CHAPTER 15

"Shadow. Shadow."

The black hedgehog heard a voice calling to him. He moaned in pain as feeling returned and muttered. "Go away. I don't want to wake up!"

"Shadow!" hands gripped his shoulders and shook him. His head flopped from side to side. "Wake up! It's important!"

Shadow sighed and relunctantly obeyed. "All right," he muttered as he forced his eyes open. "I'm coming..."

His red eyes forcused on something leaning over him. He blinked and the image became clear. It was Tikal. She was looking at him with concern. "Shadow," she said.

The black hedgehog groaned and sat up, holding his head. "Ooohhh my head!" he complained.

"Are you okay?" the echidna asked.

"Yeah," he said, not looking up at her.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around at the chaos.

"I...," he remembered. "Something's happened to Espio!"

She blinked. "What do you mean?" she questioned, her face starting to fill with fear. Oh my God! No!

"Something's possessed Espio," he replied.

Tikal felt cold. So that's why my Force bond with him broke off so abrumptly. she thought, wrapping her arms around herself.

Shadow didn't notice her distress. He slowly stood up. "We have to find him," he said. "Before something happens to him!"

"Hold it!" the echinda exclaimed, grabbing Shadow's arm when he stumbled. "You're hurt! You can't look for him in this state!"

"I have to," he protested, looking down at her hand. "It's my fault he got away."

"It wasn't anyone's fault," she protested. "You tried to stop him."

"But I couldn't!" he reminded her, clenching his teeth. "I couldn't stop him!"

Tikal gave the hedgehog a sympathetic look. "We'll have to tell the others," she told him. "And there's something I need to tell the rest of you as well."

"What's that?" he asked, giving her a curious look.

She shook her head. "I'll tell you when we find the others," she answered.

Jonas Irad heard the sound of snickering and opened his eyes. Awhile ago the alien had taken the Chaos Emeralds away and left Irad to recover from the pain. He hadn't expected it to be back so soon. But as he soon found out, it wasn't the alien at all.

It was the red eyed shadow that had been trying to kill him.

"You!" he exclaimed, in shock and anger.

The shadow laughed at him. "It seems you're not as powerful as you first let on," it said.

"What is that suppost to mean?" Jonas demanded.

The shadow saundered over to him and into the dim light. He found out this thing wasn't just a shadow after all. It was a blue and white mecha (Think Metal Sonic from Sopnic Hereos)) that had a hedgehog form.

"It means," the thing said, folding its metallic arms. "You're nothing but a weak livning being just like those you are trying to save." the Mecha poked the hedghog with a spiky index finger. Jonas flinched when it went in and drew blood. "I think you're weaker than even that!"

Jonas winced and turned his head away from his tormenter. The finger came out and blood trickled down his cheek. The mecha laughed and scratched Joans who cried out. "Stop it!" but the mecha would't listen. He continued to torture the hedgehog until blood dripped from many deep and shallow wounds on his body. Jonas ground his teeth and closed his eyes and he felt his life beginning to drain out of his body. He didn't want to die. Not like this. He started to consintrate, breathing in and out.

The mecha's laughter died in his throat whe he saw bright orbs of light burst into the room from out of nowhere. He stared at the lights, not sure what to make of them. Slowly some of them began to merge with Jonas' body. The mecha saw that with each light that was consumed one of the many wounds he'd inflicted healed but left an ugly scar behind. This wonder turned to anger as he realized what was happening. Jonas was healing! He instantly knew what the lights were. Souls. Souls of indivuals that must have suffered the same fate as the hedgehog before him. Their energy was Joan's life source. When he needed them he'd call them and they would respond.

Another curse for the leftoever pieces of the ultimate life form.

The mecha couldn't let this continue. With a horrible growl, he attacked the souls, sending them scattering around the room. They hovered out of his reach for a moment then slowly began to drift out of the room.

Jonas watched them go in horror. "No!" he exclaimed. "Not now!"

The mecha grabbed the hedgehog by the throat and forced him to look at him. "This is it for you, Irad," he snartled. "Your precious souls won't help you this time! It ends here!"

Shadow and Tikal found Rouge and Sonic a short time later. When the hedghog and the bat girl saw them without Espio Rouge asked. "What happened? Where's Espio?"

Shadow shook his head. "Something happened to him," he replied.

"What do you mean?" Sonic questioned.

Tikal answered that question. "Something took over him. Something dark."

Rouge gasped. "What was it?"

"I don't know," the echidna answered as Shadow shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.

"But I do," said a voice.

The four looked down the alley they were standing by. A figure stepped out of the shadows. The cat named Shira.

"You!" Shadow gasped. "What are you doing here? What do you mean by you know what took over Espio?"

"I know was it was," she replied.

"What?" Rouge asked.

"A dark soul," Shira replied. "After the fall of the Eggman Empire a thousand years ago, Station Square on Mobios, was left in ruin for about a decade. During that tiem a monster called Black Doom searched for wandering souls in the graveyard city. When he found them he chose the dark souls to become his minions while the light souls were either scattered or destroyed before they were taken to their proper places. When he was done he chose one soul named Rafar to become the lead dark soul. He gave this soul may dark powers, including the ability to cause nightmares and possess."

Tikal gapsed. "Are you saying the dark soul created those nightmares to lower Espio's self esteam and posses him?" she asked.

Shira nodded. "Yes, I am," she replied. "Your friend Espio was a good choice."

"Huh?" Sonic asked.

"Your friend Espio Rio has strange abilites that none of you have, like the ability to become invisable," she explained. "With Rafar possessing him he can use your friend's body to gain acess to the Jedi Temple on Mobius and destroy it from the inside."

"Are you saying Rafar will head to Mobius?" Tikal asked.

Shira nodded. "Most likely."

Tikal remembered the ship they'd taken there. Knuckles was in it, waiting to take them back to the Temple. She gapsed. "Knucles is in trouble!"

Knuckles Guardian hadn't expected anyone to need the ship for a few more days and was more than a little susrprised when Espio returned early and alone. "Hey, Rio!" the echidna greeted his friend as the chameleon boarded the ship. "You're back early. Where are the others?"

Espio didn't meet his eyes. "They'll be along soon," he said absently.

"Uh okay," Knuckles leaned back in the pilot's seat. "So why'd you come here early?"

No answer.

"Espio?" Knuckles said, confused that his friend wouldn't answer him. "Hey Espio!"

Still nothing.

"RIO!" Knuckles shouted, twisting around in his chair.

Suddenly his vision was filled with hateful yellow eyes. Before he could react, his friend was on him, the echidna's vision blinded by a wand of yellow light!