As predicted, there wasn't much left of whatever chaos was taking place outside of Soleanna the other day when Thunderbolt made that call. Her communication device didn't steer them wrong though. This was the right location. After taking a few hours to investigate, they found metal debris and disturbed grass, but nothing else. Even the battleship was gone, but a slight pollutant stayed in the air.

"Do you think he's still nearby?" Rouge asked.

Shadow didn't have to think about the answer. "Not a chance. This attack drew too much attention for him to linger. I'm sure he fled as soon as he was able."

"Hm, so we're back to waiting for a signal of some kind."

"Maybe, but just because he's not here now doesn't mean we can't find a trace he might have left behind. We're closer here than we were at headquarters."

Rouge turned her feet away but looked back at the pondering hedgehog before taking a step. "We can talk to some civilians too. We're too far out of the city for too many eyes, but someone could've seen something."

Shadow nodded and followed his companions to the city. The guards seemed like the best ones to start with. As they grew closer to the city, so did the mingling voices of people. Today was a busy day for Soleanna, meaning it wasn't the easiest to move through the crowds looking for a military uniform. Having a tall war robot certainly helped, especially for his two short teammates. Seeing G.U.N. units in the city wasn't unheard of, so besides a few stunned looks from seeing a robot agent in person, people didn't pay much attention to them.

Looking for anywhere a guard may be stationed, a sparkle out of the corner of her eye made Rouge pause for a spontaneous window shopping. Necklaces, precious stones, and they all sat staring at her, taunting her to come in and take them. She couldn't entertain her thoughts much longer as someone poked her in the shoulder. She turned her head and saw Shadow looking at her with a peeved expression. Without a word, he pointed further down the strip where there was a military man resting outside of the café. As the three approached, a waitress set a cup of tea before him. It occupied his attention and he leaned to sniff the lines of steam rising from it, ignoring the three agents beside him. When he realized a second later, he hopped in his seat. He cleared his throat and straightened his uniform to cover his tiny yelp. Omega spoke first, ignoring the action. "Greetings, guard. I am E-123 Omega, an agent of G.U.N. My teammates wanted to inquire about a series of events involving a battleship several miles outside these city walls. It would have occurred sometime yesterday."

The man relaxed and fell back in his chair again. "It's 'lieutenant,' actually."

Rouge brought up the topic again. "So, you're saying you have no record of this happening?"

He looked away for a moment as if recounting what happened in the last few days. "There were a few folks who talked 'bout seeing a ship in the distance, but none of them thought it was dangerous enough to report." He paused again to sip his tea and lay it down on the little round table. The open umbrella over the surface didn't offer much shade as there were plenty of clouds. "After that, we had more mobians around for a short while. A few birds here and there I think? I'm not too sure. They kept to themselves and left as quickly as they came."

Shadow crossed his arms. "They could have signaled for help and either fixed the ship or took the wreckage with them."

Rouge sighed. "So I guess we're back to square one..."As soon as she finished that, Shadow walked away from the group. As the group started to disband, Rouge stopped and looked at the guard again. "Thank you, lieutenant." She saw him give a short nod and she hurried to catch up with Shadow.

After following him for a bit, they stopped by several other figures to ask about the battleship. Business owners, mail carriers, and a few citizens were willing to stop and talk. They didn't find any more information. The team was far from giving up, but the deep pink cresting the sky convinced them there wasn't anything else to do for tonight.

Upon arriving in the city, G.U.N. approved the team to use one of the labs. It wasn't nearly as big as headquarters or even a lot of the other labs across the country, but that made it seem a bit homier. When first walking through the door, it appeared more like a home than a lab. Comfortable-looking couches surrounded a small coffee table, and the desk against the wall beside them was large enough to conduct research if needed. They even had a small kitchenette. One could argue it was too small compared to the rest of the lab, but it was nice to have one here at all. The dining table would also be a good place to study while enjoying a cup of coffee, but the team had little intention of doing much paperwork. Off to the left, a doorway led to the real lab space. While it was tidy, the filing cabinets had old documents that no one needed anymore, and some of the testing equipment had scrapes and general wear.

The team had to come through the wide door on the side of the building as Omega couldn't fit through the front. The three meandered to the front living spaces and stopped beside the sofas. "How quaint," Rouge remarked as she looked up at the little chandelier above the coffee table.

"These areas for fleshlings do not appeal to me," Omega whirred. "I will return to the lab until I am needed."

As he turned and clomped toward the file cabinets around the corner, Rouge wove at him. "Goodnight, Omega!" That prompted Shadow to leave as well. He strolled past her and began climbing the stairs to where the bedrooms were. "Are you turning in already?" Rouge asked. The fact he didn't leave a response confirmed her question. She took a last look around the room before deciding to relax a little. She brewed a cup of decaf and sat before the window for a while before settling in the room next to the one Shadow disappeared into.

Shadow may have decided to turn in for the night, but he stayed up for some time, quietly contemplating the various events that led him here. As tired as he was, he remained sitting in a chair against the bed long after the colors of sunset vanished.

Try as he might, sleep couldn't keep him. His mind was restless as always. Eventually, the room began to bore him so he descended in the dark lab and headed outside. The breeze that met him was slightly chilly, but he welcomed the change. The lamps lit up patches on the dark streets, but outside of that, it was so dark he could barely see the ground around him. Despite the few lights illuminating the city, the stars were clear and shining still. Unable to see any other reason for being out here, Shadow worked his way up to the roof and he sat and watched the sky. It didn't stop the voices in his head, but it helped.

Time passed while his thoughts kept him occupied. Shadow wasn't aware how long he rested on the roof of the lab until a corner of the sky glowed a bit brighter. Once the city lights began dimming or turning off, he decided it was the best time to leave. He didn't want any more time wasted, but there wasn't much he could do. Rather than return inside the lab, Shadow decided he wanted to see the scene of the battle outside the city again. It was bright enough after all, and this time he can take the time he needed to investigate the scene closer. It was the best he could do.

...

It wasn't a surprise to Rouge that Shadow wasn't in his room or anywhere else in the lab after she rose. What did surprise her was when he came back in a hurry. It's too bad. She just made plans to do some "shopping."

"Rouge, Omega, I believe I found something. Come with me," Shadow ordered with a gesturing wave before slipping back outside. Neither Rouge nor Omega voiced a question or complaint. They fell behind him.

The field was the same as far as Rouge was concerned. No one moved the metal debris lying around. Shadow took them to the far end of the battlefield. The sun gradually warmed the grass under their feet from a quiet, chilly night. As they put the field behind them, Shadow began to slow down, but he still took them further into the brush than Rouge thought they needed to be in. She held onto her patience.

Finally, they stopped and Shadow drew their attention to a low-hanging tree, specifically a few broken branches. Then, he knelt down to a bush just behind it. "Omega, what are the chances this matches Eclipse's DNA?" Shadow asked, pointing out a tiny blotch of green substance.

Omega stared down at the spill, running statistics for a second. "86%."

Shadow rose to his feet, facing his companions. "That's him. He moved through here after the battle. We might be able to track where he went from here." He turned to Omega once more. "Keep your optics on anything that might lead us where he fled."

The three then focused on the ground and any nearby branch, following anything that looked suspicious, and there was quite a bit. They found tracks as well as more blood and broken twigs. The hunt took them all morning and what started off as warm and pleasant soon became hot and tedious. Rouge's rumbling belly told her it was nearing noon, and yet, Shadow remained as focused as always. If Eclipse was still in the area, she hoped they would run into him soon, or at least call off the hunt for some lunch. The latter wasn't likely to happen with Shadow's determination and they were moving further and further from the city...

Rouge's discomfort increased once it became more humid. She pressed an arm against her head and wiped off the perspiration forming on her skin. Shadow's two companions stopped when he did. Rouge didn't think much of it. She was glad for a break.

But this wasn't a break the hedgehog planned. "...Lost the trail," Shadow mumbled to himself and spun around to face his companions. "Does anyone know where to go from here?"

"My sensors aren't picking up on anything, but we are not far from Kingdom Valley," Omega said, standing still.

Rouge said nothing, but she didn't have to. The news seemed important to him. "Kingdom Valley?" Shadow echoed and changed the channel on his earpiece to reach headquarters. "Agent Shadow here. I want Chaos Emerald scanners set on Kingdom Valley. Tell me if it picks one up."

Once done, he gave a nod to his teammates and engaged his rocket jets. Omega fired up his and followed, and Rouge took to the skies, the rushing wind cooled her off from the terrible humidity building up. Being this close to Kingdom Valley could explain it as the old castle town of Soleanna flooded years ago.

Omega was right about it being nearby. Rouge saw the edges of the ruins peeking out from behind the trees. The forgotten structures still stood tall despite the weaker foundations and pillars under stagnant water. When she finally looked down, she saw her companions leap from the sloping grass and onto a stone walkway before coming to a slow stop. Rouge dove down and landed beside them as Shadow placed a hand on his earpiece again.

"Agent Shadow, you were right. The scanners are picking up an emerald inside the ruins on the opposite side of the first southern tower, but be careful; the pinpoint is moving."

Shadow dropped his arm and addressed the team. "He's already here! Let's get a move on." Without another word, Team Dark sprinted ahead once more. Omega warned them of dangerous standalone platforms and wooden sections long rotted from the water. They moved from sidings, to platforms, and to rooms at fast speeds. Omega hovered over the unstable ground while Rouge assisted Shadow in gliding over them.

The further they charged into the kingdom, the more pungent the algae below became. This time of year, it floated across almost every square inch of still water. Rouge pushed it from her mind as they came near the southern tower. This tower was one of the stronger structures still in the valley. The pointed roof stood tall and straight amidst the other slanting walls nearby. The tiles lining the roof were also still mostly intact.

As she studied the structure ahead, Rouge noticed something floating near the broken wall some yards past the tower. "Look!" She cried, pointing at the dark shape. It didn't take much longer than that to see it was one of Eclipse's Dark Arms. Omega leaped to the next walkway and switched his claw hands for machine guns instead. The gunshots echoed all across the valley and back to them. The shots startled Rhygenta and she quickly fled inside. Shadow picked up the pace.

They raced into the hallway but didn't see anyone. Rhygenta was gone and there was no sign of the others. The team slowed to a quick walk. Eclipse could have been here and rushed to the end of the hall. Surely, he wouldn't be too far away from his minions. "He could be anywhere," Shadow warned just above a whisper. "Keep your guard up."

Indeed, he was there, and he was waiting for the team to reach the end of the chamber. Shadow slowed to a stop as they left the hallway and closed his eyes, trying to sense the alien through the hive mind. Perfect timing. Before they could react, Eclipse jumped from the higher floor and tackled the hedgehog. They fell to the ground. Shadow struggled and tried to roll on top as Eclipse's strong hands raked through his chest and shoulder.

As a first instinct, Omega raised and shot at the alien, missing the two by a hair. Rouge pressed a hand down on his cannon arm. "Careful, you could hit Shadow!" She warned before swooping into the fray. At this point, Shadow finally kicked Eclipse off and through the open door. Rouge glided in and grabbed the alien's arm, dragging him to the edge and letting go.

Then came the Dark Arms in a panic to retrieve him. Omega open-fired again, making them scatter, but Eclipse didn't fall into the water. He caught hold of the brick wall and climbed back up. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that," Eclipse hissed and merged into his Monster Form before Omega's barrage could hit him. Now in his more powerful form, the bullets bounced off him like metal.

Then he lunged for the nearest target; Rouge. Shadow joined in and threw a fist at the beast's face. Again, he hardly flinched at the attack, but it was a long enough distraction for Omega to charge at him. Eclipse met the charge and the two pushed against one another. Omega's wiring sparked in excitement. "Prepare yourself to lose to me today, alien scum!"

Eclipse grunted against his strength. The alien's power was outstanding, but it could match against a machine weighing several tons. The path edge crumbled and splashed under his feet. Continuing to slide back, Omega punted the alien over the end.

The splash below sent the Dark Arms into a panic and they came out from hiding again. Cregal raced for the rippling water. Shadow sidled to look down where Eclipse fell, but Rouge took his attention and pointed at the upset minions. Blurk carried the red Chaos Emerald in his mouth. Omega was too busy firing at the diving hybrid to notice.

Rouge crouched down, ready to spring in the air. "Rouge!" Shadow called as he joined her side. She nodded, grabbed his hands, and took him with her. The remaining Dark Arms were too focused on watching to see if Cregal could save Eclipse to notice the approaching threat until they were a few feet away.

Shocked, Blurk dropped the gem as Shadow grabbed for it, but Cyzer swooped down and snatched it before it could go far. The creatures began to flee once more. Shadow signaled at Rouge and she swung him back and forth and threw him. Shadow curled into a ball and crashed into the long and lithe Cyzer. Once again, the gem fell straight down, but Rouge had it in her sights.

Meanwhile, Shadow and Cyzer flew for the nearest platform, which happened to be made of wood. It began to crumble as soon as Shadow landed on it. Not allowing Cyzer to fly free, he grabbed onto the creature and leaped to the partially sunken roof below them. Cyzer chirped in protest and tried to bite Shadow's fingers, but he moved them away in time and pressed down on the Dark Arm's head. Now he had to get back before something else could happen...

Cregal managed to reach his master, lent his power, and Eclipse pulled his senses together before springing out of the water. He danced around the bullet fire with his temporary wings and heard his Dark Arms crying in his mind. Then, he spotted Rouge with the emerald. Eclipse sliced through the air and swerved toward the bat.

Omega couldn't risk any more fire, and the Dark Arms were nowhere to be found. He could only watch and hope Eclipse would soon fly within reach of his claws or gunfire safely away from his teammate. "Coward!" He boomed.

Rouge couldn't correct herself in time and he crashed into her and kicked her back. She dipped down but used the momentum to come back up. "Oh, we're not doing this again!" She yelled at him, her arm already hurting against the memory of when they last had an air battle that resulted in her arm being dislocated. Now that he was under her, she dropped a few bombs the size of Ping-Pong balls below her.

They popped, stung, and blew smoke in his eyes. Eclipse, with nothing left to do, used a wing to cover and bat them away. That was ample distraction for his opponent to swing back down. He barely saw her through teary eyes before she kicked his chin back. Eclipse soared back to the ground and pummeled into a roof, causing one side of it to collapse. Cregal reappeared beside him, looking down and encouraging him to stand back up. Amidst all their cries in his mind, Cyzer's finally stood out among them. Eclipse groaned. "I know, we got to get Cyzer!"

He blinked hard and sat up in time to see Rouge coming for him again. The alien jumped to his feet. She tossed a few more of the small bombs, but he slapped them back with his tail. They blew up in the air right in front of the bat, snatching the tip of a wing and spiraling her down. Eclipse only had a second to take in his position before he saw Omega climb up the roof and raise his arm. Instinct kicked in and Eclipse leaped off the roof, grabbing Cregal with him. Bullets rang through the air.

Two of the Dark Arms pursued Shadow as he carried their sibling, but they couldn't keep up as he kicked on his jets. He skated back to where he was before Rouge threw him. Too much time has passed and he needed to know what Eclipse was up to. He then had his answer. With his back turned to him, Eclipse swam and pulled himself up on a small grassy bank where the red Chaos Emerald was left unguarded. He knew it. Eclipse would be too powerful to kill so easily.

By the time he reached him, Eclipse crouched down to pick up the emerald. Shadow came upon him unawares, slinging him down with a honing spin attack. Eclipse rolled on his back, but Shadow was upon him again. He gripped the alien's collar and rammed him into the ground with Cyzer still in his other hand. Before he could react, Shadow grabbed him again and pulled him up. "Shadow, wait! It's me!" The alien finally cried out in Rouge's voice.

The hedgehog hesitated. "Rouge?" He turned his head away and dropped his victim to her feet. A wave of guilt flashed through him.

"Are you okay?" She asked and took a few steps toward him.

Shadow squinted until his eyes hurt. When he turned around he finally saw her standing there instead of the alien. He stuttered something, but before he could finish, the real Eclipse came in and tackled him from behind. The attack almost took them to the ground, forcing Shadow to release Cyzer. Cyzer slithered free back behind the fight, but Shadow rolled under the alien's grip. Eclipse moved quickly and shoved an arm into his face as he came back up. Shadow fell to his knees. "Why do you make me do this, brother?" The alien asked in a voice filled with disappointment. Rouge now came beside him and slung her leg up, kicking him in the side.

He scratched at her, but she turned away and threw a punch at him. He caught it and twisted her arm painfully down. By that time, Shadow was in the fight again and grabbed for his neck. The grimace the hedgehog had on his face held true rage. He wasn't the only one to join in at that moment. The rest of the Dark Arms flew forward. Blurk reached Eclipse first and the newfound armor knocked his opponents back, and he punched down on Shadow's shoulder. "Forget the emerald!" He cried when he was able, ignoring Rouge's attack and kicking her back. He knew the robot was on his way. "We have three Chaos Emeralds already. Best we leave in one piece!"

Frustrated, but loyal, the Dark Arms agreed and followed him as he splashed into the water. By the time his attackers recovered and Omega hovered onto the bank, Eclipse was climbing up a stone wall. Omega opened fire, but the bullets bounced off the alien's protected body. Eclipse slung himself over the wall and vanished.

The three pursued, but the alien was nowhere to be found. Behind the wall was more of the sunken kingdom. It looked none the different from the rest of it, and they could find no trace of Eclipse. Shadow sighed and turned away. He didn't want to see the faces of his comrades. Still, he could sense Rouge's stare. She held the emerald out for them to see. "We'll catch him. Don't worry, and look! We have the emerald!"

Shadow closed his eyes for a moment and, when he finally picked up his feet, he headed back the way they came. Rouge looked up at Omega, but neither one of them could understand what thoughts were running in Shadow's mind. A few times, Rouge tried to make conversation, but it was clear Shadow wanted to remain out of it, so, like any time Shadow preferred to brood silently, they followed him.

When they finally reached the grounds away from Kingdom Valley, Rouge tried again. "Shadow, talk to us. What's wrong?" The only response she got was when he waved her off and continued walking. "If it's about what happened back there, I don't blame you for that," she continued anyway. "He was using you to attack me, but we're all fine."

Finally, he slowed and looked up into the trees. His companions allowed him a moment before he spoke, looking at her over his shoulder. "This is why I should go alone. While he still stands, I'm a danger to everyone around me, and he's not going to stop. It's an advantage we shouldn't give him." He then lowered his head and continued, growing further and further away.

Rouge wanted to object, but Omega gently scooted her back. "Shadow needs space to process recent events. He's done this before. Let him be and he will sort it out himself."

She thought about this for a moment and nodded. They began to walk again. "We would have been goners without you, Omega."

"It's my duty," he acknowledged without a pause.

Rouge pressed an elbow into his tough metal waist. "Ah, it's more than that."

"It's a pleasure," he finally agreed.

...

"Okay, I'm sure we lost them. No need to run anymore." panted Eclipse. He stopped and looked behind him. His four Dark Arms were exhausted too as well as terrified. He tried to breathe slower as he looked about the forest around them. Was Shadow behind him in Kingdom Valley trying to track them still? It seemed his brother grew more and more desperate every time he saw him, and maybe a bit of insanity as well. He didn't like to see him that way. He didn't like to imagine his kin so thirsty for the blood of his own kind. Eclipse used to think so highly of him even after hearing about what happened to the first comet.

His still racing breath and tired legs had him leaning against a thick tree for rest. Eclipse had to do what Eclipse had to do. Shadow destroyed his entire family. After his revenge, he wouldn't have to worry about losing anyone else. What's one more death to secure that? The thought made him cringe. This revenge thing would be a lot easier if he actually wanted it as he should.

Then he realized the Dark Arms were looking at him. He sat still and listened to their tiny sorrow-filled voices before giving a response. "We didn't make it out with the emerald, but it doesn't make much of a difference anyway. They probably already have a few of their own by now. I knew that was a possibility when we first started looking, but no worries. We'll deal with it when it's time to. What matters is that we're all still together." The alien's expression drooped and he came closer and pressed a hand on Cyzer's head. "Did he hurt you?" The creature blinked and wiggled out of his grasp to show he was fine. "Good," Eclipse breathed a sigh of relief and turned around. The Dark Arms stayed close behind. "We still have three Chaos Emeralds," he explained as he walked. "So, we're not doing so bad, and I can already sense more on the loose..."