[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 23: One on One

“HAHAHAHA! You dare to test me?!”

“I’ll test anyone that I deem fit.”

“Fool! Prepare to suffer the most excruciating death you will ever experience. Sonic! Kill him! Kill him now!”

Sonic threw away the broken sword and conjured up another one. He then ran towards Shadow with the weapon at the ready.

“Chaos Spear!”

Seeing the golden energy spear approach, Sonic tried to deflect the projectile with the sword but once again the sword breaks.

“How is it that your Chaos powers have gotten more powerful?” asked Naugus concernly.

“Because now I have a new resolve. And that is to eliminate you.”

“Is that so? I would like to see you try but first, you are gonna have to make it past Sonic.”

“No problem.”

The Chaos shield dissipated and in its place was a sword of unique design created by Chaos energy. Shadow held the weapon with the blade facing behind him. Shadow skates towards Sonic. The blue hedgehog decided to stand his ground and this time summoned forth a buster sword.

“Let’s see you try to break this baby.”

Showing no signs of backing down, Shadow skated even faster. As Shadow came near, Sonic lifted up the buster sword in preparation to strike down the black blur. Now within range, Sonic brought down the sword quickly on Shadow. To his disappointment, Shadow managed to stop the oncoming blade with his own.

“My turn.”

Shadow spun around and swung his sword at Sonic. With surprising speed, Sonic blocks the attack. Shadow then spins the other direction but Sonic too blocked that move. Shadow then jumps up high and does a spinning move as he came down. Sonic blocks the attack but because of the force Shadow hit Sonic’s sword with his own, Shadow’s Chaos blade goes right through the buster sword but only halfway. Shadow jumps back and prepares for another offensive. Sonic looks at his sword and laughs.

“Hahahahaha! You know Shadow, even though you’re my enemy, I must say that that last move of yours was way past cool. Let me give it a try.”

Sonic ran to Shadow with his blade being dragged on the ground. Sonic then jumps up and does the same spinning technique as Shadow had done earlier. But unlike our hero, Sonic failed to hit his mark. Shadow had disappeared. Before he was given the chance to recover, Shadow appeared from behind and kicked Sonic in the face. Sonic flipped back and landed in his feet with his sword still gripped tightly in his hands. As Shadow made his way to Sonic, the blue blur swung the sword in a sideways fashion. Shadow ducked. Sonic brought the sword in front of him to try to attack again but Shadow was already making his move. As he jumped up, he swung the sword at Sonic with all his strength. This time, the buster sword finally broke in two. Sonic looked on with dismay.

“Holy crap! You actually busted up my buster sword.”

“Why should that be a surprise to you? I have always been stronger than you Sonic. You should know that by now.”

“Stronger maybe. But when it comes to speed, no one outclasses me, not even you Shadow.”

“Guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong on that as well.”

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 24: Return of the Fiend


Shadow and Sonic ran towards with neither one of them having the intention of slowing down. They both then rolled into a ball and dashed at each other. For the couple of bouts, the two seemed to have delivered the same amount of power into their attack for Shadow nor Sonic are showing any signs of backing down. The two hedgehogs dashed across the rock platform while still attacking each other. Just when it seemed the two are at a stalemate, Shadow began to spin around in a circle, creating a small tornado. Sonic got sucked into the vortex, now completely defenseless. Shadow seized the opportunity and used a homing attack on Sonic. After hitting the ground, Sonic flips back on his feet.

“Yo man. That’s not cool. That’s so my move.”

“Well I don’t see you using it. Besides, I’m better at it anyways.”

Shadow skated towards Sonic again but this time his entire body glowed of Chaos energy.

“Chaos Rocket!”

Shadow hits the blue hedgehog dead on. Knocking Sonic far back, the two ended up on another rock platform with Sonic struggling to get back on his feet.

“Chaos Spear!”

Another direct attack. Suffering from significant damage, holes on Sonics’ spines can be clearly seen.

“For someone who is fast on their feet, you’re reaction time is slow.”

Sonic gets up slowly with his head down.

“But as for me, I’m fast both on my feet and my thinking.”

Clenching his hands into fists, Sonic sped towards the black hedgehog without warning. But Shadow’s statement stands true. He manages to impale Sonic with a Chaos Spear before the blue blur had the chance to do any harm. As the spear dissipated, Sonic fell forward and upon impact, he disintegrated into magic dust.

“I must applaud you Shadow. You managed to beat Sonic without suffering much damage, let alone a scratch.”

“If you’re trying to get yourself out of this situation by complimenting me, think again. I’m still going to take you out.”

“Who ever said I was trying to? I have been looking forward to our match for quite awhile.”

“Good to know.”

Shadow tossed a Chaos Spear at Naugus who manages to negate the attack. Shadow then teleports to Naugus’ location and launched two more spears. Again the attacks were negated.

“Chaos Blast!”

Naugus generates a force field in time but because of the close proximity, the force field began to gave way. The sorcerer teleports out in time before the force field was completely destroyed. He reappears on an above platform. Giving Shadow no time to use another one of his techniques, Naugus immediately throws out two magic bolts. Shadow sees this and flips backwards to avoid them. Naugus again launches two more bolts but this time, each one splitted apart, thus four bolts made their way to Shadow. Shadow spun around but as he did, he formed a shield on his right arm that deflected the bolts and as he completed his spin, he threw out a spear. Naugus swats it away with his left hand.

“You are performing much better than I would have anticipated Shadow. If you keep this up, the test results will be perfect.”

“You never really explained the purpose of this test. If I were you, I’d start now.”

“How naïve! Demanding answers from a master sorcerer such as myself. If I were you, I’d watch the next few words that comes out of my mouth for they could be my last.”

“Your threats are as pathetic as you are.”

“ARGH!! Fool! You’ll regret saying that. Let’s see how well you fare against an endless barrage of my bolts!”

Naugus unleashed an entire wave of magic bolts at Shadow who simply stood there, guarding against the oncoming projectiles with his Chaos Shield. Ixis begins to laugh as he watches Shadow make a supposed futile attempt at blocking his infinite supply of bolts. One can see that Shadow is beginning to struggle trying to hold his shield intact while at the same time hold his ground. But then suddenly giving out a burst of Chaos energy, Shadow rockets through the barrage at high speeds. Within seconds, Shadow reaches Naugus’ location and bashed the sorcerer’s face with the shield. The resulting blow knocks Ixis on his back. Trying to evade, he gets back up but before anything could be done, Shadow holds a blade of Chaos energy at his neck.

“Not so fast Naugus. I’m not done with you. I still have a couple of questions.”

“Such as?”

“Such as where is Sally? And also, who is your master?”

“For the first question, I’m sorry to inform you that the princess is no longer among the living. You saw it yourself. She fell to her doom.”

Shadow punches Naugus across the face.

“Don’t lie to me. She’s still alive. I know it.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because both her and I were brought here for a reason. Most notably, for your test. What good are test results if the participant dies?”

“How perceptive of you! Yes, she is alive but is located in an inaccessible area.”

“Then make it accessible.”

“That won’t fly well with my master.”

“You should be more concerned with me right now. After all, I am the one holding the blade at your neck.”

Saying nothing, Naugus snaps his fingers, revealing a portal. Shadow looks through and sees Sally on the other side. Without thinking, Shadow goes through, leaving Naugus behind.

“Shadow!”

“Sally! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine but I am more concerned for you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. Come on, let’s head back through the portal and get out of here.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

As the two made their way to the portal, it closes. Shadow tried to use Chaos Control but nothing happened. The two were trapped.

“Hahahahahaha! Haven’t you been in this situation before Shadow?” asked a demonic voice from nearby.

“No. That voice. It can’t be.”

“Oh but it is.”

In front of Shadow and Sally approached a figure whose body was in the shape of a demon with a tail and horns.

“Chaos!!! How can you still be alive?! I was for sure Tikal took care of you !”

“Hmph! You honestly think that such a lowly creature could have killed me? I was merely toying with her.”

“You’ll pay Chaos.”

“HAHAHAHA! “

“So that’s Chaos!”

“Yes Sally. In physical form. You must be the one that was pulling on Naugus’ rope this whole time.”

“Precisely. At first I wanted to destroy the fool but then realized his mastery of sorcery could prove useful. So I used him to bring you here.”

“So what’s the deal with the test then?”

“To hone your skills on using the Chaos Force. You have come far, for a rodent.”

“I see. Well, all I can say now is that that is your big mistake. I’m going to use those same honed skills and destroy you, once and for all.”

“Very well. But I warn you. To challenge me in my true form, is to announce your death knell.”

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 25: Servant's Betrayal

“My death knell huh? You sure it’s not yours?”

“Hmph! Ignorant whelp!”

Chaos’s hands begin to glow with green Chaos energy.

“Sally, run as far as you can from here.”

“But Shadow, must you really fight him? Isn’t there another way?”

“No Sally, there isn’t. Chaos must be stopped at all costs. If not, he’ll destroy Mobius.”

“Okay then. Please be careful.”

“I will. Now go!”

Sally runs off as fast as she could in the diresction behind Shadow.

“So Chaos, you ready to be destroyed once and for all?”

“Hahahahaha! You destroy me? Foolish creature. It is you who will be destroyed.”

Like Chaos, Shadow’s hands too begin to glow of Chaos energy.

“We’ll see. Chaos Spear!”

Shadow throws a single spear at Chaos who purposely took the hit. Chaos stands there and laughs. Shadow throws another one but again it does no harm to the demon.

“How brainless are you hedgehog? You really believe that you can hurt me with my own powers? Chaos Spear!”

Chaos throws a spear of his own which Shadow manages to dodge in time. As Chaos threw another, Shadow does the same in quick succession. A small explosion occurs.

“Not bad Shadow. Your reflexes certainly have improved.”

“Wait till you witness the other things I’ve improved on. Chaos Rocket!”

As Shadow’s entire body glowed a dark orange, he rocketed towards Chaos. Shadow makes a direct hit with his attack but Chaos did not move one bit. It was as if his feet was planted to the ground. Shadow immediately jumps back.

“What’s the matter? You look a little distressed.”

“I hit you with full force. How could just stand there and take it?”
“Does master of the Chaos Force mean anything to you? It won’t matter what technique you use against me. It won’t do you any good. I won’t feel a thing.”

“Guess I’ll just have to keep on pounding you with my attacks till you do feel them.”

Shadow prepares another Chaos Rocket attack but Chaos extends his right arm forward, resulting in Shadow levitating in the air. Our hero is taken by surprise.

“How are you doing this?”

“By tapping into your Chaos energy.”

Chaos grins and throws Shadow back several feet. Shadow stands back up but to only be lifted up again. Shadow tries to conjure an attack but the Chaos energy that was surrounding his body begins to dissipate.

“The Chaos energy?! I feel as if it’s trapped within my body. It won’t come out.”

“Of course it won’t. I sealed it within you so that you no longer will able to use your powers. As long as I have you in my grip, you’ll float there powerless.”

“Not if I can do something about it.”

Shadow reaches for his inhibitor rings.

“You seriously believe that removing those inhibitors of yours will really give you an energy boost? Think again. I now control the flow of your Chaos energy so it won’t have any effect.”

“Damn you Chaos!”

“Ah. There’s nothing more elegant than to hear the vulgar yells of annoying pests. But it’s a shame that it couldn’t be any louder. Perhaps choking you to your very last breath will change that.”

Chaos forms a fist with his right hand, initiating the deadly chokehold. Shadow begins to grit his teeth as he starts to feel the pressure. Just when it would seem that Shadow was about to let out a dying yell, a grenade was thrown at Chaos’s back which exploded. Infuriated, Chaos tosses Shadow aside and looks behind him to see who was responsible. To his surprise, it was Naugus with Geoffrey St. John standing beside him.

“How dare you betray me!”

“I refuse to be used any longer Chaos! This is my realm. You don’t stand a chance against me in my own world.”

“Fool of a sorcerer. The Chaos Force is infinite but your world has limits. With my powers, I’ll destroy your world with you on it. So go ahead and use every aspect of this realm to your advantage. It will only be a matter of time before it will all be vanquished.”

[UltimateLifeForm]

After some thinking, I have decided to go ahead and move the story into the timeframe where Mobius gets invaded by an unknown alien race. Now as you guys know, I plan on making Shadow Gaiden so I decided to go ahead and begin the story to let you guys know what it will be like. Now it won't be exact, but it'll be close. But before all that, I did a little revision of the entire story itself that leads up to this point. Here it is:

-Instead of Chaos being the master of the Chaos Force, he will now be considered the manifestation of Shadow's inner hatred and anger.

-Shadow was created by Black Doom and Dr. Gerald(like the Mobius Prime Shadow) but the major difference is that he was awoken 50 years earlier in order to combat against Stark, the creation of the Mobius' scientists. Thus it was Shadow that put Stark in a stasis pod. But even though prevented a castastrophe, G.U.N. feard that Shadow might be too dangerous as well so they attacked the ARK and killed Gerald and Maria. Shadow was left in a stasis pod and was launched to Mobius. But because he witnessed the death of Maria, he became enraged and thus Chaos, his other self, was born.

-Finding out that Maximillian Acorn was behind the creation of Stark, King Khan(Monkey Khan), broke from the monarch and gained control the eastern side of Mobius.

-Upon landing on Mobius, Shadow broke free from the pod and met up with the leader of the Original Freedom Fighters where he was granted a place among the heroes to help in the fight aganist Robotnik and his regime.

-But once again Shadow would have to see his comrades suffer when they were betrayed by one of their own and were robotized and thrown into the Zone of Silence.

-Being the sole survivor of the Original Freedom Fighters, Shadow swore he would defeat Robotnik in the name of his fellow compatriots. From that day forward, Shadow would take on a new alias(making everyone believed he suffered the same fate), and worked alone, undermining Robotnik's plans on his own until the day when Sonic and his friends became the next Freedom Fighters.

-Hearing stories of Shadow when he was still a member of the Original Freedom Fighters, Sonic became inspired to be a hero himself and wanted to prove to everyone that he was capable of taking his place. Ironically, Sonic had worked alongside Shadow on several missions but because the dark hedgehog took on a new name and wore a high-tech body armor, Sonic never knew it.

-Shadow's identity wasn't revealed to the Freedom Fighters until he fought Mecha Sonic(the one as it was seen in Sonic & Knuckles, not from the comics), and his armor had to be removed so that he could properly heal. The Freedom Fighters were shocked to see him but at the same time were delighted, especially Sally who took an immediate interest in the hedgehog.

-For awhile Shadow decided to stay with the Freedom Fighters, a decision that Sally took to heart. But years later Shadow would be approached by G.U.N. At first Shadow refused to join them for the incident that occured on SPace Colony ARK but after realizing that in order to overcome pain was to actually meet it head on, Shadow joined them and in a short time, he became one of their best agents.

-After the defeat of Robotnik, Sally asked Shadow to marry her but was rejected when he told her that his duty was far more important.

-When Robo-Robotnik appeared to challenge the Freedom Fighters, Shadow was already off on inter-dimensional missions for G.U.N. and would continue to be off-world until the genius known as Eggman came along.

-During Eggman's attack on Prison Island, Sally freed Monkey Khan. Because of that, Sally was to be brought to trial but because of the unexpected reawakening of Stark, Shadow granted Sally two days amnesty.

-After the two days were up, Sally was brought to jail after the trials. However, Monkey Khan broke her out of federal jail, causing more tension between the humans and Mobians.

-After several attacks on human military bases(all setted up by the Dark Legion), the president declared war on all Mobians. Having limited resources at the moment, King Maxmillian Acorn arranged a marriage between Khan and Sally in order to unite the two Mobian factions.

-The Human-Mobian War brought many casualties, including the death of Tails. Sonic became angered at the death of his friend and permanently took on the alias of Dark Sonic.

-Espio broke from the Chaotix to join Shadow’s Special G.U.N. Force after learning that the Chaotix is plan on aiding the Mobians, a decision that he does not find honorable.

-Bunnie Rabbot also joins Shadow’s team because she believed that it was wrong of Sally to be personally involved in the war.

-During a mission to infiltrate one of Eggman's base, Espio got involved in an accident tht caused him to go blind in both eyes. He now wears a visor to cover his eyes.

-Using the ongoing war as an opportunity, many villains began to launch plans of their own. Even some from alternate Mobius’s arrived, like Scourge from Anti-Mobius, creating even more disorder and confusion.

That’s it. That’s all of the revisions that have been made to SG. Now I won’t be actually be rewriting every chapter so this is the best I can do. SG now will take start off with the arrival of both Silver and Lara-Su as they come from their respective futures to warn Shadow of two dangers.

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 15 October 2009 - 08:08 PM

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 1: The Arrival

Mobius, a once peaceful planet that has now been stricken by war and death. The citizens have become slaves, being forced to work for days and nights without end. Even the humans have become laborers. But the question is, who enslaved them? Could it be that Eggman has finally built his Eggman Empire? No. This is the work of an unknown alien race whose advanced technology gave them the ability to quickly take over Mobius. G.U.N. forces and the Freedom Fighters tried all they can to drive the invaders back but had no success. They could not even gain a single victory in the many battles they had. Now that the Freedom Fighters have gone underground and the GUN force completely wiped out, the aliens remains dominant over the ‘primitive’ planet.

Their mothership, which obviously is of greater size than two Egg Carriers put together, currently flies over New Mobotropolis. Not expecting anything to occur, the guards walk around confidently around the ship’s deck. Even some of Eggman’s robots are on duty, indicating that the genius allied himself with them, perhaps out of fear no doubt. Just when one of the guards walked towards the front of the ship, an explosion occurred. One of the cannons had been destroyed. The guard goes to check it out but the smoke was too thick. As he came closer, a shuriken struck his back. A camouflaged figure approaches the dead alien. He turns around to spot two more guards running towards his location so without hesitation, he threw two more shurikens and killed them as well. When the creature finally showed its colors, it was revealed to be Espio. When he said that it was clear for the moment, more figures came walking out of the smoke. It was none other than Shadow the hedgehog and his team of G.U.N. agents.

“Good work Espio” said Shadow.

“Those were just the small fry. Here comes the cavalry.”

The agents looked ahead of them and noticed that a group of guards on hover boards were approaching them.

“I will eliminate them” said Omega as he walked in front of everyone.

Omega extended his arms. His large metallic hands drew back and out to replace them were mini-guns. He immediately opened fire. Some of the guards were instantly hit by the rain of bullets but the others managed to evade them. Not willing to let any get closer, Omega drew back the guns and brought out missile launchers. He fired the appropriate amount towards the aliens. When they dodge the missiles, they all grinned. But they’re one mistake was that they did not look back. The missiles that Omega fired were no ordinary missiles but in fact, heat-seeking kinds. One by one the guards were taken out by the missiles until none stood in the team’s way. Unfortunately, the victory would be short lived as Eggman’s robots began to make their move. Shadow steps up as if he was about to engage them but Bunnie puts out her right hand in front of him.

“Ah’ll take care of this sugah.”

With those words said, Bunnie’s left arm transformed into a buster cannon and she aimed it at the oncoming machines.

“Buh-bye!”

Bunnie fired a single shot into the robots and every one of them got destroyed.

“Not bad eh Shadow hon?”

“Your aim has improved, I’ll tell you that much. But what of your consistency to keep up that aim?”

“What do ya mean?”

“More of Eggman’s useless heaps of metal are coming.”

Bunnie turned back around and saw an entire battalion of Eggman robots, getting ready to make their advance.

“No problem sugah. Ah’ll take care of every single one of them.”

Bunnie once again aims for the robots but this time, the robots themselves have weaponry of their own pointing at the team.

“Oh boy! This sure feels like some cowboy showdown don’t it? Who’s gonna fire first? Me or them?”

“Sorry Bunnie change of plans” said Shadow. “We don’t have time to mess around with them anymore.”

“Aw too bad.”

“Alright everyone, let’s move it! The quicker we get rid of them the faster we’ll make it to the alien commander’s throne room.”

Following their commander, everyone prepared themselves for combat. Obviously the first person to get to the robots was Shadow. When the robots fired barrages of bullets at him, he simply continued to skated side to side to evade them. One of the robots that was close to Shadow tried to hit him with its fist but Shadow slid to the right, spun around the robot’s arm and destroyed it with a homing attack. When Espio caught up to the action, he swiftly made symbols with his hands and extended his right arm. A puff of smoke appeared and as if it was created from thin air, a giant six-pointed shuriken was seen being held. He jumped up and threw the weapon. Like a hot knife through butter, the shuriken cleaved through the robots without slowing down. And like a boomerang, the weapon came back. After Espio came Rouge who dived towards the machines. As she came closer, she flipped around and stuck out her right foot and destroyed the lead robot facing her upon contact. When she landed, the other robots tried to capture her by ganging up on her. But Rouge simply grinned as she activated her body suit that electrocuted them. The voltage was so high that they all exploded within seconds. Next came Omega who, while still dashing with rocket boosters on, opened fire with his chain guns. Lastly, Bunnie joined the others and this time used her superior strength to take down the robotic menaces. A few minutes would pass when the entire ship’s deck would be completely clear of all enemies.

“Well, that was easy” said Rouge.

“Of course” responded Shadow. “They’re Eggman’s robots. What more did you expect?”

“Oh I don’t know. A little more determination to stop us perhaps.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s head inside and end this war.”

As the team was making their way to the main bulkhead, the alien captain stood on the observation deck and watched. Not allowing the intruders to make their way any further, the captain pushed a button on the console in the observation room. This activated the ion cannon attached on top of the tower. As it was moving and charging its laser, Rouge caught a glimpse of it.

“Huh?! Shadow look! Up there!”

Shadow and the others looked up and saw the cannon getting ready to fire.

“Everyone quick! Disperse!” ordered Shadow.

As the team separated themselves, the cannon opened fire. The laser, however, misses and instead hits the deck of the ship. Furious, the captain grabs his weapon and jumps down from the window. He lands on the balcony not too far down.

“The five of you have come far enough.”

“So the captain finally decides to show himself huh? About time” said Shadow.

“Hmph! I would never waste my time with you fools. I’m only here to finish you all off.”

“And what makes you think you can accomplish that? You couldn’t even beat me when I faced your commander’s army alone.”

“That was then but this now. Besides, you’re on my lord’s mothership, I now have the right resources to get rid of you and your comrades.”

The alien captain aimed his weapon at Shadow and the other G.U.N. agents. With the pull of the trigger, a ball of contained energy homes in on the team. Believing he could simply deflect it back, Shadow tries to kick the energy ball but that would be a mistake for himself and his team. Instead of flying back like how it was expected to, the ball instead blows up upon the impact. Shadow and the others got blown away by the blast. Despite the fact that Shadow was hit the hardest, he still manages to get back on his feet, but with much struggle. Soon afterwards, the others got up as well. The captain then revealed a gauntlet that was on his hand and pointed it at the team. From the gauntlet flew out two energy daggers. The G.U.N. team tries to dodge the weapons but the daggers read their movements and made their evasions useless. One by one the agents would be impaled by these daggers, leaving Shadow the only one left alive, barely.

Somewhere deep underground, two Mobians lie in wait.

“This is taking too long. They should have been done by now.”

“Patience Lara-Su. It’s not easy trying to break into the mothership.”

“But father, they should have contacted us minutes ago. Something’s happened. We need to head up there.”

“Not yet. We must wait until Shadow gives the order.”

“But what if there is no order to give? We need to head up there now!”

Knuckles looks at his daughter and sees the worry look in her eyes.

“Fine. We’ll go check on them. But if Shadow throws a fit for not following the plan, I’ll tell him it was your idea.”

“Some father you are” said Lara-Su jokingly.

“Just being truthful. Anyways, are we going or not?”

“Of course.”

Lara-Su grabs onto her father’s hand and used Chaos Control to teleport unto the ship. Upon arriving, the two see a most horrific sight. The captain has Shadow in a chokehold.

“So much for the so-called Ultimate Life Form.”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll have revenge for my comrades.”

“How can you if you can’t even defend yourself? You’re just like the others. All talk and no action.”

With rage in her eyes, she tightens up her fists and tries to help Shadow but Knuckles grabs her wrist and pulls her back.

“Father what are you doing? Let me go! We have to help him!”

“No! It’s too dangerous!”

“I don’t care!”

“Now listen to me Lara-Su. You are the only one your mother and I have. I can’t lose you. Not like how I lost your mother. Please, fall back from here.”

“But father-“

“No buts. I’ll help Shadow. Besides, your old man here has been itching for a fight.”

“I won’t allow it. I can’t let myself lose you either.”

“You’re just like your mother. But as your father, I expect to stay obedient and let me do as I want.”

“Then what am I to do? I can’t just sit back.”

“You’re right.”

Knuckles pulls out a dimensional ring and places it on Lara-Su’s wrist.

“What’s this for?”

“To travel between dimensions.”

“But I have Chaos Control. I don’t need this.”

“I know that but seeing how you refuse to leave, I had to put it on.”

“Father, don’t tell me-“

“Goodbye my daughter. Have a safe travel.”

Before Lara-Su could act, Knuckles knocks her out. He then activates the ring, opening a portal. He tosses her inside and the portal closes. The next scene shows Lara-Su waking up on a field of grass. She looked around and noticed that she was on Mobius, a different one, but still devastated nonetheless, not by the alien race, but by the Human-Mobian War.

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 2: Conflicting Dimensions

"So this is the Human-Mobian War from 20 years ago" said Lara-Su with a sad look on her face.

She looks at the dimensional ring on her right wrist.

"Why father? Why did you send me away?"

Just when she was about to cry, a blinker goes off. She pushes the button next to it and upon doing so, a holographic projection of her father appeared.

"Hello Lara-Su. If you are listening to this message, then you will know what has happened to me. Now before you start ballin tears like your mother would, listen closely. The Mobius I sent you to is not some random one I chose from my head. It is in fact, our Mobius of the past. No doubt you may already have witnessed the destruction brought upon by the Human-Mobian War. Thr reason I would send to this time is because I need you to rewrite history. Don't let the war end as it did for us. You must find a way to stop the war from taking more lives and reunite all of Mobius, years before the invasion ever happened. Doing so will change our future for the better. Please Lara, go and find the peaceful solution. All of Mobius is counting on you. And one more thing, know that your mother and I love you, no matter how far we are apart. Good-bye and good luck."

The projection fades.

"Father..."

Lara-Su looks down at the ground for a few minutes, meditating on her father's words. She then looks up and forms fists with her hands.

"Don't worry. I will change our history. I will make Mobius as it was before all of this. And once I have, I will be able to return to you and mother as well. From there, we all will live peaceful lives. Chaos Contol!"

She teleports from the grass field to begin her mission.

Inside of G.U.N. HG, Commander Tower stands in the control room watching over the military campaigns on the monitor screens. Shadow walks in along with Omega and Rouge.

"You called for us Commander?"

"Yes Shadow. I need you and your team to head out to New Mobotropolis and take out the Chaotix there. They're proving themselves to be a hindrance to our operations."

"Why not send out the Delta-S team?"

"They're currently dealing with the Freedom Fighters at Central City. They reported in and said that their current assignment is taking longer than anticipated so they won't make it."

"Fine then. Rouge. Omega. Let's get moving."

As the three were making their way out the control room, a warp portal appeared before them and out of it came a figure who gives a confused look.

"Not where I would expect to find myself but it'll do."

"Who are you and state your purpose for infiltrating this base" said Omega who drew out chain guns.

"Please, I come here with no evil intent."

Shadow puts out his right hand in front of Omega, a signal to stand down.

"Something tells me that this guy is telling the truth."

Trusting Shadow, Omega puts down the chain guns. The figure wipes the sweat off from his forehead at the sight of this."

"Now we'll start again, who are you?"

"My name is Silver. Silver the hedgehog. I come from the future."

"The future? What's your purpose for coming here then?"

"Funny you should ask that. I came here in need of your assistance."

"What sort of assistance?"

"It'll take time to explain."

"Sorry but that's time I can't afford to use right now. You'll have to hold onto your concern for a awhile longer. I am about to go off in a mission."

"I'm sorry but I must tell you now. This is of utmost importance."

Shadow looks back at Tower who gives a slight nod. Shadow looks back at Silver.

"Very well. But before you tell me anything, let me give orders to my team."

Shadow turns around and faces Rouge and Omega.

"You two go on ahead with the mission. Once Silver here is done telling me why he needs my help, I'll catch up with you two."

"You got it Shadow" said Rouge with a smile.

"Affirmative."

The two GUN agents make their way out of the control room.

"Alright Silver, tell me what I need to know."

As the new hedgehog begins to tell his ordeal, the scene goes to New Mobotropolis where the fight between GUN and Mobian armed forced still ensue. Lara-Su finds herself caught in the crossfire.

"I always imagined that this war was intense according to my father's stories but after seeing this for myself, its beyond belief. How could a war like this ever occur?"

As Lara-Su looks around at the destruction, she tries to find a way out of the frontline. A grenade thrown by a GUN soldier blows up near her, knocking her off balance. As she stood up, a large hand grabbed her left wrist and pulled her to the Mobian side.

"You know, a lady like yourself shouldn't be involving herself in this war" said Vector.

"Trust me, after what I have been through, this is nothing."

"Even so, it'd be best if you just stayed behind the soldiers. You'll be more safe there."

Trying to ignore Vector, she looks out at the battlefield. She sees nothing but tanks rolling by and the sound of jet fighters screaming overhead. As she looked on at the human side, she notices two Mobians conversing with a GUN soldier. She recognized them quite well.

"Rouge? Omega? Yes! It is them!"

She quickly stands up.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? I just told you to stand back and let us big guys handle this."

"Sorry. But there's this important mission that I can't fail. I need to do what needs to be done. And if that means I have to run over there, I will."

With all her speed, she makes a run towards the GUN side. One of the soldiers sees this and points his weapon at her but Rouge stops him from pulling the trigger.

"Hold on. Its unusual to see a Mobian charge straight for us. Let's see what this one is up to."

As Lara-Su had gotten close to Rouge, she stops and takes a breather.

"Hello Rouge."

"How, how do you know me?"

"That's not important right now. What's more important is you need to tell me where Shadow is."

"Oh, I see what this is all about. I always thought Shadow was hiding something from me but I didn't know it would be his girlfriend."

"Wha- What?! Girlfriend? This is serious!"

"Uh huh. I'm sure it is. If you really need to know, he's still back at GUN HQ."

"Thank you. Oh and just for the record, I'm not his girlfriend."

Lara-Su runs off the battelfield.

"Chaos Control!"

Back at the base, it appears that Silver is done telling Shadow his story.

"So let me get this straight. You need my help to stop whoever it was that betrayed your Freedom Fighters and led them to their deaths. And from what you hear, its Sonic infused with the negative energies of the Chaos Emeralds, turning him into an evil Super Sonic."

"That's correct. And as we stand here and speak, he is wreaking havoc on my planet. That's why it is imperative that we must head back and stop him."

"Well Commander, what do you think of his story?"

"Sounds pretty serious to me. Why don't you go and help him out. I'll inform Rouge and Omega of your wherabouts."

"Sounds good to me."

"Excellent. Let us depart immediately."

Silver pulls out a warp ring and prepares to throw it when all of a sudden Lara-Su appears in front of the two hedgehogs.

"Who's that Silver? A friend of yours?"

"No. I don't recognize her at all."

"Shadow! We meet again."

"Again? I believe we never met. Just who are you exactly and how do you know me?"

"Can't tell you that. But what I can tell you is that I neeed your help."

"Sorry but I already agreed to help Silver with his problem. Go to somebody else."

"No! My issue is more important. Not only is my Mobius in danger, but yours as well."

Those words put Shadow at a halt.

"Shadow, we don't have time for this. We must leave now."

"Hang on Silver. So you came to me to tell me that both of our Mobius' are in danger and that you need my help but you refuse to give me your name. That's a bit shady."

"Fine. I'm from this Mobius but 20 years into the future. There, that's all I can share with you."

"The future? Silver, you sure you don't know her?"

"Yes. She must be from a different future from mine. Apparantly her world is yours but mine is not. Everything has happened differently in mine. But please, enough of this. We must go now."

"Hey spikey! Keep out of this! Why don't you go on back to your world and handle the problem yourself?"

"Don't you think I already tried? I wouldn't be here if I knew I would be able to stop the traitor on my planet."
What about your problem? What make you think yours is more significant than mine?"

"Because it involves everyone in this timeline! If this war isn't stopped, then we're all doomed."

As if someone was playing the devil's hand, GUN satellites detected a large object approaching Mobius.

"Sir, the satellites just picked up a large signal."

"What is it?" asked the Commander.

"From the images that we're getting back, it appears to be a large alien vessel."

Lara-Su looks at the monitor screen that was feeding back the images taken by the satellite. Upon seeing the photo of the alien ship, she got on her knees and gave the look as how one would if they saw a ghost.

"No... It can't be. They're here. But why? It's too soon. 20 years too soon..."

[Scourgekito the hedgehog]

You are a very talented writer!

[UltimateLifeForm]

Thank you. It's good to know I still got it within me after all this time.

Chapter 3: The Invasion

"What's the matter?" asked Shadow.

"That, that alien vessel. I know that vessel. It's the same one that nearly destroyed Mobius."

"And my guess is that that would be the problem that you have. Well, looks like you'll get my help after all, seeing how they're here and all."

"You don't understand. They are not suppose to be here. It's too soon."

"It doesn't matter. The sooner the better. Now that they are here, you can tell us their weakness."

"They don't have one."

"What do you mean?"

"Back on my future, we tried everything. There is no way to stop them."

"Hmph! Everything and everyone has a weakness. You just need to know how to exploit it. And with the experience I have earned over the years, that should be no problem."

"I'm counting on that Shadow" said Commander Tower. "Put up the video feed. I want to know what they're up to."

"Yes Commander!" said Hope.

One of the monitors switched to video mode. The alien vessel, as if it knew it was being watched, charged up one of its ion cannons mounted on top if it.

"Sir, the alien vessel is charging its cannon."

"WHAT?! What's its target?"

"I can't tell Commander. I'm using algorithms to try to predict its trajectory but I'm getting nothing."

"Try harder Hope! I need to know! NOW!"

Hope began to franctically type in codes to try to determine where the cannon was aiming. But it was already too late. The cannon opened fire, revealing a laser of unbelievable diameter. Shadow and everyone else could do nothing but watch in horror as the laser hit its target, Angel Island. After the laser completely obliterated Angel Island, it hit the ocean, sending out a monster tidal wave. The screen that was showing this horrid event goes black, indicating that the surveillance camera posted there got destroyed.

"Damn it!" yelled Tower as he pounded the wall with his fist.

"Commander!" yelled Hope. "The alien vessel has just released thousands of smaller ships. They just have entered the atmosphere."

"Quick! Tell all G.U.N. units to abandon their mission in fighting the Mobians and concentrate their efforts on eliminating the alien ships."

"You got it" said Hope.

"Come in Commander! This is Delta-S team captain Roy Connors. A large tidal wave have just hit Central City. All of my team members managed to make it out alive, along with a handful of civilians. What do we do sir?"

"Tend to the wounded and look for more survivors. After that, await further orders."

"Yes sir!"

"Shadow, I need to you to go and bring the President here. He must be informed of the situation immediately."

"One step ahead of you Commander. Chaos Control!"

Shadow teleported out of the control room. Commander looks and notices that Silver was still standing there. The look on his face indicates he must have seen the horror as well.

"Silver, shouldn't you be heading back to your world?"

"After seeing what happened, I don't think saving my world matters anymore."

"What do you mean? What of your friends? Family?"

"I no longer have friends or a family. Super Sonic made sure of that."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's why I have decided to stay here instead and help in any way I can."

"Thank you Silver. Your help is much appreciated."

Silver walks over to Lara-Su and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for arguing with you earlier. I see now that your problem is much bigger than mine."

"No Silver. I should be sorry. You asked Shadow for help first so I should have let him help you. Besides, now that I think about it, there were many ways where I could changed things for the better without Shadow's aid."

"Well, looks like now we'll have to work together now nontheless."

Silver puts out his hand. So does Lara-Su. The two shake and smile. Seconds later, Shadow appeared in the control room with the President.

"Mister President. Glad to know that you are unharmed" said Tower as he saluted his leader.

"Likewise Commander. Shadow here tells me that you have disturbing news to tell me. Something about an invasion."

"Yes Mr. President. An unknown alien race attacked Angel Island and completely destroyed it. The following result led to a large tidal wave that sweeped Central City, killing everyone except for my men and a handful of civilians."

"This is troubling indeed. Well, looks like we have no choice then. We must put aside our differences with the Mobians and side with them to take down these invaders."

"I was thinking of the same thing Mr. President."

"Good. Shadow, send a message to Queen Sally and King Khan and tell them that I would like to announce a truce for the time being and that I am calling a meeting here in which their attendance is mandatory."

"Understood Mr. President."

As Shadow proceeds to use Chaos Control, he is stopped by Silver and Lara-Su.

"Shadow, I want you to know that both Silver and I have teamed up in order to help you save this planet."

"Is that so? Fine by me. As long as you two don't get in my way, I don't care what you two do."

"Good to know. Oh, and if you're still wondering, my name is Lara-Su."

"About time you told me."

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 29 October 2009 - 11:25 PM

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 4: Action That Saved All

Inside of the conference room at G.U.N. HQ, the President, King Khan and Queen Sally, Commander Tower, and Shadow are all gathered in order to come up with a plan to fight back the aliens.

“So tell me, what is our war plan against these invaders?” asked the President.

“Can we even develop one?” asked Khan. “I mean, we all saw it. They took out Angel Island with one blast. We don’t even have the type of technology to counter that.”

“Of course we do” added Tower. “The Eclipse Cannon.”

“But that requires the seven Chaos Emeralds.”

“Which we happen to have in our possession.”

“What? You mean GUN has them here?”

“Yes Khan. As of a matter of fact, we have had them for quite awhile.”

“Is that so? What were you planning on using them for? To power up your cannon and destroy us?”

“May I remind you that we have more important issues to talk about than the war between our people” said the President.”

“Yes Mr. President” said Sally. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Khan pulls her off to the side and whispers to her.

“How can you agree to help these humans? After all, they have been known to be ruthless and deceiving. We can’t trust them.”

“Khan, Mobians have been known to be as ruthless and deceiving as humans. We are no different. Besides, we are facing a common enemy. The only way to defeat our enemy is to join forces.”

Sally walks back to the gentlemen.

“Mr. President, whatever resources your men needs, rest assured that the Mobians will provide them for you.”

The President extends his arm for a handshake.

“Thank you Queen Sally. Your father would be proud of your decision.”

“So now that we have our alliance established, I think we should proceed with the strategies” said Tower.

“Yes. I concur. Let us make our way to the war planning table and plan out our counteroffensive.”

“No need to Mr. President” said Shadow. “I’ll take care of it.”

“How so?”

“I’ll just send in my team of elite G.U.N. agents and we’ll take down their mothership.”

“Sorry to break it to ya but back on my future, we tried that and failed miserably.”

Everyone turns to the direction of the voice and saw that it was Lara-Su that said that.

“Lara-Su, what are you doing in here? Only top personnel and high status individuals are allowed in here.”

“I know Shadow but I figured it would only make sense for me to be in here since I know about those aliens more than anyone in here, or even in all of Mobius for that matter.”

“Fine then. Tell us, why wouldn’t attacking the mothership work?”

“Well, the Shadow and his team of GUN agents of the future formulated the same plan but everyone ended up dead.”

“Then tell me what they did exactly so I can change the offensive. Maybe then we can have a better outcome.”

“That’s the problem. My father and I were underground waiting for our orders to follow in their attack but when we arrived on the ship, everyone except for you was dead.”

“In that case, what do you suggest we do?”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know. Not yet at least.”

There was silence in the room as everyone thought to themselves. Minutes later, Shadow spoke.

“Then it looks like I have no choice. I’ll get the Chaos Emeralds and use my super powers to take it out.”

Lara-Su gives a surprised look and said nothing. Shadow looks over to Tower who gives a nod, indicating an ok. Then Shadow looks at the President.

“Do it Shadow. Destroy their leader and their ship. Wipe out all of the invaders.”

“I will not fail Mr. President. You have my word.”

Shadow teleports from the room and appear in a chamber that contained the seven Chaos Emeralds. The emeralds began to glow. As they did, they flew out towards Shadow and spun in a circle. Shadow closes as eyes as the emeralds spun faster and faster. Seconds later, the lights from the emeralds covered Shadow’s entire body. As the lights dimmed down, Shadow opens his eyes. Our hero has now taken on his super form.

“Time to show those aliens what happens when they mess with the wrong planet. Chaos Control!”

Above the clouds, the alien mothership hovers over New Mobotropolis. The leader is sitting in his throne. The captain walks in and salutes.

“Status report captain.”

“The creatures of this world are putting up a pitiful resistance. Within a few hours, this entire planet will be yours.”

“Not surprised. After all, I wouldn’t expect more from such a primitive world. Captain, make those few hours into a couple. I want this planet before night is upon us.”

“As you wish my lord.”

As the captain proceeded to walk out of the throne room, a space battleship in front of the mothership blows up.

“WHAT?! One of our ships has been destroyed? Impossible!”

“Calm down captain. It is only one ship.”

“Yes I know my lord but this proves that we are vulnerable to their missile attacks.”

“It wasn’t a missile. It was one of them.”

“How do you know my lord?”

“Captain, I know more about this world than you realize. Raise up the force field. It is most likely that the creature that destroyed my battleship will attack me and this ship.”

“Yes my lord. Right away.”

The captain pushes in codes on his gauntlet that resulted in a large force field to form around the ship. Shadow looks on from above.

“A force field huh? It’s gonna take more than one layer of those things to stop me. Chaos Rocket!”

Shadow flies towards the mothership at supersonic speed.

“Lord! The creature approaches quickly. With its current speed, it will be able to break through. Should I reverse course?”

“No. Stay on course. In fact, it is my hope that the creature will break through. I have a surprise in store.”

“But-“

“Do you doubt my judgment captain?”

“No! I would never do such a thing. I would be a fool.”

“Good. Now, just watch and see what happens.”

Shadow hits the force field with all his strength. It did not break, but it’s clear that the field has cracked. Shadow continues to push on until the field finally gave way. Shadow spots the leader and makes his way towards him. Showing no signs of fear, the leader pushes a button on the arm rest and out came four orbs. They began to glow white. As Shadow approaches the orbs and tries to fly past them, he suddenly cringes and falls to the deck of the ship. Shadow tries to get up but for reasons unknown, he did not have the strength. Suddenly, he reverted back to his original form. The Chaos Emeralds appeared and scattered around him.

“Captain, go and retrieve those emeralds for me. After doing so, kill the hedgehog.”

The captain bows and makes his way to the deck. He walks towards Shadow.

“You are a fool to attempt to kill my leader. You obviously did not know of the kind of technology that we possessed.”

He picks up the red emerald.

“These emeralds will be excellent power sources for our cannons. With all seven, we should be able to take over the entire universe.”

The captain goes and picks up the rest of the emeralds as Shadow helplessly watches. But after realizing that if the aliens harnessed the power of the emeralds, Mobius and the whole universe will be in peril. With that thought in mind, Shadow gathered up what’s left of his strength and used one last attack.

“Chaos Control!”

The Chaos Emeralds disappeared.

“No! What did you do?”

“What do you think? I sent them to different dimensions. No way you will be able to use them now.”

Furious, the captain grabs Shadow by the throat and tosses him overboard. With no strength left, Shadow could do nothing but fall unconscious as he began his plummet.

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 11 November 2009 - 03:51 AM

[Scourgekito the hedgehog]

Ouch...that sounded painful.Keep up the good work my friend!

[UltimateLifeForm]

I sure will.

Chapter 5: The Search for the Chaos Emeralds

"Well doctor, how is he?" asked Tower.

"Well, his life signs are at normal levels. His body is not in critical condition but his sapped strength left him unconscious. But it's not serious. He should be awake in a couple of minutes."

"Thnak you. You are dismissed now."

The doctor puts his medical supplies back in his bag and leaves the room. As the others watched on for the next two minutes, Shadow opens his eyes.

"Good to have you back Shadow" said Tower with a smile.

"I'm back at HQ? How?"

"We managed to spot you plummeting towards the ground so I called in Roy to come and grab you in time."

Shadow lifts his body up and puts his hand on his forehead.

"Got a headache?"

"Yeah but it should be gone soon."

"So Shadow, mind telling me what happened up there?"

"I managed to destroy one of their ships but when I reached the mothership, these orbs of some kind caused me to lose power. Next thing I know, I'm back to my original form."

"What happened to the Chaos Emeralds?"

"I had no choice but to use Chaos Control and send them to different dimensions."

"I see. Well, considering the circumstances, you did the right thing."

"The president may not agree with that."

"What do you mean?"

"I gave the president my word that I would kill the alien commander but I failed."

"Shadow, it's not your fault. Besides, none of us, not even you, knew that they had the ability to make you nullify your powers so effectively."

"All but one of us."

At that moment, Lara-Su and Sally walks in.

"Shadow! You're alright!"

Sally goes and gives him a hug.

"Of course I am. The only thing that's hurting is my head."

"Admitting that something other than your reputation is hurt? That's a first."

"Well, I have more important things to worry about then my reputation right now."

He looks over to Lara-Su.

"So Lara, mind telling me why you didn't bother to mention about those power nullifying orbs they had?"

"I never knew they existed. Honest. No one in the future ever attempted to use the Chaos Emeralds so it was never revealed."

"Really?"

"Yes. Shadow, don't you believe me? I mean think about it. I came here to warn you of this danger. Don't you think I would tell you everything I know about those aliens as soon as I got here? After all, it is your future we're talking about."

"Hmph! Fair enough."

"So what happens now?" asked Sally.

"I'll go and find the Chaos Emeralds."

"What? What happened to them?"

"Tower will explain everything. Right now, I have to leave immediately. Every second counts."

"Shadow wait! I'll come with you" said Lara-Su.

"Sorry. But you're staying. They'll need you here."

"But I feel its my fault that this is happening. I have to come."

"Don't blame yourself for something that's bound to happen. Besides, any other information you hold on these guys will prove beneficial."

Not giving Lara-Su a chance to say anything else, Shadow leaves the room. Sally quickly follows behind him.

"Don't even think about it Sally. You're also staying here with the others."

"Shadow. Listen. I know we had our problems with each other, but this is my Mobius we're talking about. The people are depending on me to save them."

"Then it's best you stayed here to comfort them."

"But what good will that do? It won't change the fact that they are still stricken by fear and terror."

"What about Khan?"

"Shadow, there's something you should know about me and Khan. Our marriage is... is only mutual. The only reason my father have me marry Khan was because it was the only way to unite all of Mobius."

"So what will happen between you and him once the war's over?"

"We go our separate ways. So you see, we aren't even actual husband and wife."

"That still won't change my mind. You're staying and that's final."

Shadow continued his walk down the corridor but Sally quickly grabs his hand, turns him around, puts her hands on his cheeks and kisses him. Seconds later she released her kiss. Shadow looks at her in total silence. He then turns back around and took a few steps forward then stopped.

"Follow me. I need to get you appropriate gear."

On the mothership, the captain walks in the throne room with three others following behind him. They all bow to their leader.

"Captain. Remind me again of your orders that I had given to you."

"It was to retrieve the emeralds and kill the hedgehog my lord."

"Correct. And did you follow through on either?"

"No... my lord."

The captain begins to sweat.

"Tell me, why didn't you kill the hedgehog?"

"It was my anger. My rage made me lose focus on the task at hand."

"Is that right?"

"Yes my lord."

The commander gets up from his throne and slowly walks over to the captain. Just when it would seem he was going to hit his subordinate, he instead puts his hands behind his back and walks over to the large observation window.

"You are very fortunate that you hold a high status captain. Otherwise, you would be nothing more than a pile of crushed bones."

"I am deeply grateful for you giving me another chance. I assure you my lord, I won't fail you next time."

"You had better not. Now, what of those emeralds?"

"The hedgehog sent them to other dimensions. To which ones are unknown."

"Hmm... That hedgehog is smarter than I thought. However, that move was a double-edged sword. Even though we don't have them in our possession, neither do they. That means that they are now much more vulnerable and weak. Still..."

The commander turns around.

"Lieutenant! I need you and your top soldiers to go and travel to alternate worlds and find those emeralds. I don't care how long it will take. Just find them."

"Yes my lord. I will go immediately."

The lieutenant and the two soldiers behind him give a salute and leaves the room. The commander grins and looks back out the window. Back at GUN HQ, Shadow and Sally are walking inside of the armory. Shadow leads Sally to a small vault. After typing in some code, the vault doors opened, revealing an entire locker of hi-tech gear.

"Here are the equipment you'll need."

Shadow grabs the first piece of equipment.

"These are battle boots. Not only will it allow you to cling to magnetic surfaces, but it also contains jet thrusters that will enable you to fly. Next is this. This is a cloaking vest. By its name you already know what it can do. It makes you blend into the background so you won't be detected by the enemy. Your third piece of equipment is this scanner. With this, you will be able to find an enemy's weakness. Also, you can scan the environment around you and find any anomalies within the area. And finally, here's your energy rifle. This is perhaps one of the most powerful rifles created by GUN. With this, you are able to stay miles away from your target but yet be able to zoom in as if you are only a few feet away. Because of that, the scope is dangerous when looked into with the naked eye. That's why you'll need to wear these specifically designed visors whenever you decide to use the rifle."

“Are all of this equipment really necessary?”

“Of course. We all be traveling to different worlds in other dimensions. Who knows what kinds of dangers are present.”

“Well okay. If you insist.”

“Good. Now go and change. But be quick about it. We can’t spare any more time.”

“You got it.”

Sally goes into the changing quarters. Few minutes later, she comes back out with her new gear put on.

“You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Alright then.”

Shadow grabs Sally’s hand.

“Chaos Control!”

The two later reappear at the Cosmic Interstate.

“The Cosmic Interstate? Why are we stopping here first?”

“Because before we begin our search, I need to sense where the emeralds are. Otherwise, we’ll be going through universes blind.”

“Good point. So, where to first Shadow?”

“There. Through that portal in front of us. I can sense a Chaos Emerald beyond there.”

“How do you know for certain that it’s our world’s emerald?”

“Because it’s the only familiar energy that’s being given off. Let’s go.”

Shadow skated towards the portal with Sally flying close behind. As the two went through the portal, three figures were seen approaching the same portal. It was none other than the lieutenant and his men.

“So the first emerald has already been discovered eh? Hehe. This is going to be easier than I thought.”

The lieutenant signals his men over to follow him as the three go through the portal as well.

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 16 November 2009 - 12:46 AM

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 6: A Cry for Help

After going through the portal, Shadow looks around and finds himself in a grassy field with a village up ahead.

“A village? Windmills, huts, wheelbarrows… This must be a primitive world. Sally, this would be a good time to check out the surroundings. Sally?”

Shadow looked to the side of him and noticed that Sally was not there.

“Where did Sally go?” Shadow asked himself. “I swear she was right beside me.”

As Shadow continue to ponder about Sally’s whereabouts, a villager approached him with a curious look on her face.

“Are- Are you the knight that everyone is speaking of?”

“What do you mean? I’m no knight.”

“Oh I see. That’s too bad. We were all hoping you were the hero.”

“Is there some sort of trouble here?”

“Yes. An evil man that lives beyond the castle grounds has been terrorizing our village. The village elders have tried to speak to our king about it but he refuses to listen.”

“Some king he is.”

“That is why we await the arrival of a hero who will be able to save us from this man.”

Shadow looks behind the woman and saw that the other villagers were gathering around.

“Perhaps you can help us.”

“How so?”

“Maybe you can go to the king and explain the situation to him for us.”

“I’m sorry but I have something far more important to accomplish.”

“Please you must. Not only for my sake but for the other villagers as well.”

The other villagers walked closer and it would be then that Shadow noticed a large group of kids among the adults.

“Where is your king?”

With an excited look on her face, she points to the castle that sits on top of a hill.

“There. That’s where our king resides.”

“Very well. I shall have him cooperating in no time.”

“Oh thank you so much. You have the villages’ and my full gratitude.”

Shadow walks past the woman and the villagers and makes his way towards the hill until the same woman called out to him.

“Wait! Before you go, tell me. What do they call you?”

“Shadow. Shadow the hedgehog.”

At the top of the castle, two sentries stand watch. As they make their routine walk around the castle, one of them spots Shadow.

“Hey look. Seems another one of those darn villagers are trying to ask the king for help again.”

“They never learn do they” Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“This villager seems a bit odd. He doesn’t look like the others.”

“Maybe this one is new.”

“Perhaps. But we can’t take any chances. Ready the crossbow.”

“Sir!”

As Shadow approached the front gate, the guard with the crossbow kneeled behind two short pillars to conceal himself and then aimed at Shadow. The other guard stood his place.

“You there! Who are you and where did you come from?

“The village where else.”

“You lie stranger. You’re an odd sort. You don’t fit the description of any villager I know.”

“Well, that’s where I’m from and that’s all you need to know.”

“What is your purpose here?”

“I’m here to speak to your king.”

“For what reason?”

“You perfectly know well for what reason.”

“I’m sorry but the king has already made it clear to you peasants that he doesn’t want anything to do with you filthy rats.”

“Filthy rats huh?”

“That’s right! Now do the majesty a favor and head back to your village and do what you do best and scoop up manure!”

The two guards begin to laugh. In fact, they laughed so much and so hard that tears began to fall from their eyes. Using the opportunity, Shadow punches down the gate and walked inside. The two guards heard this and immediately went after him.

“Halt intruder! One more step and you shall be shot where you stand!”

Soon afterwards, other guards from within the castle ran to the courtyard, surrounded Shadow and all pointed their spears at Shadow.

“Hmph! You guys call this security? How pathetic. Chaos-“

“What is the meaning of this?”

Shadow ceases his attack.

“Judging from the sound of the voice, his so-called majesty must be coming. Not only that, but the voice sounds familiar as well.”

Coming out from the chamber doors was the king dressed in silk with the most impressive looking crown. What’s more is he does indeed resemble a familiar figure.

“King Maximillian?!”

“Who is this King Maximillian you speak of? I am King Maxler. And you, worthless peasant, have trespassed on my castle grounds.”

“And for good reason too.”

“You had better hope it is. Now then, why have you come here?”

“I’m here to ask you to help the villagers.”

“Ha! Why would I want to waste my time and resources on them?”

“Because they are your people.”

“Bah! I could care less what happens to them. I can always find myself a new village a rule over. Maybe it’ll even be on better land.”

“You heartless jackass!”

“You dare call me a mule! For that, you shall be beheaded. Guards, take him to the guillotine!”

As the guards proceeded to grab Shadow, the screams of the villagers were heard. Everyone went to go see what was going on.

“What are those rats screaming about now?” asked Maxler.

“It seems that the evil man that they speak of is attacking them again.”

“Let them suffer.”

As the king turned his back to the scene, Shadow jumped right past him and skated towards the village at sonic speed.

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 7: The Deal

At the village, the villagers began to run and scream for their lives as a rather odd built machine attacked them. A young child stood there, looking at it. She was so scared that she could not move. Her mother cried out to her but the child still did not move. The robot lifts his right foot and nearly crushes the girl until Shadow came in time and held the foot in the air with his hands.

“What are you doing just standing there? Run!”

But the girl could not move. She was still filled with fear. The mother at this point ran up to her daughter and carried her away. Once the coast was clear, Shadow pushes the leg up, making the robot stumble and fall over. It stood back up and tried to crush Shadow with its right fist but the hedgehog moved out of the way. Now irritated, the robot began to attack in a frenzy, flailing its arms in a chaotic fashion. After a minute, it stopped. Now seeing that Shadow is no longer in its sight, it assumed Shadow was dead. It proceeded with its attack on the village but before anymore buildings were taken down, the robot got struck by a Chaos Spear from above, with the attack slicing it in half. The robot exploded. Shadow reappeared on the village grounds and looked back at the smoke and fire where the robot once stood. The villagers came out of hiding and cheered for their hero. They surrounded him and thank him over and over. Shadow tried to break out of the mob, but more villagers kept coming. It would be the sound of the trumpet call that would make the people break away. King Maxler, riding high and mighty on his white steed, approached Shadow. When his horse stopped, the king got off.

“You are not from around here are you stranger?”

“What makes you say that?”

“The speed at which you were running and how quick you took out the robot with that golden attack. It’s unheard of.”

“This is who I am.”

“What is your name?”

“It’s Shadow. Shadow the hedgehog” said the village woman as she walked towards the two figures.

“Shadow eh?”

“Why are you here at the village? I thought you didn’t care for these people.”

“I don’t, but after what you have shown to all of us what you are capable of, I have decided to come up with a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“Miles beyond these castle grounds lies an island. It is inhabited by the Amazons, a group of rather cold-hearted women, who have separated themselves from society of men. I have recently received news that they now possess a gem of great power. I want you to go to their island and retrieve the gem for me. If you do, I will set out troops in the village to prevent further attacks.

“A gem of power you say? Sounds like a Chaos Emerald. Very well. I’ll go and get the gem but you had better keep your word.”

“I will. A king is too dignified to lie.”

“Which way?”

“There. To the east. You’ll find an ocean and a strip of land in the horizon. Take the boat to reach the island.”

Shadow walks past the king and towards the east. He left everyone without saying a single word, but a thought that has just occurred to him makes him stop and turned around.

“With me gone, the village will be in constant danger. You had better be watching over these people while I am on this mission, because if I come back and see that everyone is killed and the village destroyed, you will be the one to be beheaded.”

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 19 December 2009 - 05:05 PM

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 8: Island of the Amazons

Walking for what felt like days, Shadow has only been walking for a couple of hours. After walking for another few hundred feet, Shadow looks out into the horizon and spots the island.

"There it is. The island of the Amazons."

Shadow looks to the right and sees the small boat.

"I think I'll just skate over there."

As Shadow prepares himself, he hears rustling in the bushes behind him. He quickly turns around.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

The one making the rustling noise did as Shadow asked and walked out into the open.

"I thought I might find you here" said Lara-Su as she picks a leaf from her bangs.

"Lara?! What are you doing here? I told you stay back on Mobius."

"I know. But I couldn't just stay there and let you go on this mission on your own. I told you already, I feel responsible."

"I don't care. They may need you in case they require more information on those aliens."

"Oh don't worry about that. I wrote everything they need to know on a piece of paper."

Lara-Su walks up next to Shadow and looks out into the horizon.

"So that must be the island of the Amazons huh? Gonna go and try to retreive that Chaos Emerald?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Simple. I arrived in the village and asked around if they have seen a black hedgehog walking around. One of the village women said that you were on your way here to get the emerald for the king."

"How would you even know that I would be here in the first place?"

"Like you I too can sense the emeralds. Since the energy given off was strongest here, I assumed that you would come here first. As it turns out, you are."

"For someone so young, I must admit that you're pretty good at this dimensional travel basics."

"I have my father to thank for that. Anyways, are we gonna stand here and chat all day or are we going over there?"

"I am but you're staying."

"Shadow, really? Are you sure you want to start this whole "you do as I tell you" conversation again because let me tell you, I've learned to know how to convince people to let me come along."

"Fine. In that case, you see that boat over there? Go and untie its rope from the post. We'll use it to get to the island."

"Uhh... can't we just use Chaos Control? I mean, it's more quicker and more efficient."

"You want to come along or not?"

"Ok ok fine. Just don't put your spikes in a knot."

As Lara-Su goes over to the boat, Shadow used Chaos Control in silence. She untied the rope.

"Alrighy. Let's get going."

She turned around but did not spot Shadow. She grew angry.

"That hedgehog. He may have the qualities of a hero and a leader, but I swear he can act like a total douche sometimes."

On the island, Shadow reappears in what seems to be like a forest. Shadow walked cautiously, watching every tree and bush. After a few minutes, he make it to the end of the forest. He looks out and realizes that he was on top of a hill. As he looked outward, he noticed the most tranquil scenery ever imagined. Nothing but trees and waterfalls surrounded the village square in the center.

"Quite impressive. These Amazons sure do know how to leave a place unviolated. Reminds me of the Mobians."

Shadow continues to look at the beautiful scene. Just as soon as he turned around, a net flew from the tree from above, taking Shadow by surprise. The hedgehog tried to set himself free but while doing so slipped at the edge of the hill. After tumbling down from the hill, he finally came to a stop at the village square. It was here where the Amazons showed themselves.

"Look at what we have here sisters. A male who wishes to defile our island in all his filth."

Shadow looked up to see who was standing before him but the sun prevented him from seeing clearly. It would only be when the lean female warrior decides to bend forward to take a closer look would Shadow recognize her.

"Sally??!!"

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 10 February 2010 - 11:34 PM

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 9: Lara-Su, Welcome to the Sisterhood

"Sally?! I'm afraid you're mistaken. My name is Diana."

"Knock off the crap!"

Shadow tries to free himself from the net but as he did, Diana and the other Amazons pointed their spears at him.

"Break though that net and you'll have to deal with us."

Shadow stopped monentarily and looked at Diana with fury in his eyes.

"Just so you know, I usually follow a code of honor and won't fight women. However, seeing how I have been placed in this situation, I'll have to make an exception."

"Good. We Amazons will never turn down a challenge. If you so wish to fight us, then so be it."

Shadow stood up and ripped the net apart. As he was getting ready to do battle, he hears a familiar voice call out.

"Wait! Everybody stand down!"

Rushing down into the village square was Lara-Su.

"Please, there is no need for this."

"Who are you?" asked Diana.

"My name is Lara-Su and I'm a companion of this male you see here."

"What? You dare to side with this fool?"

"Allow me to explain."

Thinking to herself for a moment, Diana gives the orders for her fellow warriors to stand down.

"Very well. Proceed."

"You see, my companion and I are here on a very important mission. We are in search of a gem of great power and were told that we may find it here."

"A gem of great power you say? Would this gem happen to be an emerald?"

"Why yes. That's actually what we are searching for."

"Hmm... I see. What do you plan on doing with the emerald?"

"We need it for our people."

"Be more specific."

"Uhh... well..."

"Look" said Shadow as he interuppted Lara-Su. "We don't have time to explain all the details. Either you tell us where the emerald is or we will look for it ourselves."

"Silence! I did not say you could speak."

"I'll speak whenever I choose to."

After saying that, spears once again were pointed at Shadow and Lara-Su.

"Way to go Shadow."

"Oh. So Shadow is your name huh? Sounds to me like you could be one of King Maxler's henchmen. Such a fool of a king. Does he honestly think that he could get our precious emerald by sending in two of his cohorts to try to persuade us. How pathetic."

"We are here on our own terms" said Lara-Su. "Please, you have to believe us."

"I believe you for you are a fellow sister. But it is your male friend that I don't believe."

"He's with me though so you can trust him."

"No man, either friend or foe, can never be trusted. Take him to the cell."

The two Amazons closest to Shadow grabbed his arms. Another grabbed Lara-Su's shoulder.

"What of this one Diana?"

"She will come with me."

"But she is from the outside. Surely she is as untrustworthy as the male."

"NO! She is a fellow sister and must be treated so."

Diana grabs Lara-Su's hand and pulls her to her.

"No worries sister. I will make sure that you will become one of us so that you don't have to live in the outside world filled with lies and deceit."

When Diana said that, Lara-Su looked over to Shadow.

"What will happen to him?"

"He will be dealt with but in the meantime, he will live down in the cell made specifially to hold in unruly men like him."

"This is insane. I don't have time for this. Let me go or else."

Seeing how Shadow refused to cooperate, Lara-Su shot him with a tazer, knocking him out. The guards took him away as Diana smiled.

"It seems you already have taken the first step in becoming an Amazon. Job well done."

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 11 February 2010 - 12:23 AM

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 10: Unwanted Arrival

Down in the dark and cold dungeon, rows of cells are filled with nothing but mice and bones of previous inmates. In the last cell, the most dirtiest of them all, Shadow sits with his back on the wall and his eyes closed. The doors to the dungeon opens. Footsteps, which sound like they belong to only one person, are heard coming closer and closer to Shadow's cell. Finally, when the footsteps ceased, Shadow opens his eyes and saw that Lara-Su was standing there.

"How are you feeling Shadow?"

"Don't talk to me. I don't converse with traitors."

"Shadow please. Understand that what I did was for both of our benefits."

"You mean for your benefit!"

"Just hear me out! Look, I'm sorry for tazing you like that but I had to in order to ensure that our mission wouldn't be jeopardized."

"How is that?"

"Well, now that they trust me and consider me as one of them, I will be able to walk around freely on the island. This means that I can find out where they are keeping the emerald."

"I see. That's a well thought out plan. But are you sure you didn't taze me in revenge for leaving you back on the pier?"

"Not quite. But now that you mentioned it, I guess I could say that yea, that's what you get for leaving me."

"Alright then. Get going Lara. Find that emerald and report back to me."

"Sure thing."

Lara-Su walks back to the entrance and the two Amazons standing guard closes the doors. Shortly afterward, Diana approaches her.

"Hello there Lara-Su."

"Oh hey there princess."

"Were you just talking with Shadow?"

"Yes I was. I was just making sure he was doing fine."

"How considerate of you. But if you don't mind, I ask that you no longer see him. Men are not worthy of our time."

"Uh... of course Diana. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. You are new here so you still have much to learn about the Amazonian way."

"Diana, would it be alright if you showed me where you keep the emerald? I would very much like to see it."

Before Diana could reply, an Amazon that very much resembles Bunnie walks towards the two.

"Don't do it princess. She may be one of us now, but I still don't trust her."

"But I do. And as the princess, I have the authority."

"Yes, that might be so but what of your mother? She has yet to meet Lara-Su."

"Then I'll introduce her. My mother will agree to my decision. Come Lara-Su."

The echidna follows Diana to what seems like to be a tent outfitted to suit the life of a queen.

"Mother. I bring to you a fellow sister from the outside. She wishes to see the emerald but we need your permission first."

Out from the tent walks out the Queen of the Amazons who looks similarly like Sally's mother.

"Mother, this is Lara-Su."

"H-Hello your majesty."

"Ah. You are quite beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Tell me, what brings you to this island?"

"Well, it's just as your daugter had said, I'm here in search of the emerald that you hold here."

"For what purpose my child?"

"To help my people."

"Is that so? In that case, I see no harm in you being able to see the emerald. Diana my dear, take her to the temple."

"Yes mother."

The next scene shifts to Diana and Lara-Su inside of a large chamber. At the end of the chamber lies the emerald atop of a small shrine.

"There it is sister. Is that the emerald of which you seek?"

"Yes! Yes it is!"

Diana walks up the stairs and removes the Chaos emerald from its pedestal. She walks back down and hands it over to Lara-Su.

"Here. Take it. You said you need it for your people."

"Oh thank you so much Diana."

"Anything for a fellow sister."

As the two walked back to the temple gates, two Amazonians ran to them, their faces covered in blood.

"Princess Diana! The island is under attack!"

"By whom?"

"We do not know yet! Their numbers are small but are much stronger than we can handle."

"Alright. I am on my way. What of my mother?"

"She is fine. We have placed every remaining sister not on the battlefield to guard the Queen."

"Excellent work! Lara-Su, will you help us to repel the infidels who trespass on our sacred home?"

"Of course princess! It's the least I can do to repay for your generosity."

"Good. Let's get moving then! We have no time to lose!"

The four Amazons made their way back to the village square.

"Alright sisters, no matter who the enemy is, remember our pledge. If we fight together, then we shall die together! Swords and spears at the ready!"

The female warriors pointed their weapons in the direction of the fight and stood their ground. After the sound of battlecries beyond the bushes ceased, the warriors became more vigilant. Seconds later, a small robotic camera flew out from the jungle and began scanning the area.

"Is that it? Is that what we're up aganist? That tiny floating... thing!" yelled one of the Amazons.

"No! It's not! But the ones controlling it are the real enemies!"

"How do you know this Lara-Su?" asked Diana.

"Because I recognize that floating thing you see before us. Diana, you and the others must fall back."

"We cannot! We Amazons always stand our ground against all foes!"

"Yes I know. You do what you do to protect this island but standing here and fight is putting everyone's lives on forfeit!"

"Then let it be so. We must go through with our pledge."

"You don't understand Diana. The enemies we are facing... their weapons are far beyond your comprehension. Your weapons will have no effect."

"Then how do we stop them?"

"You don't. Shadow and I will take care of this."

"Wait? You and Shadow?"

"Yes! We are the only ones that know how to deal with these certain enemies. Please princess! Trust me on this."

"Very well then. But know that everyone's lives on this island is in your hands."

"I realize that, and believe me, I will not let another one of my fellow sisters die in combat."

"Good to know. Alright then. Get your friend."

Back in the dungeon, Shadow stands alert in his cell, trying to determine what is happening outside. It was at that moment that Lara-Su arrived.

"Lara, what's going on out there? I hear explosions!"

"Its the aliens that attacked Mobius! They're here!"

"What? How many?"

"I don't know."

"Damn. They must be in search of the Chaos emeralds."

"Most likely. Luckily, the princess already gave me this place's emerald."

"Good. Now all I have to do is concentrate on taking out those aliens."

Shadow kicks down his cell door and skates out of the dungeon. Seconds later he arrives in the village center but upon arriving, the aliens are already there, standing before the warriors.

"Allow me to handle this princess" said Shadow as he stopped in front of her.

"Ah Shadow. Lara-Su tells me you have experience in dealing with these creatures."

"That I do."

"In that case, do well Shadow and I will guarantee your complete freedom."

"No worries Diana. These guys are cake compared to the wimps I've fought before. This will all be over before you know it."

This post has been edited by UltimateLifeForm: 09 April 2010 - 03:04 AM

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 11: Short Lived Victory

Shadow immediately initiates an attack on the intruders. He uses a rolling dash to try to hit the lieutenant. The alien, however, was quick to dodge. Shadow spins back around, but this time the lieutenant pulls out a metallic hilt from his belt, and with a single jerk, two laser blades protruded from the hilt on both ends. He swung his weapon at Shadow in an attempt to hit him, but the black blur jumped up and unleashed a homing attack, landing a hit. The lieutenant staggers backwards a bit.

"That's it hedgehog. Now you're done for."

He pulls out a blaster from his holster and starts to shoot at Shadow. Shadow dodges the oncoming lasers, and the same time skated towards him. At this moment, the two soldiers that followed the lieutenant pulled out their blasters and started firing as well. Seeing this, Lara-Su decides to help Shadow by taking out her dual-barreled gun and providing cover fire. The two grunts then redirected their attention towards her while taking cover. The lieutenant, on the other hand, stood his ground and continued to fire at the hedgehog. Shadow teleports from his location and reappeared closer to his target. The alien swings his dual-blades up, but Shadow manages to move to the side in time. The alien warrior tries again this time swinging the beam sword horizontally. Shadow jumps back. Trying for a third time, the lieutenant spins the sword around him and swings diagonally. Quick with his feet, Shadow thrusts his foot forward and kicks his enemy's arm back. Using his other foot, Shadow does a flying knee. This time the invader holds his chest in pain.

"How can one without technology fight so well?"

"I don't need technology to help give me an advantage. Besides, blasters and beam swords don't always guarantee you a victory, especially if your opponent knows how to fight back."

"That may be the case, but having weapons gives one more opportunities to attack with moves that one cannot achieve with bare hands."

"Guess that just makes me the better fighter. Anyways, I'm surprised. I mean, you're a lieutenant. Surely you know some hand-to-hand."

"I do, but I just prefer to use weapons. It helps me accomplish my mission much more quicker and easier."

"Typical."

The two get into their stances and prepare to attack, but a bullet whizzes by Shadow's head and headed towards the lieutenant. The alien simply hits the bullet away with his sword.

"Cutting it close don't you think?" asked Shadow.

"My bad" responded Lara-Su as she walked up next to Shadow.

At this point the two soldiers emerged from their cover and ran back up to their lieutenant and aimed their blasters at Shadow and Lara-Su.

"You know I just can't seem to understand why you two would be wasting your time protecting these primitive fools. After all, they won't serve to be of any use."

"You'd be surprised at how wrong you are" said Lara-Su.

"Wrong? This very moment proves how right I am. Their weapons are pathetic. Centuries old in fact. They are of no help to you. This, among other worlds, will soon be taken over. Just leave them be."

"Why would you even care who we partner with?"

"I don't. You can make friends with whoever you want. All I'm saying is that its best not to get too attached. They will all soon die anyways."

"Not while we're around" replied Shadow. "Chaos Spear!"

The lieutenant grabs the soldier on his right and pulls him in front of him. The power of the spear kills the helpless alien.

"Now this is what is known as performing one's duty."

"You monster!" yelled Shadow. "He was a loyal soldier."

"I told you Shadow. These guys are ruthless."

"Ruthless? Hardly. It's just our nature to be this way. Now, enough talk. Since you two are here, there's a Chaos Emerald close by. So tell me, where is it?"

"The only thing I'm going to tell you is that you're about to die a painful death" said Shadow angrily.

"Poor response hedgehog."

The lieutenant pushes a button on his gauntlet and out came two floating daggers. Recognizing that it was that they were similar to the daggers that killed Shadow's team from the future, she gave a horrified look and froze in place.

"Lara? What's the matter?"

She did not speak up.

"LARA!"

"Shadow, we need to retreat and formulate a plan for the next attack."

"Way too late for that Lara. We need to defeat them here and now."

"No please. Those daggers are dangerous. Its impossible to counter them!"

"What?!"

"The echidna is right. These daggers were designed specifically to kill their target on the first strike. You'll be dead before you know it."

The lieutenant grins, reholsters his blaster, and activates his one-eye visor. He targets Shadow and Lara-Su. Upon lock-on, the daggers immediately pointed at the duo. Just as he was about to give the command for the daggers to attack, an arrow hit the visor, knocking it off his face.

"How's that for primitive?" asked Diana.

"Damn you woman!"

"Looks like you can't use those daggers now" said Shadow. "How helpless you must feel without them."

"Shut your mouth hedgehog! I still have my beam sword. This time, I'm going to cut you into pieces."

"Lieutenant! The enemy has us surrounded!"

"What?!"

The two aliens looked around and noticed that the Amazons were closing in on them, with spears and arrows all at the ready.

"Oh, so now you all decide to come out of hiding. Well, just because the daggers became useless doesn't mean that you all have some advantage over me. Come then. I'll slay every single one of you."

"Don't bet on it" said Shadow. "You still have to deal with me and Lara here. And with one less soldier, you are no match for us."

"I've fought numerous enemies, all of which I have slain on my own."

"But none of them were like me. As strong as you are, you know you won't be able to withstand the powers of Chaos for long. And with so many other foes you need to concentrate on, I predict that you will die fairly quickly."

"Sir, perhaps it is best if we retreated."

"You DARE to tell me to retreat soldier?!"

"Retreat or not to retreat, it does not matter. You'll die anyways. Chaos Spear!"

A flurry of spears flew towards the two foes. With not much time to react, the lieutenant finally gave in to his soldier's suggestion of retreat by teleporting off the island with the use of his gauntlet. The Amazons yell out in joy.

"We did it!" said Lara-Su happily. "Not only did we managed to hold onto the emerald, but we also helped out this world."

"One of out of the other six that we still need to find."

"At least we're one step closer."

"Even so, that's not an excuse for us to use to celebrate our victory here. We need to get moving."

Just when Lara-Su was about to say something, an Amazon from atop the tallest tree yelled out to them.

"I see a creature attacking the western village!"

"No! That's the village where-"

"I know" interrupted Shadow. "Chaos Control!"

[UltimateLifeForm]

Chapter 12: Enter Ifrit

"AAAAAAHHHHHH"

"EVERYONE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

The villagers panicked and ran in the direction of the castle in hopes to find safety there. It is at this moment that Shadow arrived in the village.

"Look! There's Shadow! We're saved!" hollered one of the village men.

Seconds later Lara-Su appeared behind Shadow.

"Lara, ensure that everyone safely gets to the castle. I'll take care of the creature responsible."

"Ok. Be careful Shadow."

Lara-Su leads the remaining villagers out of the village and ran towards the castle all the while making sure that no one was left behind. Shadow stands still with his arms crossed waiting for the creature to show itself. Upon sight of the beast, Shadow scoffs.

"So this is the beast huh? This is the best you can do lieutenant?"

"You fool. Do you not know of this creature? This is Ifrit, the demon of fire. You have no chance against this powerful being."

"Hmph! I've fought demons before. This one should be no different."

"So you say. Alright then. Let's see how long you can last. Ifrit! Kill the insolent hedgehog, then burn him down until he's nothing but a pile of ashes!"

Ifrit growls and charges at Shadow at full speed. Shadow simply grins and gets into his fighting stance.

"This is going to be fun."

Meanwhile, back at the castle, all the villagers have gathered at the castle square, some of which are still in a panicked state. While the guards try to calm some of the villagers down, King Maxler is atop one of the towers overlooking at the damage that has been done to the village. Lara-Su joins the king in watching the horrific sight.

"You know, before Shadow's arrival here, I've always treated those villagers as if they were nothing but oversized rats. I would force them into paying taxes even though they did not have the money. I would make them give up more than half of their crops just so that I can have reserves for the cold season. But as I stand here, looking at their faces as their homes are destroyed, it made me realize how much of a tyrant I was. If I had been a better king, this never would have happened."

"No Your Majesty. What's happening to the village is not your fault. You couldn't have prevented this. Don't worry though. Shadow will defeat the creature and restore peace back to your land."

"Yes... Shadow... The warrior from an unknown land. Even though he knew how bad of a king I was, he still believed that I could change. Granted he threatened me to become better, but nonetheless, he did what he had to do to make sure the villagers would live better lives. In fact, if he wanted to be one, I believe he would make an excellent king himself."

"Yea uh.. Let's not get that far. He's got what it takes to be a hero, but a king? I don't know about that."

"Hahahaha! I thought you would have more faith in your friend than that?"

"Oh I have faith in him. Faith that he will save the village."

"Yes. I do too have faith in that regard."

Back at the village, Shadow is seen dodging fireballs being spewed out by Ifrit and at the same time skating towards the beast. Reaching striking distance, Shadow jumps up and a prepares a Chaos Spear. Ifrit, however, was quick to react and smacked Shadow away with its right hand. Shadow in turn flipped and landed on his feet before hitting the ground. After he stopped skidding, Shadow noticed that Ifrit was already charging its attack. Seconds later, the fire demon spewed out a giant fireball.

"Chaos Rocket!"

Shadow burst through the fireball and hit Ifrit dead on its stomach. It growled in pain. In retaliation, Ifrit again lifts up its right hand, but this time, its hand was covered in flames. As it brought its hand down to crush the black blur, Shadow was in the process of initiating another attack.

"Chaos Blast!"

The red energy ball surrounding Shadow prevented Ifrit from completely pulverizing him. As the energy ball expanded, Ifrit struggled to keep its force currently placed in its hand. Much to Shadow's surprise, however, the beast was actually able to keep the ball in check. Realizing this, Shadow gives out one more yell. At this point, the ball expanded exponentially, causing the demon to stumble backwards as its arm flew back. As the ball dissipated, Shadow begins to breathe heavily.

"What's the matter hedgehog? Is my pet too powerful for you to take down?"

"Your pet?! What makes you think that a demon would serve you, let alone even help you?

"I have my ways."

As Shadow looked on, he noticed a strange device on Ifrit's forehead.

"So that's it? It's being controlled" Shadow said to himself. "If I get destroy that device, Ifrit should wake up from its obedient state."

"Well, are you going to give up Shadow?" asked the lieutenant.

"Not a chance. I now know how to gain a victory in this fight."

"Is that so? Come then hedgehog, let's see what else you got."

"With pleasure."

Shadow skates towards Ifrit with his eyes set upon the device.