Vile Files Instalment 1: The Sceptre Of Darkness

(A/N: Sorry for the wait. School and all. By the end of this we transition to Team Evil for a while now. Inspiration for this chapter came from the Sonic Underground episode where they meet their deceased Egyptian ancestor Amunrapie, and Sleet uses Dingo in a clever way. Enjoy.)

Team Evil, Go

It was pouring rain as Team Vile cut their way through obstacles, heading towards the temple. "Rain. Of course. It would have to rain. Why ain't I surprised? At least we get to head back to civilization soon. Then again, Nic'll be waiting on the island," Nack sulked.

"S-S-S-Sleet, it-it's c-c-c-cold," Dingo stuttered.

"Ice rain," Fang moaned. "It cuts right through ya. The wind ain't helping either. It's biting." Just then thunder struck so loud that Dingo cried out in alarm, and Nack nearly jumped out of his skin. Lighting lit up the sky the same moment.

Sleet chuckled icily enough to match the weather. They looked at him blankly as he sliced through another obstacle. "Sleet?" Dingo asked.

Sleet looked back, saying, "The weather. It was like this around the night the queen was forced to give up her children. Imagine how she felt. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best day I've seen since… never mind." Nack and Dingo exchanged uncertain glances.

All at once, Sleet stopped. They nearly ran into him. They looked up, and Fang smirked coldly, saying, "We're here."

"About time," Dingo complained.

"Who wants to do the honours?" Sleet questioned.

"Me, me, pick me!" Fang exclaimed quickly, seizing the sceptre then leaping on his tail towards the altar.

"Watch out for traps!" Sleet called after him.

"Wait, traps!" Nack exclaimed, landing. Sure as night followed day, he felt something move. He looked down and cried out in alarm. He dove to the side, just as a jet of flame shot from the ground! "Holy mackerel!" he exclaimed.

"Oh Dingo," Sleet called in a singsong voice, smirking at the dingo and pulling out the morphing device.

"No, not that, anything but that Sleet!" Dingo exclaimed. Sleet zapped him, turning him into a bowling ball.

Picking him up, he called to Fang, "Don't move! Dingo will check for traps!"

"Sleet, no!" Dingo cried. Too late. Sleet rolled him straight towards Fang. Nack grinned and jumped over the ball as it rolled on, springing multiple flame jets. Spears jumped from the ground and any ruins still standing, as well as deadly darts and arrows. Finally Dingo came to a halt at the base of the stairs and groaned.

"Good job mate," Nack said, easily striding up to bowling ball Dingo and patting it. Dingo groaned. Fang continued on, using Dingo to check for traps where he guessed he'd land if he leapt or stepped. Soon enough the two reached the top of the altar.

"Finally," Dingo groaned. Sleet pulled out his communicator and typed down a long code. He wryly remembered why he hadn't called for it yet. All at once, his hover scooter appeared. He smiled then leapt on, flying up towards them, dodging the still working traps as easily as skating around trees and rocks.

He came next to them, and Dingo demanded angrily, "Why didn't ya do that before?"

"Two reasons. One, the code is impossibly long. It takes a minute just to type it down, and you both know that. Two, I forgot it was even available," Sleet replied.

"Hey, you gave me trouble for forgetting my Marvellous Queen. Why can't we give you trouble?" Fang protested.

"Because, I'm the boss," Sleet snipped.

"Eggman surpasses ya mate," Dingo grumbled, rubbing a sore backside. He'd been burned a couple times and scratched a few too many. Way too close for comfort, more often than not.

"Robotnick isn't here," Sleet retorted. "Nack, do the honours."

Fang turned back to the hole on top of the altar and grinned. Walking to it he said, "Here's hopin' it don't set off a trap." With that, he summoned his Marvellous Queen, just in case. Dingo fearfully climbed on. Sleet stayed on the scooter.

Fang looked over the hole carefully. Nothing seemed wrong with it. He looked back at the others. Convincingly Sleet called, "Go on, we're right behind you!" Fang scoffed. Dingo might fall for that, but he wasn't about to. He turned back to it, then carefully, slowly, placed the sceptre in. He stepped back quickly as a hissing was heard, steam shot up, and the top began to glow. He swallowed fearfully.

"I think it just stopped an escape attempt. Mephiles knows someone's nearby," Sleet remarked, flying closer.

"Y-yeah," Nack stammered. All at once, flames shot from the ground nearly scorching the weasel! Fang cried out in terror, a mix of a canine yelp and a weasel's squeal. Sleet dragged him back in alarm, then retreated quickly to the Queen, dropping Fang on it.

"Come on!" he ordered, flying away from the altar. Dingo yelled in fear as the fire nearly caught him and Nack as they darted out right after. Quickly the three turned. The fire had died down. Now the Sceptre stood, top glowing. Nothing more happened.

Hearts racing, Team Vile exchanged uncertain looks. After a moment, Sleet said, "Well, that's done. Time to send in Team Evil. It's their problem now. The queen won't know what hit her by the time we're done." Quickly Team Vile shot off towards their base.

Scourge lounged about, feet up, listening to music and nodding his head to it. Fiona sat filing her nails and humming a song. Dark Oak simply glared out the window. What was taking Team Vile so long? The plan needed to be executed soon. Lucas looked over at his teammates. Scourge caught his glare and smirked coldly. Behind the carefree look, though, Lucas spotted a hint of annoyance and impatience. The Metarex leader sensed the green hedgehog was thinking the same thing he was. Fiona too looked at her teammates, annoyed.

Just then the sliding doors opened, and in strode Eggman, asking, "What's taking them so long? It's been days! I should have known better than to trust those idiot hounds. They've failed me so many times before. Why should now be different?"

"Oh quit your whining," another voice said, cutting in. They all turned quickly. Sleet strode in along with Dingo and Nack. Dingo was smiling gleefully. Fang was smirking victoriously, coldly. Sleet looked as if he'd been happy at first, but then had his bubble burst by Robotnick's words and shut off. His tone conveyed as much.

"About time," Scourge belittled.

"We would have been here sooner, but the Mobian Sanction's been a real dog," Sleet replied. Whether or not the others took it as a pun, an insult, or whatever, he didn't care.

"If I'd been doing it, the job would have been done in a second," Scourge boasted.

"Yeah? Well not all of us have Sonic speed," Nack sneered.

Scourge leapt up, saying, "Face it, you guys are old news. Team Evil's putting you out to pasture."

"This coming from the ultimate hedgehog we defeated despite a surprise attack and a lower advantage?" Sleet asked, looking at his team.

"I underestimated you. If I ever turn again, I won't make the same mistake. In fact, Skeet, I'll bet the only reason you three took out the Sonic Heroes was because they made the exact same mistake," Scourge bit.

Dingo retorted, "Yeah, well… uh…" He trailed off. There was really no victory to boast about since Team Evil. Dingo looked to Sleet worriedly. Fang looked curiously at the wolf, trying to guess at the witty retort Sleet would come up with. To their surprise, though, Sleet just stared at Scourge like he'd seen a ghost.

With a shock, Sleet realized that he did not, in fact, have anything to say to the cocky hedgehog. He realized worriedly, that they really had been getting ahead of themselves. The unbeatable team, as both Nic and Eggman had called them, but were they really? He looked back over the tales he'd been told of the Sonic Heroes exploits. Super Sonic, Super Shadow, Super Silver, Hyper Shadic, Black Doom… He looked back at all the plans they'd used to take them out. Every one of them was founded on the fact that the heroes would underestimate them. Every victory came their way because they'd appeared to pose no threat, and the Heroes had never so much as laid a hand on all the Chaos or Sol Emeralds at the same time.

All at once he realized as well, that the only actual fights he'd really had, were with those who knew what he was capable of, with exception to Metal Sonic, who'd also underestimated him. Every loss Team Vile had met with was because they came up against those who knew intimately what Sleet could do. The Mobian Sanction. The ones who'd known him all those years ago. They knew, and they understood how to deal with it. He'd lost every one of those battles, or might as well have.

Experience. That was the word, the reason why the children could never hope to match up to their parents. True, the children were more powerful than the adults could ever hope to be, and technically they'd fought far more often, yet they failed where the adults succeeded. Experience, wisdom, and age… And now, realizing it, Sleet was seriously beginning to doubt his own ability to fight anymore. His matches were in the last generation. His fights today were beyond his ability, if they went all out. All his thoughts from earlier were flooding back. The wolf just blinked at Scourge, looked to Nack and Dingo, then turned and left.

"What's with him?" Fiona questioned.

"We don't know," Fang replied uncertainly.

"He's probably just going off to sulk or complain," Eggman remarked.

"Of come up with a plot against you," Lucas said.

"Unlikely," Eggman retorted, frowning. "Good job Team Vile, but leave this next part to Team Evil and I. Take a rest, and prepare for victory."

"Sure thing docta," Dingo replied.

Just then Nic entered, looking confused. "Hey guys, what's up with Sleet? I tried to talk to him, but he just brushed me off without a glance. He shoved right by," she remarked.

"We don't know sheila," Dingo stated.

"But we're gonna darn well find out," Nack stated, eyes determined as he marched out, Dingo and Nicolette following.

"Midlife crisis, perhaps?" Eggman joked after they left.

"He is only thirty-six," Dark Oak stated.

"Early midlife crisis?" Robotnick offered teasingly.

"Who cares? Let the old man work it out on his own. When are we goin?" Scourge insisted, prompting them on.

"I'm older than that 'old man,' Scourge," Eggman warned. Scourge shrugged nonchalantly.

"You're also a worse fighter. Now let's go," Fiona insisted.

"Bah, teenagers," Eggman sulked.

"Time is wasting Doctor. You're slowing us down," Lucas warned.

"Keep you armour on Lucas, we're going," Eggman stated. With that, he went to the main controls. "Prepare for lift-off!" he ordered. He'd never admit it, but he didn't know if the Flying Egg Fortress could get off the ground let alone across dimensions. Now was the time to have faith in his inventions, though. Time to trust. They couldn't fail. He took a deep breath, then the ship lifted off the ground. Lucas instantly went into his Metarex form.

Sleet lay back on the sand looking sepulchral. "Sleet, what's wrong?" Nic asked, coming up to the wolf, followed by Fang and Dingo.

Sleet helplessly looked at them, then replied, "None of your business."

She frowned, then pressed, "Come on, you can tell us."

As if. He felt old and pathetic, like a failure, passed his prime, that's how he felt. Not that they'd ever get to know. "Ask your brother about the disaster's we've been through, then maybe you'll get it," he replied, waving them off.

"You depressed mate?" Dingo asked.

"Go away," Sleet growled. The three others exchanged looks, but nonetheless obeyed. "Good riddance," Sleet muttered. He wanted to be alone to think. He needed to step up his game a little, if Team Vile was to stay ahead.