In the heart of Sky Babylon, Captain Whisker stares at the spot Eclipse used to be for a few moments as his CPU attempts to process what just happened. Where'd he go? And why didn't I just shoot him when I had the chance? Knowing he's let his master down yet again, Whisker decides there's no time to waste: he must find Eclipse, and he must finish the job.

Hidden behind a pile of collapsed masonry just fifty feet behind Captain Whisker, Eclipse is barely able to stay awake. I should have destroyed that damn robot when I had the chance… Too late to do anything about it now: I gotta get out of here.

Summoning what little strength he has left, Eclipse unsteadily rises to his feet and looks around for a suitable escape route, quickly spotting a secluded path among the ruins. Ah, that looks promising. Knowing the longer he remains, the sooner Whisker will find him, Eclipse hurries down the path as quickly as his severely fatigued body will allow.

Captain Whisker opens radio communications to his crew. "Listen up, ya scurvy dogs! If ye see Eclipse, ye be killin' him on sight and bringin' them Sol Emeralds straight to me! As for them 'Dark Arms' of his, throw 'em overboard!"

After receiving a chorus of jubilant acknowledgements, Whisker continues his search for Eclipse, quickly finding the passage the Darkling had fled through. I got ye now!

Deep within the ruins, Eclipse is forced to rest. Dammit! I can barely function! I need to rest for a while… No: Whisker will find me, and in my current state, he'll easily take me down.

Pushing himself further past the limit, Eclipse continues his escape, his muscles burning with the effort.

[Mobius, Chaos Dimension]

Meanwhile, on Mobius, another hunt for Eclipse is failing to get off the ground.

"Absolutely not," Commander Tower refuses.

"With all due respect, Commander, the longer Eclipse remains alive, the greater the threat he poses," Shadow argues. "I must hunt him down and eliminate him."

"Being a member of a black ops team doesn't give you the right to decide who to kill and who not to kill," Tower asserts. "And before you argue, I am fully aware of how much of a threat Eclipse poses to Mobius."

"Then let me hunt him down," Shadow demands firmly.

"No," Tower refuses. "Your current mission is and remains to locate and retrieve the Chaos Emeralds. Omega has been fully repaired, and Rouge has new artificial wings she can't wait to test properly. They're waiting for you to stop arguing with me and join them."

"So, I'm supposed to just forget about Eclipse?" Shadow asks, making absolutely no attempt to hide his displeasure.

"Not in the slightest," Tower answers. "Once you have the seven Chaos Emeralds, we will be in a position to capture Eclipse."

Shadow raises an eyebrow. "Capture?"

"Correct," Tower confirms. "Omega has been issued with an inhibitor collar that has been constructed based on the technology used for your own Inhibitor Rings. Once we have Eclipse captured and neutralised, we will be able to study him and develop new strategies to combat the Black Arms, should they ever return. Understood?"

Shadow pauses for thought before replying. Hmm… It seems I underestimated Tower's tactical nous… I must admit, this plan is better than mine. "Very well, sir."

Once Shadow has teleported out of his office, Tower lets out a sigh of relief, sits himself behind his desk, and pours himself a strong black coffee. "He really needs to learn to listen to me more… Can't fault his dedication to the cause though."

In the main hangar, Rouge is showing off. "What do you think?" she asks Omega, her new artificial wings spread wide to show off their elegance and deceptive delicacy. "They almost make it worth losing the originals!"

++I am experiencing what you soft and squishy beings refer to as 'jealousy',++ Omega admits. ++Normally, such concepts are alien to us superior mechanical beings, but the technology in your new wings surpasses that used to construct me.++

"You sure know how to flatter a girl," Rouge replies cheekily, folding her wings away just a moment before Shadow teleports beside her. "Ah, there you are," she comments to Shadow. "About time you showed up. Want to see my new wings? I can't wait to try out all the tricks they can perform!"

++They really are remarkable feats of engineering,++ Omega informs.

"I'm sure they are," Shadow replies, making it clear he's not interested.

"Y'know, if you just listened to Tower more often, you wouldn't be so grumpy all the time," Rouge advises.

Shadow simply grunts in response.

"Eloquent as always," Rouge sighs. "Makes me wonder if I should tell you about how Amy Rose has disappeared, and how Sky Patrol has just landed on Angel Island to ask Knuckles if they can use the Master Emerald to travel to wherever Amy is and rescue her."

Shadow raises a quizzical eyebrow. "Why are they using the Master Emerald?"

"Because their AI, Nicole, was found hacking GUN archives she shouldn't have even known about," Rouge explains.

"Which means GUN refused their request to use the Genesis Portal Generator," Shadow concludes.

"Exactly," Rouge confirms.

++It appears her extensive exposure to emotional fleshbags has corrupted her technological superiority,++ Omega opines.

"I don't know whether to be amused or offended by that," Rouge comments dryly.

"We're wasting time," Shadow interrupts. "Let's get to Angel Island."

"And use the Master Emerald to locate the Chaos Emeralds?" Rouge guesses.

"Of course," Shadow confirms.

"And just how are you going to persuade that stubborn knucklehead to let us do that?" Rouge asks, confident she's won the argument already.

"I'm not," Shadow smirks. "You are."

Rouge is surprised by Shadow's smirk. "Um… Are you feeling well?"

"Of course," Shadow confirms. "It's just we both know you have a thing for that 'knucklehead'. Why not exploit it?"

Stunned by Shadow's directness, it takes Rouge a few moments to respond. "I do not!" is all she can manage.

"Yes, you do," Shadow asserts. "Just admit it."

Rouge sputters briefly. "Fine, I'll admit, he is kinda cute. Doesn't mean I want to date him."

++Your elevated heart rate and marginally increased skin temperature say otherwise,++ Omega observes.

"Even if I did which I don't, I'm too good for him anyway," Rouge asserts smugly. "Besides, he wouldn't be able to handle me: I'd break him in less than a week."

"And yet, every time you two have come to blows, he's always come out on top," Shadow smirks. "It's almost like you want him to win."

"Hardly," Rouge dismisses. "Anyway, you know how hard he hits, thanks to that asinine argument you two had last time we had to deal with Eclipse."

"You're fast and agile enough to avoid his attacks," Shadow reminds. "Yet you allow him to defeat you. I wonder why?" he adds with a smirk.

++Sometimes I forget how amusing emotional fleshbags can be,++ Omega remarks. ++Thank you for reminding me why I tolerate you two.++

"Let's just go already," Rouge growls, taking off and flying towards the waiting shuttle.

++The curvy one appears to be upset,++ Omega observes. ++Do you think burning something would make her happier?++

Shadow raises a quizzical eyebrow.

++I was only asking.++

"Just get to the shuttle."

[Kline, Sol Dimension]

Eclipse reaches the very bottom of Sky Babylon, where he is forced to stop. Damn… Bottom of the island… Must be at least six thousand feet above the ocean… Any attempt to dive from here will kill me on impact.

Knowing he has no choice, Eclipse turns around to head back up the passage, only to find Captain Whisker pointing his pistol at his face. "Ah…"

"This be where ye meet yer end," Whisker growls. "Sol Emeralds. Now."

"Parlay?" Eclipse requests, seemingly out of desperation.

"Denied." Whisker squeezes the trigger‑

Summoning the last dregs of energy within him, Eclipse teleports behind Captain Whisker. Exploiting the advantage of surprise, Eclipse then kicks Whisker as hard as he can, sending the robot pirate over the edge and plummeting to the ocean below.

Panting heavily, Eclipse is finally able to relax. Safe… until his crew finds their way up here to exact their revenge. Not that it matters: by the time they find me, I'll be back to full strength. But for now, sleep.

Eclipse crawls further up the passage, finds a suitably safe place to rest, and allows himself to sleep.

In his bunker, the scientist stifles an angry curse. So much for my most trusted servant… Then again, he's been nothing but a disappointment to me. Besides, his demise means I get to bring forward my latest creation. After all, if my Chaos Dimension counterpart can have one, why can't I?

Deep in the laboratory complex below the scientist's bunker, a pair of silver eyes glows in the dark. ++All systems online. Awaiting orders.++

The scientist is pleased to see a perfect activation. Excellent. Now to activate your partner.

To the right of the silver eyes, a pair of red eyes begins to glow. ++G'day cobber! What ya want me to do?++

The scientist briefly wonders why he thought that voice chip was the right one to use, only to dismiss his concern a moment later. This is what my counterpart has always failed to realise: two Metals are better than one!

The scientist types out a few commands. Do me proud.

In the ocean floor a short distance from the bunker, two hatches open, one‑way force fields preventing the saltwater flooding down the tubes. A moment later, two blurs, one purple and one orange, rocket out of the tubes and head straight for the surface.

The purple blur exits the water first, hovering a hundred feet above the surface, where she is joined a moment later by the orange blur. ++Ready to commence our mission?++ the purple feline robot asks.

++You betcha!++ the orange procyonid robot replies enthusiastically.

For a moment, the feline robot considers the logic of making the procyonid robot talk like the original. However, she fails to reach an acceptable conclusion, and decides not to consider the matter further. ++Then let us proceed.++

Hundreds of miles away, Johnny arrives at Machine Labyrinth just as the Ocean Tornado II is departing. However, before he can pursue the ship, he receives a surprising command. Huh… So, he did make them after all… The fact they're active must mean Whisker has fallen.

Johnny sets off in pursuit of the Ocean Tornado II, keeping his distance in accordance with his new orders.