EPISODE 37 "Space Colony ARK Battle!" Day 3 / 1:00 PM - The Episode kicks off with Stuart and Scarlet Garcia making their way to an old folks home via a gravel road. Stopping the car, Scarlet walks up the path and asks an attendant to see one of the patrons. Day 3 / 2:30 PM - The space shuttle and it's occupants are winging their way through the debris field, moving ever closer to the Space Colony ARK. In the Central Control Room, Rouge is having a strategy session with Dr. Eggman over the main monitor. The she-bat asks for permission to access the station controls, and Eggman acquiesces, telling Rouge the password: MARIA. The Doc finishes by warning the treasure hunter that he is planning a surprise in Crazy Gadget. As the screen blinks out, Rouge giggles with delight, using the password to access Project Shadow. A number of classified documents appear, the bat quickly scanning through the data. Rouge suddenly double takes, dicovering something interesting on Shadow the Hedgehog. In the Research Facility, Shadow resumes his watch over Chris. Outside the viewport, the space shuttle is rapidly approaching the colony. As Shadow growls at his rivals interference, Chris leaps to his feet, joining the black rodent at the porthole. Chris angrily remarks that Sonic will beat his captor down, as Shadow coldly disagrees. Chris looks at his kidnapper worriedly, both turning back to observe the wreckage-strewn area of space, and the nearing shuttle. Back on Earth, the man Garcia was searching for makes his presence known loudly, exclaiming loudly at the reporter and the rogue teacher. Scarlet begs him to keep the noise down, as Stuart asks him about his experiences aboard the space colony. The old boy shuts his eye and refuses to speak, turning away from the interviewers. Garcia tells him that she knows he was a member of GUN, and that something terrible happened in space fifty years ago. The man grows angry, telling the reporter that he will not speak on the matter. Scarlet grows teary-eyed, saddened by this fellows stubbornness. The old man turns away again, as Garcia makes one last plea for him to tell his story. Stuart interrupts his companion, placing his hand on her shoulder and shaking his head. The pair march outside, Garcia depressed about the dead-end in their investigation. On the path ahead of them, four men in black suits and sunglasses slouch in waiting. Stuart tells Scarlet to make tracks to the car, and to hurry. As Scarlet hightails it, the suits stand, ready to apprehend Garcia. Stuart suddenly comes in with a flying kick, taking down one man. A second man kicks and punches, as Stuart blocks and thrusts his palm into the mans face, KOing him as well. The final two men suddenly get apprehensive, then one pushes his partner toward Stuart. The man grins uneasily, not eager for a match against the GUN Agent. Stuart quickly dispatches him with a blow. Garcia screams, the final suit trying to get a hold on her. Stuart rushes to his partners aide, but before he can reach her, the man hits the pavement, incapacitated by a karate chop from the old fella. Two black sedans squeal around the bend, as the three humans make for the safety of the nursing home. A short while later, as Stuart scans the countryside from behind a fence, the old man praises the teacher, impressed by his heroics. Day 3 / 3:00 PM - Near the Space Colony, the space shuttle flies in a holding pattern. On the surface of the station, numerous laser cannons bristle hull, enough to ward off any rash attempt to enter the colony. In the cockpit, Tails and Sonic search for a safe landing zone, while behind them, Knuckles suddenly senses the Master Emerald. It's nearby! Knux rushes to the controls, wresting them away from the young fox. Sonic fights to keep the shuttle stabile, as the Guardian forces the spacecraft into a suicide approach toward the ARK. The dormant laser defenses activate, the shuttle barely squeezing past a few before being nicked on the stabilizing fin. Amy shrieks in terror, as Tanaka takes this new turn of events rather stoically. With a cry for the Master Emerald, Knuckles bashes the shuttle into the ARK. In the Central Control Room, alarms blare, snapping Rouge from her thoughts. Security Cameras bring up a shot of the punctured ARK, the shuttle's bow piercing the hull. Far below, a pneumatic door is pummeled aside, Knuckles the Echidna finally locating his gigantic gem on a small catwalk. Leaping down, he hurries toward it, but is intercepted by Rouge. Rouge smugly tells him he shouldn't try to steal things, but Knux is done playing the she-bats games. Rouge bursts into action, swiping at the echidna and almost landing a kick. Rouge swings again, but the blow is deflected by the Guardian, who nearly smacks her with a punishing uppercut. Backflipping away, Rouge cutely admonishes him about playing nice, as Knuckles charges, cutting her cheek with one of his claws. Rouge missteps, falling from the catwalk. Before she can get her wings deployed, her decent is halted by Knuckles, who caught her arm from the catwalk. As she is pulled to safety, Rouge pulls her hand away, angrily telling the echidna t take his hands off her. Knux snaps back, asking her if that is how she thanks someone who just saved her life. The pair bicker some more, until Rouge saunters off. Knuckles picksup the Master Emerald, making his way back to the shuttle, as Rouge risks a glance backward. With a smile, she runs off as well. Elsewhere in the Space Colony, Tails and the gang are puttering the dark corridors in the X Cyclone. In the cockpit, Tails hands Sonic the fake Emerald, telling his friend that the real Chaos Emerald still powers his walker. He further explains that this emerald that he and Chuck made will reverse the energies of the Chaos Emeralds and blow up. As the Cyclone stumps into a research center, a trio of shadowy figures observe them from the ceiling. Suddenly, a mechanical claw whips toward the Cyclone's passenger pod, as Amy and Tanaka howl in surprise. Tails and Sonic hear the crash, quickly locating Tanaka unconscious on the deck, as Amy lies stunned in the grasp of the clamp. The room flares brightly, a familiar voice greeting the two. Dr. Eggman demands Sonic give him the Chaos Emerald, in exchange, Amy will not be harmed. Sonic tries to stall for time, but Eggman has none of that, the tightening clamp squeezing a cry from the pink hedgehog. Sonic jumps from the Cyclone cockpit holding the fake Emerald, finally willing to trade the jewel. Eggman tells his adversary to place the gemstone in the center of the room. As Sonic sets the fake Emerald on the deck, Eggman presses a button on the Egg Mobile's console, dropping a capsule over the hedgehog. Tails wonders aloud how Eggman knew the Emerald was fake. Eggman actually didn't know, but he does now! Amy yelps at the Doc to stop, but Eggman ignores her. Sonic tells Amy Rose to take care of herself, and speaks to Tails, telling him he knows what to do. With tears in his eyes, Tails can only watch as Dr. Eggman bids sayonara to his admirable adversary. Pressing another button, the capsule launches into space, as Amy is dropped to the floor. The capsule drifts away from the Space Colony, as Tanaka, Amy and Tails stare grief-stricken. A soundless explosion lights up the atmosphere, Amy crying out her lover's name. The blast expands, quickly dissipating in the void. In the Research Facility, Shadow remarks that his doppelganger was just an ordinary hedgehog after all. Chris refuses to believe Sonic is gone, and bolts from the chamber, calling out for his friend. Behind him, Shadow stares coldly at his retreating back. The last traces of the fireball disappear from space, as Amy breaks down into tears. In the Egg Mobile, Eggman repeats his demand that Tails fork over the Chaos Emerald and avoid any more pain. Tails, in the pilots seat of his walker, whispers Sonic's name, remembering his promise to his mentor. Eggman cocks a hand over his ear, trying to hear what the kit is muttering on about. With steel in his gaze, Tails orders Amy and Tanaka out of the chamber. Tanaka leads the young hedgehog out of the room, as Eggman warns the boy that he is making a very big mistake. The evil genius fires his machine guns, as Tails leaps the X Cyclone into the air. Tails returns fire, forcing the Doc to quickly lift the Egg Mobile. Eggman snarls in anger. Back on Earth, the old man is beginning his tale of woe. He takes Stuart and Scarlet back fifty years, to the time when scientists were working on new experiments on the Space Colony ARK. The scientists had no idea that a GUN team had been dispatched to the station, until they accosted by the agents and their captain, the old fellow. The unarmed civilians quickly gave up under the muzzles of the teams assault rifles. The captain was ready to move on to the next area, when he spotted a young girls slip away from the research center. The girls had escaped to a small containment area, locking the blast door to the room. Inside, the girl prepared to launch a pair of capsules to Earth, as the captain fired into the portals console. Forcing the door open, he ordered the girl to stop what she was doing. The young blond ignored him, resting both hands on a large lever. The captain reiterates his order, but the girl throws caution to the wind, yanking down on the mechanism. The captain fired... Blinking back tears of shame, the old man confesses, he killed her. He had then dropped his weapon, sickened by what he had done to that poor child. Outside the viewport, the two capsules drifted towards Earth. He says that he had been sent to the ARK to commandeer the Ultimate Lifeform Prototype, not to hurt anyone. When Garcia asks what happened next, he tells her that he resigned from GUN, ashamed of the deeds he'd done in the organization. As he releases his built up emotions, Scarlet places her hands on his, comforting him. Day 3 / 3:40 PM - Meanwhile, Chris is running the hallways of the ARK, trying desperately trying to locate Sonic. In another section of the colony, Knuckles stops his jogging in the corridors as a brilliant flash blooms ahead of him. The yellowish light soon fades, dropping Sonic the Hedgehog to the deck, safe and sound. Knuckles sets aside the Master Emerald, hurrying to his friends side. Sonic weakly crawls to his feet, opening his fist from the now glowing fake Chaos Emerald. Sonic remembered that he was inside the capsule, bound for Earth's surface. He had only one chance to make it out alive. Holding the fake Emerald tight, he cried out "Chaos Control!". The yellowish light spread, and the next thing he knew, he was back inside the ARK. Sonic suddenly reminds himself that Tails is probably battling Dr. Eggman at that very moment. Sonic asks Knux if he can go help Tails, while he has a date with the Eclipse Cannon. Day 3 / 4:00 PM - In the ARK Central Control Room, Rouge is busy copying all data from Project Shadow. Over the communicator, Topaz warns her partner that the Eclipse Cannon's countdown is almost up. Rouge tells Topaz that the data is fully copied, and Eggman won't know what hit him when she takes the Chaos Emeralds from the power converter. Topaz radios back a reply, but the message is squashed, as is the communicator under Shadow's shoe. Confronting the bat, he grimly points out that stealing the Chaos Emeralds was her plan from the beginning, or perhaps a direct order from the President. He also reveals his knowledge of her being a spy. Rouge smugly replies that he did his homework, and adds that his digging into her history was an invasion of privacy. Shadow retorts that he could say the same thing about her researching Project Shadow. Rouge bobbles the diskette in her hand, telling the dark hedgehog that she has what she wants right there. Shadow givers her a stare that makes an ice storm look warm. In the Research Facility, Dr. Eggman is blasting away at the troublesome fox and his walker. Tails leaps his walker again, stopping a scant foot from the Egg Mobile before letting the craft have it with his laser cannons. Dr. Eggman's shields hold, but the force of the beams knocks the Mobile into a bulkhead, as the Cyclone goes careening into the opposite one. Tails emerges from the wreckage, coughing and gasping. Amy and Tanaka check to see if he is alright, until the robotic claw latches into the Cyclone's ruins, pulling away the Yellow Chaos Emerald. With a nasty chuckle, Eggman, Decoe, and Bocoe make their escape. Back in the Control Room, Rouge holds high a report on the original Project Shadow, while Shadow waves it aside, telling her that it was the Prototype that was created in the first phase. Rouge continues in her telling on the project, but halts as Shadow's communicator beeps. Over the comm-link, Eggman tells his assistant that he has the final Chaos Emerald. Also, he found someone trying to get into the Eclipse Cannon on the sensors. The Doc tells him to deal with whoever it is at once. Shadow turns to leave, but Rouge yells out to him, demanding to know if he thinks he is truly the real Shadow. Even his memories could be false. Shadow glances back, coldly remarking that even if his memories are fake, he is still Shadow the Hedgehog. As Shadow departs the Control Center, Rouge crosses her arms in anger. Deep in the bowels of the ARK, Knuckles crosses another catwalk, spotting Sonic juicing along a conveyor belt in the Eclipse Cannon's interior. Behind him, Chris comes panting up, greatly relieved that Sonic is still among the living. With a cry, Tanaka appears, quickly grabbing Chris into a big bear hug of happiness. Tanaka bawls loudly, as Chris embarrassedly tells his butler that he is perfectly fine. Knuckles, Amy, and Tails all smile at the man antics. Day 3 / 4:45 PM - Inside the Eclipse Cannon, Sonic is confronted by Shadow on the conveyor belts. Shadow remarks that his blue copy never ceases to amaze him. Sonic smiles, saying that he just dies hard. Shadow asks him how he had managed to use the Chaos Control, but Sonic jets ahead. Shadow accelerates, quickly catching up to his doppelganger. Sonic finally introduces himself to his nemesis, as Shadow proclaims that his adventuring days are coming to an end. At the Central Control Room, Decoe and Bocoe are preparing the Eclipse Cannon for firing, as Eggman evilly chuckles over the Yellow Chaos Emerald. In the Cannon, Shadow jumps up, yelling "Chaos Spear!". A number of golden energy bolts zing at Sonic, who leaps from their path and streaks at Shadow in a Sonic Spin. Shadow dodges, launching another round of Chaos Spears. Sonic bolts, zigging and zagging to avoid being hit. The energy blasts fly wildly, blasting the sides of the Cannon, wrecking delicate machinery. The outside of the Cannon ripples with light, Shadow's assault visible even from the Colony surface. Sonic friends all hope for Sonic's success. Decoe announces that the Eclipse Cannon is ready to begin, alerting his master that Shadow is still inside the massive gun. Eggman cannot afford to wait any longer than is necessary. He inserts the Yellow Emerald along side it's brethren, then pushes aside his lackeys. Raising his fist, Eggman slams it down on the firing button's protective case, shattering it and activating the sequence. The seven Chaos Emeralds glow brightly, then suddenly darken. The rest of the Space Colony darkens as well, Eggman and his robots wondering what exactly happened. On the Control Room's monitors, a countdown sequence of 27 minutes and 53 seconds appears, as a video of Professor Gerald Robotnik in chains blips up on the main screen. Eggman gasps at the sudden appearance of his grandfather. In the Eclipse Cannon, the battle rages on, Shadow flinging Chaos Spears as Sonic jukes wildly. The video of Gerald begins, a message for everyone on Earth. He speaks of the ARK being his instrument of revenge, as the timers begin their ominous ticking. 27 minutes, 49 seconds left to live... To Be Continued! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This review was written by Eli Sheldon aka 'SHADOWBOT' - used with her general permission.