(A/N: Hello once again! I have been very busy as usual, so I have not had a lot of time to write these fics. Plus I have ideas for other stories so staying focused has shown to be quite difficult. However, we're almost half-way through. Some of the plans I had for this had to be streamlined or cut, but I want to make this an enjoyable fic for you all. I hope you all like this chapter, and the next chapter or two will be very sweet for me to write. Enjoy!)
The Miracle of Love
Chapter 9: Guardian Shift
DISCLAIMER: This fan fiction contains instances of profanity, extreme violence, nightmare-inducing imagery, and sexual content. Viewer discretion is advised.
All characters and settings are property of SEGA and Sonic Team.
NOVEMBER 17, 2015
12:08 PM – CENTRAL CITY – THE SILVER MANSION
About ten miles away from the battle in the sky, the United Federation's leader, President Roger Connery, was standing on the balcony of the Silver Mansion, sipping his cup of tea. He knew full well of the danger that was approaching the capital city. The Black Arms made their intentions known that they wanted every bit of the planet razed and the people of Earth murdered. He stood in his office awaiting their arrival. The president made sure his wife and kids were evacuated with the Vice President as well as any non-necessary staff. That left him all alone, the only other person remaining was his faithful secretary, Christina Cooper.
President Connery didn't mind. He refused to cower in the face of tyranny and death. It wasn't in a former war hero like himself to run from danger. Besides, he had every bit of confidence that Sonic would sort this mess out. Nonetheless, his decision was made on staying, regardless on whether or not the aliens came. A beep sounded on his paging telephone with a message from Miss Cooper. "Mr. President, Corporal Topaz Tanaka and her squad have arrived. They are insisting an escort to Area 99." She said.
"Send them in, but make sure to let them know I have no intention of cooperating." Answered President Connery.
"Yes, Mr. President."
Topaz and five GUN soldiers walked into Connery's office and saluted him. The president returned their salute and then instantly put them at ease. "Mr. President, your transport out of the city limits has been prepared and ready to fly. We can leave immediately!" said Topaz.
"That won't be necessary, Corporal." Answered the president, "I have no intention of leaving this place. I must stay and allow whatever happens to run its course… and take full responsibility for letting our country down."
"Sir, you have not let us down! We are still fighting these monsters and we will succeed in wiping them out! But for your safety, sir, I insist that you come with us to HQ!"
"My safety is not your concern, soldier! I'm but one person out of billions more on this planet. I don't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's this nation's citizens that are important, so I would suggest you concentrate on ensuring their safety!"
"With all due respect, Mr. President, I have my orders and we insist you come with us! If you were to die, the United Federation—and the entire Earth—would fall into complete panic! Without a leader, we won't survive these invaders!"
"I'm not the lifeblood of our nation's capital. It's her people. The United Federation's people are strong and will live on with or without me. I am staying here and that is final. Now go and help evacuate the city!" said Connery decisively. Topaz looked down in shame. She had heard how stubborn the president was in his hayday, but this was becoming asinine. She knew that Tower was not going to evacuate Central City unless the president complied, and they didn't have much time left. Topaz wished she didn't have to tell the president about how insane her Commander was, but it seemed as though there was no other choice right now. "Sir… I believe Commander Tower is guilty of corruption and negligence. He is wasting most resources on tracking down Shadow the Hedgehog than preventing casualties…" she said.
"I am sadly well-aware of this, Corporal. I've kept close tabs on his activities…" said Connery.
"Then… you should also know, sir, that he was putting your life and safety ahead of the innocent civilians in Central City. In fact, he ordered evacuations to not start until after you were safely extracted from the Silver Mansion."
The president's eyes shot open and looked at Topaz dead in the eye. He could have sworn she misspoke. "I'm sorry, Corporal. Could you please repeat that? I feel like you might have misspoke; please say that again…" he asked, incredulously.
"I did not, sir. Commander Tower has insisted that your safety come first and foremost, and to postpone evacuation of the city until you were safe. One of many decisions he has made of late that I highly disagree with…" Topaz responded. The president clenched his fists in frustration. Actually, that may have been putting it nicely. He wasn't just frustrated, he was furious! How could Tower be so tone-deaf and foolish to put the lives of innocent people in such danger?! It didn't matter if it was to save President Connery, the masses were of greater value than the one. Now there was no way he was leaving, not if the city and her people were still at risk. He called Stacy into his office, who approached from behind the GUN soldiers.
"Corporal, this is a direct order and it will not be overruled: take whatever soldiers nearby or even from the National Guard, and have them begin evacuation of the city immediately! I will remain here, until the entire city is safely evacuated and not a second before!" he said, "I refuse to cower in the face of danger, and I will be damned if I have to share a room with that petty bastard you call a commanding officer!"
"But sir, there isn't enough time!" Topaz argued.
"Then get going right away! That's an order… Captain Tanaka!" said the President. Topaz was taken by her sudden promotion out if the blue, but she shook off the thoughts of grandeur. "Y-yes sir!" she saluted the president, and then led her troops out of the building, getting on the radio to any nearby soldiers to begin evacuating Central City, in the event of an invasion. President Connery then sternly turned to Stacy Cooper.
"Miss Cooper, prepare the conference room. Tell the Secretary of Defense to indefinitely suspend the manhunt for Shadow the Hedgehog, and get a private feed to GUN HQ. I have some words for Tower…" said the president.
"It's done, Mr. President!" said Miss Cooper, and left at once. She knew that the president was not going to be kind to the military's top heads, not after everything that has been pulled under his nose. Whatever happened next wouldn't be pretty….
12:29 PM – VAST NAZCA FLEET
Shadow and Charmy had been rushing through the Black Arms air fleet for some time now. Their mission was still the same: blast Eggman's airships out of the sky, while covertly destroying the green gems powering the Vast Nazca temples. But now, they weren't alone. They had three new faces to help them out: Amy Rose, the one who just confessed her love to Shadow minutes earlier; Cream the Rabbit, Charmy's cute girlfriend with a hidden fighting spirit; and Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow's greatest rival who has called a truce between his friends and the Ultimate Life Form.
Shadow was extremely reluctant to accept Sonic's help, still believing Eggman's ruse about the Blue Devil being the cause of his amnesia. The black hedgehog was equally surprised when he saw Sonic vouch for him to be spared and not face judgment until after Black Doom's defeat. To the best of his memory, he never saw Sonic so compassionate to anyone, especially someone he barely knew. Was he perhaps wrong about this guy? Maybe Sonic wasn't as selfish and thoughtless as he thought. That maybe that blue hedgehog had a bigger heart than he may have realized…
"Yo Shad! Snap out of it!" yelled Sonic. Shadow snapped back to reality and saw Sonic running alongside him. The Blue Devil was matching Shadow in speed and body counts. While Sonic was definitely taking this situation as seriously as anyone else, he wanted to at least have some fun and take the edge off. For him, there was no use doing this if everyone was scared or not enjoying this in the least.
"Quit dozing off, buddy, and help us fuck up these alien shits!" said Sonic. Shadow sighed and pulled out his uzi, following Sonic who was confronting several Black Warriors that seemed to be minding their own business. Sonic wasn't going to wait for them to attack, though. He hit several Homing Attacks before they could even react, knocking them off the temple and into the clouds below. Shadow decided not to be upstaged by his rival and began unleashing a magazine's worth of bullets at the aliens. He knew that Black Doom was watching over him and would be outraged. But Shadow didn't care about anything other than protecting Amy, as well as keeping her happy. Now that he knew how she felt, there was no way he was going to be Doom's lackey for the foreseeable future.
Shadow had become aware of the assault party on Eggman's Fleet. He knew there was no way of completing his task of blowing up Eggman's ships without potentially killing Tails and the others, so those plans were off the table completely. All that they could do was take down the Black Arms invasion force. GUN seemed to stop chasing him at long last after Sonic was able to talk a few soldiers out of killing Shadow, at least for the time being. Shadow turned to see a Black Oak charging at him from behind, but that's when Charmy grabbed onto his back and flew him up. With Shadow out the way, Cream threw Cheese forward, who hit an uppercut on the giant alien, as Amy charged and bringing her hammer onto the Black Oak's stomach, creating a massive hole that burst the monster's guts out. Amy squirmed a bit at the sight of her bloody carnage but shook it off. Shadow and Charmy flew back down as they saw more Black Arms on their way to ambush the girls.
Shadow took his homing rocket launcher and unleashed a fury of heat-seekers at the aliens, blowing them to pieces before they could get close enough. Back on solid ground, Charmy flew over and spinkicked the jewel for the temple. The gem smashed into tiny pieces and the place began to rumble as it descended downwards. The group jumped and flew off and onto the next temple as quick as they could. Entering the fortress, the Mobians saw GUN soldiers caught in a firefight with Black Warrior guards. Sonic was more than ready to jump into action, but Shadow hesitated for a bit. He knew that GUN was still after him and his friends. Even if Sonic could convince some of the soldiers, he couldn't possibly convince all of them. That meant that Charmy and Amy would be in more danger. Shadow wasn't sure he could risk that.
Amy, however, didn't seem to care about the consequences at all. She leapt into action with her Piko Piko Hammer and started swinging away at the Black Arms shots to deflect them. Shadow was kind of in awe of her bravery. Or her recklessness, however one interpreted it. He was almost jealous of how determined she was despite the risks. The Ultimate Life Form smiled and grabbed his Flash Shot. There was no use thinking about it right now, not when lives were at stake for him. He hated to take a page out of Sonic's book, but it was time for action. Shadow rushed forward, Charmy following suit, and shot wildly at the Black Arms. A few of the enemy soldiers fell down in pain, while some charged forward to attack him. The GUN soldiers took the time to reload as the Mobian crew came to the rescue and were baffled at what they saw.
"Is Shadow… helping us?!" asked one soldier.
"Either that or he needs glasses more than his girlfriend…" said another.
"I HEARD THAT!" shouted Amy. She was already annoyed at herself for getting her hedgehogs wrong once again, and didn't want to be reminded.
The GUN soldiers now found themselves in quite the dilemma. Their orders were to kill Shadow the Hedgehog on sight and to apprehend anyone associated with him. However, that hedgehog just saved them from what was a sloppy battle for them. Even if he had committed mass homicide, Shadow also just saved their lives. It would be ludicrous to start shooting at someone after doing that. However, those orders came directly from the top of GUN command. Disobeying them or allowing him to escape would be considered treason or mutiny against the United Federation. The soldiers that spared him may never be allowed to be seen in their country or by the families ever again. The soldiers looked to each other in confusion and fear. They had no idea what to do. Suddenly, they received an urgent audio message from Miss Cooper.
"This is an emergency broadcast to all GUN units. The President and Secretary of Defense have ordered an indefinite halt to the manhunt for Shadow the Hedgehog effective immediately. I repeat: the President has ordered all GUN soldiers to cease attacking Shadow the Hedgehog! Engage only the Black Arms and do not attack Shadow unless provoked!"
The GUN soldiers looked at each other, nodding as they got the order. Most of them found the order to chase Shadow to be ridiculous enough, but they were afraid to speak up. Now that the order has been rescinded, they didn't have to worry about any repercussions for disobeying. And with Shadow solidly behind them for the time being, they didn't need to worry about what he may do.
"You heard 'em, men! Let's give Sonic and Shadow a hand!" said the squad leader, cocking his gun.
The other soldiers shouted in affirmation and fired their weapons at the Black Arms with precision aiming. In fact, Shadow thought their aiming was better because they were actually hitting the aliens a lot more than before. One soldier fired a grenade at a pair of Black Warriors, killing them on contact. However, a Black Oak giant appeared behind some soldiers. Charmy quickly flew over and stabbed his stinger through the monster, piercing the alien's insides and leaving a gaping hole through its chest and across it's back. Charmy appeared behind him, holding the Black Oak's heart in his hands as it fell down.
"Wow, these things really are heartless." He said. The sight of him holding an alien organ made Cream look like she was about to puke.
Sonic and Amy stood side by side, dealing with the Black Arms charging at them. It felt surreal for the both of them to be so close in a platonic fashion, but Sonic wouldn't have it any other way. He bicycle-kicked one alien that was behind Amy and hit a Spindash on two others nearby. Amy saw a few Black Hawks swooping in and quickly jumped up, using her Propeller Hammer attack to smack them against the walls. The pink hedgehog gave a wink and posed over their bodies, unaware that another Black Oak had risen behind her. Before Sonic could notice and try to stop it, Shadow jumped up, piercing its back with a Chaos Spear, and then ripping out it's entire head and spinal cord from its body. Blood and guts spilled out all over as Shadow held the dismembered head.
"Try not to get ahead of yourself, Amy." Said the Ultimate Life Form. Had his voice not been so arousing to her, Amy would have felt the need to vomit seeing the gratuitous gore in front of her.
In mere moments, GUN cleared out the area and prepared the explosives for the jewel empowering the temple. Shadow stood at the ready, anticipating an attack. But no attack came. Instead, the soldiers stood tall and saluted him and Team Sonic. This day was full of surprises for the black hedgehog. "Thank you for the assistance, Shadow! Perimeter is secure here! We'll blow this rock up then head to join the others!" said the squad leader.
"I thought you guys were ordered to kill me?" asked Shadow.
"That order has been rescinded by the president. We're going to give you support from here on out!" answered one soldier. Shadow raised his eyebrows. He still wasn't sure if he could completely trust or forgive them. However, he didn't have much time to argue. They all needed these ruins down.
"If you insist, captain. And thanks for the assist… and learning how to aim." He quipped. The GUN captain just stared not reacting as Shadow and others left. With the Mobians gone, the squad prepped the explosives to bring down the temple.
By the time they got outside and onto the next set of ruins, the group found themselves on the insides of the clouds. The weather turned turbulent, winds gusting with high intensity and rain pouring hard. Charmy was holding onto Cream tight to make sure she didn't get swept up in the stormy atmosphere. Amy was more concerned about keeping her dress down so that she didn't expose her backside. Embarrassing though it would have been, Shadow secretly wouldn't have minded. Even Sonic felt the wind dragging him back. It looked like things would get even worse.
"Sonic, come in! We've dealt with most of the Egg Fleet up here, but GUN's ships have abandoned the battle! It's now basically the Egg Carrier and a few bigger temples that are left!" said Tails over the radio.
"Yeah, GUN's been ordered to pull back on killing Shadow. Guess some clean heads won over this case…" answered Sonic.
"Doubt Commander Tower is gonna be too happy about that news…" said Rouge.
Shadow recognized her voice instantly. It had been well over a week since he last heard his partner's voice. It felt bittersweet to hear it. He was happy to hear from his good friend once again, but he wished he could have talked with Rouge much sooner. Now especially since Black Doom was getting into his head and making him doubt his allegiances. He wondered if he could even still call her a friend anymore. "Well, nice to hear from you Rouge…" said Shadow.
"Hey there sugar! Glad to know you're still kicking. How's that little identity crisis going for you?" she asked.
"Better than that male harem you still won't ever have."
"Awww, that really hurts Shadow…"
Amy was starting to get impatient. She knew the two were good friends, but part of her was thinking the two of them were flirting. She would be damned if she let Rouge take her man away from her. "Look, nice as it is to hear you two catch up, we got some aliens to send to hell." She spoke up.
"Like Tails said, we've taken care of Eggman's fleet. But the Egg Carrier is gonna take a while to deal with!" noted Knuckles.
"We'll handle that. Get back to the Blue Typhoon and wait for my word. Finishing the job may take a team effort from everyone!" said Sonic, already on the move.
"Roger that, Sonic! Watch your back out there!" said Tails and hung up.
The gang had no choice but to continue further, but they needed to think this over well now. Sonic and Amy knew just how tough the Egg Carrier ships were. They were massive, well-fortified, and had firepower to spare. If this one was anything like the previous models, destroying it would be a very difficult task. There was also the issue of bringing down the Vast Nazca flagships. They wouldn't just take down one fleet entirely; both Eggman and the Black Arms had to be dealt with. Difficult part was how they do that. As they traversed through the ruins, they noticed a distinct lack of Black Arms around them. The group soon discovered why. Espio was standing at the edge of the ruins, arms folded and overlooking the skies ahead. Sonar was nowhere to be found, however.
"Heya Espio! Wassup? Where's the spy vixen?" greeted Charmy.
"Sonar and I got separated when we entered the clouds. But we have a bigger problem before us…" said Espio, then pointed to the empty skies ahead. They could see pillars standing on large red fruits that the Black Arms had been laying across the planet and a cave in the shape of a large fish-like creature, but that was a few miles away from them. Otehrwise, there was nothing. They had reached a dead end.
"Hey, no sweat! We'll just use Chaos Control to get over there!" said Sonic, giving a thumbs up.
"I would, but we're on moving vessels. I'm not quite sure where we'd end up if we tried it." Said Shadow.
"I didn't know myself first time I tried it. Hell, I didn't even think it would work at all… But if we don't take a gamble, those people down there may not survive! Just picture what we need to do, and we'll do it…!"
Shadow looked at his rival as if he got dropped on his head as a kid. It was true that the emeralds could transform one's thoughts into power, but it was a huge gamble for them to try Chaos Control and not pop up onto nothing solid. And with so many people to warp, the chances of even one of them plummeting to their death below was sky high, no pun intended. Charmy and Cream had the benefit of flight, at least, but everyone else didn't. It was a game of Russian Roulette, and the odds weren't in their favor.
But on reflection, he realized that Sonic was right on one thing: if they didn't try, everyone was fucked. He made a promise to Maria to protect the people of Earth, and he was not going back on it any time soon. Besides, he still had Amy to keep safe. There was no more time for second guessing right now. Shadow had to try it. Shaking his head, he pulled out a Chaos Emerald and raised it over his head. Everyone gathered around him and braced for what was to come.
"CHAOS CONTROL!"
In a bright flash of light, Shadow warped the group to the cavern using Chaos Control. He had to just think and hope that they landed safely. As the light dimmed, the Mobians looked around. To Shadow's shock, they all landed right at the flying cave's entrance. It worked perfectly. The Ultimate Life Form was quite surprised it worked so flawlessly. Or so it seemed.
A small yell behind them turned to a scream. Shadow instantly turned and reached out in vain. Amy had landed on literally the very edge of the cavern and lost her balance, tumbling down below. It was exactly what he feared would happen. But then, as he looked down, he could see Amy rising up. The pink hedgehog blinked and found she was riding a Black Hawk, which squawked in what seemed joy. Espio didn't want to take chances on the creature's intents and readied his kunai to strike it. However, Charmy put his hand up in warning. He had a feeling he knew this one. Shadow also started to realize who or what this Black Hawk was. Charmy pulled out a pork chop that he swiped from their camp site the other night and raised it. The Black Hawk shrieked in absolute joy at the sight.
"Blacky!" yelled Charmy in joy. It finally dawned on Shadow and the bee that this was, indeed, the same Black Hawk that helped them at the Cryptic Castle.
The others looked totally confused. "Blacky…?" asked Sonic, looking at Shadow.
"It's a long story." Said Shadow.
Charmy threw the meat to his so-called 'pet', who flew and gobbled it up. Amy had to pull on the creature's ears to keep her balance. Shadow at the very least smiled at the creature, grateful that the Black Hawk not only remembered them, but saved Amy's life. The Ultimate Life Form gave the thing a thumbs up then proceeded to race further into the cavern. Sonic also gave the thing a thumbs up as well as a wink. He figured if this creature was willing to save Amy, it was okay in his book. Espio and Cream remained equally confused, but nonetheless decided to just roll with it, following the hedgehogs, Charmy, and the tamed Black Hawk.
The gang chased through the cave, which turned out to not be as big as they thought. They arrived at the end in less than a minute, seeing the clear blue skies and the target battleships ahead. Amy rode Blacky to the Vast Nazca flagship ahead, Charmy gave Shadow a lift by carrying him from his back, while Espio and Sonic grabbed ahold of Cream who flew them over. Just as they were almost there, though, a plasma beam shot right at the Black Hawk's wings, sending him and Amy tumbling down to the temple below. Shadow gasped before noticing more shots headed their way. Cream and Charmy veered left and right, dodging the shots to the best of their abilities. Espio looked down and glared at who, or rather what, was shooting at them. The six Shadow Androids were on the Black Arms temple, having killed the entire cadre of alien and human soldiers on board. Espio gritted his teeth when he saw the blue android, Gareth, standing over and pointing his blaster to a beaten-up Sonar. There was no way they were getting away with this!
"Cream, Charmy! Swing us down there!" yelled Sonic.
"Okay, Mr. Sonic!" Said Cream. She began rotating herself, swinging like a pendulum. With enough speed and force, she swung fast enough for Sonic and Espio to jump off and roll into a spindash to attack the Androids, knocking down Blight, Scourge, and Gareth.
Shadow, meanwhile, grabbed his semi-assault rifle and laid down cover fire. He released nearly an entire magazine onto Ignis, who was getting dangerously close to Amy. The rounds did almost no damage to the crazed android, but did at least get his attention again. Ignis began firing off a barrage of rockets at Shadow and Charmy. The bee strafed left and right to try and dodge them, while descending down to give Shadow better aim and way to take down the enemies. Unfortunately, Terios was not distracted. The red Shadow Android fired off homing missiles that hit Charmy in the back, sending the two crashing down hard onto the ruins floor. Arin then fired a series of plasma shots to the defenseless bee and Ultimate Life Form. Shadow barely had enough time to activate a Chaos Shield to block.
"What's the matter, Shad? Getting a little old for this?" cackled Arin.
"Maybe he needs to warm up!" shouted Ignis and activated his flamethrower, putting the pressure on Shadow further.
Charmy flew back up and spun around to kick Ignis. The orange android barely reacted and just briefly stopped to backhand the pest. Before he could try to fire again, he and Arin felt something fluffy hit them. Hard. The Androids turned to the sky and saw Cream flying over them, Cheese by her side with Charmy. The girl was more persistent than they gave her credit for. Terios jumped up to strike the two, but was smacked into the floor by a strong hammer shot. Amy took the last few minutes to recuperate from the crash. Blacky had already flown away to safety, leaving one pissed off pink hedgehog. She charged headfirst at the Androids, who wildly shot at the girl. Amy used her Spin Hammer Attack to knock Arin and Ignis back, as Shadow finally recovered and fired a fury of Chaos Spears at the Androids, crippling them.
"So I guess we're even now?" Asked Amy flirtatiously.
"I dunno, wasn't keeping score." Grinned Shadow.
Sonic and Espio faced off against the other three Androids, who stood ready and waiting. Gareth activated his laser blade and pointed it at Sonic. While the androids were created specifically to surpass the original Ultimate Life Form, they were still creations of Doctor Eggman, and thus were also made with the function of carrying out the mad scientist's desires. That included destroying Sonic the Hedgehog. The blue devil and the Shadow knockoff circled each other cautiously. Sonic knew that time was if the essence, but he wanted to see if this copy was anything like Shadow, or even his greatest adversary, Metal Sonic.
"Sonic… how I have waited for this fight. I am Gareth, Knight of the Eggman Empire! I look forward to fighting you and seeing if your power is as great as it is foretold!" said Gareth.
"Heh… what a coincidence. I was hoping to have a bit of fun with you too, pal! Guess Egghead spared no expense with you guys!" said Sonic with a confident grin on his face, "Honestly kinda surprised to see one of his clunkers have this much charm to him!"
"There is more to me than just charisma… as you shall now discover!"
Gareth lunged forward at his blue adversary, blade first. Sonic very quickly sidestepped to get out of the way before running at the robot. He tried a few Homing Attacks on the android, but Gareth parried them away, knocking him into the air. The Egg Carrier's cannons were locked onto the blue hedgehog, and Sonic knew that he was wide open. He rolled up and spun back to solid ground just as the cannons opened fire. The blasts began to tear up on the ruins, causing a small tremor. Everyone stumbled a bit to stay on their feet, Shadow almost being thrown off. This time, though, it was Amy that caught him by grabbed his arm and pulling him up.
"Now I think we're even…" said Shadow.
"I dunno, wasn't keeping score." Grinned Amy. Shadow just smiled back at her.
Espio was having no easier time with the remaining two Shadow Androids. Blight and Scourge were every bit of formidable as the original. Blight's hand-to-hand combat was a fearsome component, and his elemental after effects made it even harder. Scourge, meanwhile, was completely cold and patient. He stood ready in the shadows of the pillars, awaiting the perfect moment to strike when he could. Espio had to endure his ninja senses were top notch with this fight. Blight launched a few fiery missiles at the chameleon, but Espio jumped to dodge, then threw his shurikens at the missiles to destroy them. Then he charged down to the yellow Shadow Android and swung his kunai at him. Blight blocked the strike as well as the subsequent kicks and strikes from the ninja. He found Espio's attempts to hurt him amusing.
"Foolish shinobi! Do you honestly believe that your feeble toys can scratch me?" Blight sneered, "I am the product of technological perfection, the embodiment of the fear of this entire world! Nothing you do can stop me!"
Espio finally heard enough. While Blight was boasting, he sped up and booted him right in the gut as soon as the arrogant android finished. If there was anything he hated more than cowards and villains, it was crude trash talkers.
"You really need to learn to shut the fuck up." Said Espio.
Just as he had his back turned, though, Scourge saw his opening. He fired off a big plasma shot right at the chameleon's back. His shot hit right on target with perfect precision. Espio fell to one knee, almost completely incapacitated. He let down his guard for one moment and now was paying dearly for it. Blight painfully laughed at the chameleon's predicament and slowly started getting up. He limped over to Espio to float some more. However, Sonar had finally recovered and shot Blight in the side, sending him back to the ground. The yellow android didn't take that well, glaring at the GUN agent.
Sonic was still occupied with Gareth. This so-called Eggman Knight was giving Sonic everything he could. Gareth was quick and unrelenting in his assault on the Blue Blur, slashing at every opportunity and sending slash waves to Sonic every so often. Sonic was barely able to avoid what this robot was throwing. He rolled up and spindashed around the ground to disorient the blue android, but Gareth was consistently aware and on guard. As Sonic came in for a swift strike, Gareth put his blade up in defensive posture at the last moment. However, that attempt to attack was a feint. Sonic instantly dropped down onto the ground and kicked him from underneath, sending the blue android into the air. The Blue Devil then jumped up and unleashed a Light Speed Attack on Gareth. The Shadow Android plummeted to the ground in pain, electricity crackling as his wounds began showing.
Gareth would not go down so easily, however. He returned his weapon back to gun mode and shot up at Sonic before he could return to solid ground. Sonic dove down and grinned at the Android's quick thinking. He knew some of the Egg Carrier's cannons were still pointed at him, but he had a plan. Regaining composure, Sonic spun around to create a Blue Tornado in mid-air. The gun shots spread apart from their intended target and hit the cannons. The Shadow Androids, most of whom barely functional, looked up in annoyance. They may have underestimated Sonic's resourcefulness. Eggman was not going to be happy.
"It seems your reputation was not exaggerated, Sonic. Your power and resourcefulness are truly sights to behold. This fight has been a greater honor than I perceived." Said Gareth, as Sonic jumped back down.
"Heh. Well what a coincidence, rustbucket! I was really starting to enjoy this myself!" Sonic grinned, "Haven't had a fight this fun since the original Shadow on the ARK!"
"Sonic! The battleships have almost reached the city! Whatever's going down there, you guys better hurry!" Tails suddenly said over the communicator.
"Doing the best I can, little buddy, but these Shadow Androids are a lot tougher than I thought!" said Sonic.
He didn't think Eggman would send out his best this soon. Time was running out and they didn't know what to do. They needed to destroy the Vast Nazca temple by eliminating the power source, but there was also the Egg Carrier to deal with. That ship was also loaded with tons of weaponry to repel any and all opposition, and these Shadow Androids were not going to let it fall either. If they left one ship standing, the other would turn it's weapons to the city. They had to eliminate both targets, and now.
"Dammit! Isn't there a way to bring both of them down?!" asked Vector.
"There may be. If someone could find a way to rip through the center of Eggman's battleship with enough force, it could result in a big chunk of the debris crashing down onto the temple and wiping out both fleets." Suggested Knuckles.
"Well you actually can think for yourself, Knuckie. Thought only Playboy the Fox could do that, but problem is finding someone that can unleash that much power in a short order. GUN's drawn out so we can't rely on them now." Said Rouge.
As the Shadow Androids began to regain their bearings and approach Team Sonic, the group looked at their options. The cannons were inoperable, but if they knew Dr. Eggman, he would have backup options to carry out his evil scheme. If no one could think of a way to stop him and the Black Arms now, Central City would be history. Shadow looked down in frustration. Then glanced at his inhibitor rings. That's when an idea hit him.
Shadow recalled the doctor telling him that removing his inhibitor rings would increase his power exponentially. However, it was a big gamble. Last time it nearly killed him and gave him amnesia. Even if he doesn't remember it, he knew how risky it was to try. Shadow looked to see Arin eying Amy and was ready to punt that faker's head off. That's when his world shifted to that girl, the pink girl he loved. Her home was about to be razed to the ground if he did nothing. Worse was what he feared the Black Arms would do to her when it was over. He didn't believe Black Doom's promises of amnesty for even a second. He declared war on the entire Earth, after all. Why should he expect him to keep his word? Even then, he wanted, no, needed to protect Amy at all costs… and he would.
"Charmy. Cream. Get everyone outta here. I got this shit!" he said, slowly taking off his left bracelet.
"Shad… what are ya doin'?" asked Charmy. He had a bad feeling about what Shadow was about to try.
"Sending the doctor to a tour of the desert…"
"Shad wait! You wasted all your power on this last time! We don't know if you'd make it a second time! Don't throw your life away again for nothing!" warned Sonic.
"It won't be for nothing, Sonic. I'll kill two birds with one stone and keep Amy and the city safe. Plus… if this fails, we may never get to see each other again." Smirked Shadow.
"Shad, you don't gotta do this! We'll think of a better way!"
"Sorry, can't hear you, asshole! Bye!"
Shadow removed the second ring from his wrist. As soon as they landed on the ground, he felt an overwhelming surge of power course through him. Soon an orange aura of Chaos energy surrounded him, blinding everyone around him. Shadow never felt something like this before. He wasn't sure what would happen next, but there was no time to think on it. His jet skates powered up and he darted up to the Egg Carrier with high intensity, surrounded by an immense wave of power. Shadow flew higher and higher until his trail finally hit the center of the Egg Carrier. The force and power of the collision caused a massive chain reaction, ripping apart many of the ship's main components. The craft slowly but surely began to become engulfed in flames of burning wreckage as it began to tumble down to the temple below.
"Tch! Seems we must retreat for now…" noted Scourge. The Shadow Androids wanted no part of what was about to happen.
"Very well. Next time, though, you all will feel the wrath of the Ultimate Battle Life Forms!" said Blight, begrudgingly. At that moment, each of the Androids began glowing their own respective colors. In mere seconds, they vanished one by one, teleporting away to Chaos knows where.
Sonic looked quite surprised for the moment. That looked like Chaos Control, but they didn't seem to have any Emeralds with them. However, with Egg Carrier nearly about to crash on them, there was no time for that. He ran to the edge of the temple with the others and jumped off. Cream and Charmy flew up for the others to jump and hang onto them. Sonic and Espio held onto Charmy, while Amy and Sonar grabbed a hold of Cream. As the two kids flew, they looked around for any sign of a ride or of Shadow, but there was none. They were practically stranded in the air and their friends were losing their grips on them.
"Tails, any time now, little buddy!" said Sonic over his communicator.
"How about two minutes ago?" said Tails in response.
In almost an instant, Charmy saw an airship he didn't recognize zooming right towards them. No, it was too big to be an airship. It looked more like a spaceship! The Blue Typhoon flew right at them, stopping just above them so that the flyers could land with the others. As soon as Espio and Sonar's feet touched the runway, Charmy and Cream stopped their flying so that Sonic and Amy could both be set down as well. The hedgehogs were both glad that their arms were free again.
"WHOAAAAA! So cool~!" sung Charmy. He was giddy at being on board an actual spaceship, and one that looked so cool.
"While I admire your childish innocence and admiration of space, Charmy, you forget we have one component missing…" said Espio.
Charmy blinked and turned around to see the solemn faces on his friends. He looked about and realized there was no sign of Shadow. Omega and Rouge stepped onto the runway as well, hoping to see their friend, but nothing. Charmy and Amy looked around the skies, but the Ultimate Life Form was nowhere to be found. Amy was heartbroken. Shadow was gone again, and it may have been for good. Sure, he survived a fall and power discharge before in Super form, but they don't know if it was by will, dumb luck, or because he was in Super form at the time. Shadow may be gone for good. She looked down and started to cry. She finally realizes her feelings for Shadow, and now he disappears from her. Possibly for good.
Suddenly, Omega's sensors began blaring. "ALERT! Space-time anomaly detected! Possible Chaos Energy may be involved!"
Just then, a brilliant light shone on the flight deck, slightly blinding the group. Moments later, it began to fade and they heard a thud. Everyone's faces lit up the minute they saw him. Shadow on one knee, holding his inhibitor rings. He looked beat and drained, panting quite a bit, but he was alive. Everyone ran up to him in a hurry to check on him, Amy in the back of the pack. Even knowing how strong he was, she was still a bit surprised to see Shadow still alive after all of that. She still needed to process all this. Shadow looked up and the first thing he saw was Sonic and his usual smug cocky self. Not the first thing he'd hope to see after seemingly almost dying.
"Hey Shad! Sure know how to make a dramatic entrance, don't ya?" he said with a thumbs up.
"Real funny, dipshit…" Shadow said quietly, slowly putting his rings back on his wrists.
"SHADOWWW!" Amy finally joyously screamed and ran over to him.
She jumped up and glomped him, hugging him tightly, as small tears began to run down her face. Shadow felt his own ribs being crushed harder from her grip. He wondered if this was why Sonic kept running away from her all the time. Yet the feeling of her body pressed against his, and her arms around him felt… good. It was as if an angel was carrying him in their arms. That was exactly what Amy was to him; his lovely angel. One that could hit him hard.
And she did. Amy stood up after a minute or two and, without warning, struck Shadow across the head with her Piko Piko Hammer. Shadow landed a few feet back, rubbing his head in pain. Now he was certain why Sonic kept running from her, but that fiery side was a bit of a turn on to Shadow. When he looked to her, Amy looked upset for some reason. Her tears still hadn't completely dried.
"YOU ASSHOLE! Do you have any idea worried I was you could have died again?!" she exclaimed.
"Ugh… you didn't really think… I'd die that easy, did you…?" asked Shadow with a smirk.
"You barely survived from that stunt in your super form, all the way in OUTER FUCKING SPACE! So yes, I actually was afraid of losing you again…!"
"...did anyone tell you how sexy you looked when you're pissed?"
Amy looked at him with a big blush on her face. She was flattered by Shadow's words, inappropriate though they may have been. She had never been complimented in such a way before, even with her new physique. Shadow got back to his feet and smiled at her. Sonic and Rouge could tell this smile wasn't like the normal grin or smirk that they normally saw out of Shadow. This was a genuine happy smile. It was like he finally found his reason for being again. Amy's eyes watered again and smiled. Sonic had seen that look on her before, and he knew that was a look that meant Amy was really happy.
Amy quickly ran back to him and hugged him again, holding him tightly. Shadow returned her grip and looked right into her eyes. As they stared at each other, the whole world for them seemed to cease existing. It was just them and them alone. Shadow closed his eyes and brought his face close to hers. He wasn't afraid of stealing anything from Amy anymore. He knew how she felt about him, and there was no need to beat around the bush anymore. Thus within a second, his lips finally met hers. Amy closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and lifted her legs up to embrace his kiss. The two hedgehogs held each other close as they gave each other their first kiss. Shadow made sure to swirl his tongue around to make it as passionate as possible. Sonic and the others smiled at their friends' union. Things may have seemed rocky at first getting there, but Shadow and Amy were finally together, as some guessed they should have.
After a minute or so, Shadow finally broke the kiss and looked at his lover. "I love you, Amy Rose. I always have…" he said.
"I love you too, Shadow the Hedgehog…" said Amy.
"YAHOO! It's about time!" cheered Charmy. He was glad that those two finally got together. He had been waiting for it for the last few days mow. It finally paid off.
"Hey guys! I don't mean to break up your happy moments, but satellite scans indicate that the Black Arms have left most of Earth's atmosphere!" said Tails over the loudspeaker, "Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they've left Earth's orbit and three Chaos Emeralds are unaccounted for. We may need to take this baby into space! Meet us at the bridge please!"
"No problem, little buddy! We'll be right there!" said Sonic with a smirk. Tails didn't seem to hear him, but Sonic still was ready for a good fight. He turned to the new couple. "We still got a few big fights left. You up for this, Shadow?"
"Do you even need to ask… 'faker'?" said Shadow.
"Now hold on, man! This ain't that kind of ShadAmy fanfic where we're assholes to each other, so let's not start! Now let's move on!"
Sonic quickly turned and zoomed off into the vessel. Shadow smirked at his rival's bravado and subtle challenge. He quickly turned to peck Amy on the cheek and sped off after Sonic. The others just sighed at the two hedgehogs seeming immaturity. They may have been allies now, but their egos and desire to better the other was far from subsided. Rouge looked to Amy and gave her a smile and patted her shoulder.
"He's a real hunk, that Shadow." She said, "Take good care of him…"
"I will. I promise ya that" said Amy.
Shadow and Amy were happy now, and were determined to not let anyone take that happiness away. That started with Black Doom, and he was going down!
3:37 PM – AREA 99 – GUN FORTRESS
A little over an hour had passed since word got around of the success of Operation Sky Troops. The Black Arms had been repelled from Central City and the Egg Fleet was destroyed once again. Commander Tower was pleased that both GUN and Sonic's friends were able to take down both armies. It felt like the first major victory for them and the human race. However, he still worried for the major populous in the surrounding areas. Many people had died already in the last couple of days, many more living in fear, and it didn't feel like they were any closer to killing Shadow or bringing down the Black Arms.
Tower had not been made aware of his men's orders to pull out, nor the president's overruling his orders to hunt down Shadow the Hedgehog. As far as he knew, he was in control, but the way this war was drawing out gave Tower severe doubts about what would happen next. This was not like the crises that happened before. It was a galactic invasion where millions, perhaps even billions, were dead. Rebuilding would be far more difficult now than in the past. Nonetheless, Tower had to shake those thoughts off. The human race was stronger than this, they couldn't let these alien monsters get to them! They needed to drive them off and take down that traitorous hedgehog that was with them. Shadow would pay for the lives that he took…
Suddenly, a soldier ran into the command center and saluted. Tower turned his eyes over his shoulders to the soldier. "I hope you have some good news for me, Captain…" said Tower.
"I do, Commander! As you know, the Vast Nazca temples and Egg Fleet came down well over an hour ago. However, we just received word that during that time, Captain Tanaka was able to lead the evacuation of Central City and the surrounding areas." Said the soldier, "All citizens have been safely extracted to the safety zone just outside of Studiopolis. There's also reports that most of the Black Arms are contained within the Death Ruins jungle, cut off from the rest of their support, who have retreated to what we believe is the Space Colony ARK."
Tower sighed in relief. He was glad that his judgment was not misplaced and that everything was working out well. Though he found it odd how Topaz was given this sudden promotion and that she disobeyed orders. "That is good. And the president?"
"Sir… the president is still in the Silver Mansion. He has refused an evac until Central City has been completely evacuated." Responded the soldier.
"What?!" Tower turned around looking shocked and upset, "You mean the president is willing to throw his own life away to these monsters?!"
"Y-Yes sir. In fact, word is he was unhappy with your decision to put himself over the entire city. Didn't you get the message?"
"What message?"
"The message saying the manhunt for Shadow the Hedgehog has been rescinded. The president also wants to talk to you personally via a private video chat."
Tower looked completely on edge now. He couldn't recall the last time his own orders were overruled by the Silver Mansion's administration, and now not only would his justice against Shadow go unchecked, but the president would most likely have his head for prioritizing Shadow's capture over everything else. He hoped he would be able to hide his vendetta from the higher-ups, but it seems that won't be possible anymore. Tower sighed and looked at the soldier.
"How long has the president been waiting?" he asked.
"Not long, sir. Only ten minutes." Said the soldier, "He's awaiting in the conference room."
Commander Tower quickly saluted the soldier off and made his way to the conference room. Conveniently, it wasn't too far from the main control room where he stood, only a few rooms down the hallway. It allowed Tower and his main heads an easy way to talk strategy while being close enough to stay informed about whatever major problem was present. Tower scanned himself through the retinal scanner and entered the room. The place was relatively small, with a long oval table in the middle with about six chairs on each side and two more chairs on the ends. Although there were more than enough paces to sit, even in the control room, Tower preferred to stand. To sit down was like an act of cowardice, he believed, so he never sat down unless he needed to. He took a remote and pressed it to activate a large monitor on the wall. The screen turned on to show President Connery behind a desk looking none too happy. Tower saluted the president nonetheless.
"Good afternoon, Mr. President." Greeted Tower. He knew he was in for an earful though.
"Cut the pleasant bullshit, Tower. I'm in no mood for your bootlicking!" said Connery. Only ten seconds into the call and Tower was already hearing it.
"I understand that you were… reluctant to leave the capital behind." Began Tower, "However, although the threat of the Black Arms had been negated, I still wish to urge for your safety to come first."
"And for the safety of Central City's people to come last? This city was under an immediate threat of intergalactic terrorism and your concern was on one man over the masses!?"
"With all due respect, sir, that one man is the lifeblood of this nation. If you were to die, the United Federation would be lost in an endless state of panic. Difficult as it was, I had to make the decision to put you first before attempting a full evacuation!"
"And you intended to sacrifice the entire city for it? I'm sure your father would have been proud of you…"
Tower did not take kindly to hearing his father's name being brought into this. He still couldn't forgive Shadow for killing him and Maria fifty years ago. His grudge was starting to overshadow this war and cloud his judgment. The president was keen on making him see that. "I really wish you wouldn't bring my father into this conversation so tastlessly, sir…" said Tower.
"With my deepest respects, commander, I think you'll find your father was as tasteless as you say I am being right now…" said the president.
"I don't understand where you're coming from, sir."
"You don't think I seriously was unaware of what you were doing with our resources, do you? I have kept close tabs on you ever since this invasion began. You've been abusing your position to lash out against innocent people because of the actions of one by hedgehog! Shadow should not be given top priority over these monsters, Tower!"
"Sir, if I may, you seem to be glossing over the fact that Shadow was the one that killed a reporter on camera and massacred dozens of people in Westopolis."
"I am not. However, Shadow was the one that destroyed the Egg Carrier and the last of the Black Arms air fleet. Whatever vices the invaders had over him appear to have been quashed. I urge you, Commander… do not reprimand Shadow until this invasion has been dealt with!"
"And allow more civilians to be killed by that monster? Allow them to lose their families as I have mine?!" Tower didn't realize until after he said it that he just gave away the whole reason for his vendetta.
"Just as I thought. You have been using GUN as a platform to carry out a fifty years old grudge. I'm thoroughly disappointed in you, commander." Said the president.
"Forgive me if I sound insubordinate, Mr. President, but I never had a good feeling about Shadow the Hedgehog." Responded Tower, hoping to save face, "What he did to my father and Maria, it's unforgivable. I want to finish him before anything like that happens to anyone else!"
"You have my sympathies, Tower, but this isn't the way to go about it. Aside from that… Shadow did not kill Maria Robotnik, and your father was not the man you thought he was…"
"What do you mean, sir?"
"I think it's best you find that out yourself. Then maybe you'll realize who the real monsters are…"
Before Tower could even respond to what he said, the president ended the video call. The GUN commander just stared blankly at the screen, almost in denial. But moreso in complete bewilderment. His father was a hero to him, one that helped many people and was on his way to saving Maria's life before his own was taken. What about him was he unaware of? Was there another side of this he wasn't seeing? It didn't line up for him. Tower wondered what he could be missing. One thing was for sure, though: his hatred for Shadow was becoming unhealthy and doing more damage than help to the masses.
The president was right on that. He had to let this animosity go. But before he could do that, he needed closure. There was only one place he could go to find it. And it was the same place he lost everything, the place that started this whole nightmare: The Space Colony ARK. He exited the conference room and made his way to the loading docks. He needed to get back into space. Abraham Tower needed to find closure with his past…
TO BE CONTINUED…
In Memory Of
Sir Sean Connery
(1930 – 2020)