(Ugh. Ok, so I'm reeeeeaaally bored, it's kinda late but I don't wanna go to bed , so STORY TIME! There are probably only 2 or so chapters left in this story. WOW. Short story. X3 Once the story is finished, if you'd like me to add more to it, please review! So in this chapter, you'll FINALLY FIND OUT WHO THE CULPRIT IS! WOOT! I've finally started getting reviews, so I'm kinda stoked. PLEASE REVIEW, I LOVE YOU GUYS! I LOVE HEARING WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.

ONTO THE AWESOMENESS OF ICE CREAM AND STUFF.

LOL IDK. Don't ask.)

Days passed. I paced my cell impatiently, waiting for word from Sally about the Chaos Emeralds, but the only thing I got was that the second one that was stolen was found at my house. Right now, my odds weren't looking good, and Sally told me that some people were planning my trial. I was getting anxious; my foot tapped so rapidly it was just a blur of red and white.

Sally came to talk to me at least twice a day, telling me what evidence the police was finding, what they thought, and how things were going.

"What if they find me guilty?" I ask one day. "What will happen if whoever's doing this knows where I am, and knows not to steal the Emeralds?"

"My guess is," Sally said, "that the Emeralds are too important for them not to steal. Eventually, they'll go back for them. How long…I'm not sure. But you know the verdict for traitors, don't you?"

I glared at my shoes. "Yeah. Either a lifetime in prison, or you get thrown out of Mobotropolis."

(I actually tried looking in one of my comics…"The Trial of the Traitor," issue 233 in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series. I didn't find anything, naturally, so I made up my own verdict. Carry on!)

The conversation petered out there. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I was no longer accepted in my own town. What would it be like if I wasn't thought of as the hero, but as the opposite? The traitor. I couldn't do that. I couldn't be that. I have my goals, my dreams, and my determination to keep the world safe. Part of being a hero is being recognized for it, in my mind, but maybe that's just because I like showing off. Even so…

Four lengthy days later, I was set free.

When Sally unlocked my cell door, she had a wild expression in her eyes. I looked at her with my head in my hands, sitting in a corner of the room. I had been staring at the camera, as if daring it to do something. She was breathing hard, like she'd run here, and when she caught her breath, she spoke.

"The third Chaos Emerald was stolen just hours ago. Witnesses say the culprit looks like you, and is speeding off towards the fourth."

At this, I stood up immediately. "About time!" A grin spread across my face. Sally unlocked the shackles around my ankles and briskly lead me off to a meeting room. Passing officers gave us a range of expressions; from a confused look to a high five and some words of encouragement. My face now erased of all emotion, I followed Sally, determined to pay the imposture back in kind. I only half listened to the plan that was discussed in the meeting room, I was busy formulating my own. I heard the most important details; I would be given the remaining Emeralds just in case this guy is as powerful as previous doppelgangers I've faced, like Metal Sonic, a robot copy of me that matched my strength, speed, and abilities, and Shadow, who also had similar abilities. Both, at the time of enemy encounter, worked for Eggman. Something told me this thing was Eggman's latest weapon that he had spoken about. I would need to be on my toes.

Minutes later, the group of seven Freedom Fighters, including myself and Sally, with a plan in mind, were on the elevator out of the compound to the surface. We all took off (the Freedom Fighters on hover scooters and myself running) toward the fourth Chaos Emerald containment facility, just outside of the city of New Mobotropolis. I was the first to arrive, and after some negotiations between Sally and the main guard, we were let inside.

This was the plan. I would be stationed behind the containment unit, hidden in the shadows, ready to jump the thief. I was the best fighter in the group, so naturally it would be me to take him on. Sally was stationed near me in case I needed backup. Officer White would be in the control room, helping to maintain security to slow down the thief. We all had comlinks and would radio each other if something happened. Two Freedom Fighters, Lexi and Night, were watching out front. Two more Freedom Fighters, twin wolves named Leeta and Lyco, were on watch on the roof out back. (If you read Sonic the Hedgehog, the comic, you'll recognize the names Leeta and Lyco from the Secret Freedom Fighters. It took me like 15 minutes to find the comic they were in to find out their names. The other two names are made up, to my knowledge.)

Hours passed and I got impatient, my foot tapping rapidly, a continuous taptaptaptap counting down each millisecond as it passed.

"Stop it!" Sally hissed.

"Sorry, but you know I hate waiting," I whispered back.

"Still, keep it down."

I stopped keeping track of time and just watched as the sun set and the moon rose outside the window. How I would like to get a good, long run in…

Finally, the comlinks beeped in warning of an incoming message. Night's voice echoed through the earpiece we all wore.

"He's coming fast," he said. "Get rea—" His voice was cut off in a burst of static and then an explosion was heard. I could see fire flickering in the hallway and guards yelling. Another explosion in the same hallway sent the doors to the containment room flying open and smoke billowing in. Faintly, through the smoke, I saw Sally run out of the room and vaguely heard that someone was hurt over the comlink. But I was too intent on the silhouette I saw dart around a corner in the hallway, looking dark blue because of the smoke. Alarms sounded, and adrenaline started pumping through me, like my very blood was alive with electricity. I waited, and a wall was bust down from the opposite side of the room. The entire place was in chaos, except the room I was in.

I tuned out all sounds, listening to the quiet footfalls of someone coming closer. I shrank back, praying the shadows concealed me. When the smoke somewhat cleared, I clearly saw…me. Well, it looked like me; the similarities were striking. The only difference was our eyes. As I suspected, his eyes were crimson red, and they glowed. He walked up to the containment unit and simply smashed through both glass domes with his fist as if all they were was a thin layer of ice. He grabbed the Chaos Emerald – which glowed dully; Sally had replaced it with a fake and gave the real one to me to use in the fight – and held it up to the dim moonlight, analyzing it. This was my chance.

Do it now.

I curled into a ball and spun in place, giving the intruder a moment's warning, then spin-charged at him, hitting him in the chest and knocking him back into one of the supporting pillars. I jumped back and landed on my feet, glaring at him. The intruder stood up shakily, still unsteady from my surprise attack. His eyes flashed and he grinned.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," he said in a robotic voice, "I've been expecting you."

I just narrowed my eyes, now confirming what he was; a robot. Another Metal Sonic. When will Eggman give up? I said nothing and put my foot back, preparing to attack. But before I could, he spin-dashed me to the ground, pinning me, with his hands on my wrists and knees on my legs. I struggled against his abnormally strong grip.

"It's a shame we only just met," the robot said. "But now it's time I destroy you." He pulled his fist back, preparing to strike, but I took the freedom of my arm as an opportunity to push him off me. I rolled out of the way and into the shadows, then got to my feet. He stood, and scoped the darkness for me.

"I know you're in there," he said. "You can't hide."

I tried to keep my breathing steady and quiet and crept along the wall, trying to get behind him, while his red eyes probed where I'd disappeared, and followed my path. Bolts of energy shot from his hand as he fired into the shadows, and I swiftly, though barely, avoided each one. Then, he stared right at me, and I froze. If I was gonna do something, I had to act fast. So I lunged at him, landing on top of him and knocking him to the ground again. But he was ready; he had his feet under me when I landed on him and, with a huge amount of force, launched me through the skylight above.

I grimaced when I broke through the glass, but realized what was going on and righted myself in the air, landing neatly on my feet on the grass outside. He leaped through the skylight and landed several meters away from me. His eyes glowed brightly in the dark night.

"Who are you?" I asked, catching my breath. "Who do you work for, and why are you after the Emeralds?"

"My name," the robot began, "is Cinos, also known as Metal Sonic 3.0. I am the perfect, unflawed Metal Sonic of Doctor Eggman's Metal series, and your exact copy. If you'll look back and remember when you were captured several days ago, you were scanned as well as electrocuted, were you not?"

I didn't answer, but the memory came back to me. I had been shackled to a wall in Eggman's laboratory, and a ray had scanned me, sending shocks that lasted a few seconds through my body, as well as exhausting me. I thought, at the time, that it had been just a way to torture me. I now second guessed that.

Cinos smirked, seeing the recognition on my face. "Yes, he was collecting information about your DNA to create me. No bio-sample needed, just the data from the scan. I am his ultimate weapon. At my hands, you will perish."

At this, I let out a yell of anger and ran at him, fist pulled back, ready to pound his face in. But he got ready, getting into a fighting stance with one palm out and blasted me before I reached him, sending me flying backwards and landing hard on the ground. I coughed and wiped a trickle of blood from my mouth, and tried to get up. But in a moment he was beside me, and he kicked me in the ribs – hard – so I flew a few more feet away. Face contorted with pain, I got to my hands and knees, shaking, but before I could get up I felt an iron hard hand close around my throat and lift me, strangling me. I kicked in the air, hands groping at Cinos's, glaring at him.

A smirk spread across his face. "I thought you'd be tougher," Cinos said. "But you're easier to defeat than the robots I practiced against."

"You….can't….." I found it extremely difficult to talk.

"Can't what? Take the Emeralds for the Eggman Empire to successfully run? Destroy you, then get rid of all your little Freedom Fighter friends? Remake everything you sought to protect in Eggman's image? Forget it, rat, you lose. Give up."

I closed my eyes and stopped struggling. "I'm not…..a rat," I said, but my voice was so hoarse and quiet, it was inaudible.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Cinos smirked, putting a hand to his ear mockingly. "Was that the sound of you giving in?"

I opened my eyes and glared at him. "I said," my voice was stronger now, "I'm not….a rat."

"Then what are you?" he sneered, holding my throat tighter.

I managed a smirk as the seven Chaos Emeralds floated out from behind me and surrounded the two of us, spinning gradually faster and glowing brighter.

"I'm your worst nightmare," I replied, and I closed my eyes.

I tuned out everything around me and just listened to my own thoughts, good, calm thoughts, and in a flash of golden light and a yell of confident power, I hovered above my new enemy, quills upraised and colored a glowing gold.

The tables have finally turned in my favor.

(That was fun. :3 For the record, Cinos is not a name I came up with. I got it from Sonic Shorts on YouTube, REALLY FUNNY, by the way, and if you pay close enough attention, you'll realize it's Sonic spelled BACKWARDS. ^u^ So credit to whoever made the Sonic Short with Cinos in it for the name.

Stay tuned, I'll try and post the final chapter and the finale to the battle tomorrow. I think 2,250 words is enough for one chapter. Byyyyeeee!)

~SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd