"DELTA SQUADRON! OPEN FIRE!"

The voice of Dr. Eggman broke the tense silence in the air as 3 stealth robots coated in black and red paint shot a wide radius of bullets and missiles at a fast moving shadow, each missing their target by a near margin. Dodging with ease was an onyx hedgehog, eyes and stripes the colour of freshly-drawn blood, a smirk on his muzzle that would de-arm even the most experienced warrior. He sped to the left and then to the right, fire emerging from the rocket soles of his specially-made rocket shoes, his logical and stoic mind mapping out every bullet's line of fire and dodging accordingly so the attacks did no damage to him. Not like it really mattered. Being the Ultimate Lifeform meant that bullet wounds, or any wounds for that matter, would heal in no time at all. He leapt up to the corridor ceiling and dived down into the robot's head with a spin attack, making it explode in a blazing fire, robotic wires and shards clattering to the metallic floor. The other two got destroying in a similar matter, though this time the hedgehog span into their chest power supplies and managed to go through both without problem, despite them being made of a thick and heavy metal. As he felt them explode behind him, he took that moment to reload his gun. He hadn't used it since storming the entrance, but he had a few free seconds to load his second most reliable weapon of more bullets to shoot dumb robots with.

"YOU LOT ARE USELESS! STEALTH SQUAD, CRUSH THAT HEDGEHOG!"

10 blue robots dashed through the walls at the Doctor's command, wielding batons and had at least double the firepower. It just showed how much the scientist let panic affect his actions. His behaviour did get a little erratic when he was on the losing side. Then again, he was…unstable at best. Smirking more than before, he rapidly shot rounds into the vulnerable power cores that were visible in the chest cavity. Stealth Squad's unit was a pile of scrap metal within 2 minutes. He scoffed. Was this really the best Dr. Eggman could do to kill him? It was pretty pathetic. Not only that, but blood trickled down his quill where a bullet had scraped him. He ignored it. It didn't hurt, and even if it did, he wouldn't let it distract him. For someone who ruled the entire planet, the good Doctor had pretty flimsy troops. He expected more of a challenge.

Well, most of the troops were a joke. He couldn't forget the Death Egg Sentinels, massive Egg Pawn-shaped giants that crushed entire cities underneath their feet. They were almost invulnerable. Then there was Eggman's commanders: a red Zeti called Zavok, a water creature called Chaos and a blue robot who seemingly was just called Metal. Heading the entire Eggman Army, apart from Eggman himself, was a mysterious, egomaniac and ultimately invulnerable masked being calling himself Infinite, who had only arrived 5 days ago out of completely nowhere. Yet, he felt familiar. He knew that voice. He knew that shape. Problem was…he couldn't remember from where. He wanted…no, needed…to find out. It was one thing that was bugging him. Infinite may have been strong but, despite conquering 99% of the world, 1% still belonged to the Resistance, the group he was associated with. He hated answering to a boss, let alone a brash echidna with little history of giving orders, but he was in charge and, when you're in a middle of a crisis, you kind of have to let old grudges go and to let bygones be bygones.

"Shadow? Answer me! What's your status?"

The voice took him by surprise. Groaning, Shadow reached for the transceiver hidden up his black and red cuff and clicked the side of it. The screen lit up a cyan.

"I'm fine, Rouge. You don't need to call me every 10 minutes."

"You know you're meant to report in every 10 minutes. That way, we know you're…"

"Did you really think the Doctor's forces could kill me that easily?" He snarled, taking the female aback. Rouge was his comrade, also part of the espionage group the Resistance had dubbed Team Dark. While part of the resistance, they mostly worked solo and rarely answered to the higher-ups. It was only those two on this particular mission though. Omega, a robot once created by Eggman but had rebelled years prior, was also part of the team but espionage wasn't his strong suit, as he had stayed back at the Resistance HQ. He was useful when it came to needing an infinite arsenal of missiles, bullets, lasers and other heavy fire.

"Regardless! If our informer's information is correct, there is a weapon hidden among the laboratories coming up on your left. It seems the good Doctor's working on some living weapon. That's the last thing we need, what with Infinite and all. Search thoroughly. Find it? Shoot it. Understand?"

"Rogar." He deactivated the transceiver and kicked the first laboratory door open. It was a computer lab with drab silver walls and several large wall computers with a blue desktop colour. No alarm went off nor was anyone manning the room. It was almost too quiet…almost like a trap was about to be set off any minute. He placed one foot in the room. Nothing. Two steps. Three. Nothing. Guard still up, he went to the computer and began copying the files to a hard drive he has hidden in his other glove. One file in particular caught his attention.

TERMINATION OF PROJECT: CHAOS

"Project: Chaos…?" He murmured to himself, clicking the file open. The mere idea of a project both created a sense of urgency but also curiosity. It was a short report.

Living weapon – based on Project: Shadow blueprints. The Ultimate Weapon against the Resistance. Abilities will include super speed and Phantom Ruby infusion.

Shadow smirked. He'd found records of his target! He had to admit, that was easier done than said. He carried on reading, curiosity firmly piqued.

Height – 3' 3''

Weight – 77 lbs

Body Colour – Blue

Eye Colour – Green

Date of Capture – 12/3/3124 (Shadow noted that this was 6 months ago)

Date of Release – TBA

Wing – A

Room - 119

[Important Notes: following behaviour that has been reported must be ignored during examination – clawing, biting, harm to examiner or self, screaming, panic attacks, twitching of muscles, eyes or body, kicking and/or punching examiner or surroundings, All escapades must be ceased immediately. Only sedate if behaviour becomes deadly to examiner and/or self. He must also be sedated if he interferes with future tests.]

Sensitivity (01-10) – 09

Pain Threshold – Low

Chaos Emerald Usage - Success

Phantom Ruby Usage – Failed

Power Ring Usage – Success

UPDATE: 5 DAYS AGO: SUBJECT TO BE TERMINATED

PLANNED TERMINATION DATE: 23/9/3124 (that was today)

"…Rouge, I found something interesting." He reported, copying the project's files immediately and then pulled the pen drive out of the PC. The up side was that there would be no trace of him copying any of the files on the machine. Perfect.

"Oh, go on." Rouge sang, obviously now intrigued.

"Seems the Doctor was indeed planning on creating a living weapon, specifically a lifeform similar to myself: a new Ultimate Lifeform. I think this is that weapon you were talking about…but it's already been marked for termination." He looked closer to the test results as he waited for a reply. He had pulled it up again for a re-read.

"…I wonder why…? If they want to wipe us out with it, why kill it?" He didn't reply. He glanced at something that made his blood run cold.

'Date of Capture.'

That only meant one thing: the boy hadn't been created at all. Rather, he had been captured and experimented on for around 6 months. That sickened him straight down to his stomach. He knew Eggman to be evil through and through down to the very depths of his soul but this was beyond immoral. Despite the report saying the creature was modeled after his blueprints, all that meant was they had changed the boy immensely, probably through DNA manipulation, which was definitely illegal (then again, when did the tyrant ever follow rules?). Growling, he turned tail, pen drive still in hand, and wandered through endless corridors until he reached the wing and room detailed in the report. Wing A, Room 119. It was a plain silver steel door that Shadow managed to open with little effort by hacking into the access hatch. He dared not kick the door down. The room was dark and dusty, making him cough, and it looked like it hadn't been used in weeks. A musky smell hit his noise, making nausea rise in his stomach and a gag in his throat. A single tube full of cyan liquid glowed at the back of the room, giving the room the only light available as no light switched on. He figured the bulbs were broken. He then heard distant voices coming from the hallway and he ducked underneath a vacant table as they became ever clearer and louder. Two shapes came into the room with purpose. One of Eggman, dressed in his traditional red coat and black leggings (or trousers…whichever) and boots that seemed to merge together. He was overly overweight, what with his rounded belly and fat pink rose, not the mention the over-groomed ginger moustache that was just out of place alongside his flimsy long legs that contributed to his towering height. The other, much to his dismay, was Infinite. The jackal had black fur, much like himself, as well as a serious, if not sadistic, personality. He has white dreadlocks flowing down his back and wore a silver mask on his face, which hid his right eye and showed his left amber iris over. He wasn't sure if the jackal's red eyeball was real or if it was just a tinted visor. He wore black shoes and gloves and, infused with his chest, was a purple gemstone that gave him a glitchy red aura. The jackal was typing away at some computer masterfully, fingers moving like they were on a string. So, this joker was a computer expert as well as a master fighter. Interesting. The more you know.

"…Remind me why we are terminating him." Infinite then spoke. His tone echoed slightly and sent shivers down Shadow's spine. He feared Infinite "fear-sense", the ability to pick up on a person's fear, would give him away but he didn't seem to sense him. That was good.

"Because I have you. I don't need this rodent anymore. He couldn't wield the Ruby. YOU on the other hand can." He gestured to a pink gem shining on Infinite's chest, though the masked jackal remained silent. So Project: Chaos was meant to wield this…Ruby? Tails had mentioned it before. The Phantom Ruby. It said so also on the report he had found. Eggman suddenly raged and knocked a chair over all while Infinite observed him in respected silence, allowing the tyrant to have his angry moment. Thankfully, both villains didn't notice him, despite the flung chair clattering right next to him. He held his breath then. He wasn't taking chances. "Ugh, why do I bother talking to you!? You don't understand anything! Just get ready for his termination. Turn off all nutritional support and breathing apparatus. If he's not dead within 10 minutes, feel free to kill him on your own." Infinite nodded at this, seemingly letting the insult slide, switched off a few buttons at the console and left the room, trailing the scientist with his tail whipping from side to side with agitation. The tube's light turned off with a depressingly whir, leaving the room in pitch darkness. Shadow countered this by making his Inhibitor rings glow gold and went over to the tube's control panel. Password. Shit. He thought…what would Eggman use for a password? It was two words. Knowing the Doctor, it was going to be something stupid and obvious.

PROJECT CHAOS

A message saying "Access Denied" came in a robotic female voice.

MARIA ROBOTNIK

"Access Denied".

GERALD ROBOTNIK

"Access Denied".

He thought. That gem was seemingly the key to his entire plot…he thought it was worth a shot.

PHANTOM RUBY

"Access Granted. Welcome, Lord Robotnik."

Phew. That was harder than he thought it would be. He could see the creature's life signs and god knows what else. It was all deflating fast. Biting his lip, he typed in a few algorithms and waited.

"Deactivating Cryogenic Chamber in 5…4…3…2…1…Chamber Opening."

He heard the sound of the liquid draining before the tube opened. A cold mist filtered into the room as "Project: Chaos" came into view, suspended from wires infused with his arms, head, legs and chest, as well as a big wire emerging from his back. Like the report said, he had fur the colour of cut sapphires and, presumably, emerald eyes as well. He was bare footed but had ripped white gloves on his hands. His quills reached the middle of his back and hung limply. Shadow could see he was injured, dried blood on his fur from gashes to his chest area. He guessed the most recent tests had drawn blood. Tentatively, he pulled each wire out one by one and caught the creature as he yanked the one in his back out, with the removal drawing quite a bit of blood that dripped ominously down the creature's sapphire pelt. The hedgehog felt cold to the touch, fur dry. Shadow brought him down to the ground but noted to himself to be quick. He didn't know when Infinite would return. He dared to shake the hedgehog's shoulder, slightly fearful of what the creature was actually capable of, but no response came back. He tried a few more times, but got no further. He padded the boy's neck. The pulse he wanted was definitely there, so he hadn't already died from the termination attempt. He carefully picked him up and ran out of there. As he did so, an alarm went off. He gritted his teeth and performed a Sonic Boom, creating a red comet over hills and valleys until the base he was tasked of raiding was a dot on the horizon. He was safe now…he hoped. The sun was starting to set, cascading a fire amber glow over the Luminous Forest, or what was now known as Casino Forest. Bright lights danced in the trees, faint beats playing in the distance from a second base. They were dotted everywhere: in every town, city or wide open area. When Eggman wanted full control over the world, he didn't mess around. Shadow decided that the excursion back to the Resistance Base would wait until tomorrow. He wasn't even sure if this boy was safe. He half-wanted to kill him now, just in case the boy was indeed dangerous enough to have the title "Ultimate Weapon". He had promised Rouge, and the whole of the Resistance, that he would put an end to the plan but the whole "captured" deal made him regret feeling like that. The boy never wanted this to happen, but it had, and now the child was paying dearly for it, despite it being not his fault. They wouldn't be caught as long as robotic spies couldn't find them. He took the boy into a sheltered hollow and wrapped both of them up in a blanket of moss, hopefully to warm the boy up as he felt still ice cold. He also made sure any bleeding wounds clotted and wouldn't infect, which was mainly done by using water from a nearby river, which was thankfully not polluted. The sky looked grey above them despite the low light. He just hoped it wouldn't rain. That would be the worst. With no real option except to call it a day, he lay down in the undergrowth and fell asleep rather quickly.

XO

He had to admit, it wasn't the most restful of nights, but the sun was shining in the sky though he saw storm clouds in the distance. He didn't need sleep to function, but he did feel tired yesterday. He had woken up God knows how many times. The boy hadn't stirred once to his knowledge, which was starting to worry him. He tried shaking again. Nothing. He bit his lip. Why wasn't he waking up? He was definitely alive but unresponsive to anything around him.

"SHADOW!"

Shadow jumped. Shit, he forgot to tell Rouge what was happening.

"What!?"

There was a yelp from the other end.

"You're in big trouble mister! Any idea how worried everyone was!? I was worried my distraction hadn't worked!"

So Rouge had set the alarm off…he only rolled his eyes at her alarmed voice. She definitely over-reacted.

"Anyway, where are you?"

"Casino Forest. Don't worry, both me and Blue are fine."

"…Blue?"

"I think you can call him Project: Chaos."

"You haven't killed him yet!?"

"No, why would I? He's not dangerous…I think."

"Why I oughta…! Knuxie is gonna have your head, y'know! Don't bring him to HQ unless you know 100% that he's harmless!"

"Alright! Alright!" He swore at her attitude in his head.

That's me barred from HQ for god knows how long then…

He glanced over at the blue hedgehog again. Something about his form struck a chord. He seemed hauntingly familiar.

The answer came to him. Metal!

They looked alike…so the robot was modeled after this boy's blueprints…interesting. He jumped when a feral whine came from the hedgehog. At last. Shadow kept his distance, one hand ready to grab his gun and shoot him if things got dicey. The boy slightly rolled over, shivering. A howl came from his throat as his eyes shot open with a wild fire. Green, like he predicted. They shone like cut emeralds. The feral behaviour made Shadow grab his gun and he aimed at the hedgehog's head, but he didn't fire. Not yet. The boy turned to look at Shadow. He had an intense expression, his eyes staring straight at Shadow's own. He made the gun click in warning but removing the safety. That seemed to scare the hedgehog as he realized what was going on. He scrambled back, whimpering, curling himself in a frightened ball, an ear-splitting scream coming from his throat. Shadow merely blinked blankly at this, surprise in his blood red eyes. So the boy knew what a gun was. Reluctantly, he tossed it aside and knelt, clicking his fingers to get the boy's attention. He looked at him warily. For seconds, perhaps minutes, there was a staring contest between the two.

"…I won't shoot you." He spoke. He got a dark look, a distrustful look. "I'm serious. I won't. Have you any name?"

The hedgehog's response was silence. Eventually, he faintly shook his head for a no. It was clear that whoever he was before he was captured had been erased. He remembered nothing of who he was before his capture, like his past persona hadn't ever existed. He barely reacted to his development. He just grunted and edged nearer.

"My name is Shadow."

"…Sha…sha…dow…?" The boy tried to repeat, his voice broken and raspy, like it hadn't been used for ages. Shadow cringed at the crackly voice. He could just about imagine what the boy was feeling: scared, intimidated, lost. He didn't know where he was, how he got here or why he was here. "…Wh…where…man?"

"…Man…?"

"Man in re…red…"

Shadow realized he meant Eggman. He probably associated "normality" with the scientist.

"No, he's not here. It's only me." He assured. "He won't hurt you anymore. I won't allow it." He crept closer but the boy whimpered in turn. Shadow guessed he was now scared of him. After all, he DID point a gun at him. Sighing, he stood and backed off, arms crossed. "If you don't want me to get close, I won't. We can't stay here though, they'll find us."

"T-They…?"

"Robots."

"..Ro…bots…? What they?"

So the boy spoke in broken English.

"They are scary creatures made from metal. They might hurt us." He eyed the hedgehog. "You coming?"

"…To where…?" Came a scared reply.

"Somewhere safe."

The boy thought, deciding whether to trust the black creature in front of him. He wasn't like the man in red, though he was just as scary. He looked like the thing in the mask…just without the mask. He tried standing but failed miserably. Shadow helped him to his feet but he looked scared. He guessed tests were done sitting down, so walking was either extremely difficult or the memories of how to do so was eradicated alongside the rest of his memories. Rolling his eyes, he picked the boy up again and dashed off, keeping one eye on him and one on the path ahead.

This kid is going to be the death of me…

They eventually reached the City. Buildings had collapsed and fires blazed as far as the eye could see. Shadow came to an underground hatch and slammed his foot three times on the hatch in rapid succession to make it not sound like footsteps. He stepped back as the hatch opened. The boy watched the mechanism with silent awe. Shadow jumped inside and landed on a stack of pillows (they had had some broken bones from those unable to land on their feet). After a dark corridor, they came to a metallic door that slid open. Inside was a warmly-lit bunker fitted with high-quality computers and quite a few faces. The hedgehog burrowed his face in Shadow's chest fur, violently shaking. Rouge was among the faces and many of them narrowed their eyes at Shadow. He guessed she told them about the "detour". The majority of them pointed weapons at them and Shadow guarded the body by turning to the side.

"All of you, lay off!"

"Yeah, that's enough!" Amy, a pink hedgehog with matching emerald eyes and a red dress, agreed, forming a barrier between the two hedgehogs and the other Resistance members. A massive hammer formed in her hands. "Think about it? You're scaring the poor kid, so why don't all of you stop being bullies!? Any of you dare move and I'll knock your blocks off!" Her voice was serious but sharp. They backed down, all of them showing faces of regret. After all, the pink hedgehog WAS second-in-command. Amy defused and turned to Shadow. "Who is this?"

"I don't know. I think the Doctor erased his memories. Doesn't remember his name." He thought. The boy needed a name. Everyone did. To not have a name equaled an identity crisis. He knew what that was like, though that little adventure was one he would rather forget. He went through the facts in the report in his head, trying to come up with a suitable name for a creature like the child. A specific sentence stood out in his memory.

Abilities will include super speed and Phantom Ruby infusion.

"I've got it. How about Sonic, seeing as he's meant to have super speed?" He nudged the boy, who was still hiding his face. Shadow poked his cheek, making his look up at the elder hedgehog fearfully. "You like?"

"…Like…what?" He hadn't been paying attention. Figures. Shadow groaned mentally.

"The name. Sonic." His tone was sharp with irritation but that was overlooked as the child adopted a thinking expression.

"Sonic…" He repeated to himself. He nodded.

"Alright then, hiya Sonic!" Amy greeted. "My name is Amy. Amy-Rose."

"…" She got not reply. He just hid his face again.

"Something tells me he's afraid of you, Rose."

"…Oh…" She sighed, though she was feeling sorry for the poor thing. Someone then cleared their throat to break the sweet scene apart.

"Regardless, you were meant to check in last night, Shadow." Knuckles, a purple-eyed red echidna, who was heading the Resistance, snarled, arms crossed. "You weren't meant to pick up a kid."

"What was I supposed to do? Leave him to die? Even I have morals, Guardian." Knuckles spat but said nothing more. Shadow exited the main room and took Sonic to the bedroom chambers. There was always spare ones but he made sure that the two of them had adjoining rooms. He sat Sonic down. "You alright here?" He got a nod. He was swinging his legs happily. He looked 15 but acted 5. Shadow put it down to the trauma that had been inflicted over the course of those 6 months. As he went up to leave, he heard a familiar whine. He cringed at it.

"…Where you going?" Sonic asked, eyes wide in curiosity

"Knux will probably want me to talk to me about things. I'm in pretty hot water."

"…I see no water."

"It's just a metaphor." Sonic blinked in confusion. Shadow was right about one thing: he barely knew a thing. That would change though. As he turned to leave again, he heard the whine again, this time louder. Why was he suddenly getting…angry? After hearing the whine a third time, he snapped.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" He raged, blowing Sonic back. His face paled. "I'M SICK OF YOUR CRYBABY ATTITUDE! I'M IN HOT WATER BECAUSE OF YOU, Y'KNOW!" Before he knew what he was doing, he dashed off. It was only after he got back to the main control room that he realized his mistake. Rage gave way for guilt that crashed into his being like a tsunami's wave. "…W-What did I just do…?"

"Hey, Shadow." Knuckles called. "We need to have a talk."

Damn…the apology would have to wait. He slumped over to the echidna and endured a 15 minute lecture, with him barely able to get a word in edge-ways to argue. After it was finished, Rouge started on her own rant which lasted another 5 minutes. On the other side of the room, a shape on the computer gasped and looked at the arguing trio.

"Hey, you lot! Stop a second!" A golden fox called Tails called. He was picking up some energy waves. All three glared at each other and abandoned the domestic disturbance.

"Where is it coming from?" Knuckles asked in a direct manner.

"One second…" Tails tapped a few buttons and instead of the city map they were expecting, the map of the base came up. A black whirl of energy was emitting from the bedroom wing. Shadow squinted.

Room 14.

…He bit his lip. This was not good. That room was Sonic's. Everyone else guessed too.

"I told you! I told he was dangerous!" Rouge shouted as the base suddenly shook to its core. A cold feeling seeped into everyone's soul.

"No, he isn't…this is something else…" Shadow thought, dashing back to where he had left Sonic. Why had he yelled like that, after what he had gone through!? He mentally swore at his stupidity. His stand-offish attitude really liked to bite him in the butt now and again. As he came to the bedroom suite, the temperature dropped, making his fur naturally stand on end. What was this chill? The door to Sonic's "room" was bolted and he could feel a sharp wind whipping up inside the room alongside despair-filling cries. He could tell by the way the fur around his legs was being brushed by a cold and wild gale. So Sonic gained new abilities depending on his emotions? That was bad. Shadow fiddled with the door frantically but he couldn't get it open. The velocity of the wind blocked it. With no other choice, he kicked it off its hinges, only to get battered and blinded by wind and black electricity. It was like being pelted with miniature bullets. He could faintly see Sonic's form curled up in a tight ball on the bed, the powers emerging from his body which glowed an evil shade of navy. He was howling, with each cry making the tornado surrounding him swirl ever faster. The metal on the walls began straining. The whole room...no, the whole bunker...was going to be ripped apart if he didn't do something. He tried shouting but the wind muted his voice. He tried again, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"SONIC!"

Sonic's eyes shifted and glared at Shadow with intense hatred, tears streaming down his face. He had gotten the boy's attention at least. He couldn't shout again so he spoke normally, hoping Sonic could lip read.

"…I'm sorry."

The wind dropped as Sonic's angry expression got lost under a torrent of guilty tears. With the lesser wind, Shadow could advance. He cradled the boy in his arms, shushing him.

"…I'm really sorry, kiddo…I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. I never meant to do that…" He kept repeating these messages into Sonic's pointy ears. The wind dropped more and more until it dissipated completely and the maleficent navy glow around Sonic's body vanished. At that moment, Shadow sensed the others in the doorway. He once again shielded him, especially when Knuckles snatched a red arm cannon of sorts from a red wolf, Gadget, and pointed it at both of them, his fangs bared. Amy, in desperation, tried to pull it away from his grasp but he knocked her away with a punch from his free fist. She got caught by Blaze, a lilac cat known for her fire powers.

"Knuckles, there is no need for this!" She exclaimed.

"Zip it, you." The echidna replied, his voice low with a snarl evident in his gruff tone. "That boy is a danger to us all! He could have destroyed our haven and expose us to the Eggman Empire's forces."

"He got mad, alright? He had every right to be, especially after the way I yelled at him! We didn't know about his powers and I doubt he knows either. It was an accident." Shadow argued but Knuckles' expression barely changed. In fact, he began charging the device, which was known as a Wispon. The fire variety.

"Accidents can easily end lives, Shadow. It is my duty to protect Mobius, as Commander of the Resistance. If you're not going to move, then I'll just have to kill you both."

"Knux, that's going way too far!" Silver, an albino-furred hedgehog, raged. "We need Shadow! He's the best guy we have on the team!" Shadow felt sick. Why did Silver have to be so...so...sickly sweet? Made him want to puke.

"Pity then. His selfishness will doom us all. It's a shame that this has to be done…but this monster needs to be eradicated!" He shot a fireball at the duo. Shadow shielded Sonic with his body, preparing for the burning agony of the attack but it didn't come. Looking up, a black ring of something that could be called magic had stopped the attack and had surrounded both him and Sonic like a barrier. Not only that, but it suddenly sent the attack back, hitting Knuckles straight in the chest before he could comprehend what was happening, knocking him into the opposite wall, rendering him unconscious. Gadget snatched back his Wispon. Everyone glanced at the two in wonder. Shadow was also confused. How did that happen!? He looked at Sonic. He was in a ball, whimpering. He was unhurt, thank God. What's more, Shadow noticed a black orb glowing on Sonic's chest which dissipated before he could get a proper look at it. At the same time, the ring around them faded away. For about 30 seconds, there was a tense but strange silence.

"…That was awesome!" Came an excitable chirp from Charmy, a young hyperactive bee. He did a loop-de-loop and fist bumped the sky. Of course he was going to be the one to break the tense atmosphere. "He tots deserved that!"

"Alright, Charmy. That's enough." A fuchsia chameleon called Espio sternly but playfully said, making Charmy deflate. He whined and crossed his arms in a mood.

"Right…what are we going to do with him?" Amy asked the group, turning to face the knocked out Knuckles. With him like this, she was seen as the one in charge.

"Lock him up." Blaze nodded. "We can't have a commander like him. He's losing the plot big time."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Amy gave her consent to the plan. As Espio and a green crocodile called Vector hauled the red echidna to the solitary confinement cells in the deepest levels of the bunker, Sonic finally realized the danger was over. As he looked up meekly, he saw a good dozen pair of eyes on him in both curiosity and confusion.

"…W-What…?" He asked, hiding his face in fear. Shadow smiled and patted his shoulder.

"You can reflect attacks, can't you?" He kindly asked. Sonic blinked. Was this the same guy who had rescued him or was it a copy? He was talking in a totally different manner than before. He sat up and clicked his tongue. Eventually, but with twitching eyes, he began murmuring.

"M-Man t-taught me…if me get attacked…me send attack back." His voice was quiet but everyone heard.

"So that explains why the Wispon's fireball got reflected…" Gadget understood, smiling. He sat next to Sonic and gestured for a fist bump, but Sonic didn't get it. Gadget gently took his hand, curled his gloved fingers into a fist and hit it with his own. "Heh, fist bump."

"…Fist…bump…?" He repeated, taking in the action and grinning innocently, liking the idea. He then looked around and saw the dent in the wall. He glanced up at Shadow. "Where bad red guy?"

"Locked up. He won't try and hurt you again. Not under my watch." Shadow swore, ruffling the kid's head. As much as he still hasn't 100% sure who or what this kid was, he knew he needed guidance.

And there was no better place than a kind, loving group of friends, friends that could easily become a family to Sonic.

XO

"You are aware the Resistance have Project: Chaos, sir."

"I KNOW, YOU BAG OF BOLTS!" Eggman raged, kicking his robotic assistant Orbot in the head. He rolled onto a lower level, surprisingly unharmed.

"Is that your second or third kick of the day?" A yellow robot called Cubot asked. Orbot narrowed his eyes.

"Say one more word on it and I'll ensure you're next." He warned, pushing himself back to a "standing" position. Eggman growled. So the Resistance had his most valuable test subject…so what if he was going to terminate it? He was still valuable…even if his research hadn't gotten anywhere further than it did when he was captured 6 months previously. The door opened behind him.

"You wanted to see me?" It was Infinite, a stone expression present. Eggman leaned against the main console of the control room, an exasperated look on his face.

"Anything?"

"Negative, Doctor. I scoured all of Mobius. I never did find that black hedgehog nor our little Chaos Project. Not like it mattered anyway."

"I need him back here ASAP!" He turned to the computer and brought up a 3D diagram showed a spatial map of a dark purple vortex. "…Only then will we learn more about Null Space…he knows something and it relates closely to his otherworldly powers, including the Third Eye."

"Oh yes, the fabled Third Eye: the ability to see past, present and every possible future all at once. Very surprisingly to have a creature such as himself being able to wield that power without going crazy."

"Hmph. Pessimistic as always, Infinite. Do you ever show any interest in anything over than things that can change the world as we know it?"

"…You do know I can throw that question straight back at you. World conquest is the only thing mattering to you. I desire more than that." A red cube formed in his palm. "Null Space…its secrets are the key to finding the true anchor of the universe: the Onyx Scepter. Only with that artifact will both dimensions merge again..."

"What was that?" Eggman hissed, having only heard the jackal mumble under his breath. Infinite erased the cube from existence and began walking out.

"Nothing, Doctor. I'm going to go and keep some rabble in line…" As he went through the half-open lab door, he stared at the Doctor with such an intense stare that a violent shiver went up the human's spine. "…and to find a worthy opponent. I'm starting to grow bored with the rodents that roam this pathetic planet." The lab door slammed close with a shuddering bang. Eggman's tense body drooped as he sighed, weakly face-palming.

"…I'll never understand what goes through that mind of his…"

XO

Back outside, Infinite stared over the City. Something told him the base was within the city's walls…but where?

"Shadow…" He murmured, growling to himself. "…One day, we shall meet again…and I will get my revenge for my humiliation." He looked at a scar across his abdomen that was barely hidden by his thick black jackal fur. He removed his mask. The midday sun beat down on his fur, a soft wind brushing his pelt. He glanced down and saw a puddle of water that showed his perfect reflection, showing the blue-eyed scarred iris that was hidden and the mouth he denied the viewing off, meaning his emotions were often a mystery. In disgust, he stomped his foot into it, making ripples distort the image. He swiftly snapped the mask back on, unwanting to look at his face any longer. He wore it for a reason. He loathed himself. All because of that black rodent. "…You will pay for what you did…just you wait…"