Prison Island's Computer Room; Several hours later; Present time.

Espio works flat out trying to hack GUN's Computer, while Vector and Charmy impatiently observed the progress.

- Vector: Aren't you done yet? At this rate, the entire day will be wasted.

- Charmy: Yeah. The whole day wasted!

- Espio: Hey, back off! Data retrieval isn't exactly my speciality.

Barely containing his irritation, Ninja Chameleon proceeds pressing keyboards.

From the right Charmy shakes the chair - "Let me do it then.." - And out of nowhere Vector block the whole face of insect - "Stop bugging him, Charmy!" - kid bee's efforts to fly through, and his muffled pleas, were futile - "Let me try! Let me try! I wanna try!"

The sound of door's opening draws the detectives' attention. Espio's instincts kicked in - "An enemy?" - To Vector's relief, the trio sees a familiar black hedgehog entering the scene - "Well, well... You must be Shadow?! Your timing is impeccable."

If Shadow acknowledged Team Chaotix he didn't show it, while approaching the computer. Vector proceeds - "You remember something about GUN, don't ya? Well, we might need your help to hack into their computer. Don't ask "why", because we can't risk wasting time for explanations!"

Shadow sat behind the keyboard and starts to press it - "Hmm...well what a coincidence. I'd like to hack into GUN's database as well." - Multiple attempts later, Shadow raised his hand - "Haayaa" - and hits the computer with single chop.

This technology contained a transmat device, opening the portal. Vector voiced his loud surprise - "Waahooo" - soon after Shadow jumped into the portal.

Charmy became Shadow's unofficial fan - "Cool." - Vector keeps getting excited - "This maybe THE big case! We're going in!" - Trio jumped onto transmat and vanished into a cyberspace.


Stage 7: Digital Circuit

Player: Shadow

Goal: Destroy the Core Program


Soon as he entered the computer, Shadow unknowingly spindashed throughout digital texture - "What is this sensation? I feel weightless atop this light..." - Random turns with flashing lights later, Shadow reached the end where he jumped onto the surface.

Shadow looks around noting dark blue walls surroundings emitting various flows of red-orange lines.

Jumping onto purple cubes Shadow leaps from them again to reach another surface. Soon as black adventurer reached dead end, the 8 little green square platforms joined into 2 separate big ones. - "I can use this to get aboard." - As Shadow jumps he noticed, that the spots he landed onto turned yellow.

On another surface Shadow sees cyber beetles, resembling the ones made by G.U.N., were flying toward him. The Hedgehog jumps while curling into a ball and flies onto bettles, smashing them to smithereens. - "Anybody who gets in my way is my enemy."

Against the wall stood some kind of a square-shaled button with red light on the top. Jumping onto it, Shadow gets launched up to the next floor.

The cyber tunnel contained contained sparky pink line in the middle and two others on the exit - "Something tells me I shouldn't touch that." - it wasn't hard to bypass them.

In order to reach next floor, Shadow hopped onto first purple cube, timed the movement of the following 2, successfully bounced through them to the 4th cube and enters the next tunnel.

On his way out, the giant projector from the right pulled Shadow toward itself. The Hedgehog and the light clashed head on with former coming out victorious (Don't ask how did he espaced concussion).

Shadow lends on the the octagon-shaped roof. He sees multiple, vertical, flashing green rays. Before going further Shadow confirms their solidity - "Guess I have to go down." - Amnesiac grabs one of poles and slides down."

Sliding down to the tower's bottom. Shadow sees red circuit, connected to the same colored line, like the one he found himself in while entering the cyberspace - "Only one way to go."

Shadow hops into circuit and floats by line. The hedgehog noticed multiple turns on his way. Suddenly an orange wall risen up. Slightly alarmed by hostile fire's emission, Shadow dug into his will to float onto path unoccupied by wall. To his surprise it worked - "I see... I can control which way this leads." - And so the black hedgehog followed this tactic.

2 storeyd space were up ahead. Shadow used hooming attack through GUN Beetles in order to reach the upper land.

There was no shortcut on right without springers. Shadow had to walk around from the left. The purple or flashing green platforms could help Shadow reaching the tunnel.

To enter inside, Shadow used the riffle he picked up on the way to shoot down the green-turned-yellow-turned-orange forcefield to smithereens.

Next jump down, another tunnel with moving sideways lasers and forcefields.

Having entered another octagon area, Shadow sees horizontal green rays rising up - "Guess I have to go up." - He grabs onto it, lifting.

At the end of next tunnel forms green bridge. Reaching new surface, Shadow turns right towards next octagon with rising rays from before.

At upper floor, Shadow finds anothe beetle and successfully fires at it, triggering magnetic projector.

Down there lied another red circuit. Shadow floated through another bunch of firewall defense.

Landing on the giant cube, Shadow sees springers attached to the walls in diagonal angle. Hooming attack to one springer and another leads to the fighting gauntlet against GUN robots - "Mere humans or robots cannot stop me!" - Bullets fired from Shadow's riffle hit all of his intended targets.

Next gauntlet "Magnet-Projectors". Soon as Shadow crashed into lightbulb he saw an empty void from below. To save life he hoomed attacked next GUN bettle, triggering next projector. In total it took 4 repetitions.

Another red circuit led Shadow to the room where he looked up to discover a giant yellow sphere emitting energy flows around here.

Doom's voice flowed into Shadow's mind to latter's confusion - "That is the core program. Delete it, and get out!" - Shadow looked around in search of any of dark lord's form - "What the...? Where are you?" - No answer followed. Shadow shook his head, slightly anxious for his sanity.

Now, Shadow looked up while examining the highest tower he ever had to climb. After working out his plan, Shadow curled into ball for a Spindash move.

Launching himself toward slide, he reached cyber-springer. Next stop, purple cube, rotating around the tower.

Shadow got closer to: Time his jump onto rising horizontal ray; Another cube; Jump onto vertical ray; Climb up; Shoot to kill the remaining beetles (If necessary pick up their weapons); Climb up further.

And voila, Core Program is infront of its hunter. Shadow loads the core with bullets until his vision whitens for a brief time.

Soon as flash was gone, so was the core - "Hmmm! Now let's see humans try to retaliate!"


A/N: Now for some exposure.

-Q: This is the shadow game?

-A: Yes.

If you'll have any questions about this fic, feel free to ask and I'll answer them to the best of my abilities. See ya on the next stage.