Chapter 2 (Shadow): Reunion via Ambush

The teleporter radiated purple waves of energy to create an artificial warp hole for a brief moment before returning to its resting state; while it was active, two figures emerge from the other side of the energy vortex, landing on the metallic bottom of the machine unharmed.

As soon as the teleporter deactivated, Shadow and Rouge observed the room they arrived to. It was a small cube with a single entrance, completely enclosed in walls made of bricks and concrete. The floor surrounding them was cracked tile, having been worn out from erosion and pressure over time. The real outlier in the room were the computer terminals in front of them, branding the Eggman Empire insignia on their sides. A few wires connected the terminals to the teleporter Shadow and Rouge stood upon, and above the terminals was a large screen currently displaying a map. The two GUN agents moved towards the display to get a better look, but Shadow still had no idea where they were or what the map was of.

Rouge, on the other hand, knew all.

"Ah, Soleanna, the City of Water."

Shadow turned to her, his expression telling her he had no idea what Soleanna was and wanted her to explain.

Rouge sighed. For one of GUN's best agents and someone who has existed for more than fifty years, you would think he'd at least know some of the world's biggest countries and cities. And yet, this was Shadow she was talking about. He may not be the most knowledgeable about everything, but he was more mature than most and focused on the task at hand.

If something was unimportant to his mission, there was little to no point in knowing it, let alone committing it to memory.

So, Rouge explained. "It's a constitutional monarchy outside of the United Federation – GUN has recently attempted to make a trade agreement with the country on behalf of the United Federation. The primary industries are tourism and crafting precision machinery."

Rouge took a moment to think of anything else notable about the country, then added, "I think there is currently an apple fest…" She stopped when she realized Shadow wasn't focused on her anymore; his attention had been caught by a portrait on one of the walls, showcasing a lavender cat in royal attire, holding a scepter of jewels that enamored Rouge. Yet, she managed to say "The current sovereign is Princess Blaze the Cat," before staring intimately at the painted gems.

My! she thought. Where have you been all my life?

Shadow continued to stare at the painting of Princess Blaze. For some reason, the solemn expression plastered upon her face held a hint of pain that resonated with him – it was as if she, too had experienced sorrow before.

Being a ruler, its bound to happen.

"Why does Eggman's base lead to an odd place like this?" Shadow finally asked.

Rouge shrugged. "How should I know? I just followed my orders and retrieved the item." As she said this, she pulled out the dark scepter she stole from Eggman. Shadow could still feel the darkness shrouding it. He told Rouge earlier that he only cared about the mission, yet deep down he was a bit curious about the scepter. Whatever it was, whatever it does, it caught Eggman's attention, which usually meant something devastating would follow if they didn't do something about it.

"So, what now?" If Rouge didn't need his help any further, Shadow would head back to GUN and receive his next mission. Though Rouge knew Shadow wasn't one who liked to be kept waiting, it had been a while since they last saw each other. Even if he was standoffish at times, she enjoyed his company every now and then.

She wasn't ready to let their little reunion end this quickly.

"We await further instructions. I'll let HQ know I've acquired the treasure and that you're with me at the moment, but I may need your help later. Is that a problem?"

Shadow crossed his arms in contemplation. He knew right away that Rouge was stalling for lost time. It had been a long while since they last corresponded with each other. One part of him was telling him to focus on his job, but another part was saying to enjoy these small moments while they last. Besides, helping Rouge would still mean he was helping GUN, so there was no issue assisting her with one mission.

Unfolding his arms, Shadow replied, "None at the moment."

Rouge smiled. "Great! Let's get going."

As they exited, Shadow took a final glance at the picture of Princess Blaze before moving on.


"Come in, HQ. This is Rouge, reporting in."

"Agent Rouge, this is HQ. Have you acquired the Scepter of Darkness?"

"Yes, thanks in part to Agent Shadow. We are both in the New City of Soleanna and are currently heading to my club."

"Very good. Sit tight while we prepare a drop-off site for the artifact."

"Understood. Rouge out."

"…So, those two set off the security system at White Acropolis. I should have known. No matter. I suppose a proper reunion is in order for former 'comrades.' He he he!"


"There's a Club 'Rouge' in this city, too?"

"Mmh!" Rouge nodded. "I've decided to do a little branching out with my side business. It's been a while since you've been there, right?"

Shadow simply grunted at her question. Club "Rouge" is a casino located in Central City's Night Babylon area, an entertainment hotspot for tourists and locals alike. Sporting a pinball-theme, it was unlike most gambling centers in the world, yet the theme served to make it more popular as a result. Like the district itself, the casino bathed in iniquity.

No surprise, knowing who runs the joint, Shadow thought.

Rouge was referring to the time Shadow needed to rest from a fight with one of Eggman's sentry robots. It was perhaps one of the few moments Rouge had shown a sense of charity.

Even though at the same time, she was attempting to train one of Eggman's mechs in the ways of master thievery.

"At any rate," Rouge said, "We can stay there while we wait for further instructions." She paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, I suppose it's for the best. I've been needing to check in with my 'special helpers.'"

"Special helpers?" That can't be pleasant for whomever Rouge was talking about.

Indeed, a smirk as sharp as glass was plastered across her face. At times like these, Rouge could be a devil, always creating trouble for others for her own pleasure. Shadow and Dr. Eggman were no exception either, given how she acted as a spy for GUN during the ARK incident.

As they continued to walk down the streets of Soleanna's New City, Rouge elaborated. "Let's just say a group of guys were a bit low on cash and had a string of bad luck; I offered them a way to make easy money."

"Do I even want to know what that is?"

"Don't worry about it! They each have different jobs based on their skills, and as grumpy as they are about doing labor for moi, they're happy enough getting a paycheck at the end of the month."

The two went around the corner of the street onto the main road of the city, where the morning sun could be seen having finished its rise, marking the middle of the morning. The New City was enormous, perhaps matching the size of Central City. From the ground, the skyscrapers appeared as if they were endless. Despite their overwhelming presence, beneath the tall buildings were small vendors doing business with visitors and citizens.

As they passed by the townsfolk, they overheard some of the conversations.

"Did you hear about the attack last night?"

"Hear about it? I was there! Dr. Eggman captured the princess in one fell swoop!"

"What about that hedgehog who tried saving her? The blue one?"

"Oh, you mean Sonic the Hedgehog? I heard he was seen heading after them towards Wave Ocean."

"I pray he saves Princess Blaze. The Royal Guard doesn't seem nearly as competent after that attack."

Shadow and Rouge said nothing as they passed the humans gossiping. Once they were a clear distance away, Rouge commented, "It seems Eggman's been busy last night."

"Agreed."

"First the scepter, now the Princess of Soleanna…what is the good doctor up to?"

Shadow couldn't provide an answer for her. He, too was curious about Eggman's plan for world domination. He overheard the name of the artifact Rouge now possessed, the 'Scepter of Darkness,' a name that complemented the dark energy flowing from it, however basic of a name it was. Still, that alone gave him negative vibes. But kidnapping a princess? That was Criminology 101 – Eggman has done far worse in the past. There must be more to the princess or even this kingdom than was present.

It may also be possible that the Scepter of Darkness and the princess were linked in some way. Rouge's comment alone hinted at it, but Shadow would need to probe into it further.

Buzz buzz! Buzz buzz!

Shadow glanced down at his communicator. The alert was an urgent message on a crime in progress. He opened the channel to hear a GUN soldier speak.

"Agent Shadow, orders from GUN. Thieves have stolen fuel from the Rimlight Corporation and are escaping along the highway. This fuel source is vital. Since you are in the area, a buggy has been prepared for you in the center of New City. You are to track down the thieves immediately."

Shadow sent a message back. "Understood. I will head over now." Once he was done, he turned to Rouge. "We'll have to reconvene later."

Rouge nodded exasperated. Of course GUN would have him do something in town. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. "Here. It has the location of the club written on it. I'll meet you there."

She watched as Shadow took the card, put it away and raced down the street. Even though he was new here, Rouge knew her silent companion would find his way around quickly. She then continued to walk in the direction of her club.


Blaze knelt down as instructed, her hands behind her head.

These past few hours have been unbearable, she thought. Not only has a complete madman attacked her country during the Festival of the Sun and taken her prisoner, but now he had her handmaiden and best friend, Cream the Rabbit, at gunpoint, along with the rabbit girl's cute Chao companion, Cheese.

And it was all her fault.

Cream and Cheese grabbed on to Dr. Eggman's air vehicle during the kidnapping event. Blaze noticed the two eventually, but believing they could free her she thought, with her powers she could at least get the three of them out of Eggman's battleship, the Egg Carrier. And they did, though their timing resulted in them being discovered.

Blaze had taken down a few of Eggman's military-grade robots before Cream and Cheese were captured by a large Egg Guardian from behind. Before she could attack, Eggman ordered the Egg Guardian to instantly murder the two hostages if Blaze continued to resist.

If she had told Cream and Cheese to stay behind in Soleanna, they wouldn't have gotten hurt. Now, all she can do is watch as the red-coated terrorist gave orders to a robot that looked remarkably similar to her would-be rescuer last night, albeit sharper and more terrifying in appearance.

She prayed that blue hedgehog ran off with the Chaos Emerald like she told him to.

Eggman's sudden rant interrupted her train of thought. "I don't care if you think you could've finished him off, and we both know that wasn't the case! I gave you an order, and you will not hesitate to follow it next time."

The Sonic-lookalike raised his gray fist at Eggman, uttering a few electronic beeps. How Eggman could understand such a language was beyond Blaze.

"Lest we forget how you locked me in a room on my own fleet? If you continue to defy me, I'll turn you into scrap metal!"

The blue robot silently growled, but slowly began to show obedience. Eggman smirked. "Good. Now, I'll have a squad take the GUN Jet Glider to this location…" Eggman pointed to a spot on a computer screen, which depicted a map. "…and once it is in place, you will send the message. When he arrives and takes the vehicle, send me a message and continue your mission. The next Emerald is located on Angel Island." Eggman turned to walk towards Blaze, but stopped and turning towards Metal Sonic, added "Oh, and while you're there, see if you can grab the Master Emerald from that knucklehead." He then continued his way over towards Blaze.

Blaze couldn't hear much of what Eggman said once he stopped yelling, but she knew it had to do with his plan for her. She glared at the fat man as he began to act cordial with her. "Now princess, surely we can come to an understanding?" He glanced at Cream and Cheese, who were currently being held hostage by a few Egg Gunners. "Seeing as these two mean a lot to you, I will make you a deal. If you continue to resist me, then I will have no choice but to take drastic measures against these two. But, if you offer no further resistance, then I will release them once we arrive at my base."

Blaze raised an eyebrow. "And when will that be?"

"We will have to stop in the Dusty Desert for a moment, so probably by nightfall."

Blaze contemplated the offer. There was no guarantee that Eggman would remain faithful to his word, but Cream and Cheese were in this mess because of her. She had to do whatever it took to get them out. At last she answered, "I want them taken back to Soleanna now, unharmed. If you do…" She closed her eyes. "I will cooperate."

Eggman remained unmoved for a moment. He then sighed as if in defeat. "I suppose that is fair." He motioned for the Egg Gunners to escort Cream and Cheese back to Soleanna. "But know this: my Badniks will keep her in their sights until we've reached our final destination. Should you attempt to break your end of the deal, they will mow her down into rabbit stew."

"And if you break your end, I'll boil you alive," Blaze retorted.

Eggman couldn't help but laugh. "Ho ho ho, you are a feisty feline, aren't you? Do not fret. I honor my agreements, one way or another. You, on the other hand…we'll have to see."

The doctor turned to walk back to the computer screen. "Now, I have some business to take care of at Soleanna's old, decaying castle. I will be leaving as soon as we set down, but remember our bargain…" He stopped and glanced back at Blaze one final time.

"…Princess."


Shadow brought the buggy to a halt in front of the club's entrance, a water fountain sending a few drops of mist in his direction. Since it was currently day out, the neon signs for the club were off, though business was open as early as seven in the morning.

Shadow would be let in regardless of what time it was.

The thieves were nothing more than a bunch of rookie criminals hoping to make a quick cash grab. Their escape vehicle didn't even have proper defenses against the GUN buggy's missile launchers.

"What a waste of time," Shadow muttered as he went inside the club.

To his surprise, Soleanna's Club "Rouge" split into two areas at the entrance: one to the usual casino, the other to a restaurant and bar, the latter of which was a new addition. He decided to hang left towards the restaurant. Upon entering the room, he was greeted by a familiar face. "Hello, welcome to…Woahoho, Shadow!"

Buzzing in front of him was a small, yet energetic bee. He wore a tuxedo suitable for the restaurant, which was somewhat ruined by the pilot helmet on his head.

Shadow simply greeted the bee with his name: "Charmy."

Charmy smiled happily. "So, you're the guest Rouge spoke of? Are you on a mission for GUN? Can I help?!"

A large gloved-hand suddenly covered Charmy's face, smothering the rest of the bee's questions that quickly turned into complaints. The hand belonged to a large crocodile that also sported a tux, albeit he too wore an item that didn't fit right: a set of black headphones.

"Quit bugging him, Charmy!" The crocodile smiled at Shadow, a smile that many would drive people away due to all the teeth being sharp. "Heh, long time no see! Eh, Shadow?"

"Vector…and Espio, too." Shadow noticed the purple chameleon walking up behind Vector from the bar. He silently nodded at Shadow without saying a word.

The Chaotix, Shadow reminisced. If Shadow were the equivalent to an officer of law, the three people in front of him would be the private investigators. The Chaotix is a detective agency that operates on a free-of-charge guarantee if Vector deems the case is for a good cause, which made them a popular option for customers.

Why do I have the feeling…?

"I take it you three are Rouge's 'special helpers?'"

Vector let go of Charmy's face and put his hand to his head. "Aw, Rouge told you, didn't she?"

"Only that a group of people low on cash were helping out here." An organization acting on chargeless charity meant no income from the customers. While the three typically take on cases for a good price, most of the time they either don't get paid or, because of Vector's big heart, solve the case for free. As noble as it may be, a lack of profit meant large debt.

Vector sighed. "Yeah, we've been evicted from our home for postponing our bills for too long. That landlord, I swear!"

Knowing Vector's disdain for his landlord, Shadow decided to change the topic before Vector went on a rant. "Where's Rouge? She and I have business to take care of."

Charmy beamed with excitement. "Ooohh, is it work for GUN?" Shadow nodded, prompting Charmy to address his comrades. "Hey guys, maybe Shadow could use our help. If we pull this off, GUN might hire us for big cash rewards!"

Vector shook his head. "It's none of our business, Charmy."

"Besides," Espio chipped in, "We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Shadow's assignment may not involve investigations."

"Aww!"

Vector was annoyed at Charmy's antics, but put the bee's behavior past him to answer Shadow's question. "Rouge is on the top floor. Take the elevator past the bar." He pointed to the set of metal sliding doors in the back of the restaurant. "If you do need us, though, the Chaotix are here for ya!"

Shadow was already walking past them towards the elevators.


"Rouge, respond. I've set the rendezvous spot for the Scepter of Darkness drop-off at the old Soleanna castle in Kingdom Valley, in two hours."

"Understood. I will wait for Shadow to arrive and head over."

"Copy. I've also prepared the means to go to Kingdom Valley. When Shadow arrives, head to a forest cave at the outskirts of town immediately. There will be a GUN Jet Glider to take you there."

"Yes, sir." With that, the transmission between Rouge and the GUN commander ended. Rouge slumped back in her chair, staring at the violet ceiling above.

At the top of Club "Rouge" was a penthouse exclusively reserved for her in the event she needed to stay in town. The original club in Central City was her permanent address, though here the thick smell of rose perfume and the jewel collection next to her bed made her feel at home.

Just then, a knock came from the front door.

"Come in!"

The door slowly opened, and entering the room was Shadow, as stern as always. Rouge smiled. "How was your mission?"

Shadow merely shook his head. "Nothing more than criminal wannabes."

"Well, Rimlight must've been happy to get their energy back."

Shadow scoffed at her statement. "The one who sent the job request rewarded me in person." Shadow held out his hand, revealing two small chips.

Rouge slumped her shoulders, disappointed the reward wasn't jewelry, yet she was inquisitive. "What are they?"

"Air chips. Apparently, you put them on a pair of shoes to dash through the air." As he said this, Shadow attached the chips to his Hover Shoes, which magnetically snapped into place on the sides.

Rouge chuckled. "Don't lose them, now. At any rate, your timing is perfect. I've just received the location for the GUN rendezvous point."

"Where's the rendezvous point?"

"It's the ancient castle of Soleanna, in Kingdom Valley. Apparently, GUN provided you with a Jet Glider for the trip. We just have to get to it first."

Shadow nodded and followed her as she left the penthouse area, went down the elevator and walked into the restaurant. The Chaotix were now at their posts: Charmy managing the entrance, Espio attending the bar, and Vector playing the piano. The kind-hearted crocodile stopped when he noticed Rouge passing by.

Rouge took a moment to speak to the three of them. "I'm heading out, boys. Don't slack off just because business is slow!"

Vector responded with a depressing little tune on the piano, his face clearly displaying annoyance. Espio and Charmy were much more reserved, although Charmy did display a gloomy vibe. The looks on their faces confirmed Shadow's suspicions: working for Rouge was not pleasant for people like them.

Not pleasant at all.


Metal Sonic maintained a decent distance and height from the forest cave concealing the Jet Glider. Having sealed off the entrance with a landslide created by one of his energy blasts, all Metal had to do was wait for the two GUN agents to arrive and head for their 'rendezvous' with GUN.

As he hovered in the skies above, Metal contemplated his current predicament. As a robot created to go face to face with his living doppelganger and learn from each experience, Metal always found himself on the losing end of his battles with Sonic the Hedgehog. Even with data captured from his friends and the Ultimate Lifeform, as the Metal Overlord, he still lost.

And because of his failure to kill Sonic that time, he was back under his creator's control, who had not forgotten about his creation's mutiny (and probably never will). As such, Dr. Eggman reprogrammed his vocabulator to only emit a series of beeps instead of words, as well as altered his neural interface to administer a painful shock should he refuse to follow orders.

But Metal Sonic had no regrets. He wasn't made to have regrets.

All that mattered was fulfilling his duty: kill Sonic by any means necessary.

Perhaps, in that regard, he could 'relate' to the Ultimate Lifeform. The black hedgehog was also made with a purpose, was he not? He is driven, calculating, and is willing to harm anything that gets in the way of his mission.

It truly was a waste that Shadow was no longer on Eggman's side. Perhaps, with some convincing, Shadow could have been persuaded to join him and together, they could finish Sonic off once and for all. But Shadow was a lost cause, having surrendered himself to serve humanity.

In doing so by choice, Shadow had shown himself as weak in Metal Sonic's eyes.

No matter. There were other ways to kill a rodent, and Metal would explore them all until he succeeded. As he watched Shadow and Rouge arrive and clear the rubble from the landslide, Metal alerted the doctor that the two agents had arrived. Upon doing so, he turned and flew off in the direction of Angel Island.

One day, I will show them I am the superior model, he told himself.

I will prove I am the real Sonic!


What a faraway place to set the extraction point.

Shadow held on to the Jet Glider as it zoomed above the crumbling architecture of Kingdom Valley, with Rouge perked above the transport vehicle. Despite being capable of flight, Rouge preferred not to waste energy traveling far distances for these types of situations. Shadow didn't care what she did as long as she didn't slow him down.

As they soared between the rocky cliffsides of the valley, Shadow couldn't help but feel something was off. First off, the location of the drop-off spot was far from the norm. Usually, a drop-off occurred within a town or a short distance from one so as to easily make the exchange easy for all participants. Here, the land was practically falling apart around them, and the rendezvous point was well beyond the norm for the distance traveled.

Secondly, as they got closer to the extraction point, it seemed as though Eggman's Badniks increased in numbers. There was no doubt the machines were attempting to retrieve the Scepter of Darkness, but it seemed odd that there were so many of them near the drop-off point. In the end, they were shot down by Shadow as he flew by, but it did nothing to quell Shadow's suspicions.

"We're getting close to the extraction point!" Rouge yelled through the wind. "Set us down near that bridge!"

Shadow saw the decomposing bridge Rouge was pointing to and set the Jet Glider to slow down and descend. Aiming for the circular platform of grass in front of the bridge, he turned off the Jet Glider's power as soon as his feet touched the ground. Once Rouge had jumped off the top of the glider, the two then proceeded to walk down the bridge towards the extraction point: the remains of what appeared to be a tower. From what Shadow observed while gliding over it, the upper floors were completely separated from the building – whether by decay or an attack, Shadow could not tell. All that was left were a few walls surrounding the outside and the bottom floor.

CRACK!

"Woah!" Shadow stepped back in time as a chunk of the bridge fell off from the side; it hit the edge of the rocks below before splashing into the lake below.

Rouge stepped towards him. "You alright?"

Shadow took a quick breath in and out before nodding. "Let's keep moving."

Afterwards, neither of them said anything as they continued to cross the bridge. Upon reaching the other side, Shadow asked, "What do we know about this place?"

Rouge took out the Scepter of Darkness, readying herself for the extraction as they walked through the entrance of the crumbled tower. "This is Kingdom Valley. Long ago, there was a royal castle here."

As the two made their way towards the center of the extraction zone, they kept glancing around for any sign of GUN personnel, only to be concerned at the emptiness of the area. The only thing present were the lifeless support pillars, some of which were nothing more than stumps, like those of trees that had been cut down.

Though suspicious of the setup, Rouge continued. "The former king of Soleanna used to reside in this castle. But a major accident occurred 10 years ago, and no one's lived here since."

Shadow turned to her. "Accident?"

Rouge nodded. "I heard a prototype energy engine failed, which caused the accident. I think the name of the plan was…"

"The Solaris Project."

"…!" Shadow and Rouge knew that voice well, and began to scan the area. But there was no one in sight. Suddenly, in front of them, a machine hidden by a cloaking device appeared. It was a silver aircraft of technical precision, equipped with multi-purpose arms and a single seat. Standing up from that seat was a round man with a fat moustache. He fixed his blue-tinted glasses with his gloved hands before continuing. "It was an ambitious project named after their eternal sun god."

Rouge stood bewildered. "Doctor!"

Shadow was as surprised as Rouge, though he hid it well. But how did Dr. Eggman know? Checking his communicator, he tried to contact GUN HQ, only to be met with the scrambled sound of Eggman's laughter.

Now it makes sense, Shadow thought. Eggman hacked our communications and sent us here.

Eggman smiled with false courtesy. "It's been a while, my dear Rouge. And of course, Shadow. Now, if you'd be so kind as to hand back the Scepter of Darkness you took from me."

Eggman touched a few buttons on his aircraft, the Egg Mobile, prompting the Egg Gunners still camouflaged to reveal themselves; he also activated the Egg Mobile's thrust engines, making the vehicle hover above them. Shadow and Rouge took in the number and placement of Egg Gunners surrounding them. This would be a simple fight, but given how Eggman was the one ambushing them, there may be more that what appeared.

"Rouge," Shadow whispered. "I'll keep them busy. Get out of here."

Rouge disregarded his order. "And let you have all the fun? We can take them all on!"

As if it heard her statement, the Egg Gunner near the entrance fired a missile at their position.

"Go!" Shadow screamed as the two of them cleared the blast radius. Shadow then rolled into a ball and spin dashed the nearest Egg Gunner, sending it crashing into one of the pillars. The Badnik next to him tried to attack, but Shadow teleported behind him and knocked him down, continuing this pattern with each enemy.

Meanwhile, Rouge flapped her wings to maintain an altitude above the Egg Gunners below. A few attempted to shoot her down, but she effortlessly dodged their Vulcan Cannon bullets, dropping a few bombs over them in the process. Satisfied with the heaps of scrap metal she created, Rouge began to make her way towards Shadow when something blocked the sunlight from above her.

"Surprise!" Eggman programmed the Egg Mobile's left arm to form a fist and smack Rouge out of the air.

"Ah!"

Shadow heard Rouge's cry and stopped his assault to find her plummeting towards the ground. The Scepter of Darkness had fallen out of her hand during Eggman's surprise attack, and was about to hit the ground alongside her. According to protocol, the mission came first.

Rouge's mission was to secure the Scepter of Darkness and drop it off at GUN.

Shadow's mission was to escort her. He couldn't escort her if she was dead.

Not that protocol mattered when it came to friends, anyways.

Shadow rushed over to where Rouge would impact the ground and went into a slide, catching her in the nick of time. Yet the Scepter of Darkness continued to fall.

Eggman clenched his head. "No…!"

Clink!

The dark artifact bounced off the ground with force, sending a shockwave of electromagnetism around the area. The Egg Gunners immediately froze up, unable to continue their attack. Fortunately for Eggman, he was just inches outside of the shockwave.

Shadow rose from his position and cautiously walked over to inspect the small scepter. Rouge, slowly coming to, slowly got up and rubbed the back of her head, not aware of what just transpired. She watched as Shadow reached down to grab the Scepter of Darkness.

"Shadow…"

"Huh?" Shadow quickly retracted his hand. It was faint, but he was sure he heard his name coming from the scepter. The dark energy that he felt was getting stronger, and a black mist began to emerge from the artifact.

CRACK!

Suddenly, a stream of black fog shot out from the Scepter of Darkness, shattering it completely. It stopped midair and came down to ground level, targeting the malfunctioning Badniks.

"It's not use!" Eggman panicked, moving the Egg Mobile away from the area. "Pull back, pull back, pull back!"

The fog knocked down each Egg Gunner surrounding Shadow and Rouge before rising up once more. It then circled back down, aiming at Shadow. Though Shadow tried to jump clear of where the darkness was heading, it changed its direction and swallowed him.

"Shadow!" Rouge cried out.

Shadow guarded his face at the sudden rush of mist. The energy radiating off of it was strong, akin to that of Chaos Energy. But to his surprise, the dark fog that engulfed him disappeared. He looked around to see where the mysterious dark stream went, but found nothing. Rouge, too, seemed to be at a lost until she noticed a strange phenomenon.

Noticing the anxious look on her face, Shadow followed Rouge's gaze and found her staring at his shadow. At first, he didn't understand what was wrong until it dawned on him: the sun was currently being blocked by clouds.

There was no sunlight, yet he had a shadow.

Shadow straightened up to test if the mysterious shadow as an illusion, yet sure enough it responded to his every movement. But then, the dark mist emerged at the tip of the shadow's head.

And absorbed it.

A sense of dread crawled down Rouge's back. "What? His shadow…"

Once the mysterious shadow had been completely swallowed by the mist, a figure emerged from the darkness. It was difficult to make out at first, but the mist soon died down, revealing a hedgehog with black fur and greyish-blue streaks.

But the shoes it wore, and the rings on its wrists. Even the way its quills were position.

The hedgehog looked almost identical to Shadow.

Shadow narrowed his eyes as his new doppelganger laughed in a deep voice. "Oh, how ironic fate can be! I would never have believed I would be resurrected through your shade! I thank you, Shadow the Hedgehog!" The hedgehog bowed before Shadow with respect, though the tone conveyed a sense of mockery.

Shadow took a step back. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

The dark figure remained motionless for a moment before letting his arms drop. He then slowly crept over to Shadow like a lifeless puppet. "I'm Mephiles. Mephiles the Dark. …What, did you forget me? I owe much to you, Shadow." The being called Mephiles, now inches from Shadow, moved his pupils to gaze upon him. The lizard-likeness of the green pupils unnerved Shadow, and he backed away as Mephiles raised his hand, forming a ball of dark energy.

By this point, Rouge was, in all honesty, terrified. In her life, she had nearly died in space and almost eaten by alien barnacles. Yet in a mere few seconds, Mephiles had topped all of that in his mannerisms. She stayed behind Shadow as he prepared for Mephiles's attack.

"Oh yes. What you gave to me, I now return to you!"

Mephiles's already devilish grin became sharper.

"A one-way ticket to oblivion!"

The ball of energy in his hand expanded over the three of them. Shadow felt his body becoming lighter, though it felt as if the darkness was pulling on him in all directions. And yet…

This feels like…

Before Shadow could finish his thought, he noticed Rouge disappear behind him.

Rou…!

And he, too vanished into the void, with Mephiles following suit.

From high above, Eggman nervously watched as the three disappeared before his very eyes into darkness. The breath he had been holding in instinctively finally came out. He groaned.

"Augh, great. Just…great."

The second half of Solaris' Wrath, Mephiles, was free, which complicated his plans further. Ultimately, Dr. Eggman sighed. He was, at the very least, grateful to not have undergone what Shadow and Rouge went through. "I suppose I can wait on Mephiles for the time being. He will be drawn to the Flames of Disaster, after all."

Content, Eggman set the auto-pilot to take him back to the Dusty Desert. It would be rude to keep the princess waiting any longer.