A/N: Well everyone I've finally got the next chapter out. I hope it was worth the wait. I know I've made you wait, so I tried to make this chapter a little longer. Next time will be the final installment for Seventh Sky, so for now read and enjoy. Please Review, pretty please.

Chapter 34

"The head, go for the head Jet!" Nack yelled as he and Silver were distracting a huge turbo bot as Jet attempted to damage and destroy the bots CPU. A turbo bot was the most deadly of the bots due to its enormous size and nearly impenetrable armor. It's weakest point was the head, where with the right number of attacks the monsters processing unit could be destroyed

Jet hovered above the bots head he closed his eyes as he began summoning the forces of the wind. Within a minute he was surrounded by the pure force of nature, his blue eyes shot open and suddenly he nosedived right into the top of the bot. He hit with such force that the bots head split in half and fell to the ground.

"You did it!" Silver yelled as he and Nack jumped out from in front of the bots body when it fell forward, now lifeless.

"Do you think he can do it fifty more times..." Nack said in a damper tone.

"What?" Silver looked to the North Sector Intel and saw him motion to the fortress. At least fifty Turbo bots were emerging from underneath the snow. Never had anyone seen so many turbo bots in one place. The most North sector had ever battle at once was seven.

"Dear God..." Silvers eyes widened.

The wind around Jet became more violent. "Damn it all."

The fighters were beginning to feel despair, but then a voice of hope rang across the coms. "Don't give up just yet guys, the cavalry is here!" They all looked up into the sky as they heard the sound of a jet. The X-Tornado flew overhead, Ray was in the pilot's seat. The Tornado was transformed, it was fitted with a cannon so strong that it would blast the head clean off a turbo bot's shoulders. "Let's get these sons of bitches." He growled as he banked in hard and fired a perfect shot into his first turbo victim.

x-x-x

Tikal was still watching after the two techs when suddenly her eyes lit up with a fear unlike any other. "N-No...not now..." She looked to her friends fighting at the entrance. She saw it happening, Shadow was slowing down, Storm was tiring, and Amy was no longer lifting her hammers as if they were hollow. "The master emerald..." She ran to her current leader. "Shadow!"

"Go!" He didn't even need to look at her. He could feel his excess power draining quickly. "Do what you can, the three of us can handle these couple of bots." He turned to Amy. "Give her your invisibility bands." Amy nodded quickly tossing the bands to her. "Use them to get to the emerald, and stay alive!"

She nodded. "I will, don't lose hope, I'm sure I can find out what's happening." She clanged the bracelets together and turned quickly running off and losing her visibility as she left the doorway. Truth be told, she was worried because Mina was the one with the jewel, and she wasn't sure what had become of her friend. "Mina, come in!" She said somewhat franticly.

"I'm here Tikal." She said in shaky yet weakly determined voice.

"Can you meet me outside, I must see the master emerald."

"I'll meet you there in two." She said quickly in a solid tone.

"And Mina..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry..."

In two minutes Mina found herself waiting in front of the entrance to the fortress. In another minute Tikal arrived huffing. "S-Sorry, I hurried."

"It's alright," She said her eyes were very sad, but she held herself together. "Everyone's weakening." She held out the emerald to give it to Tikal, but just as she stretched out her hand the stone suddenly began to grow. Mina dropped it as it grew out of her hand. It hit the ground taking to its full size. "Tikal...what's happening...?"

"I...I..." She stared at the rock as it suddenly began to shake violently. "Oh no! Please dear God not this, not now..."

"Tikal what is it?" Mina said as she took a step away from the stone as it shook.

"I was afraid of this," She said attempting to put her hand on the stone but a violent shock zapped it, causing her to jerk her hand away.

"What's happening?" Mina's question could be heard through every communication com that each fighter wore as could Tikal's answer.

"The power, we're using up so much of it so quickly. The emerald...it can't keep up, it's going to destroy its self trying to produce enough energy."

Silver's voice could be heard of the coms. "How much time do we have Tikal?"

"Minutes, at the most." She said shaking her head.

"Tails, Marine." The Northern leader said quickly. "Will that be enough time?"

"No..." Tails said in a defeated tone. "The encryption is more elaborate than we could of imaged, looks like Eggman saved his best trick for last."

There was nothing but silence of the next minute, before Vectors voice crackled across the coms. "What do we do now...?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mina spoke with despair. "...we die."

"No." A voice crackled over the coms. "We don't all die yet, for now just one." The first to recognize the voice was Blaze. She looked to wear she had left Ash, but he wasn't there.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Ebony's voice sounded.

"I just know a little secret that's all." Ash said as he jumped over bots kicking the heads off of them as he made his way towards Tikal and the master emerald. "I know what Tikal's not telling us." He could just make out the shapes now. "Tikal, I know you don't want anyone to die, and I know you think we could find another way, but we're out of options now."

"Tikal what's he talking about?" This time it was Amy's voice booming with curiosity. "What's he saying?"

When Tikal didn't answer, Ash did. "I've study ancient cultures and technology, like that stone of hers. I can also understand that dead language she uses to talk to it."

"What?" Ebony's voice was strained. "You knew about that stuff and never let on?"

"I thought it best if the little echidna didn't know, if she did she may not of gone full force like she did when she summoned the spell on the master emerald." He said now only a mile or so off.

"Spell?" Amy's voice was the curious one again. "Tikal you put a spell on the master emerald?"

"I had too!" Tikal almost cried. "The stone's strength alone was not enough. The spell of destruction...it's...a spell that grants great power, but at a terrible cost, it destroys the bridge from which the power flows...in this case the master emerald...or..."

"Or what?" Shadow was the one pressing for answers now.

"Or the host." Ash answered point blank. "If we give that thing a host to feed on it will destroy the host not the emerald, and the remaining power will pass back to the bridge, giving it more than enough energy to sustain everyone."

"Host..." Ebony's voice was faint. "Ash, you don't mean..."

"Yeah Ebony, I do." He said now closing in on the stone. "Someone's gotta do it. Someone's gotta make the hard choice." His mind, as he spoke, was nothing but flashbacks. Every image of himself making others suffer in order to save the world, never giving up anything himself. Then his thoughts were of nothing but Blaze. "Ebony, do you remember when you told me I didn't know the meaning of sacrifice? That I would never understand it until I had done it myself?"

"Yeah..." The black cat answered softly her eyes a bit wet.

"I understand it now." He said as he remembered Blazes eyes. "I think it's time I made a sacrifice, don't you?" He believed that it was only fair, after all he had done. "Blaze...I just want to say...I'm sorry." He was only a quarter of a mile out now. "I know I'm a jackass for doing this now..."

"It would of never world between us." Her voice crackled over the coms, her tone was soft and sweet, and even a bit remorseful. Even though he couldn't see her, Ash new that there was a hot tear running down her cheek.

"Ash," Scourge's voice sounded in the mongoose's ear. "You're the man."

"Na," Ash grinned a bit. "Just a tech, a really stupid tech."

"Up until the end." Void said from the other side of the valley. "And now you show your true colors."

Ash's eyes narrowed on his target. "Hey Shadow," Shadow's ears perked as he heard the mongoose's voice. He saw Amy look at him as she, along with all the others were listening. "I'm sorry, for what I did to you." His voice crackled over the coms as Shadow stood still listening. "I never should of threatened you or your relationship with Amy." His voice then turned to Amy. "You hear that Amy?" He said loudly. "Shadow may be a jerk and an asshole, but he loves you. Always has, I just got in the way of that." Amy's eyes met with Shadow's. She was blushing as she stared at him.

Ash heard nothing but silence for about thirty seconds as he closed in on the last few yards to the stone. Then a crackled was heard. "Hey Ash," Shadow spoke. "I'm proud to have you as a member of East Sector."

Ash took a deep breath it was almost time. He turned his thoughts at last to Blaze as he closed his eyes. "I know I can't say it, I don't have any right to say it to you Blaze but..." He could see the glow of the emerald as he jumped into the air heading straight for it.

"I love you." Blazes voice was the last thing Ash heard before he entered into the violent shockwaves coming off the stone. He was on his knees atop the massive jewel. Sadly all could hear his raging screams of agony and pain as the spell ate away at his body.

Silver has made his way to Tikal's side. The peach echidna was staring up at the dying mongoose, her eyes wide and unblinking as tears streaked down her cheeks. She would of stayed like that if Silver hadn't pulled her face to his chest. "You shouldn't look." He said resting his head a top hers. "You didn't choose this for him."

All those that were outside looked away from the great light and the great sacrifice, all accept Blaze. She just stared, her eyes wet. She watched until the very end, when the light died away and Ash was gone.

There was a moment of silence before Shadow's voice crackled across the com system. "Everybody back to work, don't waste the time Ash has given us." Shadow was looking over at Tails and Marine. "Tikal get the emerald working."

"I'm on it." Tikal moved to the stone and put both hands on it. The glow of the gem grew, and Tikal's dreadlocks danced in the waves of wind that emitted from the sheer energy the jewel was now putting off. In the next minute each sector member could feel the power of the master emerald surging through their bodies once more.

Amy couldn't take her eyes off Shadow as she watched him approach the raccoon and fox. "Well?" Shadow said with a stern expression.

Tails looked up. "We're in." He said looking back at the computer screen. "We're uploading the virus now."

Marine was packing up the rest of the gear. "Once it uploads it will take at least ten minutes for the virus to actively affect every robot."

"Done." Tails closed his laptop. "His encryptions were good, but mine were better." He stood up.

"The two of you get to the outside and help the others." Shadow ordered. "Strom you go with them." He said turning to the large bird. "Amy and I will stay here and guard the CCM until the ten minutes is up." He received no argument as the three made their way to the door. Amy moved to stand on the other side of the CCM her back to Shadow and his back to her as they waited for the countdown to be over.

Marine and Tails were the first to exit with Storm right behind them. The fight was just as bad as before. Many bots had escaped the valley, but for the most part the sector fighters were managing to contain a rather large chunk of the bots. "We have to help them, come on." Tails said dropping his tech gear off his back and running into the fray.

"I'm coming with you Tails!" Marin followed him quickly. She couldn't bear to part with him now. "Tails wait!" She was so focused on trying to follow him that she was attacked by a shredder bot and caught off guard. She fell to the ground, the bot had slicked up her arm pretty good. She was bleeding from three giant gashes.

"Marine!" Tails jumped into the path of the attacking bot. He took it out with a hard tailspin to its head.

"Tails on your left!" Marine yelled. Tails heeded her warning and jump kicked the arms of the second bot. In the next moment he and Marine were surrounded by seven bots at once. "Tails..." Marine's voice quivered a bit.

"Just stay behind me." Tails said backing up close to her.

Tikal was a few yards off, she was applying pressure to a wound on Jet's head. He lay there unconscious as Wave stood guard around the two. The pink echidna had seen the trouble from the distance. "Honey!" The winged cat, who was flying just above, turned quickly to her teammate's voice. "Honey help them!" Honey was now staring at Tails and Marine, her rage that had began with the first strike of the battle had turned to a warm bitterness. She didn't move as she stared at them with a blank expression the entire scene reflected in her eyes. Tikal cried out. "Honey! Help them! Honey! Please!"

Even with all of Tikals begging and screaming, the cat did not move. In the next moment the bots attacked Tails and Marine. Tails smashed into two at once, a foot in each face. He whirled around this time pulling two hockey-puck shaped explosive disks from his side. He tossed them on two more robots causing them to explode. Marine ducked down covering her face. When she lifted she saw a bot staring down over her. She began to shake a bit as its shadow overtook her, but before it could lay a claw on her Tails had rammed head on into the bot knocking it to the ground. He tossed his last bomb onto it before covering Marine from the blast.

When the smoke cleared Tails and Marine were covered in robot parts. He gently pushed them away as he set up. Marine came up as well her eyes met with his and in the next moment her arms were around him. "Tails, Tails." She cried. "I thought I was going to lose you." She whimpered.

Tails placed his arms around her. "It's alright, you'll never lose me Marine." He said resting his forehead on her. "I'll never leave you."

"Tails!" The fox looked up as he heard Tikal yelling his name. "Look out!" She was pointing behind him. He turned, but it was too late a drill bot was upon him. In the next second the sound of ripping flesh was heard and blood splattered across his body and Marine's.

Tails eyes were closed, but when he didn't feel any pain they began to crack open. He looked down and the drill tip was just barely touching his stomach, but the bot had not stopped, instead Tails had been shielded. He looked up. Standing in front of him, her wings opened wide and her eyes quivering, was Honey. The drill had gone straight through her body. "Honey..." She coughed up blood as the bot retracted it's drill. "No! Honey!" Tail's took her into his arms quickly as she fell.

She lay there in his arms looking up at him. "Y-You missed one." She said as blood poured from her body staining the white feathers of her wings. It was as if all her anger and bitterness had evaporated, leaving behind only sorrowed love. "To be taken out so easily..." she smiled. "Guess I'm not much of a guardian angel huh?"

"Honey," His body was shaking a bit. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." He looked at the gaping hole in her body. Then looked backed at her with a weak smile. "It's not that bad, we can heal it." He lied.

"Stick to the truth Tails." She said softly as she put her hand over the wound. "You couldn't lie to save your life...or mine." She said gently.

"You didn't have to do it, why, why did you! W-Why did you do that Honey!" He said in a fit of despair.

Honey placed her free hand on his cheek. "Because I love you." She said with gentle eyes. "And even if you don't love me, I...I couldn't let you die...Tails, I love you so much." Her eyes welled up with tears. "Please just one time...let me hear it...this one time..."

"I love you." He said holding her closer. "Honey..." His face was stained with tear trails as he kissed her gently. As he kissed her the blood stained wings on her back evaporated and the feathers dispersed into the air around them.

When they parted Honey turned to the raccoon who was kneeling a yard or two away. "Marine," She watched as the raccoon moved to be by her side. "Promise me something okay."

"Hum?" she looked down, her face stained with tears as well.

"Get strong." she was growing weaker now, her last bit of strength leaving her. "I won't be around to save him next time." She placed one weak hand on top of hers. "I'm counting on you to take care of him for me..."

The raccoon nodded. "I promise." Though she had been competition for Tails affections, Marine would never had wished this fate on Honey.

"Honey..." Tails nuzzled her temple. "I'm sorry, for all the pain." His tears ran down his face and on to hers. "For everything, I'm sorry. Please forgive me..."

Her eyes were barely open now. "There's nothing to forgive." Her voice was at its weakest. "I hope that this battle won't be the last time I resemble an angel..."

Tails rested his head to hers. "You'll always be an angel to me Honey."

x-x-x

Amy had taken her communicator off; she couldn't bear to listen any longer. Her eyes were sad, but not wet. Shadow looked in her direction as he removed his own com. "Have I sacrificed to much...?" Amy said not looking at him. "It was my idea to fight the bots...It was my fault...I killed them all..." She said putting her hands over her eyes.

"Stop it." Shadow was holding her by her wrists as he uncovered her eyes. "Don't ever say that again." He said in a commanding voice. Her eyes shook as she stared up into his crimson ones. "Those sector members died, because they believed in this plan, in you, and in us." He said pulling her closer. "This is war, did you not think there'd be repercussions?" He rested his head on top of hers. "We all knew the risks, and we all new blood would be spilled."

Her eyes were moist as she nestled her face into the white patch of fur on his chest. "Yes...but..I never knew it would be so much..." She gently lifted herself from his grip as her professionalism returned little by little.

"Amy." He said her name gently as she turned away heading slowly for the door. She stopped when he said her name, but she didn't turn to face him, only stood in the empty doorway. "I'm sorry about what happened between us that caused you pain," Her eyes closed tightly. "But, I'm not sorry for everything." He said not moving from his position. "I'm not sorry that I love you." She suddenly took off running and disappeared down the corridor.

"Amy!" He ran after her.

When Shadow reached the outside he stopped in awe. The valley, it was...still, and the valley floor was covered with the scattered bodies of the bots that had been fighting so viciously before. Some were still convolving with shockwaves as the virus pulsed through their systems. Then something else caught his attention. He saw Amy. She was in the arms of the blue hedgehog. He was holding her so tightly.

"Amy, I was so worried about you." He said holding her. He released her and put his hands on her face. "You did it. Your plan worked." He kissed her forehead. "You saved the world."

"Sonic..." She said softly as she put one hand on top of his as she felt his warm palm on her cheek.

"And now it's all over." He said resting his forehead against hers. "We can be together." Sonic looked over her shoulder and could see Shadow standing at the mouth of the fortress. "Hold that thought Amy." He said releasing her. He made his way over to the dark hedgehog. "Shadow." He said standing with the crimson eyed hedgehog. "I appreciate all that you've done. Without you we couldn't have accomplished any of this."

"What's your point faker." Shadow said with mellow aggression.

"My point is, it's done now." His brow furrowed with anger. "So the sectors will be splitting up again and we will all be returning home. You and the rest of East Sector will go back to the East."

"You trying to start something little boy blue?" He said with a growl.

"I think it would be better for you and your team to just leave now, the lot of you have been nothing but trouble for the rest of us." He sneered pushing Shadow.

"If it wasn't for me and my team you'd all be dead." He said not moving as he glared at Sonic.

"Stop it!" The two could hear Amy's voice as she was approaching from a distance.

"She's mine, and you don't deserve her." Sonic said quickly. "You leave her to me and get the hell out."

"Hell will freeze over first." Shadow snapped.

Amy had suddenly started running towards them, an obvious fight was brewing between them. They were blind with anger, Amy was the only one that saw the shredder bot that was spinning its two large machete blade arms in preparation for a throw. Amy wanted to yell out but no words, not even a scream, came to her. It wasn't until Silver noticed Amy running that he too saw the danger. "Sonic, Shadow!" But it was too late the bot released the blades and then fell over dead. Shadow looked up from his cobalt adversary, but it was only in time to see Amy shove Sonic aside before two blades pierced into her back. She choked with the impact as she fell forward into the dirt.

"AMY!" Sonic said as he got to his feet quickly. "Amy!"

"Stop!" Shadow stepped in his path.

"Let go of me!" Sonic yelled as he fought the black hedgehogs grip.

"I said stop!" Shadow punch Sonic right in the mouth. "You fool, you could kill her if you move her body." He turned his face upward. "Ebony!" Shadow yelled loudly.

The cat appeared in moments. "It's alright Shadow, I'm here." She said quickly. She didn't say anything, but she could see the fear and the panic in her leaders eyes. Only a few moments passed before Tails and Tikal arrived on the scene to assist Ebony. "Don't worry Amy honey, you're going to be fine."

"Ebony, we have to get those blades out." Tikal said examining the stabs.

"If we don't close those wounds soon she'll bleed to death if nothing else." Tails agreed.

"We can't do this here, we don't know the extent of the internal damage." She looked at the other two medics. "We have to get her back to North base now."

"We'll get help." Tikal said as she pulled Tails up and the two ran to get some of the others to help.

Ebony turned to her leader. "Shadow come here."

Silver had come over to stand with Sonic, just in case he wasn't stable and tried to approach Amy again. Shadow trusted Silver to guard the blue hedgehog so he came to the medic. "Ebony...is she..." He seemed unable to say the words as he looked into the cats eyes.

"No, she's alive, we're going to try and save her. I've got to see if I can find something to hold the bleeding to a minimum when we transport her." She lead Shadow to be sitting right in front of Amy's face as she lay in the dirt her cheek resting on the ground. Ebony knelt him down so he was very close to Amy. "Watch her breathing, if she starts to chook lift her head just enough so she can breathe. But don't move her anymore than necessary." She turned and began searching amongst the wreckage.

Shadow looked at Amy's face as he recalled what had happened. He sighed looking away. "I guess this is your answer to my feelings...you were willing to give up your life for that faker..." He had noticed the Amy had pushed his rival out of the way. She'd saved Sonic, not him. "Even so...I'd still give anything to trade places with you right now..."

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