Chapter 21: Renewed Resolve
"Whoa! I got that shiver again but this time it's a hell of a lot stronger than before." says Shadow while shaking.
"Wait, I sense it too!" exclaims Sonic.
"Damn, now I sense it!" says Flare. Mighty gets up from his chair, nervous.
"Stop fooling around... Huh-guys?" He asks them but then he too begins to sense it.
"CRAP! EVERYONE ON GUARD!" shouts Red. Manic and Sonia jump out their chairs soon afterwards. Suddenly, the door gets blown to the wall on the opposite side of the room. A strong wind circulates the room clearing the smoke.
"Well, well, well, looks like the punks were having a party and we weren't invited! That makes me feel left out!" Silver growls as he walks in. "How'd you know they were in here, Amy?"
"It's part of my ability." says Amy, following him in. "I feel something…" she looks around the sharply and quickly looks at Sonic who gives a friendly wave and a warm smile. She rushes over to him in a fit of rage and grasps him by the neck. "I knew I'd find you here! Do you think I forgot who you are you blue bastard!?"
"Heh…ack…hi, Amy, you sure have changed over the years…and…my…ack…you've gotten a lot stronger too…! Heh heh…" Sonic croaks.
"Amy…? Wh-what happened to you?" asks N, concerned. Amy shoots a glare at N. Silver steps in front of Amy, coming in between their view of each other.
"She's... had a change of heart! The type of change that only the Empire can give her!" Silver replies with a smug grin.
"You think you're funny huh?" Amy shouts at Sonic. In a brief fit of rage she slams Sonic so hard into the wall that debris and gravel fly out the wall and leave and imprint of the blue hero.
"Bro!" cries Manic. "Why YOU! Gah!" He runs to help but Silver intercepts with a high kick to the chin so hard that it makes Manic do a back-flip before landing face-first.
"Grr!" Flare grunts in frustration as she conjures up a fireball and Red gets ready to fight. Silver smiles readily.
"Bring it." he says confidently.
"No!" Sonic cries out, catching his breath. "Everyone... don't! No fighting! Just listen to what they say, I won't have anyone else getting hurt because of me."
"But Sonic-" Sonia says but Sonic cuts her off.
"No, Sonia, it's not worth losing anyone over it, just listen to them. Everyone stop, please."
"…fine." Flare reluctantly dispels the fireball.
"Yeah, he's wise for someone so young." comments Red as he disengages from his battle stance.
"A wise decision." Silver says with a shrug. "Not a fun one but a smart one. Everyone line up now!" Everyone does so, Amy grabs Sonic and forces him to the line before he gets up himself.
"SURPRISE!" shouts D.R. as he leaps directly from the sewer water and into the room while aiming his assault weapon everywhere only to see the situation already taken care of. "Hey, no fair! You ruined my surprise attack!"
"Well you should've came here first then, nyah!"
"Whatever man." He glances around the room while walking around it. "I see you've managed to make some friends, Dr. Robotnik won't be pleased. Your rebellious actions could be a threat." He spots Sonia. "Hm? Hey, I see we've got ourselves a pretty one." He walks over to her and smells her neck. "Mmm…nice perfume from the outer parts of the city…not sure how you managed to get it but oh well..." He begins rubbing his cheeks against hers. "So…soft and…smooth…it's sexy." Sonia shifts uncomfortably then he starts rubbing slowly on her legs.
"Now's not the time for that, idiot."
"You're right." he immediately gets off of her.
"Now, do the honors of teleporting us to the cell room, D.R.."
"No problem, now where do I put that emerald…" D.R. searches through his pockets.
"Damn it, I knew they'd find us if we sat around here all day!" Mighty thinks to himself. "Glad I concealed a knife, I'll just KILL the closest one to me before we teleport. Screw what Sonic says."
"Ah, here it is." He raises the golden emerald over his head. "CHAOS TELEPORT!" The instant the emerald flashes, Mighty begins to move.
Egg Fortress, the cell room.
The view shows pans around an enormous room with cells all lined up from one side to the other, across each other and even staircases leading to cells on the upper floors. A flash occurs in the middle of the room, when it dies everyone appears but Mighty is on the floor in the fetal position with Silver stomping on his back.
"You stupid little BITCH!" sneers Silver while stomping on his back with slow but deadly blows. Everyone turns to them dumbfounded.
"Silver, what the hell-?" D.R. starts but Silver interrupts.
"THIS BASTARD ACTUALLY HAD THE BALLS TO TRY TO STAB ME! I HOPE YOU DIE ON YOUR OWN BLADE YOU IGNORANT ARMADILLO!" He kicks Mighty over so he's on his back, in his stomach stood a firmly planted knife; blood is oozing from the wound.
"My god, he'll need medical attention quickly!" cries Sonia.
"Go play nurse then! I hope that Egg Master deals with him first; I'll take my time killing this punk unlike that human!" He presses a button on a remote control looking device and all the cell doors on the floor open up. "In! ALL OF YOU! NOW! I don't care how you do it, just get in!" Everyone hurries into random cells except for Sonia and Mighty. Oh right, he can't move! Allow me to lend a hand!" He lifts the red armadillo up and hurls him into the cell, Sonia goes in with him. Silver presses the button and all the cells close. "If any more of you try any of that heroic bull crap, I'll kill you all!" he storms out the room.
"Hmm, you guys suck." jokes D.R. "Squirt, squirt, squirt!" D.R. spits drops of cold water on Mighty.
"Stop it!" shouts Sonia. She rips off a large piece of her shirt and wipes the water off the fallen armadillo.
"Oooh. Feisty lil thang aren't ya? Exciting! I'll definitely check you out later." He smirks and runs out the door. Amy also starts to exit but then she stops in front of Sonic's cell which is closest to the door.
"So Amy, when's chow time?" says Sonic with a chuckle. Amy glares powerfully at the blue hedgehog which makes his smile instantly fade and strikes a bit of fear in him as she looks into the dead center of his eyes.
"Everything's a joke to you, isn't it?" she asks."
"Well not really but-"
"Everything about you is fun, laughter, and games, huh?"
"I…I-"
"You treat everything, like it's 'fun', the way you run around, fight Eggman and even play WITH MY HEART!"
"…"
"Every time I poured my heart out to you you play it off or run away like I want to play hide and seek! I BET YOU GO OFF AND LAUGH ABOUT IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!" Amy approaches the cell, Sonic moves back slowly. "I try, Sonic, I try so damn hard to keep up with you, to keep loving you, TO GET YOU TO NOTICE ME! But all you like to do is run and be free and have fun, you act like you don't have time to even LISTEN!" Sonic backs all the way to the wall with the look of fear in his eyes. "If you don't love me, Sonic, then why? WHY GO THROUGH THE TROUBLE OF RUSHING TO MY RESCUE? ON THE DAMN ARK you could have let Eggman blast my brains out if you wanted too, but you rushed to save me." She bangs on the bars, denting them.
"Because, he's a hero, that's his job! If you don't like it, too damn bad!" Shadow shouts. Amy slowly glares at Shadow then her eyes glow purple. Upon seeing this, Shadow his right arm starts twitching as a purple aura encircles it. "Huh?" SMACK! Suddenly, Shadow slaps his hand to his mouth extremely hard.
"Telekinesis? She's pretty formidable…Seems she's strong up close and from a distance." Flare thinks to herself.
"You disappear for TEN long and grueling years and then suddenly show up just to say "HI"! UGH! You don't give a damn about ANYONE BUT YOURSELF! It doesn't matter anymore! I spent too many years thinking that we would've been perfect and that we are meant to be and you KNOW that we are, you just don't wanna be a man and face it! I HATE YOU SONIC!" Sonic jumps at the word 'hate'. "I've finally figured out everything though. The secret to your selfishness is your speed, your friends, and your love for adventure! I'll ask Dr. Eggman if he can let me deal with you, I'm sure he'll gladly accept...heheh. The empire has given me more than you ever have. I'll take those things away from you one-by-one until you have nothing left. Then you'll feel the pain I've endured." Amy starts for the door then stops. "And to think… Eggman could never beat you... BUT I CAN CRUSH YOU WITH THE PALM OF MY HAND!" CRACK! Amy shouts then thrust her left palm towards Sonic but only the wall behind him gets shattered with an imprint of Amy's glove but several times bigger. Surprisingly Sonic isn't hit. Sonic looks at the print and trembles. "This won't be our last meeting; You'd better stay alive until then." She walks quietly but fiercely out the room, there is now an awkward silence. No one is really sure to ask Mighty, Sonic or Shadow if any of them are alright. Shadow is finally able to remove his hand.
"Man, what a bitch..." moans Shadow his voice echoing in the silence.
12:37 PM, that afternoon.
Sonia is looking at Mighty's wounds, he is now unconscious. A puddle of water enters their cell. Sonia gasps but the puddle forms into Red.
"How's he holding up?" he asks.
"Not so good." Sonia replies. "The blood loss was heavy; it made him lose consciousness. He might not survive his wounds..."
"Hmm." Red digs in his vest pocket and takes out his bronze emerald. He mutters "Bronze Heal." while hovering the emerald over Mighty and a light engulfs Mighty. "I've eased his wounds; it's all I can do but we'll see if it works. The healing speed depends on how deadly the wound is."
"I see... Will it be fast or slow?"
"Fast since it may be fatal. If only we had Dark Red's golden emerald."
"What will that do?"
"It will energize him and completely heal his wound as if nothing happened. What I've done was to help him speed his recovery." Red puts the emerald back into his vest then stands up. "Alright everyone, listen up!" Everyone's ears perk up, ready to listen. "If we are going to get through this alive, we'll need all the help we can get!"
"Me and N have tried that. Too many people are afraid of the Eggman." says Flare.
"But we are NOT! I'm certain you all were too at some point! We've all come this far and we can go further!"
"He…has a point…" mumbles N. Red liquefies and leaves the cell the reforms in the hall.
"We can win, we have a good enough team. Sonic and Shadow were both a part of the ARK incident a few years back." Red continues. He then goes over to Shadow's cell. "If we are going to do this we'll need you at your full potential!"
"My what?" asks Shadow confused.
"We NEED your memory back! You're a lot stronger than you let yourself believe! I know that and a part of you knows that!"
"I…guess so?" Red takes out his bronze emerald.
"This! Does you know what this is?"
"T-That's a….a-a-a chaos…" As Shadow is speaking his head sparks a bit with each active thought.
"Stop! Don't think!"
"Ok..?" Red strokes his chin in thought.
"I don't think whatever that is in your head can detect what you remember, I think it detects when you think of the word "'chaos'! I think that device has its limits."
"Yeah." exclaims Manic in excitement. "I see where's he's going with this."
"Exactly." says Red with a confident grin. "I think Dr. Eggman remembers Shadow's powers from that time and still wants him around! So whatever device he implanted in Shadow is only enough to erase his memory and keep him from knowingly using his chaos energy! Not enough to actually kill him!"
"Oh, course!" yells Sonic excitement then he goes to his cell bars. His silence is now broken. "All of Shadow's attacks are based on the word 'chaos'! If I know Shadow well, he won't team up with Eggman again! The egghead knows it and probably sees him as a threat to his operations!"
"Just think, Shadow, where were you after the ARK incident?"
"Well, I remember taking a nasty fall through the atmosphere and…" His head starts to spark. "Ugh…"
"It seems to react on his memories about the ARK too!"
"Hey, if that thing isn't as strong as you say, maybe you can overload it!" shouts Sonia.
"Right!" exclaims Sonic and everyone agrees.
"Shadow." Red calls in a very serious tone. "No matter how much it hurts, you have to remember! You can overload that thing with your brain! All you have to do is keep remembering! Now COME ON! TELL US WHAT HAPPENED!"
"I…I…!" As Shadow starts to remember, his body gets engulfed in electricity. "AAAGGGH!"
"CMON SHADOW! FREE YOURSELF! TELL US EVERYTHING YOU REMEMBER!"
"I….I FELL! AAAGH!"
"Where? To the Earth?"
"AAAGH…YES!" Shadow falls to the ground while still engulfed and holding his head in agony.
"How…how did you survive?"
"AAAGGGH! AAAGH!"
"CMON! YOU'RE STRONGER THAN IT!"
"I…I HAVE AN EMERALD!"
"An emerald?"
"IT….AAAAAGH….PR….PRO…PROTECTED ME!"
"Do you still have the emerald?"
"I DOOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAH!" ZZZZZZTTTT! Suddenly Shadow suffers a huge shock and the electricity stops. Shadow's body lays motionless with smoke raising from it. Everyone watches in anticipation. Sonia, whose cell is across from Shadow's, watches in awe. Red liquefies into the cell then reforms back and kneels to Shadow and lifts his head. Shadow's head turns sideways and a black chip falls out, burnt. Red picks it up, examines it then places it in his vest.
"Is he…?" Sonia began. Red checks Shadow's pulse while listening to his chest.
"He's fine. This device won't harm him anymore. The circuitry is completely burned." Red replies calmly as he rests Shadow's body down gently then reforms into water and goes back to his own cell. "I sense someone coming." Then the exit door slides open and Silver enters.
"Well, wel,l well, I hope you all enjoyed your moment in prison because it looks like you all don't have to wait a day or so to be let out." he says. Everyone murmurs their own version of "Why?". "Don't get yourselves so excited! What I'm saying is the good doctor will be here by tonight and has found a good way to strengthen the empire and will do away with such evil ones as yourselves!"
"Evil!" shouts N in an outrage. "You're calling us evil? After all the things you've done?" Silver walks over to her cell. "You and that red bastard both executed my friend, T!"
"Ma'am? We only do our job. Nothing will ever happen if you all just stay at your workplace and work happily."
"Maybe it's because none of us are happy!" shouts Sonia.
"Doesn't give you all the right to cause conflict and confusion. If you're unhappy about where you work at then take it up with the big man, I'm sure he'll grant you a position elsewhere."
"How can you be so nonchalant being that you and Dark Red are the only ones that don't have to work like the rest?" asks Red flatly.
"Oh we work, we're doing our best to enforce the laws around here; no law will go disobeyed while we're here."
"I find it impossible that only you can do it alone. It's a whole country, you know."
"Heh heh heh!"
"What's so funny?"
"You people, the city folk."
"You lost me there." said Sonic.
"Apparently, I have. One person can't rule a country alone, so to keep certain areas in check we have other branches."
"My lord…" gasps Red. "You mean the empire isn't just made up of You, Dark Red, and Dr. Eggman?"
"Are you kidding? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Wow, the city really wasn't informed about this? I don't think you know what the word 'empire' means! There are a bunch of us all across the country! Me and D.R. are just the strongest, though I have to admit some of them are more unique and very... interesting."
"Oh no…" gasps N as she backs up. Silver walks back and forth while explaining more.
"Even if some of them aren't really true member of the empire yet."
"Why?" asks Red.
"Some of them have been through the conversion yet. Chaos enhancers and the sort."
"Chaos enhancers…? That means all the members are anthrops!"
"Yeah, heh. A few humans too. We keep our some of our robots with them juuust in case, ya know? Eggman only truly trusts us since we've already been through the chaos enhancers and are super-powered by them. We are the crown achievements to Eggman and the empire!"
"It's evident..." Beep! Beep! An alarmed beeps on Silver's new replaced wrist comm. "Ah, well, I doubt ya'll be able to meet the other members anyway since I'm 100% sure that the greatness will grant you all an execution. Later, punks!" Silver walks out the room then comes back and walks to Shadow's cell. "Huh, no wonder he was so quiet. Must've had a major memory crisis. Sucks to be him." He shrugs and leaves again.
"Damn it!" shouts Red in frustration as he punches the walls. "This fight is gonna be a hell of a lot harder than I expected…"
"No…" groans Mighty as he slowly rises. "That arrogant bastard…he said a little more than…" he stumbles a bit. "...he was supposed to…"
"No, Mighty, rest." pleads Sonia. He leans against the wall for support.
"I'll be fine… That silver hedgehog ego is so huge that he feels he can say anything; he gave us more information than he probably should have and that can play to our advantage."
"Yeah." Sonic agreed. "If we can destroy the chaos enhancers then other members can't be converted and hopefully we can get them on our side."
I'm gonna be very honest with you, Sonic. That plan sounds good but, what good will it do if others like Silver and my brother get in our way? As he mentioned, there are some who already went through the process. I was hoping there were only robots in the empire along with the three we've seen." Red says while rubbing his chin.
"I'm sure…the empire consists of many strong chaos fighters." says Mighty as he lets out a long sigh. "Too bad I'm only a regular armadillo, I'd be more help to you guys."
"You'll be a help to us. As Red said, we'll need all the help we can get!" said Sonic while giving him a thumbs up.
"I'll…do my best."
"Heh, I did say that didn't I?" Red asks with a chuckle. "It's not like me to worry like that. Hell, I think the challenge would be fun. Who's down for smashing Eggman when he comes?"
"I'm game!" shouts Sonic. "I wanna make Eggman pay for what he did to Amy!"
"We've put him down before, we can do it again!" cries Manic.
"After all these years a real rebellion finally starts…heh, a little behind schedule, but I'm in." says N with a smirk. "Besides, he murdered a dear friend of mine, payback is essential."
"Since my brothers are in, I'm in too!" exclaims Sonia.
"I was never against it, let's do this." says Flare. Mighty falls to one knee.
"I'm in for as long as I can live…" he says.
"We gotta get you healed, Mighty." says Red sternly. "I think I know how to get Dark Red's emerald without him noticing it yet."
"What do you mean 'yet'?" asks Flare.
"I'll explain it some other time, we'll just have to wait for now. I hope this plan will be full proof when Shadow wakes up, we'll just have to see…"