"Whisper" Evanescence

Wow, um... 20 already? :O I thought I wouldn't make it past 10 LOL... Wow... That's kinda epic...

~Holds up glass of 7 UP~ Here's to hoping it gets past 42?

Chapter Twenty

Mortuus, Shine, Sonic, Knuckles,Byrch, and Kat had gained the last three Chaos Emeralds, and were now moving down a giant vent. They it was really a big vent.

"So what now?" Kat asked as they tiptoed through the vent. "Do we still need access to the main controls?"

"Even though we have the Chaos Emeralds, yes." Shine didn't look back. "We need to shut down all communications to other ships so Dark Oak can't get back up."

Sonic and Knuckles were silent, though Shine could feel their angst building up. Even Byrch had the slightest sense of uneasyness.

"Mortuus, do you know where that is?" Shine asked.

"...Huh?" Mortuus blinked, seemingly coming out of a daze.

Shine narrowed her eyes. What was he thinking? But nonetheless, she repeat herself. "Do you know where the main controls are?"

"Yes. But..." Mortuus trailed off.

"But...?"

"That's where Dark Oak is almost twenty-four seven. If we're lucky, he might have left to inspect his destroyed minions, but I doubt that's likely." Mortuus growled, back to normal.

Shine nodded, and looked back at the end of the tunnel. She hesitated, then asked "Why are you helping us? You know so much information about the Metarex and you're so powerful. You could easily win against the Metarex."

"Why? I'm not sure." Mortuus almost sounded relieved to talk about it. "I guess it could just be Shadow breaking through, but I feel more comfortable around you guys."

"That reminds me," Shine brushed invisible lint off her coat's lapel. "Why did you posses Shadow?"

"If I possessed you, I would have been destroyed. Shadow seemed like the most prominant choice." Mortuus hesitated before saying: "We made a deal."

"A... deal?"

"Yes. I give him power so he could destroy Dark Oak in return I get a host." Mortuus lifted his chin, not flinching when Shine clenched her fist. "I used that power to my advantage. I was getting his side of the bargain done, but not in the way he intended."

"So should I be worried that you'll twist our deal around and make up slap us in the face?" Shine growled.

"No." Mortuus stated firmly. "You guys have no fear of my treason. I want Dark Oak dead just as much as you guys."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Mortuus' eyes darkened - Which didn't seem possible at first, seeing as they were black in the first place. "Let's just say I... have some scores to set in this world."

From behind her, Shine heard Sonic say: "Do we get to kill him now? That seemed suspicious to me."

"Sonic, shut up. Not everything Mortuus does is suspicious." Shine sighed.

"You're... sticking up for that thing?" Sonic sounded baffled.

"He saved our lives. I'm not entrusting him with the world, but the least we could do is give him credit where it's due." Shine frowned.

Sonic grumbled darkly under his breath.

"You have no reason to trust me." Mortuus said after a moment of thought. "But, Sonic.. You could give me a chance."

"A chance? A chance for what? A chance to kill me again?" Sonic snorted. "I don't think so. We don't have a Vita-Chamber this time."

Mortuus sighed and continued walking. Something about him almost seemed... remorseful? Perhaps the creature was actually turning good.

Shine suddenly heard a click and then a 'whirring' sound. She stopped in her tracks. "Uhh... What was that sound?"

Mortuus turned to look behind them. He stared for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. We might want to get out of this vent."

"... Don't tell me..." Sonic groaned. He turned around to watch the giant fan at the very back of the vent start to spin.

"Why would the Metarex even have air vents? They don't breath!" Sonic complained.

"They like to keep things clean." Mortuus said and they all started to feel the tug of the fan.

They were all lifted off their feet and pulled towards the fan. Shine scrabbled at the metal sidings of the vent, and got hold on one of the metal strips that keep the vent pieces together. She gripped at it tightly.

"Everyone hold on!" Shine yelled over the noise of the fan. "Unless you want to be end up a disgusting little puddle!" She held her free hand out and grabbed onto Sonic's hand, who manged to get Byrch's hand. Knuckles had punched himself a grip in the wall with both hands and Kat was holding onto his tail painfully. Mortuus was the only one still standing. Struggling against the wind, but standing nonetheless.

"How are you doing that?" Shine called to him.

Mortuus looked up at her and shrugged. "I guess it's just my power mixed with Shadow's." He called back. Then he struggled his way over to Knuckles and Kat. He rested a hand on their shoulders and disappeared.

Shine blinked. She needed to do that. But first she needed to grab hold of Byrch's hand. The problem is that she's too far away. Also, Shine's free hand was holding Sonic's hand.

Taking a deep breath, Shine called "I'm going to let go! Don't let go of each other's hands!"

"What? Are you crazy?" Sonic yelled back. "We're going to be shredded like paper!"

"I need to get to Byrch's hand!"

Byrch looked up. Her hood had been tugged off, and now her long hair was flowing towards the fan.

Shine took another breath and started swinging Sonic and Byrch in front of her. As soon as Byrch was right in front of her, Shine let go of the metal lining.

Just as quickly as she let go, Shine grabbed Byrch's hand. Right before they hit the fan, Shine Chaos Controlled them to the hallway, hoping a Metarex wasn't walking down it.

She gasped for breath. She had fallen to the floor instead of Chaos Controlled to it. It doesn't help the wind stole most of her breath.

"Are you OK?" Kat asked her friend.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sonic, who totally ignored Kat's insulted grunt, spat at Shine as she gasped for breath on the floor. "We could have been killed!"

"She saved you didn't she?" Mortuus growled.

"I don't need any input from you." Sonic snarled.

Mortuus narrowed his eye and said nothing more.

Byrch got to her feet. She and Sonic were Chaos Controlled to the floor because they were farthest from the fan. Only Shine had fallen. "Leave her be, Sonic. If it weren't for her, you be nothing more than a tiny blood splat on the fan." She growled. She pulled her hood up, tucking her long hair back in.

Sonic glared at her for a moment then looked away. "What ever." He muttered.

Knuckles massaged his tail. "Ow..." He looked up at Kat. "I think you dislocated my tail."

Kat shrugged. She turned back to Shine as the hedgehog started getting up, coughing. She leaned against a wall. The one thing she thought to do immediately was to fix her trench coat, which was ruffled and dusty.

After she got all the dust off, she nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "OK... Let's.. keep going..."