Author's note:

this is the longest chapter so far, two fights (ouch). hope you enjoy, R&R!

Chapter 8: Nite's revenge, Shade's grief

I remained quiet for a while then eventually said "… So that's the story huh?"

"Yes…"

"Well Dark Lance is in there… isn't he?" I pointed to the door down the hallway.

"Yes…"

"… So why are you just standing there?"

"… You aren't going to try to stop me?"

"I would… if it was my fight"

Shade looked surprised and spoke up "You're going to let him fight alone?"

I shrugged, I didn't know why but… "I know he can do it"

"But what if…?"

"Shade, trust me, he CAN do this… but" I turned to Nite "That doesn't mean I'm not going to watch, if you falter then I will help and we will put this down to a bad day… any objections?"

Nite shook his head "none"

"Right, lets go." We walked slowly down the hallway and Nite pushed the door open. They lead to a flight of stairs and out into the shrine. It looked just like a church, except without the seats. Shade and I stayed in the shadows at the front door while Nite went to confront his enemy.

"Dark Lance" Said Nite angrily.

The Robot turned, its tall body shone from the light his Axe-gun in his right hand, its feet tucked away as it hovered there.

"Nite? Hmm I would have thought they would send your brother here… I heard he was in the building maybe he is to cowardly" I had to hold myself back at this point

"To bad, I'm the one you're getting"

"Not that it matter, I have studied your fights too… all you organics are the same, you have your own weaknesses."

"And you don't?" Said Nite, as I said it mentally

"No, we are created by an evolved mind, we are perfection"

"Some how I doubt that."

"Well… shall we get started? I have been… "Itching" as you organics put it, for a fight since I saw that video of your brother destroy Gigacannon. Not that you will be much of a challenge though."

Nite growled in anger "That's what you think!"

"There is another Term I heard used for this instance… "Survival of the fittest" something some call a law of nature, something your feeble mind might understand, and seeing as you are the weakest of us, I suggest you surrender now, you might make a good worker"

"Shut up! I'm going to get you back for Trance! You're … going … DOWN!"

The robot said nothing else, instead it rushed forward and spun its axe, moving to slam it, shard side down, into Nite's Head. Nite dodged it with only getting a scratch on his check

"I believe the term is, "First blood"" said Dark Lance in a patronizing voice.

Nite growled in anger again, his arm turned into cannon mode as he dodged further attack, while firing. Dark Lance also dodged, nether hit each other so far. Nite then got a good aim in, there was no possible way anyone could miss! Until that is, Dark Lance shown his new ability, and disappeared in a green haze before the shot hit

"What the!"

Dark Lance appeared again, hovering a good few feet in front of Nite

"Hm hm hm," it laughed "pathetic"

"That was the… Chaos Control!"

"Indeed, when master captured your brother, he studied him, this allowed him to give all his generals an upgrade that allowed them to use Chaos Abilities"

So it isn't only Meta Shadow then

"Your brother caught Gigacannon by surprise, that's why Gigacannon didn't use his, now let me show you another, utilising your weakness… Chaos Magnetism" Dark Lance announced

Nite, to his horror found himself floating in mid air, dangling from his metal arm. Dark Lance put his Axe-gun on his back as his left hand morphed into a cannon

"You see, your arm isn't the usual organic adamantate that other robotosized creatures are, it's more a organic steel, which makes it magnetic, and now I show you another power of mine. Charge Chaos Cannon"

There was a sickening hum as he took aim with his left arm

"Inferno Cannon" he announced

There was a green haze as Nite disappeared, followed by the cannon firing and blasting through the ceiling in a magnificently powerful crimson beam.

"You're not the only one that can Chaos Control you know!" Said Nite who now stood behind him.

"No matter, I am not in a rush, you will die eventually" Said Dark Lance plainly

Dark Lance aimed his Axe and took a few shots at Nite. One grazed the Wolf's cheek, another was blocked as his hand turned into a shield. The final one however dug its way into his left shoulder.

"ARRHAAA!" Nite yelled in pain, nursing his injured arm, he turned to look at Dark Lance, fire in his eyes.

"See? You organics are all so fragile, just like maggots, easily Squashed underfoot."

"I'm no maggot! I'm a WOLF!" yelled Nite, he turned his arm back to cannon mode and fired it so quickly, that Dark Lance couldn't dodge, and it hit him square in the leg. "Heh, who's the weak one now rust bucket?"

"Damage minimal, a wasted effort." Dark Lance mocked.

Nite growled and began firing multiple shots at Dark Lance; Dark Lance dodged all the shots ready for Nite this time.

"Useless… take this!" he proclaimed, and suddenly Nite found he couldn't move, there was also a great amount of heat surrounding him, and it was getting hotter by the second, suddenly the air surrounding him started flaming! "Chaos Judgment" said the robot as Nite roared in pain from the flames surrounding him

As the flames died down, Nite stood there, breathing heavily, his fur singed,

At this point Shade began to move from her hiding spot to help Nite, I moved my hand in front of her position to block her. She shot a glance at me with shock in her eyes.

"We have to help him!" she whispered forcefully. I just shook my head. "But he's getting Slaughtered!"

"He's got to do this himself, he WILL win" I said confidently.

At that point Nite began to chuckle under his breath, silencing Shade. The young wolf was staring at the ground, smoke still coming off him, his chuckling became slightly with each passing second.

"May I ask what's so funny?" asked Dark Lance. Its voice sounded a bit tweaked.

"You know…" Nite began "After you robotosized Trance… I didn't want to live anymore… if Gerald hadn't stopped me, I probably wouldn't be here right now. Tell me robot? Do you know what its like? To care for someone as deeply as I did her? Only to have them taken away from you? Oh that's right; you're an unfeeling piece of scrap metal. Well let me tell you… It's like having your heart, cut out of your chest using a blunt plastic knife. Its excruciating. There are times I feel like the only time I alive now are when I am in the heat of battle. Times like this. All because of you. Now Dark Lance. Now make me feel it! Make me feel alive again!"

"What are you talking about you stupi…" Dark Lance was cut off as Nite flew across the room with speed he hadn't shown before. Dark Lance was taken by surprise as the Wolf's fist changed to a claw like weapon and he started attacking Dark Lance. Each slash of the claw made a metallic clang against Dark Lance's axe as he tried to parry each of Nite's blows. As the battle went on, Dark Lance seemed more and more desperate, throwing his chaos attacks right left and centre. With the ferocity of Nite's attacks, I was surprised Dark Lance survived as long as he did, but it didn't last, after a crushing attack that knocked the robot to the floor, Nite Chaos Controlled behind Dark Lance, and thrust his claw into Dark Lance with such force that the hand went through his chest… and being held in it was the Red Emerald.

Dark Lance was now lying on the ground barley able to move. I knew these robots had feelings, and as Nite jumped back I knew what Dark Lance was feeling. Fear.

"What… no… butZZZ… how izzz this pozzible!" it fizzed

"You" Nite stated "will die now…"

Dark Lance struggle to keep his Axe up, trying to fire at the embodiment of his fear, as it moved ever closer in, zigging and zagging, but ether his targeting sensors where off or his aim was affected by his fear as his shots hit nothing but air. As Nite came on him Dark Lance roared in fear, then was suddenly silenced as Nite ripped into him. It was a horrific Shade turned at this point, she must have been imagining what it would have been like if Dark Lance was a living earthling rather than a robot as I'm sure she looked a bit green.

"Survival of the fittest indeed." I stated simple as I watched the horror unfold.

Pathetic robot never stood a chance

To be truthful I liked it, Nite had style. But then those feelings surfaced again, as I for some reason felt sorry for the smoking wreck that was once the General Dark Lance. I walked up to Nite and rested my hand on his shoulder. "I think its already dead"

Nite was about to strike again but stopped and nodded, panting heavily.

"Th-thank you Sonic." He eventually managed to say "for letting me do this"

I smiled and said "No problem, you needed to."

"I… doubt Shadow would of let me go through with it."

"It's ok, lets go now"

"Right" Said Nite as he turned away, however we weren't going to be leaving so soon. A bullet from no where ripped into Nite's leg and another passed by my ear.

As Nite fell to the ground and Shade came over to tend to him, I looked around for the assassin that had shot at us. "Who's there?" I yelled in anger "show yourself coward!"

Then something dropped down from the Ceiling. I knew who it was instantly, I remembered reading this had happened to him.

"J-Joz!" uttered Shade

"Shade, get Nite out of here NOW!" there go those feelings again, now they where making me tell someone to get to safety…

"B-but!"

"DO IT!"

"O-ok" she said as she helped the injured Nite limp away.

"So… here we are… I figured I would have to face you some time." I said to the robot bat. I studied him carefully. His glasses obviously made the visor that replaced his eyes as I saw no colour in them. in his right hand was the weapon he just used on us, a rifle of some sort. The other hand was not even there, replaced by a blade I recognised quite well… Joz used it till he died in that other world… then Rouge started using it during the Apocalypse thing. On his body where variations of his armour and wing upgrades, which I assumed the professor made.

"Indeed. You shall pay for the death of my master" he said pointing the blade at me

"Master? Far as I know you are meant to be a master." I mocked

"Hmph" said the robot. There was none of the charm of the Joz I remember Sonic speaking too when he fought the Demon, Black. The robotoization process obviously changes more than your body, as well as taking your free will it changes your attitude.

"All business no talk huh?"

"What's with this pointless talking? You're only prolonging the inevitable, shut up and fight me"

"Well if the bat wants to go that badly," I said as I lunged at him, avoiding the blade carefully, I kicked the gun out of his hand. And before he could grab it I used Chaos Thunder on it and it was vaporised. "But you should know you're out of your league

"I don't need that to beat you, my sword is my power" said the robot

"Who's the one prolonging the inevitable this time?"

Joz Didn't answer, instead he rushed forward swinging his sword, with so much ease that if I had been any slower my head and body would now be separate. I countered the move with a punch which he dodged and he swung at me again, and so it went in an endless loop of slash miss, fist, miss and so on. The robotoization obviously increased the old bat's reflexes. His power now surpassed what it was during the time the group known as the Three Shadows existed in my own world. This was a challenge and I loved every minute of it.

As we broke off from the last attack, I could see another advantage of the possess. Where as I was out of breath, Robots didn't need to breath. Small consolation for losing your free will.

"It's no use. Give up" he said plainly.

"What? Already? But I haven't even started yet!" I threw back at him

"Very well. Then I shall have to make your death painful then."

"I'd like to see you try!"

He went invisible. Another thing this world's Gerald made for him I guessed. Interesting how the worlds where so different and so similar at the same time.

"Don't think that little trick is going to work on me bat boy!" I mocked "Not when I can do THIS!" I unleashed a blue tornado. My plan was to knock the robot down and follow the noise of the "clang" when it fell to get him. However I actually hit the guy by accident. Head hit head and I fell to the floor with probably a lump the size of ARK.

"Ow… that hurt" I moaned. I spotted Joz in front of me as I opened my eyes, preparing to impale me on his blade! I had to dodge quickly for me not to be hit, throwing another Chaos Thunder at him as I did so. He also dodged. We rushed each other again and the fight continued. Before to long I had a number of scratches on me from the sword and he had a number of dents. The fight was exhilarating, but it was over to quickly as my final attack cracked his sword arm off. I caught it as it came down and impaled it into his chest. He fell to the ground, sparking as he landed.

"NO!" I heard a cry from behind me as I saw Shade fly up next to me. "Joz…" she said weakly

The robotosized Joz turned to look at Shade "… Shade… ZZZonic…" he fizzed. I could tell that a change had happened. He seemed to be the way he would have been if he hadn't been robotosized. I remembered the sword had a power over someone who used it to much, that when they died they where taken into it. I guessed by impaling Joz, what might of already been inside the sword was released into him. I felt… the discomfort of sorrow and guilt as I watched Shade try to attend to him.

"Don't talk… we will get you a medic… a mechanic… something!"

"No… itzz to late… it wazz the second I waz put in that infernal machine…."

"Don't say that!"

"Zhade… I don't know how much time I have left… my …. Battery… heart… whatever you want to call it was hit….I want to zzzay… I'm proud of what you have became"

Shade said nothing… she only started to cry… I guess I could understand that, this guy had saved him from Robotnik.

"Zonic? I want…. to thank you"

"Me? For what?" I asked as I gave him a confused look.

"Being in this form izz worse than any prizzzon… now thanks to you I'm free!" said Joz weakly

"Free?" I asked sorrowfully. I couldn't believe that I was not only sad, but that someone was thanking me for killing them…

"Yes… all I could do before iz watch on before az I attacked my friends… listen as Dark Lance and the others… planed to attack you all. This moment of free will…. Itz more than I could of hopped for. I waz once a well known mercenary, I was known as the best! Mazter Hunter they called me. And yet despite being a hired soldier, I waz always free to choose my employers…. To chooze to ether accept or turn down offers for my zervises and always fought for what I believed in…. Robotnik turned me into a monster and used me like some kind of pawn. Do you… underztand?"

All I could do is nod…

"Good… my power iz draining… Zhade… give my best to Espio will you?"

Shade nodded, her mask soaked with tears.

"Zonic… can I ask one last thing?"

"Name it…"

"Take the Annemuir… and plaze it on my chest?" As I did so, Joz began explaining "This Sword… iz one of the things that made me great… itz power came from its original user… passed on to whoever wields it…"

"What else?" I asked

"My…..f...f...riends…" he said as his power finaly gave out. His body became limp, like a metal corpse.

Shade gave out a larger weep over her fallen friend I turned to go help Nite… I felt something damp slip its way down my cheek. As I Lifted the now even darker seeming Nite up I Heard Shade begin to speak…

"What was he fighting for… What am I fighting for… Sonic what are we fighting for?" she asked

To be honest I no longer knew… I was originally pretending to fight in order to have some fun before I blew this place up and went home… but now…

I eventually turned my head and Said "When this is all over… I'll tell you" I then turned back and helped Nite limp out as I heard Shade's wings buzz after us…