chapter 2: Breaking in

All too soon, the air ship that was transporting Eggman, his three robots, and the pregnant Rouge, arrived in one of Eggman's bases. It was located in the middle of a desert and was surrounded by solid concrete walls. The ship landed in the yard of the base and the passengers left. Eggman was leading, followed by Orbot and Cubot, who were carrying the orb that contained Rouge, and finally, Metal Sonic was going last.

"This place isn't exactly hidden, Eggman." remarked Rouge, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Maybe not, but I am not planning on staying here for too long." answered Eggman "We are going to perform the surgery here, and then transport the baby in my main base."

"But why doing it here, and not in the main base?" asked the bat.

The human turned and faced Rouge "Shadow will find you somehow. He always does. I can't let him and whoever is with him, know the location of my main base."

Rouge didn't say anything, and the group continued their way through the hallways of the base in silence. After a short walk, they arrived in a room that only had one etal table in its center and a big class container with green liquid in it.

Eggman turned to Orbot and Cubot "Open the orb!"

"Yes, sir!" said the robots in unison.

The doctor then looked at his prisoner "Now, Rouge, once the orb is opened, you will walk to the table without doing anything funny. Metal hates funny stuff."

Rouge narrowed her eyes and eyed daggers at both Eggman and Metal. When the orb was opened, Rouge started walking towards the table. While doing this, she was looking for a way to escape, but that was impossible with Metal there. Soon, she arrived at the table.

"Now climb on it and lie on your back!" ordered Eggman. Rouge had little choice, but to do as he said.

Once she was on the table, Eggman pressed a button on a remote that caused four shackles to pop-up and trap Rouge's hands and feet. Rouge was expecting this, but that didn't lessen the fear she was feeling right now.

"Orbot, Cubot, prepare our patient!" ordered Ivo.

The two robots got on the table and stated doing their job. Cubot used scissors to cut Rouge's maternity shirt up to her breasts, leaving her belly fully exposed. Then came Orbot carrying a black marker. He started drawing something on Rouge's belly.

Rouge looked down and saw that he was drawing a dotted line.

"What is this for?" asking Rouge

"Oh, I am just marking the line of the cut." answered the robot. Rouge's blood turned ice cold.

"Shadow, where are you?" Rouge was asking, knowing she wouldn't receive an answer.

The bat looked at her restraints. This wasn't her first time shackled like this by Eggman, so she knew how to get free. The problem was that Metal Sonic was there, ready to attack at even the slightest implication for an escape attempt.

Just then, an alarm went off.

"He is here already!" exclaimed Eggman as he went to Orbot and Cubot. The two bots were now looking at a tablet.

"Unfortunately, yes, sir." said Cubot "And he is not alone."

Eggman looked at the screen and, sure enough, Shadow was there, destroying badniks left and right. Not too far away from him was Sonic, who, too, was destroying badniks.

"Shadow is bad enough, but that annoying blue rodent is here too!?" Eggman was starting to get red from anger.

"And that's not all." added Orbot "A flying vessel is heading towards the base."

"This is getting better and better!" said Eggman with gathered teeth. He then turned to his greatest robot "Metal, go play with them while I finish here! Don't be afraid to kill someone!"

Without a word, the advanced robot left the room almost as fast as the real Sonic. Rouge was relieved that the metal monstrosity was gone, but unfortunately, the monstrosity from flesh and blood was still there.

"Shall we get started?" asked Eggman with an evil smile.

(In the yard of the base)

The situation outside was like a scene from a war movie. Shadow and Sonic were destroying badniks, with Shadow showing an explicit brutality toward his enemies. Needless to say, it made Sonic uncomfortable.

"Shadow, on six o'clock!" shouted the blue hedgehog. Shadow turned to see six badnik heading towards him.

"Nothing I can't handle!" said the Ultimate lifeform as he got ready to destroy them.

But then, something dropped form the sky and crushed the badniks. It was Omega. The big robot turned his hands into machine-guns and started blasting the badniks around him.

"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH ROUGE AND MY NEPHEW/NIECE!" exclaimed Omega "DEATH AND DESTRUCTION!"

Above Omega was the air ship containing the rest of the heroes. Soon, it landed, and everyone on board joined in the fight. The badniks started to fall back, and that gave Shadow a window for action.

"The door!" whispered the black and red hedgehog as he eyed the main gates of the base.

"On it!" said Knuckles as he got ready to punch the doors open.

"Wait for me!" Sonic ren to the door and joined his two former enemies.

"DON'T YOU DARE FORGET ABOUT ME!" Omega made his presence known.

"And me." came Whisper's quiet voice.

"You go on guys!" yelled Tangle as she, Tails, Amy and Lanolin took positions around the ship "We will hold them here!"

"You sure you got this?" Sonic asked Tails and Amy.

"You are asking as if you don't know what we are capable of." said Amy jokingly.

"Just go save Rouge and the baby. We will be fine." Tails assured his big bro.

Sonic nodded and turned to the other. At the doors, Knuckles was already punching them. After five or so punches, he finally made a hole. The echidna put his hands in the hole and tried to push the doors open. But it became clear that even he couldn't open it alone.

"Omega, give me a hand!" Knuckles turned to the big robot.

"AFFIRMATIVE!" said Omega as he also put his massive hands in the hole.

The combined efforts of the echidna and the robot paid off, and the doors were opened. As soon as they were, Shadow made his way inside the base, followed close behind by Sonic. Knuckles, Omega, and Whisper entered as well and attempted to catch up with the two hedgehogs.

But soon, Shadow and Sonic stopped. In front of them stood Metal Sonic, ready to fight.

"The metallic copy of me indicates that we are going in the right direction." remarked Sonic.

But Shadow wasn't in the mood for jokes. His blood was as hot as lava with rage.

"METAL!" shouted the hedgehog as he formed a chaos spear and charged at the robot.

Knuckles, Whisper, and Omega soon arrived and they, alongside Sonic, joined Shadow in fighting Metal Sonic.

(Back with Rouge and Eggman)

"Shadow must really love you, if he is willing to fight alongside Sonic to save you." said Eggman as he was putting some weird-looked gloves.

"You have no idea." said Rouge, her voice anything but joyful "Once he gets here, you are going to die!"

"He will have to go through Metal first," said Eggman, as he was putting VR goggles on his face "and that will take some time. Probably enough time for me to finish with cutting my weapon out of you."

The fact that he was referring to her baby as 'weapon' made Rouge furious. She couldn't wait to get herself free and kick Eggman in his big nose.

Eggman was done with the preparations and pulled out a remote from his pocket. He pressed one of the buttons, which caursed a secret compartment on the ceiling above Rouge to open. From it came a very complex- looking machine that apparently was controlling a camera and two hands, one of which was holding a scalpel.

"That's it?" Rouge was surprised.

"Did you expect a giant chainsaw or something?" laughed Eggman "I want this baby intact, not on tatters."

Then Eggman moved his hands and Rouge realized that he was controlling the robotic hands via the gloves and he was watching through the camera, via his goggles.

"Now let's begin-"

"Um, sir." Orbot interupted his master.

"What!" asked the doctor, very obvious irritated.

"Shadow, Sonic, Knuckles, Omega and Whisper are almost here." Orbot pointed a tablet that was showing the heroes fighting Metal.

Rouge realized that it was her time to attempt an escape, since Eggman was distracted.

"Don't worry!" said the evil genius to his underlinings "There is no way they can defeat Metal, and even if they do- they won't be able to break through the doors."

There were actually five doors that stood between the doctor and his enemies. They were made out of an unknown metal that Eggman had invented.

"Now, let's get back to the-" when the human looked back at the table, Rouge was gone.

"How?" asked Eggman with pure frustration. He then looked to the panel that stood beside the doors and was used to open and close them. And sure enough, the bat was there, trying to hack it, so the doors would open.

"Come on! Come on!" Rouge was whispering to herself, hoping that she would be able to open the doors, but deep down, she knew that it probably wouldn't work. She at least had to try.

"You know it's not good for a pregnant woman to move so much." Rouge could feel the cold touch of Eggman's lazer gun on the back of her head.

"Put your hands in the air and get up slowly!" ordered Eggman.

Rouge did as she was told, but the second she was fully up, she used her right hand push the lazer gut of of Eggman's hands. Then, using her wings, she kicked the human in the face, which caused him to fall on his back. When Eggman rouse his head, he was met with the sight of Rouge, holding him at a gunpoint with his own gun.

"How's that for a pregnant woman?" asked Rouge.

Eggman frowned. His left nostril was now bleeding. But soon, he smiled.

"Oh, Rouge, did you seriously think I would leave myself alone with you?" upon saying that, he snapped with his fingers, and a dozen badniks popped out of secret passages. Rouge's face fell as she realized that she wouldn't be able to fight all of them.

"Now back on the table!" said Eggman as he got up.

Rouge had no choice, but to obey.

"Oh, one more thing." the bat turned to face Eggman, only to be backhanded by him. That caused her to fall on the ground and to get a nasty bruise on her right cheek.

"That's for kicking me!" hissed Eggman as Cubot handed him a tampon that he stuffed in his bleeding nostril "Disease-ridden whore!"

(In the hallway...)

Shadow was losing his patience. He didn't have much to begin with, yet he was still losing it. Metal Sonic was a tough opponent, and even with Sonic and Knuckles' help, Shadow still couldn't get pass him.

Omega and Whisper couldn't help, because they were fighting the badniks that had come to aid Metal, leaving the two hedgehogs and the echidna to fight the robot.

Shadow knew that the three of them would eventually be able to beat Metal, but by then, Rouge might be dead.

Suddenly, Shadow got an idea.

"Sonic!" he called. The blue hedgehog left Metal to Knuckles' punching and ren to his rival.

"What is it?" asked he."We are kinda in the middle of fighting my evil robotic clone."

"Which is exactly why I called you." said Shadow."I have a plan."

Meanwhile, Knuckles was dealing punch after punch on Metal.

"WHY! AREN'T! YOU! BREAKING!?" asked the echidna between the punches.

But then, Metal grabbed Knuckles' left fist and slammed Knuckles against the wall. That, of course, did little to slow the warrior down and in a matter of seconds, he was back on his feet.

"You are getting sloppy, Metal!" smirked Knuckles.

"Knuckles!" The echidna turned to the voice that was calling him. It was Sonic "Come here!"

Knuckles did as he was told, while also avoiding Metal's attack.

"What is it?" asked he.

"I have a plan, but I need to to stay right here." explained Shadow.

"All right!" said Knuckles as he took his position.

"Sonic, GO!" ordered Shadow.

"Roger!" Sonic made a fake salute as he and Shadow started running towards Metal.

The two hedgehogs balled up and tried to hit Metal with a spin dash. Metal was able to catch the two balls, each in one hand.

"NOW!" shouted Shadow. He and Sonic unfolded and both grabbed each of Metal's arms. They stretched them in opposite directions, so Metal's body was completely open for attack.

"KNUCKLES, HIT HIM!" ordered Shadow.

The echidna didn't need to be told twice. He ren towards Metal, who, of course, was fighting the hedgehogs' grasps, but before he could do anything, Knuckles hit him in the chest with both fists.

The impact was so strong, that Metal fell back almost nine feet away. But not every part of him was still intact, for his arms were still in Sonic and Shadow's hands.

"Finally, you are defenseless!" smiled Shadow as he ren to Metal and kicked the now defenseless robot right in the face. This broke Metal's left eye.

He tried to escape, but Shadow wouldn't let him. He punched Metal in the face, this time, breaking his right eye. Once this was done, Shadow grabbed Metal by the head and pushed his thumbs inside Metal's broken eyes. He then started pulling the head up, while keeping the body down. It was clear what he was trying to do.

Sonic tried to get to Shadow, but he was stopped by Knuckles. The echidna shook his head, as if to say 'Let it happen!"

Shadow kept pulling. Eventually, cables and pipes in Metal's neck started giving up. Even if Metal was trying to fight, his attempts were pointless.

Finally, all of a sudden, Shadow completely ripped Metal Sonic's head off. He looked at the severed head before turning around to look at his companions. By now, Omega and Whisper had also come, but their expressions were unreadable (Whisper's face was hidden behind her mask). Sonic didn't look very pleased, Knuckles had an understanding look on his face. He even nodded to Shadow.

"Let's go save Rouge!" said Shadow as he threw Metal's head on the ground.

Just then, more badnik came from behind them.

"I will handle them!" said Knuckles as he took a fighting position "You go on!"

The others nodded and stared running towards the metallic doors.

Once in front of them, they came to the national question: How would they open them?

"We can try busting them open." offered Sonic.

"I AM WILLING TO TRY!" replied Omega.

"No, this door is made of Robotnik stil." said Shadow "I can't teleport through it, and we won't be able to break it in time."

Suddenly, Whisper spoke "I have an idea."

Shadow looked at her "Okey, let's hear it."

Shadow was ready on anything if it meant getting inside and saving Rouge and their baby. He was so close to them, yet so far, but he was not going to give up.

"I am coming, Rouge! I am coming, my child! "

(to be continued...)

(I don't own any of the characters, or the locations! They all belong to SEGA!)