-1Nack's Legendary Tale
Chapter 10
by Nick the Raccoon, do you know… we reach the end. Amazing, isn't it? Well… here we go! (Props to Rhapsody and Iron Maiden for a few borrowed lines)

… I'm speechless… what am I to say? I buried this guy not more than a few months ago! He was dead! How the heck was he standing before me now?

"Ha, that's what I thought you'd say," he replied to my silence. The raccoon… Nick the Raccoon stood alive in front of me. "Why the shock? Why the sudden doubt? Didn't you just say a few seconds ago that you believed in this?

"And as for you," I heard one of the females begin to speak, "'Supernatural? That's impossible!'? I never thought I'd live to see the day you'd say something like that, Hon!" Andre spun to face that voice, and so did I. Suddenly, that voice sounded very familiar; and while she didn't walk out of the shadow yet, Andre did as well and he ran and embraced her, holding on with all he had. I had never dreamed of such a sight, but if I had it didn't look like what I was seeing. I would have pictured some warm but sad reunion between lovers living on two different worlds, but she actually laughed! I wasn't sure exactly what it was that I was looking at, but I knew three things: it was Andre, it was Nic, and there was love.

I turned back to the guy standing in front of me again. Was he real? If so, how real? How could I test it? Well, I found one way to do so, and that involved punching him in the gut. If he weren't real or some ghostly apparition, then my hand would just go right through him and cause some neat little wispy effect behind. But… no, that's not what happened. His body swayed back an inch or so, then rebounded, just as he would have if I had done that exact same thing a few months ago. "I know," was all he said in response.

"You… you're really alive?" I asked, still doubtful.

"In what sense do you mean that word?"

"So you really are dead," I said in a dry and hopeless tone.

"Dead?" he nearly yelled at my reply. I jumped at his tone. "Do I look dead to you?"

"No."

"Then what am I?"

"Alive? But how?"

He eyed me with a look of amusement as a teacher eyes one of his students as he lets them figure the lesson out on their own. "You know how."

"So it is true," I said quietly.

"Of course it is; you already knew that."

"Yeah, I guess..." I looked around a bit more before looking back to him. "So who are the other goons?"

"Goons?" That voice came from behind me, and before I could turn around he had me by the scruff of my neck and suspended in air. "Who are you calling goons, Coz?"

"Rocky!" Now that made me scared. For starters, he had a super natural body; and secondly, he had me in a bad position. Not a good mix, mind you.

"Ha!" Before I knew exactly what was going on, he had wrapped his arms around me in a hug. I patted him on the back once I got my wits back about me. How odd! How very strange it was to feel that. Something had changed his heart; something made him love me. "Nack, remember that night in the dungeon when we hung from the walls?" I nodded. "I knew right then that you loved me, that you were my friend. I knew that there was something about you that made you different from me, and I wanted that. Then you showed it to me. Nack, what you did is the best thing anyone has ever done for me."

I simply nodded, unsure what to say after that. He let me go and patted me on the shoulder.

"As for your third goon," Nick started again, "That's Calia."

I watched as she walked over to his side and took his arm in her hand. Smiling at me, she said: "It's good to be alive. Truly alive. That night, as I lay there bleeding knowing that I was going to be gone in no more than a few seconds, I felt scared. I didn't know what lay ahead. But then I found out. It was like waking up from a bad dream. This world isn't as real as the next; it's not as good as what's ahead. There is where true life is, filled with joy and love and free from pain and sorrow."

"Crystal," I said suddenly and turned to Andre. "Is she here? Is she ok?"

"Yes," He replied. "I told you, she's in Union Square with everyone else."

"We should go there," I said to them.

Nick laughed. "Of course we should. There's another one of us there… one who you haven't seen in a long time…"

I started at that. Who could he mean? He must have read my expression, because before I could ask any questions he turned with a smile which held a secret behind it, as did Calia's face show. Spurred onward by curiosity, I followed them as they led the way to Union Square. How confused I was! I turned and looked over my shoulder to get a gander at those following me… Nic in particular. She was truly a beautiful sight; never before had she looked so healthy, so happy, so full of life… Her fur shone beautifully, so purple and white… so pure. My own felt filthy in comparison.

"We'll all have business to go about when we get there," Nick said over his shoulder.

Calia laughed. "I wonder how Christine will react when she sees us again! Oh, how sad she was when we both left her…"

I stopped for a moment right then… stopped walking with them. Nic, Andre, and Rocky passed a few feet ahead of me before they stopped and looked at me. "Where's Angel? Where's Nova? They both were…" There was a moment of silence as nobody answered my question. "Are they the ones at Union Square?"

"No Nack," Rocky replied.

"Rambo?" I asked. Rocky just shook his head with a sigh. "But where are they?"

"It answers a lot of problems," Nick said, not turning to face me but continuing to walk towards the city's center. "The pureness of heart determined a lot for people. Akron's power lies in the ability to manipulate those with impure hearts after they die. That's where his army comes from."

Breathless, for a few moments, I could not reply. Needless to say, I was shocked. "But that can't be. They fought against darkness all this time… fought against Akron! They were our friends, good guys. They wouldn't do that…"

"They fought darkness from the darkness… blind. They denied the light, and even though they were our friends, they have nobody to blame but themselves for their fate. It is heart wrenching, I know; they were our friends, but there is nothing we can do to change what has happened. And because of this…" Nick paused in his steps and looked at me over his shoulder, "We must keep moving towards our own destinies." So he continued walking…

Nova… Rambo… Angel… all gone. I couldn't move for a few moments. Nothing left of them but dust and echoes… a sickening feeling that they were going to hell with no way to turn around. It became very real to me right then just what hell was. Horrible fate… Three people that I knew were going there; I would go eternity without seeing them…

But what was I to do? Oh ye lost souls… do you see now in the day when all is over what horrible mistakes you have made?

… Too late.

"Holy crap!" was the word yelled out at us as we entered the final block before Union Square. Lt. Mendoza the Fox was standing there, holding watch over the area.

"Good to see you made it this far, Lt." Nick said with a smile. Mendoza was one of Nick's best soldiers and also one of his best friends; it's a wonder he didn't get promoted to a higher rank. "Holding the perimeter, soldier?"

There was a pause as Mendoza realized that Nick wasn't the only "anomaly" there with us, but he did reply with a sharp "Yes, Sir!"

Nick continued to smile. "Good! Who ordered you to hold this watch?"

"General Major Crystal the Echidna, Sir!"

Ha! So Crystal was ordering around the troops! She could be a fireball sometimes, despite her usually calm disposition, but that's why I loved her. Every square inch of her… from flesh to soul. It didn't feel quite right with her being the immortal; I will say that. Logic said that it should be her watching out for me with that fact, but no. To me she still seemed vulnerable. She still needed protection. I never doubted her strength, and I doubt that she ever doubted mine, but that's what makes love so powerful. True love is mutual.

"Well, Lt., there's a burning hedgehog back down Post (which is the name of the street we had just walked down) about a half a mile. Go to him and stay with him until he's ready to walk again, then bring him to Union Square."

"Yes Sir." With that, Lt. Mendoza started jogging down the street. What was up with Shadow anyways? His body burned without being consumed… yet he didn't seem alive… it was so confusing to me.

We stepped into view of Union Square at that time. The area which had once been a small park elevated above the streets of San Francisco was now simply a platform of dry dirt and cracked concrete. But it thrived with life as it had done so many years ago, for about 1500 of our troops were there. It seemed to just be a time of resting for them; some sat on the steps leading up to the stairs, some were milling about talking, some were checking out the surrounding buildings which had once been great stores.

"Nack!" A familiar voice came to my ears. It was my wife, Crystal! Before I could look around to see where it came from, I felt her soft but strong arms wrap around me from behind in a tight hug. I smiled as I turned around in her arms and hugged her back. Tears were forming in her eyes as I looked at her, but she smiled. "You baka… What took you so long to get back to me?" As she said that, she bopped the top of my head lightly, and I laughed. No harm had come to her… They were all fine.

I hardly had time to hold her in my arms for a few minutes before I felt a tap on my shoulder. "My Felix, I'm here now." I almost jumped outta my fur when I heard that… That voice, that name… It could only be one person.

"Mama!" I cried as I turned around and gasped. She was wearing a white robe and her fur was even lighter than Nic's. She looked young, happy, beautiful… just how I remembered her when I was a little child. Then I hugged her… just how I wanted to hug her before she died before my eyes… only this time it didn't feel like a goodbye. "Mama, what are you doing here?"

"I'm just here to help however I can," she replied, gently patting me on the back. Her touch again confirmed to me that these weren't just wisps in the wind, but that they were real. I was surprised, but I was at ease… at ease for the first time in a long while because I had a good feeling about where this was going.

"So, this is Nack the Weasel," someone said from behind me. I turned to see an orange echidna standing behind me, dressed in a brown cloak. "Just as I'd pictured him to be… Not looking like the hero-type."

"Do I know you?" I asked, slightly offended by his commentary on me.

He smiled and gently pulled on one end of his mustache. "My name is Kazema. I've dealt with Akron before, many years in the past."

"Who is he, exactly?" I asked out of curiosity. Up to that point, I did not know that Akron had any other opposition prior to the war at hand.

"He is the incarnation of an entity known as Nekron. Allow me to tell you the story of a war that has been going on since before the beginnings of time." I sat down on my tail, just in case this old guy's story was gonna be a long one.

"The ancient war is one that will continue to be fought until the end of time. The High One had defectors amongst His creation in the heavens, where the war was fought between the High One's angels and the demons. Those demons were lead by the hell-lord, Kron, who is the father of Nekron, and thus Akron."

Kazema hesitated, eyeing me over. Something about those words seemed odd… Adding two and two together and getting the most ridiculous of fours. "So what are you saying?" I asked.

"I'm saying that Akron is the first-born son of Satan himself."

… Yikes… the "son of Satan?" By gum--What would the child-protective services have said about his childhood?

"The war was drawing to a close in the heavens. Kron, sensing his impending demise, withdrew to his lair to begin a new assault. He wrote 7 terror-filled books, speaking magic, each book more terrible than the last. He charged seven immortal demons to carry out his will of completing the spells in the books, but they were turned into stone by the High One's angels, and cast to Mobius and into the Abyss. One by one throughout the ages, six of the seven books were discovered, but the last and most terrible of all remained uncovered.
"But recently, that book was discovered by the Queen of the Dark Horizons. You know her…"

"Lucretia…" Kazema nodded at my observation. "What did she do with it?"

"She started translating it, but she could not complete it. She needed help from one of the demons of Kron's order who understood the language in the books. Thus she hunted down my spell books, and my staff, and used them to revive Akron. Today, they have that final book, and the God-forbidden spells inside, which can open the Abyss, and can release the 7 demons of stone, and can release Kron's pure incarnation into this world. He already has the key: the Emerald Sword."

"But he needs to know where the door is to use those things…"

"I have a feeling he knows," Kazema said bluntly. "Which is why you have to defeat him here, as soon as possible."

"But how?" I asked. "We haven't even seen a hair off of his head since we've gotten here, nor any of his troops."

"You gotta look for him. He's here in San Francisco."

"San Francisco is 50 square miles in size, how are we supposed to find him?"

"You look for him. I'll give you a hint… he's not in the downtown area, nor is he in the residential zones."

I paused to think. Where in this city might that be? It had to be somewhere that stood out from other places; Akron wasn't a coward; he wasn't hiding in some shack somewhere. Then it hit me… He would have chosen a place that was made for war, a fortress if he could. "Alcatraz…"

Nick piped in. "That island is of some importance to Akron. We're not sure why, but we can easily move in on it and take him out."

"And it must be done before he revives the Angels of Darkness, those Gargoyles. We are invincible to them, and while we can hurt them, we cannot kill them, much less your own mortal troops here."

"Then let's go to it!" I cried out at the idea of being able to snuff Akron. Tired I was, and more so eager to take an offensive position to finally end this war. I turned to address the troops…

And then someone's hand grabbed my shoulder, firmly. "Felix…" It was Mama. I turned to look at her over my shoulder, and she smiled at me in a way that told me to wait.

"Not everyone is ready for this battle yet, Nack," Kazema said, indicating the burning hedgehog which had been dragged in to his right side. "And there are some who would like to speak with you while we wait." He indicated with his hand his left side. There stood Andre, Thorn, and Crystal…

I sat on a bench, looking up past the tall buildings into the sky. There were so many stars to be seen. So many… countless, each shining unique from the others. The universe was so big, yet Mobius was, in a sense, the center of it. And the moment was quickly coming that would change its fate forever, for good or for evil. "So we're gonna end this war here shortly, right?" Andre asked as he sat out in the middle of the empty street, leaning back on his tail. "What do we say to that? I mean… 20 years have passed in our lives since this started. Do we just go back to try to live our normal lives again?"

"What's normal?" I asked. "The world's never gonna be the same."

"I know… So how do we continue on?"

I sat silent for a good while before giving my answer. "I don't know. Everyone will have to find out what to do."

Andre shifted in his "seat" a little bit. "What are you going to do, Nack?"

Another long pause. "I'll live."

"You say that with a lot of confidence."

"I mean it," I said in response. "Nic's alive, isn't she?"

"I'd rather not talk about this…" He said after he absorbed that.

"Neither would I."

I visited Golden Gate Park next, looking out over the waters. Once, hundreds of boats would park there every day, and sail out into the bay to fish or just to float. The horizon was dark, full night now, and a female weasel stood next to me, looking out over the stone wall just as I was doing.

"Where's my husband?" Thorn asked, worry written all over her voice. It was the hidden kind of worry, one that tried to say that all she wanted was an answer, but deep down anyone could tell that it was more than that. "He went on the same mission as you, right? He should have come back with you… Or back in some form… Where is he, Nack?"

I didn't answer.

"If you know, tell me… Please Nack? Please tell me what's happened to my husband…"

"He's dead."

"Well, so were all the others there…"

"I don't know where he is. The others say that… maybe Akron got him…" I turned to walk down the wall a bit. I'd been in that kind of situation before, kinda, and I didn't feel like getting slapped in the face right then. But she didn't follow me, or make a single move. I paused and turned to her again, just in time to see a spark of moonshine fall from her face and splash down in the water below. The sound of that teardrop hitting the water was the sound of silent mourning, the sound that would haunt my head the rest of the night.

I stood on the roof of the Bank of America building. I had been here before many years ago, though on the ground floor. I remember firing that laser gun at my bounty and taking him out… Ah, those were good times… I wanted to be a bounty hunter again, to have my normal life.. but those days were gone.

Looking to the east, I could see the sun rising over the hills. An echidna whose body was as white as snow stood next to me, dressed in her tribal garb, which was flowy and beautiful on her body. She watched the sunrise with me.

"Nack," Crystal sighed. I turned to look at her as she shone in the first rays of dawn. And… she didn't say anything else.

"Crystal, I…"

She cut me off. "You don't think that you're coming back… I could see it in your eyes the moment you first looked at me tonight…" Durn women and their obsession with worrying too much. It was as if she thought I was some stupid kid who was playing carelessly in the middle of some street.

"I'll be fine," I replied, trying to reassure her. It was so hard to do so… I loved her so much, and as I felt those blue eyes connect with mine… Had to look away. Couldn't promise anything to her when she's looking at me.

"I was afraid, Nack… Afraid that I was going to miss something important…"

"What's that?"

"The chance to tell you how much I love you… One last time…"
I never gave her as big a hug as I did in that moment. Holding on to her as though she were everything the world revolved around, and she on to me… The kiss that said more than words could ever say… The bondage of love that no force would ever be able to break…
Even if the embrace could…

10:31 on this clear Thursday morning. Traffic report for the Bay Area: none… except for in Fisherman's Warf. Holy Thunderforce had moved to there and was preparing a couple of boats for the trip across the water to Alcatraz Island. This felt like the calm before the storm, and I was as nervous as a cat in a dog house.

"Nack, Sir!" A voice sounded in my ears as I was in deep thought, staring out over the ocean. I could have sworn that I was looking at the form of a black echidna standing on the rusty water tower. The voice, however, was Lt. Mendoza.

"What is it, Son?"

"Kazema and Nick want to see you." I complied and had Mendoza lead me to them. But when I got there, there wasn't just two people waiting for me… There was a third, Shadow the Hedgehog. He was still inflamed and I could not see much of him, but he was now standing before us.

"What's going on here?" I asked.

And Nick answered. "He's ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Ready to fight."

I was officially confused. Ready to fight? What the heck did that mean? He had been fighting against us this whole time!

"We mean that he's ready to fight for us, Nack," Kazema clarified.

"That's right," I heard Shadow say in a pained voice. "I'm ready to give Akron what he deserves."

"Then you know what you must do," Kazema replied. At that moment, Shadow brought his hands together and the earth quaked. I'm not sure whether it was part of Shadow's doing or the San Andreas Fault, but along with it came an intensification of the flames in his hands as the flames on his body died out. There was a blinding flash, from which I had to turn my face away. After I sensed that the light had died down, I turned to look on Shadow, who was now transformed. His fur had become whitish-gold, and he now held in his hands the Flame Sword, that powerful sword which he had used to cut me just a while earlier.

"Holy crap," said I.

Shadow stretched out his wings, which were now the same color as the rest of his body. Was this the super-form I had heard them talk about? They say that he had the power to survive in the vacuum of space like that and battle that thing that threatened our planet. I hadn't gotten much into it, but here he was in front of me. "Finally, the time has come to put an end to Akron in this day and age," Kazema said. "Go on and rally the troops. It's time to assault Alcatraz."

So we went, Nick and I, and got the troops in formation. There they stood, only about 1500 I guessed. It wasn't much of an army compared to what we had started with; would have been even less without the reinforcements we got over time. Could these tired men and women put up enough of a fight to end the war? Could they hold their own in one final battle? We were about to find out…

Kazema stepped up before the quiet ranks. Standing there, with his back to the water, he looked quite funny. He had no formal military outfit on (yet neither did I), but everyone who did have one listened as he spoke. "And this is then the epic end of this Legendary Tale, of the one who found the light and the Dragonflame inside, of the tragic Rain of a Thousand Flames, of the towns' defenders who've faced pain, of Symphonies of Enchanted Lands, of Whispers of Love and Hate. The Dawn of Victory can breathe in the wind, and this could mean the great rebirth, reborn the one who's giving his life, the towns lying on the ground. Be one of us and act as all the prophecies want: to mountains and valleys, to fire and snow, to sun, moon, and wisdom, rise your soul! It's the call!" With this, the silence was broken by a tremendous shout from the mass of soldiers, and their soul's cry for victory echoed all throughout the city's steel and concrete walls. They continued to shout, whistle, and cheer even when I got up in front of them and, with the aid of a microphone, addressed them.

Feeling that Kazema had said all that was needed in order to get them ready for whatever lay ahead, I gave them one order before stepping down. "Get to your stations." I wasn't one for big speeches anyways.

What followed next was what might be called chaos. All of them were so eager to get to their stations, just as eager as they were to end this war and go home to whoever they loved. Course, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself a bit. This was partly due to how alive they all became, and partly due to the fact that no matter how quickly they got to the boats that they weren't going anywhere until I was ready to go.

But I was just about ready… All I had to do was stop off to pick up a few personal supplies, and off to the docks I went. In both sides of my holster were two micro uzis, along with one spare hi-cap clip for each. At my left side was the Ice Sword, sheathed and shining. This would be all I needed for battle.

"Alright, Sir," the captain of the first boat said as I stepped into the bridge. "Are you ready to go? The other boats are to follow me as soon as you give the ok." There were two boats other than this one. Each one carried about 100 men, thus leaving roughly 1000 on the wharf. This seemed to be well proportioned enough.

"Yes, let's go." With my words, the captain hit the throttle and contacted the other two boats, and we were on our way. The distance wouldn't take long to cross, traveling at about 25 knots. These boats had been made to go at more like 30 knots, but the water between San Francisco and Alcatraz is choppy, so we couldn't achieve that. But our trip wouldn't last very long anyways, thank the High One. I felt like I was gonna lose my lunch if the trip lasted any longer.

Neither did I have sea legs, as I found out when we hit land. As the assault ramps let down, we were supposed to do one thing: run off onto the land and kill anything that moved there. Most of us tried. Most of us stumbled. Most of us were confused, but not terribly so. There was no welcoming committee there for us… just the open road up the steep island, leading into the abandoned jailhouse. Slowly and cautiously, we walked up it, half expecting a sniper's voice to ring out from some hidden place. But it never did. After what might have been about a two-minute's march, we reached the top, and thus we faced the entry to the jail house.

"Nack," Nick's voice came from behind. "We're going back."

I froze. "Why?" I asked.

"I got this feeling… you'll be all that's needed here."

Grr… But I didn't want to go into the creepy old building all alone! I'd tried to break into one of Akron's facilities alone before once, and it wasn't something that I wanted to try again… But, if his feelings said so… "Alright," I said, after digesting the situation. "Y'all can go back for now." Slowly, one by one, the men turned to walk back down the island. Disappointed is what I would call their mood. Every one turned back Kazema being the last.

"May the High One's hand guide yours in whatever battle lies ahead," he said quietly before turning back. So there I stood, all alone with that big, ugly building before me. Well… this was it, right? Whatever lay inside was mine… All I had to do was go in and do it…

Easier said than done… Slowly I pushed the rusty door open, and it creaked on its hinges, the sound of it echoing through the prison block. This place definitely didn't feel as friendly as the outside did. So I stood there, peering into the darkness, trying to see anything that might lie within… but it was too hard from outside… I had to take a plunge, take the risk. That was always my game before, so after several moments of looking in, I decided to do it. "Here we go," I whispered to myself, sat back on my tail, drew the two guns from the holster, and launched myself in.

Sure enough, as I held the two weapons out in front of me, I found my first target there pointing an assault rifle at me. Still soaring through the air, I pushed the two uzis in front of me and slammed the barrels of them into his cloaked face. I pulled the triggers as soon as I hit, and sailed on until I met the floor with a roll. On my feet again, I turned and blasted at two more of the cloaked goons who were on either side of the entryway, hoping to ambush me. Those three down, I headed on into the first part of the cell block. Both hands instinctively found their targets as I entered that large room: one up to my right in the guard's catwalk and one straight ahead. The roar of the two small machine pistols filled the area, and another two fell without firing a shot. But they weren't the only ones there. From around the corner ahead came a series of footsteps. Two more hooded goons came out firing at me. I jumped backwards, their shots barely missing my body. But I was a better shot, and both uzis found their marks on their bodies several times. Naturally, I wasn't able to make all my shots connect, but I got enough in to count.

Another bad feeling arose inside of me. Quickly I ducked off to the right and took cover inside one of the jail cells. Sure enough, a rocket-propelled grenade went whizzing down the long hallway and exploded somewhere out of my sight. Two more of Akron's followers came running down the hall, looking for me. They passed my cell up, and I jumped out behind them, taking the one closest to me by the head. Swiftly I reached around to his face, raked his eyes, and held him close. The other one tried to shoot me, but I used his buddy as a shield. As soon as I felt him stop struggling, I kicked him into the other one, hard. Lucky for me, this caused him to drop his weapon. He came at me with a pair of punches that I managed to dodge. Both guns holstered now, I drew my sword and in the same movement slashed upwards at my foe, mortally wounding him.

Again I turned to make my way down the hall. As I turned the corner, I was met by another two guards. The first one got a bit too close, so I thrust the sword through his mouth, much like something I had read about the gruesome battle at Troy. It was at that moment that I noticed something… their blood was warm. This wasn't like the majority of Akron's army… Still, no time to reflect on it then. I drew my left uzi and shot at the next guard, using the one left on my blade as a shield.
At this point, all sense of fear was gone… all anger out the window, all emotion and feeling put so far behind me that I was almost numb to them. All that was left was the sensation that only one who has been in a battle zone can describe… the fight of killing or be killed. It's a feeling that pushes you towards your enemies and has you cut them into pieces before you can give it a second thought. It's the feeling that you get when what most would call pain is no more than a mild discomfort. It's where everything and everybody moves slower than before, yet at the same time the action is going light-speed not just around you, but in you. These men, whoever they were, were just obstacles in my way, and I stop for noone.
Through my slicing and dicing, I eventually found the end of the line as far as the cell block went, and there found myself in the next area… the mess-hall. A nasty shade of light green paint covered the lower portion of the wall and all the windows were barred shut, obviously to keep the prisoners from leaving without paying a tip to the chef. And I could see straight across to the other side of the large room, where a door opened up to another sector of the prison island. And in that doorway stood Akron… tall, intimidating, holding that Emerald Blade. He grinned at me, a big grin, evil… eyed me with those snake-like eyes… And we stood there. Stood there… I was waiting for him to make the first move, to attack. 'For the love of all that is sacred, do something!' I screamed mentally to the both of us… but he did not attack.

"You obviously fought long and hard to get this far, haven't you, Nack?" Don't answer the idiot with the sword, Nack… Don't talk to him… "Of course you have, look at the blood on your hands. You killed a lot of people, back there, didn't you? I bet that they'd like to return the favor…" As he said that, I heard footsteps behind me, walking into the room. I turned to see that all of those guys I killed in the cell block were "alive" again, staring at me, but just blocking the door as if to stop me from escaping.

"That's a neat trick," I muttered, drawing my sword again. I really didn't want to have to do more slicing and dicing through the same old guys again, but it looked like I had no choice… until…

"No no, Mr. Fang," Akron laughed. "I don't want them to fight you."

I turned again to the black echidna. "What?"

"You thought that trick was neat, I have something else to show you that you'll find a lot cooler." He took a few slow steps forward before speaking again. "I take it that my old friend Kazema told you about the books that my father wrote. I read them a while back and even did a little memory work with them."

That wasn't good. "What have you memorized from those evil book?" I asked.

"Oh, just the last page." His grin got toothier, more sinister and frightening. "I'm sure you'd like to hear it."

"I'm sure I wouldn't!"

"Oh come now!" He laughed and drew up the Emerald Sword in front of his face. "I thought that the words are very pretty! Ancient, dead Latin… The spirits like it, and they have good taste, I think." The Sword started to glow with it's ancient energy, brighter than I had seen it do so before… almost to the point where the light wasn't green, but white. It was kinda scary, and I started to shrink back. What was he going to do? And then he said it… Those dreadful words… a cursed spell which had the potential to rock the world. "Angeli di pietra mistica, Ladri d'anime fieri volano!" And then, having yelled these words at the top of his lungs, he thrust the Sword through the floor, crashing through the concrete and splitting a crack from one end of the room to the other. And then, silence… But not for long.

Suddenly, the ground started to tremble… quake… rock and undulate. It was as if a huge earthquake were hitting the island, but lasting a lot longer and slowly building up instead of an explosive release of energy which most earthquakes are like. I held my sword over my head to help block the debris as the ceiling shook apart, crashing all around us. Looking up, I saw someone looking back down at me. Before I could identify who it was, she jumped down and wrapped her arms around me.

"Time to go, Bro!" It was Nic! Next thing I knew, she leapt into the air… and then…

And then…

It's weird, I don't remember. I don't think I lost consciousness or anything, but I honestly don't remember anything of the next few seconds… or maybe it was minutes… Who can tell? The last thing I vaguely remember was an ear-splitting roar of the ocean and the land beneath us being… shredded by something--evil…

…

"Nack, Nack! Say something, Love!" A voice echoing through my mind… So familiar and far away… but close at the same time. Focus my energy, grab my arm with all the mental strength I can summon, slap my hand across my face… That's what I did, and it worked like a charm. Out of La La Land and back to reality, I found myself standing at the Warf's edge, looking out across the ocean. Like I said, I don't know how long I was there, nor do I remember what was going through my mind all that time, but suddenly I was aware that my wife was at my side. I turned to her… she only stood as tall as to be eye-level with my neck usually, but this time I found myself lower than her somehow… I was hunched over, like a man who's walked fifty miles only to then realize he's got fifty more to go. Something had drained me physically and mentally, but as I was soon to find out, this was no time to be weak.

"Crystal?" I breathed as I looked out over the ocean. "Where am I?"

She looked at me for a moment, wondering if I had just woken up from my day-dream or not, before answering softly: "We're at the Fisherman's Warf…"

Something wasn't right… "Where is the island?" By that, I was referring to Alcatraz, the island fortress that I had just been on some time ago. A scan of the ocean showed no sign of it. Crystal could give no answer, only looked out over the ocean with me.

"It is gone," a voice came from behind. Kazema stood there, leaning on his staff, looking out at the ocean. "Akron has resorted to his final strategy, the summoning of the mystical stone angels…"

"Mystical stone angels?" I inquired.

"Yes," he answered. "Gargoyles. Ultimately, they are indestructible, as they are demon-possessed stones. They can be destroyed, but only temporarily… In the end, you don't have the firepower to stop them, not even with this whole army."

"How many are there?" Crystal asked.

"Seven, remember I told you that..."

"Seven, huh…" I wasn't too impressed with this figure. How hard could six gargoyles be for an army?

"They are coming… Behold, you know that the gates of heaven are open, but now so is the cellar of Hades…" Kazema pointed with his staff out across the ocean. Indeed, where there once was a mighty island fortress, there was now a black hole in the waters. It was unnatural, it simply couldn't be passed off as something "normal." Water didn't flow into it, even though it was below the water-level. Black smoke was beginning to pour out of it, and soon, the smell of something burning filled the air. What that something was, I don't know… imagine being in a room with a pizza that's been left in the oven 2-hours longer than it should have and somebody lighting a mixture of sand, gasoline, and used cat-litter on fire with a blow-torch and you might have an idea of what I'm talking about. It was vile.

"The war ends here, today," Kazema continued. "Either you will vanquish Akron and cut off his evil warriors, or your world's fate is sealed, to live in darkness forevermore."

I growled, pacing quickly back and forth while keeping my eyes on Kazema, forgetting the daze I had been in after hearing his words. "And why does it have to be me? I never asked for that kind of responsibility, who am I to end this war?" I paused to scan the faces of those there with me… my wife, a couple soldiers, Kazema…
"Nobody asks fate for the answers," Kazema said, shifting his eyes away from mine. "And if they do, they rarely find them. I suppose that there is no law saying whose responsibility it is to win or lose or to govern the outcome of the war. Just ask yourself, though, which way do you want it to go today, and will you contribute to that?"

That made me even more angry, because he had a point. Win or lose? I wasn't going to go down without a fight, so I obviously had made up my mind to take at least some of this dog-gone responsibility on myself. But my resolve to not be governed by fate was still strong. "I ain't gonna play hero."

Just as I said that, a dark figure loomed a few feet above us, smirking mockingly. "Take a good look around you," Akron spoke to us, "Because here is the end of your tomorrow." And with that, he sped off towards the city, away from the ocean and the rift he had opened.

I reset my eyes on those in front of me again, feeling a bit more worried now but trying to hide it. Kazema held a stare with me, looked away at a moment, and back at me again with a wry grin on his face. "What?" I spat out lowly.

"He just mocked you. You let people do that to you?"

"Don't you dare play psychology on my head, Buster," I growled back. But… he was right. I couldn't stand Akron. And what was he up to?

Kazema's grin faded. "I'm not. You chose what to do, and do it. Follow your heart."

Looking away from them again, I gave a few moments of silent thought, and without so much as a word I turned around to face the city, and started walking. Make a choice, huh? Well, I sure hated Akron, and even if we lost the war, just the thought that I put him six feet under would be good enough at this point.

I had walked down many streets and intersections at this point. It was all empty, focus was currently on the seaboard now, and I was almost out of earshot of the shouts and orders being thrown around on how to get ready for the worst of any invasion we'd yet seen. And then a voice called out, softly. "Nack…"

I stopped and slowly turned to see my own wife standing there, alone. "Nack, you're angry."

I looked away for a moment. "Of course I am… can you blame me?"
Crystal moved up next to me and pressed her bosom up against my chest, looking up into my averted eyes. "I'm scared for you. But I know that you're a man, and what kind of a man you are. This is your thing to do… but if I lose you, what kind of way are you leaving me? Unhappy?"

"No," I said suddenly, focusing on her. "No, I don't mean that. You know I love you." The tears were welling up silently in her eyes, and I could tell before they even surfaced. Grasping her hand in mine, I brought it up to my face's level and kissed it. "I'm not going out here to die, Crys. I'm going this way so I can win."

"Do you promise?"

Silence. Of course I promised, who did she think I was? A one-on-one fight was what I was good at, especially if I could turn it into a nice 'n dirty one. What was she getting at?

"Nack…"

"Cross my heart." That made her smile softly, and I drew her into a soft hug, gently pursing my lips against hers. A chill ran down my spine at the sensation. It felt different, but why?

Slowly, I turned, still holding eye-contact with her. One foot in front of the other, I began walking again while my arm reached out towards her and hers to mine, our hands still lightly locked in the grasp I previously took of her. And then, they separated, and my arm fell back to my belt buckle, and hers to her side. For a moment, we both stood frozen there, an arm's length apart but feeling like it was a hundred miles. Her face showed that her fear still lingered, but that it was time for me to do what I felt necessary.

Suddenly I spun my body around and stood up straight, adjusting my Stetson to its proper position. I loved my dear, but that wasn't the time to waste on sentimental glances. Such would only trip me up for what lay ahead. So… I walked.

The highest point in the city, of course… I knew that evil Overlords had some weird fetish about them, so I headed there. Where there formerly was a large corporate headquarters building now stood a darkened tower whose purpose is still beyond me except for my theory that it existed for the sole purpose of looking intimidating. A large, spiral staircase lead the way to the top from the inside, so slowly I took it up.

Such an ascent is not easy, but I did make it, and sure enough there was Akron, waiting for me. "I knew you'd come. So predictable. But even if I were wrong, it is a spectacular view. Behind you," he pointed, "is where all the action between my soldiers and yours is going to take place now."

I didn't look.

"You know, you can't win. As a military leader, you've failed so many times… It's a trend that all failed leaders have followed through your history… a few sparse victories but always overshadowed by ultimate defeat…"

"That's enough," I replied, calmly. "I'm not a military leader, so don't think I am. Maybe I look like one, but I ain't. Maybe you're good at defeating military goons, but I'm much more than that. I'm Fang the Sniper: a bounty hunter, a hit man, a mercenary. Say what you will, that I'm the scum of the earth. I've heard it all before, but only one thing matters. You have flesh, you have bones, you have blood. I can kill you based on that."

"Hmm," he hummed to himself. "I also have this." Slowly he drew the Emerald Sword from its sheath, showing off the deadly blade that he had wielded for so very long now. "Power may corrupt, you could say, but it still makes a great weapon."

In reply, I drew my Sword of Ice. "Back in Texas, we have a saying. You shouldn't draw your weapon unless you plan on using it." And a cold wind blew, tugging at my hat and pulling on Akron's long cape.

"Then I guess that this is the end…" With that, we both rushed forward, swords in hand. We met at the center of the tower's area, clashing the two swords together with tremendous force. Emerald and Ice there fought, and I watched as he stepped aside and cut with the first blow. My sword was there to block against his, and then it was my turn to swing back. He was just as good at blocking as I, but that didn't phase me.

One by one, we'd take turns gaining and loosing ground. Blow by blow, the sound of our blades echoed high above the Bay. Breath by breath, I felt power flow through me, and felt it come back from him. Long and hard was our swordplay, but neither could get the upper hand.

I fell back, breathing hard for a moment with the tip of my sword wavering in front of me. "What's the matter, tired already?" He laughed. In a flash, I was there in the battle again, hammering against his sword but unable to find any opening. However, I kept hitting as fast as I could, hoping that he wouldn't have enough time to strike back. Fatigued, though, I pushed against him again, the sound of our blades rubbing together creating that fingernails-on-the-chalkboard sound. That's when I turned my weight and planted my elbow into the side of his face, causing him to turn away and spit out a sudden spurt of blood.

"That's enough!" he shouted, angry that I had put him up for such a fight. Quickly, with a glowing blade, he thrust hard at me, shattering my own blade with awesome power. He totally caught me off guard, and with a glowing hand punched me straight in the chest, sending me flying off the tower.

"Good riddance," he muttered and turned back towards the ocean again. But I wasn't quite done yet, as he soon found out. Slowly drifting up into his view was I, Nova, and the Marvelous Queen. "No…" He grit his teeth with anger when he saw that one of his own fighters had piloted it and saved me. And all Nova could do was smile lightly at him, mockingly. "I can stand a lot of things, but a traitor isn't one of them." And so, by whatever power he had used to reanimate the dead, he stole Nova's life back, letting her fall headlong off the bike.

But I was still there, training my .357 magnum on him. One shot, two shot, three shot… all deflected by his dark magic. But the sixth and final shot grazed the inside of his leg, causing him to falter… Growling fiercely, he turned his eyes away from his wound back up to me as I moved to the front of my wonderful bike, and before I had a chance to do anything more, he took up flight again and headed over the ocean, where a new battle was raging…

I'd have to catch up to him now, of course. I looked down into my mirror and did a bit of a double-take as I saw a bit of bile running down from the corner of my mouth. I wiped it away, thinking to myself how close I had just come to being turned into a hotcake on the streets below. Close call… Akron had control of a lot of power, even though that power didn't stem from the Emerald Sword. Question was, at this point, could I still somehow rival it?

There they all were, men and women from all over the world fighting against Akron's forces at the ocean front. Crushing blows were being dealt against our troops, for the gargoyles were very strong. They were slow and easy to blow up due to their big size, but their cracked bodies could reform themselves in a matter of moments. Their attacks, it seemed, would be never-ending, for nothing we had could destroy these angels of stone when all that constituted their existence was all around them.

The combatants, however, never gave up. The supernatural ones, such as Calia or Kazema, continued to fight and protect, but even they couldn't vanquish those gargoyles. My own wife was there on the forefront, using her magical staff to further empower the mortals there, but it was becoming harder for her to summon the power to keep up with the increasing demand for first aid and strength.

The power of the gargoyles was formidable. Each one stood over 20 feet tall and wielded arms that could easily pulverize the concrete beneath them into a fine dust. Their legs were thick like big trees, extremely heavy. Soldiers soon found out that cars and military vehicles were no good cover, as those mighty figures crushed them like tin cans.

And in the skies, a battle of its own rights was taking place over the dark rift in the ocean. There, Shadow the Hedgehog squared off against Lucretia, clashing his Flaming Sword against her magical staff. However, Shadow proved to be faster, and before Lucretia's blasting winds could knock him out of the skies, he thrust his sword through her dark heart, sending her plummeting to her fate in the underworld via her own evil portal. Victory was within grasp! A smile came across his face as he watched her fall, but it was interrupted by another sword quickly skewering him.

Crying out in pain, the hedgehog turned around as his wings began to lose power, and faced Akron one last time. Flapping his mighty wings with the last of his might, Shadow thrust his own sword out at the dark echidna, and burned his hand to make him drop the Emerald Sword. "Akron! This is the end for you! I go… you follow…!" With those words, Shadow flung his body forward and took grasp at Akron's throat, but he just floated there with an angry grin painted across his face as he took Shadow's hand and sent his dark powers through the weak hedgehog's body.

"Take a look around… This world is mine now. The work is done, the portal is open. I need not the Emerald Sword any more! I don't need Lucretia, I don't need you. It's over!" As Akron suggested, Shadow took a glance away quickly, before gazing back into Akron's eyes.

"Believe it or not, you fool, it's over and you'll still burn…" And with his upraised fist, Akron plastered Shadow with a final blow which hurtled him towards the abyss below.

"The end," Akron murmured, gazing at the fallen hedgehog's descent. But then, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye…

That's where I come in. The last of Shadow's strength had been to disarm Akron of the Emerald Sword, and I used my bike's speed to save it before it too fell into the darkness.

"This is it," I said to myself as I turned the Marvelous Queen towards him, revving up to full speed. "THIS, Akron, is the end!"

And so I charged, and leapt off the MQ, crashing headlong into Akron. The blow knocked him backwards in the air, but he remained suspended in air. I pressed my face up against his, and we shared a grudging glare at each other as we floated there, hundreds of feet above the portal below. His breath stank, and finally he gave an earth shaking roar, for the Emerald Sword had found its way into my hands and in between his ribs. But he wasn't done yet, and summoning up a great deal of energy he struck and grabbed my side in a fierce blow… Causing me to let go, but leaving the deadly sword in Akron's mortified body

Falling…

Falling…

Falling…

…

…

…

And so, the Emerald Sword and Akron were sucked deep within the Abyss, leaving not a trace left of either. A blast of energy shot out from the abyss as it closed back up into barren land; that energy encircled the planet, dispersing the army of the undead into thin air, literally. The Gargoyles, as well, lost their power as the portal closed, and they returned to rubble on the city streets. The portal was gone, replaced by a barren, rugged island in the middle of the water. Mendoza stood among his brothers in arms, Andre at his side, confused by the sudden silence. For indeed, there was silence. Akron's army was… gone. Holy Thunderforce was all that remained.

"It's over…" Andre whispered, and then screamed with joy: "It's over!"

A powerful shout echoed from sea to shining sea as one by one it hit every person that the war against Akron was over. Indeed, the nightmare had come to a sudden end, and the threat was gone. The world heard it, and every person… every mobian, human, overlander of every cultural background… everyone rejoiced, one to another and a billion prayers of thanks sent to each person's deity, for indeed the impossible had been done.

And I smiled as I lay there on that island, looking up at the sky, for it was over. Akron had been vanquished once and for all, and the threat was gone. But, to my dismay, I felt my side where Akron had grabbed me during out fall. His final power concentrated on me left me with a powerful ache which seemed to be sucking the life from me…

"Nack, Nack!" I heard a familiar voice call out.

"Crystal…" I turned and saw her face looking down at me. "Crystal, I did it…"

"Nack, you're…"

"Shh… I know… it'll be alright, Baby…"

She ran her fingers through my fur and rubbed my ears, letting her tears flow out. Yes, I had been mortally wounded by Akron's hateful strike. Slowly I raised my hand and rubbed her cheek. "Nack, you… you did it," she whispered, forcing a smile through her tears.

I laughed lightly, followed by a cough which spurred a harsh pain to shoot through me. I groaned, trying to ignore the pain. "Crystal, I love you… I did this for you…"

"Nack… Nack…!" I kept my eyes facing upwards, looking into her eyes as everything faded to gray. But she was white as snow, and though everything else around darkened, she remained radiant. Death couldn't mar her beauty…

Without a tear, I draw my parting sigh…

"Nack…"

"Nack?"

"Nack! Wake up, Nack!"

"Huh?"

"Grr…" I felt a sudden nudge. "Baby's crying. Your turn tonight, Hon… remember?"

I sat up slowly and looked around. I was in my bed in… Houston? The alarm clock said that it was 4 in the morning, and a Flickie could be heard singing outside. "What…? But what about…?" I paused and stood up. My side… no pain. No wounds, no sores. Just the sound of a baby crying in the adjacent room.

"What are you waiting for?" Crystal mumbled as she buried her head in her pillow.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…
Tock… The clock ticked and tocked the seconds away as I stood there with my infant son, Trent, in my arms, feeding him with a bottle. As I did so, I looked out the window. The world… seemed to be in one piece. It was as if Akron had never touched it. My son was here, 19 years younger than I remembered him. What the heck had just happened?

… A dream…? It was all a dream… A very bizarre, frightening, and nerve-wracking dream, but… a dream nonetheless. Trent happily emptied the bottle and fell to sleep in my arms as I slowly rocked him, trying to wrap my mind around that… dream.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock… The clock ticked away… I guess 10 minutes passed, so I put Trent to bed and headed back to Crystal. "Everything ok, Hon?"

"Yeah," I replied, but paused. "You know… I had the strangest… tell me, does the name Akron ring any bells with you?"

She yawned. "Pardon? Hmm… sounds familiar… dunno where from. But you were tossin' and a-turnin' like such a crazy twister… I swear I haven't been able to get a blink of sleep for the past half hour cause of it."

"How about the Emerald Sword? … the war? And what about my sister?"

"You've been watching way too much TV…" She turned back on her side and pulled the covers onto herself, leaving none for me. "And your sister? What about her? Call her in a few hours or something, but for now, Nack… get some sleep…"

"Yeah… I guess… I lay there and looked up at the ceiling. Crazy dream. Just a crazy, crazy dream… And fifteen minutes later, I was back asleep again.

And had another… dream. My first "radio" dream. No pictures or video, just sound… a familiar voice… I believe he said his name was… Aresius? Anyhow, I remember hearing his voice crystal clear, every word perfectly. And this is what he said:

"I know what you're thinking. You're wondering to yourself: how that could have been just a dream?

"Was it? That's for you to decide. Tomorrow you will wake up and find yourself part of the world, trying to separate fact from fiction. What is fact and what is fiction? Maybe what you just experienced in your 'dream' wasn't really a dream at all… But who am I to speak? After all, I am in your head, so it seems to you at least; who says that I'm not a dream?

"The world keeps turning, Nack. It never stops. But you can 'dream.' Your 'dream' may have been real, and it may not have been real, but you still experienced it first hand. These images and words were very real to you. How will you let them affect your life when you wake up? How will you treat yourself, or your friends? You seem to have lost many in the course of…

"I won't try to convince you of what it was, because, again, you must and will conclude whether or not I am real or just some figment of your imagination.

"But your life goes on, Fang. It goes on, and on, and on. Your life, as well as your thoughts, are very real. Never forget that. Sometimes the battle is hard. Sometimes it seems hopeless. Face your enemies one at a time, and let them taste your steel. You've proven yourself to know that which is worth fighting for in the long run. Maybe there is still hope for characters of your reputation in this world. When a door opens, go through it. When you come to a fork in the road, take it one way or the other. Nobody can tell you the right way to go for every little turn… that's what makes life exciting. That's where your choices and fate interact. Who knows, maybe the roads all point to one destination and maybe they don't, but either way, you still have a life ahead of you that you have to experience to get anywhere on that road.

"It's getting late in the morning now, so I must be going, as must you be waking up. Just remember what I've told you. Now, wake up, Fang… Wake up, and start living."

--The End