Chapter 2: In Silence is Death

Outside the wind blew softly, and its chill seemed to seep in all the tents. The rebellion soldiers were restless. Inexperienced, tired, and some even frustrated, they slept poorly that night. They all were tired of death.

Death though was far more preferable than the evil Sonic would administer unto them.

Shadow stood guard outside the tent. Created as a weapon, Shadow did not feel fear of any evil, of anything. Of all of them, Shadow's morale was hardly lowered, if at all. The dark hedgehog merely sat against a trunk of a tree, seemingly looking nowhere.

When he heard a sound behind him, he turned around quickly; noticing that whoever had the noise had not done it softly enough.

Chuckling softly to himself, he sped toward the source of the sound. As he suspected, the ambusher did not expect to be ambushed. Shadow tackled him out of the trees, knocking him to the ground.

He then picked up the shocked soldier and slammed him against the bark of a tree, knocking him out.

Another soldier came out of nowhere, blaster up, hand on the trigger. Shadow wouldn't be able to turn around fast enough.

The soldier felt something touching his shoulder. He slowly turned around, noticing a branch of a tree poking him to get his attention. "What the…"

The branch moved and slapped him across the face hard, and the soldier reeled fearfully to the ground. Shadow took advantage of the moment to give the poor soldier a poor stomp, before turning around, noticing a green humanoid plant named Cosmo standing a few feet next to him, giving the tree a gentle pat on the bark.

"Figures." Shadow said. "Nature gets the credit." He then turned serious. "We need to warn the others."

Cosmo nodded. "I'm on it."

As she went running into the tent, Shadow noticed more and more of the dread lord's men rummaging through the forests with guns.

Shadow smiled. "Finally. A real challenge."

"Sonic! What are you doing?!"

"Giving her back to the infernos."

"No! Don't listen to the demon! Leave her alone! Take me instead!"

"Tails! Tails!"

Tails woke with a jolt, the sound of an explosion outside and the earnest yells of his beloved springing him up. He had been having the same nightmare for three straight nights now. In the dream the Dread Lord would be watching in the background as the manipulated Sonic began to plunge a knife into the woman he loved more than anything he had ever built… shouting helplessly as the knife made that disgusting sound and Cosmo emitted a horrible scream. He remembered that evil smiled of the Dread Lord more than anything else. It was poor joy.

The fact that it had only been a dream, seeing Cosmo stand before him, made Tails jump out of bed, rushing to Cosmo, his hands, making sure this was real. Cosmo gave him a worried look. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm fine. Just a dream."

Another explosion in a distance stopped Cosmo from saying what she wanted to next. Tails rushed outside, grabbing his power blaster from the knight stand.

Tails began firing instantly as his eye caught men loyal to the Dread Lord swarming in one by one. A lot of blood would be spilt today…

Tails had well planned his outpost for surprise. A laser machine gun was already firing upon the invaders fiercely. Rows fell instantly.

There was so much death and killing that Tails didn't know how he managed to just look at it. Some of these men were forced to do this. Some had families…

Another fell, and then the forces began to fall back. It became deathly quiet.

Corpses lay on the ground everywhere, heated holes torn through many of them… others taking the fury of Shadow's power.

One of their own tents had been set aflame. No one inside had escaped alive.

From behind Tails a terrified Cream appeared, tears dripping down her cheeks just like the blood from the corpses, with that same silent sound.

The woodchuck Nilrem came forth, walking through the field of bodies. Tails, Cosmo, Shadow, and Cream began to follow him. Cosmo had taken Tails hand, squeezing it with need.

The woodchuck sighed. "This is what our hero is doing to us now…"

"Not willingly." Tails argued. "The Dread Lord's tricking him. We can still save him."

"The Dread Lord may have influenced him, but can you say that he is controlling every decision Sonic makes? Has Sonic himself not killed and manipulated himself?"

"I won't believe he's lost. We can get him back." Tails retorted.

"Believe what you will." The woodchuck told him. "Yet now you look at these bodies, and when we face that hedgehog, do not forget what he has done."

The woodchuck began to walk away. Tails stared at the corpses. There were so many. Even though they had repelled the group, Tails knew they had lost good fifty or more soldiers.

He turned around, starting to run, letting go of Cosmo's hand. "Where are you going?" Cosmo asked.

"To the strategy tent." Miles said, picking up a bit of speed.