Out of the static on the TV screen came an image of a man in the lab coat of a scientist facing the viewer, apparently adjusting the camera. The interference clears, and the scientist steps back. "I hope this works…" he says.

The scientist is a middle-aged human, tall with black and short but very thick hair. His coat looks stained and torn, as if damaged in a fight. He goes over to a console and presses some buttons. He speaks to the camera as he does so.

"My name… it's not important. To whoever sees this, this is the only thing that matters."

After hitting a last switch, a cryo-freeze canister opens, revealing a young, wounded girl.

"This…" the scientist goes on, "Is Maria. Gerald thinks she is dead; I wish I could tell him otherwise but our contact has been severed. She just saved Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form, at the cost of her own life, and now I think she deserves the same from me."

Shouts and gunfire are heard in the background. The screen shakes, but the scientist continues on, pressing more buttons.

"They're coming now, the ones who think everyone and everything is a threat when the only real threat is themselves. They want me, Maria and everyone else here dead; I'm going to deny them one of those things."

The capsule cover closes, and the chamber starts to move.

"This is my experimental cryo-capsule, designed as an escape pod for deep-space exploration vessels. It hasn't been fully approved, but it should still work perfectly. I am using this to get Maria out of here before…" an explosion rocks the screen, and more gunfire is heard. "They come."

"After Maria is clear of the station, I will eject this recording into a black box in Earth orbit, on course to come down in around 30 years. Hopefully the capsule will last at least that long…"

"I don't know who will find this, and I don't really care… as long as they will try to find Maria. Shadow, the Ultimate Life-Form… I know you love your sister, and if you are watching, you can find her. We designed you for anything. My own daughter… I know you have my noble intentions, please try… Anyone, please help…"

The noise becomes louder. More shouts and footsteps. "G.U.N…" the scientist says, as the capsule starts to launch… "If you ever see this, I hope you can redeem yourselves and rescue her, or just burn in hell…"

As the capsule launches into deep space, more explosions can be heard. The scientist he loads a pistol, then turns off the camera. The screen goes black.

The viewers of the recording stare in shock. A figure walks up behind them. "I thought you might want to see this…" he says.

The speaker is a male human teenager, wearing a white military shirt, blue pants with a well-stocked ammo belt and with dark, very thick hair. The ones he is speaking to are Sonic, Tails, Amy, Rouge, and of course Shadow.

"Maria…" says the dark hedgehog. "Y-you're alive…"

"You said you found this at the bottom of the sea?" asks Sonic.

"Yep," says the human. "An old Navy buddy of mine happened to come across it on a mineral research mission, and brought me over. I was the only one able to unlock the case…"

"But… if Maria's still alive-" starts Shadow

"Where is she?" finishes the human. "Well, it just so happens some trajectory coordinates were also in the ultra-tough case we found that in. I fed them into the computer, and by its calculations, the cryo-capsule containing Maria ended up on…"

The human brought up a holographic display, showing a map of the Solar System, which then zoomed in on a particular planet.

"…Mars. Of all places…"

"Well then, I guess we're off to Mars!" says Sonic excitedly.

"But how on earth are we going to get all the way to Mars?" asks Rouge. "I know there are rockets that go to and from the colonies, but they don't just let anyone on…"

"And you lot aren't just anyone." says the human. "Another old buddy of mine has a few openings on a cargo ship heading to the red planet tomorrow, I can rustle up some gear and we're all good to go."

"Really?" asks Amy. "We're going all the way to Mars tomorrow?"

"What'd I just say? Though the trip will take about a week, you guys have been in space before right?" They all nod. "Well, this'll be nothing like it. You might wanna pack some games and a king-sized lunch."

The human starts to walk out the room. "I'll catch up with you guys later when I get the rest of the gear, spacesuits and stuff. Be at the space centre off Central Highway tomorrow at one."

Sonic gets up. "Hey, I never caught your name?"

The human teenager stops in the doorway and looks back for a second. He smiles as he says "Call me Sabre." Then he walks out the room.

The others look at each other, then get up and leave as well. All except for Shadow, who stays behind to get the disc. The black hedgehog looks at the DVD for a second, and then closes his eyes. "Maria…" he says. "I'm on my way…"

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

Shadow disappears to parts unknown, but he'll be at the rocket launch tomorrow.