A/N: All Hail Shadow. Heroes Rise Again. Obliterating everything that's not your friend. Nothing can stop you now. No ghosts can bring you down. There's nothing left to lose, you win! Sorry, I'm probably gonna get penalized for doing that, but I love that song so much. Anyways, I know I said I would update Mario Odyssey and then back to Sonic Heroes, but since this chapter was written weeks ago, I wanted to get it out there. Just a head's up, I'm taking a small break from publishing because I want to take care of my family and help them the best I can. I hope you all understand. If for some reason, some of you don't, that's your problem, not mine.

Suggested Music:

(1) Sunset Heights - Sonic Forces OST

(2) The Fake - Sonic Forces OST

Without further ado, enjoy the show!

All Hail Shadow

"Holy shoot!" Clay exclaimed. "What the heck's happening here!?" (1)

Sonic, Lil' Blue, and Clay knew exactly what was happening: The Secret Strikers were advancing against the Eggman Empire in Freedom Heights, the city that fell victim to Dr. Eggman's Atomic Bomb. But there were no Secret Strikers to be seen. Knuckles wasn't present. Neither were Silver, Blaze, and the Chaotix. The rest of Team Feral Strike was absent. Nobody could be seen from where they were standing.

Speaking of which, the three heroes found themselves at the top of a hill. Overlooking the sight of the Egg Sentinels made them clench their fists in determination. Amy, Skylar, and the other Mania Zoners went ahead to find the others, so Sonic and Lil' Blue offered to take Clay for their mission. The rabbit still had the prototype Phantom Ruby in his hands, so they assumed it could be useful in their battle. Speaking of their battle, they knew they were going to have to take down a Phantom Ruby replica of Shadow, who's been giving the Secret Strikers a hard time.

"A bunch of giant Egg Drones," Lil' Blue rolled his eyes. "Great."

"Not to worry, guys," Sonic cracked his fingers. "We'll take them down! Ready, guys?"

Clay took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Without monologuing, I say that The Mighty Clay is always ready for combat! Time for Freedom Heights to be avenged!"

"Well said… somewhat," Sonic winked. "Come on, guys! Let's do it to it!"

Blue and grey streaks trailed behind as the heroes avoided an armada of lasers when the robots spotted them. But things got worse when an army of Buzz Bombers and Egg Pawns arrived in their path, Sonic and Clay high-fived and double boosted into the robots, as Lil' Blue drop dashed into a set of enemies from below. Soon, both Sonics jumped into the air and homing attacked the enemies in their path. Clay shot his grappling wire forward and swung the robots around like chew toys.

All three heroes jumped into the air and penetrated through a large Buzz Bomber.

Landing on the ground, they moved to the side because a crumbling building nearly fell on top of them. They stopped at one point and felt their eyes get blinded by smoke. Scowling, all three of them tightened their gloves before they continued down the pathway.

But suddenly, more buildings crumbled in front of them.

Up, down, left, right, the mighty trio avoided every single hit before they found themselves shooting off into the air.

With Sonic fist-bumping Lil' Blue and Clay, the rabbit gasped and pointing to something in front of him. A shadow casted over the trio and both hedgehogs looked at what the rabbit pointed at…

…a massive pile of debris was coming towards them.

They knew they couldn't dodge that.

"Holy smokes!" all three of them gasped.

Then, something helped them. To Lil' Blue's right, he looked over to see balls of multi-colored fur: red, fuchsia, green, and black. When the figures revealed themselves, the heroes were excited and relieved to see them again.

They were Knuckles, Vector, Espio, and Charmy.

Vector and Charmy smiled with opened mouths whereas Knuckles and Espio grunted with exposed teeth. They glanced down at their friends before joining them.

"Way to make a dramatic entrance, guys," Sonic winked with a thumbs up.

"Thank you," Vector nodded. "I take all the credit."

"Did you get the Chaos Emerald?" Espio inquired.

Lil' Blue held it in his hands.

"Nice work," the chameleon nodded in satisfaction. "A fine display of skill."

"Way to go, dudes!" Charmy cheered.

"Good job, guys," Knuckles nodded. "I'd be lying if I said we were doing well, but the Illusionary Legion got the drop on us. The Deadly Six are dealing with some of our members, Metal Sonic's been spotted again, and a fake Shadow's helping the Eggman Empire. I'm pretty sure Infinite was spotted here too."

"What about both Eggmen?" Lil' Blue inquired. "Are they here?"

"Not that we know of," Espio stroked his chin. "They're probably at their HQ experimenting on the Phantom Ruby."

"Look out, guys!" Charmy pointed.

A massive streak of red energy divided the heroes. Clay, Espio, Knuckles, and Lil' Blue dove to the right whereas everyone else dove to the left. A trio of Egg Sentinels were storming towards them.

"What the heck!? A whole army of Death Egg Robots!?" Vector gasped.

"They're so many of them!" Charmy panicked.

"Easy, guys!" Clay smirked. "Let The Mighty Clay show you how it's done! Knuckles, throw me!"

The commander nodded before he grabbed the rabbit by his chest. Swinging him around three times, he chucked him into the air and the rabbit took to the skies. Clay extended his arms until he got above the first sentry done. Shooting his grappling wire forward, he swung around the robot and pulled the other two closer to their ally. Soon, he had all three of the robots tangled in his trap.

"Now, guys!" Clay called.

Thanks to Charmy lifting them up, Sonic and Lil' Blue spin dashed into all three of the robots. Blue streaks filled the air and they landed onto the ground, striking a pose alongside Clay. Knuckles and the Chaotix gave them a thumbs up, as the heroes continued racing down the road.

"We need to split up and cover more ground!" Knuckles announced. "Sonic, Clay, Lil' Blue, you guys are with me. Chaotix, go help the others fight the Deadly Six and Metal Sonic! The Babylon Rogues are currently looking for the Warp Ring inside the museum! I hope they can get there without running into you know who!"

Speaking of the Babylon Rogues, Storm instantly shattered the window to the museum and entered through the top with Jet and Wave following behind. There were no guards inside, so getting the Warp Ring should be a piece of cake in their eyes… or so they think.

The trio of bandits landed on the ground and admired all of the artifacts surrounding them.

From ancient minerals, gemstones, dinosaur bones, and other gifts from Mobius' history, the Babylon Rogues struggled not to steal anything aside from the Warp Ring. Jet wanted to sell some of these items to a pawn shop for a quick buck, but he remembered he was getting a bigger prize with the Chaos Emeralds when the war concluded. He wiped his beak and walked forward.

"Spread out and find that Warp Ring, Rogues," he grinned. "That's the last thing we need before the nerds can build their multiverse portal."

"You got it, Jet," Storm saluted, as he began searching for the Warp Ring. "Let's see, if I were a magic ring that can lead to many places, where would I be? Maybe it's in the ladies room?"

Wave didn't bother searching.

Instead, she urgently approached her leader. (1s)

"Jet, if I can have a moment of your time?"

"Make it quick, Wave, this place is becoming a war zone."

"When Sonic and Tails approached us with this job, I thought we were just stealing simple items; however, after fighting the Deadly Six in the Arsenal Pyramid, and Metal Sonic in the Mystic Jungle, I'm beginning to realize we're in over our heads."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that we shouldn't be stealing these items for a quick profit. We should be helping the resistance build their portal."

"What?"

"These guys are going to need all of the help they can get."

"Hello? Mobius to Wave the Swallow, are you in there? In case you don't know, we're legendary thieves, we don't help heroes with their world-saving deeds. It's not who we are! And besides, Eggman dominating the world doesn't affect us, so why should we bother with him?"

"Because Eggman is working with the Battle Bird Armada and you know what they did to us, right?"

Jet stopped walking, remembering the depression he fell into before he was inspired to come back. Shaking his head, he softly grunted. "Okay, you got me there. But after we steal this Warp Ring, we're not going to help the Secret Strikers. They can perform that dimensional garbage themselves!"

Both birds suddenly came across the Warp Ring: a medium-sized golden ring that sat inside a glass container.

"Ah, here it is," Jet smirked, as he shattered the glass with one hand. "Whaddya know? Like taking candy from a baby."

"Great," Wave folded her arms, annoyed with Jet's decision. Storm quickly approached them. "Now that we have the Warp Ring, can you listen to what I'm saying?"

"You're just going to say the same stuff you've just said before. And I'm here to tell you, we're not helping the Secret Strikers. Becoming superheroes is not the Babylon Rogues' destiny."

WHACK! ZAP!

A solid kick and a laser shot knocked all three thieves down on their knees.

Slowly getting up, the three Rogues realized who they were dealing with.

"Oh, no," Jet rolled his eyes. "Not them again."

"Hello, Babylon Rogues," Speedy: Son of the current Battle Lord of the Battle Lord Armada scowled. He stood with an army of soldiers with weapons aimed at the bandits. But there were also birds in metallic wings suits as well. And others rode knock-off versions of Extreme Gear. The Battle Lord's son clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger. "It's time to meet our destiny."

"Whooooo hooooo! You punks are going down!" Zazz cackled at the top of his lungs. He was rising on his yellow moon with a giant face, as he shot energy stars at members of the resistance. "I'm gonna rip all of you to shreds, mwa-hahahahahahaha!"

The purple Zeti and the rest of the Deadly Six lead an army of robots under their control. They were all pushing the Secret Strikers back, hindering their assault on the city. Gadget and Dakota found themselves ambushed by Zeena and Zomom, Corvin was tossed around by Zavok, and Master Zik joined Zor in chasing Fuchsia and the other soldiers around as if they were playing a game to tag.

Zazz continued firing energetic stars from his flying moon, but he was quickly stopped once Gemerl flew over and fired an uppercut across his face. The Gizoid glared over his shoulder and grabbed both Zeena and Zomom by their arms. Spinning them around like chew toys, he slammed them on the ground.

The green-haired Zeti chuckled and opened her hands, where green energy waves came out of her palms. "You look like you need a time-out, my friend. It was stupid of the Secret Strikers to bring a robot here."

Attempting to control Gemerl for herself, Zeena waited patiently for him to bow before her…

…but instead, he folded his arms and tapped his foot.

"You do realize Tails installed a system that prevents me from being mind-controlled, right?" Gemerl queried.

Zeena's yellow eyes widened. "What!? That's cheating!"

"All is fair in love and war, sister."

Gemerl ducked below Zomom's punch and slammed his fist into the Zeti's chest. "What's the matter, jelly belly? Indigestion's giving you trouble again?"

"Hey, stop! You're giving me a stomach ache!" Zomom slammed the ground, nearly hitting Gemerl.

Suddenly, Team Chaotix came out of nowhere and Charmy thunder-shot Vector into Zomom's face. Charmy flew around Zeena and kicked her in her side. Zazz approached the heroes like a rapid dog before he was stopped by Espio, who struggled to hold him back.

"Keep him steady, Espio!" Gemerl gave the ninja a thumbs up. He activated three of his back missiles and shot Zazz in his chest, knocking him back.

"Thanks, Gemerl," Espio wiped his forehead. "Where're Cream and Big? Aren't they with you?"

"Cream and Big are helping Tails and the others evacuate some civilians," Gemerl replied. "Knuckles sent me on the battlefield. Lucky for me, I can't be controlled by the Deadly Six, so we can-"

CRASH!

Metal Sonic came out of the blue and smacked both Gemerl and Espio against the ground.

"Argh, you've got to be kidding me," the Gizoid moaned.

"I thought Silver and Blaze destroyed Metal Sonic," Espio said. "Then again, this is Dr. Eggman we're talking about. He never stops rebuilding Metal Sonic. Gemerl, you and I can take him together. I already have a plan in mind."

"Fine by me, dude," Gemerl nodded.

Metal Sonic extended his claws and charged to both combatants.

"Well, if it isn't the original copycat!" Gemerl snarled, as he punched Metal Sonic's face. "Get it? Because you used to steal biodata as Neo Metal Sonic! I bet you really miss your Neo form, don't you?"

"You won't stop us from our mission!" Espio added, volley kicking Metal Sonic's face.

"This will definitely leave a mark!" Gemerl chuckled, slamming both of his fists against Metal Sonic's chest.

Silver and Blaze soared through the air, as Tails, Cream, Buster, Emma and Big escort civilians to one of the Eggman ships they've stolen from the Arsenal Pyramid. With a little bit of repainting, they decorated in black and red colors and added a Secret Strikers logo on the wings. They were helping petrified pedestrians flee into the back compartment. But in the process, Tails, Cream, and Big were ambushed by an army of Egg Pawns, a dozen Buzz Bombers, and a large Egg Sentinel that stomped all over the road.

"We'll deal with the big guy!" Silver called out to the fox, as he and Blaze exchanged a nod and flew up to the Death Egg Sentinel and penetrated through it with their combined strength.

Tails and Cream flew forward, and the former twirled his namesakes, bashing the Egg Pawns. Cream commanded Cheese to take out some of the robots and he obeyed. Big smiled, as he picked up a few robots and smashed them to bits.

"Mr. Tails, do we have enough spaceships to save everyone?" Cream asked.

"We should have enough," Tails nodded, smacking two Egg Pawns with his fists. "Assuming Team Feral Strike can handle the Deadly Six by themselves, we'll count on them to rescue more people. Look out, Cream!"

Before the young rabbit could be ambushed by a Buzz Bomber, Big grabbed it by its wings and chucked it into the water. "It's not nice to pick on my friends."

"Thank you, Mr. Big."

"You're welcome, Cream."

"Tails!" the voice of Amy Rose called from behind. Joining her were Skylar, Mini Miles, Chuckles, and Rosy the Rascal. The Mania Zoners exchanged a determined nod before they leaped straight into battle.

"Amy, thank goodness you're… here?" Tails raised an eyebrow once he saw the Mania Zoners. All three of them shouted in excitement as they jumped into a pile of robots and threw them around like chew toys. The Mobius Prime kitsune watched them fight, as Skylar reunited with Buster and Emma. Amy approached Tails and Team Rose.

"Aww, I didn't know there was a Little Tails, a Little Knuckles, and a Little Amy," Cream smiled.

"They're from the Mania Zone," Amy smiled. "They're Lil' Blue's friends."

"I guess this crisis is affecting everyone from the Mania Zone," Tails stroked his chin. "Well, if they're willing to help us out, I'm not gonna stop them!"

"Not even Lil' Blue?"

Tails raised an eyebrow.

"Tails, I know Lil' Blue said some things, but he's done a lot to help us out. He's the one who suggested using the Super Emeralds in the first place. I'm not going to force you to become his best friend, but I know he didn't mean to offend you with his remarks… I think that when we get back to HQ, you two should have a talk."

Mini Miles overhead the Prime counterparts' conversation.

"We'll see if I have time," Tails replied. "Right now, let's focus on rescuing the civilians."

As he watched his Prime Zone look-a-like get back to fighting, Mini Miles wondered what his best friend said that made his counterpart so upset.

Shadow the Hedgehog, with his eyes glowing purple, fought against the Secret Strikers with an iron fist. Shooting spears of purple energy at the shoulders, he fearlessly kicked them across their faces and punched them as if they were nothing. The ebony hedgehog ducked below soldiers' laser blasters and boosted into them with ease.

Shadow skated through the environment, fighting more soldiers, before he was suddenly punched by a burrowing animal that sprouted from the ground: it was Knuckles and he made sure to give Shadow a powerful uppercut.

The black hedgehog fell on his feet and glared upward.

Knuckles climbed out of the ground.

And joining him were Sonic, Lil' Blue, and Clay.

All four of them stood in front of the black hedgehog.

"Okay, Shadow, what's the deal?" Sonic cracked his fingers.

"Remember, this isn't the real Shadow," Knuckles said, stretching his neck. "It's a fake one, but he's got the same abilities as the original. We better be careful."

"Hey, make Clay's fake Phantom Ruby can get rid of him," Lil' Blue suggested.

Clay took out said Phantom Ruby and watched it glow.

"Wait, where did he get that?" Knuckles inquired.

"I found it in the laboratory in the Mystic Jungle," Clay replied. "Not to worry, guys, I can use it to defeat this guy!"

"Don't monologue," Sonic folded his arms.

Clay reframed from monologuing before he ran forward and twirled his hammer. He pressed the Phantom Ruby prototype against Shadow's stomach. He had his eyes closed, hoping to hear a loud grunt come from the replica.

"Did it work?" Clay inquired.

Shadow waited a few seconds before he smacked Clay in the chest. The rabbit tumbled backward and fell on top of Lil' Blue. Sonic and Knuckles watched the rabbit moan.

"Nope… it didn't," Clay groaned, as Lil' Blue pushed him off his chest.

"Welp, guess we gotta settle this the old fashioned way," Sonic smirked. "All right, Shadow, time for me to finish this!"

"Can you stop repeating quotes from our past, please?" Knuckles rolled his eyes.

The battle started once the Ultimate Life Form skated forward and leaped into the air. With purple energy forming on the bottom of his feet, Shadow lunged downward and slammed the ground. He missed all four heroes by a split second, as Sonic and Knuckles rushed forward and smacked the black hedgehog aside. Sonic and Shadow engaged themselves into a fight before the latter shot the former with a purple spear. Knuckles grabbed a pile of debris and chucked it forward. Shadow penetrated through the boulder but was met with an uppercut from the echidna.

Lil' Blue spin dashed forward, but Shadow jumped over him.

Clay twirled his hammer and swung it forward. Every hit he landed, Shadow evaded every attack before he grabbed the hammer, yanked it out Clay's hand, and smacked the rabbit across the face.

"Ouch!" Clay grumbled. "So you would hit the guy with a hammer with the hammer? That's new."

Sonic and Knuckles tackled Shadow and pinned him down, but Shadow blasted both heroes off of him.

Lil' Blue spun forward and landed three punches from the left, right, and bottom directions. The tiny hedgehog bounced off the wall and jumped towards Shadow, but the black hedgehog teleported forward, and roundhouse kicked Lil' Blue's head.

Clay slammed the ground and knocked Shadow off his feet.

"Ah-ha!" the rabbit exclaimed.

But Shadow jumped back up and shot Clay with a Chaos Spear.

"Ah, fudge!" Clay exclaimed again.

Sonic and Knuckles spin dashed around the hedgehog's body before they bashed themselves into his head. Lil' Blue fired one punch before Clay pounced into Shadow with a quick jab and a volley kick. Shadow tumbled across the floor and shot four purple spears. Clay slammed his hammer on the floor, creating a shield of cubes that blocked the spears.

All four heroes raised their fists.

Shadow did the same thing.

"Not bad for a fake Shadow," Sonic smirked, wiping his nose. "But playtime's over, pal!"

Back at the museum, the Babylon Rogues were still surrounded by Speedy and the Battle Bird Armada.

"Speedy, nice to see you, my old friend," Jet smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "It's weird seeing you in that white and orange flight suit. Whatever happened to those big brown underpants you used to wear?"

"Those weren't underpants," Speedy snarled. "That was a flight suit!"

Storm was about to make a funny remark, but Wave halted him.

"Do not make another diaper joke," she hissed. "We've already made two of those already."

"Sorry," Storm spoke softly.

"Let's get down to business," Speedy grinned, pacing around the cornered Rogues. "I couldn't help but overhear you guys saying you needed the Warp Ring for multiverse travel. That can't be true, right? Multiverse travel is impossible… well, unless if the Secret Strikers found a way to do it, that is?"

Jet shared a snarky glance with his teammates. "Multiverse travel? Did we say that? I'm afraid I can't confirm nor deny we've said something like that."

Speedy snarled. "Stop stalling! You and the Secret Strikers have been stealing supplies from various Eggman bases, and now you're stealing a Warp Ring from this museum! That means the resistance is up to something! Tell what the Secret Strikers are planning now!"

The three birds shared a smirk.

"Okay," Jet scoffed. "If you insist… We'll tell you what the Secret Strikers are up to now!"

Jet and Wave charged forward, but the came to a halt. Storm wasn't moving at all.

"I said, we'll tell you what the Secret Strikers are up to now!"

The albatross continued to sit there.

Jet and Wave were getting annoyed.

"Storm, that's our cue, you idiot!" Wave snarled.

"Oh, sorry!" Storm shook his head.

The Babylon Rogues jumped onto their air boards and hovered over their opponents. The wing-suited birds lunged towards the albatross, but they were quickly thwarted by four jobs and two uppercuts. Wave smacked incoming minions with her wrench and Jet tackled Speedy off his feet. The two of them rolled across the concrete before Jet slammed Speedy against the wall. Whipping out his Bashosen, Jet held it against the prince's throat.

"Back off, Armada!" he screeched. Every minion stopped once they saw their prince in danger. "Or else someone's gonna get hurt."

"Like you?" said a dark voice from behind. Jet turned around, but before he saw who spoke, he was grabbed by his tail feathers, spun around like a wind turbine, and was slammed onto the ground. One final kick sent him crashing into a glass full of minerals.

"Jet!" Wave and Storm cried, as they rushed forward and helped their leader.

As soon as they got him on his feet, they glanced over and saw Battle Lord Kukku XV stomping towards him. Adjusting his vibrant colored suit, he sneered at his former minions before he grabbed the Warp Ring off the ground. Holding it in his hands, he softly chuckled. "If the three of you touch my son that way again, there will be dire consequences."

Storm, Wave, and Jet gulped.

"Clay, watch out!" Sonic shouted, as he pushed the rabbit to the side and took a heavy blow from Shadow's energy blast. Once the hedgehog crashed against the wall, a pile of bricks feel beside him and one of them fell on his back. Sonic whined in anger and pain, as Clay raced over and helped him up. "Thanks, Clay."

"No problem. The Mighty Clay's always there to help friends in need. But in all seriousness, how can we defeat Shadow? He's unstoppable!"

"I've beaten Shadow multiple times in the past, but this replica's pretty good. Lucky for us, I've got a plan in mind."

"Really? What would that be?"

"You and I are gonna double boost into him."

"Okay, but how we get him to hold still? He'll just teleport again."

"Not unless we distract him. Clay, if there's anything you should know about being a Freedom Fighter, it's that distracting your enemies if a useful skill."

"Does that mean I can monologue like the hero I am?"

"No."

Clay frowned.

"It means we gotta outsmart them, confuse them, make them think of something else. Follow my lead!" Sonic raced forward and watched Shadow fend off Knuckles and Lil' Blue. "Hey, Faker! Yeah, that's right! I called you Faker! You're so edgy, you make Infinite look like a teddy bear!"

Shadow snarled and shot waves of energy at the hedgehog, who dodged them all.

"Actually, I take that back! Infinite makes you look like a teddy bear! Yeah, you thought you were so dark and edgy, but Mr. Jackal came along and took your spot!"

Shadow growled again and sped forward. Rolling into a ball, he spin dashed into the wall because Sonic jumped over him.

"You thought using guns would make you cooler, but nope! No matter what you do, Infinite will always come to dethrone you! Have you heard that song that plays whenever he's around? Man, it's so edgy!"

Shadow clenched his fists and threw punches at Sonic, who was fast enough to evade them.

Clay snapped his fingers, realizing that the meaning of Sonic's distraction was. "Hey, Shadow! You're so… so… come on, Clay, this should be easy for you… ah-ha! I got it! Shadow, you're so fat that you sat on a Mobium and a booger came out of King Acorn's nose!"

"Oh, shots fired!" Sonic cackled.

Shadow glared at the rabbit before he boosted for him at full rage.

Clay twirled his hammer and smacked Shadow's face. "You're so ugly that you put on a line of male makeup called why bother?"

"Oh!" Sonic laughed.

Shadow swatted at Clay, who slid beneath him. "You're so fat that you… you… um… you… hold on, I'm stealing all of these jokes from a famous comedian. I'm trying to figure out what joke he made next."

Shadow suddenly grabbed the rabbit by both of his ears. Clay dropped his weapon and he started to sweat.

"S-Sonic!? This guy's gonna hurt me!"

"Hang on, Clay!" Sonic called back. He, Lil' Blue, and Knuckles ran towards the fake Shadow before…

"Chaos Control!" (2)

Time suddenly froze and the fake Shadow was suddenly frozen. Then, a flash of green light emerged from behind him; a white figure was seen in the midst of the glow. The figure freed Clay and shot the replica upward. Then, he teleported and slammed his fists against his stomach. Pseudo-Shadow crashed against the ground and bounced a few feet upward because of the impact. Then, the white figured finished things off when he kicked the clone straight through the wall.

Cubes of the Phantom Ruby rose before the clone evaporated in thin air.

The white figure was soon revealed as the black-furred G.U.N. agent everyone knew well…

…The real Shadow the Hedgehog. (2s)

Clay shivered and looked up at the hedgehog, who offered his hand.

"Are you hurt?" he inquired.

Clay nervously took Shadow's hand. "Um, nope! Not at all! Nothing hurts The Mighty Clay."

"That's not what you said two seconds ago."

"Well, that's because I-"

"Shadow, you're back?" Knuckles inquired. "Prove to me you're the real deal."

Shadow folded his arms. "When you and Rouge fought on Space Colony Ark, you rescued her when she tripped and nearly fell to her doom. Although, she tells me you did it because you were in love with her."

Knuckles heavily blushed and his eyes were on fire. "GRR! I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH THAT BATGIRL! I DON'T CARE WHAT SHE TELLS YOU PEOPLE!"

"Good to have you back, Faker," Sonic smiled. "And thanks for ditching us back there. But I'm forgiving you because the Secret Strikers and I were able to get a lot done."

"I didn't ditch you," Shadow shook his head. "Team Dark and I went to fight G.U.N. We had some trouble at first thanks to Eggman's army and the Battle Bird Armada. But luckily, we were able to get to Central City and locate them… well, what's left of them anyway. Most of the troops have gone missing since Eggman's attack, but we were able to find the best in the business. Speaking of which, they should be arriving in three… two… and…"

With a soft smile, the black hedgehog pointed upward which made the heroes turn to the right.

From where they were standing, a series of G.U.N. airships, assault drones, and a massive transportation carrier known as the Letter of Gabriel. All four heroes looked like ants from where the battleships were standing. But they squinted their eyes to see two familiar figures jump out the back of one of the airships.

"Is that?" Sonic smiled.

Shadow folded his arms, mirroring his motion. "Yes… yes, it is."

Gemerl and Espio continued their brawl with Metal Sonic until they heard a loud popping sound come from above. The Deadly Six and the resistance stopped their quarrel because of the noise. Each of them looked up and saw a G.U.N. airship flying to where they were. But next to the ship was a figure ready for action.

Once the anonymous character landed on the ground, a puff of smoke surrounded him. It didn't take long for his identity to be revealed as…

…E-123 Omega.

On his shoulders were packs of missiles ready to be launched.

"Hey! I know this guy!" Zomom called, holding Charmy by his neck. "Hey, Mr. Robot, can you bake me some more cookies?"

"OH? IT IS COOKIES YOU WANT?" Omega sneered. "I'VE GOT YOUR COOKIES RIGHT THERE."

In an instant, the destructive robot proved to the Secret Strikers he wasn't the same as he was a few days prior.

Today marked the return of the true superweapon in the United Federation's arsenal. With missiles flying and lasers beaming, Omega caused the Illusionary Legion to fall back. Burning off tiny pieces of Zeena's hair. Burning Zomom's rear. Smacking Zavok across his jaw.

Omega showed that his real self was here to stay.

"Fall back, fall back!" Master Zik called. "Even this old fool isn't stupid enough to take on that thing!?"

"Nonsense!" Zavok snarled, as he tried to control the robot with his powers. "I shall control this drone with my-"

"LIKE MY ASSET, GEMERL, I AM PROGRAMMED TO NOT BE MIND-CONTROLLED!" Omega flew towards Zavok and shot him with a dozen missiles and taser blasters. "YIPPIE-KAI-YAY! PASTEL COLORED MONSTERS! SHOW ME WHAT POWER YOU HAVE! HUH? ARE YOU GOING TO SHOW ME YOUR POWER!? I DARE YOU; I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!"

"I'm not falling for this silly dare!" Zazz panicked. "Run for it!"

"Cowards!" Zavok howled. He glared at the resistance before he took off running. "This isn't over, Secret Strikers! I shall be back!"

As the battle turned out in favor of the resistance, the Babylon Rogues were still under the Battle Lord's capture.

Speedy looked out of the window and saw the G.U.N. soldiers evacuating the civilians from the city. He gasped and closed the curtains.

"Father," his voice shook with fear. "We've got bad news. The Guardian Units of the Nation are here. They're helping the Secret Strikers clear out Dr. Eggman's army."

"We're not leaving yet," Battle Lord Kukku chuckled. "Not until I snap the Babylon Rogues like wishbones."

Jet snarled. Wave cupped her hand over her beak. And Storm felt sweat rain down his head.

"I offered you a place in my flock, Jet, and you just throw it away like it was nothing," the Battle Lord shook his head, tightening his grip on the Warp Ring. "Wave and Storm made a stupid decision joining you. I'll never understood why you abandoned the family. We're birds, Rogues, birds are the only ones meant to dominate the skies. We should stick together like a family, something Bean the Dynamite didn't understand as well… why? Why would you leave me like this?"

"Because you kept going on tangents like this," Jet scoffed. "Plus, all you did was talk about world domination and advanced technology, which isn't my forte. I'm more focused on getting what I want, and what I want is that Warp Ring! So, hand it over, you old buzzard!"

"Hmph!" Battle Lord Kukku huffed. "You're still just as disrespectful as you used to be. You never understood my true intentions, Jet."

"Neither did we," Wave snarled, pointing to herself and Storm. "Jet gave us a sense of freedom, something you never gave to us! You just sent us on boring missions and never let us reach our true potential! When Jet befriended Storm and I, he gave us a new sense of purpose!"

"Please, Wave, you and Storm served no purpose even before you resigned from the Armada."

"Hey, don't talk to them like that!" Jet demanded.

"Oh, what's wrong, Jet? Did I upset you?" The Battle Lord grinned. "I certainly did when I stole back my items six months ago. Yeah, that battleship you live was built by Dr. Fukurokov, remember? I recall you storming up to my front door not too long ago and there I wondered, why didn't you come back sooner? It was because back then, you lost your touch. You fell deep into a depression. All you did was sleep, eat, and do nothing all day!"

"How do you know that anyway!?" Jet asked.

"One of the residents of Deerwood Forest was a spy for my army. I hired him to keep an eye on the Woodland Kingsmen, but he reported that he saw you and the Rogues coming there, asking for Bow's aid. Bow and his Freedom Fighters took you in, gave you food and shelter, and gave you nothing in return! All it took was the encouragement of that infernal hedgehog and his twin-tailed pet to bring you back on your feet. It's embarrassing!"

The hawk had nothing to say. He allowed his frown to speak for him.

"Nothing to say? Hmph, I'm shocked," Battle Lord Kukku continued grinning, twirling the Warp Ring between his fingers. "Face it, Jet, you and the Rogues are nothing without the Battle Bird Armada. If you come back to me peacefully, we can pretend this never happened and I can give you whatever you want… unless of course, you want to be a talentless thief like your father once was, then be my guest."

The green hawk's nerves have been pinched enough. His veins popped within his eyes and his teeth gritted with anger. Wave and Storm knew that Jet was going to do something reckless.

"So, Legendary Wind Master… what's your decision?"

CRASH!

"What the!?" Speedy gasped.

Rouge the Bat crashed through the ceiling and landed on the Warp Ring's former standee. She cracked her fingers and smiled at the Battle Birds.

All of the minions fell for her seductive appearance and whistled at her. The bat smirked at all of them before she thrashed her full fury upon them. Picking them up and slamming them down, Rouge twirled her entire body and drilled her feet into Speedy's chest. She bounced off the walls, extended her wings, and pounced onto the other Battle Birds, knocking them instantly.

"Back off, bat!" Battle Lord Kukku clenched his fist, shooting blasts of energy from a ring. "Only birds shall rule the skies!"

With Rouge stalling the Battle Lord, Jet tripped the ruler off his feet and Wave slammed her foot against his chest. Storm grabbed the Warp Ring and spat on the bird's face.

"That's what you get for bullying, Jet!" the albatross said.

"Father!?" Speedy howled fearfully, as he boosted to his former allies. "You're going to pay for that, you-"

Jet grabbed Speedy by the throat and glared into the future lord's soul. "At least my family sticks together through thick and thin no matter what happens I know for a fact, kid, your dad's made more enemies within his own ranks. If I were you or your old man, then I'd suggest you'd watch your back."

Speedy's eyes began to tear up. "P-please… d-don't hurt me… I just wanted to be like you. That's all I want. You're someone I look up to… I don't want to be like my father, I want to be like you!... P-please, Jet, I'm begging you, let me be part of the team."

Jet closed his eyes before he tossed Speedy aside. "Sorry, kid. You've got your destiny… and I've got mine."

Instead of fighting back, Speedy laid on the ground, sobbing quietly.

"What brings a G.U.N. spy like yourself here, Rogue?" Wave inquired.

"Well, if I were here normally, I'd peek at the many jewels in this establishment," Rouge replied. "But since the world's gone bonkers, I'm here to save you guys apparently. Why are you three here?"

"Haven't you heard," Jet smirked. "The Babylon Rogues are proud members of the Secret Strikers."

"Yeah!" Storm clapped. "We're stealing stuff for their multiverse portal."

"Multiverse portal?" Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Knuckles and Sonic will have to explain later. Right now, I gotta report back to base. Care to join me?"

"As long we you don't arrest us, we'll go," Jet quipped.

"I cannot confirm nor deny we'll arrest you," Rouge snickered.

The spy and the Rogues fled the museum, leaving Speedy to release his emotions.

Soon, the Secret Strikers met by the hub of Freedom Heights. The Letter of Gabriel stood in front of them with its back door opened. There, G.U.N. agents escorted civilians inside and cared for the wounded soldiers that fought bravely. Team Chaotix talked among themselves. Silver and Blaze gave water to a family of three humans.

Tails, Amy, Cream, Gemerl, and Big spoke with the ship's leader: Amanda Tower, the sister to the actual commander: Abraham Tower.

Mini Miles, Rosy, and Chuckles were drinking Chao Cola and snacking on bags of pretzels.

The only ones who were just arriving were Sonic, Shadow, Clay, Knuckles, and Lil' Blue. Mini Miles and Rosy cheered and hugged their blue friend. Knuckles was confused by the appearance of Lil' Blue's friends before he was approached by Chuckles.

"What's up uh… Older Knuckles?"

"Hey there… Younger Knuckles?"

"I called him, Chuckles," Sonic whispered to the echidna. "Funny name, eh?"

Annoyed by the nickname, Chuckles punched Sonic's kneecap.

The hedgehog whined and collapsed onto the floor.

Knuckles shared a glance with Chuckles. "I like you already."

Both echidnas shared a fist-bump.

Tails approached his best friend and helped him on his feet. "Lil' Blue's friends helped us save a lot of people today. I'm glad you and the others found them."

"Likewise, little buddy," Sonic replied, wiping the dirt off his fur. "How are you doing?"

The twin-tailed kitsune revealed that he had a black mark on his arm. The cobalt hedgehog lightly gasped before he gently look a closer look at the burn. "Dude, what happened to you?"

"An Egg Pawn threw a fireball at Cream and I pushed her out of the way. I didn't want her to get hurt. But I'm fine. A little burn's not going to stop me."

Cream and Gemerl, who overhead that comment, approached the fox.

"Thanks for saving me, Mr. Tails," the former greeted. "But I'm sorry to get your hurt like this."

"No worries, Cream," Tails winked. "Your safety matters more to me."

"Aww," Cream smiled, as she jumped up and kissed the fox's cheek. Gemerl nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Tails," he said. "I appreciate it."

Tails nervously chuckled, as his cheeks blushed. "Y-you're welcome, Gemerl."

Rouge and the Babylon Rogues arrived.

"We got the Warp Ring for you, Shorty," Wave handed the ring to Tails. "Looks like you've got everything you need for your multiverse portal."

"I'm not understanding that," Rouge rubbed her head. "What are you guys planning exactly?"

"It's a long story," Sonic replied. "You see-"

"Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna," Captain Amanda Tower chimed in. She was an average sized woman with peach skin, short, light-brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a G.U.N. uniform consisting of a navy, brown and white colored cap and a jacket. She offered her hand to both heroes. "It's an honor to meet you both in the flesh. Especially you, Sonic, I'm glad to see you back on your feet."

Shadow, Rouge, and Omega stood beside the three interlocutors.

"Likewise, Captain," Sonic saluted. "Thanks for helping us out. Although, we could've used you guys six months ago."

"We apologize for that," Amanda nodded humbly. "G.U.N. and I were investigating something else at the time. I assume Team Dark has informed you?"

"Informed us about what?" Knuckles inquired.

"We've discovered parts of Infinite's origin story," Shadow replied.

"So did we," Sonic smiled. "We've learned he was from the No Zone and that he's got some grudge against Zonic. He told us this when we went to the Arsenal Pyramid."

"Did he tell you everything?" Rouge asked.

"Everything?" Sonic and Knuckles said at the same time.

Team Dark exchanged a glance before they guided Sonic and Knuckles to the ship's back door.

"I think it's time we introduced you to some friends we made a while back," Shadow folded his arms. "You guys can bring them out now."

A pair of G.U.N. soldiers escorted a total of four prisoners to the two heroes. Once they revealed themselves, Sonic and Knuckles released a heavy gasp.

The four prisoners were…

…Tempest, Jay, Pierce, and Lance aka The Jackal Squad.

END OF CHAPTER 24

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the heck is this!? The Jackal Squad is alive and well and they're not dead! Well, if you all remember one flashback Infinite had in an earlier chapter, you would remember that I spared the Jackal Squad instead of killing them like other rewrites did. Not that it was a bad idea to begin with, but I didn't want to do that. Plus, I can't see Shadow killing a bunch of canines. That's not what Maria would have wanted and it's not what Gerald Robotnik wanted either. Both of them would be disappointed in Shadow for doing that. Anyways, the Secret Strikers have what they need for the multiverse portal, but first... it's time they know the truth about their mysterious foe.

How will Infinite's story go down? Find out in a very special...

"Chapter 25: Rise of Infinite".

POST-A/N:

The backstory for the Babylon Rogues in this story is heavily based on their story in the Pre-Super Genesis Wave continuity of the Archie Sonic Comics. It's also alluded they have the same backstory in the Post-SGW comics as well. Honestly, I wish that was something we saw in the games, but since Battle Lord Kukku and the Battle Bird Armada came from Tails' Adventure aka a Classic Sonic game, I assume Iizuka (I probably butchered his name) doesn't want them being in a modern game much like Mighty, Ray, and the Hooligans. Which sucks in my opinion. That whole Modern world not tying in with the Classic stuff is confusing.

We haven't seen Team Dark in a while. Not since Chapter 16: Homecoming, I believe. It feels nice to have them back since I'm a big fan of their dynamic in Post-Super Genesis Wave Archie Sonic Comics. Ian Flynn (while he has been known for doing some stupid stuff like killing certain characters in the old comics) writes Shadow so well that it makes me wish he would work for the current Sonic staff. Some people may disagree, but hey, I think he would do a good job in my opinion. He's been writing for the comics since Archie Sonic Issue 162.

Infinite was supposed to make an appearance in this chapter, but I wanted to save him for something I have in the future.

Response to TheLostEternity: Honestly, writing that whole chapter (Triple Date) made me grin like an idiot. As I said, I don't ship Sonic and Amy, but I do like to see moments between them in the comics and Sonic Boom. When Sonic Forces came out, I honestly wanted more Mania Zone counterparts to come in and team up with their Modern counterparts. I think it would have been cool. Yep, Clay has access to a Phantom Ruby prototype and who knows how'll he use that thing. Speaking of Clay, what do you mean you're starting to like him now? He's mighty, how come you didn't like him before, lol! Jokes aside, I'm glad Clay, Skylar, Emma, and Buster are likable to you. It is funny how Zero's name fits in with the No Zone's naming system, isn't it? Studiopolis was a stage I hated during my first playthrough, but now I love it. Thank you for your comments once again, my friend! You rock!

Response to Guest: No worries about how long it took for you to review. Your life comes first, my friend :). I'm glad you loved how the Secret Strikers stormed Dr. Eggman's base in in Chapter 22. We'll be seeing how Clay and Gadget know each other later on. Infinite's story will be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned for that! I'm glad you like my character interactions. If there's anything I've learned in film class, character and story are huge components that require a lot of focus. Thank you for the support once again and I'll see you soon!

That's all I have to say, folks! Thank you all for reading! Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all next time!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)