Chapter 7- Capture
When the dust settled, the interior of the building was in complete disarray and destruction after the monstrous attack unleashed by the god known for those two things, and was being flooded with the deep claret light of the outside sky through the shattered windows. The bookcase had been overturned and scorched, and the many books which had been sitting contentedly upon its shelves were now scattered about the room, torn and half burned pages fluttering about in the wind, back and forth, back and forth.
The wind itself had a howling, abysmal sound to it, and seemed to be more the breath of some mournful organic creature than mere air in motion, first because it had an intense heat about it, and second because of the haunting noise carried upon it.
The ceiling's main support beam had collapsed, causing the massive ebony spire supported on the roof to topple over entirely, crushing another smaller building underneath it and adding to the collective ruin and despairing look the city had about it. The beam itself lay in fragmented pieces atop of mount of scattered decorations and rubble.
Abruptly, there was movement in the room, stirring the remnants of what had been with life. Coughing the clear the dust from his lungs, one of the robed agents pushing some ruined wood off himself, and rose to survey the remains of the battlefield.
Reaching into the tattered chasm of his black cloak, he breathed a sigh of relief when the cloth that had soaked up Tikal's blood was untouched by the fiery explosion. This would save him from the anger of his superiors, and it was one less set of Incarnation DNA they had to get.
Summarizing that his partner must have already escaped by teleporting away the moment Chaos unleashed his wild attack, the agent stood for a moment in wordless silence staring over the scene before he turned suddenly to go. Before he had taken ten steps, he was stopped by a small squeaking noise, and paused to listen. Clearly distinguishable was a muffled rustling and occasional groaning which could only have been the product of another living creature trapped in the rubble.
A moment of indecision and moral introspection came over the robed figure. If he saved the life of his entrapped enemy, they may continue to be a nuisance, or worse, he would be seen as weak by his comrades. On the other hand, leaving the creature to suffocate didn't bode well with him; he had no qualms about killing when he deemed it necessary, but he was always sure to make it a quick death, not slowly wasting away, trapped in some dark prison.
A solution drifted into his mind, as if carried there by the howling wind. He could "save" the trapped hero, but take them prisoner. That would, in the end, satisfy both his conscience and his connections. Whatever befell her at the hands of the organization was none of his concern, he'd done his part just by saving her from suffocation.
Having come to his decision, the agent searched the room to determine the source of the noise. Quickly he came upon an unconscious Amy, groaning in her sleep in a protected pocket just beneath a fragment of the collapsed support beam.
Upon seeing her, immediately he felt rather silly. "So she was never in any danger."
But after a moment's thought, he realized that when the looters shoed up to look through the rubble, when they found her, the terrible fate she would endure in this lawless city would be worse than death. Whatever his organization would subject her to would be a mercy compared to it.
"I can't very well leave her here to be raped or murder," he commented, speaking aloud when no-one was present but his sleeping captive. Dragging the beam out of the way with a considerable amount of effort, he hefted the pink hedgehog somewhat roughly up and into his arms, and began to stalk away from the ruined tower.
Sleepily and ignorantly she snuggled into his chest, and although startled and perhaps even a tad uncomfortable, the wraith paused only a moment, resolved to ignore her, and continued his purposeful stride. He walked through the dead streets at a stealthy and yet quick pace, as his heart accelerated slightly. Yet it seemed the faster he tried to go, the more his "prisoner" clung to him in her sleep.
At length they reached the outskirts of the city and traded the dreary crimson of the derelict urban center for the dreary crimson of the unwatered fields of sparse and meager grass, and the skeleton trees that appeared upon the hills occasionally. The grass made a seemingly unnaturally loud crunching sound as it was stepped on, it seemed the snapping of bones could not beat its volume.
Finally, they reached the mouth of a abyssal cave outside the city. Not hesitating a moment before the imposing formation, he walked inside with ease, seeming to have the ability to pierce directly through the almost pitch black conditions with his gaze. When he had journeyed far enough back into the maze of foreboding tubes and caverns as to be absolutely sure she could never in a thousand years grope about and find her way out again, he stopped.
His frustrated attempts to set her down was amusing to say the least, for by this time, she had latched onto him so tightly and snuggled into him so deeply that it seemed she was a warm, living vice clamped around him. When finally he was able to pry her away from him after repeated attempts, he set her upon the cave floor, and began to pace silently.
After a moment of though he cast his eye down at her, the slightest hint of a smirk creasing his lips. "That pathetic blue moron is not going to be happy."
When the heroes had split up into two groups, the second one that contained "the pathetic blue moron" had not gone far before they'd run into more of the seemingly ever-present robed villains. As had originally been planned, they circled around the rim of the city, encountering at first relatively nothing that was any different than what they'd already seen of the city.
The fact that none out of the three of them were anywhere near as experienced in picking up or identifying energy signatures made their search rather redundant, as they unknowingly moved away from where the Cerberus' energy was emanating from.
After maneuvering their way through narrow alleys, over cracked pavement, past scorched stone buildings and over a rust colored rivulet that swam down one street where a pipe had broken... they arrived.
Deep within the maze they had braved that was Eruthros, there was an oasis of residual life. A circular park, featuring sparse, dry sprouts and naked, shriveled trees served as the city's most lush display of foliage. Even as the ret of the city was dead, the courtyard seemed dead... for there was no sound of birds, or children, or living things of any sort. The fountain at the center of the park was rusting and yet functional, turning its waters to a deep hue of crimson.
"What's with this place?" Rouge murmured, expressing the eerie discomfort they all felt at the city's complete silence and ruin.
"According to my research, the city has long been known as the red city," Tails replied. "In ancient times, the was originally built using bright red bricks and clay found in the surrounding hills, and the color-theme continued to present day."
"But why is it so..." Sonic grasped for the word that described Eruthros, but perhaps to truly characterize the city, a single word would not be adequate.
"Eighteen years ago, in the Global Civil War, Eruthros was extensively firebombed as a key enemy target. Because the city is constructed primarily out of brick, stone, and steel, most of the structures remained intact... but the brick houses acted as ovens, and baked their inhabitants alive!"
The trio collectively shuddered as they imagined the people's agony, and could hardly believe G.U.N. capable of such inhuman tactics.
"How many people..."
"Died? Nearly everyone, the city is all but abandoned as you can see. But as for the toll, it is estimated at about seven million," a new foreign voice replied.
"Who's there?" Sonic growled, birthing a madly swirling Shining Lance into his palm.
A pair of agents stepped forward, their hoods back. But to Sonic's frustration, they wore full-face masks that hid everything but their eyes. The one who had spoken had luminous scarlet irises, while his partner had simpler, brown ones.
"What do you care? You've killed plenty of innocent people!" Rouge shot back, her anger focusing on them as she remember that the organization they served was responsible for Shadow's death.
The robed figure laughed without mirth. "Innocent indeed. We've killed only G.U.N. soldiers so far, and we've already established just how innocent G.U.N. is."
"You can't blame each individual soldier in the military for what the organization did as whole!" Sonic replied in disbelief.
"True enough, but the deaths of the soldiers are not ones of revenge but of necessity. They're simply in our way, and must be removed for the greater good."
For the first time, the red-eyed agent's partner spoke. "Yeah, and the same goes for you!"
"Neos, be quiet! We're not here to fight, we're here to negotiate," he superior barked in anger.
Not giving them a chance to continue their banter, Rouge gave her icy response. "We don't negotiate with terrorists. You can tell it to the people who died when you unleashed Nova!"
"Far less, I might point out, than died when G.U.N. bombed Eruthros, and far less than would have died had they nuked the city," he snickered. "See, they care even less for their subjects than we do!"
As much as they hated these people's guts, the heroes had to admit they had a point. "Try me. What do you want?" Sonic snarled.
"To proceed with out plans, we require the DNA of the Incarnations. Surrender to us a strand of your hair, and we'll stop attacking G.U.N. bases. The corrupt officials at G.U.N. never have to know. You can tell them you defeated us."
"You're a liar. You yourself said that the deaths of the G.U.N. soldiers was necessary for your plans. Besides, we won't let you unleash Hydra!" Sonic replied wit his usual conviction and bravado.
"Very well. Then we shall take it from you, by force!"
All present sprang into action. Tails equipped his laser arm attachment, but it was obvious he'd made some intensive modifications. A metal shell crept outwards from the gun, soon encasing his entire body to create an inhuman metal exoskeleton.
The cloaked figures reach over their heads, drawing their billowing cowls down at the same moment. Then, with a lightning flash of steel, their katanas were drawn, and they rushed forward to attack.
Sonic was overcome with emotion, and he darted forward like a cerulean blur, tackling the red-eyed stranger to the ground in a single, fluid motion. Desperately the agent swung his saber, but the cobalt hero leapt back in the nick of time, while simultaneously battering his opponent with Shining Lances.
Rouge and Tails took on Neos, whose voice they had recognized as one of the two figures they'd met at Mephiles' lair three years before...
Flashback
Draped across their bodies were long, obsidian cloaks that reached down to just below their knees, exposing the rather bland looking black shoes they were wearing on their feet.
The cloaks seemed almost too large for the wearers, since they fit onto their bodies rather loosely, not giving any hint on the type of body structure of the two.
The cloaks had long sleeves that were long and wide at the ends, only letting a few fingers from the duo's snowy white gloves poke out for the group of heroes to see clearly.
Draped across their heads were large, loosely fitting hoods that masked the heads and top facial features of the two perfectly. All in all, not a single part of their bodies was exposed; it was all hidden by the strange-looking cloaks.
But by far, the strangest characteristic on the supposedly obscuring cloaks was the white, flame-like pattern that covered them from top to bottom in an even rhythm, making about half of the cloak black and the other half white.
The red echidna absentmindedly compared the flame-like patterns to the ones that covered Shadow's body when he had transformed into his Dark Super form.
Complete and utter silence floated through the air before Knuckles finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Who are you?"
In another wave of silence that passed, none of the two figures responded, making the echidna's temper flare slightly.
"Answer me!" the warrior growled, his voice low and threatening.
The two figures were seemingly unaffected by it, only continuing to stand there and stare at them like lifeless statues.
Rouge gulped slightly, taking a step forward. "Is one of you...Shadow the Hedgehog?"
A deep, dark chuckle filled the air.
The ivory bat blinked slowly, noting that the laughter was originating from the figure on the left, whose head was thrown back slightly.
"No."
The response was simple, lacking in any kind of explanation for the chuckle beforehand. It unnerved the bat slightly at how bland and nonchalant the answer was, completely different from the sinister laughter he had just released.
The figure on the right turned his head towards the other figure. "You fool. Our orders were to remain as obscure as possible, now they know the sound of your voice."
The figure on the left turned his head towards his companion as well, shrugging slightly. "Lighten up, metal-head. They know the sound of your voice now too."
Knuckles' violet eyes narrowed slightly. 'Metal-head? And his voice sounds so familiar.'
That remark seemed to cause the other's temper to flare as he jerked his entire body to face his partner. "I told you not to call me that! Others could take it as a hint to my identity."
The figure on the left shrugged again, jerking his head to look at the group of heroes. "Oh well, it looks like we'll just have to dispose of them."
"That goes against our orders," the other figure spat, slapping his comrade in the back of his hooded head with a loud thud.
The more casual of the two figures rubbed the back of his head, grumbling something under his breath.
"If we fight now, our energy signatures will be revealed momentarily. Others could locate our position and find us," the figure on the right reminded the other with an icy edge to his tone.
"Not if we just fight hand-to-hand," the second figure responded evenly, unaffected by the threatening demeanor of his partner. "Our energy signatures won't be revealed then."
When the second figure didn't speak one word of protest, the more enthusiastic of the two stepped forward, alarming Knuckles instantly and putting him on guard. He heard Tikal, Amy, and Rouge also rustle behind him and knew that they were getting ready as well.
"This should be fun," the cloaked figure sneered, alarming the red echidna even further.
End Flashback
He was every bit as strong as they remembered, and his sword as always made fighting physically problematic. Rouge was keeping the agent on his toes with adeptly tossed mini-bombs, while Tails fired off periodic charged blasts from his laser cannon.
The ferocity of Sonic's attacks were overwhelming his opponent; he moved fast enough to dodge everything, even a mysterious lightning attack the agent send out. After dancing through a rain of potentially lethal electricity, he countered with fierce rapidity. The hooded fiend was on the defensive, trying to avoid blows that seemed to come from every side.
Leaping into the air both gracefully and savagely, the cerulean hedgehog landed a particularly brutal kick to the shadowy figure's head, sending him sailing through the air, head over heals. He followed up with the light-speed attack, but he then combined it with his Kagami technique to create an initial mirror image.
Managing to rouse himself from the confusion caused by Sonic's first attack, the agent sliced through what appeared to be his enemy, but his sword hit nothing but air. Not a millisecond later, the real hero collided with him with the force of a truck, bombarding him in punches that all held tiny bursts of cobalt energy.
Finally he slammed the figure down, ending his flight through the air, and leaving him sprawled out on the ground, the tatters of his obsidian cloak resembling the scattered feathers of a fallen raven.
Neos had managed thus far to avoid all of the heroes' attacks, but Tails finally scored a lucky hit that glanced his cheek and tore a bloody gash in it. The agent's blood boiled as smoke rose in a tiny plume from his face, but his infuriation only served to make his counter attacks inaccurate.
Sonic stood victorious over the defeated wraith, the fiery passion of battle still burning in his eyes. He reached down, tearing the surprisingly soft, silky ebony hood off his opponent.
Beneath the cowl stared back the empty, white mask he'd seen before. With flame-shaped eye-holes housing crimson coals, the mask resembled an eerily grinning doll. The eyes were haunting and surreal... moving, and yet dead; simultaneously animate and lifeless.
The false face hid from him the identity of one of the shadowy figures who had for so long been protected by anonymity, while they continued to commit acts of terror and conquest. Their crimes were enigmas, their identities as mysterious as the dark hearts within them. And no-one had been able to touch them, they'd been immaterial as shadows.
But now, finally, this fiend was something he could touch, something he could defeat and expose; something corporal. He would destroy the mask, and then, he would look his enemy in the eye, and destroy him.
Summoning a blazing sphere of sky blue energy into his palm for this purpose, he raised it over his head like a dark avenger, a parody of his lost friend. As memories of Shadow flooded him, a single tear left the cobalt hedgehog's eye.
He slammed the shining lance into the mask of his assailant, and, as expected, the covering cracked into pieces, and finally shattered into dust. The particles of dust hung in the air for a moment, obscuring his enemy's face.
Then, as the dust cleared and his vision was unrestricted, his breath hung in his lungs as he looked at the face of the figure.
Instead of skin, the agent sported metallic blue plating, and his eyes shone with a brilliant crimson light. He had no mouth, no flesh, no soul. The face that lay hidden beneath the blanket of darkness and the expressionless doll mask was that of his nemesis, once thought dead.
It was Metal Sonic.
The cerulean hero was too shocked to move, too shocked to breath. He'd seen Shadow kill Metal Sonic himself. There was no doubt as to his death. Metal Sonic quickly took advantage of his disbelief and kicked him off. Growling electronically, he disrobed entirely in one fluid movement. Sheathing his sword, he blasted the still dazed Sonic in the face with a spark of electricity, before bellowing orders to his subordinate.
"Neos, we've been compromised. Retreat!" with this, Metal activated his jet, and sped away, little more than a colored blur.
Sonic still wasn't entirely coherent, but he knew that he couldn't let the newly unmasked agent escape. He swiftly followed after his mimic, accelerating in seconds flat to burn after him at ferocious speed.
Meanwhile Neos, still enraged from the blow Tails had dealt him, ignored Metal Sonic's orders, and stayed behind to fight Tails and Rouge...
