#1: "Strike Back"
"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" -Sir Issac Newton

Authors: Nayr T'nargh and Navi Narem

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
 America, Inc. and DIC (except where noted, in which case
 they were created and copyrighted by us). The authors hereby give
 permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed as many
 times as you as long as no changes to the story are made without
 our permission. If these rules are broken, you'll be the one
speaking with my lawyer!
 
Author's Note: Yeah, in case you couldn't tell by now, I _love_ the Robert
 Brown and Francis Tolbert stories. This disclaimer is a
 variation of theirs (mine is less strict). Yes, you can
 sell our story for your own profit. I don't know why
 anyone would want to buy it, but you can... of course, I
 don't know what SEGA would say about that! Anyway, this is
 story number 1 of 9 that I have plots for. There _will_ be
 more. As with my role model's stories, my characters will
 be an ** and Navi's will be a ``. The first nine are my
 plots and the ones after it will be including some from Navi,
 so don't worry. I'll probably be doing author notes for
 the sole reason that Navi would go overboard and make
 the author's note twice as long as the story (the opposite
 problem of Francis). He's a blabber mouth =) My writing
 skills? Not as good as Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert's,
 but I'm sure that will change with time... my first stories
 that I wrote were a solo effort and they aren't too
 terribly good (IMO). This will be the first time I write a
 fanfic with someone else, so hopefully you'll enjoy it. Sorry
 that the first one isn't too long. This is more of an
 introduction of things to come than anything else, and you can
 be sure that future ones will be longer than any short story
 you've ever read. Want an idea of how long? Read my solo
 effort story "Sonic the Hedgehog the Movie 2".
 
 ~Ja ne!
 
Characters that are in this story:
 
first * or ` means who came up with the actual name and character
second * or ` means who came up with most of the background
third * or ` means who came up with most of the physical attributes
fourth * or ` means who came up with "powers"
 
Sonic
Sally
Rotor
Antoine
Snively
Shadow*``*
Bunnie
Lisa****
 
#1
 
 Sonic slept soundly in his hut. It was about 10:00 in the morning
and Sonic was still fast asleep. This was the first time in ten years he
had been able to sleep without a worry even creeping in the back of his
head. It had been one week since the destruction of the doomsday machine
and sleeping was now one of Sonic's regular activities with nothing else to
do. Sally had been very busy assessing the damage done by Robotnik and
Sonic didn't want to have anything to do with it. When they had destroyed
Robotropolis with the power of the deep power stones, they took part of
former Mobotropolis with them. In Sonic's mind, this made even trying to
restore the city where it was before prepostrous. Plus, shouldn't they
worry about getting the King out of the Void before all else?
 Sonic woke up and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe that he was
thinking in this way. He was actually beginning to reason, which scared
him a little. Sonic walked over to his kitchen and took out a pot. He
threw ten hot dogs into the pot and filled it with water, then set it to
boil. In about thirty minutes, Sonic had a nice chili dog feast ready to
eat for breakfast. He threw all the chili dogs into the air and ate them
as they fell. Sonic grabbed the plate and was about to throw it on top of
all the others when there was a knock at the door. Sonic walked to the
door with the plate and opened it.
 "Hey Sal!" Sonic greeted her. Sally glanced at the plate he was
holding and then looked back at Sonic.
 "You can't be eating chili dogs for breakfast." Sally said in a
disgusted tone of voice.
 "Who? Moi?" Sonic asked and let out a huge belch then smiled
sheepishly. Sally sighed in disgust and walked in Sonic's house. Sonic
turned around in surprise watching Sally sit on his bed. Sonic could tell
something wasn't right.
 "What's wrong, Sal?" Sonic asked in a worried tone. Sally sighed,
casting her eyes down.
 "Ever since we destroyed the Doomsday machine, I've been pushing
myself to get things back under control. I just feel that it's all hopeless
now, Sonic. It seems that restoring Mobotropolis is a hopeless effort."
Sally told Sonic. Sonic sat on the bed next to Sally and ran his fingers
through her dark red hair.
 "We'll get things back to the way they were before Robotnik, Sal. I
think what you need right now is a little break. After trashin' Robuttnik
all you've been doing is more work! Take a rest, Sal!" Sonic replied. Sally
nodded.
 "I suppose you're right, Sonic." Sally answered. Sonic beamed ear
to ear.
 "Of course I'm right!" Sonic agreed happily and lifted Sally off the
bed. "Let's go do something fun!" Sonic, holding Sally in his arms, flew
out of his hut. The vacuum of the speed served quite well in closing the
doors and the only trace of Sonic's being there were a few loose papers
settling to the ground in his room.
 Rotor was in his workshop creating more of the metal eating balloons.
They were a huge success in destroying the doomsday machine, and they might
be helpful when they started remodelling Mobotropolis. Mobotropolis. It was
nice thinking of it by that name. For ten years they had been trying to
destroy Robotnik's control of Mobotropolis, slowly loosing people to Robotnik
just to have those people turned against their own resistance. Now that was
over. If only there were some way to get the Deroboticizer to work
correctly... Rotor finished. He had created about twenty-five more metal
eating balloons, more than enough to take care of some of the junk yards.
 Just then, someone yelped and fell backwards into the wheel barrow
the metal eating balloons were in. Half of them exploded, causing the wheel
barrow to disentegrate. The rest fell on the floor where two more exploded,
reducing the number to ten. Antoine sat on the floor in a daze, holding a
case of parts. Rotor started turning red.
 "ANTOINE!!!!!!!!!!" Rotor screamed, his voice echoing throughout the
entire village. Sonic heard the yell, laughing. He knew Antoine had just
done something, but didn't have the time to find out what. He was playing
tag with Sally, which used to be a breeze. Now it was tough. The deep
power stones seemed to have a permanent effect on their speed, though his
power rings still enhanced them. Though the ammount of energy there had been
at the end of Robotnik's defeat was not the same, it still lingered on making
Sally a formidable opponent.
 Sonic had lost track of where Sally was. He looked around and
started to run again. Suddenly, Sally came crashing through the trees
in front of Sonic. Sonic tried to stop, but ran into Sally, knocking them
both onto the ground. They tumbled until Sonic hit his back against a tree
upside down. Sally got off of him.
 "Sonic! Are you alright?!" Sally asked. Sonic flipped back right
side up and shook the leaves and dirt off of him.
 "Yeah, I'm fine." Sonic muttered. "I think we should head back to
Knothole, Sal. I'm tired of playing tag." Actually, he wasn't tired of
playing tag, but his head was ringing from smashing it against the tree. Sonic
picked up Sally and took off towards Knothole. While Sonic was running,
there was a sudden jolt knocking Sonic off of his feet. Sally starting soaring
forwards. She bounded off a tree doing a backflip and landed on the ground.
A huge earthquake was shaking the ground. Trees started falling around them.
 "Sal! What's happening?" Sonic yelled over the sound of trees
falling. Sally shook her head.
 "I don't know, Sonic!" Sally yelled back.
 In Robotropolis, Snively stood in an underground laboratory holding
something shiny in his hand. It was a deep power stone. The one that
belonged to... Griff. That was his name. While building this laboratory, he
had run into the huge freedom fighter group. After swiping the deep power
stone, the city was no longer protected and he had caved it in. Hopefully
there were no survivors. That would screw things up for his factor of
surprise. Snively placed the deep power stone in the head of a black robot
laying on a table.
 "This will serve you much better than your inferior power supply,
Shadow." Snively told the unpowered robot. Snively closed up the head and in
doing so triggered a switch. The robot came to life. It looked around at
the room for a few moments.
 "Step into this little contraption, Shadow." Snively said smiling and
chuckling to himself. Shadow stepped into what looked like a roboticizer. 
A light green light surrounded the robot. Slowly, the metal plates
on him started to crackle off, causing a huge tremor because of source of
power Snively was using. The green light shut off and in front of Snively
stood a black hedgehog with red eyes and a dark smile.
 "Ah... master, it feels good to be a living creature. With this new
power source, I can do anything..." Shadow said, then turned around to test his
powers. He shot a bolt of lightning at one corner causing, the corner to
explode and part of the laboratory caved in.
 "Now let's not be too hasty, Shadow." Snively warned Shadow. "If we
cave this little place in, it will be my undoing. We will go to the surface
and you will guard the perimeter of Robotropolis. If anyone tries to get
through, capture them. If that proves difficult, exterminate them. I need
time to get a new power source set up here, and swatbots are very scarce."
 "No prob, master! Those pitiful lifeforms won't know what hit 'em."
Shadow replied running into the cylinder transportation device. Snively
walked into the cylinder with Shadow.
 "Oh, Shadow? You may just call me Snively." Snively told him as
they went to the surface. Shadow nodded and rocketed out of the machine at
a speed that rivaled Sonic and agility that left Sonic in the dust...
 Back in Knothole, Rotor stood in front of a wall with a huge map of
the earthquake on it.
 "From what I can tell, the earthquake originated from Mobotropolis.
Prediction is a dangerous thing, but it may be a breach in the Void." Rotor
told everyone in the war room. "Are there any questions?" Antoine raised his
hand high in the air.
 "I am to be having ze question, Rotaire. Could eet be Robotneek?"
Antoine asked. Rotor raised and eyebrow.
 "We all know that is not possible. There are no readings of his
life pattern from anywhere in Mobotropolis." Rotor replied in a serious
voice, though he and everyone else felt like swatting him for even
considering such a horrible idea. Bunnie was the only one who didn't mock
his idea.
 "What about Robonik's lil' helper?" Bunnie asked. Rotor's eyes went
wide open. He hadn't checked for something like that! He wasn't even able
to. He never bothered getting Snively's life patterns, because he never
posed any serious threat.
 "Rotor?" asked Sally in conformation. Rotor shook his head.
 "I never bothered getting his life pattern OR checking for him."
Rotor admitted. Sally stood up.
 "Tomorrow at noon, we'll scout the origin of the earthquake for
anything strange." Sally announced. "Sonic and I will take the site from the
north, while Bunnie and Antoine can take it from the south." Bunnie made a
face, but went along with it.
 Shadow was taking it easy sipping a pina colada when he heard
running with his extremely in tune hearing. Shadow quickly finished off his
beverage and ran to the sound and landed straight in front of two animals.
One was obviously a squirrel and the other a hedgehog.
 "Who are you?!" Sonic asked in an unfriendly voice. Sally scolded
him for being rude.
 "Hello. We sensed a tremor coming from inner Mobotropolis. Have you
seen anything suspicious?" Sally asked Shadow. Shadow smiled knowing the
advantage that he had.
 "Yes, I have. I saw a small little guy messing with some machines
near ground zero." Shadow replied.
 "Snively!" Sally and Sonic exclaimed at the same time. Shadow acted
surprised.
 "Snively? Who's he?" Shadow asked in a confused voice. "I've been
laying low for the past twenty years in a fall-out shelter. Mind bringing me
up to speed?" Sonic started tapping his foot and took a look at his watch.
 "Uh, Sal? We're behind schedule. Let's get going!" Sonic said
impatiently.
 "Let's at least finish bringing... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your
name." Sally said. Shadow smiled in what Sonic could have sworn was evil to
the core. Sonic didn't trust Shadow. He felt that he should grab Sally and
leave him in the dust. The only problem was he knew Sally wouldn't hear of
it. Of course if he just took off with her...
 "My name is --" Shadow was cut off by Sonic picking up Sally and
taking off toward their destination. Sally just stared at Sonic, mouth wide
open for a second.
 "What do you think you're doing Sonic Hedgehog?!" Sally yelled at him.
 "I don't like that guy and I don't believe you should either." Sonic
said defiantly. Sally's eyes narrowed.
 "Sonic Hedgehog, you turn around this instant. That's a royal order!"
Sally screamed. Sonic didn't want to take his chances and was about to turn
back when all of a sudden he went soaring into the air screaming in pain as a
terrible jolt went through his jaw. Sally watched, now standing as Sonic went
flying about 500 feet into the air. Sally turned around and saw Shadow acting
amazed.
 "How did that happen?" Shadow asked in awe. Sally shook her head.
 "I'm not sure."
 "As I was saying before your friend so rudely took off, my name is
Shadow."
 "Nice to meet you, Shadow." Sally said. Sonic came falling toward the
ground. Shadow walked to where Sonic was falling and caught him without
difficulty. Shadow set Sonic on the ground in front of him. Sonic rubbed his
sore jaw.
 "We need to get to Bunnie and Antoine, Sal." Sonic said rubbing his
jaw and then pointed with his head at Shadow. "Without his help."
 "Who are Bunnie and Antoine?" Shadow asked.
 "Two of our friends who are entering from the other side." Sally said,
actually testing his truthfulness. Shadow realized this and knew he needed a
diversion to even have a chance at them.
 "Shadow to Snively," Shadow thought. "Send out a few of your swatbots
to shoot me. I need a diversion to take care of some of the Freedom Fighters."
No sooner had he thought this than three swatbots came out from behind a
garbage heap behind Sally.
 "PRIORITY ONE: HEDGEHOG." they droned. One shot at Sonic. Shadow
jumped and pushed Sonic out of the way, getting hit by the laser beam on the
arm. He dropped to the ground moaning.
 "Shadow!" Sally yelled in a worried voice.
 "Sonic..." Shadow said through clenched teeth. "Get Sally and yourself
out of here. I'll catch up later."
 "Sure you will, but I couldn't agree more." Sonic said. He picked up
Sally and took off towards the inner part of Robotropolis. Shadow took his
hand off his arm, revealing not even a trace of a wound.
 Bunnie led Antoine through a deserted and destroyed Robotropolis.
Antoine was cowering in fright, but still stayed behind Bunnie for safety's
sake.
 "I am believing we should be returning now, Bunnie." Antoine said in
a shaky voice. "Ze swatbots weel dispicable us."
 "You mean dispose of, Antoine, and the swatbots have no one to even
control them. There's nothing to worry about." Bunnie replied, still working
her way towards the source of the earthquake.
 Just then Bunnie noticed a blur go flying by.
 "Oh mah stars! Antoine, did you see that?!" Bunnie asked in awe.
There was no answer. Bunnie turned around and Antoine was gone.
 "Antoine?" Bunnie asked, slightly frightened this time. Bunnie heard
a screaming voice and looked up just in time to have Antoine fall on top of
Bunnie, knocking them both unconscious. Two seconds later, they were laying
on the outskirts on the south end of Robotropolis...
 Sonic and Sally were still cruising toward the source of the
earthquake when Shadow showed up again standing right in front of Sonic.
Sonic put on the breaks and stopped just in time.
 "Well, this is where that earthquake started." Shadow said smiling.
Sally had a strange expression on her face.
 "Shadow! I thought you were shot!" Sally said in a confused tone of
voice. Shadow smiled, evilly this time.
 "I was." he said. Sally was about to ask another question when Sonic
and Sally both fell through the ground they were standing on and into a
cylindrical tube. The top came back on trapping both Sonic and Sally in the
cylinder. Both freedom fighters recognized the machine immediately, because
both had been in one at one time. It was a roboticizer. Shadow stepped out
of the darkness in front of them smiling from ear to ear.
 "How could you do this to your own kind, Shadow?!" Sally asked in
anger and fear. Shadow laughed hysterically.
 "Umm... I could trick you into trusting me, then set a trap, then
drop you into it and make you work for my master... It just might work." Shadow
replied and then made a mock surprised look. "Oh, never mind _it just did_."
 "Who is your master?" Sally asked in anger. Shadow laughed evilly.
 "Forgive me, princess. How rude of me not to introduce the only one
who could have made this possible." Shadow replied stepping to the side and
holding a hand out in front of him.
 "You hurt me princess! Surely you recognize round boy's superior..."
a voice said in the shadows. Out of them stepped Snively wearing a black and
red cape that made him actually seem somewhat more threatening. Sonic started
laughing.
 "Hey Snive-ly! Nice costume!" Sonic commented from within the tube.
Snively just stood there smiling.
 "Let's see you say that... when you're roboticized." Snively said
smiling in apprehension. Snively pressed a button. Sally's roboticizer
started warming up. Sonic's eyes went wide.
 "I thought that it would be fitting if the last free thought you ever
had was of your girl friend recieving her first command from me." Snively said.
Sonic reached into his backpack and pulled out a power ring and held it up in
the air. Snively had forgotten about his uncle's previous mistakes.
 "Shadow! Stop him!" Snively yelled in terror. Shadow closed his eyes
and his forehead began to glow. His eyes flashed open.
 "DPS control!" he yelled. Sonic's power ring disappeared from Sonic's
hands and was now in Shadow's. Shadow had also miraculously changed posistions
instantaneously. Sonic gasped. The cylinder was made of diamond glass; no way
to brake through. Sonic watched Snively press another button on his control
panel to the right of Sonic.
 "Stage one robotization." the computer announced. Sonic looked up for
and escape, then down. Sonic drilled a hole through the bottom of the
roboticizer. A purple light began to descend on Sally. Sonic destroyed the
control panel. The purple light continued down, now just below Sally's head,
but then stopped and disapated. Snively slammed his fist against the wall.
 "DPS control!" Shadow yelled again then he and Snively had disappear.
Sally looked out at Sonic, her hands pressed against the inside of the
roboticizer. Sonic drilled into the ground and got Sally out of the roboticizer
the same way he had escaped.
 "Am I cool or what?" asked Sonic smiling proudly. Sally was about to
make a sharp comment when she noticed a LCD display showing numbers counting
down. They were at the number two now.
 "Sonic! Run!" Sally yelled. Sonic spun around and saw the display at
the number one. He picked up Sally and drilled through the wall and up towards
the surface. They made it out, with Sonic's behind slightly cooked from the
self-destruct mechanism. Next thing Sonic knew, he was standing in another
roboticizer with Sally next to him again. Sonic felt the purple rays coming
down on top of him. Sonic shut his eyes knowing it was the end.
 Sonic and Sally were sitting on the edge of Robotropolis. Sonic shook
his head. How did they make it out of the roboticizer? Sonic heard some more
moaning next to him. Sonic saw Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine stirring from what
appeared to be a major battle.
 "What the hoo-hah happened, Antoine?" Bunnie asked, still trying to get
up after being clobered by Antoine earlier. Sonic was confused. How did he
and Sally escape the roboticizer they had appeared in? How did they get in
there? How could Shadow do what he could?
 Sonic's answers would have to wait, because at that moment Shadow
showed up again. Sally gasped. Sonic jumped to his feet.
 "You're goin' down, Shadow! Big time!" Sonic yelled. Shadow laughed.
 "DPS control!" Shadow yelled and Sonic went soaring into the air as he
had earlier screaming in pain. Shadow smiling stepped underneath Sonic.
 "DPS control!" Shadow yelled again. Shadow appeared in mid-air above
Sonic and watched as Sonic careened at incredible speeds toward the ground.
 "DPS control!" Shadow yelled one last time and appeared on the ground
and caught Sonic just before he hit the ground and then dropped him.
 "Your 'hero' would have just been a blue and red splatter if I hadn't
caught him. Let me warn you stupid mortals. I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I am
the ultimate life form." Shadow said. Sonic turned up towards Shadow.
 "You just wanna be like me... faker." Sonic said happily. Shadow
laughed exceedingly hard and almost fell down.
 "Faker?! You're the fake hedgehog around here. YOU comparing yourself
to ME?! Hah! You're not even good enough to BE MY FAKE!!" Shadow told Sonic.
Sonic's eyes narrowed as he jumped to his feet.
 "I'll make you eat those words, Shadow!" Sonic yelled and caught Shadow
in the gut. Shadow toppled backwards. He stood up with a very grave
expression on his face.
 "DPS control." Shadow said. Shadow's posistion changed and Sally,
Bunnie, and Antoine were gone.
 "You've tested my patience, hedgehog. This is for all the marbles.
We'll play a game of mine now. It's called 'Capture the Flag'. The princess
and your other friends are at my base. You have to capture them and escape.
Here's the catch: you have four hours. If you can't get them in four hours,
the roboticizers get them." Shadow said and turned around, then turned to face
Sonic again.
 "Oh, and one more thing: we play by my rules." Shadow added.
 "DPS control!" Shadow yelled and disappeared from sight. Sonic stood
on the outskirts of Robotropolis stunned. He now had four hours to retrieve
his friends and escape. His failure would be his undoing.
 A small blur raced through the rubbage of Robotropolis. That was way
too close. She almost saw him roboticized before her eyes. Now that Sally,
Bunnie and Antoine were at stake, she knew that she couldn't sit on the
sidelines any longer. She appeared right behind Sonic. Sonic was startled
and jumped. The girl laughed. Sonic looked at the girl.
 The girl was a hedgehog about two inches shorter than Sonic with dark
pink, just slightly lighter than red skin. She had hair that was cerulean
blue that came out in front of her eyes just slightly. She wore a black tank
top and tan pants that were slightly too large for her. She had a gold
earring in her left ear and blue boots that looked remarkably like Sally's.
Her eyes were a slightly darker cerulean than her hair, and they shined
brilliantly. Her looks didn't have any effect on Sonic however...
 "Who are you?!" Sonic asked angrily. This was not only because of his
mistrust of strangers, but also because she startled him. The hedgehog closed
her eyes half way and smirked.
 "Gee, aren't we in a good mood?" she teased sarcastically. She put
her hands on her hips, her eyes opening just as wide as they were before. "Is
that any way to treat the gal who just saved your life?" Sonic tilted his head
to one side.
 "Huh?" Sonic asked confused. The girl smiled.
 "My name's Lisa and I just got you and your wife out of that robot
maker! Does that make me worthy enough to be trusted?" Lisa explained. Sonic
held out his hands in protest.
 "Sally's not my wife! My girl friend, maybe, but certainly not my
wife!" Sonic said, even though he knew full well that he was going to marry
her someday. Lisa started sweating. She had to remember not to slip up!
Another mistake just slightly worse than that could destroy everything!
 "Sorry, when I saw you I figured that you two must be married." Lisa
covered. "I'll be sure to remember that! Right now, however, I believe we
have bigger problems to worry about." Lisa glanced towards Robotropolis while
speaking. Julian really had done some major damage, hadn't he? Mobotropolis
looked like a waste land. Sonic hesistantly spoke.
 "Well... you can come along right now, but if I catch you trying to
double cross me I ain't holding back." Sonic said and was about to pick Lisa
up. Lisa backed away.
 "What do you think you're doin'?!" Lisa yelled at Sonic.
 "Trying to pick you up! You can't keep up with me!"
 "Wanna bet?"
 "Sure!" Sonic said revving up his legs. "Bailing warp nine!"
 "Jelly n' Jam time!" Lisa yelled and they both took off at the same time
along the edge of the city of Robotropolis, just between the trees and garbage.
Sonic's mouth dropped open. Not only was she keeping up, but she began to pass
him. Sonic poured it on as much as he could, but Lisa passed him with what
seemed to be no problem.
 "Okay!!" Sonic yelled. "You've made your point! Slow down and let's get
to the others! We're running out of time!"
 Lisa laughed to herself and slowed down. They pulled a right and went
into Robotropolis.
 Sally woke up from her nap. She must have been drugged, but couldn't
remember when or how it could have happened. Sally tried to move, but found
she couldn't. She looked at her arms and saw the restraints on her hands.
Then she looked up. Sally saw a gun pointed at her from above. She was just
about to try and get away when Snively walked into the room and stood next to
her.
 "Ah... I see you've awoken from your 'nap'. Like my new invention? It's
called the T-roboticizer. By just shooting you with this small ray, I can
roboticize you. I haven't figured out a way to make it instantaneous, plus
this way is so much more fun. The cell the beam hits immediately turns
robotic. Then two cells around it. Then four, then eight, then sixteen, etc.
In other words, princess, it slowly doubles each time. After about five
minutes it will have consumed all your flesh and about three minutes after that
you'll be under my complete control." Snively said smiling, then spoke again.
"You'd even want to tell me the location of, say... Knothole..."
 "Your even worse than your uncle, Snively!" Sally yelled. Snively was
taken back.
 "Princess! I'm shocked! I'm simply suceeding in doing what my uncle
could never accomplish. I'm a fair man, too! I'm giving your beloved hedgehog
four hours to come and rescue you. It's already been three, my dear, and Sonic
is finding that your location is very well hidden and very difficult to get to."
Snively said smiling in his new evil sort of way. Snively started to walk away
with Sally screaming at him in the background. Now he just had to break the
news to the other freedom fighters once they had awoken. Sonic was almost to
his compound, but Snively didn't worry. After all, this was being done by his
rules. His rules included someone guarding the flag and that someone was...
 Shadow stood in front of the fragments of the last huge building in
Robotropolis. Shadow looked at the watch on his wrist. Shadow had planted a
bug on Sonic before he took the freedom fighters back to the main compound.
Sonic was about seven seconds from Shadow.
 "Easy target." Shadow said to himself. "DPS control!" What could not be
seen was that this power Shadow continued to use was a space warp. He could
pause time for about ten seconds with it. This meant that his velocity and
everything else about him was infinite. That makes the slightest tap of the
finger as powerful as getting hit by a maglev. Shadow ran up to Sonic who was
in the running formation but as still as a stone. Shadow laughed and was about
to fling Sonic into a nearby trash heap when he tripped over something. Shadow
jumped to his feet and looked back to see Lisa.
 Time started again and Sonic ran over Shadow. Sonic almost lost his
balance and Shadow stood up looking very angry.
 "How?!" Shadow asked Lisa who he was now facing. "How could you still
move during my space warp?" Lisa smiled at Shadow.
 "Quantum control!" Lisa yelled. Her posistion appeared just behind
Shadow. Lisa stepped to the side. Shadow just stood where he was. He
laughed.
 "Hah! Nothing ha--" Shadow was caught off guard when out of no where a
horrible pain in his stomach started, knocking the air out of him, and he flew
through the nearest trash pile. Shadow jumped back onto his feet and wiped the
trash off him. Shadow moved his mouth as if trying to say something. The
truth was, he couldn't figure out what to say.
 "How can it be?" Shadow asked. "I possess the energies of the deep
power stones. How can you do it, too?" Lisa didn't answer. She couldn't tell
anyone about her origins or it would change everything she set out to
accomplish.
 Shadow didn't need any explaining. He had figured out enough to make
a reasonable conclusion. This female hedgehog was also in tune to the deep
power stones and only one of them could remain standing. Sonic, however, was
his main concern and would remain that way. He only had to delay him for
another thirty minutes.
 Sonic stared at both Lisa and Shadow in unbelief. Where had these
hedgehogs obtained such incredible power? That was only part of the incredible
feat. Shadow had just gone through a metal scrap pile and stood up with not
even a scratch. Any normal person would be dead. Sonic didn't lose track
of his motives, however. He only had an half an hour to get Sally, Bunnie, and
possibly Antoine... yeah, Antoine too. Sally would have a fit if he didn't,
plus Antoine would squeal when it came to Knothole's location. If he almost
cracked because Snively used margarine instead of butter to make escargo, then
there was no way Antoine would be left behind.
 Sonic ran off towards a huge building. It was probably the biggest
structure left in all of Robotropolis meaning that was where Snively had Sally.
Lisa winked at Shadow and took off with Sonic. Shadow glared at them.
 "DPS control!" Shadow yelled. He ran at Sonic and right when he was
about to reach him, he stuck out his hand and Sonic moved forward about one
foot. Shadow looked all over the place for the female hedgehog. She was no
where to be seen. It didn't matter. Sonic was as good as dead now and the
only thing that could save him was someone countering the attack.
 Shadow's fears were realized as Lisa showed up and used the same attack.
Sonic moved back to where he was. Shadow used the attack again and fell to
his knees. Lisa used the attack one more time. Time restarted. Sonic
lurched forward and then backward again. Sonic fell to the ground unconscious.
 "I've won, female." Shadow panted from the ground. "Sonic's friends will
all be mindless slaves."
 "What if I save them?" Lisa asked him.
 "You can't. The agreement was that Sonic save them. If he doesn't,
then the agreement isn't fulfilled and they still will be roboticized."
 "You're right, but I guess you can't make 'em robots if you don't have
them, now can you?" Lisa asked smiling at Shadow. Shadow's eyes went wide.
 "DPS control!" Shadow yelled. Lisa ran off. Shadow caught up with her.
 "It's to late, female! You cannot outrun the ultimate life form!"
 "That's where you're wrong, Shady! You're just a pathetic prototype!"
Lisa told Shadow. Shadow was about to speak when Lisa beat him to it.
"Quantum control!" Lisa yelled. Shadow went sprawling onto the ground and
slid into the metal builing in front of him. Lisa was standing next to him
with the Freedom Fighters. All of them were about to start asking questions
when Shadow got up rather shakily.
 "I... am... the ultimate... life form..." Shadow said weakly. He stuck
out his hand and a huge wave of energy rocketed out towards them. Though Lisa
and the freedom fighters couldn't see it, Shadow fell to the ground
unconscious from the lack of energy he had. Lisa saw the energy draw near.
 "Quantum control!" Lisa yelled and ran off, the wave of energy still
coming, but slightly slower. She picked up Sonic and made it out of
Robotropolis. The area in the wave was desolate.
 Sally slowly regained consciousness. The impact of the wave and all the
trouble had been too much for her to comprehend. Sally looked to the right of
her and saw a hedgehog.
 "Sonic?" she asked weakly. The figure shook their head.
 "My name's Lisa. I can't tell you anymore about me except that I'm a
friend and will cause no harm. Sonic can testify for me and you know how
untrusting he is." Lisa told Sally. Sally's vision cleared up some more and
could make out details. Sally squinted for a slightly better view.
 "You look... familiar, Lisa. Do I know you?" Sally asked in awe. Lisa
smiled, letting out the only clue she would give for a very long time.
 "Not yet."