After some time, Silver chose the easier route, and went after Skye instead of Blaze. He flew to the hospital though a downpour of rain that complemented his miserable conscience; bleak skies couldn't quell his appetite for answers, anyway. The hedgehog cursed at the moon and the stars and the cloud of shame above him, favoring aggression over any sort of hindsight. Not that he could be blamed for that, of course.
Silver was let in past visiting hours without even providing his name - barring one autograph, at least. Skye's room was a few flights up, and in the mirrored elevator doors, Silver felt disgust toward his own reflection for the first time. He eventually reached the desired room, creeped inside, and nearly shuddered when he caught sight of the fox. Her pale face showcased a disturbed slumber, seemingly that of a helpless victim.
The hedgehog approached her, and pushed her bangs back so that he could feel her forehead. Skye sprang to consciousness as he did so, and took a moment to realize who was standing above her. "Silver..."
His voice was solemn as he scanned her bandaged torso and shoulders. "I want you to tell me exactly what they did to you, and exactly where I can find them."
Skye knew she couldn't escape, no matter how hard she tried. She winced - not due to the paralyzing pain surfacing from her wounds, but as a mechanism to fight reality. She turned away from the one she had forsaken. "I... I can't tell you..."
Silver leaned forward, and placed a gentle hand on her cheek to wipe her tears. "It's okay, Skye. You're safe now. Just tell me how this happened."
The fox's throat felt like a knot, and she couldn't help but sound cryptic as she forced her words out. "It's too late..."
"What do you mean?"
Silver's sympathy pained Skye more than the truth could ever hurt him. Even still, she swallowed it. "It's late. I just want to rest. I'll explain everything later, I promise."
Silver nodded, "I understand. I'm just glad you're alright." He grabbed one of her hands, "Rest up, m'kay? Come see me when they let you out."
A few more words were exchanged before Silver left without any clues or complaints. Skye felt the heat of regret beneath her, and tried to convince herself that everything would come good in the end. She couldn't handle the emotional strain of confession, anyway. Not at that point, at least.
As for Silver, he trudged back through the rain to his fortress of unwanted solitude, where he would sit atop the world for one final night.
Somewhere deep in the shadows of the city, a Silver-esque figure walked through the same storm. Its eyes and limbs were discolored with evil, and its motives were just as so. It was headed the opposite way, toward the headquarters where Shadow had just left for the night. The figure arrived at the building, and wasted no time getting in through a fingerprint scanner on the front door.
Three levels underground - that's where the chaos emeralds were stored. Nearly all security had been bypassed; the last line of defense was a finger prick at the vault's door. The figure approached a small terminal, and placed its thumb on the designated spot, just above a small needle. After a quick blood test, a synthetic voice was emitted from the device:
"Access granted: Silver The Hedgehog."
Just like that, the gates to purgatory were opened. The monster stepped inside, and marveled at the view of those seven glistening gems. "At long last..." it chuckled. Not even the most diligent of pessimists could have predicted the holocaust to follow.