Chapter Twelve: The Ultimate Power; One Step in Destiny
Shadow reflexively drew his dagger; he had met ghosts before, particularly in Eggman's castle that had been attacked by the Black Arms. But he knew that his dagger, unless it had hidden powers, probably wouldn't do much good against a spectrum that had the stature of this hedgehog that looked so much like him. Knuckles, too, had encountered ghosts before on Pumpkin Hill, several years ago when he and Rouge had raced each other to find all the pieces of the Master Emerald. But the echidna was still startled by the similarity between Shadow and this ghost; their quills were in the same design, their eyes narrowed similarly, and they even both had white chest hair on them; the only difference was their color; this ghost was gray-colored, not black. The others merely backed Shadow, waiting to see if this ghost would prove hostile or not.
Finally, the ghost took a step towards Shadow, and it smiled slightly. "Your feat against those devilish naves is... striking, Shadow..." it said gently. "I see we have more in common than I imagined. The aged-mortal of white-wisdom did well with his labor, it would appear."
Shadow lowered his dagger, but remained on guard. He recognized the voice now; it was the same one that let him open the door. "So... you would by Scyth, then?" Shadow asked. The ghost only nodded. "And when you say 'the aged mortal of white-wisdom'... do you mean Gerald Robotnik?"
Scyth frowned slightly. "Robotnik?" he asked, confused. "Perhaps... I cannot remember; I only know of him because I saw him come here, perhaps half a century ago or more... I have lost track of time over the centuries. But yes; it seems more familiar than other words."
"How... how did you know he created me?" Shadow asked. Scyth smiled, and answered; "I examined his dreams while he slept nearby here in his research; as I was no longer a physical being when he came, it was fairly easy to drift into his thoughts.. He was thinking about creating the 'Ultimate Life Form', and was researching the Gizoid's origin as well. He found the Gizoid a bit later, and used it to study the Ultimate Life Form."
"You... drifted into his thoughts?" Shadow asked in wonder. "So... he got the idea of shaping me from seeing you in his dreams? Is that why you and I look so similar?"
"Partially, yes, but, if you must know, the man you call 'Robotnik' examined the dagger, which the devil-essence already told you belonged to me. Upon examining it, the aged-mortal found skin cells that I had left behind on it, and used that to help reproduce your body and some of my powers. The rest of your powers and building, however, were entirely original."
The room went silent... If what Scyth said was true, than, in a way, the ghost of the hedgehog before them was Shadow's father.
"So..." Shadow whispered, putting the pieces together in his mind, "Gerald used his own research on the Gizoid, Black Doom's help, and Scyth's DNA to create me; that would at least partially explain my immortality. The fact that my fur hasn't grayed like Scyth's must be due to Black Doom's intervention. Scyth had an affinity for Chaos, and because we share similar DNA, I was able to make it into this room, since Scyth was the only one the builders trusted to be near the Sword of Chaos! And Black Doom added some of his own DNA to cancel out Scyth's DNA so I shared some of the same powers as he did, but because of that, I could also use Chaos Blast and Chaos Control on such a massive scale! Yes! It all makes sense!" Shadow's face split into a grin, his past finally set right and clear. Though Shadow had set it behind him, it comforted him to know who he was without a shadow of a doubt (no pun intended).
"But... why did you tell me to open the door?" Shadow asked. "If it had remained closed, Mephiles wouldn't have gotten the Sword!"
Scyth sighed, and his eyes- similar to Shadow's – became softer, somehow. "Because, my son-in-soul, I had to know if a descendant – however remotely so- of mine existed today, and if they could wield the true power of Dark Burner" he replied. "I have felt the dark power rising in this land; the one who calls himself 'Mephiles', the traitor of virtue and shameful murderer of serenity has been growing stronger, and if his plan succeeds, his power shall soon surpass even that of Chaos. Someone must be given the knowledge and power of Dark Burner, or we shall all fail and fall into everlasting chaos and darkness."
"What is this 'Dark Burner', huh?" Silver asked. "Some sort of relic in this temple? Something that was buried with you?"
"No, good hedgehog" Scyth replied. "Shadow carries it with him even now; the dagger he wields."
Shadow looked at the said weapon, Dark Burner. He twirled it between his fingers a few times, and looked at Scyth again, asking; "Well, it is a convenient weapon, and it's expertly crafted, but what makes it so special beyond that?"
Scyth chuckled. "Forgive me, but it really is rather simple; all you need to do is focus a bit of Chaos Energy from your hand to the hilt, and the blade shall triple your reserve of Chaos Energy, burn through any darkness in your mind, and burn through your enemies as if they were parchment."
Intrigued, Shadow did as he was told... and a memory he would never forget came to be: Dark Burner's golden blade flashed a bright-white for a second, and then, a blade shimmered out; it was scarlet and amber, and seemed solid save for its feature of being semi-transparent. Shadow suddenly felt strength ripple through him, his mind became sharp and clear, and his physical exhaustion wore away. The fiery blade of pure Chaos Energy (three times as long as the solid-metal gold blade) had the same designs and curves a normal blade would, and Shadow could even see a few of the same runes on the actual blade were reflected on the blade of fire. Rouge laughed in amazement, and clapped a few times along with Silver and Blaze, making Shadow feel embarrassed (Knuckles just stared at the blade, unbelieving).
Scyth smiled. "May the forces of evil wickedness fall before you, Shadow the Hedgehog. And, though I did not have a wife who gave birth to you, I still feel compelled to add this; I am proud of you, my son-in-soul", and Scyth's ghost vanished in another warm breeze.
Shadow smiled softly, and at his mental command, the blade's energy went away, but it still left him feeling more energized than before. Rouge hugged Shadow, happy both for her husband, and for the fact that they now had another tool against Mephiles.
As they left the temple, Knuckles finally spoke up, saying; "So... that guy was your dad?" he asked. Shadow only laughed, nodding.
*Central City: President's Home, the next day*
In the President's office, many negotiations had occurred here. Most had been in uniting most of the world's nations to join G.U.N. and appoint the President as the leader of the United Nations. Only Soleanna remained independent, but it was allied with G.U.N., all the same. But now, most unusual parties were gathered in the office, two of which the President allowed in with great reluctance: Dr. Eggman, along with three mech bodyguards, and Black Fist, flanked by two Black Arms elites. The only other people in the room were the G.U.N. Commander, a G.U.N. agent armed with a pistol, and E-123 Omega, acting as both the Commander's and the President's bodyguard. Surrounding the building were hundreds of G.U.N. soldiers, ready to rush in should either Black Fist or Eggman attempt an assassination.
"Now, let me go over this again, Commander" the President said tiredly. "Dr. Eggman, one of our greatest enemies, and the Black Arms, who have committed dozens of terrorist acts against us in the past, are joining us. And they are joining us to combat a foe who is stronger than all of us combined, and that you and the rest of the military command staff approved of this alliance with my consent only because I didn't know it would Eggman and the Black Arms we were allying with. And, to top it all off, Shadow, Rouge, Silver, Blaze, and Knuckles haven't been heard from in several hours, and last we knew, they'd just gotten back from Mobius before we lost contact with our base on Angel Island. Did I miss anything?"
The Commander cleared his throat. "No, sir, that pretty much sums it up, Mr. President" he said.
The President sighed, and rubbed his temples. "Very well, Commander; if Dr. Eggman and the Black Arms are willing to join us without much trouble, I agree; they're our best hope" he admitted. "But, I still really don't know what we're up against, exactly. I've only heard vague reports from Team Dark, Silver the Hedgehog, and several Soleanna citizens of what Mephiles is like, and the forces he commands. Please, Commander, or any of you; tell me exactly what it is Mephiles plans to do."
It was Black Fist who spoke: "Mephiles is evil embodied, President. His plan is to unite with a powerful being known as Iblis, also known as the Flames of Disaster in Soleanna legend, or so I'm told. Mephiles seeks to cause havoc and death wherever he goes, and thereby increasing his and the Lost Ones' power. The Lost Ones are like his brethren, and are extremely dangerous, especially united, but are weaker than Mephiles to the point where he can control them. It was Mephiles who forced us off our planet, darkening it with his power and leaving billions of monsters behind to seize it. That is why Black Doom brought a sizeable force to your planet: to control it and gain a new homeworld."
"Ah" the President said, trying to keep his eyes from glaring at Black Fist and remaining polite. "So... Mephiles plans to do the same to this planet, then?" Black Fist nodded. "But what happens once Mephiles reunites with this, 'Iblis'?"
It was Dr. Eggman who answered that question; "With Iblis' destructive power and wrath that knows no bounds, combined with Mephiles' dark, cunning, immortal, unholy might, create one single, powerful being. In Soleanna, they once worshipped Solaris as their Sun God, until their current sovereign, Queen Elise (who was a princess at this precise time), learned what Solaris truly was." The sinister doctor sighed to himself. "I once tried to wield the power of Solaris, as Elise's father tried to, many years ago. But alas, the time-line was forever changed because of Iblis' death; only Mephiles remained. Silver the Hedgehog's time, our future, was saved from Iblis, and everyone forgot Iblis' existence, save for the memory of Mephiles' doings and involvement with Iblis. However, due to Mephiles' survival, Elise's father still died... whether because of Mephiles or some other cause, I can't say."
The President nodded, and turned to Black Fist. "So, this Mephiles... how large is his army?" he asked. "Shall I reinstate our high-need of recruitment?"
Black Fist smiled grimly. "I wouldn't bother, Mr. President" he said heavily. "The only way we'd win is with a large number of soldiers who have battled at least two, maybe three times in their life, and gotten a full taste of battle and experience each time. Raw-recruits would just get in the way. But, as for your first question; Mephiles' army shall grow larger with every moment he takes to build it. Over fifty billion of his monsters assaulted our homeworld; it probably took him roughly ten months to create it. Only a little over six billion remained when we finally retreated off world, but only a million of us were left, and more than half of them were civilians. It took well over two centuries to make our army the mighty empire it once was. My guess is that Mephiles' army will consist of one or two billion, if we're lucky."
The President and the Commander exchanged a worried glance, praying that Black Fist exaggerated. But there was no doubt; they were facing the most massive army ever assembled. Even with Eggman's, Mobius', and the Black Arms' assistance, they'd still be terribly outnumbered. Sighing, the President faced the Commander.
"What is our preliminary count of total soldiers, mechs included?" he asked. The Commander thought a moment, checked with Eggman's and Black Fist's army roster, did the math, and replied; "Roughly 120 million; twenty seven million are ours, counting Soleanna's army of two and a half million; Eggman's army of nineteen and a half million mechs, but several thousand of them are extremely powerful, capable of taking out maybe a thousand enemies each; and Black Fist's military takes up the rest. I understand it that 1 million of them are spread out to defend the Comets you have in orbit, Black Fist?" The alien nodded once.
"Very well, Commander" the President sighed. "We have well over a decade's food supply at our fortress, and from there, with our entire army gathered, along with Sonic and the other Mobians who help us, we can outlast them. I will propose this to the senate; to order a mass evacuation of the planet. Surely the vote will be anonymous, and as President, I can hold a fairly effective influence in favor of the vote. Commander, I want you to prepare all citizens for a mass evacuation; they have until the senate decides to evacuate to the fortress, which I'm guessing will be three days, maybe four. Also, Commander, I want a hundred thousand more troops here in Central City, along with another hundred ships until the evacuation is done; the senate must be protected until we move out." The Commander nodded. Then the President turned to face Dr. Eggman.
"Doctor, I must ask if you wouldn't mind positioning a few thousand of your ships at the fortress until we have it completely secured; Mephiles may want to capture it while its defenses are thin" the President said.
Eggman nodded. "Of course, Mr. President; from what I have learned of your fortress, I concur that Mephiles will likely want to capture such a strategic location before we can use it to our benefit" he said professionally. "However, know this; as soon as Mephiles is defeated for good, I will be giving G.U.N. a two week-recover period before I resume my war against you... unless you wish to serve me now as my underlings; you would be well-sheltered under my empire."
The Commander almost drew his pistol on the doctor for his insolence, but Omega was less polite; his arm immediately swiveled to a machine turret, and aimed right at Eggman, his eyes glowing a brighter red than before. Eggman's mechs took aim, and Black Fist's bodyguards prepared to defend their leader should a fight break out. The President, however, stood up and slammed his fist on the table for quiet, and everyone lowered their weapons a bit.
"This is pointless!" the leader of the United Federation barked. "Mephiles is our real enemy! If we turn our guns against ourselves, he will have already won! Now, Doctor; I will respect your offer; but make it three weeks and we'll have a deal, or the Guardian Units of Nations, Commander Kael's Mobian army, and the Black Arms shall turn on you together! I am confident that, in your weakened state and with the Mobians on our side, we could vanquish you and still have a solid chance against Mephiles, who won't likely be too eager to let you join him for safety, either."
Eggman sighed, and nodded. "Very well; your logic is inarguable" he admitted, "And you're right; Mephiles won't be eager to join me, nor I him; him berating me, and me revolting against him when he usurped rule of my Empire. Our best chance is to stand as one, strong faction against his one, strong faction. However, Mr. President, while we are allies, you have no command over me, nor I command over you or your forces, unless either of us agree to it. I shall do as I see fit to help defeat Mephiles, and will only act on your orders if I agree with it."
"You're in no position to make demands, Robotnik!" the Commander growled. "Your army was spared on our whim, when we could've annihilated you once and for all!" But before he could continue to yell at the arrogant doctor, the President held his hand up for silence.
"I shall honor your decisions, doctor" the President said. "And you will have a stricter command over your own forces, but I expect cooperation from you between our armies; the other forces against you shall quickly overwhelm anyone who tries to take unreasonable command over the other. Therefore, I shall hold myself to that; you and Black Fist may keep me and the Commander in check to make sure that we don't try to dominate your armies entirely to our own decisions. However, Dr. Eggman, the Commander has a valid point; technically, you surrendered to us once we brought you into G.U.N. territory under guard. Therefore, we can have you do anything we want, or we could utterly vanquish you. Therefore, Eggman, I shall respect your advice, and you shall have your own say in how our forces operate, especially your faction, but you don't have to agree with what Black Fist, the Commander, or I might say. If you do, you shall be executed, your mechs decommissioned and reprogrammed by Tails and our lead scientists. Do you understand, Doctor?"
Eggman gritted his teeth and his fists clenched, considering having his mechs shoot the other leaders while they least expected it and make a break for it. But, he knew he'd be killed, and there were other fools to step up and lead G.U.N. should the Commander and the President die, such as Admiral Atmos or General Catherine. And besides that, he felt they had a point, no matter how much he hated to admit it. So, half-hating himself for doing this, he nodded, and reached his hand out to shake the President's hand. The leader of the United Nations half-smirked, stood up, and shook his enemy's hand. Then they both returned the gesture to Black Fist.
"Now, Black Fist? We already agreed that half of your flying-fortresses would secure the cities and escort the ships for the evacuation while the other half joined Eggman's ships at the G.U.N fortress, along with 9,000 of our own ships. All other ships of ours are securing G.U.N. territory and preparing to escort the evacuation as well. Did you issue the orders, yet?"
"Yes, Mr. President" Black Fist replied formally. "Just yesterday, in fact. Our men have secured the fortress along with your troops, and everything is running smooth at the moment.
The President nodded, and faced Eggman. "Doctor? I must ask for another few ships to secure each city and town in our territory until we begin the evacuation. Do as you wish otherwise, but I must ask you to send several thousand mechs to the fortress as well." Eggman only nodded once in reply.
"Good" the President said with relief. "Eggman, Black Fist, leave at your own leisure; I believe that's all we need to address, unless there's something else?" Eggman already was headed out the door, but Black Fist lingered behind.
"Mr. President, I must ask that, as soon as you can, let me know of Shadow's and the other Mobians' status; they're our best chance against Mephiles and the Lost Ones..." here, Black Fist smiled a bit. "My officers and I have an idea of how to eliminate at least most of the Lost Ones; if we do that, than we'll stand that much of a better chance once we finally confront Mephiles' main army. If the Lost Ones manage to spearhead the assault..." Black Fist sighed, and his eyes darkened. "Then, honestly Mr. President, we'll stand half a chance if we're lucky" he added grimly.
The President nodded. "Very well, Black Fist. Thank you for your time" he said. As soon as Black Fist and his bodyguards left, the President breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God; that went better than I expected" the President said with relief. He faced the Commander, and stood up. "Commander; I assume you've already issued orders to have the civilians of all G.U.N. territory to evacuate?" he asked.
"Yes, Mr. President" the Commander reported. "And, by our estimations, we should be able to house every single last man, woman, and child without cramming them all in; they'll have enough wiggle room to make it fairly comfortable. Also, with the food we've requested them to bring, the provisions we already have, and the fresh shipments we're sending in tomorrow, we can last years in that fortress; starving us behind walls won't be an option for Mephiles" he finished with a satisfied half-smile.
The President smiled, and patted the Commander on the shoulder. "Amazing how I can always count on you" he said with sincerity. "I have one last order for today, Commander; have our agents try and keep the evacuation hush-hush from the senate until they decide to move to the fortress; I may be the President, but the senate keeps me from being a dictator. If they found out about it, my position would be ruined. So, inform my Cabinet, if you please, on your way out Commander, of this matter."
"Certainly, Mr. President" the Commander said, saluted, and walked out of the President's room. He went down the hall, and into the Cabinet's room. He gave them the President's message, and walked out again. Once he was out of the section of the house directly connected to the President's room, he was rejoined by his two, floating Beetle-mech bodyguards. He returned salutes to junior officers and other people who worked in the building, when suddenly, his watch's built-in communicator went off. Answering it, the Commander heard Colonel Jackson's voice.
"Commander! We just received word from Team Dark; they're still alive and in one piece, along with Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, and Tikal!" the officer from the G.U.N. Command Staff reported when the Commander was in his private transport. "They encountered Mephiles; they were pretty brief about it, but they battled him in an ancient temple. I believe, sir, that they mentioned at least several of the Lost Ones being there as well."
"Wait... you said, 'Team Dark, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze and Tikal'..." the Commander said with a frown. "What of Sonic and Amy Rose? They went to speak with the Mobians to see if they had an army willing to help us as well; what of them?"
"They're staying in Mobius awhile to help them construct a teleportation device that will allow them to bring their whole army to Earth in a matter of minutes, sir" Jackson replied. "Shadow said that their leading general, a hedgehog named Commander Kael, would be able to bring them in roughly two to three weeks, which would be about three and a half days in Mobian time."
"Very good, Colonel" the Commander replied. "An army of trained Mobian-warriors could very well turn the tide for us. "Colonel; as soon as Shadow and Rouge are rested, and any injuries they may have are at least fairly healed, tell them I want them at Headquarters in exactly thirty hours from the time you inform them. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir, Commander. Jackson out" the colonel replied, and the link closed.
*Night Babylon: one hour later: Shadow and Rouge's house*
Right now, Shadow and Rouge were taking turns holding Luna and letting her choose between playing with one of her toys, or crawl around and explore the living room. Shadow actually burst out laughing when Luna smiled toothlessly (save for one little point nub coming up from the bottom), and smashed his cup of soda onto the carpet, laughing and clapping her hands. Though Rouge was irritated at having to clean up right after they'd received some brief medical attention at G.U.N., a good night's rest and, feeling only slightly recovered (Shadow's wounds seemed almost completely gone, however), and then driving all the way back home to spend some more time with their daughter, she almost grinned when Shadow laughed; even though he had warmed up to her and behaved less hostile and cold-shouldered, hearing Shadow do more than chuckle was rare. When she'd finished cleaning up Luna's mess and setting her back on her husband's lap, Rouge plopped down beside Shadow and kissed her husband on the cheek.
"Seems like mayhem always picks the worst possible time to strike" Rouge said huffily, examining her prized engagement ring that Shadow had given her; the pure-diamond band still amazed her, even after being married a little over a year. The jewels on the band couldn't have been more valuable unless they were carved from the Chaos Emeralds themselves. Sighing, Rouge leaned her head against Shadow's shoulder, getting a better view of Luna
Shadow glanced back at his wife, smirked, and kissed her on the nose. "Well, life wouldn't make you much of person without hardships; surpassing them always makes you better for it, and offers you a perspective on which to better yourself, both in mind and soul" he said wisely. "So... I guess, what I'm trying to say, is that since it's hard for us to get to spend much time with Luna, it makes our time with her that much more precious. Am I making any sense?"
Rouge smirked, and took Luna into her own lap. The baby bat laughed and grabbed greedily at a throw pillow shaped like a fine gem. "Yes, Shadow, I get what you're saying" Rouge replied. "You said something pretty wise there, actually... you make that saying yourself, or, what?"
Shadow's smile vanished almost entirely, and his eyes seemed to be wandering. "Kaynyx told me something similar to that... shortly after he revealed that Mephiles manipulated and initiated the attack on the ARK... and that Mephiles... killed Maria..." he said distantly. Rouge's face grew worried, but when Luna hurled the pillow into Shadow's arm and laughed at her father's surprised expression, Shadow smiled again. He picked Luna up, and held her in the air, making her squeal. Then, Shadow brought Luna down, and kissed his daughter on the forehead.
So, the evening continued on a light note, and Luna finally fell asleep in Rouge's arms, dreamily gnawing at her mother's hand. Shadow took Luna to her cradle, tucked her in (after another epic battle against Luna's used diaper), and joined Rouge in their bedroom. The ivory bat changed into her night attire (after being teasingly kissed, licked, and pinched in certain areas by Shadow), and snuggled up cozily next to her lover. They exchanged a loving kiss, Rouge reached over to the lamp, turned it off, and fell asleep in each other's arms.
Another dream...
Another... restless... dream...
"I... I've had this dream before... once? Twice?
It's... I know her! That girl there!
... Maria!"
The girl turned to face Shadow, and certainly enough, it was Maria Robotnik; they were home, aboard the Space Colony ARK! Maria smiled at the hedgehog and embraced him. Shadow, sorrow forgotten somehow, chuckled and returned the embrace. Sitting nearby was an elderly man with a large, white mustache: Gerald Robotnik. The elderly professor tried to smile along with his granddaughter, but sighed, a look of sadness and worry upon his face.
"Oh grandpa, you let those silly people with their violent words and big guns worry you too much!" Maria said huffily, standing up and putting a hand on Gerald's shoulder. "They can threaten us all they want, but they'd have to make a big change in their peace laws to attack a colony of peaceful research just because some people are skittish!"
"Maria, my dear, this is getting worse every day!" Gerald said with an explosive sigh. "Governors and senators alike on the planet are trying to win votes to amend the laws so they can seize and confiscate our colony! Every day, they get a few more votes, and it's not just that one country trying to get permission to attack us!"
Shadow remembered this; this had happened just three days prior to the attack on the ARK. On the beautiful planet below, people were wanting to attack their peaceful home. Gerald had never explained why in too much detail, but Shadow knew a big reason was because someone – most likely Mephiles – had leaked information on Shadow's destructive powers, along with the horrible accidents that had happened with Gerald's experiments.
But Maria only smiled, and patted Gerald's shoulder. She went back over to Shadow, and hugged him, saying; "Don't worry. If anything happens, Shadow and I can take care of it." Her deep, blue eyes faced Shadow, Maria's face wearing a grin that made Shadow's eyes water in memories. "We'll help the people here on the ARK, right Shadow?"
Then, it all came crashing down...
The room Shadow now saw was sickeningly familiar; it was the room Maria had ejected him out of. The girl now lay on the floor in a pool of her own blood, her dress stained with it, her breathing irregular. Standing nearby Maria was a group of human soldiers, led by a dark human-shaped figure, roughly two feet taller than Maria. Its head may not have been shaped like a hedgehog, but Shadow still recognized the glimmering eyes...
It was Mephiles the Dark; this was what Kaynyx must've witnessed shortly before the wolf had been ejected. And, sure enough, Shadow spotted Kaynyx hiding nearby. The wolf was still a cub, but his augmentations were the only reason he looked that way; literally, Kaynyx was probably a teenager, and roughly ten years older than Shadow, who'd had an adult body for almost his entire life, having only been in cub form for a few hours before his growth was accelerated.
Shadow saw Maria struggle to her knees, and suddenly, her eyes cleared of fear. Only anger, determination, and strong will was visible in her deep, blue eyes. Mephiles picked Maria up, and held her by the throat. She faced Mephiles, and glared at her killer with defiance.
"Shadow will come back and stop you, you monster!" Maria cried defiantly. Mephiles scoffed, and at his command, Shadow saw the human soldiers prod Maria with electrical devices. She screamed in agony, but still, she would not tell them where Shadow was.
"Bah! Leave her to me!" Mephiles snarled. The other humans saluted, and left the room. Once they had, Mephiles reassumed his dark, familiar form, texture, and height. A blade appeared on his arm, and he approached Maria. Then, Kaynyx yelped a challenge, and threw himself at Mephiles' face, biting and clawing ravenously. But, with a great bellow of anger, Mephiles hurled the young wolf into a tube, sealed it shut, and prepared it to launch.
"I have had enough with your insolence!" Mephiles cried, and brought his blade down, and slashed Maria's heart. At last, Maria Robotnik had died.
Suddenly, the surrounding area of the ARK disappeared, and only Mephiles remained standing as he had. The dark creature laughed in triumph, and said; "Now, with her out of the way, Shadow's heart will forever be darkened by anger! Maria Robotnik has tainted her only hope of vengeance with evil! Now, her tainted hero shall be no match for me, and nothing shall stop me from setting the Flames of Disaster to the universe, and all of time and space!" And he laughed evilly.
Then, that image vanished as well, and Shadow saw Earth on fire. Cities burned, and countless monster-spawns of Mephiles wreaked havoc and death upon all they saw. The Lost Ones flew overhead, setting fire to everything. Shadow saw himself, Rouge, Sonic, and a handful of other Mobians and G.U.N. soldiers trying to fight them off, but Shadow watched himself, Rouge, and the others blown up by a volley of flaming missiles from Hades, and the soldiers were devoured by the monsters. Then, the black flames spread, and Shadow saw Mephiles gripping the entire Earth in his hands, the Flames of Disaster were spreading to the stars. Mephiles cackled maniacally in his triumph as the universe burned and his victory was complete.
But then, a cool breeze blew it all away, and Shadow saw himself standing in snow. There was no bitter wind; only cool, calm air that cleared his mind. It kissed his fevered fears and aching heart like Rouge's love. Shadow was on a mountain peak. Looking up, he saw...
Maria Robotnik.
She was different though. Instead of her blue dress, she wore – strange as it may sound – silver armor! She looked older as well, but only four or five years older. Her eyes were still deep, kind, and loving, but also strong and resolved. A slim, silver falchion sword was strapped to her hip. Her long, golden hair shimmered as she smiled softly.
"Maria!" Shadow cried, and threw his arms around her. Maria chuckled and returned the embrace. "Maria, is it really you this time? No illusion, no memory?"
"As real as can be, Shadow my friend" Maria replied, and nuzzled Shadow's forehead comfortingly. Then she stood up. Her smile remained, but her eyes grew a little less soft, more serious. "I came to tell you something important, Shadow; Mephiles is nearby. He has a base underground, somewhere north of Westopolis. You must move quickly, Shadow; he plans to reunite with Iblis while the Lost Ones lead his armies to occupy you so you cannot peruse him. If you strike quickly, with a small force, you may be able to draw him out. If you succeed, Mephiles will be forced to stay here, and you will have a chance to defeat him once and for all. I promise, Shadow; Mephiles' end is closer than you might think."
"Truly, Maria?" Shadow replied. "But... what is he planning? When will his army strike? Um... why are you wearing armor and carrying a sword?"
Maria chuckled. "Honestly, Shadow, I can't answer your first question" she admitted, and put a hand on Shadow's shoulder to reassure him. "But it does have something to do with the Sword of Chaos, I'm almost certain. As to your second question, his army will assault G.U.N. and its allies within three days. If you strike tomorrow, a little after noon, you will catch him before his plans are set in motion, and with his guard down. His attack will be delayed for a long time as he tries to regroup and compensate for his losses. And your third question..." Maria's eyes grew serious again, "I am preparing... should Mephiles become Solaris again, he will be able to reach beyond the realm of physical embodiment. I must be ready, even here."
Shadow nodded, and put a fist over his heart. "I promise you, Maria," he said, "That I shall not let Mephiles get to you! I'll heed your advice; we'll stop him and his armies!"
Maria smiled, and embraced her friend who had been like a brother to her. "I know you will, Shadow" she said gently...
Shadow awoke with a start, and found himself a little sweaty. But his mind was calm, sharp, and awake.
Not even Rouge's nearby form made him sleepy.
Shadow gently shook Rouge awake. With a grumble, the ivory bat's eyes opened. She yawned and glared over at her husband.
"Please don't tell me G.U.N. is calling us for a mission" she grumbled.
"No... we're calling them for a mission of mine this time" Shadow said defiantly, and stood up. "Call a babysitter; I need to get a hold of Sonic and Amy."
"Uh... are you on crack?" Rouge asked with a raised eyebrow, scrambling out of bed. "Sonic and Amy are still on Mobius!"
"Then tell G.U.N. to get them here" Shadow said gently, but with some force. "I hate myself for saying this, but we need them; it's time to stop Mephiles."