Sonic ran for several minutes before he reached a fully metal corridor. Pipes and power cables covered the walls and a bright overhead string of lights illuminated the area. “Guess Robotnik didn’t have time to hire a decorator.” Sonic’s choices were either left or right. “Decisions! Decisions! What is a hedgehog to do?” Sonic reached into his shoe and pulled out a small coin. “Heads right! Tails left!” Sonic started to flip the coin as a large metal door rose up from the floor and closed off the left corridor. “I guess heads wins by default.” Sonic dashed down the clear corridor. As he ran, he found himself facing several sealed off archways. He was being led somewhere. Sonic was never one to disappoint a trap and followed the route that was laid out for him.

Shadow the Hedgehog had been in many tight situations. But he now faced one that nearly topped them all. A large warship was hovering just a mile away and while he had been dealing with Robotnik’s latest toys, he had been surrounded by a very large military force. At least a hundred solders were aiming laser rifles his way and they were backed up by a few dozen tanks and battle walkers. Behind Shadow, Robotnik’s pod weapons had grown to about thirty in number. The very definition of a rock and a hard place. And Shadow found himself right in the middle. Shadow sighed. “Figured I would be taken down like this.” He held his hand out and a green Chaos Emerald appeared in it. “You want my life that badly? The prepare to pay a very high price.”

Tails flew his plane as fast as he could while Knuckles hung onto the top wing. The pair were close to the location that Rouge had given them. Tails turned on the auto pilot and stood up in his seat to talk to Knuckles.

“How are you hanging?”

“Just fine! But Sonic is crazy for not simply having you put another seat in this thing.”

“It allows more room for the engines.”

Knuckles nodded. Just like Sonic to ignore any sane attempts at safety just to make his plane move faster. “Any chance we can trust the directions Rouge gave us?”

“I don’t see why not! You doubt her?”

“Normally she charges us. I have every right to fear anything she gives to us for free.”

Tails chuckled and sat back down. While Knuckles may have been joking, the small fox now wondered why she had not asked for payment. His thoughts were interrupted by Knuckles shouting.

“Incoming!” A pair of large fighter jets shot past the plane.

Tails checked his radar and sensors. “Just two of GUN’s military jets.” Tails looked up and saw a large object in the sky several miles ahead of them. “I guess that is GUN’s new super carrier.”

Knuckles spun around. “Any idea why they are all the way out here?”

“Robotnik probably. Guess Rouge told more than one person. I’m sure GUN would be willing to give us a hand.” His radar beeped as it detected a missile lock on signal. The jets that had flown past had turned and were charging at them.

“Some hand! We know how to crash.” Knuckles looked past the tail of the plane and saw twin streaks of smoke coming at them.

Tails pressed a small button and two flares shot from the back of the plane. The missiles changed course and exploded after impacting the flares. “Sonic’s going to have to do without us for a few.” Tails changed course.

The path that led Sonic around Robotnik’s base eventually led him to a dark room. It was dark all round save for a small glass table in the center. A beam of light shot down from the ceiling and illuminated the area around the table. A small chair sat on Sonic’s end. The other end was dominated by a very large chair with a large man sitting in it. The man leaned forward and smiled a white tooth smile.

“Greetings Sonic.”

“Robotnik! Nice place you have here. To bad I have to take it down.”

The fat man laughed and leaned back. “I will never tire of your wit.” He motioned to the small chair with a black gloved hand. “Would you like to join me?”

Sonic zoomed to the chair and stopped just short of it. He walked around it, examining every inch of it before he sat down. “What is the game, Robotnik?”

Robotnik chuckled and waved to a small robot that was behind him. “You know, after all these years of trying to kill you, we never sat down to have a chat.” The robot rolled up on a small wheel. It carried a serving tray with two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine.

“The last chat we had is when you had me in a tube and shooting me into space.”

The robot set the glasses down and filled them. Robotnik picked up his glass and took a small sip. “Two warriors battling in a never ending battle of wits.” Robotnik finished the glass and waited for the robot to refill it. “But soon this battle will end and to my dismay. I will not be the one to finish you.”

“What are you babbling about?”

Robotnik chuckled and hit a button on his chair. Several screens appeared. It showed Shadow, Tails, and Knuckles fighting the forces of GUN. “It seems GUN had declared war on you and your friends. I am sure that GUN will sustain much damage and loss on this attack, but as you can see, your friends are beginning to tire.”

Sonic glared at the screens as he watched the battle unfold. “How could they do this to us? We saved this would dozens of times. Well Shadow tried to blow it up at first, but that isn’t the point.”

“Betrayal! I love the sting it inflicts onto people.” Robotnik finished his glass. “Good thing for you, I am willing to help. For a price of course.”

“What?”

“The Chaos Emerald you are currently carrying. I was planning on making my escape after GUN had finished with your friends, but give me the emerald and I will leave now. Distracting GUN in the process and allowing your friends to escape.”

“How is your escaping going to distract gun?”

Robotnik laughed as the robot filled his glass once again. “Not convinced! Then a demonstration is in order.” The room began to shake violently.

Sonic spread his legs out to balance himself. “What is going on?”

“We’re lifting off.”