CHAPTER! You gave me so much trouble. Not as much as normal, but I admit that there is a LOT going on in this one, and some of what I hoped would get accomplished actually didn't. Hopefully it will next chapter, but... anyway, lots of drama and the flashback many may or may not have been waiting for. Ah, Tikal. I love that girl.
Standard disclaimer applies!
WARNING: GRATUITOUS AMOUNT OF SWEARING IN THIS CHAPTER. Though I don't know why I bother warning you by now... XD
Next chapter may take a while. I have PACKING TO DO! I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad, but that DOES mean that officially have one month to the day to finish this fic. Let's see if I can actually do it! :D This would be the first multi-chapter fic that I actually finished if I do. But I think most of you would kill me if I stopped anyway. So, for the sake of my life, I give you chapter twenty one!
Shadow: Twenty-one chapters? This is madness.
Dei: THIS IS SPARTAAAAAA!
Sonic: You idiot.
Dei: You know you love me! Oh, and guys, I've surpassed the magical number of 1000 when it comes to visitors. That means that over one thousand individual people have, at some point, clicked on this fic and read at least part of it. Do you know how excited I was when I found that out?
Shadow: Let me tell you, she didn't shut up for a few hours. She now brags about her readers and reviewers on Facebook.
Dei: I certainly do! You guys are amazing! 3 THANK YOU!
Sonic: On to the fic. It's my turn to get tortured today.
Shadow: Damn straight. I needed a break.
Dei: You're not straight:
Both: *sweatdrop*
Sonic jerked awake, hand reaching for his gun that wasn't there. An arm was slung across his chest, foreign fingers brushing just above his ribcage. Sonic tilted his head back just enough to catch a glimpse of a familiar face, and he relaxed back into Shadow's arms.
The other must have nodded off some time ago, because he didn't wake, even when Sonic had his minor spaz attack. He was leaning back against the tree, head angled to lean against his own shoulder, eyes closed and mouth even-still set in a slight frown. Sonic smiled a little- he'd never had the chance to see Shadow sleep before. He was almost... adorable.
Sonic snorted to himself. If Shadow ever knew that those words had crossed his mind while crammed into the same sentence, he'd likely be fixed with a petulant look and stuck with a generally sulky boyfriend for up to a week. Which really wasn't ideal at all, because as rarely as it happened, Sonic liked to see Shadow smile.
The blue-haired boy sighed, reaching up to brush long, red-streaked bangs from his lover's sleeping face. A slight pull in his gut compelled him to tilt his head up, brushing his lips over the soft and sleep-warm mouth.
A smile faded onto Sonic's face as he gently relocated Shadow's arm to his side, standing and stretching, his back making a few hollow pops as joints readjusted. A quick survey of the rapidly-dimming sky told Sonic was already much later than he'd expected. He should wake Shadow- well, he'd have to either way. It was going to get cold, and dinner was probably almost over... and, well, Sonic had never eaten lunch. His stomach rumbled at the thought.
Bzzt.
Sonic sighed, knowing that the text was probably from Knuckles, bending down to unzip his bag and pulling the phone from its pocket when it happened.
Something hit him, hard and solid, sending him sprawling to the ground with a grunt. Though still a bit disoriented from waking up in such a strange manner before, he knew that this was why. He always did have a sort of sixth sense. Unfortunately, it was failing him now.
"Motherfucker," he hissed, rolling as he hit the ground and avoiding the boot that came crashing down where his back had been a moment before. There were two of them, he noted- one with unruly green spikes, the other blonde and small, green-glassed safety glasses covering his eyes.
"Tails?" Sonic exclaimed.
The blonde scowled. "I think ya hit 'im too hard, Scourge. Now, stop his squirming so I can chloroform 'im."
"Yeah, yeah," 'Scourge' replied. "Friggin' brat. Ya expect me to do all the work."
Sonic rolled to the side as the boot came down again, hooking his foot behind the man's steady leg and jerking sharply, sending him into a stumble. Sonic pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his bag and reaching inside, just hoping that he'd had the sense to keep the knife in there that he used to carry.
"No such luck, fucker," Scourge hissed, lunging for Sonic and sending them both back to the ground. "You may be good at fighting, but I'm stronger than you are." He demonstrated this by flipping Sonic over to his back like a rag doll and pulling his arm behind and up and twisting. Sonic cried out in pain, other hand grabbing at anything exposed that he could find. He knew he got skin when the larger hybrid hissed in pain.
"Get yer ass over here, Little M. He's writhing like a whore. No fucking wonder Big M's gettin' pissed."
"Who the fuck sent you?" Sonic snarled, fighting with all he had. It was no go- he was good in a fight, but this guy was bigger and Sonic wasn't at his best. "Whoever it is, I'm gonna kill him!"
"Big talk," the blonde one said, taking his own sweet time in reaching Sonic's assailant. "You won't say that when you see Boss. You should have seen his face when we found out where that one was." He jerked his head to the still-sleeping Shadow. "Never saw anything so scary. And then he found out about you."
"Me? I have nothing to do with this other than trying to find your 'boss'. He needs to learn not to fuck with what's mine. He won't get away with fucking with my city."
"Your city?" Scourge said in surprise. "Ah, fuck. I know who you are." The man scowled, though his eyes held a little more respect- at least from what Sonic could see with the uncomfortable angle his head was turned at. "Hurry it up, Little M. We've caught ourselves a big fish. Wouldn't want him to get away."
"Tell me something," Sonic hissed, glaring as hard as he could and desperately wishing that looks could kill. Something didn't add up here- and Sonic fully intended to find out what it was, even if it meant his death. "If you didn't know who I was, then why are you here? Were you going to kill me, too? Like you've been killing my people?"
Scourge snorted. "It wouldn't surprise me if you ended up dead, kid. M isn't forgiving at all, and anyone who threatens him or his family is toast without a second thought. And, if you are who you say you are, you've done both."
"His family?" Fuck. Fuck, it was all starting to make sense. A culprit that looked just like Shadow, his boyfriend not saying a word about it... hadn't Rouge said that Shadow had a brother. How could he have not realized it sooner? "Motherfucker! Don't you dare touch Shadow!"
"He's not ours to touch." Scourge chuckles darkly, snatching the damp rag from the small blonde's hands. Sonic could see now that the blonde wasn't Tails- his face wasn't quite as round, like he had gone without food for some time, and his eyes were dark, a scar marring his cheek.
"We'd be worse off than you if we tried," the blonde said. "Scourge, over the nose and mouth this time."
Sonic tried as hard as he could not to breathe, but reflex kicked in when Scourge's knee dug into his back and he gasped in a breath, and then another. His eyelids grew heavy and his vision swam, head growing light.
In his last conscious thought before he faded into blackness, he cursed Shadow and his heavy sleeping.
Shadow's eyes opened slowly, mind fuzzy. He shivered- it was cold... and dark. When did it get dark? He blinked, glancing around and finding himself alone. And where is Sonic?
The night was still and silent- too quiet. It couldn't have been that late, surely. Pulling his phone from his pocket and pressing a button, the sudden barrage of light on his unadjusted eyes was nearly painful. He squinted, struggling to read the small numbers- 11:15.
Fuck, I missed curfew, Shadow thought, shoving his phone in his pocket and blindly reaching for his bag in the dark, spots in his vision from the rapid contraction of his pupils. Sonic wouldn't have left me here to miss curfew. He would have woken me up. Where is he?
Shadow sighed, scrolling through his contact list and typing out a quick message to his absent boyfriend. Where did you go?
The phone gave the little check mark that the message had been sent, and Shadow sighed, pushing his bag up over his shoulder.
Bzzt.
Shadow blinked, realizing that it wasn't his phone that had vibrated. On the grass, a small square of light appeared, and Shadow approached, leaning over to pick up the device.
NEW TXT MSG: Shadow. Read now?
Shadow felt his heart stop. Sonic's phone. He would never forget this.
He struggled with the phone for a moment until he x-ed out of the alert screen, a new one popping up.
3 MISSED CALL(S).
Shadow's hand clenched around the phone, and he shoved his own into his pocket, frozen in place as he opened up the list of missed calls. All were from Knuckles- and the most recent was only a few minutes ago. That had to mean that Sonic wasn't back in his dorm.
He hit the call button.
The phone only buzzed once before the other line answered.
"Sonic! You son of a bitch, you missed curfew! Where the fuck are you so I can beat the shit out of you? You better be on your way back."
Shadow swallowed. "Knuckles?"
"Shadow? What the fuck? Why do you have Sonic's phone? Oh, God- don't tell me he's in your room or something."
"He- he's not," Shadow replied, swallowing again. His mouth was suddenly dry and his chest tightened. "I think we may have an emergency."
"What kind of an emergency? What are you talking about?"
"Sonic and I met up for the lunch break and skipped afternoon classes because he was tired. I must have fallen asleep as well, because I just woke up and I don't know where he is. I didn't think he would just leave me there, so I texted him, and his phone was nearby. He wouldn't leave his phone. And..." Shadow's voice trailed off as he realized one very important and previously overlooked detail.
The phone- and consequentially, Shadow's hand- was sticky and tinged with red.
"Shadow?"
"Blood," he said quietly. "Call up your gang. You're second in charge, correct? Get everyone together, and tell them to be armed. I'll be at your dorms as soon as I can. I think I know what happened."
He hung up the phone, feeling his hands start to shake. He wiped Sonic's phone off on the leg of his pants, shoving it in his pocket and taking his own phone out again. He dialed a number on reflex, holding his up to his ear.
"Shadow? What-"
"I don't have time to talk, Rouge. Sonic's missing. I found his phone and there's blood on it, and we need to do something. Get your weapons, and we'll meet up with Knuckles and his forces at his dorms. I'm calling Ivo. I think my brother took him, Rouge."
The line was silent for a few long seconds before Rouge replied, "Oh, shit. Um, okay, I can do that. Do you want me to bring your gun, too? I can stop by your room."
"Please do. Get everything of mine that you can. Ten minutes, Rouge, tops. And for god's sake, don't get caught by the RA."
"You know me better than that, Shadow. I'll be there. Just... stay calm, okay? Sonic is a strong guy. He'll be okay."
She was lying, he knew. Lying badly. They both knew perfectly well that if his brother even knew about Sonic that he would damn well not be okay. He decided not to say anything in reply, though. He felt sick enough as it was.
"Get on it."
He ended the call.
It was dark and wet.
Something was dripping, steadily depositing water droplets onto Sonic's cheek, building together and streaming down his face like tears.
That was what woke him up.
His head hurt, but that was probably the drugs' fault. His shoulders were stiff, and his arms were bound together behind his back, handcuffs digging into his wrists painfully, even when he wasn't struggling. He couldn't see, but he thought it was because of the sheer darkness of the room, because he didn't feel a blindfold and his eyes didn't hurt enough for him to be blinded. Hopefully.
He wasn't sure how long he sat in the darkness, but for the first endless stretch, he tried to find some way to get loose. Unfortunately, whatever he was bound to was secure, and just as uncomfortable. It felt like metal, maybe, but the floors were definitely concrete. Sonic would recognize that feeling anywhere- he had slept on it for so long, after all.
Though he wasn't sure where he was, there were endless possibilities- abandoned warehouses, empty apartment buildings, underground basements and sub-terra tunnels- all were present in Station Square. And though he knew almost every single one of the above, it was impossible to be certain if he couldn't see.
Sonic inhaled and exhaled deeply- the room or cell or whatever he was in smelled like mold. It had to be a room, he thought, because it echoed a bit as other water droplets hit the concrete in places other than his face.
I hate the rain, he thought. I hate the noise of it and I hate it. Why am I here? Why did it have to be here?
He listened to the falling droplets for another unnamed stretch of time, inhaling the wet air and smell of mildew. If they could have put him anywhere to make him crazy, this was it. Sonic was a strong person, but this... well, he always wanted to see things coming. Here, he was pretty sure that he would be able to hear them coming, but hearing wasn't seeing and that was the problem. He would be helpless if he couldn't see.
Well, I'm helpless anyway, he figured. I just wish that I could see.
But, in the end, he decided that lingering on all the things that wouldn't change and wouldn't help him out of the situation was insignificant. At this point, the smell of the mold was intensifying the pounding in his head, and he was fading fast.
He went unconscious will the sound of water droplets in his mind.
The Babylon Rogues weren't exactly tough, as far as gangs went. Whereas Union was based on a group decision with an unofficial leader, the Rogues had a clear leader that made all decisions unaided. And though there was a leader, he was not necessarily the strongest of them all.
That was what Sonic observed, anyway.
And if the Babylon Rogues were going to call Union out, then Union would gladly answer. They always had and always would. Union was a union of fighters- not a union of cowards. They prided themselves on their strength, and though the group was small with only five members official members, they were strong.
It wasn't supposed to get so serious. Sonic wasn't really sure how it had gotten to this. What started out as a petty rivalry was now dangerous, as much as he didn't admit it. There hadn't exactly been a firefight, but a few shots had been exchanges, though there weren't any injuries yet.
He'd been confident that it would stay that way.
"You're not coming," Knuckles said firmly, just barely sixteen and scowling.
The girl he spoke to scowled, adjusting the squirming blonde boy that was situated on her hip. One long, red dreadlock was held in the boy's chubby hand as he babbled. Full, pink lips tilted upward at the young boy's antics, though her hazel eyes stayed firm. Her tan hand came up to gently pry the lock of hair from the boy's fist as she placed him on his unsteady feet. "Yes, I am. If Blaze can go, then I can, too."
"Blaze is almost sixteen, Tikal," the redheaded boy replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're fourteen. You're not getting involved in this, and that's final."
"I'll be fifteen in a month," Tikal shot back, bending over to right the toddler that had fallen over. "Tails, honey, go play with your Legos."
"'Kay," the boy replied, taking a few unsteady steps before he fell, giving up on walking and crawling at a rapid pace to the carpet where hundreds of tiny blocks were spread out, grouped by color and size.
"Oh, come on, Knuckles," Sonic replied, swinging his feet lightly from his perch across the table. "Tikal is a big girl. She can take care of herself. Why shouldn't she go with us? She's initiated."
"She's my kid sister, that's why," the male echidna-hybrid growled to his best friend. "Tikal, you know that Dad won't let you go. It's for your safety."
"Dad would be fine with it," she shot back with a huff. "Ever since Mom died, he doesn't care what I do. He's never around anyway- he only left this apartment to us and checks in once every few months. As soon as you're eighteen, you know that I'll be out of the house- he'll expect you to take care of me."
"That's what I'm doing, Tikal. And that's why you're not going."
The girl's face hardened and she huffed, spinning on one leather sandal to march into the kitchen. Her gold and teal headband glinted under the dining room light as he exited, and she slammed pans around, making her agitation known.
Sonic frowned in disapproval, and Silver and Blaze who were sitting off to the side decided that they would go and supervise the young blonde fox-hybrid who was steadily constructing St. Peter's Basilica with no more reference than a fuzzy picture printed off from the internet. The kid truly was something else. Sonic shook his head, leveling a glare at Knuckles.
"You know as well as I do that Tikal is perfectly capable of helping. She has a level head and good aim- what more do you want? We were on the streets long before we were fourteen, Knuckles."
"I don't want her out there, Sonic," Knuckles replied with a frown. "What if she got hurt? My dad is distant enough- if something happened to Tikal... I mean, I'm already living at school full-time. But we'd lose the use of the apartment as HQ, and I mean... no."
"Knuckles," Sonic replied, glancing at the girl through the open doorway to the kitchen, seeing that she had mellowed some and was humming to herself as she washed dishes. Honestly, the idea of her getting hurt made him get a sharp pain in his chest, but... no one had ever gotten hurt, so what were the chances? "We need her to go with us. We need numbers on our side, and Tikal gives us that. I promise that she'll be fine. We'll keep her out of the way, but, just for appearances, let her be there. Humor me."
Knuckles made a face. "I dunno, Sonic..."
Sonic frowned at him. "Nothing has ever happened. She'll be fine."
They both glanced at the girl in the kitchen- Knuckles uneasily, Sonic with the sort of protectiveness that Knuckles realized belatedly that as long a Sonic had anything to say about it, she would be perfectly fine. What was he really worrying about, anyway? Tikal was smart. She knew when to stay out of the way.
"Alright," Knuckles replied after a moment. "But you have to promise me that she will be fine. That you'll protect her with your life, okay?"
Sonic nodded, grinning and shooting him the trademark 'thumbs-up' that meant he was both in a good mood and totally serious. "You got it, buddy. Hey, Tikal! You can go!"
The girl looked over her shoulder uncertainly, and, seeing no deception in either one of them, let out a whoop or excitement, calling out a 'thank you' as she ran upstairs to retrieve her weapon.
What could be the harm, anyway?
o0o0o
Sonic realized as soon as they arrived that this time was going to be different. Guns were already drawn when they arrived in one of the alleyways in the back system of Station Square. He stepped in front of his group, eyes carefully locked on the leader- a green-haired, green eyed hawk-hybrid. He was the smallest, but his stance was the most confident. He was flanked by a purple-haired girl, hair covered by a bandana and wearing sunglasses. A large, silver-haired teen stood behind him, goggles perched on his forehead.
"Ah, this seems serious," Sonic joked, testing the waters.
"Of course," Jet, the leader, replied. "You guys have fucked with us for the last time. You honestly think that we wouldn't know that it was you that broke into our hideout and stole the new gear we were working on? Get real."
"What?" Sonic exclaimed, scowling. "We didn't do shit, man. We don't need your stupid 'Extreme Gear', or whatever you call it. That shit is whack and not worth our time at all."
"Take that back," the girl growled, Wave. "That gear was worth thousands- we just got it appraised. Of course, you would know that and that's why you want to steal it!"
Sonic scoffed, and Knuckles stepped forward. "We don't care about a hover board or whatever you made. We're about using our bodies to the best of their abilities to get where we need to go. We don't have anything fancy, just our legs, lungs and guns."
"That's bullshit," Storm, the large one growled. "Who else would steal from us?"
"Who knows?" Sonic replied. "But it sure as hell wasn't us, okay?"
"You're lying!" Jet hissed, taking a step forward. "And I hate liars. If you're going to lie, then I'll just have to make you tell the truth!"
It didn't take much after that.
Sonic's gun was drawn in seconds, but it was seconds not fast enough. He was shoved roughly and by then, Jet had shot him three times in the right leg, sending him down. There was another two pops, then- and then the rapid firing of Knuckles' Sig Sauer. Sonic groaned in pain, turning himself and seeing red.
Tikal lay on the ground, gasping for breath as blood pooled around her. She clutched at her abdomen, sticky red gushing through her fingers. And Sonic knew, then, that she wouldn't make it very long.
He dragged himself to her side and held her hand, and though he could already hear the sirens, he knew they wouldn't make it. The alleyways were a maze that only those familiar to them could maneuver successfully, and Tikal was simply fading too fast to wait for anyone unfamiliar to learn.
"I'm sorry," Sonic gasped, tears stinging at his eyes. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry."
"No," the girl gasped. "It wasn't your fault. You were standing in front of me, and I pushed you out of the way. I took the shots."
Knuckles dropped to his knees by his sister's side, shaking badly. Sonic didn't turn- he knew what he would find if he did. He said nothing as the redhead pulled his sister's head into his lap, stroking her hair. "you'll be okay," he said. "You will. They're coming."
"I won't make it that long," she gasped, forcing a smile onto her lips. "But, thank you. I love you, big brother. Tell Dad that I'm sorry, and..." she laughed, the sound wet and Sonic winced. "Give Tails a hug for me."
"It's gonna be okay," Knuckles repeated, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of one bloodied hand.
Sonic sighed a little, squeezing her hand. "He will. We will. Tikal..." He didn't bother to fight the tears. He didn't bother denying it- the girl was paling and the sirens were still too far away. "I'm sorry."
"Forget it," she replied with a smile. "Find your happiness. I'm... happy. I protected my family."
For the life of him, Sonic couldn't understand how she could be so honest, even knowing that she was dying. She weakly squeezed at his hand. "I'm going to see my mom. I'll be okay. I'll continue to protect my family from the other side."
"I'm sorry," Sonic repeated, knowing that he sounded like as much of a broken record as Knuckles did. "I'm sorry."
With a soft smile, the girl stared at Sonic, hazel eyes growing intense for the last time. "Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The controller is the one who unifies the Chaos... remember that, if nothing else."
"What does that mean?" Sonic asked, confused and overwhelmed laughter mixing with sobs. "You always say such deep things... I never understand them."
"You will," she said softly, the fire in her eyes flickering and fading as they closed. "You will... thank you."
"I'm sorry," Sonic gasped.
The ambulances arrived, but they were too late.
By the time the doctors emerged from the critical care unit, Sonic had been bandaged and stitched together, the blood cleaned from his hands. He had stopped crying, but he still felt it there.
He always would.