Hey-Hey! Ok, so after a bit of a bust up over the last couple of episodes, my good friend Pyro (Hello) have decided to present the remainder of the fic as a team. Ain't that right?

...yeah. If you say so...

Ok. So hope you enjoying it so far. We promised you action in this chaper and guess what?

We give you not action, but ACTION!! Role VT...

Chapter 6: Shadow vs. Shadow

The night was still. A few leaves rustled in the breeze as the moon shone brightly, unhindered by the few small clouds floating in the night sky. The abandoned warehouse stood stock still, like a gigantic stone sentry in the forest clearing. All was calm...

...until the sound of gunfire and splintered wood filled the clearing.

Inside the warehouse, the atmosphere was anything but calm. Having survived being punched through two crates by Mecha's right fist, Shadow was now ducking and dodging the robot's rapid fire minigun as its bullets tore the surroundings apart. Splinters of wood covered the floor where crates had previously stood, the ammunition that was once contained within the boxes spilling out like the entrails of a gutted fish.

The thing was, Shadow was enjoying this. It was so difficult to find an opponent who could actually compete with Shadow's strength and speed, certain blue hedgehogs not included, so naturally he saw Mecha as the perfect challenger. The evil-looking smirk never left Shadows face as he dived behind another crate, his own guns blazing as he did so. However, the bullets of the twin Desert Eagles simply rebounded of the robot's titanium-alloy armour, leaving nothing more than pin-head sized scratches. Shadow ditched the spent firearms, and swiftly changed tactics.

"Chaos Control!"

Suddenly appearing behind the shooting robot, Shadow swung his right arm back, as if looking to land a punch. Only it wasn't a punch. Bright yellow sparks gathered in his clenched fist. The grin widened.

"CHAOS...SPEAR" The Chaos energy flew from the now outstretched hand, screaming like a firework, before crashing into the robots back. The force sent Mecha Shadow flying forward, itself ending up crushing a couple of rotting crates. Shadow simply drew his arm back once more.

"Encore, encore" he mocked. "CHAOS SPEAR!" Another blast of energy flew forward. However, Mecha managed to roll to the left, causing the Spear to crash into the ground, leaving scorch marks and a small impact crater.

Shadow silently cursed before extending both hands, palm up. Instead of yellow, the sparks collecting in the palms were near white, and what could only be described as a cocky grin spread across the hedgehog's face.

"You think you've got rapid fire, you ain't seen nothing yet, bolts-for-brains" he said, before pushing his hands forward. "CHAOS BARRAGE" Hundreds of energy beams, as fast as the bullets from Mecha's minigun shot forth, nearly all of them connecting with the metal armour. The sheer force of the attack pushed Mecha backwards, its metal feet scraping along the ground as friction fought a losing battle with Chaos energy. A cloud of dust began to form around the battered robot, as Shadow continued the onslaught.

The barrage suddenly stopped, a heavily breathing Shadow glaring at a cloud of dust, dust so thick that the ruby eyes couldn't penetrate it. However, a blind man would have been able to see what happened next. Shadow took a step back, the once cocky look replaced with sheer disbelief and fear.

"No...it...it can't be..." the ebony hedgehog stuttered, as a soul-destroying sound reached his ears. Laughter.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm, hahahahaha, HAHAHAHA!" The evil metallic laugh of Mecha Shadow rang out like a bell. As the dust cloud finally parted, Shadow saw his adversary, a little scratched but otherwise entirely unharmed. Mecha slowly started to walk towards the shell-shocked Shadow.

"You pathetic specimen. Did you really think you could defeat me that easily?" The robot continued its slow advance. "I am an improvement on you, Shadow version 2 if you will. There is no possible way for you to defeat me." The LED eyes glowed a brighter crimson. "Allow me to show you MY Ultimate Power" With that, Mecha held out his left hand, palm facing Shadow. A ball of energy quickly formed and flew at Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform had two seconds to think.

"Oh. Shit"

The ball of energy struck Shadow and exploded, hurling the hedgehog across the warehouse .like a rag doll. Striking the wall, Shadow crumpled to the ground, somewhat resembling a puppet that has just had its strings cut. Mecha's hover boosters kicked in, and the shining metal hedgehog glided over to its fallen predecessor.

Slowly, the form of Shadow began to stir, and then rise to his feet. Puncture wounds peppered his chest, while a three inch gash above his left eye oozed claret blood. Shadow raised his head, to stare his metallic doppelganger in the eyes. Both faces wore a frown, a grimace of pure hatred for one another. Shadow broke the silence.

"I am going to fuck you up" With that, he delivered a spinning heel kick to the chest of Mecha, pushing the robot back slightly. However, any thoughts of Shadow regaining his earlier advantage were quickly quashed as Mecha leapt forward, grabbing Shadow by the throat. The hover boosters kicked in again and Shadow soon found himself ten feet in the air, with no way of escaping the vice-like grip Mecha had around his throat. Mecha turned his head to face Shadow, bringing them nose-to-nose.

"Eat dirt, flea-bag". Shadow, one minute hovering ten feet in the air against his own will, now found the ground rushing up to greet him. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. A resounding blast rocked the warehouse as Shadow's swan dive produced a six foot deep crater in the concrete floor, a seemingly lifeless black hedgehog lying in the centre.

Mecha suddenly appeared from nowhere, his hover boosters giving him similar speed to Shadow and Sonic. The fingers on his left hand fused to form a gleaming blade, while he gripped Shadows quills in his right hand.

"I promised Dr Eggman I would present your head on a silver platter," stated the robot. "A promise I intend to keep". And Mecha slowly and deliberately drew the blade across the throat of Shadow the Hedgehog...

OH MY FUCKING GOD!! He killed Shadow.

You bastard!!

Or did he? Is this really it for our beloved hero? Can he survive the death sentence that Mecha has imposed upon him?

Why are we asking you? We know the answers!!

Too right! Anyway, please read and review, let us know what you think. Care to do the honours?

You're too kind. Ahem... Tune in next time folks...assuming that there is a next time... mwahahahahahaha - Pyro / Theos