Renee and Reka flanked Speed as he simply stood and waited for them to make a move. The pink hedgehog nodded to the rabbit and she rushed at Speed with her hammer ready. Renee waited for him to dodge. Speed did jump to the right, but as Renee snapped her whip, Speed turned into a lightning bolt and shot around behind them. He returned to normal and swung his pike and twin bolts of energy blasted the girls down. They stood up and backed away as Speed summoned a strong aura of energy. Energy sparked from his body and blasted the ground around them. Speed smirked, "You're not even worth the waste of energy." The energy aura dies off and he returned to being green. The pike vanished in a spark of light. He drew his twin blasters, "I'll whip you without my powers."

Both girls looked at each other and then took off running. Shadow coughed, "I see your ego has grown with your powers."

"Not really! I can only hold my super form for a few minutes. They would have kicked my sorry butt if they had attacked."

"Nice bluff!"

"I try!" Speed looked to Sonia, "How has it been Princess?"

Sonia looked to the ground, "I am her clone, Sonia!"

"Oh!" Speed bent down to Shadow, "She cool?" Shadow nodded. Speed smiled, "Well the more help the better. Luxor's forces are quickly taking over this place. We need to get going."

Shadow shook his head and stood up with Sonia's help, "I need to get to Rouge. I have her soul."

"But she is at the hospital."

Speed shrugged, "So is Tails, Sonia. We need his help."

"Why?"

"Some wizard told me that he was one of the chosen ones or something. And since we have gotten power-ups, I'll go with what he said."

Shadow's new form died off and he returned to normal, "Then Sonia and me will get Tails and Rouge. You go and get the Princess."

"Why me?"

Shadow coughed some more, "I need to find some antidote for this stupid poison. And we will need the princess if we plan on getting any of the Freedom Fighter groups on our side."

Speed sighed, "Very well!" He tossed Sonia a small black box, "Activate that when you find Tails and Rouge." He ran toward the city.

Shadow rubbed his eyes, "Lets go!"

King Max drove his dragon into the center of the line of Swatbots. He smiled as the dragon's claws and tail shredded and smashed into everyone in range. The ground troops engaged the bots at close range and were pushing them back into the city. The sorcerers where blasting away with dark bolts of energy. The king pushed his dragon deeper, "To the command building!"

Speed shot through the streets toward the palace. He wasn't sure where to look, but he figured the palace was good place to start. All in all he really wasn't in a rush to see Sally. Considering his wife had locked herself in his room and wasn't talking to him. He really didn't need a one-night stand coming back to haunt him. He spotted several of Luxor's light troopers carrying her out of the palace and toward a green orb. He pulled out three bomb daggers and threw them. All three landed behind the group and exploded. The five troops and Sally hit the ground as Speed vaulted the palace gate and landed in front of them, "Sorry, but the girl is coming with me."

The head trooper stood up, "Leave or die traitor!"

Speed chuckled, "I think that is more you options." He crouched down and yelled out. His body crackled with energy and he erupted in golden light. He held out his hand and his pike appeared in a flash of lightning. He swung the pike fast and cut the head trooper down. "You guys want to try and take on my super form?" The troops drew their swords and lunged at him. As they reached him, a sphere of lightning formed and blasted the troops away. Speed returned to normal and held his hand out, "Miss me?"

Sally let Speed help her up, "No! But the rescue is appreciated." Sally gave Speed a look over, "Sperk!"

"I am the hedgehog formally known as Sperk. Name is Speed!"

"I need to talk to you about that night. I need to know what happened."

Speed sighed, "It is in the past. Let it remain in the shadows. We have to get out of here."

"But my family."

Speed picked her up, "This place is going to hell, so we have to make tracks. When we get the whole team together, we'll come back." Sally didn't fight him as he took off.

Shadow and Sonia snuck into the hospital as a pair of Luxor's troops took their post at the main doors. They managed to get to the third floor before running into somebody. Fortunately it was Doctor Quack. The duck quickly hurried them into a small lab. "You shouldn't have come here. The guards are everywhere."

Shadow had to blink a few time to focus on the doc, "I need some help."

The duck sighed and went to work. It took him about two hours to figure out what the poison was and to find the right antidote. Shadow started to feel better after a few minutes. Doctor Quack sat down on a stool, "Are you sure that you want to do this? Getting Rouge out of here is one thing, but Tails still isn't himself."

"But Speed said we needed him." Sonia looked out the window and watched some troops patrol the streets, "And right now, we need all the help we can get."

The duck nodded and pulled some medical coats and mask from a locker, "Take these! Both Rouge and Tails are on the fifth floor." He drew a rough map on a piece of paper, "This will take you to the royal elevator. It is hidden, so you might be able to slip in and out without being seen."

Shadow nodded and took the map and put the coat and mask on, "Thank you!"

Doctor Quack bowed, "Good luck!"

Speed had managed to get Sally to his hidden ship without any encounters. He left her in the small computer station while he sat in the pilot chair. Sally quietly snuck to the door that led to his room. She knocked on it softly, "Leda?"

She heard a soft computer beep and the door slid open. She walked in and the door shut and beeped again. Leda sat down on the small bed and starred at the floor. Tear stains covered her face and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. Sally sat down next to her pretended to be interested in the dull gray floor. Leda glanced at her, "Hi." Her voice was low and weak.

"Hi." Sally almost wished she had stayed in the cockpit. "You two having problems?"

"I can't face him. I almost gave myself to a dark copy of him."

"But you didn't."

"Only because Speed came to the rescue. He always needs to come to my rescue." Leda picked up a picture of her wedding, "I wish I had known what I would have put him through when we decided to tie the knot."

Sally took the picture. Both Leda and Speed stood under a flower arch and they both looked happy, "I hope my wedding looks this good."

"At least you can offer Sonic more than just being a wife. You're smart and athletic."

"Your not exactly out of shape." Sally knew plenty of women that would kill for Leda's figure. "And I don't think you dumb either."

Leda hugged herself, "I didn't even know my husband's body was under the control of the berserker system. What good am I to him?"

"Did you try asking Speed?" Leda shook her head. Sally managed a small smile, "Then ask him! Just talking to him should answer your questions."

"I guess!"

"Trust me!" Sally wrapped her arm around Leda, "Things will work out."

Shadow and Sonia walked past a trio of guards as the headed toward Rouge's room. The guards gave them no more than a glance before returning to their conversation. They entered the room and closed the door. Shadow removed the mask and walked over to Rouge. She was lying in a bed and had an I.V tube in her wrist. The hedgehog pulled out the purple gem and crushed it in his hand. As purple cloud formed and he blew it at Rouge. The bat was surrounded by a purple aura as the cloud entered her body. After a few seconds the aura died off and Rouge opened her eyes. She looked around and sat up, "What hit me?"

Shadow suppressed the smile that almost formed, "I have returned your soul to you. I am sorry for taking it."

The bat smiled, "No harm done!" She tossed off the sheets and pulled the I.V out, "Let's get out of here. Hospitals give me the creeps."

As Rouge walked past them, Sonia tapped her on the shoulder, "You might want to change."

Rouge turned her head and found her medical gown had opened up and gave Shadow a full moon. Her face turned red and she quickly closed it, "Good idea! You! Turn around!" Shadow grumbled and turned his back on the pair. She spotted her clothes in a closet, "Thanks for the heads up."

Sonia smiled, "No problem!"

After Rouge got dressed, Shadow told her about what had happened. She agreed to help and as Shadow and Sonia made they're way to Tails's room by foot. Rouge was going to fly. Rouge flew to the window and opened it. She stepped in and looked at the sleeping fox. He was obviously sedated. She walked to the door and waited for Shadow to tap on it. She heard the tap and let the two-in. "How are we going to get him out of here?"

Shadow scratched his head, "Now that is a good question. If I had a Chaos Emerald, I could just teleport us all out."

"Well we don't have one." Rouge looked out the window, "And I can't fly fast enough with him."

Shadow tossed off his med coat, "I'll distract the guards."

"How!"

Shadow smiled to Sonia and transformed into his super form, "These new powers should do just fine." He ran into the hall, "Hey dunder heads!" The guards spotted him and went for their guns. Shadow pulled a lighter from his glove and smashed it against the sprinkler head on the ceiling. It sparked and water flowed from every sprinkler on the floor. The guards looked to each other and shrugged. Shadow held out his hand and the water flowed around him. He smiled, "Hope you can swim." The water flowed together and a gush of water blasted the guards down the hall and out a window. Shadow's sword appeared from the water and he jumped to the street. Troops started to converge on him. The hedgehog activated the box Speed gave him and readied for the attack.

As soon as Speed got Shadow's signal, he started The Hunter up and the sleek attack ship shot into the sky and flew toward the hospital. He spotted Shadow's fight and Rouge and the others on the roof. He landed the ship on the roof and quickly jumped out, "Get on!" As Rouge and Sonia carried Tails aboard, Speed transformed into his super form and leapt off the roof. He landed behind Shadow, "Having fun?"

"Some! But I am ready to call it quits."

"Thanks for getting them all wet." Speed summoned his pike and slammed it into the ground. Lighting arched from the staff and shot across the ground. The troops tried to run, but the energy blasted them across the area and they hit the ground hard. Speed hit a button on his belt and The Hunter flew over and a cable lowered to them, "Need a lift?" Shadow sighed and both of them grabbed the cable. The ship flew up as the cable pulled them in. When both were aboard, the ship blasted off into sky.