"We are the Meta" RvB

"Melody" Yuki Kajiura (Second and third lines)

Chapter Twenty Four

"Shadow, what do you think you're doing?" Shine hissed as she joined her brother in the cannon.

"I'm the one who got us into this mess." Shadow growled. "So I'm getting us out."

"No, Shadow." Shine forced herself to calm down. "You need to go back to the people in the Blue Typhoon. They need you."

"After everything I've done to them, why would they need me? I'm a lying, two faced traitor, remember?" Shadow didn't look at Shine as he spoke.

Shine shook her head. "Those people need you. I'm pretty sure they could do without me."

"Shine, you don't understand what I'm telling you." Shadow hissed irritably. "'Those people' are never going to look at me the same way again. They'll only see me as the one who almost got them all killed." He hesitated. "And Byrch..."

"Byrch wasn't your fault." Shine's tone softened. "The Metarex are just gruesome. She shouldn't have died, but she died trying to help us."

Shadow was silent. Then he lifted his head and looked at Shine. His red eye glinted with something Shine hoped was never aimed at her. Her brother grabbed her and Chaos Controlled her into the deepest part of the Blue Typhoon that Shadow could think of. Before he left his sister there, he looked down at her.

"Sorry."

The Metarex were evolving into something more powerful than anyone imagined. The walnut shaped structure that used to be their ship cracked open to reveal a bright light that was the energy and power the Metarex contained. It had vines and plants and other growth sprouting from it.

Tails was preparing the cannon. He heard Shine say "Fire."

"Just a minute." Tails answered. "It's still powering up." Shine didn't answer.

Sonic looked around the room. "Where's Cosmo?"

Willow looked up from his dead sister and Simon stopped rubbing his eyes.

Cosmo glared at Dark Oak. This is something she knew she had to do. Her mother had told her she was a special seed, but Cosmo always thought it was because she was the last of her kind. No.

It's because she was going to subdue Dark Oak and rekindle her kind's seeds.

She knew exactly what she had to do.

Tails gasped as he watched Cosmo enter the Metarex seed. "Cosmo!" Tails yelled. "Cosmo, what are you doing?"

Cosmo's voice came in on the communicator. "I'm sorry, Tails. This is what I was meant to do... I can do this."

"But Cosmo...!"

"It's OK, Tails. Just fire the cannon. The rest will deal itself out." Cosmo reassured him.

Tails felt tears in his eyes. "Cosmo..."

"Just do it, Tails. For me."

Tails felt a sob collecting in his throat. Just as Cosmo finished speaking, something beeped on Tails' controls.

The cannon was ready.

"Fire, Tails." Cosmo repeated.

Tails set his hands on the lever, but his confidence faltered. "Cosmo, I can't..."

"Please, Tails."

Tails felt a tear roll down his cheek and he yanked the lever down.

Shadow and Sonic were sent shooting into the seed that was Dark Oak. The blue hedgehog had jumped in just in time to get shot out.

While Shadow and Sonic were breaking through Dark Oak's shell to get into the energy, Shine got to her feet and clenched her fists.

"You stupid rat!" Shine spat in the darkness. The she disappeared.