Alrighty, Chapter nine at last, sorry it's been so long in the pipeline, only half-way through I decided to change the plot a little and had to map out a couple of events in my head. And of course I went on holiday, viva Espania.

And without further blabbering.

Chapter 9 Magnus

"So you see Sonic, with your help and only yours we can save both our lives." Bionic explained, "I can't go topside, but you, you could bring me a Chaos Emerald and together we can survive"
Sonic was sitting on the hard stone floor with his back to Bionic, "Just supposing I believe you." Sonic said turning his head so glanced sideways at Bionic, "What happens to you afterward"
"Sonic, all I want is to survive, to secure the continuation of my kind and perhaps the return of the large store of energy Kai stole from me on that beach"
"You attacked him, it's a natural state for anyone to want to live"
"Beasts and birds live, Sonic it's a natural state for anyone to want to live free, down here I can't do that and up there as long as those three are alive I can't at all. You're the hero Sonic, defender of the weak, pursuer of justice, is it just for me to live down here?"

Shadow ran on through the dark, if he was right this passage would lead him back to the way he had come down, if he was wrong, those things, tentacles , whatever they were would catch him. And he knew they wouldn't let him slip out again, it had been hard enough the first time, he had used the last of chaos energy stored in his body to do a short range Chaos Control out of danger but as if they sensed it, the tentacles thundered after him through the tunnel. He reached the chasm leading up out into freedom, but how to get there was a problem, but he was running out of time and had to act fast. The tentacles rushed around the corner and extended upward, blocking Shadow's escape route.
"You steel snakes, I'll scrap you all!" Shadow yelled, he launched himself at the far wall and bounced himself off it and toward the tentacles, he caught one and swung back towards the other wall and again jumped from there, catching another, spinning around it and leaping at the opposite rock face, he continued like this for some time, slowly progressing upward until he saw a ledge where he might get some rest and shelter from the onslaught, he swung on one strand and spun on another before spotting the crevice at the back of the ledge and angling himself toward it and landing smoothly inside.
"Some workout." he sighed to the darkness, "I haven't even broken a sweat."

Max slumped back clutching his hand, this hedgehog was like a brick hit house.
"I tried to warn you." Bionic rasped flinging Kai, whom he had held up by the throat, across the hall, he crouched down to grab Max, the young hedgehog rolled backward, kicking Bionic in the process and jumping to his feet. Bionic had hardly even flinched, he shrugged and smiled on the organic side of his face. Max decided to do the unexpected and took to the offensive, jumping a couple of feet upward and spin kicking Bionic in the jaw, he landed in a crouching position and hooked Bionic's leg, tripping the hedgehog over. A small streak of blood came down out of Bionic's mouth, he spat up more and turned back toward Max. Kai who had now gotten to his feet saw what was happening and smiled a little before running back down the corridor and vaulting over Bionic.
"One or two insects are nothing to a God." Bionic sneered and swept his metal arm toward Kai who ducked quickly, leaning toward Kai, Bionic raised his foot and smashed it into Max's abdomen causing him to double over in pain, Bionic raised his leg higher, smacking Max across the face in the process and spinning around again to face Kai. Bionic dove toward Kai who flipped up and over Bionic, slamming his feet, along with Bionic into the ground. "Oh come on." Kai sighed, "This is all old, you've got nothing new"
"This is…" Bionic froze for a second, as if contemplating something. Slowly h got up and looked at Kai, a look of genuine glee plastered across his organic mouth. "You don't know what this is do you?" In Bionic's hand was a little more than flat metal disk, "It's called a Chaos Nullifier"
A cloaked figure had run down the hall, unnoticed by any of the others, suddenly the figure leaped into the air and kicked the Chaos Nullifier from Bionic's hand. Kai was there in a second, he barged into Bionic and ran flat out down the corridor, smashing the doors to pieces. The cloaked figure leaped over bionic, producing a sword as he did and drove it through Bionic's stomach as he landed. Bionic was still twitching while he was pinned.
"You…!" He managed to choke out before going dreadfully stiff.
"You!" Kai yelled, "You're supposed to be dead"
"Am I not?" The cloaked figure asked.
"Miles Tails Prower is dead!" Kai yelled back, "I don't know who you are but YOU ARE NOT THE TAILS THAT DIED"
"Indeed I am not." The figure lowered his hood revealing a face much older than the one Kai remembered, a scruffy mop of hair ran down to his neck and a scar ran across his face from left eye to the bottom right of his jaw. "But there is little time to explain who I am." He gestured to The Tornado L which had somehow found its way to the compound's front. "You said you needed to borrow the Tornado, way I see it is it's still on loan"
Kai leaped on to the wing in a flash and Max was in the passenger seat just as quick, the stranger hopped into the pilot's seat and fired the engines. They were away from the island in a flash, but not back in the direction of the workshop.
"Uh, where are we flying too?" Kai shouted over from the wing.
"Sonic and Shadow." 'Tails' replied.
"But how do you know where they are Tails"
"There's no time to explain and call me Miles."

Shadow meanwhile had discovered that the crevice he had sought refuge in lead to a complex labyrinth of caves, he proceeded slowly, watching for anything even remotely metallic.
"Air's getting thin, must be deep underground." He muttered to himself, "Body deprived of air, getting light-headed. I'm… talking to myself." Shadow came at last to a steep path down and could see traces that it had been walked on recently. A sudden wind blew down the passage, returning fresh air to his lungs, "Well if Sonic is alive he probably came down here." The path lead Shadow out into a large cavern and into the path of a very angry Sonic.
"You!" Sonic yelled as he pounced Shadow, "You tricked me!" He dragged Shadows skull into his own, which both surprised and disorientated Shadow. Shadow slumped back only to be struck across the face and then punched straight, an impact that very nearly knocked him out.
"Oh, no don't pass out on me, the fun is just starting." Sonic picked Shadow up by the throat, threw his up in the air, jumped up after him and kicked him across to the centre of the room. "You tried to take everything from me, all of you!" Sonic ran across to Shadow and attempted a spin dash into him, in a second Shadow was on his feet and spinning, the two hedgehog's collided stopped in position, cancelling each other's spins out. They continued, neither giving an inch, both spinning wildly. They both stopped spinning and engaged instead in stupendously fast hand to hand combat, strike, block counter, block, strike and so on. All done at near impossible speed. Shadow caught one of Sonic's legs between his torso and arm.
"I don't think so." He snarled. Sonic, his leg still in Shadow's grip jumped up and used his other leg to kick Shadow across the face, he then sped toward the cave wall and bounced himself off, speeding back toward Shadow. The black Hedgehog saw it coming and his air shoes blazed to life, propelling him toward Sonic. They collided with a force that knocked them both unconscious and shook the whole cavern.

Kai looked down into the chasm, "Down there?" He asked Miles.
"Down there." The fox confirmed, "Lets go." Miles leaped off the plane and landed gracefully beside the chasm, the plane was set to hover over the chasm.
"Stay here." Kai ordered Max, "If anything happens call the police, or the army"
"Will do, remember, earpiece radio, stay in touch"
"Will do." Kai jumped after Miles and then into the chasm, bouncing from wall to wall to keep his speed down. Miles came close behind.
"Wait!" Miles yelled about half way down, "We're here, he ducked into a crevice and shot down the tunnel as if he knew where he was going, Kai sped after him. They came out into a large open cavern lit by torches. Sonic and Shadow were stood in the centre of the room, both stood utterly still and hung their heads.
"Sonic!" Kai yelled, "You alright." He ran over and was suddenly blown back and caught by Miles.
"Damn." Miles cursed, "Too late. We'll have to do this then"
"Well lets do it." Kai bellowed already charging Sonic, he was blocked by Shadow who dove across Kai's line of sight and punched him flat. Miles meanwhile had tackled Sonic to the floor and was yelling at him, "Sonic! Snap out of it! It's me"
"No!" Sonic screamed back, mostly out of anger but with a trace of fear, "You want to trick me, kill me! Saved you so many times, but you threw it back in my face! I'm not afraid of you"
"You're not making any sense! Unless"
Shadow rushed Kai, air skates blazing phenomenally.
"You want to kill me! All of you!" Shadow screamed, "You're all going to die"
"Shadow! What's wrong? What are you talking about?" Kai swung his fist and knocked Shadow flying backward and landing in a heap on the floor. Sonic was now holding Miles face down on the stone floor and had raised his fist, he swung down but slammed into the floor. Miles reappeared behind Sonic and kicked him in the back of the head, sending him sprawling toward Shadow.
A slow clap was heard as Sonic and Shadow stood back up and stayed utterly still. Kai froze as a chill voice burned into his ears.
"Very good, very good. I do wonder who your friend is. Well I might as well jut kill him and not bother to enquire"
"You just can't die can you?" Kai asked, already seeing another Bionic today had made him expect this.
"You blow me up, I'll just reform, that's the beauty of my self-destruct, I can never be completely destroyed, just scattered"
"Lets test that theory"
"Ah, ah, ah, you see you are in no predicament to test anything, I have two of your friends under my control and I've discovered a rather interesting way for them to access their super-forms. I'll not bore you with the details but, I guess I should give a demonstration"
There was a blinding flash of light, Miles and Kai were swept off their feet and slammed into opposite walls of the cavern. From the flash emerged Super-Sonic and shortly after came Hyper-Shadow. Shadow shot across the room, threw Kai to the ground and dug his heel into Kai's back. Meanwhile Sonic had pinned Tails to the wall and stared him in the face.
"Sonic.." He said tenderly, "Don't do this… you're not… not like this, you're not evil"
"Not evil." Sonic repeated, "Worse"
Shadow raised his hands and green Chaos energy shimmered across his palms and gathered in two balls on his hands, he let Kai stand up and let lose his store of Chaos Energy. There was yet another flash of intense light and a wave of heat rippled through the air causing all those in the room to flinch, as if shrinking away from a blow. A green ball of energy floated where Kai had been, Shadow held up his palm and the orb came to him, he tensed and hurled the energy orb through the wall, the deafening explosion was heard and it shook the cavern causing rocks to fall from the ceiling, one narrowly missing Miles.
"Game over." Bionic laughed, "And as for you." He turned t Miles, now on his knees, flanked by Sonic and Shadow, "Whoever you are you seem to have some skill, I should think you'd make a rather good servant"
"Bite me!" Miles spat. Bionic's face screwed up and he stared daggers at Miles, "Trust me, willing or not, you'll be kneeling a lot more in my presence"
A rumble arose from the spot where Kai had been thrown through the wall, it became more of a growl and finally rose to a scream of rage.
"Well, it seems the old warhorse still has a couple of tricks." Bionic smiled and stared toward the newly formed tunnel. A black streak shot out and suddenly Sonic and Shadow were flat on their backs and wondering what had happened. Bionic nervously cast his gaze around the room and was all of a sudden lifted off his feet.
"You….." The voice was not unfamiliar but it also did not sound like Kai, more hostile, darker, stranger, "We remember you."