It was a foggy evening as a lone ship known as the Seahawk sailed across the still ocean waters.
"Headquarters, this is the Seahawk," Topaz reported. "We've run into some heavy fog. Visibility is near zero. Headquarters, do you copy?!"
The response was far too garbled to understand, something interfering with their communication equipment
"I don't know where all this interference is coming from, sir," one of the technicians admitted.
"Somebody must be trying to jam us," one of the officers realized.
"Sir!" a radar tech exclaimed. "There's something big approaching!"
"What is it? A ship?"
"I don't think so," Topaz dreaded. "I think it's something much bigger."
The crew looked out to see, amidst the fog, a set of bright pair of blue lights in the water, steam rising off of them.
"Sound the alarm," the officer ordered.
"Headquarters, this is the Seahawk!" Topaz called again. "Do you read! We've encountered an unknown vessel and-"
Just then, something began rising out from under the water, much to the horror of the Seahawk's crew.
…
"Seahawk, do you read?!" one of the GUN agents responded. "Seahawk, come in! Seahawk!
…
Out at sea, nothing of the Seahawk remained aside from a single life preserver.
…
"Naval authorities have reported that the research vessel Seahawk has gone missing at sea," Scarlet reported as Keith, Sonic, and the others watched it on TV. "Rescue teams are combing the area for its last known location, but so far, there have been no leads. Details on the mission the vessel was set to complete is still shrouded in mystery, but official reports say that everything was going well until the crew radioed to report heavy fog."
"And people wonder why I prefer to stay out of the water," Sonic remarked.
"You like it if it's in a glass," Cream noted as she, Helen, and Tails were playing with a jenga tower. "That's a start."
Sonic just playfully shrugged in response.
"So what do you think happened to the ship?" Keith wondered. "Maybe it's Eggman?"
"It's possible," Chuck admitted, still nursing his sprained ankle. "In fact, that would explain why there have been so many vessels disappearing in that area."
"But why would Eggman care about a bunch of ships?" Sonic wondered.
"His big plan maybe?" Tails suggested. "As much of a terror Emerl was, I get the feeling he wasn't what Eggman has been researching all this time."
"Keith, when Eggman held you prisoner, did you get a good look at any of the books he had taken?" Chuck asked.
"Um…" Keith wracked his brain, trying to remember. "I think some of them were geography books. I can't remember any of the titles though."
"So it's not the ships Eggman's interested in," Tails realized. "It's the area they've disappeared in. There must be something there that Eggman doesn't want anyone else to know about."
"Then perhaps we should take the yacht out and take a look," Chuck decided.
"You're… going out on the water?" Cream wondered, looking more than a little somber.
Keith met her gaze, unable to keep the sympathy from his eyes. "Still thinking there's a chance Emerl will turn up again?"
She just turned away, prompting Sonic to spring into action.
"Say Helen," he spoke up. "Didn't you say you wanted to make some new flower crowns for your mom and Vanilla?"
He flashed Helen a wink, cueing her in on his plan.
"Oh yeah," she replied. "Ella said she had just planted some new daisies that we could use. What do you say, Cream?"
Her face brightened up a little as she and Helen went outside. Sonic watched her go, then sighed.
"She's six… she shouldn't have to go through this…"
"You're doing your best to help her," Keith reassured. "If anyone can, it's you."
"I'm trying…" He gritted his teeth and turned away, muttering quietly. "Damn that Eggman…"
Tails went over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"She's gonna be ok," he reassured. "She's got us."
Sonic smiled a little in response.
…
At the White House, the President, his aides, and Team Dark stood in the Oval Office listening to the last recording of the Seahawk. Rouge was listening more intently than most, concerned for her partner.
"And you're sure there's no sign of them?" she asked.
"Rescue teams have been combing the area, and found nothing," the President lamented. "Not so much as a trace of the seahawk, or its crew."
"Topaz…" Rouge muttered, running a hand over the bracelet the agent had given her months ago.
"We'll find her, Rouge," Shadow reassured.
"If there's anything left to find," Jerome lamented.
"No," Chessie shot down. "If the Seahawk was destroyed, we would have found wreckage. More likely, somebody stole it. The crew is probably hostages."
"That ship is also loaded with top secret communications equipment that could easily tap into data from our satellites."
"All the more reason someone would want to take the ship intact," Shadow added. "And I have my suspicions as to who."
"Robotnik?" The President surmised, getting a nod from the Ultimate Lifeform.
"When Sonic and I confronted him in the sewers, he said he was working on something big. The Seahawk might be the key to whatever he's planning."
"Which begs the question," Rouge spoke up. "What was the Seahawk looking for out there?"
"That's classified information," Jerome insisted.
"Really? Cause if Eggman's involved, it's going to be unclassified pretty soon."
"I can attest to that," Shadow confirmed. "I may not remember what happened on the ARK, but I do know that covering it up was a mistake."
Jerome sighed. "Fair enough. But if we're going to be coming clean, then I suggest we bring in everyone."
…
In Robotnik's secret lair, the mad scientist was hunched over his computer, typing away.
"There's something about computer hacking that adds a certain delight to villainy," he mused.
"Be careful not to hunch over too much Doctor," Orbot cautioned. "It's bad for your posture."
"Yeah, you don't want to hurt yourself while trying to hurt others," Cubot added.
"I already have a pain in the neck," Robotnik replied. "You!"
With a final keystroke, Robotnik pulled up an article that featured Knuckles.
"Knuckles Discovers World's Oldest Map," he read off. "Renowned archeologist Dr. Cadbury studying the map at Pukapido Palace," he grinned sinisterly in response. "Let's drop in on the good doctor, shall we?"
…
At Pukapido Palace, Dr. Cadbury went into his office, turning on the lights and heading towards a cabinet. He opened up a drawer, revealing the map Knuckles had found.
"If this map is correct," he let out. "Then one of the greatest mysteries of not one, but two worlds, could be unraveled."
Just then, a noise rang out from across the room. He went to investigate, only for Cubot to leap out from behind a potted plant. He had a home-made mask on his face, one that looked to be made out of a paper plate, and drawn to look like a cat. It was held to his face with what looked like yarn.
"Booga booga booga booga!"
Dr. Cadbury jumped slightly, but was more surprised than scared.
"What in the world?"
While this was going on, Orbot quietly snuck behind Dr. Cadbury, making his way towards the map. He took hold of it, rolling it up and waving to Cubot.
"Good work, buddy!" Cubot called out, causing Dr. Cadbury to turn around.
Orbot just facepalmed before taking off, Cubot following close behind.
"Stop! Thieves!"
…
Outside the building, Knuckles was getting some food for Kat, only for Orbot and Cubot passed by him.
"Hey, watch where you're-" he cut himself off when he saw Orbot and Cubot with the map. "Hey! Come back here!"
"Oh no, it's Knuckles!" Orbot realized. "We should make efforts to conceal ourselves!"
"Nuts and bolts to that!" Cubot shot down. "We gotta hide!"
Orbot looked around, seeing a library nearby. "In there!"
The two ducked inside, with Knuckles close behind. He burst through the doors, looking around and finding no sign of the robots. He made his way inside, unknowingly passing them as they had their faces in two different books. Orbot poked his head out, seeing that Knuckles was going away.
"He's gone," he reported. "Let's get going."
"No, Bella, don't go in there!" Cubot let out. "It's a trap!"
"Let's go!" Orbot insisted, pulling him by the arm.
…
"Good work, boys," Robotnik commended. "For your efforts, I've actually begun considering the idea of entertaining the notion of possibly thinking about paying you."
"Wow!" Cubot let out. "That's the closest we've ever gotten to a raise ever!"
"We must be doing something right," Orbot realized.
Robotnik then placed the map on his computer, scanning it and getting a digital copy. It came up on screen, confusing the two robots.
"Where is that?" Orbot wondered.
"It's this world as it looked in the distant past," Robotnik informed. "Now to align this map with other such documents…"
Robotnik pulled up another ancient map, lining the two up side by side.
"Amazing…" he let out in disbelief. "The similarities are almost uncanny…"
"What is?" Cubot asked.
"The map you stole is Earth in its ancient past. The one next to it is an ancient Mobius. Notice anything similar about the two?"
Orbot looked at the two maps, his optics seemingly squinting. "Actually, several things are similar. If I didn't know any better, I'd say these were the same map."
"Precisely. Somewhere in the distant past, our two worlds shared a geography. And if my guess is right, then my prize should be right…." the two maps then overlapped, allowing a red circle to zero in on a specific point, much to Robotnik's delight. "There it is! At long last, I have it! The geographic coordinates of Murasia!"
The two robots were shocked by the revelation.
"Murasia?" Orbot let out. "But isn't that supposed to just be a myth?"
"Not anymore. And with the secrets locked inside this lost corner of the world, my dream of building a Robotnik Empire is alive and well!"
…
The next day at the Kent house, a car pulled up in the driveway before coming to a stop. Stepping out of it were Knuckles, Kat, and Dr. Cadbury. Kat's right arm was in a red cast, one covered in signatures from each member of the group, and random doodles from them as well.
"How's the arm healing?" Knuckles asked.
"Slow," Kat answered. "Though I was able to distract Cream for a bit by letting her draw on it. Of course Mr. Master Emerald healed up in just a few short days. So not fair."
"To be fair, you're not connected to the Emerald like I am."
"Oh don't even start."
Dr. Cadbury just chuckled in response before the sound of a motorcycle rang out. The group looked down the drive to see Shadow and Chessie on the back of a motorcycle pulling up, with Rouge flying slowly behind. She landed on the ground, stumbling a bit before straightening up.
"Damn wing…" she let out.
"Still healing?" Knuckles noted.
"Aren't we all."
"Where's Omega?" Kat questioned.
"Still in the repair shop," Chessie answered. "Attempting to find a sufficient power source that's not a captive flicky is proving difficult."
"I'm sure you'll figure something out."
"Never pegged you for a motorcycle guy, Shadow," Knuckles noted as the black hedgehog approached.
"I like it," Shadow replied, sliding his helmet off. "While I can run faster than it if I wanted, there's just something about riding it that makes me feel… content."
Kat leans in, whispering in Knuckles' ear, "I bet it's the purple cat clinging to his back the entire ride."
Knuckles couldn't help but chuckle in response, much to Shadow's confusion.
"Something funny?"
"Nothing at all," Knuckles assured him, waving it off. "Come on, let's get inside."
The group made their way to the house, Dr. Cadbury knocking on the door. After a few seconds, the door opened, allowing Tanaka to step out and see the ground, surprised to see one in particular.
"Dr, Cadbury?" he let out.
"Tanaka, good to see you again," Cadbury replied.
"You know Tanaka?" Knuckles asked.
"He was in my Archeology class back in University."
"Yes, that class helped me find my place in the world," Tanaka recalled.
"As a butler?" Kat questioned.
"You'd be surprised at the role common household servants have played throughout history."
"Was he always so… eccentric?" Knuckles asked.
"As a matter of fact…" Dr. Cadbury confirmed. "But there's no time for that now. We've got big news."
…
In Chuck's lab, everyone had gathered up to hear Dr. Cadbury's story.
"I was doing research at the Palace when those two robots snuck in and stole the map," he informed.
"Orbot and Cubot," Sonic recognized.
"Bingo," Knuckles confirmed. "Fortunately, it wasn't a total loss. Dr. Cadbury was able to create a digital copy."
Dr. Cadbury handed a flash drive to Chuck, who plugged it into the computer and opened it up. He brought up the map, letting everyone take a look.
"This is meant to be Earth as it looked millennia ago," Dr. Cadbury informed.
"It almost looks like… home…" Tails realized.
"That's what I thought," Knuckles concurred. "This is the end point of the investigation I've been doing for weeks. Trying to find why there are so many connections between this world and our own. And I think this map can give us the answer."
"Why?" Sonic asked. "Where does this map lead?"
"If Dr. Cadbury's research is right… this map could lead us to the lost continent of Murasia."
All native Mobians were shocked.
"Murasia?!" they let out.
"You gotta be kidding!" Sonic continued. "That's just supposed to be a bedtime story!"
"So was Chaos Control," Knuckles retorted. "Yet, here we are."
"What's a Murasia?" Keith wondered.
"An ancient civilization said to have advancements in technology beyond anything we have today," Tails explained. "But for some unknown reason, it was wiped out without a trace."
"Wow. Sounds like Atlantis," Kat remarked.
"That's what I thought," Dr. Cadbury replied. "Then after looking at the map, I began to wonder, what if our two legends… were one."
"What are you guys saying exactly?" Sonic wondered.
"I believe that at some point, many eons ago, Earth and Mobius were the same planet."
"That would explain so much," Knuckles added on. "The Chao colonies on Earth, how Gerald Robotnik knew about the Master Emerald Shrine. Pieces of our world left behind."
"Because of Chaos Control…" Sonic realized. "The original Chaos Control."
"Precisely," Dr. Cadbury confirmed. "And I believe that Murasia is the key to learning the truth."
"I see," Chuck responded. "I can't help but feel that this map theft is connected to the Seahawks disappearance…"
"It is," Rouge confirmed. "The Seahawk was thinking something similar to us and was using the map to look for Murasia."
"Considering how much of Mobius is showing up by the day, I don't blame them," Tails remarked. "But what would Eggman want with Murasia?"
"Here's my theory," Knuckles spoke up. "Murasia was destroyed during with world shaking cataclysm, right? Well… what if the Murasians are behind Earth and Mobius splitting apart?"
"You think they created the original Chaos Control?" Sonic wondered.
"I'm thinking that there has to be some reason for all of these coincidences. Chaos Control brought us, and bits of our home here for a reason. The answers are in Murasia, and Eggman has to know that too."
"Meaning he wants to unlock the secrets before anyone else," Tails reasoned.
"So, it's a race for the truth, huh?" Sonic remarked. "Count me in."
"So where do we start?" Amy asked.
"Right here," Dr. Cadbury informed, pointing to a spot on the map. "There's a tiny island a few clicks away from where the Seahawk disappeared."
"That must be the last remnant of Murasia," Shadow reasoned.
"And it's where Topaz and the Seahawk crew are most likely being held," Rouge reasoned.
"Then that's where we're going," Sonic declared.
…
A short time later, the group boarded the yacht, setting sail for the Seahawks last known location. On the shore, Helen, Cream, Vanilla, and Ella were wishing everyone a good voyage.
"Goodbye!" Cream called out.
"Have a safe voyage!" Vanilla added.
"Make sure to bring back some souvenirs!" Ella said as she waved.
"Have fun!" Helen wished.
"We will!" Sonic called back.
"We'll be sure to take lots of pictures!" Amy added.
…
After a few days, the yacht continued its voyage, its occupants looking over a map of the area.
"So, how much farther do we have to travel?" Shadow wondered.
"Just another day or so," Chuck informed, still resting on a crutch. "But getting there will only be part of the problem."
"I'm surprised Sonic's managed to keep it cool for this long," Kat remarked. "The last time we were on this boat, he went stir crazy within a day."
"Guess I'm more concerned about getting answers than getting wet," Sonic admitted.
"Right," Shadow spoke up. "I've heard of your aversion to water. This excursion puts you at a bit of a disadvantage, wouldn't you say?"
"Hey, water doesn't scare me anymore… I just hate getting wet."
"You still sink like a stone," Knuckles pointed out.
Sonic just glared at him in response.
…
Some time later, the yacht came up to an island, Keith looking at it through a pair of binoculars.
"Is that it?" Keith asked.
"Yes," Dr. Cadbury confirmed. "This island is the last remnant of Murasia."
"Uh… there might be a problem. There's smoke pouring out at the top!"
Dr. Cadbury took the binoculars and looked through them, seeing that the top of the island's mountainous peak was indeed smoking. It didn't take a genius geologist to know that he was looking at an active volcano, one that seemed like it was preparing to blow.
"That doesn't look good," he dreaded.
"The volcano?" Tails questioned, also taking a look at it through his own binoculars. "Yeah, you're right. If the Seahawk's crew really are prisoners on the island like we thought, then if the volcano erupts, they'll be sitting ducks."
"We've got to get to that island!" Rouge declared.
"Wait!" Knuckles let out, holding up a hand as he noticed something. "Look at the water."
Rouge and the others looked down to see something bubbling on the surface of the water.
"What in the-" Tails began to speak.
Just then, something shot out of the water, sending waves that began rocking the yacht. It even caused the X-Tornado to topple over, damaging one of its legs.
"The X-Tornado!" Tails let out.
"We've got bigger problems," Sonic realized.
The object finally surfaced, revealing it to be what looked like a giant metal boat with oars and a metal sail. The front of the boat had Robotnik's logo emblazoned on the front, signaling exactly who it belonged to.
"Eggman!" Sonic shouted.
"Looks like we were right on the money," Knuckles snarled. "Eggman is behind this whole mess."
Just then, Bokkun came flying onto the deck of the ship, cackling the entire time.
"Ahoy maties," he greeted. "Captain Robotnik has a message for the lot of ya!"
Bokkun pulled a tablet out and displayed Robotnik on the deck of the ship.
"Greetings my loathsome adversaries," he spoke. "My demands are simple. Surrender or be destroyed. My new Egg-Battleship has enough firepower to take on the navy!"
"Forget it, Eggman!" Sonic challenged. "Now why are you after Murasia!"
"Wouldn't you like to know? But all you should know is that the remnants of the Murasian continent are sitting under an active volcano, which I plan to ignite so that the only ones walking away with the secrets of Murasia will be me!"
"You madman!' Dr. Cadbury exclaimed.
"Oh please, like I haven't heard that one before."
"I know you've heard this too!" Sonic declared, launching himself into the air.
He rolled into a spin dash, hoping to bring down the battleship. Robotnik however, just lowered the electric sail as Sonic approached, shocking him and knocking him into the water.
"Sonic!" Keith let out before leaping in.
"Keith, wait!" Chuck tried to call out.
Keith swam out, seeing Sonic struggling to stay afloat. Eventually, Sonic sank beneath the water, prompting Keith to dive down after him. He hooked his arm around Sonic's waist, clawing his way back to the surface. Back on the yacht, everyone was searching for any sign of the two, Tanaka finally catching sight of the two as they broke through to the surface.
"There!" he called out, throwing a life preserver towards them. "Grab onto it, Master Keith!"
Keith raised a hand and caught the life preserver, hooking his arm around it as they pulled them towards the boat. As they did though, the Egg-Battleship fired several pot shots into the water, trying to hit them. Kat saw that and growled, grabbing her bat..
"Kat, your arm!" Knuckles tried to remind her.
"Screw my arm!" she snapped as she set the bat to explosive balls. "He's trying to kill Keith!"
She gripped her bat a bit awkwardly and sent several balls at the turrets.
"Chessie, Chuck, see if you two can fix the X-Tornado," Tails insisted. "I'm gonna go help Sonic and Keith!"
The two nodded, heading off to work as Tails flew out into the water, dodging and weaving between the shots. As Sonic and Keith continued shaking in the water, Keith's grip on the life preserver slipped, causing them to drift. Before they could get too far, Tails grabbed Keith's hand, much to their relief.
"Got you guys!" Tails reassured, lifting them out of the water.
"Get Keith back to the boat," Sonic insisted. "I'm going for Eggman!"
"Are you crazy?!" Keith snapped. "We're still over open water and you can't swim!"
"Don't need to."
Sonic started moving his feet in a running position. The second Tails let go and he hit the water, he darted right towards the Egg-Battleship, dodging and weaving between the shots. Back on the boat, Knuckles and Shadow watched this intently.
"Come on," Knuckles gestured. "Can't let Sonic have all the fun."
Shadow nodded, leaping up and rolling into a spin dash. Knuckles caught him and chucked him right at the ship. Robotnik shot at him, but his form managed to absorb the blasts. He collided with the sail, absorbing the energy that was coursing through him. Eventually, Shadow leapt off the sail, hurdling several Chaos Spears at the ship as Sonic approached. He leapt onto the deck of the battleship, smashing through a few turrets as he did. Just then, doors on the ship opened up, allowing several Swatbots to step out, weapons at the ready.
"He doesn't know when to give up, does he?" Shadow noted.
"Not even a little," Sonic retorted.
The two darted towards them, tearing through the robots in rapid succession.
…
Back on the yacht, Tails dropped Keith on the deck, Kat instantly running over to him.
"Keith!" she cried out, hugging him. "Thank God you're ok!"
He returned the hug quickly. Meanwhile, Tails darted over to the X-Tornado, Chessie and Chuck still working on it.
"How's it coming, guys?" he asked.
"Almost done," Chuck reassured. "It's a bit of a rush job, but we don't have time to be pretty."
"Sir, we've picked up something on sonar!" the captain reported over the radio.
"Not exactly the best time right now," Chuck replied.
"But sir, it appears to be another ship. They're surfacing right behind us."
Everyone looked towards the back of the yacht, seeing something emerging from beneath the water. It shot out, revealing itself to be a silver version of the original Egg Fort. This version however was manned by several GUN agents, who opened fire on the Egg-Battleship. Robotnik was flabbergasted at the sight.
"That's my ship!" he let out. "They salvaged my ship, and dare use it against me!"
"It's over, Robotnik!" the captain of the ship declared. "Surrender now or be destroyed!"
"If you insist on playing chicken with me, I'll be happy to clip your wings!"
Robotnik then pressed a few buttons, activating two more sails on the Egg-Battleship. This caused the ship to rise into the air, revealing it to have more cannons on its underside, and in the oars as well.
"You think you're a match for me?" Robotnik boasted. "Get a load of this!"
He opened fire on the GUN Fort, prompting the ship to return fire in kind.
"Robotnik should've surrendered when he had the chance," the GUN Fort captain declared. "Return fire!"
The two ships kept firing at each other back and forth, causing Sonic and Shadow to shake back and forth as a result.
"What do you say we get out of here before they blow each other away?" Sonic offered.
"Agreed," Shadow concurred.
The two leapt off, leaping on and between the missiles in an attempt to stay ahead of the fighting. As they did this, a missile came blasting from behind, nearly hitting them. Fortunately, it was shot at, destroyed by an oncoming X-Tornado. Sonic and Shadow looked down to see Tails at the controls, Amy, Chessie, Keith, and Kat in the seats, with Knuckles and Rouge on the outside. Sonic and Shadow landed on the outside, receiving a thumbs up from Knuckles and Rouge.
"Nice timing, guys!" Sonic called out.
"Just glad we got here in time," Keith replied.
"I don't like the looks of this fire-fight," Chessie admitted, surveying everything. "Especially since we don't know where the hostages are."
"For now, we just need to disable Eggman's defenses," Tails suggested.
Tails flew the X-Tornado in close to the Egg-Battleship, firing at the oar turrets and taking them out.
…
Inside the battleship, Robotnik was trying to maintain control over the ship, despite being shot at from every angle.
"They're obliterating us!" Orbot reported. "Doctor, we need to do something!"
"What do you suggest?!" Robotnik replied.
"You could fight back," Cubot suggested, only for Robotnik to sock him in the face.
"We need to get them to stop firing on us!" Orbot declared. "We take any more hits and everyone onboard is toast!"
"Fortunately, I still have one more trump card," Robotnik replied, pressing a button.
…
Outside the Egg-Battleship, a holographic image displayed, revealing the Seahawk crew as prisoners on board. Rouge gasped when she spotted Topaz among them.
"It's the crew!" Chessie shouted.
"So they are alive," Shadow mused.
"Mark my words!" Robotnik declared. "If you destroy my ship, their lives are on your heads!"
"Let them go, Eggman!" Knuckles called out. "You miserable coward!"
"I think I'll hang onto them for a while. Until I get what I came for."
Just then, the Egg-Battleship was shot at again, this time by the GUN Fort. Team Mobius was utterly stunned.
"What are they doing?!" Kat snapped. "They're gonna get their own people killed!"
"Something tells me they don't care," Shadow realized.
"Fortunately, we do," Keith reassured. "You three go get Topaz and the others. "The rest of us will buy you some time."
Shadow nodded as Chessie got out of her seat. She tossed a cable to Rouge as she carried them off, with Shadow following close behind. Meanwhile, the X-Tornado flew towards the GUN Fort, firing at the ship to disable some of the guns.
"Hey!" the captain called out. "Who's side are you on?!"
"Was about to ask you the same thing!" Sonic called out. "There are innocent people on that ship!"
"Doesn't matter! We have a job to do, and if you stand in our way, we will treat you as hostile."
"Why is it you always end up on GUN's bad side?" Tails wondered.
"Eh, guess they can't handle my personality," Sonic retorted.
"Listen," Keith spoke up. "If you spend your time fighting us, you're just allowing Eggman to get away! Just give our friends some time to get the hostages to safety, and then you can have at it. Please."
There was a pause for a moment.
"You have five minutes. Then we destroy the ship."
"Fine," Sonic declared. "That's plenty of time."
…
On the Egg-Battleship, Shadow busted through the floor, causing him to land in the lower decks. Chessie and Rouge landed close behind, Rouge wincing at the strain her wing was under.
"We should split up," Shadow suggested. "We'll cover more ground that way."
"Right," Chessie agreed.
The three split off in opposite directions, unaware they were being watched on monitors.
…
"So, they think they can pull one over on me, do they?" he mused. "Well, I have a little something special in store for them!"
…
Shadow meanwhile kept skating down the halls of the ship, searching for any sign of Topaz and the other agents. As he did, he thought he saw movement down a nearby corridor. Narrowing his eyes, he sped up and went down it. As he entered though, he stopped dead in his tracks, confronted by dozens of what appeared to be copies of himself.
"What?!" he let out.
"Magnificent, aren't they?" Robotnik commented over the intercom. "I went all out in making them perfect recreations of the original Shadow the Hedgehog."
"They're… like me?"
Robotnik couldn't help but laugh at what he heard.
"You still think you're Shadow? The real Shadow the Hedgehog died a long time ago! You are nothing more than a cheap knock off!"
Shadow stepped back in realization, trying to wrap his mind around what he had heard. Finally though, he steeled himself.
"No… you're wrong! I am Shadow the Hedgehog! Why else would you separate me from the other androids? Much less leave Omega to guard me!"
"You were just the only android I had yet to move off site! It means nothing. You are my creation, and I will destroy you as easily as I created you!"
"You're welcome to try!"
"Shadow Androids! Attack!"
The androids swarmed Shadow, forcing him to leap forward and attack, punching one aside before kicking another away. He elbowed one coming from behind before using his rocket shoes to shoot one into a wall. As Shadow continued fighting, Robotnik couldn't help but cackle in response.
…
"Well, now that Shadow has been kept busy, it's time to rid myself of these other pests," Robotnik decided. "Prepare the Particle Energy Cannon!"
…
Outside the Egg-Battleship, a panel on the deck opened up, allowing a large cannon to rise up. It began charging up, emitting an eerie red glow that engulfed everyone in its light.
"What is that thing?" Sonic wondered.
"Nothing good," Tails dreaded.
…
"Fire!" Robotnik ordered
…
A ball of energy started building up in the cannon, much to everyone's horror.
"We've got to stop that thing before its too late!" Sonic declared.
"But how?" Knuckles wondered. "There's no way you can blast through that thing!"
"Maybe not…" Sonic pondered before thinking of something. "But if we attack together, we might have a shot. You up for it?"
"What have we got to lose?"
As the X-Tornado flew in close, Sonic and Knuckles leapt off. They joined hands as their bodies began circling around and around. This created a fast moving red and blue spin ball as they approached the energy ball. Their combined energy shot through the energy ball, hitting the cannon and causing it to explode. The explosion severely damaged the Egg-Battleship, shaking the ship as Knuckles glided away, with Sonic landing on his back to carry him away.
"Way to go, Knucklehead," Sonic commended.
"Right back at ya, speed freak."
…
Onboard, Robotnik was panicking to regain control of his sinking ship, with Orbot and Cubot scrambling to maintain the systems.
"Doctor, engines are failing," Orbot reported. "Propulsions are failing, and weapons are failing!"
"Is there anything on this tub that isn't failing?!" Robotnik demanded.
"Well our popcorn maker is still working," Cubot offered.
Robotnik facepalmed before suddenly perking up.
"Wait, we still have our hostages!" Robotnik smirked. "This day can still be mine."
"Guess again," Rouge's voice remarked.
Robotnik and the robots turned to see Rouge and the freed agents behind them with weapons drawn. A sly smirk graced Rouge's face as Robotnik began sweating bullets.
…
Meanwhile, Shadow continued duking it out with the Shadow Androids, knocking several back and destroying them. He blocked one punch before punching it in the face, knocking him back. He kicked another's legs out from under it before kicking it in the chest, using his rocket shoes to blast it back. While the fight was going on, Chessie ran into the room, seeing Shadow fight his way through his dopplegangers.
"Shadow!" she called out.
Shadow looked over at Chessie, before being piled on by the Shadow Androids. Chessie ran in using her cables to grab Shadow's and toss them aside, making sure she couldn't hurt the real Shadow. Amidst the pile, Shadow after Shadow was getting knocked away, until a massive surge of energy knocked them back, sending them tumbling on the ground as the real Shadow stood firm.
"Shadow… is that you?" Chessie asked nervously.
Shadow looked up at her, a smile coming across his face. "The one and only."
Chessie smiled in response, rushing over to him. She hugged him, which Shadow hesitantly, but graciously returned.
"Come on," she spoke. "Let's catch up to Rouge and the others."
…
Back on the bridge, Robotnik raised his hands and backed away slowly as the agents moved in on him.
"Give it up, Eggman," Rouge demanded. "There's no way out this time."
"Alright alright," Robotnik insisted. "I know when I've- hey, where'd my Chaos Emerald go?"
"Chaos Emerald?" Rouge let out, looking away for just a second.
By the time she turned back, Robotnik and his robots were gone.
"No…" Rouge lamented.
…
Outside the Egg-Battleship, Robotnik had barely managed to pull himself into his Eggmobile with Orbot and Cubot clinging to the sides.
"That was close," Robotnik admitted.
"Now what, Doctor?" Orbot wondered.
"Now we proceed as planned. Murasia, here we come!"
The Eggmobile piloted towards the island, heading right into the crater.
…
Onboard the X-Tornado, the heroes looked towards the island, spotting Robotnik as he made his escape.
"Looks like Eggman's on his way to Murasia," Sonic noted.
"If he discovers Murasia's secrets before we do, he could use them for whatever take over the world scheme he could come up with," Knuckles informed.
"Then it's up to us to find the truth before he does," Keith declared. "No matter what…"