow. Shadow's breath was coming in short, slow draws.

"I'm glad... I came out of it..." he gasped.

"No, no... you're going to be okay... you'll live..." soothed Sonic. Everyone else gathered around the pair.

Shadow shook his head weakly.

"Don't... try to... fool... me... I've... been around... for too long..."

"No, Shadow!" Tears gathered in Sonic's eyes.

"Listen... Kerrigan... transported me through... that world... so many times... that the healing effect no longer works... I was meant to die... in the space battle... but it was denied... of me... so don't... deny it now..."

Shadow smiled faintly. "I'm glad... we set things right... one... last... time..."

He closed his eyes. Then he opened them, and the look was of startling clarity.

"Maria!"

Then he said no more.

Sonic bowed his head. The world spun around him. He tried to get up, but failed and collapsed.

"Hey Sonic..." The voice got fainter and fainter, and the world went black.