Shadows of Chaos

by K. M. Hollar

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Copyright notice: Sonic the hedgehog, Shadow, and all other related characters copyrighted by Sega. Slasher, Serena, and all other fan characters copyrighted by K. M. Hollar, including the chao. Special thanks to Murr-Quan Lord #2 and Alex Warlorn, who were my copyeditors, and without whom this fanfic would have stunk like a dead fish. Also, to the gang on the messageboard, who cheered me on.

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Chapter 1: Gathering Shadows

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The lights blinked on and off, bathing the hall in ruby red, then plunging it into momentary darkness. Sirens pierced his head. Behind the alarms were the clamor of men's voices, and most terrifying of all, gunfire. They had taken everyone he knew, even as the doctor was yelling something about merging the station.

His breath tore his lungs. Why couldn't he run faster? He was the fastest being in existence, and yet was unable to run fast enough to calm the panic that was devouring him. He shouldn't have left her. He had stepped down the hall to see how close the soldiers were, and the security doors closed behind him. He had been forced to circle around and return to the shuttle bay another way, and the fastest being on or over Mobius was not fast enough.

He slid around a corner and entered the harsh white light of the shuttle bay. "MARIA!" The scream burst from him unmeditated as his fear exploded into terror and grief. She was lying on the floor with three other casualties, and five armed guards were waiting for him, one holding a small chao. He didn't care about the guards--nothing mattered now. His attack was over in the blink of an eye, and the soldiers hit the floor. He didn't care if he killed them.

He knelt beside the young girl and turned her over, and the blue eyes fluttered with recognition. "Maria," he choked. She had been shot in the chest, and even his medically inexperienced eyes could see it was fatal. He bent his spiny head over the human's blond one, and cried the first and last tears he would ever shed.

She whispered his name, and he gulped his grief and fell silent. "You must save them," she whispered, so softly he had to stoop close to hear the words. "Give them a chance to be free."

"They're the ones who ..." he began, but the rest of the sentence caught in his throat.

"Do it for me," said Maria, her sapphire eyes closing for the last time. "Sayonara, Shadow."

Strong gloved hands grabbed his arms and yanked him to his feet. "No!" he cried, writhing with every muscle in his body. "Maria, don't leave me! Don't leave--" He broke their hold and returned to her side, only to be grabbed and bodily shoved into an escape pod. He flung himself at the door at the speed of sound, but it clicked shut as his ninety-nine pounds of spines and sinew struck it. "No! I'll kill you!" he screamed through the tiny window that looked into the shuttle bay. "I'll kill you all for this!"

The second before the pod was jettisoned, his maddened eyes rested on Maria's golden hair in a pile on the cold floor.

He would never forgive the humans for this. Never.

* * *

Serena sat up with a gasp. Sunlight was pouring through the windows of her hut, illuminating her familiar living quarters and belongings. She groped for the watch on her nightstand--it was quarter to seven. She leaned against the headboard, clutched the blankets to her chest and drew several deep breaths. But she could not help looking around the room and peering into the corners. He was closer than ever that time. Why, oh, why wouldn't those dreams stop?

The violet hedgehog got up and began to dress. Her hands shook as she pulled on her jeans. "It was just a dream," she told herself. "Snap out of it." A dream that had haunted her every night for a month. She had never told anyone about it, for nothing ever happened in it. She would be standing in a wide place, and in the distance was a black hedgehog. She was unable to move or make a sound as he walked toward her, head down. When they began she had not even been sure he was a hedgehog, but now he was fifteen feet away and coming closer every night, eyes fixed on her with some unimaginable purpose.

She looked in the mirror and froze. One hand ran through her spines as if afraid of what she might find. That was what she had noticed last night--his spines were drenched with blood. Whose blood? While in the dream she had known what it meant, but now it escaped her.

Serena was brushing her teeth when her eyes fell on the calender beside the mirror. It was July 10th. Of course! In her worry over her dreams she had forgotten it was Sonic's birthday. She shot her reflection a foamy grin.

A moment later she pulled a shoebox out from under her bed and began wrapping it in brown paper. Oh boy, Sonic would be surprised. She and Spark had put their money together and bought their brother a pair of Soapshoes, which were used in skateboarding stunts. Spark had joked that he would throw in a pair of crutches for free. Rotor had been building a practice course, which had been finished earlier that week. Tails had been working on something top secret for some time, and Slasher merely looked enigmatic when asked what she was giving Sonic. "She'll try to top us all," thought Serena as she set the box on her bed and viewed it from all angles. "But I'll bet she can't top these."

Something whooshed by overhead, and the windows rattled. Serena smiled. Sonic was higher than a kite this morning--it sounded like he was using the chaos emeralds again. His emerald belt hadn't worked since the chao had recharged the super emeralds, so he had made good use of the chaos emeralds, which were still in Knothole's keeping. She hid the box under her bed and stepped outside.

Sonic appeared in a flash of yellow and hovered an inch off the ground. "Hi sis!" he said, waving.

Serena eyed his glowing spines. "Dressing up special for today?"

"Why not?" said Sonic, moonwalking in a circle. "It's not every day you turn twenty. The big two-O, that's me!"

"Don't expect any presents," said Serena, walking toward the kitchen hut, where breakfast was being prepared. "Nobody likes you that much."

"Sure," said Sonic, floating along beside her with his hands behind his head. "You and Spark ain't flat broke for no reason."

"All you got is a strait-jacket and a gag, trust me," said Serena, eyes twinkling.

Everyone paid Sonic less than the usual attention that morning, which annoyed him to no end. He flew away over the Great Forest and broke the sound barrier repeatedly all morning. It sounded as if a thunderstorm were moving in.

When the hedgehog returned at lunch, breathless and in high spirits, he found his friends in the community hut, waiting for him amid a modest pile of gifts.

First the Freedom Fighters stood and watched as Slasher performed the traditional ceremony of a Mobian coming of age. Sonic stood before the velociraptor and received each of the items--a bunch of bitter herbs, to represent the sorrows of life, a lump of honeycomb, to represent the sweetness of life, and a small glass star pendant, to represent the purity of a peaceful life. "Let it also remind you of the world to come, and of the One who was, and is, and will be," Slasher added. "Sonic, you are now a legal adult by Mobian law."

"Gee, I feel the same," said Sonic, gazing down at the items in his hands. "What do I do now?"

"Well," said Slasher, "I believe this stuff here is yours, and after that there's a giant chocolate cake with your name on it."

Sonic set aside his gifts and tore into the packages like a whirlwind. "Cool shoes!" he yelped, lifting the soaps out of their box. "These are those grinding ones I saw!" He set them down and opened the card. "IOU, from Rotor," Sonic read aloud. He glanced at the walrus. "What's that mean?"

"Just what it says," said Rotor. "It's an obstacle course to try out your shoes."

"Cool!" said Sonic, reaching for the next box. "From Knuckles and the Chaotix," he read, then ripped it open. Inside was a tarnished gold bracelet with a glowing red stone set in it. "Uh, wow Knux," said Sonic, holding it up for all to see. "Going in for jewelry now?"

"I thought it'd match your nosering," said the echidna from his armchair, drawing a general laugh. "Just a gadget I found. I thought you might like it."

Sonic slipped it on his wrist and lifted another small box. "From Tails," he read, and opened the lid. Inside was the orange chaos emerald. "Gee, thanks, Tails," said Sonic with a touch of sarcasm. "Couldn't you think of anything to get me?"

"What do you think I've been working on?" asked Tails, hurt. "That's a synthetic emerald. It has the properties and wavelength of one of the real ones, and can absorb the energy of another for a short time. That's why it's orange, because I used that one."

"Oh, great," said Sonic, gazing at it. "That's really cool, Tails, but why go to all that trouble?"

Tails grinned. "Because of what Slasher's giving you."

Sonic sorted through the empty boxes and wrapping paper and found an envelope he hadn't opened. "Lemme guess," he said, looking at Slasher. "Money!"

"No such luck," said the raptor, allowing a smile to bare her teeth. "You'll like it anyway."

Serena looked at Spark and whispered, "Just watch. She'll outdo us all."

Sonic opened the envelope flap and paused. "The suspense is terrible," he told his audience. "I hope it'll last." He reached in, and with exaggerated deliberation, began to withdraw the slip of paper inside. Everyone leaned forward. Sonic grinned wickedly. "Maybe I'll wait until later."

"Aw, c'mon!" Serena begged.

Sonic yanked the paper out. "You're right, I couldn't wait that long--" His eyes widened as he read the slip's contents, and he whooped and leaped into the air. For several minutes the only words they could understand were, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"What is it?" the others clamored, trying to grab the paper, which Sonic was waving overhead. At last the hedgehog yelled, "It's a free pass to the chao gardens! I'm gonna go see Velocity!"

The other chao owners in the room instantly looked crestfallen. Slasher had not only outdone them, she had given Sonic the gift that they all wanted. Slasher alone looked smug, for tucked away in her hut were six other passes. "You get seven days of free access to all the gardens," Slasher explained when Sonic had calmed down enough to listen to her. "Starting this Saturday. Chaos emeralds aren't allowed in the gardens, but as Tails pointed out, fake ones aren't against any rules."

"Cool!" said Sonic, gathering his gifts into a pile. "How about that cake?"

* * *

Watching a chocolate-charged hedgehog hurt himself trying to use his soapshoes was a big event, and most of the village turned out to watch. Rotor had built a course in the yard behind his hut, complete with slanted railings, poles, cables and everything else he could think of. Sonic tried them all. It was an hour or two before he got the hang of grinding, and while learning took spills that would have landed him on any human reality show.

"At this rate he'll be going to Sapphire City, all right," commented Knuckles. "In an ambulance."

"I heard that!" yelled Sonic, shooting along a rail with sparks flying from his shoes. He landed gracefully on the grass. "What's a bruise or two?"

"Yeah, nobody will notice if you're black and blue," Spark called.

Serena jumped. Any time she forgot about the black hedgehog in her dream, something reminded her of him.

"Isn't he wonderful?" sighed a voice beside her. Serena looked around and saw Amy Rose standing there, leaning on the fence that ringed the course. The pink hedgehog's being radiated adoration. "Look at him go. You're so lucky you're his sister!"

"Aren't I?" asked Serena, irritated for no reason. "At least he doesn't pick on you."

"He picks on you?" asked Amy, wide-eyed.

"All the time," said Serena.

"Gee, and I thought he was nice to you," murmured Amy, watching Sonic grind a cable, leap for a railing, miss and fall on his face.

"You ought to see what he does when I get the last chilidog," said the violet hedgehog. "I have to run for my life." She didn't add that neither of them had had a fight for weeks.

Amy frowned. "I don't care. I'd love him even if he was in jail!"

* * *

As night fell and the Freedom Fighters retired to bed, a large military prison near Sapphire City was locking its doors.

Scott Price had been with GUN since the attack of the biotics, twenty months before. GUN stood for Governmental United Navy, and indeed, years ago it had been a navy. Now it was the only military force left in the vicinity of Sapphire City, due to the efforts of the biotics, nearly two years before. When Scott had enlisted, he found that GUN had put serious effort into constructing robots tough enough to withstand a biotic attack. The first prototypes had come into use when the biotic charge was halted, and the units were never tested. In the months of upheaval that followed, GUN alone kept the colony from anarchy.

Scott stood at his post near Dock 3, watching the lights of the city shimmer in the bay. There were two armored skimmers docked nearby, and further off loomed the aircraft carrier Althair. It was a quiet evening. He listened with half an ear to the buzz of the outer doorlocks. A spotlight swept through the trees at the rim of the harbor. He was glad he wasn't a prison guard; the human prisoners were bad, but he had heard stories from the Mobian section that froze the blood. On top of that, there were rumors of a prisoner in security level 8 who was so dangerous he was kept in solitary confinement. The soldiers often tried to guess what kind of Mobian it was. A lion or a tiger were the most common guesses. A bear, maybe. "Oh my," he thought with an inner smile. There was little chance anyone would ever break out, and if they did, there was the naval base and the bay to deal with.

At midnight he was relieved by one of the robot guards, which carried an enormous gun and a shield that could repel most energy weapons. Scott stretched as he walked toward his bunker. Mess at six tomorrow, then more guard duty ... he wasn't scheduled for more battlemech training for another six weeks.

He withdrew his keycard from his pocket, but before he could insert it into the doorlock, an orange light reflected off the wall in front of him, and a boom like a cannon struck his eardrums. He spun around. The guard robot lay about the dock in flaming pieces, and a squat mech with a headlight was clanking up the dock toward the prison entrance. Even in the dark Scott knew it was not a GUN robot. He whipped out his radio and bolted for his station. "Ensign Price reporting an intruder! Repeat, an armed intruder is on dock three!"

* * *

"Is that all?" he laughed as his vulcan cannon punched through a squadron of robots. "I had more security in the Robotropolis sewers!" His sturdy mech had left a trail of broken security doors and robots behind it. His shields were at maximum, but it was seldom a bullet or plasma charge glanced off it.

A door slammed shut ahead of him, a giant sheet of steel with the number 3 painted on it. He swept the doorlocks with a sophisticated tag laser perfected on many robots, and knocked them out with four laser pulses. "Intruder has breached security level three!" a female voice announced over the loudspeakers. "Activate advanced security measures!"

"Do, I'd prefer a challenge," he growled through his mustache. He muscled his walker down a set of stairs and into a cell block. Curious faces peered through the bars as he clanked by. "Robotizer fodder, all," he thought. "Converting wastrels of society into efficient robots is better than cluttering up a decent prison."

He saw no guards until he blasted open the level 4 door. Then he met a battalion of droids, some hovering, others on foot and carrying shields. "Updated my old SWAT-bot model, I see," he said, targeting them all and letting his guided missiles do the rest. "These fools have no imagination."

Dr. Robotnik glanced around to make sure he had missed none of the robots, then continued on his way, rocking a little with the motion of the mech. He consulted his map of the prison--yes, he was coming up on level 5. And this was a powerful military base he was dealing with? Absurd. Surely he would meet more resistance than this.

Level 5 passed, then 6, then 7. The doctor was bored. Sonic gave him a better fight than this. Perhaps he was moving too fast. He entered a long room with the level 8 door at the end, and found his way barred by human soldiers. Did they think they could stop him by merely being human? He had killed too many people, Mobian and human alike, to view them as anything more than a hindrance. He leveled them with terrible ease, ignoring the bullets that struck his shields.

He strode through the smoke in time to see a dozen doors close in the hallway ahead, the last one snapping shut with a large 8 on it. Oh no, that wouldn't stop him. He punched a button. A panel opened in the front of his walker below the headlight, exposing a large green lens. Just as its larger cousin had once destroyed a small red biplane, the beam torched through the steel doors, withering them into ash.

His mech strode through and entered the cool green light of the level 8 cell block. There was only one cell, if one could call it that. Robotnik moved his walked up to a glowing console with screens displaying warnings about an intruder. Beyond it was a deep square well full of mist. "So, this is the secret weapon my grandfather was working on," thought Robotnik, eying the quiet machines. "It certainly doesn't look dangerous enough to have been shut down." He leaned out of the cockpit and studied the control panel. It was quite simple, and he located the keypad for the password without difficulty. He punched in the numbers--51631--and said aloud their alphabetical meaning: "Maria." Then he peered at the well of mist beyond.

The mist lit with red light, and with a grinding of gears, its contents lifted into sight. It was a tube laced with pipes and wires--a cryogenic freeze chamber. Whatever he was dealing with was organic.

The lights on the control panel blinked toward red, and Robotnik waited, drumming his fingers on the walker's door. Defrosting took time, he knew, but if he waited too long he would have a fight on his hands.

At last there came a piercing hiss, and door in the top of the chamber swung open. Out of the steam stepped a figure--a hedgehog. Robotnik stared. How had Sonic found out what he was doing? He was sure news of his attack couldn't have reached the Freedom Fighters so quickly--but wait, this hedgehog was black. As the light above the chamber flicked on, Robotnik saw that he was not dealing with Sonic.

It was a jet-black hedgehog, his twisted spines striped with red. There was a triangular white star on his chest, and his wrist and ankles were banded with metal. His shoes were oddly-shaped and bulky. "Who are you?" he barked.

"I am Dr. Robotnik," said the doctor. "Who are YOU?"

A slow smile spread over the hedgehog's face. "My name is Shadow," he said, folding his arms and peering imperiously down at Robotnik, as if stepping out of cryogenic freeze were an everyday occurrence. "Since you have freed me, my master, I will grant you one wish."

"Grant me a wish?" said Robotnik, gazing at this newcomer. His proportions were perfect, and his limbs moved fluidly--there was no sign of a robotic build beneath the black fur. Now, if only this secret weapon would prove more reliable than the one Metal Sonic had built ...

But before either could say another word, there was a crash from the hall behind them. Robotnik twisted around in his seat. "What now?"

The black hedgehog gazed in the same direction, and a look of cool cunning entered his red eyes. "Watch and behold my power," he commanded, leaping off the chamber and landed beside the Eggwalker. The toes and heels of his shoes lit with a whoosh, lifting his feet a few inches from the floor. He shot away down the hall, moving as if he were wearing inline skates.

In the room beyond stood a tall, heavily armored walker, of a different style from Robotnik's creation. In the cockpit was Scott Price. When the pilots had been scrambled, he had arrived at his post first. As his file showed he'd had the necessary field training, he had been rushed to the H-15 Hotshot, the bulkiest of the battlemechs GUN owned.

He had expected to meet the unwelcome alien walker, and so was startled to see the Mobian whisk out of security block level 8 and regard him, unafraid. "Dispatch, this is Hotshot," he reported over the intercom. "Target acquired, but it is not the intruder. Repeat, it is not the intruder. Over."

There was startled silence on the other end, then his ranking officer said, "Description, over."

"Black Mobian hedgehog, sir! Over."

"Consider it armed and extremely dangerous," replied Dispatch. "Destroy it!"

"Roger," said Price, locking onto the small figure. He squeezed the trigger and felt the vibration as he emptied fifteen rounds into the target. He moved forward a step to clear his vision of smoke, and jumped when a whirling ball of black and red spines smashed into the windshield.

He launched his vehicle into flight mode. Its legs folded under the head, and four hoverjets ignited in the mech's body. It lifted clear of the floor, and Price swept around the room, looking for the hedgehog. He saw it once or twice, streaking across the floor like a black cockroach.

So, the most dangerous of the Mobian prisoners was a hedgehog. It moved too fast for a lock. Very well, time for plan B. He landed on his feet, opened the missile racks, and wasted the area. Then he paused to let the mech cool, and the firestorm to die down. That should have taken care of things--

The hedgehog attacked with such speed and ferocity that Scott was alarmed. The windshield splintered under the blows, and he heard the metal in the missile racks tearing. How could anything move so fast? It hit the windshield, the missile racks, and the windshield in the space of two heartbeats. The glass plinked into the cockpit. "It's too strong!" he yelled into the radio. "Requesting reinforcements!"

"Price, retreat!" his dispatch officer ordered. "Now! We're sealing the area! Get out before he kills you!"

Scott punched the Hotshot into reverse but the hedgehog kept attacking, curled into a ball of spines, intent on reaching the pilot. One section of the windshield smashed, glass flying into Scott's face. He tried to shield himself with one hand and keep the mech moving with the other. When he looked up again, the black hedgehog was staring at him through the hole with such hatred Scott was certain he was about to climb inside. He drew his handgun, aimed it at the hedgehog, and fired.

His enemy was gone an instant before he squeezed the trigger, but even as the pistol kicked back in his hand, the hedgehog plunged through the glass just overhead, feet first.

* * *

Shadow swept back to Robotnik on his hoverskates. Robotnik had watched the battle from the room beyond, and was impressed and amused. Shadow was experienced in robot killing, and Robotnik took pleasure in seeing another machine meet the same fate so many of his own had met upon encountering Sonic. Sonic, however, was not so aggressive.

"Quite impressive," said Robotnik, hiding his overwhelming joy at having found such an incredible creature. "But what did you mean when you said you would grant me a wish?"

Shadow's eyes were veiled. "Bring the chaos emeralds. I'll be waiting for you in the control room of the space colony ARK."

"ARK?" said Robotnik, eyebrows lifted despite himself. "Why there, and why do we need the emeralds?"

Shadow merely looked at him, as if there were no need for an explanation. "I'll be waiting for you in seven days," he said, and coasted back into the battle room without a sound.

When Robotnik followed a moment later, he found the exit doors were sealed, and Shadow was gone. Robotnik charged his shield, blew open the doors, and proceeded to fight his way to freedom.

* * *

Scott Price lay sleeping in a bed in the medical ward, head and face swathed with bandages. The heart monitor beside the bed beeped quietly and steadily. Officer Clark, Scott's ranking officer, gazed down at him, then turned to the doctor. "Well?"

"He has a concussion," the doctor reported, "plus three lacerations in his scalp, and second-degree burns on his face and neck from the thing's hovershoes. We also removed glass from his face and arms."

The officer gazed at the young soldier. He had been in combat for exactly ninety-five seconds.

He strode from the ward, composing his report in his head. "Man down. Prisoner and intruder have escaped. All units search for the black hedgehog. Better warn the mayor, too. Suspect is extremely dangerous." He allowed a grim smile to cross his face. "Well Gerald, you're one up on us."

Chapter 2 - Chao Garden

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Sonic flew along as if his feet were winged, for tucked in his backpack was the chao pass. He could have sang as he ran, if he had had the voice for it. Would Velocity expect him? What would the chao do when Sonic stepped into the garden and called his name? He envisioned the look of pure joy that would steal across Velocity's face. It made him run even faster.

As he tore along, he remembered the battles he and Velocity had fought against the horrible biotic army. He thought of their leader, Mecha Bot 5, and of how is oily voice sounded when it was inside Sonic's head. Sometimes he still heard it when he was over-tired. He wondered if Velocity did, too. They had narrowly escaped being made into biotics, and had completed the required mental conditioning. They had recovered afterward, unlike some of the captives the Freedom Fighters had rescued. Sonic shook his head to banish the dark memories, and focused on cheerier things, like Velocity's delight in seeing him.

Nestled in Sonic's pack was the blue chaos emerald, and its exact duplicate--Tails' ingenious fake, which had turned blue after a night of touching the real emerald. The fake had a bit of tape stuck to it to distinguish it from the real one. Sonic had also donned his emerald belt for old times' sake, and it hung around his waist, invisible to all eyes but his own.

Sapphire City had been rebuilt after Perfect Chaos had levelled part of it, a few years before. Sonic stopped on top of a hill to survey the cityscape. He couldn't tell what had been replaced and what had been demolished--he could even see the Speed Highway suspended between the buildings. Humans were fast builders. He made a mental note to ask if the biotics had bothered Sapphire City, and plunged down the hill at a gallop.

The Chao Co. Headquarters was located in the eastern part of the city, which had escaped Perfect Chaos' wrath. It was a long, light blue building. Sonic entered the wide glass doors, and found himself in a sunny lobby with an elaborate fountain in the center. He turned to the receptionist's desk, and with a shock found himself facing a turquoise chao wearing glasses. "Hello," said the chao. "What can I do for you?"

Sonic handed it his pass. "I'm here to visit a chao named Velocity," he explained.

The chao studied his pass for a moment, then lifted a pen in its paw and signed it. "Ah, so you were with one of the testing groups," the chao remarked, sliding it back to Sonic. "I wanted to go, but I was too old. Show your pass to the guard at garden three. She'll make sure you get in each day."

"Thanks," said Sonic, trying to shake his amazement at being checked in by a chao. He walked to the rear of the lobby, followed a sign that said "Gardens 1-4", located Garden 3, and opened the door.

He stepped into an outdoor yard, and found himself in a fenced area with a guardhouse, with a gate leading into the garden. Sonic walked up to the guardhouse and peered inside. A Mobian bat was sitting on a chair inside, her nose in a book, and a chao asleep in her lap. Sonic gazed at her black fur and robotized wings for a second before he recognized her. "Pip!" he said.

She looked up. "Sonic!" she exclaimed, reaching through the ticket window to shake his hand, and disentangling herself from her book and sleepy chao. "Long time no see!"

"What are you doing here?" Sonic asked, gesturing to the garden. "Last time I saw you, you were helping me escape from Robo Knux."

"I'm working here, of course," said Pip. "By the way, I can't let you in without a pass." She looked apologetic. "It's my job, you know."

Sonic handed her his pass and watched her file it in a cubbyhole. "Okay, you can go in now," said the bat, pressing a button to open the gate. "Tell me when you want out."

Sonic stepped onto the grass and forgot about Pip. There were several trees in the yard, and the chao were playing in the shade beneath them. None had noticed him. He peered at each chao, looking for Velocity. There was Zinc, his silver body shining. Max was playing in the fountain. A black chao was playing with lockblocks, and beside him was Velocity, his deep blue head bent over the blocks in concentration, a small emblem glinting on his chest.

Sonic stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

The reaction was like pouring vinegar on baking soda. Every head in the garden lifted and turned in curiosity. The look of joy that flashed across Velocity's face was just as Sonic had imagined it. He had also anticipated that the chao would run to him as fast as his legs would carry him. What he hadn't expected was that half a dozen other chao also ran to him, yelling and chattering, "Sonic! Sonic! Look, it's Sonic!"

Velocity flung himself at one of the hedgehog's legs. Sonic staggered from the impact, then fell over as the other chao collided with him, one flying at stomach level. They surrounded him, ecstatic and each trying to talk louder than the rest. He saw Elleno, Pilot, Zinc, Max, Chalcon, an orange chao he didn't know, and Velocity, who was bouncing up and down, clapping his little hands. Sonic sat up and picked up Velocity, who wriggled in delight. "Sonic, I'm so glad to see you!" he laughed, and threw his arms around the hedgehog's neck.

It was some time before the chao calmed down. They pranced around Sonic's feet and wrestled to show him how big and strong they were. The largest was Chalcon, which Sonic thought odd, because the Chaos chao had been the smallest when they had hatched. Velocity was a shade bluer than Sonic remembered. Pilot's wings had grown out a few more inches. Elleno had lost the stripes on the sides of her head, and looked like a purple, female version of Velocity. Zinc was as polished as a silver spoon, and had grown claws on his hands to complement the two horns on his head. Max's yellow belly had turned a sky blue, and he hopped along on his flippers like a seal. But there was someone missing; Sonic counted heads several times before he realized who it was. "Where's Chimera?"

He looked at the orange chao who had run up with the rest. "Don't look at me," he said. "My name's Sam. I'm Max's friend."

"He's over there," said Velocity, pointing to the black chao who was playing with lockblocks with his back to them. Sonic walked up to him, noticing that all the chao but Velocity hung back. Velocity looked uncertain. "Be careful, Sonic. He hasn't been happy lately ..."

Sonic knelt beside the black chao, who looked up at him with hatred. His red fur had turned a rusty black, and the horns on his head had twisted into strange shapes. He bared his teeth, which were long and sharp, like a wolf's. "Hello, Sonic," hissed Chimera. "I hope you die."

Sonic backed away, stunned. Velocity looked pained, and tugged at his master's hand. "Come over here now, Sonic."

Chimera gave the blue chao a poisonous glare. "I hope you die, too." He returned to his blocks as Sonic walked back to the other chao, who were watching with wide eyes. "What happened to him?" he murmured.

The chao led him to a bench, made him sit down, and gathered around his feet. Velocity climbed up to sit beside him.

"We don't know what happened," said Pilot, a purple Nights chao.

"Yeah," Elleno added, looking like a downcast copy of Serena. "He was okay when we got here. He was homesick, but we all were."

"Then he started brooding," said Zinc in his clear voice. "He didn't play anymore. The scientists who study us said it--what was it?"

"A maladjustment metamorphosis," said Chalcon. The education Slasher had given him had not been in vain. "That means he was changing to fit his environment, but in a bad way."

"Eventually he turned black, and his spikes got all twisty," said Pilot. "He hates everybody now."

"Especially me," said Max mournfully, holding up a bandaged flipper.

"He got so mean he stopped doing tests," said Velocity. "He bit the scientists too much."

"Tests?" said Sonic. "What do you mean? Do they give you injections or something?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," said Pilot, ever the talkative one. "First they were real easy. We'd have to press colored buttons to open certain doors in a maze. Then they taught us our letters--but we already knew how to read, anyway--so they gave us comprehension tests."

"Those were fun," said Zinc, his black eyes sparkling at the memory. "They'd hide candy somewhere in the garden, and give us a riddle to figure out. It was like a treasure hunt."

"Chalcon was the best at those," said Pilot. "Then they started the physical tests. But those aren't really tests. Back behind this place is a race course, and we team up against chao from the other gardens." She displayed a small gold medal taped to her purple chest. "I'm best at the flying course."

"Chimera and I are best at climbing," said Zinc, "but he won't do it anymore. If they make him, he sits down and forfeits the race."

"Guess what I'm best at," said Velocity, grinning and showing Sonic his badge.

"Hey, I outran you once," said Elleno, looking indignant.

"Only because I tripped," retorted Velocity.

The chao recounted their favorite races, described other chao they had met, and bragged about their wins. Chalcon, the Chaos chao, kept to himself, but the others mentioned his wins so much that Sonic sensed that Chalcon was the most powerful. He had won the most races, he had the highest I/Q, and he was the biggest. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had evolved twice.

An hour passed, and one by one the other chao wandered off to play. Velocity was left alone with Sonic. "Did you bring my emerald?" the chao asked in a hushed voice.

"You bet I did," Sonic whispered. "I also brought a fake one to try out on you. Can I take you out of the garden?"

"Yes, but not now," said Velocity, glancing at the large clock on the guardhouse. "We're only allowed outside the garden between noon and six PM. C'mon, I'll show you the others."

Sonic was introduced to three chao; two blue ones and a pink one whose topknots were either twisted into corkscrews or split in the middle. The had been born and raised in the gardens. "Where's Magi?" Velocity asked them.

A blue chao named Rusty pointed to the far end of the garden. "Over there, in the corner. He's sunning himself."

Velocity led Sonic to the corner, where a snow-white chao was lying on the grass. He sat up as they approached and turned milky eyes in their direction. "Hello Velocity," he said. "Who is that with you?"

"This is Sonic, my hedgehog friend," said Velocity. "Sonic, this is Magi."

Sonic stroked the white chao's head. His fur was coarse, and there were heavy wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. He had once been blue, but had turned white with age. Magi took Sonic's hand in his paws. "I am pleased to meet you, Sonic. Few strangers are interested in old, blind chao."

"How old are you?" Sonic asked, staring.

"I am many years old," replied Magi. "I have regressed and rehatched three times in my life. The next time I enter otiae, it will be in death. But that time is still a little way off. Tell me about yourself."

Sonic explained that he was a Freedom Fighter, and told about raising Velocity. Magi listened, rocking back and forth a little. When Sonic finished, the old chao sighed and said, "I had a master too, once, many years ago. That was before the Chao Company came along, and we were raised by humans in their homes. It was better then." He lapsed into silence, his sightless eyes staring into the distance. Velocity nudged Sonic's knee. "Let's leave him alone now."

The sun was growing warm, so Sonic sat down on the grass under the trees. At noon he would take Velocity out to lunch, and they would try out the emeralds, maybe on the Speed Highway. Velos would like that. The dark blue chao stretched out beside his master, and Sonic stroked him, watching the other chao play. It was peaceful, with only the splash of the fountain and the murmur of the chao to break the silence. Sonic leaned against the cool stucco wall of the yard and dozed.

When he opened his eyes again, he was startled to see that someone else had entered the garden--a burly black hedgehog with red-tipped spines and a sour expression. The stranger glared around the garden until he saw Sonic. The two exchanged a long glance, then the stranger turned his back. Sonic and Velocity watched him take a seat in the shade across the yard. "Who's he?" Sonic whispered. "He doesn't look friendly."

"He's not," Velocity replied softly. "He's been here before--he jumps the wall. He's so quiet Pip hasn't noticed him."

They watched the newcomer a few minutes. The black hedgehog sat absolutely still, chin on his knees.

A dark grey chao bounced up to the stranger and gazed at him. "Oh no," whispered Velocity. "That's Nox. That guy hurt him last time."

"How?"

"You see his shoes? They have jets in the bottoms, and he flashed Nox with them. I can't understand why Nox still likes him."

The black hedgehog scowled at the chao, pushed it away, and looked the other direction. The chao returned and nuzzled his arm.

"What a jerk," whispered Sonic.

"Nox only otiaed yesterday," said Velocity. "He looks like that hedgehog guy, except his hair is orange, not red."

They watched as the hedgehog glanced at the chao, then looked away and furtively patted its head.

Sonic smirked. "Even jerks like chao."

Chimera, too, had noticed the newcomer. He gazed at him through slitted eyes, then stood up and paced toward him. The hedgehog watched him without expression. Chimera spoke, and the hedgehog replied with a flash of teeth. A second later Chimera reeled backward, and the hedgehog withdrew his foot.

"He flashed him!" exclaimed Sonic. Outraged, he jumped up and stalked toward the black hedgehog, who gave him a cold stare.

"What did you do that for?" Sonic snarled. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

"He exists," said the black hedgehog through his teeth, pronouncing each word clearly. "Leave me alone."

Sonic turned to Chimera, who was holding his face in obvious pain. "Are you okay?"

Chimera looked up and bared his teeth to the roots. "Yes. And he's cooler than you."

Sonic glanced defiantly at the black hedgehog, then stepped to the guardhouse and knocked on the window. "Pip--" The bat's questioning face appeared. Sonic looked around for the intruder, but he had vanished. "Did you know where was somebody else in here?"

Pip looked around the garden. "There was? Who?"

"Some black hedgehog," said Sonic, eying Nox, who was staring at the wall. "I think he jumped the fence when he saw me come over here."

"That's not good," said Pip. "I'd better tell somebody. Did you want anything else?"

"Yeah, permission to take Velocity out for the afternoon."

"Go ahead," said Pip, opening the gate. "Tell Flameheart at the front desk to stamp your hands."

Flameheart was a fiery red chao, who had replaced the receptionist of that morning. "Hey!" he said as Sonic and Velocity walked up. "I know you, Velocity. You beat me last race."

"Maybe you should have run faster," Velocity smirked. "I won fair and square."

"Yeah, well," said the chao, digging out an inkpad and a stamp. He stamped their hands and waved them out. "I got receptionist duty, unlike some!" he yelled after them.

"All firechao are like that," said Velocity as Sonic carried him outside. "Flameheart's a good sport, though."

Sonic sat the indigo chao on the sidewalk, opened his backpack, and withdrew the two chaos emeralds. "Try the fake one first," he said. Velocity took it and sank his teeth into the glowing gem. His chao body grew into a blue cheetah with a steel helmet and jets in his shoulders. "Feels fine to me," said the cat, stretching. "Man, I forgot what large form feels like!"

"Race you to the Speed Highway," Sonic smiled.

In a trice they were gone, a faint cloud of dust in their wake.

Chapter 3 - Rouge

______________________________________________________________________

Lava Reef was in the heart of the Floating Island, a honeycomb of caverns, tunnels, crystals and lava lakes far underground. The age-old pumps circulated the molten rock through the caves, feeding the crystal growths with heat and moisture. It was dangerous, hot, and beautiful.

Two small figures ran in and out of the main cavern, laughing and shouting. One was a brown and black anteater, and the other was a bee wearing flight goggles. They both held large gold rings, which were connected with a sparkling gold energy spring. The two were the youngest members of the Chaotix, Charmy Bee and Talon.

They hurled each other through the tunnels, leaping pools of bubbling lava, swinging irreverently around stone pillars, and laughing all the while. They had invented a game like a cross between tag and keepaway, in which the chaser and chased were linked together with the Chaos ring's spring. Neither could drop their rings in their attempts to catch the other. They always played in Lava Reef, for the dangers it presented made the game much more exciting.

Besides, Knuckles expressly forbade it.

Gasping, the two threw themselves down beside a small pool of water in the main cavern floor, and drank. "So," panted Charmy, "I'm two points ahead." He wiped his mouth and pushed his goggles up on his forehead.

Talon laid his ring down and soaked his hot hands in the pool. "That sounds right. You got me in the dead end, and when I tripped over the crystal cluster." The anteater wiped his hands on his legs, then examined the claws that gave him his name. "I'll be It next. Can we play in here now?"

"You mean fly?" asked Charmy, delighted. "Sure!"

The two agreed on which tunnels were out of bounds, and which moves were illegal. Then Charmy sprang into the air, his wings a mist. Talon muttered, "Chaos activated," and the soles of his shoes lit with red and green light. The two rose ten feet in the air. "Ready, set," said Talon, then hesitated. "Charmy, who's that?"

The bee followed his gaze, and saw someone moving at the far end of the huge cavern. The two dropped to the floor. "I don't know who that is," whispered Charmy.

Talon squinted, gripping his ring with both hands. "I can't tell who it is. Should we tell Knuckles?"

"Let's see who it is first," Charmy replied. "It might be Espio trying to scare us."

The two placed their rings on the floor, rose into the air again and crossed the mile-wide cavern, keeping close to the ceiling.

"It's a bat," whispered Charmy, as the two hovered behind the top of a pillar, "with white fur."

Talon peered around the pillar. "Oh, I know who that is," he whispered, looking disgusted. "We met her on Carnival Island. She's a treasure hunter or something." They watched as the bat climbed a pile of rubble to investigate an opening in the wall.

"Talon," hissed Charmy, "that's the door to the Hidden Palace!"

The anteater and bee exchanged a horrified glance, then dove for the bat.

She smiled up at them, and whisked into the passage an instant before they reached her. Talon and Charmy landed and raced after her, Talon ducking his head to avoid the low ceiling. "What do we do?" whispered Talon. "There's no time to signal Knuckles!"

"We'll tackle her and drag her to a teleporter," Charmy whispered back. "I'll sting her if she fights."

They careened around a corner and emerged in the cool green light of the Hidden Palace. Before them, reflected in the marble floor, were the seven super emeralds and the giant Master Emerald in it's bed of seed crystals.

The bat was standing among the glowing gems, gazing at them shrewdly and unbuckling an object from her wrist. She strode toward the Master Emerald.

"She's going to steal it!" exclaimed Talon, dashing toward the thief.

Charmy buzzed after him, panicking. "Lady! Don't touch that!"

One of the bat's enormous ears flicked, but she didn't turn. She stepped up on the pedestal and began fitting four wires to the sides of the Master Emerald, hands moving with swift precision. "Not the Master Emerald!" Talon cried, running up and grabbing at the bat's equipment. He was too late. The gem shrank to the size of a marble under the power of the containment module, and the bat snatched up the gizmo and the emerald. She turned on her attacker, and one of her steel-studded boots knocked Talon to the floor. "You don't understand," he gasped as she strode by him. "Charmy--"

The bee dove headlong at the intruder, but she spun and dealt him a kick that knocked him into the violet super emerald's pedestal. He slumped to the floor, dazed.

Talon sat up, staring after the bat entreatingly. "Please lady, give it back!"

She tossed him a contemptuous glance from under her heavily-made-up eyelids. "Who's going to make me? You?" She trotted out of the cavern into the chamber with the crystal teleporter.

Talon dragged himself to his feet, ribs smarting. "You don't understand!" he yelled. "If you take it the island will crash!" He had reached the word "island" when the teleporter flashed to life, and the bat vanished.

At once the Floating Island shuddered and tilted. Talon moaned and dashed to Charmy, who was stirring. "Did she get away?" the bee mumbled, blinking at Talon.

"Yeah," Talon replied, bracing himself against the emerald pedestal. "Hold on to something."

The shock of the island striking the ocean sent them to the floor, and rocks fell from the ceiling. All around them the stone was groaning from the stress, shifting and breaking. It was far worse than an earthquake. The super emeralds dimmed as their power was exerted to stabilize the rocking island, and slowly the noise and motion subsided. Talon and Charmy continued to cling to the violet emerald's pedestal, terrified.

That was how Knuckles found them five minutes later.

* * *

"He's not coming?" asked Slasher in disbelief.

The velociraptor had surprised the six chao owners with the garden passes earlier, and they were preparing to leave, shouldering backpacks and duffelbags. A hovercar, rented in Riverbase, was loaded and waiting when Talon moped into the village, head hanging. He explained briefly about the theft of the Master Emerald, and relayed the information that Knuckles was postponing the chao visit. "He's tracking down the thief," said the anteater, staring at his shoes. "He said he'll be along once he catches her, though."

Slasher looked disappointed and worried. "Maybe we should wait," she murmured, gazing at the hovercar.

"Wait?" exclaimed Tails, who had overheard. "But I wanted to show Sonic the Cyclone! Can't we go without Knuckles?" The fox caressed the side of his newest experiment in transforming machines, the Cyclone. It was currently in walker mode, but it could transform into a plane or a car with the press of a button. It had been in various stages of construction for months, and Tails had not had a chance to show Sonic the finished product.

Talon ogled the Cyclone. "You built that?"

Serena and Zephyer sensed something was wrong and approached. "Where's Knuckles? What's wrong?" asked Zephyer, the robotized echidna.

Slasher repeated what Talon had told her. The girls looked crestfallen. "We'll have to wait, it's the only thing to do," said Serena despairingly. "Poor Chimera. What would he think if Knuckles didn't come?"

"We should go," said Tails stubbornly, his tails lashing his legs. "It might take weeks for Knux to catch that girl, and by then our passes will have expired."

Slasher wavered, undecided. She wanted to see her chao again, yet she wanted to be fair. She gazed at the sheaf of passes in her claws, then heaved a sigh. "We'll go. Chimera will understand."

"Go where?" Amy Rose bounced up, cute and cheerful. Serena and Zephyer gave her a disgusted look behind her back.

"Sapphire City," said Slasher, beaming them a look that said, "Be nice." "We're going to see our chao."

"Ooo, can I go, too?" Amy squealed, clapping her hands. "I love chao! And I can go shopping, too! Let me ask my mom!" She dashed away.

Serena and Zephyer looked at Tails and Talon. "Please say no, please say no," muttered Tails, who shared Sonic's opinion of boy-crazy girls.

Even Slasher looked pained when Amy returned, bright-eyed and panting, toting a large handbag. "She said I could go! Won't this be fun?" She burst into shrill, excited giggles. Tails and Talon turned their backs and rolled their eyes at each other. Serena and Zephyer looked as if they smelled something foul, and Slasher forced a smile that was nothing more than baring her teeth. "We're glad you could come, Amy. Put your bag in the car, we'll be leaving soon." She glared at the other four, who claimed they were glad to have Amy along in half-hearted tones.

"This is gonna be a long ride," Serena whispered to Tails. "Why don't you take Talon in the Cyclone? When we get there, you'll still be sane."

"Good idea," Tails whispered back, and beckoned to Talon.

Zephyer watched longingly as they two climbed into the little blue ship. "This is going to be a long ride."

* * *

Knuckles glided high above the ground, eyes narrowed against the sun, steel shovelclaws glinting on his fists, and a smouldering rage in his heart. The Master Emerald had been stolen once before by Robotnik, who had used it to power the Death Egg. Then, scarcely two years previous, it had been smashed to pieces by Chaos, a water monster who had been sealed inside it. Since then Knuckles had studied methods of protecting the Master Emerald. All he had to do was come within earshot of the thief, and he could use any number of commands to get it away from her.

He caught an updraft and glided on as the ground below faded from green to the yellow of desert sand. His emerald-sense was leading him out there. Why would a thief enter the Samo desert, the hottest place in West Mobius? Perhaps it was where she would meet her buyer. He ground his teeth and willed himself to travel faster. The heat rising off the desert was enough to keep him aloft for miles.

The Blue Mountains were fading from view in the west when he saw a red rift in the yellow ahead. As he drew nearer, he saw it was a wide canyon. He smelled water and green plants--it must be an oasis. The emerald signal was growing stronger. Yes, the little thief must be there. If he worked fast, he might be able to see Chimera this evening.

He circled the canyon, trying to pinpoint the emerald's location. As he did, he noticed a triangular shape on the horizon--a single pyramid. How strange. He returned his attention to the canyon floor. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was down there, perhaps under the wall in the shade. He spiraled to the ground and landed.

Standing under the overhang of a cliff was the white bat, watching him with hands on her hips. Knuckles stalked toward her, making sure she saw his steel shovel-claws. "Give it back."

She flicked a grain of sand from her elbow-length white gloves and batted her eyelashes. "You don't know when to give up, do you?"

The emerald signal was very strong. His eyes rested on the black box strapped to her left wrist. "It's mine. You have no idea what it can do."

The bat moved into the open, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "All the jewels in the world belong to me, echidna. Why don't you let it go? You have plenty more on that island of yours."

Steel claws slashed and a steel-tipped boot lashed out. The bat clutched her wrist, which was bleeding from two cuts in her leather glove. Knuckles looked in disbelief at the crescent-shaped cut on his upper arm, then both of them looked down at the containment module lying on the rocks, the open lid emitting a green glow.

Knuckles reached it first. He backhanded the bat in the nose, and tore the Master Emerald from its containing wires. It returned to the size of a small boulder, and clunked to the ground.

The two faced each other over the emerald, oblivious to everything but their conflict, panting and smarting. "Not bad, echidna," said the bat, her earlier composure in shambles. "I'd like to know how you plan to move it now." She picked up the containment module, indicated the broken wires, and tossed it aside.

"It's called the Master Emerald," snarled Knuckles. "It controls the power of the chaos emeralds. I assume you've heard of them?"

"Who hasn't?" she said with a toss of her head. "I'm Rouge the Bat, expert treasure hunter."

Suddenly a shadow fell over them, and a great bronze clamp dropped and closed on the Master Emerald. Speechless, the two saw Dr. Robotnik in his hovercraft, which began to retract the clamp's cable, lifting the emerald.

Rouge found her voice first. "Thief!" she screeched.

Knuckles glanced at her, regaining his cool. "Look who's talking." He called, "Hey Doc, taking my emerald again?"

Robotnik sneered over the edge of the hovercraft. "Let's just say that someone has need of it."

"I don't think so, Eggman," said Knuckles, and yelled a sentence in Old Mobian.

The Master Emerald shattered into glittering fragments, which flew in all directions. The hovercraft lurched as its load vanished, and Robotnik hissed a curse at Knuckles in a similar language before flying away in a huff. Rouge's reaction, however, was more violent. She seized Knuckles by the neck and shook him. "Look what you did to my emerald!"

She was strong, but Knuckles was stronger. He grabbed her hands and forced them apart, glaring into her eyes, which were almost as furious as his own. He shoved her away, stooped and picked up a glittering shard from the sand. "Not much use to you now, is it, bat girl?" he said, holding up the fragment.

Rouge looked sulky. "You think you've won this time, echidna? Just you wait." She turned and dashed away down the ravine.

"Gee, that was original!" Knuckles yelled after her. He was feeling better. The Master Emerald would have distributed itself over five square miles, and it wouldn't be difficult to find them. "Don't worry, Chimera, I'll be there tomorrow," he said aloud, and set off in search of fragments.

* * *

Sonic had no idea what was happening elsewhere. He and Velocity the cheetah had run around Sapphire City, travelled the Speed Highway, and stopped for lunch at a fast food restaurant. Velocity had returned to chao size, saying he didn't reckon they would admit a rocket-powered cheetah.

The two sat in a corner booth and feasted on greasy fries, greasy cheeseburgers, and syrupy fountain drinks. Between bites, Sonic updated his chao on everything that had happened in the village since the chao had left. Velocity reciprocated with tales of chao races and adventures in the gardens. Neither thought to leave until the manager asked sarcastically whether they wanted to order dinner.

"What a grouch," said Sonic as they left the restaurant. He glanced at the railing of the steps leading to the sidewalk, jumped on it and ground it with his soapshoes.

"Bravo!" Velocity applauded as Sonic landed at the bottom. "Can I have my emerald back now?"

Sonic pulled the emeralds out of his backpack and looked them over for the tape. It was gone. "Velos, did one of these have tape on it?"

"Yeah," said the chao. "I peeled it off because it tasted funny."

Sonic stared hopelessly at the identical blue emeralds. "Velos, that was so I could tell which was the fake one!"

"Oh." Velocity peered at the gems. "Just give me one. The fake one worked good enough."

A cheetah once more, Velocity followed Sonic at a lope along the sidewalk toward the ocean. "See, there's Station Square," said the hedgehog, pointing to a square separating a train station from the sea. "There used to be a hotel over there called the Sunset Resort. It was the first place I ever saw a chao." The hedgehog stopped and gazed at it for a long moment, lost in thought.

Velocity sharpened his claws on a tree growing in the margin of the sidewalk, sat on his haunches and curled his tail around his paws, then pricked up his ears. The black hedgehog from the chao garden was skating up the street, bent double and jetting from behind one parked car to another. Velocity watched him whip into Station Square and out of sight in the parking garage next door to the station. The chao found this odd until he heard sirens.

Sonic looked around. "Ooo, this is weird. Do you hear the sirens?"

"Yep," said Velocity, the tip of his tail twitching. He didn't like loud noises.

"That's how I met Chaos," said Sonic nostalgically, stroking the cheetah's fur behind his helmet. "I followed the sirens."

Half a dozen black and white cars whipped around the corner and flooded the square. They were accompanies by humanoid robots toting plasma rifles and riot shields, who took up defensive positions around the cars.

"Who are they after?" asked Sonic with interest.

"That black hedgehog ran by a second ago," replied Velocity. "I knew I didn't like him."

Suddenly one of the robots pointed in their direction. The robots strode toward them, backed by men in dark red with GUN emblazoned on their backs. Sonic looked around. "Is that black dude over here?"

"Uh, Sonic," said Velocity, rising to his feet, "I think they're pointing at us."

Chapter 4 - Framed!

______________________________________________________________________

"Flat on the ground! Hands above your head!" a human with a megaphone bellowed at Sonic.

The hedgehog's fingers curled into Velocity's scruff, and he backed away. "They're kidding, right?"

"Afraid not, Sonic," said the cheetah. "They think you're that black hedgehog."

Sonic bristled. "I saved them from Perfect Chaos! They can't do this! Run, Velos!"

Sonic bolted, which was the wrong move. A net fired by one of the robots dropped over him, clinging to his fur like glue. He stumbled and tried to pull away the strands, but the stuck to him. He heard Velocity hiss and the clang of a robot hitting the ground. "Catch the cat!" he heard one of the men yell.

"Don't hurt him!" Sonic yelped. "He's just a chao! Velocity, leave them alone!"

He was jerked to his feet and saw fifteen assorted weapons pointed at him, polished, oiled and deadly. The men yanked his hands behind his back and cuffed him through the net. "You have the right to remain silent," said one of the humans, "but that's all. You're going back to prison."

"Prison?" Sonic cried.

They marched him down the street and around the corner, where a GUN helicopter had landed in the street, obstructing traffic. Two guard robots and a human climbed in and secured Sonic's handcuffs to a seat with a short chain. "Look, you've got the wrong hedgehog," he said as they slammed the door and the rotors began to turn. "I'm Sonic! You know, the guy who saved Sapphire City from Perfect Chaos?"

"I don't care who you say you are," said the human, who looked grim beneath his helmet. "You're under arrest. I'd come quietly if I were you."

Velocity watched the helicopter fly away, his green eyes bulging with horror. The men had left him alone after Sonic had said he was a chao, and Velocity had stopped attacking when Sonic called him off. The police didn't know what to do with him, so they left him there.

He was stunned. Sonic had been taken from him.

A seagull flew over, and waves lapped at the beach. People appeared in the square again, looking curious, but none bothered the blue cheetah.

Velocity still stood there, numbed, unable to think of what to do next.

"A fine example of chao loyalty."

Velocity looked around and saw the black hedgehog standing beside him, a cruel smile curling his upper lip. Velocity arched his back and hissed. "Stay away! They were looking for you!"

The black hedgehog merely stared at him. "I could kill you in an instant, chao. But I need information."

Velocity didn't relax the hump in his back. "Like what?"

The hedgehog's eyes travelled over the cheetah, lingering on the rockets in his shoulders. "How does a chao transform like you?"

"Use a chaos emerald," snapped Velocity. "Everybody knows that."

"So, YOU have a chaos emerald?" said the hedgehog, eyes half-closing.

"No, I have an artificial one," said Velocity. "The real one was in Sonic's backpack."

The hedgehog gazed after the helicopter. "They'll probably take it from him," he muttered. He glanced at Velocity and said, "I've decided not to kill you." In half a second he was two blocks away and running.

In another half a second, so was Velocity.

* * *

"This is really cool," Talon called against the wind in his face. "Did you build it yourself?"

"Yeah," Tails replied, turning his head to let his voice carry over his shoulder. "I designed it, too. Rotor helped some."

The Cyclone strode along the highway between Riverbase and Sapphire City, moving with a smooth rocking motion, following the hovercar in the distance. Its blue and orange paint glinted in the sun. Tails kept one hand on the flight yoke, and rested his elbow on the edge of the cockpit. Talon was seated behind him in the copilot's seat, which usually remained hidden between Tails's seat and the tailfin. The Cyclone was expandable, an option Tails had added after considering the unprotected gunner position of the Tornado.

Talon had rode for an hour without speaking, too shy to break the silence. Tails was growing homesick for Sonic's comfortable chatter, when at last the anteater spoke.

"What else can it do?"

"It can turn into a car and a plane," said Tails, his heart swelling with pride. "I'm working on making a boat, too."

It was a moment before Talon ventured, "So ... why don't we fly ahead?"

The walker, while fun to ride, was anything but fast. When Tails pushed it to a jog, the seesaw motion made both passengers seasick.

"It wouldn't be fair, would it?" said Tails, checking their arrival time anyway. At their current speed of thirty miles an hour, not until late that afternoon. "Besides, we'd have to fly all the way to Mystic Ruins to land. They don't allow Mobian aircraft to land at the airport."

Talon didn't speak again for a while, and Tails wondered if he had somehow offended him. The fox made another stab at conversation. "You ever been to Sapphire City?"

"No," Talon replied. There was a long pause, and Tails was searching his mind for something else to talk about when Talon continued, "My uncle used to work there. He worked with a bunch of scientists on some project, but it was shut down, so he came home and built Kardot."

"Did you like him?" Tails asked.

"Not really," said Talon with a note of despair. "He was nice, but he never paid attention."

Neither spoke for a while. Tails watched the rear of the hovercar, and the silhouettes of the passengers. Amy stood up momentarily. Tails smirked and felt glad he was in the peace and quiet of the Cyclone.

Talon must have seen Amy, too, because he said, "Does Amy annoy you?"

"Bigtime," Tails replied. "She's only gotten worse since they moved to Knothole. Sonic's too polite to give her the good kick she deserves."

"I don't know," said Talon, almost too softly for Tails to hear. "Maybe she's lonely."

"What, you LIKE her?" Tails exclaimed, looking back.

Talon looked thoughtful. "I can't say I like her, but I pity her. She has no friends, and her parents are always trying to get her out of the house."

"Can you blame them?" said Tails. "If I was her brother I'd put myself up for adoption." He looked back at Talon again and found the anteater staring into the distance with his chin in his hand. "Tal?" said Tails.

Talon jumped and glared at him. "Don't call me Tal. Okay?"

"But that's what Knuckles calls you," said Tails, confused at the sudden show of emotion from the dry anteater.

"Knuckles is the only one allowed to," said Talon icily.

Silence descended on the pair, broken only by the rhythmic clunking of the Cyclone's feet. Tails was thinking that he had misjudged Talon, somehow overlooking the fact that he was a jerk, when Talon spoke again. "Sorry," he said quietly. "If I tell you why I don't like it, you won't tell anybody, will you?"

"Promise," said Tails, his hurt feelings reviving a bit.

"Well ..." Talon fumbled for words. "My Dad always called me Tal. Then after he died and I went to live with my cousins, that's what they called me. But they made it sound mean. I don't like being called it anymore."

"But you let Knux do it," said Tails.

Talon was quiet a moment, then said, "Knuckles is a lot like my dad was." A moment later he added, "Don't tell anybody. I feel like a sissy telling you."

"Of course not," said Tails warmly. "A promise is a promise, right?"

From that moment on they were friends.

* * *

The day wore into afternoon, and the Samo desert was living up to its reputation. Rouge wiped the sweat from her face and fanned herself with a large leaf. She had stayed close to the oasis, for travelling the desert in the day was dangerous, especially in midsummer.

She had tried to find Master emerald shards herself, but as she was limited to searching by sight only, she had only located one. But she had watched the echidna from the canyon rim, and with amazement saw him collect half a dozen shards, homing in on them as if he had radar. She was fairly certain he was carrying no electronic devices. Well, she would keep an eye on him.

Rouge knelt and filled her canteen in the spring that fed the oasis. She glanced at the foliage around her to make sure she was alone, then stripped off her torn glove and bathed her wrist. The echidna's claws had missed her wing membrane, but it would hurt to fly. She flexed her wing a few times, then pulled her glove back over her hand and arm. It clipped on just shy of her wing membrane, made specially for Mobian bats who preferred to wear stylish clothes.

She was rubbing the cuts when she saw a glittering green fragment just under the rippling water. She delicately removed her glove again and picked up the shard, allowing a smile to bare her pointed teeth. It was bigger than her fist, and recut would bring a nice price, if she could contact Blythe. She tucked it into a pouch on her belt with the other shard, pushed her way out of the bushes, and fluttered to the edge of the canyon for a look around.

The echidna was nowhere in sight, and her keen hearing picked up no sound. Rouge squinted at the heatwaves rippling on the horizon. Perhaps he had left. If so, he was a bigger fool than she had taken him for.

Her gaze fell on the same pyramid Knuckles had noticed earlier. She remembered the human in the hovercraft ... "Eggman" ... "Doctor Robotnik," she murmured. He had flown away in the direction of the pyramid. Of course, once he had lost Final Egg to the biotics, he had had to move on. Although the echidna was interesting, Dr. Robotnik and his actions were more interesting. Perhaps she could find out why he had broken into GUN headquarters, and where the creature was now.

The bat spread her leathery wings and flew into the scorching desert heat.

* * *

A hovercar and a small bipedal mech pulled up in the parking lot of a sky-blue building, the Chao Co. Tails and Talon vaulted from the Cyclone, looking excited.

The doors of the hovercar opened, and Slasher, Zephyer and Serena stepped onto the sidewalk, all with grim expressions. Amy tumbled out after them, hyperactive and giggly from four hours in the car. "Goody, we're here!" she squealed, dashing for the front doors. "Let's go, everybody!"

"Slasher, can you please maul her?" whispered Serena.

"No," Slasher whispered back. "I'm on a hedgehog-free diet."

"Besides, what would the chao think?" said Tails, who had had a pleasant ride and was in good spirits.

They trooped into the lobby, lit with yellow afternoon sunlight, and were met by a whoop from the red chao at the front desk. "Good grief, we're being invaded!"

They gave Flameheart their passes, as surprised as Sonic to be checked in by a chao. "Was there a blue hedgehog here earlier?" asked Slasher.

"Yup," said Flameheart. "He took his chao out to lunch. They should be back by sundown." He gave Amy a disapproving stare. "Where's your pass?"

The smile faded from Amy's face as she looked at Slasher, but the big raptor produced several soft bills from the bag hanging around her neck and bought her a pass.

Zephyer pushed back her dreadlocks and whispered to Tails, "I was hoping they wouldn't let her in."

Flameheart directed them to Garden 3, and Pip the Bat greeted them with a grin and a wave. "Did you come with Sonic?" she asked as she filed their passes. "Of course you did, you all came on the same day. You can go in now," she added, opening the gate.

The chao went berserk. If their joy at seeing Sonic had been intense, it was multiplied a thousandfold by seeing their masters and mistresses step into the garden. For a quarter of an hour the grassy yard rang with shrill chao voices and the laughter of their owners.

Zinc showed off his claws and silver coat to Zephyer. Chalcon climbed up on Slasher's back, and from his vantagepoint between her wings, told her all about the gardens. Max flipped and splashed in the fountain to show Talon how well he could swim. Elleno led Serena around the garden, introducing her to the other chao. Pilot showed Tails a low spot in the wall where she had once flown out, and detailed the adventures that followed. Amy went off by herself to play with the other chao, much to the relief of the rest--the chao didn't care how much she squealed and giggled, as long as she gave them attention. Even Magi enjoyed her.

The only unhappy chao was Chimera. He had run to the gate with the rest, looking for Knuckles. But Knuckles was not there, and the others paid no attention to him. The little chao stood alone on the grass, lost in anguished disappointment. Knuckles didn't want him anymore. Maybe he had another chao to follow him around the Floating Island. Chimera curled up in the furthest corner of the garden, face to the wall, his color of black deepening several shades. He wouldn't even speak to Nox, the only other black firechao in the garden.

Pip left her guardhouse and approached Slasher, a notepad and pencil in her hands. "Could I interview you?" she asked. "I'm trying to get a reporting job with the Crystal Clarion, and they told me I need to work on my skills before they'll hire me."

"Oh, so you need a story," said Slasher, tapping one toe-claw against the grass. "Okay, start interviewing."

Pip had no sooner opened her mouth than the gate crashed open, and Velocity the cheetah bounded in. His fur was soaking wet, and his shoulder-jets were pouring black smoke. "Guys!" he gasped. "Boy, am I glad to see you!" He flopped on his side and lay panting. The other chao ran to him, as did their owners.

Slasher motioned to the cat. "Pip, I think a story just walked in the door."

The bat walked up to Velocity, putting on what she thought was the look of a hard-nosed reporter. "Tell me who you are, what you're doing, when you did it, where it happened, and how you pulled it off."

"She needs to work on her reporting skills, all right," Chalcon whispered to Slasher.

"Velocity, running for my life, this afternoon, Station Square, I don't know!" gasped the cat. "Sonic was mistaken for this criminal hedgehog, and they dragged him away. Then the black hedgehog threatened to kill me. I ran back down here, but I fell in a canal and almost drowned and we have to save Sonic!"

"Sonic was arrested?" Serena gasped, her thoughts flying to her dreams of a black hedgehog.

Pip was scribbling on her notepad. "Was there a chase? Gunplay?"

"A helicopter," panted Velocity, lifting his head. "They put him in a chopper and flew off."

"They chopped him up, got it," said Pip, writing furiously.

Velocity looked at her, noticing her for the first time. "What are you doing?"

"Reporting," said Slasher, taking charge. "Tails, where's the airport?"

"To the south, but they won't take him there," said Tails, who knew how Sapphire City looked from the air. "They'll haul him off to Prison Island in the bay. That's where the law enforcement people are."

Slasher fixed on eye on Pip. "Are the chao allowed to leave the garden?"

Pip checked her watch. "Yeah, but they're due back by six."

The big raptor looked at the chao on her back. "Time for a brainstorm, Chalcon. Everybody, into the lobby." Slasher led the way, claws clicking on the pavement. The chao and owners followed, looking scared and excited.

"It's just like old times!" Pilot whispered to Tails with a flutter of her wings.

Chapter 5 - The Radical Speed Highway

_____________________________________________________________________

Sonic peered at the interior of the helicopter through the fibers of the net draped over him. The human and two robot guards were keeping a wary eye on him, weapons held ready. Prison. The thought terrified him. The idea of being locked in a cage made his stomach wrench, even more than any of the life-threatening adventures he had had. Sonic had always been free to run where he wanted, but in a cement cell, with no room to run--seeing the days pass and the seasons change while remaining a prisoner--

He had to escape somehow.

Sonic's eyes roamed the inside of the helicopter. There was a sliding door across from him, the locks holding it shut. He didn't care about flattening the robots, but attacking a human was different. Sonic hated to think what might happen to a human if subjected to a spindash.

He groped about behind his back, seeking something that might help him. He found nothing except the chain binding his cuffs to the chair, but his searching fingers encountered the gold bracelet Knuckles had given him, hidden under the cuff of his glove. Sonic had forgotten about it. Hadn't Knuckles called it a gadget? What did it do?

He stroked its red stone and felt it grow hot. All right, it acted like Slasher's whistle! He maneuvered it around so the stone touched one of his handcuffs, and felt the metal grow hot. After a moment he gave it a tug and felt the metal bend.

Sonic's spindash was a surprise to himself and his guards, for as he shot across the compartment, the air around his spines ignited, setting fire to the net. He landed on his feet and tried to pull it off, but the threads clung to him like a cobweb. Panicking as he felt his fur scorching, Sonic spindashed wildly around the cabin, trying to shake off the net. Each time he spindashed, the air around him caught fire. He tore through both robots and struck the human guard a glancing blow, sending him to the floor in a senseless heap. Sonic paid no attention. The cabin was filled with smoke, and the stench of burning plastic and singed hedgehog.

Sonic at last escaped the net and dove for the door. He turned two heavy locks and heaved the door open. Sweet summer wind fanned his face, sweeping the smoke out of the helicopter. To his left was the short wing with missiles under it, and in front of him was nothing at all. The spinning blades chopped the sky above him, and the noise of the engine made him wince.

Sonic jumped for the wing. Behind him, he heard the pilot yell through the intercom, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm tired of flying third class!" Sonic yelled back, clinging to the wing and wondering how to reach the ground without becoming a smear. He glanced at the panels of the wing, and noticed one that was loose at one end. He dug his fingernails under it and wrenched it up, screws popping in all directions. "Yes, a hanglider!" he said, lifting the lightweight aluminum above his head. It was eight feet long and two feet wide. He gripped it by either side and leaped into the free wind.

It was closer to a freefall than Sonic liked to admit. He plummeted toward the streets of Sapphire City, the plate only catching the wind now and then. The last hundred feet he slowed down enough to land without hurting himself, and landed in someone's backyard. He lay on the lawn, gasping and staring up at the clean blue sky. He had made it. He had escaped.

Sonic didn't miss his backpack until he was standing on the next street, wishing for a map. They had taken it from him before chaining him in the helicopter, and now the blue chaos emerald was in GUN's hands. Would they know what it was? Sonic shook his head at his own stupidity. Why hadn't he grabbed it before jumping out?

He noticed the handcuffs still dangling from his right wrist. The broken one was melted and twisted from contact with his bracelet.

He set off in search of a hardware store.

* * *

The helicopter landed on the helipad on Prison Island, the wind from the rotors fanning the surrounding tropical growth. Soldiers ran out and took up attack positions around the door, but were confused to see only the battered guard step out. "He escaped," he said, indicating the strip missing from the right wing. A medic hurried forward and helped the soldier toward the complex, leaving the rest peering dubiously into the helicopter's interior. The remains of the capture net were still smouldering.

A figure hidden in the undergrowth allowed himself a small smile. So, the blue stooge had bailed out, but the fall had probably killed him. Shadow waited for half an hour as the soldiers left and the pilot made his report to an officer. None of them had disturbed the cargo. His chance was coming.

The pilot and officer left, and the helicopter was alone. He darted out of hiding, ghosted across the helipad without making a sound or leaving a footprint, and leaped lightly into the helicopter. He located the backpack in two seconds, tore it open and lifted out the glimmering blue gem. Again Shadow smiled, this time in cold triumph.

* * *

The chao garden was empty and oddly quiet with six of its occupants missing. Even Amy and Pip had gone indoors, leaving the other chao alone.

Chimera had not stirred from his place in the corner. He lay without moving, wishing he would die, then wishing everyone else would die. Seeing Velocity in large form had refreshed the memory of his own large form, and his powerful ultimate.

Nox, the other black chao, bounced up to him. "Wanna play ball?"

Chimera didn't answer.

Nox watched him for a moment, then nudged a large plastic ball in his friend's direction. "C'mon, you know you wanna."

"Die," snarled Chimera without turning.

"Naw, you don't really want me to die," said Nox, smiling. "You really want to play with me."

"I hope your hedgehog hero flashes you so badly you go blind," spat Chimera, rolling over and glaring daggers.

Nox looked at him a moment, then drooped. "Okay, I'll leave you alone." He moped away across the grass, Chimera watching through narrowed eyes.

Suddenly there was a hum on the lowest edge of chao hearing, a flash of light, and the black hedgehog materialized in the chao garden. Nox lit up and ran to him. "You came back!"

Shadow kicked him aside as if he had been a tin can and walked to his hiding spot under the trees. Nox picked himself up and followed him, sniffling a little. Shadow sat down and glared as Nox walked to his side. "Leave me alone, chao. I'll kill you."

Nox looked at him with solemn innocence, seeming to see through Shadow's words. "Why can't you come back anymore?"

"I'm serious, chao."

"Can I come with you?" begged Nox, clutching Shadow's hand. "I can use your emerald! I won't give you away, I can help--please?"

The black hedgehog gazed at the chao a moment, as if shutters behind his eyes were closed. He held up the blue emerald. "Take it."

Nox took the glittering gem in his paws, gazed at it a moment, then, guided by instinct, sank his teeth into it. At once his black and orange body expanded into an ostrich-like bird with a long neck, long legs, and black feathers. His tailfeathers and wings were tipped with gold, as were the feathers on his chest. A tuft of orange feathers protruded from the back of his head, crest-like.

Nox strutted back and forth, ruffling his feathers and admiring himself, but keeping a fearful eye on Shadow. The hedgehog looked him over without expression. "Race me to the wall," said Shadow, and sprang into a run almost without standing up. Nox pelted after him and reached the wall a hair behind his master. "And back," said Shadow, leaping away again. This time Nox arrived first, his long legs taking two strides to each of Shadow's skating sweeps.

Again Shadow regarded the chao, his breathing slow and normal, as if they had not raced seconds before. Nox was doing his best not to pant, and tried to look nonchalant. He cocked his head at Chimera, who was watching with a sour expression. Nox returned his gaze to Shadow. "Can I come?"

Shadow didn't reply for a full minute. Nox tried to see what was going on behind those veiled eyes, but locks and bars of steel stood between the world and Shadow's soul.

"Yes," said Shadow at last. "But only as far as you can come. Fall behind once and I won't help you."

Nox did a high-stepping jig. "Goody! Let's go! I can keep up with you no matter where you go!"

Shadow gave a dry smile that failed to reach his eyes, and touched the ostrich's long neck. There was a flash like a camera's, and they vanished.

A moment later the other chao and their owners trooped back into the garden. "Right," Slasher was saying, "we'll get a good night's sleep, and make the trip at dawn. The manager said they'll make an exception in our case and allow chao removal, if we sign some papers--"

Velocity loped into the corner with Chimera and spat out his emerald, shrinking into a dark blue hedgehog chao.

"What's the matter, sissy-boy?" snarled Chimera. "Get a splinter in your paw?"

"No, I feel dizzy," said Velocity, who was used to Chimera's spiteful attitude. "I guess the artificial emerald has side effects after all."

Chimera only smiled, and said nothing about Nox's departure of a moment before. Let the others worry--it would be good for them.

* * *

The sinking sun bathed the city in red gold as Sonic slipped into a hardware store and searched for an industrial-strength wire-cutter. The clerk behind the counter, a gorilla in a red tie, nodded as Sonic entered, and returned his gaze to the small screen on the counter.

Sonic could hear the squawking of a newscast as he investigated the aisles. It took several minutes to find a cutter hefty enough, and several more minutes for Sonic to sever the handcuff on his wrist. He had tried to use the bracelet again, but had only succeeded in burning a hole in his glove.

Free of the cuffs, he was walking toward the door with the idea of finding a dumpster, when he heard his name on the television. He edged to the corner of an aisle where he could see the screen, which the gorilla was watching closely.

" ... armed and extremely dangerous. The robbery of a military base was perpetrated by Sonic the Hedgehog, world renowned for his speed--" Sonic's ego inflated. "--but more recently, for his crimes." Sonic's ego received a puncture. "We go now to our Eyecatcher cameras at the scene, where Sonic has been located."

Sonic looked around the store, half expecting to see a camera staring at him through the screwdrivers. But the screen changed to show a suspension bridge Sonic recognized as part of the Speed Highway over the bay. The sky was awash with sunset colors, and silhouetted against them, atop one of the towers, was the outline of a hedgehog. The camera zoomed in on it, but the backlight was too strong to make out any details.

"That's that chao-hating black hedgehog!" Sonic thought angrily. "They think he's me! Oh, this is great." He glanced at the gorilla, and slipped out the back door.

* * *

Deep in the Samo desert stood a lonely pyramid, surrounded by miles of empty sand. But within the pyramid whirred and pumped enough machinery to keep Dr. Robotnik happy for years. Eight floors down, the doctor stepped out of his Eggwalker and strode into his quarters; three store rooms, all adjoining his private control center, which he fondly referred to as his eye on the world.

He pressed a button to activate his holographic television, which was programmed to play news reports from the local networks, and set about fixing himself dinner. As he padded in and out in his slippers, he kept an eye on the screen for any news of Shadow or the Freedom Fighters. There was always a lot of uninteresting babble, but occasionally something noteworthy slipped through. This evening nothing caught his eye until he was eating his third instant dinner. The same news report that Sonic had seen came on, showing the hedgehog silhouette and recounting his exploits.

Robotnik leaned back in his chair and stroked his mustache. "Stole a chaos emerald?" he muttered with a paternal smile. "Shadow, Shadow, you do impress me. No doubt Sonic would be very interested in you. As would the media, if GUN were foolish enough to reveal your identity." He checked his watch. Shadow had given him a time limit of seven days, but now that Shadow had an emerald, Robotnik guessed Shadow would travel to the ARK as soon as possible. Therefore, it wouldn't hurt to teleport there himself in the morning. Just to look around.

* * *

Shadow stood atop one of the steel towers, gazing scornfully down at the flashing lights of the police cars on the bridge below. An evening breeze from the ocean fanned his red-tipped spines as he gazed out at the Speed Highway. Yes, it would take him out of this accursed city if GUN didn't interfere.

He glanced back down at the police, the flashing lights. Voices commanded him through megaphones to come down. Someone fired a warning shot, and he heard the bullet whine harmlessly toward the sea. It reminded him of other flashing lights, other gunfire, the horrible night an innocent child had died. She had made him promise to save them, but for what? So more innocent people could die? So he might return to prison and endless sleep in his freeze chamber?

Aloud he said, "I know what I promised you, Maria, but as for the inhabitants of this planet--" He lifted a hand, palm outward, and motioned to the circumference of the horizon. "--I promise you revenge."

He leaped off the tower and landed on one of the great steel cables that curved down toward the street. Sparks flying from his shoes, he ground down the cable with balance and grace Sonic could never hope to match, and leaped to the pavement. Nox appeared out of the shadows, and together the two black creatures faded into the dusk.

* * *

Knuckles gazed around at the desert and shivered. He had glided into the waste as the sun sank into the horizon and the air cooled, drawn by the discords of the shattered Master emerald. As he neared one of the shard locations, he noticed some sort of structures ahead. They towered up against the eastern sky, washed orange from the setting sun. He landed beside one of them and looked around.

He was looking into a wide valley, perhaps five miles across. Encircling its rim were strange things carved of stone--sculptures, perhaps? There were holes drilled through layers of rock for no purpose he could see. Down in the valley were other shapes. Crickets chirped in the dry grass here and there, and a wind brushed his face, raising gooseflesh on his arms. There was something creepy about this valley. Knuckles shook his head, squared his shoulders, and walked down the slope to the valley floor, listening for the emerald sound.

He found one small shard in the grass near the valley floor, and was making his way toward another when he glanced over his shoulder and saw them. A row of laughing, demonic faces leered down from the western wall. The sculptured stone above had been cut so that from the valley floor, the sunset lit the rock and illuminated the faces. Knuckles stared at them a moment, then peered at the eastern wall. It was carved in the same way, so the rising sun would illuminate whatever horrors were carved there.

"What an evil place," the echidna muttered, and resumed his search for shards.

He came upon other things that struck him as frightening, and sometimes laughable. He found scarecrows, jack o' lanterns carved out of pumpkins, turnips and other vegetables, and in the center of the valley was a graveyard. He took to glancing behind him as the light faded and the faces on the cliffs vanished. Obviously weirdos of some sort came here, and he expected to meet them.

Knuckles had collected the last emerald shard in the area, and was listening for more, when a gust of wind blew across the valley. It ruffled his dreadlocks and hissed through the grass, but at the same time there was a tremendous flapping and whistling in the darkness overhead. Knuckles bolted.

He didn't stop until he was again on the valley rim. The moon was rising, shedding a pale yellow light and illuminating the grinning faces in the eastern wall. It also illuminated one of the structures he had seen from a distance--three giant windmills hung on cables out in the middle of the valley. They were still turning in the breeze.

Knuckles ran for the next emerald shard noise, telling himself he was in a hurry to restore the Master emerald, but in his heart of hearts, he was spooked and wanted to get away from there. He was in such a hurry he didn't see the stacks of wood or the parked tractors, or the sign that said, "Future site of the Pumpkin Hill Amusement Park!"

* * *

"Sir, hedgehog spotted on Route 201, sir!" a corporal reported.

GUN General Strathmore nodded curtly. "Acknowledged." He turned to one of the microphones mounted among the computer equipment of the Prison Island control room and said, "Priority Hedgehog spotted on Route 201. All units deploy to that position, and to Routes 98 and 23. Try to head it off."

"Sir," crackled a pilot's voice from a speaker, "I have just had a visual of Priority hedgehog on Intrastate 1. Request permission to complete former objective."

General Strathmore eyed the corporal, who was standing at attention. "Who spotted the hedgehog on Route 201, Corporal?"

"Charlie alpha Charlie, blue squadron," replied the soldier, looking puzzled.

The General blinked and peered at a map on the one free wall of the room. Simultaneous sightings of the same hedgehog three miles apart? "Deploy Big Foot and Duel Mack," commanded the General into another microphone. "We'll cut them both off if we have to."

* * *

Sonic was running for his life, There were police cars everywhere--they had the roads blocked at every intersection, creating terrific traffic jams that forced Sonic to slow to a walk to pick his way through. Jets snarled through the starry sky, looking for him. Sonic kept to the sidewalks, dodging around pools of light cast by streetlamps. The black hedgehog must be a killer or something--heck, they were combing the city for him! He hurtled an unguarded roadblock, gained the cover of an alley, and ran westward. If only he could get on the Speed Highway ....

* * *

Shadow and Nox were pelting west, twenty stories from the ground on a branch of the Speed Highway. Shadow was in a racing skater crouch, gliding along on a cushion of air with his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Nox the black ostrich ran beside, levelled out, long legs a blur. His sharp eyes swept the night sky for approaching jets.

"Incoming, three o' clock!" Nox shrieked. Shadow swerved left onto an offramp, Nox behind him, as a rocket impacted on the asphalt, shaking the highway and sending pavement in all directions. The marauding jet screamed over and circled back. Shadow glanced around, then shot away in the direction of another onramp connecting to a south-bound track. Nox followed, his beak open as he gasped for breath. He hoped he would be able to keep up with Shadow a little longer--surely they were almost out of the city!

* * *

Sonic was feeling the old frustration of Robotropolis, when Robotnik had laid a trap for him. The roads were blocked, and GUN robots were everywhere, most toting riot shields that repelled his spindash attacks. His only alternative was to run like the wind.

The city began to drop, the roads sloping, and he saw he was nearing the ocean. He saw trees below him and a dark void without lights. A park! Maybe he would hide. With glee Sonic saw a long rail stairway spiraling down to the grass, a single handrail in the middle. He jumped on it and slid down, relishing the metallic swish of the rail under his soapshoes. He flew off the bottom, landed, staggered, regained his balance, and dashed into the park.

Lights! Helmeted men, barking dogs! Sonic had a glimpse of the GUN tracker team, which had been searching the park with bloodhounds, before he shot away into the night.

Blast GUN, they thought of everything.

* * *

The Speed Highway entered a ten-mile stretch of open highway with no offramps. Shadow and Nox were tearing down it, but the jets were pursuing, bombing the highway relentlessly. Nox was certain they could outrun them until he saw the fighters flying down in front of them on a strafing run. Shadow and Nox would run straight into the bullets. Nox opened his beak, but his voice refused to work for the crucial instant needed to warn Shadow.

But Shadow had seen the fighters. He swerved over to Nox, seized the ostrich's neck and yelled, "Chaos control!"

Shadow and his chao vanished, and at the same instant, a blue hedgehog ran under he highway on the ground. The pilots saw him and closed in for the kill.

* * *

Sonic fled from the jets, dodging bullets and rockets that blew craters in the street. Where had those saps come from? He had better get away quick, before he had to slow down and was riddled with holes.

He plunged down a sloping street, hoping to throw the jets for a few seconds. To his surprise, they pulled off and looped away into the stars. Then Sonic glanced over his shoulder and saw why.

Many of the streets in Sapphire City had tracks embedded in them for trollycars that hauled loads of passengers up the hills. Rolling down the road, connected to the track by two internal wheels, was the largest semi-truck Sonic had ever seen. Its bumper was as wide as the street, and its cab rode twenty feet above the pavement. There was no driver, and it plummeted down the hill, guided only by the wheels in the track.

The truck was used by GUN to catch carjackers and fleeing criminals. The sight of an unmanned, runaway truck induced so much terror in its victims that criminals apprehended later babbled incoherently about a monster truck. It had the same effect on Sonic, who had no idea there was anything restraining it.

He flashed down one hill, slowed for the corner, flashed down another hill, slowed for another corner, and risked a glance over his shoulder. Good grief, the truck was right behind him! For an instant he stared into is blazing headlights, then dashed away, dazzled and panicked, seeing a vivid mental image of hedgehog roadkill. He was so focused on running away, he didn't think to duck into any of the allies that ran between the shops--the sight of his own shadow before him goaded him on.

Ahead the road swept under a low overpass. Sonic shot beneath, and heard a heart-stopping crash as two tons of metal collided with the bridge. He slowed to a stop, looking back. The semi was smoking and silent, one wheel still tuning. Sonic wiped sweat from his forehead, heaved a sigh, and looked around.

He had arrived in the parking lot of a shopping center, empty at this hour and lit with streetlights. Sonic wished more than ever for a map--he hadn't a clue where he was. Then he wished for a drink and trotted toward the shopping center, thinking of finding a drinking fountain.

It almost landed on him. One second Sonic was wondering where to find a fountain--the next second two monstrous steel feet clanged to the asphalt on either side of him. He yelped and darted to safety.

The H-12 Bigfoot was another of GUN's armored mechs, two legs supporting the cockpit and weapons array. The Bigfoot was the smaller brother of the Hotshot, which had been soundly thrashed by an escaped prisoner two days before. But it was the second largest of the mechs GUN owned, and it was piloted by ace mech veteran, Tanner Nailbite. GUN was taking no chances.

Sonic regarded the robot with the practiced eye of a Freedom Fighter, once his fright had worn off. Plenty of armor, internal engine, exposed missile racks. Perhaps the leg joints weren't as sturdy as they looked. He squinted through the windshield. Another human soldier. Maybe Sonic would run away instead--he didn't want to hurt another human.

He turned to go, but stopped. Standing on the roof of the shopping center and wearing a smirk was the black hedgehog. "Hey!" Sonic exclaimed. "They're after you, not me! Why don't you come down and show yourself?"

The black hedgehog didn't answer. Instead he looked at the mech, which was clanking toward Sonic, and said quietly, "I took out one twice as large as that."

"Is that a dare?" said Sonic, the spines on his back bristling.

The black hedgehog looked at him again and smiled. "Is it?"

Sonic waved at the mech and pointed at the roof of the mall. "Hey!" he yelled. "The guy you want is over there! Look--over--there!" He saw the mech pilot glance in the direction he was pointing, and looked, himself, to see the roof was empty.

"Fine!" Sonic yelled, his voice echoing in the empty parking lot, "just watch and see how fast I take it out!"

Veteran pilot notwithstanding, the Bigfoot collapsed under Sonic's focused attack in sixty-three seconds, its leg joints smashed to pieces. Sonic could hear the pilot radioing for backup under the glass canopy, but he didn't care. He had conquered the challenge to his ego, and looked around eagerly for the black hedgehog. Surely he had watched Sonic's display of speed and prowess ...!

The black hedgehog appeared on top of the Bigfoot, holding a blue chaos emerald in one hand. A chao was tucked under his arm, and both stared disapprovingly at Sonic. Sonic stared back. "Well? Say something, faker. I thought you hated chao."

"You destroyed military property," purred the black hedgehog. "If they weren't after you before, they will be now." He lifted the emerald aloft, like a sparkling blue star. "Let me show you my power." He tossed the gem up in the air, caught it and said, "Chaos control!" There was a brilliant flash from the emerald, and he vanished.

* * *

"It's not a true teleport," remarked Nox as Shadow slid off the Bigfoot and strolled leisurely past Sonic, who was frozen in place, eyes fixed on the top of the mech.

"It's enough," said Shadow, making his way to the end of the parking lot. He smiled to himself, turned and said, "Timestart." The emerald dimmed, and the frozen world moved again.

* * *

Sonic spun around, gasping. To him, Shadow's jump across the parking lot had been instanious. Sonic pointed at him. "You can't be real! Only a robot or a chao can teleport with that emerald!"

The black hedgehog tiled his head back. "My name is Shadow. I'm the world's ultimate lifeform," he said, stressing 'ultimate'. "Farewell." He held up the emerald again and said, "Chaos control."

"And that's my emerald!" Sonic hollered uselessly as Shadow vanished.

A screech of tires on pavement drew his attention, and he was startled to see a legion of black and white squad cars flood into the parking lot. Sonic turned to run, but found himself surrounded, with robots standing stop the mall's roof, rifles at the ready. Blinking in the spotlights and headlights, Sonic slowly raised his hands.

* * *

Rouge the Bat stood in a long room made of stone, facing a tall door with three keyholes in it. She pressed one hand to her ear and said into her wristwatch, "This is Rouge the bat. I have found Robotnik's hidden base, and will proceed to enter it now." She sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. "I guess I'll have to find those keys first." She looked around the chamber shrewdly, taking in the artificial torches, the ornaments on the walls, and the wires strung along the floor to power the lights. The pyramid had the look of being hastily modernized, although Robotnik had added his personal decorative touches. Many statues now bore grinning metal heads with his ugly face on them.

"Must he robotize everything?" Rouge thought, striding into the entrance hall. A long passage led into the pyramid and joined the outer chambers. The inner chambers, she guessed, housed the doctor's living quarters, machinery, and much else. Entering the inner chambers was the trick.

Rouge explored the halls, and found four rooms, one in each corner of the pyramid. Each housed a large statue, and chests that once were full of treasure. Rouge checked them all, but the pyramid had been plundered long ago.

A single robot guard patrolled the halls. It looked like a sensor pack on skids, with gigantic ear-like trumpets for gathering sound, and a headlight in front. Rouge kept an ear out for it, for although it was slow, it carried a dozen self-aiming lasers. If motion disturbed the beam of its headlight, or a whisper of sound brushed its 'ears', the lasers blasted the object to oblivion.

Rouge had watched the guard pass twice, crouching far from its patrol path and keeping quiet, before she noticed three keys hanging on the rear of the robot, just under its laser array. She followed at a safe distance, thinking furiously.

Her solution was quick and simple. She picked up a chunk of loose mortar and threw it over the robot, clattering on the stone in front of it. It froze and whipped out its lasers, but even as the mortar exploded into dust, a quick white hand relieved the robot of its keys. The robot went on its way, but Rouge stood where she was, eyeing the blackened spot on the wall and floor. The bricks in the wall were smouldering and curling away--ancient painted wood.

A second later Rouge was running her hands over the wall, a greedy light in her eyes. Her probing fingers found a seam in the rock, outlining a wooden door. She brushed away the dust, then tugged at the panel. It didn't move, so she tried pulling, lifting and sliding, but the door refused to budge. Exasperated, she kicked a hole in the base with her steel-tipped boots. The old wood splintered, and she kicked and stamped until the hole was wide enough to crawl through. Wincing at the grime building on his clothes, she wriggled through and peered around in the gloom.

The dust was so thick that at first she was unsure of what she was seeing. It was a long, narrow room the same width and length of the hallway outside. Many objects of all shapes and sizes lined the floor and walls. Curious, Rouge pulled out a small infrared scope, buckled it around her head, and clicked it on.

"Eggman missed this chamber," the bat thought smugly. The room was stuffed with furniture, ceremonial masks, urns, chests, idols--all made of pale gold. Rouge picked her way through, a smile curling her lips. She could retire on the millions this room contained.

She reached into a vase full of jewels and pulled out a huge diamond. Her smile changed to a thoughtful look. She picked up one diamond after another, comparing them for size and weight, before finding one that satisfied her. She tucked it into the pouch on her belt with the Master emerald shards, then crawled out through the hole in the wall. She would complete her prior task, and return to this chamber later.

Chapter 6 - Prison Island

______________________________________________________________________

Dawn was spreading pink tendrils across the east as Shadow sat on a cliff overlooking the sea. He was watching the white foam of the breakers flush pink with his usual shuttered look, and it was impossible to tell that he had neither slept nor ate since escaping from GUN and cryogenic freeze.

Nox sat beside him in chao form, playing with the blue chaos emerald. He had been interested in Sonic's statement that only a robot or chao could teleport with that emerald. He had been toying with the emerald ever since, although sleepiness and hunger interfered with his concentration. Presently he voiced his thoughts. "Ultimate lifeforms may not have to eat, but chao do."

"There's grass. Eat that," said Shadow, pointing to the turf they sat on.

Nox laughed. "Oh, chao don't eat grass. We eat people food."

Shadow gave him a disgusted look. "You came along yourself. I didn't invite you. Deal with it."

The black hedgehog returned to watching the sea. Nox looked up at him. "Do you eat, Shadow?"

Shadow didn't answer. Nox gazed at him for a moment, then bit his emerald and grew into a rumpled black ostrich. "I'll find something to eat, Shadow. I'll be right back." He trotted away down the hill toward the suburbs in the distance.

Alone now, Shadow gazed up at the lightening sky, and the dimming stars in the west. The ARK was up there somewhere, and he had made a great oversight in telling Dr. Robotnik to meet him there. Shadow had no way of reaching it. He wished his Chaos training had not been halted, or that he had found the green emerald instead of the blue one. He had been familiar with the green emerald's frequencies, and might have been able to figure out a true teleport. But the blue emerald was different, and he could scarcely halt time, let alone do anything else.

His thoughts shifted to Nox. He should have strangled the chao the first time he laid eyes on him. The little pest was good for nothing, except as a means to carry the emerald around.

He was lost in thoughts as black as his fur when Nox returned, looking even more ruffled and carrying a shopping bag around his long neck. "That was easy," he said, spitting out his emerald and flopping down beside his master. "I stood outside a grocery store and asked for food. It's amazing how many people would feed a hungry, lost chao. But one lady wanted to take me home." He opened the bag and removed two apples, a pear, a peach, half a sandwich and two cans of soda. "You can have first pick."

Shadow looked at the food scornfully. "I don't eat that."

Nox hung his head. "You don't want it?"

Shadow turned away and stared out to sea.

"Okay then, I'll save some," said Nox, and sank his teeth into a juicy pear.

For ten minutes Nox smacked and slurped, making more noise than usual in the hopes Shadow's resolve would break down. Shadow pretended to ignore him and stared in the opposite direction, but after a while, curiosity got the better of him.

Nox's face and paws were covered in sticky juice, and he was gnawing an apple core with one eye fixed on his master. Beside him sat half a pear, half a peach, a whole apple and the sandwich. "I saved some," said Nox with his mouth full. "If you don't like it, I'll eat it."

Shadow eyed the food for a moment, then picked up the peach and sniffed it. He watched Nox bite his apple core, and followed suit. To his surprise it was sweet, and Nox watched with approval as the hedgehog ate as if starving. "Haven't you ever eaten before?" asked the chao as Shadow washed it down with a gulp of soda.

Shadow glanced at him and went on eating.

"But how can you be alive if you've never eaten anything?" said Nox, who had the uncanny nack of reading his master's unspoken words. "Is it because you're the ultimate lifeform?"

"Look," said Shadow, wiping his mouth with the back of one hand," if you want to snoop, figure out how to teleport with that chaos emerald."

"Okay, okay," said Nox sulkily, picking up the gem. "I won't bother you anymore." He studied the emerald a moment, then remarked, "If I was the ultimate lifeform, I'd take those bands off my wrists and ankles."

"If I was a chao, I'd shut up," said Shadow, glancing at the steel bands anyway. They looked like giant nuts attached to his hands and feet, and he had never thought about them before. "Worry about the emerald, and I'll worry about me."

"The trouble is, that's all you worry about," said Nox.

* * *

"Serena, wake up," said Zephyer, shaking the sleeping hedgehog.

Serena awoke with a gasp and sat up, staring around the room. "Where are we?"

"The hotel," said Zephyer, sitting down on the bed beside Serena's. "Were you having a dream? You were making a weird sound."

Serena peered around the hotel room. It was cheap, but clean. Blue dawn light streamed through the drapes. She and Zephyer were sharing a room, leaving Slasher to cope with Amy next door. Zephyer didn't look as if she had slept very well, and the nightshirt she wore failed to hide her robotized body.

"It was him again," Serena murmured, her heart still racing. "Every night he's gotten closer, but tonight he reached me."

"Who?" asked Zephyer, reaching for a hairbrush.

"A black hedgehog," said Serena, glancing into the darkest corners of her room. "Every night I dream about him. But in my dream just now, he was here, and you know what he did?"

"What?" asked Zephyer, brushing her dreadlocks and looking interested.

Serena shivered. "He stared at me for a long time, and then--" She paused, then whispered, "He started taking notes."

"That's all?" asked Zephyer.

Serena nodded. "It was freaky! He'd look at me, then write something down, then look at me ... I wanted to run, but all I could do was stand there. It was awful."

Zephyer stood up, pulled off her nightshirt and was ready to face the world, one of the advantages to being a robian. "The only black hedgehog I know of is the one Velocity talked about."

Serena gave her a nervous glance. "I know. I'm afraid that's who it is."

Serena had dressed, and was listening to Zephyer moan about not being able to wear clothes because of her robotization, when there came a furious knock at the door connecting their room to Amy and Slasher's. Serena opened it, and Amy darted in, barefoot and wearing her dress backward. "Quick, turn on your TV!" The pink hedgehog dashed to their set, snapped it on and located a news station.

"... was flown to Prison Island early this morning," the newscaster was saying. She was a Pekingese with a bow in her hair, and peered earnestly into the camera. "The suspect, identified as Sonic Hedgehog, world-famous for his speed and daring as a Freedom Fighter, robbed a military facility on Prison Island yesterday. Other reports indicate he also destroyed 1.8 million dollars in GUN equipment." A shot of a smoking mech was displayed on screen, its colors gratuitously enhanced, then an image of Sonic standing with his hands in the air, a look of resignation on his face. "Sonic surrendered at one AM in front of PC Nickels, and was conveyed to Prison Island, where he awaits trial." The peke sorted through her notes, disappointed there was not more. "In other news, a chao has been reported missing--"

Amy snapped off the TV. Zephyer and Serena yelled in outrage. "Turn it back on! Who's missing?" Amy hurriedly turned it back on, but the report was over and the weather was on.

"Sonic's in jail!" Amy cried, leaving the TV on this time. "We could have rescued him if we had looked for him last night!"

Slasher stepped in after Amy, having watched the report from her room. She cocked an eye at the pink hedgehog and said, "Your dress is backward, Amy."

Amy looked down at herself, squeaked and bolted for the other room.

"What do we do?" Zephyer asked once they were alone.

Slasher watched the television a moment, then switched it off. "Just what we planned to do. If we don't throw his bail, we'll try to break him out. But only as a last resort."

There came a knock on the outer door. Serena opened it, and Tails and Talon padded in, looking rumpled and worried. "Did you see the news?" asked Tails, glancing at the TV. "We could have rescued Sonic last night."

"The original plan still holds," said Slasher. "Time to get ready, everybody. Does everyone have their chaos emeralds?"

A green emerald, an orange, a white, a purple and a light blue were produced from various bags and sparkled in the dim room.

"Great," said Slasher, clapping her wings against her sides. "Amy, are you coming?"

"Why is she coming?" hissed Serena.

"It's only fair," said Slasher, giving her a stern look as Amy dashed in, her clothing right way around.

"I'm ready!" she panted. "Let's go rescue my captive hero! Isn't this romantic, freeing him from prison?"

"I hope Slasher drops her in the ocean," Tails muttered to Talon as they trooped out of the hotel.

The two took a left and entered the hotel parking garage, where the Cyclone was waiting for them. As they climbed into their seats, Tails asked, "Why so quiet, Talon? You've hardly said a word since we got up."

Talon swallowed as he buckled himself in. "I've never fired a vulcan cannon before."

"It's easy," Tails reassured him as he turned the little blue mech and walked it out of the garage. "If we have to bust Sonic out of jail, you'll catch on real quick. You ought to see Sonic with one of these."

Talon gulped again and wondered if he were supposed to feel encouraged.

* * *

The Eggwalker beamed up in an old teleportation chamber. For a moment he sat still, looking and listening. The space colony was perfectly silent, all lights extinguished. The room in front of him was lit only by the planetshine that filtered through the dusty windows on the left. The air was cold and musty, the floor thick with dust that had been undisturbed for half a century.

Robotnik moved his mech forward, its movements slow and light in the low-gravity environment. He activated his radar. Hallways and rooms appeared in shades of chartreuse, each silent and deserted. It filled Robotnik with excitement--it was like finding the Death Egg in orbit, waiting for him.

He called up the maps of the ARK he had copied from his grandfather's diary, and studied them. The ARK, being a sphere, was built in circles. The first and largest was on the outer side, and the fifth and smallest was at the center, containing the control room. He wasn't far from it. He clicked on his walker's headlight and set off down a dark hallway.

Everywhere were signs of the shutdown fifty years before. Blaster burns scarred the walls. A door stood ajar, the conference room beyond with tables and chairs upset. A single pistol, empty and forgotten, lay in the hall floor. Robotnik wondered if the ARK's power core had been damaged, and if it was still operational. The ARK's technology was old, but not so old he couldn't work it.

The elevators wouldn't run without power, so Robotnik parked his walker in front of it and climbed out. He would have to walk the rest of the way.

* * *

Rouge had slipped in and used Robotnik's teleporter chamber, as well. She checked the copy of the ARK plans in his computer, and teleported herself to the control room itself, which Robotnik couldn't do because of the size of his walker. It was empty, so she fluttered into the ceiling support beams to wait.

She had not waited long before there was a flicker of light below, and a black hedgehog and a black chao materialized. "We made it!" the chao squealed, peering around the dark room. Suddenly he shuddered and pressed close to Shadow's ankle. "Ooo, we're high up."

Shadow ignored him and walked to the control console in the center of the room, a pillar of equipment with three workstations built into it, ringed with a circular walkway. It was connected to the outer door by a long bridge, beneath which was a drop into infinity. Nox peeked into the well beneath them for another second, then scurried after his master on all fours. Rouge watched them both without a sound.

Shadow examined the silent computers, gave a crooked smile and opened a panel between them, revealing seven holes inside. He looked at the for a moment, then closed the panel and glanced at Nox. The chao was huddled at his feet, shivering. "I don't like this place," he whimpered to his master. "Let's go home now."

"Not yet," Shadow told him. "We're waiting for someone." He looked toward the door.

A few minutes later there were footsteps outside the door, and it swung open to admit the spherical figure of Dr. Robotnik. He stopped on the threshold and looked around, finally spotting Shadow in the gloom.

The hedgehog raised a hand in greeting. "Welcome to the ARK, Doctor. I've been expecting you."

Robotnik walked forward. "What's this all about, Shadow?"

Shadow smiled. "I'll show you the genius of Dr. Gerald Robotnik, the greatest scientific mind in a century." He stroked the control console. "The ARK was the first self-sufficient space colony built by Overlanders. It was a grand scheme at the time. ARK stands for Armored Research Center, called ARK after an unsinkable ship from man's past. But few people knew that on the little utopia in the sky, scientists were experimenting with weapons of mass destruction."

It was the longest speech Shadow had made, and he spoke as if he had rehearsed it for years. He held up the blue emerald, which cast a cold light on his face. "One of these weapons," he purred, "was capable of destroying an entire planet." He flipped open the panel he had opened earlier and stood before it. "It was codenamed the Eclipse Cannon." Without moving his eyes from Robotnik's face, he slammed the emerald into one of the holes.

The emerald flashed a brilliant blue, and the screens on the console lit up, along with half a dozen holographic displays that shimmered in the air around the console. There was a hum as machinery throughout the colony ground to life. As if that weren't impressive enough, Shadow turned and pressed a few buttons to call up the schematics of the Eclipse Cannon. He smiled still wider as Robotnik's eyes popped.

"Was this my grandfather's legacy?" the doctor muttered in awe, practiced eyes scanning the schematics. "Destroying a planet?"

Shadow knew all he had to do was set the hook and reel him in. "The ARK has been deactivated for some time now," he said, studying Robotnik's face. "Large amounts of energy are needed if the cannon is to fire."

"Ah, so that's why we need the chaos emeralds," said Robotnik, eyeing the sparkling blue gem.

"Yes," said Shadow, a maniac glint in his eyes. "Whoever uses this weapon could bring the world to its knees." His voice dropped. "And Mobius could be yours."

Nox looked up at his master in horror and silently shook his head.

Robotnik laughed. "I see! I could use the Eclipse Cannon to create a legacy of my own. I like the way you think, Shadow."

Another voice broke in. "Do you really think it'll be that easy?"

Robotnik and Shadow looked up, equally startled, to see a white bat in tight-fitting leather hanging from a rafter, her wings folded across her chest. She flipped into the air and descended to the walkway with a flutter, then turned to Robotnik. "I saw you steal that big emerald. You couldn't have tracked it down without radar, and if I could borrow this radar, I could help you out."

She turned from a skeptical Robotnik to Shadow, whose face had become a blank mask. "I may not look like it, but I'm a treasure hunter, specializing in all kinds of jewels." She twirled around, and produced the diamond she had picked up earlier with sleight of hand. But concealed in her palm was a tiny needlelight, which shone into the gem and made it glow, like the white chaos emerald. "It will only be a matter of time before we collect all seven emeralds."

Robotnik studied her shrewdly. "What's in it for me if I give you the radar?"

"Three more emeralds," said Rouge, staring back at him. "And I know where they are."

Rouge maintained her bluff for a long moment, aware of Shadow's eyes boring into her shoulderblades. Robotnik was thinking it over. "All right," he said at last. "It's a deal. Shadow, power up the teleporters. We'll return to my pyramid base."

Shadow silently pressed a few buttons, then continued to glare at Rouge. Robotnik walked out, and Rouge glared back at Shadow. "What?"

The black hedgehog typed four letters into the console and displayed them on the largest holoscreen.

LIAR.

Rouge smiled. "You're no saint yourself, dearie." She wheeled and followed Robotnik, shaken that Shadow had seen through her so easily.

* * *

"I don't see why they don't let me level the place," said Chalcon sulkily.

Chalcon, Elleno and Zinc were sitting on the beach, gazing at the hazy cloud on the horizon that was Prison Island. Max in large form was floating in the water, his green and blue body glistening. The chao were waiting for word from their masters, who were elsewhere, seeing to transportation to the island. Zinc held a communicator in one clawed hand, and was swinging it by its wrist strap.

Elleno looked at Chalcon crossly. "If you leveled the place, you'd kill Sonic. Use your head, Chal." When she frowned she looked exactly like Serena.

Zinc glanced sidelong at the white chao. "Chalcon just wishes he was carrying us to the island."

"I don't want to ride in Max's mouth!" Chalcon burst out. "What if he swallows us?"

"Give me a break," said Max, rolling over to float on his back. "My ultimate isn't built like that. I'd have to take a gulp of water, and I'll be swimming with my mouth shut, anyway."

"Still, I wish we had a boat," said Chalcon, folding his arms. "Or that I could swim on my own."

"Slasher already told you no," said Elleno. She enjoyed bossing him around. "What would the humans do if they saw Perfect Chaos peek out of the ocean? Freak, that's what."

The communicator in Zinc's claws chirped, and Tails's voice said, "All right, guys, go! We'll be right behind you."

At once Max drew on his emerald's power, and expanded into a whale-sized version of himself. His hindlegs became powerful flukes, his forelegs became flippers, and his head grew to the size of a boxcar. He opened his mouth, and the other chao climbed in. He then carefully closed his jaws, turned on his flippers and plunged into the sea.

The three chao sat in Max's mouth, making faces at his breath and listening to the rush of water passing around his head, the glow of their emeralds casting a gentle light. They tilted sharply, and they knew he was diving. There was a moment of silence. "Shouldn't take us long to get there," said Elleno cheerfully. "Do you remember how fast he swims?" She looked at Zinc, who was peering into the light on the communicator, and looking ill. So did Chalcon, who was leaning against Max's front teeth.

"What luck," Chalcon groaned. "Zinc, are you claustrophobic, too?"

The silver chao nodded. He shivered, although Max's mouth was warm.

Elleno smirked. "So that's why you weren't happy about this!"

Max's head returned to level, and to their surprise his mouth opened, letting in light and air. They had expected the journey to take much longer. Chalcon and Zinc gasped in relief, and peered out, Elleno with them. Max was indeed a strong swimmer, for they had already crossed the bay and were bobbing in the water near a rocky breakwater outside the harbor. They scrambled onto solid ground, and Max immediately shrank back to large form. He looked frightened. "This is as far as I can go, guys. There are submarines in there."

"All right," said Chalcon, who had recovered as soon as he set foot on shore. "Wait for us. This shouldn't take long."

"All right, but hurry!" said Max, ducking under water.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters were converging on Prison Island. Tails had transformed the Cyclone into plane-form, and he and Talon were flying there. Not far away, Pilot the Pegasus was flying with Serena and Zephyer on her back, and in the lead was Slasher, carrying Amy. They had left Velocity in the chao garden, although he had begged to come--the artificial emerald had made him sick, although he swore it was due to the canal water he had swallowed the previous day. They had promised to bring Sonic to see him within a few hours. Pip had been left with him, on the condition they would tell her everything when they returned.

Slasher landed first. She alighted near the docks, let Amy slide off, and led her toward the main office. "Do you think this will work?" Amy whispered, cowed by the sight of two aircraft carriers and half a dozen tanks sitting in plain sight.

"I hope so," Slasher replied. "I just hope they don't have a policy against freeing Mobian prisoners." She pushed open the office door and stepped into the air-conditioned interior, Amy following behind.

A female human was seated behind the front desk, and her eyes widened as the winged velociraptor paced up to her. "Hello," said Slasher graciously, trying to appear as friendly as possible. "I understand a friend of ours has been impounded, and we would like to pay his bail."

The woman stared at her a second longer, then punched a few keys on her computer. "What is his name?" she asked.

"Sonic Hedgehog," said Slasher, cocking her head to watch the woman with one eye, and Amy with the other. Amy was peering through an adjoining door into an office beyond. There was a brief silence.

The secretary said, "I'm sorry, but there's no one by that name in our system."

Slasher fixed both eyes on her in astonishment. "But he was brought in last night! The fugitive hedgehog?"

The woman stared at her again. "You must be mistaken. Shadow is a dangerous criminal with a life sentence. There is no bail to pay. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Slasher and Amy stepped out into the sunlight again, Slasher looking disgruntled. "So much for justice! Can't they even identify their prisoners? Didn't they notice he's BLUE?"

"Slasher," whispered Amy, tugging on her wing. "Look what I found!"

Slasher looked down and saw a black card in the hedgehog's hand. She took it and examined it. "Where did you get this?"

"It was on the desk in the other room," said Amy proudly. "It's a security pass, isn't it?"

"Shh," Slasher hissed, handing it back to her. "Hold on to that." She led the hedgehog across the parking lot and into the shade of a tall tree. The raptor clicked on the communicator on her wrist. "Guys, there's been a slight change of plans. Zinc, tell your group to circle around to the main base."

There was a pause, then Zinc's voice said, "Uh, Slasher? I don't think we'll be able to do that."

"Why not?" asked Slasher, impatient and concerned at the same time.

Zinc's voice was a humiliated whisper. "We got caught."

"What?" Slasher and Amy exclaimed at once.

"We took a wrong turn," said Zinc. "Chalcon insisted we cross a runway and we got spotted." His voice quavered. "We're in a cage on a helicopter going back to the Chao Co., and--and they took our emeralds."

Slasher flinched and hissed softly through her teeth.

"Chalcon is yours, right?" asked Amy, who had trouble keeping the chao and their owners straight.

Slasher nodded. Still looking pained, she spoke into the communicator. "Our potential distraction is gone, but the rest of you, proceed as planned. Tails, the break-in is up to you."

"Roger," came the fox's voice.

* * *

"Does that mean I'll have to shoot people?" asked Talon despairingly.

"No!" said Tails. "Don't shoot the humans--just the robots."

"Okay," said Talon, relieved. He pulled on the helmet and goggles Tails had lent him, and in the cockpit, Tails did the same.

The Cyclone, once more in walker form, was standing in the woods behind a hanger adjoining a runway, temporarily hidden. Tails had flown over a barbed-wire fence and crept close to the buildings without being seen. "Now," said Tails as he moved onto the asphalt, "first we're going to have to find a computer terminal where I can find out where Sonic is being held. You'll have to hold them off while I look, okay?"

"Okay," said Talon, tightening his grip on the firing controls. His heart was starting to pound.

Tails, on the other hand, was exhilarated. Breaking Sonic out of prison would be far simpler than breaking him out of Cragclaw. This would be a piece of cake.

The walker charged at top speed across the pavement, toward the main buildings of the prison, then slowed down as Tails peered around for a door. "Talon, shoot the locks!" he commanded, striding up to a level 1 security door. Talon watched his targeting screen and carefully placed four vulcan rounds into the locks securing the door. Tails turned the mech sideways and kicked open the door, which fell flat.

"Just like in the movies, huh?" said Tails cheerfully, guiding the mech into the dark interior.

"Yeah," said Talon through his teeth. "Great."

They moved in silence for a minute, the clanking of the Cyclone's feet the only sound. They were in a long hallway with doors leading to the different cellblocks. "If I could only find a terminal," Tails was muttering, when the hall lit with red light and alarms clamored in their ears. Talon jumped and sent a spray of bullets into the wall.

"Watch it!" Tails yelled.

"Sorry," said Talon, ashamed.

All the same, Tails punched the Cyclone into a jog. A few feet later he spotted an inconspicuous box on the wall, moved up to it and opened the cover. "All right, a terminal!" he said, reaching into a side compartment. He plugged a wire into the terminal, told Talon to cover him, and began hacking the computer system.

Talon sat up and watched the hall in both directions. The alarms had been going for at least two minutes now, and nothing had happened. Just the same, the anteater switched weapons to guided plasma bolt, tightened his grip on the controls, and waited.

Suddenly the doors on either side burst open, and GUN robots sprang into the corridor, weapons aimed at them. Talon barely remembered to sweep them with the tag laser, as his first impulse was to fire in all directions. The plasma cannon mounted on the Cyclone's tail swivelled and fired, precise and deadly.

"Thanks Talon," said Tails without looking up.

Three more waves of robots were reduced to debris, and Talon was shaking like a leaf, when Tails yelled, "Security block five, cell 230!" The fox unplugged his wire and looked around at the piles of fallen robots surrounding them. "Wow, good job, Talon. You didn't even take any damage."

"Wh-what happens if we do?" asked Talon, wiping his sweaty hands on the seat in an attempt to dry them.

"I don't know," said Tails carelessly. "Last time I took damage we crashed." He set off down the hall.

Talon gripped the sides of the cockpit. "I don't want to do this anymore, Tails."

"Aw, c'mon," said Tails, unconsciously playing the part Sonic had always played to him. "We're nine-tenths there! Just a little further. You'll see."

Of course, if was quite a bit further, and they had to bypass four more security levels. Talon had to defend them, whether he liked it or not. Before long, Slasher and Amy fell in behind them, carrying the valuable keycard needed to free their friend.

Chapter 7 - Escape from Prison Island

_______________________________________________________________________

The break-in was not the only thing happening on Prison Island that day. Rouge, Shadow and Robotnik had teleported to the northern tip of the island, not far from the same area of the complex where Shadow had been freed. Robotnik was in his weapon-laden Eggwalker. Nox stood beside Shadow in large form, appearing as collected as his master, but shifting his weight from foot to foot uneasily.

"Having to come back here is not my idea of a vacation," snarled Robotnik to Rouge. "How do I know your sources are correct? Are you absolutely sure there are three chaos emeralds here?"

"You doubt me?" asked Rouge coolly. "You think robbing GUN is that difficult?" Her eyes moved to Shadow, whom she knew had robbed GUN with ease. Shadow stared back, impassive.

Robotnik was nervous, which put him in a foul mood. "Let me run over the plan one more time. I will cause a distraction for you two. Shadow, you will slip into the armory and plant this charge." He handed the hedgehog a small square object. Shadow glanced at it and nodded. Robotnik looked at Rouge. "You will break into the vault and find those emeralds. That shouldn't be hard for an expert treasure hunter like yourself," he added jeeringly. She gave him a wink and a thumbs up. "We only have thirty minutes to pull this off," he growled to both of them, "and we only get one try, so don't fail me. Now go."

He moved his walker out of hiding and down toward the beach. Behind him, Rouge darted in the direction of the vault entrance, and Shadow flashed in the other direction, a fleet black bird at his heels.

* * *

Sonic had never been so bored in his life. His cell was bare of furnishings and was fifteen paces square. He hoped they would give him a proper cell, but hours passed and no one came. He paced, tested the bars and walls for weaknesses, and yelled down the hall to see if there was anyone else in his cell block. But he was alone. There was nothing to do but sit and stare at the scribblings on the walls left by other prisoners. Two walls were covered in equations and fine script, but when he tried to read it he found that half the words were so big he hadn't a clue what they meant.

As hours passed, he found himself with nothing to do but think. It was not something he preferred to do, but deprived of exercise, his energy was forced into other channels. He sat on the floor and thought about running, and Knothole, and Tails, and Slasher, and the Chaos Emeralds. How was that Shadow creature able to teleport like that? He had never seen anyone but Velocity and Metal Sonic do it, and even he couldn't do it without the super emeralds.

He was startled when the door at the end of the passage smashed inward, and two bullets embedded themselves in the wall outside his cell. "It's empty," he heard Tails' voice announce. "His cell's at the far end. We'll guard the door."

There was the sound of running feet, and Amy and Slasher appeared at the bars. Sonic ran to them. "Boy, am I glad to see you guys! It's mondo boring in here."

"Never fear, Amy Rose is here!" said Amy, batting her eyelashes. She waved the security pass under Sonic's nose. "If I let you out, will you marry me?"

"Drop dead, Amy," said Sonic, watching the card nonetheless.

She swiped it through the doorlock. "I thought I had you that time."

The cell bars lifted into the ceiling, and Sonic bounded out. "All right! Let's juice! Whoa, Tails!" he exclaimed as he caught sight of the Cyclone in the doorway. "Where'd you get THAT?"

"This is the Cyclone," Tails replied. "We can talk later. Getting out of here won't be easy. Amy, Slasher, c'mon!"

The pair had lingered at Sonic's cell, examining the writing on the walls, but they came running. "I can make it on my own," said Sonic, and flashed away into the complex.

"Sonic!" Amy cried after him. "He's such a brat sometimes."

"Only when stir-crazy," said Slasher. "He can take care of himself. Tails, Talon, let's go!"

Tails turned the Cyclone toward freedom, crestfallen that Sonic hadn't let him fight for him. "He never asks me to do anything," Tails thought glumly as Talon sprayed an oncoming squadron of robots with bullets.

* * *

Robotnik found it odd that he was not being attacked by GUN's toughest troops. After all, they would be certain to recognize the Eggwalker. He he tromped through the harbor, blowing holes in parked aircraft and wasting squadrons of backup robots without being challenged. At first he thought it was a trap, but as the minutes ticked by he grew more confident. "Rouge, are you in the vault?"

"Not yet," came the breathless reply from his mech's radio. "Don't call me for another ten minutes, I'm hiding on a garbage cart headed there."

Robotnik switched channels. "Shadow, where are you?"

"In the armory, doctor," Shadow's voice purred. "Do you want the whole island destroyed, or only the armory?"

"Why?" asked Robotnik cautiously.

"Because I can," said Shadow with a hint of amusement. "Prison Island is covered in cruise missile silos, and I can arm and detonate all of them at once."

Robotnik gave it a second's thought. "Do it. We'll give these fools something to remember us by."

"On the contrary," said Shadow. "No one will remember us because they will all be dead."

* * *

Sonic curled into a spindash and crashed through a window, showering the pavement with glass. "You there! Stop!" a soldier bellowed after him. Several bullets cut the air over the hedgehog's head.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Sonic flung back over his shoulder, ducking behind a row of parked cars. The humans and their robots were no match for his speed, but how was he going to get off the island?

He jumped up on top of a Humvee and scanned the area. The only boats he could see were two aircraft carriers, and it would do no good to sneak aboard one of those. He touched his emerald belt out of habit, but it wouldn't function while the chao were using their emeralds. Perhaps he could build up enough speed to run across the water.

He scanned the ocean. A wind was blowing, churning the water into whitecaps. It would be tricky to run on, and if he tripped, he would have to swim the rest of the way, which he didn't think he could manage. Maybe he should have waited for Slasher ...

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog looked up and grinned. Circling above him was Pilot, the great purple pegasus. Sitting on her back were Serena and Zephyer, clutching Pilot's golden mane and waving. "I can't land there," whinnied Pilot. "The robots will shoot me before I can get away. Can you make it through the jungle to the far side of the island?"

"Sure I can!" said Sonic.

"Oh," said Pilot, sweeping in another circle, "did you see Tails in his machine? Was he all right?"

"Sure, he was having a ball," replied Sonic. "I'll meet you across the island!"

"Be careful!" Serena called as Pilot winged out of sight.

Sonic jumped to the pavement and dashed away in the direction of the island's interior. Knowing Pilot's modest speed, he could get there before she did.

* * *

Rouge stood in the shadow of a garbage bin, sweeping the room with the emerald tracker Robotnik had lent her. It zeroed in on chaos energy with accuracy within millimeters. Rouge was thankful, because the three emeralds could be anywhere in this place.

It was an underground vault with three floors. The walls on each floor were lined with safes, all of which were electronically locked. Security lasers swept the hall, and the air was slightly lower than fifty degrees, owing to the ten air conditioners fanning the place.

Rouge shivered as she watched the radar. The first emerald was on her level, and was probably in a safe. She fluttered into the air to clear the lasers, and glided to the wall of vaults. The radar beeped--she was within five feet of it. Rouge peered around. The floor wouldn't have another laser sweep for a good thirty seconds, and the safe with the emerald was right in front of her.

She landed, whipped one of the gadgets out of her belt, and touched its sensor to the electric lock. After a second her lockpick beeped, and the safe clicked open. Rouge reached inside and pulled out a light blue gem. For an instant she simply gazed at it, for a real chaos emerald was more beautiful than she had imagined.

She tucked it into a pouch on her belt and flew for the ladder leading to the second floor, as a laser sensor swept the ground where her boots had been.

"Rouge, have you found the emeralds yet?" Robotnik's voice crackled through her radio.

"One down, two to go," she replied. "Give me a minute."

"I'll give you five," Robotnik replied. "Shadow is going to detonate the whole island in twenty minutes."

Despite Rouge's lengthy background with danger, for a second the world whirled with an adreneline rush. She shook it off and kept climbing.

* * *

Robotnik sat in the Eggwalker on a runway, still daring GUN to attack him, but so far nothing had happened. He checked his watch and noticed that fifteen of the thirty minutes had passed. Once Rouge found the emeralds, he would ignite his hoverjets and fly back to the mainland. Then another trip to the ARK would be in order ... Robotnik fell to daydreaming of powering the Eclipse Cannon and holding the world hostage. What he hadn't been able to do with the Death Egg, his grandfather had done with the ARK. Perhaps that was the key--create something that could benefit mankind, then turn it against them, like robotization ...

Shadow ghosted up to the Eggwalker, his hoverskates making his movements soundless. Nox the ostrich trotted beside him. "Ready," said Shadow, folding his arms.

Robotnik nodded. Out in the bright sunlight, Shadow's spines were coal-black with a faint mottling at the bases, and their tips glowed with red stripes. His crimson eyes were fixed on some point in the distance. Beside him, Nox's black feathers shone with green and violet tints, and the gold flecks on his chest, wings and tailfeathers glowed like embers. His golden crest gleamed in the sun, and his sleek body shone with colors a real ostrich would never have. Robotnik gazed at him and wondered what sorts of creatures a chao could become. As always, he did not see a creature for its beauty--only its usefulness.

Shadow was paying no attention. His thoughts were far away, many years earlier, aboard a space station. He had been happy once. In fifteen minutes GUN would pay for the misery they caused him ...

A pair of arms encircled Shadow's neck from behind and squeezed. At the same time a voice squealed in his ear, "Oh Sonic! I'm so glad I found you again!"

Shadow staggered and grabbed at the arms around his throat, completely surprised. He threw them off and spun to face a pink hedgehog in a red dress. Beside him, Nox ruffled his feathers, as surprised as his master.

"Wait, you're not Sonic," said Amy, as she saw Nox, and Robotnik leering down from the Eggwalker. She backed away. "I think I made a mistake ..."

"Impeccable timing, Amy," said Robotnik with an unpleasant smile. "Would you care to join us? I have a lovely robotizer you might like."

Shadow backed away from her a step, flustered and embarrassed, but regaining his cool. "Want me to take her, doctor?"

Three bullets stung the asphalt at Shadow's feet, sending up a spray of gravel. Robotnik, Nox and Shadow looked up to see Tails in the Cyclone clanking toward them, Talon watching grimly from behind the firing controls. Slasher was pacing behind the walker, a lithe reptilian shape straight out of the jungle. "Stop right there," said Tails. "Leave her alone."

Amy scurried to Slasher, who crouched to let her climb on her back. Then the raptor paced away, out of range of any chance gunfire, one eye cocked in Shadow's direction.

Robotnik wheeled the Eggwalker around to face the Cyclone. "Hello, Tails," he said. "Fancy meeting you here. And who is that with you? Another brat who has joined the ranks?"

"Walk away, Robotnik," said Tails, ears flattening to his skull. "Just leave and I won't blow you full of holes."

"Aw, is that any way to talk to an old friend?" said Robotnik, pulling his goggles over his eyes. "If you think you can intimidate me with your pop-gun, Foxboy, think again."

Shadow glanced at Nox and broke into a quick skating run, his chao galloping behind him. He had no desire to be caught in a foolish fire-fight. He slowed at the edge of the runway and looked back.

Tails and Robotnik were circling each other, one mech squat and heavy, the other tall and graceful. "My money's on the fox," said Nox, also looking back.

"Why?" asked Shadow.

"His gunner's a good shot," said Nox as both mechs fired at each other. "He could have killed us back there."

"Shadow, is it?" said a voice.

The black hedgehog looked around and saw the velociraptor standing behind a leafy plant, also watching the battle. Amy sat on her back, openly staring at Shadow.

"Who are you?" said Shadow, backing away. Anything with claws that long couldn't be friendly.

The dinosaur cocked her head. "I'm Slasher. I just find it funny you're named Shadow. I knew someone by that name once."

Shadow glared at her for a long moment, then turned away.

"Oh," Slasher called after him, "your chao is considered missing. They'll be looking for him."

Nox pulled in his neck and slunk after his master.

"Why did you let him go?" whispered Amy.

Slasher shrugged her wings. "I didn't want to catch him. I just wanted to give him something to think about. His chao was pretty, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," said Amy, who was recovering from her fright. "I wish they made clothes the color of his feathers. Hey look, is Robotnik leaving?"

After going a few rounds with Tails and his copilot, Robotnik realized that the fox's defenses were stronger than he had thought. It would take a while to destroy the Cyclone, and he didn't have the time. He backed the Eggwalker away. "You're lucky this time, Tails," he said. "But next time, don't expect to walk away alive."

"Ha!" Tails yelled as Robotnik clanked away. "Chicken-Eggman!" Tails twisted in his seat and gave Talon a high-five.

Talon was grinning. "That wasn't so hard."

Tails's radio crackled. The fox picked it up and heard Serena's voice. "Guys, we've spotted Sonic. He's going to meet us on the far side of the island, where we'll pick him up."

"Cool," Tails replied. "That means we can get out of here." He turned and gave Slasher a thumbs-up sign, who nodded, ran out of hiding and leaped into the sky, wings beating the air.

Tails punched the Cyclone into flight mode, and hung on as the legs folded under to expose landing gear, the wings popped out and unfolded, and the propeller began to spin. "Hang on!" he yelled to Talon, and taxied out onto the runway. A moment later, the plane was airborne and kiting back toward Sapphire City.

* * *

Sonic was running and jumping through the rainforest, trying not to break his ankles or his neck. There were no paths through the mighty trees, and the ground was covered in fallen logs, moss, and tropical plants with leaves the size of umbrellas. Pools of stagnant water stood here and there, providing breeding grounds for giant killer mosquitos. Violent red flowers flashed in the undergrowth. It was an incredible sight, but a terrible race course.

Sonic jumped a moss-covered log and noticed a vine as thick as his wrist reaching between the log and a tree twenty feet away. Always eager to test his soapshoes, he jumped on the vine and tried to grind it. He slid two feet--then the vine snapped, and he belly-flopped into a shallow pool of brackish water. Spluttering, he picked himself up, wiping water and mud from his face. "Great going," Sonic grumbled, splashing out of the pool. He sat down on a lichen-covered boulder, removed his shoes, dumped out the water, and wrung out his socks.

As he sat there, listening to the rustle of the trees and the singing of a million birds, he heard voices. He pricked up his ears.

"... would like to know if I was named after someone, wouldn't you?" a cheerful, bright voice was saying.

"No," said a soft, low voice. "I wouldn't want to know because I might learn too much."

Sonic quietly slipped his shoes back on and crept in the direction of the speakers. They were moving toward him.

"How hard would it be to find out?" persisted the first voice. "I mean, Shadow isn't that common of a name."

"I don't want to find out," growled the second voice. "There are things I remember that I don't want to know about. Drop it, Nox."

"Okay, okay."

There was a pause. Sonic peered around a knot of roots, and saw the same black hedgehog and ostrich he had seen the previous night standing in a small clearing.

Unfortunately, the ostrich cocked a bright eye in his direction. "Don't look now, but we've got company."

Shadow turned and ground his teeth. "That blue hedgehog again, of all places--"

Sonic, deciding to carry the battle to the enemy, leaped into the open. "Ha, I found you, fake hedgehog! What are you doing out here? Come to gloat?"

Shadow smirked and folded his arms. "Fake? I think you're the only fake hedgehog around here. You're comparing yourself to me, and I'm the ultimate lifeform." His eyes narrowed and he put every ounce of condescension he could muster into his voice. "You're not good enough to be my fake."

Sonic's spines bristled as if he had been electrocuted. "I'll make you eat those words!" he snarled, and charged.

Shadow met him halfway, and the impact knocked both hedgehogs down. "Fake, huh?" Sonic growled, picking himself up. "See how fake this is, robot!" He leaped into the air and shot himself at his enemy, who met the attack with a spindash of his own.

"Robot?" said Shadow, catching his enemy with another spindash before Sonic hit the ground. "I think you misunderstood me. I am the ultimate lifeform, not a robot."

Sonic slammed into a tree trunk and slid to the ground, stunned, but a second later he was back on his feet. The hedgehogs circled each other, moving slowly. "If you're not a robot," said Sonic, "what are you?" He spindashed across the muddy ground. As in the helicopter, his strange bracelet caused the air around his spines to ignite, and he shot at Shadow like a burning tumbleweed. Shadow sidestepped, then spun into Sonic three times in quick succession, attacking with the same incredible speed that had brought GUN's strongest mech to its knees. Sonic tumbled to the side, breathless, then spindashed at Shadow again. At the same time, Shadow held out one hoverskate, the jet burning.

Both hedgehogs cried out. Sonic landed on his knees, clutching the side of his head where the jet had scorched through his spines. Shadow stumbled backward, his leg numb from the impact and his black fur singed from Sonic's fiery attack. "Not bad, for an imposter," he hissed.

Sonic stood up and they faced each other again, gasping for breath. But before either could renew the assault, the communicator on Shadow's wrist chirped. "Shadow," came Robotnik's voice, "what the devil are you doing? Get out of there before that island blows up with you on it!"

"Blows up?" Sonic yelped.

His rival checked his watch, eyes widening. Shadow spun and bolted into the woods.

Sonic hesitated a second, then darted in the direction of the beach, where Pilot was waiting for him.

* * *

"Nox," said Shadow, touching the ostrich's neck. The chao braced himself in preparation for the energy that exploded from his emerald when Shadow called a chaos control, but before Shadow could concentrate, his communicator beeped. "Shadow?" came Rouge's voice. "I have a small problem--"

The black hedgehog turned away from Nox and glared at his communicator. "Yes, what?"

Rouge sounded calmly annoyed. "I can't believe I'm locked in this vault with three chaos emeralds. I must have tripped a laser. Listen, you'll have to come back and find me after the missiles go off--"

Nox's head jerked as he stared at the communicator, then at his master.

Shadow bit his lip and scowled. "You're trapped?"

"Yes," replied Rouge, her composure slipping. "What part of 'locked in a vault' don't you understand?"

Shadow glanced at Nox and smiled slightly. "Goodbye, Rouge." He clicked off the communicator and reached for the ostrich's neck again, but Nox pulled away. "You're going to let her die?"

"Yes," said Shadow with a shrug. "I never trusted her."

Nox backed away a step. "We could rescue her, and you're going to let her die? That's mean!"

"You think I care?" said Shadow, eyes flickering dangerously. "Let's go."

Nox backed away another step. "I guess the other chao were right. You've always been a killer."

Shadow hesitated. Again his thoughts turned to that bitter night when everything good in his life had been destroyed, and the last glimpse he had had of Maria's crumpled body. Then he thought of Rouge, locked in that steel building, waiting for the explosion that would snuff out her life. She was no faceless military--she was a teammate, whether he trusted her or not.

He grabbed Nox's neck, forced his mind to focus on the time- manipulating channel of chaos, and growled, "Chaos control." All sounds stopped as if turned off, and the rustling forest froze. Shadow ran back toward the prison complex, towing Nox, who was grinning as much as his beak would allow. "You're not a killer! I always knew you weren't, Shadow!"

Shadow shot him a cold glance. "I am saving one life and taking many others. I believe that makes me a killer, Nox."

* * *

Sonic leaped onto the beach, spraying sand from his sneakers and looking around for his ride off the island. "Pilot!" he shouted, panicking. If he couldn't get away--

"Over here, Sonic," came the chao's voice, and the draft horse-sized pegasus cantered into sight, her golden wings half open.

"There you are!" said Serena, pretending to be annoyed. "What took you so long?"

Sonic ran to them and swung up behind Zephyer. "Pilot, get going. This whole place is going to blow up in a few minutes!"

"Blow up?" Serena, Zephyer and Pilot exclaimed at once. Pilot galloped toward the water, spread her wings and swept aloft. "Why didn't you say so?" she nickered, ears laying back as the ocean fell away."

"I didn't know, okay?" said Sonic, clinging to Zephyer to keep from sliding off over Pilot's tail. "I ran into Shadow, that black hedgehog, and Robotnik radioed him while I was standing there." The burn on his head was still throbbing, but Sonic didn't feel like mentioning it. "Did Tails and Slasher get off?"

"Yeah, they already left," said Zephyer, trying to keep her balance on the horse's back.

They were halfway across the bay when Prison Island erupted in a ball of fire. The orange cloud mushroomed into the sky in slow motion, then vanished into black smoke and debris. A second later the roar of the explosion reached them, like the sound of a thousand trucks on a highway. Pilot's wings beat faster, her muscles straining beneath them.

Sonic glanced back and saw the shockwave travelling across the ocean behind them like a monstrous ripple. Pilot saw it as well, and began climbing skyward, trying to escape. She barely succeeded, for the wave passed under them and they were struck by a gust of hot wind. The pegasus clawed the air for balance, and it was over a second later. "We made it," she announced, resuming her flight toward land.

Sonic looked over his shoulder at the burning island, which was now a black smoking patch on the horizon. "I wonder if Shadow made it," he muttered.

Chapter 8 - Return to the Chao Garden

_______________________________________________________________________

He stood at the window, gazing through the thick glass at the glowing blue planet below. Beside him stood a young girl clad in white, pale and delicate, with an oxygen canister beside her. "It's so beautiful," she whispered. "Maybe someday we can go down there. What do you think it's like?"

"I don't know," he replied quietly, "but Dr. Gerald says it's his life's work to help the inhabitants of that planet through science." He looked at his hands and fondled the bracelets on his wrists. "Maria, I don't know anything anymore. Sometimes I wonder why I was created. What is my purpose for being here, for being the ultimate lifeform?"

Maria gave a small cough, which passed for a laugh when she was on oxygen. "Lifeform you are, but ultimate I doubt." Her blue eyes smiled at him. "Our purpose is to glorify the God of the heavens. That's why we are here. It's our mission."

He returned her smile. "I think it's easier for you than for me. You're already a good person."

Her smile vanished. "Oh no, I'm not good at all. If there's anything good in me, Shadow, it's coming from somewhere else." She paused for breath. "That's why I must try so hard to glorify Him and be happy."

He glanced at her oxygen tank. "Even with all your problems?"

She gazed at Mobius again. "Yes. He blessed me with you, Shadow."

Another voice cut across his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. "That was very unlike you, Shadow, rescuing me like that."

The black hedgehog was standing at the same window, now glazed with dust. The same planet below had not changed in fifty years. Rouge the bat had come up and stood beside him, also looking out the window.

He sideyed her. "I didn't come to save you. I came back for the chaos emeralds."

She half-closed her heavily made-up eyes and smiled. "So you say. But that's not the whole story, is it?"

He turned his back on her and said nothing. Rouge studied his red-striped quills a moment. "Anyway, your ability to use chaos control certainly comes in handy."

Shadow smiled thinly and turned to face her again. "As do your treasure-hunting skills. Five chaos emeralds ought to be enough to charge the Eclipse Cannon."

Rouge returned his smile. "I would think so."

"You know," said Shadow, gazing into her eyes, "if someone put something that wasn't a chaos emerald into the power chamber, the computer would detect it at once."

Rouge's eyelids fluttered. "Oh?"

"Just letting you know," said Shadow, turning back to the window with a smirk. Instead of being put on the defensive, he had turned the tables. After a second he heard her heels click as she left the observation room.

Shadow was lost in thought again fifteen minutes later, when the door opened and Robotnik stepped in. "Ah, Shadow," said the doctor, walking up beside him. It was a friendly greeting, and Shadow secretly resented it. "Where is your little shadow?"

"In the galley," Shadow replied. "Nox eats all the time, it seems."

"I suppose it's a good thing I restocked it," said Robotnik.

They stood in silence for a moment, both studying the blue and white marble below.

"Has Rouge left?" asked Shadow, breaking the silence.

"Yes, actually," said Robotnik, glancing at him. "She promised to teleport back in two days' time. It will take that long for the cannon to charge with five emeralds ..."

"Four," Shadow said automatically. When Robotnik looked inquiring, Shadow went on, "There are only four. She bluffed us when she joined up. I knew it when I saw she had recovered the white emerald from GUN."

Robotnik chuckles and thumbed his mustache. "I like this bat better and better. She got us three emeralds, but bluffed her way in with a fake!"

He continued in this vein for some time, until a disgusted Shadow coasted silently from the room.

* * *

Knuckles was tired, dirty and discouraged. He had recovered all but two fragments of the Master emerald, and he would have to make the long trek back to the Floating Island before he could find out where the other two were. In addition, he had been awake for thirty-two hours and had eaten nothing. The one bright spot on the horizon was that before he returned home, he could drop by the Chao Co. and see Chimera. The others would probably be there by now, and Slasher would have his pass on hand. He hoped Chimera wasn't too upset.

It was late afternoon by the time the dusty echidna trudged down the sidewalk toward the light blue building. He smiled as he say the rented hovercar and Tails's walker in the parking lot.

The lobby was cool and quiet, and he was checked in by a yellow chao with a long head like Max's, who grinned at the echidna's astonishment. Knuckles was directed to garden three, and he trotted down the hall with a spring in his step.

He entered the gated entry and stood staring. Two tables were set up on the grass, a charcoal grill was sending off clouds of toothsome smoke, and the garden was crowded, or so it appeared to him. Bewildered, he looked into the guardhouse and saw Pip sitting in a lawn chair inside, drinking soda and talking to a man in a white labcoat. After a moment she noticed him, stood up and stepped up to the window.

"Is this garden three?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, unlocking the gate. "I already have your pass, go on in."

"But what are they celebrating?" he asked, motioning to the cheerful throng.

"Sonic's release from prison," was the reply. "Didn't you know?"

"Prison?" exclaimed the disbelieving echidna, staring at Pip as he stepped through the gate. "Sonic was in prison?"

"Sure was, and it was boring as all get-out," said the hedgehog himself, appearing at the echidna's side and sporting a bandage on his head. "I've been exonerated. Seems they had a tipoff about the bombing and had evacuated the island. Some videocameras caught Shadow planting a charge and fiddling with stuff, and everybody came and vouched for me, so I got a formal apology." He paused for breath. "Glad you finally made it, Knux! Did you find the Master emerald again?"

"Mostly," said the echidna, even more bewildered. He peered around the garden. "Is Chimera here?"

"Sure," said Sonic, the grin fading from his face. "He's in the back. And he's not a happy camper."

Knuckles strode around the tables, said a few polite words as people welcomed him, and again looked around for his chao. "Chimera?" he called.

Something attacked his ankle with such violence he yelped. He looked down to see a black chao with its arms around his leg, gazing up at him with Chimera's resentful eyes. He stooped and picked him up. "Chimera, why'd you change colors?"

Chimera continued to stare at him reproachfully. "Why didn't you come when the others did?"

Knuckles smiled. "What, you thought I forgot you? Somebody swiped the Master emerald, and I had to go after them. I wanted to come, you know."

"Humph," sniffed the black chao. "I think you should have come anyway. Did you pound the thief?" he added hopefully.

"No," said Knuckles. "But I got the Master back."

"You should have pounded him!" exclaimed the chao. "I would have. You should have brought me. Oh, have you got my emerald? Give it to me!" His eyes flickered yellow, and Knuckles gazed at him. All was not right with this chao.

"After everyone leaves," he said.

Chimera snarled. "You're no fun. I wish you'd never come. Put me down." He squirmed, and Knuckles set him on the grass. Chimera scampered into his corner and sat down facing the wall. Knuckles stared after him, brows furrowed.

"Hello, sir," said a small voice behind him.

Knuckles turned to see Talon standing there, holding a slice of watermelon on a paper plate. "Hi, Tal!" said Knuckles, slapping the anteater's shoulder in greeting. "What's happened to Chimera?"

"They don't know," said Talon, looking concerned. "It's like he got homesick, and it made him mean. None of the other chao did it."

Suddenly bone-tired, Knuckles looked around for a free chair. "What was Sonic doing in jail, anyway?"

Talon explained as Knuckles sat down at the nearest table, noticed the food, and began filling a plate from a fruit tray. Knuckles was amazed at the events of the past two days, and nibbled his fruit with a thoughtful look as Talon talked. He was also amazed that Talon had manned the weaponry of Tails's walker, although he said nothing aloud. "So we came back here, and the chao begged the people here to give them the August 15th barbecue early. And that's all," Talon concluded.

Knuckles said nothing for a while, and concentrated on filling the empty spot in his belly. As he ate, he turned Talon's story over in his head. It didn't feel right. Sonic framed for the actions of a black hedgehog? Three emeralds missing? Robotnik at Prison Island in a walker of his own? Something nasty was brewing.

Plates of grilled meat were set on the tables, and the group sat down. Knuckles watched Sonic tear into a piece of chicken as if he had not eaten in days. Pip the bat, sitting across from Sonic, made a face. She was a vegetarian. Amy Rose bit into a slice of watermelon and squealed in dismay as juice dribbled down her dress. Tails pulled up a chair beside Talon, and the two put their heads together and chattered between mouthfuls. Serena sat on the grass with the garden chao, cutting up their food and scolding them about their manners. Slasher stood at the end of the table, tearing up a chicken leg with her teeth and letting Chalcon eat the choicest bits. Zephyer sat down across from Knuckles, her plate piled high with everything, and asked him if he had recovered the Master emerald. Pleased at her interest, Knuckles recounted his journey through the desert as they ate.

A pleasant two hours passed. The Freedom Fighters ate, talked, relaxed, and ate some more. "Now, THIS is a vacation," said Sonic, throwing himself on the grass near his sister, who was lying on her back with Pilot and Elleno dozing beside her.

Serena propped herself up on one elbow. "No kidding. I haven't had so much fun since Rotor built the rope swing over the swimming hole. If Amy weren't here, it'd be perfect."

"She's not that bad," said Sonic, who was full, comfortable, and feeling goodwill for the world. "She found a keycard to let me out."

"Yeah." Serena flopped on the grass again.

Velocity the cheetah padded up to them and stared solemnly into Sonic's face. "You'll get chiggers if you lay there too long."

Sonic stroked the furry ears protruding from the cat's helmet. "Who cares about chiggers? I'm not in jail somewhere."

"Speaking of which," said a voice. Serena, Sonic and Velocity looked up as Pip approached, carrying a notepad and a pencil. She looked eager. "Can I interview you about the exciting events of today?"

"Sure," said Sonic, who was always willing to talk about himself. Sonic and Serena sat up, but Velocity slunk away. He had no wish to be questioned again.

The sun sank from the sky, washing the west with red and gold. Stars peeked out of the twilight, and crickets began to chirp in the corners of the chao garden. Everyone started to yawn, and a half-hearted attempt was made to clean things up. Pip finished interviewing Sonic and Serena, noticed the time, rounded up the sleepy chao and herded them indoors. When she reemerged, she waved her arms and called, "Time to leave, everybody! Don't worry about cleaning up, they'll do it later. Bye!" The group began to file through the gate. "Don't forget, I want to interview everyone tomorrow!"

"Remind me to break my leg," Tails whispered to Serena, who dug a fist into her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Once outside the Chao Co. building, Tails offered to fly Knuckles to the Floating Island the next morning. The weary echidna agreed, and followed them down the street to the hotel. The band fell into bed, tired and with an adventure under their belts.

But part two of their adventure was sitting in a restaurant several blocks away, shovelling food into her mouth as fast as possible.

The excitement of the day had sapped Rouge's blood sugar, and she had a surplus of 2000 calories to fill. She had stopped by her favorite diner, ordered the largest vegetarian platter on the menu, and was wolfing it down with one eye on the wall clock.

She was thus engaged when the door swung open and a black bat with leather boots and robotized wings stepped in. Rouge swallowed and called, "Pip! Over here!"

Pip saw her, hesitated, then walked over and sat down across from Rouge. "Hi," she said. "Were you hungry or something?" She eyed the enormous platter, now mostly empty.

Rouge nodded. "You have no idea. Order the mango platter, it's fresh."

"I already had dinner," said Pip. "I just wanted some dessert. They barbecued in the chao garden today."

"I thought they didn't do that until the fifteenth," said Rouge, daintily wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"They did it to celebrate Sonic being rescued," said Pip, warming to the subject. "Wait a minute, I'm going to get some ice cream."

She got up and walked to the counter, and Rouge eyed her shrewdly. Despite Pip's deep suspicion of all other bats, Rouge had managed to befriend her by buying her dinner and visiting the chao gardens. As with Rouge's other friendships, she cultivated this one for a reason. Pip read all the newspapers in her on-going attempt to become a reporter, and had an excellent memory.

Pip returned to the table with an ice cream cone nine inches tall. "Super chocolate peanut butter butterscotch raspberry ripple," said the black bat proudly. "All the ice cream you could ever eat. Where was I?"

"Sonic in prison," said Rouge, picking up a carrot stick. "Who is Sonic, anyway?"

By asking the right questions and feigning interest, Rouge coaxed out of Pip that Sonic and the Freedom Fighters had come to Sapphire City to see their chao. Rouge was interested to know that Sonic had been framed for Shadow's actions, and that he and the others had escaped from Prison Island only minutes before the explosion. "But I don't know if that's secret, so don't tell anybody," said Pip.

Rouge nodded. "Not a word will pass my lips."

Pip gave her attention to her melting ice cream for several minutes, and Rouge toyed with her fork. She wondered if she had exceeded her calorie limit, but behind this trivial worry she was thinking of a way to find a chaos emerald in the next two days, and wondering how Shadow was able to see through her. Her thoughts returned to the present as Pip said, "Some of the chao lost their emeralds, though. So they weren't all happy."

"Emeralds?" said Rouge, without having to fake her interest. "The chao wear jewels?"

"Oh no," said Pip, wiping ice cream off her face with the back of one hand. "The Freedom Fighters brought the seven chaos emeralds down here to use on the chao. It makes them bigger. The chao, I mean, not the emeralds. But now three are lost." Pip heaved a dejected sigh. "The chaos emeralds are really special, you know."

"I know," said Rouge, her heart beating faster than normal. "Do the chao keep the emeralds all the time?"

"No," said Pip. "The owners carry around their chao's emerald until it's time to give them to them."

"How interesting," said Rouge, masking her excitement with a look of calm detachment. "Well Pip, it's time for me to leave. Did you want me to buy you anything?"

"No thanks," said Pip, who looked as if she were fighting a losing battle with her cone. "See you later, Rouge."

A moment later the white bat was flying down the dark street on her showy red motorcycle, her head awhirl with plans. She could bring back not one, but four chaos emeralds. Would Shadow trust her then? "Probably not," she thought with a smirk as she flashed through an intersection on a yellow light. She had met few people as hard to befriend as Shadow. Even the legendary Robo Knuckles had not suspected her when she had stolen his files. She thought of it as her smoothest job ever. She thought with less relish about Metal Sonic, with whom she had tried the same tactics and barely escaped with her life. Metal Sonic had been the only person in her entire career who had bested her, and she had sworn to herself that it would never happen again.

Rouge parked her bike two blocks from the Chao Co. building, and hung herself in a tree to pass the night. She pressed a button on her watch and whispered, "Rouge reporting at ten-thirty-six PM. I am on the trail of the other four chaos emeralds. Estimated accomplishment time, twelve hours. Out." She folded her wings across her body, gazed at the Chao Co entrance, and waited.

* * *

His body was black, but soaked with a red that tinted his quills and eyes. He stared at her with a question in his eyes, but did not speak. What did he want to know? she wondered. As she watched, a pencil and a notepad appeared in his hands, and he began to jot down notes, looking up from time to time to study her. She wanted to run, to scream, to do anything but stand there and let him write. But she might have been a tree stump, rooted to the ground, incapable of motion. All she could do was watch and wonder what he was writing.

His hands trembled. He dropped the pencil and paper and clutched his chest in distress. The red was vanishing. He gasped and shuddered, and the red turned an ashen gray, as if a fire had been extinguished. He looked at her with gray eyes, mutely pleading for help. Then he grew and expanded into a monstrous black dragon. It snarled down at her, its jaws full of fire. She wanted to scream, but could do nothing except watch. It roared, its mouth opening wide enough to swallow a train, then stooped down to devour her.

Serena screamed and awoke. Terrified, she sat up in bed and saw Zephyer standing over her, white as a sheet. "Serena!" said the echidna, shaking her shoulder. "Wake up already!"

"I'm awake, I'm awake," gasped the hedgehog, clutching the blankets. "It was him, but this time he turned into a dragon--" She felt an overwhelming urge to cry. The reality of the dream was still with her, as if the dragon were lurking somewhere outside the hotel room. She bit her lips and looked at Zephyer, who looked frightened.

"You started making that sound," she said faintly. "Like you were screaming in your throat. I couldn't wake you up. It's only eleven, Serena."

Serena looked at the drawn curtains and the clock that read 11:03. A lump of fear rose in her throat. That meant she had to go back to sleep. "I can't go to sleep," she whispered, staring at Zephyer. "He'll come back. He was early tonight."

Zephyer looked even more pale, her blue eyes wide with dread. "Look, we'd better pray. It isn't right that you're having these dreams. This is evil."

Serena could only nod. She clasped the echidna's cold robot hands in her sweaty ones, and bowed her head as Zephyer began to pray. As the echidna's voice spoke, Serena felt the terror begin to ebb, and the image of the black hedgehog faded. Before Zephyer had finished, Serena had laid down again and was fast asleep once more.

But Zephyer sat awake in the dark for a long time, head on her folded arms, watching the sleeping hedgehog and waiting for the horrible muffled cry that accompanied a nightmare.

* * *

Tails slipped out of his room and shut the door softly, so as not to wake Talon. In one hand was the violet chaos emerald. It was scarcely dawn, but he had promised to fly Knuckles back to the Floating Island. If he left early, he could be back before lunch. He was also hoping to get Pilot out of the garden and take her for one of the flights she loved.

He tiptoed to Knuckles's room and knocked softly. The door opened at once, as if the echidna had been waiting. He carried a large cloth bag that contained the emerald shards over one shoulder. He eased his door shut, and followed Tails toward the elevator.

Once they gained the freedom of the chilly outdoors, they were able to talk. A faint mist hung in the air as they walked to the parking garage. "What I night I had," said Knuckles, stretching his arms and shifting the bag from one hand to the other. "Zephyer called me at midnight, woke me out of a sound sleep. Serena had a nightmare and it really freaked her out."

"Serena had a dream that freaked out Zephyer?" said Tails incredulously. "That must have been some nightmare."

"For her to call me." said Knuckles, shaking his head. "I hadn't given her my number. She must have had to call the front desk."

"What was the dream about?" asked Tails, as they entered the garage and made their way toward the parked Cyclone.

"Something about a black hedgehog and a dragon," said Knuckles. "I don't remember, I was half asleep. I didn't sleep very well the rest of the night." He climbed up to the rear seat of the Cyclone and tried to squeeze himself in.

Tails vaulted into the cockpit and started the engine. He glanced back at Knuckles, who was wedged sideways in the narrow seat. "Thanks for all the room," growled the echidna.

Tails frowned. "Uh oh. You must be bigger than Sonic."

"What was your first clue?" said Knuckles, squirming. "I can't fly anywhere in this."

"You could ride on the wing," said Tails doubtfully, "like Sonic does sometimes."

"No way," said Knuckles, sitting on the edge of the cockpit with his feet in the seat. "I guess I'll have to ask Slasher or something."

"No, stay there," said Tails. "I think it expands when it goes back into flight mode. You'll be able to fit then."

"If you say so," said Knuckles, setting his bag of emerald shards in the seat and gripping the laser cannon tower.

The Cyclone strode out of the garage, its feet clanking noisily on the pavement. Tails revelled in the power of his machine as he guided it up the street toward the Chao Co. building. Knuckles was impressed, even thought the metal cockpit rim was a rather uncomfortable perch.

Tails pulled up outside the building and shut off the engine. "Just a minute, Knuckles," he said, hopping onto the sidewalk. "I wanted to bring Pilot."

Knuckles climbed out too. "I ought to bring Chimera. He's really in a bad way." He glanced worriedly at his bag of fragments.

Tails noticed and said, "They'll be safe. Nobody's out yet, and I left my chaos emerald in there. We won't be a minute."

Persuaded, if not convinced, Knuckles followed the fox into the lobby. After all, he was tired, and that bag was heavy.

At once Rouge the Bat dropped out of the tree where she had spent the night, and dashed to the Cyclone. She snatched the violet chaos emerald out of the cockpit and stowed it in her belt, then moved to the copilot's seat.

She opened Knuckles' bag and peered in. Chunks of glowing green crystal sparkled up at her. No wonder that echidna had looked familiar! Here were the pieces of that lovely jewel he had smashed, to keep Dr. Robotnik from carrying it off. Without a second thought, she lifted the heavy bag and slung it over her shoulder.

At that moment, Knuckles stepped out of the lobby door.

Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, and Rouge saw violent fury leap into the echidna's eyes. She bolted down the street, Knuckles in hot pursuit.

There was no outcry, no shouts of, "Stop, thief!" Only the thud of his footsteps on the pavement behind her. Rouge thought of the scrape on her wrist, and wondered what he would do to her for stealing his emerald a second time. She poured every ounce of physical training into her mad dash, clinging to the bag's fabric like grim death. It was so heavy it slowed her down.

He nearly got her as she mounted her motorcycle, but she gunned the engine and blasted him with exhaust. As he flinched, she roared up the street, the throttle wide open. Knuckles ran after her a few steps, then fell behind in despair. Rouge had escaped, the Master emerald slung across her handlebars.

When Tails emerged from the Chao Co., Pilot in his arms, he met a quietly raging Knuckles, who informed him that the violet chaos emerald and the Master emerald had been stolen.

"I guess I don't need to go back to my island now," he added with a grim smile.

Chapter 9 - The Eclipse Cannon

_______________________________________________________________________

Rouge was ecstatic.

Wealth beyond her wildest dreams was slung over the handlebars of her motorcycle, radiating power through the bag's fabric. Each fragment glowed like a small chaos emerald, and when cut they would bring thousands, perhaps millions ... Emeralds were not quite as rare as rubies, but power stones would fetch a fair price no matter what their color.

Rouge had not lied when she'd told Shadow and Robotnik that she specialized in jewels--they were indeed her field of expertise, and she had a good eye for them. Her head was awhirl with glee over having pulled a fast one on the echidna. She had robbed him twice and come out on top. "How was that?" she thought to herself, her pride growing like a bubble. "Perfect? Like me?"

The motorcycle flashed out of Sapphire City on its way over the mountains and toward the desert beyond, and her thoughts turned to the treasure room she had found in Robotnik's pyramid. How was she to extract the treasure without bringing in trucks to haul it away? Perhaps she could select the choicest items, and teleport herself to a hiding place. Yes, perhaps she would make several trips ... The wind fanned her face, and thoughts of gold fanned her greed.

But as the sun climbed noonward, and the scarlet vehicle descended the mountain road toward the whiteness of the Samo desert, Rouge's ecstasy began to wear off. Cloud castles were all fine and good, but she was putting a fifth chaos emerald into the hands of a mad scientist and a soulless creature with an insane craving for destruction. Were five emeralds enough to fire the Eclipse Cannon? She hoped not, but the cannon had begun charging the day before. She doubted the pieces of the big emerald--what had the echidna called it? The Ruling emerald?--would be of any use to Robotnik and Shadow, but maybe she should hide them anyway. Yes, she could stow them in the pyramid before reporting in. The treasure chamber ought to be safe enough.

She concealed her bike in its usual spot near the canyon oasis, and made the two-mile hike to the pyramid on foot.

By the time she entered the cool dimness of the vast stone structure, Rouge was panting and sweating in a most un-ladylike fashion. After looking around for the patrolling beetle robot, she made a beeline for the treasure chamber and deposited the bag of emerald shards in one corner. She stood for a moment, looking at it. She had seen how the echidna could track that emerald. What if he found it?

On impulse she opened the bag, withdrew four sizeable pieces, and tucked them into four extra pouches on her belt. There. If the echidna found the bag, he wouldn't get them all.

Feeling easier in her mind, Rouge made her way through the triple-locked door that led to Robotnik's quarters, and trotted to the room containing the teleporter unit. She paused a moment to apply fresh makeup, then pressed a button on one of the computers to page Robotnik.

After a moment his mustached face appeared on the holoscreen. He was smudged with grease, and a light was clipped onto his safety glasses--he was probably working on the ARK's systems. "Yes, what?"

Rouge pulled out the violet chaos emerald and held it up. "Look what I found," she said in a singsong voice.

Robotnik's beady eyes lit up. "Why didn't you say so, bat girl? Come on up!"

It took a moment for the teleporter to warm up, and just as long for Rouge's irritation at being called 'bat girl' to wear off. She waited as blinding light surrounded her, and the familiar sensation of flying forward at insane speed struck her middle. But when the tarnished teleporter chamber of the ARK faded into view, she found Shadow standing outside, staring at her hungrily.

"What?" she said, stepping out of the chamber and pushing him aside.

"Where is it?" he said huskily, gliding after her on his noiseless hoverskates.

Rouge tossed him a suspicious glance over her shoulder. "Where is what?"

The black hedgehog swept in front of her and barred the way. "The chaos emerald. What color is it?"

Rouge pulled it out of her belt and held it up, watching Shadow's reaction. The excitement--if that was what it was--died out of his eyes. His upper lip curled, and he stood aside with a mock bow.

"What's the matter?" said the bat, flouncing past. "Don't like purple?" He didn't answer, but she was aware that he was following her.

Shadow accompanied her to the control room, where four chaos emeralds glowed and sparkled in their sockets, pouring their energy into the power cells deep within the space station. Nox the chao was curled up on the platform, but sat up and blinked sleepily as they approached. "Oh goody, a new emerald," he said, and toddled to Shadow's feet. Shadow ignored him, crossed his arms and watched as Rouge pressed the emerald into a vacant slot. At once, a holoscreen appeared with the news that a new emerald had been detected. Power levels jumped 22%.

Shadow was smiling when Rouge turned--a foul, twisted smile. "Very good," he said. "Now we only need two more. I hope your contacts can help you." He stressed 'contacts', as if he suspected Rouge of treachery.

She returned his smile with one she used to bring males to their knees. "I know where they are," she said. "Your friend the blue hedgehog has them."

Shadow's smile vanished. "He's still alive?"

"And kicking," said Rouge, noting that her charms hadn't affected him. "How much more power do we need?"

Shadow pushed past her and pressed several buttons, red eyes fixed on the screens above them. Nox moved up to stand beside Shadow's right ankle, and shot Rouge a look as unreadable as one of his master's. Rouge wondered how a creature as sweet and innocent as a chao could find something loveable about the black beast before her.

"Tonight," said Shadow, still watching the screens. "The Eclipse Cannon will be fully charged at six-thirty-nine." He turned his head and glanced at Rouge. "When is moonrise?"

"I don't know," said Rouge, baffled. "Why do we need to know that?"

Shadow had already pulled up a set of orbatial calculations and was studying them with a cunning look in his eyes. "Yes," he muttered to himself. "Seven-twenty. Perfect." He closed the screens, turned and regarded Rouge. "You think me incapable of feeling, bat. You think I haven't an ounce of mercy. But I have, for I am willing to give that planet a warning. And let this be a warning to you, as well." He held up a clenched fist. "If you betray me, I will kill you." The words were melodramatic, but the direct, unblinking red stare behind them was not.

Rouge nearly lost her cool, as she didn't take kindly to death threats. But she was pleased at how steady her voice was as she said, "Betray you? After I worked so hard for your precious rocks? I don't think so." She turned on her heel and flung back over her shoulder, "And try brushing your hair, handsome."

As she reached the door, she heard him mutter, "As you wish, Maria."

* * *

Knuckles sat in the chao garden on a cement bench, the noon sun beating down on him. He didn't care. He hadn't been so angry in years, not since the first time his emerald had been stolen. He and Tails had gone to the police, only to discover that GUN was the police, and they were still looking for Shadow. All Mobians were treated with suspicion, and Knuckles and Tails had left the police station feeling like criminals.

Tails was angry and upset over the loss of the violet chaos emerald, and Pilot joined him in loudly lamenting it. He had taken her out to lunch with Sonic and Velocity for consolation. Knuckles remained in the chao garden, alone and stewing.

He was not alone for long. Chimera crept out of the corner, drawn by his master's sullen look, and climbed up on the bench. Knuckles glanced at the rust-colored chao. "Decide to speak to me again?"

"I just want my emerald," said Chimera, baring his pointed teeth. "Everybody else has theirs."

"Forget it, you little brat," said Knuckles harshly. "Tails just had his stolen. Do you think I'm going to let you carry one around?"

Chimera almost looked apologetic. "I could keep it safe for you."

Knuckles said nothing for a long moment, then muttered, "The Master emerald was stolen again, too."

Chimera suddenly understood his master's outburst. Neither spoke for several minutes. The sun beamed down on the red echidna and black chao. Knuckles watched two chao guide an old blind one across the garden.

Suddenly he said, "You want to go get lunch?"

Chimera's eyes lit with excitement. "Could we?" When it came to leaving the garden, Chimera was as excited as any other chao. He leaped off the bench as Knuckles stood up. "Could I have a milkshake?"

"We'll see," said the echidna, picking up Chimera and carrying him out of the garden. "We might as well do SOMEthing."

* * *

The day crept by. The chao owners took their charges to lunch and to the beach, but it wasn't the same with four emeralds missing. Only Max, Chimera and Velocity could change into large form, and the others couldn't use their friends' emeralds without becoming seriously ill. Max and Velocity frolicked in the sand and water, while Chimera looked on enviously. Knuckles still wouldn't give him his emerald.

The sun sank, and the group decided to go to a large outdoors restaurant overlooking the ocean. They bought special passes that allowed the chao to stay out late, and went out to eat as the sun dipped into the sea.

A few hours passed, and the Freedom Fighters fell to embroidering stories over dessert. Sonic launched into the tale of his escape from GUN, already gaining status as a campfire story. "I threw the burning net off and wrenched open the door," said the hedgehog, making motions as if tugging an invisible door. "The locks popped off and fell on the floor, and there I was, standing in the wind, twenty thousand feet above Sapphire City."

"Helicopters don't fly that high," said Velocity, who was busily eating Sonic's peanut butter pie.

"Quiet, kitty," said Sonic. "I jumped onto the wing--you should have seen the missiles under it, this puppy was armed--and the pilot went nuts."

"Hey Sonic," Amy interrupted, but Sonic ignored her.

"He hadn't expected me to actually escape. He leaned out the window and started shooting at me, but I dodged, and--"

"Hey Sonic," said Amy again, poking him.

Again Sonic ignored her. "--and ripped a panel off the wing. Then I jumped out into space and--" He noticed every eye was fixed on some point behind him. Sonic glanced over his shoulder.

A television in the corner of the restaurant had been turned up full blast, and on the screen was Dr. Robotnik.

"... demand that Mobius surrender unconditionally to me. All Freedom Fighters must be handed over to me and my representatives. All weapons must be left at the remains of Robotropolis. You cannot stand against the Eggman Empire."

Sonic snorted. "He sounds like a bad TV show."

Everyone hushed him and continued watching the screen. Robotnik was smiling. "Thinking of resisting, Mobius? Thinking of uniting against me, as you did against the biotics? I ask you to look toward the moons."

Chairs scraped as the restaurant patrons rose and scanned the sky for the moons. They had risen half a fist above the horizon in the east, the smaller moon a little above and to the right of the big one. Sonic glanced around and saw that everyone had picked up their chao. Velocity in chao form huddled at his feet, his emerald clutched in both paws. Sonic picked him up and stroked him as he gazed at the moons. "Well?" he said, glancing back at the television. "Nothing's happening."

There came a twinkle from the darkening sky above, and a single green star blazed out where none had been before. The group glanced back at the screen to see a satellite image of a great stone sphere, like an asteroid, as its bottom hemisphere blew off, causing the green star in the sky above to burn.

But as they watched the screen, they saw that a tall spike protruded from the underside of the half-sphere. Three wing-like stabilizers swung out from either side, and Sonic found himself looking at an eerie image of a long-nosed face with a mustache. "It's the Death Egg!" he exclaimed, and was again hushed.

The nose, or central spike, had split into four and was opening like the petals of a flower. Inside was a brilliant green-edged light. The star brightened in the sky above.

"Oh no," said Slasher softly, voicing the thoughts of every person on Mobius.

The light inside the opened weapon brightened until it overwhelmed the watching camera with white. As one, everyone turned from the television to the green star. It flamed bigger and brighter, then cast out a brilliant arm. It struck across the sky like a bolt of lightning, casting a green light on the tables of the restaurant. People gasped, hands were clapped to mouths, hearts stopped.

The beam struck the largest of the moons.

For nine-tenths of a second nothing happened. The thought leaped into Sonic's mind that it hadn't worked, the beam was too weak.

Then half the moon vanished into a thickening cloud of dust, and the beam shut off, leaving a luminous green trail across the sky. People screamed. Sonic heard himself cry out, and heard the voices of his friends around him. "The moon! They blew up the moon!"

Sonic glanced at his friends, and saw his own horror reflected on every face. Slasher's jaw was hanging open as if it had fallen away from her head. Tails's eyes were as big as saucers, and he was clutching a weeping Pilot to his chest. Talon, beside him, was braced against a chair, staring at the moon with his mouth open, Max's expression exactly matching his. Serena was standing with her hands over her mouth, tears running unchecked down her face. Amy was sitting down, silent for once, and as white as paper.

Zephyer was clinging to the back of a chair with both robot hands, and it looked to Sonic like she had bent the frame. Knuckles was standing beside her, but his eyes were burning with cold fire. He met Sonic's gaze, and Sonic felt his own terror crystallize into angry determination--to find out what that weapon was, and stop Robotnik from firing again.

Their staring was interrupted by Robotnik's return to the screen. He looked smug. "Not so bold are you now, Mobius? You have seen the power of the Eclipse Cannon. It will be fully recharged in twenty-four hours, so you will have that long to make up your minds to surrender. I await your reply, Mobius. Don't think of resisting--or your beloved planet will meet the same fate as its principal moon."

A satellite photo was displayed of the moon with half of it missing, the core glowing a dull red.

* * *

Panic reigned in Sapphire City. GUN cars, soldiers and robots were everywhere, doing their best to keep riots from forming. The Freedom Fighters left the restaurant and found themselves in a city-wide traffic jam. It was midnight before the chao were returned to the Chao Co., and their owners arrived at the hotel.

Instead of going to bed, however, the eight Mobians gathered in Slasher and Amy's room for a council of war.

Sonic produced a long-distance communicator, and called Sally with it. Knothole, too, had witnessed the attack, and had received Robotnik's global transmission. "We're okay here," said Sally, sounding worried nonetheless. "Sonic, before you can do anything else, you're going to need to find out where Robotnik is transmitting from."

"I can do that!" said Tails, brightening. "I have a built-in tracer in the Cyclone."

Sonic looked at the communicator's speaker. "Did you hear that, Sal?"

"Yes, good," she replied, sounding relieved. "The tricky part is that you'll have to trace him during a transmission. Once he signs off you won't be able to locate him."

Sonic looked around at the faces of his companions, lit by two soft yellow lamps. "Ideas, guys?"

"Yeah," said Knuckles. "I've never known Doc to act mysterious. When he has the upper hand, he lets you know. I'll bet he talks to somebody official about capitulation a couple times."

"Sally, who's in command down here?" Sonic asked.

There was a moment of silence as Sally looked it up on Nicole. "Here we are. The human colonies are governed by a President Hector Ladendrum. You know how fond Robotnik is of his own kind. The colonies would probably be his first target."

"That's a cheerful thought," growled Slasher, who was lying on the floor like a reptilian sphinx.

"So what we'll have to do is find this President and stick to him like glue," said Sonic, glancing around the room. "Tails, you think you could detect when he receives a transmission?"

"You bet I could," said the fox. "I hope he doesn't mind."

"Yeah," said Serena, who was sitting on the floor beside Slasher. "What if he thinks you're that Shadow person?"

Sonic set his teeth. "It's a risk we'll have to take." He stood up. "We'd better go now."

"But it's almost one!" exclaimed Zephyer, motioning to a wall clock.

"Yeah, only nineteen hours left," said Sonic. "Only Tails needs to come. The rest of you can get some sleep."

"Tails, will you need me?" asked Talon, who had rings under his eyes, but still tried to look ready for battle.

"Not this time," said Tails. He was also tired, but braced for what he had to do. "I won't be shooting. Just tracking."

Sonic and Tails descended to the lobby of the hotel, to find it filled with frightened people. The Mobians slipped out the doors unnoticed. "Just like old times, eh, little bro?" asked Sonic as they jogged toward the garage where the Cyclone was parked.

"Yeah," Tails replied, "but scarier. Where'd you learn to give orders like that?"

"I don't know," said Sonic as they entered the garage. "It came naturally. I guess that's what happens when you grow up."

* * *

Travelling anywhere in Sapphire City was difficult due to traffic jams, so Sonic took a radio that was turned to the frequency of the Cyclone, and set off on foot. Tails followed him as best as he could by guiding the little walker along sidewalks and sidestreets not cramped with cars.

"Do you have any idea where this President actually is?" asked Tails.

A moment later his radio crackled and Sonic said, "No idea in the world. But I know where City Hall is, so I'm going there first."

There was silence for a few minutes. Tails used the hoverjets in his mech's feet to hop a streetful of cars, and galloped the Cyclone down an unlit alley. As he emerged on the far side, he glanced up at the damaged moon, which was casting its familiar silver light on the city. It was surrounded by a cloud-like haze, and its white disk was marred by the enormous black crater. The sight of it sent a jolt of terror through Tails's stomach--the unaccustomed sight of the damaged moon. It was like looking up and seeing an alien planet where none had been before.

He returned his gaze to the street, and pushed aside his fearful thoughts.

"Tails," came Sonic's voice, making the fox jump. "The President's on TV. If you can trace him, we can figure out exactly where he is."

"Okay," said Tails, turning onto a sidewalk and looking for a television. He found one in the window of a shop, and activated his tracer program. The President was an older human with gray hair streaked with brown, and a rugged, handsome face. Someone you trusted on sight, thought Tails, as the program worked.

A few seconds later his onboard screen displayed the results of the trace. The channel was coming from a station five blocks to the south. And the station was transmitting a live feed from--

"Sonic, he's in a car," said Tails, calling up a map. "Heading east on Route 101. Is that the Speed Highway?"

"Gotta be," said Sonic. "It's probably the only place not snarled up. Where are you?"

Tails looked around for a street sign. "The corner of Elm and Topaz."

"Great, there's an on-ramp not far from you. You know how to use the lifts?"

"Yeah," said Tails, setting his course for a tall, thin building that connected to a highway arching high overhead. "Once I get there I'll let you know."

"Check," said Sonic.

During the long elevator ride up to the suspended track, Tails transformed the Cyclone into its car form. The legs folded back and turned so the tires in the heels faced downward. The laser tower retracted, and the axle extended so two small front wheels could fold out and touch the ground.

When Tails arrived on the Speed Highway, it was in a blue car with tailfins sticking up over the back wheels. He pressed the accelerator and felt the thrust of the jet engine propelling the car. He was glad the highway was nearly deserted at that late hour, as steering and stopping were a little difficult.

For the next half an hour Tails frightened himself by driving perilously close to the guard rails at two hundred miles an hour, or nearly shaving the side mirrors off other cars. His attention was divided between tracking the President's car and driving safely. Having never driven on a real road before, safe driving took up much of his concentration.

Sonic caught up with him a few turns behind the President's car, and ran up beside the Cyclone. "Hi Tails!" he called through the radio, waving. "Getting any transmission signals?"

"I gotta be closer," said Tails, glancing at his detector. "Which car is it up there?"

"I'll see," said Sonic, speeding ahead and weaving between the red taillights. Tails lost sight of him in the darkness, and listened as the hedgehog announced, "There's a bunch of GUN cars around a black limousine. I guess it's his bodyguard. You're gonna have trouble getting close."

"Great," said Tails, accelerating. "What if they shoot us or something?"

"That would rock, wouldn't it?" said Sonic ironicly. "Hang on, I'm gonna hop on the back fender."

Tails saw one of the taillights vanish as something passed in front of it.

"I'm on," said Sonic. "There's a screen on in there. Wait a minute, it's Eggman! Get up here and start tracing."

Tails pulled up as close as he dared to the rear GUN car and activated his program. To his relief it locked on and began working. "Now if he would just hold it for a minute," said the fox, gripping the flight yoke nervously. He peered toward the limo and saw Sonic crawling up the back, toward the roof. "What are you doing?"

"The sunroof is open," said Sonic. "I want to listen."

"You're gonna get caught," Tails warned, but Sonic kept going, his spines blowing in the wind. A moment later he was lying flat, peering into the interior of the car. Thoughtfully he held up the radio so Tails could listen, too.

"You have no choice but to surrender," Robotnik was saying. "You and all the other political figureheads out there."

"What if I defy you?" said a quiet but bold voice that Tails guessed belonged to the President. "What if we attack you instead?"

"Then your little patch of colonies will cease to exist," Robotnik snarled. "I have armies of my own, and mercenaries such as Metal Sonic at my disposal. You WILL surrender, if I have to blow Mobius to dust."

To Tails's horror, Sonic yelled, "Like heck you will, Eggman!"

At once Sonic was seized and dragged through the sunroof of the limo, and the radio clicked off.

"Sonic, you idiot!" Tails cried, beating a fist against the flight yoke. He glanced back at his detector and saw that the trace had completed. The fox stared at the location in disbelief, forgetting all else momentarily. "The space colony ARK?" he muttered.

The radio clicked back on. "Tails?" came Sonic's voice.

"Sonic? What happened?" asked Tails anxiously.

"Everything's cool, little bro," said the hedgehog. "So, where's he transmitting from?"

"The space colony ARK," said Tails. This was greeted by a lengthy silence. "Sonic?" asked the fox. "Are they going to shoot you?"

"No," Sonic chuckled. "They're just surprised. They know I'm not Shadow." After another pause he added, "They're letting me out. Seems apart from smashing a mech, my record's clean."

The limo's brake lights lit, and Tails slowed accordingly. The squadron of cars drew to a halt, and Sonic stepped out of the limo, looking like a cat who had caught a canary. He swaggered to Tails's car and said, "Back to the hotel, kiddo. Mister President had some first-class toys that found out how Egghead got the ARK in the first place."

Chapter 10 - Complications

_______________________________________________________________________

Rouge stepped into the ARK's control room and saw Robotnik stalking back and forth, once in a while kicking the console. Shadow stood at the far end of the platform, arms folded, and Nox was seated on the floor beside him. Shadow was saying, "At this rate the cannon will take too long to recharge. Fifty-six percent power isn't enough."

"Then why don't we have them?" snarled Robotnik. "I thought we needed the green and red emeralds most of all."

"This is lovely," said Rouge brightly, interrupting. "We've managed to create complete havoc on the whole planet. Does this mean we rule it all and can do as we please?"

Rouge was treated to a double glare from Shadow and Robotnik. She looked at them innocently. "What, something happen?"

Shadow turned away. "Our threats fell on deaf ears. They're willing to go to war against us."

Robotnik dealt the console another angry kick. "Where in the world have you been, Rouge? It's your fault we don't have all seven emeralds."

Rouge folded her arms. "Look at you. Throwing a tantrum like a little kid. I'd be ashamed of myself."

He turned his broad back on her. "You were hired to get those emeralds. And where are they? I don't suppose you have any idea."

"I know where they are," retorted Rouge. "And I know how they're being used." She glanced at Shadow, but he was staring into space with his usual masked look, giving no sign he had heard.

Robotnik didn't turn, but said, "Yes?"

Rouge repeated what Pip had told her about the chao using the emeralds to change shapes. Robotnik listened intently, and so did Nox. Shadow continued to stare at nothing, but Rouge noticed that one of his ears was cocked in her direction. "Getting the other emeralds will be like taking candy from a chao," she concluded. "We just have to track them down."

"They're in Sapphire City, aren't they?" grunted Robotnik. "Tracking Sonic isn't difficult. The fool never hides himself."

"I have his emerald," purred Shadow, striding to the panel with the five glowing gems in it. He pulled out the blue one and held it up. "I'll need this for a while. Finding out which chao are armed shouldn't be hard."

He crooked a finger at Nox, who scampered to him, took the blue stone and sank his teeth into it. The chao grew into a black ostrich flecked with gold, and smiled at Rouge as Shadow laid a hand on his long neck.

"I'll run the equipment up here," said Robotnik. "Get going. I want those emeralds before sunrise."

Shadow nodded, and in a sparkling flash he and his chao vanished. Rouge turned and hurried for the teleporter chambers, envying Shadow his abilities and his chao.

* * *

Talon shivered as the foggy wind whipped his face. Overhead the wounded moon soared in and out of the mist among the mountain tops, sometimes a dull jagged crescent, others a brilliant floodlight.

Max was curled up in his lap, sleeping. Talon was glad for the chao's warmth, and adjusted his goggles over his eyes. At least traffic had lightened--he didn't trust Tails's driving skills nearly as much as his flying. Talon slid down in his narrow seat, pulled his tail across his knees, and listened to the whine of the tires on the asphalt.

Sonic and Tails had arrived at the hotel half an hour earlier. Robotnik had a small base in the Samo desert, only a few hours' drive from Sapphire City. After some discussion, it had been decided that everyone would come as far as the desert. No chao but Max, Velocity and Chimera could come, as they still had their emeralds.

Sonic was running ahead to lead the way. Tails and Talon were following in the Cyclone, and the others were in the hovercar behind. Talon wished he wasn't so frightened of what was going to happen. He had never been a fighter, and he was wishing with all his might that he was back on the Floating Island and had never heard of Dr. Robotnik. He stroked the sleeping Max to give himself confidence, and watched the moon flying along overhead, one side of it still smouldering.

The anteater paid no attention when a motorcycle buzzed around the Cyclone, but he did notice when a hand grabbed the edge of the cockpit. He sat up and peered down into the luminous red eyes of a black hedgehog.

He did the first thing that came to mind, and dug his sharp claws into the hedgehog's knuckles. Shadow let go with a curse, and swept ahead toward Tails.

"Tails!" Talon yelled, leaning forward. "That's him! Beside us!"

"What?" said Tails, looking around. He saw their enemy pulling up alongside them, and gasped into his radio, "Sonic, it's Shadow!"

Shadow grabbed the side of the cockpit and swung up between their seats, blocking Tails from Talon's view. The hedgehog seemed to be groping at the Cyclone's controls and fighting with Tails, for the car swerved dangerously. "He's trying to wreck us," Talon thought.

"Max," he hissed. The green chao's eyes opened, and he squeaked as he saw the hedgehog a few feet in front of him. "Get in the floor and hide the emerald," whispered Talon.

"No heroics, okay?" pleaded Max, sliding into the floor and tucking his green emerald beneath him.

Talon couldn't answer. He stood up in his seat, grabbed one of the hedgehog's ankles, and yanked.

Shadow slipped sideways off the Cyclone, but saved himself from a nasty fall by grabbing the side of the cockpit. Tails glanced back at Talon, then looked over the side, saw his attacker trying to find a footing against the sleek fuselage, and was suddenly angry. "Jerk!" he yelled, and swerved sharply. At the same time he hammered Shadow's fingers with one fist. Shadow let go and hit the asphalt with a thud.

Talon slid back into his seat, trembling. "Was that Shadow?"

"I think so," said Tails. "Sonic, do you read me?"

Suddenly there was a whoosh as if something invisible had flown past, and Shadow materialized in front of them, his hoverskates flashing as he tore up the road ahead.

"Tails," came Sonic's voice over the radio, "some lady on a motorcycle just tried to run me down."

"Sonic, Shadow's headed right for you!" cried Tails. "Watch out!"

"What?" said Sonic in horror, and the radio clicked off.

Tails switched frequencies to the shortwave radio Slasher carried. "Slasher, Shadow's attacking us!"

"He's here?" came the raptor's startled voice.

"Yeah, he's after Sonic!" explained Tails, distraught. "What do I do?"

"Try to catch up," Slasher replied. "Don't shoot unless you have a clear shot."

"Shoot?" wailed Talon in panic. "At night?"

The engine beneath them roared, and the panelling behind Talon grew warm as Tails accelerated.

The road sloped down ahead of them, a white ribbon under the moon, leaving the mountains for the desert. There was no sign of Sonic or Shadow. The wind tore at them, as the Cyclone roared down toward the desert. Talon crouched down in his seat, and hoped that Tails wouldn't lose control. He felt Max wrap his flippers around his legs and hang on, sharing his master's fear.

Something shot by the Cyclone in a wave of red light and heat. "I let Velocity out," said Slasher through the radio. "He was going berserk. Try not to hit him."

"He's already gone," Tails replied. "Wait, there they are!"

Talon sat up and looked.

All the pair in the Cyclone could see was the red taillight of the motorcycle, and the glow from Velocity's jets. There was a confusion of flashes, then a bright yellow light that flashed away from the road and went out. A second later Sonic yelled over the radio, "Wooooo! Did you SEE that, Tails? That was cool! Shadow is so toast!"

"What happened?" said Tails, slowing a little.

"Velocity went Ultimate," said Sonic. "Shadow was trying to spindash me, and Velos swatted him into that girl on the motorcycle. It caught fire in midair, did you see it? They won't bother us again tonight! Eggman, here we come!"

The Freedom Fighters arrived at the pyramid as dawn was brightening the sky. There was no further trouble from Shadow that night.

* * *

Rouge regained consciousness to the sensation of being knocked about. She opened her eyes and saw Shadow crouched over her, looking irritated. "No, it's stuck," he said, and she felt him tug at her boot.

"What is?" she said groggily.

He glanced down at her. "Wonderful, she's awake. Lie still, you're tangled in your motorcycle."

Rouge lifted her head, and saw the bulk of her motorcycle was twisted around her legs. Her body was bruised, but nothing felt broken. She propped herself up on one elbow as Shadow tried to work her legs free. "What happened? Did I crash?"

"Sorta," said Nox, who was sitting in chao form, holding the blue chaos emerald up to shed light on what Shadow was doing. "Sonic's chao came, and he knocked Shadow into us."

Rouge had been carrying Nox on her bike. Shadow wrenched her ankle free, and she whimpered, sat up and massaged her foot. Shadow set his feet against the motorcycle's hull and tried to unbend it.

"Why aren't we dead?" she wondered, glancing at the setting moon. Her bike was totalled, and she should have been, too.

Shadow shot her a glance and said nothing.

"Chaos control?" she said. She caught his glance in Nox's direction. "Nox?"

"I did what I could," said the chao as Shadow freed Rouge's other foot. "I saved us, but it didn't work on your nice bike. I'm sorry."

"What didn't?" asked Rouge, wondering if her wits were addled from the wreck. She rubbed her feet and shakily stood up, brushing rough desert sand from her clothing.

"I don't know," said Nox, looking up at Shadow. He was staring into the east, where the sky was beginning to lighten. "But there was fire, and we were flying."

The black hedgehog clicked on the communicator strapped to his arm above his wristlet. "Doctor, they're headed for the pyramid. We've had a small accident here."

"Thanks for the warning," replied Robotnik's voice. "But they won't get past the beetle robot, and the doors are locked. It's foiled GUN before. Why don't you come back to the ARK?"

Shadow cast a cold look at Rouge, who was rumpled and dazed. "Very well. But I will return here alone. I want those chaos emeralds." He glanced at Nox, who grew to a dusty black ostrich, and stretched out his neck for Shadow to touch. Shadow turned to Rouge and held out a hand. "We're returning to the ARK now."

Rouge took his hand with a backward glance at her smashed motorcycle, and wondered again why she hadn't died. Then Shadow said, "Chaos control!" The world shifted and rearranged itself into the cold, dusty interior of the ARK.

Shadow released her hand like it was something repulsive and said, "That's the second time I've saved you, bat." A second later he vanished, leaving Rouge alone in the darkness.

* * *

"This is Echidnaen, I think," said Knuckles, peering closely at a wall engraving. "The dialect is different, but look how echidnas dominate the hieroglyphics. Maybe they built it, and another race took over after they moved on."

"Sorry to interrupt the history lesson," said an exasperated Sonic, "but we need some keys to get into this place, okay?"

The Freedom Fighters had made their way into the pyramid, Tails and Talon leading the way with the Cyclone. They met and attacked the beetle robot that had given Rouge so much trouble, and destroyed it. After that it was a simple matter of exploring the outer chambers of the pyramid until they came to the tri-key door leading to the inner rooms. Knuckles had examined the door with an eye toward breaking it down, but had been distracted by the engravings on either side of it. He returned his attention to it, and a moment later announced that it was too thick to break down.

"There's sure to be some keys around here somewhere," remarked Slasher from a short distance away, where she was examining a metal-headed statue. "Why don't we spread out and explore this place? If anyone spots a robot, holler for Tails and Talon."

The Freedom Fighters scattered down the halls, leaving the Cyclone sitting in front of the door. Tails and Talon looked at each other. "So we're supposed to sit here?" said the fox.

The anteater shrugged. "Wouldn't it be better if we helped search?"

"Yeah," said Tails, cutting the engine and climbing out of his car-cum-walker. Talon followed him, carrying Max in one arm. "Check the torches," said Tails, dashing to the nearest one. "You never can tell, maybe a key's hidden in a bracket."

For a while the pyramid rang with shouts of the group. "Look, there's a big statue in here!" "Hey, I think I found one! --Nevermind, it's just a bit of paint." A scream, and hollered explanations that Amy had walked through a large cobweb.

"Seriously," said Sonic, meeting Knuckles in one of the passages, "I don't know why we had to bring the little whiner."

Knuckles and Chimera searched alone, neither saying much. The echidna was detecting a faint emerald-signal, and was more interested in locating its source than finding a key. He walked down corridor after corridor, and had almost forgotten the black chao at his heels until Chimera said, "Could I pretty-please have my emerald now?"

It seemed like a good idea, as there was little Chimera could damage in a limestone pyramid. Without a second thought, Knuckles flipped him the red emerald. "Sure, here."

Chimera's large form had changed as much as his chao form. Instead of a red dragon with a frill of horns at the back of his skull, Chimera had become a twisted serpentine lizard with black scales, spikes protruding from his back and sides, and abnormally long claws. He crouched on all fours and grinned up at his master, showing fangs as thin as knives. "Ah, it's good to have an emerald again."

Knuckles stared at the monster his chao had become, then shook off a faint sense of creepiness and walked on, Chimera's claws clicking at his heels.

The discordant music from the broken Master emerald led him to an empty passage, then to a small hole in the wall near the floor. Knuckles knocked on the wooden panel Rouge had discovered, then attacked it. A few minutes later, his steel shovelclaws had made short work of the insect-ridden wood, and Chimera lent a claw to pull apart the door. When the opening was large enough to walk through, Knuckles entered, peering into the darkness within.

The chime from the emeralds was loud and clear. Knuckles followed it to the corner where Rouge had dumped it the previous morning, and snatched up his bag. The Master emerald fragments glittered up at him, and the echidna heaved a sigh of relief. "I found it," he announced to his chao. Slightly dazzled from the emeralds' glow, it took him a moment to spot Chimera's black body in the gloom. The chao dragon was gazing around with narrowed eyes. "Gold," he said.

Knuckles looked around. At first he had thought the long room was cluttered with junk, but on closer examination he saw that everything gleamed a dusty yellow in the light from the door. "Wow," he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "We ought to tell the others. Come on."

Knuckles walked as far as the hallway before he realized that Chimera wasn't following. He glanced back. "Chimera, come on."

He was in time to see the small chao dragon expand to a full-sized monster as Chimera went Ultimate, his massive body filling the room. He lifted his car-sized head, studded with spiny scales, and fixed his glowing yellow eyes on Knuckles.

Again the echidna felt a sense of creepiness, but shook it off. "Chimera, what are you doing? You won't fit through the door now."

"I'm not coming," said the dragon. As his jaws moved, Knuckles had a good look at the inferno in his throat, as if his insides were aflame. But Knuckles was not afraid of the chao he had raised from a hatchling, no matter what he looked like.

"What do you mean, you're not coming? You can't stay in there."

"I'm a dragon," snarled the beast. "I will do as I please." He extended his paws, armed with claws as long as Knuckles was tall, and began to scoop the treasure towards himself.

"You're a chao," Knuckles retorted, "and you'll do as you're told."

Chimera's massive black head jerked about, yellow eyes narrowed. His nostrils flared. "I am not a chao. I am a dragon, and you are not my master!"

Knuckles had the presence of mind to bolt as Chimera's glowing jaws opened. He stood a safe distance down the hall as a jet of flame torched through the opening, blackening the floor, ceiling and wall where he had been standing. After a few seconds it died away, and Knuckles heard the chink and clatter of golden objects as Chimera gathered them up.

It was a long moment before the implications of this began to sink in. Knuckles leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "Great," he muttered.

He found the others gathered around the locked door. Sonic had found an old key behind a statue's base, and they looked on as he tried it in each of the three locks. None of them fit. "Darn," said Sonic. "Keep looking, I guess." The hedgehog glanced over his shoulder at his friends and noticed Knuckles standing a short distance away, arms folded and eyes downcast. "Hey Knux, any luck?"

The echidna shook his head as everyone turned.

"Where's Chimera?" said Slasher.

"He revolted," said Knuckles, without emotion. "He's a true dragon now."

Of the eight Mobians there, only Slasher had studied enough to know what this meant. Her green eyes widened. "You're not using that as an expression, are you?"

He shook his head. "We'll have to leave him. He denounced me."

"The little brat!" said Sonic vehemenantly. "Where is he?"

Knuckles beckoned, and walked away down one of the corridors.

He led them to the hidden door, now existing as a few charred splinters hanging from the stone threshold. Yellowish smoke hung in the air, and they could hear the dragon moving about the room within. Everyone peered in, but only Knuckles stepped into full sight.

Chimera had piled all the treasure into a great heap and was lying on it, sweeping extra bits of gold into the pile. His jaws were parted in a smile, casting a hot yellow light on the gleaming gold. As they watched, he crossed his forepaws and rested his scaly chin on them, and one slitted cat-eye flicked in their direction.

"Hello, Chimera," said Knuckles. The black dragon gave no sign he recognized the name, but continued to watch them warily.

"What's with the gold?" said Sonic, stepping into the open beside Knuckles. Velocity, in cheetah form as always, moved up between his master and Chimera, distrustful of the ex-chao.

"He's become a true dragon," said Knuckles simply. He was expressionless and toneless, as he always was when overcome with inner anger or sorrow. Zephyer, standing out of sight of the dragon, gazed at Knuckles and felt immense sympathy--her chao had once revolted. She knew how Knuckles was feeling.

"What's that mean, sir?" asked Talon. The anteater had taken one look at Chimera and backed out of sight, knowing how much he hated Max. Max wrapped his flippers around Talon's arm and clung to him in silent terror.

Knuckles gazed moodily at the coiled monster in the next room and didn't answer, so Slasher explained. "A true dragon is what they call a wild dragon, one that has ceased to be Mobian. A dragon hoards gold and precious stones."

"They do?" squeaked Amy, peering into the dark room. "I never met one like that!"

Slasher was about to say something about only relapsed dragons doing it, but bit her tongue when she saw the look on Knuckles' face.

"You jerk!" Sonic hollered up at Chimera. "I always knew you'd go bad!" The hedgehog turned his back. "I guess we'll go back to finding the keys."

"I have them," came a guttural growl.

Everyone looked at Chimera, and Sonic spun around. "What?"

"I have them," Chimera repeated, the light growing and dimming as his jaws opened and closed. "Come and get them, if you dare."

Sonic made as if to march into the room, but Velocity barred the way, and seven pairs of hands grabbed the impetuous hedgehog. "Liar!" Sonic yelled.

In reply, the dragon held up one claw. Looped around the tip was a ring with three keys on it. The dragon bared all his teeth in a grin, and they could see his fangs were so thin they were transparent. They reminded Knuckles of something unsettling, but he didn't know what. "C'mon, Chim," he said. "Give us the keys. We'll leave you alone."

"You already left me alone," growled the dragon. "You left me alone for months. You don't want me anymore. You probably have a new chao, don't you?"

"Well, I'll have to get a new one now that my old one has turned into a dragon," said Knuckles sarcastically. "Hand over the keys." Before anyone could stop him, the echidna strode through the doorway and stalked toward the curled dragon.

Chimera's jaws opened in a gruesome grin, but he didn't move as Knuckles approached. "He still respects me," thought Knuckles. He walked to the claw with the keys dangling from it, and reached up to take them.

Chimera's other paw whipped out and slapped Knuckles to the floor. With a single deft motion, he scooped up the echidna's body in his claws and hurled him toward the Freedom Fighters. The echidna flew through the doorway, knocked down Tails, Sonic and Serena, and slumped to the floor. As his friends bent over him, Chimera snorted, "Idiot."

It was several minutes before Knuckles came around. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, where a knot was forming. "I'm all right," he grunted in reply to the anxious queries from his friends.

He stood up and glared at Chimera, who said, "That was fun. Let's do it again."

"You can't fight him," said Slasher quietly. "None of us can."

Knuckles gazed at the dragon a long moment, then looked up at the raptor and nodded.

"Let's just go," said Tails, who had been keeping a nervous eye on Sonic. Sonic was furious that Knuckles had been hurt and was ready to teach Chimera a lesson. Only Velocity held him back.

Knuckles's eyes moved to Max, huddled in Talon's arms with the green chaos emerald in one curled flipper. Knuckles's frown changed to a thoughtful look. "Tal, I have an idea." He walked up to Talon and beckoned to the others, who moved a few steps down the hall and gathered around, casting nervous glances at the dark doorway.

"Look, Chimera's at the height of his powers. You could basically call him a living manifestation of the red chaos emerald. Sonic, you know how the red emerald gets hot when separated from the others?"

Sonic nodded, puzzled. "It used to, but it doesn't anymore. What's your point?"

"My point is," said Knuckles, "that it was unbalanced. It needed the green to restabilize, because the green is in charge of controlling the rest. Any green emerald has something to do with control, like the Master emerald and the eighth emerald."

Talon hugged Max still tighter. "Sir, you don't mean--"

"Yes," said Knuckles, "Max will have to subdue Chimera. He's the only one who can."

The little green chao stared at Knuckles in horror. "He'll kill me!"

"I doubt it," said Knuckles, walking away and peering at Chimera to make sure he hadn't overheard. "Your emerald can control his. Your ultimate will beat his."

"But I'm too big!" Max protested. "I'd never fit in there!"

"You can shapeshift, can't you?" said Serena, who had been rather quiet up to this point.

Max looked at the violet hedgehog, his eyes wide with panic. "I can't! It doesn't work like that!"

"Look," growled Velocity, padding forward like a jungle cat. "If you go in there, I'm going with you. I used to be his friend."

He cast a look at Sonic, who gave him a thumbs-up. "Go get him, Velos."

Talon looked down at Max, and his chao gave him a soulful look. The anteater drew a deep breath and said, "He'll do it."

"I'll do it for you, Talon," said Max as his master set him on the brick floor. He bit his emerald and grew to large form, a sea-creature with flippers for forelimbs and frog-like hindlegs. Then he waddled to Velocity, and together the two chao entered the dragon's den.

Chapter 11 - Chimera

_______________________________________________________________________

Shadow and Nox sat in the far end of Chimera's chamber, watching. They had teleported into the room, but instead of attacking, the dragon had winked at them and paid them no more attention. Nox stayed in large form anyway, as seeing Chimera revolt made him uneasy. He paced back and forth in front of Shadow, who sat on the floor and watched the dragon's every move, his face unreadable. He smiled when Chimera flicked Knuckles out of the room like a fly, and smiled still wider when Velocity and Max paced in.

"They're going to fight," he purred to Nox. "Perfect."

The black ostrich cocked his head. "Why does Velocity have an emerald? I thought there were only seven."

"He has an artificial one," said Shadow. "It must feed off the power of the real ones for him to use it."

Then Nox leaped into a fighting posture, and Shadow stood up, for the chao had attacked.

* * *

Chimera watched his former friend and current enemy approach, unmoving. When they were within reach, he pounced with incredible speed for something so large. But Velocity was not Sonic's chao for nothing. He seized Max's flipper in his jaws and whisked out of the way like lightning, and the monster's claws slashed into the stone floor.

"Max, you'd better change to something fast," said the cat as Chimera turned himself to face them. At once Max's hind legs became muscular and powerful, and his flippers narrowed to become limbs. "This is the best I can do," he said, and sprinted aside as Chimera sent a wave of white flame in their direction.

Velocity darted the other way, and drew on his emerald's power to grow to his Ultimate level--a robot cat half the size of Chimera, armed with teeth and claws that could tear apart anything. He darted at the dragon's open side and struck head first, the blades on the sides of his head piercing the black scales. At the same time he tore in with his claws.

Chimera roared, and his head on its long neck swung around, teeth bared and eyes flaming. Velocity whisked to safety, peering around the dim room for Max. The green creature was dashing here and there, not daring to close with the dragon. Velocity seized him by the scruff of the neck and carried him toward Chimera at a run. As Chimera's head swung around, looking for them, Velocity flung Max under Chimera's forelegs and roared, "Get him!" At the same time, to distract Chimera, he leaped into the dragon's face.

It was a good idea, but it didn't work the way Velocity had intended. Chimera's reflexes were excellent from the battle training he'd had with the biotics. As the armored cheetah sprang at him, Chimera twisted his head aside, took the impact on his spiny neck, then slammed Velocity to the floor under his claws.

Velocity was hardly fazed, as his robot body was built for punishment, but he was not strong enough to wriggle out of the dragon's claws. "Idiot," spat Chimera, and sank his long, transparent fangs into the cat's body.

The dragon knew very well what such a bite would do. Chimera hung on a moment, then delicately withdrew his teeth, his fangs oozing venom. The two holes in Velocity's back were not deep, but their edges sizzled as the poison ate into the metal. The cat lay paralyzed, gasping and staring up at his one-time friend.

"That was too easy," said Chimera, arching his wings like a maroon circus tent. "I hope you didn't really think you had a chance, Velocity, because I know you'd be disappointed." Chimera looked toward the doorway, where Sonic was fighting like a mad thing to get past his friends and attack the dragon.

"What, you want him?" roared Chimera. With one swipe he hurled Velocity's limp body at the entrance, then looked around for Max.

Max had laid under the dragon's forelimbs for a second, then crept on all fours under Chimera's wing. "My emerald controls his," he repeated over and over, trying to make himself believe it.

But seeing Chimera sink poisonous fangs into Velocity scared him badly, as did the leathery rustle of the flexing wing above him. "He killed him!" his mind screamed, as he huddled on the floor. "Velocity didn't do anything wrong and Chimera killed him!"

Slow, clumsy Max had always counted quick, agile Velocity as one of his best friends, apart from Talon. Velocity had usually looked out for him in one way or another. He had even carried Max close enough to Chimera to attack him, then distracted the dragon to give Max a chance.

All this flashed through Max's head in the fraction of a second. In another second he drew on the power of the green emerald, in his mind picturing its deep green brightening to chartreuse. "Must control it," he thought. "Must control it." As he grew, his legs, instead of merging to form a tail fin, remained a pair of legs. His flippers grew into a pair of arms ending in three claws, and his head elongated. He had turned into a gigantic Chaos 0, but made of flesh instead of water.

Chimera turned and saw his sworn enemy changing into a different Ultimate form, and for a moment was uncertain about attacking him. Then his will hardened and he sprang.

Max slapped his claws aside and grabbed him by the throat with incredible speed. He drew the dragon's face up to his own, feeling no fear of him whatsoever, only a sort of pity. "No," he said.

Both chao Ultimates began to glow as if their cells had caught fire. They shone brighter and brighter until their features were obliterated, and all that could be seen were the red and green emeralds, glowing fiercely in midair. Nox and Shadow were illuminated in their corner, but no one noticed them. All eyes were fixed on the warring chao and their emeralds. The patch of light shaped like a dragon began to writhe and squirm. It gave a scream that shook the pyramid, and everyone clapped their hands to their ears.

The light winked out. Darkness descended, and two dully glowing emeralds plinked to the floor. The Freedom Fighters rushed in to see what had happened, Talon and Knuckles foremost.

Chimera and Max lay face-downward on the floor, small chao once more. Chimera didn't stir as Knuckles stooped over him, but Max lifted his head as Talon touched him. "I'm sorry," he whimpered as Talon picked him up. "It was the only thing I could do, he was too poisoned." He slumped against his master's shoulder and was asleep in three seconds. With a shock Talon saw that four sharp claws now protruded from the ends of Max's flippers.

Knuckles picked up the limp Chimera and sorrowfully carried him into the light of the hall. The chao was mottled black and red, as if the black coloring had been partially rubbed off, but on the top of his head was burned a crescent and a dot, like the markings on Max's head.

Knuckles set his chao down next to Velocity, who was still a great robot cat, and was curled in a ball of pain. Sonic and Serena were seated beside Velocity, Sonic with tears running silently down his face. No one said a word--none was necessary. Knuckles bowed his head over Chimera and bit his lips to keep from breaking down.

Before his eyes, a white cocoon formed over the black chao.

Chimera was dead. Grief and remorse overwhelmed his former master, who wished he hadn't sent Max after him, wished he had left him alone, wished he had never had to go to the Chao Company.

Beside him, Sonic was watching his own chao die, but the hedgehog noticed his friend's grief and laid a hand on his shoulder. The other Freedom Fighters moved up and stood with heads bowed, as saddened as their companions.

Talon picked up the green emerald and set Max down near Chimera. Max awakened and looked around in confusion. "What's going on? Where are we?"

"You killed Chimera, and he killed Velocity," said Talon as quietly as possible, yet acutely aware that everyone heard him.

Max looked around, taking in the motionless Chimera inside the thickening glass-like cocoon, and the robot cheetah that was Velocity curled in a tight trembling ball. "I can save Velocity," he said, picking up his emerald.

Everyone looked at him. "You can?" choked Sonic.

Max grew to a weary-looking large form, unchanged but for the claws on his flippers. He placed his flippers on Velocity's neck and drew on the new emerald ability he had discovered. He could control not only his own emerald, but anyone else's, if he chose.

He expected Velocity's artificial emerald to act differently, but it responded just as he thought it would. Velocity shrank back into a blue chao, coughing out his blue emerald as he did so. The wounds in his back healed, and his eyes fluttered open. He looked up at Max, then at Sonic. "Am I dead?"

Sonic scooped the blue chao up and hugged him. "No Velos, you're alive." For a few minutes Sonic couldn't say another word.

Velocity's eyes fell on Chimera's cocoon, and Knuckles sitting alone beside it, staring at nothing. "Knuckles," he said softly. The echidna inclined his head a little to acknowledge. "Knuckles, I didn't know he would die. I'm sorry."

Knuckles bowed his head, his dreadlocks hiding his face, and said nothing.

The light changed suddenly. Everyone looked up to see a hedgehog in the shadows of the treasure room, light shining brightly from the soles of his shoes. He swept around the pile of gold, skating gracefully, and snatched up Chimera's forgotten emerald. "All chao should be destroyed," he said, holding the red jewel aloft, and he vanished in a fiery sparkle.

* * *

Rouge found him in the ARK's old conference room, staring blankly out the window. Nox, a small chao once more, was sitting in the hall gloomily. "He's in a bad mood," he warned the bat as she pushed open the door. "I wouldn't go in if I were you."

Rouge approached the hedgehog's spiny back. "We're at seventy-eight percent power, Shadow, thanks to your emerald hunting. How did you get it?"

He didn't stir or answer. Rouge stepped up beside him and looked at his face. To her surprise he was pasty gray, and his eyes were more dead than she had ever seen them. Concerned, she said, "Shadow?" When he didn't respond, she touched his shoulder.

At once he turned, teeth bared. "Can't you leave me alone for once?"

He was so fierce-looking with his bristling spines and the blue planet-glare highlighting the mottling of his fur, that the white bat backed away, hands raised defensively. "I was only asking--"

"I'm fine, just leave me alone," he growled, returning his gaze to the window.

Rouge stood looking at his back for a moment, noticing his shoulders were slumped and he was gripping the window railing. Perhaps it would be healthier to leave him alone for now. She made her way toward the door, but before she reached it, Shadow said quietly, "The chao belonging to the red emerald is dead."

Rouge paused and looked over her shoulder. Shadow had not changed positions. "Oh?"

"He's dead, Rouge," said the black hedgehog. He slammed his fists on the windowsill with sudden violence. "I hate chao!" He whirled and glared at Rouge. "I hate everything!"

Rouge whisked out of the door as it slammed behind her under Shadow's spindash. She stood in the dim hall a moment, listening to the crashes and thuds as Shadow tore apart the room.

Nox looked up at her from the floor. "I told you he was in a bad mood."

"What happened down there?" she said as the doorframe rattled.

Nox explained over the noise coming from the room beyond. Rouge nodded, then slipped away down the hall, not daring to admit to herself that she was afraid of Shadow.

Very.

Chapter 12 - The ARK

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The interior of the pyramid was laid out like the outer chambers, but on a smaller scale. The reason for this was discovered by Amy, who pushed open a door and found herself a hundred feet above a vast concrete floor.

Her scream brought the Freedom Fighters running, but Sonic reached her first. He found her huddled on the floor in front of the open door, gasping.

"What? What?" he demanded.

"I almost fell," said Amy, pointing to the distant floor.

Sonic clapped a hand to his forehead. "You're such a ditz! I thought you were in trouble!"

Amy stood up, frowning. "Well, I might have been, and I'm not a ditz!"

"Okay, you're blonde," said Sonic, peering out the door at the pyramid's core.

Amy touched her spines. "Well, I have been swimming a lot lately. Maybe the sun's bleaching my hair."

A second later the others ran up from different directions, looking concerned. "Amy, what's wrong? Why did you scream?"

Amy opened her mouth, but Sonic pointed out the door and interrupted, "She found our ticket to the ARK."

Inside the pyramid's core was a gigantic concrete room. A tall, thin spacecraft towered up in the center, piggybacked to three large rockets. A support tower was built into the wall behind it, and was connected to the ship with a long arm and a steel staircase. Worker bots moved about, preparing the ship for launch.

"There's a teleporter in one of the rooms back there," volunteered Tails, "but it's all shut down. This looks like the next best thing!"

"If it's going to the ARK at all," said Slasher. "Maybe we could find the control room."

A quick search revealed that the control room was accessible through Robotnik's chambers, as if the doctor didn't like walking far. The group trooped down a hall and through a door, and found themselves in a control room manned by tech robots that paid them no attention. Knuckles shouldered past them, reached a console that was unoccupied, and after several minutes of fiddling with buttons, he announced, "It's headed for the ARK, all right. It's packed with supplies. Doc's going to live up there, I guess." He glanced over his shoulder at the group. "Who's going?"

A heated debate followed. Sonic wanted to go by himself, with Velocity. Knuckles thought he should go alone. Tails wanted to go with Sonic, and Talon wanted to go with Tails and Knuckles. Amy, Serena and Zephyer were indignant about being left behind like rookies.

In the end it was decided that Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Talon, Amy, and Serena would board the ship. Slasher had no desire to enter a space station, and was confident her companions would succeed at their mission. Zephyer only agreed to stay because Knuckles asked her to take Chimera's egg back to the Chao Co. for him.

Boarding the ship was a little complicated. There was only one entry, a small door near the top of the vertically-inclined ship, which was reached by climbing forty flights of narrow metal stairs. Tails wanted to bring the Cyclone, which seemed impossible until Sonic remarked that they ought to put it in the cargo hold. Near the floor, the fox found a cargo lift, which was hauling robots and crates up into the ship's cavernous hold. Tails walked the Cyclone onto the lift, and the robots loaded it like any other cargo. There were no guards, apparently because Robotnik thought his pyramid base was a complete secret.

There was one small complication. As the Freedom Fighters filed into the padded interior of the ship, there came a shout from outside. Sonic, at the rear of the procession, glanced back and saw a small black figure running up the stairs below, pursued by Slasher. "Pip?" he said in shock.

The bat half-ran half-flew up the stairs, and whipped around one of the tight bends. Slasher reached the bend, but was too large, and of the wrong shape, to navigate it. "Pip!" she roared helplessly.

"Sonic, hurry up, we've got two minutes left," said Velocity, peering out the cockpit's door at the hedgehog on the walkway.

"Okay, just a minute," he said, waving Velocity back inside. Pip was still climbing, but she had fifteen flights to go. Slasher, below, was slowly backing down the stairs, as it was too narrow for her to turn around. She reached the inner door, waved at Sonic, then retreated from sight.

"Hurry!" Sonic yelled at Pip, who had begun to slow down. A robotic voice droned over a loudspeaker, "One minute to launch. Mark."

Serena appeared at the doorway. "Sonic, come on!"

"I'm waiting for Pip," he snapped. "Go sit down!" He was growing uneasy--he hated countdowns.

Pip had ten flights to go. She would never make it in time, and if she was out there when the ship launched, the blast would kill her. Sonic gathered himself and flashed down the stairs. It took him a lengthy ten seconds to reach the bat, another second to let her mount him piggyback, and another twenty seconds to run back up the stairs. He made it into the ship with ten seconds to spare.

He flung himself into a seat, gasping, as the others slid the door shut and secured it. Tails and Knuckles climbed up into the cockpit, although everything was automatic. Pip sat down and harnessed herself in, looking pleased. "This is the story of the century!" she remarked to Amy, Serena and Talon, who were staring at her. "I couldn't afford to pass it up. And you'd left your car parked outside the pyramid, too." She produced the inevitable notebook and pencil from a small bag at her side. "Now, tell me, is it true you were assaulted on the road early this morning?"

"No!" the four chorused in unison.

* * *

Slasher and Zephyer left the pyramid and stood in the morning sun, peering up at the stone structure with their eyes shaded. "How's it going to take off?" asked the echidna, who had never seen a ship launch of any sort.

"I don't know," said Slasher, peering up with first one eye, then the other. "My guess is that there's a hidden door up there somewhere. The place is built like a missile silo."

The ground under them began to vibrate. Zephyer clutched the speckled chao egg in her arms and looked around. "Earthquake?"

"Liftoff," said Slasher. "Whoa, look at that!"

The top of the pyramid had divided. Two triangular sections slid apart, and from their vantagepoint they could see the massive tracks and chains shifting them. They moved apart until there was an enormous opening between them. The vibration in the ground intensified, and now they could hear the roar of the rockets. A second later the spaceship nosed into sight and screamed skyward. It was locked to three rockets, which were carrying it on its goal to clear the planet's gravity. The noise was deafening, and white smoke billowed down to envelop the pyramid and its audience of two.

The roar slowly faded to a dull thunder, which at last diminished into silence. The smoke drifted away, leaving Slasher and Zephyer still staring skyward. The top of the pyramid lurched and slowly closed again.

"Well, they're off," said Zephyer. "What do we do now?"

"We go back to the Chao Co.," said Slasher, who was still straining her eyes after the vanishing trail of smoke. "And we wait."

* * *

The G-forces were intense. The Freedom Fighters were pinned to their seats as faces flattened and eyes streamed. Throats compressed and speech was impossible, and Amy fainted. But just as the force was become too much to bear, and their bodies were screaming for the air their lungs could not inhale, the rockets quieted and the force lessened. Everyone sat up and drew a breath. "Don't get unbuckled yet," called Tails shakily from the cockpit. "We're due for a second burn, then we'll ditch the rockets."

Sonic drew a few deep breaths and looked at his companions. Talon and Pip looked shaken, and were still clinging to their seats. Serena, too, was pale, but she reached over and shook the other hedgehog's shoulder. "Amy!"

The pink hedgehog groaned, tossed her head from side to side, and opened her eyes. "Is it over?"

"Not quite," said Sonic, "but I don't think we'll catch any more G's." He let one arm hang limp in midair--it was weightless.

"They have artificial gravity on the ARK, don't they?" asked Serena, letting her arms float.

"They should," said Sonic, straining to look out the window, a foot above his head. "Robotnik wasn't floating in his demands transmission."

The rockets kicked on again, and the force caught them in the stomachs, but this time it was gentler. Serena looked around suddenly. "Where are the chao?"

"Oh, they're in here," said Talon, pointing to a recessed compartment in the wall beside his seat. He peered in. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, fine," came Max and Velocity's voices. "That was fun," Velocity added. "Can we do that again?"

"Sure, on reentry," said Sonic.

"You brought your chao?" said Pip, looking disapproving and interested at the same time. "Aren't you afraid they'll get hurt?"

"Not while we have these," said Max, peeking out of the compartment and holding up the green chaos emerald.

Pip groped for her notebook, eyes glittering. "What do they do? I'd like your perspective."

Fortunately, she was distracted by a metallic clang on either side of the ship. Knuckles announced, "Rockets one and two away, preparing to jettison three."

There was another clang, this time under their feet, and Tails sang out, "Rocket three jettisoned. Preparing to engage thrusters." There came a different-pitched roar from behind them, and Knuckles peered out of the cockpit. "It's okay to float around now."

Sonic unbuckled himself and crashed into the ceiling. He shoved himself back to the floor, rubbing his head. "Where did you guys learn to fly a space ship?"

"We didn't," said Tails, peering over Knuckles' shoulder. "It's all on autopilot. We're just yelling out the stuff on the screens."

"Oh," said Sonic, trying to balance without slamming into the others. "I was going to be impressed."

Nothing of note happened for the next four hours. The autopilot guided them out into the black expanse of fiery stars, Mobius glowing in its own light below. The Freedom Fighters rested and had an interesting meal of freeze-dried rations, preparing for the last leg of their mission.

Knuckles tired of sitting on his bag of emerald shards, so he carried it into the cargo section and stowed it in one of the compartments. "It'll be safe enough there," he thought, closing the door and swimming back toward the cockpit. As he reached it, he found everyone huddled around the windows on the starboard side.

"What's out there?" he asked, gliding to a window occupied by Tails, Sonic, and Talon. Talon immediately relinquished his spot. "Debris, sir. From when the bottom half of the ARK blew off."

Knuckles peered out and saw the ARK looming up in the black sky, a half-sphere with a long spike protruding from the center. Floating around it were millions of asteroids, recently freed from the space station. The space ship was headed directly into it.

"Do we have a shield or anything?" asked Sonic nervously.

Tails and Knuckles kicked off toward the cockpit. Serena looked at her brother. "If we don't, we're toast."

"Does that mean we're going to die?" said Amy, twisting around, eyes wide.

"Yeah," said Pip with grotesque relish. "If we get smashed and the air rushes out, the pressure in your lungs will be greater than the pressure outside, and--"

"Don't," said Talon, who looked ill. "Please, don't."

"No shields," announced Tails from the cockpit.

Amy let out a piercing scream that deafened everyone on board. She drew another breath and added, "We're all gonna die!"

"Do that again and I'll kill you myself," snarled Sonic, rubbing his ears. He floated to the cockpit and looked at Tails and Knuckles seated in front of a massively complex control panel. "So what do we do?"

"Well," said Tails, "if I can free up the firing controls, I can shoot anything out of our way."

"Or let Talon do it," said Knuckles. "He's got a great eye for it."

"We both can," said the fox. He pressed a few buttons and stared into a screen. "There we go! Defensive laser system set to manual." He twisted around in his seat. "Talon, come help me defend the ship!"

For a while it worked. The fox and anteater blasted rocks out of the ship's path, and nothing bigger than a pebble struck the ship's skin. The ARK grew steadily more forbidding, its flat face jagged, yet studded here and there with tall towers like spines on a cactus. The others relaxed a little, and Sonic went so far as to quip that shooting asteroids would make a great videogame.

Disaster struck in the form of an asteroid the size of a city block. The ship had reached one of the towers and was slowly circling in preparation for docking. As it turned, Tails said, "Talon, are we going to hit that one?"

The anteater peered out the window as the ship slowly swung toward the hunk of rock. "I think we are."

The two opened fire, but the ion blasts only knocked flakes off the asteroid. Tails glanced at his fellow gunner as the hunk of rock drew closer. "Think we'll make it?"

Talon didn't take his eyes off it, and he gripped the firing controls. "Not unless we turn a lot more."

The others swung into the cockpit. "Watch out for that big one! Shoot it!"

"We tried," said Tails, staring out the window. "Wait."

Silence descended over the ship's passengers as they watched their doom loom closer every second. The ship turned slightly, and a collective breath was drawn. "We might make it," said Serena. They swept toward the rock--it filled the windshield's view. The ship turned a little more--

Impact. The ship shuddered and spun end over end, and chaos reigned inside. Everyone was yelling, expecting the air to rush from their lungs any second. There was a hiss as thrusters stabilized the ship, and it righted itself, a little beyond the asteroid. Everyone was clinging to something. "Did we make it?" asked Sonic weakly.

Tails punched a button. "Compartment twelve has been breached, but it's sealed off. Otherwise we're in good shape."

"Compartment ... twelve?" said Knuckles, looking quite wild with his dreadlocks floating in every direction. "That was where I put the Master emerald pieces." He sprang to the window and strained frantically to see out. The discordant melody of the shards was fading into oblivion. "They're gone! They're out there somewhere!"

"Gee, tough luck, Knux," said Sonic. "Lost your chao and the Master emerald in one day."

"Boy, that's comforting," snapped the echidna. "Let me out!" He shoved himself toward the exit.

"Hey!" said Pip, who was gripping the ceiling. "Don't you know what'll happen if you go into a vacuum without a spacesuit?"

Knuckles returned to the cockpit. "Get it off autopilot, I've got to find them!"

"I can't," said Tails. "Wait until we dock, there's probably machines or something out here you can use."

Knuckles slowly moved away, his eyes bright with an insane light. "You'd better be quick about it."

* * *

"I almost lost the supply shuttle," Robotnik's voice growled through the radio in Rouge's hand. "We need those supplies if we're to stay here any longer, and it was nearly destroyed by an asteroid. I overrode the autopilot just in time."

"Will you be overseeing unloading the cargo?" asked Rouge. She was standing in the control room, eyeing the main computer.

"Yes, of course," said Robotnik.

"I'll activate the machinery that sorts cargo," said Rouge, a cunning look in her eyes that Robotnik could not see. "What's the password for the main computer?"

"51631," Robotnik replied.

Rouge clicked off the radio and laughed to herself. "That old doctor is so easy to trick!" She punched the numbers into the console, and they appeared in letter form on the central holoscreen. "Maria."

"Where have I heard that before?" the white bat wondered. She shrugged it off as unimportant, activated the machinery so Robotnik would suspect nothing, and settled down to do what she was there to do--gather information about Shadow.

Before long the holoscreens were full of text and images. Rouge scanned them with a practiced eye, ears turned for approaching footsteps in the hall outside. Shadow had vanished, but he might reappear at any time. But before long she was so deep in the information she forgot about listening.

The Shadow project had been an attempt to create the Ultimate Lifeform, and unfortunately, it had succeeded. But the being they had created desired only death for itself and all others. It seemed that there had been an accident of some sort that sent GUN to the ARK, determined to shut it down. The lifeform had been contained, and supposedly destroyed. But the photos and documents did not describe a black hedgehog. "So who--or what--is Shadow?" Rouge muttered, flipping through the hundreds of documents.

Behind her, unnoticed, stood a black hedgehog. He stared at the documents and images as Rouge examined them, and a slow red fire began to burn in his eyes. His hands curled into fists.

One of Rouge's ears cocked, and she turned. Shadow had exhaled just loud enough for her to hear, and now he stalked toward her. "What's that?" He pointed at the screens.

She hit a button to clear the screens, and smiled sweetly. "Just a little light reading, hon."

"That's Dr. Gerald's research," said Shadow, eyes flickering. "You have no business reading it. Why do you want to know about his work?"

Rouge was aware of how quickly he could go from a standstill to a killer bullet of spines. "None of your business. But, if I may say so, I truly doubt you are the ultimate lifeform."

For the first time she breached his armor, and Shadow was startled. He tried to mask it, but couldn't quite do it. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," smiled Rouge, knowing she had at last found his weak spot. "According to this information, you aren't anything special. What are you, may I ask?"

Again his mask slipped, and Rouge glimpsed Shadow's first instance of self-doubt. He turned his back on her, and muttered, "It's still me, Shadow."

"Yes," Rouge pressed, "but even your memories may not be real. Ever think of that?"

He shot her a glance, and Rouge saw he was as gray as he had been in the conference room, as if the spines around his eyes were lighter. A second later he turned back, his eyes vacant and soulless. He shoved Rouge away, knelt and tore a panel out of the console. Within were seven small tubes like florescent bulbs, all but one glowing brilliant colors. He unscrewed the vivid blue and held it up. "You know what this is?"

The bulb continued to burn in his hand, and Rouge noticed the fur on his arm was standing up. "No."

"It's called a chaos drive," said Shadow, his eyes still blank. "Without it, this space station could not utilize the power of the emeralds. Next time you cross me, I'll take another. The next time, I'll take another. If all seven are removed, the emeralds will destroy the ARK. Do you understand?"

Rouge nodded. Shadow stalked past her, taking the chaos drive with him. "I wonder who taught him his blackmail tactics," she wondered. Then she added mentally, "Or who programmed them."

* * *

Boarding the ARK without being detected wasn't quite as difficult as the Freedom Fighters expected. The space ship docked at one of the towers, and three long mechanical arms swung out to secure it. A fourth arm swung out--a pressurized tube for boarding. It locked over the door, and a lengthy hiss was heard as an airlock was established. The Freedom Fighters hung back while Sonic and Knuckles opened the door and peered into the plastic hall beyond. "I'll check it out," said Sonic, and floated down the hall. A second later he returned. "It's open, and there's gravity. Let's go!"

It was lovely to have weight again, although it made one feel heavy and slow at first. The little group sprinted for the interior of the tower. They arrived in a circular room studded with thick windows, with a staircase spiraling down around a central pillar. Sonic leaned over it and listened. "It's clear," he announced.

They reached the bottom of the stairs a moment later, breathless and gazing around the old space station. The walls and floor were drab, dusty gray, and many of the light-strips in the ceiling didn't work.

The hallway at the bottom of the stairs had several doors opening off it. The group opened the first one they came to and crowded in. It was a small empty room, probably an old office. All that was in it at the moment were bits of crumpled paper.

"Okay gang," said Sonic, swinging the door to, "we're in. What do we do first?"

"Sonic," said Tails, twirling the end of one of his tails worriedly, "the Cyclone's still on the shuttle. How are we going to get to it?"

"We'll find out where they're storing the cargo," said Sonic with a nod. "The rest of you, stay here."

"Not me," said Knuckles striding forward. "I'm going after the Master emerald pieces."

"Okay," said Sonic, "suit yourself." He caught the echidna's arm as he pushed through the door. "Knux ... stay alive, okay?"

"Ditto," said Knuckles, and trotted away down the hall.

Sonic looked back at Amy, Serena, Talon and Pip. Velocity was standing at Sonic's ankle, his emerald in his paws. "Velos, stay here and protect them, okay?"

Velocity opened his mouth to protest, but shut it when Sonic unbuckled his emerald belt. He handed it to his sister, who took it gingerly, eyeing the glittering super emeralds. "'Rena, put this on."

"But what if you need it?" asked the violet hedgehog, folding it in two without conscious effort.

"It doesn't work anyway," said her brother with a careless shrug. "Put it on so I don't worry."

Serena awkwardly buckled the belt around her waist, and by the time she had figured out the clasp and the belt became invisible, Sonic and Tails had departed.

"So," said Pip, pulling out her notebook, "we're on the ARK with a little over two hours left until the Eclipse cannon fires again." She turned to Amy. "What's YOUR take on the situation?"

Talon looked at Serena in despair. "I hope they come back soon."

* * *

The shuttle's cargo was unloaded quickly and efficiently by a number of robots who had also been packed on board. The crates and pallets passed through an airlock and were stacked neatly in the ARK's old cargo bay for future sorting. One of the objects they carted in was the Cyclone, its legs folded under it like a sleeping bipedal animal.

Sonic and Tails glimpsed its blue and gold paint, and dashed to it before it was blocked in by incoming cargo. Tails climbed into the cockpit and unfolded its legs. As he started the engines, Sonic hopped into the copilot's seat, rather than stand around and wait. Tails was surprised at this, but pleased. "Nice accommodations!" exclaimed the hedgehog, fiddling with the firing controls.

"You want to be my gunner?" asked Tails, jumping the mech out of its little stall and striding across the floor. If Sonic would play gunner, then Tails would have done something his hero appreciated.

For a moment, it looked as if Tails' dreams had come true. Sonic made himself comfortable in the rear seat and fiddled with the firing controls. "How do you work these?"

Tails walked the Cyclone out of the way of incoming robots and cargo, then twisted around and explained the double triggers and targeting screen with more attention to detail than was necessary. Sonic only nodded, listening. He swept the room with the tag laser, watching various targets pop up on the screen.

"Man, now I want to blow something up," he commented, to Tails' delight.

Tails was startled, but not alarmed, to hear clanking footsteps. He and Sonic looked up and saw Robotnik in his Eggwalker stride out of the entry hall, carrying a palm-sized computer. He saw them at once and glared daggers. "Sonic! What are you doing here? And Tails, too, I see." He moved closer, beaming his tag laser at them. "I'll have to kill you now, before you cause any trouble."

"Sorry, we're too busy," Sonic called. Tails jumped when Sonic fired a few vulcan rounds over their enemy's head, which sparked off the metal and concrete walls, and Robotnik ducked. Tails watched, grinning. He had built the controls similar to the ones in the Tornado, which Sonic was very good with.

"Hey Tails, get a load of those ammunition crates," said Sonic, and launched a rocket into a stack of wooden crates five feet from Robotnik. As Robotnik yelped in outrage and Tails cheered, Sonic called, "You should have ordered the fire-proof kind, Eggman!"

At once Robotnik turned the Eggwalker and began spraying fire- extinguishing foam over the crates, before the ammunition inside exploded and destroyed the entire area. Tails galloped the Cyclone past him and up the entry tunnel, a silly grin plastered across his face, and every so often glancing back at Sonic, who was busily targeting every object in the room for readings on what it was.

Tails was elated and was hoping Sonic would stay on board for the rest of the ride, but the hedgehog climbed out as they reached a T-junction. Sonic was laughing. "That was too easy! You built a killer machine, kiddo."

At once Tails felt a warm swell of pride. Sonic not only appreciated his work, but had paid him a compliment! "That was a good idea, to shoot those crates," said the fox in return.

"Cool, huh?" said Sonic, walking to a wall chart. He studied it a moment. "We were in tower 229, so it's that way. Let's juice, little bro." He pointed to the right and led the way, a contented Tails clanking after him.

Chapter 13 - Rouge and Knuckles

_______________________________________________________________________

The outside of the ARK was bright, rocky and barren, the ground blasted clean as a whistle from the station split of hours before. Knuckles ventured out into it in a small maintenance vehicle, built like a crab with four short legs on either side, with two prehensile arms in front for manipulating small objects. Its controls were hard to use, and the machine was sluggish and unresponsive due to fifty years of neglect. However, it was better than nothing, and the echidna needed it.

He crawled into black shadow and glaring, sterile sunlight that would have cooked him had the glass canopy not had a protective filter. The face of the ARK spread out before him, a threatening, jagged landscape, with one impossibly tall spike in the distance, pointing like a menacing spear into the heart of the blue planet overhead.

Knuckles tried to spot the giant asteroid that had nearly done them in, but from below, the "sky" was full of asteroids of all sizes. Occasionally one drifted close enough to the ARK to be caught by its artificial gravity, and crashed into the "ground", but this was seldom.

He crawled in circles, wrestling the controls and cursing the proportions of the human-built machine. The seat was too high, the controls were too far apart, and the windshield was so high it was difficult to see out of. All the time he kept a mental ear tuned for the faintest emerald-whisper, and several times imagined he heard it.

His anxiety grew as time passed. What if he was out here when the cannon fired again? What if Sonic and the others had been captured? What if that Shadow creature had harmed them? He thought of Shadow's bold theft of the red chaos emerald, then of Chimera lying on the floor, poisoned by his own anger and resentment.

Knuckles pushed away the image and forced himself to concentrate. He had a job to do, and mourning his chao would come later.

The signal came unexpectedly, as he turned back toward the tower with the space ship docked against it. He guided his machine over the rocks toward the signal, relief washing over him.

After hunting about, he found his bag, a small, insignificant object, in one of the hollows in the rocks. After a short struggle he seized it in one of the machine's claws, then headed back toward the tower; leaving the glaring white light and the padded silence of outer space.

* * *

Shadow sat in the windowsill of a small room, his back to the darkness of space, his eyes staring unfocused into the dimness. Far from the regions Robotnik had repaired, the lights flickered fitfully, and Shadow's breath hung on the air as a lingering mist. There was nothing in the room to set it apart from any of the ARK's other drab apartments. Nothing but troubled memories.

This had been Maria's room. Once there had been brightly colored furniture, warm rugs, books, and a soft white reclining bed, where a pink stuffed bear ruled supreme. There were often flowers as well, grown in the ARK's greenhouses. But it was Maria herself who had given life to the room, for even when her sickness was at its worst, her being radiated light and warmth.

But she and her things were long gone, leaving only a black hedgehog with a festering wound in his soul.

"What are you, Shadow?" Rouge's words ate at him like acid. What was he, indeed? He had always thought he was the ultimate lifeform, but if his memories were not his own, perhaps he was mistaken. If his memories were not his own, then he had no identity. Was he simply a sophisticated robot? Was there any way to tell? Maria had been flesh and blood--but if she had not existed, what did he have to compare himself to?

He lifted a hand and looked at the metal wristlet just below his joint. Why did he wear these? Did they control his memories, his desires? In a sudden fit of rage, he grasped one and sought to tear it off.

Pain flashed through his arm and he stopped, breathing heavily. He tried to lift it away from his fur, to see if it was embedded in his arm, but again the only result was pain, as if he were trying to pull off a finger. He dropped his arms to his sides in defeat.

Maria had been the only good thing in his life. But if she was only a programmed image fed into his consciousness, what had his actual existence been? Floating in a tank, full of tubes and wires? That would mean that his chaos training had also been artificial, but here he was now, able to use the chaos emeralds. Dr. Gerald had existed, because his grandson was here now, seeking to use the Eclipse cannon to bring Mobius to its knees.

Maybe his memories had belonged to someone else. He stood up and began to pace, his red eyes unfocused. That meant that Maria had existed, and someone else had loved her as he thought he had loved her. If that was so, then he still had every right to avenge her, acting on behalf of the other nameless entity who had made those memories. Besides, what if Rouge was wrong?

He felt relief at the thought. She had been trying to shake him up since she arrived. She would say anything that might break through the armor he wore about himself. He stopped pacing and stared out the dusty window. That was it. Rouge was just trying to shake him up.

"Shadow," said a small voice near the floor.

Shadow whirled and kicked Nox with the ferocity given him by his nagging uncertainty. The chao struck the wall with a soft thump and lay still, his injured eyes staring mutely at his master.

The hedgehog turned his back and gazed at the white stars without seeing them. After a moment he turned back to see Nox still staring at him, eyes glassy with tears.

"Stop looking at me," rasped Shadow.

Now went on staring, and an idiotic rage built up inside his master. In one bound he snatched the chao off the floor and shook him. "I hate you!" he snarled through clenched teeth. "You follow me around and won't leave me alone! I hate you!" He flung Nox at the floor and swept from the room.

The little black chao lay in a heap and cried softly for a few seconds, then picked himself up. He was only bruised, and chao heal quickly. With bewildered yet faithful love, he limped out after Shadow.

* * *

Sonic and Tails found their companions in the room where they had been left. Velocity was stretched across the doorway, paws tucked under his chest and eyes half-closed. Amy and Pip were playing Rock, Scissors, Paper, Talon was curled up in a corner with Max in his lap, and Serena was pacing back and forth, fingering her brother's invisible belt. Everyone was delighted to see Sonic look in and say, "We're back!"

"Okay," said the hedgehog as they gathered in the hall, around the quietly humming Cyclone, "we have a battleplan, thanks to Tails."

Tails motioned to Talon, who picked up his own chao and climbed into the copilot's seat. It wasn't as good as having Sonic back there, but at least Tails' onboard computer had helped give them a plan.

"Okay," said the fox, "in case you didn't know, the ARK is a Bernoulli sphere, the first self-supporting space station built by the Overlanders." He glanced around at the group. Okay so far. "Apparently there was an accident about fifty years ago, and it was shut down. But rumor has it that there was no accident, and this place was shut down for other reasons."

"Case in point," said Sonic, motioning in a vague direction to indicate the Eclipse Cannon.

"Yeah," said Tails. "Anyway, this place is heavily armored. The only way to stop it is to shut down the main reactor, which right now is powered by six chaos emeralds."

He took Sonic's blue emerald and held it up. "This is the artificial emerald I made for Sonic. It absorbs the power from a real emerald for a short time. If it comes into contact with more than five others, it'll explode." Tails crossed his fingers in his lap. In reality he had no idea what the synthetic emerald would do. "Hopefully that would damage whatever machine they're using to convert the power, and they'll have a power failure. That way we don't have to worry about the ARK exploding or anything."

"All we have to do is find the control center," said Sonic. "Tails is going to walk around the first circle and shoot stuff up as a distraction. This place is so dead it won't be dangerous. Velocity's coming with me and bringing the emerald. The rest of you, stick together." He cast a lingering glance at Pip, Serena and Amy. "'Rena, you've got my belt. Tails, Talon, look out for them."

The pair in the walker saluted. Tails grinned at Sonic--not only was Sonic putting him in command, he was acknowledging that the Cyclone was a formidable weapon. Tails felt as if he could take on the ARK itself and win.

"We have an hour and a half left," said the blue hedgehog, checking his watch. "Let's do this!"

The Freedom Fighters departed in opposite directions.

* * *

Meanwhile, Knuckles had guided his crab-like vehicle back inside tower 229, and was waiting for the airlock to close. He was in a large hangar-like area, with many similar maintenance vehicles scattered about, covered in rust and grime. The roof was five stories high by Knuckles' reckoning, probably to allow larger ships to enter, and the skeleton of the tower formed a steel grid inside the walls. Knuckles gazed at it in boredom, and imagined humans in space suits bolting it all together.

The hissing of the airlock ended, and the echidna depressurized his little ship, opened its glass canopy and climbed out. The air smelled stale and dusty, and it was cold. He walked to the front of the ship to remove his bag from the vehicle's pinchers, and stopped, mouth dropping open. The white bat who had robbed him twice before was slinging the bag over one shoulder.

She winked. "Hello, handsome."

Knuckles was too dumbfounded to move. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here, dearie," said Rouge, flashing him a smile. "Rouge the bat, hired for her emerald-gathering skills." She plucked the shoulder strap of the bag. "As you see."

Knuckles paced toward her, slow and deliberate. "That emerald is mine."

Rouge backed away. "Oh really? I don't see your name on it."

"I want it worse than you do," he replied coolly. "I'll have to hurt you for it."

"Is that any way to talk to a lady?" said Rouge, pretending to pout.

"What kind of lady goes around stealing things?" said Knuckles.

His attack should have sent Rouge spinning to the floor, but she bounded out of the way and fluttered for the lowest crossbar in the building's framing, her flight a little slower than usual, owing to the weight of the large sack slung over her shoulder. Knuckles dug his trusty shovelclaws into the ridges in a vertical beam and climbed after her.

She watched him with one hand on her hip. "My, you're good. But I suppose finding you on the ARK counts for something."

Knuckles swung op on the crossbeam, but Rouge flew across to the one opposite. To her surprise, he glided after her and arrived almost as soon as she did. Rouge laid back her ears and attacked with years of kickboxing training at her disposal.

By now Knuckles knew how she fought, and blocked the blows from her iron-tipped boots. With a clever twist he caught one of her ankles and threw her over backward. Rouge landed on the beam, bounded to her feet, and flew for a higher beam. Knuckles followed.

Rouge was panting. She shifted the heavy bag against her back and watched Knuckles climb toward her. "I could call Eggman, you know."

"Why?" grunted Knuckles, swinging up on the new beam. "Afraid to deal with me yourself?" He jabbed at her to test her defenses, then swung at her, steel claws glinting. Rouge parried with a lightning-swift kick that struck sparks from his claws, and followed it up with a spinning kick that slashed across his left arm before he could retreat.

"Aww, am I too much for the big tough guardian?" she mocked, seeing him holding his arm.

"Hardly," said Knuckles, and sprang. He dealt her a crippling blow to the knee, then struck her with his shoulder. The bat toppled off the beam, caught herself in midair, and fluttered for a yet higher perch. She landed and half-knelt, holding her knee.

Knuckles climbed after her with a twinge of remorse behind his rage. "I don't want to hurt you," he panted. "Just give me my bag and I'll let you go." His arm was smarting and bleeding a little, but he had had worse. On the other hand, he was afraid he had broken her leg. Somehow he was both sorry and glad about this.

"A little late for that," Rouge flung down angrily. "I stole it fair and square."

Knuckles climbed onto her beam and stood a moment. "Look, this is pointless. I'm going to wind up hurting you, and this tower doesn't go much higher."

"I think you overestimate yourself," said Rouge, and dashed toward him with no trace of a limp.

For several seconds they battled hand-to-foot, as fast as they could go. Then Rouge switched tactics and landed a punch to Knuckles' jaw that caught him off guard. He recoiled, more surprised than hurt, then aimed a kick at the bat that she sidestepped. "Neglected some training, no?" said Rouge gleefully. "I've taken every fighting class there is."

The bat was silenced as Knuckles punched her in the ribs. She retreated, gasping. "You learned everything but to keep your trap shut," he said, moving up. Seeing her guard momentarily down, he slashed at the shoulder-strap of the bag. Rouge threw up a wing to protect it, and his steel claws punctured her thin wing membrane.

Rouge let out a shriek, more from rage than pain. She bolted for the far vertical beam and climbed up.

"What's the matter?" Knuckled called, following. "Did some naughty little boy clip your wings?"

"No, my opponent is wearing knives like a dirty cheater," she replied without turning. "So much for flying!"

Knuckles arrived on the fourth level of beams a few seconds after Rouge with a stinging retort. "Do you eat bugs with those fangs, or just suck people's blood?"

That was the wrong thing to say. It was a dirty slur to call a fruit bat a vampire bat, and Knuckles had hit upon it by accident. Rouge swelled with fury. "You!" she screamed, and flew at Knuckles in homicidal rage.

For a solid minute sparks flew from the battling pair atop the framework, and the air rang with the clash of steel on steel. Knuckles met her stroke for stroke, chuckling inwardly at her fury, for she was leaving herself open. She was limping again, and kicks from her injured leg were coming slower and weaker. Knuckles aimed a kick at her knee, and Rouge gave a gasping cry. The pain overwhelmed her anger, for she retreated several paces and knelt, holding her knee and panting.

Knuckles, too, was panting. Their furious battle was wearing him out, and it had taken the edge off his anger. He moved forward a few steps. "Care to give me the bag now?"

Rouge stood up. "Give you the bag? Never!" She threw her head back and spun about, intending to march to the last vertical beam and climb still higher. But her knee buckled, and with the heavy bag on her back, she lost her balance and toppled sideways, incapable of saving herself from a 45-foot drop.

Knuckles threw himself across the steel beam and caught the bat by one dusty white boot. The sudden check wrenched Rouge's hurt knee, wringing a screamed oath from her. But when she regained her wits, she realized Knuckles had saved her from a nasty fall, and let him help her back up onto the beam.

The two sat there for a few minutes, panting and saying nothing. Then Rouge stood up. "What did you do that for?"

Knuckles looked at her blankly. "Do what?"

"I'll bet you just wanted to hold my hand, you creep," she said with a foxy smile.

Knuckles stood up, wearily irritated. "This is how you thank somebody for saving your life?"

Rouge looked at him a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Call me weird. It sounds crazy, but--" She pulled off the bag of shards and threw it at Knuckles. He caught it in surprise, and watched in still greater surprise as she pulled six green fragments from her belt, and threw them at his feet. "Take them," she said. "They stink like echidnas do."

"Why didn't you notice that in the first place?" growled Knuckles, picking up the pieces and stowing them in his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and glanced at the bat, who was again holding her leg. He hesitated a moment, torn between telling her off and apologizing. The latter impulse was the stronger. "I'm sorry I hurt you." He jumped into space and glided toward the floor, embarrassed, angry at himself for being embarrassed, and glad to get away from her.

Rouge watched him go. She had had many crushes in her lifetime, and felt another one coming on strong.

Chapter 14 - The Death of Sonic the Hedgehog

_______________________________________________________________________

"I mean, it's not like he's still there," Sonic said to Velocity as the two galloped down a long, dim hallway. "I couldn't hear him anymore, but he was still out there, you know?"

"Yeah," replied the blue cheetah, his muscles rippling under his glossy coat. "It was the same with me. I'd get to where I couldn't hear him anymore, but I still knew he was out there. Then he'd reopen the channel and throttle me until I did what he wanted."

The hedgehog and chao were passing the time it took to find the control room with conversation about Leviathan and his mind-control. They had wandered back and forth, examining faded charts and trying shortcuts across dark, silent machinery vaults. Sonic tried grinding on railings, pipes and taut cables, and his balance was improving with practice. However, most of the time he was far above doubtful masses of machinery half-hidden in the gloom, so balance was foremost on his mind.

Sonic had brought the two-way radio that connected to the Cyclone, but he had switched it off to conserve battery power, figuring that Tails wouldn't need to reach him for a while yet. "I wonder why Chimera went bad," he said to his cat as they turned a corner. "I mean, you were the one who went through the conditioning, not him."

"Maybe it was something to do with his getting an emerald too early," said Velocity. "Didn't it make him crazy?"

Sonic remembered the dreadful morning when baby Chimera had been diagnosed with emerald madness. "Yeah, but we thought it wore off. He's always been a jerk anyway."

"Yeah," said Velocity, laying his ears back sadly, "but I guess it didn't. It polluted him from the inside. That's my guess why he was colored funny when Max finished him off. All that black was poison, and taking it out killed him."

"Maybe you're right," said Sonic. "That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen some pretty weird stuff."

They slowed to a halt as they saw another map on the wall. Sonic peered at it a moment. "Almost there, Velos. Let's juice. The sooner we get the emeralds back, the better."

* * *

Shadow burst into the ARK's laboratory, where Robotnik was stooped over a flickering computer terminal. The doctor jerked erect at the sound. "Doctor, intruders," said the black hedgehog, eyes aflame. "They're coming this way."

"Who was it?" asked Robotnik, pushing back his safety goggles and glancing around the room, as if measuring it for hedgehog- weaknesses.

"The two kids in the blue and yellow mech we saw on Prison Island," said Shadow, "two female hedgehogs, and a black bat."

"Are they armed?"

"I didn't see weapons on anything but the mech."

Robotnik gazed at Shadow thoughtfully. "Two female hedgehogs, did you say? What did they look like?"

"One purple, one pink," said Shadow. "We saw the pink one on Prison Island. Amy."

"And the other is probably Serena," muttered Robotnik, a smile curling his mustache. He stood in silence a moment, rubbing his chin.

"Should I attack them?" asked Shadow, eager for a fight.

Robotnik didn't seem to have heard for a moment, then looked up. "Get the hedgehogs away from the others and bring them back here. I have an idea." He pointed at a circular platform in the middle of the floor. "Is that an emergency escape pod?"

Shadow glanced at it. "Yes. So?"

"Perfect," said the doctor. "Bring me Amy and Serena as quickly as you can." He stooped over the terminal again, and Shadow swept silently from the room.

* * *

Ever since she had boarded the ARK, Serena had been aware of something dark and oppressive about it. There was more to this space station than was visible about the colorless walls and burned-out lights. There was something dark here, something evil.

Serena walked along behind the Cyclone, arms folded tightly across her chest, peering right, left and behind. There were too many doors, too many other halls, too many empty spaces to hide in. Amy and Pip chattered unconcernedly, and Serena found herself wishing they would be quiet. Their noise might awaken something terrible in this vast, silent place. She wasn't the only one who felt it. Talon, too, kept casting glances back down the hall, and the fur on Tails's back and shoulders was bristling. At first, the pair in the Cyclone had shot at every ancient video camera they encountered, but their attacks had become fewer and further between as time went on.

The feeling grew stronger the further they walked. It was as if the station were aware of their presence, and was watching them with malicious intent. "But that's silly," Serena told herself. "It's just a chunk of rock and metal. A floating city can't watch you." But why was her fur bristling with gooseflesh? Even Pip and Amy were beginning to feel it. Their chatter was dying to a whisper, and they were beginning to look uneasy.

Shadow couldn't figure out how they knew he was coming.

He ambushed them from one of the empty rooms as they passed. At once the Cyclone whipped around, Amy jumped for cover behind the mech, and Pip whipped out her notebook.

As soon as Serena saw him, she knew he was the specter from her dreams. But this time she was not glued to the spot, and she poured her fear-charged strength into a furious spindash attack.

She hit him so quickly that he was knocked off balance, unaware that a female hedgehog could be so aggressive. Then bullets tore into the wall behind him, and the deafening rattle of a vulcan cannon shook the hall. Shadow regained his balance, spun under the spray of lead and knocked the violet hedgehog to the floor with his superior speed. In another second he had felled Amy, grabbed both girls and dashed up the hall, dragging them.

"Don't shoot!" Tails cried as Talon drew a bead on the retreating black figure. "You'll hit the girls!"

"Then make this thing go faster!" Talon retorted.

The Cyclone sprinted after Shadow. Pip ran along behind, writing frantically. "From the depths of the ARK came a black being intent on one thing--murder! He killed Serena and Amy in the blink of an eye--"

"Pip, shut up already!" yelled Tails, who was afraid of that very thing. He snatched up his radio. "Sonic! Sonic, come in!"

* * *

"Almost there, I think," said Sonic, examining yet another wall chart. "We're right here on the fourth circle, and it's on the fifth."

"Better check in with the others," said Velocity, tail twitching. He glanced behind him, fur rising on his back in a strip. Whatever presence the ARK contained, he, too, had felt it.

Sonic watched his chao's fur bristle. "I wish you'd stop doing that. It's freaking me out."

"But there's something scary here," said Velocity. "I wish we'd never come."

"Well, we did, so lump it," said Sonic, unclipping the radio from his golden bracelet. He clicked it on and heard Tails' frantic voice saying, "Sonic, where are you? Come in, please! Serena and Amy have been--"

The radio cut out. "Uh, Tails, repeat that," said Sonic, eyeing Velocity, whose ears were flicking back and forth as he listened for approaching enemies.

The radio crackled again, but this time it was Robotnik's gravelly voice speaking. "Sonic, if you want to see Serena and Amy alive again, I'd suggest you come to the research lab on the first circle, third level. Bring the seventh emerald with you."

There was radio silence for a minute. Sonic stared at Velocity with a feeling of foreboding. "How did you know that was gonna happen?"

"I didn't," said the chao-cheetah. "How long will it take us to go all the way back to the first circle?"

Sonic glanced at his watch. "Ten or fifteen minutes, if we don't get lost." He spoke into the radio. "Tails?"

"I heard him, Sonic," came the fox's frightened voice. "I'm almost there. He's got our frequency tapped."

"I know," said Sonic. "See if you can get there. I'm a long way off. Keep in touch." He clipped the radio to his wrist, taking care to leave it switched on. "C'mon, Velos." The two bolted back up the corridor.

"If you give him my emerald, I won't be able to help you," Velocity fretted as they ran.

"Sure, but it'll blow up the machinery, and we can get your real emerald back," Sonic replied, trying to sound more cheerful than he felt. Each doorway seemed to hold half-imagined monsters, and in the dim, fitful light, their shadows were large and dark. There was something nightmarish about the cold, silent ARK, and the way the halls curved just enough so you couldn't see what was around the next corner. Sonic could feel the emptiness above, below and around him like an ache in his bones; an empty, lifeless space station. No, not lifeless. There was something alive and watchful in that emptiness--something that could not be seen or touched, but existed nonetheless.

Sonic suddenly understood why Velocity's fur was standing up. His own spines were bristling with the electricity of fear, and the further he went, the stronger the feeling grew. For the first time he wished Slasher had come.

* * *

"Research lab," said Tails. The Cyclone had arrived at a closed door with the name printed on it. He looked at the name for a moment, chewing his lower lip. Should he wait for Sonic, or go in and deal with Robotnik himself? He thought of the powerful Eggwalker, then of Serena and Amy held captive. Sonic wouldn't hesitate to barge in. Perhaps if Tails rescued the girls himself, it would impress Sonic. He imagined escorting a relieved Amy and Serena into the hall as Sonic dashed up, and the look of shock on his hero's face. It was a nice thought. He swallowed, wished his stomach would stop churning, and glanced at the black and white face of his gunner. "Don't shoot unless Serena and Amy are clear. Okay?"

Talon nodded, unable to speak, the nameless dread of the ARK heavy upon him. He would have waited for Sonic, had he been in Tails' place, but he trusted his friend's decision, and grasped the firing controls.

Tails reached out and pressed the button to open the door.

The room beyond was large and circular, with three pillars of computers in a triangular pattern. Windows lined one side of the room, as it was in the first circle. The floor was stained where tables and equipment had stood. At the far end of the room was parked Robotnik's squat, ugly mech. Behind it, seated on the floor, their hands bound behind them, were Serena and Amy, looking frightened and angry.

Robotnik had been gloating over them, but turned around when the door opened. "Ah, Tails," he said. "How nice of you to join us." He waved a hand.

Before Tails and Talon could make anything of this, there was a whistle of a fast-moving object, and a black ball of spines smashed into the Cyclone's left leg.

The Cyclone toppled sideways as its leg collapsed, and Tails and Talon grabbed the sides of the cockpits. "Hey!" Tails cried as Shadow flipped onto his feet, and hydraulic fluid dribbled onto the floor. Tails worked frantically at the controls, trying to shut the leg's systems down, and Talon stared at Shadow.

The black hedgehog stared back with a thin, cruel smile. "Can't have you causing trouble," he said, then turned and skated out the door.

Talon watched him go, then looked around at Robotnik, who had levelled a large rifle with an equally large sniper scope on them. "Don't move."

"Don't move," the anteater hissed to Tails. Max, huddled under his master's feet with the green chaos emerald, shivered.

Tails looked up at Robotnik. He knew it. He was worthless. Sonic would have to come to the rescue, as he always did. "You're a failure," Tails told himself savagely. "All you did was screw up everything, and now the Cyclone's busted." He glanced at his watch. Sonic would arrive in another five minutes.

* * *

Fear lay heavily on Sonic's heart as he dashed along the first circle, watching the door names for 'research lab'. Velocity galloped at his heels, tongue hanging out. The walls seemed to lean over them, threatening and silent. "I hate this place," Sonic thought. "I really do. Research lab!"

He skidded to a halt, sneakers screeching on the metal floor. Velocity sat back on his haunches and slid to a halt, and spat out the blue emerald. He shrank down to an indigo chao and held up the gem, still panting. "Stay back, Velos," said Sonic, taking the emerald and reaching for the Open button. "I don't want you to get hurt." For a moment Sonic wondered where Tails was, then decided he must have somehow beat the Cyclone to the lab.

"Okay," said the chao, and hung back as the door opened.

The first thing Sonic saw was the crippled Cyclone, and Tails and Talon turning to look at him in relief. Then he saw Robotnik with a large gun covering Amy and Serena, who were leaning against the wall. Robotnik smiled. "It's about time you got here, Sonic."

"Well, I'm here," said Sonic with all the cheerfulness he could muster, for his friends' sake. But it was a shock to see the Cyclone down for the count.

Robotnik waved to a circular indentation in the floor. "Put the emerald down there, slowly, and back away. Then we'll talk about your sister and your girlfriend, if you really want them back."

Sonic looked around the room. Pip was standing against the far wall like a black shadow, but otherwise the room was empty. If there was a catch to handing over the fake emerald, Sonic didn't know what it was. Maybe Robotnik meant to shoot him once he set down the emerald. Sonic could handle that. But how was he to rescue everyone at once?

He was thinking it over as he put on a grin and paced toward the circular area indicated. "You've turned into a big-time villain, Doc. Studying to be an evil overlord?"

Robotnik said nothing, but watched closely as Sonic stepped into the circle, stooped and carefully set down the blue emerald.

At once a glass tube slammed down around Sonic, muting all sound. He heard it click into place before he had time to straighten up. He stood up and looked at the ceiling, expecting to see a robotizer lens, but there was none.

Robotnik was laughing. "Ever the gullible one, Sonic!"

The hedgehog banged a fist on the industrial-strength glass. "Let me out, you liar!"

Robotnik laid aside his sniper rifle, pulled out a small video recorder, and pointed it at Sonic. "That is an emergency escape pod, Sonic. In a moment, you will be jettisoned into space. Once it clears the ARK, bam! The world is rid of another pesky Mobian."

Sonic blinked. This couldn't be happening. He glanced over his shoulder, wishing he had brought Velocity--but the chao's emerald was in the tube with him. He was trapped.

He returned his gaze to Robotnik, his eyes like green fire. "I'm gonna get you for this."

"Oh please," said Robotnik. "If I had a penny for every time I heard that, I could build my own ARK. Besides, you really thought you could fool me with that fake emerald?"

Tails pricked up his ears. He had thought it was impossible to detect the synthetic emerald on a scanner. All of his own tests had proven negative. "How did you know it was fake?"

"Tails!" Sonic yelled.

Robotnik laughed. "Because you just told me, bright boy!"

Tails's ears flattened, and he slid down in his seat. That was it. He had blown everything.

"Besides, we're only missing the green one," said Robotnik. He fixed his attention on Sonic. "Well, hedgehog? Any last words? How about begging for mercy? I'd enjoy that."

The overwhelming shadow of fear was threatening to swallow up Sonic, but he fought it back. Somehow the whole situation seemed unreal. "Tails, it's up to you. You and Talon finish off the mission."

He looked at the girls, who were watching with eyes full of tears. For a moment he couldn't think of anything to say. It seemed like a big joke, almost. "Amy, Serena, take care of yourselves." What should he say? "Give my love to Sally, and everyone in Knothole ... and take care of Velocity for me."

Serena ducked her head, and dimly through the glass he heard her sob. He turned to face Pip, who was watching with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Pip, good luck on your job. I owe you one."

He looked at Tails, and his stomach gave an uneasy lurch. He was in a bad place right now. "Tell Knux I didn't mean what I said about Chimera, and I really am sorry about him."

Robotnik was grinning. "Are you finished?"

Sonic nodded. It still felt unreal, as if the whole situation were a movie he was watching. But the ARK's shadow of fear still hung over him, and his stomach had a quiver in it.

He saw Amy look up at Robotnik, pleading. "Don't do it, please," she begged.

It was the last thing Sonic saw.

The capsule dropped through the floor. He felt the sensation of falling at great speed, and saw a black blur outside the glass. Then there was wide space around him, studded with stars. The ARK receded overhead like a vast ceiling, and Sonic gazed down at the blue and white globe below, the planet he would never set foot on again. He was to die out in trackless space, alone, and separated from the world that was his home, forever.

As the pod roared onward, he thought of all the things he could have done, all the messages he wished he could have left for his friends. He wished he hadn't been so flippant about saying goodbye to Slasher and Zephyer. What would they do when they found out they would never see him again? In a moment there would be a flash of fire, perhaps the tinkle of glass breaking, an instant of pain, and then-- death and what lay beyond.

Like a thunderbolt Sonic's never-say-die nature reared its head. He couldn't die--there was too much he had left undone, too much to live for. There had to be some way to survive, to escape. The fear that had gripped him while on the ARK was fading as he drew away from it. His mind cleared, and he wondered how the capsule would explode. Perhaps he could disarm it somehow, and fly back to the ARK.

Rebelliously Sonic examined the floor for an explosive or wiring of some sort. There was some sort of gum in a wad on the floor, with wires sticking out of it. He stooped to examine it and noticed the blue chaos emerald resting at his feet, forgotten. He snatched it up. Shadow could teleport, so why couldn't he? The artificial emerald worked the same as the real one, didn't it?

He gripped the jewel in both hands and concentrated his whole being on the power inside it. There came to his mind the image of a room on the ARK, and a dim sense of changing, shifting light, like fractal patterns. One of them began to resolve itself into a solid shape that he could focus on, a sort of donut made of intense blue light. He felt the emerald's power making the blood in his hands tingle. Focusing fiercely on the image, he shut his eyes and yelled, "Chaos control!"

Then the capsule exploded.

* * *

As Sonic's capsule vanished through the floor, Robotnik pressed a button, and the binders released Serena and Amy. "Care to watch?" he said, training his video camera on the window. The two scrambled to their feet and peered out, rubbing their chafed wrists.

Tails limped the Cyclone forward a few steps. The left leg's knee joint was unresponsive, but the leg moved a little, and he was able to move stiffly forward. He felt numb. In a few seconds, Sonic would die. He looked out the window and saw a small, bright object sailing swiftly away from the ARK. The sun gleamed on the glass.

A second passed. Sonic was still alive. Something might be done to save him.

Another second passed. The capsule shrank into the distance. Sonic was still alive. Maybe it wouldn't explode. Maybe they could save him.

Another heartbeat. Sonic was alive.

The capsule vanished in a soundless orange flash of fire, and its fragments floated apart in the void, slowly turning and glimmering and dying.

Amy screamed Sonic's name and burst into frantic tears. Robotnik trained his camera on her, grinning. "So passes Sonic, my admirable adversary. Come along, Amy. It's not so bad to be defeated by the greatest genius in a century."

Tails heard them as if through a long tunnel. His eyes were fixed on those floating, glittering fragments, and he could see nothing else. Sonic was gone forever. Tails would never see him again.

Suddenly the room buckled and divided, and tears rolled down his muzzle. He bowed his head, a vortex of shock, horror and grief revolving inside of him. His world had been shattered as if blasted by the Eclipse Cannon. Sonic was gone. Somewhere inside him insane screams and cries were beginning. The fox began to shake as the horrible sounds welled up inside him, and darkness swirled before his eyes. He gripped the flight yoke and gasped air into his convulsing lungs. But he couldn't break down here--Sonic had asked him to finish the mission.

With a tremendous effort Tails contained the agonized screams he longed to voice, and lifted his head. Sonic had asked him to finish the mission--the first time Sonic had ever asked him to do anything important. It split his heart with more tears, but he forced them back. Something else was taking shape behind his grief; a blistering rage at Robotnik, who was laughing, enjoying their tears.

"Talon," he said, controlling the tremor in his voice, "for the first time in my life, Sonic asked me to do something for him. We have to finish this mission."

Talon's voice was oddly high-pitched. "The weapons still work, Tails. We--we'll make Sonic proud."

"Don't use the regular weapons," said Tails, struggling to move the wounded mech toward the Eggwalker, whose master was too absorbed in his victory to notice them. "Let go of the controls, they're going to change."

Talon obeyed, and Tails pressed the button to transform the Cyclone to plane form. The legs retracted, wings extended, and the laser tower telescoped to form the rear tailfin. Talon gazed at his firing controls as one set of controls retracted and another extended. At once he understood why Tails had changed modes. The change had toggled air-to-air weaponry, and five homing missiles awaited Talon's command. He targeted the Eggwalker, teeth bared.

"Serena! Amy! Run!" Tails barked. The two looked up, then scurried aside.

Robotnik smiled as he saw the little plane sitting in the floor, and pressed a button. An enormous lens beneath the headlight appeared and glowed turquoise, preparing to fire the beam that had wilted fifteen GUN security doors in one second. "Planning a takeoff, Tails? Thinking perhaps you could fly out and pick up Sonic's pieces? Or would you rather melt where you stand?"

"No," said the fox, sitting straight and still. "I'm going to show you what Sonic's last seconds were like. Fire!"

Talon fired. The missiles flashed out from under the Cyclone's wings, their scream echoing in the room like the cries in Tails' heart, and the fire that erupted from the Eggwalker was nothing to the inferno in the fox's eyes. The enemy mech slammed into the wall as the missiles tore through the armor.

Talon released his controls and looked around in confusion. The Cyclone was still firing, the rattle of the vulcan cannon rocking its frame. Then he saw Tails hunched over in the cockpit, hands wrapped around his own firing controls, pumping round after round into the Eggwalker. Tails' eyes were fixed, crazy, and glazed with tears. His teeth were bared in a snarl. Frozen in this attitude, he fired until the vulcan cannon clicked feebly, ammunition exhausted. The bullets had done their job, for the Eggwalker had been reduced to a pile of smoking scrap.

Without a word, Tails transformed the plane back into mech form, and turned it toward the door. Pip, Amy and Serena followed, all with heads bowed. As they stepped into the hall, Velocity walked to Serena, whimpering. He had heard everything that had happened through the door, and in his shock and grief he had lost his bearings. He didn't know where he was or why he was there, only that Sonic was gone. Serena picked up the bewildered chao and held him close, and cried into his wiry fur as they walked.

Chapter 15 - The Final Chase

_______________________________________________________________________

Shadow watched the explosion from a window a few rooms down from the research lab, arms folded and eyes narrowed. He watched the capsule's fragments float apart into oblivion, once in a while catching the sun. "I guess he was just an ordinary hedgehog after all," he remarked. "Pity. He was almost a match for me."

Nox was sitting beside his master, ignored as usual, but his kindly heart went out to the poor blue hedgehog. "He had a chao, too," he said to Shadow. "His chao will be very sad."

"I can't imagine why," said Shadow, turning from the window. "Rouge, he's dead."

The white bat was seated in the corner, winding her cuts in gauze, her hurt knee wrapped in a makeshift brace. She glanced up at Shadow's words. "I still don't think it was necessary. He could have been contained until the cannon fired again, and then it wouldn't have mattered."

"You have no idea of the significance of his death," said Shadow, folding his arms. "Doctor Robotnik has been trying to kill him for years, he tells me. With Sonic dead, nothing will stand in our way."

Rouge slipped her boots back on and didn't reply. She cautiously stood up and put weight on her knee. It held, so she slipped her gloves back on. She saw Shadow glance at a large patch of tape on her wing membrane. "What happened to you?" he said.

She shot him a dark look. "Don't ask."

The small radio Shadow carried on his anklet chirped. He unclipped it and held it to his ear. "Yes?"

"My Eggwalker's totaled," came Robotnik's breathless voice. "The Freedom Fighters are on their way to the control room to take the emeralds. Stop them."

"Yes." Shadow reattached the radio and looked at Rouge. "Can you fight?"

Rouge stared at him, then gestured to her bandages. "Do I look like it?"

Shadow snorted and glided from the room, Nox scampering at his heels. Rouge watched them go with a sly smile, and slipped a side door.

* * *

Knuckles was lost. He had taken a wrong turn on his way back from the hangar area, and instead of entering the featureless halls of the space station, had found himself in a series of airlock rooms. They contained gear he guessed was meant for astronauts to use on the ARK's surface. There were spacesuits hung along the walls, canisters looped around with tubes, clear glass globes with instruments inside, dirt-stained tools, oxygen tanks ... There were no wall maps, and Knuckles wandered in circles, wondering what idiot had designed this layout.

He had sat down to rest and clear his head, when he heard a sound that was not the Master Emerald chime. It was different note, like that of a bell, and it was rapidly growing louder. Something was coming. He covered his ears, but it did no good--it was his emerald sense, not his ears, that could hear it. The chime grew to a whistle that threatened to split his skull, then there came a flash of light from the next room.

Knuckles jumped up and peered through the doorway. A point of light glimmered in the center of the room--a dimension gateway? It grew larger and brighter, and a black speck appeared in its center, as if it were miles away. It drew closer and larger, and in another second a figure spun out of the light and fell to the floor. The light vanished, and Knuckles found himself staring at Sonic, lying face down with a blue emerald clutched in one hand.

"Sonic?" the echidna ventured. Sonic didn't move--it didn't look like he was breathing. Knuckles knelt beside him and felt for a pulse. He found a strong one, rolled Sonic over and shook him. "C'mon Sonic, snap out of it."

Sonic drew a deep breath, and his eyes opened. "Kn--Knux?" He pushed himself into a sitting position and held his head.

"What happened to you?" asked the bewildered echidna. "You appeared out of some dimension rip or something."

"I--I used chaos control," said Sonic. "Robotnik shot me into space in a capsule, and I did it at the last second." He paused. "It took a lot out of me." He struggled to stand, but his legs refused to hold him. Knuckles put an arm around him and helped him up. Sonic leaned on him, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" asked Knuckles, concerned.

Sonic nodded. "I'll feel better in a minute." He closed his eyes and breathed.

Knuckles held him, wondering. Sonic had used chaos control? How was that possible? He had thought that only a chao or a robot could teleport with the blue emerald.

As they stood there, Knuckles glanced over his shoulder. He had a feeling of being watched. Sonic saw him. "You feel it too, huh?"

Knuckles eyed him and said nothing.

Sonic lifted a hand and let it fall. "There's something about this place ..." He stood up and rubbed his forehead. "I'm okay now. How much time do we have?"

Knuckles glanced at his watch and looked grim. "Thirty-three minutes."

Sonic's eyes popped. "Oh great! It'll take that long just to get to the control room!" He looked around the room, chewing his lip in furious thought. His gaze fell on the emerald in his hand. "Knux, do you think if I threw this down the Eclipse Cannon, it'd explode?"

"It'd certainly absorb some chaos energy," said Knuckles unhappily. "How are you going to get out there?"

Sonic darted into the next room. "I'll put on a space suit!" he called.

Knuckles followed him and found the hedgehog sorting through the dusty suits on the wall racks, looking for one his size. Knuckles picked up a Mobian-sized suit from a heap in the corner and tapped Sonic's shoulder. Sonic spun around. "Great! Help me get it on."

Putting a suit on a long-spined hedgehog was no picnic, but Sonic slicked himself down enough so it fit. The suit covered his feet, like footed pajamas, and he had to remove his shoes to fit his feet inside. There were a pair of boots in the corner, waiting to be buckled on over his suit. Sonic looked at his own sneakers and smiled to himself.

Knuckles helped fasten on the helmet, forming an airtight seal around Sonic's body. He reached for the boots, but Sonic said through the glass, "No, I want my soaps."

"But the boots are weighted," said Knuckles. "They're meant for space."

Sonic glared at him. "I want to wear my soaps! You gonna argue until the cannon fires?"

Knuckles handed him his sneakers, irritated. "Yeah, hotshot, remember not to spindash. You'll go right through that suit."

Sonic whipped his shoes on, picked up the synthetic emerald, and said, "Which way to the airlock?"

Knuckles guided him into one of the airlock chambers, and punched a button to secure the doors.

Sonic watched the inner doors slide shut, and turned a knob on the side of his helmet to open his oxygen tank. Air swirled into his lungs, stale and metallic. He jogged in place and swung his arms as the air hissed out of the room, loosening up himself and his suit. The suit felt strange and cumbersome, but his shoes were his own, and felt comfortingly familiar.

As the outer door opened, he glanced at the emerald in his hand. What if he tried chaos control again? Maybe he should wait a while.

He stepped out into a surreal, twilight world. The sun had slipped behind Mobius's disk, and the planet was half dark, split by a long crescent shadow. Its blue glow illuminated the jagged, rocky terrain, and the single, impossibly tall, thin mountain that was the Eclipse Cannon.

Sonic's run across the ARK's surface lingered in his mind as the most fun he had ever had. The ground was pitted and cracked, forcing the hedgehog to run and jump from rise to rise like a cricket. But gravity weakened a short distance from the ground, so Sonic found himself able to cover ten or fifteen feet with every stride. He ran, bounded, flew with arms outstretched, and whooped and hollered into the vacuum.

The Eclipse Cannon rapidly drew closer. Distance was hard to judge out in space with no landmarks, and Sonic realized the whole ARK was probably only ten miles wide. The Cannon was only half that in height, and five miles was no distance at all to a fun-loving hedgehog playing with gravity.

As he neared the Cannon, he saw a narrow platform that spiraled up around it, probably for maintenance purposes. There were also ladders stretching up the steep sides. Sonic, eager to run, took the ramp.

* * *

Tails led the way through the ARK toward the control room, but he wasn't thinking about what he was doing. Visions of Sonic's face passed before his mind's eye, each bringing with it mental cries of fresh anguish. Sonic running, or riding on the Tornado's wing, or grinning over his birthday gifts.

The dim hall blurred as more tears filled Tails' eyes. If he hadn't given Sonic the artificial emerald, Sonic wouldn't have been lured into a trap. His throat constricted, and it was with difficulty he strangled back a sob. He couldn't break down now, or everyone else would break down, and they would never reach the control room.

But guilt continued to torment him. Why hadn't he broken the glass with a well-aimed bullet? Why hadn't he attacked Robotnik? Why had he sat there like an inept child and let Sonic be sent to his death? In hindsight, there were many things Tails could have done, and each one he thought of brought him a step closer to becoming a raving, screaming wreck.

He glanced over his shoulder, past Talon's lowered head, and saw Pip, Serena and Amy in procession, Serena carrying Velocity. Tails' grief was mirrored on every face but Velocity's, which was completely blank. It looked as if the chao were in shock.

Tails sadly returned his eyes to the front, then straightened and gripped the flight yoke. Standing in the middle of the hall, fifty feet ahead, was Shadow.

"Tal!" hissed Tails.

Talon looked up dully, saw their enemy and stiffened.

"Shoot him!" commanded the fox.

The anteater fired several pulse lasers, but Shadow had made a sharp motion and vanished before Talon pulled the trigger.

An instant later the Cyclone's hull dented in three places and its damaged leg was thrown out from under it. Tails and Talon yelled as the mech fell sideways with a jarring crash.

They scrambled out of the cockpits. Shadow was perched atop the Cyclone, smiling as if nothing had happened. "Surrender."

Again Serena took him by surprise. The sight of the black hedgehog who had haunted her dreams and helped kill her brother sent her into a towering rage. She set down Velocity and spindashed at Shadow, too angry to make a sound. She knocked him sprawling, then aimed a Knuckles-punch at his jaw, but Shadow had quicker reflexes than she. He backhanded her in the mouth with his metal wristlet, kicked her aside and leaped to his feet.

. . .

Shadow was about to be mobbed by Tails, Talon, Amy and Pip, who all looked quite mad. "Chaos control!" he barked, and the emerald in his hand blazed with blue fire. His attackers froze in mid-stride as time stood still, their faces locked in murderous looks.

Shadow sprang around them and prepared to destroy the Cyclone, but paused when something caught his eye. He stooped for a closer look.

Peeking out of the rear cockpit was a green chao with a frightened expression, and clutched in its flippers was the coveted green chaos emerald. Shadow snatched it away and held it up, triumph surging through him. At last, he had found it!

"Timestart," he said, and watched with amusement as his enemies piled into each other, looking around for him. He waited until they spotted him, then held aloft the green gem. "Fools," he spat, then yelled, "Chaos relocate!"

The green emerald blazed, and Shadow teleported into the control room with an emerald in either hand. Oh yes! It was like slipping into an old, comfortable jacket. The frequencies were there, the channels were there, and the commands were the same. How he had missed the green emerald! He could teleport again, and not just freeze time. He felt invincible.

Then he noticed Rouge kneeling in front of the chaos emerald panel, a bag in one hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" he purred.

Rouge whirled, startled. "Shadow! You do have ways of just appearing, don't you?"

"And it's amazing the things I learn," he said, pacing across the suspended walkway to the tower of computer equipment. Three of the emeralds were already in her sack, and the screens above noted the dropping power levels.

Shadow reached in, withdrew the orange jewel, and placed it back in its hole. Rouge made as if to attack him, but he slammed her into the terminal with one arm. He slowly turned his head and gazed into her eyes, noting with a detached corner of his mind that Maria's were prettier. "I should kill you for this."

"I was taking what's mine," said Rouge, trying to shove his arm away. To Shadow's surprise she succeeded, but he released her so she would think he had let go of his own volition. She faced him, haughty and fearless. "I haven't been paid a red cent by Eggman. I'm taking those emeralds and getting the heck out of here. It's time you people were stopped."

Shadow's eyes showed only amusement, but inwardly he was uneasy. She was stronger than he thought she was. "Oh?" he said. "Don't your government pals pay you enough? I know all about you, Rouge the Agent. You've been sent here to investigate me. Don't you think I'd look you up on Robotnik's computers?"

Her smile was full of teeth. "I'd call that an invasion of privacy."

"What do you call what you've been doing to me?" retorted Shadow, replacing the emeralds one by one. "You'd love to know about Gerald, wouldn't you? You'd love to know who Maria is." He stood up and placed the blue emerald in its slot, then held up the green one. "You'd love to know the secret of chaos control. Well, let me tell you--"

But Shadow's point went unfinished, for his radio chirped and Robotnik squawked, "Shadow! Shadow?"

Keeping a wary eye on Rouge, the black hedgehog held the radio to his ear. "What?"

"Someone is climbing the Eclipse Cannon! It may be that echidna. Stop them!"

Shadow looked at Rouge. "The Freedom Fighters are on their way here. Don't let them take the emeralds."

He smiled and vanished, leaving Rouge holding the bag.

* * *

Sonic knelt on the ground, panting and recovering from a fright. He had ascended halfway up the Eclipse Cannon and suddenly found himself weightless. Upon trying to crawl across the ramp to a ladder, he had shoved himself off into space and drifted toward the stars. He had panicked and flailed about, and after drifting for several minutes, had been recaptured by gravity and fallen to the rocky ground.

There he sat for a moment, regathering his strength and nerve. The gravity generators must not have enough power to reach all the way to the Cannon's tip. "Okay," he told himself, "try it again, and this time get on a ladder before you lose gravity."

Climbing to the top of the Eclipse Cannon wouldn't be so easy, and his heart skipped as he saw he only had fifteen minutes left until it fired. He tackled the ramp again.

Perhaps it was because he was in tune with his emerald, but Sonic felt an approaching vibration and looked around. He saw a glimmer on the next turn of the walkway, which presently phased into a space-suited figure. He knew who it was at once, even if the space suit hadn't been black with red trim. He waved cheekily to Shadow, who waved back.

Shadow motioned to his helmet, and through pantomime, demonstrated how to turn on the helmet radio. It was an odd moment. Sonic's gloved fingers located a small knob, and there was a crackle in his left ear. Shadow's oily voice purred, "There you go, Sonic. Well done."

Sonic took this to refer both to his success in activating the radio and in surviving his assassination. "Thanks," he said. "I'm going to the top, if you're wondering."

"I'll come with you," said Shadow, and the two began to move up the walkway, Sonic at a jog, Shadow at a gentle skating glide.

"I must admit, I'm surprised to see you alive," said Shadow. "There's more about you than meets the eye."

"What you see is what you get," replied Sonic good-naturedly, but alert to every move of his enemy's. "Just your average hedgehog."

"Was it chaos control?" asked Shadow, unable to stem his curiosity any longer.

"You bet," said Sonic. "And with the artificial emerald, too."

"I doubt it's artificial," replied Shadow. "Only a true chaos emerald would allow you to teleport as you did."

Sonic shot a quick look at Shadow behind the glass faceplate.

Shadow wasn't looking at him. "You do know that I can't let you live. There can be no competition with the ultimate lifeform. Your death has only been delayed a little white." He cast Sonic a look with eerily luminous red eyes.

Sonic met it with a smirk. "You know what happens when darkness meets light? The dark is vanquished." With that Sonic made the first move and slammed sideways into Shadow. Shadow's frictionless hoverskates did nothing to stop him as he flew over the edge. Sonic poured on the speed as he felt a power swell as his enemy teleported back up.

The next thirty seconds saw a furious, impossibly fast-paced battle of the supersonic hedgehogs, both reluctant to spindash, and so deprived of their main weapons. Speed and strategy came into play. The one who reached the top first would be able to hold back the other until the cannon fired, and being shoved off the narrow walkway cost time. Shadow could teleport almost as fast as he fell off. The first time Sonic fell off, he had nearly reached the rocks below before he focused enough to teleport, but the second and third times he was quicker.

Sonic also noticed that Shadow was slower than he had been when they met on Prison Island. He had lost a fraction of his speed, although it may have been the weakening gravity.

After a minute or two, Sonic found himself wondering why Shadow didn't teleport to the top. To his surprise, Shadow's voice rasped into his ear, "Why aren't you skipping to the top?"

"What, aren't you enjoying our little battle?" asked Sonic. The reason he hadn't was because once he threw his emerald down the cannon, he wouldn't have teleportation powers anymore.

"I don't care," Shadow replied coldly. "My only goal is to kill you." He aimed a kick at Sonic's flying feet and missed.

"The only way you'll do that is to tear my suit," said Sonic smugly, "and you can't spindash without tearing yours."

"Thanks," said Shadow. He held his green emerald aloft and roared, "Chaos spear!"

Fire flashed from his gem, and lightning struck Sonic, throwing him on his face. Stunned, the hedgehog struggled to regain his feet, aware of Shadow stomping at his sides and back, trying to rip the fabric with his sharp-edged shoes. Sonic grabbed his enemy's leg and threw him over backward. This gave him a short respite in which to regain his wits and his feet, and stumbled up the ramp, head spinning. Whatever chaos spear was, it had hurt. It was like being electrocuted and clubbed all at once. His limbs were trembling and his vision was blurred. He clutched his emerald blindly.

As his fingers curled around the blue emerald, his head cleared as if a hand had brushed away cobwebs. Suddenly he was aware of two things--they were halfway up the cannon and gravity was very weak. Shadow was coming up behind him with deadly speed. And in the emerald in Sonic's hands, there was another power, another channel, an image of winds and water, of blinding speed, of sky. Sonic made up a name for it on the spot. "Sonic wind!"

It was lame, but it was descriptive. The emerald blazed blue, and a spiral of particles whirled away from him and swept Shadow from the walkway.

Sonic only had a fraction of a second before Shadow teleported back. The blue hedgehog in his gray suit leaped for the nearest ladder and sprang up it three rungs at a time. Gravity dwindled to nothing, and below, Shadow beamed up. "Where are you, coward?" spat his voice in Sonic's ear. Sonic glanced down and saw him take off along the ramp, searching.

A glorious idea occurred to Sonic. He was weightless, and speed would be difficult as long as he was climbing. But, if the vertical bars of the ladder were wide enough ... He pulled himself sideways, set the grooves of his soapshoes against the sidebar, and pushed himself up. To his delight, he began to grind slowly along the ladder. He pushed himself along faster and faster, laughing to himself--he was grinding UP a ladder!

There came a strange sound from Shadow, and Sonic saw him floating helplessly above the walkway in zero-G. He glared at Sonic as he swept past. "What's the matter, Shads?" said Sonic. "Can't pull your weight around here?"

"It's four miles, idiot," growled Shadow. "At your speed you'll never make it."

Sonic checked his watch and found he had five minutes left. As fun as grinding was, it was indeed too slow.

Sonic teleported himself to the nose and found Shadow there before him. The black hedgehog was standing on the three-foot circle where the four petals of the cannon joined together, arms folded. "Great minds think alike," he said as Sonic beamed up inches away from him. "Unfortunately, greater minds think better than others."

He shoved Sonic aside, sending him toppling slowly through space. Sonic righted himself as best as he could. "What, you're gonna stand there until it fires?"

Shadow gazed at him. "Why not?"

Sonic drifted sideways, unable to stop himself. "It'll be pretty uncomfortable. Oh, and doesn't Eggman need that last emerald?"

Shadow didn't answer, because the circular platform he was standing on split four ways and began to open. He and Sonic floated and gazed down the five-mile-long throat of the Eclipse Cannon, glowing with emerald-green light. The four petals slowly swung out and open, their inner sides made of polished mirrors. In the bottom of the cannon was the power source, a dazzlingly bright laser crystal. A wave of heat struck the two.

Sonic looked up at Shadow, who met his glance, smiled and vanished in a green twinkle. "Chicken!" Sonic yelled into his radio, then peered anxiously into the well of fire below. How was he to get the emerald into that?

Sonic had made up his mind to chaos control down into the heart of the immense weapon and stick the emerald somewhere, when the glow inside flickered and died. The cannon went dead, and the heat subsided. The petals remained open, their mirrors reflecting the blue crescent of the planet above them.

"I guess it's time to go back inside and see what happened," he thought, and teleported inside the ARK.

Chapter 16 - Shadow Unveiled

_______________________________________________________________________

Nox, Velocity, and Max stood quietly in a hallway, peering through the door to the control room. The Freedom Fighters were struggling to pass Rouge on the walkway and reach the control tower, where six chaos emeralds burned in their sockets.

"I hope they get the emeralds," said Nox unhappily. "I don't want them to blow up Mobius. We'd have to live here forever 'n ever."

"I know," said Velocity. "Shadow would be mean to me, because I look like Sonic."

"And there's no water here," added Max, looking at his clawed flippers. "What would I do if I couldn't swim anymore?"

"There's water here, but it's bad," said Nox, fixing his black eyes on the green chao. "It's way down deep in the machines. Shadow took me down there once."

All three chao growled in unison. Serena had made a dive at Rouge, who kicked her so hard she flew across the walkway and landed at the chao's feet. She lay on her back, staring up at them without expression.

"Are you hurt?" asked Max gravely.

"Yes," whispered the violet hedgehog.

Amy ran up and crouched beside Serena. "What's wrong? Where did she hit you?"

Serena lifted her head and touched her thigh, where a dark stain was spreading across her jeans. "It's numb," said Serena. "I think it's broken."

"I'd hate to be Rouge's chao," said Nox, gazing past the hedgehogs to where Rouge and Pip were battling hand to hand. Pip's robotized arms and fists were forcing Rouge to give ground. "She's all cold inside. She's forgotten how to be kind."

"You can talk," said Max, gesturing to Nox's bruises. "How many times has Shadow tried to kill you?"

"Shadow's different," said Nox, watching as Amy helped Serena to sit up, who was grimacing with pain. "Shadow was kind once, but sadness and guilt have poisoned him."

"Kind of like Chimera," said Velocity.

Rouge knocked Pip to the floor with a clever kick, and was aiming a steel-tipped boot at the black bat's face when Tails and Talon attacked. The pair had abandoned the Cyclone in favor of speed on foot, and were working as a team, running on grief, rage and adrenaline. Talon activated his emerald boots, and the pair attacked Rouge from the air.

They grabbed her arms, lifted the struggling bat from the walkway, and hurled her onto a ledge in the computer tower twenty feet down. "You!" Rouge shrieked in outrage, trying to keep from falling into the dark abyss below.

Talon and Tails flew back to the walkway and gave each other a flying high-five. Then they landed and trotted back to Serena and Amy.

"I think her leg's broken," said Amy, glancing up and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "What do we do now?" The pink hedgehog was surprisingly calm.

"Maybe it's not," said Serena, trying to stand. "Maybe it's just bruised, that's happened before--" She gasped and slid back to the floor.

"Keep still," said Tails, wishing he knew first-aid. "Pip, Talon, get the emeralds. We need to get her home." Why was it that he was the leader now that Sonic was gone?

Serena looked up at Amy, a little giddy from the pain and the magnitude of their danger. "Who says YOU ruin everything?"

"Nobody," said Amy. Her eyes narrowed. "Why, does somebody think I ruin everything?" She cast a suspicious look at Tails, who was watching Rouge's efforts to climb the slick metal tower.

"Uh, Tails," said Velocity, "we've got another problem."

The fox turned to find himself staring down the barrel of an assault rifle. He looked up into Robotnik's coal-black eyes. "Don't move," hissed the doctor.

Tails slowly raised his hands, humiliated. He had forgotten Robotnik!

Serena was obviously unable to move, so Robotnik marched Amy and Tails up to the tower, where Pip and Talon were struggling to pry the red emerald from its holder. "Stop where you are!" Robotnik barked. The two froze and slowly turned, lifting their hands into the air. Robotnik waved to the corner of the walkway with the rifle barrel. "Move over there, slowly." As they obeyed, he stepped to the main console and began to punch buttons.

"You thought you'd foil me without Sonic, did you? Well, I'll have you know that the Eclipse Cannon is fully charged! Once it fires, there will be no need to resist me any longer."

Tails glanced helplessly at Amy, Pip and Talon, who stared at him with fear in their eyes. He turned and gazed at Serena, who was sitting still, horrified, eyes on Robotnik. Beyond her were the three chao, Velocity, Max and Nox. There was nothing any of them could do.

The largest screen above them displayed an image of the Eclipse Cannon unfolding. The Mobians watched, hypnotized.

"Once the lens has warmed up," Robotnik chuckled, "the human colonies will die, just as I promised. I've been waiting for this ..."

The four petals of the cannon reached their open position, and the screen caught some of the glow from within.

Suddenly there was a green twinkle, and a black hedgehog appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the main walkway. Nox gave a squeak and scampered to him, but Shadow took no notice. He was taking in the hostage Freedom Fighters with a cruel smile.

"Welcome, Shadow," said Robotnik, glancing over his shoulder. "Is that the seventh emerald?"

"Yes," said Shadow, lifting it above his head. "The ruling green."

"Then put it in!" said Robotnik, motioning to the last slot on the emerald panel.

"With pleasure, Doctor," said Shadow, looking Tails in the eye with an unpleasant leer, as if daring the fox to interfere. He strode to the panel and placed the seventh chaos emerald into it.

At once the lights went out, plunging them into darkness. The only light came from the seven violently-glowing chaos emeralds, and one screen above the console, which displayed a single word--DANGER.

"What's wrong?" snarled Robotnik, punching buttons at random. "Why--won't--it--fire?"

As Tails' eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw Shadow gazing up at the screen with a twisted smile. He picked up Nox and walked from the room, oddly triumphant.

Robotnik dropped his rifle to free both hands, his attention wholly fixed on the unresponsive computer. Tails gestured to the others, and they tiptoed back across the bridge to the shelter of the hallway. As Tails turned back to help Serena, she pointed and said, "Look!"

Tails glanced up and saw that behind the word "danger" had appeared the image of an old man. He wore thick glasses and had a bushier mustache than Robotnik did, and the family resemblance was remarkable. Robotnik looked up, as well. "My grandfather!" they heard him exclaim.

At that moment two things happened. Running footsteps echoed down the hall, and Knuckles blundered into the group, blind in the dark hall. The next instant there was a blue flash of light on the walkway, almost in the same spot where Shadow had appeared. It illuminated a blue spiny figure before darkness descended again. Tails' heart gave a huge leap, then froze into ice as it went dark. What if it was only Shadow? It would be horrible to mistake him for Sonic--

Sonic's voice rang out, chasing all doubt from Tails' mind. "Hey, what gives? What happened to the lights?"

"Sonic!" the fox cried, and was echoed by the others joyously.

Sonic felt his way toward them, a glowing blue gem in one hand. "Tails? Are you guys okay? What happened?"

Tails flung his arms around Sonic's neck, and the hedgehog staggered. "Whoa, kiddo, don't know me off this thing."

"We thought you were dead!" exclaimed Tails, releasing him. The fox felt a completely irrational lump growing in his throat, and tears leaked into his eyes. For a moment Tails was glad of the darkness, as he guided Sonic into the hall, where Sonic was tackled by Amy.

"Well, I'm not dead yet," the hedgehog grunted through Amy's stranglehold. "Amy, get off! Where's Serena and Velocity?"

"Here I am, Sonic!" piped the chao's voice in the darkness. "But Rouge hurt Serena. She's right here, by the doorway."

Sonic whirled, flooded with concern for his sister and fury at Rouge. He saw Serena huddled near the doorway, but she waved a hand before he could kneel beside her. "Shh! He's talking!"

A recorded message was playing from the computer, and the image of Gerald Robotnik was flickering in a badly-recorded video. The old scientist was chained hand and foot, and dimly behind him could be seen walls covered in scribbles. His head was bowed and his voice was rough, as if he had not used it in some time.

"This is a message to all Mobians and mankind. It will be transmitted once all seven chaos emeralds are collected in the ARK, and as of now, the ARK is on a collision course with Mobius. Once the program starts, it is impossible to override. You have roughly twenty-two minutes before the ARK breaks apart and strikes the planet with the force of a trillion atomic bombs." His voice strengthened with anger, and he lifted his head. "All you ungrateful humans, who took everything away from me, will feel my loss and despair!"

Another voice spoke from off camera. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes," whispered Gerald. The image went fuzzy, then started over.

"He was executed!" gasped Amy in horror.

The floor and walls vibrated and shuddered, and the ARK echoed with creaking metal and banging doors. The Freedom Fighters groped at the walls to steady themselves.

Knuckles shouldered his way through the group and shook a fist at the dark figure in front of the control consoles. "This is all your doing, Eggman! Make it stop!"

Robotnik turned around. "I can't. The controls are locked down." His voice sounded oddly afraid. "My grandfather was indeed a genius."

There came a scrabbling of claws on metal, and Rouge climbed onto the walkway and sat panting. Everyone glared at her, especially Sonic and Knuckles.

"Don't you ever give up?" spat the echidna.

"Shut up," snapped Rouge, standing up. "I was just contacted by my boss, in the Agency. The ARK is on a collision course with Mobius, and we have less than half an hour before impact. We've got to get out of here."

"How?" said Robotnik. "The power is shut down. The teleporter chambers are dead."

"Besides," said Sonic, "where would you go, once we were down there? We ought to try to stop this thing." His eyes rested on the seven glittering emeralds.

"There's more to it than that," said Robotnik, reaching into the pocket of his shirt. He pulled out a small disk and held it up. Everyone's eyes had adjusted to the darkness by this time, and the glowing screen and emeralds cast enough light to see by.

"What's that?" asked Rouge.

Robotnik silently inserted it into a slot on the console. The image of the captive Gerald vanished, and words began to scroll across the screen. Rouge read them aloud, even as all eyes flicked ahead of her along the words.

"Was it wise to create the ultimate lifeform? I am no longer sure. I never approved of the team researching the weapon that would become the Eclipse Cannon. My team was more interested in biology, and the fascinating physiology of a Mobian.

"I acquired the green Chaos Emerald at a high price, and my studies yielded fascinating results. In my historical studies, I had read of what happened when a Mobian's cellular structure was energized by the chaos emeralds. I was particularly interested in Shadow, a cat who had possessed all eight emeralds, and who had won the Chaos Wars. It seemed he had control of Chaos itself. 'What would have happened if he had used his powers for good?' I mused. 'What would happen if one ordered Chaos? It would take the ultimate lifeform to do it.'

"After much searching and spending half our grant money, I located a DNA sample of Shadow, frozen and forgotten in a laboratory in Mobitropolis. I was elated, and carried it to the ARK to continue my research. My original idea was to clone Shadow, but the grant money gave out, and the computers on the ARK were not powerful enough to make the necessary computations. I began looking for alternatives.

"In my studies of the Chaos Wars, I learned it was the hedgehogs, with their innate speed and abilities, who gave the Chaos Ruler the most grief. They, too, could use the chaos emeralds to great effect. And so, from the idea of cloning a feline Mobian, I turned to modifying a hedgehog Mobian.

"My work was plagued with difficulties. My colleagues and I had begun work of a similar nature in another area of the Shadow project--a creature who could survive in any environment. Our vision was that these creatures could colonize an inhospitable planet, building structures and discovering resources that would aid the human settlers who would come later. It was known as Project Shadow.

"In the meantime, I worked on modifying hedgehog embryos with feline DNA. Only one of the embryos survived, and grew in the lab's artificial womb. The other scientists couldn't understand why I would go to the trouble to raise a Mobian, who may or may not have the ability to control Chaos. The Shadow Project was keeping us busy enough.

"The hedgehog was born eight months later, and I called him Shadow as a joke. His fur was cherry-red. But, to my surprise, as he grew his fur and quills darkened to coal-black, retaining only a few red markings here and there. Shadow the cat, I learned, had also had black fur.

"I had added a gene that would accelerate his growth, and he grew at an incredible rate. I deactivated it when he matured, for I did not want him to age prematurely. He was a veritable fountain of youth. Unfortunately, his mind remained undeveloped. I lacked the time needed to spend with him, and he was left to himself in his quarters most of the day. But fate brought him a companion in the form of my granddaughter.

"Maria was three years old, and had been diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. The only place she could be treated successfully was the medical facility on the ARK, with its filtered, sterilized air.

"She was scarcely larger than an infant when she arrived, a bundle of white blankets and limp golden hair. She was very ill. I had never seen her, although my daughter informed me when she had been born. At first I was inclined to be irritated at her presence, but as I checked on her from day to day, I grew fond of the little girl in the hospital bed.

"I took Shadow to meet her, and he was fascinated. There were no other children on the ARK, and he took to playing with her and talking to her. They got along surprisingly well.

"Nine years passed. Maria and Shadow grew together. He was healthy, strong and full of life. She was delicate, pale and constantly on a respirator. But no matter how rambunctious he was during Chaos Training, he was always extremely gentle with Maria. Often they walked about the space colony on exploration ventures, the powerful black hedgehog and the sickly human with white skin and blond hair.

"The breakthroughs in our research came in May of the ninth year. The first was when Maria's cancer went into remission under an experimental drug. Suddenly she was healthier, livelier, and could remove her breathing tube for hours at a time. The second breakthrough was when Shadow learned to freeze time with the green emerald, his first step in Chaos Control. I was elated. At last, he had begun to display the qualities of the feline ruler.

"Our third and greatest breakthrough was giving life to the Shadow Project.

"I am uncertain how we did it, or if the creature was really alive. One moment it was lying in the tank, and the next its gills throbbed, its mouth opened, and we received a reading of brain activity. It was on complete life support, of course, but the next step was to remove it and improve the creature to the point where it could live on its own.

"Then the accident occurred, and the government shut us down.

"I was apprehended, along with several of my colleagues, and we were sent back to Mobius. There was no time to collect my belongings, or see what became of Shadow, Maria, or the project. I was imprisoned, and for three months I heard nothing.

"Then they returned Shadow to me, and he was broken. I sensed it the moment I entered the room and saw him chained to the wall beside the freeze chamber. His will to live was gone--I don't know what they did to him. They wanted me to save him somehow, so I did my best, but I cannot repair a broken heart. He told me what I had long feared, that Maria was dead, along with many others. I later found the full extent of the damage when I was given a report on the shutdown.

"Shadow slowly regained health, but I feel it would have been better had he died. He was angry and bitter. He never spoke to me about it, but I knew he was thirsting for revenge. I warned him to say nothing, and began implying to the prison officials that he was a robot. Perhaps it would save him from more harm.

"They placed him in cryogenic freeze, and I returned to Prison Island with time to spare to think about what I had done. Maria was dead. Many of my colleagues were dead. The guilt and grief were overwhelming. I became frightened because I could no longer control my thoughts. I lapsed into insanity for long periods.

"I fear I will be executed, and this diary will be lost. But if anyone comes across it, know this--Shadow is bound to the Shadow Project. Release him, and you will release the ultimate lifeform. The emeralds are the key, and Shadow."

A silence followed as the file ended. The information filled in all the blanks.

"So Shadow's a genetic misfit," said Sonic. "He's not the ultimate lifeform at all."

"And that's why you dug him up!" said Tails to Robotnik. "You'd planned on this, hadn't you?"

Robotnik cleared his throat. "Well, I--"

The light dimmed. Everyone turned and stared as the seven chaos emeralds faded, then went dark. "Oh no," said Knuckles, very softly.

Robotnik waddled hurriedly to the dark panel, and they heard him groping about. "They're gone!" he said in disbelief. "They're completely gone!"

The main screen changed to show a diagram of the ARK's power systems. A dot encircled in red was travelling along it toward a large chamber in the center of the station.

"They've converted to pure energy," said Knuckles, eyes wide. He pointed to the chamber. "What's down there?"

"The core," replied Robotnik, thumbing his mustache. "But the chaos energy will have to go through the reactor first. It'll give the engines an extra boost to make us crash." He spun and looked at the Freedom Fighters. "If we work together we can shut down the reactor, but we'd better work fast. Follow me." He picked up his rifle and strode toward the group and the hall. They stood aside for him to pass.

"We'll need the Cyclone," said Robotnik. "Is it badly damaged?"

"Not too bad," said Tails, "but it can't go very fast. Come on, Talon."

The anteater hurried toward him, Max under one arm, followed by Pip and Amy. Sonic picked up Velocity, and held up a hand. "You two stay with Serena."

Pip and Amy opened their mouths to protest, but Serena called, "Sonic, wait." He saw her fumbling at her waist. A second later she unclasped the emerald belt and threw it to him. "You might need that."

"Thanks, sis," said Sonic, putting Velocity into the Cyclone and buckling the belt on. He hesitated as the others hurried down the hall, wanting to say something to her in case they didn't succeed, but words failed him. "Take care," he said, and galloped after the others.

* * *

Silence fell on the dark hall as the determined group vanished in the direction of the ARK's innards. Amy and Pip walked back to Serena. "So what do we do now?" asked Pip, looking down at her dented wing, where she had taken a nasty kick from Rouge's steel-tipped boots. "I can't even see well enough to write."

"They always leave us behind," said Amy, dangerously close to a whine. "Why couldn't we go? We could help."

"We'd all end up like me, that's why," said Serena, shifting positions and wincing. "I'm rusty. I shouldn't have let her do that to me."

"Rouge is a jerk," spat Pip angrily. "You know she used to buy me dinner and stuff? She was just fishing for news!"

"Don't mention food," said Amy, clutching her stomach. "I haven't eaten since the space ship."

"I could really do with a drink," said Serena, struggling to get her good leg under her. "Don't they have any first-aid stuff here? Rouge was all bandaged."

"We could look around the first circle," said Pip hopefully. "That way we'd have some light from the windows, and I don't suppose it's any more dangerous than staying here."

Pip and Amy lifted Serena, and supporting her with arms over their shoulders, they set off along the dark passage.

Chapter 17 - Cannon's Core

_______________________________________________________________________

The noise was incredible. Sonic held his ears and stared at Robotnik, trying to interpet his waving hands. From what Robotnik had told him on the way there, there were four safety doors that had to be opened, and the coolant in the reactor would drain into a reservoir in the core. The reactor's built-in safety systems would shut it down, hopefully before the liquefied Chaos Emeralds entered it. But reaching the four doors and opening them was the trick. There wasn't enough time.

Sonic held up his blue emerald and mouthed, "Chaos control," to his companions. Robotnik motioned to the Cyclone, with Tails and Talon in it, wearing their goggles and holding their ears. Sonic nodded, darted to the Cyclone, grabbed the side and concentrated on a timestop.

The noise ceased as all the machinery around them froze. "Whoa," breathed Tails.

"Come on, it doesn't last forever," said Sonic, leading the way.

They were in a narrow tunnel between aisles of pipes and dangerously quick-moving pistons, and light came from small colored lights mounted in the machinery. Tails guided the Cyclone through the silent, motionless hall, one eye on the flaming blue emerald in Sonic's hand. Behind him, Max peered out of Talon's lap at his alien surroundings. "Nox said the water's bad," he said sadly.

"Too bad," said Tails. "This place is full of coolant. I hope we can drain it in time."

They turned a corner and found Sonic crouched on the floor, peering into a deep chasm that opened at their feet. "Hop on, Sonic," said Tails, motioning to the nose of the Cyclone. "We'll hover down."

Sonic did so, looking dubiously at the Cyclone's damaged leg. Tails leaped into space and activated the jets in its feet.

They descended gradually, turning slowly as Tails maneuvered to keep from striking the hot, silent machinery. "Not much time left," said Sonic, holding up the emerald, which was beginning to flicker. "Hurry up, we'll be torched in here."

"Okay," said Tails, and shut off the jets. They free-fell for a second, then Tails caught them with the jets.

Sonic scrambled for a better grip on the nose of the Cyclone. "Warn me before you do that!"

"You wanted to hurry," said Tails. "Hold on, we're getting to the bottom."

After a series of hovering drops, the Cyclone's feet struck the floor with a clang. "Just in time!" said Sonic as the blue emerald dimmed. Their surroundings leaped to life, and all three Mobians and two chao clapped their hands to their ears. "Chaos control," Sonic said, lips forming the words, but voice drowned in the bedlam.

Again total silence fell as the world froze, and the blue emerald lit almost too brightly to look at. "Where to now?" asked Sonic.

Tails uncovered his ears and checked the ARK map Robotnik had given him. "There should be a T-junction coming up," said the fox. "We go right."

"Check." Sonic darted off along the shadowy avenue of hot metal, and Tails followed as best as he could. He hadn't seen Sonic so jittery in a long time, but he felt on edge, as well. The inexplicable presence of evil had grown stronger, as if a malevolent being were watching them from between the pipes and wires. It was worse down here, because if something happened--Tails couldn't bring himself to think the word "attack"--there was no room for a battle.

The Cyclone arrived at the junction, and they turned right. The walkway narrowed still more, and Tails wondered if they would get stuck. And where was Sonic? His second question was answered a second later as Sonic pelted into sight, holding up a flickering emerald. "Cover your ears!" he shouted.

The emerald dimmed, and the sudden noise went through them like spears and clubs. A second later it went quiet again as Sonic called another time stop. "Come on," he panted. "I found the door down here."

The corridor didn't narrow any more, Tails was relieved to see, and in another minute they were standing before a tall metal door with rusted electronic locks on its corners. "Shoot it, Talon," Tails said.

The anteater made short work of the locks, as he had become quite a marksman with the vulcan cannon. Sonic spindashed the door to break it open. It gave with a groan of tearing metal and rust, revealing a small room beyond. Sonic bounded inside, and Tails saw him turning a large crank on the wall. A moment later the hedgehog emerged, wiping grease from his gloves. "That's the first door. Hang on, I'll take us back to the top."

He grasped the walker's side, concentrated on the location and murmured, "Chaos relocate."

In the blink of an eye they had returned to the entry room, where Robotnik was frozen on the walkway, staring in the direction they had gone. Rouge and Knuckles were running up a different corridor, locked in mid-stride. "Timestart," said Sonic.

The machinery leaped to life, but it was quieter than the rooms below. Robotnik blinked at them in surprise. "Door one opened!" Sonic shouted over the noise.

Robotnik nodded and pointed after Rouge and Knuckles. "Help them. I've given them their instructions."

Sonic nodded and bolted after the bat and echidna.

Tails, Talon and the chao sat in the idling walker, counting the seconds. Stopping time gave Sonic incredible speed--they would be there by now. Tails glanced at his screen and saw that door 2 had been opened. Amazing, they had already done it.

Suddenly Sonic reappeared beside them, soaking wet from head to toe. "Need Max," he panted.

Talon handed him the chao, whose eyes were shining, and Sonic vanished again. "I hope he comes back for me," said Velocity enviously.

* * *

Max found himself in a circular room with a pipe opening in the floor. It was six feet across, and full of glowing orange water. Rouge and Knuckles stood at the far end of the room where the third door was, using fists and feet to break its locks. Sonic bounded to them, touched their shoulders and said, "Chaos control!"

Time stood still.

"Good, you got him," said Knuckles, looking down at Max. He and Sonic walked to the pipe full of water.

Sonic set the green chao on the floor. "Okay Max, there's a switch down there on the floor. You have to flip it, or else when we open this door, we'll be drowned. None of us can swim that deep."

"You can count on me!" said Max, holding up a flipper. He dove into the water and cried, "Ow, it's hot!" He swam in a circle, then ducked under with a swirl of fins.

Max had never swam in hot water before and found it disagreeable. It deadened his senses and made him sleepy. A glow filled the water from orange lights on the walls of the pipe. The chao dove in a spiral, air trickling from his lungs in bubbles. It was deeper than he had expected. After twenty feet the pipe opened into a large room, and he saw openings here and there that sucked in water in real time. He encountered tension in the water, as if he were crossing vicious currents.

He saw the second door near the floor, which had flooded the room when opened, and there was the switch on the floor. He swam to it, tripped it with a clawed flipper, then faced about and rocketed toward the surface.

He was lifted out of the water by Knuckles. "Just in time!" exclaimed Sonic as his emerald dimmed. Max heard a dull roar as sound returned, and with a shudder saw the water in the pipe begin to rise. "I want to go back," he said to Knuckles. He didn't want to swim in that water anymore. It made him afraid.

Rouge stood aside as Sonic battered down the door. The dark hall beyond was empty, but the walls were dripping from the water that had been drained seconds before. The pipe overflowed and lapped their ankles, and Sonic called another time stop. "I'm going to find the fourth door," he said as all sound was muted. "You guys can wait for us at the top."

"I'm coming with you," said Knuckles. "You never know when the Master emerald will come in handy." He was still carrying his heavy satchel of emerald shards over one shoulder, as he had been too suspicious of Rouge to leave it behind.

Sonic looked at Rouge. "Okay, I'll take you and Max back." He took Max from Knuckles, handed him to the bat, and chaos controlled out of sight. An instant later he was back. "C'mon Knux, let's find the last door."

They trotted into the damp hall beyond the third door.

* * *

"It doesn't hurt so much anymore," said Serena, limping along with Pip and Amy. "I don't think it's broken." Seeing her brother alive had been enough to cure all ailments, she thought. She felt as if her hope had been reborn, and she began to live again. But the rush from hearing his voice was subsiding, and she was feeling lightheaded again.

"I wouldn't walk on it," Amy assured her. "Even if it's not broken, you'll make it bleed more." Amy was displaying more guts than Serena had thought she had, and was helping Serena hobble along and saying nothing when Serena's stained clothes touched her own. Serena was grateful.

"I could give you a sidebar in my article," said Pip, who by this time had plans for the front page. "Serena Hedgehog sustains crippling wound--"

"Thanks for the encouragment," said Serena flatly. The throbbing in her leg and her increasing dizziness were frightening, and all humor was lost on her. "Are we almost there?"

Pip was guiding them along the hall with her echolocation. When she wasn't talking, she made a queer clicking sound that made no sense to anyone but herself. She made a few of these clicks and replied, "Almost there. Finding the right room is going to take time. This place is giant, you know."

"Just get me some place with light," said Serena.

"Yeah," sighed Amy. "I hope they fix whatever's wrong so the lights come back on."

Pip pushed open one of the unresponsive electronic doors, and the three entered a dimly-lit room, which seemed quite bright to their light-deprived eyes. They stopped and gasped as one. Shadow was standing at the window, but at their entrance he glared over his shoulder.

"Can we come in?" asked Amy timidly.

Shadow didn't reply, but turned back to the window. Assuming this meant yes, Pip and Amy helped Serena to a corner where the floor was cleaner. Serena eased herself to the floor as gently as possible, but touching the cold floor sent a spurt of pain through her leg. She leaned against the wall and bit her lip, trembling a little, but determined not to cry out in front of Shadow. She must give no sign of weakness in the presence of the being who had haunted her dreams for so long. In her weakened state, she half-expected him to approach her with murder in his eyes, or turn into a dragon. But he made no move in her direction.

She opened her eyes to see Pip and Amy watching her anxiously. With a twinge of guilt Serena noticed Amy's dress was soiled with rusty red. Poor Amy, she didn't deserve this. But again Amy surprised Serena by turning and calling timidly, "Shadow, do you know where to find the first-aid things?"

The black silhouette didn't respond. After a few seconds, a small shape moved near his feet, and Nox stepped into the starlight from the windows. Serena had seen him in the chao garden before he was fully grown, and now they could see his body was jet-black, his hedgehog-spines were long and twisted like Shadow's, and they were striped with orange. His dark eyes were gentle. He motioned with a paw and said, "It's in that cupboard in the wall there, next to Pip."

Pip turned and saw a series of small doors set in the wall. She opened one and found a white box with a red cross on it. "Thanks!" said the bat, opening it and kneeling beside Serena.

For a while the girls ignored Shadow as they figured out how to bandage Serena's leg, but Nox stood in the light and watched them. The space station continued to vibrate, and it was growing stronger. The dark planet ahead of them was larger than it had been an hour ago. Shadow stared out at it, his eyes cold and dead. But he kept one ear cocked at the girls' chatter, and made no move to leave.

* * *

The waterless passage wound around and down, slippery with fifty years of grime, and pitch black but for an occasional small orange light near the floor. Sonic and Knuckles slipped and slid, unable to see further than the halo of light cast by the blue emerald. "We'd better hurry," said Sonic. "That overflowing pipe up there will flood this tunnel, and I don't want to get drowned."

"Me neither," said Knuckles, clutching at the wall to steady himself. His steel claws slid along with a hideous screech. "How much time do we have?"

"I don't know," said Sonic. "My watch is messed up from this time stopping stuff. Whoa!" The hedgehog caught himself as the passage sloped down into darkness. "How are we supposed to get down that?"

Before Knuckles could answer, the chaos emerald dimmed, and time restarted. Before Sonic could stop time again, they were swept off their feet by hot, swift-moving water that came roaring down the channel.

* * *

The vibration slowly increased, and the windowsill under Shadow's hands began to buzz. "It's all going according to plan," he smiled.

He thought he had said it too softly to be heard, but Pip pricked up her ears. "What did you say, Shadow?"

He turned. "I said that everything's going according to plan. In fifteen minutes, most of the inhabitants of Mobius will die."

This statement was met with stares from Amy, Pip and Serena.

"Feeling sadistic today?" asked the black bat.

"Yeah," Amy added. "Why are you so mean? Don't you care about anything?"

Shadow faced them, hands clasped behind his back, eyes burning with cold fire. "The only person I ever cared about was murdered by the inhabitants of that planet. Dr. Gerald put it best--they will feel my loss, and despair!"

He noted with annoyance that Pip had pulled out her notebook and was scribbling.

"Isn't that a little, you know, melodramatic?" asked Serena, holding the white bandage on her leg.

Shadow smiled. "You might call it that."

"I'd call it overkill," said Amy, flipping her soft pink spines out of her eyes. "You want to wipe out a whole planet for one person? Maria, wasn't it?"

Shadow's eyes widened a fraction. "How do you know about Maria?"

"Robotnik has Gerald's diary," said Pip, still writing.

Shadow was silent a moment, then said, "Yes, it is to avenge Maria. They took her away from me, and now I'll pay them back."

"Hey, you got it wrong," said Serena, starting to stand up, then sinking back. "The government was responsible for the shutdown, not everybody on Mobius. You already paid them back by blowing up Prison Island. Didn't you ever think that if not for the inhabitants of that planet, you never would have known Maria in the first place?"

Shadow turned his back and didn't answer.

* * *

Everything was orange, hot and wet. Sonic was swept along helplessly, only retaining enough wit to keep a hold on his emerald. It was dizzyingly fast, and almost boiling, and grabbing a lungful of air was difficult. The walls flashed by, and the slick floor offered no hint of a foothold to the struggling hedgehog.

The channel sloped downward, turned a sharp bend, and Sonic slammed into something that knocked the wind from him. In the diffuse glow from the water, he saw it was the fourth door blocking the passage, rusted solid, and impenetrable. The water swirled him against it, filling the passage. Desperate and knowing there was no fighting the current, Sonic pushed off the wall, went into an underwater spindash and crashed into the door. His spines tore through the rusty metal, punching a hole through it, and the water roared on.

Sonic came up for a breath. The water was going somewhere fast, and he hoped it wasn't to someplace even hotter, or he would be cooked. Where was Knuckles?

* * *

Nox walked to his master's ankle and looked up at him. "Shadow, are you sad?"

"No!" The black hedgehog whirled and kicked the chao across the room. He came to rest near Amy, who picked him up with a cry.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded, holding the winded Nox gently.

Shadow turned, and they caught a flash of teeth in the starlight. "I hate chao! They're weak and puny and worthless! I should have killed Nox the first time I laid eyes on him!"

"What do you know about chao?" snapped Pip, her notebook forgotten in her indignation. She marched up to Shadow and shook a finger under his nose. "You see here! Mistreating a chao is cruel, and you'd better not do it ever again!"

Shadow looked as if he would like to strike her. His fingers curled into claws. "You're the one who doesn't understand," he hissed. "Maria had a chao. He was there when she died. He could have done something. He should have saved her." His voice rose to a scream. "But he didn't, and I've lost her forever!" Tears of rage and grief stood in his eyes.

Nox struggled in Amy's arms, and she set him down. He ran to his master, weeping. "Shadow," he cried, "why didn't you tell me? I never knew that was why you didn't like me!"

The black hedgehog gazed down at him with teeth clenched, but made no move to attack him. Nox sat on the floor and cried as if Shadow's grief were his own.

"Look how gray Shadow is," whispered Amy.

Suddenly Serena's dreams came back to her, and she understood what they meant. Shadow's wounded heart had tinted him red. The action of continuous writing was carried out by Pip, who was bent on recording everything. And Serena's last dream, where he had turned ashen gray and gazed at her, pleading for help, was now. The fur around his face was mottled and streaked with gray, visible in the starlight. But the dragon--the dragon had been Chimera, poisoned and polluted by anger, just like Shadow.

* * *

Sonic saw the reflection of light on the walls before he saw the opening itself. A second later he was blasted out and tumbled over and over in shallow water. There was no current--it must be the reservoir. He bobbed to the surface, gasping and coughing, saw a low wall ahead, and scrambled up on it. The air and floor felt cold after the heat of the water.

He heard splashing nearby, and through bleary eyes watched as Knuckles dragged himself out of the water. The echidna dropped his satchel on the ground and sat still, gasping for breath.

As the shock of the ride wore off, Sonic began to notice his surroundings. They were in a large, high-ceilinged room built of brick. The platform he was sitting on was laid with stone, and formed one side of a half-circle. Knuckles was sitting on the other half of the circle. The far end of the room--or cavern, as Sonic thought of it-- had odd shapes built into the floor and ceiling. He blinked to clear his vision. What was that? Some sort of containment capsule?

"Knux," he called to his friend.

Knuckles looked at him and waved.

Sonic pointed at the object on the ceiling. "What's that thing?"

* * *

Amy leaned close to Serena. "Did you ever see that old, blind chao in the garden? Magi? He told me he had been raised by a little girl, but she had died and they took him to the gardens. Do you think he was Maria's chao?"

"If so, don't mention it!" whispered back Serena. "He'd probably snap."

Shadow was pacing back and forth, listening to the vibration of the ARK, and spewing a lifetime's worth of venom. "I am the ultimate lifeform! I am above the petty mortals who crawl that miserable planet, the worms who took away the only good thing I ever had! They'll suffer for what they did. I am the ultimate lifeform. I can deal out death unheard of, vengeance for the death of--"

His voice cracked. "She was getting better!" he yelled at the ceiling, as if instinctively addressing someone else. "She would have recovered, and they shot her! Her miserable chao could have protected her in the second I was gone--"

"What, you left Maria?" asked Pip, who was recording his words.

He spun about, spines bristling. "Yes, why must you torment me? Yes, I left her, and when I returned, she was dying. It's my fault, it's the chao's fault, it's the world's fault, and I will avenge her!" He stopped, too overcome to go on.

"So you're going to avenge an innocent life by taking more innocent lives," said Amy. "That makes sense, Shadow. Loads of it."

Shadow opened his mouth, but for once words failed him. He had never thought of it that way before. He walked to the window and stared out in silence for a few lengthy minutes.

Maria had known him well. Long had he pondered her last words, and suddenly their meaning became clear. She had asked him to save that planet, and give the inhabitants a chance to be free. To grant them the happiness and freedom that had been denied him. It went against his nature to severely it was almost a physical pain.

With a start he looked down at his wrists. It WAS a physical pain! The nerves in his arms and legs were tingling. He jerked his hands away from the windowsill, but the pain didn't stop. Still staring at his hands, he thought, "I'm going to destroy the world."

The pain faded.

"I'm going to obey Maria."

The pain flashed through him like lightning.

He was hardwired to the ARK. He remembered Gerald working on his wristlets before his execution, and wondering why he did so. "I'm a tool!" he thought with shock. "My own anger is exactly what I'm supposed to feel!"

Suddenly he was angry, all right, but at Gerald and the ARK. Being the ultimate lifeform had its disadvantages. For a fleeting instant he wished he was mortal, so he could remove his confining wristbands and anklets. This was followed by an instant of pain that was unrelated to any wiring--he had come very close to doing the opposite of what Maria had asked him to do.

"I'm sorry," he thought, his lips moving soundlessly. He might already be too late to right the wrongs he had set in motion, but he had the power of Chaos Control on his side, if he acted quickly.

Shadow spun about. "Nox, come here." The chao, who had been watching his master vent, jumped up and ran to him. Shadow picked him up. "We're going to stop the ARK," he told the girls, and concentrated on his chao as he would a chaos emerald. "Chaos relocate!"

"Whoa!" said Nox as their surroundings shifted to the control room. "That was weird. How'd you do that?"

"Hush," said Shadow, studying the main screen, which displayed a map of the ARK's reactor system. The chaos energy had reached the core, and a red warning was displayed on the screen. "It's reached it," muttered the hedgehog. "Chaos relocate!"

They teleported to an empty room, and Shadow picked up a glowing blue tube from the floor and handed it to Nox. "This is a chaos drive," he said. "You'll be able to use it like a chaos emerald for a little while. Don't break it."

"What's in it?" asked Nox curiously, watching the glowing blue fluid inside.

"I don't know," said Shadow. "Chaos relocate!"

For the first time in his life, Nox was truly happy. His uncanny ability to read minds showed him that for some reason, Shadow had become fond of him.

* * *

"I don't know what that is," said Knuckles, standing up and wiping the water off his face. "It looks like some growth on the ceiling. Phew, it stinks in here."

"No kidding," Sonic agreed, standing up and shaking his soaked shoes. "Like natural gas or something."

"And something else," said Knuckles thoughtfully. The echidna looked around at the vast room and the brickwork, then peered at the far end of the room. The thing on the ceiling looked like three drops of water covered in metal, suspended around a central globe. The metal was shifting and glinting, as if it covered a huge beating heart. Knuckles had no desire to go near it. But on the floor below it was something that looked strangely out of place. "Look, Sonic!" he exclaimed. "That looks like the emerald shrine from my island!"

As he spoke, there came a swell of light from the far end of the room, and seven points of colored light appeared in a circle around the shrine-like structure. "Here's the emeralds," said Sonic. "That wasn't so bad. Let's go get 'em."

Knuckles grabbed his arm. "Wait. Don't go over there."

Sonic followed his gaze up to the metallic cocoon, which was pulsing much faster. The two watched it in horror and revulsion. "Why do I suddenly feel like we're being watched?" asked Sonic.

"Because we are," said Knuckles. "It's been watching us since we arrived." But what It was he didn't say.

A loudspeaker crackled in the ceiling somewhere, and Robotnik said, "The chaos energy has reached the core! Sonic, Knuckles, the energy is feeding some mechanism down there. Can you see what it is?"

The two watched the cocoon throb still faster. Their radios were wet, and they had no way of replying to Robotnik. "Uh, yeah," said Sonic. "Reminds me of a viceroid. Only bigger."

"About freight train sized," said Knuckles.

The metal skin split in the center globe, and Something slithered out. Sonic and Knuckles cried out in disgust as a head on a long neck emerged, then a pair of forelegs, then a huge fat body, then a thick tail trailing the coating of slime it had had inside its cocoon. It was a reptile of some kind.

It lifted its head and dragged itself toward them--it had no hindlegs. "Uh, Knux, what do we do?" asked Sonic, mind going blank in the face of the oncoming monster.

"Run?" suggested the echidna.

But before they could do anything, the beast slid into the hot water and lay still, basking. It radiated malice and evil, so much so that they expected it to look much more horrible.

It was the size of a small building, and its broad, flat head was as big as a car. The length of its neck was studded with gills, and great gillflaps opened and closed on its sides. Its skin was a dull brown, and its underbelly was gray. A flat machine was perched atop its back, and long green tubes ran down the sides of its neck and disappeared into its skin just behind its jaws.

"Gross," remarked Sonic. "It's between us and the chaos emeralds--what should we do?"

For the first time in his life, Sonic was faced with an enemy he wanted nothing to do with.

Sonic and Knuckles both sensed a surge of power, and turned as Shadow materialized nearby, Nox in his arms. The black hedgehog nodded to them, took in the room at a glance, then focused on the false reptile. He unclipped his radio from his anklet and tossed it to Sonic. "Find out what's going on. I'll distract it for you."

"Wait," said Sonic, as Shadow started forward.

The black hedgehog looked at him inquiringly.

"You're helping us?"

Shadow smiled. "I've come to defend my title as the ultimate lifeform."

Sonic held the radio to his ear. "Eggman, some lizard just hatched out of a thing on the roof. What's going on?"

There was a pause, then Robotnik replied, "I was afraid of this. It's called the Biolizard. It was the Shadow Project--a prototype of the ultimate lifeform."

"Shadow's going to attack it so we can get the emeralds," said Sonic. He eyed Shadow, who was looking the motionless monster up and down.

"Wait, don't do that," Robotnik said hurriedly. "It's invincible to all weapons--its skin is like armor. Its only weakness is its life support."

"Shad, you have to break the thing on its back," Sonic said.

"I heard," said Shadow.

Nox, standing beside his dark master and with the chaos drive in his paws, gave a start and shrank close to Shadow's foot. "Shadow, please don't go near it," he begged.

"Why not?" asked Shadow, eyes fixed on his enemy.

"I tried to read him," whimpered Nox. "He's not alive. He's-- he's something else. He's bad. Please don't go over there!"

"I have to," said Shadow. "Help me if you want." He sprang away across the stone platform, light shining from his hoverskates.

Nox cowered down and watched.

Chapter 18 - The Demise of the Ultimate Lifeform

_______________________________________________________________________

Even though Shadow's approach was soundless, the biolizard lifted its flat head and looked toward him. It opened its mouth--instead of teeth, it had glistening curtains of baleen for straining food from water--and gave a rasping, whispering hiss. It had no vocal chords. Shadow's style of attack left no room for taunts. He leaped the small space of water between the floor and the lizard, and struck its side with the killing speed that had felled men and robots. But he bounced off and landed on the floor again, confused. The skin only rippled, absorbing the shock.

The lizard's head swung around with surprising speed, mouth wide in mechanical reflex. Shadow dodged the attack, and with horror saw that instead of eyes, there were only bits of exposed circuitry, as if they had not been added before the biolizard was contained. Yet it acted as if it could see him.

He swept back along the curve of the floor, and heard the splashes of enormous feet as the lizard crawled after him. The way was clear for Sonic and Knuckles. He waved at them and shouted, "Go!"

The red and blue figures darted off across the floor, behind the biolizard's flopping tail. As they passed, it turned its head toward them, and began to heave its huge bulk in their direction.

"Hey!" shouted Shadow, wondering if it could hear him. He ran back toward it, curled and struck its bent neck. It twisted about with unexpected speed, knocking Shadow to the floor. For an instant he lay beneath its leathery neck, saw the seams in its hide, and smelled the stench of biological chemicals. He scrambled away on all fours as the flat head twisted here and there, searching for him.

Abruptly it stopped moving. Shadow glanced back and saw its long neck was stretched out in the water, its mouth open, its lungs and gills pumping like bellows. He was wearing it out! The hedgehog turned back, one eye on the mass of machinery on its back, and a daring plan entered his head. He darted at its head, leaped over it and landed on one of the hoses that connected to its jaw. His momentum carried him up and around the curve of the smooth hose on a grind, and up to its back.

The life support system was a mass of wires, tubes, dials and flashing lights, tangled together from floating in a tank for years. Shadow attacked recklessly, spindashing here and there, denting metal and snapping wires.

The biolizard gave a loud hiss, neck arching backwards. At the same time, pain blazed through Shadow's body from his four bands. Blinded and half-mad, he threw himself clear of the biolizard, landed hard on the pavement, rolled and lay still, hands twitching as the torture subsided.

* * *

Sonic and Knuckles mounted the steps of the shrine and found a perfect replica of the ruin on the Floating Island. But this looked like new and was made of concrete. It was a small pyramid with a canopy over the top, the sides set with fountains an running with hot reservoir water. The seven chaos emeralds were perched on seven pillars in a ring about it, glowing like fire.

"Great," said Knuckles, looking around at them. "Sonic, this isn't good at all. They're feeding that lizard."

"Can we stop it?" asked Sonic, glancing over his shoulder, where Shadow was distracting the creature from pursuing them.

"Yeah," said the echidna, opening his satchel and dumping the bits and pieces of the Master emerald into the triangular groove in the center of the shrine. "Don't touch it, I have to put it back together." He began trying to find pieces that fit together.

Sonic stood, watching Shadow battle the biolizard. He whistled when Shadow daringly grinded up to its life support, and winced when the black hedgehog suddenly flailed around and fell to the floor.

"He got shocked, I think," said Sonic. "It's gonna get him!"

As the black figure lay motionless, the lizard stretched its neck toward him, the feelers around its mouth wriggling.

In that instant Sonic fought with an inner terror so great it threatened to split him in two. One part of him wanted to dash out and defend the other hedgehog--the other wanted to run away, as fast and as far as it could. There was something about the way the lizard moved and breathed that frightened him, although he didn't know what it was. But it was going to kill Shadow!

With a war cry that was nine parts scream, Sonic leaped from the shrine, skipped across the water, and spindashed into the side of the lizard's head where its eye should have been. It recoiled, pale mouth open in a silent roar.

Shadow lifted his head and blinked dazedly at Sonic. "Get up!" said the blue hedgehog, motioning frantically. Being so close to the monster was like standing in a dark fog; the lights of the room and the water seemed dim and distant.

Shadow climbed to his knees, but the room pitched, and spots danced before his eyes. He sat still, head hanging, listening to Sonic's shouts and the splashes of the lizard's footsteps without hearing them. Somehow all he could think of was playing with toys while Maria read aloud to him. At the moment it seemed more real than his dark surroundings.

When his head cleared a little, he looked up and saw that Sonic had lured the biolizard away from him. It had crawled across the circular platform and was resting in the middle of the channel. Sonic was dancing back and forth, making noise and keeping its attention--so why did it feel like it was watching Shadow with black hatred? He climbed to his feet, muscles trembling from the shock, Nox's warning in his ears--"He's not alive. He's something else. He's bad." Maybe the chao was right. Forcing his legs to work, he skated slowly across the floor toward Sonic.

Sonic's irrational fear had grown the longer he was near the biolizard, and his spines were standing on end as he danced and yelled, watching the weaving head. Its motions were too correct, like computer images animated on a screen. It wasn't like the way a robot moved--if it had moved mechanically, Sonic wouldn't have been so afraid. No, something else was driving this monster. He was glad to see Shadow rise and move toward him, shaky, but all right.

"Keep it moving," called Shadow. "Once it gets tired it stops moving, and you have a chance."

"Keep it moving," repeated Sonic, jogging along the circle. "Okay monster, come this way, come get the nice hedgehog--" His taunt stuck in his throat. He was too scared to crack jokes. The lizard lifted itself on its front legs, and began to turn in the circle of water, using its thick tail as leverage. Sonic dashed along ahead of it, panting in fear. He saw something on the cobbles ahead--a small black shape. Nox! Forgotten, the chao was sitting where Shadow had left him, too terrified to move. Sonic scooped him up in mid-stride, and the chao clung to him.

The biolizard stopped pursuing Sonic and slumped in the hot water, panting head resting on the walkway. It had slumped down only fifteen feet from Shadow, who was quickly recovering from his shock. He ran at the head, jumped on the hose and grinded up its length with perfect balance. Again he attacked the life support, steeling himself against the punishment he knew would come. It came, and he fought it, working in a few more blows before he blacked out.

Sonic heard the metallic swish as Shadow flashed up the lizard's back, and saw a blur of red and black spines as his rival tore into the machinery atop the monster. The biolizard thrashed wildly, splashing water everywhere, but Shadow didn't stop. "Go on! Get him!" Sonic cheered, and Nox added, "Do it, Shadow!" But the two gasped when Shadow uncurled, slid down the lizard's side and fell limp into the water.

Sonic dropped Nox, dashed to the water, and hauled the black hedgehog out of reach of the biolizard's trampling feet. As he dragged Shadow across the floor, he saw with a shock that the once black fur was streaked with gray and white, reaching from Shadow's eyes and muzzle nearly to his ears. "What's happening to him?" said Sonic. "Shadow, wake up already!"

The maddened biolizard was swinging its head toward them, its dark aura of fear strengthening toward insanity. "Nox, watch him!" Sonic commanded, and dashed toward the lizard. It moved toward him, feelers reaching and groping like long fingers. Sonic shied away and ran, half wanting to teleport away to anywhere.

The biolizard was angry now, and quicker. It snapped at its tiny prey, gills opening and closing all along its body, its stumpy forelegs bearing its prodigious weight as it turned about in the water. Its thick, powerful tail swept closer and closer to where Shadow lay senseless on the ground and Nox huddled beside him, watching.

The biolizard's bulk was between Sonic and Shadow, and Knuckles had his back turned. Thus no one saw when Nox and Shadow skittered across the floor in a flash of fire, coming to rest out of reach of the flopping, crushing tail.

Shadow came to with Nox peering down at him, clutching the precious chaos drive in both paws. The black hedgehog sat up and held his throbbing head, and Nox nestled close to him with a little sob of relief.

"I'm afraid, Nox," Shadow whispered, eyes closed. "I've never been afraid before. What's wrong?"

"It's the biolizard," whimpered the chao. "It's making us afraid. There's something inside it that's bad, bad."

Shadow slowly stood up and made as though to skate forward, but his hoverskates refused to activate. Then he realized he was soaking wet. "My blades shorted out," he thought with a start. "What will I do?" He hadn't run in a long time; the last few years on the ARK, he had moved about only by skating.

The biolizard followed Sonic in two circles, then had to rest, gasping. Sonic, taking a cue from Shadow, leaped its head and grinded up the hose, thankful he had practiced such a thing everywhere he went. He arrived at the life support and went to town, smashing everything in sight, with no programmed restraining bands to check him.

There was a tearing sound and a loud hiss, and one of the tubes connecting to the lizard's head flopped free. The monster flailed about, then slumped down and lay still, its gills throbbing feebly. Its aura of menace abated, and the room seemed to grow lighter.

Sonic jumped to the floor and called, "Shadow, you okay?"

Shadow couldn't bring himself to shout, and nodded.

"Cool!" Sonic called. "Come up to the shrine now!" The blue hedgehog turned and darted across the room. Shadow followed at a walk, not trusting himself to run. Nox followed at his heels, peering worriedly at the motionless biolizard.

Knuckles looked up as Sonic ran lightly up the steps. "Good job, Sonic." The Master emerald sat on the floor, only a few pieces missing. Knuckles was replacing them as fast as he could.

Sonic looked around at the seven chaos emeralds, which were still shining unusually bright. "Can you do this?"

"Of course," said the echidna, placing the last piece and running his hands over the gem's smooth surface. "I don't know what'll happen when I do this, though. Where's Shadow?"

Sonic pointed down at the floor, where Shadow was walking toward them, gazing at the bulk of the biolizard as he passed. Knuckles watched them a moment. "Sonic, did you kill it?"

"I busted its life support," Sonic replied. "It should die pretty quick." But the hedgehog followed his friend's gaze to the monster, and noticed its gills were still moving. "It ... can't live on its own, can it?" ventured Sonic.

As if in reply, the gills pulsed faster, and the lizard lifted its head. Down on the floor, Nox gave an incoherent cry. Shadow scooped him up and broke into a wild run, stumbling every third step.

"He doesn't know how to run," said Sonic in disbelief. "You'd better do whatever it is you do, Knux." The creeping fear was returning, and they all felt it.

Knuckles rested his hands on the Master emerald and gazed into its green depths. If only it would function so far from the Floating Island! Yet the environment was the same. "Stop the chaos emeralds!" he commanded, and the Master emerald blazed with green fire. The chaos emeralds flamed in unison, and so did the blue emerald in Sonic's hand. There was an enormous surge of power--the air snapped with it--and the biolizard reared up and clawed the air, head lashing to one side, then the other. Then there was a crackle like fireworks, and the monster vanished in a twinkle of white light.

Shadow bounded up the stairs, panting, Nox clinging to him and staring over his shoulder. "Is that--was that chaos control?" he gasped to the staring Sonic and Knuckles.

His answer came as static blared over the speaker system, and Robotnik said, "Sonic! Knuckles! The biolizard has merged with the station, and is keeping it on a collision course with Mobius!"

"The accident," said Shadow, staring at nothing.

Sonic and Knuckles looked at him. "What?"

"The accident that shut us down," murmured the black hedgehog. "Gerald was yelling it had merged with the station ... I didn't understand ..."

"How did they stop it before?" asked Sonic.

Shadow shook his head. "I don't know. I guess Gerald had some sort of restraint built into it--"

"Look you two," Knuckles interrupted, "we don't have any time left. There's the chaos emeralds--are you going to use them?"

"Heck yeah!" said Sonic, jumping off the shrine and running from pillar to pillar, collecting jewels.

Shadow watched him. "What are you doing?"

Sonic bounded back to the top of the shrine. "Didn't they ever tell you what happens when you have all seven emeralds?"

"I heard something special happened," said Shadow, setting down Nox.

"Look," said Sonic, handing the black hedgehog four emeralds, "on the count of three, we'll clash them together. Okay?"

Shadow looked at the emeralds in bewilderment, then nodded.

"One two three!" Sonic shouted, and they smashed their emeralds together in a colossal high-five.

The emeralds blazed, and at once the blue and black of the hedgehogs changed to gold and white. "It worked!" said Sonic as four emeralds circled him like stars. The other four circled Shadow, who was shining white from head to toe, except for bright scarlet streaks on his quills.

"What is this?" he asked, staring at Sonic, who was glowing yellow and floating an inch from the ground.

"You're Super Shadow now," said Sonic, grinning. "Let's kick some biolizard butt!"

They teleported away in a flash of light, leaving Knuckles and Nox alone in the large room with the Master emerald. It was silent a moment, then Knuckles said, "I guess we should go back to the bridge and wait, huh?"

"Yeah," said Nox. "Oh ... I'm sorry about Chimera. He was my friend."

"I'm glad he was somebody's," said Knuckles gruffly, oddly touched. "I can't do chaos control, you'll have to."

"Okay," said Nox. He walked forward and touched the echidna's ankle. An instant later they were gone.

* * *

Space: wide, sterile, cold, airless. Mobius above was a darkened disk with blue edges, and the stars shone beyond it, bright and vivid. They cast a soft light on the ARK's craggy face, illuminating the broken stone, and the central spike of the Eclipse Cannon. But the petals of the cannon were half-open, and protruding from it were the long neck and forelimbs of the biolizard, somehow still alive.

It had been created to survive in such a vacuum, even though its life support was severed and its body was weakened. But the mind that governed it had not given up. Even now, its muscles and sinews were fused into the steel and insulation of the ARK. With the chaos energy remaining in its body, it was forcing all the machinery in the station to obey, and continue its planet-ward dive.

Sonic and Shadow appeared in a twinkle of light on the ARK's flat surface, one white, one yellow. Their glow lit the area like a searchlight, constantly changing as the emeralds circled them. "Wow man, look at us!" exclaimed Sonic, turning a flip in the gravityless environment. "We're the sun and the shine now!"

"But which is which?" said Shadow, allowing himself a smile. The two could somehow hear each other, perhaps because the same invincibility shielded them both.

"No clue," said Sonic. "Where's the lizard?"

It wasn't hard to spot, perched atop the Eclipse Cannon like a pig on a spit. Sonic flashed away toward it, shrinking to a golden spark against the vast starfield. Shadow tucked his arms to his sides and followed, marvelling at his own speed and power. Even at the height of his chaos training, he had never felt anything like this. He was a higher form of matter, or his body was accelerated into light, or he had been transformed into a tongue of fire. He was no longer a shadow. "If only Maria could see me now," he thought as he gained on Sonic, the space station rolling by below. "I always told her I was the ultimate lifeform."

And she had always laughed at him. Perhaps she could see him, out to save the world. He hoped she hadn't seen when he had been scheming to destroy it.

The biolizard's head whipped toward them as they approached. No longer hindered by gravity, it could move like a striking snake. Super Sonic, who reached it first, ducked and spiraled around the fat body in a streak of yellow. "How are we gonna kill this thing?" he called to his companion.

Shadow dived at the lizard's underbelly, swerved and rocketed into it, hoping that his super form would have more strength than his natural one. All he did was bounce off and spin until he regained his balance. "I don't know," he replied as a yellow blur flashed past.

"You're on fire," Sonic replied over his shoulder.

Shadow looked down and saw smoke pouring from under his wristbands and anklets, lingering in the vacuum. He couldn't feel a thing. He flew aside as the biolizard snapped at him, and floated at a safe distance.

"Were they electronic?" Sonic said, flying to him and examining the blackening metal.

"Yes," Shadow replied, watching with fascination.

"Chaos energy fries electronics," said Sonic with a grin. "You won't have to worry about those anymore!" He darted away in a streak, adding, "I'm going back inside for advice, be right back!"

Shadow faced the biolizard, alone.

* * *

Knuckles and Nox materialized in the room where the girls had found the medical supplies. They saw that Robotnik, Tails, Talon, Rouge and the chao had arrived first. Everyone was glued to the windows, where the tip of the Eclipse Cannon was visible, a reptilian figure protruding from it. "Look, there they go!" exclaimed Tails as two points of light circled the monster.

Robotnik looked around as Knuckles hurried up. "Knuckles, the lizard is controlling everything. I can't access the computers." He pointed at a terminal in the corner, the screen of which displayed a blinking error message.

"But you don't have to," said Rouge, who was holding one hand over her ear. "I'm in contact with the agency. We're still on course, and we have less than ten minutes."

"Sonic will stop it," said Serena from her seat on the floor. Her eyes shone with confidence. "Sonie can do anything."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, a guffaw escaped Knuckles. "Sonie?"

Serena frowned and her eyes widened. "Oops. Don't tell him I said that."

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Knuckles, throwing a grin at Talon, and with a pang wishing that Chimera were there to share the joke.

Suddenly there was a sparkle, and Super Sonic appeared in the middle of the room, his glow lighting it from end to end. "Hi guys," he said. "I need some tips on lizard killing." There was a second's pause. "Hurry up," said Sonic, peering out the windows. "I left Shadow alone out there."

"There was nothing in the documentation," said Robotnik. "I'm afraid you're on your own."

"We only have ten minutes left!" said Tails, blinking in the light. "Can't you hurt it?"

"We bounce off," Sonic replied, gazing out the window. "Does it have any weaknesses?"

"Not that we know of," said Robotnik, looking worried.

"Great!" said Super Sonic, throwing his hands in the air. "I come here for info, and there isn't any!"

"Have you tried going hyper?" asked Tails. "Remember what we did to the Death Egg?"

Robotnik glowered at him. "Why? What did you do to the Death Egg?"

Tails ignored him, gazing at Sonic.

The hedgehog nodded. "I'll try it." In a flash he was gone. Everyone turned back to the windows.

* * *

Shadow pulled his arms to his body to make himself as streamlined as possible, and flew like a bullet at the spot where the lizard's flesh met the steel of the Eclipse Cannon. He struck and bounced off, struck again, bounced off, and struck again. He considered it "hammering", and would never grow tired.

Unfortunately, every time he touched the monster it absorbed some of his power and grew stronger. The faster and harder he hammered, the more afraid he grew, as the lizard bent its thought upon him. At last he fled to a short distance and floated, looking back. He had not been afraid of anything since the night his heart had died. GUN he had hated and Sonic he had scorned, but the biolizard was something else. Any time he drew near, he was suddenly aware of how much stronger the lizard was than him.

Somehow it knew who he was, without sight or other senses, for the mind within it only inhabited the cumbersome body as a means to an end--to destroy life. The spirit had taken possession of the lizard's body as it lay in its construction tank, and became the monster's mind. As the lizard slept in its cocoon, this mind was awake and watching the trespassers with ceaseless malice. It was unable to touch the Freedom Fighters except with fear, but it was able to guide Robotnik, Shadow and Rouge into doing its will. But at the end Rouge had felt it and tried to escape, and now Shadow, too, was feeling it. He had fed it with his thirst for revenge and violence, but with his change of heart, its control over him was slipping.

Recklessly Shadow hurled himself at the lizard again, curling into a ball of energized spines, and smacked into its left foreleg. The leg bent but did not break, and the lizard snapped at him with its toothless mouth. Its rubbery lips closed on Shadow's legs before he could escape, and it swung him up and aloft, sucking the power from him.

Shadow's white spines dimmed. He kicked and struggled, but the lizard was horribly strong, although its grip was soft. The stars seemed to fade before his eyes as darkness swelled around him, and his fear grew into heedless terror. But he was weakening. His limbs seemed weighted down under some outer force, as the lizard focused on crushing him. Powerless to resist, Shadow drooped, his glow faltering. He felt the dead cold of space piece through his invincibility, and his heart raced as he began to struggle for air. He was so stupefied by the lizard's evil that teleporting never crossed his mind.

Sonic smashed into the corner of the lizard's mouth, and its muscles spasmed. Instantly Super Sonic pulled the wilting Shadow from its mouth, and flashed to a safe distance. "Shad! You okay?" he said as Shadow's glow returned.

Shadow was too busy gasping and staring at the stars to notice that Sonic's power, too, had faded, and was only just recharging. "I'm fine," he finally managed.

Sonic bared his teeth and glared daggers at the biolizard. "Nasty thing, it almost had us! Look, Tails gave me an idea. I've only done this once, so it may not work. Hold still."

Sonic curled up, crossing his wrists against his invisible emerald belt, then snapped erect, whipping his arms out to the sides. Whether it was because he was already super, or because of the consent of the chao, the super emeralds flamed to life. The two hedgehogs' color changed to a dazzling multitude of hues.

"Hyper!" said Sonic, as bursts of energy flew off him and Shadow like fireworks, burning out in the vacuum. "I'm gonna try to go ultra." He snatched one of his circling chaos emeralds and held it toward the ones circling Shadow. For a moment he met bone-cracking resistance, as if the hedgehogs were opposing magnets, but he forced himself forward, and the emerald passed through Shadow's circle.

The flashing colors of the hedgehogs moved up the spectrum, past the colors of visible light, and the two figures blurred into patches of living energy. The circling emeralds became small suns, and Sonic's golden bracelet blazed like liquid flame.

"No!" Shadow cried. "This is too much!"

"It's the only thing we haven't tried!" Sonic replied. "Let's go!" But even as they blinked toward the biolizard, wavering between dimensions, Sonic knew that this was indeed too much. His molecules were breaking down.

The first rush sliced through the lizard like a knife through butter, and so did the second. But then the hedgehogs had to decharge, as the power was going to kill them if it lasted any longer. Sonic deactivated his belt, and their light descended back into visible color. He felt as weak as a newborn kitten, and Shadow doubled up and shut his eyes, looking ill.

They rested for a moment in silence. Shadow was the first to look around again, and his gasp drew Sonic's attention.

Mobius's disk had grown to a vast wall, and above, the biolizard's neck was outstretched, a wave of heat billowing around it. "We're out of time," said Shadow.

"No we're not!" Sonic cried, streaking toward the monster, dragging Shadow along by the bonded emeralds. "We cut him twice, didn't we?"

There were two holes completely through the lizard, they saw, but undaunted, it was still guiding the ARK on its kamikaze dive. Its aura of fear had weakened, perhaps because of its wounds. "Help me!" Sonic cried, and together the two hyper hedgehogs slashed into the cuts in the synthetic hide, widening them.

"It's no good!" said Shadow. "We've got to hit it someplace vital, like its brain."

"Good thinking!" said Sonic. "Why didn't we try it before? We'll fly through its mouth!"

Shadow wanted to deliver the killing stroke, so he and Sonic dove at the beast, and when it opened its mouth to snap at them, Shadow flashed into its mouth, and up. Sonic flew around the head and away, pulling Shadow by the emerald bond. A second later Shadow flashed up beside him, his invincibility burning away the muck that covered him. "Got it," he said.

The biolizard went limp and slumped down over the nose of the Eclipse Cannon, its head shattered and mind broken. Everyone on the ARK drew a deep breath and looked around, noticing how alive and friendly everything looked. The stars brightened.

"But we're still falling," said Sonic, as heat washed over them. A vast bubble of fire had formed over the nose of the ARK, and Sonic saw they had drawn level with the planet's atmosphere.

Shadow folded his arms. "Of course we are. You thought killing the lizard would make it stop?"

Sonic looked around at the space station, thinking of all the lives that would be lost of it broke apart and struck Mobius. "Can we teleport something this big?"

Shadow glanced around the circle of the ARK. "It would take a lot of energy."

"Then let's do it!" said Sonic, rocketing to the Eclipse Cannon and towing Shadow. He lifted a hand and lightly touched the biolizard's back. "On the count of three, ready?"

"Sonic," said Shadow uneasily, even as the force of their fall pressed them toward the biolizard carcass, "I might use too much. First the biolizard drain, then the ultra stunt, and now this--"

"You'll be fine," Sonic snapped. "Hurry, before it's too late!"

Reluctantly the white hedgehog touched the biolizard.

"One, two, three!" Sonic said, and the pair shouted in unison, "Chaos control!"

Great was the power of the chaos emeralds, and their bond gave them still greater power. A giant bubble of light swelled out from the hedgehogs, encircled the ARK, and moved it from its destructive fall to its original orbit high above Mobius; cool, quiet, and lit by soft blue light as morning dawned over the world.

Perhaps it was because Sonic was the stronger of the two, or because Shadow was afraid to tax his strength. Perhaps it was because Sonic, whose motives had been pure from the start, was able to use the power more effectively than Shadow, who had planned to use the same power for evil. At any rate when they reached the other side, although both had called a Chaos Control, Sonic had teleported the station, while Shadow had only stopped time.

"Wow," said Sonic, looking up at the space station, then down at the planet below. "We did it, Shadow!"

Shadow was floating, head down and hands at his sides, and didn't answer.

"Shadow?"

"So you did, Sonic," Shadow said quietly, without looking up. "You will grow stronger, and I must fade."

"What are you talking about?" said Sonic, who lacked the patience for riddles. "Let's go back inside and surprise everybody."

Shadow lifted his head and looked Sonic in the eye. "It's over for me, Sonic. I obeyed Maria's last wish. There is no further need of my existence."

Sonic ventured a nervous smile. This kind of talk was too fatalistic for his tastes. "What are we talking about? We won. Of course there's need of your existence."

Shadow continued to hold his eye. "Have you seen the gray in my quills, and how I have grown slower over the last few days?"

"Yeah," said Sonic. "What's up with that?"

Shadow's eyes half-closed. "Dr. Gerald inserted a gene that would make me age swiftly, so his research on me wouldn't take so long. He deactivated it once I had matured, but living so long in cryogenic freeze has its disadvantages."

"You mean you're aging?" said Sonic, staring.

Shadow nodded. "Rapidly. If you must know, Sonic, I'm dying. I knew it since the day I was freed. This battle was my last. When I decharge, there will be nothing left to keep me alive."

Sonic felt shock settling over him. In their brief team-battle, he had grown to like the fierce black hedgehog, and had been looking forward to introducing him to the planet Shadow had scarcely ever seen. "Shadow--this can't happen. You can't die."

"I can, and I will," Shadow replied. "I have no soul. I am not alive, as you are. I am a created thing, just like the biolizard."

"No you're not!" Sonic exclaimed. So that explained Shadow's dark outlook on life. "Gerald said in his diary that you were a genetic experiment. He raised you from an embryo. That means you have parents somewhere, Shadow. You're as alive as I am, and you DO have a soul!"

The steel shutters behind Shadow's eyes flew open, and the hedgehog's face lit with hope like a surge of chaos power. He tried to hide it, but the hope still shone out of his eyes as he asked, "You're not making this up?"

"Why would I?" asked Sonic, growing hopeful again. "Go ask to see the diary. Robotnik has it back there."

Shadow's eyes unfocused as his thoughts turned inward, as if he had rediscovered something inside himself. "Maybe I will," he said softly. "Maybe I do have something to live for."

Then time started again. Unnoticed by the hedgehogs, an eighth chaos emerald had been orbiting Shadow, colored blue, and transmitting energy like the rest. But the synthetic emerald had been weakened by the ascent to Ultra, and now, as it gave its energy a final time, it shattered. Upset by the imbalance, the real emeralds unbonded, and Sonic and Shadow were blasted in opposite directions by the surge of power that had destroyed the Death Egg.

Sonic struggled and clawed for balance, and for a sickening second thought he had returned to normal. No, he was still Super Sonic, but weakened, his yellow a dull green. Where was Shadow? His heart skipped a beat, and he flew back in the direction of the place where they had talking a moment before. But his speed was lessened, and it took an age to cross the vast distance he had been blown. "Shadow!" he cried.

By the time he spotted him, the white hedgehog had drifted out away from the ARK, toward Mobius. Sonic flew after him and seized Shadow's arm. Shadow was staring at nothing, a look of complete peace on his face. At Sonic's touch, he turned his head, his eyes bright and transparent, as if his soul were looking out for the first time. Sonic realized the shock of the explosion had all but killed him.

"Sonic," whispered Shadow, "when it exploded, I remembered something. I am forgiven, Sonic."

He turned away, as if looking at someone Sonic's eyes could not see. "Yes, Maria, I'm coming now."

The light faded from his body, leaving Shadow completely white, the darkness bleached forever from his fur.

* * *

All through the battle, Nox had stood on the windowsill, trying to keep track of Shadow with his queer mindlink. When the biolizard had grabbed him, Nox had scrabbled at the window, trying to get out and help. When Shadow went ultra, Nox cried out and held his head. And when Shadow performed the final chaos control, Nox cried, "No Shadow, don't do it!"

The scenery outside changed in the blink of an eye, then there was an explosion outside like an atomic bomb had gone off. The spectators covered their eyes, but Nox gave a cry, grabbed the chaos drive, smashed it open and gulped the fluid inside.

A split second later he was out in space, super-charged on chaos energy. His chao body grew to his ostrich form, then that expanded into a huge fiery bird, long of pinion and tail, with a flaming crest and feathers edged with fire. A phoenix had not been seen in the third dimension since the fall of the Order Emeralds, and seldom did any chao become one. But it seemed Nox was the exception to every rule. He beat his four mighty wings and sped across the void to his dying master.

Thus it was as Sonic still clutched Shadow's chilling hand, a fiery bird bore down upon them. "Shadow!" it cried, closing two of its hot wings about its master's body.

Sonic reeled backward, blinded by tears that had no weight, and by the bird's light. But he wiped away the tears to see Shadow glowing once again, energized by Nox. The bird gently closed his claws about Shadow, and his burning eyes rested on Sonic a moment. "Goodbye," he said, and flew toward Mobius with the speed of lightning.

Again tears blurred Sonic's eyes, and when he had cleared them again, bird and master had vanished.

Chapter 19 - Epilogue

_______________________________________________________________________

With the death of the biolizard, the ARK's systems had deactivated. Thus when the devastating wave of chaos energy rolled over it, more powerful than an EMP bomb, it did little damage. It lit the observation room with blinding, searing light, and everyone cowered and covered their eyes. No one saw Nox depart, and everyone was too dazzled to see the mighty phoenix winging through space.

The ARK quivered, then fell silent, once more empty. Free of the monster that had inhabited it for half a century.

Tails was the first to return to the window. "Where are they?" he said, blinking as his eyes readjusted to the starlight. "Do you think they blew up?"

"I think Sonic took your advice," said Knuckles, moving up beside the fox and scanning the empty plain. "Looks like they did it. They'll be back any minute now."

But it was ten minutes before they heard footsteps in the hall. They all turned as Sonic stepped through the half-open door, head lowered and spines drooping. "Sonic!" Tails exclaimed. "What's wrong, are you hurt?"

Velocity dashed to his master, who was carrying the seven emeralds in one arm. He let them fall to the floor and picked up his chao without a sound. His eyes were rimmed with red.

It was Rouge who guessed first. "Where's Shadow?" she said softly.

Sonic tossed a small object to the white bat. She caught it with one hand, and the others crowded around to see what it was. It was a wide metal band, scorched at the edges, and the inside was laced with burned wires. Rouge, who had been around Shadow the most, looked up at Sonic, eyes widening. "Is this one of this wristlets?"

Sonic nodded.

Slowly every eye on the room focused on him.

"Is Shadow dead?" asked Robotnik.

Sonic nodded again, unable to speak. In the stunned silence that followed, Sonic turned and walked out, head bent over Velocity, spines limp, as if drained of his life and sparkle.

Serena broke the silence with a plaintive statement. "I want to go home."

* * *

Slasher and Zephyer had returned to the chao garden after watching the space ship lift off from the pyramid. They had stayed there, watching newscasts and trying to comfort the frightened chao.

Chimera's egg had been taken to the incubators, and shortly before nightfall, a technician had come in to tell them that the chao inside was contaminated with a near-lethal dose of pyronic, a chemical a chao's body produced while under stress. No chao had ever survived such a high toxin level before. The technician added that it appeared that the antitoxin had been administered shortly before regression, and Chimera would be cleansed of the poison when he rehatched.

"Max was right," Zephyer said quietly after the tech had left. "He said Chimera was too poisoned. Do you think that trade thing he did was the antitoxin?"

Slasher bobbed her reptilian head. "Yes, although how he knew how to do it is beyond me." She stroked Chalcon, who was nestled between her forepaws, and the raptor and echidna returned their gaze to the small television set up near the gate.

Near seven-thirty, another message was transmitted from the ARK, but this time it was from an old man in chains, who sounded half-crazy. Then the news focused the world's eyes on a bright speck over North Mobius, which slowly grew to a flaming comet. Then suddenly it vanished from the sky. Frantic radar sweeps located it hours later, thousands of miles from its falling point and once more in a stable orbit.

"They did it," said Zephyer, slumping heavily against Slasher's wing. "They did it." She closed her eyes in relief, and both she and Slasher breathed a silent prayer of thanks.

Weary with the excitement of the day and anxiety, the two slept in the grass of the garden, a winged velociraptor and a robotized echidna. One with a white chao, the other with a silver chao, who had both abandoned their warm beds indoors to remain with their mistresses.

"Just like old times, eh?" Zinc whispered to Chalcon, who had burrowed under one of Slasher's wings.

The Chaos chao smiled at him. "You said it, Zinc."

Pale dawn awoke them, and stiff and bedraggled, they crept from the garden and stepped onto the empty street. Zephyer was ready to head back to the hotel, but Slasher stopped her, sniffing the moist air. "Listen. Something's coming."

They peered up the street, and saw a ragtag gang of Mobians approaching from out of the mist. Tails led the way in the limping Cyclone. Talon had given up his seat to Serena, who was nodding off despite her injury. Talon was walking with Knuckles, carrying a sleeping Max. Knuckles was walking with his eyes on the pavement, some inner pain etched on his face. Next came Rouge, Pip and Amy. Pip was walking with Amy, too tired even to write in the notebook clutched in one hand. Rouge walked with arms folded and head bowed, and Amy kept looking over her shoulder at Sonic, who brought up the rear, carrying Velocity and walking as if hardly able to lift his feet.

"Why's that bat with them?" wondered Zephyer.

Slasher was doing a quick headcount. "Look at the Cyclone limping. I wonder what happened?"

It was days before they learned the whole story.

Rouge followed them back to their hotel, but left shortly afterward with the excuse she needed to check in with the agency. Pip vanished in the direction of the Chao Co., saying something about leave without pay and looking worried. Slasher took Serena downtown to a hospital to save Tails the trip, and the rest fell into bed and weren't heard from until many hours later.

* * *

Knuckles arose that afternoon and went down the street to the Chao Co. He was used to smaller amounts of rest from guardianship of the Floating Island, and his desire to see what had become of Chimera was greater than any need for sleep.

The echidna was shown to a warm, dark room by one of the technicians, a young man with kind eyes and heavy gloves. He showed Knuckles a great square box where fire-chao were incubated, which was kept at an even 110 degrees. Chimera's egg, dusty from much handling, lay in a rack by itself.

Knuckles gazed broodingly through the tiny window in the incubator as the technician asked him what he had done to make the chao regress. "Nothing," said Knuckles, eyes gleaming in the light from the heat lamps. "That was where I went wrong." He turned and left the man looking bewildered.

He went to garden three, nodded to Pip, who was again manning the guardhouse and writing furiously in her notebook, and sat down on one of the stone benches. He wanted to be alone for a while, and come to grips with what Chimera's fall meant to him.

Time passed, and still he stared at the grass, watching the afternoon light slant more and more as the sun sank from the sky. Sometimes a chao would bounce up to him, peer into his face, then edge away. They all knew what had happened to Chimera, for word spread quickly in the gardens.

Zinc walked up, his silver body gleaming in the failing light. He looked up at Knuckles for a moment with his black eyes, then stroked the echidna's shoe comfortingly. Knuckles watched him without seeing him, and jumped when Zephyer quietly approached and sat down beside him. "I didn't hear you come in," he said, and returned his gaze to the grass.

Zephyer clasped her robot hands together and rested her elbows on her knees. "I'm sorry about Chimera," she said softly.

He nodded and said nothing. Silence reigned for a few minutes, and a star emerged in the darkening sky above. Zinc walked to Zephyer and seated himself on the grass at her feet. She stroked his head, then looked up at Knuckles. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he whispered hoarsely. "Thanks for coming out here, but I'd like to be alone for a while."

Zephyer nodded, picked up Zinc, paused as if wanting to say something, but changed her mind and left him.

Almost at once, as if she had been waiting in the shadows, Rouge the bat entered the garden. She received an icy stare from Pip, and Knuckles gave no sign he knew she had come. She walked up in front of him. "Knuckles?"

He didn't look up, but his voice was cold. "What?"

Rouge cast a glance at the guardhouse and lowered her voice. "I wanted to apologize for taking your emerald." When no response was forthcoming, she went on, "I'm quitting the jewel-hunting business, anyway. I made more money from this job with the agency."

"Really." Knuckles' voice was flat.

Rouge hesitated, then plunged on, "So, if you wanted to get together sometime ..."

The echidna looked up at last and fixed her with a cold stare. "No."

"No?"

"No."

Rouge was taken aback. No prospective boyfriend had ever turned her down before. Her eyes narrowed, and she jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction Zephyer had gone. "Does she have anything to do with it?"

Knuckles slowly rose to his feet, hands clenching into fists. "Lay off, all right? You've pushed me, and pushed me, and I'm this close to giving you cosmetic surgery. Got it?"

Rouge backed away. "Okay, have it your way. No hard feelings."

Knuckles stalked toward her, fists still clenched. "My feelings are none of your business, bat. My life is none of your business. I suggest you get out of it before you get hurt. Now."

He chased her to the gate to make certain she wouldn't come back, and glowered after her retreating figure. In the guardhouse, Pip gave him a thumbs up and whispered, "Way to go, Knux! I always knew she was no good!"

* * *

Tails awoke near midnight, rested and wide awake. He also felt as hungry as a wolf. He slipped on his shoes and tiptoed down to the hotel's restaurant, which fortunately kept a buffet bar open all night.

As he was filling his plate, he heard a low murmur of voices, and realized that he wasn't the only one awake. Amy, Talon, Slasher, Zephyer, Knuckles and Pip were having a quiet dinner in a corner booth. Grinning, the fox carried his plate to the table and sat down.

"And I thought I was weird for waking up!" said Talon, waving to his buddy.

"Yeah, this'll wreak havoc on our sleeping habits," said Tails, fixing his attention on his plate. "Is Sonic up?"

"No sign of him," said Slasher, who was the wrong shape for a chair, and was standing up instead, her weight shifted to one leg. "But considering how using the emeralds so long wears him out, that's no surprise."

"How's Serena?" asked Amy, who was working on a diminishing pile of jello and fruit salad.

"Better," Slasher replied. "Her leg wasn't broken, but it was cut almost to the bone. Missed an artery by about a millimeter." The velociraptor cocked an eye at the pink hedgehog. "I heard you were a big help."

Amy looked up, eyes shining. "I was? I was a big help? Who said?"

"I did," said Pip with her mouth full. Amy leaned over and hugged the black bat, sending Pip's face into a dish of pineapple. Disgruntled, Pip shoved Amy away. "Warn me before you do that again!"

"I was a big help!" Amy squealed, bouncing up and down in her seat. "Slasher, make sure you tell Sonic that! He'll be really impressed."

Slasher winked the eye facing toward Tails, and he grinned.

After wiping pineapple juice off her face, Pip piped up, "I finally got a job with the Crystal Clarion!"

Congratulations were issued, and glowing with pride, Pip went on, "I had the whole inside story of what happened on the ARK. Not only that, but the editor was so impressed with my work that he gave me a weekly column. When my story hits the front page tomorrow, we'll all be famous!"

Knuckles grumbled something incoherent, then said aloud, "I hope you didn't say anything about the Master Emerald."

"Of course not," said Pip, giving him a dissapproving look. "I know better than that. I also didn't say anything about Rouge being a spy. Think of the weird looks people would give her!"

"I need some guard dogs for Hidden Palace," said Knuckles. "Hey Slasher, want to come hang out on the island?"

"No thanks," said Slasher, "although I'll hold you to that invitation later this summer. You have some good swimming up there."

There was a slight pause as everyone took a few bites. Amy looked at Tails. "Think you could teach me to shoot like that?"

"Like what?" asked the fox.

"Like how you blew up Robotnik's machine," said Amy. "If Shadow hadn't tore up the Cyclone, I'll bet you would have shot him, too!"

"What'd you do, go postal?" asked Zephyer.

Tails stared at his fork.

"Well?" prompted Amy.

"No," Tails snapped, and began to wolf the rest of his food.

Amy looked insulted, but before she could say anything, Slasher remarked that the reporters would probably be looking for them in the morning. Conversation was directed to other topics, and Tails was glad. He had forgotten his grief-induced rage following Sonic's attempted murder, and had no wish to ever admit it to anyone.

He finished eating a moment later and slid out of the booth. "I'm gonna fix the Cyclone. I'll be in the garage downstairs if anybody wants me."

Everyone waved goodbye to the fox, and he headed outdoors, eager to work on his beloved mech, and feeling odd to be up in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep. He was also glad to escape his friends and their questions.

* * *

Sonic slept without moving or dreaming, lost in forgetfulness. All through the day and night he slept, but at the dawn of the next day he began to toss and turn, and finally awoke and stared at the dim ceiling. He felt as if he had awakened from a dark dream that had no end, and was relieved to find daylight on the other side.

For a few minutes he lay thinking about Velocity and the chao gardens, and by degrees everything returned to him. The synthetic emerald had shattered. Shadow was dead, but the ARK was saved and the biolizard destroyed. He didn't want to think about it, and so he shoved it aside and sat up in bed.

The mirror on the wall across from him showed him his quills were mussed and tangled, and his face with smudged with dirt. "Good grief, I went to bed like this?" he muttered aloud, noting he hadn't removed his dirty gloves or shoes, and the sheets were full of sand. His insides ached with hunger, but he would have to make himself presentable first.

One shower and fifteen minutes later, the sleek blue hedgehog stepped out of the elevator and made a beeline for the hotel restaurant, which was putting forth tempting aromas of bacon and coffee. He saw a crowd of humans stalking around on the grass outside the hotel doors, but thought nothing of it.

A little later Tails entered the restaurant, sleepy, covered with grime from his work on the Cyclone, and irritated at the way the lurking reporters had mobbed him as he left the garage. He stopped and stared in amazement. Sonic was sitting alone at a large table, which was covered with every breakfast dish on the menu. Empty dishes were stacked to one side, and the hedgehog was still hard at it.

Tails pulled out a chair across from Sonic and sat down. "Hi, little bro," said Sonic with his mouth full. "Want some breakfast?"

"Only if you don't want it," said Tails, gazing in awe at the tableful of food.

Sonic gulped and said in a clearer voice, "Sure, pick something. I've already gone around the horn once. Seems the hotel got wind of our exploits, and they gave me breakfast on the house."

Tails couldn't help but laugh. "I've never seen anybody eat so much!"

"I've got days to make up for," said Sonic as Tails reached for a plate of french toast and slathered it in syrup. "What day is it, anyway?"

"Wednesday," Tails replied. "We got back Tuesday morning, remember?"

"Sorta," said Sonic. "Everything's a blur. Did we go back to the Floating Island to drop off the Master emerald, or did I dream it?"

"Yeah, we did that," said Tails. "By the way, what happened to Shadow?"

Sonic's face darkened, and he lowered his eyes to the tabletop. "Not now, Tails."

Tails immediately wished he had kept his mouth shut.

There was an awkward silence for a moment as the two focused on their food. "Sorry," said Tails in a low voice. He set to work on his french toast.

Sonic continued eating, as well, and watched his sidekick. After a few moments he said, "It's okay, little bro. It's just ... hard." He cleared his throat. "Do I remember hearing something about you taking on Robotnik yourself?"

Tails didn't look up. "What about it?"

"Aw, c'mon, don't be modest," said Sonic, grinning. "You whipped him good, didn't you? And the Cyclone was busted, too."

The fox looked up, without smiling. "I ... I thought you were dead." He hastily looked down again.

Something in his eyes wiped the smile from Sonic's face. "Eggman did his best, and I guess it was pretty convincing ... it's okay, Tails." He guessed, dimly, what must have went through Tails' mind when the capsule exploded.

Tails gulped and whispered, "I had to finish the mission. I went on without you. I ..." He trailed off and stared at his plate.

Sonic was moved. The kid had went through something just as hard as his own loss of Shadow, and for Tails it was probably worse. Sonic reached across the table and awkwardly rested a hand on the fox's shoulder. "Slasher says that courage isn't, you know, doing heroic things for fun. It's doing what you have to do even when you don't feel like it." The hedgehog searched his mind for something consoling to add. "You did good, Tails."

Tails looked up at him, tears standing in his eyes, and smiled.

* * *

It was an odd day. The Freedom Fighters had had their sleep so disrupted that everyone had got up at different times. Sonic was the only one who rose at a normal hour. He picked up Velocity and Elleno from the chao garden, and took them to see Serena, who had a large bandage on her leg and hip.

"Hi, Sonic!" she said brightly when he walked into the hospital room. "I got seventeen stitches. Hi, Elleno, how's the chao garden?"

"Boring!" exclaimed the violet hedgehog chao, jumping from Sonic's arms to the bed.

Sonic was glad to see his sister in good spirits, and felt his own spirits lift by being near her.

After her initial excitement wore off, Serena grew serious. "Sonic, do you think Shadow really was the ultimate lifeform?"

At the mention of the black hedgehog, Sonic felt the wound on his heart begin to bleed again. "No, sis," he said, absently stroking Velocity's blue head. "I think he just called himself that. I told him he wasn't one, and he seemed--he acted overjoyed. But then ..." he trailed off. He would probably never know if Shadow had had an actual change of heart, or if Sonic was reading too much into a few seconds' time.

"You know why he hated chao?" asked Serena.

Sonic shook his head.

"Maria had one. It didn't keep her from being shot, and he blamed all chao for it."

"Nox must have really loved him," Sonic muttered. "Nox probably died, too." The wound on his heart was bleeding tears, which were slowly welling up in his throat. He rose to his feet, muttered something about coming back later to pick up Elleno, and left the hospital room.

Serena gazed after her brother and whispered to her chao, "I've never seen him like this. He's really taking this hard."

* * *

The day wore on into late afternoon. Reporters plagued the Freedom Fighters all day long. The first few times they were willing to stand and recount their adventures, but as they continued to be pestered about it, their annoyance grew. Sonic in particular became fed up with the nagging questions; the adventure was too close to memory to talk about, and all he cared about was that everyone had come back safely. At last the Freedom Fighters sneaked out of the hotel and decided to take their chao down to the beach, then go out to dinner, as they had the night the moon was shattered.

The reddening sun cast a shimmering light on the water as the group walked along, spread out and looking for shells and bright pebbles. The chao scampered and shouted, hardly seeming to miss their emeralds ... they had been packed away by Slasher, as Sonic never wanted to see them again. Even Serena was there, swinging along on crutches. "I've always wanted to try these!" she called to Sonic, whirling by in a cloud of sand.

Sonic and Knuckles were bringing up the rear of the procession, drawn together perhaps by their common grief. Knuckles watched Serena in disbelief. "She's always wanted to use crutches?"

Sonic shrugged. "You know 'Rena. She's cracked."

"She also called you Sonie," grinned the echidna, elbowing Sonic in the ribs. "Is that cute or what?"

"Shut up," said Sonic.

"Okay, Sonie," said Knuckles, and the two grinned.

Velocity ran up to show Sonic a striped rock he had found, and dashed away again.

Sonic caught Knuckles' heavy sigh. "You miss Chimera?"

"Yeah," said the echidna. "I miss the little brat, even if he did rebel."

They walked in silence a moment.

"So ... what happened with Shadow?" ventured Knuckles.

"Later, Knux," muttered Sonic, barely audible over the roar of the surf. "Not right now. Maybe after dinner."

A moment later, as if trying to escape the pain, Sonic broke into a wild run and flashed ahead along the beach. Knuckles plodded after him with a sigh.

Tails ran by with Pilot flying behind him, wings a blur, trying to tag him. "Dinnertime!" Tails yelled. "We're going to that restaurant up there now!" They ran around Knuckles and back the way they had come, their shouts and laughter fading into the crash of the waves. The sun shrank to a fingernail of red on the horizon, and the air was growing cool. Knuckles followed the footprints in the sand, and wondered if Sonic would ever talk about Shadow.

After they had had dinner, Sonic caught Knuckles' eye and led him out onto the deck overlooking the ocean. The two leaned on the railing and looked down at the waves on the beach twenty feet below. "The tides don't seem hurt too badly," remarked Knuckles. "Maybe the moon damage looks worse than it is."

"Having two moons has its advantages," Sonic agreed.

They watched the water wash the sand and rocks. It was nearly dark, and the stars were appearing in the dusk overhead.

"Well?" said Knuckles quietly. He didn't need to mention Shadow's name, for they both knew what was on Sonic's mind.

"I don't know," muttered Sonic, barely audible over the roar of the surf. "We could have been friends, Knux. He was cool. He reminded me of me ... if he had become a Freedom Fighter, who knows what we could have done? Our ultra bond was stronger than when Tails and I did it."

"Did the explosion kill him?"

"Yeah, but he was already dying. He was aging super-fast."

Knuckles was silent a moment. "What caused the explosion?"

Sonic kicked the railing. "The fake emerald was out there with us. It shattered when time restarted."

Knuckles stared at him. "You mean the fake one acted like the real one until then?"

Sonic nodded, his mind taking a different tack. "You know, I think Shadow had the fake one all along. That's how I was able to chaos control."

"Sonic, do you realize that made eight emeralds?"

Sonic glanced at him. "No duh, Knux. I can count."

"No ..." said the echidna, an odd look on his face. "Eight emeralds. You know how the eighth chaos emerald looks like it was broken at one time?"

Sonic gazed at him, unblinking. "Your point is?"

Knuckles looked out at the sea. "Nothing. Just that it might be a good thing the fake one shattered."

Neither said anything for a few minutes, alone with their thoughts. A cool wind blew off the ocean, fanning spines and fur.

"Look," said Sonic suddenly, "if I tell you everything that's happened, could you tell everybody for me?"

Knuckles nodded. "Sure. You'd better cover everything."

It grew darker as they stood at the railing, heads close together, Sonic talking fast and quietly. Again he was Hyper Sonic, battling the biolizard with Shadow beside him, like a twin brother, infused with a fiery spirit that explained Nox's Ultimate form. Again he saw the change dawn over Shadow's face as he suddenly realized he was not the ultimate lifeform, and was in fact a living creature. Then the atom-rending explosion that had taken Shadow's life, even as something within him changed and became alive. Feeling the wristlet slip off in his hand, and seeing the great phoenix fly up to try to rescue his master, even as Shadow passed beyond all help ...

Here Sonic was forced to stop and wipe his eyes, and Knuckles became interested in the rising moons. A moment later Sonic finished, "And I went back inside. That's all."

Knuckles said nothing for a while. The smaller moon was a little lower than it had been the previous night, and the largest moon looked startlingly different with a large wound in its side. "They were the same," Knuckles murmured. "Chimera and Shadow. They both needed someone to heal them, didn't they?"

Sonic nodded. "But I didn't heal Shadow. Someone else did. I saw it in his eyes." He kicked the railing again. "Does this sound corny?"

"No," said Knuckles, dreadlocks blowing about in the wind. "It makes sense to me."

There was another pause. Sonic gazed at the moons for a while, then looked at his companion. "What are you gonna do now, Knux? Won't the Master Emerald shut off if it keeps getting shattered?"

Knuckles clenched his fists. "I've been a lousy guardian so far. Nothing else is going to happen to it if I can help it. Maybe I should excavate a new Hidden Palace."

"Yeah," said Sonic, "and this time, maybe it'll stay hidden." He smiled mischeviously. "But maybe you'll show it to one person, huh?"

"Who?"

"Zephyer. I think she likes you, Knux ..."

Knuckles blushed as red as his dreadlocks, and shoved Sonic away. "Get out of here, troublemaker."

Sonic grinned wider. "You wouldn't be turning red if I wasn't right!"

Knuckles turned and strode back into the lights of the restaurant, trying to hide a smile as Sonic tagged after him. But they were met by the others, who were hurrying out toward the balcony. "Reporters!" whined Amy. "We've got to get out of here!"

"We've got to evacuate!" hissed Sonic in a stage whisper. "Everybody, down to the beach! Women and children first! That means you, Amy. I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he added as she glared daggers at him.

Slasher carried Serena, and the rest of them climbed over the balcony railing, scurried down the rocks, and dashed off along the beach into the glittering night, trying to smother their laughter. Sonic laughed the most, as he had seen Knuckles helping Zephyer descend the rocks with such care he all but carried her.

Sonic fell into step beside Slasher, who had Serena on her back. "Not showing off to the reporters?" the raptor asked.

"Naw," said Sonic. "They got their story already, and if they want more, they'll have to catch me first."

His smile faded, and he looked reflective for a moment as they jogged along the beach. "You know, Slash, going Hyper isn't like it used to be ... I never realized how powerful it is. After frying Shadow ..." He trailed off and gulped. A moment later he continued, "I think I'd better learn to use it properly so I don't hurt anybody ever again. Maybe Knux can teach me."

Slasher flashed a smile at him with a flash of teeth. "Sonic," she said softly, "I do believe you've grown since your last birthday."

The End