Heya people. I dunno what took this long. I had massive writers block I guess. But anyway I'm back. I been away for a while, but I'm back to kick some butt at Wild Canyon. I'm gonna find all the pieces of the master emerald here… Also, instead of at the end of the chapter, I'm giving creds to Taranea, the best Sonic writer I've EVER seen. You can tell when I use her story when the writing gets 1,000,000 times better… ( the excerpt is from Life is so different)

Shadow woke up first. His power level was less than 50, something that got you killed on Earth. He snuck over to the packs levitating by Silver. He reached out, and almost grabbed the food pack when… a bird chirped. To Shadow, that was the worst thing that could possibly happen. Sonic awoke at the sound. Silver was oblivious to what the chirping meant. He hadn't been there… More birds began to chirp. A loud humming noise was heard. Annoying music could be heard blasting from something…

"Catch me if you can…"

From the bushes shot Jet, Wave, and Storm. The three birds sat gawking at the three hedgehogs, and as a result they crashed into Shadow, Sonic, and the levitating packs. All three boards, without the extra weight, flew in all different directions, eventually leaving the area. Jet was the first to speak.

"Hey! What are you three doing ambushing people in the woods? Ugh, it doesn't matter. Our boards are gone! Now how are we going to get to the ban- store?"

"Just go camping with us! The more the merrier!" Sonic chirped- get it? Chirped?

"Get away. Things that start with H only." Shadow remarked, angry to even be there.

"Well, since we have nothing better to do… I'm a hawk. So I'm in! And since I'm in, I demand you let my two ser-" Wave glanced at him. "…teammates in."

Wave smiled.

"We're in!"

Storm leveled a massive amount of trees in order to provide shelter. They began to set things up. While Sonic and Shadow began to de-branch the trees, and Silver and Storm went to work lifting the massive trees, Wave went over to consult Jet on something that had been bothering her.

"Why can't we just fly away to look for our boards?"

"I like camping. It's fun. So we're staying."

"Whatever you say, Jet." Wave said with certain emphasis on Jet.

With the camp set up and the sun setting, Sonic figured it was time to start stories. From using the leaves on the branches, they made bedding in the tent of wood. Shadow started with his story.

"Am I going to die, professor?" the hedgehog asked, already second-guessing why his creator had sent his friend away.

"I don't know, Shadow. Snively is going too far. I don't know whether your body can take…there is a chance that you survive, but…" his hand laid itself on the prone hedgehog's belly and Gerald was suddenly fiercely reminded of how much smaller Shadow had been at his 'birth' almost two years ago. How he had cuddled up against his chest on that very first night…

"I just wish you had been born my son instead."

The hedgehog suddenly felt a lump in his throat and his eyes widened in surprise. But then, the Commander called behind them, and Gerald's hand slipped off his prostrate body, the old man turning around without a further word.

"Right," Snively's voice instead sounded out, coming through a speaker from the observation room, "Now attach the conductors."

Shadow was in emotional turmoil. He was terribly afraid as it sunk in that he just might be killed now, ashamed at his helpless position, but at the same time he also felt strangely warm from the words of the professor…he jerked as a cold disc suddenly made contact with one of his sides.

It looked a little bit like the Chaos Detector Gerald had sometimes used on him, but this one was different – a wire extended from it to the console that also held the Drives and the Emerald. The four lab assistants that were still in the room now took off his shoes and gloves and applied ever more of them. The discs sucked up automatically, clinging to his ribcage, feet, lower abdomen and forehead, everywhere, like leeches. Shadow squirmed again as fear now took over, but his holds were unbreakable.

"No…" he pleaded now, twisting his head to look to the observation room where Maria, Gerald, Graves, Vincent and Snively regarded him, much like months ago in the arena…

He couldn't bear to see their faces anymore and instead focused on the ceiling, determined to at least keep a straight face. No matter how bad it might hurt, he would try to hide that from Maria. Plus, he wouldn't give Vincent or that Snively guy the satisfaction, either.

"Doctor Snively, sir? The conductors are in place," one of the lab assistants, a young black-haired man announced.

Shadow's breathing began to quicken, afraid now. Whatever they were doing, it was going to start any second. Unwanted images of the 'Dead Man Walking' movie he had watched in late-night TV came into his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep from crying in fear.

"Very good. Start procedure…now."

One of the lab assistants, this one a beautiful red-haired woman, nodded and pulled a lever. At Shadow's side, the console began to hum, the Chaos Drives and Emerald abruptly alight.

The hedgehog's eyes opened slowly, cautiously. This didn't hurt…it was just slightly uncomfortable. Chaos Energy was now pouring into his body uninvited, entering him by force through all of these little discs. Why were they doing this? Wasn't he already strong enough? But he wouldn't complain if all they wanted to do was give him some more power…

"Second stage."

Shadow gasped. Now suddenly the flow of Chaos Energy was a lot stronger than before and had started to lose its gentleness. His chest went up und down rapidly as the power was coursing through his body like electricity, filling up his natural cashes until they were fit to burst. This was starting to become too much…

"S-stop!" he managed to choke out, but none of the scientists cared for him. Shadow squirmed and bucked on the table, just trying to escape those canals that fed ever more energy into him, but there was no way out.

"Third stage."

Shadow's face suddenly contorted in pain, even if he tried everything he could do to prevent it. Now the energy was not warm, but hot and scorching, tearing through his organs and ripping him apart from within. It seemed to be furious that it was now confined in such a small body instead of being free and searched for a way out, destroying everything in its tears made their way down a terrified Shadow's cheeks as he was more scared and more in pain than he had ever been in his life. And still they continued to pump the Energy into his body, bursting every single vessel inside. This wasn't the gentle Chaos he knew, this was hostile and angry, vicious and wild, ripping him to shreds without caring.

"Please! I can't – I can't take-!"

"Final Stage."

This time, Shadow screamed.

It was all hell broken loose, literally. Shadow's body had reached its limits as he cried out in agony and the Chaos was unleashed. For the scientists watching it was as if the small black form had suddenly exploded. Red Chaos Energy blossomed outwards in a lethal blast and the Emerald shattered into a million pieces as the restraints, the tables, the console and human bodies were torn to shreds.

This night, Shadow didn't visit Maria.