The vents were small, dark, and winding, stretching out across the facility in a labyrinthian maze that were almost impossible to navigate. Curled into a ball, Shadow moved blindly through the metal tunnels quickly, but resisted moving at high speed for lack of guidance. "Where is he?" he thought to himself while trying to figure out which way to go at a junction. He then heard water spewing at irregular intervals straight ahead. Whether this could have been some sort of displacement system or other function of the facility was anyone's guess, but it was something to move towards, and at this point, any direciton was better than none. Sliding down the angled shaft, he could hear the sound grow louder until he was right on top of it. Peering down the vent, he witnessed a giant robot hosing the white floor as Sonic lay soaked on the table, having been thoroughly rinsed of the cum he was originally bathed in. Without hesitation, Shadow bashed downward from the vent onto the top of the robot, where he proceeded to twist with all his might until its head snapped off in a fury of hot sparks and dancing live wires. The robot never had a chance. Its flailing arms dropped immediately as it stumbled forward while the black hedgehog leapt off gracefully and dashed to the table. "SONIC!!! SONIC CAN YOU HEAR ME!?!?!" he shouted as he shook his limp partner fervently, staring into his blank face with growing anxiety and fear. "HEY! COME ON! SNAP OUT OF IT!" he continued. However, no matter how many times he called to him. No matter how much he shook him. There was no reaction. Just an unblinking stare accompanied by an occassional small grunt in-between raspy breaths. Every muscle tensed within the Ultimate Life Form, his heart pounded in his chest, his stomach became a twisted ball of knots, and his nerves-of-steel were shaken loose by the single thought that wouldn't escape his mind, "...did...did he lose him?" Gently, he scooped his lethargic partner's upper torso into his arms, cradling him close so he could feel his heart beating against his own. He was alive. That much was true. As he slowly rocked, he kept whispering in his ear, praying he could hear him. "I'm here now," he said in an affirming, yet melancholic tone while their foreheads touched, "I'm here, Sonic." He never thought he'd ever feel more helpless than in that moment. In their embrace, he began thinking of everything that had happened to them over the last week and how much more of this his blue counterpart must have endured during the months of being in that bastard's clutches. How many times did Infinite push him beyond the limit? This time, had he broken him to the point of no return? He suffered so much. Survived so much. Squeezing his shoulder as he cupped him even closer, Shadow choked back the tears as he pushed the negative thoughts down as hard as he could, refusing to surrender to them and letting his stubborness conquer his fears, "This isn't over. I promise....I WON'T let it end like this, Sonic...please...don't give up yet." With renewed resolve, he hoisted the damp, shattered hero into his arms. Despite the pain of his wounds making him buckle slightly, he refused to yield or risk idling any longer. He knew he would only be able to access his chaos powers while Infinite was away, but the Phantom copy of the mecenary whom lingered on the premises could still prove to be a problem. Evading it on his own was doable, even with his current injuries, but with Sonic in tow in such a condition, Shadow had to consider all his options and make quick decisions carefully. There was no time for tears and no time to waste! Looking towards the ceiling, he knew it would be difficult to drag his partner through the narrow space of the vents, especially after he had such a challenging time coursing through them to begin with. Also, their warden must have already realized Shadow was no longer in his cell by now. "If I had a chaos emerald, I could just teleport us home in an instant," the black hedgehog thought aloud while peering down at the motionless form in his arms, "do you have any ideas?" With silence being his only answer, he said with a sigh, "It's all right. I'll think of something," before moving over to the only exit in the chamber. After gently laying Sonic down beside door, the Ultimate Life Form put his strength to good use and began peeling the thick barrier from its hinges since it would have taken multiple spindashes to burst through its density. The sound of metal scraping metal echoed down the hall as the Infinite copy approached the stairwell, "Predictable", it muttered to the faint sounds of the jailbreak. And yet, it was not concerned in the least, nor did it hasten its pace. If anything, it slowed down. By letting its captives believe they have a chance, it was increasing the joy of vaporizing their hope, and should the real Infinite return soon, such an activity would prove to be even sweeter. With the ragdoll hedgehog in his arms again, Shadow dashed into the hall. His legs burned as he exerted them, but the pain was necessary. He had no idea how large the facility was, where they were located within the complex, nor which way led outside. Running on his bare paws felt alien to him, but without his air shoes, there wasn't any choice. He bolted down the corridor to the end of the hall into the stairwell where he saw multiple floors beneath them as well as numerous ones leading upward. Were they in a basement or in a tower? Going deeper down would more than likely trap them, so he again asserted the words of Rouge, "go up". However, before Shadow took take another step, a voice resonated within the steel walls. "There you are," Infinite's phantom projection said ominously from above as he leaned over the railing in a nonchalant manner, "did you enjoy your reunion?" The Ultimate Life Form steadied himself, as much as he wanted to rip this bastard apart, he knew he had to keep his emotions in check, to focus on his single goal--get Sonic to safety. This foe was just an obstacle, a fake meant to keep him at bay until the true version returned and disabled his powers again, something he wasn't going to allow! "You're a waste of my time," he declared with unwavering authority, "get out of the way." The copy chuckled as it started towards the steps above them, "You're a slow learner," it stated with a cavalier resonance, "but I suppose you two have that in common. Do you know it took one hundred and ninety-five days to reach this point? Four-thousand six-hundred and eighty hours to turn him into a blank canvas. It's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun. I would personally like to break that record on you." There was no going around this. Personal vendetta aside, Shadow had to deal with this enemy in order for them to escape. He laid Sonic down in the door frame as the copy adjusted its gloves while waiting. No words were exchanged in this staredown. The intensity between them filled the air. Even though this wasn't the real Infinite, the black hedgehog knew all too well how formidable the ruby constructs can be, especially those imbued with consciousness. He had to make each hit count and not let the fight drag out any longer than necessary. As though a silent gong thundered, the fight commenced with the Ultimate Life Form bolting towards his target. The blows echoed throughout the stairwell with one after another being evenly matched. "You've regained quite a bit of your strength already, impressive," the projection mused while he gripped Shadow's fist in his claw, "however..." With a mighty kick, it slammed its boot into the black hedgehog's chest, sending him crashing into the metal wall with a loud clang. Catching him by the throat before he could fall, the jackal copy declared in the most sinister tone, "you're still weak, " before flinging him across the stairwell into the other wall. "GAAAHH!!!" Shadow expelled before landing on the stairs below, tumbling down the steps until he was a floor beneath his opponent. Clutching his chest, he coughed heavily while trying to recapture the breath that was knocked out of him. When he looked up, his eyes widen, his blood froze. The ruby clone stood forebodingly on the aclove above, dangling Sonic by the neck over the center of the stairwell. "Care to see how your speed measures up?" With that, it dropped its stupor victim into the darkness below. "SONIC!!!!" Without a second thought, Shadow immediately jumped over the rail after him, but couldn't evade his foe's midair tackle. The two were entwined as they fell, with the black hedgehog doing everything possible to ward off his enemy before his partner hit the bottom of the shaft. In a desperate attempt, he grabbed the Infinite copy's dreadlocks and spun them downward, using the acceleration to catch up to gravity's pull. Once he grabbed Sonic's hand, he kicked off of the clone, propelling them onto an adjacent platform with a hard skid while the enemy was knocked for a loop several levels below. The black hedgehog wasted no time in bursting through the door on their floor and dragging his blue counterpart into an oversized chamber full of pipes and machinery. He threw him over his shoulder as he proceeded to leap across several of the catwalks until he found an inconspicuous hiding spot. "Sonic...are you all right?" he asked as he rested him near the small control terminal overlooking the turbines. Checking to see his partner's condition remained unchanged was disheartening, but he was nonetheless relieved he didn't suffer any further injuries. Their location appeared to serve as the water treatment and rerouting system for the facility. Looking down through the mesh walkway, he saw the giant reservoirs of murky water pumped from wells beneath the structure. Judging from how the rockfacing blended into the metal plated walls, they had apparently landed in a sublevel basement near the lowest floor. Shadow gazed across the plant at how the vast array of machines, bridges, and ladders formed a maze-like network which would take too long to navigate, with the risk of running into a dead end being too great. They had to go back the way they came...but there was a single obstacle that still needed to be dealt with. "Clever manuever," the ruby copy applauded as it levitated into the chamber, "I'd expect nothing less from the Ultimate Life Form. Though the little blue savior's performance leaves much to be desired." The depraved jackal floated above the catwalk effortlessly as it scanned the immediate area for its victims, "Now...where are you hiding?" it stated aloud as Shadow ducked down, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. He then noticed their enemy approaching a release valve, the likes of which packs incredible amounts of pressure in case of malfunctions. Once it was within range, Shadow jumped at the opportunity. Ripping the valve from its position, Shadow fell backwards as a tremendous burst of water shot out like a canon, striking the Infinite clone into a turbine. However; the moment it was hit, it instinctively unleashed an attack of its own, spraying red energy beams across the complex like a firework. Shadow was hit in the shoulder, while the catwalk suspension also took significant damage. Though the black hedgehog reeled over his latest injury, he couldn't waste this chance. He honed his energy to generate a single chaos spear in order to finish off his enemy. "DISAPPEAR!!!" he shouted after throwing his attack straight as an arrow through the rampaging waters. The Infinite copy didn't see it coming until it was too late. Struck in the chest, it began to disintegrate as the water pressure lightened. Despite fading from existence, it didn't exhibit any sort of pain, concern, or sadness for its 'death'. Instead, it left a chilling laugh behind scathing words, "--he'll never be rid of me." The catwalk then collapsed, twisting sideways in a mangled form. Shadow grabbed the railing with his unwounded arm only to witness through the steam Sonic sliding off the other side into the deep reservoir below, splashing into the murky waters and descending downward out of sight.