This is the first chapter of the events of the Shadow game adapted into the COA continuity as a prequel. The Black Arms Army is set loose, and once liberated Downunda is again thrown into the crucible of war! Sensing the power of a Chaos Emerald in the region, Shadow and a detachment of the Combot Legion - the elite fighting force of the Eggman Empire - make haste to secure their objective. Meanwhile, the opposition forces of the Freedom Fighters, in the name of their deposed King, task an ambitious and driven young Miles "Tails" Prower with regaining control of the situation... by any means necessary.