Chapter 26

"We will go down and clear a landing zone for the others." Metal told Shadow. "I only have about another hundred or so mechs under my command and while Omega still has his E series squadron. We will still be severely outnumbered."

The remains of Metal's army waited in the skies above Red Mountain. They had defeated the Sky Legion but not without tremendous losses. Shadow rode atop the wing of the Tornado while Metal and the other mech generals stood atop mech jets.

Shadow peered down to study the sprawling city that spread up the slopes of the mountain and descended down into the deepest valleys. The base at Red Mountain was far different from the base back at the Mystic Ruins. All the buildings and streets were overlaid in a clean white coat. For once, Eggman's genius created something that could actually be a picture of an idyllic future, instead of a dystopian hellscape.

However, the sight was ruined by the armies of clone-like Cybers that densely packed every street and rooftop. Without the diversity of shape and color of Eggman's former legions the Cybers appeared far more sinister and less feeling than their mech counterparts.

"I can use the Tornado to clear a space," Tails said from his cockpit. "The Cybers have some flying drones but I should control the skies."

"Very well," Metal agreed. "The fox will clear a path from the sky. When he does, Shadow you take Omega and warp down to the ground. Set up a defensive position so we can start landing the rest of the troops." Metal pointed down to the base below. "All the roads and buildings converge at the center of that tower, Egg Spyre. Inside is where we will find Aurora. Our first objective should be to isolate the tower."

Omega turned to Shadow and fixed the hedgehog with a red eyed stare. "Are you sure you can survive? You appear quite fragile."

"Look out for yourself," Shadow scoffed.

"Let's go!" Tails dived down and Shadow crouched to keep his balance on the wing. As soon as the plane was in range the Cybers unleashed a storm of gunfire. "Hold on!" Shadow gripped the wing just in time, as the fox started to spin to avoid destruction. Tails answered the barrage with one of his own and he instantly swept a rooftop clear of enemies.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow warped back to Omega, seized him and teleported over to the now open rooftop. The two of them stood on an island in a sea of enemies. When the Cybers below spotted them, alarms rang out.

"I will hold the perimeter," Omega said as his metal hands drew back to reveal spinning gatling guns. Cyber drones descended on the rooftop but they were quickly destroyed by Omega's constant stream of machine gun fire.

Shadow pressed his hand into the ground and reared into a sprinter's stance. His thoughts drifted back to all the training he had done during his exile on Little Planet. Time to show everyone what Ultimate Power looks like. He shot off into a sprint and ran headlong down the side of the building. The Cybers in the street fired at him but nothing came close to hitting him.

When he reached the ground the Cybers drew back and started to direct their fire in anticipation of where he would be. The change up caused Shadow to have to stop and change directions suddenly. Twisting and turning made it difficult to build up speed but once he was moving fast enough he used the emerald to teleport into the sky.

The Cybers lost track of their target and by the time they looked up it was too late. Shadow used his momentum to crash down with enough impact to shatter the earth beneath him. Twenty or so Cybers exploded on impact. Shadow repeated this process again and again. He would build up speed then use Chaos Control to teleport behind, above or even below his enemies smashing into them with full momentum.

BOOM! Shadow covered his face as a white light flashed. The building he and Omega had landed on vanished in a fiery explosion. What was that? A second later he saw the silhouette of the red and black badnik emerge from the debris. "Clear the field. We can use the ruins as a cover for Metal Overlord to deploy the rest of our forces."

Shadow shot off at once. The collapsed building isolated one section of the base from the rest, ensuring only one convergence point. Aurora must have realized this because hundreds of Cybers were hurrying to the still open position hoping to prevent the mechs from securing a safe landing spot. Unfortunately for them, this placed them right in front of Shadow.

The Ultimate Life Form willed himself forward and felt that twisting feeling in his gut. Shadow was close. If he could just reach a little further then he could exhibit his full power. Pop. Pop. Pop. The sound barrier shattered causing several windows to explode. Even with advanced aiming the Cybers could do nothing to prevent Shadow from infiltrating their ranks and tearing right through them. At his current speed, the faintest impact from Shadow caused a Cyber's shell to crumble into pieces.

This is almost too easy. Shadow kicked out his heels and came to a screeching halt. He was completely surrounded by Cybers but they had stopped even trying to fire at him. He had been so intent on unlocking his speed, Shadow had lost track of the fight. The white polyester bodies around him started to glow. Oh..sh

BOOOOOOM! An entire street block went up in smoke. Shadow gagged and felt heat flash into his face. He tried to move but something strong had his body pinned down. Smoke and debris veiled everything and the only thing Shadow knew for certain was that he was still alive.

Seconds later he was unceremoniously deposited on the ground. Shadow picked himself up and rubbed the ash from his eyes. Metal Sonic stood next to him along with what remained of the mech army. They had managed to form up safely behind the ruins of the collapsed building. "Stay vigilante, Ultimate Life Form," Metal said as he handed Shadow back the purple Chaos Emerald. "I did not lend you this so you could get yourself killed."

Shadow accepted the emerald and frowned. Damn it. He's right. His improved speed had already made him overconfident and careless. Metal turned away from Shadow to address the rest of the army. "We must be cautious now. Aurora will make any sacrifice for victory. Her armies are only extensions of herself, they mean nothing. Omega, you take your E-series badniks and take the north and east quadrants. Mecha Sonic you take a squadron south, Silver, you and Mecha Knuckles go west. The rest of you will follow Shadow and I down the center."

"VERMIN!" Aurora's voice echoed over a loudspeaker. "Do you really think you can defeat me? I am the finest creation of the world's most brilliant scientist. You will all be destroyed." Her threats faded into fits of giggling laughter.

"Ignore her. She is losing confidence," Metal assured his generals. "Victory is near. Let's go!" The others hastened to obey their overlord while Shadow waited beside Metal. When they were left with only the small detachment that was afforded to them, Metal raised his hand and projected an image onto a collapsed wall. It showed the blueprints of the base.

"Once the others have engaged the A.I's forces we will take this track towards the Spyre." Metal highlighted a road which cut through the heart of the base. "We will be sure to attract the bulk of her attention but that should only make it easier for the others." Metal cut off the image and turned to Shadow. "These mechs can only serve to provide us with light cover fire. In the end it will come down to you and me. Speed is our only advantage. Do you think you can keep up?"

"When are you people going to stop doubting me?"

"When it stops getting under your skin."

Metal's tone never changed so it was difficult for Shadow to tell if he had actually just made a joke. It must be a defect in his design. The result of being based off Sonic. "Just point me in the right direction and don't get in my way."

Their assault started as soon as Metal heard the distant clamor of battle. They emerged beyond the relative safety provided by the collapsed buildings onto a wide road. A dense army of Cybers blocked their path to the Spyre but this time it was not just a repeated slog of the same design. The Cyber troops were reinforced by twelve foot tank-like robots who simultaneously fired machine guns and artillery torpedoes.

Metal revved up the propulsion system equipped on his back and shot forward with deafening force and speed. Shadow sprinted after him but resisted going full tilt so he could remain aware of his surroundings. Gunfire and explosions greeted them seconds later and Shadow lost track of Metal. The world turned to smoke and all his other senses faded due to the overwhelming pitch of sound.

Eventually, Shadow broke through the front line of the Cybers. He used Chaos Emerald to warp rapidly from foe to foe not daring to leave himself vulnerable for even a second. However, the Cybers quickly adjusted to his movement patterns and Shadow nearly warped straight into an incoming missile. From that point on, Shadow switched tactics every couple of seconds to prevent the Cyber's from reading his movements.

Shadow was vaguely aware of Metal fighting beside him. Metal's open track speed was unparalleled but within the tight net of Cyber bodies, he struggled to shift quickly enough to avoid gunfire. Fortunately, Metal could envelop himself in an electromagnetic shield, but Shadow doubted it would last forever.

Time diluted and seconds dragged on to feel like minutes, and minutes gave way to hours. Shadow's limbs were starting to feel heavy and the constant use of Chaos Control was burning away at his energy. For relief, he warped high above the battle and his heart sank when he noted that he and Metal had not even pushed the Cybers back all that far.

Shadow looked up and saw the Tornado engaged in a sky battle against waves of Cyber drones. He warped onto the wing. "We aren't breaking through." Shadow told Tails.

The fox's face was grimy beneath his goggles and he was breathing heavily. "I can't go on much longer. I can barely hang onto the controls and the Tornado is nearly out of fuel."

"How much longer?"

Tails checked his fuel gauge. "About ten minutes or so. Then I have to land." Shadow frowned. If the airborne drones could pull away from the plane then they would be free to assault the combatants on the ground. "Shadow, take these." Tails reached into the bag at the floorboard of his plane and handed over several disc shaped devices. "These are small EMPs, they should serve to shut down enemy robots. It won't last forever but they should allow you to take down those larger robots."

Shadow took the devices and nodded farewell to Tails. A second later, Shadow had warped right back into the thick of the fighting. This time however, he had a plan. Taking down Cybers one by one was too slow and tiresome. He had to try something drastic. Shadow isolated one of the giant Cybers and tried to get in close. However, its machine guns and rapid missile barrages made that impossible. Chaos Control is no use either. The nearby Cybers were laying down too much cover fire. If Shadow warped onto the giant he would shot down instantly.

But they can only predict what they know. It was risky and the gambit would take all the energy Shadow had in reserve but he did not see any other option. Eventually, he would be overwhelmed so he figured he may as well make one final effort. Shadow summoned everything he had, leapt up into the air and squeezed the Chaos Emerald. "CHAOS CONTROL!"

This time instead of warping, Shadow projected the chaos energy outward, freezing all the Cybers in close proximity. Shadow landed and felt his legs buckle beneath him. Time freeze demanded much more energy than warping. He staggered towards the giant robot. The enemies around him were helpless within the state of suspended animation Shadow imprisoned them in. Shadow flicked one of the EMP discs at the giant robot and then leapt on top of it.

A moment later the time freeze ended. The Cybers needed a second to recalibrate and that was all the time Shadow needed. He smashed through the hull of the immobilized giant robot and detached the missile turret strapped to its shoulder. "My turn."

Shadow pulled the trigger and unleashed a barrage of missiles. Dozens of Cybers exploded on impact and Shadow used the smoke as cover to warp away. Combining the missile launcher and Chaos Control, Shadow started to wipe hundreds of Cybers off the road in seconds. His destructive effectiveness allowed Metal Sonic to draw back and regroup with him.

Together they pushed the Cybers backward and the Egg Spyre drew closer and closer. Still, the effort was draining Shadow and each time he used Chaos Control he feared it might be his last. Each time he drew from the well he was surprised to still find water left in it. I'm getting stronger. The realization meant little when Shadow pulled the trigger and heard a click.

He landed on the road and leaned against Metal for support. They were so close. Only around a hundred or so Cyber remained to block the road to the Spyre. But Shadow was spent. He had to focus just to prevent himself from passing out. Metal held him up and protected them both from enemy gunfire with his shield. "We will fall back for now." Metal said as he slowly retreated.

Metal dug his steely fingers into the street and pulled the ground upward. The top layer folded, giving Shadow and himself a place to take cover. Shadow wasn't sure how he knew but he could tell even the machine was exhausted. Metal tapped his wrist and spoke into his comm. "Omega, what is your status?"

"We are facing heavy resistance. Losses are high," Omega answered indifferently. "We have been pushed into the side streets. Have attempted to erect barricades but to no effect."

Metal tapped his wrist again. "Mecha?" Nothing but the sounds of gunfire and electric whining echoed out of the comm. "Mecha?" Metal switched the comm again. "Silver?" This time there was an answer, but it was not with words. Strange robot noises issued out but they seemed to mean something to Metal. The mechanical overlord shook his head. "This is no good. Even if the two of us could punch through and reach the tower we would have no support. We have to fall back and regroup."

BANG! Shadow looked up and saw the Tornado spirling down in a trail of smoke. "Tails.." Shadow steadied himself and tried to warp but it was no use. He could not use Chaos Control anymore. He watched helplessly as the blue plane prepared to crash into a building. Right before the collision there was a blur of blue. Shadow exhaled.

Static and interference rang out of Metal's comm. He tapped it in frustration. "Hey, is this thing on?" Sonic's voice, as confident and grating as ever, echoed out of the comm. "It seems like you guys could use some help. Allow me to lend a hand."

The comm died and Metal shook his head. "What does he plan on doing?" Metal turned on the projected image of the base. The roads were now littered with dots marked as friendly and enemy forces. A new blimp entered the map. It moved so fast the sensors could hardly read it.

Shadow watched with mounting frustration mixed with relief as the blimp moved through the streets, parting through the waves of enemies like a sword. "Metal Overlord." Omega called through the comm. "We have broken through. Now is our chance. The enemy is falling back to the Spyre."

"Prepare for a final assault." Metal turned back to Shadow. "Can you fight?"

Shadow ignored his trembling legs, pride would serve as the only energy he needed. "I'll manage."

Metal hovered over their barricade to get a view of the front of the Spyre. "It won't be easy to punch through. Speed won't help us get in."

"Lucky for us I brought the cavalry." Sonic screeched to a halt beside Shadow. The hedgehog was grimy and had a few burns on his side but otherwise appeared unhurt. "You guys can take it easy from here."

"What exactly is your plan-"

Sonic answered by pointing up. Shadow followed the gesture and could just make out something red and yellow hovering far above the battlefield. The sun had already slipped beneath the horizon leaving him very little light to work with. "Is that?"

But Shadow did not need to ask the question. A second later the red thing dropped like a rocket towards the front of the Spyre. The Cybers fired up at it but it started to spiral downward like a drill. SMASH! Knuckles cratered into the metal army, smashing their tight lines and formations apart.

"Let's go!" Sonic sped away from the barricade followed closely by Metal. Shadow brought up the rear and the three of them raced headlong into the temporarily stunned armada of Cybers.

Exhausted as he was, Shadow still managed to tap into another well of reserve energy. The fighting was fiercer now as it was clear that Aurora was getting desperate. Every other Cyber blew itself up in an attempt to take down one of its opponents. This caused Shadow and the others to fight more trepidatiously.

Fortunately, the inclusion of Knuckles had turned the tide. The echidna did not need bursts of speed to power his attacks and, in the narrow confines before the entrance of the Spyre, his mere punches tore through the hulls of the giant Cybers.

Omega arrived shortly after the fighting started followed swiftly by Silver Sonic and Mecha Knuckles. With the full might of the mech army pressing against them the last Cybers attempted to self-destruct. This gambit failed when Tails flew down and threw a barrage of EMP devices. At last, after a full day of fighting the entrance to the Spyre was clear.

Shadow gathered with Sonic, Metal, Tails and Knuckles before the sliding doors. "Aurora's central terminal is within the deepest level of the Spyre. The tower runs underground into the furnaces of Red Mountain." Metal explained. "Be weary, she may still have some final trick in store."

"You're not coming with us?" Sonic asked.

Metal shook his head. "Aurora's army is destroyed. For now I will honor my promise. I leave her to you all for now. Me and my mechs will ensure that the rest of the base submits to our control."

With that, Metal hovered away. Knuckles cracked his fists and turned aside also. "I'm out as well. You guys look like you can manage it from here. I need to get back to Angel Island before anything happens."

"I appreciate the assist Knuckles!" Sonic said. The echidna answered with a brief wave before jumping and gliding away.

"Let's finish this." Shadow was done waiting. The sliding doors opened at his approach. They entered a white lobby with gilded images of Robotnik plastered everywhere. Shadow rolled his eyes as they approached the central elevator.

"Wait," Tails said before Shadow could enter. "Aurora almost killed me with one of these." The fox retrieved a tablet from his belt and plastered it on the front of the elevator. He tapped away on the attached keyboard.

While he was busy, Shadow turned back to Sonic. "What kept you so long?"

"Aurora had sent ships all around the world," Sonic answered bitterly. "GUN was able to protect most of the cities in the U.F but most countries don't have that kind of weaponry. She had ships flying over completely harmless targets."

"Her strategy didn't involve the humans at all. It was about you," Shadow reminded him. "As long as she knows that you try to protect the weak and the innocent, you will always make them a target."

Sonic winced at the suggestion. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Exactly what you did. You can't change who you are. I'm just warning you. Once you've opened your heart and let it be known what you strive to protect…it only makes you that much easier to destroy. Hold on to something tightly, and you are sure to lose it. That is the irony of life."

Before Sonic could respond, Tails announced he had isolated the elevator's servers and it was now safe to use. A visibly shaken Sonic joined Shadow and Tails inside the tube and the fox pressed the red button to send them to the boiler depths.