Daily Log, July 5th, 0 A.E. Rouge the Bat reporting.

I don't know why I'm recording this. Sonic certainly isn't going to need it. And if I get caught with it…who knows?

I guess I'm worried something might happen to me. I'm not exactly working with the safest people. I can't help but think to the last time. How I almost didn't make it out alive. He's the one I'm most worried about working with. He didn't trust me the last time, how can I expect him to now? He could do just about anything to me with that Ruby. All of this feels like a bad idea. But it's what I have to do.

I can't believe their base was really in Empire City the entire time. We couldn't have made it any easier for them last night. Then again, if Sly had any say in it, it doesn't surprise me he'd go right back to his old stomping grounds.

Shadow…if something happens to me…if you end up hearing this…I want you to know…

…

…

I wanted to tell you. But I couldn't. I can't. Not yet.

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project

Season 1, Episode 9

*Tales of the Resistance*

Fate of the Dark Part 1

Written by ChaosProjectAuthor

Three years ago

One month before the events of Sonic Forces

Rouge leans back in the desk chair set up in the dark, enclosed room, lit only by the screen of the laptop open in front of her, which shows several open windows full of tactical readouts and data, along with what appears to be live, first-person footage of some sort of mechanical base, partially hidden in the corner. One wall of the dark room is decorated with photographs and trinkets, most depicting jewels and gems, though a few show some familiar characters.

Suddenly, the communicator in her ear beeps. Omega's intense robotic voice declares, "E-123 Omega here. Extermination proceeding without incident. No problems to report."

This causes Rouge to sit upright in her chair. "Extermination!? This is supposed to be a recon mission! You can't go making a big scene!" She quickly pulls the video feed up to the front. Sure enough, the footage from Omega's own eyes shows his claws buried in a whitewashed model of Egg Pawn, dragging it across the floor at high speed.

Shadow's voice growls in response, "You should've known better than to send Omega on an op like this."

Rouge leans back with a sigh of exasperation. She thinks, "Couldn't you have at least held out until Shadow caught up? As long as you find that weapon, I guess…" Suddenly, the feed on the screen becomes choppy and fragmented, and in another moment, completely unreadable. "What in the world!?"

Omega's voice comes in through slight static on the comm, "Unknown hostile encountered! Rouge, come in! Position Coordinates lost! Current location unknown!"

Rouge shouts back, "Omega!? What's going on!? Respond! Respond!" No response comes. She looks to the static filled screen with horror, as sweat drips down the side of her face. "I've lost Omega's signal! Shadow, head to his last known location and provide support!" She waits. "Shadow? Shadow, can you hear me?" She glances back and forth along the ground, trying to figure out what to do. "The comms are completely down…"

Suddenly struck by an idea, she turns up the volume on the laptop. Through some intense static, Omega's voice can still be heard coming through the broken feed. "Th–s is –-123 O––ga. All s––sors offli––. –amage to p–––it–l lo–– region. Cas–alty –eport: Rouge f––len. Shad–w to be elim––ated!"

"He's gone completely nuts!" She glances back to the door behind her. "Whoever this unknown hostile is…he's made Omega think we're his enemies. And that could just be the beginning…"

Omega's voice continues, "Un–dentif––d syst–– intr–sion. Em––gency withdr–wal! I am E-1–3 –me––, th– ––st p–w––ful– –––– ––" The sound cuts to complete static.

Rouge goes for her communicator again. "Commander! This is Rouge! Omega…has been destroyed. I've lost contact with Shadow. Permission to provide backup?"

After a moment, the Commander's voice answers, "That's a negative, Rouge. Do not engage."

"What!? But we're dealing with an unknown hostile here, we don't know what–"

"That's exactly why you need to stay put. This is a job for Shadow, and if he can't make it, then you won't either. As soon as we get through to him, we'll order a retreat."

Rouge clenches her eyes shut and shakes her head. She mutters to herself, "No…I can't leave him." She angrily slams the laptop shut. "I'm going to lose my job for this…" Regardless, she gets up and runs for the door.

She freezes as the Commander's voice comes back in over her communicator. "Good luck, Agent Rouge." Rouge puts on a smirk for a moment, before continuing her rush out.

—–—

Shadow dives down into the opening in the top of the smoking and damaged pyramid base, dodging around the bright red security lasers as he skydives down through the shaft, before finally landing in a crouch on the cold metallic ground.

A deep, echoing voice sounds through the room as if from everywhere at once, "Hahahahaha… The world's most powerful robot is no more a challenge than Crabmeat. As I suspected. This power is without peer. It is the Ultimate strength!"

Shadow grunts and covers his face as an overwhelming sound suddenly fills the hall, joined by a great flash of negative energy. When the chaos fades, the masked figure of Infinite floats in the center of the room, his head and arms hanging almost limp as he stares down at Shadow. "Ah, and still more wonderful. A not-so-tall, dark, and brooding guest has arrived. I've been waiting for you, Shadow."

Shadow looks back up at him with a scowl. "Tell me what you did to Omega."

"Weaklings like him are of no consequence! Come now, Shadow. Our long-awaited reunion, and still you spout such nonsense."

Shadow starts to step towards him. "I don't know you. And the only thing around here of no consequence is that big mouth of yours."

Infinite settles to the ground. "Ahahaha… Ah, I suppose you would think so. Oh yes. Hahahahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!" He puts a hand up to his mask, pushing it up higher onto his face. "I am Infinite. You say you do not know me, and yet I remember you so very well."

Rouge watches carefully from her perch high on the ceiling. "Shadow…what are you waiting for?"

Infinite can still be heard faintly from far below, explaining, "To you, it was simply another in a long list…"

"After what he did to Omega…fighting him head-on could be a disaster. Shadow knows that. We need another way out of this." She pulls out a small round device, with a large pink heart plastered on its front. She carefully plants it on the wall next to her, and the heart starts to blink. "A few of these should do the trick." She flies off to find a place to plant the next bomb.

Infinite finishes loudly, "And then, at last…I obtained the power. The power to make all yield to my will. I…was…REBORN!"

—–—

Daily Log, July 6th, 0 A.E. Rouge the Bat reporting.

Well…here I go again. I guess I just don't have anyone better to talk to.

I was right about Infinite. He didn't say a single word the entire time I was there. I can only imagine the things he said about me once I was gone. But then, wouldn't he have said all that already? They let me on the team anyways. I'm sure that's mostly because of Sly. He was friendly at least. Too friendly. Much too friendly. But I guess that's better than wondering if he's going to murder me in the middle of the night.

There was one thing I noticed about Infinite, though. His Ruby…it was cracked. I'm a jewel hunter, I notice things like that. I thought that he was staring at me the whole time, but…I wonder if that's all he was thinking about.

And then there's Fang. I can never tell what he's thinking. I'm pretty sure he trusts Sly…which is good news for me. But then, sometimes I wonder if he's ever really trusted anyone in his life.

Shadow…I know you trusted me. I know how much you must be hurting now. But please…don't lose your hope. Don't turn out like Fang.

—–—

?

Shadow dashes through the drying grass under the harsh light of the Green Hill sun. Rouge calls into his communicator, "Shadow? Shadow? Shadow, do you read me!?"

An Egg Pawn stands in Shadow's way. He strikes through it with a Spin Attack, landing in a crouch in the rubble it leaves behind. He looks around in confusion. "What the…?" His hand goes up to his head. "Where am I? That guy…what happened to Infinite?"

"Huh? What're you mumbling about, Shadow? You okay?" Shadow looks around at the clear blue sky. "Anybody home? We're going to pick up Omega. He was destroyed three months ago, remember?" He looks back to the pyramid base on the horizon, giving a hesitant nod. "Ugh, get it together!"

Shaking off the confusion, Shadow resumes his run through the parched plains. But he stops again at an odd sight. A small cluster of crimson red cubes morphs and pulsates in a sphere-like shape in the open air in front of him. The moment he notices, a stream of cubes in a pointed shape shoots out from the cluster, aimed right for his chest. He just barely dodges out of the way in time, and has to slide underneath the cluster as it shoots out another stream. As he gets back up and runs past, he growls, "What's going on…? Where am I? This doesn't feel like an illusion, but…could it be some sort of trap?" The further he runs, the more clusters of cubes he encounters, making avoiding them harder and harder. "Fine. I'll play along."

Shadow comes to a stop once again. A tall structure of machinery and scaffolding is built against the cliff that stands in his way. Egg Pawns, both white and silver, are stationed on every platform all the way up to the top, weapons pointed at him. But most terrifyingly, massive streams of the burning red cubes circle continuously around the structure and its platforms, leaving little room to climb. Shadow doesn't seem fazed. He leaps towards the lowest robot first. As he makes his way up, avoiding danger at every turn, he questions, "What happened to Omega?"

Rouge is quick to answer, "Oh, who knows!? We haven't heard a beep from him since he was dispatched last week!"

Shadow stops for just long enough to put on a scowl. "I thought you said he was destroyed three months ago."

"…" As Shadow leaps through a small break in the cubes, making it over the top of the cliff, Rouge finally answers, "In any case, that Omega sure is a clumsy bucket-of-bolts, isn't he? Oh, I can't wait to see the look on that smashed-up tin can's face!"

"You…are you really Rouge?"

"Of course I'm me! Just like how you're you."

Shadow walks slowly over to the opposite side of the tall cliff, and points out to the pyramid base that it now only a short distance away. There's no sign of damage. "This is where Omega was destroyed… But there's no sign of him."

Rouge lets out a cackling laugh. "Heheh. Sure seems that way. Probably because it never really happened."

"What!?" Shadow glances back over his shoulder, just in time to see another stream of cubes stabbing out at him. He leaps over the side of the cliff to avoid getting hit, and uses his hand and his hover shoes to slide down the side wall.

Omega's robotic voice cuts in through static, "A–firmative. I have never known d-d-de-defeat."

Shadow takes off at a run as he lands on the ground. "Omega!?"

"I am not defeated. I am not weak. I am not weak. I A-AM N-NOT WEAK… I AM-M NO-OT W-WEAK…" The more he repeats the line, the more his voice distorts to sound like that of another.

The farther Shadow runs, the more swarms of cubes are generated in the air around him, stabbing out at him, blocking his path, forcing him to watch his every step. "Ugh… What is this!? My head…" A line of attacking Buzz Bombers flies towards him in formation. Taking the opportunity, he goes in for an attack at the closest one, destroying it, launching him to the next, and further along the line in rapid succession, taking him high into the air above most of the cubes. When he reaches the end of the line, he stomps straight down to the ground. The cubes swarm in circles and masses all around him, but the small space he stands in is clear. The eye of the storm. "I've had about enough of this game."

Another voice, the voice of Infinite, comes in over his communicator. "Think you have it all figured out, do you, Shadow?"

Shadow watches the chaotic motion of red that circles around him. "Did you really think you could trick me with those fakes? You should try keeping your story consistent next time."

"They are of no consequence. Just a small part of the Virtual Reality I designed specifically for you. There is no escape."

"You're trying to torture me, and the best you can come up with is Green Hill? Please."

"Laugh now, Shadow. You will lose that confidence before long."

Rouge's voice adds, "You have to listen to him, Shadow. Give up, before it's too late."

Omega concurs, "Analysis indicates you are too weak to survive."

Shadow scoffs as he pulls out a glowing red object of his own. "They think something like this will stop me? Hah. Time to show them Ultimate Power!" He tosses the Chaos Emerald high into the air, catching it again and holding it far out in front of him. "Chaos…Control!" The entire world around him slows to a halt. Then he blasts off at an impossible speed. Cubes are thrown out of his way as he blows through them, as the world seems to condense into a tunnel around him.

"What!? What are you doing? Impossible!"

Rouge's voice pleads, "Shadow, you have to stop this now! You don't know what you're doing!"

Omega drones, "If you continue on this path, I will not hesitate to destroy you."

Shadow ignores them all. The entire world flips and turns and shreds itself apart around him as he continues along an absolutely straight path. The distorted image of the pyramid falls into focus just ahead. The moment Shadow tears into it, everything goes black.

—–—

Shadow unsteadily climbs to his feet inside the mechanical base, clutching at his head. "Ngh. Wha…? Where…?" He blinks a few times as he looks around, collecting his senses. He seems to have been taken to an unfamiliar room, full of strange capsules filled with swirling dulled cubes and other material. "I'm…back here? No… Is this still an illusion?"

"This is reality, Shadow. Your reality." Shadow looks up with a gasp. Infinite is still there, watching him. "I didn't expect to see you come back alive, but you must admit, it was a truly wonderful show, wasn't it?" He runs a clawed finger down the Ruby he wears on his chest. "Ahahahahaha… Oh, this power! Before we've even tuned it! Just as I thought, it is unrivaled!" Shadow pulls out his own red gem as if prepared to test that theory, but he freezes at Infinite's next words. "Not even Sonic will be able to stand against me now! Hahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA!"

"Sonic!? What are you plotting?" Before any more words can be said, a series of explosions rumble through the entire base, culminating in one directly above their heads. Shadow dives out of the way as a flaming hunk of metal crashes down from above. "What—is this!?" Infinite has already begun flying away, trailing a streak of crimson energy behind him. "Stop!" Shadow leaps over the rubble, chasing after him. The facility continues to rumble "Where do you think you're going, Infinite!?"

Infinite's laugh echoes off as he gets farther and farther away. "HAHAHAHA! HAAAHAHAhahahahaha…"

The ceiling in front of Shadow collapses, sending a wall of rubble down in front of him, cutting him off completely. A buzz of static comes in through his communicator. Rouge, apparently already out, cries, "Shadow? Shadow! Oh, finally, the connection's back! What're you doing!?"

"Rouge?"

"Ugh, forget it! Get away from there as soon as you can! There are explosions going off all over! The facility's about to collapse!"

"Rgh… Withdrawing now." He looks down to the Emerald in his hand. "What's the meaning of all this…?" He snaps his fingers, and disappears in a flash. The entire room, the entire facility, completely collapses just a moment later.

—–—

One month later

A peaceful wind blows through the lost valley of Green Hill. Endless amounts of sand shift and fall between the rare patches green still left. Even amidst the dry and desolate land, a few scattered sunflowers still grow. A massive mechanical foot crushes down onto one. The black-coated Death Egg Robot, towering twenty stories tall, stomps sluggishly along the ground, shaking the earth with every step, knocking down and destroying every hill and tree that stands in its path. But it isn't alone. Two more Robots, just as large, march in formation behind it, along with an army of hundreds upon hundreds of Egg Pawns at their feet. In the air above them flies an entire fleet of smooth but bulky red and yellow airships.

"Alright, boys…" Rouge stands atop a high cliff, watching the approaching army. "…that city may've been enemy territory last month, but now that we've driven Eggman out, we aren't letting him back in." She, too, isn't alone. On the hill with her waits a dozen GUN mechs, both GUN Troopers and Big Foots, idling and ready to fight. On the ground below marches an army of armed human footsoldiers. And in the air flies a fleet of blocky, angular GUN airships. "We can't let a single one get away. Just stow your fear, and we'll win this. So let's go!"

At her command, the airships open fire, immediately returned by the ships on Eggman's side. Havoc erupts on the battlefield as fire is exchanged on the ground between the robots and the soldiers. The lead Death Egg Robot raises an arm that starts to rotate more and more rapidly. Suddenly, it swings the arm back down, shooting outwards like a drill at shocking speeds, aimed right for Rouge's hill. She takes flight just a moment before the entire mountain crumbles beneath her feet. The mechs behind her fire their jets as well, taking flight and scattering around the battlefield.

Rouge looks down to the battle on the ground as she flies over. The soldiers seem to be making good headway against the robots, but each attack from the Death Egg Robots forces them to break off and scatter, bringing any progress to a halt. Still flying, Rouge reaches for her communicator. "Tails, what's it looking like in the city?"

After a moment, the voice of Tails responds, "Evacuation is backed up way behind schedule. People don't want to leave after they just got back. There's talk of staying and fighting. I'm doing my best with the people who do want to leave, but there's no way I can get them all out any time soon."

"What about Sonic?"

"He got the call, and he's on his way. He should be getting to Green Hill soon."

"Well, he'd better hurry." Rouge suddenly dodges out of the way of a Death Egg Robot arm aimed directly at her. She thinks to herself, "These big ones are going to walk right through us if we don't take care of them."

Rouge flies in a sweep around around the lead Death Egg Robot's flank. As she gets close to its shoulder joint, she throws out a barrage of her Heart Bombs, and each one sticks to a different spot along the massive joint. The Robot sweeps its head to the side, tracking her, and quickly fires off a beam laser from its one big red eye module, which she barely manages to keep ahead of. But a moment later, her bombs detonate, cutting off the attack.

The arm severed off by the explosion tumbles down, crashing and sticking into a tall hill surrounded by a looping wooden bridge that stretches over one of the rivers of sand below. The rest of the Robot attempts to restabilize itself from the change in balance. Two Big Foots fly in towards its front, each firing off a volley of missiles that strike the Robot at its center, sending it wobbling further off balance. Rouge comes in for a drilling kick, right at the Robot's eye. The eye shatters, going dim, and the Robot tumbles backwards. It crashes down to the ground, crushing many of the Egg Pawns that were stationed behind it. Rouge gives a satisfied nod. "One down, two to go."

In the air battle above, all of the GUN ships suddenly concentrate their fire on the engines of just one of the Eggman ships. The engines quickly detonate under the attack, sending the ship careening downwards. It crashes straight into the back of another one of the Death Egg Robots, destroying both in a fiery explosion.

"Nice shot, boys. Make that one to go."

The final Robot has turned its attention to the air fleet. It fires off one laser after the next, most of them missing their mark, but some impacting the sides the airships, causing heavy damage and plumes of billowing smoke. The ground beneath the Robot begins to rumble. Suddenly, a nearly-as-massive figure of blue springs out from the sand. The great sand worm chomps its teeth down on the Robot's shoulder, tearing the entire arm from its socket, taking it down with it back into the sand. The remaining GUN mechs are quickly able to finish the job.

"Guess nature's on our side, too. We've got this."

A buzz comes in her communicator. "Rouge, this is Shadow. What's going on?"

"Finally back from your top-secret mission, are you? Did you find Eggman's weapon?"

"No. Now tell me what's happening."

"Well, there's this big battle in Green Hill. Eggman's trying to take back the city. But we pretty much have it wrapped up."

"Rouge, are you telling me the truth?"

"What's the point of lying about it? Eggman got word that Sonic is nearby and mounted a massive assault. I mean, sure, A for effort, but it's nothing to worry about. We've got the advantage now. Sonic is on his way too, so I don't think it's a big enough deal for you to head out."

Shadow lets out a grunt of discontent, as if thinking deeply about something. "I can't imagine the Doctor would do something like that without…" He trails off.

But Rouge hardly notices. Out of the central Eggman airship, the largest in the fleet, a point of pulsating crimson light slowly descends. Rouge lets out a gasp. "Shadow! This is not good! Hurry, get over here!"

Infinite's voice booms loudly over the sandy plains, bringing an eerie silence to the battle. "Attention, insects of the military. You have been chosen as the first to witness the full extent of the power that will conquer this earth. Enjoy your final moments."

Shadow's voice can faintly be heard through the crackling static of the comm. "W––t –s i–, Ro–g–? W––– h––pe––d?" The voice is completely lost.

Infinite spreads his arms wide, and a massive wave of negative energy sweeps over the entire battlefield. Soldiers are lifted from the ground, tumbling uncontrollably through the air, and flying mechs seem no longer able to keep control, plummeting towards the ground. All of the airships aim their fire directly at Infinite. He chuckles softly as the vast majority of the fire passes him by completely. He points up an outstretched hand, and fires off a thin crimson laser beam of his own. Though the beam is thin, it wreaks massive destruction as it carves through the entire fleet one ship at a time, sending them all diving down into the negative space.

Infinite lets both of his arms drop down to his sides. In the air around him, countless hundreds of cubes are generated, each floating independently. He stretches back, then crosses his arms in front of him. One by one, in rapid succession, the cubes are launched away from him at immense speed. Each one seems to target a person or a machine. And each time one comes in contact, it appears to erase its target from existence in an instant.

From a perch high atop a cliff, away from the chaos, Rouge watches in horror as hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers appear to be annihilated before her eyes. Even the falling airships are removed.

Suddenly, the bubble of negative space contracts. There are no more cubes. And no more sign that GUN was ever there. Save for the wrecks of the Death Egg Robots, and the Egg Pawns quickly taking up defensive positions throughout the lost valley, there is no sign of any battle at all. The rest of the Eggman's forces surge onwards towards the city. Infinite is nowhere to be seen.

"What happened here?"

Rouge looks up with surprise to see Shadow standing over her. "It…it was the same one from before… Infinite… He wiped them all out… Every single one… How is that possible, Shadow?"

"It could be some sort of illusion. We still don't fully understand how that Ruby works."

"The Ruby…that's his weapon?"

"I've managed to figure out that much. I've also determined that it needs to be charged with an external energy source. I'm willing to bet whatever he just did drained most of that power. He'll be at his weakest right now. I have to go after him."

Rouges gasps. "No, you can't!"

"Eggman's already working on a much larger power source. I couldn't get the full details, but…if we can't put an end to this now…there's no way we can win this."

"He already destroyed Omega. What if he destroys you too?"

"That's a risk we have to take."

Rouge looks down to the ground. But something catches her eye. In the valley far below, a small blue streak speeds by, ramming through squadrons of Egg Pawns as it goes. "Sonic…"

Shadow watches him go with what might be described as pity. "He has no idea what he's up against."

—–—

Daily Log, July 6th, 0 A.E. Shadow the Hedgehog reporting.

It's only been a day. But already, everyone's pretending like nothing ever happened. It's back to work as usual. How can we just ignore this? We were used, betrayed. If Rouge was a danger, who else might be? Who can we trust? Who can I trust?

I've been talking with Omega. I feel like he's the only one who's taking this seriously. He was never one for sentiment. We both agree. We need to start taking precautions.

I told Sonic that we need to leave, find a new base. The enemy knows our location, and they could strike at any time. Sonic disagreed. He claimed that the enemy had to have known for months, but they still haven't done anything about it. They could've planned a surprise attack at any time, but they didn't. And now that we know what they know, they've lost that surprise. If they didn't before, there's no reason to do so now. I'm not sure that I agree…but there was one important point he made. If we try to leave now, they could attack us on the way, when we're at our most vulnerable. At least our current position is defensible.

Not only are we at risk…but there's nothing we can do about it. Even if I knew where to find her now, Sonic still won't let me go after her. She's a dangerous enemy to have. I know. I still don't understand how it came to this. Why would she betray us? After everything we've been through?

—–—

Three years ago

"Running out of time here, Tails!" The Replica of Chaos 0 swipes upwards with a long stretched arm, knocking Sonic right back up into the air he'd been falling from, only to be knocked aside as the Metal Sonic Replica spins through his path with a charged aura. As Sonic tumbles through the air, he's struck by Infinite's heel, sending him crashing down into the city street.

Sonic struggles just to keep his eyes open. With all of his failing strength, he tries to push himself back to his feet. But his arms give out, and he collapses back to the ground. He can only watch with his darkening vision as Infinite's feet set down in front of him.

Tails reaches out from his meager cover behind a pile of rubble, tears in his eyes. "SONIC!"

Infinite looks down at the unconscious figure, shaking his head. "Hm. Pathetic. I thought you said this one would be a challenge, Doctor."

Eggman growls from his Egg Mobile, "We can't take any chances. Grab the body and let's get out of here."

Infinite turns his head slowly to the side. "Oh, but what about the child he left behind?"

Tails takes a frightened step back.

Infinite starts to step towards him. "What's the matter, child? Are you afraid? Afraid for your friend? Afraid of mine?"

Tails turns with a cry of terror as he realizes he's backed into Chaos 0. The Replica starts to reach towards him with a watery hand. Tails glances around desperately, looking for any route of escape. He meets eyes with the Replica of Shadow that stands silently with its arms crossed. "Sh-Shadow… H-help… Please…"

The Replica's only answer is to begin stepping towards him with a tightly clenched fist, its blank, lifeless eyes locked firmly on him.

Infinite muses, "Ah, the unbridled fear of a terrified child. Such a rare treat."

Tails screams again as he realizes that Chaos is still behind him. But he has nowhere left to go. He ducks down, covering his head, trembling with terror. "Sonic! Help me!"

"Your friend can't help you now. Don't you see how your reliance on him has made you weak? You would be better off on your own. But since you wished to stand with him…you can fall with him now."

The Replicas and their master close in from all sides. Until a figure drops down between them. Rouge quickly takes hold of Tails. "Alright, time to go." She takes off just as quickly as she landed, flying Tails away from danger.

Eyes still clenched shut, Tails mutters almost incoherently, "Sonic…we…can't leave him…"

"Don't worry…Shadow will take care of things."

"Shadow…? But…" He can't seem to get out anything further.

On the ground, Infinite moves as if to leap after them. But Eggman stops him. "Let them go. We'll need a witness. Now grab the hedgehog, we've wasted enough time already."

Infinite glances upwards. "We can't leave just yet. We have another guest to entertain. It's been a while, Shadow. I was beginning to think that I scared you off."

His presence revealed, the real Shadow slowly steps out from an alleyway. "This ends here, Infinite."

"The world's hero just fell at my feet. Do you really expect to fare any better?"

"You're as worthless as you ever were, Infinite. That mask can't hide your weakness any more than your feeble illusions can."

"I am not–…" Infinite takes a breath to calm down, even letting out a soft chuckle. "Do these look like 'feeble illusions' to you, Shadow?" His four Replicas step up beside him. The fake Shadow stares at the real one with the same blank expression it always seems to wear. "Now that the Ruby's power has been tamed, the experience of Virtual Reality is no longer limited to the inside of one's own mind. Now, my reality becomes the truth, as yours becomes no more reliable than an illusion. And as Sonic got to learn for himself, these Virtual Reality Projections are every bit as real as the originals they replicate. Though I'll admit, Shadow there could use a bit of work. I just couldn't quite capture the look of apathy in your eyes."

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

"Not at all. This is my idea of revenge. Shadow will be a leading face of the Eggman Empire. The world will tremble at the sound of his name. Just imagine how much they'll hate you. The only thing that could make it better…is leaving you alive long enough to see it. But I'm not sure I can wait that long."

"All just hollow illusions. I'll give you a taste of reality!" Shadow leaps at Infinite in a flash. But the Replica moves just as quickly, catching his fist in an open hand. In the moment it takes him to react, he's struck in the side by Metal Sonic. Zavok prepares to pound its fists down onto the spot where he lands, but he manages to hop out of the way. He leaps back in with a spin attack as the Replica's fists slam into the ground, knocking it over. Chaos lashes out at him with a stretched arm from behind, but Shadow leaps back through the air, throwing down a Chaos Spear as he passes over the Replica. The attack hits hard enough to blast the Replica away, causing it to fizzle out and fade.

Infinite lets out an audible grunt. But the remaining Replicas keep up the offensive, keeping Shadow from making any further moves. "How's that for reality, Shadow? If you want to prove anything to me, you'll have to try harder than that." He lifts into the air, drifting backwards as he laughs tauntingly.

"You won't get away that easily!" Shadow knocks the Replica of himself aside as he chases after.

Eggman shouts angrily, "Wait, I told you to–" He growls loudly as he looks down at the unconscious figure of Sonic, which he is left completely alone with. "Fine, I'll take care of it myself." He presses a button on the console of his Egg Mobile. "Orbot, Cubot, come pick up the body!"

—–—

Shadow chases Infinite through the streets of the city, the Replicas of Metal Sonic and himself close on his tail. The sun has almost completely set, casting a gloomy twilight between the buildings. "Where's all that power of yours, Infinite? Didn't you take out an entire army hardly an hour ago? Why are you avoiding me? Why did you hold back against Sonic? You're running out of power, aren't you?"

"Once created, my Replicas don't require any power to maintain. And they seem to be handling things just fine." As if in response to him, Zavok comes slamming down from above. Shadow manages to slide just barely underneath the attack and keep going, but he is met immediately with an attack from Metal Sonic, knocking him down to the ground.

Shadow gets back up and tries to start running again, but he is struck in the back of the head by a kick from the Shadow Replica, putting him facedown on the ground again. Shadow hardly has time to look up before he is struck head-on by Infinite himself.

Though he has to support himself with a hand on the ground, Shadow does manage to land back on his feet.

"I must admit, you've fought well, Shadow. But you had no hope of defeating me with your…limited power. This will be your end."

"I'm not finished yet!" Shadow pulls out his Chaos Emerald. "Chaos Con–"

"No!" Infinite releases a blast of negative energy, knocking Shadow off his feet, and sending the Emerald clattering away along the floor. "I won't have you cheating your way out this time."

Undeterred, Shadow attempts to leap at Infinite. The Shadow Replica attempts to cut him off, but Shadow powers right through it, knocking it aside hard enough to destroy the illusion completely. But the large red hand of Zavok slams down onto Shadow before he makes it any farther, forcing him back to the ground, pinning him there.

Infinite slowly steps towards him across the road. His crimson aura has faded. Even the glow of the Ruby seems to have gone dim. As he moves, he outstretches a hand. A single crimson cube grows over his palm, rotating around slowly. "I have just enough power left. I've been saving this one especially for you."

Shadow struggles to free himself, but it's no use. "You haven't won yet."

"Haven't I, Shadow? You were the last challenge to stand in my way. And you fell. And Sonic fell. And the world will fall." Infinite lets out a laugh. "I've been thinking about what you said. About my Virtual Reality." He kneels down to look Shadow in the eye, holding the cube up between them. "So I had the Doctor help me with some research. And I made some improvements, just for you. I'll let you enjoy, and…decide on the rest later. Say 'sayonara', Shadow." He forcefully pushes the cube into Shadow's chest. Shadow's eyes go wide. Then he disappears. Though Infinite's face is hidden, the satisfaction in his eye is plain to see.

Rouge, standing atop the nearest building, puts a hand to her mouth. "Shadow… I'm too late…" The hand falls to her side. "I'm always too late…" Suddenly, the hand clenches into a fist.

Infinite stoops down to pick up Shadow's dropped Emerald. He turns it around in his hand for a moment. The Ruby on his chest appears to tremble slightly. "I'm sure we can find…some use for this…thing."

Rouge's voice sounds behind him, "I might be able to help with that." Infinite doesn't bother turning at the sound. "The name's Rouge. I'm something of a treasure hunter. A jewel expert, you might say."

"A straggler from the military? A shame you didn't just go down with them. But I don't have time to deal with you any longer. So I'll offer you a mercy instead." He starts to walk away, flicking a hand above his head as an order to his Replicas. "Kill her."

Zavok and Metal Sonic start to approach her. She raises and waves her hands as if to call them off. "Whoa, whoa, can't you tell when a girl wants to talk? I want in."

Infinite stops, and holds a hand up to command the Replicas to do the same. "In on what, exactly?"

"World domination, or whatever. That's what you're after, isn't it? I want in."

Infinite finally turns to face her from afar. "And why, do tell, would I let one of the enemy 'in'?"

"What enemy? You wiped them all out, didn't you? After a display like that, who wouldn't want to switch sides?"

"You rescued the child."

"You needed a witness of what happened to Sonic, didn't you? I was just lookin' out for you. That's what I do."

Infinite starts to step towards her slowly. If she's nervous at all, she doesn't seem to show it as he draws near. He looks her right in the eye. "I sense that you fear me."

"Seems to me like that's your goal."

Infinite draws away slowly, seeming to be in deep concentration. "And you say that you're a jewel hunter?" He glances down at the Ruby on his chest. "We…may have use for you after all."

Eggman's voice growls, "Infinite! There you are!" He approaches on his Egg Mobile. "I trust that you've taken care of…" He gasps as he sees Rouge. "You!"

Rouge gives a confident wave. "Hey, Doc. Your new buddy and I just reached an agreement. No need to worry."

Infinite adds, "I believe she can assist us with our…problem."

Eggman puts on a scowl. "And I'm sure she forgot to tell you the part where she turned out to be a spy the last time she made me a similar offer."

Rouges answers, "I play for the winning side, Doctor. That was never you. Not until today, that is."

Eggman glares even longer. "Very well." He looks to Infinite. "But you had better keep a very close eye on her."

—–—

One week later

"Hey…" Rouge whispers quietly as she passes near a human laborer. He breathes nervously as he drills bolts into the metallic wall, ignoring her completely. Rouge repeats, "Hey, what can you tell me about this place? What are you working on?"

Infinite's voice declares, "He can't hear you, you know."

Rouge turns with a gasp. "Oh, uh, Infinite, there you are."

"Since you really wish to know, this internment facility is a marvel of efficiency. The laborers work as if their lives depended on it. As far as they can tell, they do. Their individual perceptions of reality have been altered even as they are wide awake, putting each in a world where they believe they are working for their own benefit."

"But what are they building?"

"Oh, this? This place will be a sort of…power station. It will be operational quite soon."

"So why did you want me here?"

"Because it's time for you to get to work. This…" Infinite holds up a familiar-shaped gemstone for Rouge to see. "…is a Phantom Ruby prototype. Hundreds of defective models just like this one were made in facilities all over the world. Only one proved to be successful."

"And you're wearing it."

"Yes. And as for the rest…your task…" He suddenly crushes the gem in his hand, letting the sparkling dust slip between his fingers. "…is to seek out and gather every last one of them, and deliver them directly to me, so that I can destroy them. If even a single one is unaccounted for…" He pushes his mask up higher onto his face. "…it will be on your head."

"All over the world, eh? So where am I headed first?"

"There is one facility that requires immediate attention. An old lab in Splash Hill is under attack by a small group of anarchists. They cannot be allowed to obtain any of the prototypes. You will retrieve them all before they get the chance. And feel free to kill a few of them on your way out. No need to worry about collateral damage."

"Sounds like an important job. Sure you don't want to handle it?"

"I assure you, I'm quite busy. Now get going." Infinite turns to leave. "I have business to attend to." He exits through to the next room.

On the other side waits a long, dark hallway, which he continues through at an almost excited pace. At the end of the hall, lit by an intense spotlight, Shadow the Hedgehog is bound to the wall by cuffs of a glowing blue energy. The red Chaos Emerald simply floats in the air in front of him, far out of his potential reach. Though Shadow's eyes are closed, his face continuously contorts, as if he were experiencing some agonizing nightmare. He lets out a loud grunt as he starts to pant more heavily.

"What's the matter, Shadow? Running from something?"

Shadow starts to mutter, "No…stay…stay away…from her…"

Infinite merely laughs as he continues to watch.

Shadow suddenly starts to thrash about in his unconsciousness, tugging against his bindings. Infinite takes a step back, momentarily surprised by the ferocity of it. "Let…me…out!" Infinite continues to watch with interest. Finally, Shadow cries with anguish, "MARIA!" He slumps down, unable to fight any longer. But then he starts to mutter, "You…it can't be… You can't be here…this isn't right…"

Infinite leans in close to Shadow's face. "Yet here I am, Shadow. I am responsible for all of your pain. Past, present, and future. And you will relive this nightmare over and over again, until each time you hurt, each time you feel weak, each time you close your eyes, you will see nothing but me. Only then will you understand. Only then will I grant you the mercy of a long, painful death."

To be continued…