Launch Date
He etched the blade closer and closer. It was hovering only a few inches from the echidna's face, and was only growing closer. Inches, now centimeters, now millimeters, closer still. The blade was now touching the outer edge of his red fur. He could have easily dashed forward. He could've stabbed it through, killing the echidna on the receiving end. Doing so would rid the world of another menace, but it would also rid the world of an endangered species. Could he really kill off the last of the echidnas? Could he really end thousands of years of life?
In all honesty. Yes. But this was not the decision a god should make. This was not a decision he should ever make. The Starman, the very prevailer of justice within the world, pulled back the lance in his hand. Doing so caused the weapon to vanish from his finger tips. It also made the echidna on the ground laugh dementedly.
"HAH! I KNEW IT!" Enerjak roared, "You can't kill me, can you!? You little weakling! You were always weak! You gain power from something as foolish as emotions! You care too much, Starman! And it's because of that, that you fail!"
"I fail?" the Starman replied, "Funny. I do remember killing you..." he suddenly grabbed the echidna god by his neck, raising him high into the sky, "Begone from his body, Enerjak. NOW!"
"Empty threats! As usual!" the echidna roared back.
Shaking violently, he gave a shout from his mouth. The shout caused the Starman to release his foe while stepping back. His eyes shifted back forward, only to watch the once imperator laugh his heart out.
"Can't you see it, Starman!?" he inquired with a bark, "No matter what you do to me, it won't end this fight any sooner!" he stepped forward, "As long as I am in this boy's body, you can't hurt me! You will only kill him!" he stopped talking just for a little while, only so he could get a better view of his opponents face, "How do you feel about that?"
The Starman was shockingly quiet, as he refused to utter a single word. Enerjak was caught off guard by his opponents silence, though he did not announce his annoyances. He just stared into those blazing blue eyes. Those eyes which gave off so much hope.
"I realized that from the beginning..." the Starman stated, making Enerjak flinch, "I knew killing you would only kill Knuckles, and that is not what I set out to do..." he began marching forward, "I came to punish you and Finitevus, whilst ending this tirade you have..." he stopped when he stood only a few feet from his eternal enemy, "I also came to save Tikal..."
That last statement caught Enerjak off guard. He cocked his head whilst raising a brow at his enemy. Then it hit him. Tikal, she was the Emerald. Thinking about her made the echidna god laugh, which confused the Starman. What business did he have for laughing.
"You!" he yelled, "You don't know, do you!? You don't know what has happened to the Emerald!"
He was suddenly slammed up against the wall, as the Starman kept him pinned. The slam was powerful, and forced the air to evacuate from Enerjak's lungs. But it wasn't enough to silence him; he began laughing soon after.
"What did you do to her?" the Starman inquired, his rage returning tenfold.
"When you see her, you won't recognize her. That's all I can say."
He laughed again, which made his enemy roar. The Starman slammed a fist into the echidna's gut, before rising him high. Next, he slammed him into the metal floor, causing a dent. Yet Enerjak continued laughing. He kicked him a few times, but the laughing never subsided. The hedgehog god didn't care about anything anymore, he just wanted to silence his foe. He caused a javelin to form from Chaos, and aimed it down upon the echidna's head.
Just a quick stab. Everything will be okay. Just a quick stab. Everything will be okay. Just a quick stab. Everything will be okay.
No. It wouldn't.
But would he have done it? If the interruption had not come, would he have stabbed the echidna god? Would he have ended the life of an endangered species? Possibly, but we'll never know.
"Shadow, stop!..."
The armored star being faced away from the echidna, but ever so briefly. He tried to ignore the call which just echoed in his head, and instead pushed the blade down deeper.
"I said stop!" ignored, "STOP!" ignored, "STARMAN! STOP!"
That last one, he recognized. He slowly turned away to face the voice which called his name. They were all standing in the hall away from him, the heroes who stormed this base. Sonic, Amy, Rouge with Hope on her shoulders, Tails, and Omega. But he knew which one called his name specifically. The blue hedgehog, the annoying one.
"Finally! I got your attention," Sonic stated, "Shadow, what the heck are you doing!?"
The Starman shook his head however. He did not recognize the name the blue hero kept calling him. And honestly, it was beginning to annoy him.
"Begone, Sonic," the Starman warned, "And complete your mission," his vision shifted down to the smiling Enerjak, "I have a job to do..."
"Go ahead, Starman," the god egged on as his eyes squinted, "Kill me."
He rose his lance, but a hand stopped him from dropping it. It was that annoying blue hedgehog again. The Starman couldn't believe it. How dare the hedgehog touch him? Did he not recognized the fact that he touched a god? Mortals these days, they believe themselves to be without peers.
"You're touching me..." the Starman remarked as he steadily rose his vision, "Why are you touching me?"
That cold emotionless voice, it caused the blue hedgehog to recant his earlier actions. He removed his hand from the Starman's wrist, stepping back a few feet as he did so. This being was Shadow, right? This was the black and red hedgehog he labeled 'rival', right? Then why did he act so different? Why did Sonic feel like this was a completely different person.
Because he was a different person. Shadow was strong, yes, Sonic would admit that. But Enerjak was stronger. He decimated Sonic Heroes by himself, without much of a hassle. But his bout with the Starman was completely different. The hedgehog god turned the tide of battle with his appearance alone. And this is why Sonic started to think otherwise of the star being's identity. Was Shadow strong enough to fight a god?
"Starman..." Enerjak called.
Both Sonic and the hedgehog god gazed down to the red being. His hand was glowing bright with destruction. The echidna fired.
The green fire-ball engulfed Sonic and the Starman whole. In the aftermath of the destruction, Enerjak rose up high, laughter flowing from his lips. He glared down to the smog he created with his blast, wondering if it was the attack which ended the Starman's life. Of course it wasn't, but he could believe right?
He noticed the Starman's burning blue eyes glare at him through the debris, which made him growl. Flying higher, he rushed through the rooftop of the base, destroying it with his body alone. With a mere wave of his cape, the Starman caused the smog to disperse from around him. He glared toward the hole Enerjak created, and prepared to give chase. But instead, he looked down to the blue hedgehog he held down.
"You ruined my chance, Sonic..." the Starman stated as he released the hedgehog, "I will remember that when your time comes..."
"I don't care who you are, Starman," the hedgehog retorted as he stepped a few feet back, "I'm not just going to let you kill Knuckles!"
"I'm not going to kill the Master Emerald Guardian," the god answered, "I was only holding Enerjak..."
Sonic gazed left and right before answering with,
"What?"
"I don't want to kill Knuckles," the Starman repeated, "I was only holding Enerjak down," he moved in closer, "I know your mission, Sonic. Destroy the base, rescue Tikal. It's simple..." he looked back up through the hole, watching as Enerjak hovered above, "But so long as Enerjak is here, your mission will not be easy. I did, after all, watch the destruction he rained upon you in the beginning..." he looked back down, "Find his head, and destroy it. That is the only way you will stop Enerjak..." the Starman began flying into the sky, "And don't you dare get in my way again!"
His entire body suddenly flashed a yellow color, and he rushed forward through the hole. Enerjak was caught off guard by the sudden force of speed, and as such couldn't defend himself from the attack. The Starman struck him with an elbow to the chin, knocking him away. He gave chase shortly after, preparing himself for another tussle with the echidna god.
Sonic glared up through the hole longingly, trying to understand who that being was. Was the Starman really a god?
"The Starman has a point, Sonic," Rouge's voice called as a silent Hope toiled on her shoulder, "We need to hurry..."
"Yeah... we do..." he answered.
…
"Those fools are pushing through, Finitevus!"
"I know, Lien-Da!"
"That hedgehog and his crew are defeating our Gizoids, Finitevus!"
"I know! Lien-Da!"
"Why are we just sitting around doing nothing then!?"
He suddenly turned to her, shooting a glare that showed his golden eyes. That sight stopped Lien-Da square in her tracks, but it didn't make her loose that face of hers. She was pissed, he was pissed, they all were. But he wasn't terrified. Quite the different. He found the heroes and their plight to be ultimately fruitless. This was not a battle they could win, yet they continued to try. It would be funny, if it wasn't so annoying. His only issue was the bombs sitting in the base's power room.
"They think they can win..." the doctor said to his ally, "G.U.N., Sonic, and even Eggman. They've all teamed up to defeat us. They think they can win..." he marched off, "They thought wrong..."
He returned to the bases main hub, where the hologram of the planet hovered. He walked up to the command console, pressing his hand upon it in a touch so angry. Tapping a few buttons, he started chuckling, he caused a countdown to replace the hologram. He didn't expect to do this so quickly, but he didn't mind. The sooner the better, after all. But this moment was short-lived.
Finitevus gazed over his shoulder to the chair which sat beside. The ropes which bound his daughter were splayed upon the floor. Raising an eyebrow, he tried to understand why. He contorted his face into anger, a moment later.
"Julie-Su!" he yelled as he gazed to the room around him.
Lien-Da walked up to him with an eye of confusion, before bringing her vision down to the empty chair. Seeing her bonds, sitting upon the floor, caused her to grow angry. She withdrew her whip and immediately prepared herself. Seeing as how no Gizoid was disturbed, nor the machinery within, he figured Julie-Su was still here. Somewhere...
"Deal with her Lien-Da," Finitevus ordered, "And I don't care how! If she ruins anything it'll be-"
"Your head, yeah, yeah," she interrupted with annoyance, "Jeeze, you seriously repeat everything always..."
She began to sway her whip in the air, whilst walking through the main base. She knew Julie-Su was here, she knew it. It was, as if, the two were connected.
"Show yourself, girl," Lien-Da commanded, "Now!"
She heard the sound of passing metal. She gazed up, seeing nothing but the lights above. Squinting, she prepared her whip once more. Now she knew Julie-Su was still here.
"C'mon, girlie," the dominatrix ordered with a sultry smile, "I know your still here!"
But she didn't know just how close.
Lien-Da suddenly met the steel floor when a body landed upon her. Julie-Su quickly leaped off of Lien-Da's back, landing down on the steel floor with a thud. Out of annoyance, Lien-Da glared up, seeing her half 'sister. Julie looked so angry, but she had every right to be.
"Finally decided to show up, huh?" Lien-Da inquired with a malicious smirk. She then noticed a thin wire waving around Julie-Su's body. It was a whip, much like her own, "Oh, I see," Lien-Da remarked, "Look who's finally decided to have some fun!"
"I'm going to kill you..." Julie stated as she waved her whip in the air, "I hope you've come to terms with that..."
Lien-Da didn't make a reply, she merely licked her lips. Then her whip flew in the sky, and so did Julie's. Neither one knew who struck first, it just sort of, happened. It ended up with Julie on top, however. She held her whip to Lien-Da's neck, in an action quite similar. She watched that dominating echidna smile, however.
Suddenly Julie was in the air, being tossed up by Lien-Da's feet. The magenta echidna landed some feet away, though she did so on her feet. Gazing forward, her eyes fell upon Lien-Da, who quickly returned to her toes as well. That dominatrix licked her lips again, smiling as she eyed her victim standing before her. Julie merely growled, as she struck with her whip. It flew forward, but the dominatrix was able to dodge it with relative ease. She landed on her feet again, being poised to strike back. But to Lien-Da's surprise, Julie-Su had once again disappeared.
"Annoying little runt..." the sadist stated as she straightened up again, "Where'd you run off to now?"
She gazed up to the metallic workings of the higher base, wondering if the magenta echidna existed somewhere within.
"Oh no you don't..." Finitevus voice remarked.
Lien-Da glanced up to the screens placed about in the room. It showed various images all over the base. Most importantly, it showed Sonic Heroes, stalking through the base in search of Tikal. The poor, poor fools.
"They're nearing CH-1. Perfect..."
"What are you going on about over there, Finitevus?" Lien-Da inquired as she looked for her foe.
"Nothing, nothing..." he answered, "Just having a bit of fun, is all."
He pressed a blue button upon his console.
…
"CH-1..." Tails commented in the air.
"What was that, Tails?" Sonic inquired from behind.
The yellow fox gazed up to him, before gazing back to the title of the hall. He pointed at it, bringing everyone else's attention to the title.
"CH-1..." Tails repeated, "When Hope and I first snuck into this base, Julie-Su brought us to CH-32..." he gazed back to the large metal doors, "I'm beginning to think there's something important behind these CH room, but I don't know what..."
"I guess that mean's we're going in then!" Sonic stated with a smirk.
"Are you sure about that big blue?" Rouge asked, "There's probably a good reason why Julie-Su went into one..."
"Which is an ever better reason for us to investigate!" he remarked, "Besides, we still don't know where Tikal is, maybe this hall will help..."
Suddenly Omega marched in, guns at the ready. He didn't care about the conversation, he just cared about destroying. A massive stream of gunfire echoed from his cannon, riddling the door continuously. He was so loud, he woke Hope up. A minute later, the entire door no longer sat on its hinges. It was now a shattered mess, lying in scrap heaps upon the floor.
"Destruction, eminent!" Omega stated.
"Well... there's that..." Rouge answered.
They marched in moments later, while the war zone continued to rage outside. Their group stopped when they stood in the center of the new area. There were pods everywhere, and the room was unusually cold.
"What's in this room?" Sonic asked to no one in particular.
"Clones..." Omega answered, which gained him everyone's attention.
"Quite perceptive of you, Omega..." Finitevus' voice echoed over head.
Everyone gazed to the ceiling, specifically the intercom system above. The room began to flash, as a panel in the center of the room began to open.
"This is Cloning Hall #1. My first, as you can tell," Finitevus continued, "It holds a very important person within..." the panel revealed a pod, which slid up to floor level, "A very important woman who I hold near and dear to my heart..." the pod began to expel steam as it began to open, "I once called her sister, after all."
The pod opened, and a woman fell out. Everyone stepped back in confusion, save for Omega. The woman, she struggled to her toes, showing that she was dressed in a full body suit, save for her neck. It had pulsating lines on it, of unknown origins. Upon further inspection, they saw this echidna was a woman. She struggled to her toes whilst grunting at the same time.
She was woman, yes. Older than them by a considerable amount of years. Her hands were free of the full body suit, showing slender hands underneath. Her fur was a light, near golden, yellow and her eyes were a shimmering blue. She had the imprint of a jewel on her forehead, which insinuated the power she owned.
"Akna..." Finitevus called, making the woman shoot her head up, "Kill them..."
The woman's eyes glimmered, growing as bright as could be. The air started to intensify within the base, causing various objects around them to break and shatter. At the same time, she began roaring. Her roar pushed back the heroes facing her down.
This wasn't a battle they should have been in. Akna made that known. She caused the jewels which Sonic owned to fly free of him. The green Chaos Emerald, Shadow's green Chaos Emerald, escaped his person, despite his attempts to grasp it. Instead, they flowed into Akna's finger tips, causing her to increase her powers tenfold. The base shook everywhere, thanks to the echidna's amazing power. She kept exerting her strength, making all know the power she had.
"I truly did envy my sister," Finitevus stated with a chuckle, "She was always superior to everyone else when it came to Chaos... you have no idea how long it took for me to clone her into this perfected being."
"I don't like where this is going..." Sonic bemoaned.
"Prepare to die! Sonic Heroes!"
Akna attacked.
Her hands pushed forward, destroying the land around her in an invisible blast. It pushed Omega away, which she clearly believed was the most dangerous opponent. The robot slammed against the wall, but it wasn't enough to end him for good. From his arm cannon, he fired a spray of rockets, which rained down upon the land. The room was riddled with explosions, destroying any and all clones Finitevus had within. As if he cared.
Omega was never someone to have his power matched, and this proved that notion to be true. He rocketed from the pit he created in the wall, raining bullets upon the Akna clone with reckless abandonment. She projected a shield around herself, deflecting the blasts as best she could. With each strike, she caused her shield to grow in strength. Soon, it became less of a shield, and more of an attack itself. From her shield, she threw a blast which slammed into Omega's body again. He flew back, only to return a few seconds later.
This Akna clone was above anything he head ever seen. His meters were going off the charts with Chaos Energy, whenever he ran his scanners over her. Could he say it? Perhaps she was stronger than Enerjak himself. Or maybe his scanners were on the fritz. That was believable too; he had taken quite a few blows since this assault began.
The Akna clone was striking at everyone now, while at the same time growling with fervent rage. Amy came behind, hammer at the ready, but she underestimated the yellow echidna. She easily pulled her fist back, slamming it into the pink hedgehog's face. Who was next; Tails? His Magical Arm launched through the area Amy once stood at. Akna stepped to the side, while her hand reached out for it. Gripping the machine, she effortless tore it from its sockets, severing it in half. Her hand reached forth for the wires left behind. Grabbing it, she pulled it sharply, forcing Tails to fly in her direction. His face grew wide, right when he met fist. Who else? Rouge the bat. When that kleptomaniac approached her, Akna felt a surge run through her head. She roared, pushing the bat back. Rouge blocked it however, shielding herself from some of the strike. Unfortunately, when she pulled her limbs back, Akna was there. The echidna roared again, lifted her fist, and brought it down upon the bat's face.
Her combat high was flowing though, she felt stronger now. Who else dared to face Akna's wrath!? That blue hedgehog, he was it. He stood some feet away, gazing down to his allies as they winced in pain. Sonic, he looked powerfu. Would he make for a good opponent? She kept hearing it in the back of her head, over and over again. 'Kill them Akna. Kill them'. That was her brother calling. Didn't she hate her brother? Then why was she listening.
Whatever. The blue hedgehog was there; she'd kill time with him. He looked stronger than everyone else anyway.
She suddenly dashed forward, but the blue blur zipped out-of-the-way. Landing safely on the other side of her, he watched as she rushed into the wall. Instead of stopping, she slammed straight through it, entering the realm of darkness on the other end. Sonic rose his fist, readying himself for another attack. Behind him, Rouge, Tails, Amy, and Omega stood. Akna's blue eyes shined through the darkness, before her entire body turned a burning gold. At the same time, her eyes flared red. She was getting stronger.
Chaos Akna.
…
"Those fools do not understand the powers I hold, do they?" Finitevus stated.
The countdown was winding down; the heroes will fail. That is if they survived the Akna clone, which he highly doubted.
"She's gone, Finitevus," Lien-Da stated as she ran to him, "Your daughter is a freaking coward."
"Julie-Su wouldn't run away," Finitevus answered as she neared him, "She's too smart for that. She is my daughter after all," he stretched up, "If she's not here, then that mean she's going to help those fools undermine us..." he squinted, "Find her! And kill her!"
"Whatever," she answered as she swayed her way off, "Though. I have to say... she looks extremely familiar, Finitevus," he glanced at her out the corner of her eye, "She looks like me, and she uses a whip like me? Just who was that girl's mother?"
"The answer is closer than you think..." he answered as his vision returned to the countdown, "Now get going!"
Deep down inside, Lien-Da wanted to ask what he meant by his words 'closer than you think'. But, ultimately, she shrugged it off. Putting her expert tracking skills to work, she ran off down the hall.
…
"You are nowhere near as strong as you were the last time, Enerjak..."
His statement caused the gasping god to growl. He glared up with his red eyes toward the Starman. They flew up high, high in the sky, over the land they warred upon. The Starman, with his body covering cloak, hovered near, as his blue eyes peered deeply into the echidna's soul.
The Starman was right. He wasn't as strong as he was four thousand years ago. Why? This body felt so superior to the one he was, so strong. This body was exposed to the powers of Chaos for years upon years. Then why was he so weak? This was not the level of strength he had at that battle in Glyphic Canyon. He was able to stop both the Starman and that demon Black Doom with his powers alone. It wasn't until the Starman used the Chaos Emeralds did he gain the power to win.
Wait. That's it! The Chaos Emeralds! That's why Enerjak was so much stronger the last time! Finitevus chant used the power of the Chaos Emeralds to bring his body into this mortal form. If it weren't for the Emeralds, he would have never gained this power in the first place. He turned his back on those jewels, when they were much stronger than he gave them credit for. It was time to correct his mistake.
"STAAAAAARRRRMAAAAAAANNN!" the echidna god roared.
He suddenly expelled a bright light from his body, blinding everyone in the vicinity. The Starman did not flinch or move, he continued flying in the face of the light. Once the light subsided, he discovered his foe ran on the defensive. Enerjak was no longer before him.
"Fool..." the hedgehog said, "Where have you run off too?"
He focused his energies, combing the land before him for that foe he faced. He didn't find Enerjak, but he did find another important foe. One which burned with the power of a Chaos Emerald. He was shocked by that.
"Akna?" he stated, for he recognized that energy pulse, "No, stop..." he shifted his vision elsewhere, "Where did you go, Enerjak?"
"I'm right here, Starman?"
The hedgehog gazed up, seeing that echidna above him. He held the Master Emerald in his hand, along with an uppity smirk. He increased the hold he had on the Master Emerald, causing him to absorb some of its godly energies. If they could see him, maybe the Starman's eyes were widening.
He didn't say anything, he merely tackled the echidna before him. Unfortunately, once his hands touched the god's shoulders, he felt that godly energy flow from him. He glared up into Enerjak's eyes, watching him flare with power. The echidna god rose his hands, connected them, then slammed them down upon the Starman's helm. The strike was powerful and sent him careening into the earth. The Starman didn't stop, even as he rushed through various shards of metal. Returning to his feet, he stared up to the hole created by his flung body. Enerjak laughed dementedly as he slowly descended upon him.
"I wish I learned of this earlier," the echidna stated, "If I had, this world would have long ago fallen under my control..."
"No. I wouldn't allow that to happen..."
"Is that what you say, Starman?" Enerjak answered.
"Yes..."
He suddenly turned a burning blue, causing the base to shake from his strength alone. Enerjak, feeling so superior, laughed at the sight.
"You still fight..." he stepped forward, "You know, this is how I remember you the best. Burning like a star before me. You killed me like this..." he grew serious, "You. Killed. Me. I Don't accept that..."
The two clashed, their hands in a tussle. Enerjak tried to force his strength upon the hedgehog, but it wasn't working. It seemed as if the hedgehog god had risen to a greater level. Being filled with the power of heroism, the Starman pushed the echidna god off of him. Enerjak rose his fist, preparing for battle, and so did the Starman.
"I'm going to kill you now..." the hedgehog stated.
"Go ahead..." Enerjak answered with a grin, "Try..."
…
She kicked the door open, caring not for the noise of it all. She stared left and right, glaring toward the machinery which sat upon the walls. Once again, she cared not; her attentions lay solely on one thing. The magenta echidna stared at the mechanical pod before her. For all intents and purposes, it was a jar. A jar which held the worlds strongest being.
"Imperator..." Julie-Su said as she neared the resting head.
His one true weakness; his origin. If this is destroyed, he is destroyed. At least, that's what everyone believes. She placed her fingers upon the console and immediately began typing. She already knew the codes to open the device; it was simple.
Akna. Now that she thought about it, her father really had a sister-complex.
The pod opened up, leaving Dimitri's head open to all. She reached forward to grab the head. A whip wrapped around her hand, forcibly pulling her back.
"Nuh-uh-uh! Girlie!" Lien-Da yelled from behind as she continued to pull back, "Can't let you do that!"
"Dammit! Just how the hell!?" Julie asked as her half-sister pulled her back.
"I'm a great tracker, what can I say?" the dominatrix answered.
She yanked, pulling Julie-Su back into her fist. But the magenta echidna was crafty; she dodged the blow, but just barely. Sliding onto the ground, she eyed Lien-Da who now stood between her and Dimitri's head. Lien-Da continued to smile as she twirled her whip around in a malicious manner. If Julie-Su was expecting to get her hands on that head, things just got ten times worst.
The wall exploded.
Lien-Da and Julie-Su were tossed away, as they now shared the space with two warring gods. The Starman's burning blue aura mixed in with Enerjak's green aura, as their hands shook the very earth. They were trying their hardest to overpower one another, it just wasn't working. Enerjak broke the tussle first, stepping a back a few feet while the Starman did the same.
"Just give up!" he roared, "You can't win!"
"You know I won't give in..." the Starman answered, "So why don't you just deal with it?"
"Good point..." he pulled back his hand as to charge up a ball of burning energy, "So why don't I just cut to the ch-!?"
He locked up. His entire body froze like ice. He couldn't move, at all. His eyes could though. He glared at the Starman, only to look over to his right with his head slowly turning. There she was, Julie-Su. Holding his head.
"What's wrong, Imperator?" she asked as she pulled his head from its life support system, "Feeling. Under the weather?"
"Julie-Su!" he stated, "Put. That. Down!"
She tugged, making his energies fall. Dropping to his knees, he found it difficult to continue standing.
"Why did you lie to me!?" she yelled back, "I thought I could trust you, Imperator! You and my father lied to me!" she tugged on Dimitri's head again, "I should have known. I should have known that I could trust you either!"
"End it, Julie-Su..." the Starman stated, "Send him to his eternal demise..."
She nodded and now placed both her hands upon his demented head. Increasing her hold on it, she started to pull. Wires began to sever from his head, making Enerjak jolt and shiver with pain. With every wire that was severed, he felt weaker and weaker. But that weakness suddenly vanished.
Julie-Su was no longer holding Dimitri's head. It was still tethered by wires, but it if wasn't placed back within its pod, he would soon die. But why had Julie-Su released him? It wasn't by her own fruition; arms were holding her.
"See, Girlie!?" Lien-Da barked, "You should never turn your back on me!"
Suddenly, the both of them were blown away by a blast. Enerjak growled angrily as he peered upon the two, and more specifically, his head. He wanted to walk for it, but things weren't working. He could barely walk, because his head was loosing oxygen. His head was dying.
And there was the Starman. He was walking for the head, slowly. If the Starman took his head, there would be no more Enerjak. He couldn't let that happen.
"NO!" he growled as he lobbed his strongest blast yet.
It knocked the Starman away, throwing him through the wall. But that was all the strength Enerjak had. He toppled over almost immediately, falling hard upon his chest. Glaring forward, he saw his head, hanging out from the pod. If it wasn't connected soon, he'd die a slow, painful, death.
"Lien-Da!" he called, "Lien-Da! I'm dying!"
He watched a boot slam near the head. He gazed up, hoping to see that dominatrix. It wasn't her. Julie-Su gazed back down, rage and hatred in her eyes. She reached for Dimitri's head, slowly gripping it by the base. Pulling once again, she started to pry it away; one wire at a time.
And then...
A gunshot.
Julie was on the ground. She landed on her knees, only to fall over again, this time on her face. A pool of blood was oozing from her neck. Enerjak smiled, as Lien-Da walked from behind the magenta echidna. She held a pistol in hand.
"Annoying brat..." she stated.
"Yes!" Enerjak yelled, "YES!"
But something seemed to click in his mind. Something he had never felt before. Sadness? Remorse? No, that's not right, he shouldn't feel these emotions! But they weren't his emotions to feel. They were Knuckles' emotions.
"Julie-Su!" the red echidna yelled as he stretched forward, "Julie-Su!"
Lien-Da began to reconnect Dimitri's head, one wire at a time. But Dimitri was no longer in control. Enerjak stood, as strong and as firm as ever before. But those eyes weren't red. They were purple. He slowly began to approach her, one foot at a time. Lien-Da didn't notice things were out-of-place, until he set his hand upon her shoulder.
She glanced over his shoulder at him. Her eyes widened as she found a visage of pure malice gaze back. Knuckles pulled back and punched her. It was an earth shattering punch, one which triggered an explosion. Lien-Da crashed into a wall, blood flowing from her nose. After regaining her eyesight, she felt air escape her. Gazing forward, she found Knuckles' purple eyes gaze back.
This wasn't the kind of choking she actually enjoyed. This hurt. It hurt bad.
"YOU!" Knuckles roared.
His eyes flared a green, and so did his hands. Lien-Da felt an intense burning sensation, travel throughout her body. Was this being before her Enerjak? Or was he the protector of the Master Emerald? Could he have possibly been both? It didn't matter. The green flames swallowed her whole, and exploded upon the wall of the base. Knuckles stepped back; the deed now done. All that remained of Lien-Da, was her ash marks.
He dropped down to Julie-Su immediately after. Gently, he moved her upon her back. Those purple eyes of hers were open, but they weren't seeing anything. Out of fear, the echidna dragged his hand under her neck. When it returned, it was dyed red. She wasn't breathing. Her heart was thumping. She was still warm, but she wouldn't be for long.
There was nothing he could do.
As Knuckles cradled Julie-Su's body, the heavy footsteps of another being echoed. The Starman walked from the hole in the wall he inadvertently created. With that helmet over his face, it was impossible to see what emotions he had brewing within. He gazed down to Knuckles, then to Julie-Su, and finally to Dimitri's removed head. He turned back to the door moments later.
"Judgment passed..." he said.
The Starman left soon after.
Maverick Talks!
Interesting turn this chapter took. I promised at least one death, yet I ended up having three (or two depending on how you look at it). Much fun, right?
So yeah, the three people who died were Lien-Da. Well, at least one of her clones. Also, Julie-Su died. She was shot in the back of the neck by Lien-Da. Quite poetic, right? I mean, she killed Sonic the same way earlier, and now she's killed in the same way. It's not really laugh worthy though. And lastly, Dimitri. Yes, he's finally dead, if you can believe that. Seeing Julie-Su die gave Knuckles the energy to kick Dimitri out of his body. Or did it? Maybe the fact that Dimitri's head fell out of socket really gave the echidna some strength. Who knows? Well, me, of course.
Also, the Maximum Clonage. That was actually a working title for this, before I said no. Anyway, Akna actually has clone, thanks to her insane brother. The Akna clone is, as you can possibly tell, mindless. But, she's a virtual engine of destruction. She only listens to Finitevus, because he made her that way. But its obvious that she has a mind of her own.
Lastly, Finitevus has a countdown. Wonder what's it too...
Anyway, we haven't seen Tikal/Chaos/Tikhaos for a while. That's all going to change in the next chapter.
Tikhaos Unleashed.
By the way, Dark Star of Chaos, you're right. That song does match this story.
Maverick Kay Prime