As it turns out, getting to Angel Island isn't so simple as Shadow would like it to be.

When they leave Techno's place, Silver and Blaze are insistent that they have to go back home. Techno's vegetables are valuable commodities and they have to be distributed before they go bad.

Shadow had made up his mind to go without them, but Silver more so than Blaze is opposed to the idea. "You can't go alone. It may not be safe."

"Hmph!"

The white hedgehog was at this point able to understand Shadow's shorthand for disgust or annoyance. "I want to help. But we have to do this first. People need this food."

Shadow had been in the process of turning away from them, getting ready to make his way to somewhere where he could get to the Island. At that, he turned back around. "People need a world without Iblis."

"They need both." Blaze seems by now to be reconciled to Shadow. Whether this acceptance comes from her continued conversation with Techno before they left is a possibility but truthfully is not a real concern of his. "Here Silver, give me that basket. I'll take it back. If Titania comes by she'll help me get the food to the people who need it. You go with Shadow."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Silver asked.

Blaze shrugged. "It's as safe as anything else is. There's no help for it. Go."

"We'll meet you at the house," Shadow told Blaze. "As soon as we get back."

Blaze nodded. "Good luck. We'll all need it." She set off back down the trail that they had followed to get to Techno's.

Silver seemed to be bounding with excitement. "We're gonna find a mysterious floating island! I can't wait. Let's go. We have to stop Iblis!"

This does clear up the problem of how to get there, Shadow realized. Silver could use his powers to fly. "Good to hear that you're excited because it's going to be your job to get us up there."

But not yet. First they head out to the place where Angel Island, above the smoke and ash overhead, will cross over them. Techno had run the numbers and given them the coordinates to aim for.

As they traveled, Shadow using his skates and Silver flying along overhead via his telekinesis, Shadow tried to remember exactly what had led to his ending up in suspended animation in a world so far ruined.

Because even without Sonic, there had still been a plan to save it.

(-)

Fifty Years Earlier

Shortly after Sonic's death and the release of Iblis

"Chaos ...Blast!"

The wave of magma was knocked back by the force of Shadow's attack, and Knuckles took him moment, leaping past the hedgehog and onto the small rocky outcropping. He scaled it quickly and plucked the blue chaos emerald from the place it had lain ever since Mephiles the Dark had merged with Iblis to unleash Solaris upon the world. He hopped back down to the ground, dodging the spirals of lava that reached out and up toward him, like octopus arms.

Not far away, Shadow was skating between the spirals, using his energy attacks to destroy them whenever he could.

"Shadow! I got the Emerald! Let's get out of here!" Knuckles shouted, and set off back up the road they had come. There was still little destruction that way. Iblis and Mephiles had split apart again; whatever Mephiles had been up too no longer meant that the two were together, but they had done enough and Iblis' damage was spreading.

At the end of the road, at the top of a hill, the pair slowed down.

"Call Tails," Shadow instructed. "Tell him we're through here and headed back to the base."

Knuckles nodded, flipping open the cover of the communicator on his left wrist.

Since Sonic had died, Tails had changed, and his desperate desire to not lose anyone else had led to his giving out the communicators. Besides the two of them, Amy and Rouge also had one. Where Omega had gone after Sonic's death neither Shadow nor Rouge knew, and they had had no time to figure it out.

The cold truth was that the fate of one robot was nothing compared to the fate of the world.

The same was true of Silver and Blaze. Whether the ripple of Solaris' power had sent them home was unknown and no one had had any time to stop and find out.

Not while Iblis-Mephiles-Solaris was on the loose.

As the pair hurried back to the house that was serving as their base, neither of them noticed a soldier watching them go before radioing back to his superiors a report of what he had found.

(-)

At the table in the house, Tails was typing away at a computer system that he had set up. It's design ran a program that connected all the communicators together and a program that could track the Chaos Emeralds through their energy signatures.

Rouge and Amy had just gotten back, and Shadow and Knuckles were close behind them.

"We're up to two Emeralds," Rouge said as the stones were placed on the table. "We're going to have to work faster."

Tails looks worn and tired. He's looked that way since Sonic died. "I don't know how to make this go any faster." There's an unwritten rule now that none of them travel alone, and they all watch each other's backs. Even Shadow, who would just as soon leave them all behind and take the risks himself -so that no one else would die on his watch – has been subjected to this.

They are all counting on him now, as one of their allies if not their friend, to take Sonic's place as someone who can use the Emeralds to turn Super and stop Iblis.

The computer spat something out through a small printer on the floor. Tails ducked down and came up with more papers. "Here's the next set of readouts," he said, and stopped. There had been a sound at the door.

No one moves for a moment, then Rouge adjusted her seat on the table, the better for easier takeoff for delivering a swift spiral kick. Amy pulled out her hammer, now modified by Tails to deliver a shock wave blast with each hit. She's been doing just as badly as Tails, but her determination to save the world in Sonic's name has helped her somewhat. Tails pulled out a blaster and set it on the table at a convenient spot so he can grab it if he needs it. Knuckles shadowboxed the air for just a moment like a prizefighter getting ready to go into the ring. Shadow raised one arm up and behind him, ready to launch a Chaos Spear at whatever might be waiting.

The knock came again, and Rouge called sweetly, "come in."

The door swung open and half a dozen GUN soldiers were standing there. "Shadow the Hedgehog?"

"Who wants to know?" Shadow demanded, still at the ready.

"You have been accused of releasing this monster into the world. A hedgehog identified as you was spotted murdering Sonic the Hedgehog and causing the release of this monster," the soldier went on.

Knuckles glanced at Tails. "All Mobian Hedgehogs look identical. Stop me if you've heard this one before." Tails nodded, grim.

"I had nothing to do with it. Rouge will vouch for me. I was working to stop Dr. Eggman at GUN's instructions." Shadow sounded annoyed.

"Nevertheless you are ordered to turn yourself in."

Tails stood up and slammed his hands down on the desk. "He's not going anywhere with you now get lost! He's gonna help save the world from Iblis!"

"Why don't you boys scurry on home," Rouge added, shifting position ever so slightly to be a little more relaxed. "This is a mistake. Shadow had nothing to do with Iblis and you can report that we're all working to stop this problem for Sonic's sake."

"We have orders!"

"Well good." Knuckles retorted. "We have a planet to save. Shadow stays with us. If you want him, you're going to have to go through none other than Sonic's friends to get him."

There is another pause. The government might blame Shadow for this, but they know that Sonic's death and the subsequent disaster have cause turmoil in the minds of the public. To have to go through Sonic's closest companions to get Shadow would make a news story that would leave a horrible taste in the public's mouth.

"I am not playing this game with you," gold energy crackles at the tips of Shadow's fingers. "I was there when Sonic died."

"We all were!" Tails cut in.

"But I had nothing to do with it and I was trying to prevent all of this, his death, Iblis, everything," Shadow stated.

There's another moment, then the leader of the team makes a motion with his hand and the soldiers withdraw. The group inside relaxes, a little bit.

"Now we really have to stick together," Rouge said. She looked at Shadow. "They've painted a target on you, Shadow."

"It doesn't matter," Shadow dismissed her.

"Yes it does!" Tails snapped. "Unless you know someone else who can turn Super with the Emerald's powers, it does matter! Stop acting like you're expendable! No one is expendable!" He dropped back into his seat suddenly, his head in his hands.

The silence that stretched out after that is uncomfortable. Amy broke it.

"You had the new coordinates?" She asked gently

Tails nodded, not meeting any of their glances. "Yeah. I do." He picked up the papers again, and they all go back to pretending that things are okay.

They all know nothing is okay, and never will be again.

(-)

Present Day

Silver was no longer flying overhead, Shadow realized. He coasted to a stop and looked around. Behind him, Silver was floating, hovering over the ground. Shadow skated back, and found the other hedgehog looking a rock. The stone was carved with a center point, one line marked "E" and another marked "W" going off in either direction from it. The markings looked like they had been hacked into the rock haphazardly, but the markings were legible in spite of it.

"This is compass stone," Silver told him. "When the sun comes out, people make these so that other people can find their way. Do you have the map?"

Shadow pulled out the map that Techno had printed for them out. Silver moved to hover behind him and was comparing what the compass printed on map said to the rock markings. "It looks like we're a little bit farther south that we want to be. We'll have to adjust."

Shadow nodded. "Let's hurry."

(-)

Fifty Years Ago

Every day that passed, things were getting worse.

They could stop the lava monsters, or they could stop Iblis. None of them liked to choose, but as Rouge had pointed out, anything that stopped them or slowed them down from retrieving the Emeralds would be worse for everyone in the long run.

Today, Shadow and Rouge had been working to retrieve an Emerald that had landed in an old base of Dr Eggman's. Knuckles and Amy were on the other side of Green Hills, hunting for a different Emerald.

It said something about the situation that even when they had the Emerald back, Rouge took no time gloating over it's beauty. Neither of them said anything as they headed back to the Hyper Tornado. Tails' armada of spaceships was coming in handy in their search.

Shadow flipped open the wrist communicator just as they were about to board, and noticed something. "I'm getting a reading on another Chaos Emerald here."

"But there wasn't supposed to be one here," Rouge noted. "If Amy and Knuckles find one, then there should be none left. We would have all seven."

"Call Tails," Shadow said. Rouge nodded and flipped her own communicator open.

"Tails?"

"I read you Rouge, go ahead," Tails' voice came back over the feed.

"For some reason we're getting a reading on a second Emerald here. Any insights on that?" Rouge asked.

There was a brief pause and the sound of rapid typing in the background. "I see it on my scans," Tails said. "But something's wrong. If there are two Emeralds there, then somehow we've got eight total."

"One of them is a fake then," Shadow said.

"Yes, but which one?" Rouge asked.

"I'm going to go back and find out," Shadow said.

"No!" Rouge and Tails said simultaneously, with Tails adding, "Are you crazy?"

"You can't go by yourself. GUN wants to pin this whole thing on you and what if they find you? What if this is a trap?" Rouge pointed out.

"I'm the fastest, and when I find the Emerald I can teleport back to the base and be there before the rest of you."

There was silence at this suggestion. "Tails, we can't waste time like this. If the Emerald is here, we can't make two trips to get it," Shadow went on.

"How far out are Amy and Knuckles? Have their reached their destination yet?" Rouge asked. The communicators were not generally interconnected. Instead, everything was relayed through Tails' control point, in part because of the limitations of the devices. But as Tails had noted when he handed them out, he hadn't finished testing them at the time. In space the Blue Typhoon had served as a permanent relay point with wireless power available to the communicators, but they had been working so hard on getting the Emeralds and stopping Iblis that Tails hadn't bothered to get the ship launched.

"I haven't heard anything yet, but I don't know how deep into that canyon they have to go to get it," Tails admitted.

"We don't have time for this. Let me go back and find out what we're dealing with here," Shadow insisted.

"I'm coming with you," Rouge told him.

"I'll be faster alone," Shadow retorted. "Take the other Emerald back to Tails. I'll check this out and meet you back there as soon as I'm done."

There was a pause, then Tails said, "I'm gonna call you every five minutes, Shadow. And you'd better answer when I call."

"I will," Shadow promised, then looked at Rouge again. "Hurry. Get the other Emerald out of here."

"Be careful." Rouge replied. She didn't seem happy as she slid into the driver's seat of the Hyper Tornado and started the engine. Shadow had already turned away and was skating back into the base.

The base had been a labyrinth the first time they went through it, and this time was no different. Shadow kept an eye on the communicator, where Tails had transferred the detailed map for the location of the other Emerald.

The communicator beeped a minute later. "Shadow, do you copy?"

"It has not been five minutes," Shadow replied.

"Just checking," Tails sounded petulant, but Shadow didn't care. This was a risk he would take.

"Check in in five minutes."

"Alright."

Meanwhile, Knuckles and Amy were following a narrow trail along a rock ledge, on their way to what they believed to be the location of the last Emerald. Neither of them talked, instead moving as fast as was safely possible.

Amy's communicator chirped as they came around a corner and the yellow Emerald came into view, tangled in a few vines. She slowed down and opened it as Knuckles lunged for the Emerald. "What's up Tails?"

"Have you two reached the Emerald yet?" Tails asked.

"Knuckles is grabbing it. We've got all seven now!" Amy said excitedly.

"We've got a problem. There's another Emerald out there."

"Then one of them is a fake! Do we know which one it is?"

"No. Shadow's checking up on the new report now."

"As long as Rouge is with him he'll be fine."

"Rouge isn't with him." Tails' voice was flat. "She's bringing the Emerald they already found back."

"You let him go by himself?!"

"I like the part where you think I can stop him from doing what he wants," Tails said nastily.

Knuckles had picked up the Emerald and tried to crush it in his hands. Fake Emeralds generally didn't have what it took to stand up to heavy force or the loss of their energy. He let it into the air, and it floated over his hand under it's own power, something else fake Emeralds were not known for doing. Knuckles jumped back to where Amy was and grabbed her wrist to turn the communicator toward him. "He's tracking the fake, Tails! This one is the real one. Call Shadow and tell him to get out of there, now!"

Back at the abandoned base, Shadow had reached the other Emerald. He was reaching for it when something hit him in the back and proceeded to electrocute him. When it ended, Shadow was too stunned to move.

His communicator chirped. "Shadow, do you copy?"

Again. "Shadow, do you copy?"

The black hedgehog was struggling to get up, get moving, even to answer the call Tails was sending out to him, but every time he moved whatever he had been hit with electrocutes him again. Behind him, the mechanical sounds of a robot approaching warned him that everything Mephiles had predicted was in the process of coming true.

On his communicator, a small green light flashed on. Tails had activated the tracking on it.

He had also sent out a distress call on Shadow's behalf.

"Rouge, do you copy?" Tails had hit the button on his computer to activate the tracking on Shadow's communicator.

"I'm here," she replied.

"That Emerald Shadow went after is a fake and I can't raise him on the communicator!"

Rouge gasped and swung the Hyper Tornado into a hard turn. "I'm going back now."

"I've got Knuckles and Amy on the way. Hurry Rouge!"

"You don't have to say that twice," her tone was grim. "Going now."

Rouge didn't bother to stop the Hyper Tornado, instead flying over the base until she was over where the last signal had been and blowing a hole in the building with the Hyper Tornado. She was out of the ship before the smoke had cleared.

The room was empty. Shadow's communicator, the green light still glowing, was lying on the floor. Rouge darted out into the hallway, flying for better speed, but there was nothing around.

The base was empty. Shadow, and whoever had laid the trap, were gone.

(-)

Present Day

Shadow slid to a stop on a low rise. "This is where we go up," he told Silver, who was slowly descending to a landing.

"It's not going to be fun to get through those ash clouds," Silver noted, looking the mass of roiling gray over their heads.

"There's no help for it." Shadow replied.

Silver nodded. "Okay. Let's find this island!" He blue glow surrounded both of them, and Silver began to fly them straight up into the air.

Knuckles the Echidna was sitting on the stone steps that led to the Master Emerald, looking out over the island. Sometimes Iblis managed to send his minions up here for an attack, so he always kept a watchful eye out.

After what had happened to the Chaos Emeralds, he meant to be very careful with the Master Emerald.

He saw a blue glimmer above the Island and his eyes narrowed. Iblis' attacks never came in blue. This must be something different.

The blue glimmer came closer and closer. Knuckles watched it approach and become two hedgehogs that came in for a landing in at the bast of the Master Emerald's shrine.

He recognized one of the two. "It's been a long time, Shadow."