Spagonia was most well-known for its densely packed, culturally rich cities- but it wasn't the only thing that the nation boasted. Its forests were as tightly packed as their urban counterparts, green and lush with rolling waves of fine mist that felt cool to the touch in the summer heat.

It was in one such forest that Shadow found himself barreling through. His air shoes provided a level of safety for him, keeping his feet well above most of the errant exposed roots and uneven foliage that would have easily tripped someone up at this speed. He bounced between tree trunks, sliding under fallen logs and diving over bushes as he kept his eyes squarely rooted on his destination.

He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had left the fox's house with the contraptions he provided. No doubt long enough for Chaotix to be notified and prepared for his arrival.

"Surprise attack!" A high-pitched voice shouted from above.

Shadow was snapped out of his focus as he looked up at the source of the sudden scream. His eyes narrowed in at the small body of a mobian bee, stinger pointing directly at him as it quickly descended upon him.

A fierce growl left the hedgehog's lips as he sidestepped the attack, spinning around to catch the attacker by the scruff of their neck as they whizzed past him. Soon, he was left scowling at the struggling creature in his hands. They whined wordlessly as they flailed their limbs- despite their incessant moving, it was easy to recognize them by their orange vest and black helmet with a pink rim.

"Charmy." The hedgehog felt his eye twitch, not even bothering to listen to the protests the child in his grasp was making. "This is not the time for games. Where is Espio and Vector?"

"Behind you, Boss!" A half-toned, gruff voice called from behind him. "Sorry about the kid, you know how he is."

Shadow turned to see Vector and Espio walking towards him. The black and red hedgehog didn't bother responding verbally, opting to simply toss Charmy towards the two, letting the bee catch himself in the air and fly back to his business associates.

"Just one moment, Shadow." Espio called out, his deep and smooth voice contrasting that of his partners. "Tails requested we call him before proceeding."

The chameleon pulled out his phone, making a couple of taps on the keypad before holding it out in front of him. The speaker flared to life, ringing only for a few seconds before the line picked up.

"Hey everyone!" The fox chirped through the phone, his voice holding the same air of confidence he had before he left. "Is Shadow there as well."

"Speaking." Shadow replied.

"Good! Listen, we're at the home stretch. Espio, do you have the EMP devices?"

Shadow quickly tossed them over to the chameleon, who quickly confirmed.

"I do now."

"Alright. They're pretty simple to use- just press the button in the center and wait 5 seconds. Try not to throw them like grenades or anything like that. We do not want to spook the Klagen."

The hedgehog felt his fists clench at the implication.

"How are we going to do this?" Espio asked, pocketing the devices.

"That's the tricky part. Ideally, I would have just liked the Moto Bug to go in and detonate them, but we don't have the time and I'm not sure how well we could retrofit them onto it. I'd like to just escort you into the workshop, but..." The fox trailed off, sighing before continuing. "It's possible we could wipe out the entire base with those devices, save for the Badniks. Meaning you'd be trapped in there with all those Badniks and having to protect Rouge at the same time."

"Sounds like you got a lotta ways for us to not do it." Vector grunted, shrugging. "Anything we can do?"

"Actually, I've come up with something." Tails immediately replied. "I can get Espio through the front door, but past that he'll need to make his way through the base on his own to the workshop. I sent him the video feeds a while back to study- there should be some ventilation shafts that you can use to get to the workshop. Right before you detonate the EMPs, my Moto Bug will go back to the front door and open it right as the pulse fires. It's not a perfect plan, but it should be easier to just run past all of the Badniks instead of fighting them all."

" That I can work with." Espio nodded, fingers moving to his hips to lightly brush the kunai strapped to his side.

Shadows ears twitched as the sound of rushing wind crept up behind him. He turned to see Sonic rapidly approaching, just stopping in front of him as a blast of wind rippled from behind him and caused the foliage to bend from the force.

"Everything going well?" The blue hedgehog's eyes shifted between the other mobians in front of him, his characteristic cocky smile blossoming across his muzzle.

"Sonic!" Tails called from the phone speaker. "You made it just in time. Espio may need some backup as he's exiting the base, another set of hands would help out a lot."

"Sounds good to me, just give me the word-"

The affirmation was cut short as a large, unidentifiable object ripped through the sky overhead, capturing everyone's attention. Within the second it had disappeared beyond the canopy- the group suddenly had to grab something for support as the ground rumbled beneath them, the sound of an explosion cutting through the air and causing them to wince in pain.

"What was that?!" The fox called out.

"Some kind of missile thingy! It came from the base!" Charmy squealed.

"...And it looked like it was headed towards one of the settlements." Espio concluded, his expression growing grim.

Shadow's first instinct was to run towards the site. He felt his body already get into position, his air shoes revving up-

The sudden realization hit him like a brick wall.

" No!" He growled, slamming his fist into a nearby tree trunk. "Espio, go. Now."

Sonic, similarly ready to leave, turned back towards his rival. "What do you-"

"Rouge." He shook his head. "If we go after whatever that was before Rouge is rescued, she..."

The blue hedgehog froze for a moment, before taking a deep breath and turning back towards the Chaotix.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this fast." He began, his own foot tapping impatiently. "Espio and Tails, we need Rouge out ASAP. Tails, let me know the moment she's out of the Klagen. Shads and I will go after whatever that was once you do. Vector and Charmy, you are Espio's backup, got it?"

Espio didn't waste time to acknowledge the orders. He raced off out towards the base, his features disappearing as his kind began to take on the colors of his surroundings. Tails' Moto Bug revved up, speeding off behind him.

"You should go ahead and take position at the tree line." Sonic advised the crocodile and bumblebee. "Just make sure you're not visible until the power goes."

"You got it!" Vector nodded, grabbing Charmy and taking off after their partner.

The blue blur looked over at the only other person left. His black and red counterpart still did not look at him, his back turned as he kept his eyes trained in the direction of the blast.

Sonic could feel his fingers twitch, an instinct within him urging him to bring his hand up and place it on his rival's shoulder, if only to provide some level of comfort. He resisted it, knowing full well that it would only make things worse between them. Besides, no one had even seen Omega's head at this point, and he doubted things would improve until all of Team Dark was safe and sound.


Omega felt his servos grind with rage as he saw the base that the Mad Doctor was building so close to the GUN headquarters. He could hardly even call it intelligently designed, given the illogical design and seemingly meaningless structures that dotted the desecrated landscape. Perhaps the genius really was losing it, just erecting structures where he could, just so he could slap his insignia on it. It mattered little when an arsenal of Chaos-powered autocannons would tear them to shreds all the same.

The robot grew increasingly frustrated as these Badniks began behaving erratically as well. Few of them even bothered to put up a fight- most just ran like the pathetic machines they are, away from the carnage.

"I don't see any signs that Eggman is at this specific base." Commander Tower noted, his voice wirelessly transmitting to the robot. "There are a cluster of them nearby as well. Raze this base to the ground, then move onto the next. He has to be here somewhere."

"ACKNOWLEDGED." Omega barked.

It didn't take him long to reduce the entire thing to rubble. He encountered almost no resistance, the few Egg Fighters that charged at him with swords were swiftly dealt with by a smack to the side of their heads.

"BASE DEMOLISHED. I DEMAND THE LOCATION OF THE NEXT."

"Ask and ye shall receive, Agent Omega." The commander replied. "You should have received the next coordinates."

The robot's thrusters burst into full gear, sending the E-Series machine into the air as it flew towards its next destination. Seeing a group of Badniks beneath him, he engaged his autocannons again, diverting some energy away from his boosters as he laid down a line of aerial fire, the impacts kicking up large plumes of dust that clouded the area.

Omega didn't bother with additional suppressive fire- he could always come back and demolish the stragglers after he took care of the man he had spent almost his entire existence determined to annihilate from the face of the planet.


Espio didn't even wait for the door to the base to fully open before sliding under it. He took a deep breath, eyes scanning the surroundings as he tried to figure out where to go. From now, he was on his own.

He noticed an Egg Pawn rapidly approaching his position, carrying a bundle of lumber in its arms as it struggled to carry it down the hall.

The chameleon effortlessly jumped onto the wall, climbing up and onto the ceiling as he let the robot pass under him. He continued crawling upside-down on the surface, looking for something that could lead him in the right direction. Unless he planned on shedding his camouflage, he wasn't going to be able to activate any of the doors.

His eyes narrowed in on an exposed ventilation shaft further down another hall, closely surrounded by a number of Badniks as they went about handling construction duties. He huffed in annoyance; his nerves already being tested by the tight deadline.

A distraction was in order. His eyes scanned the environment for something that he thought could provide a good opportunity, eventually settling on a stray, opened paint can just a little down the hall. He crawled over, taking deep breaths as he waited for the right moment.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. That same Egg Pawn he crossed had returned, walking towards the group impeding his progress. He crawled down the wall opposite of the paint can to get a better vantage point, eyes carefully judging for the right moment...

There.

His tongue shot out, quickly swatting at the handle of the paint can, pulling it to tip the container over and spill its contents onto the floor right as the robot was just in front of it. The poor automaton immediately slipped on the substance, crashing to the ground and flailing its limbs as its poorly designed body struggled to get back up.

Espio looked back at the group of Badniks, whose attention had been drawn to the scene. He waited with bated breath as a few of them split off from the main group, intending to come over and help their fallen comrade.

It didn't provide too much open space, but it would be enough. The chameleon took off into a sprint along the wall, crouching low just as he neared the part of the surface opposite of the vent. With a great leap, he pushed himself into the air, rocketing sideways as his body hit the floor and he gracefully transitioned into a slide. He just barely managed to thread the gaps of the robots' legs, slipping into the ventilation ducts without causing any major disturbances.

Espio didn't waste any time to congratulate himself for such a basic feat. The space inside the vent was rather tight, but otherwise manageable. Unfortunately, he wasn't given much in the way of schematics before entering, so most of it was down to trial and error. Thankfully, the base was still not fully complete, so he didn't have to spend too much time wandering around- as long as he was able to find a shaft that went up to the next floor, things would go smoothly from there.

He was eventually able to find one such shaft, though he struggled to wedge himself properly around the tight, perpendicular corner. He held back the urge to hiss in pain as the sharp edges dug into his stomach, threatening to break his skin if he moved even the slightest bit in a bad direction. It was just as bad when he forced himself through the harsh corner at the top of the vertical shaft, but luckily it seemed both he and the EMP charges got through without much of a fuss.

He had to fight the urge to scramble around as he pulled his way through the second-floor ducts. The sounds of construction were no longer there to mask any sloppy handywork, even if time was of the essence. He had a general idea of where the workshop would be, though, which helped a lot in avoiding dead ends.

Eventually, he was able to find the right room, seeing an eerie orange glow peek through the vent cover around one corner. Espio pushed himself up, his fingers and shoes bracing themselves against the sides of the shaft walls as he removed as much weight as he could from the bottom. He really didn't want all this effort ruined because of the metal flexing loudly under his weight.

The chameleon peered through the small vertical holes in the vent, leaning his head from side to side to ensure this was the proper room. He let out a silent sigh of relief as his eyes caught the glint of the jellyfish-like Klagens on the opposite ends of the room, illuminated only by the glint of the massive computer screen on the wall between them.

Espio stuck his tongue out, sticking it to the back of the vent cover in order to keep it from falling and clattering to the ground as he attempted to push it out with his hands. At first he tried a light nudge, progressively (albeit slowly) adding more and more force until he could feel the metal shifting out from its casing embedded into the wall.

He did his best to center himself and calm his fiercely beating heart as he continued to apply pressure, pushing it out millimeter by aching millimeter. Eventually, he felt it start to give way. He quickly retracted his hands, using one to brace against the vent wall as he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Tails with his free one.

'I'm about to use the EMP.'

It was only a couple of seconds before he got the reply.

'Door's open. You're G2G.'

Espio quickly put the mobile device away, swapping it out for one of the EMP charges. Using his tongue to keep the vent cover held in place, he pulled his other hand off the wall, pressing firmly against one of the corners. He watched as the flimsy cover tilted out of its housing, providing just enough space to slip the device through and stick it onto the wall next to it. He moved as slowly as he could, wary of tripping any motion sensor the Klagens may have had.

He felt the EMP pulser stick itself firmly to the wall with some adhesive that was on its back. His finger slowly shifted up from the edge of the device towards the center, finally resting on the activation button.

He took a deep breath. This was it. He hoped the device was faster than whatever the reaction time on these bots were- Rouge's life depended on it.

With that, he firmly pressed the button, watching as a wave of energy particles rippled outwards from the device at almost light speed. Almost immediately, the room was plunged into complete darkness, and the sound of two heavy thuds on opposite sides of the room sent a wave of relief through Espio's body.

With that, he released his tongue's grip on the vent cover, wincing as it slammed into the ground and bounced loudly against the floor more times than he'd like. Pulling himself out of the shaft, he blinked a couple of times to help accelerate his eyes adjusting to the lack of light.

It appeared that everything worked as intended; the Klagens were indeed disabled, the lack of energy causing them to collapse and fold on themselves into a tangled mess. Underneath one, Espio could just barely make out a gloved hand, the cuff of which extended further than normal.

The chameleon leaped forward, grabbing the body of the robot and tossing it aside. Underneath it had been their target- Rouge the Bat, still unconscious but not the mess of gore Eggman had promised she would be if they interfered.

He scooped the woman up into his arms, tilting his head forward as he closed his eyes to listen better. She was breathing, but just barely. She definitely felt frail, and... lighter than normal. Once she was safe, she would definitely need some medical attention.

He dispelled his camouflage, since the need to carry Rouge rendered it useless. Traveling back through the vents was similarly not feasible. With little other option, he carried her to the door, propping her up over his shoulder as he pulled a kunai from his utility belt. He jammed it between the frame and the metal slab, slamming the weight of his body into the hilt to act as a lever. With the door motors powered down, it offered little resistance, sliding open and allowing access to the hallway.

Espio paused as he heard the sounds of fighting erupt under him. Good, that was like Charmy and Vector thinning the crowd for him.

He took off down the metallic hallway, doing his best not to jostle the bat too much in the process.

He felt a smile begin to form on his face, but he shook his head as he forced it away. There will be ample time to celebrate once they are all safe- and they're on the cusp of the final hurdle.


Sonic's eyes snapped to his phone the moment he felt it buzz in his hand. He glanced back over at Shadow, who was still staring intensely towards the distance.

"Tails said the EMP should have gone off by now-"

The other hedgehog just grunted in response, taking off before his rival could even finish his sentence.

He felt his mouth contorting into weird positions as he chased after the orange trail of light left in the Ultimate Lifeform's wake. He could feel the tension between the two of them begin to wear him down. A stray stone caught the edge of his shoe, causing him to stumble just for a second. Fortunately, he was able to almost immediately recover.

Sonic shook his head, steeling his wavering thoughts as he moved forward at full speed. There were people in danger. Whatever was going on inside his head would have to wait.

As if to accentuate the point, he could feel the acrid scent of smoke tinge the air as they neared their destination. The smell intensified tenfold as the trees gave way to a clearing, which according to the map data should be a village-

Sonic felt his heart stop as he took in the complete carnage around him. The entire village was reduced to nothing but pebbles and splinters. A number of small fires had consumed what little fuel remained, covering the entire area with a cloud of lung-irritating smoke. Many of the villagers that remained were doing what they could, checking injuries and digging their neighbors out of the wreckage that had collapsed on top of them. A few of them simply stood there, in utter shock at the complete uprooting of their lives.

Shadow was off by himself, inspecting something among the burned-out skeleton of a home.

"U-um..." A small voice behind the blue hedgehog croaked.

He spun around, seeing a small Spagonian girl clutching a stuffed animal. As if on instinct, he crouched down to greet her at eye level, giving off a reassuring smile.

"Hey kiddo! What happened here? Does someone need help?"

She shook her head, biting her lips as she pointed off into the distance.

"I-It went that way. There's another village over there."

Sonic felt a cold pit form in his stomach at the information. He did his best to not let it show on his face, giving her a big smile as he patted her on the head.

"Then it sounds like I've got some Ro-Butt to kick!" He reassured her. "You're a real hero, kid. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The blue hedgehog got back up, racing over to his black and red rival. He was still in the house, picking up bits of rubble.

"Hey, we need to leave now. " Sonic began. "Whatever it is, it was headed for another village."

Shadow tossed one of the bits of rubble at the blue hedgehog, who snatched it out of the air. He took a look at it, noticing the purple glow that faintly emanated from it.

Sonic felt his eyes widen once the familiar warmth of the energy seeped into his hand. "...This is-"

"Chaos Energy." The black and red hedgehog finished for him. "Lots of it, too."

"Then we need to hurry." The blue rival reiterated, pointing in the same direction.

Shadow nodded, racing off into the forest with Sonic closely in tow.

Even with the first village behind them, the smell of destruction did not wane even in the slightest. Sonic gritted his teeth, pushing himself harder as he curled into a ball and spun through a patch of brush in his way.

He got the sense that these defenseless villages were little more than a test run for the Doctor. If whatever this thing was made it to a city... he didn't want to think about what kind of destruction a chaos powered robot could cause.

The burning smell had only grown stronger. He had to stop his stomach from doing flips inside his abdomen.

His attention was yanked back to reality as he noticed Shadow had stopped just as he entered the next clearing. Sonic dug his heels into the dirt, skidding to a full stop just behind his partner.

He didn't even have the chance to say anything before another explosion burst in front of them, filling the sky with a bloom of fire, accentuated by the sound of crumbling stone and fearful screams.

A silhouette formed in the center of the ball of flames, a heavy mechanical whirring slowly growing louder as the figure approached.

It didn't take long for Shadow to recognize the figure. His eyes widened in shock as he instinctively took a step back.

"It can't be..." He trailed off, gritting his teeth.

Sonic could hear the sound of Eggman cackling somewhere within the cacophony of noise- no doubt the evil genius would show up to gloat sooner or later. He narrowed his eyes on the robot in the flames, it's figure familiar-

The moment the flames fully dissipated, it became immediately apparent what had caused Shadow's distress.

Omega was before them, the one who had caused all this destruction. The robot raised its arms, autocannons aimed at the both of them as the familiar voice boomed towards them.

"TARGET ACQUIRED."