After their encounter with Robotnik at the remains of his base, Sonic and his team gave chase in the X-Tornado. Everyone watched the mad doctor retreat, Sonic perched on the wing as they flew.
"Looks like Eggman's trying to escape into Station Square," he noted.
"But why?" Keith wondered, keeping the plane steady. "Everyone in the city wants him gone, and even the police aren't as afraid of him as they used to be."
"Yeah, I think him getting thrown in the slammer kinda took away from all the fear he used to induce in people," Kat quipped.
"He must have something big planned if he's risking coming back," Tails surmised.
"That's what worries me," Knuckles grumbled. "Eggman and big often leads to a lot of people getting hurt."
"That's not gonna happen this time," Sonic reassured. "We're finding Eggman and shutting him down."
…
On the bridge leading into Station Square, Amy and her team continued their own pursuit of Robotnik. Helen looked up from her perch on Big's back, glancing around.
"We're back in town? Are we sure Eggman came this way?"
"No doubt about it," Amy reassured. "If Eggman wanted to stir up trouble, this is where he'd do it."
"But what about Froggy?" Big questioned.
"And Chocola?" Cream added. "He can't hide them here, can he?"
"Probably not," Amy admitted. "But I'll bet if we find Eggman, we'll find Froggy and Chocola."
"But why would he want them?" Helen asked. "Froggy's just a frog, and I can't imagine even Eggman wanting to hurt a Chao."
"Eggman is the worst of the worst, Helen," Amy informed the girl. "He doesn't care who gets hurt in his path of world domination. In his eyes, any living creature is just fodder for his Badniks."
Helen shuddered at the thought, cuing Amy to be a little less abrasive.
"But that's why Sonic exists, to keep everyone safe. And now, us too. I promise you, we'll save both Froggy and Chocola."
Helen perked up at the sentiment, as did Big and Cream. With their confidence strengthened, the four of them went off into the city, ready to confront Robotnik and save their friends.
…
Elsewhere, Robotnik stationed his Eggmobile above the Station Square power plant, dispatching several of his robots inside.
"This should do nicely," he commented. "The energy inside should be more than sufficient for my plans."
Just then, something lit up on his monitor screen, prompting him to check it and see the two teams approaching the city.
"Well now, it seems we have some meddlers closing in on me. Can't have that now, can we?"
With a grin, he pressed a button on his Eggmobile, which immediately lit up an angry red.
"Let's see if we can keep them busy for a bit."
…
Meanwhile, in the bustling metropolis known as Empire City, Team Dark was making their way through the busy streets. Unlike Station Square, Empire City was not used to Mobians, and were giving the group weary looks. Shadow and Omega were definitely getting a few hard stares from passers by, and more than a few whispers reached their ears.
"They don't seem particularly fond of us," Shadow noted.
"Let's just say that before you lost your memory, you did quite a few unsavory things," Rouge informed him. "That, and Omega's a Badnik."
"Not anymore," Chessie chimed in. "He's more of a… Goodnik? Does that even work?"
"Goodnik," Omega repeated. "Designation… acceptable. Query: why are we not continuing our search for Dr. Robotnik?"
"Because we have no information," Rouge answered. "Hard to find someone when we don't even know where to look."
"That's why we're here," Chessie added. "My apartment's not far from here, as well as my research and all the information I've gathered on Artificial Mobian creation."
"Artificial Mobian?" Shadow questioned. "You mean… like me? Is that why I was in that pod?"
"We're both Artificial Mobians. We weren't born, we were made. The big difference is that you were the Ultimate Lifeform, perfect in every way. Me? I'm a cheap knock-off from the dollar store. I've been trying to learn more about us, and maybe among my research, we can find something on memory manipulation, or in this case, erasure."
"Alright then…" Shadow allowed. "Lead the way."
Chessie nodded as they went off.
…
Chessie's apartment was apparently in the seedier part of town, the old brownstone looking particularly run down and dirty. She led the group to her place, a very tiny apartment that looked more like a massive hoard than a living space. The walls were covered in newspapers, graphs, blueprints, and other various paperwork. Most of them were connected with red strings, but there were entire stacks of paper filling up just about every space, along with books and rolled up posters. There was a large monitor station in a corner, which Chessie quickly booted up. Most of the screens were cracked or off color, clearly picked from the garbage.
"Now I know what they mean by dirt cheap," Rouge commented, wiping her finger on a dusty cabinet. "Guess Eggman didn't program you with house keeping skills."
Chessie just shot Rouge a dirty look before getting back to typing. Rouge backed off a little as Shadow looked around the room, noting all the papers around the room. He stopped seeing a large map of the US on the wall with a picture of himself on the top left corner. On the map were several X's, clearly marking places where she knew he wasn't.
"How long were you looking for me?" he wondered.
"Since you went missing," Chessie answered. "I've long since lost track of time."
"Why? What am I to you?"
Chessie stopped typing for a moment, as if searching for the right words.
"When… Eggman made me… he gave me false memories. Of people I never had, but longed to get back to. When I learned the truth, I was… lost. Then, I learned about you, and I realized that while my memories were false, I did have people to return to." She turned to face Shadow. "You're the closest thing I have to a family."
It was Shadows turn to be speechless, unsure of how to process this. Being thought of as family by someone he barely knew, the concept foreign to him. He sat down on the couch, still trying to process what Chessie had told him.
"Are you functioning properly?" Omega asked.
"Yes, I'm… I'm fine…"
…
Meanwhile, just outside of town, Team Chaotix was following the tracker they found, which was leading them to Empire City. Vector let out a whistle as they approached.
"This place makes Station Square look tiny."
"This is no time for sightseeing," their employer told them. "Robotnik's forces have been reported in the city. You need to take them out before he strikes again."
"Us taking on Eggman?" Charmy realized. "Cool! Bring em on!"
"You are way too excited about this," Espio commented, shaking his head.
"Eh, let him have his fun," Vector told him. "Now come on! We've got work to do!"
The three of them took off into the city, ready to complete their mission.
…
At the city power plant, several badniks, including Swatbots and Egg Pawns, stormed into the place and began seizing control of the building. They instantly started hooking up several cables to the machines inside, causing them to divert power from the station. From his screens, Robotnik watched this with a certain sadistic glee.
…
Inside Chessie's apartment, the light began to flicker on and off, much to everyone's confusion.
"What's going on?" Rouge asked.
"I have no idea," Chessie answered, rising to her feet. "Usually, the power here is pretty stable."
"Eggman perhaps?" Shadow suggested.
"Only one way to find out," Rouge declared, going over to a window. "You jokers coming or what?"
The three others quickly followed after as Rouge took off, with Shadow leaping to the ground as Omega jetted off and Chessie shot out her cables.
…
Meanwhile, Team Chaotix quickly took notice of the flickering lights across various buildings. Even the traffic lights were affected, causing many a cross among the streets. Espio had to pull Charmy back to keep him from almost getting hit by a careening car. The bee shrieked, curling around Espio's hand as the chameleon looked around.
"What the heck is going on here?"
"Did the city forget to pay the electric bill?" Charmy questioned.
"Something tells me we're dealing with something a lot more sinister than late bills," Vector deduced.
"It must be the work of Dr. Robotnik," the radio chirped. "You must locate the source immediately!"
"You got it. Come on, guys!"
The three quickly took off, hoping to find the cause of their current crisis.
…
In Station Square, similar problems were occurring as hordes of robots tore through the local power plant, frightening off security and workers alike. Once the staff were clear, the robots began plugging in, siphoning off power from the plant. Robotnik witnessed this as well, as smug as ever.
…
As Sonic's team reached the city, they quickly began to notice lights and other electronic devices began flickering on and off.
"Something's going on here," Sonic noted.
"Gotta be Eggman," Tails deduced. "But why is he messing with the power?"
"Maybe he's using it to power one of his robots," Keith suggested.
"It'd have to be a heck of a robot to require this much power."
"Well, it's just a theory."
"Only one way to find out for sure," Kat suggested.
"Right," Keith agreed. "Our best bet is to head to the city power plant and see what's up."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Knuckles let out.
Keith then veered the X-Tornado towards the direction of the plant, hoping to keep ahead of Robotnik and his twisted schemes.
…
As Amy and her team made their way into the city, they quickly took notice of the power starting to go out throughout the city.
"What's going on?" Big asked.
"Somethings messing with the power," Amy answered. "If I had to guess, I'd say Eggman's behind this."
"But why?" Helen wondered.
"I don't know, but I know how we can find out." She turned towards the power plant, waving at the others. "Let's go!"
The four of them took off, more than ready to put a stop to whatever Robotnik had planned next.
…
Within a few minutes, the X-Tornado touched down in front of the power plant. The five of them got out to see several of Robotnik's robots swarming outside.
"Looks like we're in the right place," Sonic remarked before springing into action.
He quickly spin dashed two bots before the others sprung into action. Tails quickly took off into the air and pulled out some off color rings from his fur. He tossed them at the robots, causing them to explode.
"Whoa!" Keith let out. "Cool!"
"Dummy ring bombs!" Tails called back. "Something I've been working on."
He tossed several more at the bots, taking them out. Knuckles quickly ran forward and let his fists run wild, trashing one bot after another in rapid succession. Keith created an energy ball and tossed it to Kat, who batted it at some airborne bots, frying their circuits and causing them to crash to the ground.
As the group stopped to take a moment, they suddenly heard the sounds of breaking metal from the other side of the building.
"Someone else is here?" Kat questioned.
"Come on," Sonic motioned. "Let's check it out."
…
On the other side of the building, Amy finished bringing her hammer down on one robot before smashing another. Big meanwhile was helping Helen using his fishing pole to sling one of the robots. She pulled on it hard, causing it to fly around and into a wall.
"I did it!" Helen cheered.
"Way to go, Helen!" Big encouraged, picking up an approaching robot and tossing it into a wall.
In the air, Cream flew around, trying to avoid being shot at by a buzz bomber.
"Cheese, get him!" Cream called out.
Cheese shot out, curling into a ball and ramming right into the buzz bomber, destroying it. The others looked up in astonishment of the tiny Chao.
"Whoa…" Amy let out.
"I didn't know Cheese could do that," Helen admitted.
Cheese returned to Cream's hands as she landed on the ground. He flexed his nubs, chirping triumphantly as he grinned.
"He's a very strong Chao," Cream informed with a smile.
"I believe it," Amy commended.
"Amy?!"
Amy perked up, turning to see Sonic and the others approaching. Her eyes went wide as she lowered her hammer.
"Sonic? What are you guys doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same question."
"We're looking for Froggy and Chocola," Cream answered.
"Chocola?" Keith repeated, not recognizing the name.
"My mama's Chao," Cream explained. "He's Cheese's twin brother. He went missing when Mama came here."
"We think Dr. Eggman is responsible for their disappearance," Helen elaborated.
"I think Eggman's a little busy with some massive project he's gonna unveil in three days," Knuckles remarked. "And seriously, kidnapping a Chao and a frog? There's not even a piece of Chaos on the line for him to care."
"But he was there when we started looking for Froggy," Big explained.
"It could've just been a coincidence," Tails reasoned.
"Well, whether it is or not, we're going to find Eggman to get to the bottom of this," Amy declared.
She was about to walk off when Sonic sped in front of her.
"Not until you get Cream and Helen out of here," Sonic insisted. "It's not safe for them."
"Hey, that's not fair," Helen protested. "We fought Dr. Eggman before and we were able to help out."
"Yeah, we can fight too!" Cream declared, Cheese chirping and taking on a stubborn posture.
"Look, this isn't a game," Knuckles insisted. "Eggman isn't going to go easy on you just because you're kids. He'll seriously hurt you if he gets the chance."
"Oh yeah?" Amy argued. "Well then, you might as well send Tails home. Last time I checked, he's only two years older than Helen and Cream. Or maybe send Keith and Kat home as well. They're not as strong as us, and yet you have no problem letting them tag along!"
"That's different," Sonic retorted. "Tails is a mechanical prodigy, and Keith and Kat are teenagers. Armed teenagers."
Amy growled, tightening her grip on her hammer. She stalked towards Sonic, jabbing her finger hard into his chest.
"Listen here, Sonic. Cream and Helen are on my team, and I decide if they sit this out. And unfortunately for you, I've decided that you have no say in this. They. Are. Coming." She punctuated each word with another jab to Sonic's chest. "Got it?"
"Sorry Amy," he declared, pushing her hand aside. "But I can't in good conscience let you do that."
Amy gripped her hammer as Sonic took a fighting stance. Everyone watched, ready for a fight to break out between the two. Before they could though, a large surge of energy shot out from the windows of the building. Everyone turned towards the plant in astonishment.
"What the heck?!" Knuckles let out.
"Table this discussion until we find out what that's all about?" Sonic suggested.
"Fine," Amy nodded. "Let's go!"
They all took off towards the plant. As they approached, Keith stopped for a second, noticing something embedded in the wall. He went over to investigate, finding the blue Chaos Emerald wedged inside.
"No way…" he let out.
He took hold of it with both hands and pulled as hard as he could, yanking it out of the wall. Giving it a good look for a second, he pocketed it before running to catch up with the others.
…
With Shadow and the others, they made their way down the street, searching for any sign of the cause of the power fluctuations.
"We've been circling around for a while now," Rouge commented. "If we're going to find Eggman, we need a new strategy."
"Any ideas?" Shadow asked.
"If the power's going out, we should check out the local power plant," Chessie suggested. "It has to be where Eggman's messing with the power."
"Reasoning, logical," Omega commented.
The four of them rounded a corner, making their way towards the power plant. As they did, several Swatbots suddenly dropped down and opened fire on them.
"Looks like we found them," Chessie commented, firing a cable and zipping upwards.
Shadow meanwhile just rushed forward and dashed towards one of the Swatbots, leaping up and punching it in the face, knocking its head off. Rouge meanwhile dodged and weaved between the laser blasts as Chessie shot a cable down, severing one of the Swatbots arms. Rouge then dove down into a screw kick, drilling right through the Swatbots chest, causing it to explode. Omega simply summoned missile launchers in his hand slots and opened fire on the robots.
"Status for all Robotnik robots: termination."
Shadow quickly leapt off of one Swatbot so he could kick another, effectively destroying it. Seeing the other Swatbot preparing to open fire, he leapt towards it, rolling into a spin dash and plowing through it, causing the remains to explode. He landed on the ground triumphantly as Chessie landed next to him.
"I am so glad you still remember how to fight," she told him.
"Guess so…." Shadow realized. "Muscle memory perhaps?"
"That's my running theory so far. What the mind forgets, the body remembers."
As Rouge flew down, she saw something shining in a nearby alleyway. She went to investigate, seeing the shining coming from a nearby trash can.
"Ugh," she let out, taking a chance and reaching inside.
She grabbed hold of something, pulling it out to see it was the green Chaos Emerald.
"Hello gorgeous," she marveled in astonishment. "Come to mama."
Almost immediately, a cable shot out, snagging the emerald and pulling it from Rouge's grasp. The bat gasped, following the cable up to where Chessie was standing.
"Nice eye, Rouge," the cat commended as she held the Emerald out for Shadow. "Here, you hold onto it."
Shadow looked down at it, suddenly being overwhelmed by a series of images that began flooding his brain. The emerald in a museum, him holding a loft in the presence of a blue hedgehog, him tossing the emerald into some kind of machine, and a young girl in a blue dress. He held his head in pain as Chessie rushed over to him.
"Hey, hey, hey," she let out, keeping her voice low. "Are you alright?"
"I saw… these images… flashes…" He gritted his teeth, his head pounding.
"Easy, it's alright. I've got you, Shadow. Just focus on my voice, okay?"
Shadow took a few breaths, trying to calm his mind. Finally, he opened his eyes and turned to Chessie.
"This Emerald… it's important to me… isn't it?"
"It has… connections to your past," Chessie answered. "That, and it helps boost your powers. Trust me, you'll want it."
Shadow looked down at the Emerald, holding it close.
"Thanks."
"Hate to interrupt your little moment," Rouge spoke up. "But the power plant isn't too far from here. Mind if we keep going?"
"Right," Chessie replied. "Let's go."
…
Just outside the power plant, the Chaotix team had just arrived, coming to the same conclusion as Shadow and the others.
"Here it is," Vector announced. "The Empire City power plant. If Eggman's cooking something up, it's gonna be here."
"Strange," Espio noted. "You'd think we'd see some sign of Eggman if he were here."
"Like what?" Charmy wondered. "Some robots? We can take those guys."
"Do not let yourself be fooled," the radio squawked. "Robotnik is here, so stay sharp."
"You heard him," Vector ordered, ushering them towards the building. "Let's move in."
Just as they start making their way inside, Shadow and the others finally reach the building, puzzled by their fellow Mobians.
"Who the heck are those guys?" Chessie wondered.
"Some d-list detectives that helped during that whole Egg Moon mess," Rouge informed. "No one important, really."
"Robotnik top priority," Omega reminded. "Non-compliant intruders will be destroyed."
Just as the Chaotix team stepped inside, Espio stopped, sensing something.
"What's up, Espio?" Vector asked.
"We have company," he informed, turning around and seeing the others approaching.
"Hey, it's the bat lady," Charmy recognized, before going wide eyed at the sight of Omega. "And a badnik!"
Charmy quickly readied his stinger before Chessie stood between him and Omega.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she let out. "Ease up little guy. Omega's not a Badnik. He's a Goodnik. A good guy."
"One of Eggman's robots on our side?" Espio questioned. "You can't be serious."
"She is," Shadow insisted. "What's it to you?"
"Say… haven't I seen you in the paper?" Vector questioned, squinting as he looked Shadow up and down. "Hey, yeah. You're that hedgehog that framed Sonic and nearly blew up the planet!"
"What?!" Shadow let out in disbelief.
Suddenly, a cable wrapped around Vector's neck, throwing the croc into one of the walls hard enough to crack the brick. Chessie hissed like a feral cat, flicking her wrist to tighten the coiled cable.
"Watch your mouth, Croc..."
"What? I say mean things to your genocidal pal over there?"
He suddenly grabbed hold of the cable and yanked hard, pulling her into the same wall as him and causing her to hit hard. Shadow saw this and flared up, rushing right towards Vector. His sneakers lit up, fire gathering beneath them as he shot forward, decking him right in the stomach.
"Don't touch her!"
All of a sudden, Espio appeared in front of him, kicking him right in the face.
"Vector may be a blowhard, but he's our blowhard," Espio threatened.
"Yeah," Charmy agreed. "You want him, you gotta go through us."
"Somehow, I doubt that'll be a problem," Rouge commented.
Rouge immediately took off into the air as Charmy darted after her. He tried stinging her, but she was quick enough to evade the strikes. Down on the ground, Espio leapt into the air and threw several shurikens at Shadow, who quickly evaded them all. He leapt up into the air, trading blows and strikes back and forth. Espio quickly kicked off of Shadow and stuck to a nearby wall as Shadow landed on the ground. Shadow then leapt up after him just as Espio leapt off. Vector meanwhile tried bringing his fists down on Chessie, who quickly shot out a cable to zip away before he could hit her. She swung around before kicking him in the face. Shaking his head, he took out a pack of gum and popped a few pieces into his mouth.
"Are you seriously worried about your breath in the middle of a fight?!" Chessie questioned.
"No, but you should be!"
He then turned towards Chessie and actually shot out a stream of fire from his mouth, causing her to leap out of the way.
"Whoa!" she let out. "How did you do that!"
"A special gum that some big wigs back home invented. It's Dragon Fruit flavor for that nice added boost."
"Vector signed up for the drug trial so we could pay rent," Espio muttered.
"Hey! I got the bills paid on time, and they gave me all the gum I could want!"
"Must be nice," Chessie commented, running at him again.
As the groups continued to fight, Omega's sensors detected something going on inside. Leaving the mobians to continue their senseless battle, the Goodnik began marching inside.
…
Back in Station Square, Sonic and Amy's groups made their way inside, looking around for the source of the energy surge.
"Keith, what are we looking at?" Sonic asked.
"Something is drawing immense power from the plant," Keith responded, adjusting his goggles. "Looks like it's coming from this corridor."
The group made their way down the corridor. As they came out, they were greeted by a giant muscular robot with a massive hammer in its hand standing between two dynamos and draining the power from them.
"So this is what Eggman's been tinkering with?" Sonic commented. "Give me five seconds."
He quickly ran towards the robot and leapt into the air, spin dashing at it. The second he collided with the robot though, he hit its electric shield, causing him to cry out in pain as he shot back towards the others.
"Sonic!" Amy called out as she ran up to him. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah… thing's tougher than it looks."
The robot then swung its hammer down at them, causing Sonic to grab Amy and zip out of the way. Tails took off upwards and tried throwing some dummy rings at the robot, but they seemed to have no effect.
"This doesn't make any sense!" the fox exclaimed. "Just how tough is this thing?!"
"No clue," Knuckles commented. "Kat, lay up some shots for me!"
Kat nodded and readied her bat, sending several explosive balls into the air. Knuckles quickly punched the balls into the robot. They collided with the leg of the robot, prompting Knuckles to rush forward and punch the exploded area. As the smoke cleared, Knuckles saw that he barely made a dent.
"It's not possible," Knuckles let out, quickly leaping out of the way as the robot brought his hammer down.
Keith tried throwing a few electric balls at the robot, but they seemed to be absorbed into the robot.
"It looks like this thing absorbs electric energy," he noted.
The robot quickly turned towards him and tried bringing its hammer down on him. Keith quickly made a break for it as Tails swooped in, picking him up and carrying him away as the hammer collided with the floor. As the fight went on, Helen and the others watched on, trying to spot anything that they could exploit. Eventually, it was Helen who spotted something, seeing energy funneling from the dynamos into the robot itself.
"Hey guys," she called out, pointing towards the dynamos. "Do those look important to you guys?"
"Yeah, they kinda do," Cream agreed.
Amy looked up at the dynamo herself and came to a realization.
"That's why this thing is so tough… It's drawing power from those generators. Sonic!" Sonic turned to Amy, who quickly pointed to the dynamos. "It's pulling power! That's why its so tough!"
"Now that's something I can work with! Everyone, we need to take out those dynamos!"
"Love to," Knuckles replied, dodging between hammer swings. "But we're a little busy over here!"
"Keep it busy!" Amy called out. "We got this! Cream, give me a boost!"
Cream quickly started flapping her ears and flew upwards, picking up Amy in the process. She started spinning Amy around before Amy finally let go of the hammer, sending it right into the generator. The impact caused the dynamo to short out, cutting its power. The electric energy surrounding the robot started fizzling out, something that didn't go unnoticed by the others.
"The other one!" Tails shouted. "Take it out!"
Big quickly took out his fishing line and snagged it onto the top of the dynamo. Planting his feet, he gave a hearty yank, rip[ping the dynamo from its mooring. Once it was pried free, the electricity was cut off, leaving the robot vulnerable.
"Finally," Keith commented. "Been meaning to try something."
Just then, the robot brought its hammer down. Knuckles rushed forward and caught it, the ground cratering under his weight. Keith then summoned another electric ball, but this time, put his hands together so he could flatten it out. He then launched it at the robot's arm, severing it and causing it to drop the hammer.
"Whoa!" Kat let out. "Since when could you do that, Keith?"
"Dad and I have been tinkering with the initial design. Always pays to innovate."
"Not bad," Sonic commented. "But I prefer the classics!"
Sonic then spin dashed right through the robot's chest, causing it to spark before exploding. Everyone covered their faces as robot parts flew everywhere.
"Yep," Kat nodded. "Can't beat the classics."
"We did it!" Helen cheered. "We stopped the robot!"
"Not as helpless as you thought, huh Sonic?" Amy commented, a sly, smug grin on her face as she leaned on her hammer.
"Alright, you guys handled yourselves really well," Sonic commended.
"Excuse me?" Amy argued. "If Helen hadn't spotted the dynamos while you boys were out flexing, you'd all be whack-a-moles by now."
"We would've figured it out eventually."
"We saved your lives. Admit it."
"You helped a little. No need to get a big head about it."
"Big head?!"
"They're gonna be at this for a while," Tails noted. "I can tell."
"Definitely," Keith agreed before turning to Helen. "All the same, that was pretty quick thinking with that dynamo, Helen."
"Aww, thanks Keith. The power frisbee was cool too."
"Gotta say, you know how to pull your weight big guy," Knuckles commented, patting Big on the back.
"Thanks."
"So..." Kat leaned on her bat, "how long until those two realize we're being watched?"
The others looked up to see Robotnik hovering in his Eggmobile just above them.
"I do hope I'm interrupting something," Robotnik voiced, getting Sonic and Amy to stop.
"Eggman!" Amy cried out.
"I was wondering when you'd show your ugly mug, Egghead," Sonic jeered, turning to face the doc. "Whatever you're planning, it ends now!"
"Is that right? Well, since you're so certain about that, why don't we speed things up a little. I'm launching my ultimate weapon tomorrow at sunset!"
"What?!" everyone let out.
"You can't do that!" Cream exclaimed. "That's not fair!"
"Life's not fair, my dear," Eggman declared, grinning like an evil maniac. "Besides, you should be happy. The sooner I launch my plan, the sooner you and yours get your precious pets back."
"So you did take Chocola and Froggy!" Helen shouted. "You big bully!"
"What do you want with a frog and a Chao anyway?!" Knuckles asked.
"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Robotnik declared, taking off. "Tata for now!"
Everyone watched him fly off, utterly fuming at the development. Once the doctor vanished from sight, the two groups gathered up.
"What kind of game is he playing?" Keith wondered.
"Whatever it is, it's clear we don't have the full picture yet," Knuckles declared.
"Yeah, 'we' don't," Amy spoke up. "Looks like 'we' should look into this further."
"Okay, okay, you win." Sonic held up his hands in surrender. "Clearly, we've got a lot to get caught up on, and we could both use some help."
"Happy to help," Amy responded, grinning happily while Sonic just rolled his eyes.
…
All the way in Empire City, Omega continued making his way into the plant, trying to locate whatever made his sensors go awry. As he got further inside, he was greeted by a large red robot with a shield, a laser for a hand, and a cone shaped head.
"The E-2000," Omega observed. "So, they're in production. Commencing termination."
Omega activated his machine guns and opened fire on the robot, but it quickly raised its shield to block the blasts. It then raised it's other arm to fire at Omega, forcing him to jet into the air. Omega then unleashed some energy missiles from his arm, prompting the E-2000 to jet out of the way.
…
Back outside, the fight between the Chaotix and the Dark team raged on. Vector was getting most of the damage, having both a pissed off cat and the Ultimate Lifeform out for blood. It was all Espio could do to keep them from killing him, and even that was hindered by Rouge's interference. All the while, Charmy was hovering above it all, munching on popcorn he got from somewhere as he watched the whole fight.
"Man, this is getting good," Charmy commented before noticing something. "Hey, where's the badnik?"
The fight stopped at that, Team Dark immediately seeking out their robotic companion. As they did, the sound of distant gunfire reached their ears.
"It's Omega," Shadow realized.
"And it sounds like he's making friends," Rouge commented.
"Hey croc," Chessie began, retracting her cables, "let's take five on this so my team can go save our robot."
"Why?" Vector questioned. "It's just a machine."
"Omega is one of us," Shadow told him. "You have a problem with that, tough."
The three of them took off towards the plant, leaving Team Chaotix more than a little confused.
"Lot of love for a robot," Charmy noted.
"So what do we do now?" Espio questioned.
"Follow them, of course!" Vector declared. "We've got a known jewel thief, the guy who tried to destroy the world, and some mystery cat with killer cables going after a badnik!"
"Right. This is gonna be fun."
…
Inside the plant, Team Dark made their way inside, running, flying, and cable swinging as fast as they could. They finally caught up with him, just as he was hurled against a wall.
"Omega!" Chessie shouted, rushing to the robot's side. "What's going on?!"
"Robotnik has commandeered this power station to power his latest creation, the E-2000."
"He doesn't seem that impressive," Shadow commented.
He ran towards the robot, spin dashing at it. It raised it's shield though, causing Shadow to bounce off of it.
"Tougher than he looks?" Rouge remarked.
"Only because of that shield. We take it out, it's finished."
"Keep it busy," Chessie insisted, tapping on her wrist to bring up a small holographic screen. "I can try and find a weakness in E-2000, but I need a full scan, and time."
"We can give it to you," Rouge reassured as she, Omega, and Shadow charged at the robot.
The E-2000 opened fire on the group, causing them to scatter. Rouge veered upwards before diving down into a screw kick. The kick collided with the robot's shield, prompting the robot to shove her off. Shadow approached next, quickly circling around the robot to confuse it. The E-2000 tried following Shadow's movements, but he moved too fast for it to keep track of. Once he got behind the robot, Shadow struck from behind, knocking it forward. Shadow leapt up and tried to strike the robot from behind, but the robot spun around and hit him with his shield, knocking him back.
"Anytime now!" Shadow called out.
"I'm trying!" Chessie called back.
The E-2000 aimed it's gun at Chessie, opening fire. However, before the shots could land, Espio came speeding in, grabbing her and getting her away with seconds to spare.
"Uh… thanks," Chessie commended.
"Just tell us what we need to do to take that thing down," Espio requested.
"Still working on that." She looked down at her scanner, gritting her teeth. "Ugh! This thing is unbeatable! It can take any hit with that shield!" She then stopped. "Wait… the shield's not a sphere… It's not a sphere! Everyone! Attack it at once! It can only block one attack at a time!"
"Now that is a plan!" Vector commended, popping some more gum.
He let loose another stream of fire at the shield as Espio launched several shurikens. Charmy and Rouge swooped back and forth, striking with kicks and stings, working to wear it down. Omega unleashed a barrage of weapons at the shield, causing it to crack as Shadow rushed forward, preparing to deliver the final blow.
"Shadow!" Chessie shouted. "Cup your hand above your head!"
"Why?!" Shadow called back.
"Just do it! Trust me!"
Shadow was confused, but followed her lead. He placed his hand over his head, causing a surge of energy to form. It elongated into a pulsating spear, and from there, instincts took over. With a precise throw, Shadow launched the spear, using it to shatter the shield and completely tear E-2000's head clean off. The body fell to the ground as the two teams reconvened.
"That takes care of that," Rouge commented. "Thanks for the assist."
"Don't think we're just gonna let you walk," Vector retorted. "What the heck are you four even doing here?"
"Our reasons vary," Rouge answered with a shrug. "Some want vengeance, some want answers, some just want to help a friend, and some just have a mission to complete. But the one thing we have in common is our desire to see Eggman bite the big one."
"Affirmative," Omega confirmed, clenching his fist. "Primary objective. Destroy Dr. Robotnik."
Vector was still suspicious, his eyes falling on Shadow. "And him? Can we trust him?"
"I do," Chessie answered in a heartbeat, taking Shadow's hand in hers. "He's one of us."
"You might regret that decision, my dear," an all too familiar voice commented.
Everyone turned, eyes and optics going wide at the familiar sight of Robotnik in his Eggmobile.
"Speak of the devil," Rouge remarked.
"Stealing power to turn on your robots?" Vector questioned. "And they call me cheap."
"Is this him?" Shadow questioned, gripping Chessie's hand tightly. "Is this the man who took my memories?"
"It's him," Chessie confirmed.
"Doctor… why was I asleep on that base? And what did you do to my memory?"
"Your memory?" Robotnik scoffed. "What memory? You have no past to remember!"
"What?!"
"You're lying!" Chessie snapped, her purple fur turning red around her face. "He has a past! He's Shadow the Hedgehog, and you tried to erase that!"
Robotnik just examined his nails, looking completely disinterested. "I can't erase what was never there."
"What kind of game are you playing here?" Vector wondered.
"Sorry, I'm not telling. However, come work for me, and I'll double whatever they're paying you."
"They didn't hire us," Charmy corrected.
"Besides, once we take a job, we see it through to the end," Vector promised.
"Pity," Robotnik lamented. "No matter. The culture tank rejects and their glitch-riddled flunky are of no use to me, and you three are nothing short of incompetant. Hardly worth the time it would take to destroy you. However, cross me again, and I may not be in as giving a mood."
Robotnik then flew off, leaving the two teams dumbfounded by their encounter.
"What… what did he mean by that?" Shadow asked.
"He was just messing with you," Chessie insisted. "Trying to screw with your head. That's what he does. But let me make something clear right now." She turned him so they were facing one another. "You are real, you have a past, and we will get your memories back."
Shadow was hesitant, but seeing the determination on her face was enough to give him confidence, prompting him to nod in response.
"Sounds like you guys have got quite the mystery on your hands," Vector commented, approaching the two. "As it happens, we specialize in solving mysteries. Hows about we work together to get to the bottom of this whole Eggman debacle, huh?"
"I thought we weren't to be trusted," Shadow recalled.
"Ya ain't. But, sticking close to you guys could ensure you stay out of trouble."
"Then you might have to work overtime for me," Rouge jeered. "I just live for trouble."
"Interference with the primary objective will result in immediate termination," Omega warned.
"Ok, he kinda scares me," Charmy admitted, hiding behind Espio.
"Agreed," Espio concurred. "Keep him on a leash or something."
"Omega is on our side, and we will not be putting him on a leash," Chessie snapped, putting a hand on the bot's arm. "He's a friend, not a tool."
"Whatever," Vector replied. "How about we get going and try to get some answers."
"Right," Rouge nodded. "Come on everyone. We've got work to do."