"Stay with me, friend. You can't die on me right now."
The stranger pulled Shadow with a blanket made from wolf fur he had killed an hour earlier.
"I heard what you've been doing, friend. It's impressive! Fighting all those people alone you must be powerful. Let's become a team, alright?"
Shadow's teeth chattered together. He breathed heavily.
"It's freezing out here. Let me bring you somewhere safe. We'll talk later."
He looked back at Shadow, who was silently agonizing.
"I have to treat that poison first. Then we'll talk, alright?"
Shadow didn't respond. His body was losing strength. Lifting a finger felt like moving a truck.
"No… not now. I can't die now."
"You're right you won't die now. I'm taking care of you, friend."
Blinking became difficult. Closing his eyes was easy; opening them was the hard part. He struggled until everything went dark.
He was on the Egg Carrier.
Metal Sonic's red eyes stared at him from across the dark, broken hallway of the ship.
"You dare stand in the way of Doctor Robotnik's revolutionary creation. You absolute waste of brain power. The Doctor should have never made you."
"You are a waste of potential. You call yourself the perfect being, yet fail to see the manipulation you're a victim of. You're a weapon just like every other robot he made. You have no value to him."
"You really think I'd listen to the words of a fraud? 'The Ultimate Lifeform'… what a joke."
He rushed toward Shadow at blinding speed. The hedgehog reacted in a split second. The shockwave destroyed the surrounding walls, expanding the battlefield.
They exchanged punches and kicks at speeds invisible to the human eye. Shadow landed a two-punch combination, teleported behind him, and followed with a tornado kick. Metal ducked and sent a powerful straight punch. Shadow caught it.
"Chaos Spear!"
Shadow tried to hold the robot in place while spears launched at him. Metal threw an energy wave, sending the hedgehog flying. He pointed his hand and fired three energy balls they exploded on impact, creating a massive fireball.
"Weakling."
A black silhouette appeared above him. Shadow struck down with a violent axe kick, smashing Metal into the ground.
"You have a chance to be better. Use it."
"I am already doing good, hedgehog," Metal said, slowly standing. "You and your friends are the ones in the wrong. A world under Robotnik's control is paradise."
"There is really no hope for you."
The ship rumbled. Shadow glanced at the sky through a hole in the ceiling purple lightning danced in the clouds.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Metal shouted.
"You will pay for that!" He rushed at Shadow.
"Chaos Blast!"
Everything went white.
He heard music,people singing and dancing.
"Let me through, let me through! There's a friend in need of help!"
Shadow slowly opened his eyes.
"He's awake! Great! Friend, we're somewhere safe. Welcome to Level 5.5 the new Kama Land!"
People danced energetically to loud music. Others pushed the dancers aside to make space for Shadow and his savior.
A sharp pain stabbed his heart and an agonizing scream escaped his mouth.
The room fell silent as the scream echoed.
"Move, move quick!"
The man pulled Shadow through a door into a dark stone hallway. The hedgehog shook violently.
"Nearly there, brother. We're nearly there."
They passed through another door, entering a massive cave. A metal bed stood a few meters ahead. Two men rushed to help lift Shadow without touching the poison.
"Bring me the prototype, quick!" the savior shouted.
"We don't know if it works—"
"We'll know in a few moments."
The man ran through the door.
The savior looked down at Shadow with a smile.
"Believe me, friend. You're gonna live through this. After that, we're getting out of here."
Shadow took a painful breath.
"Who… who are… you?"
"My name is Bon Clay, brother."
"Thank… yo—"
Shadow screamed in pain.
"Can't you be any faster?! Our friend here is dying!"
"Bon… Clay…"
"What, friend?"
"Did… did you find anyone… like me… here?"
"Other minks, yeah. But like you? No. You're one of a kind, my friend."
Shadow didn't know how to process that. Should he be relieved none of his friends were trapped here… or terrified that he was alone in this world?
For now, he focused solely on surviving the poison. His energy was dropping fast. The Chaos inside him sensed something, a faint energy somewhere in the cave.
The man returned with the remedy.
"What took you so long?!"
"I… had trouble finding it, queen."
Bon Clay shook his head, opened the bottle, and carefully poured the liquid into Shadow's mouth. Shadow coughed, nearly choking.
"You okay, friend?"
Shadow took his time breathing.
"I'm… I'm okay."
The remedy tasted like expired milk.
"Do you feel better?"
"Not… really… no."
His body began to heat up. The poison on his skin started boiling. Shadow moaned in pain.
"It's working. It's working!"
Most of the poison evaporated. The process was painful but necessary. After a moment, the boiling stopped. Bon Clay examined him there was still poison left.
"The antidote is a success!" Bon Clay cheered.
"It didn't heal him completely," one man muttered.
"We're on the right path in the development of this product. So it's a success."
"What do we do now? With the rest of the poison?"
Bon Clay looked at the barely conscious hedgehog.
"Make a new prototype."
"It'll take weeks. He won't last that long."
"I think he's stronger than you believe. He might make it through."
Shadow began breathing heavily and spitting blood and poison.
"…Or not," Bon Clay added, wiping his mouth and tossing the cloth aside.
Shadow sensed the energy in the cave more clearly now.
"Do you… feel it?" the hedgehog asked.
"Feel what?" Bon Clay said.
"The energy… can… can cure me."
"What energy, friend?"
Shadow turned his head toward a tunnel in the cave.
"This way… you can… find it."
"I'm gonna need you to be more clear, friend."
"The Chaos… Chaos Emerald."