Epilogue: The Path Of Brilliance Chapter 14: Raijingeki, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

UlTrRa SiK pRoDuCtIoNs pReSeNtZ:

Epilogue: The Path Of Brilliance

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Sega's characters….but I'd be a very happy guy if I did!

A/N: Haha! Look how soon I updated! Huh? HUH!? I love reading my reviews and each one either explicitly or covertly told me the same thing: Ultrra, get off your ass and UPDATE! School's not in for me yet (Haha! You suckers!) So I can squeeze this puppy out real quick !(Eew! How nasty did that sound!? Lol)

-I hope I haven't starved you guys out for action…But you've got tons of it in this chapter! So enjoy! I didn't have the reviews answered this time, but I'll post 'em up later in the week. So check back for 'em!

-PS: And someone impress me, why did I give the chapter this name? Read the chap and learn why! :)

-Epilogue: The Path Of Brilliance-

Raijingeki "Raijin Attack"

POV:

Achilles

Ever had one of those moments when it's fight or flight? Do or die? Well, here's my moment. Let me offer you the million-dollar question: What do you do when a pissed, black and red hedgehog is foaming at the mouth, with the intention of killing you?

…Yeah, I'm still waiting for the answer to that one too. All I know is that my heart is pounding, my senses are alive and vigorous. I can feel the excitement of a prospective fight beckoning me seductively.

Damn it…

…Must resist…

If I fight him, then the others will hate me more…

For a moment, I'm sure panic must have flashed across my face. But then it was slowly replaced with a feeling, a stimulus I was so familiar with. I had to fight. I don't know what it was, but the idea of facing a strong foe…excited me.

Here he is, the same hedgehog that had brutalized my ass so many years ago. I couldn't even hold a kindle to the kind of power he had. It was so potent, so concentrated, and so massively overwhelming. Was he still as strong as he was so may years ago?

Well, it looks like we're gonna find out, now won't we?

With a bloodthirsty roar, Shadow lunged straight for me, arms extended and quills standing on end. His eyes were completely white; what in the hell is wrong with him!? I avoided his first lunge with a backflip and within seconds he was on me like white on rice. Fighting defensive isn't exactly my forte,--I'd rather be the one doing the scarring--but Shadow's assault left no room for argument.

He was roaring, slashing away at me like a feral animal, something ferocious. As he sent a fast swipe my way, I was able to catch his hand and squeeze it into a fist. He lashed out at me again, and I was able to use the same procedure to bar him.

I struggled, teeth gritted, muscles tense as I tried to restrain this furious animal. But it was so hard to do, he's wild and gone completely off the deep end: he's screaming, roaring, clawing at me and digging his nails into the skin of my arms. Angry, red swells are starting to mar the areas where he's scratched and bit me.

There had to be a better way than just defending; its only a matter of time before I have to fight him. I'll lose--hell, I'll die if I don't fight him back. I have to, screw what the others will think for once! This is self-preservation here!

"No! Stop! Shadow! Stop!!"

Just for a moment I turn my head toward the sound of the voice. Hero-boy the Hedgehog (Sonic) appeared in a hurried waft of dust, looking heavily concerned. That moment of distraction was all Shadow needed, and he viciously reached out and knocked me to the floor with a pretty hard punch.

I find myself staggering backwards as Hero suddenly appeared behind Shadow, locking him into a restraining hold. This looks to be only further fueling Shadow's rage. His completely blank, white eyes are narrowed even further as he lets out an unearthly roar, as if he was truly infuriated that he couldn't be ripping me apart right now.

I shakily rise to my feet, my bruising jaw not the only thing hurting, but my ego included. It takes everything I have not to hit that guy. Every bone, tendon, ligament, is screaming for me to return the favor. But if I took a shot at him, then I'd be even further in the doghouse.

"You little bitch!" Ah, there's my second voice again, gotta love how he encourages me, "Fight him! This is our chance to get Shadow! Eighteen years ago he may have been stronger, but now let's show him our true strength!!"

'No. Didn't I tell you to take a hike already?"

Gold Demon—that's what I call my annoying, crazy voice—roared angrily, "Fight him!! Do it!"

'Nope. Hero's got everything under control.'

Yeah, that's not true at all. It looks as if Hero's hold on Shadow was diminishing second by second. It was only a matter of time before Shadow broke his hold and was back to murdering me. I licked my dry lips; I had to help him.

I quickly grabbed one of Shadow's legs. My touch, my presence must have just pissed him off to no end. He was roaring even louder, kicking, struggling fervently to break free. Hero glanced up at me wearily, as if not sure how to stop him. The blue hedgehog's face seemed to say, 'Now what!?'

I narrowed my eyes; Shadow, your little tantrum as gone on for too long now. Instinctively I did the first thing that came to mind.

I slapped him. And hard.

Shadow looked stunned for a moment before he became twelve times more furious, and now he was screaming, trying to tear and break our holds so he could attack again. Again I smacked him across the face but this time Hero glared at me skeptically.

"What in the hell are you doing!?"

"Slapping the hell outta him!"

"No duh, I see that!"

"Tryin' to slap some sense into him."

"We gotta think of something," Hero groaned, "I don't think I can hold him much longer…He's…too strong…"

I glared away as I tried to think of something, anything to get him to snap out of this state. He's nothing more than a bloodthirsty monster, with a hunger that can only be quenched through my pain, with my blood being spilt. If only I had avoided him better, this would have never happened.

"Kill him. That will solve your problems you push-over."

Suddenly relief washed over Hero's face, a bright smile appearing, "Scythe!"

I glanced toward the training centre's entry and saw my brother's form. Tall, dark and moody, Scythe's scowl was directed in our route, "What's going on?"

"No time to explain, just come over here and help!!" Hero cried, glaring at me a second before he looked at Shadow.

The second I turned to Shadow again, I realized my grip was only on one of his legs. That left the other one free to bitch-kick the hell outta me, and he did just that too. He seemed to realize that too, and in a matter of seconds, Shadow reached forward and sprung a kick right into my face.

Vaguely I could register Sonic's curses and the sounds of Scythe's Jordans padding our way. My face, my nose felt like it was burning, as if I had inhaled bleach through my nostrils. The pain was so great, so damn painful that I couldn't concentrate on anything else me.

For a moment I felt my vision blur, phasing in and out like a weak satellite channel, and I could feel myself hacking, choking on air. It was reflexive when I stumbled backwards, face scorching with an unholy pain. I felt something dripping down my face and I pressed a gloved-finger to my nose.

I was bleeding.

Wait…blood?

Blood. That feels so weird. I suddenly feel...happy? The rest of my body feels great too. I can't explain this new feeling exactly: it feels like my systems are rejuvenated, like I'm invincible. In fact, my nose really doesn't hurt all that much anymore.

In fact I feel really…happy now. The scent of blood is swimming in my nostrils, and its aroma is so sharp, so tart that it's the only thing I can focus on. In my mouth I can taste the blood, it has a fascinating, coppery taste that lights my systems on fire.

There's no other thoughts in my mind now, all I want is blood. I can't help it. Thinking about blood makes me feel heady, lighthearted and giddy. I want to laugh, and I want to smile because the overwhelming sensation of blood is magical!

I want to taste more blood, see it, I want to smell it. I want to shed their blood. I want to shed Shadow's blood, Hero's blood, and even my brother's blood. Now I start laughing, ignoring the way they all turn and stare at me.

I quickly wipe the blood from my face and smear it on my hand to sample its tart, metallic taste. I couldn't help but moan at the delicious taste; so sharp and tart and yet sweet as well. I won't waste an ounce of this stuff and I quickly lap the rest of it off of my fingers and grin.

Now I want to taste their blood. I set my vision upon that wretched hedgehog: Shadow. I turn to him and laughed, I knew my face was bright with a smile, "You want to fight me, Shadow?"

'No! What are you doing!? What the hell happened!?'

Ah, its that Pansy-voice. I'm tired of allowing myself to be everyone's lapdog. Stepping on eggs shells is something he can do, but not I. But not me, the true Achilles. The original! These fools better be prepared for what I'm about to give them. They're all about to get a taste of their own medicine!

'What's wrong pansy!? I hope you enjoy seats to the show! I'm about to wipe out these so-called friends of yours!'

'No!' Sissy-Achilles cried, 'No, no, no! Stop! If you harm them I swear I'll—'-

The pathetic fool, I stopped listening to him as I turned to grin at that blue hedgehog and the failed Prototype. I could feel the grin stretch across my face, the familiar groove of power coursing within me. I am the perfect creation my father Eggman wished me to be. I will gain vengeance upon Shadow.

"Achilles?" the blue hedgehog sounded unsure.

"What the hell is happening to you!?" My brother/prototype asked with anger upon his features.

With a chuckle I turned to glance at them, "Guess what? I'm back! Hi, my name's Achilles' and I'm going to kill you all!"

After a quick good-bye, the others disappeared in an arc of jade light and team Tails 'n' girls set to work. In a matter of a half hour, they had the mini, portable lab up and operating; Tails' brilliance was really something.

They were stationed outside of the Master Emerald's shrine as a line of defense. As the others were away training, this is what team Tails 'n' girls would be protecting. The port-o-lab sat in the middle of the green tropic land, standing out as foreign in the jungle-setting.

McCloud, before he and the others resumed their work at the training centre, had left Tails with a parting gift. In the case of Turrok's arrival, Jake left them with one of his favorite Barracudas, and the Alpha of the pack, Flatfoot.

Unlike all its Barracuda kin, Flatfoot had glowing green eyes and was by far larger. Silver, sharp metal comprised of its mane and the cybernetic wolf was at least ten feet tall when 'he' sat on his haunches. When Jake introduced his favorite pet, Daisy had shrieked shrilly, causing Flatfoot to flatten his ears against his metallic skull and howl.

"Quit being stupid," Jake had replied to Daisy's outburst, "Flatfoot is completely loyal and with his given orders, he will protect you."

The massive wolf slowly walked over to Amy and nudged its large head into her shoulder. Amy looked confused, "What…does Flatfoot want?"

Jake rolled his eyes, "For a lean, mean, killing machine, Flatfoot is certainly needy. Rub the spot behind his ears."

Amy shrugged and rubbed Flatfoot's head. She as well as Tails and Daisy, laughed as she heard a content purr ooze from the Barracuda.

With Flatfoot sloughing around in the port-o-lab, the group felt much safer. And so far everything was well: Amy was baking cookies, Tails was working on a new gadget as Cream read a book with Flatfoot curled lazily near her feet. Every hour they would switch watch duty and monitor the cameras.

Everything was relatively peaceful, and every now and then the cameras would only pick up nearby squirrels, and any other small, curious creatures that had approached the lab. It was currently Daisy's turn to keep watch and she gazed at the monitors listlessly, holding back a yawn. Her eyes glazed over the screens with an aching boredom. It should have been illegal to be this damn. BORED.

'Screen one, check.'

'Screen two check.'

'Screen three che—huh? Oh, just a squirrel. Check.'

'Screen four—huh!?'

Squinting earth-brown eyes, Daisy quickly tapped on the keyboard, zooming in on what she thought she had seen. A nearby camera zoomed in on the approaching object and left no room for doubt. Daisy felt that uneasy feeling, as color drained from her face.

Without a second thought she rose from her seat, abruptly sending the chair to scrap against the hardwood floor. She spun around to face Tails as she wobbled over to him. Currently the genius was blow-torching, immersed in his work, tinkering with whatever gadget he was currently creating.

Trembling, Daisy slowly stumbled toward him, face dead white, "O-oh my gosh…"

Tails elevated his gaze and raised the mask off his face, "Hm? What is it Daisy?"

He switched the blowtorch off as he gave her his undivided attention.

"Ah-ah…"

Tails and Cream exchanged hesitant glances at each other; was this another joke Sonic had gotten Daisy involved with? Amy ambled upstairs glancing at the trio, "Hey! Cookies are done!"

A happy sounding bark echoed through the lab as Flatfoot pranced in seconds later, his wiry tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Tails would never get used to the idea of having to reach so far up to pet and groom a ten-foot tall canine. Cream giggled as she patted Flatfoot, and already he exposed his belly to her.

"Daisy, what's wrong?" Cream asked as Daisy came to admire Tails' new invention in progress.

"G-uh, g-uh…" Daisy gibbered while biting her fingernails.

"Ah, Sonic's just got her in on one of his jokes," Tails rolled his eyes as he went back to viewing his blueprints. Amy, who was fed up with the foolish stuttering routine, walked over to Daisy and shook her, "Shortcake, what's wrong!? C'mon answer me!"

"CHAOS IS COMING THIS WAY!" She screamed, knocking Amy off her feet. Tails and Cream paused and glanced at her as if she had grown a second head. Immediately both Tails and Cream ran to monitor screens to glance around their lookout. Sure enough, the built form of Chaos was strutting right toward them.

"Holy…" Tails breathed

"SHIT!!" Daisy screamed, finishing his statement.

"Chaos…!" Amy breathed, green eyes narrowed and teeth bared.

As she stumbled backwards, the yellow hedgehog ended up tripping over her own two feet and toppled over backwards. Daisy squealed as she somersaulted into a wall as both Amy and Tails rushed downstairs. Amy quickly picked up her claret and gold mallet as Tails rushed into his garage, deciding on which gadget to attack Chaos with.

Tails deployed the first level of security, where a solid steel fence enclosed around the entire workshop. With the cameras surrounding the perimeter of the workshop, both Tails and Amy were able to watch Chaos' actions safely from within their place.

Cream came up beside Amy and Tails, looking over their shoulders and zoomed in on the monitor. The metallic clanks and whiny of Flatfoot's metal sounded as he carefully sat behind the others. He growled before he irritably scratched behind his ear. Cream glanced at the Barracuda before she peered up at the screen; what was Chaos going to do in the face of opposition?

The muscle-bound tyrant stopped walking and smirked; aww, are these creatures calling themselves barricading me? Truly, they know little of who they deal with! Smirking, Chaos took a battle stance and with a loud cry, smashed right through one area of the reinforced wall. Both Amy and Cream blanched as Tails grimaced; that guy broke right through steel titanium!

"He broke through the wall as if it was nothing!" Cream gasped, spooked beyond belief.

"M-monster!" Amy whispered, "We can't let him through! The Master Emerald is right behind us!"

With furrowed brows, Tails continued his rapid precession of typing and more steel walls rose around the workshop. As the myriads of steel walls rose, Chaos broke through each level easily, sending a furious fist through each blockade. Amy didn't want to mention it out loud, but it looked like Chaos was having fun, breaking through their walls as if it were a game.

Tails, still undeterred by the first failures continued to tinker away at his keyboard and a legion of his created androids, that looked suspiciously like the E-100 series, dropped before Chaos. (A/N: Yeah, Tails probably jacked the design from Eggman, haha.)

Chaos watched with a polite interest as the androids stomped toward him, their metal feet crunching into the earth. Even a few of the metallic Barracudas were there. The half canine, half android creations traveled in arcs, the bluish light of their eyes glowing and metallic growls rumbling in their throats.

The ocher echidna merely smirked, "Is this supposed to challenge my strength?"

"Tails, what else do you have to stop him?" Amy asked as green eyes shifted toward the golden fox. After hacking on the keys for a few seconds more, Tails finally returned an answer, "I put everything I have out there; mines, the entire android combat series, lasers, guns, everything. If he makes it through that…"

Blue eyes met Amy's; her eyes widened in apprehension, "…Then we have to stop him."

Daisy scrambled downstairs and toppled into Cream's arms. As the tan rabbit blinked in stupor, Amy lowered her eyelids irately; the yellow hedgehog had to really get herself together. Before Amy Rose could correct her demeanor, Daisy looked at both Tails and Amy, "Chaos! He's coming!"

"We already know that!" Amy said through gritted teeth, but Daisy shook her head, "No! I was watching him and he managed to get a hold of one of the guns and he's coming this way! He's on his way--!"

A loud explosion sounded, then a second followed. The group was knocked off their feet after the second loud eruption. With the blare of the explosion, the entire workshop shook. Amy clamped her eyes shut tight as she covered her head. Another bang rang out and Tails dove over Cream to protect her as she cried out in fear.

Fragments of the ceiling came pouring down in smoke and tiny pieces and with a grimace, Amy buried her face into her hands. The ceiling plaster stopped reigning upon her and she glanced up to see Flatfoot standing over her protectively.

When the ruckus finally settled, Tails slowly rose off the floor and onto his knees. He glanced down at Cream, who blushed and smiled up at him appreciatively as they both rose to their knees. It was utterly unladylike to have been splayed on the floor in the manner she had been!

Amy's head appeared above the desks and tabletops and found the eyes of Miles Prower, "…What was that?"

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" Tails broke eye contact momentarily to search for the yellow hedgehog, "Daisy? Are you all right?"

A shaky hand waved over the tops of the desks, "O-oh yeah, I'm f-fine."

The girls gathered around the lab's large screen; Tails frowned slightly as he checked all the cameras outside. Chaos had done one helluva job wiping out his defenses; androids were in pieces, the Barracudas were lifeless and numerous holes were in the broken titanium walls. The tyrant had left the remains of his battle behind him like some kind of overturned graveyard.

Flatfoot whined, his ears flattened against his head at the sight of his fallen Barracuda brothers. He pawed at the ground nervously as his uneasy pitch rose into a mournful cry. Amy glanced at the wolf sympathetically, rubbing the cool mane behind his shoulders.

The golden fox frowned; if I can't find that guy out there, then that means…Suddenly a large red dot appeared on the screen. A complex map appeared on the monitor and the red dot was flashing. Daisy frowned, "What does that mean?"

"That," Tails pointed to the flashing icon, "Is where Chaos has broken in. He's on the first floor." The three girls looked at him, each with various degrees of fear on their face; Cream spoke, "He's on the first floor!? And we're okay with that!?"

"Yes, he is on the first floor but we're in the third basement," Tails replied, typing away at the keyboard, "If you've got a weapon, I suggest you get it. I've locked us all in."

Amy immediately took the unwieldy Piko Piko hammer in hand as Daisy, trembling, took the laser pistol in hand. With a gulp, Cream pressed her hands to her chest as she stepped behind Flatfoot. Tails nodded his head then turned to leave, Amy frowned, "Tails where are you going?"

"I'm going to get the Tornado," Tails called over his shoulder, "I'm going to nuke that guy." He paused, then turned to glance at them, "I want you girls to take my airplane, then you could escape here."

"And leave you to fight Chaos all by yourself?" Amy slung the mallet over her shoulder, "I honestly don't think so."

"Sonic's going to kill me if anything happens to you," Tails replied but Amy smiled.

"No, I'm not a coward, I'm going to stand here and fight by your side. Right Daisy?"

The yellow hedgehog nodded, "R-right…"

"Tails," Cream called, glancing between the monitor and her husband, "H-he's at the first basement…"

Tails sighed as he hopped into the tornado, "Please could you girls leave?"

"Um how does, 'Hell no' work out for you?"

The fox bit his lip before he narrowed his eyes. It was inbred in him to be a nice guy, but he just hated being mean. But when push came to shove, he had to be. This was one of those times he needed to get Amy and the girls the hell outta here before Chaos came barreling in.

"Amy…Daisy…Cream…" Tails breathed in a deep voice, "Leave now."

Amy narrowed her eyes, "No."

"Go before I force you to leave."

"No."

With a growl, Tails hopped out of the tornado with his blue eyes flashing. He cracked his neck as he headed for Amy, who was standing with her arms akimbo, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Tails! No!!" Cream squealed, "Don't hurt her!"

Daisy watched wide-eyed at what was probably the first time she had seen Tails become violent. Daisy knew the second he tugged on Amy's quills; it was the second their brawl began. Amy's eyes went wide in shock before they took on a crazed, furious glow; game on.

( A/N mid humor: (turns on Super Smash brothers brawl Final destination music)) There was fervent cursing, shoving, hitting, punching, and even a few slaps echoed through the room. The beating was clearly one-sided and it was almost too painful to watch. Cream gaped on in horror as Daisy gulped.

The short (A/N: and rather sad) brawl ended with Tails stumbling backwards and landing on his rear as Amy stood over him, glowering down at him. Tails looked as if he took the brunt end of the damage as he had a nice shiner appearing over one of his eyes, and Amy only had mussed quills. Daisy blinked, she had counted on a single hand how many times Tails had even touched Amy.

Game: Amy Rose.

"…Oh…." Cream blinked, she was glad Amy didn't use her hammer or the one-sided battle would have been much uglier.

A scratchy noise from Flatfoot's snout sounded suspiciously a snicker.

"What the hell, Tails!?" Amy growled, "We don't need to be fighting each other! We have Chaos to deal with. I win, so I say we stay! …And besides, there hasn't been a DAY where you ever beat me in arm wrestling, what in the world makes you think you could take me in a fight!?"

"That's okay," Tails said darkly, quickly hopping into the Tornado, "I'll just blow you to smithereens with my massive missiles and guns!"

Cream glanced at the screen and gulped, "H-he's coming!"

All voices silenced as a loud pounding came from outside of their door. Tails shot Amy one last dirty look before he hopped into the Tornado and started booting up its system. As the lights and computer to his machine came on, Tails cursed as he rubbed his swollen cheek; that savage! Amy had slapped the daylights out of him!

For a second he wondered if Sonic had ever fallen prey to spousal abuse. Now that he did think about it…The blue hero did always end up wielding to her demands…Wonder why that always happens…

Tails blinked as he saw the metal door give, bending under the stress of Chaos' power. With one last wrench, the beaten door crumbled in, giving entry into the room. A growl tore from her throat as Amy turned to face the door, her Piko Piko hammer tight within her grip.

He made it.

Chaos had infiltrated.

With a chuckle, Turrok slowly slipped through the door, a pleased smile highlighting his features, "Knock, knock."

With a fierce bark, Flatfoot's ears pressed against his skull as the green fluoresce of his eyes sifted red. The massive cyber wolf roared, as it crouched, ready to gut his foe. The whines of his mechanical joints were the only indication of Flatfoot's soon-to-be strike. Flatfoot charged, each step rattling the ground beneath their feet.

Amber eyes locked onto the great charging beast. Chaos smirked as he saw thick saliva flying from the beast's massive jaws, "Ah, the alpha male. I see the biggest was saved for last. Come then beast, and avenge your fallen brothers, we shall soon see who is the true alpha male here."

A roar ripped from Flatfoot's throat as he lunged, aiming his powerful jaws dead-set on Turrok's throat. The echidna smirked and deftly sidestepped the ferocious canine. With Flatfoot chomping, and pursuing him furiously, Chaos dodged and twisted, dancing around the wolf gracefully. What Chaos didn't expect was for Flatfoot's massive, steel tail to whip around and gaze his leg.

Turrok gasped as he fell to the ground, catching himself with his arms at the last second. The tyrant glanced at his injury and grimaced, seeing the bleeding slit in his leg. The girls cheered as Flatfoot slowly circled him, his mechanical brain analyzing and looking for the weakest point to strike. The wolf's high-tech brain came up with the idea of chewing off his arms. The disemboweling would come second.

In a blur of silver and red, the mechanical wolf leapt as a furious snarl ripped from his throat. From his spot on the ground, Chaos smiled. Just as the canine was inches away, Turrok reached out and clenched the Barracuda's jaw. Cream gasped, as Amy bit her lip, hoping Flatfoot would break free from Chaos' hold.

Chaos slowly rose to his feet, a grin on his face as the cybernetic wolf wrestled, struggling within the impossible hold. Amy watched in horror as she saw the emotions swarming within the tyrant's golden eyes: excitement, bliss, and pure madness.

It happened in a split second and Amy barely registered the sound of a snap. In a flood of sparks and high-pitched yelps, Chaos had broken one of Flatfoot's legs. A shower of bright yellow sparks poured from the wound like a substitute of blood. Amy's green eyes went wide in horror at the pain-filled cry Flatfoot emitted, sounding nearly like a real dog.

When a second painful break followed, Amy felt a turbulent fury rise within her core and she lost control. That monster, one-by-one, was breaking Flatfoot's legs. Amy didn't wait for Tails, or for anyone's signal as she charged headstrong at Chaos.

Her senses, her instincts drove her as she raced down the room, streaking past all the lab tables until she was within range of Chaos. Turrok seemed too immersed in his torture to have noticed Amy jetting right at him. But the second he did, the second he glanced up, his wit left him.

Leaping above him was a woman, a hedgehog with strawberry-pink quills and the brightest green eyes he had seen. A crimson and gold hammer was locked tightly within her small hands, elevated menacingly above her head; her intent was clear. Green fire danced within her narrowed eyes, as a feral cry pierced the air.

She looked wrathful like Hera, and yet her features were fair and feminine. The combination of rage and beauty made him think of a cruel angel, a vengeful goddess. For a second Chaos marveled at the way the light and the shadows danced over her body, highlighting and somehow feeding into her antagonism.

The blow from her wrathful anger sent him sprawling across the lab. The angel landed on her feet, standing tall and strong before the fallen Flatfoot. Amy watched carefully, her hammer poised as Turrok rose to his feet; he didn't even look phased.

There was a light, a gleam in his eyes that she didn't trust very much. The way he studied her wasn't the way a competitor sized up a foe, it was closer to the way a man eyeballed a woman. Turrok slowly smiled, allowing his eyes to take in the appealing visage of Amy Rose.

With a snort Amy brandished the hammer at him threateningly, "Not on my watch, pal."

Her feisty demeanor made him think of Tikal. There was just something wonderful, something miraculous about a woman with spirit. There was some kind of seductive charm about a ferocious woman's conduct that just turned him inside out. A woman who was fiery and sharp with her words, fierce and hellacious in will and battle, it only made a man wonder what else she did with such passion.

"Challenging me, you inferior female?" Chaos asked, a smile lacing his lips.

"Challenging? I'm knocking you the hell out," Amy narrowed her eyes, steadying her grip and stance, "You gotta go through us to get to the Master Emerald."

That seemed to be the cue that brought Tails and the Tornado to stand by her side, and Flatfoot slowly rose onto shaky, wobbly feet as he unleashed a growl. Somewhere in the background the loading of a gun echoed throughout the room. Daisy glared, the laser pistol cocked and ready as she fixed her aim.

Chaos glanced around at his opponents before he finally finished with Amy, the pink warrior queen. With a smirk he gestured them onward, "Come then, and meet your ultimate annihilation."

"Achilles!?" Sonic stammered, his lock still solid upon Shadow.

The golden hedgehog was smiling, giggling erratically; it all made Sonic feel a bit uneasy. This was how Achilles was eighteen years ago, back when he was the golden terror. Before Scythe, or Sonic could move, Achilles smiled as the tips of his fingers glowed in an ethereal shade of blue.

"Beautiful," he breathed, as the pupils in his cerulean eyes constricted.

He spun around and, as he laughed, jarred Scythe in the stomach. Sonic's throat went parched at the sight of Scythe being flung backwards, the blue energy crackling, burning and licking his skin. For a second Sonic released his hold on Shadow to checkup on Scythe.

As Sonic sprinted toward his fallen friend, Achilles took the moment to ram into him, thrusting his shoulder straight into him. With a grunt Sonic went down hard, grimacing as he landed on his stomach. With laughter, Achilles grabbed Sonic's neck and began to choke him, squeezing his throat with all his might.

Sonic clenched his eyes shut as he wheezed, struggling, trying anything to pry the intruding fingers free. But the Gold demon was stronger. And the only sound Sonic could hear was the frantic pace of his heart, and the gleeful laughter of Achilles.

"How do you like that, Hero?" Achilles grinned, eyes narrowed.

The champion hedgehog slowly forced his eyes open as the edges of his vision were blackening, slowly being ebbed away into nothingness. Sonic gasped, clawing weakly at Achilles' fingertips. The bone-crushing pain made him wordless, as he felt his consciousness starting to fade away in a hazy void.

It was unexpected when a sweet rush of oxygen swept into his lungs. Sonic gasped, choking and spluttering as an unnamed force released Achilles from his throat. Sonic rolled over onto his back and saw Shadow piggybacking Achilles, arms wrapped around his throat.

With a snarl Achilles got down on all fours and started to buck and kick furiously like any bull at a rodeo, but Shadow was a persistent rider and held on. When Achilles realized he wasn't letting go, the Gold demon hooked his hands onto Shadow and threw him to the floor.

Achilles smiled as Shadow landed in front of him, splashing out nicely on his back. With a roar Achilles pounced, landing on top of Shadow as their fists met in a bought of fury. Their fight continued as they rolled, punching, and kicking each other with brutal shots.

Shadow felt a dark satisfaction as one of his punches impacted Achilles' cheek solidly. The victory was short-lived as Achilles gave him a crushing blow to the gut. The white-eyed Shadow roared, his fury burning sky high as he shoved Achilles off.

Both warriors scrambled to their feet as they stood, ready to charge at each other again, "I'll shed your blood, Shadow!"

"You…will…PAY!" Shadow roared.

"What the hell is going on!?"

Julie, accompanied by Ceres, Jake and Knuckles stood at the front door. The fire-furred echidna didn't wait a second longer as he sprung, ready to come to Shadow's aid. Ceres watched wide-eyed as Shadow was attacking her friend, Light-Shine. Seconds later, Meda appeared at the door.

The chieftain narrowed her eyes at the sight of the battle, and yet she made no move to intercede. This was her chance to find out about that golden hedgehog. There was just something about him that made her uneasy. A certain amount of power and chaos swarmed him, and it bothered her to no end. But now she would wait, and learn more about him.

With a groan, Sonic slowly opened his eyes, only to have them narrow dangerously. He rose from the ground, face grim and eyes blazing. His line of vision caught Shadow and Achilles fighting, pummeling away at each other. With a furious cry, Sonic darted forward, his movements nothing more than a blue blur.

Before Achilles could land another blow, Sonic materialized out of nowhere, and knocked into him with a furious tackle. Achilles found himself stunned, as he was now flat on his back and winded. The blue hero hovered over him, his face contorted into anger.

His green eyes shone with disappointment and betrayal, "…And to think, I actually was on your side."

Achilles reached a hand out, grabbing for Sonic, but the blue hero sidestepped. With a snarl Sonic reached out and kicked Achilles' in the face with all the strength he had. Achilles choked as a red ribbon of blood rolled down his cheek.

Standing beside Sonic, Scythe slowly appeared looking too furious for words. Knuckles approached seconds later, calmly glaring down at him. With a growl Scythe grabbed Achilles by the scruff of his fur and hoisted him into the air.

"Eighteen years ago, maybe we couldn't have defeated you…" Sonic breathed, "But today's a new day."

Achilles narrowed his eyes, his light-blue irises feral and wild, "Fellas…I'd like to see you stop me."

The Gold demon grabbed Scythe's arms and pried them loose. Achilles slammed into his brother, sending him to topple over him both Sonic and Knuckles. The three heroes went down as Achilles stood, gold and vibrant against the night sky. With a chuckle he narrowed his eyes, kicking Scythe in his wound.

But the important thing was, where is Shadow? The one guy here that has it coming to him the worst!? Achilles glanced around furiously, searching for any sign of his claret and ebony rival. Then his blue eyes pinpointed the said hedgehog.

Achilles glanced over toward Shadow; that redhead was looking him over. Shadow lay on his back, looking exhausted, as if he had just finished a marathon. Achilles took a step toward him; they were not done yet! Not by a long shot! If Shadow wanted to pass out, then he'd take his beating unconscious!

Just as he made a second step in Shadow's direction, Julie Robotnik met gazes with Achilles, her dark eyes cold and uncaring for him. The light and warmth returned in her eyes as she gazed down at Shadow. She ran a gentle hand through his quills as she watched him breathe. His rage must have diminished into nothing now as he was left tired and weak.

Achilles glared down at the three warriors, smile fading, "I think its time I finished this. Let's start with you first, big bro."

"Ugh…" Scythe clenched his fingers tightly into the earth, eyes narrowed dangerously, "You bastard…I'll…see you dead..."

Ceres gasped as she watched Knuckles and Sonic spring to their feet and attack her friend. Why were they hurting Light-Shine? She had to help him! The second Ceres took a step out, she noticed Light-Shine wasn't in trouble.

In fact, Achilles had dodged both of Sonic and Knuckles' attacks, and retaliated before they even knew what was going on. Sonic fell to the floor grimacing as Knuckles cursed, taking a knee. The cool, icy blues of Achilles focused solemnly on the form of his brother, "And now…ashes to ashes…dust to dust."

Achilles slowly opened his left palm and a flaring, bright blue light danced within his hand. His cool, serious visage was washed in the glow of the mystical energy. Ceres gasped before she took off, hoping to help her friend. "Light-Shine! Stop!"

"Ceres!!" Julie cried, glancing up from Shadow and focusing upon her young friend.

Ceres tore past Julie, stepped over Scythe and quickly latched onto Achilles. The gold demon didn't even bother with the little girl, acting as if she hadn't even come to him. His half-lidded eyes were only set on Scythe, "Any last words, you poor excuse of a prototype?"

"Yeah…" Scythe panted.

The weak, sluggish glint in his eyes disappeared to be replaced by something furious and bright. Scythe rose onto a knee as he locked a hand around Achilles' leg as his other hand ignited a silver flare of energy. His stone-hued eyes were wild and his teeth were bared, sharp and glinting, "Go to hell!"

The crackle and power of Achilles' blue energy meshed terribly with the silver glow of Scythe's. Achilles stared at Scythe perfectly blasé as big brother glared back, teeth bared, eyes slits and anger channeling through his veins. With a frown, Ceres tightened her grip around Achilles' waist, willing to make her Light-Shine stop.

"Scythe! Don't!" Julie cried, taking a step toward the three hedgehogs, "You'll hurt Ceres!! Sonic and Knuckles as well!"

"Fear not lady," Achilles said in a monotone voice, "I will protect Cupcake. It is Scythe who will find himself on the wrong side of my wrath."

"Oh yeah?" The silver light's luminosity flourished, the power pulsing faster, "We'll see about that."

A tweak of static broke forth, intercepting the erratic mood, "Someone…help…please…"

The voice was sobbing, she sounded desperate and helpless. The voice belonged to none other than Daisy Hedgehog. The sound of her weepy words quickly diffused the situation. Scythe's eyes widened as the glowing globe of energy in his hand disappeared. Shock even appeared on the face of Achilles; he must have recognized the voice of his Pseudo sister.

"…Daisy…?" Scythe asked, voice no louder than a whisper.

"Please…Scythe…Sonic…anyone help…" her voice was strained, quaking of untold horrors, "Achilles…"

Achilles' eyes went wide, his glowing cerulean energy fading. Pseudo sister needed his help. She was begging for his assistant. He was wanted. Achilles allowed his hand to go limp as he listened in to what his sister-in-law was saying.

"I…oh what am I supposed to do? We tried…we really tried…But he was…too strong…Not even Flatfoot could stop him…I feel pathetic…I couldn't help my friends, I couldn't protect anyone. Not even Cream."

Sonic felt his breath catch in his throat; that monster had hurt Cream? The most defenseless, sweetest person in their troupe? What type of black hearted monster went after a noncombatant? What type of fiend hurt a lover and not a fighter? A growl of rage ripped through Knuckles' throat as he forcibly stood to his feet.

"I'm…so…sorry…" Daisy choked, her voice breaking as more sobs carried through the walkie-talkie, "…Sonic…Oh Sonic…"

The blue hero froze, his eyes widening at the mention of his own name. Out of his peripheral vision he could see the others turning to look at him, but that didn't matter now. What was Shortcake going to tell him? Why did she sound so scared to tell him? No, no, no, no. Don't say anything. Don't say anything bad happened to my Amykins.

"Sonic…I'm so sorry…I can't even express it in words…Chaos…"

The sound of his wife's worn voice made Scythe snap into action. He quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie and spoke to her, "Dai, what's up?"

"Oh Scythe!!" He could just imagine the brilliant smile on her face, and the way those brown eyes he loved would glow with mirth, "Please Scythe…please help us…"

Scythe blinked when he realized Sonic was standing over him. The blue hero's face was dead serious as he clicked the speak button. After clearing his throat, he spoke, "Daisy, what were you saying to me? What happened? What happened to Amy?"

"Sonic…I…" she was hesitating. She was hesitating! "Oh Sonic! Amy! Sonic I'm so sorry! It's just…"

"Stop! Stop!" Sonic roared, he missed the cold glare Scythe sent at him, "Quit dancing around and tell me what happened to Amy!"

A fresh sob broke forth, "I'm…sorry Sonic…but he took her…Chaos has Amy too…Kicking and screaming she fought him until the end, but he kidnapped her. He has her and the Master Emerald in his power now."

Sonic's thumb slowly slipped off the talk button while he stared at nothing. Why would Chaos want his Amy? Well, why wouldn't he want her? His dear Amykins was a beautiful girl with a nice, trim figure, sparkling green eyes and a cute smile.

She was strong-willed and very outspoken, and very passionate. Yes, Chaos was going to take his beautiful, strong-willed wife and have her for himself. He was going to try and break her, douse that spitfire about Amy that Sonic loved.

A feral roar cut from Sonic's throat, a cry that was both guttural and shrill. A bright flame of blue energy danced around him, heightening his fury. Everyone was staring at him sympathetically, and it really wasn't helping his mood.

Boohoos and condolences weren't going to bring her back. For a second Knuckles swore he saw a gold-furred, red-eyed Sonic staring at him, but when he blinked, Sonic had his customary blue fur. Knuckles went to approach his friend, but Scythe stuck an arm out, inhibiting him. The message was clear; Sonic needed a moment to himself.

The surge of rage left his systems and it left him drained and tired. The blue flame disappeared and Sonic was utterly tired. He was left with nothing but anguish as he collapsed to his knees. His once bright and vibrant green eyes were dull and unseeing.

The front door to the training centre opened and out stepped his handsome son. Flash stared at his father, eyes wide with shock plaguing his features at his father's distress. Vaguely Sonic noticed his son dashing towards him. Man, Flash really does look at lot like Amy…Just like his beautiful mother…

With one last moan, Sonic slumped, glancing longingly at the ebon sky, "…Amy…"

And then he gave into the beckoning darkness.

The midnight sky was nothing more than an inky backdrop of muddled indigo and navy blues. In a blitz of green light, Chaos materialized before the Master Emerald's hallowed shrine. The air was crisp and cool as a temperate wind raked an invisible hand through his quills.

Chaos glimpsed up the staircase where he knew his ultimate prize was being held. He glanced at the unconscious figure in his arms. Eyes drawn shut and mouth slightly parted, the pink hedgehog had been no match for his sheer power.

A chuckle escaped his lips as Chaos eyed the slumbering girl. For a hedgehog, the little pink harlot was kind of cute. Her features were appealing and utterly feminine, her scent soft and delightfully sweet, and he remembered that poisonous glint within her eyes when she battled him.

Yes, she would do nicely as a replacement until Tikal willingly gave herself to him. Until then, until that glorious moment, this rose would do nicely as a substitute. For the moment, he gently rested Amy at the bottom of ancient stairwell and quickly ascended until he was level with the Master Emerald.

He stopped walking and glimpsed at the brilliant stone. It was nearly as tall as he was and against the inky night-sky it glowed with a cool fluorescence. The great stone was emitting a soft lull, a quiet hum along with its glowing illumination; its radiance pulsed like the rhythm of a heartbeat.

Turrok felt like smiling; there was no one to stop him from devouring the complete power of the omnipotent power source. No guardians, no rulers, nothing! If only he could see the look on that old shrew's face as he absorbed the power. Oh what he'd give to see the raw, unraveled shocked upon Meda's face!

The more he thought about acquiring his new power, the stronger his desire grew to take the power for himself. The second the urge, the furious want grew too strongly to contain, Chaos plunged. With a thirsty snarl, Chaos wrapped his hands around the stone.

Instantly the Master Emerald grew hot, scorching to the touch. Its once steady, pulsing glow became sporadic and wild, dulling and then shining far too brightly. Its erratic glowing was throbbing like an unsettled heart. Chaos laughed at the great stone's attempt to ward him off; surely it'd have to do better to get rid of someone of his caliber.

Laughter threatened Chaos as he smiled, feeling the stone's pitiful attempts. He spread his fingers further, as if he was choking, smothering the Master Emerald. Slowly the emerald gave in, its glow slowly fading as its power left. Enthralled, Chaos watched with a wide smile as the green light slowly traveled from the stone and into his digits.

The brilliant green radiance traveled through him like jolts of electricity; spreading through his systems rampantly like wildfire. Starting from the tips of his fingers, the jade light jolted through his arms, legs, chest, and throughout his body. It was like someone was giving his body a battery-jump.

It wasn't long before the Master Emerald's green radiance died all together and the stone was completely ebony. Chaos paused for a moment, before he slowly pulled away from the depleted source. He raised his hands to his face, to see if he could observe his new power.

He gasped as a crackle of green energy broke from his hands, like a surge of lightning. Chaos paused, raised his hands back into their prior position and tried again. This time he focused on his power and again he was rewarded with the exhibition of his new strength.

Chaos froze when a noise reached his ears. He could hear every little sound, magnified tenfold: birds chirping, squirrels scampering up and down trees, every little sound of nature. Turrok grimaced; it was all far too loud for his liking! He almost wanted to cry out because the noise of the environment was too boisterous for his sensitive ears.

'This new hearing is more malignant than it is helpful! I feel as if I might lose my mind!!'

He frowned as glanced around. There was a new sound he was picking up, one that really hadn't sounded familiar. Chaos took a step forward and found that the weird sound grew louder. He continued to take slow steps until he found himself looking down the stairs. Resting undisturbed at the bottom of the shrine's stairwell was Amy Rose.

Chaos paused, before he continued toward her; was she making that weird noise? If he could describe it, it sounded like a beat? A throb? He stopped until he was standing over her, and now that thumping sound was so strong that it was vibrating loudly within his skull.

He rested his head against her chest and found the source of the sound. Chaos suddenly smiled; he was hearing the calm tempo of her beating heart. He sat up and glared at the pink hedgehog, not really seeing her as he was far too submersed in his own thoughts.

'Ah, I see that I can focus my hearing onto specific features. That way I can drown out this noisy environment. I can focus on the beating of her heart, or the chirping birds, or even on the wind brushing against the grass. Truly this new power, is exceptional!!'

When Chaos glanced at Amy he blinked, as if seeing her for the first time. There were finer details he was able to pick up about her. He could see every aspect, how silky and smooth her pink fur was, every single fiber that made her red camisole top. He could even differentiate every different shade of blue of her acid-washed jeans.

The ocher echidna rose to his feet as he glanced at the forest-backdrop. His let out a silent gasp. There was so much more he was seeing now. There were hundreds of more colors he could see now, and his vision was perfectly acute and clear, there wasn't anything he couldn't perceive

The sky alone was at least fifty different shades of azure and violet, and the green forest was such a rich and lush shade of jade. Chaos was stunned, truly awed as he slowly let his gaze slip back onto the unconscious pink hedgehog.

Even her fur was so many different shades of pink and her eyelashes were so plush and long. And her smell, her delicious little scent flooded his senses tantalizingly, beginning for him to taste her sweet flesh. If this inferior hedgehog girl smelt and looked so appealing, Chaos could only imagine what effects the echidna princess would have on his senses.

'…Sonic…'

Chaos jumped, glancing around. Now where had THAT sound come from? It was a voice, which he could dictate as female.

'Sonic…Flash…'

Turrok glanced down at the pink hedgehog, eyes wide.

'…I'm sorry…'

Turrok froze for a moment before a cruel smiled swept over his lips. First he was chortling and then it broke out into a full-out laugh. The power that now coursed through his veins was insane! The power he held was unmatched! No guardian, no hedgehog, no one alive could stop him!

Chaos realized…

…That he could hear thoughts.

To say that things were going down hill was an understatement. The heroes had mad-trekked back to the Port-o-lab and found everything in shambles. The heroes walked in to see the warpath Chaos had left behind. His footsteps left behind in the form of his demolition.

The second Achilles entered the third basement, he really wished he wouldn't have altogether. Upon entry, he winced, closing his eyes for a second in a futile attempt to forget what he had just seen. Scythe and Knuckles rushed passed, scathing the ruins for survivors.

Flash entered seconds later to stop beside the gold terror. The young hedgehog glanced at the wrecked scene in wordless horror. The ceiling lights were broken with occasional sparks fluttering to the floor, and the tables were overturned, bent and broken in halves.

"Dai? Daisy!?" the sound of Scythe's deep voice sounding panicked made all heads turn his direction.

Standing some ten feet away was the yellow hedgehog Scythe had been seeking out. Despite a pale face and unseeing eyes, she looked relatively fine, "…Sc-cythe?"

Scythe quickly dashed towards her. He crushed the remains of broken furniture, or anything that impeded his path. He came to a stop before her and took her in with warm silver eyes, "Are you okay, princess?"

"I'm…fine…" she replied, her voice sounded hollow to Scythe's ears, "You need to help the others…especially Cream."

"Cream?" Scythe saw Knuckles whiz by.

The red warrior took a knee to descend beside the fallen rabbit. Even in pain she looked sweetly distressed, her soft features curled in pain. Her long dress, which she always took so much pride and time in to make sure was perfectly clean, was tattered and was indecently torn to reveal her shapely legs which she always had modestly concealed.

Achilles and Flash stopped behind him and quickly kneeled beside Cream. Flash's face instantly went red at seeing Cream's exposed figure. She always wore long, pretty dresses that hid her figure; he didn't know she had it goin' on it that! Since when had Cream had a figure that kickin'?

Flash blinked, paled, then rouged, horrified at where his thoughts had been heading. Oh no, he SO wasn't supposed to be having these kind of thoughts about this woman, Tails' sweet wife! She was like a second mom to him. And she was hurt, she would need their help.

Knuckles bared his teeth; anger flared through him like a livewire, as he clenched a fist tightly; how dare Chaos do something like this, something so vile to a girl as sweet and innocent as Cream, "Damn it…"

"…Fuh…Flash?"

Leaving his perch behind Knuckles, Flash traveled over and pushed a table away to find Tails beneath it. It took everything Flash had to keep his eyes on the fox's face, someplace where he wouldn't notice the broken bones and twisted limbs. The blue hedgehog took a knee, "Unc, don't worry! We're here now."

With a groan, Tails tried to move but was met with Flash's hand to steady him, "Don't move yet. You're gonna be okay, okay?"

Jake stopped before the scraps and twisted metal, the remains that had been Flatfoot. However, McCloud noticed the flickering lights within his creations' eyes. He touched the top of his Barracuda's metal skull, "…How are you feeling, boy?"

There was no response.

"Can you feel anything, Flatfoot?"

Again, nothing.

"…" Jake closed his eyes, but swiftly opened them when he thought of something, "…If you hear me, blink."

The dim, glowing eyes slowly blinked. Somewhere, Flatfoot was there. His lovable electronic pooch was buried somewhere within that malfunctioning scrap. Jake put a large hand on his creation's head and stroked Flatfoot's skull, "…I'm here, boy. I'm here."

Again Flatfoot blinked. Jake narrowed his eyes venomously as he clenched his free fist, "Damn it all!"

Scythe held Daisy in a hug, knowing that his wife was rattled, that Chaos had scared the daylights out of her, "Dai, what's wrong? Did Chaos…did Chaos do anything to you?"

He pulled away from her to glaze into her empty eyes. It was so unnerving to see her like this; her toffee eyes were usually warm and vivacious. They would glow and twinkle with the warmth of her syrupy-sweet spirit. But now they were hollow, like there was no life, no intelligence manifested there.

"…Not…physically…" she replied, her voice dead.

"But I'm…lucky…to be...untouched…" she replied, eyes slowly meeting his.

"What'd he say to you?" Scythe asked, a hand gently caressing her face, "C'mon, you can tell me. Its Scythe, here. You know you have my heart, don't you?"

Daisy continued to stare at him, and for a moment Scythe didn't think she registered his words, let alone his presence. The second he was about to ask again, she spoke, "He said that I wasn't worth touching…Not worth…his time…He just…laughed…So…cold…"

Scythe froze, as if her words had encased him in ice. He blinked, as if this time he didn't register the meaning of her words. He slowly let go of her face and stood tall, where he towered over her easily. His silver irises stared, as if glimpsing past her.

One minute Daisy thought Scythe had become a statue, where he hadn't even blinked, then suddenly he was alive again. A furious roar cut from his throat as he picked up the nearest steel table, and threw it into the wall. Everyone in the room jumped as they turned to stare at Scythe.

Daisy blinked when she realized his silver eyes were a shade of ginger, a hue of fire. Another feral snarl echoed through the room as Scythe punched a hole through the steel floor. Flash blinked, terrified of his rage. They'd have to stop him because he was blindly kicking and destroying things.

When Scythe had enough sense to find an exit, Achilles realized that he was standing in his brother's warpath. Oh crap. When the gold hedgehog saw Scythe making a marked path in his direction, Achilles, for a second, thought of getting the hell out of his way.

"That sonvaBITCH!!" Scythe roared, his voice sounding blended with his robotic half, "I'm going to kill him! He'll wish he had lost to Sol!!"

"Scythe!" Flash hopped in the way, "You can't do this! You gotta calm down or—"

Flash didn't see it coming when Scythe, with his robotic arm, smacked him out of his way. Knuckles, Achilles, and Daisy were stunned as they watched Sonic's kid fly into a wall. The second Knuckles was sure Flash wasn't dead, he broke out of his stupor and quickly grabbed Scythe.

Achilles didn't know whether to side with his brother, or help Knuckles. With a sigh, Achilles shook his head and quickly helped restrain his furious brother. Scythe roared and snarled all types of impressive curses.

Scythe's reddish eyes narrowed as they focused on Achilles, "You…Little…Bitch! You're next! After Chaos, I'm taking you out!"

"Calm down brother," Achilles grunted, trying to avoid all claws and punches being thrown his direction.

"You're not a brother to me! You're a monster! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you!!"

Achilles' blue eyes went wide at the amount of venom his voice held. The way his lip curled in bitter disgust, and the way his eyes narrowed, Scythe had meant those words. Man, that one hurt worse than any blow Shadow had ever given him.

The gold hedgehog blinked when he realized someone was talking to him, "…on his head?"

"What?" Achilles asked, still fazing in.

"Where's that switch to shut him off, again? His head?" Knuckled grunted.

A hand roughly gazed the cyborg's scalp and suddenly Scythe's anger died away as his 'shut off.' Jake slowly pulled his hand away and crossed his arms, "If we're going to stop Chaos, then we're going to need to take care of the others and get to the training centre, stat. Let's put that worthless Robotnik girl to use."

"Okay then," Knuckles nodded his head, "Let's go."

"Hey," Flash approached, rubbing a spot on his head he was sure was bleeding or something, "Where's Achilles?"

Knuckles arched an eyebrow; wasn't he just here? Ah, oh well, they had bigger problems to worry about, "Leave 'em. He knows where to find us at. As for right now, let's get out of here."

Chaos stood, the night wind playing with his robes and cape. He stood at the base of the Emerald's shrine, reading the ancient dialect inscribed into the Shrine's walls. Well, technically it wasn't ancient to his eyes, as the language had been used in his time. Many of these inscriptions were useless, and praised the Chiefs of the Clan of the Emerald. However somewhere he had to seek out the ones he was looking for.

Only those of the blessed blood can pray upon the hallowed shrine and seek companionship with the Master Emerald. Their blood is sacred, and their bodies are strong. Courage flows through their veins as does their divine blood. These elite we deem as our guardians…

No, that's not it.

Chieftain Meda was the best guardian of our people. She made the rivers blue and the grasses green. Strong as slate and as fair as a mid Autumn rose she began her reign as guardian and chief with fifteen summer behind her. Fur the color of crème and eyes the color of a beautiful sky…

No…

The Master Emerald must never be absorbed entirely. There are direly consequences...

Chaos smirked; bingo. With narrowed eyes, he continued to read the faded inscriptions. His hand trailed the line, as to keep his place in his reading. The more he read, the more he was starting to like his new power.

If one absorbs the Master Emerald's entire power, the indomitable one will be created. The indomitable one will hold the power of ten suns in his palms. The indomitable one will be immortal, there is nothing of this world that can destroy him. He has the power to create his own army, dead or alive. The indomitable one will hear thoughts, and gaze far distances and hear all.

There is no limit to The indomitable one's power or his thirst. It is the duty of the ones with the blessed blood, the Guardians, to keep The indomitable one from being born, or all shall fall…to The indomitable one.

Turrok smiled gleefully, that was what he had become, the indomitable one. One who had no flaws, one who could not be shaken or stopped. This world was his for the taking and there was nothing anyone could do!

'So can I summon armies, huh? Well then, let me try my hand at such a matter…'

His eyes slipped shut. Channeling in on his new power. The Indomitable one was searching out his new power.

Achilles was strolling around the thickets of Angel Island. His feet took him wherever, he didn't care where he was going. He just had to leave, and be somewhere else. Somewhere away from all the people who hated him and despised his being from the core.

He continued walking into nothingness.

A cool wind rippled through her thin clothes and in a heartbeat, Rouge Maria's purple eyes snapped open. She shivered for a bit before she sat up and had a good, bone-cracking stretch. She smiled, surprised at the amount of decent sleep she received for slumbering in a grassland.

A frown etched upon her face as she felt the earth beginning to quake under her.

Achilles slowed his steps and narrowed his eyes. Wait, was the ground shaking?

Maria slowly glanced up at the sky; she could have sworn earlier she saw the stars. Where had all these brackish, dark clouds come from?

The sky was definitely becoming ominous. There was something in the air, something about the atmosphere that made the quills on Achilles' back stand on end. He couldn't explain what this new, foreign feeling in the air was, but it felt unsettling.

Then the shaking stopped.

Achilles stopped walking.

Maria blinked; did the shaking just stop?

'What the hell is going on?'

'What the hell is going on'

The second Maria glanced around, the earth began to moan. As she rose to her feet, the steady quaking, the groaning grew stronger and worse. What was going on? Maria froze as something she recognized as a hand, broke through the surface of the earth. First there was one, then more popped up until there were hundreds.

Maria's face paled as she stumbled backwards. The hands were soon followed by bony white shoulders and then the skeletons completely surfaced. Maria gaped on horrified at thousands of creatures, dead things were stirring right before their eyes.

They twisted and pulled themselves out of their muddled graves that nothing but wild grass and weeds as company. A couple of the creatures even broke their pathetic slabs of gravestones, as they unearthed themselves. The skeletons moaned, and stretched as if they had rested eons without moving their old joints and bones.

Wide eyed, Maria staggered away from the creatures. Even as aged bones they towered over her ominously. Their blood red garments were torn and weathered from age and battle, scars and indentures were ingrained in their massive bones, and the worst yet were their eyes.

Their eyes were soulless, and yet there was a green mist, an eerie light where irises should have been. From the broken quills, they must have once been echidnas. The undead held various weapons, rusted axes, spears and swords within their bony digits.

Little did Maria know, that these weren't just any undead warriors. They were the meanest, cruelest warriors of the lot, they were the fallen warriors of the clan of the Master Ruby. These warriors murdered men, women and children in their feuds; no one was spared their wrath.

It was daunting, the way their glowing, emerald eyes locked upon her. Rouge Maria gasped at the sight of the undead warriors unsheathing their weapons. She began to back away, trying not to notice the way their iridescent jade eyes followed after her. Muffled chuckles slithered from the stale throats of the echidna warriors; Maria tried not to visibly shiver.

As she was backing way, eyes scanning each and every bony face, her back met resistance. Maria quickly spun around, eyes wide, and was met with a skeletal torso. She trailed her eyes up the massive fame until she was staring into the warrior's face. Unlike all the other echidnas, this skeletal solider only had only glowing eye; his other socket had been crushed.

A strong, colossal hand gruffly clenched the front of Maria's pretty top and hoisted her into the air. The bat-hedgehog hybrid gasped, her breath coming in panicked swallows as she was being drawn closer to the tall warrior's festering face. Her eyes darted around, searching for any type of escape, but even trying to pry his fingers loose was futile.

Being no more than several inches away from the undead warrior's face, Maria felt all her sense leave her. She could only stare in undiluted horror; eyes wide and face pale. If she thought she couldn't have been more afraid in her life, she was proven wrong.

When the warrior grinned, spiders and ants crawled from the gasps of his broken and yellowed teeth. There should have been an audible sound the second Maria's sanity snapped. With a shrill shriek, Maria began to kick and thrash, trying to do anything to free herself.

The one-eyed skeleton's grin only stretched wider, more sinister as his free hand searched the confines of his tattered robe. As the white bat kicked and screamed, he pulled a rusted, burgundy-stained machete forth. The moon's soft touch made the weapon glint against the dark backdrop of the jungle.

For a second, the glow of intelligence returned to Maria's purple eyes. Even though every fiber of her body was trembling, Maria raised a glowing fist. The fuchsia energy flared and crackled around her small hand as she cried out, "Chaos Spear!"

With a thrust, Maria pushed her fist into the cavern of the monster's sternum. The fuchsia energy exploded inside of the monster's belly and it unleashed a roar of pain. Maria found herself dropped onto the grassy floor.

She quickly rolled over onto her stomach and quickly rose to her feet. The one-eyed warrior gritted his teeth as his eye flashed in what Maria could only decipher as anger. The echidna released a furious, shrill shriek that made her fur stand on end. It was so high-pitched and unearthly; it sounded like nothing she had heard before.

It was too late when Maria realized he had swung his thick machete at her. Maria grunted as the brute force of his swing knocked her off of her feet. She quickly rolled back onto her feet and started to run. The trees were far too thick to allow her access to the sky, so by covering her wound with her hand, she took off.

She didn't dare look back, for she knew an army of undead warriors were pursuing her.

Saying 'What the Hell!?' just didn't cut it at the moment. One moment the earth was shaking and then the next, these bony, zombie echidnas were popping out of the ground like daisies. Achilles thought of himself as a tall guy, but these creatures were enormous. They roared, ripping up from the earth and brandishing their aged weapons at him.

By the time Achilles had returned to his senses, he found that seven of the towering bone warriors had surrounded him. As he glanced at the undead faces in the circle, each warrior looked bloodthirsty, eerie green eyes glowing and hallow.

Low snarls carried from their throats as they gazed at Achilles, imaging tearing him apart. The second one of the warriors leapt at him, they all did. Achilles grunted as he found himself on the wrong side of a jumping. The monsters worked as a unit as several of them held him and the rest attacked him.

With a roar Achilles ignited his blue Chaotic energy. He spun to face a herd of charging warriors. The gold hedgehog narrowed his eyes as he returned the charge. The blue light within his palms grew great until its luminescence washed over his golden form, "Raijingeki!"

In a streak of sapphire light, Achilles felt the constraints of gravity and weight leave his body as he suddenly felt himself soar. The word passed by in a rush, a smear of color and sound as he bolted past his enemies, knocking each of them as he went.

Finally time and space seemed to return to its normal boundaries as the world became clear and Achilles landed on his feet. Behind him where the fallen soldiers, who were even more furious than before. They quickly rose to their feet, the surplus of hate within their eyes untold.

Achilles grimaced; stay and fight these guys, or run like hell? As motivation, he noticed several more undead warriors popping up from the ground. Achilles quickly made up his mind, "Screw this!!"

Again he summoned his blue energy, and called out to the heavens, "Tenkuuha!"

In a streak of blue light, Achilles disappeared from the scene.

Panting, Maria hid under the brush of a thick bush. She was planted flat on her stomach, trying to keep her upper lip from trembling. As her heart raced within her sternum, she hoped those things, those monsters wouldn't hear her heart and seek her out.

Was this all real? How could dead men walk again? Even as she closed her eyes she could still see them. She could imagine the foul light of their green eyes, and the faded reds of their torn clothes. Battered swords and weapons were in their arms, and their rotten bones were brackish and grayed from age.

Those unreal, undead creatures were somewhere trying to hunt her down. What would she do if they found her? Better yet, what would they do if they found her? Maria shuttered at such a horrible idea. In her attempt of escape, she hadn't even noticed all the wounds she had accumulated on her face from brushing past the thickest and bushes. Escape was all that mattered.

Maria suddenly fell silent as she heard nearby bushes scuffle. She quickly huddled closer to the ground as she tried to swallow the large lump in her throat. Being scared wouldn't help her right now. She had to be cool and calm if she wanted to keep her hiding place.

But regardless of how silent she was, each sound was steadily growing louder, the footsteps approaching her direction. She clenched her eyes shut and bit her lip; no, no, no! Whoever it was was approaching her! She was found! She had to do something!!

He had managed to rid himself of the bad company for a second. Achilles was traveling in quiet part of the island, his eyes scanning and vigilant. He was traveling, trying to walk as light on his feet as possible.

Just as he was passing by, something bright caught his eye. In a sea of greens, his eye caught a flash of white. Normally he would have written it off, but when the white thing moved, his interest was suddenly piqued.

With narrowed eyes and senses alert, on fire, Achilles began to head straight toward the unknown object. With each step he was more than prepared to counter, or to expect anything. If it was one of those bone warriors, they were toast.

What Achilles didn't expect was for a furious, bright-eyed bat to lunge at him. The sight of a fleshed, living being halted his counterstrike. The second of hesitation was all Maria needed to floor the taller hedgehog. With momentum on her side, Maria pounced, taking Achilles to the ground.

Maria growled, her eyes darkening as she summoned a fuchsia flare of energy. It was when she realized that she was staring into cobalt eyes that her animosity died. Just as Maria was cooling her heels, Achilles took the opportunity to toss her aside.

Without a second's delay, both Achilles and Maria rolled onto their feet. They stood several yards apart, analyzing each other as their breaths came in shallow pants. Maria narrowed her eyes; the gold hedgehog looked beatable, Chaos looked far more intimidating.

It was then that Achilles really had the chance to study his foe: Pristine white fur, a decently strong build, large black wings. Did that remind him of anyone? His eyes widened at the sight of her. She was…No, she couldn't be…

"…Rouge?"

The batgirl growled and just as she took a step forward, her face contorted in pain as she dropped to a knee. Achilles halted for a second before he continued to approach her. She couldn't be Rouge, but then again, he had seen her with his own two eyes.

Maria moaned, slowly bringing her head to look up at the approaching hedgehog. What was she thinking, trying to take this guy on in her condition? The wound on her torso was hurting like something else. Rouge Maria felt her vision blurring in and out as the gold hedgehog stooped to a knee.

With a groan, Maria pulled her hand from her chest and revealed the bleeding wound. The last thing she saw was a glance of shock pass over the hedgehog's face, and then she blacked out.

'Holy shit, is that Rouge!? It can't be…'

Achilles was caught, pondering to himself the same question over and over again. He glanced down at the unconscious girl a ways from him. He had moved her someplace near the water, on the most comfortable thatch of grass he could find. Every now and then she would turn over and moan, muttering incoherently to herself.

It looked as if they had escaped the walking dead, momentarily. With one final shift, Maria suddenly became aware of how cold it was and she awoke. As she sat up, she felt a burning stab of pain in her torso and she cursed, pretty violently.

A soft chuckle alerted her of her unknown company, "Awake, Rouge?"

Approaching with a bucket in hand was the gold hedgehog. He was strolling towards her slowly with his true expression veiled by his cool temperament. Maria's vision may have been a bit hazy, but by all standards the gold hedgehog was…pretty cute. And by pretty cute, she meant –please-have-your-way-with-me cute.

Regardless, giving trust to a blind stranger was pretty stupid. Maria narrowed her eyes as she tried to stand to her feet. When she realized it was a no-go, she just opted for glaring, "…Did you just call me Rouge?"

"…" Achilles dropped a pale of water beside her.

"…I'm Maria," she was still squinting at him suspiciously, "Who are you?"

The cool expression on his face was broken for a second as surprise glazed over his features. She could tell he just figured something out; had a silent epiphany. He dropped to a knee as he glanced at her, "Are you…Rouge's…daughter?"

"You called me Rouge," Maria breathed, "How do you know my mother? And who the hell are you!?"

"Look," Achilles replied, "It's not too important at the moment. I'm Achilles and we gotta get you better before those zombie-echidnas come back around, okay? I promise I'll tell you everything afterwards. You saw 'em too, right?"

An image of the rusted machete striking, piercing her skin came to mind. She remembered the utter fury glowing in the one-eyed echidna's bony face and remembered the swift pain the second the machete glided over her skin. She shuddered at the thought, "Yeah, I saw them…"

Maria fell silent, thinking over his offer; why did his name ring a bell? His name, Achilles, it was something she should know, something she should have been familiar with. While she was lost pondering, Achilles dunked a scrap of cloth into the pale and looked to face her. Before the towel could touch her face, Maria slapped his hand, "Don't touch me!"

"What? But I'm trying to help you!"

"I said leave me alone!"

Again Achilles tried to wipe her face, but Maria ducked his hand and bared her teeth at him. Achilles growled deep in his throat; what was she doing? Couldn't she see that he was trying to help her? If they kept screwing around like this, then those zombies might find them!

"Maria, this is stupid!"

"Yeah, well bite me!"

The gold hedgehog continued to try to clean the blood off the girl's face with a flimsy piece of cloth. Every time he came anywhere near her, she recoiled or struck out at him. After a couple of minutes of their battling, Achilles conceded to his temper and threw the rag at Maria. He glared at her just as viciously as she did, "What the hell is your problem!? Can't you see that I'm trying to help you?"

Panting, Maria glared back at him stonily, eyes alit with suspicion, "You won't get near me."

"I'm trying to help you!"

"I don't care."

"Are you stupid!? I said--"

"I don't trust you," Maria growled, voice deep and saturated with contempt, "I don't trust you at all."

An icy, intense silence hung awkwardly between the two of them. Achilles, with his eyes squinted angrily, leaned back on his heels and glared away from her. There had to be a way to get the girl to join up with him, see eye to eye with his logic. The only way they truly had a shot at helping the others was to work together. Individually, now that Chaos had the Master Emerald, there was no way that their solo efforts could stop them.

"Maria, let's get one thing straight. I understand why don't trust me, but we need to work together. You know about Chaos, right? And you saw those zombie-things, am I right?"

"Go to--"

"--And if we don't team up, then we won't be able to even have a shot at beating Chaos. Don't you want to save your dad? Don't die out like your mother! You've gotta live!"

Sharply purple eyes focused on Achilles. Behind the utter fury in her eyes, there was realization; sorrow. It looked as if Achilles had picked the correct words to say. Now that Achilles was sure that he had the girl's attention, he nodded his head and began again, "My ego's going to kick my ass for saying this, but I need your help and even as reluctant as you are to admit it, you need me too."

Trying to look as non-hostile as possible and making sure to never break eye contact, Achilles reached for the damp rag again. Slowly he drew the cloth to Maria's face. At first she shied away from him and flinched, but then her tensed shoulders relaxed and she allowed him to clean her battered face. She shut her eyes tight and forced herself to sit impossibly motionless, unresponsive. With extra delicacy Achilles washed away the filth on her face.

Achilles wiped the blood away from her nose and scrubbed the cuts on her face. After rinsing the rag a few times in the pail, the water, once clear, was tainted a shade of cranberry. Wordlessly, he rang out the towel and studied the now compliant girl. For a second he moved his eyes from her face, then rose to prepare a new pail of fresh water.

"One more area to clean," she barely heard his low voice.

"What?" Maria finally sprung to life, "Where are you going to clean--"

Her once pristine, white shirt was dampening into a dark shade of scarlet. The wound had to be somewhere near her torso. Then it hit Maria. Her torso; she blanched visibly and placed a hand to her chest. Now was she really going to let him touch her there? Hell, would she let any boy touch her there!?

In fact she could recall a couple of times at school when a few audacious boys had tried to cop a feel. She had responded fluidly with near mechanical reflexes and decked them with a good blow to the face. If they had really managed to make her mad, then she would have slapped them. So would she be slapping Achilles? Just as her discomfort was manifesting, the object of her musing returned.

He stooped to his knees again and soaked the cloth in clean water. He took a deep breath before he spoke; he just hoped that he could keep his voice level, maybe not strained, but perfectly controlled, "Maria, you have another wound. I must clean it or you could become seriously ill."

Maria sat quietly, almost timidly and Achilles almost wanted to laugh; so this was the same girl who burned holes through him with her furious glares and spat fire every time she spoke to him. He lifted her chin so that her eyes met his, "Do you trust me?"

Hesitant, emotion flashed through her eyes fiercely. She looked to be racking her brain for an answer. After her internal struggle, her gaze lightened remarkably and she gulped, "Y-yes…" This brought an actual small smile to Achilles' face, "Thank you."

He repositioned Maria, trying with all his might to make her comfortable and fitted her solidly against a tree. She sat upright with dark eyes watching him meticulously. Even more delicate than the first time he touched her, Achilles barely lifted her shirt, just enough to get a glimpse of the white fur commingled with dark burgundy blood. It looked as if the wound started on her hip and worked its way upward.

Achilles dunked the towel in another surge of water and began dabbing the blood away from her wounds. If he applied full pressure now, he was more than sure that the pain would be unbearable; she was grimacing just from his soft wipes now. Once he finished clearing the blood away in that area of her body, he moved from her hipbone to her stomach and swathed the wound clean.

Still, traces of red rivulets dripped down her stomach, which Achilles subconsciously noticed, was nice and firm. As if she worked out or something. But he wasn't going to tell her that; what would she think of that? Just as he elevated her shirt a little more, he felt her stiffen. He also swore that he heard her whimper. Achilles' blue eyes met hers momentarily, posing a question, 'Do you trust me?'

Maria blinked back at him but made no move to prevent his actions. Achilles smiled and raised her shirt, trying his hardest to focus on the bloody wound on her torso. As he patted the blood away, he heard her release a sigh, as if she had been holding her breath the whole time.

'Trust me girlie, you're not the only one here who's been holding their breath. You try not to check out that body. Daddy must be proud that you have all that..'

"There," Achilles sighed, more exasperation leaking in his voice then he had intended, "All done Maria." Maria pulled her shirt down anxiously. Although her face was flushed from embarrassment she still managed to thank him, "Th-thank you."

Achilles looked back at her one last time. He caught a small smile on her face and he turned to walk off. Those eyes and that smile; it almost made this entire ordeal worth it. He would forever carry that gorgeous face of Maria's in his memory.

To be continued!

-I promise I'll put the reviews up later! :)