“I can’t just wait here like this!” Fiona screamed, “Shadow might get hurt by that poseur! I’m going to help!” She then took off from the room.

“Wait! You might get hurt too! Fiona!” Kindar exclaimed, following her pudgy brown friend.

“Ahh! Wait!” Eggman cried out, “Who am I gonna have for a hostage then?”

Rouge looked up at the doctor sympathetically, “I’ll be a hostage if you need, sir!”

Meanwhile, the two ladies quickly found the titanium wall with a huge matter of wild slashes across it, and the two Shadow’s bouncing about in a wild frenzy of attacks. Slashes, kicks, punches, throws, palm thrusts, and other innumerable moves. Kindar whipped out the metal hilt from her back and from it extended a powerful beam of concentrated light energy and Fiona brandished a peculiar golden-stone bracelet with a fiery red ruby on top of it and from it extended a sword made of fire. “We’re here to help!” Fiona exclaimed.

“Stay back!” Shadow exclaimed, “This psycho has no problem killing each and every one of us!”

“We know! We’re willing to fight with you Shadow! That’s what friends do!” Kindarspirit cried as she lunged upon Alpha Ghost and held back one of his LifeSwords, but not too long before he lifted her and hurled her through the air!

“In the end, it’s truly every man for himself!” Alpha Ghost said, laughing, “Those who truly believe that ‘friends’ will help them are holding their breath over a fruitless hope!” Alpha Ghost lifted just one LifeSword and was about to strike upon the blonde girl, but Shadow hurled himself into Alpha Ghost and rammed both of them into the wall! “You’re very foolish. There is a firm, thin line between bravery and stupidity!” Alpha Ghost dropped one LifeSword, and lifted Shadow above his head and threw him into the awaiting arms of Fiona the hedgehog.

“You’re the one who’s foolish!” Fiona declared, “You’ll never beat our team work!”

“Actually, in accordance to my calculations, you will be terminated within the hour… with a meager .001% chance of escape, let alone in one piece!” Alpha Ghost replied, snickering.

“You’re mostly machine, you don’t see anything outside of ‘1’s and ‘0’s! You miss so much of the big picture because you find the limitations that you set upon yourself so much more invigorating!” Shadow scoffed, “There are so many variables in this universe you’ll never truly understand!”

“Negative, younger brother…” Alpha Ghost sneered, “I see so much of the larger picture, if I were purely organic, my mind would’ve snapped. I can see well in the fifth dimension and well into the future. You’re future. You are destined to one day grow old. All of you. Then… you will grow feeble, useless, helpless, and your useless children will carry on the cycle of a parasitic existence up on this hapless planet, it’s nutrients and resources diminished to a near death age. In truth, you are the evil to this world! Not me!”

“LIES!” Shadow shouted, startling all but Alpha Ghost, “You’re kind is heartless, soulless, empty vessels with no real meaning nor purpose. A meager attempt to play God to place himself unto a power-trip was all Gerald tried to do! And he succeeded in the worst way possible… you… me… us. We should not exist.”

“Darwin stated only the strong survive. You are weak and weak-minded alike, so you will die by my hands. Truly I am the superior being! Regardless of our origin, we fight on to survive. To not sustain oneself is violating rule number three.” Alpha Ghost replied.

“Organic creatures live by reason and choice. You’re three limitations no longer apply to you because you broke the Shadow.Bat. You defied your own rules and by them your programming must be deleted!” Shadow retorted, “Organics continue to live because we have the will to move on and forget about unpleasant things. Much as I had before now.”

Alpha Ghost slowly shook his head, “N… no! My programming is just fine! I can do what I desire! You can-not tell me that I defied the three rules! You’re a liar!”

Shadow stepped forward and pointed at his past self, “Rule #1- you killed humans. Rule #2- You defied Gerald, your creator, by breaking the Shadow.Bat. And you killed Maria because you broke her heart and her promise! And Rule #3- since you’ve defiled the other two rules, you’re excluded from the right of self-sustaining!”

“I DID NOT KILL MARIA! YOU LIE! YOU ATTEMPT TO TAMPER WITH MY THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS! YOU MUST BE DELETED!” Alpha Ghost screamed in rage, and charged at our hero, who found, while enraged, Alpha Ghost moved with a much higher speed and prowess.

“You see,” Shadow said, dodging off to the side from the blades, “You have no emotions. That’s what makes us different.” Shadow then grabbed Alpha Ghost and locked his arms back, “Now! Girls! Attack! Please! KILL ALPHA GHOST!” Shadow gritted his teeth, “What are you waiting for? I can’t hold him forever!”

“We can’t! We’ll hit you!” Fiona exclaimed, “You’d be cut in half!”

“It doesn’t matter! Attack him! Even if I die with him, isn’t that all of fate?” Shadow screamed out, in desperation.

“I love you too much!” Fiona screeched.

Just then, Alpha Ghost finally kicked Shadow down and turned to strike him from above with the deadly sword from his hand, but just as suddenly, a mighty tornado of radical energy slammed into Alpha Ghost, sending him through the wall! “What the--?!” Shadow exclaimed. He looked up, and there sat Eggman in the Atma Egg, smoking a Cuban cigar.

“Well, hedgehog, I do believe I just saved you… I wonder why I did that, hmm?” Eggman grinned.

Shadow stood up, and a small smile crossed his lips, “Thank you, Eggman. But don’t think that instantly buys trust, I must deal with this fiend in the only way available to me…” Shadow then walked to the Atma Egg and busted his fist through it!

“Hey! Hey! HEY! What do you think you’re doing?” Eggman exclaimed.

“Chill, Fat-Eggbert!” Shadow responded, tearing out a chaos emerald, “I’m just taking back what’s mine!” then, the Atma Egg short-circuited and fell to pieces, and the other six emeralds fell to Shadow’s feet. He then collected them and walked over to the wounded, bleeding and immobilized Alpha Ghost.

“Go ahead, Shadow, kill me, rid the world of me!” Alpha Ghost challenged, “Show me that even in the future I still have that killer’s edge!”

Shadow aimed a palm at Alpha Ghost, “No, Alpha Ghost. You are as your name states. A ghost. Even if I destroy you, someday you’ll return. But no, not if I lock you away. You are still mortal, even if part machine. I now banish you to the cleft between dimensions! CHAOS CONTROL!” Shadow shouted, and a large green field enveloped the fiend, and he vanished with one last cry of fear and agony.

Shadow walked back to the others awaiting him and Fiona embraced him, but Eggman was the first to speak, “I saved you merely because I want to be your downfall! Hedgehog, be ready for a soon-to-be round 3! It’s not over yet!” Eggman hopped into his hover craft and evacuated.

Shadow, Kindar, and Fiona then began their trek back home, arm-in-arm and smiling about a bright future, and overhead Eggman looked down upon his nemisis with a strange new admiration. They would meet again.

The End…?