Note: Thus, the climax begins. On our last adventure, Shadow and the gang discovered that Lil had been snooping around ARK...only to be captured Von Dr. Eggman! Meanwhile, time is running out for our heroes, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and the troubled Myzak. If they don't capture Eggman within the Weiter 8 hours, it'll be history for the blue dude. Will they be able to do it in time? oder will Dr. Eggman get the last laugh?
***
“I think we're getting closer!” Rouge couldn't control the excitement in her voice. “This intruder is so stupid!”
“You bet!”
Rouge looked up. Lil was chained to a wall. The black cat's eyes looked red, as if she had been crying. “What the heck are Du doing here, Lil?” Rouge asked.
“Willing Du to get away!” Lil sobbed in reply. “I LOATHE being the damsel in distress!” She pulled. The chains held her hands behind her back. Her wrists were bruised from the strain. “Get out! It's a-”
WHAM! A cage sprung out from over the unsuspecting bat. Rouge screamed, raged, and banged herself against the bars. “What? Where the heck did this come from?!” She panted. “Lilith, Du lazy assassin, go get Shadow!!”
Lilith didn't need to be told twice. In fact, she would've been at Shadow's side that very Minute miming the whole thing. Unfortunately, before she could've reacted, the fuchs had been tranquilized with a dart. Rouge hadn't noticed this, so she didn't suspect that the reason why Lilith was lying on the ground was accidental.
“MWAHAHA!” Eggman's laughter was overwhelming. “YOU'VE BEEN CAUGHT IN MY ILLUSTRIOUS TRAP! NONE OF Du WILL ESCAPE! OH, IF ONLY A CERTAIN HEDGEHOG WOULD ARRIVE AND RESCUE YOU! WOULD THAT BE SHADOW, PERHAPS?”
“You leave him alone, Du monster!” Lil screamed over the horrible, deafening laughter that almost broke the loud speakers. Tears flew out of her eyes freely.
***
Shadow couldn't believe his eyes. Not only had Dr. Eggman captured the team, but he was rubbing it in the hedgehog’s face! “Curse you, Doctor!!” Shadow screamed. “You have yet to see the true power of the Ultimate Life Form!”
***
“What was that?” Sonic asked. He tensed his body; ready for anything. His eyes scanned the area. “I thought I heard Eggman laughing. Du guys heard it too, right?”
“Of course I did, hedgehog.” Myzak spat on the ground. “I'm a cat, after all. Ya'll do know that Katzen have a better hearin' system than most mammals, correct? Out fancy do-dad ears can pick up more.”
“Showoff.” Knuckles playfully punched Myzak in the upper arm. “Anyway, I think he's here. We all heard the laughing. My guess is that he's vandalized the system. Is that possible, even?”
“He's certainly powerful enough, Knuckles.” Tails nodded. “The only problem we have is that we need to find him before the remaining eight hours are up! ARK is HUGE!!!”
Myzak's gaze went distant again. His mind began to wrestle with itself again. “It's a tomb...” Myzak's voice began to go back to the old man's. “Get me out!” It cried. The tomcat fell to the ground and panted heavily. He gasped for air. “Help me, Knuckles!” Myzak's southern accented voice returned. He suddenly went limp, like a piece of wet paper. Then, he stopped. He stopped breathing and Mehr importantly...moving. Eyes still wide open.
“MYZAK!” Knuckles dropped to his knees and started to shake the motionless body. “Don't die like you've been stabbed, if Du haven't!”
Myzak began to cough. He closed his eyes and sucked in gulps of air. “The attacks are too strong.” Myzak wheezed. “I need to rest.”
“I think you're right.” Sonic nodded. “Tails and I will go ahead. Knuckles, stay here with Myzak. Remember: No one gets left behind!”
“Or forgotten, oder goes down without honor.” Tails added, and they hurried off.
***
“What will happen if we run into maniac Eggman anyway?” Tails asked after what seemed to be hours (which it had been.) “I mean, do we have a plan?”
“Do we ever have plans?” Sonic laughed. “I mean, we always go with the flow.” He stopped dead in his tracks. A flash of black had startled him. The black streak bounced back and forth on the Wand at a blinding speed. “Shadow?” Sonic asked. “Shadow, is that you?”
“STOP!” Shadow abruptly appeared where the black flash had bounced. His grave expression confused the blue hedgehog. “Lil...the others...” Shadow panted. “I...I saw Du arrive...on the cameras...and then...Eggman hijacked the computers...He's in control!”
“And so the high and mighty Ultimate Life Form decided to ask for help?” Sonic rubbed his nose. “Right. We heard Eggman from in the hanger. Where do Du think he is?”
“In Doctor Gerald Robotnik’s private lab...where I don't have access.” Shadow breathed in. He then shoved Sonic to the wall. “Tails, Du can hack into the systems?”
“Maybe.” Tails shrugged. “I don't really know.”
“You don't understand!” Shadow yelled. “Not only are Lilith's and Rouge's lives on the line, but LIL'S as well! It's not like I'm in Liebe with her at all, but the fact that she's one of my closest friends! If she dies-”
“It'll be like Maria, won't it, hedgehog?” Myzak's voice echoed behind them. They spun around to see Myzak leaning on a wall. “I'm sorry for the both of us.” The tomcat continued. “You see, I have Doctor Gerald Robotnik’s brain tryin' to steal my sanity. That means I know everythin' 'bout you, slimy black hedgehog!” Myzak spat.
“What the heck?” Sonic jumped. “That doesn't make sense!”
“Sure it does. Du see, when I was about twelve, we moseyed on over here through a wormhole. I remember that much. Somehow, I was grabbed durin' the massacre and Doctor Gerald put this gadgety thing on my head and inserted a whatchamacallit device in my brain. It hurt like hell. Ever since, I've been wrestlin' with it. That, and I have slight dissociative amnesia.”
Shadow stared. “With that knowledge, Du then must know why I've been following you? Could Du really-”
“GUYS!” Tails screamed. “We can deal with the weirdness later! Myzak, since Du say you're sharing brains with a dead guy, could Du get us in the laboratory?”
“I'm a computer hacker, not a rocket scientist!” Myzak snapped. (Tails was about to point out that theoretically he was.) “I bet Dr. Eggman's fire-walled the whole system. No problem, though. Just Zeigen me the door.”
“By the way,” Sonic started to follow Shadow down the hall. “Myzak, where's Knuckles? I thought he was with you.”
“He's takin' care of business...” Myzak replied.
***
“I think we're getting closer!” Rouge couldn't control the excitement in her voice. “This intruder is so stupid!”
“You bet!”
Rouge looked up. Lil was chained to a wall. The black cat's eyes looked red, as if she had been crying. “What the heck are Du doing here, Lil?” Rouge asked.
“Willing Du to get away!” Lil sobbed in reply. “I LOATHE being the damsel in distress!” She pulled. The chains held her hands behind her back. Her wrists were bruised from the strain. “Get out! It's a-”
WHAM! A cage sprung out from over the unsuspecting bat. Rouge screamed, raged, and banged herself against the bars. “What? Where the heck did this come from?!” She panted. “Lilith, Du lazy assassin, go get Shadow!!”
Lilith didn't need to be told twice. In fact, she would've been at Shadow's side that very Minute miming the whole thing. Unfortunately, before she could've reacted, the fuchs had been tranquilized with a dart. Rouge hadn't noticed this, so she didn't suspect that the reason why Lilith was lying on the ground was accidental.
“MWAHAHA!” Eggman's laughter was overwhelming. “YOU'VE BEEN CAUGHT IN MY ILLUSTRIOUS TRAP! NONE OF Du WILL ESCAPE! OH, IF ONLY A CERTAIN HEDGEHOG WOULD ARRIVE AND RESCUE YOU! WOULD THAT BE SHADOW, PERHAPS?”
“You leave him alone, Du monster!” Lil screamed over the horrible, deafening laughter that almost broke the loud speakers. Tears flew out of her eyes freely.
***
Shadow couldn't believe his eyes. Not only had Dr. Eggman captured the team, but he was rubbing it in the hedgehog’s face! “Curse you, Doctor!!” Shadow screamed. “You have yet to see the true power of the Ultimate Life Form!”
***
“What was that?” Sonic asked. He tensed his body; ready for anything. His eyes scanned the area. “I thought I heard Eggman laughing. Du guys heard it too, right?”
“Of course I did, hedgehog.” Myzak spat on the ground. “I'm a cat, after all. Ya'll do know that Katzen have a better hearin' system than most mammals, correct? Out fancy do-dad ears can pick up more.”
“Showoff.” Knuckles playfully punched Myzak in the upper arm. “Anyway, I think he's here. We all heard the laughing. My guess is that he's vandalized the system. Is that possible, even?”
“He's certainly powerful enough, Knuckles.” Tails nodded. “The only problem we have is that we need to find him before the remaining eight hours are up! ARK is HUGE!!!”
Myzak's gaze went distant again. His mind began to wrestle with itself again. “It's a tomb...” Myzak's voice began to go back to the old man's. “Get me out!” It cried. The tomcat fell to the ground and panted heavily. He gasped for air. “Help me, Knuckles!” Myzak's southern accented voice returned. He suddenly went limp, like a piece of wet paper. Then, he stopped. He stopped breathing and Mehr importantly...moving. Eyes still wide open.
“MYZAK!” Knuckles dropped to his knees and started to shake the motionless body. “Don't die like you've been stabbed, if Du haven't!”
Myzak began to cough. He closed his eyes and sucked in gulps of air. “The attacks are too strong.” Myzak wheezed. “I need to rest.”
“I think you're right.” Sonic nodded. “Tails and I will go ahead. Knuckles, stay here with Myzak. Remember: No one gets left behind!”
“Or forgotten, oder goes down without honor.” Tails added, and they hurried off.
***
“What will happen if we run into maniac Eggman anyway?” Tails asked after what seemed to be hours (which it had been.) “I mean, do we have a plan?”
“Do we ever have plans?” Sonic laughed. “I mean, we always go with the flow.” He stopped dead in his tracks. A flash of black had startled him. The black streak bounced back and forth on the Wand at a blinding speed. “Shadow?” Sonic asked. “Shadow, is that you?”
“STOP!” Shadow abruptly appeared where the black flash had bounced. His grave expression confused the blue hedgehog. “Lil...the others...” Shadow panted. “I...I saw Du arrive...on the cameras...and then...Eggman hijacked the computers...He's in control!”
“And so the high and mighty Ultimate Life Form decided to ask for help?” Sonic rubbed his nose. “Right. We heard Eggman from in the hanger. Where do Du think he is?”
“In Doctor Gerald Robotnik’s private lab...where I don't have access.” Shadow breathed in. He then shoved Sonic to the wall. “Tails, Du can hack into the systems?”
“Maybe.” Tails shrugged. “I don't really know.”
“You don't understand!” Shadow yelled. “Not only are Lilith's and Rouge's lives on the line, but LIL'S as well! It's not like I'm in Liebe with her at all, but the fact that she's one of my closest friends! If she dies-”
“It'll be like Maria, won't it, hedgehog?” Myzak's voice echoed behind them. They spun around to see Myzak leaning on a wall. “I'm sorry for the both of us.” The tomcat continued. “You see, I have Doctor Gerald Robotnik’s brain tryin' to steal my sanity. That means I know everythin' 'bout you, slimy black hedgehog!” Myzak spat.
“What the heck?” Sonic jumped. “That doesn't make sense!”
“Sure it does. Du see, when I was about twelve, we moseyed on over here through a wormhole. I remember that much. Somehow, I was grabbed durin' the massacre and Doctor Gerald put this gadgety thing on my head and inserted a whatchamacallit device in my brain. It hurt like hell. Ever since, I've been wrestlin' with it. That, and I have slight dissociative amnesia.”
Shadow stared. “With that knowledge, Du then must know why I've been following you? Could Du really-”
“GUYS!” Tails screamed. “We can deal with the weirdness later! Myzak, since Du say you're sharing brains with a dead guy, could Du get us in the laboratory?”
“I'm a computer hacker, not a rocket scientist!” Myzak snapped. (Tails was about to point out that theoretically he was.) “I bet Dr. Eggman's fire-walled the whole system. No problem, though. Just Zeigen me the door.”
“By the way,” Sonic started to follow Shadow down the hall. “Myzak, where's Knuckles? I thought he was with you.”
“He's takin' care of business...” Myzak replied.
