"So, are you ready?" Eggman suddenly asked.
Shadow jumped from a brief trance within his own mind as he looked up, "Y-yeah, I'm set, doc,"
"You have the chaos emeralds?" Eggman asked.
"Why so pushy? Yeah, I got 'em. I have four: the green, red, blue, and purple emeralds," Shadow told him.
The fat doctor was leading him and Ishnt through a hidden wing of his base into a large control room with a strange platform in the middle and then explained, "This platform can warp anyone to any point in the Milky Way galaxy-the space colony, ARK, included. I pinpointed its location in an artificial meteorite my grandfather must've used as camouflage,"
"I really can't believe it still exists," Shadow mumbled as he gazed onto the data on Eggman's computer, "And what did your grandfather do on ARK?"
"We're not sure yet," Eggman admitted, "But what we do know is that the government confiscated thousands of weapons of mass destruction and strange devices they couldn't even begin to understand. According to the data I found, the government found everyone but Gerald Robotnik and Maria Robotnik dead. Their searches turned up the unauthorized activation of two of the Shadow Series units: Darkness Metal and Project: Gizoid. The two went berserk and killed the crew and scientists-in such time Maria helped you escape, Shadow, or your predecessor-whoever it was in that capsule, anyways. That part doesn't matter,"
"Weapons?" Shadow asked, "How many were left on the colony?"
"Too many to count," Eggman informed him, "And if those two crazy robots are onboard, no one knows what use they've been put to now. You… may not make it back from this mission; you know that, don't you, Shadow?"
"I do," Shadow nodded.
"Well, don't you dare die," Ishnt suddenly interjected, "I want to test my own limits against you someday-so don't even think about going down against those two-bit hacks!"
Shadow smiled, "You got yourself a match, Ishnt,"
Suddenly, the door to the room opened and in walked Rouge the Bat and Ruby the Mouse. Rouge smiled, "Hi, boys! You weren't thinking of leaving with out us, did you?"
"Rouge!" Eggman gasped, "What a pleasant surprise! And… who's that with you?"
"Ruby," Shadow began, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to help," she told him, "Rouge found me and told me what you all were doing after your battle in the baseball diamond against Ivy. You won't win alone-so I must come with you even if it is dangerous,"
"And I found something interesting!" Rouge suddenly announced, "There is no trace of the remaining chaos emeralds on Earth!"
"What?" Eggman demanded, and began a search with his computer, "Ridiculous! Why would they not be on Earth?!"
"Because, Eggy!" Rouge announced, "Somebody came and put 'em up there!"
"You suggest something from ARK came here and got back without our knowing?" Shadow asked, seriously, "That's not possible, is it?"
"It is," Rouge smirked, "Believe me; I saw it with my own eyes! I found the last loose emerald down south in the Summers and this strange thing appears out of no where and takes it and vanished into thin air! They must be on the ARK!"
"Unbelievable! They're right!" Eggman declared as his computerized search came up with no other entries outside of Shadow's own emeralds, "Then they are indeed, somehow, in ARK!"
"So," Shadow sighed, "If I bring the other four with me, I can utilize all seven at once! It's the exact key I need!"
"Right," Ruby smiled softy, "Let's go get 'em!"
"Eggman!" Shadow declared, "Activate the gate to allow me and Ruby direct access into the heart of the ARK! I'm going home!"
"Right then!" Eggman smiled, "Good luck-I suppose. You're fate is in my hands, remember that Shadow! Not theirs! So come back in one piece!" Shadow smirked as he and Ruby stepped onto the platform and a beam of light engulfed them and they vanished from the face of the Earth.
Just as suddenly as the light appeared it vanished from the young, black hedgehog's eyes as they focused into a new-found darkness, "We're home," he muttered.
"Yeah," Ruby whispered low, "But nothing seems to be functioning… everything appears to be broken!"
"I guess whoever came before us busted everything up," Shadow sighed, "Let's find the emeralds, quick!" the two then set off through the darkness, calmly and cautiously. A strange serenity set down on the two rodents as they could vaguely recall their short time spent in the darkened dome and wondered so many thoughts and felt so many feelings, which were so long forgotten. Hall ways upon hall ways, research room after research room, strange machinery after the other-everything had a distinct resemblance to something they could remember only in the darkest vague memory.
Clink-clink, clink-clink, clink-clink, Shadow's shoes made a familiar noise which seemed to ease his mind from the thoughts of battle. He then contemplated the fuzzy notion of a time in which all the Shadow Series co-existed in that small place, and there was no fighting, violence, hatred, malice, cursing, or death. A time when Gerald Robotnik focused only on the progressive improvement of mankind as a whole. Maybe a time in which the Robotnik line could've passed on without the thought of war or conquest. An idyllic reality which seemed only a fading dream.
Suddenly, from the darkness, every light in the ARK suddenly turned on. Motors begin to chug and computers hummed and wires buzzed as fresh power magically filled that metallic place. Ruby's ears drooped as she took a step closer to her brother, seeking shelter from potential harm, but he guided them on firmly. A strange room came into view, and seemed to be their only path so they entered into a large, square, metal, gray room. The door suddenly shut and locked behind them and Shadow attempted to open it but failed in such. When they turned to face the opposing wall there stood Vitra the Bat.
"What?!" Shadow could only gasp, "But how?!"
"It's a hologram or something," Ruby commented, "But she looks real enough,"
"Real enough to be trashed!" Shadow declared, crouching down and activating his hover skates. Suddenly, the deranged, ugly bat-woman rushed at the two rodents, but Shadow rolled off to the side and Ruby leaped clear over her head. Shadow remembered how vicious and crazed Vitra was the first time he encountered her, so he wasn't about to let her get a grip on him or his sister, so he whipped out two of his emeralds and formed the chaos blade and viciously drove them into the strange hologram-girl and she disappeared. Then, the door on the opposite side of the room opened.
"Looks like something's testing us," Ruby commented, "I have a bad feeling about this," Shadow merely nodded as the two of them moved onto the next room. There, they saw Sly the Lizard, grinning maliciously at them. "That's so low," Ruby growled through her teeth, "Whoever is at the wheel of these holograms obviously has no respect whatsoever!"
"Who cares? It's just a computer image," Shadow affirmed her, "And if it's as easy to beat as the last one, then it shouldn't be a problem," The two rodents rushed the tall lizard-man who angrily swung his tail at them. Shadow easily rolled under it, but Ruby got swatted across the room. The hedgehog then rose up and brought his blade through that hologram as well, and it too, vanished. Like before, the next door also opened up. "Are you okay?" Shadow asked.
"I'm fine," Ruby said, getting up and dusting off, "He simply surprised me was all,"
"Be more careful, Ruby," Shadow sighed softly, "We don't need anymore people getting hurt," She nodded to him as they walked into the next chamber of the chain-linking rooms. As they predicted, Ivy was next in line. Shadow impatiently rushed forward and began swinging his swords around like a berserker and attempted to hack apart the hologram, but to no avail as it seemed to have little effect. The Ivy-double brought whip-like roots around her sides and hurled the hedgehog back into the wall, which stunned him. "Ah! How stupid of me! Her weak point was that big, gross heart-thing!"
"Must be behind her, right?" Ruby asked as she unsheathed her katana and rushed around the distracted plant-lady and found the object Shadow mentioned, so she slashed it in half. In a flash, Ivy, too, faded away and the next door opened wide.
"I'm tired of these dumb games," Shadow growled as he aimed his chaos emeralds down the next hallway and released a barrage of yellow arrows which obliterated all they struck-and opened a clear walk-way into a large control room.
"Why didn't you do that earlier?!" Ruby exclaimed.
"I didn't think we'd have to put up with garbage like that!" Shadow shrugged as they went on, "Besides, I really don't think I could've taken it had the machine copied Forte's data too-my heart has its limit," The two nodded again and moved on into the newly-opened room. It was surrounded on all sides by dome-shaped round walls and fancy-looking computer systems which seemed to be running diagnostics on different machines. "This must be the central control room for the space colony," Shadow muttered lowly.
Something caught Shadow's attention as he turned and faced one of the walls and there hung a large, black, metal hedgehog-which vaguely reminded him of the blue Metal Sonic robot he faced once before. "That must be… Darkness Metal?!" Ruby gasped, backing away from the large, intimidating robot.
"He looks kind of… like me…" Shadow mumbled as he walked closer to the machine, "I wonder if he's alive or not?"
"Don't get too close! I don't trust him!" Ruby cautioned.
Shadow gasped as suddenly, Darkness Metal's red eyes lit up with electronic life, causing the hedgehog to leap back away from it. The black robot slowly walked away from the wall and the wires connecting him to it snapped and fell like feathers to the metallic floor. Shadow gazed at his new 'brother' as its red eyes searched the room, interested, "So, more fools have come, seeking their own deaths! I can grant your wish!" Darkness Metal announced.
"Darkness Metal?" Shadow sighed, "So, you're berserk too, then? Fine, bring it on!" Shadow announced. The new robot had no interest in words as he lunged for the hedgehog, who merely rolled off to the side, but the black mechanical monstrosity followed right after him and punted Shadow into the wall. Shadow groaned as he slowly picked himself up off the floor, only to feel a hard, metal punch fly into his back and bash him into the cold, flat wall. Shadow stumbled and braced himself against the wall and witnesses Ruby swinging her sword at the metallic imposter.
Shadow then took the new opening to bring his foot into the robot's head, which threw him across the room. The mouse and hedgehog duo stood side-by-side as the robot picked itself back up and steadied itself, ready for another attack. The robotic brother shot after them like a blur and only Shadow managed to back flip from harm's way, but Ruby fell from the assault. Shadow immediately got back into the game and kicked DM in the back, causing it to stumble as Ruby rose and slashed it across the face with her blade. The robot became angry and spun on a strange jetpack on its back and kicked both of its assaulters away.
Shadow shook off the stars quickly, but Ruby was already under attack again, "Hey!" Shadow screamed as he took an emerald from his pouch and re-forged his chaos sword, "What's your problem, buddy?!" Shadow screamed as he brought it through the cold, hard hide of Darkness Metal. The robot stopped, and released Ruby, then turned to Shadow and viciously sucker-punched the black hedgehog. From the shock, Shadow dropped the emerald from his hand, and the robot ripped off the side pouch he wore and took the emerald that had fallen and suddenly ran for a wall. "Hey!" Shadow screamed as he recovered his balance.
Darkness Metal, when he arrived (still wounded) at the wall, he kneeled before it and there, the wall fell open to reveal a hidden doorway. From it walked out a short (as in-the same height as our hedgehog hero) robot with orange-brown metal hide, with blue eyes, and a strange, orange metal plate on his head-and Shadow had no doubt that what he was faced with was none other than the Gizoid. "Master!" Darkness Metal exclaimed, "I have the last four emeralds for you!"
"Excellent," a strangely familiar voice echoed from the machine as it accepted the jewels from his servant, "You've served me well, Darkness Metal. You deserve a reward,"
"Oh! Thank you, master!" The black robot exclaimed, with an air of false modesty.
"Your reward…" the Gizoid calm stated, then placed its hand on DM's head. He then removed the robot hedgehog's head from his body and crushed it in his grip, "A quick, painless death,"
Shadow gasped in shock, "You MONSTER!!!" Shadow screamed, "How dare you do that to him! Let alone, your own servant!"
"Monster?" the Gizoid chuckled, his voice still conjuring vague memories, "I think not, Shadow and Ruby. He did as I needed him to do-get me the emeralds and allow me to copy his powers-which were pitifully few for a creation of my own!"
"Wait, what?" Ruby gasped, confused.
"Here's a little tidbit for you, Shadow the Hedgehog and Ruby the Mouse: I, the Gizoid, carry the mind of none other than Professor Gerald Robotnik,"

To Be Continued…