ELSEWHERE…
In the war-scarred battlefield of Knothole, a small group of heroes fight outnumbered against a mighty army.
Knuckles groaned as he was slugged again in the face by Bark the Polar Bear. The punch was hard enough to send him crashing into three rocks. Wiping his nose, Knuckles picked himself back up and glided straight back into the fight. Around him, his fellow Freedom Fighters and Chaotix were already at work.
Earlier today, Dr. Robotnik had once again put together an alliance of Mobius's most dangerous villains. This time, the line-up consisted of the Dark Egg Legion, the Destructix, the Fearsome Foursome, and the Battle Bird Armada, including other dangerous adversaries such as Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, Dr. Finitevus, and the former king of the Iron Dominion, Jun Kun. The main enemy forces are attempting to attack Nicole's force field protecting New Mobotropolis, and a field team of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, E-123 Omega, Monkey Khan, Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee, Saffron Bee, Vector the Crocodile, Mighty the Armadillo and Ray Squirrel is formed to suppress the situation.
Amy was in the middle of trying to strike Mammoth Mogul with her Piko Piko Hammer, while the ancient elephant Mobian continued to block every attack with his bizarre enchantments. Omega was busy decimating the army's large battalions with his heavy artillery. Sonic was busy taking care of Drago Wolf. Charmy and Saffron were chasing after Metal Sonic, Mecha Tails, and Mecha Knuckles, outsmarting every booby trap the robotic duplicates cooked up. Vector, Mighty, and Ray were playfully beating Ixis Naugus like tossing a ball. Tails and Espio were fighting against Destructix members Fiona Fox and Lightning Lynx. Tails repeatedly fired blasts from his Buster Arm Cannon which his ex-love interest deflected with her whip, and it seemed as if Espio and Lynx were both evenly matched in terms of their fighting skills.
"I'm gonna enjoy rippin' yer bones off, hedgehog!" Drago growled, menacingly flashing his razor-sharp claws.
"Sorry, Wolf-man!" Sonic quipped, dodging every slash of Drago's claws and counterattacking with a Spin Dash, knocking him out. "Your claws seriously need a manicure!"
Mogul was grinning, as Amy could not seem to hit him.
"You won't ever be able to breach the defenses of my magic, little girl," Mogul laughed confidently. "For Mammoth Mogul is superior—"
Mogul was cut off when Amy swiftly swung her mallet at his forehead, knocking him out cold. The direct hit was so intense, even for an ancient Mobian, that he is able to fall unconscious. Who could remember that the Piko Piko Hammer is strong enough to counter the Iron King; it can also be strong enough to knock out a nigh omnipotent being?
Amy retorted, "Blah, blah, blah, tusk for brains! Eat mallet!" She smiled back, placing a hand on her waist and leaning while holding her hammer.
With Mogul taken care of, Monkey Khan quickly attended to Sonic's aid, flinging his thunder staff to summon a powerful bolt of lightning, taking out a surrounding battalion of Dark Egg Legionaires and Battle Birds all at once, including Predator Hawk and Flying Frog. All enemies shockingly went down hard, just like that.
Espio and Tails, having finished their own fight, went over and cuffed the two unconscious Destructix members, and Tails reunited with Sonic, the two sharing a quick fist-bump.
"All right, guys," Sonic nodded, "Let's wrap this up, 'cause I've got a date with a ugly green—"
He was cut off when he and the others heard a familiar plant-monster land next to them. "…Krudzu," Sonic finished his sentence, quickly speeding ahead and slashing the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra's vines with multiple Spin Attacks, before anyone could protest.
Castle Acorn
Throne Room
While the battle raged on in Knothole, another was taking place over at Castle Acorn.
The Council of Acorn was held hostage by the villainous alliance, and liberating them from the castle was the only task at hand. Dr. Eggman had put together a separate team from the main battalion of forces outside New Mobotropolis consisting of team leader Dr. Finitevus, Jun Kun, Lien-Da, Slueth Dog, and Battle Lord Kukku. Thanks to Finitevus's power over Warp Rings attached to his arms and legs, he easily got past New Mobotropolis's defenses and brought along a team to lay siege to the castle.
Bunnie Rabbot-D'Coolette, Antoine D'Coolette, Rotor Walrus (in his battle suit), Julie-Su, and Sally Acorn were trying to hold their ground at the throne room as best they could, but they wouldn't last much longer.
"It's like the Iron Dominion all over again!" Bunnie exclaimed, as she fired an arm laser from which hit Battle Lord Kukku's knee, leaning back-to-back with her husband.
"I thought we would have cleaned this mess up by now," Antoine fretted in his thick French accent, brandishing his sword.
"We're Freedom Fighters, not miracle workers," Sally deadpanned. "Dr. Finitevus used the Warp Rings in his arms and legs to teleport a handful inside Castle Acorn. I guess we have to drive them out of the city the old fashioned way."
"Fine by me," Bunnie smiled. "Let's show these jokers what happens when they come messin' with our city."
"Voici la puissance de notre amour!" Antoine proclaimed in French.
"YEE-HAW!" Bunnie cried thunderously, giving a blow to Slueth's head.
"Chaos Torrent!" Dr. Finitevus fired a series of dark lasers from his fingers at Bunnie and Antoine, who barely had time to dodge. Fortunately, Rotor appeared in front of them and deflected the dark lasers with his sonic boom cannon. Meanwhile, Sally was having a face-off with Lien-Da, and Julie-Su confronts Finitevus, the one who masterminded the Enerjak incident a while ago.
"You're interrupting tonight's entertainment, Julie-Su," Finitevus said.
"I could care less about that!" Julie-Su retorted, drawing out her laser gun and making a defensive stance. "If there's one thing I'm less fond of than the Dark Egg Legion or my half-sister, it's you." Her angry eyes directed on the white Echidna scientist, "Time for a little payback for what you did to Knuckles!"
As the two began their battle, Sally puts in a call on her com-link, "Sally to Shadow. Are you there? We could use your help."
"After I check out Prison Island," Shadow answered over the com-link, "Rogue and I still have to make sure Dr. Eggman didn't bust anyone else out."
"Would you hurry it up?" Sally called impatiently. "We're getting our butts handed to us!"
"We'll be there soon, Princess Sally."
Prison Island
Prison Lane Detention Center
Shadow was led by fellow G.U.N. agent Rogue the Bat deep within the reinforced stronghold known as Prison Island. They took an elevator which led them deep underground the island's maximum security detention center, Prison Lane.
"We've been keeping a close eye on the prisoners," Rogue said, pulling out an access key to Cell 44. "One of them hasn't been acting for hours since Eggman released most of them." She went to unlock the door, but Shadow held out an arm to stop her. Rogue was confused, but then she was quick to notice a tripwire at the base of the door below. A string that the door would have touched when opened.
"What the…" Shadow asked confused.
"Leave this to me," Rogue assured. She took a freeze spray out of her pocket; the latest G.U.N. tech in case of stuff like this. Since she was hired a government spy, Rogue was prepared for anything in case something like this came up. She sprayed the substance onto the tripwire, freezing it, and tapped it with her finger lightly, the thread harmlessly shattering into tiny pieces of ice. With the threat disabled, Shadow opened the door for both him and Rogue to see a dummy of Fang the Sniper with some explosives connected to the tripwire.
"How did this happen?" Shadow asked.
"This wasn't the real trap," Rogue answered. "In fact…" She quickly scooted out to dodge two laser blasts that broke a portion of the floor upon impact almost reaching her feet. "…it's right behind us."
The two noticed a new arrival; a purple and white weasel wearing a big brown Stetson hat, brown boots with white gaiters, and brown gloves with metal plates, with a large canine tooth and a long thick purple tail. It was Fang the Sniper, one of the most notorious bounty hunters in Mobius, holding his sniper rifle with a smirk.
"Fang the Sniper," Rogue recognized.
"You're so clever," Fang remarked sarcastically. "Did you figure that out by yourself, or did you need your boyfriend to help you?"
"Take cover!" Shadow told Rogue. "I've got this."
Rogue flew off as Shadow and Fang exchanged blows to each other. However, neither was able to hit the other as they would just block each attack. Finally, Fang took out a spare laser gun from his pocket and brought it over Shadow's head, but Shadow whisked it away with a Chaos Spear attack before punching Fang in the chest, giving him some distance.
"You're one of the doctor's lackeys, I take it?" Shadow asked.
"Hey!" Fang laughed. "His money's gold. And as an added bonus, I get to have a hedgehog for a trophy. Wish it was Sonic, though, but still, I'm gonna do what those idiot G.U.N. soldiers could've done a long time ago. Way back when you're livin' in a giant space hotel."
"Stop lecturing and let's get this over with," Shadow said.
STAGE 1: SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG VS. FANG THE SNIPER
Fang fired a sniper rifle at Shadow, to which he simply blocked with his Chaos Shield. Shadow charged forward with a Homing Attack, hitting Fang in the chest. With his foe off-guard, Shadow took this opportunity to uppercut Fang and leap up for another Homing Attack. Once the Homing Attack connects, Shadow unleashed a flurry of aerial punches and kicks, subduing Fang. Before Shadow could attack again, Fang quickly recovered and gave Shadow a rifle shot, sending Shadow back to the ground.
As Fang reached the bottom, however, Shadow simply pulled his fist back and punched the weasel as soon as he got within range. Shadow delivered Fang a series of punches and kicks, followed with a Chaos Spear. The Chaos Spear sent Fang flying into the elevator. As Shadow jumped in, the elevator began its way up; Shadow continually smacked away at Fang. Fang tried to block, but Shadow would easily predict his movements.
Eventually, Fang was so dazed that he didn't notice Shadow grabbing his shoulders and throwing him into the elevator's window, breaking it in the process. Now at the top floor, Shadow could see Fang getting exhausted.
"Now you've seen the true power of the Ultimate Life Form," Shadow smirked. "Surely, you could do better."
Fang breathed, "Sure I can! I've fought worse than you!"
"We'll see," Shadow nodded. "Chaos Control!" He vanished into thin air, reappeared, and lunged forward with a clothesline, swinging it so that it hits Fang in the face and flung his body backward. The impact sent him into the air, but before he could hit the ground, Shadow delivered two Homing Attacks, then a series of quick and swift punches and kicks in the air. When he was done, Shadow delivered a fully-charged Chaos Spear, devastating Fang and sending him crashing to the ground. The black hedgehog grinned with satisfaction of his victory.
"Sorry, bounty hunter," Shadow said. "No bonus for you."
With that, he left imminently, quickly patching into his communicator, "This is Shadow to Freedom Fighters. Come in." No response. He began picking up the pace, "Sally?"
Knothole
Freedom Fighter HQ Battleground
By now, the last of the villains' alliance's battalions have been routed. Most have been completely decimated thanks to Omega's handiwork, some are forced to retreat, and the rest attempted to fight the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix back.
Meanwhile, as the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra lunged its venomous fangs at Sonic, the hedgehog back-flipped and sprung forward with a Homing Attack to the chest, piercing through and causing it to screech in pain. Amy swung her hammer into the Hydra's back, sending it soaring upward and towards Monkey Khan riding on a nimbus cloud, who hammered it downward to the ground with his lightning staff.
Seeing the Hydra approaching downward to where Mighty, Ray, and Vector fought Naugus, with Espio, Charmy, and Saffron joining soon after, the Chaotix members smiled and stepped back a few inches.
"C'mon, Naugus!" Vector laughed. "What's the matter? Too afraid to hit real detectives?"
"You dare mock the great Ixis Naugus?!" Naugus yelled as he headed towards the Chaotix. "You shall taste the wrath of judgment, mortal fools!"
However, he failed to notice the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra falling right below him. BOOM! The weakened plant monster crashed onto the Mobian sorcerer, crushing his body and knocking him unconscious. The ground shook underneath them, leaving a crater where the Hydra laid in.
As Monkey Khan and Tails regrouped with the Chaotix, the two-tailed fox asked, "Monkey Khan, what was that?"
"The thunder of the gods, my two-tailed friend," Khan replied with a smile. "The thunder of the gods."
"And what does that make us, exactly?" Espio asked, raising an eyebrow.
Suddenly, the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra sprung back up from where Naugus was flattened. Having regenerated its body parts, the Hydra plunged its vines on Tails, Khan, and the Chaotix. However, Omega appeared and fired a barrage of rockets towards the plant monster, subduing it.
"Target identified as Krudzu Hybrid Hydra," Omega calculated. "Threat level elevated. Commencing assault mode."
"The poor slobs who clean up the mess," Mighty guessed.
"Yeah!" Charmy cheered. "We're slobs because we're lazy!"
Vector snapped, "Stop wearing us down than we already were, Charmy!"
Saffron pointed out, "Well, we're a bit tired and we fought off a lot of bad guys… We've been through enough as it is."
Tails, Khan, Espio, Mighty, and Ray simply shrugged as they went back to work.
Castle Acorn
Throne Room
Back at the throne room at Castle Acorn, Bunnie and Antoine were trying to hold off Dr. Finitevus, while Sally, Julie-Su, and Rotor were fighting off Finitevus's associates. As Antoine tried to slash at Finitevus with his sword, Finitevus snuck in a Warp Ring sucker punch, kneeing Antoine in the chest. Antoine groaned in pain and was unable to prevent Finitevus from knocking him out with a torrent of dark Chaos Energy, rendering him unable to move.
"Get away from him, you freak!" Bunnie shouted, but before she could attack Finitevus, she was decimated by Jun Kun's Tremor Mace, brought crashing to the ground by the hammer's intense shockwave.
The Freedom Fighters are at a disadvantage. Finitevus's team caught them on the ropes.
Finitevus announced, "Now, if there are no further interruptions…"
Suddenly, Finitevus could sense what seemed to be a white flash of Chaos Energy. Turning around, the white Echidna was able to see Shadow the Hedgehog using Chaos Control to teleport all the way to Castle Acorn's throne room.
"It took me almost two minutes to focus a large amount of Chaos Energy to teleport here to Castle Acorn," Shadow explained. "Considering that I was born with the energy of the Chaos Emeralds, it's a gift."
Finitevus glared at Shadow as he motioned to the former Iron King, "Jun Kun?"
The giant bull with the Tremor Mace approached the Ultimate Life Form, the two looking each other in the eye with determination.
"My Tremor Mace has hungered for this day!" Jun Kun grinned. "I owe this city much for the downfall of the Iron Dominion… and my greatest humiliation!"
Shadow rolled his eyes, "You don't look so fearsome."
STAGE 2: SHADOW THE HEDEGHOG VS. JUN KUN THE IRON KING
The two rushed head-first; Shadow's Chaos Powers collided with his Tremor Mace a dozen times, and when they punched each other, they send each other crashing to a wall. Jun Kun got up first and swung his Tremor Mace upward, slamming Shadow up into the air before Jun Kun grabbed and threw him down at the ground. Fortunately, Shadow's Chaos Energy allowed him to endure a lot of damage, and effortlessly pushed himself up.
Shadow was quick to notice that Jun Kun's armor is impenetrable to nearly all attacks, but the softest spot is always the weak spot. Shadow used Chaos Control to teleport himself multiple times, then went for Jun Kun's face, punching it and sending him flying to a wall. The ex-Iron King flew back towards Shadow, who ran forward and smashed Jun Kun in the face, this time adding a lot of force. The attack was strong enough to send Jun Kun crashing to the wall a second time.
Jun Kun picked himself off the ground. He swung his Tremor Mace with all his might and slammed it on the ground, causing an earthquake that nearly shattered the throne room. However, Shadow managed to jump off the massive tremor and perform a Homing Attack on Jun Kun's head. He proceeded to pound away at Jun Kun's face with a series of flying punches and kicks powered by Chaos Energy, until he was finished. With a loud THUD, the ex-Iron King collapsed to the floor, creating a crack below him. Now sure that Jun Kun was out, Shadow turned his attention to Finitevus.
"The former Iron King, Lien-Da, Slueth, and the Battle Lord…" Shadow called. "You're all alone, Dr. Finitevus."
"Geniuses often are," Finitevus sighed.
"Psychopaths like you," Shadow shot back.
"You heroic types are all alike. Even less imposing close-up," Finitevus noted.
"You're testing my patience," Shadow said, charging his Chaos Energy in his right hand and aiming it where he needed to.
"Resigned to playing with toys, are we?" Finitevus smirked as he began moving forward.
"Chaos Spear!" Shadow shouted, and he flung his energy attack towards Finitevus, only for the white Echidna to deflect it with a field of dark energy.
"Is that all you have?" Finitevus taunted.
"I've heard so many things about you, Dr. Finitevus," Shadow pointed out. "You're the Echidna scientist who created Enerjak in your attempt to bend the world to your whim."
"I am simply doing this world a favor," Finitevus explained. "A world this corrupt must be cleaned with fire. The world's current legacy poisoned the population's hearts with despair… and hope."
Shadow countered, "And what do you offer? The same as you did long ago when you sided with the Eggman Empire and attacked your own city of Albion."
"Mix the fire with the earth and soil, the fire grows. The legacy of life is death, Shadow," Finitevus said. "Soon, this city will learn the truth and accept it."
"Do your worst!" Shadow dared.
STAGE 3: SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG VS. DR. FINITEVUS
Finitevus fired a Chaos Torrent at Shadow, who managed to cancel out the attack with Chaos Spear. Finitevus then used his Warp Ring abilities to speed forward and electrocute Shadow with a torrent of Chaos Dark Thunder before throwing him face-first into the floor. Shadow recovered and fired a torrent of Chaos Spears, followed by a Homing Attack flurry of punches and kicks, repeatedly hitting the white Echidna scientist. Even with the tremendous amounts of Chaos Energy radiating his body a long time ago, Finitevus could still feel pain, and would continue to do so for at least a week. Finitevus then channeled his energy to summon a Chaos Rift attack, which sent Shadow to the ground. Shadow got back up and punched the white Echidna, but Finitevus punched back. The two pushed each other back, ready to go at each other head-first.
"What makes you so special, artificial hedgehog?" Finitevus asked coldly.
"I'm more than you know," Shadow replied with a smirk. "I'm the Ultimate Life Form."
With that, the two clashed, punching and kicking each other. Later, Shadow managed to gain more momentum and easily sent Finitevus flying backwards, then a Homing Attack, and then a flurry of punches and kicks, taking a large amount of Finitevus's health. However, as Shadow rushed to take him out, Finitevus recovered with his Warp Rings, and smashed Shadow four times with Chaos Torrent, ending with a Chaos Rift blast that quickly restrained him. Finitevus then channeled his Chaos Energy to summon a large orb of darkness. He fired it at the black hedgehog, damaging him badly.
However, as Finitevus went in for the kill, Shadow spun his leg, tripping Finitevus and delivering three Homing Attacks, two Chaos Spears, and one fully-charged Chaos Spear that hits straight to the chest up. Finitevus went soaring up before being air-juggled and then slugged hard by another fully-charged Chaos Spear, which took out his remaining energy.
"Try this on, genius," Shadow said, taking out an EMP device created by G.U.N., designed to restrain Chaos Energy.
Before Finitevus could recover, Bunnie and Antoine re-entered and restrained the white Echidna while Shadow simply placed the EMP on him, shutting down his Chaos Energy completely.
"Ah'm gonna say this, black sugar-hog," Bunnie smiled. "Thanks for beatin' 'im up for me and Antoine."
"No thanks needed," Shadow replied coolly.
Sally went to her com-link and said, "This is Sally to Freedom Fighters. How are you guys?"
"Hey, Sal!" Sonic's cheery voice rang. "It's done. The others are mopping up the mess outside. The Chaotix are taking Krudzu somewhere rock bottom."
"Make sure it's very rock bottom," Sally noted.
In the meantime, the Council of Acorn was safely evacuated, while the other villains were forced into a portal created by Nicole, New Mobotropolis's defense artificial intelligence. Suddenly, an alarm suddenly went off, as bright red lights illuminated the castle. Lien-Da, who was the last to be forced in, stopped as she looked confused.
"What's that?" She asked.
"It's the None-of-Your-Business-Alarm, Sis," Julie-Su said sarcastically, shoving Lien-Da into the portal. With the villains captured, Nicole the Holo-Lynx closed the portal and brought up a holographic map of New Mobotropolis. A red dot was displayed at the center.
"Nicole, what's going on?" Sally asked.
"I've detected a radiological signature from King Frederick Airfield," Nicole calculated, zooming in the map. "The two life forms at the center are Dr. Eggman and Snively. Apparently, they were working on a bomb, in which the signatures came from. A nuclear bomb, to be precise."
Sally and her teammates gasped in fear amidst a chuckling Finitevus.
"I can see the headlines," he grinned, "'Freedom Fighters Fail; Mad Scientist Kills Millions…'"
"You gave Robotnik a nuke?!" Sally demanded.
"Most of Mobius's heroes die, and this beloved city is vaporized," Finitevus smiled. "I consolidate the masses by offering to rebuild it. In my own image of cou…"
He got no further when Julie-Su wacked him in the head with the butt of her gun. She noted, "He was done."
"Nicole, get me every com-link available!" Sally commanded, and she spoke through the com-link, "This is Sally to Freedom Fighters and Chaotix! Code Red! I'm sending everyone to these coordinates! Get in there, now!"
"Leave this one to me," Shadow offered. "I'll find the nuke and disarm it before the Doctor detonates it."
"Go, Shadow! We'll join up later!" Sally nodded, as Shadow complied by zooming out of the throne room.
King Fredrick Airfield
Dr. Eggman and his assistant nephew Snively made the final preparations. The bomb was almost ready to be used.
"Finitevus said remember to…" Eggman said, before he pressed buttons on the control pad. The LED screen on the front of the nuke lit up, reading 'ARMED.' "Ah, there we are."
"Uncle, it works!" Snively smiled. His happiness was replaced with worry when he turned to see Shadow approaching. "Uh-oh…"
"Get back into the Eggdome, Snively," Eggman ordered. "Rally up the Dark Egg Legion and order a retreat."
"But, sir…" Snively tried to interject.
Snively was cut short when Eggman slapped him across the face. His voice grew more harsh as he pointed away, "Just do as I say and get your carcass elsewhere! No one likes a third wheel!"
"Y-Yes, sir," Snively cringed and left quickly, obeying his bossy uncle's orders.
Eggman turned his attention to Shadow, "Ah, Shadow the Hedgehog. My grandfather's creation. My second greatest nemesis, next to that irritating blue hedgehog. I knew that weasel couldn't dispose of you."
"This is the end of the line, Doctor," Shadow said to Eggman coldly. He took a couple of steps forward, until he finally noticed the bomb reading 'ARMED.'
"Why so jumpy, Shadow?" Eggman added. "I merely took it off standby mode." He reached into his pocket, bringing out a remote with a single red button. "It's this button you've got to worry about."
Meanwhile…
Tails, Charmy, and Saffron were flying towards the scene as quickly as possible. They were followed by Amy, who was rushing towards King Fredrick Airfield below riding a motorcycle.
"There they are!" Tails spotted.
"Keep him talking, Shadow," Amy hoped to herself.
"Let's hope my Tornado doesn't get messed up…" Tails hoped to himself as well.
A few blocks away…
Sonic was running as fast as his legs can take him while Knuckles, Khan, Vector, Mighty, Ray, and Espio catch up. Knuckles was gliding, Khan was riding his nimbus cloud with Vector and Mighty, Ray was flying with his one tail, and Espio was leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
"Don't wait for us, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted. "Go!"
Sonic gave a salute and sped his way forward, zipping past everyone.
King Fredrick Airfield
"You push that button and millions will die," Shadow tried to stall for time.
"How about two more?" Eggman added. Shadow was looking tense as he continued, "I was going to enjoy the fireworks from a safe distance, but since you're here…" He raised the button, "…what say we have one last dance?"
Shadow knew he couldn't afford to hold out any longer. Moving quickly, he went for the detonator as Eggman's thumb went for the button. By this point, the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix were arriving, trying to stop the mad scientist…
But something strange was going on.
Amy felt it first in her chest. She felt a bit queasy. Suddenly, Knuckles, Khan, and Espio felt the same feeling. They assumed it was just something they ate, but it won't be long before Amy caught a glimpse of blue electricity radiating from her arm. The other heroes showed the same sign. Soon enough, a pulse of blue electricity was forming from the center of where Shadow and Eggman stood. Nobody noticed this as Shadow went for the detonator…
And then, the two were somewhere else. Regaining his surroundings, Shadow looked around confusedly. It was New Mobotropolis, and yet… it was different. The buildings were greatly changed, now larger, bigger, futuristic, and sporting a dystopian feel to it. The most disturbing fact was the monitors and the commercialized billboards showing a single symbol which resembled a hedgehog's head.
With Shadow distracted, Eggman went for the detonator's button, pressing it…
…and nothing happened.
"What's the matter with this thing?!" Eggman exclaimed in annoyance. He kept pressing the button, but no detonation went off.
Mobius Prime…
"Uh..." Sonic asked confusedly. "What just happened?"
The Freedom Fighters and Chaotix had been racing to the bomb when out of nowhere, a mysterious surge of energy teleported Eggman, Shadow, Amy, Espio, Knuckles, and Khan away, leaving the rest behind. Additionally, the bomb had not gone off, and the warhead simply disabled on its own.
"I'm not sure, Sonic, but I think today's gonna be a long day," Tails answered.
Sonic and his friends kept looking at the disarmed device strangely.
Alternate Mobius…
"This is somehow your fault, you worthless rodent!" Eggman accused. "You've ruined everything!"
"This is New Mobotropolis, and yet…" Shadow assumed.
Eggman tried to punch the black hedgehog from behind, but Shadow simply grabbed his hand and twisted it around his back. Shadow then pushed the mad scientist away.
"Maybe I was too sentimental before," Eggman retorted. "I'll be fine without you—"
Before Eggman could act, Shadow delivered a swift punch to his round stomach. He fell to the ground, knocked unconscious.
"Just stay down," Shadow demanded. "And keep quiet."
Shadow's intuition couldn't be more wrong. He could hear sirens in the distance. A horde of vehicles pulled up on the street, dark blue on the hood and car doors, while the bottom part had a light blue color. On the front hood was a logo that featured the Earth circled in blue lines.
Then the soldiers came out; they were neither Mobian royal knights nor G.U.N. agents. Their military outfits are colored blue, and the logo on their arms is outfitted with the same logo featured on the vehicles. Their faces are concealed by helmets and masks with red goggles, which seemed to make them almost lifeless. Upon noticing Shadow, the horde of soldiers took out their rifles and surrounded the black hedgehog and the round doctor respectively.
"Hands up!" The soldiers declared. "Get down on the ground now! You're under arrest!"
Eggman slightly smirked; he would normally be outraged by this event, but was nonetheless happy to see Shadow stuck in a bad situation.
"I said hands up, black hedgehog!" The commanding officer ordered. "Do it or you're dead!"
Shadow simply raised his hands, lulling the soldiers into believing they had beaten him. Little did they know that he was already prepared.
"Chaos…" Shadow chanted.
The soldiers prepared to advance.
"CONTROL!"
With that, Shadow instantly disappeared in a flash of light, much to the confusion of the soldiers (and Eggman). He'd have to come back for the mad scientist, but as of now, he had to escape, since the area would've been too tight to fight in.
Later…
Night had fallen upon New Mobotropolis. Shadow watched from above as more of the soldiers in blue were bringing in a group of people into some sort of prison bus, with the same insignia and color scheme the patrol vehicles have.
"Amateurs," One of the soldiers muttered. "Next time, don't leave your mark."
"They're not Insurgents?" The second soldier asked.
"No," The first one shook his head. "Just some punk kids. Like that Egg Clan idiot we almost had.
"Still can't believe we freakin' lost Shadow," The second soldier remarked.
"Yeah," The first agreed. "Let's hope the big boss doesn't find out."
Shadow was horrified. He now knew for certain something was definitely wrong. He didn't know what it was, but it was very clear about the situation he was in.
"I'm in a nightmare," Shadow said out loud to no one in particular.