Whew... it is HARD to keep up with updates when one is one the road, I shall admit. Nevertheless; here you are my friends, your next dosage. Enjoy!

Part Fifteen: Epsilon

It stood silently in the radiating moonlight, a meter high statue of tyranny and titanium. The skin of its core was dyed the blackest of voids and the blood red slashes down the arms and legs only magnified the resemblance between the creation and the original. Four golden bracelets adorned its wrists and ankles, a sharp mockery of the former duty the accessories once stood for. And save for the sterling shine of needle-like claws marking the places of fingers, one would have to stare into the small, fiery irises marking the visual sensors and receptors to realize that this impostor bore all the power of its doppelganger, but none of the cheerful attitude.

The creation's head snapped back and forth, scanning for any remaining hostiles. It made no noise as the situation was deemed neutral, so it turned it's attention back towards the human observing the scene from afar, disregarding the smattering of blood, oil and sand clinging to it's otherwise flawless form thanks to the several shattered bodies and scatterings of an unfortunate G.U.N patrol. The soldiers and robots had not seen the attack coming, their screams had been loud and quick as the merciless comet had done its commanded bidding

"Sir, battlefield efficiency tests have been completed to your specifications. Shadow Epsilon stands ready for orders" the small servant beckoned at the side of its master. The taller individual paid the mechanical malady no heed as his attention was absolutely locked on the form poised like a whisper in the soft sands of a forgotten coast. To him, this was perfection incarnate. Limitless power combined with unflinching loyalty to the master. What other tool did a dictator need to create an empire?

Dr. Eggman smiled as his prodigy's progress. And at the irony of his own genius. For all the versions and duplicates of Metal Sonic he had created over the years, none of them had succeeded. Whether that was a simple work in progress, or the byproduct of creating a flawed android after a flawed target Eggman was still crunching on. That had all changed after seeing Shadow in action. Witnessing first hand what his grandfather's creation could be capable of; the good doctor had begun to craft a new weapon. And like the template it was based off of, Shadow Epsilon howled power with every movement it made. The chill it gave him in his over padded bones was still shocking, despite having watched it take shape from simple math equations.

"Excellent. I must admit my genius can still surprise me. Oh well, one must be modest when dealing with such power. Status of the Raptor Drones?"

The smaller machination cocked it's head slightly, transmitting the scientist's inquiry, and receiving the response in the same manner "Main technician droids indicate that the final batch of drones are being system-tested before loaded onto the dropship. Estimated time is one hour."

The doctor placed his hands on his overbearing waistline as he chuckled. The pieces were falling into place so neatly, it was almost unbelievable. To be sure, many similar schemes had followed the same path until the last minute. Only then were they derailed by that insufferable blue bastard and his cancerous comrades. However, with each encounter, another important lesson was learned. Now that had come to manifest into the next step in a proud line of tactics.

Well, two out of three anyway "And the Egg Crab?"

Tweaking again, the servant replied "Chaos Emerald adaptation proceeding smoothly. Estimated time of completion is 0600 tomorrow morning."

Dr Eggman hooted louder with gluttonous greed "Then the dream is almost here. Starting tomorrow, the misguiding ways of the old world will burn and the Eggman Empire will arise to lead with a mechanical hand. How perfect."

Stretching out his tired limbs, the doctor began to trek back to his hovercraft "Oh yes, before I forget. Epsilon, approach."

The android said nothing as it hovered smoothly over to the master's side. Producing a small remote, Eggman input a sequence of commands. When he was done, a clean crack had formed in the mechanoid's chest. The split opened into a small chamber where various wires and receptors were attached to a shining cerulean Emerald at its core. The good doctor plucked out the creation's radiating heart and placed it within his shirt pocket. "Now then Shadow, return to the hanger for final adjustments and cleansing." And in a flash of midnight and crimson, the android began its return journey to a small cage in a blackened cavern, where it would wait silently until tomorrow.

Once the small flying pod had elevated the doctor into the air, he focused his attention on a small radar screen off his shoulder. On it, several small returns of various types were available to choose from. To his eyes though, only one stood out from the rest.

The one that was now centered just outside the other side of the metropolis, in a small lodging his scout had reported belonging to that little pink brat Amy Rose. Why Shadow was there, Eggman cared not. What did strike his interest, however, was a sudden spike in the reading. And to his surprise, the spike had become a constant return to his screen. It was like, for some unknown reason, the ultimate life-form was now bathing in raw unbridled energy. Granted, since the foolish hedgehog had thrown away his restrictors for the scientist to acquire and modify, it had been a lot easier to read and follow his grandfather's bastard creation. Even accounting that, this drastic explosion of power struck his vast IQ as unusual. Studying the pattern as the command pod floated home, Eggman sifted and dug through many multiples of reports that two generations of geniuses had generated to document the hedgehog's behavior. Once all the nonsensical and more unlikely reports had been discarded, the two remaining candidates that came closest to even resembling the burning beacon on the watch brought the twitchings of a grin to his mustachioed face.

Well, either Shadow is trying to engage Chaos Control on his own, or perhaps my grandfather was a bigger fool than I initially estimated. Coupling such awesome power with the most basic of animal drives like sex is bound to cause problems. Still…

A new light bulb clicked on as the malevolent thought sprang to life inside his cranium. Originally, the plan had simply been to crush the non-human warriors. Sweep them off this plane of existence, all from Sonic himself to that prostitute of a princess, those dammed detectives who were always a step behind his schemes, even down to that squeaky-voiced rabbit and her little chao playmate. No regrets, no remainders.

But now that plan seemed a bit short-sighted. If these readings were correct, and Shadow the Hedgehog could indeed reproduce despite his grandfather's original design, what kind of specimen would it produce? Would it inherit its father's overwhelming power, or just be another useless animal to be put down? Biology and chemistry had never been his specialty as it was with Gerald Robotnik. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik had always preferred mechanics and the cold feeling of steel under his fingers. With that lacking of expertise, the grandson's attempts to recreate such a masterpiece as Shadow had met with failure. Granted, he had never felt anything but annoyance when these experiments left no recourse but termination, even when they made it so far as to breathe the outside air, but such setbacks were still unacceptable. He had never would have thought to let Shadow himself do the hard work. Plus, if he is able to create one, I wonder how many more I will be able to farm…

"Sounds like today will be a very interesting day indeed" he cackled among the dying starlight. There was still so much to do before his final creation of the trinity was complete, and now it seemed a new plan was needed. One that required his famous touch of diplomacy. One that would guarantee his triumph.

The morning sun crept slowly into the new day, but its casual approach was still unnoticed by the two intertwined lovers still tucked into the sheets of the flower's bed. Only when the warm rays breached over the windowsill did they stir. Shadow's ruby orbs fought to maintain their closed state until they caught a full view of the exposed cherry mass still wrapped in his grasp. Then the vivid replay of the previous night's events summoned a smile to his features. He brought her in closer to plant a quick peck on her forehead, and was rewarded with the feeling of her muzzle returning the gesture around his neck and collar.

"Mmmm… morning already?" Her voice was weighted with sleepiness, thankfully her expression was not.

"Afraid so. Next time, I will remember to close those curtains" came his reply. Yet, as he tried to raise his body to make good on his words, a force more powerful than his own strength held him down. And judging from the sparkle in her half-opened eyes, it was clear that Amy was not ready to relinquish her grasp on her ruby-splashed knight quite so soon.

Letting out a light-natured 'humph' Shadow let his hands grace her cheek and quills "My dear Amy Rose, whatever am I going to do with you?"

Her grin took on a mischievous aura as she moved to rest her forehead against his "Well, I have a few ideas."

He cocked an eyebrow at her plotting tone "Oh really? And what ideas are those?"

"Well, the first one starts with one of these" she replied as her lips brushed against his for the briefest of seconds. The simple flash of warm energy definitely caught his full attention as his own conspiracy formed "Hmmm…I see. However, I was under the impression it started more along these lines." His returned embrace was much more solid. And regardless of how it started, the fires began to bloom once more. The sounds of her purr were intoxicating to his mind, the same feeling his own touch was producing for her as his fingers glided up and down her spine and ribs.

Or, at least it did until a delicate rap was heard against the front door.

Rose's thoughts tried to snap back into the present; however that battle was quick and fruitless as the simple taste of her warrior demanded her full attention. Shadow himself was also far too fixated on the euphoria to even notice until the polite declaration became a louder pounding against the oak barrier. Once the echo had interrupted, the midnight hedgehog gave a lower, more serious growl "Sounds like I have some company to dismiss."

Her loving eyes betrayed only the smallest hint of annoyance, instead still halfway between blurry and energized.

Arranging a spare pair of shorts for some small measure of cover, Shadow made his way to the intruder who must have had the gravest of issues to dare interrupt this most blissful of mornings. The demanding sound continued until he reached the other side of the door, when it ceased without request.

Someone has a very poor choice in humor, and that's about to change his thoughts snarled into his chest and limbs. Casting the door open, the cool morning air rushed in and caressed his half-matted fur. As welcome a feeling that may have been, it did nothing to lessen his increasing annoyance at his first outside view of the morning. Beyond his own form standing in the entrance, no other soul stood to face him. Even the birds themselves had taken their leave from the area. The silent alarm within began to sound now as Shadow stepped out into the morning. Instinct alone had caught the scent of something amiss in the dew and it would not be satisfied until his crimson gaze had completed their search.

With his senses so occupied on the task at hand, his ears never quite picked up on the whispers of motion from the rooftop until it was too late. It leapt from the shingled incline into the sunrise and caught the ultimate life-form with the entirety of its weight and fang.

Yep... I did it again. But hey, at least now we know whose been stalking Shadow, right? And besides, whats the worst that could happen?

All reviews welcome!